Laoshi's Legacy: Emergence from Shadow

De: Jan Kauskas

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A few years ago, I sought to record a few memories and observations gleaned on the way from beginner to senior taiji student. The result was Laoshi: Tai Chi, Teachers, and Pursuit of Principle—a semi-fictional memoir, using the device of dialogue between student and teacher, to examine the agony and elation of sincerely pursuing the art of taiji. The thirty-seven chapters of Laoshi shone light on the various aspects of taiji and martial arts which occupied my thinking as I progressed along the Way. Laoshi, which translates as ‘teacher’ in Mandarin, was the main character of the book and, though not a real person, represented the best aspects of the many martial artists whose skills, dedication, and wisdom inspired me in my attempts to match their example. As a wise and compassionate though sometimes irritable teacher, Laoshi guides his student, the narrator, through many disappointments and false dawns until the student arrives, if not at mastery, then the fertile ground where mastery grows. The present volume, Laoshi’s Legacy, takes up where the previous account left off; the student moves beyond his pre-occupation with his own progress to explore the terrain occupied by the teacher. The Way of the teacher, we discover, not only offers insight and reward aplenty, but is every bit as confounding and, often, more treacherous than the path of the student. With the example of my own teachers once again embodied in the character of Laoshi, Legacy describes the challenges encountered in progressing beyond the role of student to survey the art from the viewpoint of teacher. As in the previous volume, Laoshi, the teacher, continues as guide and mentor, advising the novice instructor confronted with the reality of teaching taiji in a modern world. Like its predecessor, Legacy relies heavily on allegory, mirroring the paradoxical nature of life, where truth is often hidden in myth, and deception disguises itself as truth. A touch of poetic licence may stretch the truth a little to accommodate the narrative, but Legacy is a realistic portrayal of dilemmas faced while pursuing the Way of the teacher. The backdrop for the events depicted in this tale is Glasgow—a city brimming with vitality and passion, combining culture and sophistication with grit and no little edge. It is a city of contrasts: yin and yang writ large. Glasgow may not be the “mean city” of yesteryear; however, the raw side still exists and comes a-knocking from time to time. In describing such encounters, dialogue in the vernacular (and occasional coarse language) is simply true to life. Following the Way with integrity asks that we accept the rough with the smooth—the yang with the yin, if you like. This is to truly embrace tiger and return to mountain.