During my Tai Chi class this week, our excellent teacher pointed out that virtually every type of martial art or boxing, other than Tai Chi, is based on the idea that conflict involves “agon,” i.e. struggle, and involves trying to win, to beat the opponent, and applying as much force as possible to do so. Tai Chi turns this on its head, and discards with the struggling and the force altogether. Instead of struggling, instead of worrying about winning, in Tai Chi one learns to focus on “listening” closely to one’s opponent, and understanding them. In Tai Chi, it is the one who can really listen and understand one’s opponent the best, the most deeply, who will prevail. Our teacher also pointed out that, in training oneself physically in Tai Chi, the goal is not to force our bodies to improve, but rather is to listen to, and come to a deeper understanding of our own bodies. I love all of this. And the amazing thing is that this is not some idealistic, pie-in-the-sky fantasy—once someone has mastered this approach through prolonged study, it actually works in practice, whether or not your opponent shares the Tai Chi approach. It resonates very much with what I wrote about in my earlier post “Listening” and it was cool to hear it, stated in a new way, from my Tai Chi teacher.
“Dream” by Ren Adams
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What if people could apply this in their relationships or conflicts with others, in settings other than Tai Chi? What if our goal was to really listen to each other, moment-to-moment, over time, to keep our minds open and try to come to a deeper understanding of each other, and of ourselves? Listening and understanding doesn’t mean giving in, passively, to whatever the other person wants…it means really listening and understanding, for its own sake. It’s not so easy. It doesn’t tend to come naturally…it’s counterintuitive. We don’t have much practice with this in our daily lives. It takes a willingness to try it, and a commitment to stick with it. But what if I could do this? What if you could? What if people could treat each other more like this in general? I’m probably getting carried away here, but what if various groups and countries around the world could approach each other this way? What kind of world would we live in then?
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April 1, 2010 at 1:27 pm |
This is near what I think Lao Tzu meant by learning to go with the flow. When the waters seem to be swirling, only those who truly listen and see are able to discern the channel of the current.
April 1, 2010 at 8:12 pm |
I like that idea that only those who truly listen are able to discern the channel of the current…thanks!
April 3, 2010 at 11:40 pm |
Your teacher is fantastic. Tai Chi, literally translated, is the “Absolute” or the “One Truth.” It’s the perfect expression of wu wei and going with the flow.
One thing it does have in common with even the most brutal of “agon” martial arts is that the cultivar tries to make all of the movements and reactions second nature. A student learns tai chi or kung fu or even the Tao in order for him or her NOT to have to use it (at least not consciously). So that it flows out of them in reaction to each situation, perfectly, effectively.
Great post!
April 5, 2010 at 11:55 am |
Thanks for your comment. I really feel luck to have found this teacher! Over the years, he studied with several different students of Cheng Man Ching–Benjamin Lo, Dr. Qi Jiang Tao, William C. C. Chen, and Maggie Newman–and he is a really talented and dedicated teacher. I found what you wrote about having the movements become second nature really interesting and true. I try to practice the form twice a day, although I still consider myself very much a beginner (started less than 1 year ago), and we haven’t even learned all the postures in the form yet. But despite being a beginner, I’ve started to notice, in going about my daily activities, that I’m starting to unconsciously (or not purposely) incorporate some of the Tai Chi movements into movements of daily life..it’s a little hard to describe, but it’s kind of like I feel like an ordinary movement (e.g. stepping back from the gas pump after paying) feels a little like one of the stepping back movements in the form…I can start to feel how, by repetitively practicing these movements, day after day, they become a part of you…very cool.