# Tai chi chuan : Tradition, esotericism and authenticity

Eric Caulier

► To cite this version:

Eric Caulier. Tai chi chuan : Tradition, esotericism and authenticity. 2020. hal-04985439

HAL Id: hal-04985439

https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-04985439v1

Preprint submitted on 10 Mar 2025

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
# TAIJIQUAN : TRADITION, ESOTERICISM, AUTHENTICITY

ERIC CAULIER

## CONTRIBUTOR

Eric Caulier is PhD in anthropology, associate member of LAPCOS (Côte d'Azur University). He has studied the five major styles of taijiquan (6th duan) and the different internal arts (graduated from the Beijing Sports University) during his many stays in China in the 1990s. He taught thousands of students and trained many teachers. With the automotive supplier Faurecia, he collaborates in the creation of an innovative approach in ergonomics. Eric Caulier is the author of fifteen books.

## ABSTRACT

A living tradition is a tradition constantly reinvented. To accompany others on the path to growth is not to deliver ready-made truths but to guide them in the search for their inner truth. Taoism shares with transdisciplinarity the ability to integrate experiences and knowledge from very different backgrounds in a coherent approach. These approaches suit the practitioner-researcher-teacher that I am. I'm following the third way defined by Antoine Faivre (purist, eclectic, humanist). According to the "humanist" way, the traditional spirit is enriched by sciences exploration. Pierre A. Riffard, wondering about the definition of esotericism, wonders if one can study it without practicing it and practice it without studying it. Yves Albert Dauge's esotericism's conception – global and operative anthropology anchored in essential by a right perception of the reality structure and its mutations – seems to correspond to taijiquan practitioners approach. In order to circumscribe the esotericism field in a university environment, Antoine Faivre offers six criteria: correspondence, living Nature, imagination and mediation, transmutation experience, concordance, transmission. Can they apply to the traditional art of taijiquan? In my opinion, authentic style practice is not in claiming a label but in practicing by becoming true to yourself. This velocity resulting from a liberation form generates a powerful and radiant energy. This quest for inner truth led me to think outside the box. For more than two decades, I have been revisiting taijiquan in the light of new paradigms: flow experience, tensegrity, learning by body, enaction, deep ecology, ...

## KEY WORDS

Taijiquan, tradition, esotericism, authenticity, transdisciplinarity.
INTERNAL ARTS, STEPS TOWARDS MASTERY

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1. Yang style taijiquan: Brush knee and twist step</figcaption></figure>

Having brought approximately 400 different styles, schools, or traditions of martial arts, China is often considered their cradle. The appropriate generic term for “martial arts” (wushu) was by “national arts” (guoshu), during the Republican Period (1928-1937) and is still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The term gongfu, adopted in the West, refers more to the idea of accomplishment and is not limited to the realm of martial arts. Within this diversity, specialists distinguish two major streams: external styles using more muscle strength and internal styles favoring energy. External styles tend to be related to the Shaolin Buddhist temple and the monk Bodhidharma; internal styles are more connected to the Daoist monasteries on Mount Wudang the hermit Zhang Sanfeng.

Internal work primarily relies on following five parameters: form, elastic strength, breath, intention, and mind-set (Caulier, 2017). Forms of practice, that is, a set of codified poses, gestures, and movements, attach high importance to the notion of alignment. Alignment facilitates relaxation, and relaxation brings elasticity. Elasticity in turn allows opening and closing of different body places, and is thus a prerequisite for the circulation of vital energy. A multidirectional elastic force develops simultaneously in all three planes and applies continuously and naturally. Also, in the internal arts, intention, best described as a kind of creative imagination, represents a major quality for refining perception and inducing physiological and psychological change. Inherited from traditional Daoist alchemy, it applies the operative power of internalized images, but it is only creative when practitioners are in an adequate mind set, a state of availability, openness, and connection.
The three best-known internal arts are taijiquan (supreme ultimate boxing), xingyiquan (body-mind boxing), and baguazhang (eight trigrams palm). They match the three pillars of traditional Chinese thinking: yin-yang, the five phases, and the eight trigrams. Taijiquan is based on the great ultimate, that is, yin and yang in union; xingyiquan (Figure 6) consists of five basic techniques that match the five phases; baguazhang (Figure 7) takes its inspiration from the eight trigrams of the *Yijing* (Book of Changes) that symbolize key factors of the cosmos, such as heaven and earth, water and fire. Generally, all internal arts work closely with the coincidence and complementarity of opposites, using them in a systemic approach and striving for a dynamic conception of beings and phenomena. These three arts include breath work (qi gong), inner work (nei gong) from ancient Taoist alchemy (nei dan) and a meditative dimension (wu wei). The qualifier "internal" associated with the names "arts", schools "," families "indicates a certain type of transmission as well as reserved access (in internal circle).

