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T'ai-Chi Ch'uan, Meditation, and Self-Cultivation
copyright 1993, Ray Hayward

Cultivating the self, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually has been the pursuit of Eastern and Western peoples for thousands of years. To be a whole person, the individual worked on perfecting their many sides. A guide (teacher, master, or guru) who possessed knowledge, insight, ability, lineage, and accessibility was followed until the student received the full transmission and left to complete the training on their own.

Physical cultivation aims at perfecting and mastering the body's functions and abilities. By proper training, the body can be made to be under the control of the mind. Martial arts, healing arts, yoga, and various sports can be used to achieve this goal. Painting, poetry, calligraphy, and music are just a few of the ways for emotional cultivation. Through the discipline of classical training methods, emotions can be given avenues of expression and documentation. Academics, memorization (such as the Confucian training of the memorization of the six ancient books of China), and other scholarly pursuits cultivate the mental side. Spiritual cultivation is realized through meditation, chanting, prayer, and other concentration methods. An ancient esoteric master said, "Those who know themselves, know their lord."

By having a daily practice of T'ai-Chi Ch'uan and meditation, all aspects of self-cultivation can be exercised. T'ai-Chi provides the physical training such as body movement, two-person practice, and weapon exercises. In T'ai-Chi, the mental aspects are cultivated through memorization of the movements, study of the Classics, and research and reading of instructional material on the art. Master T. T. Liang calls T'ai-Chi the "scholars martial art" because he feels you have to study as much as you practice. T'ai-Chi embraces all aspects of Taoist meditation. The breathing techniques, energy pathways and points, philosophy, and practice methods train the spiritual side of the individual. Through meditation, the individual can get in touch with and develop their mental, spiritual and emotional selves as well as cultivate their internal energy for good health. Meditation can increase the mental powers of concentration, intuition, and clarity. Mental stress, which is equally as dangerous as physical stress, can be alleviated through a short daily meditation session.

In the past, different groups at the studio emphasized studying weapons, pushing-hands, or researching other styles. My observation of the present group is that, either consciously or not, they are pursuing self-cultivation (which is parallel to my own personal training). With this in mind, I will encourage and help the members to develop a training sequence that fits both their interests and their schedule. Let me conclude with a quote from my teacher's teacher, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani:. "An individual practice must be like clothing for the practitioner. It is most natural and easy to wear suitable and well-fitting clothing. But if the exercise is too loose, like loose clothes, it will fall off and be left behind by the person. If the practice is too tight, it will restrict the individual and will end up being torn apart. So your practice must fit you correctly to be of use."

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