The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: Wisdom from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Other Great Thinkers [Hardcover]

Freya Boedicker (Author), Martin Boedicker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

The essence of Tai Chi Chuan lies in the rich philosophy of ancient China. While most Tai Chi practitioners are aware of the value that studying Chinese philosophy can bring to their practice, it is often difficult to pick out those texts that are most relevant to Tai Chi and connected to its development. The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan presents, for the first time, a concise overview of the Chinese martial and spiritual philosophies that drive this ancient tradition.Authors Freya and Martin Boedicker, who teach Tai Chi throughout Europe and South Africa, present freshly translated excerpts from such popular and widely studied works as the Tao Te Ching, the I Ching, and The Art of War, as well as writings by philosophers and strategists such as Zhuangzi and Wuzi. Each chapter of this concise volume focuses on a single work or philosopher, and includes a short history of each one as well as a description of their relevance to Tai Chi. An extensive glossary of important Chinese terms rounds out the book. The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan offers readers a direct connection with the concepts that form the foundation of Tai Chi, inspiring a deeper understanding of the art and its applications.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An important work for the practitioner that wants to understand the inner works of Tai Chi, to ‘raise the essence and attune the spirit.’ The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan is also a good quality rendition by Blue Snake Books and should find a welcome spot in the Philosophy section of your library.”
—dkMommy Spot

About the Author

Freya and Martin Boedicker run the Forum for Traditional Wu Tai Chi Chuan and teach Tai Chi in Germany, England, Holland, Poland, Belgium, Spain, and South Africa. They are long-time students of Ma Jiangbao, the son of Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang. Martin Boedicker, who has obtained a master's degree in East Asian Science, has taught a seminar on "Visualizing Chinese Thinking Structures" at the University of Witten for six years. Freya Boedicker, a chemistry teacher, also develops Tai Chi teacher training. Both have published articles on Tai Chi theory and application in Tai Chi journals across Europe. They live in Willich, Germany.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583942637
• ISBN-13: 978-1583942635
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to Taijiquan theory studies, October 1, 2009

By 

Terence King "Terry King" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: Wisdom from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Other Great Thinkers (Hardcover)

For all taijiquan enthusiasts who have read the taiji classics and wished to know more about the vast background of Chinese philosophy which lies behind them, this book is for you! It consists of carefully-chosen excerpts from those works of Chinese philosophy which have the most direct bearing on the development of taijiquan. The authors have done a great job of selecting, translating, and commenting on these passages, giving in effect a brief history of Chinese philosophy in less than 100 pages. Those of us without the background or time to investigate the immense body of material represented here can be thankful that the authors have done the work for us. Highly recommended for any taijiquan student who is interested in the ways of thinking that led to this great art.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aj tai chi journey waiting for all of us, June 17, 2009

By 

Gerardo Lopez Sastre - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: Wisdom from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Other Great Thinkers (Hardcover)

It has been a real pleasure to read this book. If one wants to do more than copy a lot of movements without any meaning one needs to know "the reason behind". This means not only the more or less hidden applications, but the philosophy that supports them, the core ideas that provide the strategy of Tai Chi and allow the practitioner to know what is right and what is wrong. In this field it is very easy to get lost. A lot of big words and flurry concepts: dao, de, full and empty .... Why not skip all this and concentrate in the practice? A big mistake! Theory without practice is not going to improve our health or our martial ability. But practice without theory is blind. We need to know that some Chinese philosophers believed that the weak overcomes the strong, and that this principle is embodied in Tai Chi. Chinese strategists thought about the art of deception. So if the enemy is strong we must evade him, but if he is holding back, we must look arrogant. And we could continue ... I had a Tai Chi Master who used to say that Tai Chi was created by intelligent people who were getting older and could not trust any longer in brute force. So, from the beginning the tai chi practitioner (and especially complete beginners) must know what they are doing, the specific quality of what they are doing. This is what they can learn in this book, some quite easy to understand Chinese texts that present "abstract concepts"; but (and this is the magic of Tai Chi) concepts that can be felt, can be embodied in movements of the solo form or in the interaction with a partner. In this sense I would recommend strongly the reading of this book, and then ...to put it into practice. A wonderful Tai chi journey is waiting for all of us.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Idea - Needs Fleshing Out, March 14, 2010

By 

Stewart Hay (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: Wisdom from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Other Great Thinkers (Hardcover)

Registered Instructor - Tai Chi Union of Great Britain (TCUGB)
Instructor - Northern Wu Taiji Quan Global Alliance

I really liked the authors' idea of offering "a direct connection with the concepts that form the foundation of Tai Chi, inspiring a deeper understanding of the art and its applications".

