Hello and welcome to the 46th issue of the taichido newsletter.
We have been thinking for some time now about the direction
of the newsletter after almost four years of issues, and
we are going to try out a slightly different approach,
and see if you like it. We are going to split the newsletter
into two different articles - one written as usual by
Gary, and one by myself. With our quite difrerent approaches,
we are hoping that this will keep the newsletter ever-fresh
and interesting to read. We have a further goal in mind:
each newsletter article after publication will then be
expanded out into a larger and more informative article
that will be posted on the www.taichido.com website, adding
new dimensions to our resource. As I have already said:
we hope you like it, and look forward to any feedback.
Mark Allen
webmaster taichido.com, taichidoshop.com, editor Taichido
Newsletter
So, the style of this newsletter is about to begin to
evolve into something else. Good! This is in my view a
step in the right direction. I have struggled to find
words that might fit the brief of 'news' for nearly 4
years now (so that's more than 45 times); and there are
only so many ways that I can say "me and a bunch
of other people did lots of tai chi this month" anyway!
The Tao Teh Ching, the ancient Taoist classic concerning
'the way of least resistance' which in effect contains
the kind of guidance that spiritual tai chi is founded
on itself begins with the words "the Great Way cannot
be spoken of", so its no real surprise that I have
struggled, is it?
Clearly, I am really looking forwards helping metamorphose
this well-established newsletter into the new style 'periodical'
that we have begun to perceive it to be and accordingly
I have already begun working on a couple of pieces that
will be published in next month's issue. In the meantime
however, rather than rushing into what might be complex
new territory I would like to take stock and use this
opportunity to thank everyone that that has ever sent
an email to me here at taichido and directly or indirectly
and kept this newsletter going by way of enthusiastic
contribution and participation; be that in word or in
spirit.
It is just a little ironic that we should decide to change
the format of this newsletter just now because last months
issues was technically or at least as in the terms or
'responses' - the best ever! What I mean is this: Only
I would know it, but many threads of discussion (and 'thought')
had developed simultaneously over the proceeding few months
and all at once many people emailed Mark or myself with
the kind of consensus that we find most helpful. A couple
of correspondences are included below so do please read
on to the end of this issue ... but till then please do
allow me to continue with a brief review and look around
if just to see how we got from where we were to where
we are now.
The 'side' of tai chi that taichido (I think) is pretty
good at presenting is the stuff that cannot be spoken
- or written about. I refer here now to all of the stuff
that must be personally experienced, or felt in the body;
and not that which can be learnt from a book. Similarly,
text describing the practicalities or the mechanics of
where the left foot, right arm ... and all of the other
bits go ... this is not only tedious to write about and
read about, it is also a waste of everybody's time; yours
and mine. We (Mark and I) came quick to appreciate the
limitations of the media of the written word as far as
tai chi instruction is concerned and that is precisely
why we created first the free step by step NetGuide with
videos of every posture of the longest form of tai chi
and then followed that up with our range of CD and DVD
interactive learning media packages. These quite literally
'speak for themselves' and so surely there is no need
for me to say any more about them here now aside from
"see the ad. above" or go to our website.
Taichido.com has been going now for about ten years and
the website's mission statement is today still exactly
what it was when it began: a free resource which is all
about Tai Chi - and nothing else except that which is
directly related. Sure, we have grown and we do now have
'limbs' or 'sisters' such as my personal [with extensive
Buddhist study notes] website "wheelswithinwheels.net"
and the afore-mentioned packages at taichidoshop) but
aside from this it is simply free and there for all to
see. Therefore I am very pleased that we now begin to
make this move towards a 'periodical' publication that
will provide for you subscribers exclusive previews of
articles that will eventually be published in full to
the website, thus providing that with some long overdue
updates ... .... ... and inevitable expansion.
The taichido website has been steadily growing since
its launch in 1998 - which is more than could be said
about many others launched back then! To illustrate this
further, may I please first go off at a tangent.
Between this and the last issue of this newsletter I
received an email from someone who asked if I knew what
happened to a particular martial art organisation. I do
have a few ideas but as yet I have not replied. I hesitate
because if I did I fear that all I could say would be
"they tore themselves apart from the inside".
Up until the late 90's (when the Internet got big and
anyone or everyone could get a website) martial art tradition
was maintained, honored and inherited in a certain way
and literally handed down or handed on - via personal
experience and involvement. Then, in the late 90's, everyone
got a website. For instance, the organisation that "tore
itself apart from the inside". By about 2002 there
were already I reckon at least half a dozen websites with
each and every one of them claiming to be the "true"
or "authorised" successor. The other thing that
these sites had in common was that none of them actually
contained any information; apart of course from a gallery
of "qualified" instructors and a price list!
The great sadness of all of this is that the organsation
in question is supposed to be "the legacy" of
a real master who kept himself to himself and detested
the politics and ego of organisations!
For further information on please go to: "Kyushindo
Budo" - A philosophy of martial art created by the
Master Kenshiro Abbey.
You see ... ... I was right to hesitate in replying,
wasn't I ?! But seriously though, this has been another
problem with the format of this publication; it is restricted
and interesting subjects or side issues cannot be fully
developed. Within this publication as it is, there is
only really space enough for me to express my personal
opinion or paste one of your emails within it.
