Myths & magic | ||
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Some
instructors talk about qi a
lot. Qi is made to sound like 'fairy dust' - it can magically cure
all ailments and impart amazing powers.
This is clearly not true.
Magus?
There are a number of books
that suggest that neigong is some sort
of magic power.
It is not.
These books reflect superstition, not
insight.
The dark arts?
In the distant past little was known about Taoism.
Many of its adherents belonged to sects and esoteric
schools. Others were hermits who lived in remote
places.
Teachings from books with curious names such as
The Way and Its Power, Book of Changes,
The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings
were treated with suspicion.
Secrecy, rumours of great
power and deliberate obfuscation led to
tai chi being
regarded with considerable fear
and superstition.
Ignorance
A few so-called Taoist groups erroneously interpreting
the teachings as being 'religious' rather than science
e.g. in Borneo, Taoism has inexplicably been mixed with Indian 'fakir'
practices.
In China, Taoism was blended with Confucianism, Buddhism and Ancestor
Worship to form a ritualistic hybrid featuring strange costumes and deities.
These misconceptions and ignorance arose from a complete lack of
understanding.
Credibility
As a martial art tai chi has
something of a credibility problem.
Talking about qi or magic really does not
help.
To make matters worse, the origin and history of
tai chi is so old that very little is known about
how it came to be developed.
There are many myths, legends and folklore, but no provable
facts.
Modern times
In modern times tai chi has been rigorously tested by
medical/science professionals determined
to gauge its benefits.
It has fared well; garnering a reputation for being a very
healthy approach to
physical, emotional and
psychological health.
Legendary skill
The government of 1950's China were so impressed by tai chi that they used
it to resolve a national health crisis.
A 2008 Stanford University
experiment proved the striking power of tai chi.
Master Chen Xiang generated a
force 14 times his body weight when striking.
0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds.
In order to function beyond the
use of ordinary strength, you must study what seems inconvenient and then work
to make it efficient.
(Kuo Lien-Ying)
Ancient times
Imagine that somebody with the ability to
generated a force 14 times his body weight wanders into your village
2500 years ago and hits someone...
What would people think?
Bear in mind that this is an agricultural
society, virtually everyone is a peasant and
education is not widespread. Most people could not read.
The ability to strike to strike with 14 times your body weight seems
extraordinary in the 21st Century. How would it seem in the past?
Arcane knowledge
Being privy to secret knowledge about the
Tao, the
workings of the human body, natural power
and combat would have been a
remarkable thing 2500
years ago.
Such a person might well have been seen as
a sage, a mystic, a magician or a
sorcerer.
Of course, none of these descriptions are
accurate.
The individual simply knew something that others did not. They had
knowledge that was
uncommon.
They were not magical; they possessed no
superhuman skills.
Chinese cinema
For decades Chinese cinema has shown images of ancient
masters magically flying through the trees or
striking people with uncanny power.
It is easy to see where the
origins of these myths/ideas lie. Superstition.
Ignorance.
Songs
Before people could read, knowledge was
passed down by stories and songs.
Some of the texts featured in The Tai Chi Classics are still referred to as a 'song'.
Spells
Imagine living in ancient China...
The sage teaches songs to select people, who
must repeat the words precisely and put the
teachings into
practice.
If the song was taught to an 'outsider' the words
would mean nothing because they lacked
context.
Instruction manual
The songs were primitive instruction manuals,
and nothing more.
You could not transform lead into gold...
To the uninitiated the words were
unintelligible and the
meaning indecipherable.
Yet, understand the song and you can gain
power...
Try this...
Take a copy of The Tai Chi Classics and ask a friend/colleague/partner to
share their thoughts on the text with
you.
Try explaining the bagua
diagram to them.
Specialist knowledge
It is not hard to see how ancient knowledge may easily have seemed
incomprehensible to peasants in ancient
China.
But then, this is no different to an accountant trying to
explain 'book keeping' to a person who has
no head for numbers.
There is no magic here.
Lost art
An inspiring final thought is the realisation that the
skills,
insights and
wisdom of the Ancients are still pretty astonishing today.
These teachings have never been widely
taught.
When a new student encounters
authentic tai chi for the first time
they usually find the experience quite
surprising.
The more they learn, the more
incredible it gets.
Magician?
So, whilst you will never be Gandalf or Harry Potter, you will
explore the roots of the myths and
legends.
You will learn the origin of the superstitions: the mysteries and the
secrets...
But only if you have the tenacity and the
patience to endure the
long years of practice. It will be a pretty interesting
journey...
Worth reading
•
An ancient art
•
Esoteric
•
The lost art?
•
Magic
•
Mystery
•
The Old Ways
•
Secrets
•
Technical skills
•
The
Way and Its Power
Page created
18 April 2006
Last updated
16 June 2023
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