The "Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan" (PTCC) covers twelve texts beginning with the I Ching. Also featured are Taoist (Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Lie Zi, Nei Ye & Huainanzi), Confucian (Analects, Da Xue & Zhong Yong) and Military works (Sun Zi, Wu Zi & Sun Bin).

A notable omission, given its influence on Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) and the art's own Classics, is the Tai Chi Diagram Explanation of Zhou Dun Yi.

The authors give their view about the influence of each text on the practice of TCC. The influences cited are typically general in nature, explanations are brief, and there is little specific application.

Classical Chinese philosophical works are not easy to understand. Commentaries are often provided to minimise misunderstandings as, per the TCC classics, "being off by a hair's breadth is to miss by a thousand miles". PTCC has no commentaries. Readers must make their own connections, as best they can, between TCC and the excerpts.

I admire the German authors for translating from Chinese into English. I hope that their book stimulates some positive discussions. Some chapters/things that caught my eye:

Zhuang Zi. The authors describe "non-acting (wuwei)" as an important concept that means "neither too much nor too little action". This changes to "not to interfere with or act against naturalness" in the glossary.

Other commentators place most emphasis on the nature, rather than the amount, of action e.g. "going with the flow". In martial terms others have expressed wuwei as "rolling with the punches". Blending with, rather than resisting, an opponent's action is wuwei.

Wu Zi. The authors say that "those who learn TCC practice an old Chinese martial art. Nevertheless, most students of TCC view the use of violence skeptically. This skepticism can also be found in the texts of the strategists of old China".

My dictionary defines scepticism as "an attitude of doubt especially associated with implied criticism." I do wonder if "pragmatic" is perhaps a more appropriate description for the attitude of the strategists towards violence.

Given that TCC is a martial art it's no surprise that there are many accounts of famous TCC masters visiting varying degrees of violence upon challengers, assailants, would be assassins, assorted lowlifes & even their own students. Some even seemed to enjoy it and didn't need too much prompting either.

We (civilian, emotionally mature) TCC students understand the limitations of violence in conflict resolution. We aim to avoid using it. But we recognise when violence is necessary. At which point our training allows us (hopefully!) to apply a proportionate and lawful level of violence effectively. This is nothing to be doubtful or critical about.

Da Xue. The authors write that "one can imagine that many masters of TCC saw their art not only as a collection of self-defence techniques or health exercises but also as a form of self-cultivation. This also explains the great importance of the solo forms, which many students of TCC consider to be the substance of their art".
It's probably a lost-in-translation moment, but given the sophisticated, coherent, strategies and tactics described in TCC literature I doubt that any TCC Masters viewed their martial art as a "collection of self-defence techniques".

That many people who practice solo forms consider them to be "the substance of their art" is, however, well known. There are many forms: some fast; some slow; some overtly martial; some less so. We can practice the same form in many different ways too. Many people have fun and get many benefits from practicing form and only form. But can we really say that we're practicing the martial art of TCC if the solo form is "the" substance of our art?

The authors noted that the I Ching structured the world in pairs of opposites and that this has a fundamental influence on TCC. Civilian and Military are such a pair. TCC Master Tung Ying Chieh used these terms to describe the practice of TCC as follows:

"The civil aspect of Taijiquan is the Body (the Form). The military aspect is the Application. Training in the civil aspect is learning about yourself. The military aspect is needed for confrontation. If one learns the civil aspect and ignores the military aspect, it is the body with no function. If the military aspect is not based on the civil aspect, it is a tree with no root."

The authors stated that the Da Xue addresses "peaceful and respectful dealings with each other". The partner work (military) aspect of TCC allow us to develop such dealings very directly. And it complements the hand form/solo exercises to give a more complete art.

In conclusion I found this book to be an interesting read and a recommended buy. The basic premise was a nice idea but it needs to be explored in more detail to make this a great book. I would welcome the authors revisiting this subject in the future and fleshing out the relationships between the classic texts and TCC.