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October, 2001 Message from Sifu Eric Sbarge
Though we're moving ahead as planned, the challenges we face in building our new center have unfortunately grown since the terrorist attack. Similar to many other businesses, our tea house sales have slowed considerably as people have become reluctant to spend money in these times of uncertainty. Revenues we have counted on and that are earmarked for construction simply may not be there in the months ahead. I remain hopeful, however, that we can overcome much of this shortfall with the determined and concerted efforts of our students and members, and I simply ask that more than ever you do your best to support The Peaceful Dragon. Eat in the tea house. Encourage your friends to eat in the tea house. Let friends know that classes at The Peaceful Dragon are a great way to maintain good health and an upbeat spirit in these difficult times and urge them to join. The second question I've been asked is simply for my reaction to the terrorist attacks. There are pundits and experts whose opinions mean a whole lot more than mine, so I've not said much about it. But I will give my opinion simply as one individual, from the perspective of a traditional martial artist and follower of the Tao. The terrorist attack on our country has, as the expression goes, hit us where we live. You don't need to have lived in New York for much of your life, as I did, to feel the immediacy of the attack. If you live anywhere in our world and seek peacefulness and harmony you no doubt feel a sudden disharmony. The emotional results of this imbalance are fear, depression, anger, helplessness, mourning and grief. I feel all of these emotions, but I don't allow myself to succumb to them. I recognize that nothing has changed, despite the enormity of what took place. Good battles evil, or as the Buddhists believe, clarity fights ignorance. The battle is ongoing and always has been. The threat of terror and death is no more or less real than it has ever been. We speak suddenly of national security, but how can we speak of security? When you walk outside your front door, you can be mugged and murdered or you can simply trip and crack your skull open. When you drive out your driveway into the street, you can be killed instantly in a car wreck. When you are bitten by a mosquito or you take a bite of food, deadly germs can invade your body. When you ride a train rather than fly, you can derail and die on land rather than in the air. The question is never will we die, but when and how? Of course if we are sane it is natural to preserve our life as long as possible, and so we battle death. We learn self-defense, wear seat belts, cook our food properly, and so on. But however much we enjoy life, we never presume to win this war on death. Security is just an illusion. If we're wise we remind ourselves to live in the moment and cherish the moment rather than pretend we can overcome the uncertainty of the next moment. The terrorists have only reminded us of what we already knew but perhaps chose not to face. What should we do in response to the terrorists? Like fastening our seat belts and cooking our food well, we should try to enhance our safety. Personally I feel we must go after the criminals that spread pain and suffering, even if the result is killing them and the otherwise innocent people who surround them and even if it means more suffering for ourselves. How is this justified if we are peaceful people? By understanding the simple truth that if there is goodness to the whole, the good of the whole transcends the good of any part. The world is but one layer of a multi-layered universe. Our bodies are but one layer of the world. Cells are a layer within our body. If we detect cancer cells we have no qualms about removing them. But cancer cells are not evil. Within the community of cancer cells, which we can't comprehend, there is simply the desire to survive. We likely cause great pain and suffering to these cancer cells as we force them to die. Within the context of their existence, cancer cells may have children and sisters and husbands and wives whom we are exterminating. But still we remove these cells to support the health of the whole next layer of existence, our bodies. Sometimes humans endure a great deal of suffering going through the very processes that remove cancer cells, including chemotherapy or surgery. "Good" cells are destroyed with the bad. In our war on terror, there may be great suffering as "good" people die along side the bad "cells." But if we believe it is for the health of the greater body (our nation in the least, humanity at most) we must do it. The Shaolin monks have preached peace and compassion for 1500 years, but when necessary they have fought and killed to protect the innocent or to protect the very temples from which they preached peace and compassion. I choose not to fight or to go to war. But when the fight is forced upon me, I will always be a warrior. I am not afraid to fight, or to go to war, or to kill in the name of justice. When we have "smoked out" the evil, to borrow our President's phrase, we must then seek ways to regain peace and harmony. A person who overcomes cancer must then change lifestyle habits and diet to foster a better environment for good cells and thereby make it harder for the growth of malignant cells. As a country we must also be willing to reconsider our attitudes and policies so that everyone in our one world shares in our positive and prosperous environment where "cancer" cells can't flourish. Since we are a country of individuals comprising a whole, each of us as individuals will have to work to maintain and spread our positive and harmonious environment. Going to war is extreme but in the immutable tai chi model of yin and yang the extremes always find their way back to the center. So will we.Special Announcements
Construction Update Construction Volunteers Needed! Whether you're a skilled tradesman, a semi-skilled hobbyist, or you've never seen a hammer or paint brush up close, come join us in the building of our new center. There will be something for everyone to do. To get a better idea of who would like to help and what skills are available, you can check out the sign up sheet at The Peaceful Dragon. Please fill it out and return it to the front counter of the tea house as soon as possible. Workshops and Special Events
