Embodied Taoism | ||
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Embodied spirituality
Tai chi is a vehicle for exploring the many insights offered by the
elusive and beguiling study of existence known as 'Taoism'.
It is a hands-on approach to spirituality.
There is plenty to read (if this is something you enjoy) but the emphasis is
mainly upon doing rather than reading, thinking
or talking.
Embodiment
Life is lived through action, not
words.
The art of tai chi is a physical journey that will lead to an inner search
for meaning and understanding within the student.
What your body remembers is what is important for you at this particular stage
of development.
What your mind forgets, your body is telling you it couldn't use anyhow at this
time.
(Tsuchihashi)
Taoist principles
Tai chi uses the
yin/yang principle in combat.
The art will work unless the exponent
understands what this principles represents in
functional practice.
Knowledge gap
Consider this: can a student embody Taoism
when they don't remotely understand what
Taoism is? Good question...
Mental representation
Dr. K. Anders Ericsson maintains that we interact
with life using a series of mental frameworks that enable us to understand
what we encounter.
He calls these 'mental representations'.
The more comprehensive and informed
your mental representation, the better equipped you are to
make sense of things.
Your mental representation enables you to make the best use
of learning opportunities and enhance your
skill.
Amateurism
Imagine if a musician could play a guitar for the entertainment of
others?
They may accomplish this without actually being able to read music.
Through mimicry and familiarity with the instrument, the guitarist is capable of
producing entertaining sounds that please others.
For popular, common entertainment, mimicry is no doubt adequate and there is
nothing whatsoever wrong with it... but have you ever listened to 'classical'
guitar?
Distinction
A classic guitarist can read music.
Their grasp of the instrument and the comprehension of the
music is discernibly more
sophisticated than that of an amateur.
Instead of a rough, approximate sound, the music is nuanced,
subtle and arguably more impressive.
Limited skill
It is possible to speak a language without being able to
read or understand the words.
Most people who holiday abroad may acquire a smattering of words and develop
a limited comprehension.
Others may achieve relative fluency.
Competence
If you could speak French fairly well - but could not read a word of
French -
would you really be considered 'qualified'
in French? 'French speaking' perhaps.
But there is far more to French than speaking.
Without the ability to read and fully comprehend
the language, your understanding would remain partial and incomplete.
The ability to read the source material changes
everything.
Comprehension
In tai chi a person might gain some
skill through the mimicry of forms, the
approximation of patterns, through copying what they
see. Herein lies the problem.
Your understanding of the
art determines the
quality of your tai chi.
Therefore if you copy the patterns
without understanding what they
mean, why
they occur and how they came to be...
these omissions will severely
compromise
your skill level.
Taoism
At the root of tai chi is Taoism.
It behoves every student to read the main texts repeatedly and
mindfully until comprehension emerges.
A good copy of The Way and Its Power (e.g. The New Lao Tzu)
along with Merton's Way of Chuang Tzu will suffice to
begin with.
Don't try to understand every sentence, just
read.
Comprehension will come by itself.
Martial principles & practice
Sun Tzu's The Art of War utilises Taoist insights and principles in
the context of military combat.
Penguin Classics (Minford version) is an easy
read. The book warrants repeated study.
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi is another book to read
many times.
Seeking to implement the teachings in class (and in everyday
life) will prove to be quite a challenge for the
earnest student.
The Tai Chi Classics
The Tai Chi Classics combine martial principles (and practice) with the Taoist
Classics.
Buy The Essence of Tai Chi Chuan - The Literary Tradition by Lo et al.
Start with:
Repeated study - with continual reference to what you are being taught in
class - is essential.
Biomechanics
The fourth main component for a student to study is
human
biomechanics.
This warrants reading beyond the scope of lessons.
A detailed grasp of 3-D,
pressure,
adjustment, central equilibrium,
centre,
internal & external training methods,
force,
connection,
internal/external ratio,
listening,
nervous system,
range & reach,
sensitivity,
small circle,
softness, spontaneity,
sticky,
yielding,
bracing,
impact,
minimalism,
alignment, natural power,
coordination, mobility,
ergonomics, moderation,
exertion, stretching,
muscles, tension and
strength is essential.
A 'strummer'?
Strumming a guitar is not the same as being able to
read music and
play with comprehensive skill.
Similarly, copying the appearance an
instructor's practice is
hardly the same as understanding it and reproducing
all aspects of their
art.
If you lack knowledge, experience and sophisticated skill, your
shortcut
won't take you very far.
To become adept you must invest in
rigorous study.
Embodied Taoism
Tai chi may indeed be an embodiment of Taoist insights but
if you don't
know what those insights are, how exactly can you embody them?
Finding out about Taoism is fairly easy but does require
long-term study.
There are many books to study but their secrets are not
yielded quickly or
readily. Your brain needs to change, grow and adapt.
Understanding takes time.
Belief?
Just remember: Taoism is not a belief system. You don't have
to believe anything.
It is ancient Chinese
science.
So keep your feet firmly placed on the ground at all times...
The student must become completely soft for the process to take effect; then
the student becomes a tai chi boxer. She must push hands as if no one were
there.
Few are capable of putting this idea into practice because it is hard to
literally accept. Most students harbour the notion that not using force or
resistance is a metaphor; a measure of the spirit of the thing rather than a
literal statement of method.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
Page created
2 August 2001
Last updated
21
April 2017
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