A Spiritual Guide to Tai Chi...And Life: The Tao Te Ching Through the Eyes of a Tai Chi Master

By Phil Robinson

We all have a common denominator. We all would like something easy to follow that could make a difference in the quality of our lives. This book does just that. Mr. Robinson takes us on a journey back in time where we explore the minds of the wisest in ancient times. Although written for the Tai Chi student, Mr. Robinson makes it clear the Tao Te Ching can be a guide for everyone. This is one of those books you can't put down and will find yourself referring to it for years to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491731192

Phil Robinson

Mr. Robinson was born, raised and educated in the Southeastern United States. Currently, he lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with his family and five dogs. When he is not writing, he teaches Tai Chi and Taoist philosophy at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He helps special needs adults and children by educating them on Tai Chi exercises. As an avid dog lover, he does much charity work for homeless dogs.

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A Spiritual Guide to Tai

Chi… and Life

The Tao Te Ching through the eyes of a Tai Chi Master

Phil Robinson

iUniverse LLC

Bloomington

A SPIRITUAL GUIDE TO TAI CHI… AND LIFE

The Tao Te Ching through the eyes of a Tai Chi Master

Copyright © 2014 Phil Robinson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3118-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3119-2 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 04/21/2014

Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Introductio

Chapter 1.   Our Journey Begins

Chapter 2.   What is Tai Chi?

Chapter 3.   What is the Tao Te Ching?

Chapter 4.   Who Is Lao Tzu?

Chapter 5.   What is Taoism?

Chapter 6.   The Disclaimer

Chapter 7.   All Is Relative

Chapter 8.   Moving Meditation

Chapter 9.   The Tao Introduced

Chapter 10.   We are Straw Dogs

Chapter 11.   The Feminine Side

Chapter 12.   Empty Your Self

Chapter 13.   Be Like Water

Chapter 14.   No Worries

Chapter 15.   The Impossible Quiz

Chapter 16.   The Art of Doing Nothing

Chapter 17.   Too Much of a Good Thing

Chapter 18.   Balance Is Best

Chapter 19.   A Magical Mystery

Chapter 20.   The Ancient Ancients

Chapter 21.   Words of Wisdom

Chapter 22.   The Best and the Worst

Chapter 23.   Lose Something, Gain Something

Chapter 24.   Deprive and Discard

Chapter 25.   A Sage Speaks Out

Chapter 26.   The Tao is Within Our Reach

Chapter 27.   Reach Your Potential

Chapter 28.   Brevity and Awareness

Chapter 29.   Balance is Everything

Chapter 30.   Understanding The Tao

Chapter 31.   Inner Strength

Chapter 32.   Good and Bad, Dark and Light

Chapter 33.   Choose the Yin

Chapter 34.   The World of Nature

Chapter 35.   About Aggression

Chapter 36.   The Sorrow of War

Chapter 37.   Back to the Tao

Chapter 38.   Immortality

Chapter 39.   Plenty of Tao

Chapter 40.   True Peace is in the Tao

Chapter 41.   Allow the Cycle to Work

Chapter 42.   The Tao Rules

Chapter 43.   More of Nothing

Chapter 44.   Balance in Nature, Balance in Us

Chapter 45.   Full Circle—Short Version

Chapter 46.   The Superior Man

Chapter 47.   Good History… Good Advice

Chapter 48.   Soft Overcomes Hard-One More Time

Chapter 49.   Money Making Advice

Chapter 50.   Opposites Appear

Chapter 51.   Of War and Wealth

Chapter 52.   Just Stay At Home

Chapter 53.   Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Chapter 54.   One Size Fits All

Chapter 55.   We Live, We Die… the Circle Continues

Chapter 56.   A Continuous Pattern

Chapter 57.   Keep the Portals Closed

Chapter 58.   Don’t Get Side Tracked

Chapter 59.   Ripples in the Pond

Chapter 60.   Bugs Won’t Bite

Chapter 61.   Be Like a Fish?

