by Audi » Sat Jul 21, 2001 8:39 pm
Hi Richard,
I would basically support what David has said, but wanted to add a few points.
Many discussion of whether certain features are in a style or not do not adequately distinguish between the style itself and the principle hand form the style uses. Many Yang stylists simply practice "fajin" separately from the form. Yang Zhen Duo demonstrates "fajin" on his video and has done so during seminars, but I can say nothing of his private practice.
Another problem about discussing Yang Cheng Fu's practice is that he apparently changed some aspects of the principal form he taught many times, leading to confusion among some as to which variations should be thought of as the "Yang Cheng Fu" form. If he occasionally continued some of the earlier variations in private or at different locations, or, worse yet, practiced them simultaneously for a time, I can imagine how this itself could give rise to talk of secret and public forms.
Much of what you allude to echos debates I have read about whether Yang Cheng Fu "watered down" T'ai Chi for ease of teaching to the greater public. People who have this view often seize on the lack of fajin in the hand form as evidence of a lack of martial quality. Whatever Yang Cheng Fu's motivations, I think it is inappropriate to put such emphasis on the form itself, which in all styles lacks certain techniques practiced in other ways. Yang style practices have undoubtedly evolved to accommodate modern concerns about health and the lack of a need to be proficient with sword, spear, etc. What one makes of this, however, is more a question of individual teaching styles than of the style itself.
By the way, the first form I learned, which I believe to be from the CMC lineage, was supposed to be performed at an absolutely even tempo. Each move had a specific count so that it could even be performed to a metronome. I am unsure of the reason for this, but think it had to do with teaching an appreciation for timing that would have been impossible if explosive moves were peppered throughout the form. I was taught in the context of Kempo Karate instruction and street self-defense techniques, and so health considerations were almost wholly absent from the method of teaching. That is why I have trouble viewing the presense or absence of fa jin in the form as indicating anything other than a practice preference.
I personally believe that there are indeed many philosophical difference between CMC stylists and many other Yang stylists. I do not believe, however, that the presence or lack of fajin in the form is one of them.
In my opinion, the main difference between the two groups is in what "relaxation" entails and how to practice it. CMC stylists seem to stress lack of muscular exertion, whereas others in Yang Cheng Fu's lineage seem to stress extension and loosening the joints. In the first thirty seconds of critically watching someone do form, CMC stylists I have known will invariably comment about tension they see in various muscles. During one three-day seminar I attended that Yang Zhen Duo taught, I do not recall him doing this even once. Instead, he was constantly adjusting the postures of attendees for being under-extended and not sufficiently "loosened out." When asked about how to relax, he responded that you had to "loosen out" more and would demonstrate visibly extending the limbs.
CMC stylists cultivate being empty, while many other Yang stylists cultivate being full. CMC folks talk about having light arms and heavy legs, while many other Yang stylists view heavy arms in push hands as a good attribute. These differences result in different compromises about various issues, for instance, about how much to bend the wrists and in what postures and how much to straighten the legs and in what positions.
Lastly, just as there is a dispute among some about how much Yang Cheng Fu retained the flavor of what his grandfather practiced, I think there is some dispute, even among CMC stylists, about whether CMC intended to found a separate style or simply was teaching what he learned from Yang Cheng Fu.
As for whether CMC stylists have specific views about the 4 ounces question, I would say that they seem indeed to put more emphasis on this than others, and on being "soft." I have heard tales told of CMC stylists that thought pushing hands was an inappropriate exercise for anyone who had not spent at least five (or maybe ten) years with the form, because of the tendency of beginners to use crude force.
On the other hand, someone who I understand to be a 3rd-generation CMC stylist, who has an international push hands reputation, and who frequents this board on occasion, does not seem to view T'ai Chi as particularly a "soft" art.
As to whether there is a difference in fajin between Yang and Chen styles, I would again support what David says. Yang Style is said to stress ward off energy (peng jin), and Chen Style is said to stress silk reeling energy (chan si jin), which is the spiraling energy that resembles the motion of a thread as it is pulled off an oval silk cocoon.
Strictly speaking, both of these are considered energies separate from "issuing energy" (fa jin), which should be the same for all styles. Now that I think of it, however, I do recall that Yang Stylists talk about collecting energy in curves, but releasing it in a straight line; while Chen Stylists think of releasing energy in spirals. Perhaps, this is the difference you are referring to. I reconcile this by considering that the best arrows have feathers that allow them to spiral in straight lines.
Take care,
Audi