The essence of the thirteen characters of Zhaobao Tai Chi and the seven levels of kung fu
The thirteen forms of Zhaobao Tai Chi are:
Circle, up, down, advance, retreat, open, close, exit, enter, lead, fall, welcome, resist. Named as thirteen forms. In summary, there are thirteen, and because each is effective, they have to be listed as thirteen. The circle, two yin and yang, four images, and eight trigrams included in it each have their own secrets, without any confusion. The thirteen forms are all present in a Tai Chi diagram, and the secret is the best.
The seven levels of kung fu say:
- One circle is Tai Chi,
- Up and down are divided into two yin and yang,
- Advance and retreat present four images,
- Opening and closing is Qiankun,
- Entering and exiting are comprehensive Kanli,
- Leading and falling are inverted Zhenxun,
- Resisting and pushing Gendu
First of all, it should be explained that the way of attack and defense in traditional boxing has three basic contents, namely, cultivation, body building, and ultimate use. When discussing boxing and Taoism, we cannot confuse them. We must clearly distinguish between practice, body building, and application, and be able to carry them through. The ancients said: “Cultivate it with tranquility to contain its successor (body), and be spiritual and wonderful with movement to make its application smooth. The body is not without its foundation, and the application is not without its original merit.” The following series analyzes the essence of the thirteen forms of Zhaobao Tai Chi and the seven-step Kung Fu theory from the three aspects of practice, body building, and application.
1, Circle,
A circle is Tai Chi: This layer distinguishes yin and yang from the back silk and the winding silk. Its practice is the winding method, and its application is the binding method.
This circle, from the body, is the theory, that is, one’s own Dharma body, that is, the perfect body image of Taihe Yiqi. This is what Lao Tzu described in the “Tao Te Ching·Chapter 1”, which said: “Therefore, always “nothing”, want to observe its wonder; always “something”, want to observe its boundary.” This Tao body is invisible and imageless, but it is indeed wonderful. Later generations called this the body of “Tai Chi”. As for the theory of the body of the Dharmakaya, all saints and sages have described it.
This Dharmakaya can produce all kinds of things, how can it be summarized in thirteen words? However, it can be summarized by using these thirteen words. Of course, this is also a statement using the melting method.
For example, in terms of realm: the body is like the nine heavens, the inside and outside are the same, exquisite and transparent, without a trace of impurities mixed in. The words are pure heavenly principles, and every movement of the body is in accordance with heavenly principles. Stand side by side with the saints, and be one with the void.
The source of the theory of the Dharmakaya of Tai Chi: It comes from the “the ultimate of health, harmony and harmony, the great harmony and one qi” in the “Book of Changes”. Tao is the common principle of heaven, earth and people, and it is called Tai Chi.
Back silk is the method of the method of the 8-character running force; entanglement silk is the method of the method of the internal qi and the external hyperbolic spiral force dynamic change. Therefore, it is said that its practice is the entanglement method. It is the method of winding silk in the opposite direction, also known as the method of Yin-Yang reverse following and the method of storing strength and shape.
It is used as a binding method. Because of the two techniques of “eating inside and relying on outside, eating outside and relying on inside” used by the internal energy and the external shape, it can create a boxing posture of sticking and walking, and the combination of attack and transformation. Although the enemy is not attacked, the enemy dares not move. It is like standing on a round stone, and it will fall if it does not move.
2, The upper and lower are divided into two yin and yang:
This layer is the yang rising and the yin falling, the yang is light and the yin is heavy. Its practice is the wave method, and its use is the method. The upper and lower are the two yin and yang of the sky and the earth. The internal energy of the body is the sky, and the external shape is the earth. The internal energy is the body of health, and the external shape is the body of smoothness. This is the essence of the sentence “healthy and smooth, introducing the details” in the “Taijiquan Classic”. This is the embodiment of the positioning of heaven and earth. The nature of the internal energy and the external shape is the result of the positioning method of Qiankun, that is, the Qianjiankunshun method.
This is the method of matching the inner qi and outer form, the soft outer form and the hard form, that is, the body of Jian Shunde; in terms of its use, the softness transforms the hardness, the softness uses the hardness, and the yin and yang are used in a magical way.
And up and down, advance and retreat, open and close, enter and exit, lead and fall, and meet and resist are all technical issues of the unified use of contradictions that appear in the two-yin method, that is, the problem of the unity of the opposites of the inner qi and the outer form. This is the concept of the body and use of traditional boxing that “how can you know one without knowing the two”, that is, the purpose of “two one one two” training, body, and use.
