Benjamin Lo

Well, I survived Ben Lo's taiji workshop (he was complaining about students who made shirts that declared as much, worrying that it would drive other potential students away:-). I got a lot more out of it this year than I did last year. Last year, my legs were in so much pain that I had very little room to absorb any actual information. This year, I got a different level of corrections (and more corrections; I was closer to the front, where he could see me more easily). I did NOT hear "bend hip joint" directed my way very often. I did hear "you got to sink LOWER," and yesterday that was feasible. Today, it was semifeasible, but then I would rise up without even realizing it. My legs had declared a rebellion.

Anyway, I find it interesting that Ben Lo is a Christian (no clue what denomination). He's from China originally, and went with Cheng man Ching to Taiwan (I think; possibly Ben Lo was already in Taiwan). Benjamin is not his birth name; it's likely that it's the name he took at baptism. I had been assuming it was a matter of convenience: something that Americans could pronounce easily. *shrugs* But I started reflecting on the people I know who do taiji regularly. Two Taoists (including me); two protestants; one Mormon; a Tibetan Buddhist; two Jews; a lapsed agnostic. I suspect a large number of Bataan's students are also Buddhist, but I don't know that for certain (Bataan teaches at the Naropa institute, which was founded by Buddhists). I've been told that Cheng man Ching was roughly 70% Confucianist and 30% Taoist. It's interesting to see that much diversity in such a small sample. I do feel obligated to point out that the principles of Taiji are largely based on Taoist thought, yet the principles of traditional Chinese teaching are largely based on Confucianist thought.

Anyway, what did I learn at the workshop? Well, I learned that I can sink farther than I realized was possible (in some places, at least), and that my legs are a heckuva lot stronger than they were a year ago. I also learned that I have a bad tendency to lean when my legs get tired (I got no corrections for leaning yesterday; today was another story entirely). More importantly, I got a huge dose of humble pie. You need that every so often in taiji, or you start thinking you're better than you are. At least, I need it every so often, and Don tells me the same thing. (Oh, and we DID cover the second third of the form; we even talked some about the LAST third. :-)