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| Mastery (2) | ||
| Written by Rachel | ||
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Be patient
Master-level practice is small and understated. However, do not force the
change. A premature attempt to move to a smaller circle will prove disastrous.
Extreme close quarters requires considerable nerve, timing and rhythm. Without
good peng, you will crumple or disconnect.
Do not try and force an outcome. Be patient and let your skills develop.
Dismantling
All of the exercises, forms and drills are dismantled so that the master can
examine how and why they operate.
This is a crucial stage of learning; enabling the individual to truly comprehend
the art.
Faith
Faith lies at the heart of mastery. You must have absolute faith in your master
and in their ability to pass on the art to you.
If you do not believe in tai chi completely and entrust yourself to its ways,
then little progress can be made. You are essentially standing in your own way.
Traditional
Traditionally a martial artist/soldier/warrior may reach a stage in their life
where they 'retire' from active duty and become a monk or scholar.
Priorities have changed. Learning the forms, drills, applications and theory of
an art is one thing. Understand its source texts is something else entirely.
Master self before attempting to
master others.
(Lao Tzu)
Scholar?
For the student of the internal arts, there is the challenge of Taoism. This
complex, insightful guide to life is documented in many books, with many
translations, interpretations and perspectives.
Gaining a comprehensive grasp of Taoism is no small task. The process of hard
study changes how you regard every facet of your life.
This is not a task that can be completed in weeks, months or even years... it is
the work of a lifetime.
Monk?
Although it may not be fashionable anymore, adding a 'spiritual' element to
your training will expand your appreciation of your chosen art.
Technical knowledge is never enough for the complete martial artist. Spiritual
practices may include meditation, prayer and contemplation. These are intended
to develop an individual's inner life.
Such practices often lead to an experience of connectedness with a larger
reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human
community.
An earnest student becomes calmer, more harmonious. They have a sense of deep
connection with all things. How you address this aspect of your progress is up
to you.
Real human
Taoism has a long history of mystics, alchemists and magicians. There are many
colourful accounts of oddball recluses who studied arcane practices in order to
gain great skill and wisdom.
At the heart of the teachings is the desire to attain an altered state of
consciousness. To see the world through different eyes.
Taoists aim to become a "real human being"; in-touch with reality is a tangible,
earthy way. They avoid fame, worldliness and repute; remaining in the shadows,
in secret and aloof.
Mystic
A mystic is a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain
unity with or absorption into the absolute.
It is someone who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are
beyond the intellect. The danger, though, with words like 'mystic' lies in
fantasy and silliness. These are to be avoided at all costs in tai chi.
A sense of perspective
An inexperienced student thinks of the martial art first, and Taoism as an
afterthought. A master is the other way around. Tai chi is an expression of
Taoist principles and insights.
Taoist principles must be utilised in all aspects of your life, not just in the
training hall.
Magician?
High level combat skills are not remotely showy. They are
impossibly understated. The attacker is felled without any real sense of what
happened.
They may not even recall being touched at all. But they were touched. They
simply did not notice. This is not magic. But it looks like it.
Sage
Taoism is filled with stories featuring wise people who are referred to as a
'sage'. But what is wisdom? Wisdom is not the same as knowledge.
It reaches beyond the information to see inner qualities and relationships that
are not immediately apparent. It is synonymous with awareness and care, with
insight and consideration.
Knowledge alone is dangerous. It must be tempered with good sense, morality and
prudence. A master would not claim to be a sage, but they should possess some
measure of wisdom and insight.
A different kind of intelligence
Intelligence is not about planning or being prepared in advance. It is about
'thinking on your feet', making the best use of what is available and being
capable of instantaneous change.
Appropriateness is entirely contingent upon your ability to keep adapting,
changing and improvising. You do what is necessary, and you keep on changing as
the situation demands.
I strongly
believe that students should limit themselves to learning and fully developing
in just one style only. By learning many styles and collecting many forms we
simply cannot have sufficient time to practice.
