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Public lessons
The public tai chi class
is known as the 'open
class'. Anyone can come to lessons and join the school if they want to.
People are taught relative to their own ability level. There is a
syllabus in
place, DVDs for home study, a reading list and
additional training
opportunities.
Everyone has the opportunity to make progress at a pace that suits their own
attitude, commitments, interest and lifestyle.
Behind closed doors
Traditionally, tai chi was never taught in
public classes. The art was considered to be too
advanced, too precious, too
esoteric and too difficult.
In feudal era China sharing was not encouraged. With fierce rivalry between
villages, individuals, martial arts schools and states, nobody was eager to share
what they knew.
In many martial arts schools the practice was carried out in secrecy and the
school's very existence was frequently concealed from the authorities. For
example, tai chi is based on body of principles known to be around 2000 years old
yet it was not revealed until 1750.
When a master of
tai chi faces an opponent he brings to the confrontation thousands of years of
philosophical, martial and practical thought. He has lived most of his life
according to the principles established centuries ago and in the process, he has
strengthened his body and probably earned a long and healthy life.
(Howard Reid)
'Drawing room'
The notion of 'inner' and 'outer' schools is derived from how old
fashioned Asian houses operated.
Visitors were only permitted to enter certain, limited spaces within the house.
They saw only what the host wanted them to see, what they felt was appropriate.
This usually wasn't much.
This is exactly like a drawing room in Western history. A drawing room
was where visitors were entertained.
Inside the door
Deeper within the house the family resided. Their rooms, eating and
living space were never seen by visitors.
To enter deeper into an Asian house was seen as
being 'inside the door'. No longer treated as an
outsider/visitor/guest/stranger.
It was considered to be an honour to be permitted access to the more intimate
areas of the host's abode.
Traditional
teaching
Historically all tai chi lessons took place
inside the door. The teacher rigorously screened new students and kept the
school numbers low. Anyone who failed to work hard was denied tuition.
This is how things were for centuries.
20th Century
In the 20th Century tai chi was taught more widely.
Faced with a health crisis, the People's
Republic commissioned the creation of a
simplified
tai chi exercise sequence that would be relatively easy to learn and good
for health.
This was
24 step tai
chi (it looks like a tai chi/yoga hybrid).
Please note that this
was not a system or style of
tai chi. It was
merely a sequence of movements.
It was deliberately devoid of martial and
unpolitical Taoist influences.
What is really being taught publicly?
This is an interesting question.
In most classes the sad truth is
not much. So-called tai chi lessons are often just slow motion movement and
very little substance.
If a student is just looking for a relaxing night out, then this is probably
just fine for them. After all, it is far better than just watching
TV.
The training is friendly and relaxed yet still effective. There is no
pressure put upon the individual. You train at your own pace and progress as
you wish. Everyone in the class is treated the same, there are no favourites
or cliques.
(Paul B)
What are we
teaching publicly?
As much as we can.
However, this is sorely limited by the lesson duration (2 hours) and the
amount of training/study the student undertakes
between classes.
No matter how keen we are to share every secret of
the art, 2 hours isn't very long at all. And we can't make
anyone train at home.
Most students simply don't put in the necessary
time or effort. The sad part is that we're
not talking about several hours training
every day. Just as much as is needed.
What
can you
teach to people who don't study?
Not much. A person who doesn't invest in
additional study has a very limited idea of what tai chi constitutes;
therefore any new information lacks context and
relevance.
How the individual approaches a
tai chi class,
what they expect to find and whether or
not they like the experience will largely
be shaped by their
mental representation of tai chi.
When a student doesn't study between
lessons, deeper knowledge simply has no
significance to their practice.
Self-differentiating
Peter Southwood maintained that tai chi can only be taught relative to each
individual's degree of interest.
e.g. a student may profess great enthusiasm but refrain from reading the
required books or engaging in daily practice. What can the instructor do?
Nothing. It is beyond their control.
The student themselves decides what level they can be taught. For most
students the public lessons are quite adequate. They like the idea of
something deeper but lack the requisite commitment.
Why don't people go deeper?
By the time many people reach their
thirties they're in The Dead Zone. This is a stage of life where complacency
and laziness predominate.
No longer fired up to find a partner or a good job, the individual
stagnates.
Their sense of zeal, passion and enthusiasm dulls and they slide gradually
towards 40.
This happens to a lot of people - male and female. It can be hard to break the habit of
apathy. There's always many good reasons to
procrastinate.
Somehow the fight is over and the person has
forgotten the joys of hardship, uncertainty and
struggle. The mundanity of everyday
life has replaced the hope/lust
for adventure.
Fast-track
The 'inner school' offers serious depth and is not for the half-hearted
student. Indoor tuition is aimed at people who want fast-track
progress through the tai chi syllabus.
Since the
Taoist concepts are rooted in the most distant
past with the most ancient beliefs of the
Chinese, it is difficult for the
Western mind to
understand them. Therefore, before you can investigate the
internal martial arts, you must first
back to the very origins of thought in ancient
China.
(Howard Reid)
Steal my art
Throughout the world, tai chi people still
join inner schools. They want more than the public class can offer.
Instead of being 1 student in a class of 30 they want
closer tuition, more
attention, deeper knowledge and better skills.
The individual understands that their own
conduct makes this possible and
therefore avidly reads the recommended books, studies daily and works
hard.
Informal
Being 'inside the door' involves a more informal relationship with your
teacher. Conversation is freer. The student is
disinclined to waste time
with specious opinions concerning the art.
