And Xue Sheng,
You lean to hard upon your accomplishments and take too much pride in your progress to have an open mind. Just because you know how to fight using Taiji doesn't mean anything. Just because you've studied with a Who's Who of Taiji doesn't mean nothing either. Truth has no bearing upon status and heirarchies. Just like the Taiji teacher I've meet above you may have been privellenged to studied under some great names and get a solid foundation in techniques that doesn't make you the final authority. Truth is the final authority. Taiji like any soft skills combined with some hard training and good technique is very superior to many other approaches in fighting. My personal belief and encounters with different styles and seeing them in action no external style or internal styles is better than the other but a combination of both is superior. Such styles like Bak Mei which using virtually attack as defense and using external and internal prinicples is the most superior in fighting. Yang did have some hard fighting behind him and just because he was only 21 doesn't mean he wasn't a competent fighter. At that age in Ancient China where fighting with fists was upmost many young people could fight very well at the age. And Yang had to know some fighting in order to grasp Chen style better than anyone in the village and beat all of them. What kind of logic are you using? Are saying that just because you who you are that makes you right? Are you saying this matter of the origin of Taiji is closed because Xue Sheng has a great background and is right?
The origin of Taiji important to getting to understand why breathing is essential. Essential means to fully get the intended benefit of Taiji you have to get qi/oxygen in the lungs, blood and to all of the cells. The intake of oxygen combined with the movements push the oxygen through qi blockages into the ligaments and connective tissue. Also the breathing has the ability to slow the thoughts and bring the mind into serenity. This is what is meant by the rising of Shen or spirit also the kundalini spirit in Yogic traditions. The Yi or mind intent directs the qi/oxygen to go to places in the body not normally traveled to removed blockages and also create an inner alchemy that transforms the body from the lungs, heart, arteries, connective tissues and also physcoloigical well being. The intake of breath done properly comes the mind and relaxes the body all over. You recieve a feeling of warm tingling all over the body from the root to the all the extremeties and even in the brain. The qi penetrates the central nervous system and goes to the brain that sends information to the pancreas that creates hormones for relaxation and peacefulness. Many have not ever practiced this Temple style of Taiji only the secular Taiji that used mainly for fighting and health. Secular Taiji totally disregards the spiritual origins of not only Taiji but also Baqua which descended from circle walking meditation. Secular structures owe their whole foundation to the spiritual gurus who sacrificed their personal lives and ambitions to pursue the supernatural then harness that power, cultivate it and transmit it to the rest of mankind. This happened not only in China but India, Africa, Greece, North America and all over the world were Shamanistic peopole took the knowledge of the unknown and developed the spiritual side of man and thus elevated us from a slouch over primate into an upright intelligent creature.
What I find interesting here is that you either have not read what I said or you do not understand what I said because your response is to things I have not said. example; I never told you who I have or have not trained with now have I?
I have however asked you who you trained with to which you have not replied I did read the mention of a taiji teacher to oxy but that did not answer my question either. Who was your teacher who was his teacher how long have you trained taiji?
To simplify and clarify I said I do not know the exact source of taiji, nor does anyone else, but it is pretty much accepted it was likely not a lone Taoist. But you seem to have information that no one else has and I have even told you that you should get in touch with the people in China that are researching this so you can share your information with them and I even offered to give you a couple of names to contact.
The only thing truly known at this point about taiji is that the taiji that the majority of us do today comes from the Chen family and if trained properly is a very effective martial art that needs no additional style training to make it effective as a martial art.
You also seem to completely ignore historic fact and rely on hear-say, myth and fantasy.
You all over the board here in responses and yet you never address the issue presented to you.
You attack points that were not made and continue to make statements that are false.
And again as to Yang Luchan, I never made any comment at all about his level or skill at Long Fist did I? I just said at 21 he was so impressed by Chen he decided it was what he wanted to train.
As to Luchan only training those with experience in external styles again I ask you then who trained his sons before he did and why do no other members of the Yang family appear to require this, Heck why do no other members of ANY taiji family appear not to require that anyone take a hard style first? You may want to contact the Yang family as well and tell them you have information about their history that they are unaware of as well. It is farily easy to contact them, they have their own webpage.
http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/splash