Few have the resources or talent to be the master of more than one style. The
really good teachers focus on one style.
(Adam Hsu)
Altered state of consciousness
Taoism and Zen study are designed to take you beyond the limits of intelligence.
They do this by encouraging the student to unlearn, to set aside what you think
you know.
This involves recognising the drawback of words, concepts, ideas, conventions,
habits and thought itself. By dismantling how your mind perceives reality, you
begin to see things in a different way.
You attain an altered state of consciousness. By now you should see the world
very differently to most people.
Is tai chi ever really mastered?
No. You must continue to improve your standards and skill. Study, research,
practice and progress must continue. The art must unfold and your insight
deepen.
Tai chi is an incredibly complex, sophisticated art. Being 'master' requires
an understanding that transcends rote learning and repetition.
You need decades of practice, skill and teaching experience.
Making it all fit together
Dependence on any instructor or master must diminish and the student must learn
tai chi by themselves. In this final stage of the syllabus, the student must
find out what it means to walk alone.
A practitioner of this level must have considerable teaching and martial
experience. They need to be conversant with the Taoist texts, The Tai Chi
Classics and martial theory.
To really understand the art, you must make it your own. At this level of
practice an instructor can manifest their skill in a number of different ways:
Create their own form
Write their own syllabus
Discover new applications
Develop their own partner drills
In one manner or another they make a contribution to the art. This contribution
should not dilute tai chi or water it down in any way.
Rather, it must help others to access the fighting skills, to understand the
richness of the system.
Immersion in the Way
Mastering yourself is not so easy. Taoism counsels you to remain quiet and
anonymous, to avoid attracting attention. You must become one with the
tai chi, and one with everything around you.
The process refers to the ongoing loss of self and the immersion of your mind
and body in the Tao:
No ego
No opinions
No aggression
No attitude
No pride
No vanity
No petty behaviour
No cruelty
Lose everything that stops you from
being a pure, natural person. Only when you have surrendered every thought,
memory and pre-conception can you begin to feel humble and compassionate.
These qualities must be genuine, not artifice. It may take a lifetime but it
will be time well spent.
Masters are usually undistinguishable from the rest of the people until they are required to express themselves through their creations, just as a drum is made to produce sound that varies according to the degree of strength applied to the beater.
(Michiji Ishikawa)
Master
The term 'master' in the martial arts
usually refers to a practitioner who has dedicated at least 25 years of hard
training to their chosen art, amassed tens of thousands of hours practice
and is very good at their stuff:
• A lifelong commitment to the furtherance of the art
• The ability to dismantle and explain how and why every form pattern of
movement operates and how it can be applied in at least 7 different ways
• An embodiment of the principles outlined in The Tai Chi Classics
• Spontaneous demonstration of every and any aspect of the art
• The ability to apply the tai chi principles (yielding, stickiness, peng,
jing, composure, connection, 4 ounces etc) in every situation with absolute ease
and certainty
• Highly accurate rendition of every exercise/form/drill/application
• Unselfconscious, skilled and utterly effective application of the art
in combat employing chin na, jing and shuai jiao
• The ability to develop, improve and deliver a thorough, fully
differentiated syllabus suitable for all ability levels and all ages
• Grace, ease, subtlety, sensitivity, nimbleness, appropriateness, simplicity
are all a given
• Comprehensive theoretical knowledge and the ability to discuss and explain how
Taoism, martial theory and actual practice all tie together
• The ability to dismantle and explain how and why the different components
operate
• Extensive knowledge and in-depth understanding of every facet of every
subject in the syllabus i.e. 'jing'
• How the exercise/form/drill/application links to other aspects of the
curriculum
• The ability to train other people to become kung fu instructors
• The willingness to train lineage students to acquire every aspect of the
teaching and perpetuate the art themselves
Page created 2 March 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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