259. Just wondering: Do you want to become a Baguazhang Immortal?

The Way through Baguazhang - 八卦掌道

It has taken a decade or so, but I am now coming to the realisation that I have committed myself to the baguazhang path toward enlightenment. Which from the Taoist mountain summit, it is sometimes called being an immortal. Immortality as it is defined in Taoism is a very broad concept that needs the clarity of having deep internal knowledge of one’s martial style and the knowledge of who you are speaking with in regards to internal alchemy. I know that there will be people out there listening to this podcast and mocking my shit, but if a person insists on baguazhang being just a form of fighting art, then their understanding of this art will be extremely limited. For baguazhang as a defined martial art in its own right is a very recent historical development. Before anything else, baguazhang is and always will be a form of walking meditation that underpins a highly active form of qigong 氣功 cultivation. That will in turn lead to the development of a baguazhang practitioner’s jingong 勁功. You can learn more about it in my book: The Baguazhang Jin of War 八卦掌戰勁. Now, getting back to the topic of baguazhang immortality, in the West it unfortunately seems to mean just one thing: Living for ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, without end. While being usually framed as a kind of curse that must be avoided. Even when the hero of the story, who becomes an immortal as a reward or blessing bestowed upon them by a divine being, it tends to be coupled with some sort of burden that only they can bare. Which is really sad, because over in the East, the idea of being an immortal is a positive attribute. Because it implies that you are generally fitter and healthier than most of the people around you. Which in turn, relatively speaking, tends to also make you appear younger than your age and as a result, it will usually mean that you will outlive most people. Nowadays, however, outliving others is harder to experience because modern science and medical advancements have caught up. Allowing ordinary people to also live truly long lives. But remember: This development has only been around about one hundred years. Now let’s just assume that outliving the people around you is a bit rich. Being an immortal amongst Taoists is also a kind of rank or title. And at the very least a term of respect that implies that you have reached the highest summit of whatever mountain your particular martial art spiritually resides on. While on a more practical level, it means that you have become the living embodiment of the art itself. And that you know pretty much all there is to currently know about it: You have become the proverbial ‘Old Man on the Mountain’ 仚. And… Even if the title still seems to be still too much for you, the third real life implication of being an immortal means that your life compared to ordinary people is unrelatable. From your perspective you are just doing what you do and living your life the way you want to live it. And you can see no reason for there to be anything wrong with it, but to ordinary folk, who don’t do what you do, you might as well go live in another country. You’re just too far out there with your weird shit. It’s one of the reasons Taoists have a habit of becoming ‘mountain men or fairies’ 仙. And so now you must be wondering: What about me? But the real question is: What about you and your own ascension? Where are you along your own baguazhang journey? I am betting that by listening to this podcast, the idea of becoming an immortal is no longer just a distant fantasy but is now a serious consideration. Something which will evolve over time.