Welcome About Us Arts Taught Articles Master Support Teaching Contact
 

網站簡介 (繁體中文)

弟子級別─弟子與師父角色
 

网站简介 (简体中文)

弟子级别─弟子与师父角色
 

This site is

copyright protected

 

 

 

 

 

News Archive

News Archive
The Spirit of Gong Fu
Contribution of article to Qufu Shaolin Martial Arts School website


Sunday, 24 May 2009
Details of the original article, in part derived from original documents concerning Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong's description of the special spiritual character of one particular rare, traditional Shaolin Boxing System -- Luohan Ru Yi Quan -- and guidance concerning the proper approach to study of traditional gong fu, are provided below.

 

The Spirit of Gong Fu
by Master Alan Tinnion

Training guidance and the special spiritual character of Shaolin Boxing:

 

"Over the course of decades, my Master, declared in his lifetime a 'Living National Treasure of the People's Republic of China', taught me many Forms, Styles, and Disciplines of traditional Shaolin gong fu.

The knowledge of Shaolin Boxing that he imparted to me has been a profound and enduring influence upon my work as a dedicated teacher of traditional Chinese martial arts.The knowledge that my Master imparted and the experience of teaching this to people of Western culture and others (including the Far East) has with the passage of time made me aware that the real essence and dynamics of Shaolin gong fu tend towards purely spiritual goals: through the very real hard work, related suffering / endurance, and dedication that pursuit of the Arts entail these goals are attained -- they are not attained easily, and certainly not by 'short-cuts'.

One has to 'taste bitter [suffer] before one can taste sweet' [attain results that are real rather than superficial]. Shaolin gong fu is therefore not a matter of mere peerless practical fighting technique. It is, rather, a uniquely effective means, perfected over many, many, centuries by the Shaolin Temple Warrior Monks for attainment of spiritual objectives; foremost of which is the Buddhist value of self-mastery [perseverance / tolerance, and freedom from worldly emotions and perspectives].

To attain real 'gong fu' is not at all an easy matter, for it entails a genuinely humble, receptive attitude, and years of dedication and perseverance in training. This said, attainment of genuine Shaolin Boxing gong fu will be understood by its practitioners to be important not so much as a fighting technique / art, but rather -- and much more importantly -- as a means to realisation of the spiritual goals of self-possession, self-mastery, and a profound awareness of the rhythms of Nature and the importance of cultivation of the Buddhist values of kindness / compassion.

The splendour of Shaolin gong fu comes only in part from the brilliancy of its styles and techniques: for those who are prepared to properly study, persevere, and train in the Shaolin martial arts the rewards are much, much, more rewarding and are of a spiritual kind.

Over the years I have taught and continue to teach many students. This has been and remains a most instructive and positive experience for me. And so, I would like to share, at this point the thoughts and wisdom of my Master -- provided in teaching guidance notes [from the original hand-written documents] -- concerning two topics: firstly, that of the motivations and attitudes to training of students, and secondly the philosophy and nature of one of the most rare arts (Luohan Ru Yi Quan) of the great heritage of traditional Shaolin gong fu".

 

Concerning the right attitude towards training:
Teaching Problems of Chinese Wushu, by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong:

“I have been teaching martial arts for more than 40 years. I have taught many types of people -- wealthy and poor, intelligent and stupid, cunning and honest. The problems I have encountered are many, yet times of happiness have also been frequent.

Now allow me to list my students attitude towards studying and their experience. Students have the following attitudes:

They hope the more they study the better: There are too many styles of Wushu, needless to say the different schools are many and varied. The Forms in our school are very many. With all the time in the world they are hard to perfect, but students want their teacher to teach them something new everyday. To learn a new thing every day is bad for the student. If one day he is faced by an attacker, because his techniques are all over the place then he will be badly hurt. Students must learn each set well, without the desire for gain and with patience. The student should study well the foundation and the skill, and only then will he be able to use it.

They hope to reach the secrets through study: The greatest secret of martial arts is perseverance ... only with regular practise, regular study and regular research can results be made. The majority of teachers hope that their disciples will quickly progress and achieve good success. They unceasingly correct and instruct, but do the students have the perseverance? If they do not then the greatest secret will be of no use. Actually the secret is only practise makes perfect and nothing more. It is only through the experience of studying. If a student can unceasingly practice and research, then he can discover many secrets. One of the most important secrets is to correctly practise the Sets.