Chapter 62.   No Rules, Rule

Chapter 63.   Don’t Force It

Chapter 64.   Everything in Moderation, Please

Chapter 65.   Fishes And Ghosts

Chapter 66.   Water, Sex, and the Government

Chapter 67.   All the Same

Chapter 68.   The Little Things

Chapter 69.   Respect Beginnings

Chapter 70.   Education Vs Simplicity

Chapter 71.   More Water? Yes.

Chapter 72.   The Three Treasures

Chapter 73.   The Secret Formula

Chapter 74.   The Taoist Way to Fight

Chapter 75.   Some Don’t Get It

Chapter 76.   A Know-It-All Doesn’t Know

Chapter 77.   Lose Awesomeness? What then?

Chapter 78.   The Way It Is

Chapter 79.   Just Punishment

Chapter 80.   Selfishness

Chapter 81.   Soft Equals Longevity

Chapter 82.   Again, it is Balance

Chapter 83.   The Essence of Tai Chi

Chapter 84.   Forgiveness, The Tao Way

Chapter 85.   K.I.S.S

Chapter 86.   Only Words

Chapter 87.   Parting Thoughts

Bibliography and Credits

Appendix-A: Congressional Research Service Report RL30172M—1970 to 2011

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge Patty Conley who said I should write this book.

I acknowledge Janice Rice who was so helpful with grammar and punctuation.

Debi Hamrick was my editor, who allowed me to write as I wanted, and kept me out of trouble.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who are searching for enlightenment and who have read the Tao Te Ching and didn’t understand the first word.

Introduction

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Phil Robinson. I enjoy the plain, simple things of life. I have a large family, including sons, daughters, grandchildren and several dogs. I also have 50 years experience in studying Tai Chi and the philosophy that weaves itself through Tai Chi by means of the Tao Te Ching. Many who read my first book, Tai Chi The Way Of Balance In An Unbalanced World, wanted more detailed information about the Tao Te Ching and how its philosophy can apply to our life today. So, here we go again… another two years or more spent at the keyboard.

It may surprise you that the people who were the founders of Tai Chi Chuan, the ones who perfected its healthy moves accompanied by deadly techniques, were common men. These were men who ate plain, simple food, lived in small basic dwellings, often could not afford a pair of shoes and usually died in poverty. They were your basic soldiers who were determined to survive by defeating the enemy and remaining healthy in the process. That was Tai Chi at its beginning.

In the 1700s, Taoist Philosophy was introduced into Tai Chi Chuan by means of a man named Yang (pronounced Young). Yang realized the pages of the Tao Te Ching had much to offer Tai Chi. It is this Taoist philosophy that sets Tai Chi apart from many of the other ancient martial arts.

It also should be no surprise that these holy men who were adept with Tai Chi Chuan, and were equally knowledgeable about the Tao Te Ching, were also common men. Oh yes, these were educated men, brilliant holy men with plenty of wisdom to offer, and yet we would never see these men wearing a $4,000.00 suit in a stadium full of frantic people. They too, often died with nothing to show for their years of endeavor.

The point is this: These men that lived hundreds of years ago who were responsible for Tai Chi and its spiritual guidance that we enjoy today were probably more like you and me than you imagine. These ancient philosophers and warriors were set apart from their contemporaries by the burning quest for knowledge and their unrelenting pursuit of the truth.

Remarkably, here we find the common thread you and I have with these ancient holy men/warriors. We have a sincere desire for the real truth of the matter. We find ourselves in a constant search of not only the how but also the why of things. As for me, much of this quest for the best spiritual way has involved a detailed study of the Tao Te Ching. I have learned much from this spiritual guide, and now I am going to share it with you. Enjoy—Learn—Smile

My sincere blessings,

Phil Robinson

Chapter 1

Our Journey Begins

Have you ever walked along a nature trail, or in a park and came upon a small, babbling creek? To cross this creek, you had to walk across a small wooden bridge that appeared to be about one meter above the water. Most likely, you found yourself stopping at least once along the way, just to see what was down there. I do that all the time. Whether it is a small bridge made of wooden planks with no side railings, or one of the engineering feats of the world, such as the Chesapeake Bay or Golden Gate Bridge, I must look at what is beneath.

