The Four Levels of 'Song' in Tai Chi: Achieving Relaxation, Health, and Enlightenment
Mastering Tai Chi requires grasping the principle of 'relaxation' – the ‘’ character method.
This ‘’ character method isn’t just about relaxing; it’s comprised of several ‘morts’:
First, ‘’ – loosening the joints.
Second, ‘’ – relaxing while sending the energy throughout the body and outwards.
Third, ‘’ – reaching a state of emptiness.
Fourth, ‘’ – within the relaxation, there must also be a degree of tension.
Fifth, ‘’ – during the relaxation, focus on a particularly quiet state.
Sixth, ‘’ – transforming all the previous ‘morts’ into a single ‘mort’.
Combined, these create four levels and states of ‘’.
Tai Chi, ‘’ – tension and relaxation are balanced.
Tai Chi has four levels of ‘’.
These four levels should be studied and practiced sequentially, while achieving them simultaneously.
The first level is ‘,,,’ – ‘’ loosens the joints and relaxes the mind; ‘’ is to be stable and unwavering; ‘’ is to move slowly and deliberately; and ‘’ is to maintain a consistent speed, avoiding fluctuations in pace, length, or intensity. During initial practice, pay close attention to these four points.
The second level is ‘,,,’ – ‘’ relaxes the mind and body; ‘’ refers to dispersing the energy outward to the edges of the body and back in; ‘’ is the intention to penetrate the body, breaking the boundaries between the inside and outside, harmonizing inner and outer emptiness. Essentially, in Tai Chi, the focus shouldn’t be on the correctness of the form, but on one’s ability to connect with the external environment. The human body has hundreds of acupuncture points, provided by heaven, serving as channels for both internal and external energy exchange. As one progresses in Tai Chi, the second stage must integrate both inner and outer energies.
The third level is ‘,,,’ – To achieve ‘’, one must first become ‘’ – empty within the body, as ‘’ requires space to be created. The purpose of ‘’ is to open the channels of the body. How to achieve ‘’? Through ‘’ – roundness, true emptiness is ‘’ – full. Like blowing air into a balloon; the more air, the bigger the balloon. Therefore, ‘’ and ‘’ are linked. When practicing Tai Chi, it's not about laziness; it’s about physical and mental relaxation, allowing the spirit to be filled, the energy to be plentiful, and the intention to be concentrated. ‘’ is for ‘’, so ‘’.
The fourth level is ‘,,,’ – The internal and external ‘morts’ are mixed, as are the energies and emptiness, achieving a state of ‘’ – perpetually joyful and pure. ‘’ isn’t about stillness; it’s about stability at a state of constant joy and purity. To achieve this state, one must eliminate distinctions of heart, and distinctions of internal and external intention, eliminating the differentiation between yin and yang, eliminating desires for success or failure, and eliminating the pursuit of fame and fortune. Once completely transformed, it must be expressed – a pattern – such as the Tai Chi pattern. However, once expressed, the original state is lost; it’s no longer that state. That’s why the teacher repeats these explanations. The teacher tells us, ‘the finger is like the moon.’ To practice Tai Chi, one must break free from this image and penetrate to the inherent nature of the moon – leading to enlightenment. Enlightenment has different depths and levels.
(Note: This is a transcription of a lecture at the Shenzhen Zhiyong Xinxing Tai Chi Research Institute’s inaugural teacher training course. Based on the text content, simplified for clarity.)
Mist, like a mist, permeates the whole body.
