wu vs. yang

[Anonymous]

good day,

seems like i read somewhere wu is more conducive to meditation than yang. if true, why?

difference between dzochen and taoist meditation?

any comments appreciated…

cheers

daniel

[Anonymous]

Hey Daniel,

My understanding is that the people that Bruce learned the Yang style from were Tai Chi masters but they were not masters of Taoist Meditation.

Bruce learned the Wu style from Liu Hung Chieh who was both a master of Tai Chi and a master of Taoist Meditation. Liu showed Bruce how to fully integrate meditation into the wu style tai chi form.

This is why Bruce spends so much time teaching the Wu style. If ten years down the line a tai chi student becomes interested in meditation, they will be able to take advantage of all the work they did in learning the wu style and use it to accelerate their progress in meditation.

Hope this helps,
Janak

[Anonymous]

good info
thanks

[Anonymous]

Also just to add, Wu being the “small style” related to Old Yang (Bruce comments upon this in YouTube videos, so for further info.. actually this topic is covered in various Energyartsvideos on youtube)…

but since the small-style condenses into the phy (the tissues, but also the ‘energy’ like accu-channels.. but also the “mind”); this is tricky as the “bigger movement” of “medium” is easier to learn/do (large frame focuses upon “stretch”.. but still it is more ‘obvious)..
so if it isn’t grasped larger, then try and make smaller and it just fumbles- not have the ‘coordination developed’.. as well as understanding clearly what to do..

once ‘grasp it’.. then can focus it down.. which tunes-into (thus allows to feel/listen smaller/more-refined aspects, like using a wooden-stirring spoon, or a spatula to touch, and then a screwdriver-tip.. and then a toothpick.. in terms of refine what part- touching.. in the same way as Touch-listen different layers of fluid or tissue in another- (and as gain the skill to recog when you ‘latch-on to X vs Y, then can sense likewise more subtle distinctions in your awareness and energy, as well.

(as ex: for me seeing the OldYang moves shown- in the intro-promo vids, there are clearly energetic aspects, which then looking at Wu I can see are there, but before I couldn’t see as well (even having a sense of what to look for).. but once can see, as well as feel/do yourself (doing the form).. that itself develops the Mind-sensory (let alone, as Janack comments, all the meditation techniques- its not vague many actual details.. but even if one applied those techniques upon the larger-Yang style.. it wouldn’t seem to transfer for the subtle-aiming.) -that’s my understanding at least.. I hope that adds something..

[Anonymous]

meditation is meditation.
meditation is not meditation.
not meditation is not meditation.
then meditation becomes meditation.

My point:
Who knows?

I’ve practiced the Yang Style Long Form since 1995.
I started Wu Style Short Form—hmmm–in about 2012.
I’ve done zazen since 1976.

For me the Yang Style Long Form has been most conducive to meditation.

Time is an important variable.
A Long Form takes about 20 minutes.
Short forms like the 24 Yang Style Short Form or Bruce’s Wu Style Short Form take only about 6 minutes, they just don’t seem long enough.
(Maybe the Wu Style Long Form would do just as well–but to learn another Long Form I must invest many hours daily–that time I just don’t have.)

For me movement is an important variable.
I do zazen for as long as it takes me to go through the Yang Style Long Form.
But I don’t get the same dynamic calmness engendered by tai chi movement.

Non-movement is not unimportant–standing meditation invests a good chunk of time on fundamental alignments.
But for me it just doesn’t MOVE.
non-doing and nonbreathing don’t do it for me.

In Shobogenzo: Uij–Living Time or Being Time
Dogen seems to be saying that
everything in this world is embodied within the constantly changing moment by moment of the present.

So:
time is time.
time is not time.
not time is not time.
then time becomes time.

Long or short.
Large or small.
Wu or Yang.
Still or dynamic.
dzochen or taoist.

Bruce likes to talk about quantum “flux.”

Enjoy.

Bob

[Anonymous]

bob,

wow you’re everywhere!

everywhere is everywhere
everywhere is not everywhere
not everywhere is not everywhere
then everywhere becomes everywhere

“practice and all is coming” as mr. jois said

tanks,

daniel

[Author]

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