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Yang Cheng Fu's opinion about the attitude to learn. Translated by Mr. and Mrs. Wu. |
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Tai Chi Chuan is an art which claims both hardness and softness, or hiding steel in cotton. This is a technique which are based upon both physiological as well as spiritual principles. The learning process have to happen step by step in due time. Even though it's very important to have a good instruction the most important thing is, daily practise. Even though there are many students who teach and learn persistently every day with a good prospect to gain success, most of them falls into two pitfalls. Some are talented, has physical abilities and are quick to learn. But they are satisfied with a superficial knowledge and continue with their practise without any real progress. Others doesn't notice the details. They imitates the postures and the movements without any contents. Their movements doesn't live up to the goal, regardless if it's the upper or lower part of the body, the interior or the exterior. Every posture have to be corrected and in spite of this all the corrections they had in the morning, are forgotten in the afternoon. A saying says that it's easier to learn Tai Chi than to correct the mistakes. This is the result of learning to quickly. When these people pass on their mistaken knowledge it's for certain they will do harm to themselves and others. It's here the greatest danger lies for this art. You calm the mind, concentrate, remembers, study and learn the movements, posture by posture exactly as they were taught. |
The learning of Tai Chi Chuan begins with the movements. You calm the mind, concentrate, remembers, study and learns the movements posture by posture exactly as you are instructed. You pay attention to both the upper and lower body, to the interior and the exterior. In the interior; rather use the mind than brute force, lower the attention down into the Tan Tien and let the energy rise to the top of the head. In the exterior; the whole body is agile, every joint connected from the feet to the hands. As a beginner, you start with these few pointers. Reflect to them and use them in every movement until you know it, before going on to the next one. If you gradually learn the whole form like this, then you don't need so many corrections and the essence of the movement won't change, not even during a long period of time. When you practise you loosen every joint and move naturally. Don't hold the breath or tighten the stomach at any time and avoid using rigid or unnatural force. Most practitioners can talk about these principles. But when they move, they gasp for breath and their body shakes. This happens when you hold your breath or use rigid artificial force. ©1999 Knud Erik Andersen
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