From the Chronicles of Tao
By Deng Ming-Dao
The Monkey style employed acrobatics, qinggong, a loose body, concentrated mind, and external strength. Flexibility was paramount, and the Monkey Master felt that relaxation was imperative not only to the physical and mental states necessary for monkey boxing, but for spirituality as well. He explained by using monkeys as an example.
"Look at all you Taoist boys." He giggled. "Someday you'll grow up to be priests with long lives of meditation. The monkeys have you beaten. They know meditation already."
"If you look quietly in the forests, you can come across a monkey sitting by a stream, just staring. He's not moving, he's not doing anything. He's just sitting. He's in complete stillness. Just think, he didn't need a Taoist to teach him.
"Or you might look up and see a monkey perched on a high treetop, completely lost in himself. He might be a hundfred feet off the ground, but he won't fall because he has complete, one-pointed concentration. Just look at you fellows. Why, you can hardly stand properly!"
"The monkey is totally relaxed. He is unafraid because he knows his intelligence makes him superior."
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