Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

wuji

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • wuji

    Hi,

    I'm new here and I recently started to practice with teh videos of Sufu.

    My question is : what is wuji? What is absolute stilness? Is it the absence of any energy flow?
    How do you obtain it?

    When I stand in the wuji. stance, I immediately feel an energy flow. Should I restrain it in order to be in proper wuji? Or can I let it happen? It usually falls still after a while. Is this the returning from taichi to wuji?

    Many thanks for answering,
    with my deepest respect
    Goedele Roos

  • #2
    Welcome to the forum and thank you for the interesting questions. Before starting to partially answer them, this is another classic example of why we recommend people learn from a qualified instructor. Questions like these then have a completely different meaning and depth -- if they even arise.

    What is Wuji? That all depends on what you mean by the term, Do you mean the stance? The state of mind? The place (not physically)? Or something else?

    What is absolute stillness? This depends on what you are referring to. In most cases, there is no absolute.

    Is it the absence of any energy flow? Where energy flows, there is life. Where no energy flows, there is no life. I think you need to define what you meant by the term "energy flow"

    When I stand in the wuji. stance, I immediately feel an energy flow. Should I restrain it in order to be in proper wuji? This depends on you state, level of training, level of skill and aims and objectives of the practice session

    It usually falls still after a while. Is this the returning from taichi to wuji? Depending on your interpretation of those terms, the answer can be yes, no, neither or both

    Sorry if this confuses you more, but without knowing your interpretations and definitions it becomes very difficult to offer concise answers and explanations.
    Sifu Andrew Barnett
    Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

    Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
    Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
    Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Andrew,

      Thank you for your answer.
      yes, it confuses me more, but this might not be a bad thing. Maybe it will rearrange things and purify (like stirring a mixture of mud and water).

      A bit about my background: I've followed taichi classes with a teacher here in Belgium. As I felt it was not 'enough' anymore, I was referred to Sifu Wong by one of his former students (who happend to be my dentist; we were talking about Chi Kung)

      My former teacher told us about wuji. If I remember well, this is what he told: there is a place in the body, the wuji point, which is the midpoint, the crossing of teh vertical and horizontal axes.
      He alsoreferred to the taichi symbol: he told: wuji is the midpoint of the circle, but also encompasses the complete circle.
      he let us stand in a stance (which is a bit different of what I've seen here on the videos, the legs were hip width as here the feet are much closer together) and through relaxation (relaxing of muscles, bones, organs, even cellular level eventually) guide us into wuji (he was calling it that way). From there we went into the taichi form. The teacher let us experience what energy was and he was stressing how important it is to be fully relaxed to allow for the energy flow and to let the energy flow doing the form and that it has not to come from the muscles.

      So, I have the feeling that i don't know much about wuji.

      Maybe you and I as well can start right from the beginning. (I was practicing with this video: https://shaolin.org/video-clips-4/ta...ijiquan01.html)

      Many thanks,

      Goedele

      Comment


      • #4
        ps. maybe I was not ready to undertsand my former teacher and that I need more explanation

        Comment


        • #5
          The video you linked to is excellent. However, please remember that the videos Sifu publishes are not designed for teaching purposes, although many can learn a lot from them.

          I do not know about your previous teacher and would not wish to criticize him/her. What they told you may well be correct according to their system. If you ask my opinion based only on the information you presented, I would say that the concept of Wuji has been made unnecessarily complicated. In fact, you need not understand what Wuji is to get the best benefits. Wuji is a state, a stance and much more. On the other hand it is basically nothing at all.

          An easy way to start is to just focus on the stance:
          - Stand upright with your feet just a small space apart (up to the width of your fist)
          - Feet are parallel
          - Body is upright as best you can
          - Hands hang to your sides naturally
          - Mouth is gently open
          - Eyes are gently close
          - Body and mind are completely relaxed

          It is so simple but may not be easy for many -- particularly to stand upright (what is that?) or to relax.

