MANILA, Philippines ? Like a ghost from the past, the image of a scavenger and lunatic, better known as Sabel, has been flitting in National Artist BenCab?s canvases for over four decades.

More than his icon for the plight of the poor and a virtuosic display of his talent, Sabel also reflects BenCab?s fascination with movement. Critics such as Alice Guillermo have noted his subject?s transformation through the years.

Ever since BenCab (aka Benedicto Cabrera) took up tai chi, his style evolved into gestural painting, infused with vigorous rhythmic brush strokes, flowing lines and spirited body movements.

BenCab partly attributes the rapturous yet controlled brushwork to his daily morning ritual of 40 minutes of tai chi.

Where it began

In 1983, BenCab was strolling along a London park when he spotted a man gliding through martial arts movements in a graceful and serene manner. Entranced and also relaxed by watching the man, BenCab befriended him and became his pupil. The man, who came from Guyana, was practicing tai chi, which was unlike the most popular form, the Yang style of 108 forms, executed in smooth dance-like, expansive and soft movements. BenCab learned the short form, an abbreviated version of the traditional martial art.
For two years, he regularly attended two-hour classes teaching exercises for energy, self-defense and physical conditioning, infused with philosophical discourses.

Although it may seem gentle, tai chi could be lethal. While practicing in a class, BenCab was merely blocking his partner through a hand gesture as his partner attacked him. Without feeling force on his part, he broke the metacarpal of his partner, who then was rushed to the hospital.

To deepen his appreciation of tai chi, Ben also read books on Eastern philosophies, Zen and mind-body connections such as Bruce Lee?s ?Chinese Gung-Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense? and Zen sayings by Master D.T. Suzuki.

Teachings

This martial art has influenced his outlook in life. ?You learn not to contest the opponent. If the opponent is strong, you go with his strength by using it against him.? The teachings are also full of paradoxes. ?The slower you are, the faster you become,? says BenCab.

BenCab says tai chi helped him especially when he went through a painful separation from his British wife of 13 years, Caroline Kennedy, which ended in divorce in 1985. ?Whenever I felt heavy, instead of drinking and wallowing in pain, I would do tai chi. It made me forget my problems because there?s meditation in movement.? Tai chi disciplines the practitioner to focus on the present, and the coordinated breathing soothes the soul.

Studies have shown that tai chi improves balance and flexibility and is beneficial for preventing falls among the elderly. Aside from boosting blood circulation and lowering high blood pressure, it enhances the immune system and has even helped breast cancer and HIV-infected patients get back on their feet.

At 67, BenCab is agile and strong compared to people his age. ?I?ve never been hospitalized. Tai chi develops muscles because there?s dynamic tension. You may look relaxed but the muscles are contracted. It also strengthens your leg. Even if you fall, you know how to do it properly.?

In painting, tai chi works up BenCab?s endorphins to put him in a good mood to facilitate the smooth flow of creativity.

Thirty years after Sabel first appeared on canvas as a mysterious figure swathed in rags, she is portrayed in full form whirling on canvas, in broad, sweeping brush strokes and seething colors like a butterfly out of her cocoon. The positive energy and concentration accumulated in tai chi enabled him to finish a 10-foot tall painting with ease.

He points out that the influence of tai chi is evident in the 32 fluid variations of Sabel he interpreted on Mariwasa tiles. ?I finished it in half a day. The spontaneity was there.?

As a Zen saying goes, ?To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.?