OPENING OUR ALTAR

By Ray Hayward

T'ai-Chi Ch'uan as a martial art does not have an external showing of rank or accomplishment like the more common colored belts of other styles. One way to assess an individual’s progress and ability is by their knowledge of the system which consists of theories, principles, history, philosophy, and the various forms and practices.

Another ranking system consists of time spent practicing and is called small success, medium success, and big success. Some masters consider the Small Success (or Small Accomplishment) as having completed five years of continuous practice, focusing on the external parts of the art. The Medium Success is considered having completed seven years of continuous practice, merging the internal with the external parts of the art. The Big Success is constituted by completing 10 years of continuous practice, balancing the internal and external aspects of the art. Some masters feel that counting years of practice is not as accurate because unless you regularly practice, one-year may only yield a few hours of practice.

Another way of looking at the three successes is delineating the Small Success as having completed 100 hours of practice, the Medium Success as completing 1000 hours of practice, while the Big Success is completing 10,000 hours of practice. Master T.T. Liang, in his book T'ai-Chi Ch'uan for Health and Self-Defense (pg. 75), gave this milepost," it is my opinion that when one has mastered the techniques of Roll-back and Receiving Energy, one has acquired the art of T'ai-Chi and reached the highest level."

There's also another system of rank and progress which is highly ritualistic, and borrows heavily from China's culture and a mix-ture of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The system is based upon relationship and time. When some-one is first studying, they are a student. Their responsibility is to themselves and to learning the art correctly. After studying for a considerable time, and learning a good portion of the system, a student is then asked to help out and give back some of their experience, understanding, and ability to the studio. This may be as simple as performing small tasks or tutoring new students. This person can be considered a senior student, which has nothing to do with their age or the time they have been attending the school.

When someone has an extensive amount of experience and time, both in their personal practice, as well as tutoring and helping out with classes, this person is considered an instructor or teacher. They will be given a class or classes to teach under the supervision of the master.

When a practitioner feels so moved by a particular style or teacher and they want to officially join with that lineage, they then apply for discipleship. When they have passed through a solemn ceremony, that person is considered a disciple. A disciple is just like being part of the master’s family.

Whenever I and Paul Abdella meet with or talk to Master Liang's children, Joseph Liang in Florida and An-Le Wang in California, they call us brother and accept us as part of their family. Some teachers call their disciples their “inner door student.” This refers to an old-fashioned Chinese house where guests and visitors were allowed into the courtyard and common rooms, the “outer door,” while only family and special guests were allowed to go in the private, living spaces of the house—“the inner door.” This shows closeness and trust.

Although being a disciple and lineage holder is a senior rank, there is yet a deeper connection with the Master and lineage. This is called "opening the altar.” The altar is a place of reverence and respect. It is common in the Chinese household to have an altar to pay respects to one's parents or family, or to worship and adore particular gods, goddesses, and deities. It is an honor and sign of acknowledgment, permission, recognition, and connection for the Master to come and offer incense and devotions at the altar of their student’s school. This "opens" the altar which allows the virtue of the lineage to flow into the school and the respect and appreciation of the school to flow back to the ancestors. Master Liang always admonished us to “never forget your roots; you must pay respect to the ancient masters who passed this art onto us."

We opened the doors to our current studio on September 14, 1993. In October of 1993 Master T.T. Liang came to our studio and officially opened our altar. This private ceremony was witnessed by a handful of students and was followed by a celebratory meal at a local restaurant. The photos throughout this article show our altar and Master Liang lighting incense and offering his devotions. When the incense burned down, I took the three sticks that were left and have kept them as a memento of what I consider my highest privilege as a disciple.

If you have passed a formal ceremony and have become a disciple and lineage holder, there is still one more rank and honor to be awarded to you: (which is) to have your own altar opened.