Anticipation and expectation

When we practice with a partner for martial application we should not anticipate their movement or intention. We remain open to them without expectation. We match their slightest movement exactly. If they shift their weight we adjust our weight accordingly and so on. After many years of sticking to their movement we can interpret their mind intent. Anticipation destroys our feeling connection with an opponent.

When we practise the form we complete the posture we are doing and create the appropriate forces. We do not think of the next posture until we reach the end of the posture we are performing. The intention moves at that moment.

When we practise an exercise like the solo version of wo bu there is the intention to change direction after every three steps. We are not following a partner and we do not need to complete postures and create forces, therefore we do not practice leaving the mind open without expectation. We are practising to develop our technique and so we check if the substantial feeling is sunk, the change of direction is crisp and clear, the rhythm is fluid, and so on.

In daily life we give up thoughts about the past and future. When we check up we cannot find anything that we can recognise as the past and the future has not happened. Of course we can have mental events which we believe to correspond to past events but we cannot say that our memories are actually the past. If we really take time to check carefully we cannot even find anything that we can identify as the present! In daily life experience unfolds.