Huo Yuanjia. The Greatest Story ever told. 10/23/2011
 Huo Yuanjia was born in 1868 in Xiaonan Village, Jinghai County, Tianjin, and was the fourth of ten children. His father Huo Endi was a guard for merchant caravans traveling to and from Manchuria, though the family derived most of its income from farming. The Huo family had long been associated with Chinese martial arts. Huo Yuanjia, however, was born weak and prone to illness. When he was young he contracted jaundice, a condition that recurred periodically throughout his life, so his father refused to teach him wushu. Because of his weakness, Huo Endi wanted his son to pursue scholarly interests instead of learning traditional martial arts. This was perhaps a blessing, as in later life he became renowned for his humility and educated judgment. However, at the time, pursuing scholarly interests was a great blow to his pride which was also fuelled by the fact that, when he was twelve, he often got defeated by local eight and nine year old children. His father hired a teacher from Japan, Chen Seng Ho (Chiang Ho), who in exchange for being taught his family style of martial arts taught Yuanjia the values of humility and perseverance. Refusing to accept the vocation his father had chosen for him, Huo Yuanjia hid in bushes and even dug out a small hole in the wall of the training area and secretly observed his father teaching his family's style of martial arts. Each day he quietly sat and watched, and each night he went to a tree grove and practiced secretly with his tutor. This continued for about ten years.  In 1890, a martial artist by the name of Duo came from Henan Province to visit the Huo family. His manner provoked a trial of strength with the boxers of the family. After seeing a demonstration by Yuanjia's elder brother, he was goaded into a fight. Huo Yuanjia’s brother was beaten, but to the family's surprise Yuanjia himself got up and defeated his brother's opponent. His father then officially accepted him and taught his younger son all that he knew. His name started to spread and he soon began defeating neighboring practitioners in local contests. These bouts made Huo Yuanjia famous in his village and the neighboring areas. Huo Yuanjia began working with his father as a guard. While escorting a group of monks, they were confronted by a bandit leader named Zhao who gave them a letter threatening the monks with an attack from his army. Unperturbed, Yuanjia met Zhao's challenge and defeated him, injuring both of the bandit’s arms in the process; his many troops dispersed. Word of this feat spread fast further adding to his fame. On his return home he sold firewood to make a living, and in 1896 Huo worked as a porter in the Tianjin Huaiqing pharmacy, where he learned more about the world. The shop owner, who was also a doctor, had recently returned from Japan and warned him about the growing threat Japan posed towards China. The Boxer Rebellion of 1898 helped accentuate his growing realization that China was being exploited by foreign powers, both Western and Asian. Huo Yuanjia's real fame came when, in 1901, he responded to leaflets advertising a challenge by a wrestler from Russia in Xiyuan Park, where Huo Yuanjia had already won many victories. The wrestler had openly insulted the Chinese, calling them "Sick Men of Asia" and "Weak Men of the East" because no one would accept his challenge to a fight. When Yuanjia accepted his challenge, the Russian, who claimed to be the strongest man in the world, forfeited. After losing he said through an interpreter that he was merely putting on a performance and that he had to make such challenges in order to make a living. Huo Yuanjia then asked the Russian if he would write an apology for the newspaper, which the Russian reportedly complied with. Between 1909 and 1910, Huo Yuanjia, accompanied by his apprentices Liu Zheng Sheng and Zhang Wenda, traveled to Shanghai to accept an open challenge issued by a boxer from Britain named Hercules O'Brien (Ou-Pin). The match was preceded by disagreement over the rules by which it would be governed. O'Brien insisted on Western boxing rules limiting attacks to punches above the waist. Huo Yuanjia was more accustomed to the rules of Chinese Leitai challenge matches which lacked such restrictions. They finally agreed that the first person to knock down his opponent would be considered the winner. Huo defeated O'Brien easily and his fame spread. It might be suggested, however, that it was not such an admirable feat for a professional wushu master with over 25 years training to be able to beat an amateur boxer about who's level of skill nothing is known. Zhang Wen Dat