Greetings Audi,
Thanks for your posting.
I appreciate your your concern and caution in matters of proper context. Thanks for taking the time and effort to advise on such issues. It is all somewhat maze-like and easy to take wrong turns. Much information, different systems, various conflicting sources etc...I am sure you are speaking from experience and wish only that I avoid similar obstacles and pitfalls.
You said:
<Much of what is written and said about Taijiquan is heavily dependant on context...This tendancy puts a tremendous responsibility on the student. Small misunderstandings can have big consequences> Audi
<The Yangs want you to learn how to do something in a standard way before you begin to experiment or do free form..."If you cannot do it in the standard and controlled way, why worry about exploring variations and uncontrolled circumstances?"> Audi
<I am comfortable discussing and operating in either, but cannot address or practice both simultaneously. I also prefer not to engage in substantive discussion without knowing something about somebody's approach; otherwise, we end up talking right by each other. If I ignore this and begin to accumulate data, I run the risk of mis applying everything I learn, since I cannot be sure of the context.> Audi
<If someone randomly collects data on Taijiquan through reading books, surfing the net, and similar practices and is not careful to establish context, I think he or she runs the risk of corrupting much of what he or she learns.> Audi
<If one can put things in proper context, all my concerns disappear. One will know whether and how to relate new knowledge to old knowledge. One can adopt and reject, sift and sort etc.> Audi
These are all good and reasonable points you deliver.
I will certainly try my best to attain and maintain proper context in my studies and searches.
On the physical plane, I am relying on my formal instruction. I am concentrating on Yang style principles and am not deviating from the methods for this practice (as far as I can tell).
Presently, for example,I am personally working towards learning and applying the Yang family Ten Essentials, the general concepts of threading(Is threading a universal principle amongst Taijiquan practitioners of all styles?), opening my Kua bu and loosening the Yao(with some specific exercises prescribed by my instructor), as well as the forever ongoing mission of assimilating posture applications for the Yang style form in a Traditional Taijiquan institution.
On the physical level, my personal belief is that the form itself should remain true to authenticity, and have no personal desire to transform the established postures of the form through free style practice or creation. This does not interest me in the least. There are five official styles of Taijiquan already, I find this a more than adequate variety as it is, and would not wish to extend beyond those...If ever I reach a level of comfort in Yang style , I may consider learning one of the other four styles. I would never create my own form as some have.
On the subject of theory however, I find myself more compelled to delve into all aspects available, especially those concerning 'internal' matters...to investigate, "adopt, reject, sift and sort" in a more liberal manner.
The overall philosophies and literary precedents are of great interest to me as a source of inspiration for poetry. Which may, perhaps, eventually(after years of investigations and editing accordingly) be considered some type of derivative of Taiji or internal arts ideology. For now, it is simply an endeavor in creative conjecture seeking to be confirmed. I hope I do not offend.
I am quite concerned myself with maintaining the prospective aspects in their respective 'boxes' of ideology, even within the realm of creative endeavor, and do feel a ceratin responsibility towards understanding and maintaining such correct context in all absorptions and conveyances of Taiji materials.
Please continue to correct if I stray too far from the foregone path.
Thanks for all your advice, I will certainly try to apply it.
Best regards,
Psalchemist.
[This message has been edited by psalchemist (edited 11-16-2003).]