In this book, we are going on a journey that will take us into the minds of ancient wise men. We are taking a trip to an ancient culture, and we plan to use a narrow bridge to cross from our way of thinking to the ancient way of thinking. Let’s plan on stopping a few times along this bridge to admire the different scenery. Although we want to confine our thoughts to Tai Chi only, we may find that a bit difficult because the Tao Te Ching is all-encompassing and applies in so many areas of our life.

As this journey unfolds, our understanding of the Tao Te Ching will increase, and we will see its principles apply more and more to life in general. Gradually, we may see our bridge expanding, getting larger and stronger. And that is how it should be. Therefore, in addition to the applications to Tai Chi, we will also have applications to life.

But for now and throughout this book, we will try to keep the journey on the straight and narrow. We will stay focused on our Tai Chi as a primary focus, and life in general as a secondary one. This book was written with the Tai Chi student in mind. It is my intention to share with you the spiritual side of Tai Chi. So, if you are not a student of Tai Chi and you are reading this book anyway, so much the better, because you are about to become acquainted with a wealth of information.

Any trip requires advance knowledge. If you are going to the grocery store it is a good idea to know ahead of time what you need to buy and how much it costs. If you are going across the ocean the more you know in advance the better. For example if you are going to France, you may need to learn some basic French because you just might run into someone who does not speak your own native tongue. The same principle applies with our journey. Before we set our first foot on the bridge, we must make a few advance preparations. What we will do is put a few necessary things in our backpack; it will be called advance knowledge.

Our advance knowledge entails we answer a few questions:

•   What is Tai Chi?

•   What is The Tao Te Ching?

•   Who was Lao Tzu?

•   What is Taoism?

Once these questions are answered, we can take our first step on the bridge that will connect us to the ways of ancient China.

The first thing on our list that goes in the back pack is what is Tai Chi?

Chapter 2

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi can be divided into two categories, ancient and modern. Let’s consider first the ancient.

Ancient Tai Chi

Hundreds of years ago Tai Chi was called by many different names. Over time, the name that eventually remained was Tai Chi Chuan, which means The Supreme Ultimate Fist. Some disagree and say when translated it means Supreme Ultimate Boxing. Chinese, like any other language cannot be perfectly translated into English especially when you consider that English is a hybrid of many languages and is constantly evolving. Therefore, the best we can do is we get the proper thought and intent of the words. In this case the proper thought of Tai Chi Chuan was to have the very best fighting skills, with the intent of breaking things attached to other bodies.

No one can say for sure how many years Tai Chi Chuan has been in practice, and that is because the postures, moves, techniques and principles were in play long before it was an organized curriculum, even long before it had a name. There is documented evidence of Tai Chi Chuan moves and techniques written on tortoise shells that date back to 1,000 B.C.E. These moves recorded on the tortoise shells are all but identical to the Tai Chi movements you can learn today in an authentic Tai Chi school. The moves were the same, but not the intent. In those early days before the Common Era, these moves were not associated with sunshine and rainbows, nor with the intent of making you feel all happy inside while it helped lower your blood pressure and eased your arthritic pain. The idea was to win all battles so you could go home alive. It was just that simple.

Why was it called The Supreme Ultimate? It set itself apart from other fighting styles by using scientific principles of leverage and deflection of kinetic energy rather than meeting brute force with force. It used pressure points and joint manipulation rather than hard punches and kicks accompanied by lots of yelling. While the Europeans were still pagans and the Celtics were just beginning to emerge, Tai Chi Chuan techniques were being perfected and documented. Although it was called by many different names other than Tai Chi, the movements and underlying principles were being practiced during that time.

It amazes me to think that according to the Jewish religion, around 1,000 B.C.E., King David was busy winning battles, establishing the significance of Jerusalem, and trying to unite the kingdom of Israel, and at the same time a few thousand miles away Chinese soldiers, who lived in the Chou Dynasty, were busy perfecting the movements many Tai Chi practitioners use today. All this and many other things were going on in the world around 1,000 B.C.E. This was at a time when the entire world had a population of less than 10,000,000. In spite of how young civilization was, during this time, Tai Chi moves were already set into play. When we add to this the idea that the Tao Te Ching was written around 500 B.C.E., we can see the ancient Chinese as having an organized, educated way of life.

