33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thanks for the translation, but..., October 8, 2003
This review is from: T'ai Chi Classics (Shambhala Classics) (Paperback)
I found this book valuable, but not outstanding. Waysun Liao is not personally known to me, but according to the sources in this book, he is an avid believer in Cheng Man Ching's perspective on Tai Chi. I am in no position to critique one perspective or another, but my take on this book was that it was tinted significantly by Master Cheng's perspective. That being said, I have not avidly studied Master Cheng (although I intend to read some of his/students' work), but there was a consistent underlying bias towards one way of looking that I wasn't convinced was originally intended by the "classics"authors. I'll try to explain what I mean in the paragraphs below.
The first section is an abridged history of Tai Chi. The next two chapters are on ch'i and jing, respecively. These two chapters are nice. They are Master Liao's (the author)insights into the concepts of ch'i and jing. He provides some nice descriptions and definitions of what he feels these terms mean, as well as medititative approaches to trying to develop ch'i and jing. As with the majority of books I've read, these definitions are things like "life energy", "internal energy" and "intrinsic energy"-- and the outcome after practicing his meditative technique is that you should soon "feel your ch'i".
Liao attempts to be more precise and detailed then that, but ultimately, as with many things, the reader is still reduced to "life energy" as the basis of all things. His descriptions include many analogical/symbolic diagrams that are sometimes helpful, but for me, mostly added nothing-- in fact, when he attempts to use real-life analogies, it's clear that his understanding of Newtonian physics is inadequate to truly use these types of examples to try and explain what he means. Ultimately, ch'i as the "energy of the universe" and "immune to the laws of time and space" is inadequate to the subject.
OTOH, his treatise on jing is interesting and informative, although still relies to heavily on his abstract definition of ch'i. Utilizing a hammer and nail analogy left me shaking my head in dismay. Liao does not always correlate his text with his hand-written diagrams. I did like his explanation of shoong, or relaxation.
His perspective pervades his Tai Chi Classics translation. The nice thing is that he translates the Classics for us non-fluent (in Chinese) readers. He then adds his own commentary, and it is heavily flavored with comments on ch'i etc. as he defines it--often where I felt the original translation wasn't referring to ch'i at all, but to other things. Sometimes his commentary is just saying it again in a slightly different way, IMO sometimes distorting the "original" meaning.
As with all things of this nature, there will be many perspectives. And it only takes one to really make a difference in specific individuals. I feel that Master Liao has given his best effort, with good intent, and that this is how HE truly understands these esoteric concepts. For that, this is a valuable book, and I think it provides a number of insights. I felt like I understood better what ch'i and jing and all that is when Masters use the terms, although I'm still not certain, just based on this book, what it actually is.
All in all, this book has and will improve my Tai Chi, and I think it brought me a step closer. But I wish there could be someone (check out Peter Ralston's early works) that could approach things on a more grand, open perspective, and gradually wheedle it down to the specifics, explaing how/why process-wise, it evolved. I didn't feel I got the BASIS for Master Liao's perspective that I think I needed to truly appreciate his effort.
Thanks for listening.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good text. Worth a read., September 16, 2001
This review is from: T'ai Chi Classics (Shambhala Classics) (Paperback)
Waysun Liao's knowledge seems to be genuine. He has some valuable insights and ideas.
The chapters on the background and history of taiji are somewhat misleading. The author vastly oversimplifies the history of Chinese philosophy and collectively calls Taoist, Confucian, Moist, and Buddhist philosophies "Tai Chi ideals." The section on taiji's martial history takes much the same approach. The author never mentions Chen village and offers only a vague interpretation of taijiquan's history.
The most valuable portions of this book are the chapters on qi cultivation and the classics. The final sections offer translations and interpretations of three taiji classics, but to my disappointment the author offered no historical background or context for these classics -- not even a few sentences indicating who the authors were or what their role in taiji history was.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, but read his other one first...., November 8, 2005
This review is from: T'ai Chi Classics (Shambhala Classics) (Paperback)
While this is a great translation of the classics, and has a good history and perspective on Taichi, the jump into cultivating and applying Jing is fairly advanced. I recommend reading his new book "Chi-How to Feel Your Life Energy" first, and then Taichi Classics...whether you are a beginner or advanced practitioner. Why? Because in it, he gives a thorough overview of Chi, where it comes from, how Taichi helps strengthen and purify life energy, and why this is important for health and spiritual development, and also discusses applications of Chi -- such as martial arts and healing-- . These fundamental yet profound concepts will give you a better feel for the internal art perspective Liao is coming from. His newer books, even Nine Nights With a Taoist Master, are available here now, so you don't have to go through insiders or other websites to get them. Just do a search on this site.
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