TaiChi ABC Chapter 2: The Initial Experience of Qi

Kung Fu begins with sensation. Those fortunate enough to encounter a wise teacher are blessed. Through direct contact with the teacher, and listening to the energy, one directly perceives what Qi is and captures the feeling of Qi. Under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher, this sensation becomes more acute, and Kung Fu advances.

But for those without the chance to meet such a teacher, how can one capture the feeling of Kung Fu?

Imagine going on a barbecue outing—how do you ignite the entire grill? Firstly, choose an environment with minimal wind. Use the most easily flammable material as kindling and surround it with charcoal. Ensure there is space between each piece of charcoal; airflow is crucial for combustion. At this point, a small match is enough to ignite the entire barbecue.

Internal energy is inherent in every individual. Everyone has a natural sensitivity to internal energy, much like how you laugh heartily when watching a comedy and feel sorrow during a tragedy.

Some accomplished traditional Chinese medicine practitioners classify people based on their innate sensitivity to internal energy (see "Questions about Traditional Chinese Medicine," pages 274-277 and 352-353). They categorize individuals into four types: extremely sensitive meridian type (Type A), sensitive meridian type (Type B), insensitive meridian type (Type C), and extremely insensitive meridian type (Type D). The classification is determined through the following test:

Extend your left hand, form a sword finger with your right hand, and draw a circle about 10 centimeters away from the palm of your left hand.

If you feel something with just one stroke, you are Type A.

If it takes a moment to feel, you are Type B.

If there's no sensation even after a minute, you are Type C.

If there's no sensation regardless of how much you stroke, you are Type D.

The purpose of this classification is only to give you an expectation of the difficulties you may encounter, not to determine who can or cannot succeed. While Types A and B may experience quicker results, Types C and D face greater challenges. However, with perseverance, even Types C and D can eventually capture the sensation. Additionally, everyone's sensitivity may vary based on different states, such as after exercising or when in a good mood. As long as you are alive, everyone has the innate ability to learn internal skills; it's just a matter of varying levels of capability, similar to different barbecue grills having different ignition difficulties.

Returning to the barbecue analogy, the palms are the most sensitive areas for sensing internal energy. This is the kindling. Everyone has their own time and space least disturbed by the external world. This is the environment. The muscles and bones should not be tense but relaxed. This is how the charcoal is arranged. Once settled, cradle the ball between the palms in the most comfortable way. You can stand or sit, without exerting force or tension, allowing the mind to settle, the spirit to rise, and sensing the palms like a "Bluetooth pairing," mutually "listening."

At this point, feel as if there's a basketball between the palms; take a moment to sense and remember the feeling. Then let the basketball gradually transform into a balloon. During this transformation, let the mind capture the changes in the sensation between the palms and remember them. Next, let the balloon slowly morph into a large soap bubble, being careful not to let it burst. Again, let the mind capture the changes in the sensation between the palms during this transformation and remember them.

This process doesn't need to be too lengthy for beginners; 3-5 minutes are sufficient. Keep writing tools nearby, and after each session, jot down your feelings and any questions.

If you sense something intangible filling the space between the palms, with the palms repelling each other like magnets, do not try to enhance the effect, and don't make squeezing movements to intensify the sensation. Let it happen naturally; quietly observe the "emptiness" between the palms. If you feel comfortable, let this comfort be transmitted from one palm to the other.

If you can sense the "ball" within the "emptiness" between the palms, you are experiencing what "relaxation" is. This "ball" can be small or large, and the palms can only passively open and close according to the sensation. The larger the expansion, the better the state of "relaxation." Remember this feeling; it is the spark you've ignited. Though the spark is small, it is the first bucket of gold in your practice. Though the spark is small, it is the spark that kindles the blaze. As the saying goes:

"In places where the sun doesn't reach, youth naturally comes.

Moss flowers are as small as rice grains, yet they still learn to bloom like peonies."

