Practicing Tai Chi and Remembering the Master | Experience the beautiful Taiji life with a peaceful heart

The upcoming November 30th marks the first anniversary of the death of my respected teacher. This year, I have been filled with boundless thoughts of you. I am grateful to have met you and developed a connection with Taiji.

I began to learn Taiji every week at the Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai. By chance, my sister and I went to a martial arts school. It was the height of summer at that time. The green plants in the small courtyard were arranged in an orderly manner. The senior students were practicing Tai Chi seriously in the courtyard. Later, the master invited us into the house for tea. The senior students quickly changed out of their sweaty Taiji suits and were busy inviting us to take our seats. Their humble and gentle appearance It forms a sharp contrast with the vigorous and vigorous practice of boxing just now. However, in this special dojo, the transition between movement and stillness is as natural as can be. Entering the room, although it wasn’t as hot as the courtyard being scorched by the sun, it was still sweltering. I habitually looked for the air conditioner and asked the senior sister beside me in a low voice. She shook her head and smiled without saying a word. In no time, I was sweating profusely. Next, the first tea-brewing and discussion session at the martial arts school began. Although I didn’t quite understand some of the master’s words, his warm tone, combined with the freshness of the green tea, brought a long-lost peace to my heart and my body no longer felt hot as before. Just as the master said, a calm mind brings natural coolness. Practicing Taiji, cultivating both the body and the mind, enables the body to adapt to the changes of the four seasons.

After that, this seemingly ordinary small quadrangle courtyard seemed to have a magic power, drawing me in. My master said, “We practice Taiji, a martial art. Although it’s martial art, there’s culture within it.” Tai Chi is a discipline and a part of China’s five-thousand-year-old culture. Martial arts are the essence of the Dao. Every time I listen to my master explain it, I gain new insights into many things. It feels as if the small courtyard, like a wall, separates the noisy world I was familiar with before, bringing peace to my heart. Here, I felt the mutual care and the pure friendship of making progress together among my senior brothers and sisters. I also felt the elders’ love from my master and his wife. At the same time, there were tears shed after being severely criticized by my master. Everything was so real and pure. Everything was a kind of truth that I rarely had and longed for in my heart since I became an adult.

Although my master has left us now, he still carries the precious old Taiji passed down by him. Taiji has also integrated into my life, and I feel that my master is still by my side. The master often says that Tai Chi is the rhythm of music, the connotation of philosophy, the construction of beauty and the artistic conception of poetry. Once again, I am grateful to my master for allowing my heart to regain peace and enabling me to experience the wonderful life of Taiji more meticulously.

Miss you forever!