The Internal and External Discipline of

Self-Cultivation in Taijiquan

(何謂內外雙修的太極之道)

By Wang Yen-nien 王延年

Translated into English by Julia Fairchild 費巳華

Copyright © 2006 Yen-nien Daoguan™

All rights reserved.

Taiji is the Way [theory] and the practice of taijiquan is the art – such is the Daoist approach to training in the martial arts.  The Daoist martial arts are not intended for daily rounds of battle; they are physical and mental disciplines that train the self in temperment as well as in body.  Harm is done neither to others nor to oneself – these disciplines strengthen the body and promote longevity. 

        Before the ancient Master Zhang Sanfeng had learned the Dao, people frequently tried to kill him, and because he had to defend himself, he was also forced to kill people.  In the Chinese martial tradition, practicioners of the fighting arts enjoyed no guarantees of survival, and life was short.  It was often a simple law – one killed or was killed – and no defeat went unavenged.  In short, a vicious cycle of combats and killings prevailed. 

        After Zhang Sanfeng withdrew into Daoist retreat on Wudang Mountain, he realized that such a state of affairs was as unreasonable as it was inhumane.  He set himself to developing a martial art, taijiquan, which would transform both the moral character and the physical bearing of its practitioners.  Instead of brute strength, his art would utilize the powers of the mind and of the vital energy, qi.  This way, he would not only ensure his own survival, but save countless others from a sorry fate as well.

        While nowadays beating and killing people is illegal, martial arts competitions are still allowed.  In these, however, there are not only winners and losers, but also contestants who are injured, and the winners are therefore also, in a sense, losers.  How? Because of the internal injuries they receive that may go unnoticed.  While the losers may be obviously injured both outside and in – and this is to be expected if one loses – the winners are also slowly but surely shortening their lives.  In the interests of ensuring one’s health and longevity, therefore, it is best to abstain from competition.

        In the early days, all manner of competitions were held in order to promote wider interest in practicing Taijiquan.  Nowadays, however, because there is such emphasis on there being winners and losers, both parties are liable to suffer injuries both external and internal. 

        In fact, the taijiquan that we generally refer to is intended to be a martial art that causes no harm. 

        Most people think martial art systems are of attack and defense, but the martial aspect of Taijiquan is directed to clearing obstructions from the blood vessels and many channels of the body.  It is an art that combines internal and external disciplines to enhance the potency of Daoist practice.  What are targeted are one’s own physiological functions, while what benefits are one’s innermost powers. 

        Daoist arts of developing both one's physical and mental capabilities are processes of self-cultivation, and are not ways to defeat others.  They involve self-improvement and self-discipline, not self-defense.  Through virtuous practice and abstention from evil, the two disciplines unite and constitute the Way.  Taiji is the Way.   (WYN-2001)