continued to challenge him. Huo Yuanjia felt that he had no choice but to finally accept his challenge and fight. He defeated Zhang with just two moves. Huo said to Zhang Wen Dat that he had not learned how to behave humbly and should not display conceit or boastfulness. Huo told him that the reason he had lost was not due to a lack of skill, but rather due to the fact that he fought for revenge and not to improve himself spiritually. His disappointment in people like Zhang Wen Dat, and his realization that the use of new technology like firearms was growing, led Huo Yuanjia to debate the practical uses of traditional wushu. Nevertheless, what Huo Yuanjia did give to some Chinese people was hope and a revised sense of pride with his numerous victories over foreign fighters. However, the foreign fighers may not have been of very high standard. Nevertheless, Huo became known as one of the best martial arts fighters in China at that time. While conversing with close friend Nong Jinsun, Huo Yuanjia confessed his disappointment and his apprehension about the future of traditional Wushu. He recalled his younger years and what his tutor said to him, that people should do their best, in practice, physically and mentally, therefore improving themselves spiritually. Nong Jinsun agreed that this was and is a timeless and important aspect of traditional Wushu, regardless of technology or unscrupulous people. Huo Yuanjia thought that the teaching of traditional Wushu would be a good way to rebuild the confidence and the spirit of the Chinese people. Huo Yuanjia needed to disguise the fact that his school was for the learning of self-defense, the building up of health and mind, and the instilling of pride and patriotism into its members and the community. He thus opened it as a "physical training center" instead of calling it a "traditional wushu school" in order to shroud its main intentions by supporting all physical exercises and activities. The popularity of Huo Yuanjia and what he stood for was obvious from the number of members who joined the club at the outset. Chin Woo became very popular, and in its first summer its ranks swelled dramatically. Huo Yuanjia, still suffering bouts of jaundice and now tuberculosis, started seeing a Japanese doctor for medication and treatment. With his strength and speed improving, Huo Yuanjia's impressive reputation became known in the Japanese martial arts schools. Huo's doctor, a member of the Japanese judo Association, based in Shanghai, invited him to a competition. Huo Yuanjia's top student, Liu Zheng Shen, competed with a judo practitioner. The Japanese claimed their student won the match, while the Chinese claimed their student had won. It is not clear, however, what kind of match this was. The disagreement ended up in a brawl and ten members of the judo team were injured, some with broken fingers and hands,including the chief instructor. News that the judo team had been defeated by Huo Yuanjia spread quickly through Shanghai. Embarrassed by the news, the Japanese government ordered the judoteam and Huo's doctor to return to Japan. One might wonder, though, why judo players even imagined that they could fight a highly experienced wushu master since judo is a sport not a martial art. Yuanjia became seriously ill and passed away on August 9th, 1910 at 42 years of age (some say he died the 14th of September 1910). Huo Yuanjia was survived by three sonsand two daughters. Huo's father lived for seven years after Huo Yuanjia's death. When and how he died is still debated and is shrouded in mystery. It is rumored that he had been poisoned by the Japanese as revenge for their defeat during the Judo competition but this is speculation. Some people believe that Huo Yuanjia may have died due to incorrect changes made to his medicine and incorrect treatment by his new Chinese doctor. Others speculate that the European colonists were threatened by the rise of Chinese nationalism and had him poisoned. Some of Huo Yuanjia students including the historian Chen Gong Zhe ( 陳公哲 1890-1961) believed and wrote that he was poisoned by the Japanese doctor Akino who was introduced by the Japanese Judo instructor, 精武 年武術發展史 '50 Years History of Wu Shu Development at Jing Wu', published in 1957). He was admitted to Shanghai Red Cross Hospital and died 2 weeks later. His students Zhang Wen Da (張文達) and Chen Gong Zhe (陳公哲) took the medicine to the Shanghai Public Concession Hospital to be tested and the results confirmed that the medicine contained arsenic. In 1989 the tomb of Huo Yuanjia and his wife was relocated; his pelvic bones were discovered to show black spots which Tianjin Municipal Police