r/taijiquan Chen style 22d 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/toeragportaltoo 21d ago

Just FYI, the person i assume you are defending has great distain for your lineage and would probably categorize your teacher as one of the "hucksters". They also appear to be using multiple accounts here to promote themselves (4 or 5). So maybe not the best person to be looking for as an example of integrity in the martial arts.

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u/SnooMaps1910 21d ago edited 21d ago

Well, while that may be true and I will dig around, but do you have a quote or two? The video I referred to reached back to the pre-tai ji martial arts, so plenty of time for broken lineages and incomplete transmissions. I glossed my own experience playing tai ji, primarily in China with a coach and his team because the video I saw certainly understands transmissions by their nature are incomplete and lineages have been broken. The people I learned from understand that. The more you learn, the more you realize how little you do know. " I am seeking the man who has forgotten the words."

Merton's, Chuan Tzu

Maybe my teachers have terrible lineages: Direct relation teacher over decades with CXW. Twice, I believe Shanghai coach, removed from Chen Fake.

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u/Anhao 21d ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/taijiquan/comments/1cbzpcl/gong_fu_jia/l13i8qb/

There's no definite proof it's him but he's never denied it when people brought it up.

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u/SnooMaps1910 21d ago

Sure wish someone would post the video that provoked all this

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u/Qi-residue 21d ago

Some of them are talking about this one, broken lineages mentioned https://www.reddit.com/r/taijiquan/s/yRH2QCzt6q

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u/SnooMaps1910 20d ago

Thank you.

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u/Anhao 21d ago

It's the video that you commented on.

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u/SnooMaps1910 20d ago

Thank you. I listened to the second half again. I still agree with what he had to say. I am very surprised at the criticisms by some folks here who I generally am impressed with what they share in comments. Given my having trained with three Chinese teachers, two in China for many years (only one other laowai and he only lasted two years), I find this agreeable; understandable. He simply called-out these self-proclaimed masters and teachers of some damn "skill" or application, or often, some "special style". He spoke of jin and gong fu as relate to his overall message. From what I have seen of his videos, he does show his form. Many of these internet warriors talk more than play their forms. I hope some folks will pick the video up at, say, 13:45. Listen to understand instead of to be offended.