Resolving Confusion

By Amanda Huang

English Translation © 2006 Yen-nien Daoguan™

Ever since I began to study Taijiquan, I have never considered myself to be more than a beginner. This is because there are too many areas in this wide field—comprising the movements and postures of various forms of exercise, pushing hands practice, exercising with weapons or neigong (exercises to benefit the internal organs)—in which I cannot even boast a rudimentary understanding.

Constantly oscillating between confusion and understanding, and always trying to find a way of digging up the answers to my questions and doubts,I frequently took the opportunity to seek the advice of Coach Fei while I was organizing our elders’ and teachers’ materials. She always managed to surprise me with answers that were extremely beneficial to me. I am also deeply indebted to the profound wisdom of Master Wang, which never failed to strike a chord in my heart. I cannot honestly say that I have been the most adept disciple of Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan. Most of my questions resulted from things I heard here and there, and when I finally managed to find answers, I always felt that I should share the joy of 'enlightenment' with others instead of keeping it all to myself.  I would even publish my realizations in the Association’s newsletters. Of course, when putting my thoughts down in writing I couldn’t always avoid certain shortcomings or unclear passages that betrayed my yet incomplete understanding or insufficient digestion of the issues at hand. For this, I hope that the reader will forgive me, and I also voice my hope that others will correct my mistakes and point me in the right direction.

One issue that has confused me is this: Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan teams are competing at the current Chiang Kaishek Cup and China Cup Taiji competitions. The referees at these contests are all hired by the ROC Tai Chi Chuan Association, which is the sponsor of the events. The problem is that many of these referees have probably never practiced or studied the Yangjia Michuan school of Taijiquan with its specific moves and exercises. Therefore the impartiality and qualification of the judges has been put into doubt. This raised the question: wouldn’t it be more appropriate and fair to have referees trained and fostered by the ROC-Taiwan Yangjia Taijiquan Association be in charge of the competitions?

Before answering this question Coach Fei told a Shakespearean story:

A young man (A) wanted to get married, and he borrowed the money for the wedding from a good friend of his (B) who was in the ocean shipping business. However, this batch of money would only become available when one of B’s three ships currently at sea would return from its mission. Since time was pressing, B in A’s stead first borrowed the money from a wealthy money lender (C) who wasn’t getting along with his family. C promised to lend B the money, but required B to sign a contract that stipulated that B would have to let C cut of a piece off flesh from his body if he didn’t manage to return his debt on time. B was extremely confident that his ship would return in time, so he signed the contract without the slightest hesitation.

The day when the debt was due arrived. A married a girl from a rich family, but there was still no sign of B’s ship. Consequently, C went to court and demanded that B should fulfill his part of the contract by letting him, C, cut a piece of flesh from his body.

The judge called both parties before him and questioned them to establish the existence and content of the contract.

Judge: "C, are you sure you want to hold B to his word and cut a piece of flesh from his body in payment of his debt to you?"

C: "Yes, this is what it says in the contract, and I want to act accordingly."

A and his wife, who were also in court, made a proposal: Judge, this whole affair is my fault, and I’m willing to pay twice the amount borrowed to make up for the late payment.

Judge: "C, are you willing to accept A’s offer to pay you twice the amount of the original debt?"

C: "No, I’m not. It was B who I signed a contract with, and I want to follow the letter of that contract."

And so the judge pronounced his sentence: B will have to let C cut off a piece of flesh off his body in payment of his debt.

Immediately the court was thrown into chaos. Some cried that this was an unjust ruling, others accused the judge of lacking humanity. Only C praised the judge for his wise and just finding.

Within a few minutes, B was stripped of his shirt and manacled to the wall in a corner of the court. He stood there with his bound arms and legs spread out, awaiting the slowly approaching C as the crowd fell in a state of confusion and fear. At the very moment that C raised the knife in his right hand and made to cut B’s flesh with it, the judge called in a loud voice: "Halt!"

Immediately an eerie silence settled over the court, and it was as if the earth itself had stopped moving.

In a steady and clear voice, the judge pronounced: "Mr. C, I have to remind you that in your contract with B it only says that you may cut off a piece of flesh, but there is no mention of blood. If as much as one drop of blood should flow, you will have broken the law."

