Many people struggle with the name of Tai Qi, be it “taijiquan”, or “t’ai ch’I” or Tai Ji, or Tai Chi, and fail to understand that, in the very spirit of the art, the name is but a collection of letters of the alphabet whereas the essence is in the practice, persistent practice and, ultimately, the “discovery” of its roots. These roots are, to be precise, one’s own roots, the roots of the inner person, the very soul of which we know so little.
Tai Qi is not alone in this journey as all the other Martial Arts of the East, Kendo, Kenjitsu, Karate, Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, and many others, all are, ultimately, about discovering and overcoming our selves or, our egos. “The best fight to win, is the fight that you do not have to fight!” When we are able to walk away from a confrontation without becoming ‘involved’ in the confrontation, without ‘suffering’ from perceived “humiliation” or “disgrace”, we find that we walk away with a sense of freedom, of victory, of lightness. Having no ego means not being affected by other’s perceptions.
In the practice of Tai Qi one finds peace of heart, tranquility of spirit and a better viewpoint from which to view the frenetic activity which surrounds us in the sentient world. There is no space for “escapism” through Tai Qi, as we endeavour to acknowledge, embrace and become one with life as it is. The only opponent that we face is the most implacable and unforgiving opponent we will ever be called on to face – our Selves! We do not set against the lifestyle of this world and ‘escape’ to some ‘secret place’, but we accept, understand and adapt to this world, as it is our home for the short time that we are here. We ‘become one’ with all that is and, in this, we find the peace and tranquility that all men seek. However, in this “becoming” we do not become part of the endless whirling dervish of life, but we do acknowledge its existence and learn to live within the centre of the typhoon that is life as we know it. Many people ask “What is the goal of Tai Qi?” and the answer is simple “Tai Qi has no goal.”
In our attempts to perfect our ‘Selves’ we finally realise that there is no true goal or destination, but the journey of self-discovery and self-realization is eternal and infinite. We do not set against any thing or any person, we do not confront or contend, we move with the tides of life as the kelp moves with the movements of the tides, never resisting, but never surrendering until our time in this sentient world is ended and we detach from the rock on which our roots were set.
In seeking this “perfection” we realise that we have to be extremely critical and honest with ourselves as it is essential to find and acknowledge our ego, and then to learn to dilute the ego into dissolving into non-existence. An extremely hard task master, ourselves, who keeps making more and more demands on our time, effort, attention and material desires. When we practice the various “forms”, which is an anathema to the true principles of the art as they are physical and limiting, we gradually, with the passing of time and continued perseverance and self-discipline, ‘detach’ our minds and conscious thought from our movements and slowly “Zen out” into the ‘world’ of moving meditation.
The often misquoted phrase “Learn the principles, become the principles, forget the principles” says it all. It takes a great deal of patience and practice until the movements become as automatic and precise as breathing. “Practice, not until you can do it right, but until you can no longer do it wrong” which takes a great deal of time, epitomizes the principles of the art. Patience, one of our sorely missed attributes, pays great dividends.
When we have ‘perfected’ the principles in every aspect of the form, and our lives, then we shall start to make progress. Sadly, in our ‘western psyche’ we are impatient and want immediate and measurable gains – short term gratification – which sets against all the deeper principles of all the Eastern Martial Arts. As many of the ancient masters have said “When you can do one movement without tension or thought, even if you never do another, you will begin to truly “understand” all that is !” It is not in the number of movements that “progress” lies, but in the perfection of the Inner self, the part that we spend so much time running from, that we deny, that fills us with fear and, in some cases, terror. This is the ultimate discovery of practicing Tai Qi – the self, without its covering of dust from the sentient world of perception, deception, illusion and delusion.
The movements are slow, precise, but completely relaxed and, gradually, with the passing of time, we become aware of a change that is taking place both in the physical and the ‘spiritual’ or inner presence. The body does take stress, but that is as a result of the limited use we make of it in our “normal” lives. We only use about 30% of our physical attributes, muscles, tendons and joints. When we really start to “use” our bodies, we find that many of the ‘normal’ aches and pains gradually start to fade away.
The aches and pains that originate from over-focused activities are also addressed and, as the joints and muscles start to truly move, we find that many of these points of stress gradually dissolve and depart.
The individual, with a highly active mind, seldom notices the changes which take place, until they are pointed out by another practitioner, due to the slow, gentle, non-stressing movements. The legs? They may hurt but this is not the result of stress, but of use, of being flexed through their full range of motion and muscular application. When each part of the body is aligned with all of the others, when all the joints are ‘manipulated’ correctly, there is no place for stress to manifest itself.
In this we see the beginning of the manifestations of the principles – non-confrontation, non-differentiation, non-discrimination, non-contending – the beginning of freedom.
What the individual extracts from the practice of Tai Qi will differ from individual to individual. The physical benefits are subtle, but real, silently sneaking up on one, slowly and gradually, so much so that they could be completely denied until, one day... The “internal” benefits are too numerous and subtle to mention, but in personal value, they outstrip the physical completely. Each individual will “grow” at their own pace, even if personally unaware of the changes.
.png)
