Taoism and Taijiquan

[velochy]

Just wanted to start a discussion about how tightly you think taoism and taijiquan are connected.

I started with taijiquan only about half a year ago. I had just read daodejing for some reason i dont quite remmember any more and I thought that what it described fit with my philosophical beliefs a lot better than anything else i had read or heared of before. And as i was aquainted with a person whom i knew also taught taijiquan (although in another city), I asked him for contacts and wether it would be a good idea. He suggested i try it out, i did and i definately dont regret doing so.

His thoughts on the inital subject were as follows: taoism can be taken as a philosophy, as a religion (with rites and gods and so on) or simply as a practical guide (for taijiquan for instance), and one could take any combination of those (i might have misunderstood or mistranslated what he said but i believe that was about the point).

Mostly I agree.. one can agree with taoism on philosophical grounds, but not follow any rites associated with it. Same way, one can probably practice taijiquan while not completely agreeing with the philosophy of taoism (although you probably have to agree to some points made there or taijiquan would definately not seem worthwhile).

As i said, daodejing made a lot of sense to me. I havent managed to put it all into practice but i am trying. I am however guessing that not everyone here shares the taoist philosophies (well, what is taoist philosophy is definately not clear cut but for the lack of better name for it). So i was just wondering, how do people here actually feel about these matters.

[josh stout]

I hope it all right to post some thoughts from another perspective on this topic. I practice a Shaolin derived art, and find at least some understanding of the three great Chinese religions (Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism) to be important for integrating the movements I practice into an understanding of Chinese culture as a whole. The better understanding I have of the culture, the better my understanding of the movements is. For me the essence of Taoism is understanding and accepting change. In the martial context this allows one to work with a changing reality without imposing my views on the reality. That is, working with the terrain (the changing set of physical conditions), a la "The Art of War". When I asked my teacher why Buddhist doctrine, which espouses non-violence, is important for a martial art, he said, "Why does a monk have a bowl?" The interpretation is that we must empty ourselves so that we can accept what the world brings us. Thus in tuishou I accept what I am given in the manner of a Buddhist, and work with the changing situation in the manner of a Taoist. The Confucian aspects come in when I try and understand my obligations to my students and my teacher. None of these practices as I understand them would have a conflict with either a devout monotheist or an atheist.
Josh

[athena]

The theoretic basis of Taijiquan comes from Daoism theory.

Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism came into one at about Song Dyn. For instance, the Northern Daoism, namely Quanzhen Daoism, believes in three religions in one. When people visit the temples of Quanzhen Daoism, the statues of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism can be seen at the same time.