Taijiquan includes 5 major styles:

* Yang style, most popular, is a simplification of Chen style; its ample movements privilege vertical circles (Figure 1)

* Chen style, oldest from a historical point of view and most spectacular, can be recognized by its changes of rhythm (Figure 2)

* Wu style derives from Yang style; its slight exits and resumptions of axis give it a particular relief (Figure 3)

* Wuhao style consists of dense and compact movements rich in energy work and martial applications (Figure 4)

* Sun style, a synthesis of the 3 internal arts, enhances mobility and subtlety; it sharpens perception and increases lucidity (5).

Inspired by Jean François Billeter fine research (*L'art chinois de l'écriture*, 2001), I took again the three essential stages through which every taijiquan practitioner goes through to achieve mastery (Caulier, 2012).

1. The first step is technical learning. Conformity to forms (precise and codified gestures succession) requires consistency, perseverance and wholesome curiosity.

2. During the second stage, practitioner goes around the domain (as the companion used to do "tour de France"). Each form of each style stimulates its abilities differently. The study of various "exemplary creations" turns into a personal adventure that gradually activates all of its potentials.

3. After having imitated the external form and reproduced the internal dynamics, the adept finds himself by finding his own movement. When someone reveals himself entirely in his practice, he acquires the master typical radiance. Emergence of deep personality only occurs after a very involving process. It is truly an alchemical process that dissolves and remakes. In this deeply initiatory test of truth, we find what we most desire by giving it up.

## METHOD: CREATE BRIDGES
<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>Figure 2. Chen style taijiquan: Part the wild horse's mane</figcaption></figure>

Studying reciprocal relationships between humans and their environment cannot be done from a single scientific discipline. The same is true for the internal arts. The approach can only be transdisciplinary. The vocation of transdisciplinarity is to bring together knowledge from inner experience, arts and sciences.

New scientific approaches recognize multidimensionality of human beings and reality. We are witnessing a paradigm shift. For Basarab Nicolescu (1996), transdisciplinarity recognizes several levels of reality, perception and representation.

I've been practicing internal arts for more than 30 years. In the nineties, I did fifteen study stays at the Beijing Sports University. Professor Men Hui Feng, head of the Wushu department, passed to me the 5 taijiquan major styles (Yang, Chen, Wu, Wuhao, Sun). For more than 20 years, I have travelled across disciplines: from physical education to philosophy through sociology. The transversal approach of anthropology suits me particularly well.

The Taijiquan School I founded in 1987 with Georgette Methens-Renard has educated more than 10,000 people, taught more than 4,000 students and trained more than 70 instructors.

I am a practitioner-searcher-teacher.

Regarding the ways of approaching traditions, Antoine Faivre (1996) developed a particularly enlightening concept: the three paths. The "Purist" way emphasizes importance of authentic, ancient and uninterrupted filiation. Representatives of the "eclectic" way practice "shopping around" by catching everything that interests them in the vast spiritual humanity treasure. Proponents of these two paths oppose to everything that doesn't belong to tradition. According to the third "humanist" way, a traditional spirit is enriched by sciences exploration (sociology, anthropology, biology, physics, etc.).
This third path, necessarily transdisciplinary, could once again, as it did in the past, fertilize scientific thought as science boost it.

For these bridges builders between various fields of knowledge, the notion of "Tradition" refers less to an immutable deposit, than to a perpetual renaissance. This article is written by a follower of the humanist way.

## TRADITION

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>Figure 3. Wu style taijiquan: Wave hands like clouds</figcaption></figure>

Tradition in the world of internal arts provides seriousness and authenticity. It is rarely ever questioned. However, upon closer historical inspection, it becomes evident that in the early 20th century, the Chinese reinvented it in the light of growing modernity. The Jingwu Association in particular, founded in Shanghai in 1909, created a completely new system. This included making the practice accessible to all people, using various means to enhance publicity (books, magazines, films), interpreting the practice in the light of modern science, and creating a systematic program that included distinct steps and certification (see Kennedy and Guo 2010).

