Martial art
This wasn’t kickboxing with the lads, this was nearly religion.
(Robert Twigger)
Art
If the
science of tai chi is concerned with
self defence, the art is about
character.
Character pertains to both the development of the student's temperament and
to the nature of their
tai chi - how they perform it.
Science alone can render the tai chi ugly and brutal whereas the art can
make it flowing and graceful.
Tao
The foundation of the art lies
in taoism.
By studying the 'philosophical' roots of the system, the art will unfold.
Tao and zen are both concerned with nature and the inexpressible way of
things.
This is where you must look if you want to find the art.
Pretty forms
It is
quite easy to move the body in a precise and aesthetically pretty way.
Unfortunately, appearance is merely superficial.
The
Tao Te Ching says that you must eat the
fruit and not the flower.
Tai chi is
internal, not external.
Balancing art and science
A very thorough understanding of the science of tai chi and the
precepts of
tao is required for the tai chi to be balanced.
If the art is not balanced with the
science of tai chi, the training remains hollow.
Form without substance may look pleasing but has no real purpose.
The substance is what provides the
health and the self defence benefits,
whereas the art adds the finesse.
A person who has added tao to their tai chi moves in
accord with their own natural
rhythm and also with their opponent's.
There is an unquestionable naturalness and power that exists within the
practice - an indefinable quality of wholeness that exists beyond words and
is expressed by every gesture.
Page created 10 December 2004