[Steve Bobs]

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Hi all, I got this in an e-mail and thought that it follows a similar concept to ours, and is an interesting read. The terminology is slightly different but I particularly like the bit about merging.
Enjoy !!

Part 1

By Rose Oliver

Many people have already tried to explain what Taiji is, and what makes this art so special or different from other Chinese martial arts.
Some translate it as "The Supreme Ultimate Fist" ђC giving students an idea that it is a great fighting art, based on strength, speed or martial skills.
But to Ren Gang, who is a long time student of Master Dong Bin of Shanghai China; its origins and explanation must be traced back to the concept of "Wu Ji" or "a state of emptiness", that is before Yin and Yang separate.Ren Gang began studying martial arts when he was a young boy of about 12 years old.
He was born in the mid sixties, and grew up in a turbulent time in China's history.
During the Cultural Revolution he and his family lived with a very famous Shaolin master, Wang Zi Ping and his daughter Wang Zhu Rong, for about seven years.
Ren Gang, as a child was sickly and his family deemed themselves lucky if they went two weeks without having to take him to the doctors! So they encouraged him to begin studying under the tutelage of Miss Wang, who was then about 50 years old.
After his family moved home a few years later, he still carried on studying form from her.
At age 20, he felt that he hadn't really become proficient in shaolin, but rather just enjoyed playing martial arts for fun.
Some time later, whilst in Fu Xing Park he saw a gentleman teaching Taiji Quan. This was Master Dong Bin.
Dong Bin had learnt from Dong Shi Zuo and Ye Huan Zi, who in turn were both students of Master Dong Ying Jie.Ren Gang was instantly attracted to his movements and style and began to go to the park regularly just to observe Master
Dong.
He did this for over six months, but didn't have the courage to openly ask Dong Bin to teach him.
However, once, Master Dong having become familiar with Ren Gang always being there, showed him a few basic training exercises (Ji Ben Gong).
Unfortunately, at this same time Ren was beginning his university studies, and didn't go back to the park for over six months, so regrettably lost contact with Master Dong.
Ren Gang finished his university studies and after graduation, whilst working as an apprentice, bumped into Master Dong on the street. Ren, who was so excited to finally meet up with Dong again, immediately asked if Dong would teach him, but Master Dong said he was too old to teach now and wasn't taking on any students. Ren was too embarrassed to ask again, but enquired if he could meet Dong sometimes, just to chat or spend time together. He felt merely being with Master Dong made him happy and he really enjoyed his company. (I felt the same way when I first met Master Dong myself, just being with him made me feel at peace).
Dong agreed, and after a long time of meeting like this he finally started to teach Ren Taiji.
Master Dong would often share his experiences of studying Taiji and encouraged Ren to study hard. Master Dong's shixiong/di gongfu brothers also welcomed him and tried to motivate him to train diligently. They all felt he had great potential to reach a high level in Taiji.
Ren explained that in meeting and training with Master Dong, he felt that he had found a teacher that "knew" and understood the real meaning of Taiji.
Firstly, he felt that Master Dong was a very nice, generous and kind person. He treated Ren Gang with respect and like a friend, despite their forty year age difference.
His Tui Shou (push hands) was also very special. In China, as in every other country where Taiji is practiced, the principle of 4 ounces defeats 1000 pounds ("si liang bo qian jing") is little in evidence, as can be witnessed by the wrestling and grappling that often takes place in parks and competitions, etc.
But Master Dong understood this principle and more importantly could utilize it, and one felt that he used no physical effort in deflecting an attacker, only qi (energy) or "kong jing" (empty power).
Master Dong also knew many "shou fa" (martial applications) and just seemed like an encyclopedia of Taiji and Wushu.Ren Gang said that sadly, with work pressures and commitments, he knows that he hasn't been able to put in as much time as his teachers and gongfu uncles wished, and so his practice has not reached as high a level as they had hoped, but believes that he has a good idea of what Taiji is and how it works. I would add that I feel for somebody of his age he has already attained great ability and embodies many of the genuine principles of internal arts.
He believes very strongly that practitioners should follow the classic texts and principles carefully and try to find the meanings within their own bodies and feelings. People certainly shouldn't suspect or try to change the meanings within the texts as he has heard some teachers do.
He said if you want to know if your practice is on track, you should check
yourself. If you've spent a short amount of time practicing and have made lots of progress then you know you're right. But, if after practicing several years, you cannot push with or do well against an opponent who has practiced the same amount of time in other arts, then something must be wrong.
You need to know where you're wrong and be able to address the problem.
He said many people say that Taiji takes years to learn and so they say don't expect quick results. However he feels this is misleading. The honing and refining of Taiji skills has indeed no end, it is a lifelong study and not something that one can perfect in a few years, but one should be able to see definite progress inside three to five years.
So what is Taiji?
Before we move we are in the state of Wu Ji. But after we move or the opponent moves, the peace and calm are broken and emptiness gives rise to yin and yang, (separateness in harmony). (In Chinese: "Wu ji er sheng dong fen yin yang").
Taiji's foundation is from the principle of wu jie, not from the movements of "beng, liu, ji ,an." (Expansion or ward off, dissipate or roll back, press and push).
When the opponent moves, he destroys the state of wu ji or emptiness and yin and yang develops.
In this change, his "neng liang" (energy) and his "shi" (potential force and energy) are yang. For example, if he uses his right fist to strike you, then his right side is yang but his left side becomes yin.
What the practitioner should do is, at the point where the opponent is striking towards, one must "hua" or dissipate his
potential force, where he is yang, you must be yin. But this apparent yielding or dissipating is not becoming "diu" or lost and lacking in substance, or "ruan" soft like tofu; it is accepting and welcoming his force like letting the wind blew through and out. Then your strike (yang) can fill the opponent's yin or weak place, now that his strength and force have been diffused. The adversary's energy is now completely spent, because you have emptied out his strong yang part by dissipating it. He becomes weak and unstable and empty. This concept of emptying out his force is called "yin jing luo kong" in Chinese.
At this time, when he is completely empty and weak, you can issue power, "fa jing".
One can only successfully issue power when the opponent is truly empty; otherwise if he is still strong and stable it becomes force against force.
When you issue, you must be able to release all your neng liang (energy) to the opponent. Your body must be "tong tou" empty and almost transparent inside, with no tense places.
To be "tong tou" we must first be "song" (relaxed) says Ren. But people often have a mistaken view of what "song" or relaxed means.
They know that being hard or tense is wrong but they then go to the other extreme and become "ruan" soft and collapsed in structure. This he says is an even bigger mistake. Like this, one can still not be truly relaxed and one loses one's own "neng li" the body's integrated and unified structural strength.