In addition, at the time, the internal arts in general and taijiquan in particular became key representatives of Chinese nationalism, helping in the construction and legitimization of society in the process of modernizing and restructuring. Even in the West, internal arts came to be seen as being essentially Daoist, increasingly framed by the extraordinary exploits of past masters and historically outlined in fanciful genealogies.
All these form part of a strategy to build a structured tradition and create identity for prac-
titioners. The needs for identification and social cohesion prevailed over historical accura-
cy and the veracity of facts. In other words, the West, too, recreated the internal arts tra-
dition according to its particular expectations regarding history and worldview.

Tradition in the martial arts, therefore, no longer is a legacy of the past, but a present
construction. Internal arts do not exist in themselves but are what practitioners do and
say. Recent studies regarding memory demonstrate that it is more a reconstruction than a
restitution (Candau 2005 ; Morin 2011), a fact which also holds true for cultures and tradi-
tions. There is no pure culture or original tradition, but all are mixed to a varying degree,
and crossbreeding is the rule rather than the exception.

The speeches giving continuity through fanciful as well invented lineages appears like
compensation in crisis moments. In most cases, the ancestral origin and content stability
attributed to traditions do not stand up to analysis. Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger's
works (2012) show that many allegedly old traditions have been recently invented.

The word “tradition“ in Western cultures only began to spread at the outset of the 19th
century, especially in the context of the romantic movement (Faivre 1998, 1315). For the
last several decades, disenchantment with modernity has lead to ideological or scholarly
undertakings of rehabilitation. However, we cannot ignore that they still maintain a great
deal of illusion for symbolic or normative purposes.

Tradition, however, fictional, is source of legitimacy and a place of authority, the deciding arbiter of what is essential and what is universal. The paradox is that most traditional societies have no concept of tradition. People here act according to transmitted customs without thinking, with no exaggerated cult of the founding past or submission to intentional conservation. There is no need for justification, exportation, or conversion of others (Mary 2010).

Conducting studies of origins, one typically finds testimonies of fragmentation and inter-
pretations of pluralism. The differences, deformations, and divergences among contem-
porary representatives of the martial arts, thus, mirror the founders’ uncertainties and he-
sitations.

Move forward to self-knowledge is only possible by cultivating integrity and lucidity. How
can one claim awakening by taking refuge in lies and maintaining fantasies? How can one
claim traditional legitimacy, when one indulges in a sham of tradition for ideological, iden-
tity and/or commercial purposes? Letting go of illusions should not make us swing into
disillusionment. There are many aspects of practices from the past that can enlighten us
in our quest and help us find truth for ourselves.

ESOTERICISM
<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>Figure 4. Wuhao style taijiquan: Single whip</figcaption></figure>

What is esotericism? Esotericism for what? How to go in?

Pierre Riffard (1990), started with this question « What is esotericism? », gave birth to an
abundant sum on esotericism. He asks judicious and relevant questions, he outlines ave-
nues for reflection and suggests some guidelines. Can we talk about esotericism? This
question is throbbing because the author measures the distance in this hunt for the Abso-
lute hunters. Can you be an esoterologist without being an esotericist? That is to say, can
we study what we do not practice. Is the opposite more realistic: can you be an esoteri-
cist without being an esoterologist? In other words, is it possible to practice without stu-
dying? What is the study about, what are its modes, its methods? Should we choose cri-
tical approach or traditional approach?

Considering that the concept is not appropriate in the esotericism case, Pierre Riffart, af-
ter having approached word and idea in Occident and notion in Orient, proposes classifi-
cation and list of eight invariants: authors impersonality, esoteric / exoteric opposition,
subtle, analogies and correspondences, number, occult sciences, occult arts and initia-
tion.

Yves Albert Dauge (1986) wonders, questions us « Esotericism: what for? ». His book aims to be a fundamental working tool, an invitation to travel. Faced with the great problems of our time, this metamorphosis vade-mecum shows the esoteric approach relevance. In ambient confusion, esotericism is a compass. In this wisdom school, knowledge can only be operative.

Global and operative anthropology, esotericism is anchored in essential by correct per-
ception of reality structure and its mutations. This approach, in which everything should
be experienced by yourself, opens up to a transforming knowledge. It generates a libera-
tion process allowing to find the multi-unit of being. In this endless journey, the peace
won is not conflict absence, but fullness and harmony of being.
Reflecting on the concept of esotericism, Antoine Faivre (1996) speaks of an "entry into
oneself" passing through a gnosis to lead to an enlightenment form. This entry is done
according to an initiatory process. The path followed is marked out by a series of land-
marks. Esotericism is an operative knowledge which transforms the knowing subject.
This knowledge is accession to a "duality", higher level of intelligence where all dualities
are transcended in a dynamic, energetic unity. Lifestyle, education, total but not totalitari-
an experience, esotericism is not incompatible with exotericism.

