and therefore you must stay here for another year.” This time, the prince was not even upset and said: “No problem.” Once again, the old man left.
Another year passed, and the old man came back again. This time, when the old man asked the prince what he thought, the prince said: “I feel birds, woods, fish, animals, and many things around me here.” This time, the old man was very happy and said: “Now I can take you home. If you can feel the things happening around you, then you can concern yourself with the people’s feelings, and you will be a good king.” Then the old man took him home.
This story is only to tell you that when you do anything, you must put your mind into it, feel it, taste it, and experience it. Only then may you say that you understand it. Without this deep feeling and comprehension, the arts you create will be shallow and lose their essence.
I would like to point out something important. Normally, after more than thirty years of learning, studying, pondering, and practicing, all masters have experienced most of the possible creations of their art, and their understanding of it has reached to a very deep level. It is common that the master will keep this personal secret to himself until he has found someone he can really trust. This is often called the secret of the art.
There is another story which was told to me by Master Liang, Shou-yu. About fifty years ago, there was a very famous clay doll maker in Beijing. Because he was so famous, he had many students. However, it did not matter how, when people purchased a doll, they could always tell which ones were made by the master and which ones were made by the students. It also did not matter how the students tried and pondered, they could not catch the secret of their master. They continued to believe that their master’s dolls were better because he had more years of experience.
One day, this master became very sick and was dying. After he realized that he would die soon, he decided to reveal his last secret to his most trustworthy student. He summoned his student to his bed, and said: “You are the student whom I can trust most. You have been loyal to me in the past. Here, I would like to tell you the last of my secrets. But remember, if you keep this secret to yourself, you will always enjoy wealth and glory. However, if you reveal it to everyone else, then you will be as poor as others.” Then he asked this student to make a doll in front of him.
Not long after, this student had completed his doll. Although the doll was well made, it looked like a student’s doll instead of the master’s. Then, the master looked at the student and said: “The difference between your doll and my doll is the expression on the face. The expression of the face must be natural and delightful. This is the final trick for you to remember.” Then, he placed his index finger under the chin of the wet clay doll and gently pushed the chin slightly upward. Immediately, the facial expression of the doll changed and became very natural. Now, the doll looked like the master’s.
From this, you can see that normally a secret is hidden in the obvious place. A practitioner can realize this secret suddenly when time passes by through continued pondering and practice. It is said in Chinese martial arts society, “The great Dao is no more than two or three sentences. Once spoken, it is worth less than three pennies.”11
From these stories, you may have understood that the creation of an in-depth art comes from continued learning, pondering, and practice. Only then will the spirit of the art be high and the art created be profound.
Conclusions:
1 Chinese martial arts were created mainly for defense and not for offense.
2 The best fight is “the fight of no fight.”
3 The meaning of learning arts is to find and to understand yourself. With this understanding, you can promote the meaning of your life to a higher spiritual level.
4 The arts are creative. It is the same in Chinese martial arts. After you have learned and practiced for a long time, then you should blend what you have learned with your own ideas to make the arts even greater.
5 A deeply touching art is created from deep spiritual feelings. It is not an outward form. Forms are only the manifestation of the internal feeling.
6 The greatest secret is hidden in the most obvious place and can be obtained only from continued pondering and practice.
The Real Meaning of Taijiquan
People practice taijiquan for different reasons. Some practice for health or to cure an illness, and others for defense, relaxation, or solely for fun. However, when you approach the highest level of taijiquan, you will probably feel that the above reasons are not really important anymore. At this time, you must seek the real meaning of the practice; otherwise you will soon become satisfied with your achievement and lose enthusiasm for further research. You must ponder what is really behind this highly meditative art. Many religious Daoists practice taijiquan in their striving to eliminate their baser elements and become immortal. Many non-religious people practice taijiquan to gain a peaceful mind and reinvigorate their lives.
You should understand that taijiquan emphasizes meditation both in movement and in stillness. Through this meditation a taijiquan practitioner, like a Buddhist priest, trains himself to be calm and concentrated. It is possible to achieve a state of peace and centeredness, which allows you to judge things and events in a neutral way, without emotional disturbance. When your mind is truly clear and calm, the spiritual side of things starts to open up. You start to see more deeply into things. Skilled practitioners can sense a person’s intentions before they are expressed, and they often develop the ability to look more deeply into people and events in non-martial ways too. Many martial arts masters came to be considered wise men and were consulted for their insight into the meaning of human life, this world, and the universe. They learned to live in this world without confusion or doubt and to find peace and happiness. All of this comes through meditation and continuous pondering.
There is a song passed down since ancient times about the real meaning of taijiquan. It says:
1 “No shape, no shadow”. This means that when you have approached the higher levels of taiji meditation, you find your physical body seems not to exist—you feel that you are a ball of energy, part of the natural world and inseparable from it. Your actions and self are part of the natural order of things, fitting in smoothly and unobtrusively, seeming to have no independent shape of their own, casting no shadow.
2 “Entire body transparent and empty”. When you feel you are only a ball of energy, there is nothing in your mind, no desire or intention. Since your mind and ego are not there to interfere, you can see clearly and respond correctly.
3 “Forget your surroundings and be natural”. Once you are transparent you will easily forget your surroundings and your energy flow will be smooth and natural.
4 “Like a stone chime suspended from West Mountain”. This implies that your mind is wide-open, free, and unrestricted. Like a stone chime suspended from the mountain, all things are clear under you, while your mind is still controlled by you just as the thread suspends the stone chime.
5 “Tigers roaring, monkeys screeching”. When you move the energy you have cultivated, it can be as strong as a tiger’s roar and reach as far as a monkey’s screech.
6 “Clear fountain, peaceful water”. Even when your energy is strong, your mind is clear, still, and peaceful.
7 “Turbulent river, stormy ocean”. In taiji, if you have to use your energy it can be strong and continuous like a turbulent river or the stormy ocean.
8 “With your whole being, develop your life”. During all your practice and meditation,
