In translating it, you have to take into account that there are certain characters in Chinese that take on a slightly different meaning when used in conjuction with other characters.
Tai and Ji are like this. In Taijiquan you can’t tranlsate each character as a separate entity and get the correct meaning.
You have to take it as :
Taiji
Quan
Taiji can be tranlated as the “Grand Terminus”, the “Great Pivot” or more directly (at least in concept) the Concpet of the Duality of Yin and Yang.
Quan in this context is martial style or fist method.
Put it all together and you get the Martial Style based upon the concepts of the Taiji (or the Yin and Yang).
Wuji=blurred, no extremeties, not clearly defined
Taiji=grand ultimate
Taiji is the mother of yin and yang. Taiji is the power that CAUSES wuji to discriminate into yin and yang. If you’re talking about the universe, then Taiji=the dao. If you’re talking about Taijiquan, then the taiji=the mind.
Taiji=the dao. If you’re talking about Taijiquan, then the taiji=the mind
Taiji comes from wuji, and wuji is emptiness, void or the undescribable. That is why in the Tao Te Ching Lao Tzu says, “The Tao that can be told of is not the eternal Tao” meaning you cannot describe Wuji or Void.
That would mean Wuji = Tao or Mind and Taiji is the movement following or that which comes from the mind. So all that comes from the mind is Taiji, yet all that is taiji came from wuji or emptiness. That is why the wuji attitude or standing posture is the “ready to fight” stance of a taiji player.
That would mean Wuji = Tao or Mind and Taiji is the movement following…
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Well, I’m certainly no expert on CMA philosophy, but as I understand it, Taiji is not exactly the movement that follows—yin and yang is the movement that follows. Taiji is what generates yin and yang from wuji. Wuji means “no extremeties, no dividing”, whereas Taiji refers to the tendency to divide. Without Taiji, Wuji wouldn’t get to yin and yang, it would just stay in wuji.
But, it might just be that we’ve been taught slightly differently—the “wuji” posture is not considered a fighting stance at my school----it’s a state of “no intention” PRIOR to a state of martial intent. For instance, as I’ve been taught, the very first instant of the Yang long form is wuji, then your mind turns your body’s actions into yin and yang.
Are you taught to take on a particular fighting stance in fights? The wuji stance or rather feet shoulder width apart arms relaxed at the sides is the typical taiji ready position. Sure, once a confrontation is engaged you begin to move, that is the idea, as I said wuji was “ready position.”
As for philosophy, you are correct in that taiji does not exactly mean movement, taiji is also translated to “stillness in motion.”
Taiji is actually the same as wuji and wuji the same as yin/yang. They are merely different perceptions in regards to space/time of the same phenomena, known as the Mind.
Originally posted by Nexus Are you taught to take on a particular fighting stance in fights? The wuji stance or rather feet shoulder width apart arms relaxed at the sides is the typical taiji ready position. Sure, once a confrontation is engaged you begin to move, that is the idea, as I said wuji was “ready position.”
I guess I’m just thinking of my chin na training—we always start the techniques from rooted push hands positions, not with the wuji stance from our form. From my understanding, I would argue that the instant your mind is engaged on the confrontation, then you’re no longer in wuji. If your mind and body are in a state of wuji, then you’re not ready.
But, I think we’re just kind of splitting hairs here.
Is the state of Wuji in Taiji the same as Zen in the Buddhist tradition? Essentially a state of “no mind” where things are not differentiated, not even the individual (I) from the rest of the universe (not I). I’m reading a book about Zen meditation and the author describes stuff that sounds a whole lot like Taiji standing meditation. For example, he says that after months of practice his center of gravity shifted down to his lower abdomen . The more I study Taiji it seems to be a derivative of Zen meditation, mixed with Taoist cosmology and terminology borrowed from tradtitional chinese medicine. Asian culture is so huge vast and “incestuous” its like a big ball of thread, just find a loose thread and start pulling on it…
Well Chan Buddhism is Taoism and Zen mixed up in its raw form. Thats how all the Chinese stuff seems to be. All related in some way (all CMA have the belief of being rooted, chi, etc.)
Great question. Zen and Wuji are the same, however Zen meditation and Wuji meditation are not the same on the surface.
Zen or Wuji mind are not attained through meditation either, don’t be led into the belief that they are. They are states of being, and are not necessarily brought about by meditating.
Zen is a way of perceiving things. It is sometimes called ‘Direct Seeing’ meaning seeing Directly into the nature of things. Zen or Wuji mind could be thought of as Pure awareness.
In Zen, one is to realize that they are already enlightened and that there is no enlightenment to achieve. In that sense, it seems nonsense to think that one would ever attain enlightenment by meditating. On the other side of the coin, meditation is useful in its own right for some, however it should not be confused with No-mind or Zen. Meditation is an action, Wuji is nothingness, void of action, just being.
Here is an example: I could spend 20 years learning every meditation known to taoist and zen literature and teachings, and still never really go anywhere. I may believe I have made some progress or made growth, but really those concepts of growth and progress are only in my mind. Because taoism teaches us that the ultimate goal is actually the beginners mind or the uncarved block, we realize that thinking that we have become something whether it is an advanced meditator, a taichi master, a yogi or whatever, is to carve our block and lose our original essence.
I recommend reading “An Introduction to Zen Buddhism” by D.T. Suzuki - Here is a website with a text version:
Hi, Nexus,
For the sake of literal translation, please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t “Zen” Japanese for “meditation”, and “Chan” Mandarin for “meditation”? ‘Meditation’ meaning quiet contemplation? Just trying to cut to the “nuts & bolts” direct meaning. In Sanskrit it is dhyana, right? The idea is to realize truth, essential, simple truth, to grasp what seems intangible, isn’t it?
So, Zen, or Chan, (meditation) is kind of, the conscious act of letting go of thinking of this or that (polarity) to just “be”; isn’t that what Wuji is? Being without extremity? So, Zen/Chan is a method, or Road (“Tao”) to percieve or realize Wuji/non-extremity/void?
Or something like that. Maybe I’m just clapping myself with one hand…hmm, what does that sound like…;)…heehee