In order to circumscribe this field, new in the university environment, Antoine Faivre (1996) within his methodology framework, proposes six criteria characterizing esotericism in the West:

1. Correspondence idea presupposing universal interdependence

2. Living Nature felt, known and understood

3. Imagination and mediation (rituals, images, symbols, myths)

4. Transmutation experience

5. Concordance practise (common denominators between the various traditions)

6. Transmission as component of initiation process.

Jean-Noël Robert (1998) uses Faivre's criteria to highlight Japanese Buddhism esoteric dimension. I myself have shown their relevance for taijiquan (Caulier, 2019).

1. Correspondence: taiji (microcosm and macrocosm)

2. Living Nature: taijiquan breathing techniques as well as various animals evocation make us feel life palpitation which animates us and the universe.

3. Imagination and mediation: creative imagination is one key to develop internal strength.
Taijiquan forms can be seen as rituals.

4. Transmutation experience: Chinese inner alchemy like taijiquan are operative paths leading to transmutation.

5. Concordance practise: René Guénon in La Grande Triade (1957) shows the conver-
gence between Chinese and Western esotericism.

6. Transmission: lineages in the various families / Schools

What is esotericism? It is difficult to circumscribe.

Esotericism for what? To transform oneself.

How to go in? By initiation.

NEW PARADIGMS
<figure><img src="image_6.png" /><figcaption>Figure 5. Sun style taijiquan: Single whip</figcaption></figure>

As a follower of humanist way, I’m enriching my traditional practices with sciences exploration.

We are just beginning to appreciate the conceptual revolution and paradigm shift initiated by quantum physics. As thesis and antithesis are dissolved in synthesis, the polarities remain intact in the theory of the included third. Taijiquan practice, by systematically transforming opposits into complementary factors, allows us to make a quantum leap.

Cognitive sciences today demonstrate what practices like the internal arts have understood long ago. True knowledge is acquired in action and incarnates in the flesh: the subject co-constructs himself with his environment. Is not the best way to develop environmentally friendly energy management by learning how to manage your own energy on all levels—economy, recycling, personal transformation? Respect of our own nature and respect for outside nature become one and the same.

Biotensegrity transforms the vision of anatomy and allows a better understanding of basic biological structures (Scarr 2015, 20). The notion describes the conscious use of the connective tissues in the elastic sphere within the body, using experiences typical of taijiquan. The connective tissues disperse energy and information uniformly across the bodily structure (Barrett 2006, 175-78). It is a system characterized by a very high level of coherence. Searching for coherence on different levels—gestural, respiratory, cardiac, mental—is one of the essential features of internal arts practice.

In taijiquan, principles incorporated in exercises performed alone or with an object that extends the body are often also expanded into partner practice. These exercises, called
"push hands," develop the skills of listening, understanding, and following the other, assimilating his or her dynamic and responding with the most appropriate gesture. Being in tune with another and entering into symbiosis with him is an extraordinary experience. Push hands lead to a high level of awareness and empathy.

By nourishing vital energy, practitioners of the internal arts become major actors with regard to health. Their attitudes and thoughts, as much as gestures and overall body movements, become more fluid. This leads them to live in the flow experiences more and more often (Caulier, 2016 a). They discovers access keys to optimal experiences, attaining moments of fullness when all parts of the body work in perfect synergy and in amplified awareness.

## My practice: a specific approach

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /><figcaption>Figure 6. Xingyiquan : Split (metal)</figcaption></figure>

Based on these concepts, for me personally, taijiquan is mainly a present practice, allowing me to choose my determination and helping me to better orient myself, thus supporting how I build my reality. My Master, Men Huifeng never settled into a finalized system or relied on the past to ensure his legitimacy. He acquired his mastery through hard work and continuous questioning, never ceasing to make taijiquan come alive. He formed a bridge between two modes of practice working both within families and at universities, codified many forms, and established a « grammar » and a basic « vocabulary » for different styles (wugong and bafa). He thus was one of the leading architects of the Chinese grade system (duan) and helped create the Dongyue style presented at the top of Mount Tai in January, 2000. To me, he is very much a true master.
In addition, traveling to China numerous times, I have worked with various other professionals to train in taijiquan as well as to learn the basic of other internal arts. The different components are systematically learned through preparatory exercises (stretching, muscle strengthening), simple and complex forms (codified sequences), both unarmed and with weapons (sword, saber, stick, spear, fan), as well as through specific applications (push hands and self-defense).