Loafing on the job and resorting to trickery: There are a few intelligent students of above average ability who very quickly learn the basics and always ask the teacher in the hope he will tell them how to use the techniques, and think they have it all once they get a superficial interpretation. I know it, I know how to use it, and that's enough. But what they have is just the surface. Then one day he crosses arms with another student and realizes his level is too low, and blames the teacher for not teaching him the secrets.

Not having a speciality: Today study Shaolin, tomorrow Taiji, the next day study Bagua. This type of student obtains an undeserved reputation. People say that teacher is good and he says he has studied with him. They say another teacher's gong fu is terrific and he says he is his shifu. Everyday he has a new shifu and new gong fu. In the end this kind of person will achieve nothing.

Not able to 'eat bitter': Real gong fu is hard work; stance, training gong, training the qi, sparring all includes suffering. It is hard work and difficult to study, but if when you practise you loaf about, quit practising and deliberately shirk, eventually you will have nothing -- so how can you have real gong fu.

So students, the most important thing is to be sincere, diligent, able to endure suffering and seek excellence. Step by step make progress, gong fu is Not talking about it, it is practised through physical effort and suffering. The reason the gong fu of people of ages past was so profound was because they studied with such effort. The people of today study for a few years and consider it enough. This is a real pity."

 

Concerning the Spiritual character of the higher level of Shaolin gong fu:
“Luohan Ru Yi Quan Xin Fa" by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong:

“The Chan Sect of Buddhist belief started with Dazun, and there are many Buddhist disciples that emphasize the study of the Way of the Mind. But few are those who know of the relationship between the Shaolin School of Wushu and Buddhist Xin Fa.

Shaolin Boxing has been passed down from the monks of the Shaolin Temple. But those that put the Way of the Mind first are few. Because this boxing art is very difficult to understand and hard to train, students often feel at a loss and unable to make progress and give up half way.

The highest state of Buddhist Xin Fa is the communication of good feelings -- now does the art of boxing have these type of demands? Yes! But few are those who can teach and those who have an opportunity to really learn are even fewer, because those who learn this boxing skill need great intelligence and have to fully understand its nature before they can achieve it. When Master and student train this type of boxing no sound is uttered, training is done with arms in contact, with corresponding internal qi, and as the breathing becomes refined, the more you practise the more well built it becomes, and the more relaxed one becomes.

By way of training 'qi' and 'yi' into 'gong' at the same time one should pay even more attention to the cultivation of kind feelings. All that the Shifu can explain and express are just a few guides to the Way. What is inside the student can only be known by him. So how to succeed? Just like when a person drinks water, only he knows how hot or cold it is.

This set altogether has 108 different hand techniques not including repeated hand movements, to train once you need 45 minutes. You should practise 3 times a day, in three time divisions, mornings, afternoons, and evenings. This will be extremely good for your health. This will push your ability to use it, your Spirit and magnificent vigour to new heights.

This Set includes the Dazun 9 Yang Gong, Wuji Gong, Tai Ji Gong, and Wuxing. Only the Dazun Jiu Yang Gong can make the internal qi pass step by step through the liver, spleen and lungs to inside the body and travel bit by bit to all the organs. No need to mention its use as a martial art, just this small section is enough to be effective in changing the tendons.

Newcomers to this style may find, within 3 months, that they have small problems. If small sores appear on the hand, sores will appear by the side of the buttocks. Otherwise you might get upset stomach and emissions will be malodorous and black. This is the qi working inside, sweeping out what is unclean from the internal organs. Sometimes it will seem as if you have a fever, or a cold, but if you see the doctor and take his medicine there will be no effect, but your spirit will not necessarily be lacking in vitality. This is the result of the true qi surging through the body. This is what is different about internal gong boxing.

Soft boxing is not necessarily internal gong boxing and hard boxing is not necessarily external gong boxing. Actually, the difference between internal and external gong boxing is whether, when someone is practicing a certain Form, that Form can make the internal qi flow inside and make the internal organs healthy. And afterwards be able to use the Mind to make the qi move, and cause the qi to become an air balloon to protect the body and transform the qi to jing that can be expressed by both hand and foot, and create outstanding internal jing.