Modern Tai Chi:

Just for an experiment set your book down for a moment and look around. Imagine how your surroundings looked a year ago. Imagine in your mind how your surroundings looked ten years ago. How did it look 100 years ago? Are you sitting in a comfortable room that 100 years ago was a forest or some prime farm land? How about 600 years ago? What did the people look like? Were there any people at all where you are sitting 600 years ago? Or was it just an area where wild animals roamed?

It was 600 years ago, during the early 1400s, where modern Tai Chi had its beginnings and, along with it a strong Taoist philosophy.

It was a holy man named Chen Wang-Ting (1391-1458) who first devised an organized fighting style that consisted of 13 movements (8 hand and 5 foot movements). These moves were to be memorized in a specific sequence and practiced over and over. These movements would hardly be recognized as Tai Chi by someone in the 21st century. The sequence was quite short in its entirety, and the moves were quite explosive and jerky… not to mention very fast. Chen Wang-Ting is credited with being the first person to have founded an organized fighting style with a consistent curriculum that was later named Tai Chi Chuan: The Supreme Ultimate Way of Fighting. He named the form Chan Quan because it reminded him in principle of the Chang-Quan River which is the longest river in China and appears to flow without effort, without ending. The idea with the Chan Quan form is that it constantly flows from one move into the next without stopping. Once you get to the end of the form, move number 13, you end in the same posture and position as you began. You even end in the same place on the floor or ground as you began. What’s the point of this? It automatically creates the means to begin again and again. You are never stopping, constantly flowing, just like a river. From the standpoint of Tai Chi as a martial art, the idea of never stopping, constantly flowing is of the utmost importance. On the battlefield in ancient days, or today, in a fight for our life, we never stop fighting; we do not perform one technique and stop. We continue to flow with our Tai Chi movements until justice prevails. You are never stopping, constantly flowing, just like a river. Here is our first life-long lesson… never stop, never give up.

Chang Quan endured for about 100 years, and by the mid 1500s there were 16 schools throughout China. Then entered a general of the Ming Dynasty named Qui Ji-Guang (1528-1587) who changed many movements and sequences. General Chen Xing (1771-1853) did the same thing, and by the late 1700s Tai Chi Chuan had acquired 105 moves. As you can see, this was quite a change from the original 13. But time marched on, and without change there would be no progress. General Chen retired from the Chinese military and moved back to his home place, the Chen Village, and began to teach his 105 moves as an organized martial art. This once powerful, brilliant general evolved into a poor farmer who taught Chen Tai Chi Chuan on the side for extra money.

This set the stage for an event that would forever change Tai Chi and the lives and health of people all over the world. One day a devout Taoist sage named Yang Chan (1799-1871) entered the school. He became one of Chen’s best students and developed a reputation as a gentle giant who was calm and respectful and yet had never been defeated in a fight. (It is believed he was about 6 feet 4 inches tall which is very large for the 1800s) Since the Taoist philosophy dominated Yang’s life, he combined the ancient philosophy into his Tai Chi practice, and incorporated the concept of Yin/Yang: total balance and soft harmony. Yang had nephews and grandsons who helped with this idea of a martial art that was not a fighting style but a complete way of life. So by the mid 1850s, the Yang family had removed the forceful and explosive elements, and what remained were gentle, relaxing movements. It is this concept of slow, harmonious moves that characterizes current day Tai Chi, Yang style.

In other words, Yang, along with the help of some of his relatives, introduced a well balanced style of martial art for everyone, young and old. It would protect against evil thoughts through philosophy. It would protect against illness by means of nutrition and chi force. It would protect against weakness through discipline and exercise. It would protect against an attacker with its superior martial art skills.

Yang had just what he wanted. He founded a balanced martial art that encompassed the entire spiritual, physical, emotional and mental aspects of the human being. He emphasized health, healing and relaxation over fighting. It was the chi force that was all important, not fighting. It was the Taoist philosophy, learned from the Tao Te Ching, which set Tai Chi apart from any other martial art, with its concept of chi as its foundation.

While people were in the ‘new’ continent of America, coming up with names such as Georgetown and Plymouth Rock and battling the British Empire,