Beyond this I have learned to activate internal resources through practices derived from internal alchemy. This aspect is fundamental to becoming aware of body and environment. After releasing tensions of the body, breathing becomes wider and more open, and life energy can circulate more freely. I also use internalized images to activate the intention and increase the level of overall awareness. The ultimate goal is to harmonize inside and outside and gain full participation in Dao.

To provide the best possible training for my own students, I have also engaged in the important work of re-appropriation and re-interpretation of traditional concepts by matching ancient ideas with new paradigms, working particularly in the fields of physical education, physiotherapy, body sociology, and more. For several decades, I have experimented with multi-level transmission relationships in a variety of contexts, as they unfold in variable time frames.

Collaboration with automotive supplier Faurecia has led to the development of an innovative approach to ergonomics based on the gestural, perceptive and attentional principles of taijiquan (Caulier 2016 b).

My taijiquan is the foundation of my research and my consulting-coaching practices. In return, my research and transmission activities have deeply nourished my taijiquan. The taijiquan I practice and transmit has therefore become very specific.

The deepening work initiated within my taijiquan School not only focuses on the different technical approaches, but also on the capabilities to stimulate to promote learning. With the Professors, we also question attitudes and methods to used by teachers to become « bridges» between techniques and capabilities. These (Initiators, Instructors and Professors) are all in continuous training. For more than twenty years, we are closing the master classes with a constructive evaluation.

During these non-sanctioning evaluations (neither points nor ranking) combining practical and theoretical presentations, jury members value acquired aspects and suggest improvement ways. This context promotes strong cooperation between candidates who encourage and support each other. In this very flexible framework where empathy and benevolence reign, personal testimonies on inner feelings are delivered.

These testimonials are included in our magazine "Espace Taiji". In a way, they set the tone and bring other practitioners to testify to their feelings, learning experiences and transfers in daily life (Caulier, 2019).

## CONCLUSION

## AUTHENTICITY
<figure><img src="image_8.png" /><figcaption>Figure 7. Baguazhang : Grand polarity posture</figcaption></figure>

We can speculate on our martial practices spiritual and esoteric aspects. Do we really have means to implement them, to be operative?

Various summoned authors insist on the need to combine theory and practice: study what we practice and practice what we study (Riffart), knowledge can only be operative (Dauge), operative knowledge which transforms the subject knowing (Faivre). For Thierry Gaudin (2100 récit du prochain siècle, 1990), everyone pretends, simules ; let know has taken precedence over know-how.

Is postmodern individual inimitable ? Concerning living nature (2nd criterion): today we are witnessing a Nature deficit disorder (Cynthia Fleury, 2017), our sensory configuration no longer allows us to hear the earth (David Abram, 2013).

As for interdependence, active imagination, rituals practise and transmission, let's listen Nicole Aubert description of the hypermodern individual (2004): urgency cult, immediacy, brief and interchangeable encounters, communication addiction, impossibility to live long-term values: fidelity, commitment, loyalty. An individual in excess who gets high and burns in hyperactivity.

For Billeter, the emergence of deep personality comes only at the end of a very involving process in which very few practitioners have the courage to engage. Not all of them lead it to the end. What about the other stages: different mastery degrees to finally free yourself from mastery?

According to Dauge, this beautiful and necessary journey which leads to the heart of things and beings, to the heart of ourselves has a cost: the minority of the "Deep" must always expect to be persecuted by the majority of the "Flat".
Access to an "installed mastery" is a very rare phenomenon. Adam Frank (2006) estimates that out of a hundred million Chinese people practicing taijiquan, only a thousand practitioners have attained a very high level of skill, that is to say one in a hundred thousand.

My personal experience confirms these observations. Most practitioners have a consumerist approach: performance (competitions) and above all well-being (happiness pursuit in *Happycratie* style (Edgar Cabanas & Eva Illouz, 2018) and retreat into their bubble (Macmindfulness Ronald Purser, 2019). Very few are really interested by a lucid research on oneself.

The most popular taijiquan styles are Yang style (most popular) and Chen style (most spectacular). Wuhao and Sun styles (more internal, subtle and spiritual) are very confidential.

However, I am very happy to have been guided and to guide part of my students towards the search for authenticity in a practice of internal arts based on traditional roots and enriched by new scientific paradigms. In this period of great change, the initiatory pathways are perhaps more essential than ever.