This style looks for stillness in the midst of movement, using the method of movement to train quiet gong. The hand methods are very complicated and hard to remember, the demands of the movements and intentions are very fine. Even more, the student must practise the hand techniques to an extremely natural and skillful level. Having reached a really deep understanding, you must ignore the hand and foot techniques. Pay then close attention to the aspects of breathing. Afterwards even the aspect of breathing one can forget, having oneself empty. There is nothing there and also nothing that is not there - boxing without Mind and Mind without boxing".

In the world of today for all who have a general or specialist interest in the Great heritage of Shaolin Boxing, it is most important to always recall the question. Why should I learn Shaolin gong fu, and if I study and train, what may I hope to attain? The words of my Master, detailed above, I feel provide the answers to these questions. The rewards of study and training with a sincere heart, and diligently, are indeed priceless and are available to All those who seek them and persevere will Not fail to find very Great rewards.

 

Master Alan Tinnion is head instructor and director of Qi China International, a Martial Arts Academy founded in the UK. He has a doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Shanghai University of TCM and over 30 years experience in clinical and martial art teaching practice. For further details about Master Alan Tinnion and Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong, please visit www.cheekimthong.co.uk.
 



 
Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan
Note:
The following descriptions of the rare and ancient arts given below were created by Dr Alan Tinnion, in his capacity as a much respected and trusted Inner Chamber Disciple of his Master, Shizu [Grandmaster] Chee Kim Thong, to provide proper accurate scholarly descriptions of Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan on the Wikipedia website resource. The creation of both articles was due to a general lack of accurate description of these systems for reasons explained below.

Parts of these systems have been taught to a limited number of individuals of the Chee Kim Thong Lineage, but they were taught in their entirety to Dr Alan Tinnion on a personal direct basis by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong who felt him worthy of preserving and teaching them in their unaltered, accurate forms. The transmission of the two systems took place over a number of years.
Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan were taught to Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong by his final and greatest teacher, the Chan Buddhist patriarch of the legendary Southern Shaolin Temple [Fujian province], the Very Reverend Abbot Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze .
Please also see the ‘Spirit of Gong Fu’ article in the Articles section of this website: this provides further information about the Luohan Ru Yi Quan system.

Wujiquan

Wujiquan (Chinese (無極拳): Pinyin: Wujiquan; Wade-Giles: Wu Chi Chuan): ‘Ultimate Void Boxing’: A Rare and Secret Ultimate Void Boxing Skill, and Mother Art of Taijiquan; from Wuji comes Tai-ji The Wujiquan System is composed of 36 ‘Characters’: 18 kinds of natural climatic phenomena, and 18 of Qi applications.

One of the rarest of traditional Shaolin Boxing systems, Wujiquan is also one of the purest of traditional Chinese soft-internal boxing systems(Neijia): being taught to very few in its entirety and only after years of rigorous training and testing for aptitude; it never became widely known, which meant that unlike the better known, Taijiquan, there was no opportunity for the system to undergo the experimentation and mixing with other systems and arts which during recent centuries led to the variety of styles which characterize Taijiquan.

Wujiquan’s origins are ancient, belonging to the age of the renowned legendary Chinese physician, Hua Tuo (c 208), or even earlier times. As its name and the names of its individual 36 Characters indicate, it is derived from ancient Chinese, Daoist and pre-Daoist (shamanic ancient Chinese) concepts such as Yin-Yang, and also from natural climatic phenomena. The name of its creator(s) is unknown, but it is understood to have been originally taught at and included amongst the ancient systems taught at the Shaolin Temple (Songshan, Henan Province, China) from its early centuries until at least as late as the era of the Sino-Japanese Conflict (1937–1945). The authority for the assertion of the ancient origins and teaching within the original historical Shaolin Temple System from very early times is derived from one of the last Abbots of the Putian, Nan Pu Tuo (also formerly known as ‘Quanlin Yuan’), Southern Shaolin Temple (Fujian Province). The Abbot of this historic temple, the Very Reverend Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze taught this system (and Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and 18 Arhat Boxing) over the course of 3 years to his disciple, Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong (c 1920–2001) prior to the fall of the temple and invasion of Fujian by the Japanese – Grandmaster Chee gave the system the nickname of ‘Shaolin Tai-Ji’.

