Today’s post is by a frequent commenter on John’s Tai-Blog. Walt and I seem to have slightly different points of view regarding some aspects of tai chi and he is definitely a serious player. Walt’s perspective is always well thought out and his comments always concise. I asked if he’d like to contribute a story and like what he’s written. The picture today is one of Walt’s favorites.
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When a student once asked Cheng, Man-Ching, “What is the secret of tai chi?” the Master reportedly replied, “Relax completely!”
The instruction “to relax” in all forms of body disciplines is so common as to have become a cliche — a saturated concept that our minds recognize quickly and then move past, just as quickly. That’s bad enough, for release-of-intrinsic-tension in the body is key to much else besides. But it’s also only half of the story.
In a discipline whose symbol contains both yin and yang, you knew that was coming, right? Of course you did.
I’ll suggest that in any Master, or in the mastery of anything, there is an element of “presence.” And presence has an active “quality” to it, even though it often manifests as unassuming, or contained, i.e. embodied. If a beginning student is told to “relax into presence,” it will likely result in sloppy practice, an uneven approach, too much slack — and we know: that’s not tai chi.
We find that we have to “bring something” to an art, that if we just “go through the motions,” or wait for our teacher to enlighten us, or think that it will all unfold out of our sinews like a blooming flower, we’ve likely relaxed a bit too much! An ancient saying makes this point: “There’s what the artist gives to the craft, and there’s what the craft gives to the artist.” Mastery implies this complementary relationship.
Of course, in a discipline whose symbol contains both yin and yang, you anticipated that, didn’t you? Of course you did.
At age 65, Master Jou, Tsung Hwa wrote:
“There is no secret, no key piece of information which, if revealed, would instantly confer enlightenment and expertise. If you do not make progress, you cannot blame your teacher, because no teacher can transfer awareness to you. None of my formal teachers were famous taiji masters, and for over ten years I have not had a personal teacher. In that time I have discovered the only real secret: you must develop on your own. Anyone wishing to go further must be willing to re-examine the classical principles of taiji and intensify his/her efforts to embody them.”
He was not speaking of being tense; nor did he advise people to “relax.” There is an active quality that is needed in order to master an art. It does not involve tension, but it is not the same as passivity. We ourselves must “bring something” to our practice, in order to receive what it can give to us.
Walt
P.S. Please feel free to leave you’re own comments too.
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Kokoro (5 comments)
925 days ago
Hi John and Walt,
Thank you for that lovely piece.
One of the most beautiful aspects of internal martial arts for me is how their physical realities embody their philosophy. So if I may, I’d like to add a bit of physical reality about “relaxing” (from my own experience that is, which may or may not have any bearing on reality).
To me, to relax completely when practicing internal martial arts is to be completely still – that is to employ the absolute minimum muscular contractions to maintain a given structure. It is a state such that any forces, both internal and external can be propagated to the ground using soft tissue. The structure is well supported in all directions largely by the the skeleton, tendons, fascia and joint alignment. This body structure is such that even your own breath does not break your multi-directional support (central equilibrium) – even though it could change the external shape somewhat. Of course, refining this is a life long process. Once one has mastered it sufficiently, the path to explore the various jins/energies manifests itself. It is a wonderful experience.
Naturally, in order to do all this, one has to be wholeheartedly present in the moment. The mind needs to stop doing and start being
Humbly,
Kokoro
walt (60 comments)
924 days ago
Kokoro, you have a way with words!
I concur, and suspect (without knowing) that when the secret is given as “Relax completely” it refers to exactly what you described. Those two words are actually a summation of the whole process which you explicated beautifully.
At the same time, it takes a certain skill to access the experience, and, at least for me, has proven to be elusive. I have had such experiences, and have been in such states at times during my practice, but I certainly do not embody them. Yet. My teacher did, I’m pretty sure.
“…one has to be wholeheartedly present in the moment.” Yes, this is the necessary “active quality,” the cultivation of which is a worthy challenge.
John Crewdson (479 comments)
923 days ago
Kokoro,
This is a concept I’ve played with quite a bit and discussed at length with my teacher, training brothers and sisters, and to a lesser degree with my Master because of the language barrier. Master Cui is constantly saying fang song, fang song. Literally translated this means relax, but Master Cui doesn’t mean for us to go limp either.
As Walt points out this relaxation must have an ‘active’ quality to it, and as you say you must retain your structure. We’ve begun calling this relaxing with energy. This phrasing made it easier for me to embody the state as well as to teach it to others. For as long as I can remember I’ve been able to feel energy so this phrase works well for me.
I think you sum it up very well in your last statement, “The mind needs to stop doing and start being.” I’m still working on releasing energy although I believe I’ve done it a couple of times. Master Cui also tells us not to focus on the energy, because the act of focusing directly on it blocks the flow. This is how I interpret your statement.
Thanks for such a well thought out and clear comment. It helps us all define what we are really after.
John
grant (5 comments)
923 days ago
i have very little expertise in the internal arts. more in wing chun,- excuse me no epertise perhaps three months of practice. the article made me understand more my delivery of a basic punch, and the philosophy and basics each must learn on his own. the internal arts absolutely fascinate me.
Thanks,
Kokoro