Hi Dan,
I really like what you posted.
Thanks, although I am just repeating what I have read, which is a recurring theme in traditional Chinese thinking: excess (过/過) is just as bad as insufficiency (不及).
Do you know of examples where different terms are used for ‘collapsing’ and ‘flat’ since ‘flat’ seems to associate more with being ‘square’ (cube) rather than ‘round’ (circle or sphere) and does not necessarily correlate with being ‘collapsed;’ although I suppose that a circle (sphere) becoming a square (cube) could be thought of as collapsing the flattening sides.
The word/character 匾 [biǎn] actually means a "horzontal inscribed board" like the one you can see above the gate in
this picture. It is almost certainly used here as an alternate way of writing 扁 [biǎn], which is pronounced identically and is probably more or less the same spoken word. (Notice that this second character is the same as what is inside the 匚 box of the first character.) The word/character 扁 [biǎn] means flat in the sense of something in a flattened shape, but does not mean "level," as in a "level or flat plain." The phrase 压扁, for instance, literally means "pressed flat" and is often the equivalent of "crush."
Chinese has a number of words that can refer to the collapse of a wall or building, but I do not know whether they could be applied to a deficient ward-off arm.
According to my understanding, our view of Tai Chi has part of Sunzi's approach near the top of the theoretical hierarchy: "Know yourself and know your adversary" and "Do not let the enemy know you." Our way of doing that is to make sure the we and our adversary form one Taiji (I am referring to the principle, not the art of Taijiquan). To make you and your adversary one Taiji, we need to stick with him. To stick, we use pressure. To use pressure, we make the energy of our body somewhat like a balloon. The pressure comes from the balloon changing its level of inflation and changing its location. The skin of the balloon hides the internal energy.
If you over-inflate, your energy will feel rigid, like a bowling ball. Your energy will butt against (顶 [dǐng]) the energy of your adversary, and your upper body will feel like a heavy bowling ball knocking into your adversary's energy. If you under-inflate, you will feel like a flat tire that does not keep the rim of the wheel from touching the ground. Your energy will be flat ( 匾/扁 [biǎn]), and you will feel like a car chassis that shakes and rocks with every bump in the road. If you over-protect our center or core and butt against the opponent's energy, every action of the adversary will affect our core directly through the skin of our "balloon." It's as if you bring your core all the way out to the skin. If you under-protect your center or core, the adversary will crash right through the skin all the way in to it. It's as if we bring the skin all the way in to the core.
In moving back and forth, for instance in practicing moving step, you now have to consider the location of your "balloon." If, for instance, you are not willing to give up your location and move your "balloon" pressure to accompany the adversary's withdrawal, you will lose contact (丢 [diū]) with his energy and no longer be part of one Taiji. If, on the other hand, you are not willing to adapt to the opponent's movement and resist (抗 [kàng]) his advance, you will reject contact between your "balloon" energy with his energy and no longer form part of one Taiji. You will be like a billiard ball bouncing off your adversary's energy. Again, you want to push your balloon pressure into your adversary, but not so far that your resist his movement.
I think I share a lot of your fondness for using the image of a sphere in many aspects of push hands; however, I note that Chapter 21, as
Brennan translates it: does talk about squareness, saying:
[21] CORRECTNESS OF SKILL IN TAIJI
太極者元也無論內外上下左右不離此元元也太極者方也無論內外上下左右不離此方也元之出入方之進退隨方就元之往來也方為開展元為緊凑方元規矩之至其就能出此以外哉如此得心應手仰髙鑽堅神乎其神見隱顕微明而且明生生不已欲罷不能
Taiji is round, never abandoning its roundness whether going in or out, up or down, left or right. And Taiji is square, never abandoning its squareness whether going in or out, up or down, left or right. As you roundly exit and enter, or squarely advance and retreat, follow squareness with roundness, and vice versa. Squareness has to do with expanding, roundness with contracting. [Squareness means a directional focus along which you can express your power. Roundness means an all-around buoyancy with which you can receive and neutralize the opponent’s power.]
The main rule is that you be squared and rounded. After all, could there be anything beyond these things? By means of this you will become proficient at the skill. But “gazing up, it grows higher, and drilling in, it gets harder…” [i.e. there is always more to it], so magical it is. When you look upon it at last, it hides again, revealing there is yet more subtlety to it, illumination upon illumination. It generates new features infinitely, rendering you “unable to quit even if there were the desire to do so.” [Lun Yu, 9.11]
The teaching I have received has not focused so much on roundness vs. squareness, and so I cannot add to what Brennan puts here in brackets. I have been taught and experienced "Seek the straight in the curve" and do include that in my teaching and my own practice.
As for empty and full and being double weighted, the theory I follow goes beyond shape. If by chance you have a copy of Master Yang Jun's
Push Hands Video, Vol II, I could give some examples of applications and counters that work on these principles.
Take care,
Audi
