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TAI CHI is moving meditation, or STILLNESS WITHIN ACTION. On how to achieve this: I CHING, HEXAGRAM 52: KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
Mountain Upon Mountain: KEEPING STILL. Keeping his back still so that he no longer feels his body. Thus the superior man does not permit his thoughts to go beyond his situation...True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the times, and thus there is light in life.
I CHING, HEXAGRAM 50, THE CALDRON
Fire Over Wood: The image of the CALDRON. Thus the superior man considates his fate by making his position correct. The fate of fire deponds on wood; as long as there is wood below, the fire burns above. it is the same in human life; there is in man likewise a fate that lends power to his life. And if he succeeds in assigning the right place to life and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony, he puts his fate on a firm footing. These words contain hints about the fostering of life as handed on by or oral tradition in the secret teachings of Chinese yoga. (Wilhelm/Baynes edition)
Set higher standards for your practice! Here is a great adage outside of the Tai Chi Classics and the best English explanation of the meaning of Kung-Fu---by one of the first and most renowned western teachers of eastern wisdom: Consciousness is a symptom of dis-ease. All that move well moves without will. All skillful-ness, all strain, all intention is contrary to ease. Practice a thousand times, and it becomes difficult; A thousand thousand, and it becomes easy; a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand, and it is no longer Thou that doeth it, but It that doeth itself through thee. Not until then is that which is done well done. Aleister Crowley, 1913, Founder, Ordo Templi Orientis
I CHING, HEXAGRAM 17, FOLLOWING
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T'AI CHI CH'UAN is the classic Chinese method of calisthenics for health, self-defense and spiritual growth. Graceful in movement, slow in tempo, relaxed in continuous natural postures, Tai Chi is "meditation in movement" practiced throughout the world for its profound health benefits. The Chinese say that whoever practices T'ai Chi regularly will in time gain the pliability of a child, the vitality of a lumberjack, and the peace of mind of a sage.
The regular practice of Tai Chi maintains good health, develops keen balance and agility, and encourages proper circulation of energy and bodily fluids. The cornerstone of Tai Chi practice is the "solo" exercise called the "form" in Tai Chi parlance: a slow, graceful and fluid pre-choreographed routine of relaxed natural postures and movements. In addition, Tai Chi sparring practice with a partner imparts its own particular benefits, notably the mastery of a practical and noble method of self-defense and the transcendence of fear.
By combining a full range of perfect, natural movements with meditation concentration, Tai Chi practice strengthens the functioning of the central nervous system and thus effectively exercises the entire physiology, not just a few muscle groups and the cardiovascular system. The most immediate and obvious benefits are improved posture, circulation, metabolism, digestion, and neuro-muscular functioning, as well as accelerated healing of disease and injury. Chinese physicians have long prescribed Tai Chi as physical therapy or "gymnastic medicine," in combination with herbs, acupuncture, and acupressure to provide a holistic treatment for disease. The often-amazing results of proper practice suggest that, in ways not fully known to Western science, Tai Chi can indeed relieve many chronic ailments and impart longevity.
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WELCOME
Taichimania.com is dedicated to preserving and proliferating the correct and healthful practice of the ancient Chinese arts of Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, and similar "internal" styles of Kung-fu to strengthen body and mind, purify the spirit, and develop the wisdom of the classical and eternal Chinese martial spirit and so activate and apply the philosophies of Taoism and Chan Buddhism (Zen).
This site was founded in 1997 by Terence Dunn, one of the most recognized Tai Chi and Qigong instructors in America, with 29 years of experience in Yang style Tai Chi Chuan and Six Harmonies/Eight Methods (“Liu He Ba Fa”) Boxing, and 36 years of training in four complete schools Qigong, three styles of kung-fu, and two schools of ancient monastic Taoist healing methods.
Within this site you will find informative articles by Terry Dunn, other veteran Tai Chi instructors, and some leading masters, a catalog of Terry Dunn’s best-selling instructional DVD’s, links to notable research sites, Tai Chi centers, and other providers of authentic Tai Chi, Qigong and related Chinese martial, yogic and healing art knowledge, and the teachings of other Asian and western hermetic traditions. Our time-tested and proven instructional tools are provided to aid the progress of practitioners at all levels--beginner, intermediate, and advanced--of all styles of Tai Chi, Qigong, and some forms of kung-fu.
While best known for popularizing the practice of Tai Chi Chuan for its wonderful health benefits through the Tai Chi for Health Short Form and Long Form dvd’s, which have been top-selling in the Tai Chi/Yoga niche of the American video industry for the past 20 years, Terry Dunn’s emphasis in current and future publications is on advancing Tai Chi practice beyond its health benefits: the correct, orthodox practice of the Tai Chi Chuan to develop the Tai Chi Gung-fu; the mastery of the complete art of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art. For it is only with this high achievement that the maximum health and longevity benefits and philosophical wisdom of Tai Chi--as expressed in Taoism and Zen Buddhism--can be can be activated and realized. It is also the only means by which authentic Tai Chi Chuan can be passed on intact to future generations as a high art of enduring benefit to cultural advancement and human evolution.
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Tai Chi Motiion Study by Jay Mark Johnson, Ace Gallery
©2009 Terence Dunn