December 4, 2023
Reflections from Dr. Hermann Bayer and his attendance at “Day of Karate” October 25, 2023 Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
November 20, 2023
It’s easy to talk about righteousness. Living it is difficult.
November 6, 2023
When you practice Tàijíquán skills to a high level and have reached the state of “fight of no fight” (i.e., regulating without regulating), then every action is ultimately natural, comfortable, skillful, and effective. This is the stage of “fighting with enlightenment.”
September 11, 2023
“It is a common fact―and mistake―that someone, who supposes his/her knowledge being insufficient, chooses to study “broadly,” i.e. to study another related subject, instead of deeper penetrating the subject at hand.”
August 28, 2023
In the last seven centuries many songs and poems have been composed about Tàijíquán. These have played a major role in preserving the knowledge and wisdom of the masters, although in many cases the identity of the authors and the dates of origin have been lost. From these songs and poems, Tàijíquán practitioners have had a guideline or a map which continues to lead them to the correct path of practice. Most of these documents were considered secrets in every Tàijíquán style. It was not until the last few decades that these secrets were gradually revealed to the general public. In the last twenty years, Dr. Yang has translated and made commentary on many of these documents.
In the early 1980s the unique selling position of Japanized Karate-Do (with Shotokan as its prototype) was well established and further initiatives focused on stabilizing its market position and its organizational structure which was remarkably successful in both preserving its Japanese identity and protecting copyrights and financial interests.
Unless in military combat, it looks like males have game-like rules of engagement that ultimately dictate dominance, but, in contrast, women fight male attackers not to dominate but to survive.
If the emotional mind continues to bother you, then you should pay attention to your breathing. Breathing is the banana. It is a treat for the body, and it’s a way to calm down the emotional monkey mind.
To correct mistakes, something has not just to be modified, but habits have to be completely unlearned before something new can be learned.
The key is in the uniformity and fluidity of the breathing, the body’s relaxation, and softness, the Yì’s peace and calmness, and the spirit’s condensation and upraising.
Karate’s sacred principle should be rephrased into ‘karateka aim at not to attack first, but they may move first’, when a not yet physical attack is underway as a clear indicator for an immediately following use of physical force.
What is Tàijíquán? It is a martial Qìgōng study. These training procedures are nothing else but regulating the body, regulating the breathing, regulating the mind, regulating the Qì, and regulating the spirit—five regulatings.
The physical body is like a machine and Qì is like electricity. Only when the machine is in good condition and the power supply is sufficient will the machine be able to perform at peak potential.
Once you have accomplished your Small Circulation, the Qì circulating in the Twelve Primary Channels (Meridians) will be abundant and smooth, and then you can extend the Qì from the meridians outward to the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, skin, and beyond. For example, through Grand Circulation you will be able to lead the Qì to the joints to condition and improve the strength and endurance of muscles and tendons.
The emphasis on the spiritual life, rather than the material, is one of the major differences between Eastern and the Western cultures. An example of this is in the maintenance of health, where the West emphasizes the physical body more, while the East tends to also treat the person’s spiritual and mental health.