Fact or Fiction? Is it achievable thru Tai Chi training?

[Faruq]

...This intuitive ability is not dependent upon physical training of any kind; it is a condition of mind. It is an ability that occurs naturally, of itself (tzu-jan), when one achieves insight into the essence of mind, the state of “no-mind”, which is the purpose of Zen.

Both Munenori and Musashi applied Zen principles to their swordsmanship and integrated Zen methods of training the mind with the fundamentals of swordsmanship...To attain the highest level of form one must understand the essence of mind. To both men mental training became the essence of swordsmanship. Eventually, to each, swordsmanship merely represented the “useful expedient” utilized to attain realization. As a consequence, they were both essentially undefeatable in swordsmanship!

“To master oneself, is to be master of all things!”

I remember an article from the very magazine that provides this forum, on Buddhism, that said the exact same thing about gong fu having been merely the expedient for attaining enlightenment. I hope I didn't mess it up.

Here's the link and the paragraph I was talking about:

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezin...hp?article=626

"Martial Arts as a Vehicle to Self-Development
Virtually every country (Buddhist or otherwise) in the far-east has an aspect of its culture that extols martial endeavour – in both theory and in practice. China, with its many systems of internal and external kung fu; Japan, with its 'Budo' (i.e. 'Martial Way') arts; Okinawa, with its various forms of 'Te'; Korea with its famous (and relatively modern) Tae Kwon Do, as well its more ancient arts (for example, Muksodo and Tangsodo, etc); Vietnam, with its Vietvodo; Thailand, with its various forms of Muay Thai; Sri Lanka, with its Tamil arts (also practiced in southern India and called 'Kalaripayit'); and a number of other countries including Tibet, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia. From this brief and incomplete survey, a pattern emerges of a close association between spiritual development and martial art practice. This is not surprising, as the Lord Buddha, living around 500 BCE in north India, was of the 'Kshatriya' (or 'Warrior and King) caste of Hindu society. Such a caste prepared their young men for both action on the battlefield and enlightened leadership upon the country's throne. The Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) was no exception to this rule. The Buddhist scriptures tell us how He was trained in Hindu philosophy, Yoga and martial arts. Hindu society, like its Chinese counterpart, had always acknowledged the link between psycho-spiritual development and that of physical development – but more than this, it was also acknowledged that at the highest levels, the distinction between the 'psychological' and the 'physical' falls away, to reveal a clear, pristine Mind that embraces the universe, within which all things manifest – including our own physical bodies. This philosophical concept of 'oneness' is further emphasised by the fact that just 'silent sitting' in meditation was not enough to transcend the suffering of life on the physical plane. Simply ignoring the 'physical' world does not make it 'go away.' Practicing the in-depth and diverse movements of the many styles of martial art – with a concentrated and developed mind (acquired through seated meditation) creates the perfect balance of 'mind' and 'body.' For when the physical body is aligned, and that body is merged with the 'One Mind,' universal energy flows and there is nothing that can not be achieved. If the Mind is enlightened through seated meditation, that is its essence; when the Mind moves the body on the physical plane, that is its function. All things accord, and there is peace..."