Playing with the Dao:
A "Pragmatic" Strategic View

Results from the Practice of Stillness

Life can be an incoming flow of random shift and changes when you are not familiar with the patterns. Proper practice of internal stillness allows you to understand the interlinking patterns of Yin and Yang forces while disbelieving in the attribute of chance.

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest."  
--- Old Daoist text

Once the basic state of stillness is attained, the next step is to focus your internal attention on recognizable things like time, climate, and terrain, then continue by noticing its order and how it corresponds to the large scheme of things—all while maintaining an eye on the target. This key step of focusing on the current moment is the basis of mastering the Daoist principle of "familiar."

"Never worry about yesterday or concern oneself with tomorrow. You have to stay in the moment. By focusing on today, that is how we get to tomorrow."  
--- A paraphrase from John Wooden, former UCLA coach

This "performance" state of internal stillness can attenuate the chaos of your surroundings into a transparent state of clarity. Old Daoist texts describe this transformation with the analogy of "muddy water settling down and becoming "clear and pristine."

"One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and a chair in the room with some boiled water and fragrant tea. Afterwards, sit solitarily and allow one's spirit to become tranquil, light, and natural."  
--- Li Ri Hua, a Ming Dynasty scholar

Through this constant practice of internal stillness, the novice participant of the Dao slowly learns to appreciate the attribute of self-patience and delayed gratification, while subconsciously focusing on accomplishing your objective regardless of the internal and external pressure (from your surroundings that derives from the shifts and changes).

"The Master said, 'Even the world, its states, and its clans can be pacified; even ranks and emoluments can be declined, and even flashing blades can be trodden underfoot, but focusing on the familiar affairs of the day (zhongyong)—this is no easy matter."  
--- Zhongyong, Section 9

You can also advance to the mindset of prioritizing that understanding the state of how the world is is more significant than the act of determining what and why the world is.

"Be peaceful, easygoing, upright, and calm; then the measures you impose will be accommodating. If you are good at managing but are not calm, then empty your heart and even your mind, and wait for unease to fall away. This helps master rank."  
--- Guigu Zi (Master of the Ghost Valley)

Results from "Understanding the How"

Understanding how the world operates and its cyclical phase enhances your view of the large picture. This comprehension assists you in determining the "competitive advantage" within the situation, allowing you to focus on what to adopt and how to adjust to the current situation.

Proper understanding of the how allows the pragmatic strategist of the Dao to proactively view the large picture unemotionally while the practice of the what focuses the amateur strategic player of the Dao to be more tactically reactive. After a series of practice and perfecting, the budding strategic player of the Dao learns to observe and understand how the micro-cycle of one event can fit into the large picture [the Greater Dao]. This action is the first step of "aligning with the Dao."

"What comes from the internal practice of stillness is the practice of field and focus. ... All this 'stuff' is happening all around me and I am the lens that brings it into perspective at this point in time and this location."   --- R. Matz (Yi Quan scholar)

This proper practice allows you to become effective at whatever your focus is.

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