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Don't take our word for it
Find out for yourself. This is an important lesson that Sifu Waller
highlights again and again.
Be scientific. Rigorous. Search for answers.
Tai chi is often shabbily taught
A lot of what passes for tai chi
these days is not martial in any way;
and a student would be naive to take tai chi
instruction at face value.
Do some research. Be
sceptical. Find out more.
Many tai chi schools don't follow a
syllabus or offer the full spectrum of
combat skills.
Ask for proof of competence, a
syllabus, grading
structure...
Test it out
Watch your instructor in action.
Gauge the effectiveness of what you are being
taught:
Did it work?
Did they compromise themselves? Were they over-committing?
Was there any adverse feedback?
Did they allow for multiple attackers?
What did it do to the opponent?
Was it easy to perform? Did it look natural/comfortable?
Smooth or jarring?
Can they evade an armed opponent?
Now, see if they teach
you how to do the
skills for yourself...
The true science of martial arts means
practicing them in such a way
that they will be useful at any time,
and to teach them in such a way
that they will be useful in all things.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
Reject opinion
Stop thinking.
Become a martial scientist and
take nothing for granted.
Opinions have no bearing or value because they
are not substantive - belief is martially
meaningless if it cannot be
proven.
Be harsh with your thoughts and discard anything
that takes you away from the science
of tai chi.
Observe
Observe what is, rather than look for what
you think should be there.
Rather than listening to your mind, explore
your senses - see, feel, experience.
Students frequently fail to see the truth, even when
looking directly at it.
They see what they want to see.
Reality
Reject metaphysical speculation and
keep your attention on the real.
A scientist finds principles through
methodical experimentation, practice and
patience.
Tai chi is riddled with lessons but you will fail to learn from them if
you are unwilling to explore thoroughly.
Evidence
Accept nothing, reject
nothing.
Find evidence in your practice, in
partner work, in the way your
instructor does the art, in
Taoism and in
The Tai Chi Classics.
Is it substantive?
Can you reproduce it consistently?
Do you understand it?
Could you articulate or demonstrate your
understanding under a variety of conditions?
Self-doubt is good
Be careful to doubt yourself.
Failure to prove something may be a reflection of your own
abilities or
perception, rather than the art itself.
Some knowledge simply takes
time, and impatience may lead you wildly astray in the search for what
you consider to be
important.
Ultimately, you may only see the truth of your learning
in hindsight.
Change
Nothing is fixed in tai chi; your
practice and approach should be constantly under
revision and reconsideration.
If you feel to have 'got it', think again.
There are no plateaus or stopping points - there is always a
deeper layer of subtlety to
uncover and comprehend.
Science
Taoists were natural
scientists and they learned a lot about the world by simply
watching it and
garnering the underlying principles
in operation: 'the laws of nature'.
Tai chi is the product of such knowledge:
it is the outcome of martial principles,
Taoism and
qigong.
Your tai chi rests on science: the physics of
relationship, the biology of human
anatomy, the chemistry of our bodies...
If you do not keep your practice grounded in
the substantial, it will become meaningless and
flawed.
Modes of thinking
Once, people thought in terms of magic and
superstition. This was later
replaced by religion and then eventually science. Yet, this model of
progression is simplistic.
Taoism and other ways of thinking existed
alongside superstition, religion and science. These alternate
modes of thinking were
often based on loss of self/ego. Not implicating
oneself in everything.
Beyond ego
Scientific thinking has its merits; especially
when people talk about qi (superstitious thinking). However, we don't
need
to know or understand in order for something
to work.
Just avoid jumping to
conclusions? Not knowing is fine.
If you can discover the answers, then do so. If not, be okay with that.
Ground your thinking in what is, not in
what you already know.
Study
When you read a sentence in Tao Te Ching,
ponder it.
Then look to the reality of your
training, and discover what it means.
The Classics have meaning, and if you are
thorough, you will find it.
Page created
18 March 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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