Oleg Cherne

Fist of the Great Ultimate

As I invite you to ask questions on this topic, which is called "Fist of the Great Ultimate" (Taijiquan), I think mostly of popular culture that has gripped the minds of millions of people worldwide. Taijiquan is the most massive system for development associated with movement. It brings together people with perfectly diverse interests - from the ones searching for the path to lasting health, to those interested in martial arts. Ignoring this mass phenomenon is tantamount to disregarding the history of human development.

Few are the people who have not been in touch with the culture of Taijiquan in one form or another. A proof of this is the Taiji symbol, which is as popular as, for example, the famous portrait of Che Guevara. Nevertheless, even among the followers of Taijiquan there are a number of contradictions – historical, philosophical, applicational and alchemical.

Practicing Taijiquan for more than 13 years, and investigating the diverse interpretations and teachings of a dozen masters, I realized I would not find a more prefect system for developing the proportions. And only after I realized this, I began studying this art at the level of timelessness.

Clearly, people’s achievements depend to a large degree on their definition of why they do Taiji. However we must note the fact that just a few practitioners can attain such a definition. There is a route that leads to stupor – when the energy is revealed, but there is no strength of mind that can control its circulation and, therefore, transform it into a real controlled force.

Naturally, neither I nor anyone else can be a true and ultimate authority on this issue. The discussion of this topic is to me, above all, a chance to reexamine this doctrine in the light of the definitions and perceptions of the ones who pracitce or try to start practicing it. However, there’s always the risk of falling under the influence of some tradition completely inadequate to Taijiquan.

For the ones who will be interested in this topic, it is extremely important that they understand that Taijiquan is the art of studying proportions. And if this is not clear and visible in the light of their practices, then their view of this topic is bound to be quite narrow. Whichever master you use as a disguise, please demonstrate an understandiong of what you do.

If you practice Taijiquan as a martial art, then demonstrate that you can throw the oponent 10 meters away. If you do it for your health, then demonstrate the integrity of your body. If you do it for the aesthetics, demonstrate the visible results. If you do it as a sport, then we need discuss no further. If you do Taiji for the alchemy, demonstrate your proportions. And if you say that you are a descendant of the Chen family or an heir of the great line of Chen Zhang Senfeng, or at least Yang Luquan, this is far from enough.