Chen Xiaowang: Taoist Religion Lineage or Tai Chi Lineage Only?

[ChiDragon]

Can Li Er or other taoists before Zhang San Feng be excluded from the practice of taijiquan? If they can, why not taoists who come after taijiquan was given form?

 

The legend said that Zhang San Feng is the one who invented the Tai Ji Chuan. He may be the first Taoist from Wudong Shan(武當山). He is the founder of the Taoist sect called 武當派(WuDong Pai).

 

FYI The Tai Ji Chuan was not existed in Li Er's time. The primitive form of breathing method was called 吐吶(Tu Na) at the time. In the past history, the ancients were practicing Tu Na with slow movements. In the modern time, the term become 動氣功(Dynamic Chi Kung). If just breathing without the movements, it is called 靜氣功(Static Chi Kung).

Edited April 19, 2013 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

silas....
This is your thread, you may ask anyone anything.

Please do not get intimidated....

Edited April 20, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Mudfoot]

Bruce Frantzis states that the Wu family merged taijiquan with daoist spiritual practice, while the other styles teach taijiquan for martial purposes and for health.

The difference?

I do not know.

[baiqi]

Not exactly: he said that his teacher, Liu Hongjie, merged this practices together. As for Wu family people, some were taoists, as well as taiji masters, but they would not teach meditation inside taiji quan.

 

I've read that in Frantzis's "Power of internal martial arts".

 

My opinion is that taijiquan is first a fighting art, but health and possibly mediation are side effects. It was influenced by taoist qi gong and philosophy, so if you choose so, you can make it a qigong.

 

However, I don't understand why most people practice taiji for health or meditation: qigong was created for those purposes only, and it works pretty well.

[baiqi]

Yes, the Tai Ji Chuan was created by a Taoist priest

...according to legend. I don't know of any historian asserting this statement.

It was sure influenced a lot by taoism, but it also had buddhist Shaolin and confucean sources for its creation.

[Mudfoot]

Not exactly: he said that his teacher, Liu Hongjie, merged this practices together. As for Wu family people, some were taoists, as well as taiji masters, but they would not teach meditation inside taiji quan.

 

I've read that in Frantzis's "Power of internal martial arts".

In other places, I think he states that one of the Wu family did this, and his teacher Liu continued (and probably expanded) that practice. But I can't give you the reference, Bruce has a lot of material in a lot of places...