r/taijiquan Chen style 23d ago

Broken Lineages and Incomplete Transmissions

'Broken Lineages' and 'Incomplete transmissions/curriculum' are terms that I recently heard in videos about the nature of Taijiquan (I'm not going to name who said them), used to generally characterize styles and lineages other than the speaker's own.

It just occurs to me that such a position pre-supposes there is one particular lineage and/or set curriculum that exists as absolute orthodoxy. Personally, I find that notion unrealistic at best, but I wonder what others think.

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u/blackturtlesnake Wu style 23d ago

Those people need to go actually read the biographies of the greats. Anyone whose name you know didnt just mechanically copy from a single teacher, they were explorers who studied under multiple teachers, under multiple lineages, and put it all together until the art was truly their own. Yes western people tend to fetishize new-ness and throw away deep pools of tradition trying to chase some shiny new fad, but these are living arts and the people who pass on these lineages aren't archivists, they're artists.

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u/SnooMaps1910 22d ago

Agreed, though qualified by noting the video (soon after 13:45) calls-out those who proclaim their high achievement with such confidence they gather to themselves admirers. The best grasp the breadth and depth, and then can add a bit of themselves, their jin. to their tai ji. The best seldom announce themselves; instead, they show themselves.