I-CHING - The Root of Taoism
and
BA GUA - The Physical Manifestation of Change

To quote my teacher Bruce Frantzis:
“The fundamental principles of Taoism originated from an intimate and thorough understanding of the I Ching.” –The Chi Revolution

One of the original practices ancient Taoists used to explore the I Ching was Ba Gua or Eight Trigrams. The practice methods of Ba Gua and its relationship to the I Ching can best be understood from an historical perspective.

History

The martial art of Ba Gua with its eight Palm Changes and corresponding 64 combinations is much, younger. When exactly these aspects were developed is unclear, as are its origins, because Tung Hai Chuan, the modern progenitor of Ba Gua Chang, would never say where he learned it.

The I Ching is also surrounded in mystery as no one knows who compiled it, where it came from or when it was written. What we do know is that its principles existed 8,000 years ago as an oral tradition. Although no one knows its source for certain, it appears that the text migrated over to China from the Kunlun Mountains between Northern Tibet and the Takla Makan Desert. This is particularly interesting because the Kulun Mountains are implemented in both Ba Gua and the I Ching and the 4,000-year gap between the arrival of the I Ching and the origins of Ba Gua would have afforded Taoists plenty of time to develop a sophisticated physical practice.

What the ancient Taoists understood is that there is only one constant in the whole universe, that of change. Everything is constantly in flux – days, seasons, years and so on. The art of Ba Gua Circle Walking was developed by Taoist monks around 4,000 years ago to help understand, cope and merge with change – to get to the root of the I Ching. Walking the Circle, or Ba Gua, as it is more commonly known, was developed for three prime reasons:

• To achieve stillness of mind.
• To generate a healthy, disease-free body with relaxed nerves and great stamina.
• To develop and maintain balance internally while either your inner world or the external world changed (Bruce Frantzis, The Chi Revolution).

The I Ching/Ba Gua Relationship

Practising Ba Gua generates many benefits such as: removing inertia, developing spontaneity and freeing the body and mind of either externally or self-imposed constraints. It is an excellent method of clearing out all that clogs up our body, energy, emotions and mind – that which makes us sluggish and unresponsive to life. When the body and mind become free your energy develops, the mind awakens, your understanding of life becomes clear and your true path unfolds – you mold with the flow of the cosmos.

One of the fundamentals of Ba Gua practice is to help you become fully present to your experience so that you can realistically acknowledge your present situation. Acceptance of your present state gives the foundation required to begin the process of creating profound and lasting change. As long as you deny your present state of being you block the ability to change, grow and become clear. Ba Gua removes the many layers of veils covering up what actually exists inside you, giving you the opportunity to accept what is there. Continual practice of Ba Gua will allow you to apply this to accepting others for who they are and where they are at, and when this becomes strong, accepting everything in the world for the way it is.

A fundamental problem in our society is that we do not accept others for their differences. Non-acceptance breeds intolerance, intolerance breeds rigidity and rigidity closes us down. This prevents us from flowing naturally, causing imbalance which, over time will lead you into illness.

A major cornerstone of Taoism is balance, which breeds wisdom – the wisdom to see the world as it is – balance ultimately allows compassion and love to flow freely. Balance is created through all well-developed chi practices from Chi Gung to acupuncture to Ba Gua. These practices open up the flow of energy within you, so you can tune into nature and become harmonious with all and everything in life. Taoism emphasizes Ba Gua because it is probably the most sophisticated and effective method of achieving these goals.

Every Taoist monastery practised arts relating to the I Ching, but which specific applications of the I Ching they focused on depended on their individual goals. Applications helped practitioners study the I Ching in-depth; they were the vehicle which could take you to the core of the I Ching – into Emptiness and Realisation. Not all Taoists or every monastery practised Ba Gua, but it was definitely a major I Ching practice method within Taoism, as it is possibly the most advanced chi movement practice that exists.

As a primary I Ching practice, Ba Gua has the capability of taking the practitioner to the absolute peak of their ability. That which is deeply in tune with the flow of the universe eventually manifests as the fully functioning ability of the practitioner. There is nothing else in chi movement practices that can take you further than Ba Gua, giving you a direct experiential sense of changing energy at play in your flesh and bones.

Spontaneity

In a single session you might only practise the Single Palm Change repeatedly, hundreds of times, focusing on deeper and deeper connections and flows. You may run through all eight basic ‘palms’ building your energy, suppleness and strength as you go, or use all or some of the palms to warm you up. Then you might repeat one palm that is of special focus for you at the moment – hundreds of times – to deeply embody the major principles and/or energies of that palm. You could start with slow walking to get all the mechanics correct and then walk faster to get the blood and chi flowing strongly. You might start with fast walking to get the blood to soften and loosen the ligaments before paying attention to the details of the walking and/or palms at a slower pace. Your practice may be the same for some days, weeks or months and then it could suddenly change, as that which you were working on becomes embodied. Or there could be significant changes on a daily basis. There are many, many possibilities, endless adjustments and refinements to hone your practice, open your system and release all physical, energetic, emotional, mental, psychic and karmic knots. Everyday, through this method, your practice is fresh and new.

When you begin to practice Ba Gua you have no idea where it is going to take you. You may have the intent to do a particular practice, but within a few minutes it can become very obvious that your body/chi/mind needs something completely different. These practice methods allow you to go with the flow without strain, force or rigidity. Ba Gua, unlike many other forms, has within it the ability to mould, morph and change spontaneously to the needs of your being in a certain moment as you do. The ability to mould in the moment has several advantages. It prevents you from falling asleep whilst going through the same old drill again and again, or from becoming bored through the same old practice, closing down your mind. Ba Gua is often called the Formless Form and gives the practitioner a very real and tangible sense of being immersed in pure spontaneity.

Through spontaneity another problem is dealt with - that of inertia. Inertia has the ability to freeze both mind and body at the most inconvenient times. Ba Gua has methods of reducing and completely obliterating inertia. One method of continuously walking the circle and having someone calling out the changes in a random sequence (e.g., Single Palm, 3rd Palm, 6th, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 5th etc) will break your resistance to change in both mind and body. When the mind freezes the body freezes, so the objective is to keep the mind smooth and continuous in order to keep the body smooth and continuous. Through this method your solo practice comes alive. The Taoists found that martial methods of Ba Gua training can teach the practitioner to defend against as many as eight opponents at once – more than any other martial art. These applications demand that you release all resistance because even the slightest hesitation could be fatal in a combat situation. As soon as the mind ‘thinks’ of a change the body responds. The less resistance the more your body and mind become one. Complete integration of the body and mind is a major goal of all Nei Gung practices.

Spontaneity plays another important role in Ba Gua. Whilst walking the circle and executing various Palm Changes, being present in the moment can put your intent on hold. In most other forms of chi/Nei Gung or Tai Chi the mind is intensely focused since you are performing a set of choreographed movements. Your intent therefore guides you to what you already know is coming next. In the spontaneous practice of Ba Gua the intent is suspended and at some point if you are lucky you may develop the ability to watch the signal for change to rise up out of a much deeper place - from the Heart-Mind. Following that signal back will eventually give you access to the Heart Mind, then the game changes from “I Chu Dzuo” or normal mundane intent to move chi to “Chi Chu Dzuo” or direct movement of chi from within your essence.

Conclusion

This article was inspired by the writings and teachings of Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis.