Tai Chi Practice and Qi Cultivation
Practicing Tai Chi, if one only pursues the upper level of martial arts skills without cultivating Qi Gong, it is like having bullets but no gun. Even the most powerful bullets cannot be fired to defeat enemies. While pursuing practical combat skills in Tai Chi, Qi Gong cultivation must also be carried out. The cultivation of Qi can be divided into three levels, and in each level of cultivation, Yin and Yang balance should be maintained to compensate for insufficiencies with excesses. By the fourth stage, it becomes an indescribable experience that can only be understood through personal insight, leaving it to those who are truly interested to explore its subtleties.
1. Regulating Qi
Everyone has Qi; without it, life ends. To cultivate Qi Gong, one must first regulate the Qi, smoothing out the scattered internal Qi so that it runs sequentially according to one's intention. For example, a laser first uses a filter to select light waves within a certain wavelength range, then uses a laser device to repeatedly stimulate these light waves, eventually forming a beam of specific wavelength with infinite power. The process of regulating Qi is a process of creating something from nothing, transitioning from a sense of no Qi to a sense of Qi. Regulating Qi must be based on relaxation and tranquility. One’s thoughts should be relaxed, focusing on beautiful and elegant images, maintaining a poetic and picturesque mental state naturally brings about relaxation and tranquility. It is important to break the misconception that achieving relaxation and tranquility means having no thoughts, understanding that it is not about people seeking relaxation and tranquility, but rather that relaxation and tranquility naturally appear before them. Only when thoughts are beautiful and the body is relaxed can the regulated Qi be pure. Like placing a clean object in a clean container, both inside and outside are clean. Some people have clean thoughts but unclean containers; some have clean containers but unclean thoughts; even worse, some have both unclean thoughts and containers. These three types of people often achieve half the result with twice the effort or even harm themselves more than benefit. The forms of regulating Qi can be varied, with movement being the fastest way to obtain Qi, standing meditation being second, and sitting meditation third. Individuals can choose and switch based on their physical condition and habits, with no fixed form.
2. Circulating Qi
Regulating Qi to purity but failing to circulate it is like a dead mechanism, useless. Once Qi regulation reaches a certain stage, it must enter the Qi circulation stage. The human body itself is a Tai Chi, with Yin and Yang divided and the five elements naturally judged, thus generating mechanisms of birth and transformation. What sustains life is Qi and blood; when Qi and blood are harmonized, vitality flourishes, and all things grow prosperously; when Qi and blood are disharmonized, death lingers, and everything gradually fades. Qi and blood circulate throughout the body without rest. When Qi is strong, blood thrives; when Qi is exhausted, blood declines. Circulating Qi should be thorough. The art of circulating Qi can be divided into three: network channels, blood channels, and marrow channels. In the initial stage of circulating Qi, Qi moves through the network channels, guided by hand. After the network channels are unblocked, Qi moves through the blood channels, guided by hand or intention. Externally calm but internally active, as still as a mountain, as moving as a tide. After the entire blood channel is unblocked, Qi moves through the marrow channel, guided by intention. Externally dry but internally rushing, looking like a withered tree but internally ceaselessly flowing. Only after the network channels, blood channels, and marrow channels are all unblocked can Qi be freely moved at will, following intention and reaching everywhere.
3. Utilizing Qi
The purpose of regulating and circulating Qi lies in utilizing Qi. Regulating Qi is the foundation, circulating Qi is the tool, and utilizing Qi is the goal. Pure Qi without obstruction can strengthen the body, cure diseases, support righteousness and repel evil, and act as ammunition to fire bullets and defeat enemies. At this point, Tai Chi skills and intention complement each other, every thought and intention aligns with form and spirit, mind arrives, Qi arrives, and body follows. Intention and Qi combine to generate force, which originates from spirit, making it invincible. At this stage, one can help oneself and others.
4. Returning to Simplicity
Qi Gong cultivation starts from nothing to something, and must return from something to nothing, returning to simplicity. The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; non-desire is the door of wonders. The name that can be named is not the eternal name; namelessness is the beginning of heaven and earth. There is a saying: "In the divine meeting of reality and illusion, in the hands' practice of reality and illusion," which refers to Tai Chi practice methods. Practicing boxing without understanding the principle of reality and illusion is ultimately futile. When Qi Gong cultivation reaches a certain realm, one does not cling to existence nor non-existence, turning illusions into realities and realities into illusions. The subtlety of application lies in the heart. Everything returns to nothingness; there is no Tai Chi, no boxing, dualities vanish, following nature's law, this is the ultimate truth.
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