T’ai Chi Chih Is the Raft, the Guide, and the Vehicle

T’ai Chi Chih is a profound spiritual discipline which has changed the lives of countless teachers and students around the world. The movements are based on specific principles which must be followed to facilitate the unobstructed circulation of the Chi throughout the body. Over time, as the Chi continues to flow and mature, great benefits may be received.

The Chi is intelligent energy, and when T’ai Chi Chih is practiced with sincerity and without emotion, it inevitably becomes the teacher of the student. Ultimately, there is nothing which will not be known. This is what Justin Stone calls the “growth of certainty.”

The Buddha taught his disciples that the teaching is a “raft.” It is useful to get one to the far shore, but then it must be discarded. Some misunderstand this parable, and have even used it to justify why they have altered the T’ai Chi Chih movements in the name of “evolution.” These efforts are misguided.

The Buddha’s comments are instructions for how to conduct oneself after achieving Enlightenment. Once this is accomplished, and one is free from delusional thinking, what need does one have for the raft?

T’ai Chi Chih is a very sturdy vehicle and needs no modifications. We simply practice the movements correctly, and with sincerity. In doing so, we allow the Chi to take a larger role in directing our lives. The raft becomes the guide as well as the vehicle.

As accredited T’ai Chi Chih instructors, the purity of the discipline we teach must remain our highest concern. T’ai Chi Chih must be kept pure to ensure future generations have the same opportunity to reach the far shore.