Does anyone here have personal experience with the “Taoist Tai Chi” organization? What did you think of them?
My only experience with this organization is from a brief conversation with one of their local members a couple of years ago. I asked if their club practiced “push hands.” The answer was no.
My experience goes no further than this short exchange.
No, but Taoist Taiji is as redundant as saying Jewish Passover. Taiji simply IS Taoist by definition.
I can’t agree with that
Plenty of styles focus on chi development and are not considered implicitly daoist. Muslim Hsing-i for example…
Merciless is Mercy.
But isn’t the Tai Chi a Taoist concept? 
cxxx:::::::::::>
What we do in life echoes in Eternity
IMO tai chi is not taoist.
if i were you, i’d run for the hills; away from the silk pajamas, and the creepy new age music of ‘taoist tai chi’.
If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming
and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I’m a
coward. - Jack Handey
taoist tai chi
I trained for one night with a taoist tai chi school in Toronto last summer. The most noticeable difference I could discern was that there was an emphasis upon stretching out the spine in almost every posture. I understand that they also practice bagua but unfortunately I did not see it. I probably have the address somewhere if it would be of any use.
cheers
My expereince with the local “Daoist Taiji Society” is that they were very nice people with a very narrow understanding of the art.
Tai Chi is inseperable from daoism.
It is daoism in action. What is it based on? E=MC2? NO that makes the nuke. The friggin yin yang symbolw was invented by a guy that studied an early form of tai chi. It was two fish.
Please, you do not need to tell me that the name is redundant! I only want to know about their skills, of lack of skills.
Daoism in action
Go to Taiwan where you can see Taoism in action.
Bratty kids following mom around the temple burning insence at the altars, putting fruit on the altar, lighting candles, bowing, saying prayers.
WTF does martial arts have to do with Taoism?
ITs like saying nuclear weapons are Christianity/Judaism in action because they were invented by Christians and Jews.
-JessÑ
“Ts like saying nuclear weapons are Christianity/Judaism in action because they”
Maybe if we had a martial art that focused on the trinity concept, holy spirit to develop martial skills we could say it was a Catholic Martial Art.
rockwood
What martial arts do you knwo of that originated in Catholic monk’s monastaries? I haven’t heard of any, but if they did, then Christianity would have something to do with martial arts. There are people on here better qualified to talk about this, but there are martial arts developed by taoists.
Knowing others is wisdom, Knowing the self is enlightenment- Lao Tzu
Taoist martial arts
Whatever religion/ beief system you have informs everything that you do. Every aspect of your life is influenced by your spirituality/philosophy.
Therefore, its fair to say that martial arts, cooking, ping pong, all are influenced by ones religion.
To say that tai chi, a martial art, is Taoism in action is going too far. What does martial arts have to do with singing prayers and burning incense?
One does not use the I Ching or Tao Te Ching to develop martial arts skill. That is absurd. You practice power development drills, body training, two man sparring, weapons. Not reading books.
Meditation may play a role, but that is seperate from martial training, as meditation is just as applicable to model car building skill or painting skill.
Worshiping the trinity or the 8 immortals may influence your practice, but they have nothing to do with martial skill per se. It might help, it might not, but it is not intrisic to the practice. An atheist can kick your ass as easily (or not) as a bishop.
As far as monks developing martial arts…
Martial arts are for kiling people. Religiuos people are ususally against that kind of thing. Its unlikely to be the main focus of development at a monastary or church. Monks have had to defend themselves just like the next guy, but historians have found it impossible to truly prove that monks, Buddhist or Taoist, developed any of this stuff. They may have been part of the overall development, but certainly not originators. If anything, Chinese Medical doctors have had more influence on CMA than any religious figures.
Taijiquan- Chen villiage boxing taught to the imperial court by bad ass streetfighter Yang Lu Chan. He may have been a Taoist, but he werent no saint.
Xingyiquan- military martial art taught to soldiers and caravan guards. Not priests.
Baguazhang- Circle walking practices may be based on religious worship done by Taoists, but all fighting techniques adapted from previous martial arts. Developed in the mid-late 1800’s in Beijing, not in monastary.
Please, no offense, I am certinly open to other ideas, this is just what I have heard.
-Jess
christian martial arts
tsown yu jiu - the art of throwing rocks with deadly accuracy. - when accuracy is poor, large quantities suffice.
me fo lunch - the art of fighting lions
yu all wet - the art of walking on water to evade your enemies. - just make sure u and the big guy are on good terms, or he might have you swallowed by a big fish.
bern yo snit - the art of imploring your deity to rain down fire and brimstone on your enemies. - also handy for lighting campfires when it’s damp out.
Only in America do we have drive up ATM’s with braile on them.
Enlightening…
No wonder bullfighting events like the UFC and NHB are always sold out. Let’s burn all the classics (well… books for that matter). Win as a dumb brute is better than being a smarter fighter. Aman!
Ma,
Don’t forget the most powerful of all - walk 7 times around the walls and keep praising the Big Guy. That is the most secrat of all whatchamccaller art. Remember now it is 7 and 7 it is! No more and no less! It is not the number 6 nor is it the number 5. It is the number 7!!! Number 7 it shall do His WONDER.
Mantis108
Contraria Sunt Complementa
Daoism and WuDang
When I was in Seattle last month on business, I talked to by Uncle-in-law who is a Taiji Teacher. He told me that (supposedly) the greatest remaining WuDang martial artist who got all the goodies is coming to Seattle this summer. This is Daoist Taiji and Bagua. He told me that this is different than the popular styles of these arts. He said they all originally came from WuDang mountian but were “corrupted”. I don’t know how good this guys skill is but it would be worth checking out. If anyone is interested, I can post the location and dates and names when I find them out. I don’t know, but if you don’t speak chinese you might have to watch and learn.
Also, he said the main difference is that in Wudang taiji etc… you can’t see the Jing until it’s too late. Who knows?
“When I fought the foreign boxer in Kyoto, I jumped up and punched him in the face. This is effective against people who are taller than you.” – Motobu Choki
Rockwood
“One does not use the I Ching or Tao Te Ching to develop martial arts skill.”
Would you be suprised if I could link alot of passages from the Tao Te Ching to the Classics? I read a book somewhere that did just this. I might have read it in 1 of Douglas Wile’s books and myself was suprised but only read it once and havent referred to it since because I myself at the time believed it to be more academic comparison but perhaps a study of the both would yield some results with hard work.
taoist tai chi
Censored,
Yes, I’ve been studying taoist tai chi for a while, what would you like to know?
“We forge our bodies in
the fire of our will.” Han
from ‘Enter the Dragon’
From Rockwood “What does martial arts have to do with singing prayers and burning incense?”
The real question si what does singing prayers and burning incense have to do with Taoism.
JWT
If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV