Saskatoon Nine Dragon Baguazhang
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Daoism – Symbolism and Baguazhang
By John P. Painter (Copyright 2005 IAM Co.
Concerning Daoism historians have been attempting to sort fact from fiction for many years. While there is some consensus as to the key figures who founded the concepts, however because of various historical traditions among Daoist sects and the very nature of Daoism itself, much remains a mystery.
“The ancient sages never put their teachings in systematic form. They spoke in paradoxes, for they were afraid of uttering half-truths. They began by talking like fools and ended by making their hearers wise.” -Okakura 1989
The legendary founder Lao Zi was believed to be deeply mystical in his feelings regarding nature. He believed that there was something inexpressible, beyond what we can know with the five senses. This unknown, for lack of a better word, he called Dao.
The Chinese character for Dao is comprised of a number of component strokes made with a brush. These strokes are called radicals. Each radical is a summation of a core thought or idea which when combined with others creates an idea of thought form. Dao’s radicals depict a wise shaman or king walking which is supposed to depict the direction one takes if wisdom is to be found. Hence, in a strict sense, Dao can be translated as the path of the sage.
To make Dao a thing or object is a mistake, for as Lao Zi says “The inner nature of the universes is something mysteriously formed which we cannot know,” therefore anything we can say about Dao allows us to know and is thus not Dao. We can however experience the unknown as deep pervading stillness (Wuji) through the practice of meditation.
Original Daoist concepts looked to nature as a guide and while spiritual and mystical in their reverence for natural phenomena there were not religious in nature. In time religious Daoism did develop and divided into many branches, later combining with Confucianism, Buddhism and other belief structures. Today there is much confusion concerning what Daoism is. I will say that in reference back to the founder, if you can define it then it is not Dao.
So where does Baguazhang come into all of this? During the Sung dynasty (920-1279) AD a book called the Dragon-Tiger classic was written by two Daoist masters seeking immortality as longevity that shows people how to undergo a spiritual transformation within the body and mind. This practice was known as inner cultivation. The ultimate enlightenment to be achieved by these methods of cultivation was for the practitioner to experience Dao directly, from visualization and imagination attained during the practice of meditation. This became known as Daoist internal alchemy.
These methods based on meditation and specific breathing exercises evolved into the concepts we know today as Qigong. Some Daoists discovered that one could also maintain a feeling of euphoric vitality while performing soft gentle movements especially those practiced slowly as in Taijiquan and Baguazhang. The most profound methods of this exercise were those of a circular nature. It is believed that these early movement Gong (skills) evolved into what we know today as Taijiquan and also Baguazhang. At first glance such practices may seem far removed from the original intent of classical Daoism, they are not. Circle walking especially in the Li family traditions of Nine Dragon Baguazhang is a symbol of the basic Daoist belief that life is improved when one returns to a feeling of oneness with Dao.
The sages learned that if we go deep into the heart during meditation and experience the feeling of Wuji (void) that we can also then begin to feel at one with nature (Dao) when we are soft and flexible in movements and quiet and tranquil in mind and spirit.
Experiences which are symbolic of these ideas help us to accomplish these feelings. When we learn that the inner experience of Wuwei (letting things follow their natural course) is a reflection of the outer world we begin to understand our own natures at a deeper more mystical level.
Note that I used the words symbolic exercise and not ritual exercise. Ritual exercise is one in which an individual memorizes an exact set of actions and performs them exactly in the prescribed manner without deviation time and time again. Lao Zi tells us clearly that “ritual is the husk of faith” implying that the kernel the true power lies in the seed idea not the chaff.
Symbolic exercise may begin with memorizing a set routine but over time it evolves and changes to suit the particular needs of the practitioner. It has no fixed form, yet still relies on specific principled that follow nature’s laws. One can find this in the practice of the Jiulong Baguazhang Qigong methods of the flying dragon practice and also in the martial training where a few basic routines lead us into a place where there are no fixed routines.
Symbolic practice used in Jiulong for example can remind us of the journey of life. We begin in the center of the circle (Wuji) the point of no action yet pregnant with all possibilities (pre-birth). We walk out of the circle (birth) move around and around counterclockwise, clockwise turning in and flowing out, changing directions and turning while circling the circle and finally spiral back into the center Wuji becoming quiet again (death) we are still but we are also ready to begin again. This method is a talisman that can be viewed as an expression of Dao and can if one is wise enough and relaxed enough foster and inner development as it fortifies the feeling of connection w ith something greater that the individual self.
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John Painter