Intention and Attention: The Alchemical Formula in Taijiquan - Pt. 1

By , on December 14th, 2011

Since our birth as a species, mankind has actively pursued a peculiar form of conscious evolution … different from the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms … in that we uniquely aspire to become Something Greater.

Intention & Attention: The Alchemy of the Human Brain in TaijiquanIntention & Attention: The Alchemy of the Human Brain in Taijiquan

Whether it be approaching the Divine, a Creator, Mother Nature, the Tao, or simply Greater Knowledge, Wealth, Fame, or Status … human beings are a group of unusually aspirant & ambitious creatures. It is our every intention to be Greater than we are … and one way or another our attention tends to settle on the path we …

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December 14th, 2011 | Category: Huang XingXian (Huang Sheng Shyan), Tai Chi Principles, Taijiquan Masters of the Past, Taoist Alchemy | Leave a comment

"Internal" Power vs. "External" Power

By , on November 19th, 2011

This debate will probably never end … and the question will probably never be fully answered:

What exactly is the difference between the internal and external martial arts?

While I certainly can provide no definitive answer, I thought it might be helpful to share a bit of what I’ve learned in my experience with the Chinese internal martial arts, and particularly the distinction between jìn (勁) and lì (力).

First of all, an important linguistic note from native Chinese speaker & master taijiquan practitioner, Zhang Yun’s article on Li & Types of Jin in Taijiquan.

“In everyday usage, both of these words mean physical force, and can be used interchangeably. Very often, people use jin to denote a very large force.

In martial art, these are technical terms with more precise definitions. Li is simple muscular force, what we call “untrained force”, …

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November 19th, 2011 | Category: Huang XingXian (Huang Sheng Shyan), Ma Yueh Liang, Tai Chi Principles, Taijiquan Masters of the Past | 3 comments

The Modern Taoist Alchemist: Huang Xing Xian

By , on November 14th, 2011

Back! For the first post with the new blog style, and a renewed energy for this site … … I am dedicating this to one of the great grandmasters of our time: Huang Xingxian or Huang Sheng Shyan. Huang Sheng Shyan (Huang XingXian)
Master Huang’s martial arts training began with “one of the last great Fujian White Crane masters”1, Xie Zhongqian. In fact, Huang learned White Crane Boxing (baihe quan), 18 Buddha Boxing / Arhat Boxing (luohan quan), and Neigong all from master Xie. Huang also studied further Fujian White Crane style, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Literary Classics from his teacher Pan Chun Nien. …

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November 14th, 2011 | Category: Cheng Man Ching (Zheng Manqing) Style Tai Chi, Huang XingXian (Huang Sheng Shyan), Tai Chi Styles, Taijiquan Masters of the Past, Taoist Alchemy | Leave a comment