Philosophy

Ken Gullette's intent with American Tao is to explain--in plain English--how to use Eastern philosophy in modern American life; how to remain centered during the hectic pace of our daily lives.  By balancing the mind and body, we can realize our true nature and enjoy a balanced life.

A famous old Chinese saying is this: Mastering others requires force. Mastering yourself requires strength. Our goal is to master ourselves and maintain our "center" so that, like a boat on a stormy sea, we can ride through the highs and lows of life without sinking.

Students who master themselves have the confidence and self-esteem to face unpleasant situations calmly and avoid violent conflict and self-destructive behavior. When a crisis develops, a student can center himself and remain calm. When someone assaults a student verbally or emotionally, the student can deflect the attack and find a positive course of action. It takes a lot of skill to avoid a physical or verbal conflict. 

When personal tragedy strikes, students can ride the situation out without reacting in a negative or self-destructive manner.  In everyone's life, there are happy times and there are tragedies.  Everything changes.  Bad times don't last.  There is no sense in asking "why" bad things happen.  Accept what is before you; deal with it; move on -- those are the actions of a balanced person.

Yin and Yang – Positive and Negative

According to ancient Chinese theory, the universe is made up of positive and negative forces which constantly mingle and separate. Yin is negative, weak, soft, dark, evil, etc. Yang is positive, strong, hard, light, good, etc. The Yin-Yang symbol shows that positive and negative forces are constantly interacting, seeking balance. 

In martial arts, Yin moves are weak or soft, deflecting energy. Yang moves are hard and forceful. Internal kung-fu is made up of a balance of Yin and Yang. 

Life itself is made up of Yin and Yang – constantly changing. Negative events happen in your life and positive things happen – you can be sure that even in the worst of times, life can become positive again. When you are sad, you can bet happy times will return. Without sadness, you could not know the joy of happiness. Without hard times, you could not recognize and enjoy good times. Without death, there could be no life. Without night, we could not enjoy the beauty of a sunrise. Without ugliness, how could you recognize beauty? Good and bad, then, are two sides of the same coin.

In the Yin-Yang symbol there is a dot of Yin within the Yang and vice versa. This is to symbolize that even in the darkest moments there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and even in the midst of very good times there is the potential for tragedy. In very tough men there is the potential for tenderness. In a soft woman there is the potential for strength and toughness.

The goal of the internal martial arts is to balance the positive and negative forces and learn to understand and deal with them by remaining centered and striving for balance in all things – personally, professionally and in the martial arts.

The hardest part about living is finding balance.

The workaholic destroys his or her personal life by being consumed by work.

The alcoholic destroys his or her life by being consumed by alcohol.

Someone who does not work at all destroys the ability to live comfortably, loses self-esteem and respect.

A teenager who drives too fast will have a car accident.

Someone who takes drugs will destroy their health and perhaps their life.

Someone who responds to people in anger will lose important relationships.

Someone who responds with too much passivity will lose respect for themselves and from others.

Those who are deeply depressed lose sight of all the wonderful things of life.

Those who take things too seriously fail to experience the joy of humor and laughter.

The goal of American Tao is to seek inner peace, balance in all things, and live a happy, fulfilled life, earning the respect of others, enjoying good health and success in all endeavors.

Balance is accomplished by:

• remaining centered

• realizing your true nature

• realizing your connection to all people, to all creatures and to the environment

• working hard when necessary

• playing hard when necessary

• learning to not take yourself too seriously

• learning to listen to others and be sensitive of their goals and feelings

• learning to express yourself honestly

• learning to love others without allowing them to control your thoughts, feelings and actions -- and not being possessive of the ones you love.

Nature works in definite ways. When someone or something violates the laws of nature, that person or thing is usually brought back into harmony with nature.

For example: when the population of wild animals in a certain area grows too large, the animals run out of food and the population is thinned out by starvation until there is a small enough number of animals to be sustained by nature’s bounty.

If humans were to pollute the air to the point where it was unhealthy, illness would result and wipe humans out or cause them to correct the problem and clean the air. The same could happen through global warming -- any time humans consider themselves more important than their environment, and do dangerous things to pollute the world, eventually the laws of Nature will prevail.

If someone reacts to you in anger, hostility, resentment, they are separating themselves from you.  They fail to see the connection.  Truly, one of the greatest expressions in human conduct is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  If you are at peace with yourself, you can treat others as you would want them to treat you.

According to our philosophy, if someone attacks you, verbally or physically, that person is stepping out of harmony with nature. That person will eventually be brought into line -- either by you, or through other self-destructive behavior and its consequences.  After all, "what goes around, comes around."

A prominent expression is: The best fighter has enough confidence that he does not have to fight – he is able to avoid a fight.

