From chapter 2 of the Dao De Jing道德经, which is the precursor to the Taiji principle of Yin and Yang (translation from book titled, “Tao Te Ching” by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English):
“Under heaven, we see beauty only because there is ugliness,
We know good only because there is evil.
Therefore, being and non-being give rise to each other,
Difficult and easy complement each other,
Long and short contrast each other,
High and low rest upon each other,
Voice and sound harmonise each other,
Front and back follow one another...”
― Laozi ―
天 下 皆 知 美 之 为 美,
斯 恶 矣.
皆 知 善 知 为 善,
斯 不 善 矣。
故
有 无 相 生,
难 易 相 成,
长 短 相 形,
高 下 相 倾,
音 声 相 和,
前 后 相 随。
Therein lies the whole essence of Taiji and Taijiquan.
A Daoist priest practising the sword
What is Taiji?
Most people do not know the difference between Taiji and Taijiquan. If Taijiquan is the earth, then Taiji is the galaxy. Hence, by extension, if Taiji is the galaxy then the Dao must be the whole universe and more!
The Chinese characters Taiji 太極 are often translated into English as “Grand Ultimate” or “Supreme Ultimate”, which by themselves are quite meaningless. Taiji is in fact, simply a manifestation (as perceived by the five senses of see, hear, smell, taste, and touch) of Wuji 無極, which is its opposite.
Wuji literally means “nothingness”, which implies that Taiji is born off Wuji or nothingness. In other words, Taiji is what we can perceive, as humans, and Wuji is what we cannot.
This as a concept is virtually impossible for the western trained mind to comprehend but please bear with me.
In scientific terms, Wuji may be interpreted as dark matter and dark energy in the universe, something that we humans cannot detect, see, or even measure in some cases, based on the present state of our technology.
It therefore remains a mystery, but it gets more interesting. Dark matter and dark energy are the Yin and Yang of the cosmos. Dark matter produces an attractive force (gravity), while dark energy produces a repulsive force (antigravity). Together, they make up 95 percent of the universe, but it is not detectable by humans!
Scientists estimated that roughly 27% of the universe is dark matter and dark energy makes up 68%. The rest is everything else that can be observed on Earth using the latest scientific instruments available, which adds up to about 5% of the universe!
If we accept that dark matter and dark energies are the Yin and Yang of the cosmos, this then has extremely far-reaching implications. From this, it infers that if physical strength represents Yang then the opposite of this is not “no strength” but some other form of energy instead.
Taijiquan practitioners have always called it jin 勁 as opposed to li 力 (physical strength). Note that both these Chinese characters contain the same radical, 力. By extension, the opposite of life may not be death in a physical sense but the transformation from one form of life energy into another, which scientists have yet to discover at this point in time!
But why are dark matter and dark energy important in our discussion about Taiji? Whilst there is still much to be learnt about dark energy which I have no doubt plays a most profound role for all living beings, scientists can confirm that dark matter is absolutely vital for life on earth because the gravity that it provides is an absolute necessity for allowing our galaxy to hold onto the raw ingredients that made life like us and planets like Earth possible. Without dark matter, the Universe would likely have no signs of life at all!
We use our cell phones without giving much thought about how the technology works. It basically uses radio waves to transmit messages (voice, text, or image), manifested as Taiji. Radio waves are a form of energy that cannot be perceived by our five senses and therefore belongs to the realms of Wuji. Given what can be done with radio waves, imagine the possibilities if we are able to harness both dark matter and dark energy!
This immediately brings to mind what Laozi said in chapter 11 of the Dao De Jing:
Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub; 三十輻共一轂
It is the centre hole that makes it useful. 當其無,有車之用
Shape clay into a vessel; 埏埴以為器
It is the space within that makes it useful. 當其無,有器之用
Cut doors and windows for a room; 鑿戶牖以為室
It is the holes which make it useful. 當其無,有室之用
Therefore profit comes from what is there; 故有之以為利
Usefulness from what is not there.無之以為用
(Translation from book titled “Tao Te Ching” by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English)
The ancient Chinese were very pragmatic to come up with a philosophy that combines both the known and unknown into one coherent whole, which they called the Dao道.
Taiji is the very first manifestation of Wuji, which are Yin and Yang. These are two opposite but complementary forces of nature. Whilst most of us acknowledge this dualistic nature of Taiji, the dualism that also exists in Wuji at the other end of the spectrum still remains very much a mystery. This is a subject for discussion best left for another time when more information becomes available.
