Beyond the Closed Door: Chinese Culture and the Creation of T'ai Chi Ch'uan [first edition]

Beyond the Closed Door explains in clear layman's terms the evolution of Chinese Culture and how it has profoundly influenced the character of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. It does so by framing Chinese ideas in the context of Western thought, pointing out the differences as well as the similarities. Beyond the Closed Door is not a how-to book for someone wishing to learn T'ai Chi. Rather it is a study of T'ai Chi's cultural heritage that, at the same time, requires an explanation of the principles of this soft martial art. If you want to know why the Chinese developed their unique system of martial arts, why the Chinese meditate and we in the West pray, then this book is for you.