Our school of Tai Chi is “pure Taoist Tai Chi Chuan”, emphasising mental training and developing Qi (Chi), with the philosophical concepts of the Book of Changes as its root.
It mainly employs the philosophy of the Taoists Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, the idea of non-action, the middle way principle of Confucianism, and Buddhist self-cultivation through benevolence and forgiveness, and existential emptiness. It is a melting pot of ideas from many schools of philosophy plus principles taken from Traditional Chinese Medicine and the art of war.
From the Tai Chi forms, push hands, da lu, swordplay, up to Jin application, all are based on principles described in the Tai Chi Classics: The Tai Chi Chuan Jing attributed to the Wu Dang alchemist Zhang San Feng, The Tai Chi Chuan Treatise by Wang Zong Yue of the Ming dynasty, Exposition of Insights into the 13 Postures, Thirteen Postures Song, Playing Hands Song, and the Song of Applications.
The standards for practice are based on the inner meanings of Tai Chi as passed down by Grandmaster Zheng Man Qing (Cheng Man Ching), also known as the Master of Five Excellences (poetry, calligraphy, painting, medicine and Tai Chi), in his latter years. In continuation, Master Wu Guo Zhong (Wu Kuo Chung), who founded the Shen Long Tai Chi Association of Taiwan and the International Shen Long Tai Chi Association, through his lifelong martial arts experience and knowledge gained from practicing Tai Chi, endeavoured to return the historical and traditional value to the jewel of Chinese culture, Taoist Traditional Tai Chi Chuan.
Since ancient times Taoism, a school of supernatural thinking, has been expert at self-cultivation, health, fitness and self-defence. Therefore, our school of Tai Chi specialises in the study and practice of Taoist Tai Chi, as a kind of “saving money kung fu”. Whether moving, still, sitting or lying down, one can still practice and, moreover, develop Qi, store Qi, train Qi and move Qi. It is completely different from martial arts and sports that use up oxygen, energy and strength. It is a school of real culture, substance, depth and breadth through which one can realize Tai Chi philosophy, human art and Taoist traditional internal school of martial studies.
Prior to Grandmaster Zhang San Feng, a Taoist from the Tang Dynasty called Li Dao Zi had already created 37 Forms of Pre-natal Tai Chi.
Our school of Tai Chi had been earlier known as “Simplified Tai Chi Chuan”, which most people took to mean that it was “simple” and “easy to do”. In fact, the meaning derives from the Yi Jing (I Ching or Book of Changes), and relates to the two trigrams (gua 卦) Qian (chien, 乾) and Kun (kun, 坤). The Taoists believed Qian Kun related to the innate (pre-natal) and Kan (坎) Li (離) related to the post-natal. Our school of Tai Chi seeks to change our post-natal mindset, movement habits ( such as fear of misfortune, fear of losing, using brute force, moving the hands, extending and contracting, striking and resisting etc.), and though practice return to the original features of Pre-natal Tai Chi.
The different characters for Qi (Chi) 炁 and 氣
In the late Qing Dynasty, Tai Chi became representative of the Internal School of Martial Arts, focusing on internal development and training the Qi. This was different from the External Schools of Martial Arts which emphasized training of muscles, bones and skin.
The character 氣 represents ‘air’ as in the air we breathe. 炁 refers to the original Qi, the real Qi, the internal Qi that we are born with. There is no English equivalent but it may be referred to as “internal energy”, an energy that is able to penetrate through things. The character 炁 is made up of two parts, 无 which is old character for 無 (wu) meaning “without, not having”, and below 灬 is the same as 火 (huo) meaning “fire”. This fire refers to the heart or mind’s fire, so when practicing Qigong, the mind (thought) must not be too “heavy” or “burning”. In this way one can train the “Qi without fire”.
How to Train Qi (炁)
Chinese Qigong development is not sought externally: 「煉精化氣，煉氣化神，煉神還虛」Refining essence into Qi, refining Qi into spirit, refining spirit and returning to emptiness. Water and Fire come together, reverse positions, the riverboat travels upstream, Qi circulates along the Ren and Du meridians etc., reaching the highest levels of Qigong, drawing on the Yang energies of heaven to boost the Yin energies. Simply, it is returning from the post-natal to the pre-natal state as shown in the trigrams.
Kan 坎 ☵ changes to ☷ Kun 坤
Li 離 ☲ changes to ☰ Qian 乾
Characteristics of Taoist Traditional Tai Chi
Taoist Traditional Tai Chi trains both the external and internal, preparation for application, the Taoist arts of Internal Martial Arts, Qigong, a cultured art, a wise art, which has six specific characteristics:
Fair Lady Hand: Tai Chi is primarily to train the Qi. With the wrist in the form of the Fair Lady Hand, the Qi moves more smoothly. The wrist is the first step in relaxing the whole body, and is this school of Tai Chi most special characteristic.