A Chance for Charity: Peaceful Dragon Students join Crop Walk CROP walk is an event created by the Christian Rural Overseas Program to help combat this suffering. Money contributed goes to local and overseas programs that not only provide food to children and adults, but also seek to educate those in need so they can feed themselves. For instance, in Africa, 500 dollars will build a school, purchase supplies and pay a teacher for one year. The local charities that receive aid here in Charlotte are Loaves and Fishes, Crisis Assistance Ministry and 2nd Harvest Food Bank. The focus this year is Southeast Asia. In this part of the world, not only are hunger and lack of education a problem, but also the widespread presence of land mines, which kill and maim 500 people every week, many of them children. Some of the money raised goes towards the detection and removal of these remnants of war. We at The Peaceful Dragon can help this effort. Join Sifu in the 10K CROP walk on Sunday, October 21st. Wear your uniform and walk as a group with your school. Not only will we help world hunger, but it will be a great promotion of The Peaceful Dragon. We will also be putting on a demonstration before the walk to encourage others to join classes. Sifu feels that this event is important enough to cancel classes that Sunday, so we all can participate. During the walk he will lead us in some Tai Chi and meditative walking, so we can get some training as well as enjoy the day and each other's company as we walk for a good cause. What you need to do: At The Peaceful Dragon you can find a pledge envelope and a yellow sheet with some basic information. Please look them over and if you have further questions you can ask Shawn Hammond or Jennifer Shults. The information you need is as follows:
This festival is our big annual event. Take advantage of FREE lectures and demonstrations of tai chi, yoga, and shao-lin kung fu, but also try a delicious and healthy hot tea served in one of our exotic yi-xing pots; and browse the expanded offering of fine oriental gift and luxury items in our store for that "must have" addition to your home or practice. Remember, you can now shop on line at our Online Store. You can become a member for only $19.95 and receive our newsletter, discounts on workshops, and 10% off anything you buy. Ask one of our staff for details. Our famous veggie burgers will be cooking, along with many other favorites. Sign up for classes and get a discount. And of course we'll have our special drawing for a FREE YEAR of classes! There's something here for everyone. Please tell your friends, come and see us.
Grandmaster Will Be Here Soon!
This workshop is for every Peaceful Dragon student aged 12 and up including our senior citizens. Students will split into groups based on interests, skill and physical condition. For example, senior citizens who study tai chi will focus on tai chi practice and principles throughout the three days, while shao-lin students will work on a more physical mixture of shao-lin and tai chi. All students will learn the exotic Yang style tai chi fan form—a beautiful and graceful form integrating healthful chi kung with unique combat applications! For details review the flier at The Peaceful Dragon. Here's the schedule. What's Up?
Cleanup day: Sunday, Oct. 28th
Grandmaster's Website
Cleanup day: Sunday, Oct. 28th
Successful Tai Chi Festival
Monthly Discussion
Third Annual Tai Chi Retreat Was Outstanding But beyond that, probably the best thing about the retreat itself is the relationships that develop between students as they share moments of laughter and sweat. And all of this gets carried back to The Peaceful Dragon. Those of us that were there missed you, and you missed a tremendous personal opportunity. We hope you'll plan to join us next year.
Vitamins and Herbs Volunteering There will be no classes, Sunday, October 21st, so that as many Peaceful Dragon students as possible can participate in the CROP walk. Show your Wu-de. Remember cleanup day, October 28th. Dragon Classfied Ads As always, a lot of bang for your buck. 40 words for $10. 40 more for $5 more. Give your text to George or Wes. My Peaceful Dragon Experience Wish you had a forum to share your insights and experiences? You do now. Write a guest column for this newsletter. Give your article to Wes, or to Michael, or email bmk@carolina.rr.com.
Q:You have said so many times that your religion is kindness.Ý And sometimes we hear this to mean something other than "religion" as we know it. A: I believe that it is very useful or important to have a nonreligious way of approaching...peace of mind. And in that way to give it to the community and to humanity as a whole. In any case, the majority of the world's population of six billion people has little interest or seriousness when it comes to religion.Ý That majority, that group of people, has a greater influence on society—or a more important role in society&#!51;than those who are religious do. I get the impression that when people are not much interested in religion they also neglect values like compassion, a sense of sharing, a sense of caring—all the things that people consider to be a religious message and reject. That's a mistake. These are secular ethics, not a religious message, and they are for everyone. Everyone can understand that being human, you want a happy life, a happy family, to be a happy individual. But material things will not provide you with genuine inner peace or inner happiness. Human values are essential. We must find a way to present basic human values to everyone—and present them not as religious matters but as secular ethics that are essential whether you are religious or not. --H.H. the Dalai Lama, interviewed in Tricycle, Fall 2001 To contact The Peaceful Dragon: Call: (704)-544-1012
Write: The Peaceful Dragon E-mail: comments and suggestions to staff@thepeacefuldragon.com |
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on
September 11 and with the uncertainty it has produced, I've been asked two common
questions by many of our students and members.
Fans for Grandmaster's workshop are now available at the
front counter.