And this is based on the theory and summary of the rising and falling method of the inner qi and outer form of “qi rises and the shape falls, and the qi falls and the shape rises”. The rising and falling method of “qi rises and the shape falls, and the qi falls and the shape rises” operates repeatedly. In terms of the inner qi, it is like the waves of water, which is the method of the wave power and the wave power of Xinyi Liuhequan, so it is said that its practice is the wave method. Because it can “bend and stretch as it goes, bend as it goes; rise and fall as it goes, rise and fall as it goes”, it is originally a method of following the rise and fall. Without mentioning the two words “follow and follow”, only using the word “just” is actually a discussion of the method of following the rise and fall. And the methods of up and down, advance and retreat, opening and closing, entering and exiting, leading and falling, and welcoming and resisting can all be described by the “just” method.
3, Advance and retreat present four images:
This layer is half yin and half yang, pure yin and pure yang, and they interact with each other. Its practice is the scorpion method, and its use is the method of Futie.
Following the previous sentence “up and down are divided into two yin and yang”, the method of the four images is discussed. Because, Confucius said: “The Book of Changes has Taiji, which gives birth to two yin and yang.” There is a special section in the “Taiji Boxing Classic” on the method of the four images, which is discussed as follows:
Cold goes and summer comes, who knows its beginning? One day in the ages, the truth circulates.
Up and down follow each other, it cannot be empty talk; step by step, study carefully.
People can endure suffering and finally reach perfection! It is extremely fast and swift, winding and circling.
It is like the full moon when it is separated from the form; it is extremely refined, and even the smallest is a circle.
The sentence “One day in a thousand years, the truth is cyclical” explains the “four images” law.
Not only the advance and retreat present the four images, but all the contents of the two yin and yang, if matched with the dark power method, will present the four images in attack and defense. If the power and shape are reversed and the yin and yang are reversed, then in the body, there is retreat in the advance and advance in the retreat. This is the method of dark power. Its root comes from the principle of “yang numbers start from one, and yin numbers start from four” in the “Book of Changes”. That is, the fact of the two yin and yang in the law of the movement of the four images of Shaoyang, Taiyang, Shaoyin, and Taiyin can be seen.
In terms of the method of external form, it is the law of the movement of the four images of “up and down follow each other”, which is one of them. If we discuss it in terms of the “power and shape reverse accumulation” method: attack on the left and defend on the right, the left attacker’s form is released and the power returns and rotates; the right defender’s form returns and the power is reversed. The combination of internal energy and external form presents the dynamic change of the four images in the dynamic change of the two yin and yang of attack and defense as the foundation. The same is true for those who attack with the right and defend with the left. All the two yin and yang attack and defense methods are the same. Therefore, it is called “mutual exchange”.
The implementation of this method of counter-accumulation of strength and form has the wonderful effect of “making a circle at the point of contact” to dissolve the attack, and the fun of “straight forward” to attack sharply! This is the method of “spider swimming web, lotus leaf rolling ball” to use stillness to control the movement of the place where it touches and where it starts. Therefore, it is said that its practice is the method of scorpion insects. Scorpion insects are centipedes, centipedes and other centipedes with centipedes. If you control one part of it, the other parts of its body can still change. And what it uses is “applying method”, so it is called “subduing method”. This is said in terms of the “applying method” used at the contact point, that is, the method of “eating inside and relying on outside, eating outside and relying on inside” of internal energy and external form. Because adopting such a method can have the power of not interfering with the opponent, making the opponent unable to defend.
4, Opening and closing is Qiankun:
This level of heaven and earth are combined, yin and yang are combined, and its practice is the pulling method, and its use is the supporting method.