Non-moving Hands: In Tai Chi the hands do not move, if they move, then it is not Tai Chi. This means one does not actively move the hands, rather movement comes from below up and inside to outside, moving in one go.
The Lower Directs the Higher: With the Yong Quan point stuck to the floor, Qi will have roots, gradually connecting upwards, each movement initiating from the centre of the foot, the internal Qi circulating around the body, the low part of the body moving the upper part.
The Inner Directs the Outer: Internally there is Qi, externally there is form. Each minute movement requires the Qi to move the physical form, realising the Tai Chi principle of “Using the mind to move the Qi, using Qi to move the body, moving then applying”.
Moving Level, Wholly, Equally and Smoothly: When practicing the Tai Chi forms, the body moves upright and at one level, without raising up or down. All parts of the body move at once, and each part of the body in a symmetrical fashion. The external form and Qi change and turn at the same speed, as if clouds floating or water flowing, natural and graceful.
Separating the Empty and Full (weighted): When practicing Tai Chi, one must clearly separate the empty and weighted legs, in order to be nimble and stable, to be relaxed and lively when practicing push hands, and completely connected when brushing aside or striking.
Benefits of Tai Chi – The Art of Total Exercise
Taoist Traditional Tai Chi’s fundamental requirement is that “The Lower Directs the Higher; The Inner Directs the Outer”. Lower here means that Form (the body) has its “root” at the Yong Quan (yong chuan) point in the feet. The Inner has its Formless “root” at the Dan Tian (below the navel) and pertains to development of the internal energy or Qi. The “mind” must be adjusted before the body. Tai Chi and Qigong emphasise the development of Qi and adjusting the mind first, then Qi, then the Tai Chi forms, sword forms and so on. Naturally, greater emphasis on developing the “root” and internal state.
Explaining the “three adjustments”
Adjust the mind: clear mind of distracting thoughts. Heaven and Earth are the Macro-universe, Man is the micro-universe. When practicing, clear the mind, relax the body, focus your thoughts, thus return to the “original state”.
Adjust the Body: relax the whole body, the cells of the body, nerves, sinews, organs, limbs according to the Tai Chi concept of relaxation, a natural and comfortable posture
Adjust the Breathing: breathe smoothly, breaths should be light, slow, fine and long. The muscles of the chest and abdomen should not move, the breath should not be held in or bloated, again natural and comfortable.
Rooting at the Yong Quan
If you are unable to cultivate the mind, it is difficult to rid yourself of unwanted thoughts and therefore unable to truly relax both mind and body. The body will become rigid and impossible to sink the body weight down to the Yong Quan. As Grandmaster Cheng said, the Yong Quan sticking to the ground means the Qi has roots. The Qi without roots means the waist is not stable and any strength is lost.
Collect the Qi at the Dan Tian; Separating the Empty and Full (weighted)
With the Mind and Body relaxed, your thought should focus on the Dan Tian, and you should maintain one foot weighted and the other empty. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, if the Qi is strong, a person will have strong immunity, less susceptible to disease.
Managing Your Own Health
People are responsible for their own health. Everyone knows this but rarely pay attention to this. There is a limit to how much a physician can help. Suitable exercise can overcome fatigue and restore vitality, and together with a healthy lifestyle, maintain health. Medical science emphasises the dangers of excessive exercise, which produces an abundance of ageing and cancer-causing free radicals. In the animal world, the fast moving and fierce lions and tigers do not outlive the slow moving tortoise or snake. Similarly, those who do rigorous exercise such as athletes will never be as healthy or have the longevity of practitioners of Tai Chi or Qigong.
Grandmaster Cheng’s Three Treasures
Heaven has three treasures - sun, moon and stars; Earth has three treasures – water, fire and wind; Man has three treasures – Jing, Qi, Shen. Grandmaster Cheng’ s three treasures – Swallow the Qi of Heaven, Draw the power of Earth, Be soft to live long. Master Wu Kuo Chung says that when practicing Tai Chi, one must first connect the line between Heaven and Earth in order to swallow and draw the Qi of Heaven and Earth and transform the Qi of the Dan Tian.
During everyday life, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying, one should develop the habit of practicing Tai Chi and Qigong. If you place a sheet of paper on top of another every fortnight, it will eventually grow to be very high, in the same way you can improve your constitution, change from being weak to strong, combine Mind, Body and Qi, and have all round health.
Self-defence Application
Taoist Traditional Tai Chi Quan includes the word “quan” meaning fist or boxing. One just needs to act according to the principles of Tai Chi, following the details such as: relaxation, not receiving, not using force, using the Fair Lady’s Hand, non-moving hands and so on, to apply it in self-defence and achieve the goals of old defeating the young, slow prevailing over fast, the soft overcoming the hard, last to move but first to strike, small force beating the larger force, etc.
“Fajin” or issuing energy, is just about the “Qi arriving”. Our school of Tai Chi’s Fajin is special. As Grandmaster Cheng said, Fajin is Qi arriving, just the slightest touch and the opponent can be sent flying more than ten feet.