Just a Practice

As part of my calligraphy lessons, I have to submit 2 pieces of work each month for grading purposes. Basically, I write the same thing many many times, and choose the best pieces at the end of the day for submission.

As I practise, the pieces get better and better, but there are times when I make mistakes (instead of improving), and I know that the piece can no longer be submitted. But I still continue to finish that piece for practice sake. And it is at times like this that the piece actually turns out better than the rest. My calligraphy teacher likes to remind me that it is just a practice, there is no need to be frustrated over a small mistake, at the end of the day, each piece is just for practice.

I guess that is very true for taiji as well. Every time I practise, I am always looking out for my own mistakes, trying to make sure I am able to achieve all the principles of taiji. Maybe it is time to give myself some slack, and treat each session as what it really is, a practice. There is no need to be perfect. It is, after all, just a practice.

Classical Works on Taiji Theory

I have been trying to find classical works on taiji theory in Chinese, if anyone has a good website to share, please leave a comment! Thanks!

Background: Classical Chinese is slightly different from modern Chinese, written in less words (characters) which can have a wider scope of meaning compared to modern Chinese. While the great taiji masters of old are no longer around, I think they have left behind important lessons in their works on the theory behind taijiquan, and it is up to us to try and decipher what we can from the classical Chinese works.