Seeking balance in yourself is to remain in harmony with the forces of nature. If you are serious about Kung Fu, you must work to be a positive force in the lives of everyone around you. Stand up for yourself when you need to do so, but do it in a non-destructive or angry way. This is your goal, and if you are successful you will be more happy, more successful and your life will experience a higher level of peace.

This is a key part of being "centered".

When you begin to understand philosophy, you realize your connection to all things. If you are religious, you might consider that because all things were created by God, you are connected to all things because you, too, were created by God. If God loves all his creation, you should do the same.

If you are not religious, you must consider that all things were created by nature in some way, and thus you are connected to all things.

Through practicing internal martial arts and American Tao, you begin to act and react to everyone, and to nature, in a way that is consistent with your philosophy. You treat other people and nature in the same manner you would wish to be treated. You see no difference between yourself and other people; between yourself and nature. Without other people, you could not survive. Without nature, you could not survive. Other people also depend upon you for survival. Nature depends upon you to not abuse your ability to spoil it. Thus, your life is bound together with the lives of others you come into contact with, and your life is bound tightly to nature and its forces.

In daily life, someone who is connected to others will react in a calm, rational and compassionate way when facing a stressful conflict. Rather than meeting aggression head-on, you will deflect or neutralize aggression and respond in a way that does no injury.

When you realize your connection to nature or God, you will act in a way that will do no harm to nature (or God’s creation). You will avoid polluting – you will plant and care for vegetation and trees – you will be kind to other creatures. This does not necessarily mean becoming a vegetarian, however (although there is nothing wrong with that). Animals devour other animals in order to survive (that is how nature works and we do not contend against nature).

There are times when others do violence to you or to those unable to defend themselves. When that happens, the attacker perceives himself (or herself) as separate from the person or thing being attacked. That is when natural forces take action in accordance with nature to bring that person back into harmony. 

It may seem inconsistent that you would fight if your goal is to maintain center and connect with an attacker.  It is not inconsistent.  A Kung Fu student acts only to defend himself, his family, or the oppressed (someone being attacked by a stronger person).  And that defense must be in accordance with the attacker's force.  If the attacker uses mild force, use his energy against him and return mild force.  If it is deadly force, return deadly force if you must.

However, you do not use anger and you must recognize that you are still connected to this person, even if they do not recognize their connection to you.  Thus, if you are able to bring them back into harmony with very little violence, it is your ethical responsibility to do so.

If there is no alternative but violence, then you should never become angry. You should focus on the job that is to be done -- self defense or the defense of others. Becoming angry means you have lost your center.

When you compete in a sport such as a martial arts tournament, you should not be angry with yourself for losing. Remaining centered means putting things in perspective. Learning from a loss, or a victory, should be the goal. Enjoying the moment and the competition with others is the way to remain centered.  Defeat is a path to the truth.  Learn from it.

Only by remaining centered can you recognize your connection to all things and act accordingly no matter what situation arises.

What is your "center" and how do you remain "centered?"

According to ancient Chinese theory, your physical center is located inside your body, three fingerwidths below your navel and two fingerwidths inside your body. This area is called the "Dan Tien." In our system of martial arts, we refer to this as your "Center" or "One Point." It is here that Chinese science believes your internal energy, or chi, is stored. From your Dan Tien, chi circulates through acupuncture meridians to all parts of your body.

An acupuncture point is where the chi comes close to the surface of the skin. According to the laws of Chinese science, illness is the result of a blockage of energy along one of the meridians. By stimulating certain acupuncture points with needles, energy (chi) is allowed to flow freely again and your body heals itself.

They say that by practicing internal kung fu and Chi Kung, you help the flow of chi through your body and that is why your health remains strong.  Our school does not teach this belief as fact.  We present it as the historical foundation of Chi Kung.  It is true, however, that if you practice Chi Kung, you will see health benefits, but you do not have to believe the ancient Chinese science, or the "mythology of chi" to experience these benefits.  The health benefits come from teaching your mind and body to relax.  Easing stress enables your body to function more efficiently.

When crisis strikes, or when you are faced with a tense or angry situation, put part of your mind on your Dan Tien.  Focus on your internal energy coursing through your body, storing in your Dan Tien, and calm yourself. Realize that you have a choice in how to respond to a situation, and by centering yourself you can take care of a bad situation rationally and without destructive emotion.

Also, by practicing chi kung you can teach your body to relax.  By combining all these practices and philosophies, you can learn to react to stress, crisis or confrontation in a calm, centered way instead of reacting with tension and anger.  When you can do this, you are learning.

Other links:

What is the Tao?

Empty Your Cup

Center Yourself

A Hand in the Moonlight 

Return To Home Page