          Sifu Andrew Barnett
          Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

          Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
          Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
          Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

          Comment


          • #6
            Thank you very much for the answer.

            Yes, it is easy and at the same time not.

            What is standing upricht? I'm still searching for it.

            I also go like imediately into 'movement', almost just right after I close the eyes. The video telss: you are still in proper stilness-but it seems that it is never still inside me and I don't know how to handle this.
            If you could give me advice?

            Many thanks,
            Goedele

            Comment


            • #7
              Hello Goedele,
              Congrats on searching for something new to further improve your skills! To me it sounds like you experienced something similar to Chi flow, which we formally teach in Shaolin Wahnam. To "control" the movements it would be better to learn from an official instructor of Shaolin Wahnam. Andrew Sipak, can explain better than me of course! Chi flow is only the beginning of skills that are taught in real Tajiquan and or Kung Fu. There are many other skills that are necessary to practicing genuine high level Tajiquan. Andrew Sipak mentioned only a few of the most important skills. The road is extremely long, but the reward is greater than any reward .
              All the best,
              Miguel (Shaolin Wahnam Utrecht)

              Comment


              • #8
                Standing upright is standing upright - physically, mentally and morally.

                The best advice is to seek personal instruction from a qualified instructor. Belgium is not far from the The Netherlands. So, once the pandemic is over, I would suggest you invest in a lesson there. You will find a list of certified instructors using the link in the menu bar at the top of the forum pages.

                To help you in the meantime, though, be assured that movement arising from stillness is perfectly natural. This is not symbolized by the middle of the yin-yang symbol, but by the small circles in it. When ying is maximized, yang evolves. When yang is maximized, yin evolves. In this case you could equate yin with stillness and yang with movement. Controlling the movement is very easy, if you have the skill. If do not, then ensure you remain as relaxed as you can and then make a decision to slow the movements down before stopping. If you can learn from one of our instructors - even just a single lesson - everything will be become clear.
                Sifu Andrew Barnett
                Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

                Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
                Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
                Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thank you Miguel for your kind words. I've seen your name on the instructors page and Utrecht is feasible from Brussels

                  Thank you Andrew for your answers. It made a lot clear for me, of where I find myself -I will take teh advice for a personal instructor.

                  I would love to have an instructor as for more than a year, I was struggling with video courses and searching. It was due to an emergency situation that i've met my current dentist and because he's originally from Malaysia I started to talk to him about Chi Kung. He referred me to this site as he is a former student of Sifu Wong. So, I'm extremely thankfull for my broken teeth that particular weekend, in which this particular person was on call.

                  So, Miguel, if it is ok for you, I will contact you and maybe we can work things out?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Andrew: can you furthere xplain teh difference between mentally and morally standing upright? Has it something to do with intention?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Another question about wuji, base don your answer Andrew: would wuji than be the balance between yin and yang? if in maximized yin, yang evolves and when yang is maximized, yin evolves
                      if yin and yang are balanced, nothing evolves? (put in simple words?)

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by goedele View Post
                        Andrew: can you further explain the difference between mentally and morally standing upright? Has it something to do with intention?
                        Maybe it would be easier to understand if I translated it to:
                        - Stand physically upright
                        - Keep your mind clear
                        - Be morally upright
                        Sifu Andrew Barnett
                        Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

                        Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
                        Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
                        Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by goedele View Post
                          Another question about wuji, base don your answer Andrew: would wuji than be the balance between yin and yang? if in maximized yin, yang evolves and when yang is maximized, yin evolves
                          if yin and yang are balanced, nothing evolves? (put in simple words?)
                          Yes and no
                          Sifu Andrew Barnett
                          Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

                          Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
                          Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
                          Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            ok, yes and no...this makes me curious

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              taoist-cosmology.gif Wuji and Taiji in Taoist Cosmology ..for fun ya
                              Last edited by Damian Kissey; 8 November 2020, 05:07 AM.
                              Damian Kissey
                              Shaolin Wahnam Sabah , Malaysia .
                              www.shaolinwahnamsabah.com

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X