Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, Winter, 2008
Michael Gilman, current president of the International Society of T'ai Chi Ch'uan Instructors, is a longtime teacher in the human potential movement. Gilman began his studies of Tai Chi Chuan in 1968 with Master Choy Kam-man in San Francisco. Master Choy's father, Choy Hok-peng, is credited with introducing Tai Chi to America in the 1940s. Master Choy taught the full Yang Style curriculum, and that is the system that Michael still practices and teaches.
The American Psychotherapy Association recently conducted an interview with Mr. Gilman to learn more about this unique art form.
1. For those readers who aren't familiar with Tai Chi, can you briefly explain what exactly it is?
When I am asked what Tai Chi is, I am reminded of the story of the blind men who, never having encountered an elephant, are asked to describe what it is. One touches the trunk and says, "An elephant is like a large snake." Another touches a leg, and says, "No, an elephant is like a tree." Another, touching the flank says, "No, an elephant is like a wall."
They are all correct, yet their individual answer is incomplete due to their not having all the information necessary to make an informed decision.
Talking about Tai Chi Chuan is much like the elephant problem. Tai Chi Chuan is a very complex art, with three main roots that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years into Chinese history. If you ask someone who is interested in martial arts, he might respond that Tai Chi is definitely an effective self-defense system. If a person on a spiritual path were asked, he would probably respond saying it is a meditative art. And if someone who was involved with health and wellness was asked, he might answer that it is a physical culture/healing practice.
All are correct, yet Tai Chi cannot, and should not, be limited to one field of study. All of the roots are of equal importance and make Tai Chi Chuan one of the most popular physical activities in the world.
The name, Tai Chi Chuan, literally means Supreme Ultimate Martial Art. Today, in order to gain popularity worldwide, the art generally is known as "Tai Chi," eliminating the word "Chuan," which means martial system. I can understand the reason. Most people are not interested in martial arts and would certainly turn their backs on this marvelous exercise. But to fully understand its evolution, we must include the Chuan aspect.
The first root is the Martial Arts. People have always needed to defend themselves, whether from animals, or other humans. China is a crowded place, with much chance for confrontation. Many martial systems evolved. Tai Chi Chuan, as a martial art, emerged from the Taoist Wudang temple sometime between 500 to 1000 AD. The distant past is clouded, partially because of the idea that mystery and myth will add to its appeal. Because it was very effective, it was passed from father to son and never shared with strangers. It was not until the introduction of guns that hand-to-hand martial arts lost their effectiveness. At this time, in the early 1800s, Tai Chi started to move into the general population and gain popularity as a physical exercise.
The oldest root, going back several thousand years, is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or the health and rejuvenation aspect. The Chinese have been using exercise to maintain wellness, cure disease, and strengthen the body for many thousands of years.
TCM theory is based on the idea of balance--balance in all aspects of one's life. Overall fitness and well-being is not just the absence of disease. It was derived by a balance between the physical, mental, and spiritual. TCM sees the whole person and uses various modalities as a way to eliminate the blocks in our system that tend to cause excess or deficiency. Balanced, relaxing exercise is one of the ways. I remember one Tai Chi instructor telling the class, "Don't make your heart sweat." This relates to the Chinese belief that internal balance is favored over physical appearance. This approach is quite different than the traditional Western idea of fitness.
The third root is Spiritual Development, namely Buddhism, Confucianism, and especially Taoism. These philosophical systems have played an important part in the lives of a majority of Chinese people and their cultural development. The Taoists look to what is natural, a blending with the forces of the Universe, to achieve supreme health and a long life filled with a strong feeling of contentment. In much the same way that TCM achieves physical health through eliminating tension and extremes, Taoism eliminates beliefs as an obstruction to seeing reality. Meditate, relax, and find your inner balance; all will become clear. Decisions will be based on seeing what is, not acting on how one thinks it should be. The Taoists didn't have a creed, an all-powerful God, or rules. Each person is responsible for his or her own personal achievement.
The Taoists developed the philosophy of Yin and Yang and Tai Chi. By observing nature, the Taoists saw that nature was a manifestation of complementary opposites--day and night, up and down, hot and cold, sun and moon, male and female, etc. It is this interaction of forces or expressions of energy that cause movement, and movement indicates life.
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