Luohan Ru Yi Quan

Luohan Ru Yi Quan [ Hanyu Pinyin ]: literally ‘Luohan “As You Wish” Fist.’ This set altogether has 108 different hand techniques, and includes the Dazun 9 Yang Gong, Wuji Gong, Tai Ji Gong, and Wuxing. A rare and secret high-level Shaolin martial art: it should not be confused with the much better known Eighteen Lohan [or Arhat ] Boxing System.

The system is also known by the names, ‘Printing the Red Palm [Push attack],’ and ‘The Old Man Set’ (an informal name for the system known within the Chee Kim Thong Nan Shaolin lineage).

The origins of the Luohan Ru Yi Quan system are unknown, but certainly date from an early period of the Shaolin Temple’s martial arts history. As with all of the Shaolin martial arts, and in particular the highest level ones such as Wujiquan, it has a spiritual meditation development purpose separate to its martial applications. In comparison to the predominantly ‘yin’ characteristics of Wujiquan, Luohan Ru Yi Quan is more robustly ‘yang’ in its fundamental dynamics and visual impact. It is known as ‘The Old Man Set,’ ‘As You Wish Fist,’ and ‘Printing The Red Palm,’ because it contains mastery of techniques which only the most gifted Shaolin gong fu masters and traditional Shaolin fighting monks of old attained after a lifetime of patient study and exceptional success in fighting application. With this level of gong fu reached, the Luohan Ru Yi System enabled its practitioners to use techniques, to ‘push through’ any form of attack, and defeat or kill the challenger.

 
Spirit of the Shaolin Temple
The Spirit of the Shaolin Temple


Friday, 20 March 2009
The Head of the Qufu Shaolin Martial Arts School (China), Master Shi Yan Jia, has in furtherance of the shared educational partnership with Qi China Iinternational kindly provided an article detailing the daily life of the Shaolin Monk. His account provides a most important description of life at the renowned Songshan Shaolin Temple and the special inter-relationship between the world renowned heritage of Shaolin gong fu and Chan [Zen] Buddhism.

 

The Spirit of the Shaolin Temple

By Master Shi Yan Jia

Shaolin Kung Fu is technically speaking the martial arts system of attack and defense movements that uses forms (series of moves combinations:套路 taolu) as a basic method of training. Both the moves and their combinations are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine’s theory about the working of the human body. The cultural and spiritual aspect of Shaolin Kung Fu comes through its essential roots in Chan Buddhism, the first belief shared by practitioners. This is especially the case in regards to wisdom and strength; for wisdom, the Buddha Puti Damo (below left) is worshipped to and for strength, the Buddha Jin Na Luo Wang (below right) is taken refuge in.



A typical day for a Shaolin Temple Monk


Early at five o’clock every morning, the monks of the Shaolin Temple arise with the striking of the gong. They join together to start the first morning class of the day, lasting for 90 minutes. At 06:40, monks mindfully join a line in the Zhai Tang (place where the monks have food) to have breakfast. Before and after the meal, monastic chanting is carried out. Every monk has his own alms bowl with food in it and is not allowed to leave anything uneaten. During this meal time, everyone is to keep silent. Between 08:00-09:00 the monks study Buddhism where dharma learning is taught to cultivate knowledge and wisdom. Between 09:10-11:30, there is study time to practice Kung Fu at the back of a nearby mountain.

Lunch is then taken afterwards at 11:40 in a similar manner to breakfast, some grand masters and scholastic monks however do not eat lunch in order to enter fully into their monastic life and study. Afternoon training time then takes place between 14:00-17:30. After a short rest, members of the temple go to the monastery for evening chanting which lasts an hour. The final part of a day is a 45 minute meditation period followed by a period for self-study that lasts until the sound of the bell again at 21:30 which signals the end of the day.



