I think it's because no consensus exists regarding what Tai Chi is, nor on what aspects of training are important and what aspects are secondary or even irrelevant.
...which is why some of us are trying to use this forum to find the answers to such questions by discussion, whereas others are too busy trying to be right or score points over each other...
Sorry TJB, it's just that I read back through some of your old posts last night and discovered that you've been carrying on the way you do (petulance, arrogance, sarcasm, sneering, jeering, taunting and bullying) since long before I arrived on the scene. I feel sorry for the people on your hate list - I think they've had a lot to put up with.
The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao... Some maybe the true Tao isn't the true Tao, after all!
That's the beauty of the "Find All Posts By" feature. It can really help you to get the measure of a person.
Oh - you should have kept your original reply, it was so funny and totally proved my point. Wish I'd kept it.
Well, ya know (I know you like this one) I figured I'd just be reiterating what is already blindingly obvious. Glad you enjoyed it though. James
Hi Jkzorya In traditional japanese martial arts I tend to find little problem with accepting and using ki because I give no esoteric meaning to it. An example being ki ken tai ichi which means any action taken must be made with ki (spirit or fighting spirit) ken (technique ) tai (body movement) ichi (as one) If any of these principles are missing then the action becomes weeker. Ki musubi means to match your fighting spirit with the opponent with the intention of asserting control over his spirit. In training this is easily seen and understood. It is when we begin to intelectualise ki that confusion may appear. I teach that the student need only train sincerely and all of the elements shall come together and this would include ki. There are no mystical conotations. regards koyo A ki nagare throw.(catching his timing breaking his balance and asserting control over his spirit or ki)
Although written with the same character, the "ki" in Japanese martial arts is used in a very different way from the "qi" in CMA. The "ki" in JMA seems to mean more like "fighting spirit" or "good timing" or "force of movement." The qi in CMA is something which you can feel moving around your own body even when still (especially when still).
Hi Inner Qi, Why? I don't understand how one set of movements could be better than another when it comes to "collecting" the "animating life-force of the universe" (which IME is the most common definition of Qi). But I don't want psychic abilities! Sounds dangerous... Thanks, LQ
Thanks for your contribution Koyo. I think that sounds a lot more sensible. Good questions too from LQ
Hi Taoquan, I've heard the same... How do the instructors know that a student's is doing the form with Qi? Then why do we have to learn special exercises to get this energy of life? Is this energy already in us, dormant, or is it coming from somewhere else? And if from somewhere else, then what are we taking the Qi away from...could there be other life-forms out there that need also need Qi? What if the amount of Qi is finite....and other beings are missing out? Sorry to be so "out there", but I think the questions are valid given the context. One obvious difference for me would be that we have ears to detect sound, coils to detect EMF, and TVs to collect electromagnetic radiation - and none of these devices need to exercise. If we were built to work with Qi, shouldn't it come natually....shouldn't our experience of Qi be unavoidable? But isn't that like saying that every tree experiences water differently?
Hi onyomi Agreed but I was talking from the martial aspect. However the sense of "stillness" in movement we use is similar to the way you speak of chi. I have a number of friends who train in tai chi and we have found many more similarities than differences. Stillness in movement speaks of retaining a calm spirit in the middle of combat. In my aikido training there are numerous tai chi type techniques.I cross trained for a couple of years with a win chun teacher and we engaged in "pushing hands " exercises and I found the principles similar to the atemi in aikido. As for feeling it moving around my body I find that if I maintain katachi kamae (body attitude) and kokoro kamae (mental attitude) that I do "feel" much more powerful. Again it is because of the confusion that tends to appear when we speak of ki that I tend to be very basic in my explanations prefaring to experience it (in numerous arts) through cross training. I have felt it many times therfor do not need to understand it. Being rather pragmatic I tend to stick with..If it works ON me it works FOR me. regards koyo
Hi Shadow, So maybe I'm experiencing Qi already, and simply don't know it, because I don't feel the "classic" signs of Qi movement (the feeling of Qi moving around my body)?[/QUOTE] Thanks, I will Thanks for your input, LQ
