Tai Chi the Supreme Ultimate
The original meaning of tai chi is God/ Spirit/ the Tao in the act of manifesting and maintaining creation. God is the Supreme Ultimate, and as a solo tai chi sequence is performed ,one practices being God-like. The performance of the 108 can and should be a spiritual experience. Just as Spirit, in its cosmic unity, manifest himself in creation coordinating the movement of all the planets, moons, comets, stars and galaxies in their revolutions and orbits in perfect balance and harmony, the tai chi practitioner performs the movements of the 108 with all its revolutions and circles in perfect balance and harmony.
The cycles of creation are revealed within the sequence as the form begins and returns to the perfect peace and stillness of Spirit. From the perfect stillness, creation manifests itself out of the movement created by The Big Bang. Once the universe is set into motion it never stops until it collapses once more into itself. Movement within the 108 is continuous, without interruptions until the form ends. The tai chi classics say “… it should flow like a great river.” The form begins and ends with a bow of reverence to Spirit, recognizing the moment of perfect peace which begins and ends a sequence and the cycles of creation.
The cycles within the cycles, such as the seasons of the year, are represented in the repetitions of ward off, rollback, press, and push. Epochs of time are seen as the form is separated into its loops.
The infinite manifestations of creation are represented in the great variety of movements within the form. Even the name of the form, the 108, represents infinity, and is used to call our attention to the diversity within creation.
Although the celestial objects move with great speed and perfect coordination, the astronomical distances make the speed seem very slow. The performance of the 108 mimics speed since this is performed very slowly, in perfect coordination of all of its parts.
The foundational physics of the universe are not only represented, but also demonstrated and experienced in the interaction and coordination of the weight shifts, body movements, and breath. The weight shifts are a perfect example of opposites; like the day and the night they blend into one another, each with an aspect of its opposite in itself.
Creation is alive, and the 108 comes alive with the harmony of movement and breath.
Just as spirit is aware of itself, in all of creation, all at once; the seeker must become aware of all the parts and all the energy in the body, all at once. To do this, the seeker must slow and focus the thoughts, concentrating solely on their performance. As this ability to focus the attention develops, the seeker becomes able to extend the limits of awareness beyond the physical body. One begins to feel not only the energy in one’s body, but also the energy around the body. Abilities to use this energy to heal oneself and others develop. As the awareness of energy around one expands, one’s realization of cosmic unity dawns with direct perception of Spirit as the Supreme Ultimate.