C’s hand slowly dropped as he was considering the judge’s words. Then he turned around and said: Judge, then after all I’m willing to accept A’s offer to return the money in B’s stead.

The judge answered: "Oh, well—but you accepting A’s offer is a different case altogether. First we have to settle this case, and then I may consider whether or not it is necessary to review the next case dealing with A’s offer. I have pronounced my judgment in the first case, and I cannot revoke it. You will have to execute my judgment, otherwise I will have to declare you guilty before the law. I give you ten minutes to carry out my judgment, right here in court."

After ten minutes of hesitation, C wasn’t able to cut off any flesh from B’s body without making him bleed, so the judge further pronounced:

1. The contract between B and C becomes invalid as of this day, since C is unable to execute its content.

2. C is found to be in violation of the law as he has failed to execute a judge’s order. Therefore, all the cash assets and real estate currently in C’s possession will remain his to use and reside in as long as he lives, but he may no longer sell them or transfer ownership to someone else. After his death, all of his assets will go into possession of his daughter, who eloped because her father was opposed to her marriage.

The judge’s gavel fell and the case was settled. The crowd gave loud shouts of approval for the judge’s verdict, calling it wise and just. C was alone in his fury, the veins threatening to pop on his face that was red with anger as he screamed, "Such an injustice!"

 

The point here is not to discuss the twists and turns of the plot, but to realize that when it comes to 'win and lose' situations, the side that feels it has been given a raw deal will always consider themselves to have been treated unjustly. In any competition, no matter how many times experts and professionals have honed and improved and reviewed the rules, and even if the world’s topnotch referees are invited to be in charge of the contests, in the end there can only be one winner, and thus the number of those who’ll come out of the competition dissatisfied and feeling wronged will always be much larger than the number of those who are happy with the result. That’s why in any competition anywhere in the world, the most frequently heard complaint from the mouths of coaches and athletes is, 'The referee was biased.' It is important that one is psychologically prepared for the possibility that the referee may not rule in one’s favor. We have to learn to accept his decisions, even when they go against us, and live with them.

Another issue that has had me confused it this: when teaching novices, Taijiquan coaches in the old days would often hold special pushing hands and basic movement competitions for beginners, both individuals and teams, to maintain and deepen their students’ interest in the activity. But now, we are no longer encouraged to participate in competitions, and I was wondering if this did not go against the traditional spirit of allowing adepts to become skilled in both the soft and the hard, or inner and outer, styles through continuous training.

The same matter will be interpreted and judged differently by different generations, as every generation has distinct needs and backgrounds. When our forefathers practiced martial arts, they did so to hunt for food and ensure their livelihood, or to protect themselves, their families, and land and possessions against robbers and thieves, or brigands and bandits roaming the country. Every Chinese dynasty had its own dual administrative system featuring both civil and military officials. Troops were stationed and trained to conquer new land and protect the borders, which often required the waging of long wars far away from home. Today we live in more civilized times under the rule of law. The law and the courts now have the obligation to protect each individual’s personal integrity and safety, and so practicing martial arts as means of protecting oneself has largely lost its meaning. Using martial arts skills to attack or harm others is also by far less effective than modern firearms, not to mention the weapons of mass destruction that may target enemies that are hundreds of kilometers away. Culture and civilization have changed, and it is no longer necessary or useful to practice martial arts as a way of maintaining a living and protecting one’s safety. In other words, the days in which martial arts were used to settle disputes between individuals and nations are a thing of the past. Today’s martial arts are a means of self-cultivation, of nurturing both one’s body and one’s soul. This two-pronged approach allows us to steel our 'spiritual determination' and strengthen our energy channels.