## REFERENCES

Abram, David. 2013. *Comment la terre s'est tue - Pour une écologie des sens*. Paris: La Découverte.

Aubert, Nicole. 2004. *L'individu hypermoderne*. Ramonville Saint-Agne: Érès.

Barett, Rick. 2006. *Taijiiquan: Through the Western Gate*. Berkeley: Blue Snake Books.

Billeter Jean-François. 2001. *L'art chinois de l'écriture*. Paris: Skira/Seuil.

Cabanas, Edgar and Illouz, Eva. 2018. *Happycratie - Comment l'industrie du bonheur a pris le contrôle de nos vies*. Paris: Premier Parallèle.

Candau, Joël. 2005. *Anthropologie de la mémoire*. Paris, Armand Colin.

Caulier, Eric. 2012. « Taijiquan et calligraphie : trouver sa propre écriture ». In *Les techniques de conscience du corps entre Orient et Occident* edited by Benoit Grison, 115-34. Paris: L'Harmattan.

Caulier, Eric. 2016 a. *Prendre conscience du corps*. Paris: UPPR.

Caulier, Eric. 2016 b. « Création d'une ergonomie énactive ». In *Corps et méthodologies - Corps vivant, corps vécu, corps décrit* edited by Nicolas Burel, 145-56. Paris: L'Harmattan.

Caulier, Eric. 2017. *Approche traditionnelle et scientifique du tai chi chuan - Pour répondre aux défis contemporains*. Strépy-Bracquegnies: Le livre en papier.
Caulier, Eric. 2019. *Les sens du mouvement - Une approche transdisciplinaire du tai chi chuan*. Strépy-Bracquegnies: Le livre en papier.

Dauge, Yves Albert. 1986. *L'ésotérisme pour quoi faire ?* Paris: Dervy.

Faivre, Antoine. 1996. *Accès de l'ésotérisme occidental 1*. Paris: Gallimard.

Faivre, Antoine. 1998. « Tradition ». In *Dictionnaire critique de l'Ésotérisme*, edited by Jean Servier, 1313-15. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Fleury, Cynthia et Prevot, Anne-Caroline. 2017. *Le souci de la nature - Apprendre, inventer, gouverner*. Paris: CNRS Éditions.

Frank, Adam D. 2006. *Taijiquan and the Search for the Little Old Chinese Man - Understanding Identity through Martial Arts*. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gaudin, Thierry. 1990. *2100 récit du prochain siècle*. Paris: Payot.

Guénon, René. 1957. *La Grande Triade*. Paris: Gallimard.

Hobsbawm, Eric et Ranger, Terence. 2012. *L'invention de la tradition*. Paris: Amsterdam.

Kennedy, Brian, and Guo, Elisabeth. 2010. *Jingwu: The School That Transformed Kung Fu*. Berkeley: Blue Snake Books

Larochelle, Dominic. 2010. « Pèlerinage vers l'Est. La réception des traditions d'arts martiaux chinois en Occident - analyse d'un discours légitimateur dans la littérature populaire sur le taiji quan (1960-2006) ». Thèse de doctorat non publiée, Université Laval Québec.

Morin, Olivier. 2011. *Comment les traditions naissent et meurent - La transmission culturelle*. Paris: Odile Jacob.

Mary, André. 2010. « Tradition, traditionalisme et néo-traditionnalisme ». In *Dictionnaire des faits religieux*, edited by Régine Azria and Danièle Hervieu-Léger, 1238-45. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Nicolescu, Basarab. 1996. *La Transdisciplinarité - Manifeste*. Monaco: Rocher.

Purser, Ronald. 2019. *McMindfulness : How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality*. London: Repeater.

Riffart, Pierre A. 1990. *L'ésotérisme - Qu'est ce que l'ésotérisme ? Anthologie de l'ésotérisme occidental*. Paris: Robert Laffont.

Robert, Jean-Noël. 1998. « Bouddhisme - Japon ». In *Dictionnaire critique de l'ésotérisme*, edited by Jean Servier, 232-41. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Scarr, Graham. 2015. *Biotenségrité: La base structurelle de la vie*. Vannes: Sully.

**Useful links**

Page : http://ericcaulier.mystrikingly.com/
Website : https://www.taijiquan.be/

Blog : https://www.eric-caulier.be/

YouTube channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/ericCAULIER

Podcast : https://anchor.fm/caulier