MASTER PO AND THE 9,998 BUTTERFLIES

In the year 606 I removed my top and walked into the tall grass of Wudan.

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It was amongst this grass, on these meadows, that Master Po learnt to fight many thousands of years before. This grass was blessed by 9,999 butterflies of varying colors.

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Master Po would pluck them from the sky before releasing them unharmed at lightning speed. Grabbing and hurting a butterfly is doable.

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To snatch one from the sky without damaging it, was the art. Their irreplicable flight patterns are what built Po’s irreplicable style. He could pluck a butterfly from the sky - and with the exact same movement he could pluck your throat from your neck.

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Every few hundred years you would see him once again descend into the meadow and dance through the grass snatching and releasing many butterfly’s per second in a dizzying display.

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The butterfly’s were not only unharmed, but invigorated by their momentary capture. Often fluttering particularly fast and high upon release.

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As if in to the heavens above. As adept number 1, I understood I would one day succeed Po himself. I had to learn what he knew. To do what he could do. So I decided to attempt the same. I stood amongst the grass and began to move.

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Tigers claw failed, along with my snake fist. I spent 23 days moving, quickly and slowly, grasping at nothing but air. The butterflies would land on me as if to taunt, but my hands touched nothing.

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By my 24th day my technique had begin to fail. My footwork was sloppy and my stances irregular. Instead of correcting myself, I let it happen, and 3 hours later I caught my first butterfly.

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I didn’t know it then, but these irregular movements of traditional style were the beginnings of Tateshinkai.

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Excited, I held it in my hands as gently as I could, and ran back to the temple to show Master Po. I ran up to him as he was drinking his tea. “Master, Master, I have caught a butterfly!” I exclaimed.

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He slowly placed his tea cup on the ground and a tear began to run down his face. Perplexed I continued “What’s the matter? I have been very gentle, she is alive!” It was at this moment that I opened my hands.

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And although I had been gentle, the many minutes in capture had saturated her wings with the natural oils found on the human hand.

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I now understood why Po’s captures were so short. Catch, with instant release. This was the consequence of prolonged contact.

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Her cage was open, she attempted to fly, but couldn’t. She laid on my hand and died. I sat next to Po, and we cried together.

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I never understood why there were exactly 9,999 butterfly’s in this meadow, and although PO never confirmed it, I fear there was once 10,000 before he made this very same mistake.

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There are still 9,998 butterfly’s atop Wudan. I never returned to the Meadow.

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Such is the way of Wudan.

-TATESHINKAI