laboratory confirmed to contain arsenic. Huo Yuanjia died only months after helping to found the Chin Woo Athletic Association. Because Huo Yuanjia was widely admired as a Chinese national hero, a series of other masters agreed to teach at the school including Eagle Claw master Chen Zizheng, praying mantis luo guangyu, xingyi master geng xiaguang, Wu Jianquan the founder of Wu Taijiquan, and Liu Bai-Chuan the famous master of Lohan Chuan. Due to Huo Yuanjia's popularity, the masters decided that he should be the "face" of Chin Woo, resulting in his strong association with it. In June 1910, the Eastern Times newspaper announced the establishment of this association in the name of Huo Yuanjia. It was the first civil Kung Fu organization in China that was not associated with a particular school or style. Expansion of Chin Woo During the Japanese sphere of influence the 21 Demands sent to the Chinese government resulted in two treaties with Japan on May 25, 1915, which separated the corrupt Manchurian ruling class from exercising control over the Han. The students of Huo were spurred on. They bought a new building and renamed it the "Chin Woo Athletic Association". Re-organization, publications of books and magazines, and new styles of martial arts other than what Huo taught, were accepted under the mantle of the new association, and in 1918 the Chin Woo opened an association in Nathan Road in Hong Kong. In July 1919 the Chin Woo Association sent five representatives to Southeast Asia to expand its activities overseas. They were Chen Gong Zhe, Li Hui Sheng, Luo Xiao Ao, Chen Shi Zhao, and Ye Shu Tian. They stopped first in Saigon Vietnam where they opened the first Chin Woo school outside China and later in Malaysia and Singapore. To prove their skills, they were often required to give demonstrations or accept challenges. By 1923, these five masters had opened schools all over Southeast Asia and visited nine different countries. In 1966 Chin Woo was forced to discontinue their martial arts activities due to restrictions from the Communist Party of China. Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland, Canada, UK, U.S. Australia, and Switzerland. It is so well known that actors such as Bruce Lee and Jet Li starred in movies based on Huo's life and achievements; although, the films are not entirely accurate. For example, Huo's father did not die before him - he lived for seven years after Huo Yuanjia's death. Huo Yuanjia was survived by three sons and two daughters. Add Comment Kuji Kiri. The nine seals of the Ninja. 10/06/2011
 The Kuji~Kiri is very closely linked with the Kuji~In and in fact most people confuse the two. Both are said to have been introduced into Japan with Buddhism. In the Kuji~In the fingers are used to invoke the nine levels of power used by the Ninja and Samurai. In the Kuji~Kiri a grid of nine lines are drawn to invoke these powers and all nine are used at the same time The Kuji~Kiri could almost be described as pratical magic and it is a way of casting spells. One use of the Kuji~Kiri dates back to ancient times when Sailors would draw the Kanji for water on a piece of paper and then overlay this with the nine line grid. This was said to protect them, as even if the boat sank, the sailor himself would survive. The animated picture on the left shows how the grid is drawn on the Kanji. First start with a horizontal line, then draw a vertical line then another horizontal etc etc. It is important to do this in the correct order for the spell to work. The picture on the right shows the name of each line as represented in the Kuji~In Another way to invoke this kind of spell was to draw the Kanji and the grid on the palm of the left hand using the index finger of the right hand.   When used to cure illness, as it still is in some practices in Japan, the outline of the body is drawn on a piece of paper. the Kanji for the affected body part is then drawn in the appropriate place (see diagram). Next "The Method Of The Tenth Character" (Kuji hou) is used. This is where the spell is stroked over the patient. The spell is then given to the patient who places it on a river bank and has to walk away without looking back. How to choose the best location for a building Whether choosing a location for a Dojo, Castle, or House the following rules should be observed. Turtle Snake to the North Blue dragon to the East Red Sparrow to the South White Tiger to the West The Emporers castle in Tokyo and almost all of the important buildings in Japan were built according to this poem. The poem translates as meaning, You should have mountains to the North Running water to the East A broard open expanse to the South And a large road to the West Chi energy 10/05/2011
