Traditional Tai Chi Chuan in DC

(傳統太極拳技藝在華盛頓特區)

                                

  作者：DC 陳鉅太極拳基金會 執行長Charles Votaw                                                         譯者：DC陳鉅太極拳基金會秘書長 Joanne (張瓊瓊)

Here in Washington DC, although we live very far from the source of tai chi, there is a lot of interest.

Master Ben Lo was the first student of Professor Cheng Man Ching in Taiwan.  He taught us that tai chi is 30 percent Confucian and 70 percent Taoist.  This distinction is very interesting, but not so obvious to the western mind.

Following Confucian rules of conduct, we have Yang Cheng Fu's ten principles. These are relatively easy to understand but difficult to apply to the body. Following Lao tzu, we use 'just enough', 'soft overcomes hard' and 'invest in lose'.  These ideas are much harder to understand.

If we approach tai chi casually, it looks very simple. If we look closer, it has many layers of complexity. On the surface it seems useless and weak. In its depths it is powerful and profound!

Here in Washington DC we feel very lucky to have friends and teachers in Taiwan who are so generous to share their understanding and help reveal the inner significance of this great art.

                              

在華盛頓特區，雖然我們住的地方離太極拳的源頭很遠，但是仍然有很多太極愛好者。

羅邦楨大師--鄭師爺在台灣的第一位太極學生，他教我們太極拳30%是儒家，70%是道家。這種區別非常有趣，但是對西方人來說仍然非常深奧。

遵循孔子儒家的行為準則，我們有楊澄甫的十要。十要相對容易理解，但是要應用到身體上仍然困難。遵循老子道家哲理，我們用“正好”、“以柔克剛”、“吃虧”。這些觀念想法更難理解。

如果我們随便打太極拳，看起來似乎很簡單。但如果我們仔細觀察，它有非常多的層次和複雜性。從表面上看，它似乎無用且軟弱。但在它的深處，它是強大而深刻的！

在華盛頓特區，我們很幸運有台灣的朋友和老師慷慨地分享他們對太極的理解並幫助揭示這一偉大藝術的內在意義。