—Yuan Mei, "Moss"

Internal energy, like moss flowers, naturally comes in the state of "relaxation." What is the state of "relaxation"? It is the state where your palms feel "empty." The more "virtual" and "empty" your hands feel, the better the state of "relaxation" and the stronger the Qi. Transitioning from a basketball to a soap bubble is the direction and principle of this transformation.

This is your initial experience with Qi, where you capture the feeling of "relaxation" in Kung Fu. This sensation is not intellectual knowledge; it is not a definition woven with words. It is the result of experience, much like love, where you need a mutually interested partner to feel what it's like for affection to be reciprocated. Without experience, the martial arts classics of the ancients are mere familiar words.

With the guidance of a wise teacher, this experience comes conveniently and quickly. The teacher demonstrates the state of relaxed internal energy directly to the student. Using the words of Sifu Wang Zhongming: "Send my comfort to the other person." Students must capture this "comfortable feeling" through personal experience, thus grasping the concept of "relaxation."

Being able to relax allows internal energy to dissipate and merge with the space. In other words, only when there is the objective effect of internal energy dispersing can it be called the "relaxation" of Kung Fu. This objective effect serves as the foundation and standard for the exchange between teacher and student in the process of teaching and learning internal skills. This objective effect allows you to discern which "masters" are truly wearing the emperor's new clothes.

Without the guidance of a wise teacher, through the experience of holding the ball, you also have the opportunity to capture the feeling of Kung Fu. When you can differentiate between different sensations while holding the ball, you need to learn to forget. When you can "hear" the sensation of the balloon as soon as you hold your palms together, you can discard the basketball. After some days, when you can "hear" the sensation of the soap bubble as soon as you hold your palms together, you can skip the basketball. After some more days, you can forget about your hands. This means feeling as if the palms are absent, allowing the Qi to permeate beyond the range of the palms. At this point, you have achieved some initial success.

This initial success, through continued practice, will continue to grow. Whether standing in a pile or practicing forms, you need to "express" and "replicate" the feeling of "relaxation" as much as you can.

Victoria BC, 2024

TaiChi ABC Chapter 1: The Path to Martial Arts Mastery

How does one enter the hallowed halls of martial arts? "Don't think, feel." Bruce Lee's words are direct and to the point—man is as his fist. Kung Fu isn't born of contemplation; it emerges from sensation. It's a golden nugget refined through his experiences.

Kung Fu begins with feeling and evolves through understanding. In the internal martial arts classics, there is a repeated emphasis on the role of the "heart," not the "mind." The "heart" is the master of sensation, while the "mind" governs thought.

Aesthete Zhu Guangqian once said, "'Feeling' is passive, allowing the sensory and spiritual aspects of the natural world to move me" ("On Silence" by Zhu Guangqian). However, for beginners in Kung Fu, feeling is an active, focused endeavor, capturing sensations with the mind.

What is capturing? When learning a new language, listening involves concentrating on meaningful combinations of sounds amidst an unfamiliar cacophony to comprehend the message. Once language proficiency approaches that of a native speaker, the effort to "capture" becomes second nature. You navigate effortlessly through the ocean of meaning, like a fish unaware of the water's presence. This marks Zhu Guangqian's stage where "feeling is passive."

In reality, isn't every form of art about capturing sensations? Actors capture subtle emotions, painters capture changing hues, and musicians capture celestial melodies. Poets capture fleeting inspiration. So, what should internal martial artists capture? Internal energy—this is the key to initiation.

"Teacher, how does one cultivate the 'qi' in martial arts?"

"Qi is inherent. From the day we are born, we possess 'qi.' It's just that later on, we get accustomed to exerting force and forget about the existence of 'qi.'"

"What does 'qi' feel like?"

"At this point, language seems inadequate. Come, let's engage. Listen to yourself, feel it. Now, I release my joints, relax my muscles, focus my spirit, and 'qi' emerges. Can you feel it? Okay, now it's your turn to let me 'hear' it."

