Sheessssssshhhh! I’ve been in the ultimate struggle lately. I’m a Ph.D student, high school teacher, and a father in my spare time, (I kid on the spare time thing obviously) but I have been reading, exploring + experiencing. Recently one of my co-workers blessed me with a book he felt compelled to share based on some of our conversations and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience.
Rza + Sifu Shi Yan Ming
The Tao of Wu by The Rza begins with a foreword by his Sifu, Shi Yan Ming, a Shaolin Monk from the thirty-fourth generation of Shaolin warrior monks, the world’s oldest practitioners of the Cha’an Buddhist philosophy we call kung fu. He speaks of the transformative, inclusive nature of The Rza’s most ultimate creation, The Wu Tang Clan, and he goes on to speak favorably of what’s to come: wisdom from the life and travels of his student.
I’m not one to ruin a book for others, So I’ll be relatively brief here in my review/synopsis of this one. What I will do is create a series of reflections about my most favored parts and how they relate to my experiences.
The Soul…
“Open your mind, body, and soul to God’s voice in whatever vessel that bears it. Let it pull you into the world.”
This quote is reflected in the picture beside it – I believe the Rza is getting to us needed to be open to whatever the universe/god/creator has to offer us; it is a call to accept that in whatever vessel or form it comes to you in and to be able to allow that God energy (innerG) to envelop you – guiding you towards where you need to be. Which is also what I believe he meant when he wrote: “Don’t pray for a thing. Pray to put yourself in harmony with God.” Inside of that harmony resides the flow that I myself try to stay within. When you can achieve that harmony there’s this peace that allows you to face problems with a clear mind.
On Confusion…
“Confusion is a gift from God. Those times when you feel most desperate for a solution, sit. Wait. The information will become clear. The confusion is there to guide you. Seek detachment and become the producer of your life.”
For me, this quote states that within confusion there is always a safe haven that one can go into… the within. In southern culture (and maybe elsewhere) there’s a saying that God never gives you more than you can handle. Also, most religions believe that God is within us all, and therefore, when we sit, and wait we then allow that inner force to retrieve the answers to the confusion from within. God is synonymous with stillness and I think that’s the allusion The Rza sought to make.
The Meaning of Life…
“The meaning of life is easily stated. Live. Islam. For. Ever. Islam is peace, so what life truly means is, Live in Peace Forever.”
I’m not sure of where Rza got this; however, I can’t think of a truer statement. In my house we have a saying: regain your peace.Me and my wife are extremely different people (which is why things are so amazing for us *inserts content emoji* ) but peace is one thing that we agree on. Whenever anyone in our family is acting out of character we urge the other to regain their peace. Peace is all that matters. In peace there is God and he/she/it allows you to be in a state of relaxation, assured that everything is always going to be all good. I loved this book, and I hope that you give it a chance! Peace.
I am a black man that wants to exist entirely on words and words alone…