They want the 'good oil', the power of tai chi. They
know full well that the teacher cannot
imbue it
and seek instead to
supplement their own studies with direct
transmission.
Rather than feel like an outsider, the student enjoys a relaxed, comfortable
relationship with their instructor.
What does the indoor student get?
Their everyday experience of life is
altered. The student feels acutely alive and alert; energy-filled and
passionate. There is a sense of ease.
No struggling, grunting or groaning, no pain in the
back or the
knees. The body responds instantly to the dictates of the mind.
They feel spontaneous and free.
Nimble-footed, with
strength, agility,
fluid movement and sustained
concentration, the student experiences a
more immediate, vibrant
reality.
Real human
One aim of tai chi is for the student to become a 'real human'.
A 'real human' is simply somebody who is fully
conscious. It does not involve the acquisition
of superpowers.
Instead of stumbling through life in a semi-conscious
state, the Taoist seeks a condition of exceptional
alertness and physical harmony.
This is not seen as been an elevated state of being, but rather our 'natural'
state.
The range of awareness and efficiency of the Taoist adept is
unnoticeable, imperceptible to others,
because their critical moments take place before ordinary intelligence has
mapped out a description of the situation.
By seeing opportunities before they are visible to others and being quick to
act,
the uncanny warrior can take situations by the throat before matters get out
of hand.
Conserving one's own energy while inducing others to dissipate theirs is
another function of the inscrutability so highly prized by the Taoist
warrior.
He stresses change and surprise, employing endless variations of tactics,
using opponent's psychological conditions to manoeuvre them into vulnerable
positions.
One of the purposes of Taoist literature is to help to develop this special
sensitivity and responsiveness to handle living situations.
The art of not-doing which includes the unobtrusiveness, unknowability, and
ungraspability at the core of esoteric Asian martial arts
- belongs to the branch of Taoism known as The Science of the Essence.
(Thomas Cleary)
The pursuit of power
The ancient Taoists sought a high-level of physical
strength; believing that a flexible,
supple, resilient body would last longer than a brittle one.
They took this insight from the observation of plants/trees and the process
of aging.
Unusual exercises and considerations enabled the Taoists to gain
whole-body strength.
This in turn fuelled day-to-day activities and
martial requirements.
Instead of tiring out the body they sought to use
themselves in an optimal way.
An indoor student shares this quest
for new skills, insights,
knowledge, wisdom... and the
opportunity to see the
world differently.
Esoteric arts
The indoor student gets to walk the same path
as the Ancients once did. To study what the
Ancients once explored,
to penetrate the mysteries and embrace
continuous, on-going
change.
In the distant past little was known about Taoism.
Many of its adherents belonged to sects and esoteric
schools. Others were hermits who lived in remote
places.
Teachings from books with curious names such as The
Way and Its Power, Book of Changes,
The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings were
treated with suspicion.
Secrecy, rumours of great power
and deliberate obfuscation led to
tai chi being regarded
with considerable fear and
superstition.
Hidden
methods
One interesting feature of tai chi is its secrecy.
Very few people today (or in Chinese history) have ever been able to
apply the art successfully.
This means that the methodology of the art remains a mystery to most martial
artists.
The fighting skills associated with tai chi are
seldom seen,
and therefore unfamiliar.
Consequently
no one trains to counter-act them. The skills being trained in tai chi are not the same as those being practiced by
mainstream martial arts.
The movements are odd. Listening, sensitivity
and stickiness are cultivated.
Aggression, force and
competition are removed.
Unpredictable, unfathomable,
imperceptible, inscrutable, spontaneous,
unknowable...
Arcane skills
The ancient Taoist teachings that were
incorporated into tai chi are no longer well known.
Modern people seldom investigate spiritual matters.
Taoism is often only encountered by the
fringe 'seeker'.
The recommended
books will expand your consciousness, increase your
awareness,
develop a more flexible mind and make you receptive to unforeseen
possibilities.
The Old Ways are not easily understood
or quickly learned.
But they are very powerful and
effective.
Tai chi employs Taoist insights and principles.
The teachings are counter-intuitive,
puzzling and cryptic.
They cannot be explained using words. In order to
understand, you must do. The indoor student needs
tenacity and resolve.
Awakening
Tai chi is filled will odd little phrases or
instructions that have little significance to
a
beginner.
These apparently vague references and riddles are signs and pointers to the
Way.
Were you to read The Tai Chi Classics or Zen and
the Tao books, the cryptic statements and stories might not seem to have any obvious
bearing on the martial art itself.
By challenging existing modes of thought, dropping long-held opinions and
acquiring new skills the body must grow new brain tissue to cope with
the demands of
change.
Indoor students
get the opportunity to have in-depth
discussions with the instructor concerning Taoism,
Zen, martial
principles and practice, applications, principles
and biomechanics.
Sifu Waller
Sifu Waller welcomes any earnest application for
indoor tuition and will endeavour to
provide as many additional learning opportunities as possible.
This is how he
learned tai chi,
and it led eventually onto lineage.
An indoor student needs to think about what they want to focus on, what
interests them and how best to gain additional tuition.
It is said that soon after his
enlightenment the Buddha passed a man on the road who was struck by the
Buddha's extraordinary radiance and presence.
The man stopped and asked, "My friend, what are you? Are you a celestial
being or a god?"
"No," said the Buddha.
"Well, then, are you some kind of magician or wizard?"
Again the Buddha answered, "No."
"Are you a man?"
"No."
"Well, my friend, then what are you?"
The Buddha replied, "I am awake."
(Buddha)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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