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Some comments about the book:
This book is a veritable treasure for T'ai-Chi students-the "real thing!" Profound principles many teachers don't even know about, and most will never teach. Ray Hayward has superbly put together the teachings of Master Liang (which he spent years gathering) into a very accessible and readable form. This is real " Old World" T'ai-Chi Ch'uan-the essence of the Masters. Must-reading for serious students of the art.
-Paul Gallagher, Author of Drawing Silk: A T'ai-Chi Training Manual, Founder of Deer Mountain Taoist Academy, herbalist, scholar and T'ai-Chi Ch'uan Instructor.
During over two decades of study with the T'ai-Chi Master T.T. Liang, Ray Hayward, Liang's disciple, made copious notes and recorded many private sessions on tape. This most enlightening book enables the T'ai-Chi student to acquire a vast body of knowledge, most of it in the Master's own words.
-Joanne Von Blon, T'ai-Chi Ch'uan Instructor, Second Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Twin Cities T'ai-Chi Ch'uan Studio.
Whether a novice or advanced student, this collection by Ray Hayward of Master Liang's teachings is a string of pearls. Connected yet distinct, each lesson is concise yet filled with insight. This book is a reference that all students of Tai Chi can return to year after year and always come away encouraged, challenged, and sometimes enlightened.
-Michael Pilla, Master stained-glass Craftsman, T'ai-Chi Ch’uan Instructor.
More Information
Excerpt from "T'ai-Chi Ch'uan Lessons with Master T. T. Liang"
page 26-27
Practice in the morning, late afternoon, and in the evening. Go to bed, get up, and do it all over again. That is the way to succeed.
When you do the Form, imagine the air is heavy and that you feel something at the top of your head, suspending you from above.
When you practice the Form, you should imagine your arms are heavy. This is one of the conditions. Breathing should be done with the abdomen. The ch'i should be in the tan-t'ien. Do not be double weighted, you have to know this. Do not use jerks, no energy; let your whole body go with each movement. When the body turns, the hand turns. You should feel so heavy; we call it "swimming in air". When you swim in the water, the water resists you; you feel something against you. Practicing in the air, the air is all around! Gradually, you will be able to feel it. When you feel it, your hand will ve very, very heavy. It will make you more sensitive and the blood will circulate through the whole body. Cheng Man-ch'ing told me that is the way the Yang family developed their bodies to be so sensitive. They could feel a punch coming at them from behind.
If you follow my way, first you will have to know the directions, the counts, and all the external aspects. Gradually, you will master these. Then you work on your breathing; when do you inhale, when to exhale. After you master the breathing you forget it, but it happens just the same. Then you will be in a trance-- meditation in action.
You do the Form by the intention. The way is to forget everything. After you finish, you think, "Oh, I'm here already". That is complete relaxation of mind and body. That is the highest level. Can you do the Solo Form like this?
In the beginning, you can go up and down in your Form. According to Cheng Man-ch'ing, in White Crane you stand up, and in Squatting Single Whip you go down. All the rest stay the same height. If you want to go higher and lower, this means you want to be lazy, rest your legs. If you stay low, it is difficult. If you come up, that is easy. Professor Cheng told me that. Beginners may take it easy, but gradually you have to stay the same height. The whole body can go up a little at the end of some postures, but not by physical action. You use intent to rise. So, everything should be directed by the mind. It has nothing to do with energy. If you use energy, you cannot use your mind. The mind directs everything by imagination, everything like that. If you use energy, not the mind, you cannot go to a higher level. Like Cheng Man-ch'ing, he was so soft, but when he issued energy it was like a sudden explosion, like a bomb. Cheng learned from the Yang family. During his whole life he never learned hard style. Only through the soft style did he reach that high level. It is not easy; really something remarkable."
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