二則
形意拳術三體式者。天地人三才之象也。即人身中之頭手足也。亦即形意八卦太極拳三派合一之體也。此式自虛而生一氣。是自靜而動也。太極兩儀至於三體式。是由動而靜也。再致虛極靜篤時。還於本性。此性是先天之性。不是後天之性。此是形意拳術之本體也。此三體式。非是後天拙力血氣所為。乃是拳中之規矩。傳授而致也。此是拳術最初還虛之道也。此理與靜坐之工相合也。靜坐要最初還虛。俟虛極靜篤時。海底而生知覺。要動而後覺。是先天動。不可知而後動。知後而動。是後天妄想而生動也。俟一陽動時。即速回光返照。凝神入於氣穴。神氣相交。二氣合成一氣。再有傳授。文武火候老嫩。呼吸得法。能以煅煉。進退升降亦可以次而行工也。因此是最初還虛。血氣不能加於其內。心中空空洞洞。即是明心見性矣。前者自虛無。至三體式。是由靜而動。動而復靜。是拳中起躦落翻之未發。謂之中也。中者。是未發之和也。三體式重生萬物張者。是靜極而再動。此是起躦落翻已發也。已發是拳之橫拳起也。內中之五行拳。十二形拳。以致萬形。皆由此而生也。中庸云。天命之謂性率性之謂道不動。是未發之中也。動作能循環三體式之本體。是已發之和也。和者是已發之中也將所練之拳術。有過由不及之氣質。仰而就。仰而止。教人改變氣質復歸於中。是之謂教也。故形意拳之內勁。是由此中和而生也。俗語云。拳中之內勁。是鼓小腹硬如堅石。非也。所以形意拳之內勁。是人之元神元氣相合。不偏不倚。和而不流。無過不及。自無而有。自微而著。自小而大。由一氣之動。而發於周身。活活潑潑。無物不有。無時不然。中庸云放之則彌六合。卷之則退藏於密。其味無窮。皆是拳之內勁也。善練者。玩索而有得焉。則終身用之。有不能盡者矣。三體式。無論變更何形。非禮不動。禮即拳中之規矩姿式也所以修身也。故一動一靜。一言一默。行止坐臥。皆有規矩。所以此道動作。是純任自然。非免強而作也。
古人云。內為天德。外為王道。並非霸術所行。亦是此拳之意義也。
形意拳術三體式者。天地人三才之象也。即人身中之頭手足也。亦即形意八卦太極拳三派合一之體也。此式自虛而生一氣。是自靜而動也。太極兩儀至於三體式。是由動而靜也。再致虛極靜篤時。還於本性。此性是先天之性。不是後天之性。此是形意拳術之本體也。此三體式。非是後天拙力血氣所為。乃是拳中之規矩。傳授而致也。此是拳術最初還虛之道也。此理與靜坐之工相合也。靜坐要最初還虛。俟虛極靜篤時。海底而生知覺。要動而後覺。是先天動。不可知而後動。知後而動。是後天妄想而生動也。俟一陽動時。即速回光返照。凝神入於氣穴。神氣相交。二氣合成一氣。再有傳授。文武火候老嫩。呼吸得法。能以煅煉。進退升降亦可以次而行工也。因此是最初還虛。血氣不能加於其內。心中空空洞洞。即是明心見性矣。前者自虛無。至三體式。是由靜而動。動而復靜。是拳中起躦落翻之未發。謂之中也。中者。是未發之和也。三體式重生萬物張者。是靜極而再動。此是起躦落翻已發也。已發是拳之橫拳起也。內中之五行拳。十二形拳。以致萬形。皆由此而生也。中庸云。天命之謂性率性之謂道不動。是未發之中也。動作能循環三體式之本體。是已發之和也。和者是已發之中也將所練之拳術。有過由不及之氣質。仰而就。仰而止。教人改變氣質復歸於中。是之謂教也。故形意拳之內勁。是由此中和而生也。俗語云。拳中之內勁。是鼓小腹硬如堅石。非也。所以形意拳之內勁。是人之元神元氣相合。不偏不倚。和而不流。無過不及。自無而有。自微而著。自小而大。由一氣之動。而發於周身。活活潑潑。無物不有。無時不然。中庸云放之則彌六合。卷之則退藏於密。其味無窮。皆是拳之內勁也。善練者。玩索而有得焉。則終身用之。有不能盡者矣。三體式。無論變更何形。非禮不動。禮即拳中之規矩姿式也所以修身也。故一動一靜。一言一默。行止坐臥。皆有規矩。所以此道動作。是純任自然。非免強而作也。
古人云。內為天德。外為王道。並非霸術所行。亦是此拳之意義也。
"The Xingyi boxing art’s three-substance posture is a model of the “three substances” – sky, ground, and mankind – which in the body are the head [sky], hands [mankind], and feet [ground]. It is also the three boxing systems of Xingyi [ground], Bagua [sky], and Taiji [mankind] merged into a single essence. In this posture, a single energy is born from emptiness – from stillness there is movement. From the state of grand polarity arises the dual aspects [passive/active], and then there is the three-substance posture – from movement there is stillness. Upon reaching the peak of emptiness and stillness, you have returned to your fundamental condition, which is your innate condition, not your acquired condition. This is the Xingyi boxing art’s foundation.