The above is a snippet from a teacher's instruction. Martial arts involve both theoretical knowledge and experiential understanding. In the transmission of knowledge, experiential understanding is especially crucial and precious—something you encounter but cannot seek.

Internal energy is intangible; during the demonstration, the teacher uses internal energy to leave an imprint, a sensation, on the student. The student must capture and remember this sensation, striving to reproduce and interpret it during practice. In this process, the teacher acts as a guardian. They listen to the student's interpretation, ensuring the sensation is captured accurately. Then, the teacher demonstrates again, and again, and again— from instability to stability, from uncertainty to confidence, until the student masters the art. This ensures the student doesn't develop a false sense of accomplishment.

From the student's perspective, this capturing is a mental activity. Martial artists must use their perceptual systems to capture that sensation. The sensitivity of the soul determines the accuracy of capturing and the speed of learning. For a poet, how to capture the feeling of snowfall? From "scattering salt in the air" to "willow catkins swirling in the wind," it shows the disparity in two levels of artistic sensitivity. This is an innate talent. Kung Fu is no different.

In the early stages, one can only sense obvious strength and pathways, like waves on a shallow shore. Those with profound skill, they can perceive the existence of elusive and ethereal energy—a hidden current in a vast ocean. This capability to capture sensation is called "listening," as in the Daoist concept of "gathering vision and returning to listening": "Without listening through the ears, listen through the heart. Without listening through the heart, listen through the qi" (Zhuangzi, Human World). This "listening" involves the interaction of one's dispersed qi with the external space, leading to an understanding of the universe and nature. Qi is an extension of the nervous system. The concept of "listening to energy" in Kung Fu is to use one's internal qi to "listen" to the movements of the opponent's internal qi. Everything lies in the sensation of "listening." Once you understand internal energy, you naturally comprehend the wisdom of the ancients, as if they were whispering secrets to you.

In the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus," there's a scene where a clarinet student struggles for a long time without success, deciding to give up. When saying goodbye to the teacher, Mr. Holland delivers the following lines:

"You know what we’ve been doing wrong?

We’ve been playing the notes on the page.

…

There's a lot more to music…than notes on a page.

…

Because playing music…is supposed to be fun.

It's about... heart.

It's about feelings and... moving people…and something beautiful and being alive, and It's not about notes on a page!

I could teach you notes on a page….I can't teach you that other stuff."

Then he invites the student to pick up the instrument, and a captivating dialogue unfolds:

“Let me ask you a question.

What?

When you look in the mirror... what do you like best about yourself?

My hair.

Why?

Well, my father always says that it reminds him of a sunset.

Play the sunset.

Close your eyes. One, two, three, four...”

The music begins, and this time, the student finally captures the feeling. It's no longer about practicing; it's about enjoying, and experiencing the music. Mr. Holland guides her to feel and comprehend "that other stuff." A teacher's cultivation determines a student's starting point and future heights. How many martial arts masters only understand teaching forms, and how many can point out "that other stuff"? "The truly important things are invisible to the eye" (The Little Prince).

第一章 起步點

如何步入武學的殿堂？ 「Don’t think, feel.」  李小龍一句話，直接了當，人如其拳。功夫不是思考出來的，而是感受出來的。相信這是他經驗中，提煉出來的金句。(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKf9bhXMbU)

功夫，始於感覺，而成於感悟。故內家拳經中，一再強調「心」的角色，而非「腦」。「心」，是感受的主宰，而「腦」主思考。

美學家朱光潛說：「『感受』是被動的，是容許自然界事物感動我的感官和心靈」。  然而，對剛要入門的功夫修煉者而言，感受是主動地，專注地，以心靈去捕捉感覺。

何謂捕捉？當你剛學習一種新語言，聆聽便是要專注地從一堆陌生的聲音中，捕捉有意義的組合，才能理解訊息。而一旦這語言能力接近母語程度，你就渾然不覺有「捕捉」的努力，自然自在地在意義的海洋中𣈱遊，像魚在湖海中，渾不知有水的存在一般。那時，才進入朱光潛所提的「感受是被動的」無為階段。