I do trust that with the unrolling of our new periodical
this will be remedied and allow the inclusion of links
to accompanying articles such as the "Author's Preface
from Master Cheng's New Method of Self-Study for T'ai-chi
ch'uan" which I have put online now in further reference
to the "Martial v Spiritual" debate as featured
in the last few 'old style' newsletters. (And if you do
visit that page please do stay a while a check out the
considerable updates that have been made very recently
@wheels.net - including the addition of many specialist
Buddhist study notes.
Our last newsletter featured several emails in to taichido.com
including one from ET in New York. We have had another
email from him since, and this time Mark responded personally.
It seems fitting that I should now tie up any loose ends
and thank ET personally for his input and helping me to
'say the unsayable'.
In essence, ET's last email said:
A large portion of the folks at my age are not looking
to bolster their egos by learning a "martial art".
Most would rather "act without doing". Or, be
like water, which is the softest, but strongest, element.
You do know how soothing and relaxing water can be, but
as those in New Orleans know, how powerful it can be.
One of the most enjoyable moments of my week are, when
I sit with my grand daughter on my lap while she drinks
her milk before bedtime... Knowing, full-well, the potential
forces that lie within her developing mind. That is like
water! That is what I seek from TCC.
Gary, October 2005
The YinYang symbol deconstructed
The meaning of the yin and yang is inherent in and illustrated
by the symbol for it. It is one of the most beautifully
simple diagrams that describe highly evolved and complex
concepts to be found in the modern icon pantheon. By deconstructing
it, we begin to understand the nature of Taoism and the
principles of yinand yang in a much better light. To start,
the circle around the outside represents the Tao or single
principle, great void or Great Ultimate; and from this
single principle comes everything.
This principle is then divided into two opposite principles
that interact with each other: yin (the black half) and
yang (the white half). These two opposing principles provide
everything – an analogy would be that all the millions
of colours found in nature (and with a computer you can
choose from a palette of 16.7 million) are produced from
the three primary pigment colours of red, yellow and blue
(or red, green and blue if you are looking at the optical
spectrum). The yin and yang principles accomplish the
changes in the universe through the five agents (elements)
of wood, earth, fire, water, and metal. The Taoists can
explain the workings of the universe through the yin and
yang interactions of the five agents as they interchange,
oppose, merge, yield to, overcome, birth, feed off one
another.
With the yang principle come the more outward aspects:
maleness, creation, upwards, dominance, active, hot, expanding,
strong, and so on and in tai chi yang is the solid outward
pushes, out-breaths, and attacking moves. The yin on the
other hand, indicates aspects of femaleness, downward-movement,
moon, cold, submission, dark, passive, contracting weak,
and so on; and in tai chi yin are the inward defensive
movements, in-breaths.
That is not to say that yin is the weaker partner: Cheng
Mang-chin’s form of tai chi chuan used the yin principles
of yielding to use the opponent’s yang attacks and
strength against them to achieve successful outcomes.
This is illustrated in the yin-yang symbol: instead of
an absolute and static line divided down the middle, the
division is instead flowing curves – each side not
only pushes into and dominates the other, but also yields
and is dominated by the other. There is no antagonism
here between the two (such a dark/light concept is more
to be found in the apochryphical religions of the West
and Middle East) but a complementary existence. Each nourishes,
sustains and controls the other, and each depends upon
the other to exist. So by illustrating these opposites
in this way, they are shown as complementary, rather than
absolutes. The Taoist principles of yin/yang states and
the way that they describe everything in nature show the
two in constant movement. It also shows very effectively
that they gradually change into each other – yin
eventually changes into yang, yang eventually metamorphoses
into yin.
Into these constantly moving opposites comes balance
and equilibrium. In the symbol we see a small circle or
dot of the opposite colour within each of the halves –
again a reinforcement that there are no absolutes in yinyang.
Bluntly put, in every yang there is a little yin, and
vice-versa. This can be extrapolated out to all aspects
of the universe: in every male there is a little female,
in every light there is a little dark, and in every evil
there is a little good, and so on. In tai chi chuan, a
yin movement of grasping an opponents incoming fist (yang
punch) and yielding your body to allow your opponent’s
own momentum to take the fist (and its attached owner)
past out of harms way and into an overbalanced vulnerable
state is helped on its way by a little yang pushing…
The Yellow Emperor, legendary Chinese emperor and cultural
hero ruling from 2698 BC to 2598 BC and considered to
be the ancestor of the Han Chinese, said “The principle
of Ying and Yang is the foundation of the entire universe.
It underlies everything in creation. It brings about the
development of parenthood; it is the root and source of
life and death…
“Heaven was created by the concentration of yang,
the force of light, earth was created by the concentration
of yin, the force of darkness. Yang stands for peace and
serenity, yin stands for confusion and turmoil. Yang stands
for destruction, yin stands for conservation. Yang brings
about disintegration, yin gives shape to things…”
bib:
An essay on the Chinese metaphysical concept of the two
opposites, yin and yang, and their origin in the philosophical
speculation of the Han Synthesis. Chinese philosophy learning
module auth. Richard Hooker. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHPHIL/YINYANG.HTM
The meaning of Yin-Yang from a translation by Mark Coyle,
on a personal website of Svebor Hlede http://fly.cc.fer.hr/~shlede/ying/yang.html
Yin and Yang in Medical Theory, from Patricia Ebrey,
Chinese Civilization: a Sourcebook, 2d ed. (New York Free
Press 1993). also from the Hlede website.
Various extracts from Wikipedia.org.
The Interelationship of Yin-yang http://asiarecipe.com/yinyang.html
Mark, october 2005
