The Meaning of T'ai Chi
The words t'ai chi mean supreme ultimate philosophy. The word ch'uan, which is often omitted, means fist or boxing. The philosophy of t'ai chi begins to make sense when you think in terms of yin and yang. These are the two polar opposites that permeate our thinking even in the west. Heaven and earth, day and night, light and dark, are all good examples of yang and yin opposites. They only make sense in relation to each other. Yang things are more subtle than yin substances. For example, the heavens are yang in relation to the earth because the air and space is much less dense than the earth.
Now we can contemplate one of the examples that is used to explain t'ai chi. Picture in your mind the image of a house with a pitched roof that has a central ridge pole. The sun shines on one side of the roof in the morning and the brightness can be seen as yang. On the other side of the roof it is shaded and this dark side represents yin. During the day and the passage of time the sun moves across the sky. The side of the roof that was illuminated gradually becomes dark and the other side that was in shade eventually receives the sun. Along the ridgepole, which is at the apex of the roof, the light and dark meet. There, at the exact meeting point, you cannot say whether it is dark or light. T'ai chi is the pole. It is the place where yin and yang are present but cannot be separated - it is t'ai chi. It was said by Wang Tsung-yueh that "Tai chi is born of wu chi. It is the origin of dynamic and static states and the mother of yin and yang. In motion it separates; in stillness they fuse." Wu chi is the primal state before things ever manifest. It can be understand more directly by practising the meditation at the beginning of the t'ai chi form.
So, the philosophy of t'ai chi gives an account of how the creative process works. It explains the way that things come into being. The interplay of the different aspects of yin and yang are each the creative cause of the other and they all arise from t'ai chi. This is why when practising t'ai chi the inner focus of the mind has an easy attitude which is absorbed in the one intended action. There are no unnecessary motives and outwardly a person practising t'ai chi may appear empty. From this inner emptiness is created the natural outward separation of yin and yang that expresses in the changes between softness and firmness, advancing and retreating, and so on.
From a martial point of view firmness is concealed in softness, and inactivity included in activity, with the knowledge that each is able to produce the other. For example, if an attacker uses hardness then this is naturally balanced with softness. In the state of t'ai chi this can be achieved without conscious and deliberate thought. It is called natural. To reach this level is unusual but to gain some experience and success with the conscious application of the principle is not so difficult.
In the body the t'ai chi pole exists as a line that is located running through the central core, from the top of the head to the perineum. The perineum is a point located on the midline exactly between the anus and the genitals. If you are able to align the body correctly in relation to this line you can realise profound stillness and ease of movement without breaking the continuity and connectedness of the ch'i. Whilst maintaining this inner state you will be able to appreciate that inactivity can create activity. There is stillness in movement.
The t'ai chi pole is formed when the centres of the three tan tiens are aligned vertically. The three tan tiens are named according to their location: lower, middle and upper. The words "tan tien" means literally "cinnabar field" or as it came to be known, "field of elixir." This was a term used in Taoist alchemy. The alchemists in ancient China were trying to discover a way to achieve longevity and their search led them to experiment with various substances including cinnabar. At that time cinnabar was a substance used to make vermilion ink and only the emperor was permitted to write with it. Until recently cinnabar was used in Chinese medicine to calm the Heart and Spirit. It is now recognised as mercury sulphide and is very toxic. The tan tiens in the body relate to the inner alchemy that developed at the same time. The goal for the inner alchemist was to purify human nature and transform the spirit. They gathered and stored the ch'i, circulated it, and used the tan tiens as focal points in their practices.
The three treasures of jing, ch'i and shen were linked with the tan tiens. In the lower tan tien the Jing is transformed into Ch'i, in the middle tantien the Ch'i is transformed into Shen and finally in the upper tan tien the Shen is transformed into Wu Chi.
The Three Treasures are also connected with the Three Outer Forces known as Heaven, Earth and Man. Jing is the most dense substance and therefore the most yin of the three and linked with the earth. Jing can be thought of as the reproductive essence. In ch'i kung meditation the Earth ch'i is gathered in the lower tan tien and is associated with heat. Ch'i is a mixture of yin and yang and is closely linked with the air, which is a mixture of Heaven and Earth ch'i, and this is gathered in the middle tan tien. The association at this level is vibration. The subtlest of the Three Treasures is the Shen and therefore it is the most yang and is linked with Heaven. Shen is gathered in the upper tan tien and is associated with light. The movement of these inner substances is via the t'ai chi pole.
The three tan tiens are each made up of nine chambers and they encompass a large area of the body. It is the centre of each area that must be vertically aligned and this central location can be found in relation to specific points on the body.
The location of the centre of the lower tan tien is at the centre of a triangle formed by three acupuncture points. The first, at the front of the body, is Shen Que or Ren 8 that is also the umbilicus. The next, at the back of the body, is Ming men or Du 4. This is located on the centre line of the spine at the level of the intervertebral space between the second and third lumber vertebrae . The third point of the triangle is Hui yin or Ren 1 (also known as the perineum) that is on the mid-line between the legs and halfway between the genitals and anus.
The centre of the middle tan tien is located in the centre of the body at the level of Shen Zong or Ren 17. This point is found by first locating the zyphoid process. This is the piece of bone that drops down from the place where the ribs meet above the stomach. From the Zyphoid bone move your finger carefully upwards a distance of 3 cms. until you feel where this bone joins the central chest bone or sternum. Now move your finger to the side and you will feel the space between the ribs. Move up to the next space between the ribs and move back to the central chest bone. Feel for a dip on the centre-line of the sternum. This is Shen Zong or Centre of the Chest.
The centre of the upper tan tien is also found at the centre of a triangle formed by three acupuncture points. The first is Yintang, between the eyebrows, just above the bridge of the nose. The second is Baihui or Du 20. This is located on the top of the head on the midline. If you look at the head from the side and extend a line, which runs from the midpoint of the ear lobe to the apex of the ear, you are close to the location of this point. There is often a softer area of flesh on the head that is slightly flatter than the surrounding region. It is easier to ask someone else to go through this location procedure with you and place a finger on the point to help you become aware of the exact position. The third point of the triangle is Fengfu or Du 16. This is on the midline at the back of the neck directly under the occiput that is the bottom edge of the skull.
In almost every t'ai chi position and t'ai chi exercise the body is kept in this alignment. The occiput is always lifted slightly which lengthens the back of the neck and rotates the head slightly. From the front this appears as if the chin is slightly tucked in but remember that this is a bi-product of adjusting your neck and you should not focus on the chin and pull it in. When the head is rotated in this way Baihiu or Du 20 becomes lifted and brought forward slightly. This can all be achieved naturally if you suspend the head gently as if pulled up from a thread, which is connected to the point. Cheng Man-Ching said that you could practise all your life and not make any real progress if you neglected this important point.