Shaolin Kung Fu's Nine Steps of learning:


1. 结缘 Knowledge: In various ways, begin to know about Shaolin Kung Fu and the Song Shan Shaolin Temple
2. 仰慕 Admiration: Feel moved by the sprit and character of Shaolin Kung Fu and so be naturally energised towards it.
3. 抱负 Ambition: Start to plan your life again after the feeling of your heart and making the decision to learn Shaolin Kung Fu. After setting a specific goal, set your mind to realize that ambition in your lifetime.
4. 痴迷 Enthusiasm: Make a self-affirmation of the goals chosen and pursue with a one-pointed determination of love and dedication.
5. 行动 Action: Adapt your goal to specific courses of action and start to practice Shaolin Kung Fu. This will be a hard learning process.
6. 认识 Understand: Come to rational knowing and the cultural connotations of Shaolin Kung Fu.
7. 信仰 Faith: Start to transform rational understanding into a deeper understanding about Buddhism. Shaolin Kung Fu is considered one way of learning Chan Buddhism (and so named “Wushu Chan”).
8. 感悟 Awareness: Practice Shaolin Kung Fu from a deeper self belief enabling practice to become not just a goal but an effective path to becoming aware and realising the essence of Buddhism.
9. 见性 Nature: From learning Shaolin Kung Fu, develop a full understanding about wisdom and strength, see the truth of life and the universe.

Master Shi Yan Jia

 

Master Shi Yan Jia

Master Shi Yan Jia (Wei Shifu) is a 34th generation Shaolin Disciple of the current Shaolin Temple Abbot the Venerable Shi Yong Xin, came to the Shaolin Temple to learn Shaolin Kungfu from the age of 8 years old and stayed there for a further ten years. He is currently ranked at level 7*. He has 8 years of experience in teaching Kung Fu to international students from all over the world and giving performances to many people.



In the 1st national Shaolin Kung Fu competition Master Shi Yan Jia was awarded first place in traditional Shaolin Fist form and Shaolin Spear form. At the 9th Sports Meeting in Henan province, he also won first place for his Shaolin Staff routine, and in the championships of Zhengzhou, he came first in the Traditional Sword form category.

Master Shi Yan Jia's school is located in the historic city of Qufu (eastern Shandong Province), hometown of the great Chinese philosopher, Confucius.

 
Traditional roles of Master and Disciple
The role of Disciple and Master: requirements and expectations...

The world of today with its consumerism, slick advertising, computer technology and accompanying largely rootless, superficial values is a far cry from the world Grandmaster Chee was brought up in. One of the concepts most difficult for the modern, Western mind to grasp is that of Discipleship. It is a concept poorly understood, and perhaps a little tarnished by its connotations of religious fanaticism, not to mention an apparent surrender of a large portion of personal liberty, with the disciples’ freewill being sacrificed to that of the Master.

However, in the world of Old China, to be a disciple of a true Gong Fu Master was both a great honour, and ultimately a protection. The concept of traditional Gong Fu discipleship is based on the wisdom that in surrendering a little, one gains much more.

This is unsurprising in a part of the world where the spiritual philosophy of Daoism and to a certain extent that of Buddhism thrive, for both teach the supreme spiritual and practical value of self-mastery [essentially mastery of ones negative emotions, through the application of rigorous self-discipline].


Of old a Master would not declare his powers, lest it provoke envy and troubles: In the actual words of Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong, quoting the great Chinese Philosopher [Confucius]

‘Ten thousand battles, ten thousand victories. Better to remain quiet’ ‘Ten thousand words, ten thousand arguments.
Better to remain silent.’

In other words empty vanity and boasts, lead to needless trouble and danger for the martial artist who fails to live by this wisdom.

In Old China, if a Master could not for all he tried, conceal his nature and powers, many would be drawn to him to request instruction in the arts to protect themselves from violent men in troubled times, while others would look to him to protect them.

In this way a recognised master would attract many followers from amongst which a small band of the most potentially gifted for learning the arts, would become his martial arts disciples. These principles and the phenomenon of the Gong Fu Master-Disciple relationship survived into modern times and changing circumstances.


The youth and early manhood of Grandmaster Chee fit the age-old pattern of the tradition, and is the very material of which Gong Fu legends are made. In his latter years the tradition was maintained but with some evolution to fit the circumstances of the modern world.

Men who loved the arts for those arts sake – the traditional reasons for seeking discipleship - and who wished to undergo the full rigours of training which went with the honour of being a disciple, were waning as life became less harsh, and more consumerist.

Yet violence and men of violence still troubled the part of the world Master Chee settled in: so the desirability for seeking the protection of the name of such a Master through association, remained. Moreover, due to a variety of factors Westerners increasingly became aware of the legends and powers attributed to Gong Fu masters.