 There are many different names that were coined through centuries within different civilizations, for the universal life force energy. In India they call it prana. Old Greeks used to call it Pneuma. Ancient have call it Sekhem. Chinese call it Chi, while Japanese call it Ki. Wilhelm ( William ) Reich called it Orgone and constructed the orgone accumulator. The western world is mostly calls it a life force. No matter what name for that energy we use, it is still the same energy that power all living organisms. Ancient cultures believed that by breathing you are inhaling not only the air, but life force too. This life force is powering the main functions of the body. Absorbed energy is bringing all functions of the body into harmony. Proper breathing is powering up the whole body. The normal breathing is the reflex that we have as we are born. If you observe small children you will notice that they breathe deep and fully. While we are growing we are forgetting to breath fully. Prana, orgone, chi or life force energy is consumed not only by breathing, but also though food and drink. The level of prana intake depends from the quality and natural origin of the food and drink. The level of absorption also depends from the how fast we eat and how we focus on the food and drink that we consume. Still, the breathing is the most powerful and most important way of absorption of life force energy. It is very often that people does not know how to breath properly. Usually the people are breathing shallow, only with the top of the lungs. This habit is gradually leading to unbalance of energy within the functions of the body. The illness is the result of long term unbalance of the life force energy.
Check Proper breathing is powering up the whole body. The normal breathing is the reflex that we have as we are born. If you observe small children you will notice that they breathe deep and fully. While we are growing we are forgetting to breath fully. This is influenced by the contemporary life style. People are often spending many hours sitting, while they forget to breath deeply and fully. The same happens if the people smoke or eat too much. Fully and deep breathing is the skill that we must train and maintain. There are many breathing techniques that can maintain the absorption of life force energy and provide a good health. The most basic type of breathing is three-part breathing. Sit with your spine strait, relax and start with deep breathing. 1.) Breath in while your diaphragm is expanding and your stomach is moving forward. 2.) When your stomach is fully expanded start to spread your ribs while continuing to fill your lungs. 3.) Finally, continue breath in, while your shoulders are moving to the side and up. Breath-in slowly as long as you can receive air, but do not force it beyond normal limits. After you fully inhale, wait for the moment and then start the 3 step exhaling. The logic and sequence is the same as with the breath in stages. First empty the stomach, than your rib cage and finally breath out until your shoulders are down. After exhaling wait for a moment and then repeat cycle. Make 10-20 repetitions and than rest while breathing spontaneously. Proper breathing is providing you the balanced flow of life force energy and detoxification of the body. If you are feeling without energy and willingness to work anything, try with three-part breathing. There are different ways of absorption of prana, ki, chi, or orgone energy, but breathing is the main one. Chi Gong 10/01/2011
 Shaolin Qigong (Chi Gung, Chi Kung, Ch'i Kung) Ch'i (pronounced "chee") is a basic concept in most Asian arts, martial (kung fu) and otherwise. It is also known as prana (India) and ki (Japan), words which generally translate into "breath." At the most simple level, ch'i is described as the life force, or "electricity" of living things. It is analogous to the energy that makes something alive, rather than inanimate, and death is described as a body devoid of ch'i. It's cultivation is taken almost on faith, via such arts as Dragon kung fu, ch'i kung, and t'ai chi ch'uan. Thus, though difficult to define, measure, or explain, ch'i lies at the root of martial and meditative arts practices. However one sees ch'i, it is almost always perceived as a subtle force, produced by mental discipline and manifest in so-called internal arts. Consequently, many martial artists believe in a distinction between internal and external (or soft/hard) styles. By simple definition, if an art is being performed by a living entity, it must contain an internal component; likewise for external. If a