This three-substance posture is not something of acquired clumsy-strengthed vigor. It remains the standard within the art as it has been passed down to us and is the principle in boxing arts of “begin by returning to emptiness”, the same principle as in seated meditation [as is said in the Elixir Book]: “In seated meditation, you should begin by returning to emptiness.” While awaiting full emptiness and stillness, awareness is born at the root chakra. There should be movement and then awareness of it. This is innate movement. There cannot be knowledge of it and then movement, for that is acquired movement, a contrivance of movement. [In martial terms, the “innate” quality is that if you do not know what you are going to do, neither does your opponent and you will catch him unawares, whereas the “acquired” or “contrived” quality is that if you know what you are going to do before you do it, you will just give yourself away.]
When there is finally movement of your active aspect, this will suddenly turn your light upon yourself, concentrating spirit into your energy points. With spirit and energy intersecting, two energies are merging to make a single energy. There will then be the teachings of the civil and martial aspects, as well as the process of turning old energy back into new, which can be refined once your breathing is correct, and then forward and back, up and down, you will be able to go step by step through the training.
Because of “begin by returning to emptiness”, vigor can add nothing to it, for the mind is now empty within, as in the saying that “it is the clear mind that perceives nature”. First go from emptiness to the three-substance posture, which is to go from stillness to movement and then from movement back to stillness. Within the boxing art, it is before lifting, drilling, dropping, and overturning are expressed, and it is called “centering”.
Being centered is the harmony of not yet expressing. Then from the three-substance posture, “all things are born and raised”. When stillness reaches its peak there is movement, which is the lifting, drilling, dropping, and overturning being expressed, meaning the initiating of the crossing technique. The three-substance posture is within the five elements techniques and twelve animals techniques. It extends to every posture, and they all come from it. The Zhong Yong says: “Our nature comes from Nature. To accord with our nature is the Way.” Stillness is the centeredness of not yet expressing, movement circulated from the three-substance posture is the harmony of expressing, and harmony is the centeredness of expressing.
When practicing boxing arts, mistakes come from an unattaining kind of temperament. Such a person admires for a while and then is satiated, admires for a while and then quits. A teacher who transforms your temperament and returns you to being centered – that one is a teacher.
The internal power of Xingyi Boxing is born of centered harmoniousness. A common saying goes: “The boxing art’s ‘internal power’ means stimulating your belly until it is as hard as a rock.” This is wrong. Xingyi Boxing’s internal power is a person’s primordial spirit and primordial energy merged together. It does not wander off-center. It harmonizes without wavering. It does not go too far nor not far enough. It goes from nothing to something, from the abstract to the tangible, from the small to the large. It goes from the rousing of a singleness of energy to expressing with the whole body. It is a liveliness, everywhere, all the time. The Zhong Yong says: “Sending out, it goes beyond the ends of the universe. Rolling in, it stores away tightly. It is infinitely delightful.” All of this describes the boxing art’s internal power. A good practitioner will ponder on it and thereby obtain it, and then he will use it for his whole life, unable to exhaust it.
Regardless of whatever posture the three-substance posture changes into, without the ritual, there is no movement (ritual indicating the act of being in the posture that sets the standard within the boxing art), for it is the cultivation of the self. Therefore with each movement and each stillness, with each utterance and each silence, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, all will be correct, and this method of movement will be pure and natural, rather than forced to happen. Someone long ago said: “Inwardly – the virtue of nature. Outwardly – the way of kings. And never – the behavior of tyrants.” This is also the intent of this boxing art."
Excerpt from the translation by Paul Brennan, to be found in the Brennan Translation blog.
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