Stephen Frost with commentary by Wang Chun-Chao/ 2023.07

Introduction

For many years now, I haven’t had the benefit of regular direction and correction in my Taijiquan practice.  I have continued to research, study and practice on my own.  However, from time to time, I seek advice from senior people in our Shenlong organisation to ensure that I am not going too far off the path. 

This journal article is based on a series of correspondences with Brother Wang Chun-Chao, where I shared some of my experiences at this stage in my Taijiquan journey.  As always, he was gracious and generous in providing his perspective.

Note: Brother Wang’s commentary is in italics.

Wuwei and Ziran （無為與自然）

We often hear that our Shenlong Taijiquan is pure Daoist Taiji.  Therefore, I try to always use the Daoist concepts of Wuwei and Ziran as a practical framework in which to test my practice.  Wuwei is usually described as inaction and Ziran as nature, however, I believe that a better working definition comes from thinking about them together.  When these two concepts are unified, they create a framework for spontaneity.  I understand these two concepts as something like:

‘Not interfering (Wuwei) with a natural (Ziran) process as it unfolds spontaneously’. 

It’s a process of cascading events, which, once started (through training), are left to run (through practice) without any deliberate interference.  When these two concepts are linked, they are a practical guide for us to progress naturally in Taijiquan.

The recent years

Keeping Wuwei and Ziran in mind, my practice these last few years has been focussed on: the natural elongation and withdrawal of the fascia; the turning points; and ‘Clear Rise: Turbid Fall’.  Following the movement of the fascia, I found that my ‘Form’ was changing, due to an internal stretch and release that was happening naturally.  I wasn’t doing it purposefully, so it felt like it was still within the guiding principles of Shenlong Taijiquan. 

We should expect change in our form over time.  When we first learn the form, we follow the instructions of our teacher about how to move the body.  As we understood more about the theory, we then follow the instructions from our body.  The reason that the body can give instructions is that it moves according to the elongation and withdrawal of the fascia system.  The elasticity inside causes the back-and-forth movements of the body without using the mind. This kind of no-mind movement is called pre-natal movement.  

Mind

Master Wu used to frequently say to me that I should not use my mind, or my thinking-mind to practice Taiji.  However, I feel this depends on where you are on the path of Taijiquan.  When learning, we have to concentrate and use the thinking-mind (post-natal mind), but later this should change as our Taiji matures.

For most of our training and practice, the thinking-mind is too strong.  The most helpful quality of mind that I have found most useful is one that simply pays attention.  One that is present in the moment. You could say it is mind-attention, rather than mind-intention. 

Mind is Mind.  The only difference is the purity. The so-called post-natal mind is a pure mind that is covered by dust. 

In Chinese, the character of Qi (炁) is composed by two characters, the upper one is 无 (the ancient version of 無, means No, the lower one is 灬 (the ancient version of 火, means Fire (fire refers to Mind 心).  In Taijiquan, no-mind means the actions or reactions of the body do not come from mind, but the elasticity of the fascia system.  It is much faster.  The elasticity is back and forth.  Furthermore, at the turning points, the potential energy reaches its maximum in either extending or shrinking, and is called Taiji State (the ‘about-to-explode’ point).   

In Master Wu’s English book, he states that after a much longer time, we enter the ‘void’.  I suspect that this would essentially be a state where the mind and body interface and essentially come together.  In my study, I have read that this union of mind and body is facilitated by our internal energy (Qi) as a kind of intermediary, or bridge that enables that union to take place.  When that happens the Form changes to be more like the Taiji maxim: Mind commands; Qi moves; and body follows. 

Master Wu often said: that form leads Qi; Qi follows the form - but, gradually, Qi and form merge into one.  When this happens, the question of who leads who, becomes a moot point.  This arose in my training at one time when I tried to apply it while training the sword exercise drill called ‘twisting sword’.  I was attempting to apply Qi leads form, but failed, so I asked Master Wu’s advice.  He said that I should ‘twist my wrist and ankle first and let Qi follow at a later time’.

