Description
In The Dao of Taijiquan, the author, Jou, Tsung Hwa, himself bears witness to the ability of Tai-Chi to relieve the body of pent-up tension and rejuvenate the spirit in a thorough study of the techniques and classical texts of this ancient martial art. In order to create a serious textbook that explains the philosophy behind the movements of tai chi chuan, he read all available books in both English and Chinese before writing The Dao of Taijiquan. Now this book can be used as a college textbook for courses in tai chi (whether as a philosophy or in Sports Studies). Jou, Tsung Hwa is also the author of The Tao of Meditation: Way to Enlightenment, and The Tao of I Ching: Way to Divination, both from Tuttle Publishing.
Library's review
It has long been my dream that one day Americans of all ages, creeds and colors will be practicing tai-chi chiuan in the beautiful parks of this country, as they do in China. Few places in the world have lovely open spaces which can and should be used productively, and at no expense. The result
To realize this dream, I have for the past ten years been teaching Tai-chi chuan on a voluntary basis using the open facilities of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For the past five years I have also been working on this volume which has a dual purpose: first, to guide people in the understanding of tai-chi and its philosophy; and second, to raise funds for a tai-chi college which will train tai-chi teachers and introduce Chinese culture to Americans.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter One Roots
Chang San-Feng and Tai-Chi Chuan
Legends about Chang San-Feng
Tai-chi chuan before Chang San-Feng
Chen's tai-chi chuan
Yang's tai-chi chuan
Wu's taii-chi chiuan
Learning the standard forms
Chapter Two Philosophy
Yin-yang and tai-chi
The five elements
The eight trigrams
Introduction to the I-Ching
The philosophy of tai-chi chuan
Chapter Three Foundation
Tai-chi chi-kung
The practice of tai-chi chi-kung
Tai-chi meditation
Chau-Ssu Chin
The practice of Chan-Ssu Chin
Awakening mental powers
Key to tai-chi chuan
The thirteen torso methods
Chapter Four Classics
The theory of tai-chi chuan
The classics of tai-chi chuan
An internal explanation of the practice of the thirteen postures
The five word's secrets
Summary of the practice of tai-chi chuan and push-hands
Two famous songs about tai-chi chuan
Chapter Five Experiences
Rules for the human stage
Rules for the earth stage
Rules for the sky stage
The experience of practice tai-chi chuan
Chapter Six Push-hands
The eight gates
The principles of push-hands
How to practice push-hands
The method of Ta-Lu
Tai-chi chin
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would be tremendous improvement in mental and physical well-being.To realize this dream, I have for the past ten years been teaching Tai-chi chuan on a voluntary basis using the open facilities of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For the past five years I have also been working on this volume which has a dual purpose: first, to guide people in the understanding of tai-chi and its philosophy; and second, to raise funds for a tai-chi college which will train tai-chi teachers and introduce Chinese culture to Americans.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter One Roots
Chang San-Feng and Tai-Chi Chuan
Legends about Chang San-Feng
Tai-chi chuan before Chang San-Feng
Chen's tai-chi chuan
Yang's tai-chi chuan
Wu's taii-chi chiuan
Learning the standard forms
Chapter Two Philosophy
Yin-yang and tai-chi
The five elements
The eight trigrams
Introduction to the I-Ching
The philosophy of tai-chi chuan
Chapter Three Foundation
Tai-chi chi-kung
The practice of tai-chi chi-kung
Tai-chi meditation
Chau-Ssu Chin
The practice of Chan-Ssu Chin
Awakening mental powers
Key to tai-chi chuan
The thirteen torso methods
Chapter Four Classics
The theory of tai-chi chuan
The classics of tai-chi chuan
An internal explanation of the practice of the thirteen postures
The five word's secrets
Summary of the practice of tai-chi chuan and push-hands
Two famous songs about tai-chi chuan
Chapter Five Experiences
Rules for the human stage
Rules for the earth stage
Rules for the sky stage
The experience of practice tai-chi chuan
Chapter Six Push-hands
The eight gates
The principles of push-hands
How to practice push-hands
The method of Ta-Lu
Tai-chi chin
Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Solar-Moon
Overall, this is the best book that I have found on the subject of tai chi. It's very thorough in it's descriptions of tai chi theory and practice. It has a lot of helpful diagrams and illustrations. This is not really a how-to book. The author goes a lot deeper than that. It's one of the few books
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that I have read more than once. The language can get a bit technical at times, but it seems necessary in order to explain clearly what the author is trying to express. If you only read one book on tai chi in your life you should read this one. Show Less
Subjects
Publication
Charles E. Tuttle Co. Rutland, Vermont