Meanwhile, whenever we talk about Taiji, we often refer to it as Yin and Yang. The word “Taiji” first appeared in the oldest known written book in China called the Yi Jing易經, dating as far back as the 15th century BCE. It was originally a book of divination.
From there, the concept of Taiji evolved to become the basis of an ancient Chinese philosophy first expounded by Laozi 老子, who remains an enigma to this day. His birthdate is unknown, but he probably lived between the 7th and 6th century BCE and was believed to be an older contemporary of Confucius. A book titled, “Dao De Jing道德经”, was purportedly written by him and the opening three lines in the book are:
“The Dao as described is not the eternal Dao 道可道非常道
The name as given is not the eternal name 名可名非常名
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth…” 無名天地之始 …
Legend says Laozi wrote the Dao De Jing and then rode off to the west, on the back of an ox.
Laozi posited that the universe is made up of two complementary opposite energies known as “Yin” and “Yang”, depicted by this symbol: .
Note that Laozi did not create this symbol. It slowly evolved over several thousand years. It is through the interplay of these two energies
like the waxing of the moon, or the ebbing of the seasons, that creates life as we know it. One cannot exist without the other; like day and night, life and death, on and off; or the two sides of a coin, or the two ends of a stick. Even the computer today is built on the same principle using the binary codes, “0” and “1”.
What is Taijiquan?
Taijiquan太極拳on the other hand, is the name given to a form of Chinese martial art that was made famous by Yang Luchan 杨露禅 (1799 AD – 1872 AD) because it utilises the Taiji principles of the soft overcoming the hard to repel an opponent’s attack. (Read further to find out how the name “Taijiquan” came about.)
With the advancement of modern weaponry like the handgun, Taijiquan has evolved primarily into a holistic mind-body coordination exercise or discipline renowned for promoting good health and well-being because quintessential to every movement is the relaxation of the body, mind, and spirit.
Taijiquan promotes deep breathing, digestion, healthy functioning of the internal organs, and blood circulation. With proper and regular practice, it is known to provide relief for backache, asthma, high blood pressure, insomnia, hypertension, ADHD, obesity, heart ailments, arthritis, anaemia, dementia, migraine, and stress related ailments.
Taijiquan as a martial art has no equal. It carried the royal seal of approval from the Emperor of China as an effective form of martial art taught exclusively to the palace guards. It uses “4 liang (ounces) to repel 1,000 jin (pounds)”, or Si Liang Po Qian Jin四两拨千斤, and is compared with air or water, which are the most yielding elements on earth. However, they can also be the most destructive forces as well; in the form of typhoons and tsunamis.
Like all good wine, with correct and proper practice, Taijiquan matures with age, and it is not unusual for an 80-year-old Taijiquan expert to overcome a 20-year-old with ease. Taijiquan truly teaches the young to respect the old (Zun Lao Ai You尊老爱幼).
To learn Taijiquan properly, a good understanding of the Dao is essential. Next, you must have a good teacher followed by an immense measure of perseverance, fortitude, dedication, and the correct mental attitude (mindfulness). What is left then is for time to work its magic!
How does Taijiquan work?
The slow continuously flowing movements of Taijiquan emulate the circulation of blood through the body; just as running water signifies life. The gentle movements relax your muscles and joints while invigorating the vital organs. Every movement must be executed mindfully. It is this body-mind interaction that sets Taijiquan apart from other forms of exercise or activity.
How does Taijiquan reduce stress?
Stress is caused by tension in the body and or mind. Taijiquan uses slow, gentle, circular movements to relax the body and mind, and at the same time, encourages deep breathing. Life is movement and to mindfully seek tranquillity in motion (“动中求静 Dong Zhong Qiu Jing”) is the Taijiquan way to true relaxation. Hence, Taijiquan may well be the best natural remedy for human stress.
How can Taijiquan benefit me?
With proper dedicated practice, Taijiquan may help lead to the following:
Improved posture
Better body balance
Better body alignment
Greater mobility especially in old age
Less tension in the body
Greater strength and flexibility
Better awareness
Calmer disposition
More energy
Lower blood pressure
Better blood circulation
Deeper breathing
Better concentration
Tranquil mind
Better health and well-being
What is气 Qi?
