In the last post, I shared how I came to learn tai chi and qigong. In this post, I'll share a little bit about what the time spent with it has given me.
I'd like to think that everything that happens in life is a lesson. The bigger or longer the task, the more you stand to learn. If your task is to cultivate a skill that takes effort and diligence to acquire, that's gong fu (kung fu, no, kung fu doesn't mean fighting. That's wushu). It makes sense to me that that kind of task teaches the biggest lessons. Being that tai chi is most certainly an activity to which you can apply that gong fu ethic, it's no wonder that it could be fundamentally trans-formative. One of the things tai chi taught me is that when something seems mysterious and little-known, you get to thinking that the information you need is just plain out of reach. In this particular case, you may feel frustrated that your area is fresh out of bearded hermit-monks in the mountains that teach kung fu in exchange for alcohol. You may throw your hands up in sheer hopelessness, thinking that while you may wish to walk this road, there just simply isn't a road to walk. You can't get there from here. These are some of the things that I felt in my first year with tai chi. We are lucky that we live in the information age. While Google is no substitute for a drunken master (or reputable teacher), once you really commit effort to turning over that rock, you will be surprised to see how connected you really are with what you might want to learn. I am also gifted to have a fantastic library in my town, and people seem to be paving the road for me further every day by having already requested and read books that, months later, I realize I can really use. I have no idea who these other tai chi players are in my town, but if you are listening, thank-you and find me. I, so far, have learned everything I know about tai chi from web, video, and print resources. Part of you might be afraid to walk a path like that without individual guidance. Tell that part of you to proceed with care, but proceed nonetheless. I've never heard of any master of the gong fu of hopelessness and giving up.
As I've searched, I've become connected and acquainted with many great people. Gifted practitioners of gong fu, energetics, and healing seem to crawl out of the woodwork when your intent is to find them. I haven't met any other tai chi players other than those that I've taught. That being said, just because someone isn't on the exact path you're on doesn't mean that their insight isn't of value. My network of martial arts, philosophy, and healing friends are very important to me. I know that there's wisdom there, and I try to help them when I can as well. I frequently point friends to web resources that may help. All hail the almighty share button!
Tai chi has taught me to look at the experience of life differently. One of the biggest culture shocks that I got when studying this stuff was in learning about duality. Duality is a big part of Taoist philosophy and cosmology. Without getting way into that cosmology let's just look at the taiji symbol, which is what this martial art is all about. It is a depiction of the dynamic nature of yin and yang forces in the universe. Viewing things from the vantage point of dynamic duality gives many valuable insights into life as we know it. As much as I'd like to go on and on about the profundity of that viewpoint, if you have an interest in it, look for yourself, and find your vantage point. This includes contacting me to ask what I think, or leaving a question or insight of your own in terms of a topic request. Sorry. The teacher in me can't resist.
I will say that one of the ways it changes your view of things is by teaching you how to use your power instead of your force. The more you practice recognizing the difference in life situations, the more you realize that using force is an indicator that you have abandoned the desire or ability to find a power-centered solution. One of the biggest examples in life of this is yelling or name calling. Get this reaction from someone, and you know you've just hit their force button. If it serves you, you may just try to join their energy and find a "power" solution. The because I said so's and or else's are also dead ringers for the use of force. If you catch yourself in a situation like this, try your best to find an alternative that gets your job done without so much effort. Get there, and you're starting to understand this wuwei idea. That's that paradoxical state that Lao Zi talks about in the Tao Te Ching. Nothing is done. All is accomplished. I've never seen a river work hard trying to get water downstream. It never says "damn it! This water is heavy." Instead, every river I've ever seen effortlessly moves water downstream with the ease that a magician pulls that quarter out from behind your ear. In fact, it's so easy for the river to move that water that you realize that the water's really moving it, or at the very least you can't tell the difference, and trying to figure it out just gives you a headache. Never seen a river with a headache either.
Tai chi has taught me that there isn't just one opinion about how to stay healthy. Tai chi is fundamentally connected with Traditional Chinese Medicine. You almost literally have to step outside of yourself and say, "I'm entering Chinese medicine planet now." These ideas on how to stay healthy are so removed from western medicine. Who knew that just applying pressure to certain parts of your body can give you relief from many ailments more quickly than medication, without toxicity? If you're interested in acupressure, it's highly youtube-able. I can't remember the last time I took a decongestant. I often use an acupressure treatment for sinus congestion, and I share it with friends and co-workers when they have the sniffles. Chinese medicine is all about balance in the body. The idea is, "let's study healthy people and figure out how they got so impressively healthy." The prevailing idea with western medicine? "Here's a condition/symptom we found in a sick person. Will the same weapon work over and over in most people? Great. Deploy it." Now I can't bring myself to knock western medicine, as it does so many cool things. I would just like us to use all the healing wisdom we have at our disposal.
Tai chi has caused me to develop an experiential knowledge of the concept of 'qi.' I remember having a measure of energetic sensitivity all the way back when I was studying the David Carridine AM & PM tai chi. They had some energy ball qigong on there, and now that I look back on it, I remember getting the feeling. It wasn't until I started studying the Richard Clear material that I developed a more refined sense of energy. Before then, I would speculate endlessly on the nature of qi. Now that I'm there, and I use energetics every day, there seems to be no need to "explain" life force energy to myself. I now feel that when someone wants to understand the nature of qi, the very best thing I can do is show them. I give people little exercises and encourage them to play. The reactions I get are priceless. Many people are already way more sensitive then they ever knew. You get a lot of "whoa, cool" or "wow, that feels weird." Another way people get the feel for energetic sensitivity is when I do healing for them. Almost everyone feels something when I work on them, including heat, tingles, pressure, and on extremely rare occasions, other pains.
There is a vast and deep wealth of knowledge to be gotten from practicing a gong fu like tai chi. One of the biggest lessons that's trending for me right now can be summed up with this phrase: things are almost never as they seem. I'm now in a big wrestling match with some of the biggest concepts: karma, reincarnation, and what happens when you resolve all that karma and climb all those levels of consciousness that are available. What is the frontier seen by the Taoist Immortal. Is it God? The Void? If absolutely everything in the universe is traveling the path to oneness, what happens when that last atom, that last soul crosses the finish line? Another big bang? Perfect eternal harmony? Are they really the same thing? I'll tell you guys when I figure it out or receive knowledge of any compelling arguments. In the meantime, feel free to share my blog with friends. It makes a great free holiday gift. Kidding! But really, tell me what tai chi, or the other parts of your journey, have taught you. If everything is really one, then I really am 'all ears' and JFK really was a jelly doughnut. 
