Taijiquans Three Levels of Attainment by MaHong 1998 May 8 Seventh National Chen Style Taijiquan Training City of Cheng

Du, Capital of Sichuan Province

Translation provided by Bob Lau

Because of the time, I can only give a simple talk on this topic. Throwing a brick to attract jade,1 I invite everyone to consider and develop these ideas on their own. Based on my many years of personal experience, to reach a high level of Taijiquan abilities2 you must experience three levels: 1) unification of the internal and external, 2) unification of the body and mind, and 3) unification of the person and Nature. What is unification of internal and external? This is using the dan tian to move the entire body, i.e, when one part moves all parts move, the entire body acts as one unit, moving in yinyang harmony: uniting the internal and external energy, uniting the internal and external strength. It is making the whole body move, making the whole body achieve the physical endurance of hard training, making each and every system of the body achieve balance. When boxing you must overcome the deficiency of (dan bai fu ge) simply waving your arms around and floating about.3 The hands and feet must follow each other, the upper and lower parts of the body must follow each other, the left side must follow the right side, internalexternal must follow each other, all parts of the entire body are in total harmony, in this way, your form will be naturally beautiful because harmony is a form of beauty. In short, when we practice Taijiquan we want the internal to unite with the external, the whole body to become one family. The crucial location for our movements is in the chest and waist, the key is the dan tians ability to move the whole body. Through the dan tian all parts of the body, the four limbs, upper-lower, left-right, internal-external move in synchronized harmony. Based on my personal experience, when practicing the form you want to lead the body with intention, all parts mutually following each other, with the waist bring the jing (power and energy), all the joints feel linked
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To make a few superficial comments to get the ball rolling for a deeper discussion. The phrase used is duan lian, which means very serious physical training, not just exercise. The dictionary definition implies practicing austerities to attain a high level of cultivation. 3 Some of us may call this tofu Taijiquan.

together. This is the first level of attainment: unification of the internal and external. Thus, embodying Taijiquans characteristic movement. Unification of body and mind means to have the body and mind mutually follow each other, the body and mind both practicing at the same time, achieving the requirement of a healthy mind and a healthy body by regulating both body and mind at the same time. This is also a Daoist cultivation practice. So when you practice boxing, your spiritual essence and physical body are well exercised: intent ( yi) energy ( qi) strength ( li), and essence-energy-spirit ( jing) are perfectly unified. The result of your training will be a healthy brain4: clear-headed, improved memory, good spirit from the eyes, increased mental abilities, a noble disposition. Additionally, your overall body will be developed and be fully healthy. This is what I call the second level of attainment: unification of body and mind. Thus, embodying Taijiquans characteristic feature of simultaneous training of body and spirit, body and mind balance, and physical health. The highest level is the unification of human and Nature.5 This is entering an unfettered wonderland, namely your human life is in complete harmony with Mother Nature. You are unafraid of the weather being too cold or too hot. We will experience, as we practice Taijiquan, a gradual, step-by-step, natural adaptation to the environment, a harmony with Nature will arise. Whether it is a little cold , a little hot, the change of seasons, being in the South or the North whatever the climate, whether you are at home or abroad, it is of no consequence to you.6 These last few years, no matter where I travel to, I have been able to adapt to the surrounding environment. Why is this so? The answer, persistent practice of Taijiquan; it can completely train and cultivate our bodies and minds. At this level, we can achieve the understanding of the ages, the universal mind. We will be able to interact with all kinds of different people harmoniously . No matter what the situation we will be able to see it clearly and accept the situation whether it be good or bad.7 Valuable in and valuable out, no matter whatever affair or situation you run into you will be able to think it through and handle the situation in an easy going and appropriate manner. The entire world is based on Yin and Yang and is thus full
Here, Ma Hong is specifically referring to the brain as an organ. Ma Hong uses the character tian which can mean God, heaven, or nature. I use nature based on the discussion that follows. 6 Master Qian Zhao Hong has mentioned this to me when he was here last Summer 2005, that he feels happy and at ease here in the US or in China and that the heat and cold do not bother him. 7 kan de kai. Accept an unpleasant fact or situation.
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of seeming contradictions. With wisdom and skill you will be able to solve problems and contradictions by harmonizing Yin and Yang; being natural and easy-going while still forging ahead, reaching the so called unfettered wonderland. This is the highest level of Taijiquan. From the above discussion, we can see that Taijiquan is not any common form of exercise or sport. It trains the body as well as the mind, it trains the temperament as well as moral character, and trains our capacity to think things through. After thorough training in Taijiquan we will achieve the Five Haves: First your fitness will have correct direction, that is a set of wonderful methods to practice; Second, when practicing you will have spirit, your Taijiquan form will show that you have been very disciplined in your training, it will have vigor, it will have expressiveness and grace, you will appear to be naturally at ease, other people will enjoy watching you perform your form; Third, you will have self defense skill; Fourth, when teaching Taijiquan, you will have a method to teach, you will be able to clearly explain the reasoning behind Taijiquan and its boxing methods, thereby allowing others to understand this boxing art; Fifth, your conduct with have virtue (or morality), your conduct will be indomitable, your morals will be at a high standard, this is clearly very important in todays money focused world. We must persist to first act with virtue, this is very important. Only with virtue can we achieve skill and standing (in society). No matter if my martial art skill is good or no-good, first we must stress this aspect: having virtue. Today, I casually discuss these aspects, if anything is incorrect, I invite everyone to please point out my mistakes. I have used up much of your time, thank you everyone. by MaHong