When our teachers were still but young novices, they witnessed many tragic stories of young and promising talents who had to constantly participate in matches and competitions to gain and defend their titles and reputation. Their days were filled with bloody combat and relentless rivalries. Unfortunately, many of these young talents and elite fighters paid with their lives for holding on to their status as champions, since they had to sacrifice everything else and were given no periods of rest in which to properly treat and recover from their injuries. This kind of life was really meaningless: they had no better fate than that of fighting cocks that are only valuable as long as they can perform in competitions—once they became unable to continue, nobody cared about them any longer. They might as well not have existed, since they were quickly replaced by new talents, new champions who were just as dispensable. There was always enough young blood to take the place of those who fell by the roadside, and society by and large wouldn't blink an eye. This is the reason why Master Wang no longer takes part in competition, not even show contests or individual sparring sessions. He has come to understand the value of life.

When Master Wang first came to Taiwan and began teaching Taijiquan here, most people on the island knew next to nothing about Taijiquan. To kindle people’s enthusiasm and wake the interest of students, and to generally promote Taijiquan and martial arts, Master Wang also helped to host individual and team competitions. But as soon as the sport had won a stable following and official recognition, and a growing number of people were learning and practicing Taijiquan around the island, Master Wang refrained from encouraging his students to participate in contests, even actively advising them to stay away from competitions. He had his reasons for doing so.

When a Taijiquan team decides to enter a competition, it will become necessary for every member to undergo a phase of intensified training and strict selection of athletes according to their skill and form. The less advanced or older adepts would feel a lot of pressure then, but in order not to negatively affect the team’s efforts, and to keep up the esprit de corps, they would yet do their best and push themselves to or beyond their limits, which often resulted in sports injuries. Master Wang felt this to be highly inappropriate and unnecessary. He would always maintain that if you practice Taijiquan just to get injured, then it’s better not to practice it at all. Even if they did not get injured, the weaker members of the team would often feel responsible if the team didn’t do as well as expected in a competition, blaming themselves for dragging the others down with them. Some would even consider leaving the group and giving up Taijiquan altogether.

During competitions, one not only needs to control one’s feelings of being wronged by a referee, and refrain from blaming everything on the judge’s bias. Another issue is the relationship a team or individual has with other teams and fighters. Often rivalries exist, and outright animosity might erupt at any time. Those from the North will call their Southern brethren particularly fierce or brutal, while the Southerners may perceive those from up North to be haughty and arrogant. This runs counter to the idea of meeting new friends through Taijiquan, all because of regional differences.

The truth is that things aren’t all that rosy for the winners of a competition, either. Having just been crowned in their discipline, the winners will feel that their appetite for competition has only just been whetted. Winners also tend to believe that their victory means they have completely mastered this particular school or discipline, and so they will turn to other forms of Taijiquan and martial arts, investing much time and energy in preparing for matches and contests. They will wish to become adept at all the various other schools and disciplines, and win prizes in all of them. In the end, the study of Taijiquan becomes like collecting stamps, as they are always in pursuit of new styles and varieties, but at the same time neglecting to practice and deepen their basic skills. They completely lose sight of the ideal purpose of Taijiquan in our modern times: that of self-cultivation, of fostering body and mind in the interest of a long and healthy life.

Back in the forties, when the Yangjia Michuan School of Taijiquan was working to promote the sport, competitions may have been a useful tool, a means justified by the end. But now almost sixty years have gone by, and Master Wang’s accumulated experience and wisdom allows him to look back on the past development and realize what he has achieved, and which direction he wants Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan to take in the future. It’s not that competition is bad per se, nor is true it that there’s no point in learning Taijiquan if there are no competitions. All Master Wang wants is to call people’s attention to certain facts he has come to consider important, and he uses his position to make people understand that there is more than one choice for practicing Taijiquan.

The third issue on my mind is this: if one doesn’t participate in competitions, what exactly is the point of practicing pushing hands and other more aggressive movements?

Well, a possible answer is to let go of all aggressive thoughts of attack when practicing pushing hands, and to focus instead on achieving a state of energy exchange with one’s partner. Feeding off each others’ power and energy, hearkening to the other’s spiritual voice and experiencing his essence and force is for your mutual benefit as both of you open up all your energy channels: this is the true way of neigong self-cultivation.

Below is a link to a website of Master Wang’s writings. Please feel free to contribute more of the Master’s essays and articles for publication on the Net.

Yen-nien Daoguan Website: (http://www.ymti.org)

-------------------------------------------------