A dilemma resolved

The above response was very helpful with my dilemma of whether to ‘allow’ this rise and fall in my body to happen, or to contain it.  In the back of my mind, I still felt like I was breaking the rule of Taijiquan.  Master Wu would insist that we don’t rise and fall as it would interrupt the circulation of internal energy throughout the body.  On the other hand, the rise and fall felt natural and I was not doing it intentionally.  After the internal stretch and expansion up through my body, there was an automatic release as the fascia returned.  It had an elastic quality to it.

What Master Wu actually insisted on was how the body rises and falls, rather than simply saying that all rising and falling movements are wrong.  For example, we sink down and then rise up when practicing ‘Qing Sheng Zhuo Jiang’ (Clear Rise: Turbid Fall). We rise and fall in the Zuo School Gong Fa such as ‘Han Mang Chong Xiao’ (Icy Spur Pierces the Heaven).

Master Wu once asked me, “how do you rise in Han Mang Chong Xiao?”.  After researching this question, I realised that the rise and fall was similar to Qing Sheng Zhuo Jiang and other movements, like the second movement of the sword form called ‘Xian Ren Zhi Lu’（仙人指路）.  Master Wu liked this sword form movement very much and encouraged me to study and practice it deeply.   What I realised is that when we rise after sinking down, it is by following the movement of the fascia.  However, this extension and contraction of the fascia has to be caused by the whole body moving simultaneously.   

This kind of Jin has the property of elasticity and is indeed generated in the internal stretch of the fascia. The internal stretch and return are the presentations of the fascia and is caused, or motivated by Qi.  This [concept] provides a simple conceptual framework and answer to the question of Qi existing and circulating in the body.  It provides a less esoteric explanation at the foundational level for students to understand.  The sensation of Jin can readily be explained through the movement of the fascia.  You could say that Qi equals fascia antagonist.  We test that the movement is compliant with the principle of following (not driven by) the whole-body connected movement of the fascia.

This reminds me of what Master Wu used to say in regard to teaching at the foundation stage.  He advised that we should not focus too much on the Qi.  It is more important to develop other qualities to ensure a good foundation.  When the fascia moves, energy (Qi) is mobilised.  When that mobilised Qi connects with the tissues and fascia, it moves the flesh and tissues of the body in a particular way – we can call it ‘Jin’.  This is my working definition of Jin, which is less esoteric to understand and work with.   

Another important reason to pay attention to the movement of the fascia, is that it helps explain more practically, how Taijiquan movement differs from the external method of generating power.  The external method uses muscles attached to bones as levers and typically generates power through torquing the body, i.e., pushing from the ground and twisting the hips and shoulders, to transfer power to the fist or foot.  Often, Taijiquan people use this external method, thinking if they remain relaxed and soft, then it is correct.  However, this is a trap and not the internal method of generating power.  The power in Taijiquan is delivered differently.  Instead of ‘pushing’ from the ground to generate power, we use ‘Song’ or ‘release’ as the method.  Master Wu said to me that the bottom of the foot has to feel like a ‘suction-cup’, so the power can be released and drawn up from the ground though the tissues and membranes (fascia) of the body.  Any ‘turning’ or spinning of the body, is only to direct the power, rather than generate it.

For true mind body interface in Taijiquan, the mind also has to be ‘Song’ and fully absorbed into the body.  But it must not interfere or direct.  It simply pays full attention, much like if you were a silent witness to what’s happening.  Strong intention to lead, or direct movements will interfere with the internal movement of the fascia under Song.  Our Brother Low Wah-Chuan, conceptualised first working with the concept of the ‘6-Dragons’ as a practical means to feel and build those myofascial lines from the feet to the hands.  Once we can feel those lines, then we can train and thicken them.  When they become thicker, they become more conductive to Qi.  This is like tuning a guitar string, or as the Taiji Classic says – like tightening a drum skin to exactly the right tautness, so that when struck, the sound waves will travel across its surface.  When the fascia is internally mobilised, it then becomes tuned and rhythmic, enabling energy vibrations to travel along its length; like the drum skin. 

