Tai Chi: Energetic Coherence

I read most of a book called "Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate," by Rick Barrett. It is interesting, because he says that the most important "skill" or "principle" in Taijiquan (and, arguably, all activities) is what he calls energetic coherence. He draws several examples from a variety of fields to explain what he means by "coherence" but the clearest perhaps is the difference between non-coherent light (the light from a bulb, for example) and coherent light (a laser). His "point" basically (it sounds ridiculously simple) is that, in order to instantaneously manifest coherence all one needs to do is extend and FEEL the index finger... Sounds a bit the reverse of the old Zen saying of not focusing on the finger pointing at the moon... He goes on to flesh out this simple idea, first by discussing various ways to "test" coherence in the body (basically, a lot of muscle testing, similar to kinesiology and Omura's bidigital O-ring), and then to discuss other popular Taiji concepts through the lens of his Western perspective: for example, the concept of song (usually translated as "relaxation") he associates with the Western concept of tensegrity as manifest in the Buckley (?) ball; he also has a pretty lengthy discussion about the importance of connective tissue in the body, how it is the primary substrate of the body, and can communicate subtle signals twenty times faster than neurological reflexes. Interesting stuff, whether you're interested in Taijiquan or not...

One thing that interested me about Barrett's discussion about the primacy of energetic coherence was that he said that rooting arises out of coherence, and not the other way around. In traditional Taijiquan training, rooting is believed to be fundamental (all strength and power arises from your greatest ally, the earth); that is why Zhan Zhuang (pile standing) is (supposed to be) the first and most important exercise for all internal martial arts practitioners: it develops rooting. But here, Barrett is basically challenging this notion, saying that coherence must occur FIRST or rooting will simply be a musculoskeletal (i.e. discrete, localized, partial) skill.

I will attempt to incorporate Barrett's ideas into my Taijiquan (and other) practice...

Tai Chi: Ma Yueh Liang

Ma Yueh Liang was said to be the last great Tai Chi Master of this age. He was the son-in-law of the founder (?) of Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan (he is a second generation disciple).

Of particular interest is his interpretation of the chinese character Peng. Peng is usually translated as (musculoskeletal) frame. It is also a homophone for one of the primary and fundamental "energies" of Taijiquan, usually translated as "Ward-Off." It is also a homophone for the mythic figure Peng, who was said to stand on the earth and hold the heavens on his back (thus the symbolic representation of the role of man, as that which unites the heaven and the earth).

Liang often spoke of a Yang Peng and a Yin Peng. The Yang Peng is the conventional translation of Peng, which involves the musculoskeletal framework necessary for internal strength. It is this which is usually trained in such practices as Zhan Zhuang (Pile Standing). Liang, however, emphasized the Yin Peng, which he said was possible by changing only one stroke of the conventional character Peng; this Yin Peng was more closely associated with sensitivity...

My teacher, Dr. Quach, referred to internal Peng the last time we spoke. At the time, I thought he was merely referring to Wardoff energy, but it turns out that he was talking about the Peng referred to by Liang. Dr. Quach said that, while it was necessary in initial stages to train the Yang Peng, in other words, develop a firm root so that any attack coming in could be redirected through the body into the ground, in the higher stages, one trained Yin Peng, such that when an opponent attacked, they couldn't get a sense of your root, and thus, would feel as though they were "stepping into a cloud."

I, of course, am still trying to understand Yang Peng, by means of Zhan Zhuang exercises. I recently read a book called the "Dao of Yiquan," which, although primarily about Yiquan (another internal martial art, different from, though along the same lines as Hsingyiquan), talks a lot about Zhan Zhuang or pile standing practices. I hope to eventually realize what the author discussed in that book, the ability to root, and to have ideal structural integration. But it will probably take me years.

If you have the time, check out the book, "Dao of Yiquan." Also, go on Youtube to check out Ma Yueh Liang in some push-hands action.