Some became so enamoured of the glamour of the arts as to try to form connections with Chinese Gong Fu masters, and most of all with Grandmasters, of whom few remained, and of these one of the most renowned was Master Chee.


In these changed circumstances we find that the concept of discipleship went through some subtle evolution. There were students (who so to speak only ever received the ‘Mao Pi’ [‘hair and skin’] of the teachings of a Master and his System: ie they were only taught the surface level teachings and no more), disciples, honorary disciples, and Inner Chamber Disciples: these last constituted those most akin to the disciples of a master in China of old.

Inner Chamber Disciples were few in number, a mere handful of select individuals – of which Shifu Alan Tinnion was one - who underwent the full Rites of Initiation. Of all types and grades of disciple, the Inner Chamber Disciples were the most important, and most senior in the traditional sense.

Others may be more senior in terms of age, and these in line with traditional Gong Fu etiquette were always accorded respect, but this respect should not be confused with the special kind accorded to the Inner Chamber Disciples in the personal esteem of the Master, for these were his spiritual sons enjoying the unique role and privilege of being the real Guardians of the Arts and of the Lineage.

 
Traditional Gong Fu FAQ's
TRADITIONAL GONG FU: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS GONG FU?

Gong Fu is a term most commonly applied to the martial arts. However, in the most accurate sense the term Gong Fu is the RESULT of a combination of ESSENCE and TECHNIQUE in any given field of human activity: for instance art and craftsmanship, sport, commercial enterprise, and even politics. However, the term ‘Gong Fu,’ a technical term in the Chinese language, has become by popular usage a universal one dealing with one particular field of human activity, Chinese Martial Arts.

WHY ARE DAOISM AND BUDDHISM CONNECTED SO DEEPLY WITH SYSTEMS AND STYLES OF FIGHTING AND SELF-DEFENCE TECHNIQUES?

The answer to these questions ultimately involves not speculation, theory, and discussion, but actual PRACTICE – action through training which is an ideal preparation for the self-discipline needed for spiritual development! Through the Practise and proper understanding of a wide variety of Gong Fu Forms whose origins date back to ancient times, and whose evolutions have spanned millennia, personal self-discipline is taught through training of a kind entirely appropriate to the self-discipline and rigorous self-mastery required for Spiritual Self-Possession.

This is the underlying reason why it is far from accidental that the most ancient and esoteric Chinese Gong Fu Forms and Disciplines are derived from on the one hand some of the greatest practitioners and teachers of the spiritual philosophy of Daoism, and on the other from the Founder (Damo) of the Chan (Zen) Sect of the Buddhist religion.

There is an historic reason too: The Shaolin Temple System became both extensive and very wealthy, and in times when brigandage was rife there was need of a special type of monk, the Fighting Monk, to defend the temples and the lands owned or protected by them. As regards the Daoists of old, their largely solitary lifestyle – for they not infrequently chose to live in the wilderness in order to pursue their contemplations the better, where knowledge of self-defence techniques were most vital - not to mention other reasons connected with internal alchemy (and distantly with Shamanism which made interest in the martial arts a natural development) further deepens the inter-relationship of the arts with those dedicated to spiritual pursuits.

IN TRADITIONAL GONG FU, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘ARTS’ AND ‘STYLES’?

The term ARTS in the context of martial ‘arts,’ in very simple terms refers to the ability of a practitioner to use technique to defeat mere force and physical strength of an opponent who could be both younger and much stronger than the martial arts practitioner.
There are essentially two major forms, INTERNAL (Neijia) – used to generate, retain, and direct QI - and EXTERNAL (Waijia) –used exclusively for hard fighting: (Internal and External arts are also sometimes known as soft (internal) and hard (external).
There are in addition LINEAGES of specific arts, and of course FAMILY ARTS, and the PERSONAL ARTS of famous Gong Fu Masters (such as Emperor Song – creator of TAI CHOR).
STYLES: refer to types of internal or external arts, and include the major division of boxing systems into Northern and Southern, and various Family styles of the internal and external arts: for example CHEN Style or LEE Style TAI-JI QUAN, or where Southern Boxing is concerned, the Family Styles of Hung Gar, Choy Gar, etc.

IN WHAT WAY DO THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ARTS DIFFER?