The “Taiji Boxing Classic” says: “The opening and closing of the virtual and the real is the boxing classic.” In traditional boxing, the internal energy is the body of Qiantian, so it is healthy and continuous, and it is pure and refined; the external shape is the body of Kundi, so it is calm and heavy, and it is obedient. The method of matching the internal energy, external shape, soft outside and hard inside is the method of “reverse accumulation of strength and shape”, which is called the combination of heaven and earth. If the method of reverse accumulation of strength and shape is discussed in the “opening method”, it is “form opening and strength closing, form closing and strength opening” two methods. That is, the two methods of “external eating and internal leaning, internal eating and external leaning” of strength and shape reverse accumulation. To eat is to draw, swallow, and inhale; to lean is to support, spit, and exhale. The interaction of qi and form is used; the hardness and softness are used interchangeably, so it is said that it is the interaction of yin and yang. And its practice and application are all implemented by the “pulling method and supporting method” of the internal qi and the external form. This method is simply called “eating and leaning method”, or “relying on eating method”. This method has been discussed in many boxing manuals of various schools. As a reference, I will select the best one and record it as follows:
It all comes down to the concentration of spirit. When the spirit is concentrated, one qi is cast, the qi is refined and the spirit is returned, and the momentum moves; the spirit is concentrated, the opening and closing are clear, and the emptiness and reality are clear. If the left is empty, the right is solid, and if the right is empty, the left is solid. Emptiness is not completely powerless, and the momentum must move; reality is not completely occupied, and the spirit must be concentrated. The key is to change in the chest and waist, not outside. Strength is borrowed from people, and qi is emitted from the spine. How can qi be emitted from the spine? The Qi sinks downward, and is collected into the spine from the shoulders and injected into the waist. This is the Qi from top to bottom, which is called “closing”; from the waist to the spine, spread to the shoulders, and applied to the fingers. This is the Qi from bottom to top, which is called “opening”. Closing is to collect, and opening is to release. If you can understand opening and closing, you will know Yin and Yang. At this point, your skills will improve day by day, and you will gradually be able to do whatever you want, and everything will be as you wish!
The first paragraph quoted discusses the method of: the rising of internal Qi is opening, and the falling is closing. The second paragraph discusses the method of: internal Qi, external shape, and the matching and unified external shape are seen to open as Yang, and when it is matched with internal strength, it is lowered to Yin; when the external shape is seen to come out, it is closed as Yin, and when it is matched with internal strength, it is raised to Yang. It embodies the method of “Yin and Yang are reversed, and the strength and shape are reversed”.
5, Comprehensive entry and exit of Kanli:
This layer of fire descends and water rises, and water and fire boil. Its practice is the urging method, and its use is the return method.
Zong means complex. The phrase comes from the “Taijiquan Jing”: “Sometimes contracting or releasing, sometimes relaxing and sometimes stretching; complex changes, wanting to suppress first and then raising”.
In traditional boxing, there are methods of following the light and agile strength of Lihuo, and methods of following the loose and sinking strength of Kanshui. Generally, the fists that rise are light and agile, and the fists that fall are loose and sinking. If we understand it from the method of counter-accumulation of strength and form: the fists that rise are coordinated with the light and agile strength with looseness and sinking; the fists that fall are coordinated with the loose and sinking strength with lightness and agility. Only in this way can we ensure the dynamic balance of attack and defense. This method is called the method of “water and fire boiling”, and the reason is here. As for the essence of “fire descending and water rising”, it refers to the scene of the descending of Lihuo and the steaming and rising of Kanshui in the “Qi sinking into Dantian” of internal practice.
And the word “Cui” in the method of “Lian is to urge” indicates the method of running internal Qi in internal practice. To illustrate the essence of the word “cui”, we quote the theories of the ancients to prove it, which are recorded as follows:
Ticui Lingrun (sound press) is a wonderful skill.
This is a skill that can reach the sky and the earth. It should be used when you have time. It can cure diseases, replenish essence and energy, nourish the lower Yuan, and activate the Yongquan acupoint. When this acupoint is opened, the muscles, bones and blood vessels in the body can stretch freely. It is a wonder that has not been revealed for thousands of years. It is better to practice it at that time and feel it. For lifting, go straight up from Yongquan to Niwan; for Cui, stop a little at Tianmu, go around the head three times, from left to right; for Ling, go to Yuzhen, and return to the throat once; for Run, go into both shoulders, go down from the inside of the arm to the tips of the ten fingers, go through the back of the hand through the Quepen Jiaji, cross the front and back of the heart, and stop a little at the navel; for Miao, go three times from the Xiaoxiao acupoint at the waist, stop a little to the bottom of the sea (then to Dantian), stay for a while at Qihai, go down to the front of the anus and the back of the kidney, that is, the perineum (bottom of the sea), and stay for a while at the coccyx; for Gong, go into Huantiao acupoint and stay for a while, go to the knee and shin to Yongquan, go up between the shin, stop for a while behind the knee, go up to the front of the kidney, make nine turns, and stop at Xiatian. Nine turns are full, and this sitting exercise is complete.