其實，哪一門的藝術不是在捕捉感覺？専業演員捕捉細膩情感，畫家捕捉變幻色調，音樂家捕捉天籟之音。詩人捕捉稍縱即逝的靈感……那麼，對內家功夫而言，要捕捉什麼感覺？曰：對內氣的感覺。這是入門的關鍵。

「老師，人要怎樣修煉，才能得拳道中的『氣』？」

「『氣』是與生俱來的。自從我們有生命的那一天，我們便都有『氣』。只是後來我們都習慣用力。而忘記了『氣』的存在。」

「那麼『氣』給人的具體感覺是怎樣的呢？」

「到這地步，語言就顯得無能為力了。來！我們接手。你自己聽聽，感受一下吧。好，現在我鬆開關節、鬆開肌肉、提起精神，『氣』就出來了。你感覺到了嗎？好，現在輪到你做給我『聽』。」

以上是老師教學的片段。拳道武學有知識的層面，也有經驗的層面。在傳承中，經驗的層面尤為關鍵而珍貴，可遇不可求。

內氣無形無象，老師在示範過程中，用內氣在你身上留下記憶，感覺。學生必須捕捉這感覺，記得這感覺，並在練習時盡己所能，把這感覺復製出來，演繹出來。這過程中，老師是個守護者。他要聽你演繹出來的感覺，是否捕捉得準。然後再示範一次、兩次、三次……由不穩定到穩定，由不肯定到肯定，直到你功夫上身。確保你不會閉門造車而自我感覺良好。

從學生的角度，這捕捉，是心靈的活動。功夫修煉者，要用盡自己知覺系統，去捕捉那感覺。心靈敏感度，決定了捕捉感覺的準確度，也決定了學習速度。對詩人而言，如何捕捉大雪紛飛的感覺？從「撒鹽空中差可擬」，到「莫若柳絮因風起」，就顯示了兩種藝術敏感度的高下。這是天分。功夫也如是。

功夫淺，只能感受到明顯的勁路勁束，正如淺灘上的浪花。功夫深者，能感知若有若無，飄渺莫測之氣的存在，那是汪洋中的暗流。這種感覺捕捉能力，稱為「聽」，道家「收視返聽」的「聽」：「無聽之以耳，而聽之以心。無聽之以心，而聽之以氣。」。這「聽」，即是以散出的氣與外界空間交感，而對宇宙自然有所感悟。氣，便是神經系統的延伸。功夫所講的「聽勁」，便是以己之內氣「聽」彼內氣的動向。一切盡在「聽」的感受中。一旦懂內氣，自然明白古人的智慧，仿如對你說著悄悄話。

電影「生命因你動聽」(Mr. Holland's Opus) 有這一幕：單簧管學生苦練多時仍不得要領，心灰之下決定放棄。向老師告別時，Mr. Holland有以下對白: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL9k2pTFYrE)

“You know what we’ve been doing wrong?

We’ve been playing the notes on the page.

…

There's a lot more to music…than notes on a page.

…

Because playing music…is supposed to be fun.

It's about... heart.

It's about feelings and... moving people…and something beautiful and being alive, and It's not about notes on a page!

I could teach you notes on a page….I can't teach you that other stuff.”

接着邀請學生拿起樂器，精彩的對白出現了：

“ Let me ask you a question. 

What?

When you look in the mirror... what do you like best about yourself?

My hair.

Why?

Well, my father always says that it reminds him of a sunset.

Play the sunset.

Close your eyes. One, two, three, four...”

樂聲響起，這次學生終於捕捉到感覺，不再覺得是在練習，而是在享受，享受音樂。Mr. Holland引導她感受並領悟到 “that other stuff”。老師的修養決定了學生的起跑線，以及將來的高度。而世上多少功夫師傅就只懂教你拳架套路，又有多少人能為學生指出 “that other stuff” ？「真正重要的東西，是用肉眼看不見的。」 

January 4, 2024, Victoria BC