That which is without substance can enter even when there is no space.
(Lao Tzu)
Inner circle?
Is
tai chi
an arcane discipline, with inscrutable mystical roots - accessible only to
the initiated?
No.
Anyone can access the art, but you need to go somewhat deeper than just
words.
You cannot reasonably expect to immediately understand the inner workings of
tai chi.
It takes time, a thorough program of study, and lots of practice over many
years.
Insider knowledge
Tai chi is filled will odd
little phrases or instructions that have little significance to a beginner.
Were you to read the
tai chi classics
or zen and
tao books, the
cryptic statements and stories might not seem to have any obvious bearing on
the
martial art
itself.
These apparently vague references and riddles are signs and pointers to the
way.
Approaching the mystery
There are two ways to approach the riddle of tai chi: study
and practice.
Study must primarily take the form of lessons with an
instructor, rather than rely upon books
and videotapes.
It should also involve a lot of
reading.
When you immerse your mind in the taoist literature associated with tai chi,
you begin to see the world in quite a different fashion.
This will prove invaluable in your application of tai chi.
Practice is a kind of study in its own right.
Weekly
classes may assure some degree of progress,
but only represent the foundation of your training.
An earnest student should also practice at home.
Whilst daily training is best, you should try to practice when you want to;
when it feels right.
Nothing can replace practice.
One hour of physical training is worth weeks of internet surfing or video
clip watching.
Exploration
The esoteric principles of tai chi only really make sense when they have
context.
If you are not actively training a variety of skills designed to put the
abstract principles into practice, the system will never make any sense to
you.
A tai chi class needs to be a place where
yielding,
softness and gravity are explored, and your understanding deepens with each
successive lesson.
For example: "swimming in air"...
It can be considered in a number of ways:
This phrase is not an invitation to mimic a swimming action with your arms, but refers to connection within the body.
Imagine that the air is a dense medium (like water) and you must slowly move through it, conscious of the air pressure against your skin.
By using your mind to unify the body, you can move in a whole-body manner.
Were somebody to push against your limbs, they would feel substantial yet springy.
The body is heavy, as if the air was supporting the limbs, like water.
'Reeling silk' creates a wave-like undulation that is said to evoke the image of a swimming dragon.
There are other meanings but this at least provides a
beginning.
Form teaches
Tai chi
form
is a great teacher - it helps you to unravel the mysteries of the system.
You find ideas occurring as you move and
applications
spontaneously manifesting when you are faced with applying a posture.
The
way in which you move,
the pattern of the postures, changes in tempo and direction - these things
can teach you.
Every posture is a
mechanism for
releasing energy.
Consider which
jing is being released, in which direction,
against what target?
When the form is understood in terms of jing, you begin to really let-go.
Solving riddles
A
teacher can help you to
explore tai chi but you must do most of the work.
It is necessary to dismantle every aspect of the system and understand
for yourself how it works, and what purpose it serves.
Nothing should be random or arbitrary.
Refer to the tai chi classics from time to time, and read a lot about tao.
As time passes you will find the esoteric statements made manifest in your
own expression of tai chi, the abstract made substantial and the mysterious
rendered commonplace.
But, tai chi is a spiral...
Your increased knowledge brings with it an amplified awareness, and you
become acutely conscious of your own deficiencies.
You see more and more within your own practice and the mystery only deepens.
Page created 8 April 2000