There are three more secrets in walking, which are “clear, quiet, and calm”. The word “qing” means to concentrate the mind in Niwan, like clear water, bright moon, gentle wind and warm sun; the word “jing” means to reach the navel with one breath, and think of the meaning of lotus purity; the word “ding” means to stop at the bottom of the sea with one breath, and think of being as stable as Mount Tai, difficult to be disturbed by external temptations, like the luxuriant pine, like the warm autumn sun, like the dew with pearls, and the moon soaked in water. It is as hard as steel and as soft as cotton. Then combine them into one, and think of a spring gushing out from Niwan, which is muddy and clear, without hindrance and without stopping, and after a long time, the divine light will gather.
The method of “qi follows the heart, and the heart follows the qi” in Guanqi Jue all shows the wonderful use of the word “urge” in the internal power method, so it is said that “its practice is the urging method”.
When it is used in specific attack and defense, the internal qi moves back and forth in the body up and down, left and right, front and back; the lightness and relaxation are transformed into each other, showing the characteristics of the reciprocating use of the wonderful combination of internal qi and external form, so it is said that “its use is the method of returning”.
6, Leading and falling in a wrong way, shocking and Xun:
This layer of thunder and wind is agitated, with ups and downs. Its practice is the method of suppression and promotion, and its use is the method of stimulation.
In the traditional boxing attack and defense, there is the light and agile skill of following the inner emptiness of Li fire and the outer agility of following the outer emptiness of Kan water and the inner solemnity of following the loose and heavy skill, which has been clearly stated in the previous sentence. There is also the thunderbolt skill of rising lightly and falling heavily in accordance with the sound of thunder drums, and the Wuji skill of following the empty form of Xun wind, using momentum to come and go without a shadow, and a gust of light wind suddenly becomes invisible and formless. Shock is the momentum of thunder fist, the strength starts from the feet, spreads to the legs, dominates the waist, rises to the ribs, moves in the chest, starts from the back, passes through the shoulders and elbows, and reaches the fingers. The fall of the hand method follows the heavy blow of thunderbolt; Xun is the momentum of wind fist, which makes its form empty and uses momentum, so the rise of the hand method is like the light and agile upward strike of Xun wind. Lift up and strike down, follow the momentum and strike, just like the intricate changes of the rise and fall of thunder and Xun wind. The fall is the method of suppressing the fall, and the rise is the method of raising the rise. If we talk about the four seasons, the fall follows the weather of autumn gold, and the rise follows the weather of spring wood. The internal energy and external shape in the fist can all be considered from this method. Isn’t it the rise and fall method of the dark energy method in the “force and shape counter-accumulation” method! Or the method of suppressing and raising the Taihe Qi of boxing! If the suppression method of the rise and fall method uses the reverse force as the method of borrowing force to hit people, the force method is sudden and lightning fast, which is called “exciting method”. Therefore, it is said: “Its use is exciting method”.
7, Yingdi Tuigen Dui:
This level is the mouth and the ears, which can listen and ask, and communicate with each other. Its practice is called the method, and its use is the method of emptiness and spirit.
Ying means to welcome; Di means to arrive. Yingdi is the matter of attack and defense. Tuigen Dui, Tui means reasoning and evolution; Gen means knowing when to stop. Knowing when and where to stop means stopping at the highest good, which is where to stop. In terms of boxing, when practicing the way of attack and defense of traditional boxing, one should stop at “using the conscience of listening and probing, using the good ability of adapting, and listening to the opponent’s movements and reality at any time in adapting, so as to constantly adjust one’s own adapting and win”; Dui means communication. In terms of boxing, use the conscience of listening and probing to control the good ability of adapting, and become one with the opponent’s breathing of movement and reality, so it is said: “Communicate with each other”. This is the essence of “Yingdi Tuigen Dui”.
This level of Kung Fu is the Kung Fu of “listening to the power, asking for the power”, “listening to the conscience”, so it is said: “mouth and ears”. A boxer can clearly ask for the power and listen to the power clearly during the attack and defense process, so he can “breathe into one with the opponent’s power”, and can “weigh” the lightness, heaviness, movement and change of the opponent’s boxing power accurately, and can avoid the real and attack the empty, that is, he can use a little sticking and walking to generate each other, avoid the front and hit the back to win. Therefore, it is said that “the practice is the weighing method”, which is the weighing method of listening and probing. Broadly speaking, it is the basic method of “controlling stillness with movement, stillness in movement, stillness and movement are the roots of each other; softness transforms hardness, softness lasts forever, and yin and yang are used in a magical way”.
Because, using the method of “listening and exploring the conscience to control the good ability of adapting, and also listening and exploring in adapting” to attack and defend, it can achieve the effect of “no feather can be added, flies and insects can not land; people do not know me, I am alone” without the power of others and can win. Therefore, it is said: “This is the method of emptiness and spirit”.