ch'i-based art is to be seen as different from an external art, it is because the emphasis is on subtle techniques that use pressure points, deceptive approach, and a disciplined gentleness in delivery. Practitioners of "internal" styles do not "retire" as they pass their athletic prime; they are better at age 80 than at age 30. So, despite numerous opinions, volumes of books, and legions of demonstrators of ch'i, the life-force is still an unknown quantity by scientific standards. We may acknowledge its existence, but do not yet have repeatable, empirical, unequivocal data to agree upon (neither do we have such data for planets in other solar systems, though, as with ch'i, there are strong theoretical bases for believing in such things). One problem with studying ch'i is that it supposedly follows distinct routes through a living body, as do nerve impulses and blood flow. However, unlike nerves and blood vessels, ch'i channels do not reveal themselves through physical pathways that can be seen and examined following dissection of tissue. This lack of formal pathways kept such techniques as acupuncture from being accepted by western physicians until the mid 1970s, at which point profound successful treatments overcame lack of understandable paradigm. Acupuncture, dim mak, tuite, and other arts capitalize on manipulation of ch'i pathways primarily through enhancing or impeding ch'i flow through critical junctures. Acupuncture needles are often made of highly electroconductive metals, and many treatments include the conduction of electric voltage into the needles. Most practitioners see ch'i as electricity of life, a wave-form power generated by living tissue that is routinely functioning in all life. Cultivation of ch'i is akin to body-building; we all have muscles, but training can increase versatility, strength, and control of those muscles. Such training involves considerable (often tedious) physical, mental, and dietetic training over many years. Similarly, ch'i is universally present (like muscle). Similarly, it takes a combined practice to promote discipline, mental and physical training, and diet. It also may take years to develop a significant increase in ch'i control abilities. The oldest codified form of ch'i practice is probably yoga. The goal of yoga is to promote and improve health, though other manifestations, some probably purely mythical, have also been associated with this art. Sometime later, though the specifics are highly disputed among schools and styles, t'ai chi ch'uan was developed in China. The most widely-disseminated story has t'ai chi ch'uan being taught to soldiers to improve their combat skills, increase their strength, and increase their useful service lives. Subsequently, the art has always been taught with an eye towards longevity and the retention of youthful characteristics, such as flexibility. Though a highly effective combative art, t'ai chi ch'uan (="grand ultimate fist") has been given a New-Age face lift, by dropping the "Ch'uan" in an effort to disown its martial roots. Many of the more competent practitioners today can, however, demonstrate the incredible efficiency and, if necessary, deadliness of the art in combat. In the early stages of training, ch'i is developed through exercises in empathy. Without trying to sound trite, ch'i requires a practitioner to feel his own emotions as they ebb and flow. This fluid dynamic is followed, and eventually led, through moving meditations such as done in kung fu or ch'i kung. Students may be asked to perform meditations, material manipulations, or partner exercises (e.g., sticky hands), as basic methods to promote this empathy. Beyond that, each style has its own program for ch'i development. Aikido uses throwing techniques, Snake uses pin-point finger-tip strikes, and t'ai ch'i ch'uan uses subtle body positioning. At this stage of ch'i understanding, it would be impossible to state than any particular school or method has cornered the market on TRUTH, or THE single, best method of ch'i cultivation. As in all other endeavors, the practitioner is still more important that a particular approach or style. Miyamoto Musashi. 10/01/2011