Internal and External arts are also sometimes known as ‘soft’ (internal) and ‘hard’ (external). The difference between the two is derived from the perspective of whether or not a system places predominant emphasis upon internal or external strength: effectively this means, ‘does or does not the system place major emphasis upon the generation of qi?’ In terms of tactics the difference is defined by the concept of placing particular importance on either a defensive or offensive approach to a combat situation. In reality these differences are subtle rather than clear-cut: A predominantly Soft/Internal system will always contain Hard/External elements in application, and a Hard/External system will contain a degree of Soft/Internal elements.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FORM AND A SYSTEM?

A FORM comprises a set sequence of movements and techniques in carefully co-ordinated combination designed for practical application in situations of defence or attack, pre-arranged with a partner, or freestyle (including real life combat situations).
A SYSTEM is comprised of a combination of individual forms which in their totality provide self-defence and fighting techniques for short range, long range, or a combination of short and long range combat situations.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BOXING?

Northern and Southern boxing styles are general terms, but are most well-known in the context of the two major types of style of Shaolin Gong Fu. Visually and tactically-speaking the difference between the two centres upon the saying ‘Northern Legs and Southern Fist.’ Effectively, Southern Shaolin systems have far more developed hand techniques (and far less emphasis on kicks and use of the legs) and lower stances, while Northern Shaolin systems reverse this order of priority, having a generally much more extensive emphasis on kicks, higher stance, and less developed hand techniques.

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WUJI AND TAI-JI?

The Wuji is much, much older than the Tai-Ji: indeed it is known as the Mother Art of the Tai-Ji, but is in fact the most ancient of all Internal Boxing Systems, its origins dating back to shamanic-legendary times some 4000 years ago. Tai-Ji, by contrast, the most well-known of Chinese Internal Boxing Systems, is of much more recent origin. Both arts are Daoist, and symbolically, Wuji represents the state of the unity of all things in a state of oneness and latent potential before creation, which itself is effected and unravels through birth of the yin and yang [out of the undifferentiated oneness of Wuji], and their eternal inter-play which ultimately cause the creation of all things, and the cycle of generation and decay.


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL GONG FU AND CONTEMPORARY WUSHU?

Traditional Gong Fu, whose history stretches back at least some 4000 years, comprises many Systems of lethal fighting arts designed for application in fight and self-defence situations that can and have ever arisen in the circumstances of everyday life.
Contemporary Wushu is the National Sport of China, and is an adaptation of the traditional arts, with its origins beginning in the 1920’s - 30’s. Its appeal is almost totally visual – being closely akin to gymnastics and dance, and is referred to as ‘embroidered legs and flowery fists Gong Fu,’ by traditional martial arts practitioners - and should not in any way be confused with the Fighting Arts of TRADITIONAL GONG FU.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GRANDMASTERS AND MASTERS WHO LIVED, TAUGHT, AND FOUGHT IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY WORLD, AND THOSE OF TODAY?

In the China and South East Asia of today there exist no great grandmasters (for this elite category of highest level masters of the ancient and traditional arts has not been able to continue in the circumstances of the post 1949 world), and only a handful of – now very elderly grandmasters (Grandmaster Chee was one such of this elite and illustrious company, until his recent passing). As regards masters (as opposed to grandmasters), there are only a limited number of individuals whose knowledge and practise in technique and secret arts can justify such an honorific title on the grounds and by the standards applied in the age prior to 1949.
In the West, by contrast, in the world of today there exist not a few ‘grandmasters’ – whose credentials for assumption of this truly honourable title are not based on the criteria used prior to the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China, but rather upon highly convoluted technical and barely tenuous grounds.

As regards ‘masters,’ the West possesses but few who meet the strict criteria used of old, but many who of necessity disingenuously (or genuinely through ignorance of the significance of the title), use it in order to gain students and found and run Chinese martial arts schools. Sadly for the innocent and inexperienced students of these ‘masters,’ the glory and genius of the lineages and arts their teachers affect to use (but in fact insult) are never known or experienced, but in practise are tarnished: the ‘chop suey’ Gong Fu of pseudo ‘masters’ in comparison to traditional forms taught by real masters will be ever apparent!

 
More...
Wuzuquan History
Welcome
Articles
Tuition & Services
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>

Results 1 - 9 of 22
[ Back ]
P