This is an interesting question. Since ancient times, the Chinese discovered that humans were able to survive without food or water for a few days. However, without air or oxygen, we would be dead within a matter of a few minutes, so please do not hold your breath! This air that we continually need to “consume” to stay alive is known in Chinese as Qi气 (氣 in traditional Chinese script).
Qi is not only important to humans, it in fact permeates the entire earth and gives life to all living beings as manifested by the Dao道. The Chinese worked out very early on that Qi is so important for human survival that thousands of years ago, the Chinese developed a method or practice of balancing and cultivating Qi in the human body known as Daoyin 导引. Today, it is better known as Qigong氣功. Taijiquan is a form of Qigong but more than that, it is also a form of martial art.
From a scientific point of view, we need the oxygen from the air that we breathe to keep the trillions of cells in our body nourished and healthy. When we exhale, we remove waste products such as carbon dioxide produced by the cells from our body. So, if we continue to keep breathing it will at least stop us from turning blue in the face! Oxygen also enables the body to burn the food that we consume to create energy and turn it into nutrients for the cells. If Qi is such a powerful and dynamic force or energy that can convert something like solid food inside the body to nutrients that keep us alive, imagine what else it can do to our body? Are we able to collect and store this powerful energy and harness it for martial art?
Numerous experiments have already been conducted whereby people who are brain-dead are kept alive via an artificial life support system, with limited success. While nutrients and oxygen can be pumped into the body to keep the vital body organs and cells alive, there is one critical ingredient that is missing, which is the brain or a fully functioning mind. Therefore, these experiments tell us that Qi alone is not sufficient for the body to function fully. The mind is also necessary to mobilise the Qi inside the body!
A newborn baby does not have a fully functioning brain (or mind) like an adult but notice how he breathes and moves his limbs. The baby naturally breathes deeply into the abdomen (Dantian丹田) but as he grows older into an adult, his breath becomes shallower and shallower, until he dies.
A baby uses Qi to move his body and when he grasps your finger for example, you can feel that there is “elasticity” and a pliable, clinging sensation in his grasp. So contrary to what most people think, Qi is a soft, pliable, and elastic but yet powerful force coming from the sinew (because muscles are still not well developed then); which is opposite to the western association of power with physical strength coming from the muscles.
When we practise push-hands in Taijiquan, there is a saying, “do not lose contact or resist”, or Bu Diu Bu Ding不丟不頂. A baby’s grasp gives exactly that same sensation. This energy comes from Qi and is not physical strength, which is normally associated with muscles.
When we were babies, we had innate abilities, using our subconscious minds, to mobilise the Qi in our bodies. However, as we grow older and begin to build up physical strength in our muscles, this ability is gradually forgotten or lost because our minds become less focused on mobilising the Qi.
Instead, they become increasingly distracted by other things that are happening within and outside of us. Menial activities like moving our hands and feet in our daily lives became a function of our body muscles.
Over time, the Qi becomes scattered or dissipated throughout our bodies. As the mind becomes less focused on the physical body, much of our daily activities like opening doors, typing on the keyboard, etc., are taken over by the simple flexing of different muscle groups within our bodies which require little or no conscious mental effort. Take for example, while you are walking, do you need to concentrate on every step that you take, or can you walk without even thinking about it?
Some people have come up with this fancy idea that since Qi is so powerful, we should be able to use it to move objects and people without touching them. Millions of people have been conned into believing that it is possible. There is even a Chinese name for this: Ling Kong Jing凌空劲.
Please do not bother to try because I can tell you right now that it will not work! Qi is a life force so how can it be used to move a non-living object? Yes, we can move objects around using sheer muscle and grit, but not by using Qi! The reason is simple, an object is not a living, moving, human being!
The Qi in a human body can only interact within or with another life form while they are in contact with each other. Qi by nature is elastic and can therefore be a very effective martial art “weapon” if this energy is used to redirect the opponent’s force back to him via a circle or loop. Redirecting the force this way requires minimal energy once you learn how to do it. It requires only “4 ounces to redirect a thousand-pound force”! The opponent feels that the force being returned is a lot more powerful because of tension in his own body and the fact that he is already out of balance and right at the point of tipping over. It is also natural for a person to react by tensing up when he is “caught” off-guard in an unbalanced position.