 The famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was born Shinmen Takezo in Harima Province and may have fought at Sekigahara under the Ukita as a common soldier. He makes no mention this (perhaps unsurprisingly) in the brief biography in his book, rather confining himself to his achievements in single combat. He claimed to have defeated his first opponent (a certain Arima Kihei) at the age of 13, following this up with a victory over " powerful martial artist called Akiyama of Tajima province." After 1600 Musashi drifted to Kyoto and became involved in a well-known battle with the Yoshioka School of swordsmanship, emerging victorious. He wrote that he engaged in sixty duels without suffering defeat once, and was noted in this regard for his skill at handling two swords at once. He was also remembered for employing a simple bamboo sword, which he used to deadly effect. Much of Musashi's life between 1600 and 1640 is the stuff of legend and some have postulated that he served at Osaka Castle (1614-1615) on the defending side, taking quite a few heads in the process. In a similar vein, he is sometimes said to have helped quell the Shimabara Rebellion of 1638 - a theory which, as with his glories at Osaka, is impossible to prove. On the other hand, many of the important events depicted in Yoshikawa Eiji's famous novel Musashi have a basis in reality, to include his battle with the Yoshioka School, his defeat of the noted spearman Inei (chief priest of the Hôzô-in), and his duel in 1612 with Sasaki Kojiro, another famed swordsman. Less well-known is his skill as a painter, his works including a number of self-portraits and naturescapes. Musashi the man must have cut a forbidding appearance: he was said to have rarely bathed or changed his clothes as well as suffering from a somewhat disfiguring skin condition. Following his duel with Sasaki, he seems to have focused his energies on perfecting his style of swordsmanship, spending much time in travel and reflection - thus epitomizing the much-beloved image of the brooding wanderer samurai. In 1640 Musashi accepted service with the Hosokawa clan, and three years later, in Higo Province, began work on his great book, Gorin no shô (The Book of Five Rings). He finished this influential work on swordsmanship in May 1645 - the same year he died. Musashi has enjoyed an immense popularity in the 20th Century and beyond, largely as a result of Yoshikawa's novel (which was originally published in serialized form in the Asahi Shimbun). Musashi skillfully weaves fact and fiction together to create an engrossing tale that has experienced increasing reknown in the West. Interestingly, the Asahi Shimbun noted in 1988 that at least one Edo Period source questioned Musashi's duel with Sasaki, stating that Musashi was not alone at the fight, and that his followers killed Ganryu when he had been knocked down to the ground. Musashi's own book, the Gorin no shô, was quite well thought of in the United States during the 1980's as a glimpse into the Japanese mind, and was thus consumed by American businessmen - perhaps to the ironic amusement of their Japanese counterparts. SOURCES Cleary, Thomas The Japanese Art of War Shambala 1991 Miyamoto Musashi (trans. Thomas Cleary) The Book of Five Rings Shambala 1994 Turnbull, Stephen The Lone Samurai and the Martial Arts Arms and Armour 1990 Yoshikawa Eiji Musashi Kodansha 1981  Wing Chung center line. Jeet Kune Do (also "Jeet Kun Do", "JKD," or "Jeet Kuen Do") is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of different 'tools' for different situations. These situations are broken down into ranges (Kicking, Punching, Trapping and Grappling), with techniques flowing smoothly between them. It is referred to as a "style without style". Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It was named for the concept of interception, or attacking your opponent while he is about to attack. However, the name Jeet Kune Do was often said by Bruce Lee to be just a name. He himself often referred to it as "The art of expressing the human body" in his writings and in interviews. Through his studies Bruce came to believe that styles had become too rigid, and unrealistic. He called martial art competitions of the day "Dry land swimming". He believed that combat was spontaneous, and that a martial artist cannot predict it, only react to it, and that a good martial artist should "Be like water" and move fluidly without hesitation. In 2004, the Bruce Lee Foundation decided to use the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do (振藩截拳道) to refer to the martial arts system that Lee founded. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name. Daoism 09/23/2011
