To lift an Autumn hare is no sign of great strength;
to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight;
to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins,
but excels in winning with ease.
Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for
courage.
He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory,
for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
(Sun Tzu)
Tai chi chuan
Tai chi may have been nurtured and influenced by
taoism but the self defence component is not taoist in nature.
Strictly speaking, a taoist may regard tai chi as being a waste of time
because it constitutes a system or method.
Taoist hermits did not practice tai chi. They were pacifists.
Tai chi is a martial art.
It is a synthesis of
kung fu,
qigong,
taoism and martial knowledge.
The system owes as much to
Sun Tzu's Art of War as it does to taoism.
Whilst Lao Tzu advocated finding harmony and balance with
existence, Sun Tzu sought to gain victory in combat.
These apparent opposites are contained within tai chi chuan.
Deceit
Sun Tzu's book uses taoist principles in combat scenarios and this same
practice occurs in tai chi.
The entire system is designed to teach a student how to
move in relation to others; compromising the opponent but remaining
integrated yourself.
Whereas Tao Te Ching speaks of honesty and openness, the Art of War suggests
deceit.
A tai chi person must balance the opposites within their character.
In everyday life, honesty is usually appropriate but in combat it is
suicide.
Lao Tzu & Sun Tzu
These are two very different influences.
Yet, the yin/yang symbol depicts the joining and blending of two characters.
Tai chi without the
martial understanding may suit many
students but it remains an incomplete system.
There are two sides to tai chi.
Ignoring the self defence is to knowingly practice
a fragment.
To practice tai chi exclusively for combat would not work either - a
balance must be found.
Page created 3 December 2004