by Cassia
The Wudang Mountains
Up in the mountain a way of life is still perpetrating, in taoist temples. People from all around the world come to experience the taoist way of living with the « flow ».
The Wudang mountain are in the HUBEI province, in the North of China, one of the Four Sacred mountains of taoism of the Country, along with Mount Longhu, Mount Qiyun and mount Qincheng.
What Is Taoism ? A short resume.
Taoism is born under the HAN dynasty (-206 BC). One of the fundamental writing is the Dao de Jing, the book of the Dao, written by Laozì, as well as the ZhuangZi written by Tchouang Tseu.
The fundamentals principles are :
The pursuit of the Dao, to bring harmony and alignement, following one’s heart, in flow with nature (we can call it a naturalist philosophy). The Dao is the fundamental force in the universe.
The non-action as the best way to act.
The Yin and Yang principles, which are the two contraries that form one. The feminine principle (Yin) is the receptive one and the masculine principle (Yang) being the active one. Each other are complementary and everywhere, like Chaos and Order. We all, as human beings, have those two principles within us that need to be in a perfect balance in order to reach harmony and flow.
The Temples up in the mountain and the Tai-Chi.
Wudang Buildings are a complex of temples, listed at UNESCO, that anyone can visit today. Disciples of taoism still live there, teaching Tai-chi in different internships (Tai-Chi schools) for foreigners or Chinese students.
What is the Qì or Chi ?
According to the Britannica Dictionary :
« Early Daoist philosophers and alchemists, who regarded qi as a vital force inhering in the breath and bodily fluids, developed techniques to alter and control the movement of qi within the body; their aim was to achieve physical longevity and spiritual power. »(1)
(1)https://www.britannica.com/topic/qi-Chinese-philosophy
What is the Typical Day as a Wudang Student ?
The Schools being different, the training are too.
After searching in the internet, Here’s what I find :
5:30am /6:30 am : First Class of Qi Gong and Tai Chi.
7 am : Breakfast
8 to 11:30 am : Form and Basic Training
11:30 am to 2 PM : Lunch time and Rest
3 PM to 4 PM : Weapon training
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM : Meditation
6 PM : Dinnertime.
If you want to know more about Tai Chi and and the Wudang Mountains, I highly recommend you this documentary By George Thompson : https://youtu.be/CE9vH3vtrr4
Ready to experience the the Dao.