As far as the modes of practice go, there is solo practice, partner practice and push-hands. The syllabus arranged in a progressive order of applications, Jin, Qi and Shen enable the student to progress from the initial stage of responding to the opponent attacks in an effort to subdue him to the advanced stage of detecting the motives of the opponent prior to the latter making any movement.
As a self-cultivation system, the ultimate goal of Tai Ji Gong has been summed up by the Tai Ji forefather Li Dao Zi 李道子in the following words: ‘realizing the ultimate essence and establishing life’ 尽性立命 . ‘Realizing the ultimate essence’ refers to the cultivation of one’s mind and spirit through the harsh demand of Tai Chi training. Over years and years of training following stringent disciplines, the practitioner will develop tenacity, purged psyche, forbearance, humility, wisdom, integrity and rectitude. ‘Establishing life’ involves self-nurturing to achieve longevity. The physical postures performed in Tai Chi bring back flexibility and resilience to our joints and ligaments which have turned inflexible and rigid. Through Tai Ji Gong practice, our Qi gets nurtured and replenished which gives us abundant vital energy; our Qi and blood circulation becomes un
obstructed and harmonious. The Yin and Yang elements within the physiology of our body strike a good balance keeping the internal microcosm of our body healthy and stable which is a positive factor in preventing or curing illnesses.
HHowever, the practice of Tai Ji Gong is not for the faint-hearted and should be kept up with persistence and tenacity. A daily training routine should be stringently followed; working by fits and starts will be in no way productive.
I’d like to take this opportunity to make some explanation about the lineage of Tai Ji Gong. The Chinese tradition of finding a teacher and becoming accepted as an inner-chamber disciple does not work as a harness on the student. The teacher-disciple relationship is there to facilitate mutual trust so that students may receive oral instructions and mental transmissions from his teacher in a secure environment. Such a tradition, however, is hard to be held up in the money-oriented society of modern day. We owe this rich legacy of Tai Ji Gong to the late Great Grandmaster Wu Tu Nan who unconditionally passed his lineage of Tai Ji Gong to my teacher, Mr. Ma You Qing, Mr. Shen Bao He and me. Even till this day, the words  of the Great Grandmaster at his deathbed are still resounding in my ears: ‘When a man dies, his Tao doesn’t perish with him.’ To fulfil the final wish of the Great Grandmaster, it is our duty to abandon the bad old habit of keeping everything secretive within the lineage so that we may share the legacy of Tai Ji Gong with the whole world. The good news is, apart from all over mainland China, Hong Kong and Tai Wan, Tai Ji Gong has been spread to dozens of countries worldwide including Singapore, Chile, Japan, France, U.K., Germany and America. It is my sincere hope that the development in Wu Tu Nan’s Tai Ji Gong will benefit every single practitioner and nourish them in body and mind so that eventually peace and harmony will be established in human relationships which will inevitably enhance the progress of human civilization.
[End]
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