Secret Family Transmission. Since That Time, the Classics Have Gained Wide

The Lectures, with Benjamin secret family transmission. Since that time, the Pang Jeng Lo: Commentaries on classics have gained wide circulation in the “The Essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan” taiji community. Produced by Martin Inn If anyone wants to learn the “authentic” 2010, IRI Press taijiquan art, it is essential that he or she 240 min. DVD, 4-disc set • $100.00 understand the classics. However, these essays were composed in the traditional literary style Review by Russ Mason, M.A. of Chinese, a scholarly style of writing that is Oklahoma State University notoriously difficult to understand, even for most Chinese readers. Fortunately for both Yang-style master Chen Weiming (1881–1958) Western and Chinese students of taijiquan, a famously remarked, “Many practice taiji nowa - number of useful English translations have days, but it is not the real taiji …. Real taiji is been made. very wonderful.” If this was true in the last cen - One of the most well-respected and influ - tury, how is the contemporary taiji devotee to ential English translations to appear in the last discern which interpretation of the art is thirty-five years was done by Benjamin Pang authentic, true, and correct? Real taijiquan is a Jeng Lo (Luo Bangzhen in Pinyin romaniza - martial system characterized by a particular set tion, or Ben Lo, as he is commonly known, who of fundamental principles, and these concepts is the senior-most student of the late Zheng are best articulated in what have come to be Manqing) and his associates, Martin Inn, known as the “classics.” The term “classics” Robert Amacker, and Susan Foe. Their transla - refers to a collection of traditional writings tion of the classics, entitled The Essence of T’ai communicating the essence of the art, which Chi Ch’uan: The Literary Tradition, was first have been handed down from generation to published in 1979 (North Atlantic Books), and generation—a sort of “bible” epitomizing the an annotated and revised paperback edition soul of taijiquan. was released in 2008 by Martin Inn’s IRI Press. Within the Yang-style lineage, the classics This helped readers of the classics take the first have taken a form that includes essays and step in overcoming the challenges posed by the commentaries attributed to luminaries such as original language. taiji’s legendary founder, Zhang Sanfeng, Wang However, major challenges to understand - Zongyue, Wu Yuxiang, and Li Yiyu. Each subse - ing remain. The writings themselves are a col - quent writer echoed the concepts of the former lection of pithy, telegraphic sayings, sitting texts and attempted to articulate them more squarely within the context of the oral tradi - clearly with insights gained through deep, per - tion of instruction. Unless the student has a sonal practice. teacher who is qualified to interpret and The late Zheng Manqing (the ghostwriter explain the classics, many passages remain of Yang Chengfu’s 1934 book, The Essence and arcane, ambiguous, and bewildering. Applications of Taijiquan ) followed his illustrious This brings us to the request that occa - teacher’s example by appending the Yang fami - sioned the creation of the DVD set under ly’s version of the classics to his own textbook review, The Lectures, with Benjamin Pang Jeng on the art of taijiquan ( Master Zheng’s Thirteen Lo . Martin Inn, who is himself a longtime taiji - Treatises on Taijiquan, 1984). The advent of quan teacher, a practitioner of traditional firearms and the cultural changes of Chinese medicine, and a co-translator of two Republican Era (1912–1949) Chinese society books with Lo, approached Ben Lo with the brought a more open attitude to martial arts request that he meet with a group of their taiji - instruction and an end to the strict practice of quan students, go through their recently 110 Journal of Asian Martial Arts • Vol. 20 No. 3 • 2011 revised text of the classics line by line, and Thirteen Postures, by Wu Yu-hsiang (Part I). explain the true meaning of each passage. Disc #3: Expositions of Insights into the Being a traditional Chinese gentleman and Practice of the Thirteen Postures (Part II); The a man of humility and integrity, Mr. Lo imme - Song of Thirteen Postures, by an unknown diately responded: “No! My level is not high author; [Song of Hand Pushing, by an unknown enough.” Undaunted, Inn again urged Lo to author, is included next in the video although give it a try. After weeks of consideration, and it is omitted from the index]; Song of Form and with reluctance and humility, Lo agreed to Function, by Cheng Man-ch’ing; [Yang’s Ten attempt it. Important Points, by Yang Cheng-fu with With this backdrop in mind, the taiji devo - Commentary by Ch’en Wei-ming, Part I, con - tee can appreciate what an amazingly rare and cludes this disc although it is omitted from the valuable experience it is to hear a high-level index]. teacher explain the founders’ views on the Disc #4: Yang’s Ten Important Points, by essence of the art. Fortunately, Martin Inn had Yang Cheng-fu with Commentary by Ch’en the wisdom to ask, the fortitude to persist, and Wei-ming (Part II); Five Character Secret, by the foresight to record the resulting event for Li I-yu; [a final section in which Lo talks about posterity, capturing the insights gleaned from his personal experiences and offers advice on Ben Lo’s sixty years of diligent practice of and training closes the last disc but is not men - research into taijiquan, the first twenty-six tioned in the index]. years of which were under the direct tutelage of For the most part, the contents of the one of the most influential taiji masters of the DVDs are straightforward and unedited, allow - twentieth century, Professor Zheng Manqing. ing the viewer to be a virtual member of the The DVD album consists of four sixty- audience, experiencing the event almost as did minute discs documenting the lectures, a total the firsthand viewers. There are also challenges of approximately four hours of material record - for the viewer. ed during a two-day conference held in San English is not Ben Lo’s native language Francisco in 2009. Lo speaks to a group of stu - and, at times, explanations are hampered by dents, sometimes using a flip chart to write limitations in the speaker’s linguistic range. Chinese characters, and sometimes calling up a Listeners can overcome this challenge with member of the audience to assist him as he patient and diligent attentiveness. It is well physically demonstrates a point. Passages from worth the effort. Lo’s own translation, The Essence of T’ai Chi There are a few small production shortcom - Ch’uan: The Literary Tradition, are shown via ings. As noted above, in some places the on- overhead projector on a screen behind the screen indices do not list all of the texts or seg - speaker as Lo reads through his copy of the clas - ments covered in the discs, providing opportu - sics, expounding on each line. Having a copy of nity for confusion. An album booklet or view - the paperback text on hand makes it easier for ing guide insert with a complete listing of all the viewer to follow the organization of the lec - segments would be a helpful addition. ture. But these are minor quibbles. Such blem - On-screen menus list the contents of the ishes and small omissions do little to diminish four DVDs as follows: the overall value of the product. There is no Disc #1: Introduction; T’ai Chi Ch’uan question that this is a valuable resource and Ching, by Chang San-feng; T’ai Chi Ch’uan one from which any practitioner of taijiquan Lun, by Wang Tsung-yueh (Part I). can greatly benefit. Disc #2: T’ai Chi Ch’uan Lun (Part II); The presentation is spiced with personal Expositions of Insights into the Practice of the stories, punctuated with the occasional “hands- Journal of Asian Martial Arts • Vol. 20 No. 3 • 2011 111 .

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