Taiji, the Internal Tradition

By Anthony Court

Having been involved in martial arts for quite a number of years now, it never fails to amaze me how much the internal tradition is misunderstood. The confusion seems to arise from a number of factors, firstly in the U.K. and Europe generally. Taiji is very rarely taught as a martial art. Should you be fortunate enough to find a competent Hsing I or Pakua teacher then the martial side is normally a little more emphasised. However, Taiji has been the victim of much misinterpretation, poor translation (from Chinese to English) and subject to virtually being hijacked by the New Age movement who have overlaid their own particular brand of superficial nonsense upon it.

So lets start slowly… what can we say about Taiji that is concrete and real? Firstly, this (and this may surprise a few readers) “it lacks nothing!” Taiji is a complete system of internal strength development, health, healing, medical and martial skills. Properly studied and practised it soon begins to dawn on the student that Taiji is the ‘Mother’ of all systems – vast and complex although the principles are simple and natural. So why this confusion regarding Taiji and internal arts generally? Well Taiji is not the first ‘Way’ or system to be contaminated by the superficial approach of the Western mind. Yoga, for example, has become a pale imitation of its original dynamic self. So much that the East has to offer has become a hobby, pastime or sport or even worse a New Age therapy, not to mention the commercial aspect. Yes folks in this wonderful world of weekend workshops anything is possible – part with enough money and we will give you a certificate describing you as a ‘Master’. To quote an old saying: “Any fool can teach but it takes a lifetime to become a good student” or my own favourite by Zen master Shnryu Suzuki Roshi: “In the beginner’s mind there are infinite possibilities, but in the expert’s very few”.

How few students retain the beginner’s mind for very long. Belts, sashes, titles, certificates, etc. all beckon but Taiji cannot be approached in this way. It takes many years of dedicated and committed practice. For much of what Taiji has to offer has to be discovered by the practitioner and student. Four years of simply learning a few forms, calling yourself Sifu and dressing up in a Kung Fu outfit is not enough. A competent instructor should be able to demonstrate the form (preferably the long original one) to an intricate level and have an understanding of the health, healing and martial arts application of each posture (often hidden). Solo and two person fighting forms and sets must be learned along with trapping hands, sticky hands and realistic push hands. A good knowledge of the acupuncture system, meridians, five elements, Eastern philosophy and thought is also a definite advantage.

Now possibly the most confused aspect of Taiji is, how is it used as a martial art? I know many people including martial art instructors who do not consider Taiji to be a fighting art. We have to bear in mind here as stated earlier… Taiji is rarely taught as a martial art. Once again we can be quite specific about the fighting aspect… no fa-jing power – no Taiji as a fighting art. That’s it, pure and simple. So what is Fa-jing? Fa-jing is the weapon of the internal arts – Chi Kung, Pakua, Hsing I forms all develop energy (chi). Nothing mystical, chi is simply energy in its various forms. Chi will keep you healthy, relaxed and calm but it will not help in fighting. The Chi has to become an explosive, overpowering, penetrating energy called ‘Jing’ or ‘Fa-jing’. The power of a Fa-jing strike is truly devastating. Fa-jing is the power behind the one-inch punch, although the inch gap is not really needed. It is possible to press your palm or fist onto an opponent and strike them hard.

The most familiar image of Taiji is of course the slow, relaxed, spiritual set of movements known as the ‘Form’. The ‘Form’ is the foundation as it teaches us balance, timing, coordination, the mastery of energy and an awareness of movement and sensitivity second to none. So it is easy to see how Taiji has slipped from the realms of martial arts into the stress relief / relaxation therapy image. To the uninitiated it is very difficult to equate the beautiful, slow moving movements to the blindingly fast explosive strikes of the martial side. So we have witnessed a complete system being broken up into various departments and presented as the complete thing. In reality it is extremely difficult to find instructors who have dedicated themselves to years of study and practice and are experienced in the many varied facets of this art of Taiji.

Erle Montaigue says: “To learn the healing aspects of Taiji we must study the martial art side. To understand the martial art side we must learn the healing aspects”. Possibly because Taiji contains within its system so much (‘Ten life-times is not enough to learn it all’) we are presented these days with so much confusion and misunderstanding, it is hard to know where to turn. Maybe it is just best to start the ‘journey of one thousand miles with a single step’. Eventually the form will teach you, your own awareness will teach you, your own internal master will teach you. You don’t need patience you need persistence. You need persistence – why? Because you can run out of patience.