The Amazing Power of Sung in Taijiquan and Qigong
Those who study the authentic methods of Taijiquan and Qigong with perseverance will experience amazing benefits in health and wellbeing which cannot be clearly defined or explained. The ancient Chinese civilisation used the word sung to describe a necessary pre-requisite before such benefits may be obtained. Only then can one experience and express the wonderful feeling of restful joy in the heart at every moment.
Sung is usually translated from Chinese to mean deep relaxation, but such a weak interpretation iswoefully inadequate as the Real experience is far more profound. Students of the Esoteric and MartialArts can travel along the road to perfection only if, from the very beginning of their training, they makethe achievement of sung their paramount priority. Technical detail and refinement of each set exercisewill improve gradually and naturally 'when the student is ready', but at each stage of the training, thehighest degree of sung is necessary to experience the union of mind and body taught by the Masters.Unfortunately, modern competitions have done much to undermine the essential quality of the Arts,where competitors are marked upon their exaggerated and 'flowery' movements, which maynevertheless be martially impotent. In much the same way, the vital quality of sung is lost by studentswho egotistically strive to 'look good' during their performance to the detriment of their energy flow.
The great Masters of Taijiquan, such as eighty-five year old Fu Zhongwen, heir to the Yang familytradition, with whom I studied in China, display the outward quality of sung at all times. Transmissionof the Arts cannot be taught physically but rather is felt as an awesome but loose power whichdistinguishes the Real from the false teachers. However such great Masters may not score so highlyin superficial competitions before less discerning judges. Fu's teacher, Grandmaster Yang Chen Fuused to say to his students, "Relax, relax, and then relax again"; in order that not only the muscles,tendons and ligaments achieve the supreme conditioning of sung, but also the bone marrow, in thevery depths of our essential nature. Sung cannot be explained in rational terms, but the followingverse may help a little to unlock the mystery in body, mind and Spirit :-
Sung in the Body
When we free ourselves from fixed rigidity, we have Sung in our posture.
Then stiff strength, brute force and aggression disappear from our movements
And give way before the gentle, relaxed softness of Sung.
We become moderate, flexible and open in all our activities,
Knowing when to yield and accept the will of Providence.
And so our turbulent emotions and selfish desires melt away
Before the joyful inner power of Sung which holds all opposite forces in balance.
Sung in the Mind
Sung frees our minds from selfish conditioning and binding systems,
And enables us to give and forgive in equal measures,
So that we are free to become kind, gentle and tolerant.
Sung enables us to do our duty without being duty-bound,
And allows us to practice a discriminating morality without piety.
Sung gives us detachment from our possessions and restrains our anger.
This freedom from worry and discord is the purest form of healing.
So that we are free to become kind, gentle and tolerant.
Sung enables us to do our duty without being duty-bound,
And allows us to practice a discriminating morality without piety.
Sung gives us detachment from our possessions and restrains our anger.
This freedom from worry and discord is the purest form of healing.
Spiritual Sung
Sung is found when we empty ourselves in order to be filled.
By the inner Presence which lets go our fears and restores our wholeness
To enter into communion with the Tao at the highest level.
Only then are we able to express the unique Love, Peace and Truth
Which leads to purity of Being in the here and now, and the realisation
of the immortal 'I' which cannot be labelled in the mysteries of the Void.
Sung is the unlimited power and glory of God personified in one such as the Christ
So that you and I can find it in infinite measure within ourselves.
And then you will know that Sung is Love, and that you are Sung.
Written by Tony Henrys and transcribed by John Gent. February 1992.