A story is told about Albert Einstein. He had just given a test to a class of seniors, and he was walking across campus, followed closely by an assistant.

"Dr. Einstein," the assistant said, "you just gave the same test to this year's class that you gave to last year's class."

"Ya, ya," Einstein replied. "It was the same test."

"But why would you give the same test two years in a row?"

Einstein said, "Because the answers have changed."

I had to laugh when I heard this story because it sums up how I feel about the internal arts. I suppose it should be true for anyone studying any art.

Studying tai chi, hsing-i and bagua is like trying to reach the bottom of a bottomless ocean. Just as you think you've made progress, you realize that the ocean just became deeper, and in reality, you've only just begun your journey.

If someone had asked me 10 years ago how to perform "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar," the second movement of many Chen tai chi forms, I would have given an answer and demonstrated how to perform it.

When someone asks me today, my answer is far different than it was 10 years ago. The same movement, but deeper understanding. It's much more complex than it was ten years ago. I can't imagine how different my answer will be in another ten years.

If someone had asked me 20 years ago what the fighting application is for bagua's single-change palm, I would have given an answer and demonstrated a fighting application. Today, I might demonstrate 6 or 7 applications for the same movement. And what are the body mechanics for the movement? The answer today is far different than the one I would have given 20 years ago.

Albert Einstein never stopped learning, exploring, wondering, and experimenting. He would have been a genius at the internal arts.