Posted by Show-Hong on January 10, 1999 at 01:29:24:
In Reply to: "Ball-holding posture" posted by Louis on January 05, 1999 at 15:36:54:
Hi Louis,
My teacher seldom use the term "holding ball" although I know it is being used in modern Taichi teaching. People also jokingly refer it as "holding a water mellon". I have not studied the etiology or implications of this term. My view, intuitively, is that this is only a name for a posture that shows up frequently in the form yet does not have a name. Naturally it is called by something which is related to the posture vias visual or semantics means.
It is my view that the same probably is true for most of the terminology and descriptions used in the Taichi literature. Since the inner workings of Taichi is not well understood and is even more difficult to put into words. I have found it easier to treat these descriptions as figurative speach and not taking them literally. I believe taking them literally or reading too much into the words more often than not will lead one astray.
Therefore, I saw in your quotes “as though supporting a ball” and “as though embracing a sphere” the most important words are "as though", which I see as meaning "is like but is not". If one want to go beyond treating "ball-holding posture" as just a name, then the first reading of the name shoud be something like "it is like holding a ball but is not holding a ball". Same could be said of other posture names, particularly those that are also used for common movements or actions like "Ji" and "An". The Ji posture in Taichi is like Ji but is not Ji and An is like An but is not An.
This is my two cents to share with you.
Regards,
Show-Hong