The taiji my teacher taught, and that I hope I teach too, has little to do with acquiring expertise, with becoming measurably good at something. Instead he taught a taiji that, if practised, would improve the energy of the student sufficient for them to step outside of the box they find themselves trapped inside. This then becomes an endless process – as you step out of one box, once you've grown accustomed to the new terrain, you realise you're inside another, albeit larger (though more exclusive – lonelier) box. The difficulty, eventually, once you've got used to having no conventional culture with which to measure your progress, is to see the next box – their boundaries become ever more elusive. It boils down to a conviction – in your heart of hearts – that reality is not the world of convention, culture and language, but the world of spirit.