Preface to the Secret Art of Tai Chi by Wang Baiqing
I studied under Master Zhang Chuchen of Wenzhou, who once said: This art was obtained from the Taoist sect. It is so subtle that it cannot be passed on in words. It is not given to those who do not cultivate virtue. It is not worthy of being passed on to those who value fame and fortune. Therefore, it is not easy to choose, so you should be careful and not lazy. I have kept it secret and practiced it for more than 40 years. I began to realize its long-lasting source and shine on the nine continents through the Taoist alchemy method. However, it is not easy to practice. It is like searching for pearls in the deep sea. Following the light of the treasure without giving up, going through hardships without giving up, finally getting it, it is even more precious. Even if it is worth a million gold, it will not be sold. This is because the spirit of Taoism always exists. Alas, who can see that Taoism is more difficult than this? But those who do not experience it themselves and do not understand its use, always claim to have obtained Taoism. Those who are good at arguing and misleading others are still pathetic. Fraud and falsehood are everywhere, and the truth is not heard. Therefore, the great way should be hidden and waited, and it will gradually return to this, which is also the ultimate truth of Taoism. In the winter of the sixth year of Yongzheng’s reign.
Xing Xihuai wrote “The Way of Tai Chi”.
The master said: When practicing boxing and Taoism, one must understand the principles and righteousness. If one practices continuously, one’s art will be refined. The way of boxing is the transformation of yin and yang, and the changes of movement and stillness. Knowing how to nourish qi can increase life, and being good at fighting can protect the whole body. This is the wonderful principle of boxing. How to nourish qi? At the time of Yin, spit out sodium, guard the root of the sky, sink the mind to the bottom of the sea, calm the heart, let the mind and mind love each other, rise and fall and swallow liquid, the abdomen is like a wheel, rotating according to the rules, so you know that the harmony of water and fire comes from the two kidneys, which is the foundation of human life, and you must pay attention to it every moment. How to fight well? The hands, feet and limbs are all under the command of the mind. Movement and stillness, emptiness and reality, are determined by the will and qi. Move up and down, turn left and right, move forward and move backward, only where the mind and spirit are directed, and the will and qi are used. The waist is the real mechanism, and it runs through the limbs, with no obstruction. This is the use of the inner intention.
Xing Xihuai wrote “Taijiquan Theory”
Taiji is the law of the pre-natal, and the way of life is born. Transformation is born in one, which is called Taiji. The pre-natal is the one qi of Taiji. The acquired is divided into yin and yang, and all things are born from it. Yang is active, and Yin is quiet. When the movement is extreme, Yin is born, and when the quiet is extreme, Yang is born. There is life and death, and the flow of creation is endless. There is rise and fall, and the rise and fall of qi is endless. The body image is constant and can be known, and the change is infinite and unpredictable. The big and small stand up the heaven and the earth, and the small is all the autumn hair. The principle of Taiji is everywhere. Yin cannot be born without Yang, and Yang cannot be formed without Yin. The qi of yin and yang is the foundation of self-cultivation. The upper yang spirit and the lower yin sea, when they are combined, the primordial qi is born. The left yang kidney and the right yin kidney, when they are combined, no sperm is produced. With the yang on the back and the yin in the heart, both are combined, and the primordial spirit is stable. There is yang in yin, and yin in yang. Those who are based on yang are close to the upper part, and those who are based on yin are close to the lower part. Therefore, the hands are yang, and the feet are yin. When they are combined, the body is naturally spiritual. The virtual and the real are separated, and the yin and yang are judged. The movement and stillness are the changes of yin and yang. The vertical is horizontal, the hard is soft, the coming is gone, and the opening is closed. It is nothing but the wonderful principle of yin and yang. However, when yin and yang are harmonious, who holds this principle? There are two ways to win or lose, and who is the master of this test. Once the yin and yang are judged, the two poles are separated, and the yin and yang meet in the middle. Therefore, its wonder is one, and its secret is the middle. Taijiquan is the study of dual cultivation of nature and life. Nature is the sky that dives into the top of the head, and the top is the root of nature. Life is the sea that dives into the navel, and the navel is the stem of life. Therefore, we know that the way of dual cultivation lies in the combination of the root of the sky and the stem of the sea. The true meaning is in it, and it is verified. At the beginning of movement, Yang is born, at the beginning of stillness, Softness is born; at the extreme of movement, Yin is born, at the extreme of stillness, Hardness is born. Yin and Yang, Hardness and Softness, Tai Chi. The limbs are connected, and within Yin and Yang, there is Yin and Yang again. Within Hardness and Softness, there is Hardness and Softness again. Therefore, there are Tai Yin and Tai Yang, Shao Yin and Shao Yang, Too Hard and Too Soft, and Shao Hard and Shao Soft. The eight methods of Tai Chi are all there. They are: “Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Nie, Zhou, Kao”. One is divided in the middle and Yin and Yang emerge, and Yin and Yang return to form the four seasons. The middle is the beginning of life and transformation, and the combination of time forms the five Qi. In the east, there is the blue dragon that responds to wood, and in the west, there is the white tiger that belongs to gold. In the north, there is the black tortoise that gets the nature of water and dives into the ground, and in the south, there is the red bird that gets the nature of fire and flies up. The Central Earth is fertilized to generate and enlighten virtue, and the five steps of Tai Chi are born from the five elements. They are: “Advance, retreat, look back, look forward, and settle”. Tai Chi is to breathe the Qi of the 25th, to move the eight methods with the hands, and to step on the five elements with the feet. The upper and lower parts, inside and outside are in harmony with the mind, and each joint is connected to the whole body. Therefore, all changes can be responded to. This is why the root comes from one, and the transformation is infinite, which is the essence of Tai Chi. It is only for the students to understand and understand it silently.
Tai Chi Secrets Written by Zhang Chuchen
Tai Chi has the method of saving the world, and the skills have the art of moving the body. It is enough to show it to the outside. The secret of practice must be treasured and valued, and must not be passed on lightly. If it is passed on to the wrong person, it will cause harm, so why not be vigilant. The secret is: sink the Qi into the abdomen, and fix it with the mind, and do not raise it randomly. Gather and agitate, like a spinning wheel. The mind is active and moves, and the Qi is like a wheel. The key is not to leave the abdomen, which is why we pay attention to it every moment.
The spirit leads the whole body, with the hands as the first, the feet follow the hands, and the body follows the feet. The mind and spirit are connected, and the Qi moves at will. The tendons and veins follow the Qi, which is why the movement is done with the mind.
In Tai Chi, the movement of the internal Qi must be the same as the external force. In every movement, the mind and spirit are in love with each other. The mind leads the hand gestures, and the mind makes the Qi flow, from the hands to the elbows to the shoulders, from the feet to the knees to the waist, and naturally it can achieve the way of unity. This is the wonderful art of Tai Chi, which combines the upper and lower, inside and outside. The hands have eight methods and the mind leads the empty mind, and the Qi has hundreds of rings, all of which are determined at will. The mind controls the Yang and moves the external force, which is the form, and the mind controls the Yin and guards the internal essence, which is the Qi. The hands are Yang and move upwards, and the feet are Yin and move downwards. The magic lies in the combination, and the spirit lies in the relaxation. The force has not moved, but the mind has moved. The mind and the spirit are ahead of the form. The force cannot be grasped. The mind and the spirit are the mechanism, and there is no need to take the completed form as the situation.