Taijiquan can help us to regain the ability to use our mind, this time consciously, to gather up and mobilise the Qi in our body so that we can harness its power. The Taijiquan saying for this is, “use the mind and not physical strength”, or in Chinese it is, “Yong Yi Bu Yong Li 用意不用力”. This saying is crystal clear; if you want to mobilise the Qi in your body, you must stop relying solely on pure physical strength. You must (re)learn to use the mind to mobilise the Qi in your body.
Sure, this is easier said than done and it can only come about through long dedicated practice, until your mind and body are (re)unified as one, and mobilising the Qi using the mind becomes second nature to you! It is interesting that we have to make a full circle and return to where we first started off as babies.
Practising the Taijiquan form repeatedly is the key to unlocking the Qi inside your body but not only do you need to practise a lot, but you must do so diligently by following the principles as set down by our founding Taijiquan forefathers!
For a long time, as a Taijiquan practitioner, I never believed in Qi. Following explanations and instructions from my Shifu师父 and Shiye师爷 , I trained regularly and persistently for many years before their instructions combined with my efforts finally came together into fruition. It took a long time before I even got an inkling of what Qi really feels like.
When I practise, some days I felt my arms become so heavy that I could barely lift them up, let alone move them! My shoulder joints and waist felt like they were so worn out that they ached because my arms were so heavy. I felt like stopping but I pushed on and kept going instead. Sometimes, I also feel a hollow sensation in my Dantian.
Imagine how difficult it was then, to remain calm mentally and physically relaxed at the same time as well. This is not a sensation you get every day. It all depends on your state of mind at the time when you practise the form. You see, most people do not get the point that being relaxed is more of a mental state, and not just a physical state. At first, if you do not succeed, then try and try again. After repeatedly practising the form many times in succession, you may, all of a sudden, get there!
Ma Yueliang, the renowned Wu吳 style Taijiquan master said that it took him ten years (of hard training) before he discovered his Qi, and another 20 years after that before he could use it! Now, I have to be honest and I say that I would never have trained as hard as he did! He was a full-time professional Taijiquan practitioner with an accomplished master in the form of Wu Jianquan吳鑑泉 to guide him, who also happened to be his father-in-law!
The correct method of training is the single most important key to accumulating Qi in your body. The methodology involved can be derived from understanding the ten essential principles of Taijiquan as cited by Yang Chengfu, so there are really no secrets to cultivating your Qi.
I have trained under a few teachers in the past but unfortunately, although they might have mentioned the principles in passing, none could relate them to the form practice. This leaves a huge “vacuum” or gap in my understanding. Unless a competent teacher points out your errors and demonstrates to you how the principles relate to the form practice, the chances of working them out by yourself are very slim. This is the main reason why many students come to a dead-end and give up practising Taijiquan altogether after a few years. Moreover, being totally devoted to your practice for ten years or more before getting any result in return, which is not guaranteed in any case, is also a huge obstacle to overcome.
Why are the principles so important? The principles are the key to unlocking the hidden potential in Taijiquan. Unless you fully understand how the principles like separation of full and empty 分虚实, use the mind and not physical strength 用意不用力, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows 沉肩坠肘, top and bottom must follow one another上下相随, seek tranquillity in motion 动中求静, etc, work in a practical way and are able to incorporate them into your form practice, your Qi will never be able to fully accumulate in your Dantian. If your Qi is scattered like it is now, throughout your body, how can you harness it?
We all know that Taijiquan is one way of cultivating your Qi and invigorating your body. The Chinese word for this is Yang Sheng养生. This concept can be applied in a wider sense to a natural phenomenon like climate change, and how human activities have caused changing weather patterns due to deforestation, population “explosion”, environmental pollution, and intensive agriculture practices, or mining activities, etc. They are slowly depleting the earth’s ozone layer which protects all life on earth. Here, we are talking about air or Qi in a macro sense and it is interesting that the Chinese uses the same character “Qi” to describe the atmosphere (Kong Qi 空气 ) or when talking about the weather (Tian Qi 天气 ).
At a personal level, we also deplete the Qi in our body as we aged; we are not immortals after all! Note that the depletion process can accelerate through overindulgence in food, drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex, and stress from work or relationships, pollution, poor living conditions, unhealthy diet, etc.
Whilst practising Taijiquan can help, the golden rule is that we still need to take good care of ourselves because no one else can; as the Buddha once remarked, “One is one’s own refuge; who else can be your refuge?”
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