Beyond the Closed Door explains in clear layman's terms the evolution of Chinese culture and how it has profoundly influenced the 1 billion Chinese who comprise approximately one out of every four people living on this planet. It does so by farming Chinese ideas in the context of Western thought, pointing out the differences as well as the similarities. After reading Beyond the Closed Door, despite the differences of East and West, one understands that we share a common humanitiy.

Beyond the Closed Door is not a 'how to' book for someone wishing to learn t'ai chi. Rather it posits that t'ai chi is a child of Chinese culture and, as such, reflects and illuminates the root ideas of its heritage. T'ai chi is the mirror image of its legacy. This is true to the extent that each time one does the t'ai chi form, at the highest level, he or she is recounting the Chinese story of creation. To understand the origins and practice of t'ai chi is to gain a profound insight into the culture from which it came.

If you want to know, for example, why the Chinese developed their unique system of martial arts, why the Chinese meditate and we in the West pray, what Tao is, or how yin and yang work, then this book is for you. Beyond the Closed Door will explain these ideas and more, root them in their culture context, and finally show how they are actualized in the movements of t'ai chi ch'uan, 'the dance of the warrior.'

'I could not put this book down..full of interesting ideas from start to finish. If you want to learn about health from the Chinese perspective, this is the book for you. It contains many penetrating insights for the martial artist and the public at large. I highly recommend it to everyone.'-Irwin Goldenberg, certified Nutritionist and Health Lecturer

'I found these stories and lessons in this book fascinating, and would recomend it to anyone interested in the origins and sources of t'ai chi.'-Lenzie Williams, Well-known Teacher of T'ai Chi

'Lucid and engaging...as a student of T'ai Chi, Beyond the Closed Door opened up the world behind the form I was doing. Being interested in alternative methods of healing, it became clearer how balance and harmony form the governing principles of Chinese medicine.'-Dr. Moshe Shuster, MD

Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface
List of illustrations
Definition of t'ai chi and push-hands
Transcription and pronunciation
Map of China
Part 1 The canvas of Chinese culture
Chapter 1 The transformation of Chinese society
Chapter 2 The dynamic universe: in/yang and the five elements
Chapter 3 Three thinkers who shaped the chiense mind:L Confucius, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu
Part 2 The development of Chinese religious and philosohical thought
Chapter 4 Chinese Buddhism: Its growth and its influence
Chapter 5 Varieties of Taoism
Chapter 6 Neo-Confucianism: the grand synthesis
Part 3 The creation of t'ai chi ch'uan
Chapter 7 The origins of t'ai chi ch'uan: Foundation and founders
Chapter 8 T'ai ci and push hands-The form and the formless
Part 4 The eight principles: Wkhere culture, ideas, and t'ai chi meet
CKhapter 9-Tkhe importance of mind; Intentionality; The ideas of chi; Relax; Balance; Rootedness; change and changelessness; Flow and continuity
Afterword
Appendix: The ritten and oral tradition of t'ai chi ch'uan
Chronology
Footnotes
Bibliography
Index