steve

We have never been separate from wuji for an instant. To conceptualize it as something distant or only occurring before birth or after death or at any point in time is misleading, imo. It is independent of time and space and ever-present as the undifferentiated, unmanifest source of all. Taiji and wuji are not separate in time and space, that is a misunderstanding, imo.

This may qualify as one of those unpopular opinions but I think people are more likely to harm themselves with sitting meditation than with standing meditation, both physically and mentally.

Chess warfare! Hikaru tossing Gukesh's king into the audience at a recent match. Truth is, it's more about entertainment than anything else.

I think if we stand simply for the sake of standing, with no expectations or demands on ourselves, there is little risk of harm and it can be a wonderful practice, even for beginners. If we stand to reach some objective, with a certain set of expectations. that is when we tend to cause problems for ourselves. I find standing practice to be a great way to introduce people to meditation. It is less challenging in many ways than seated meditation and has additional physical benefits.

Agreed, in practice we stand for a time before we begin and after we end. My teacher encouraged standing for as long as possible after completing the form, 5 minutes minimum.

I think to define wuji simply as stillness, as opposed to dynamic, whether in practice or ontology, is misleading. Wuji is not “other than” or “opposed” to anything else, it is better expressed as undifferentiated, imo, not static. I certainly allow the body to move if it arises, standing quietly before or after the form or zhan zhuang. Taiji expresses motion vs stillness, their mutual arising both in form and meaning. Wuji embraces and does not favor ANY position relative to any other. All is completed and yet nothing is done.

If you get good at this, I suggest practicing in a small room with a mattress against one wall. If you get displaced by a healthy fajin, a brick wall just won't do...

Yes, that is the best way to learn and practice them in the beginning, and to teach them, one at a time - clear and consistent. Eventually the techniques must come alive, adapt and respond to the circumstances, and one must be able to flow into any other. If you try to use a technique and your opponent neutralizes, you need to adjust and continue without interruption or it's over. This is the nature and part of the utility of tui shou. And the solo forms, 2 person forms, and tui shou drills are an encyclopedia of techniques, combinations, and adaptations waiting to be investigated but it really helps to have a good partner.

Glad you like it. I bought it directly from a Hungarian chess master who designed it. His design was copied by the company in India that produces the majority of the Western world's sets. They never paid him a penny, of course, but for him it is a labor of love.

Understood, me either. I once took some cooking lessons. The chef's dogs were Mexican Hairless... the Xoloitzcuintle Oy!

Yes, I could see the video. Peng does resemble ye ma fen zong and kao does involve the shoulder. If that is your understanding and you want to leave it there, I am happy to accommodate you.

When I first got into running, I read a great book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. One assertion the book made is that we are hairless due to natural selection. Our lack of hair and ability to sweat gives us a distinct advantage in hunting over hairy, four legged animals that are much faster. They can run faster but can only lower their temperature through panting so they are forced to periodically stop and rest or they overheat. Humans, on the other hand, can lower temperature through sweating so it is possible for us to keep running for hours, even days, without stopping. As long as we can keep the faster animal in our sight, we will eventually catch them. McDougall postulates this is one reason we have come to dominate other species. The book goes into some interesting territory, including the Raramuri people of Mexico who are amazing runners. One just won an ultra-marathon, in fact, running in traditional sandals and a long skirt with no formal training. Before running the ultra, she walked 14 hours just to get there. https://www.onlygoodnewsdaily.com/post/indigenous-runner-wins-canyon-ultramarathon

Yes, I've studied with two masters (one in Yang and Chen Pan Ling styles, one in Chen style) beginning around 2003, competed in many tournaments, read a few books on the subject, and did some workshops with other masters here and there. I taught for my shifu for about 12 years, mostly taijiquan but also some xingyiquan and qigong. I spent years working through all of the taijiquan forms (solo and two-person) and tui shou techniques we were taught with my training partner and we made all kinds of discoveries about the possible applications of the various postures. I'm not arguing, just sharing my understanding. Ignore my posts if you aren't interested but others may be. If you look a bit more closely at 野马分鬃 (meaning practice the movement and the possible applications, preferably with a partner) you will find it contains many possibilities - 靠 and 挒 are both implied in the posture, as is 掤 of course. With a little imagination, and depending on the opponent and type of attack, there are other possibilities, such as 捋, 采, and 肘. It's good to start with the basic posture and a single intention. Over time it is good to be open minded and creative and look for all possibilities. Every technique has obvious, hidden, and secret applications just waiting to be discovered by a dedicated student. My teacher would show one or two and expect us to discover what we can through diligent practice. The best students would be rewarded through their hard work and investigation, shifu didn't just spoon feed us.

I'll have to disagree here. 野马分鬃 is an example of a specific technique making use of 掤勁 but the two are not exactly equivalent. There are many ways to use 掤勁 that are not 野马分鬃. In addition, 野马分鬃 is not limited to 掤勁 and can also express 挒勁 or 靠勁 among others.

Don't mistake the external appearance for the internal 勁. By internal, I do not mean anything that is woo-woo or unmeasurable. Internal can simply refer to all of the things that are happening in the mind/body, the physics and anatomy, that combine to generate the resulting force/strength that is not necessarily visible to the eye. It is easy and convenient to describe techniques by their external appearance but that does not capture the essence of the 勁. Anyone can hold their forearm up and push it outward - that is not the 勁, it is not 掤. 掤 is the force or strength that results from a particular and precise way of using the mind/body. None of the eight methods are limited to a particular posture, direction, or body part, they describe energetics that are very flexible and lend themselves to infinite variations once understood.

One of my favorite songs sung in Arabic Listening to alot of flamenco lately, trying to figure out how to accompany singers and dancers on guitar. Particularly fascinated with Bulerías.

In addition to the eight specific techniques, 掤, 捋, 挤, 按, 采, 挒, 肘, 靠 (peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, and kao); there are other types of 劲 that can be described and were an important part of my training. They were collectively referred to as 發手 or 八 大 勁. The formal and descriptive names of the methods are below in Hanzi with the short, informal names we used in English. Some may object to the use of the word strength, substitute whatever you prefer, it's the English word my teacher most often used when discussing them. 1. 靈 蛇 吐 珠 (纏 絲 勁). Coiling strength 2. 葉 底 藏 花 (按, 才履 寸 勁). Pushing strength 3. 隨 步 探 珠 (波 浪 勁). Wave strength 4. 禦 步 擒 龍 (螺 旋 勁). Revolving strength 5. 移 形 拿 穴 (認 穴 陽 勁. Striking vital point 6. 陷 陣 破 敵 (靠 打 陰 勁). Covert strength 7. 如 封 似 閉 (分 合 勁). Integrated strength 8. 引 進 落 空 (折 疊 勁). Folding strength These are related to the fajin methods you describe but not as firmly related to specific techniques; rather they are more descriptive of combinations and categories of energies that are important in playing tui shou and in martial applications. I don't know if you've come across these in your training or study but thought I'd share as they are very valuable concepts and methods and worthy of deep exploration.

Is this your blog @Surya? When I recently bought a new chess set, I selected one with HUGE pawns. The designer of the set is a chess master himself and I believe designed them with this in mind.

I would say the ethics associated with the system being discussed, in this case Buddhist ethics.

Capitalism is a sophisticated form of slavery which has the slaves convinced they are free. We will soon see.

I will freely admit that I don't take everything taught and talked about in the Bön teachings verbatim... I've also found some teachings valuable that came from compromised sources like Osho and a Bön teacher who shall remain nameless (not TWR).

For better and worse my path has meandered quite a bit also and has not been all that pure but I do what I can to keep moving forward. I posted on this thread mainly because I think it’s important to recognize and acknowledge red flags when it comes to teachers and masters in this arena. There are far too many opportunists and predators in the “business.”

I’ve always been a bit of a purist. I’m not looking for bits and pieces of questionable pedigree from here and there. When it comes to spiritual view, practice, and result, going deeper with consistency seems far more productive than sampling a variety of things that may or may not be compatible. Consequently, a solid lineage and credible teacher have a lot of value for me. Trust is an important ingredient in spiritual growth and transformation. Elaborate window dressing, filmed convulsions, and outlandish stories do little to inspire trust in me. It gives me more the vibe of someone trying to control and take advantage of others.

I think it is very important to consider the teacher when learning a spiritual or energetic practice. The teacher represents the system and demonstrates what dedicated practice in the system can produce in their words and actions. The integrity of the system and accuracy of transmission is only as dependable and pure as the teacher.

Buddhism is so complicated because the human mind is complicated. There are many different ways in which people are deluded and misguided and it tries to help in ways that all people can access. As others have said, it is as complicated as we make it as individual practitioners, based on our karma. Nothing is simpler than resting in the nature of mind, but that approach simply doesn't work for everyone. Many have to create, explore, and ultimately release all sorts of structures and processes in their mind before they are ready to realize what is always already right here and now.