Thursday, February 10, 2011

SIMPLY 'TAI CHI'

Daoism is more than a 'religious' system of varied practices,often viewed by some as derived from cultural superstitions that have been 'upgraded' into philosophical ideas which,however lofty and abstract they are outfitted, still reflect a hodge-podge of 'occult' notions and dubious practices....... However,from a martial arts perspective, that is not always appreciated, DAOISM in terms of physical practice is simply TAI CHI....a notion sure to upset many who disdain physical systems of ordinary martial arts as well as those who embrace fully the more aggressive forms of attack-defense,competitions, and external systems of vigorous effort......with or without gadgets and devices, such as, weapons. Moreover, many Daoists who do not practice TAI CHI and those who do will quibble over certain things that I will discuss eventually......the various 'schools' or 'systems' of TAI CHI CHUAN, as it is usually called by those who lok at the subject beyond a popular conception, all have their merits and special histories, along with a long, vague speculation on the ancient times when it began to be practiced. Trying to establish exact origins of TAI CHI CHUAN and to list all the 'founders' and 'contributors' requires much patience and sorting of names and terms and other things, with only exact dates and information,sometimes not fully established, can only be seen and possibly done from the 19th century to the present..... Taking the practice of all the systems and schools of Tai Chi, we can, as some have done,consider that THERE IS ONLY ONE TAI CHI CHUAN! So what is Tai Chi? Essentially, it is a moving form of meditation, a heah exercise for self defense(martial arts) and a way to experience the TAO or DAO if done consistently and frequently,with attention to certain details, such as, posture, breathing, direction, balance, etc. all of which requires some instruction by someone,somewhere, somehow, in whatever conditions one can undertake the practice... Of course, this is not the entire story since many other factors enter into this, but one can dispense if so desired with any of the doctrinal coatings and beliefs and conceptions that accompany the physical practice or motions one does....that is, remain ignorant of such, a difficult task to fulfill since the teachers and enthusiasts will attempt to give you more than you bargained for usually.... However, what I am actually saying is that DAOISM CAN BE EXPERIENCED THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF TAI CHI without the theoretical, philosophical, religious, martial arts aspects that take up the attention of most practitioners.....

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