The path to Enlightenment from the practice of Tai Chi + 站樁Zhàn zhuāng (pile stance): The Shen Ming of Tai Ch is the complementary component of your ... for Enlightenmen (tai chi and meditation)

This article is the enriched version of the article published in T''ai Chi magazine in 2014. It covers many topics regarding the concept of of懂勁 "Dong-jin (understanding the power of tai chi)" that could lead the practitioners into the Enlightenment stage, called神明(Shén míng) in tai chi. The importance of the new health concept called the CranioSacral postural reflex in Tai Chi is introduced in this article..The theme of discussion revolves around the following quote from the Theory of Tai Chi by the ancient sage, Wang Zongyue王宗岳 (around 1771~1853 ): "由著熟(Zhe shú, meaning to have known the movements by heart)而漸悟(Wù, comprehend)懂勁(Dong jin)，由(Yu, from)懂勁(Dong jin) 而階及(step into)神明(Shén míng)，然非用力之久(without a long period of practice)，不能豁然(Huòrán)貫通(guàntōng)焉(cannot obtain a sudden breakthrough into the state of enlightenment to advance into the神明(Shén míng) stage。" My translation of "由著熟(Zhe shú, meaning to have known the movements by heart)而漸悟(Wù, comprehend)懂勁(Dong jin)，由(Yu, from)懂勁而階及(Jiē jí, step into)神明(Shén míng, enlightenment":The chosen tai chi movements have become so well practiced that the practitioner reaches the state of 懂勁Dong jin, which means that the mind/body complex has established a new and very efficient pathway in the neural system. Using this new mind/body complex as the platform of further refinement might lead to enlightenment coveted by so many practitioners. One of the benign side effects of this new mind/body complex is its health enhancement to release stress with the practice of meditation. 神明(Shén míng) is a very vague term that could have quite a few interpretations. 神(Shén) as a noun means "god". It could be an adjective, meaning miraculous. 明( míng) can be an adjective, meaning "bright" and it can be a verb, meaning "to understand". In the above context, I think Shén míng means a "miraculous" upgrade of intelligence. Shén míng in tai chi is similar to頓悟Dùnwù, the sudden emergence of direct knowledge in Chan Buddhism. This will be further elaborated later in this article. I in our modern age after the 2nd World War I have never heard of any tai chi master, who has reached this Shén míng stage of super intelligence, especially when most people practice tai chi as a form of martial arts. Most tai chi practitioners are impressed by masters, who can demonstrate their superior power to push people flying up in the air. This kind of kung fu does not have any practical value in real fighting. It has never appeared in a real fight.Shen ming in the sense of Enlightenment has a far more significant value in our modern age that values the soul as much as the body. Master Sun Lutang (1860-1933), who emphasized heavily on 站樁Zhàn zhuāng (pile stance) as the fundamental training of Tai Chi has shown us this possibility of Enlightenment with his martial arts discipline. The following is the report of his Enlightenment in the media in 1933:Master Sun stunned the world when he ended his life in a Daoist''s way of self-administered euthanasia to enter another state of his life, immortality. In his late years, Master Sun Lutang was living in retirement in the countryside; he predicted the day of his death and practiced 辟穀Bi Gu for two days (for an enlightened Daoist, Bi Gu means eating only a small amount of raw food and eventually to stop eating before his or her spirit leaves the physical body.) When the time came he sat on a chair in a Confucian manner, facing southwest with his back to the northwest and told the family members not to cry and said to them, "I regard death only as a game." At 6:05 AM in 1933 he died with a smile. The major Chinese newspapers and magazines such as the 《申報》《民國日報》《大公報》《益世報》《世界日報》reported his special way to die like an enlightened Daoist. All the editorials spoke highly of him. In major cities like Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Tianjin many martial arts groups held public memorial services for Master Sun.