What Every Martial Artist Should Know About TCM

[MartialDev]

http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/what-every-martial-artist-should-know-about-chi-and-tcm/

Comments?

[herb ox]

This is a subject near and dear to me, so I decided to check out the links you provided. Scott Phillips says the following on his lengthy description of Qi:

"What is Qi? The word Qi has been in common usage since about 300 B.C.E. It is usually translated as 'energy' or 'vital force' which is far too limiting a definition."

http://northstarmartialarts.com/articles_qi.html

I quite disagree with this fundamental opening statement. How can 'energy' be limiting as a definition? Energy pervades all things in the universe, so acknowledging the Qi as the universal energy underlying nature allows us to get straight to the point. It's not just the breath, or skeletal alignment - rather it is when we can see beyond the grand illusion of 'scientific explanation' that we begin to touch upon the nature of the Tao.

However, I do agree with the author that Qi is largely experiential - we can muse about it all day long, but until you've actually felt Qi, its impossible to really understand it.

peace

herb ox