Yes, I agree, however, the next task is to find out how this mobilised Qi can be applied to Fajin.  This kind of mobilised Qi is soft and elastic, like water, or the tide.  In doing Fajin, it should explode very fast, far and directed to the weakest parts of the opponent.

Training Vs Practice

There is another reason why the rise and fall may be a valid working principle in Taijiquan.  It is important to differentiate the training stage with the practicing stage.  In the training stage, we stretch the fascia to its extreme to easily find the quality of the returning elasticity.  In this stage, we can follow what the body wants to do [more easily].  In this situation, the rise and fall is a good training method because the purpose is to exploit the undeveloped fascia system.

However, as we practice the form, push-hand ... etc, the purpose is different.  We have to use the ‘trained-fascia’ to work for our purposes in practice.  We have to control the extent of the stretch or withdrawal to its perfect position.  The key points to pay attention to are the ‘turning points’ [Master Wu called those the ‘points of inertia’ between the movements].  For example, when I need to withdraw my hands, I wait for the fascia to return by itself [the elastic return].  When my fascia system returns on turning, my hands follow its returning path as long as I need, then I can change the route to where they should go.  It is like the game of catch and throw.  Using this principle, I can work out the form pretty much the same way as it was designed, but using a different moving principle [from the external method]. 

It’s all in the Form

The concept of understanding the difference between training and practice also helps to understand a rather cryptic saying in Taijiquan.  It goes something like this:  

‘It’s all in the Form; but only if it is, ALL in the Form.’

What is means to me is that the Tai Chi Form is complete, but in the foundation stage, everything is not yet ‘in’ the Form.  A student hasn’t yet trained and established the necessary qualities needed for the Form to be complete.  So, we can say that the Form is complete and everything, in theory, is contained there.  However, the most efficient way to make the Form complete is to train the qualities outside of the Form and then cultivate them further in practicing the Form.

I certainly agree, and this holds true even for a casual hand or foot movement. 

This is good news!  It means that we do not have to practice everything in the Form right away, because it’s too much all at once, particularly for students in their early years.  Just repeating the Form over and over again is unlikely to work and may even embed many bad habits.  It takes time and practice to gradually layer the principles and qualities needed to steadily progress. 

In the foundation years, there is already too much going on in the Form just to learn the shapes of the various 37 Forms.  A more productive method is to take a simple exercise, or sequence, like the Beginning Standing Posture, or the Solo Push Hands sequence, or the Five Basic Forms of Tai Chi and isolate the principles and train the qualities there.  This is where training the various drills and exercises outside the Form are so important, because they are designed to help us to establish a particular quality, or principle. 

This is how I learned the concepts behind the ‘designers’ of the forms in Taijiquan.  Master Wu often said that once you have ONE HAND, you have a hundred HANDS, a thousand HANDS. The principle is the same, the difference is how to apply it to different forms. Master Wu liked to refer to Lao-Tzu: Small amounts are obtainable; Large amounts are confusing（少則得，多則惑）.

In the training mode, we can challenge a principle by slightly overemphasising it as a specific training tool.  For example, we can use slightly more power in activating the fascia, or using little micro-movements, like the 1/10 training method to help embed the principle.  However, when we practice the Form, we let whatever qualities and principles that are there to emerge naturally. They don’t have to be perfect, just sufficiently established to work for us.  It takes experience and discernment to know when to train and how to practice.  This is something that no one can teach.  This balance between ‘doing’ and ‘non-doing’ is something to work out for ourselves – it cannot be taught.

Yes, this is very important.  Master Wu asked me to accept what I do not like in my forms and be natural and happy with imperfection.  Meanwhile, we test it by doing push-hands and Fa-Jin in our two-person exercises.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my view is that we develop the qualities needed for Taijiquan through various drills and exercises most efficiently in training mode.  Then, once they have become established to a high enough level, they will be naturally expressed and cultivated further as we simply practice the Form.  The guiding framework for this work follows the Daoist concepts of Wuwei and Ziran.