11/16/2023
TAIJI AND SPIRITUALITY
If we practice Taijiquan for competition, then we practice for the medal. After that, we prepare for the next event. If there are techniques that we must master, we concentrate on what will win points and dazzle our audience. There’s a place for that, but it’s not the ultimate goal of a Taijiquan practice.
Historically, demonstrations were to inspire people, to instill community pride, to perpetuate the culture, and to let people know that its techniques were available. In some cases, there were also wandering martial arts troupes, and they did demonstrations in the streets to make money. Even in those traditional settings, though, performance was part of a lifetime of practice.
In contrast, spirituality is a done for its own sake. It shouldn’t be done for the sake of anything else. This is a difficult point in a world where our involvements are only validated if they are done in exchange for some additional benefit. We are told to go to school so that we can get a good job. We are told to get a good job so we can make money and pursue our own happiness. We are told to get married so that we can have children and a secure future. We are told to be religious so that we can be blessed. Even Taijiquan is promoted in this way. We are supposed to learn so that we can be healthier and learn how to defend ourselves. In summation, we are taught that nothing is worthwhile unless it leads to profit. But this attitude should not be applied to spirituality.
Sadly, the majority of spiritual traditions are being promoted with a profiteering mindset. People say that spirituality will help with doubt, with existential anxiety, depression, emotional balance, and so on. It’s common for someone to state problems and then offer their spiritual system as a solution. At the most vulgar levels, spirituality is said to create wealth, attract a love partner, grant all wishes, lead to weight loss, and give one an advantage over others.
That last assertion is the most sobering. People think that if they read the Yijing or Art of War, or search the scriptures, or learn martial arts, or meditate that they’ll have one up on the next person. This is a ridiculous perversion that flies in the face of what spirituality really teaches—compassion and love.
Practice should be done for its own sake.
We practice Taijiquan and that is all. Everything else is a secondary benefit that happens by itself. That flies in the face of this world that emphasizes “practicality.” The attitude that everything must be a means to an end rather than an end in itself is not helpful to understanding a spiritual life.
Practice. Practice every day for its own sake. That’s spiritual.
