258. The Non-Stopping Mind

In combat (life) allow your mind to concentrate by not allowing it to stop anywhere. If you block, follow up immediately with your counters; Do not allow the space to develop that would give your opponent the chance to strike you. Remain aware of the whole field of action. Where there are multiple attackers, as soon as you have disposed of one, move immediately on to the next one without permitting the mind (and therefore the body) to stop. This is only possible when the mind is not permitted to stop for anything. Then all opponents will be dealt with in succession.

The mind is present everywhere because it is attached nowhere to any particular object. Even when relating to this or that object, it does not cling to it. Allow your flow of thought to be like water filling a pond - it is ready to move off again. It can work powerfully because it is free. It is open to everything brcause it is empty, like a tidy desk.

This is what is meant by Serene Reflection, it is the vivid and clear awareness that comes out of the tranquility of no thought.

257. Non-Attachment

A quiet and calm mind is important; beyond that, it is essential that the mind seeks not to grasp anything, that it does not place a claim of any kind on anything. Let your mind be employed as a mirror, grasping nothing, refusing nothing, receiving everything and keeping nothing for itself.

256. Mind Over Matter

As the mind is in control of the body, everything that affects the mind has a stronger influence on the body than those things that affect only the body. Every conflicting centre, every extraneous disrupting, decentralising emotion jars the natural rhythm and reduces a man's efficiency. Mark well the emotions that destroy the inner rhythms of a man and avoid them at all costs. They are :

* Jealousy
* Hatred
* Lust
* Envy
* Pride
* Vanity
* Covetousness
* Anger
* Fear

They are also known as Deadly Sins.

Keep your mind agile and free and work to eliminate all these negative emotions from your character.

255. Yin and Yang and The Law of Harmony

The basic principle of Tai Chi is that nothing is so permanent as to never change. The two "opposing" forces of Yin and Yang are really mutually interdependent. Be in harmony with your opponent's strength and force. This is the Law of Harmony. Do nothing that is not natural or spontaneous. Do not strain in any way.

254. The Law of Non-Interference

The Law of Non-Interference with Nature teaches us not to resist your opponent but to defeat him by yielding to him and then using his own strength to defeat him. This is the principle on which Judo is based. When being attacked, do not resist but control the attack (by means of your decoys) and swing with it. This is what is meant by the expressions, "Don't push the river." and "Go with the flow."