Calm Mind and Peaceful Heart

I rushed over to meet my Taichi sifu, Master David Bao, for some Tai Chi practice, while I have a few days to myself back in Kuala Lumpur. He is a two-time world champion medalist in Taichi Chuan and Wushu from China. He married a local Malaysian woman and settled down in Petaling Jaya.

Although he is slightly younger than I, I value his advice, as wisdom does not necessarily come with age.

The conversation started when I told him that today’s world is full of false news, negative rumours, and incessant chatter, which finds itself all over the place. Even though I was back just for a few days, there were already a few of these going around.

His reply changed the pace of our conversation when he said it’s more important to focus on one’s wellness, in terms of physical body and mental alertness. A strong body, a calm mind, and a peaceful heart shall allow one to pursue what one wants to do with one’s life.

One should always know what their core qualities are, what’s important to our lives, and not get easily derailed by small things. If not, one shall certainly lose focus on the bigger things in life.

I am grateful that I am surrounded by mentors who can push me further and improve the quality of my life. ‘When the student is ready, the master shall appear’, was always just a mantra I simply muttered. But as I tread along this life journey, these sayings slowly begin to take shape and appear as reality.