My old teacher used to say about meditation and martial arts, “Move on the outside, be still on the inside. Be still on the outside, and move on the inside.”
In Ch’ien-lung, the Animals have not only different ways of moving, but also different ways of approaching meditation. Specifically, they each bring a “tone.” The idea of a tone in meditation is not new. It is prevalent in Tibetan Buddhism. Indeed, the word mantra refers not only to a repetitive phrase, but to what is called a “feeling tone” and what in psychology is called a “hedonic tone.” It is the idea that while there is an absence in mental chatter, there is still a tone or attitude which permeates the silence. Tone can be thought of as a deliberate act of presence.