What is Daoism? Strictly speaking there was no Daoism before the literati of the Han dynasty (c. 200 BCE) tried to organize the writings and ideas that represented the major intellectual alternatives available. The name daojia, “Dao family” or “school of the dao” was a creation of the historian Sima Tan (d. 110 BCE) in his Shi ji (Records of the Historian) written in the 2nd century BCE and later completed by his son, Sima Qian (145-186 BCE). In his classification, the Daoists are listed as one of the Six Schools: Yin-Yang, Confucian, Mohist, Legalist, School of Names, and Daoists. So, Daoism was a retroactive grouping of ideas and writings which were already at least one to two centuries old, and which may or may not have been ancestral to various post-classical religious movements, all self-identified as daojiao (“teaching of the dao“), beginning with the reception of revelations from the deified Laozi by the Celestial Masters (Tianshi) lineage founder, Zhang Daoling, in 142 CE. This entry privileges the formative influence of early texts, such as the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi, but accepts contemporary Daoists‘ assertion of continuity between classical and post-classical, “philosophical“ and “religious“ movements and texts. Is Daoism a Philosophy or a Religion? In the late 1970s Western and comparative philosophers began to point out that an important dimension of the historical context of Daoism was being overlooked because the previous generation of scholars had ignored or even disparaged connections between the classical texts and Daoist religious belief and practice. We have to lay some of the responsibility for such neglectat the feet of the eminent translator and philosopher Wing-Tsit Chan, who spoke of Daoist religion as a degeneration of Daoist philosophy arising from the time of the Celestial Masters (see below) in the late Han period. He was an instrumental architect of the view that Daoist philosophy (daojia)and Daoist religion (daojiao) are entirely different traditions. Our interest in trying to separate philosophy and religion in Daoism is more revealing of the Western frame of reference we use than of Daoism itself. Daoist ideas fermented among master teachers who had a holistic view of life. These daoshi (Daoist masters) did not compartmentalize practices by which they sought to influence the forces of reality, increase their longevity, have interaction with realities not apparent to our normal way of seeing things, and order life morally and by rulership. They offered insights we might call philosophical aphorisms. But they also practiced meditation and physical exercises, studied nature for diet and remedy, practiced rituals related to their view that reality had many layers and forms with whom/which humans could interact, led small communities, and advised rulers on all these subjects. The masters transmitted their teachings, some of them only to disciples and adepts, but gradually these became more widely available as is evidenced in the very creation of the Daodejing and Zhuangzi themselves. The agenda that provoked Westerners to separate philosophy and religion, dating at least to the classical Greek period of philosophy was not part of the preoccupation of Daoists. Accordingly, the question whether Daoism is a philosophy or a religion is not one we can ask without imposing a set of understandings, presuppositions, and qualifications that do not apply to Daoism. But this is not a reason to discount the importance of Daoist thought. Quite to the contrary, it may be one of the most significant ideas classical Daoism can contribute to the study of philosophy in the present age. Bak Mei combat system and history. 09/23/2011
Accounts of the Five Elders are many and varied. Some versions identify the traitor not as Bak Mei, but as Ma Ning-Yee.[1] In other versions, Bak Mei and Ma Ning-Yee both betray Shaolin, sometimes joined by Fung Do-Duk.[2] Still other versions say that "Bak Mei" is a nickname for either Ma Ning-Yee or Fung Do-Duk. The stories of the Five Elders may have no basis in historical fact at all, and may come solely from wuxia novels like Wan Nian Qing and the mythology of anti-Qing organizations such as the Heaven and Earth Society, which were spreading wildly through China in the early 19th century. Whether justified or not, Bak Mei's traitorous reputation has led to real life animosity between practitioners of his namesake martial art and practitioners of arts identified with those whom he is accused of betraying. In the accounts of some Bak Mei practitioners, their founder did not so much betray the Shaolin as decline to join their rebellion against the Qing. Other tales portray Bak Mei as having been banished from the Shaolin Temple because he killed several of his fellow monks when he first tried out his new style. Some Bak Mei practitioners embrace their founder's reputation as a murderer of Shaolin disciples as proof of the superiority of their style. Some famous Bak Mei forms that may suggest Bak Mei had many vicious and deadly altercations with Shaolin Monks are Sap-Baat Ding Jeung (18 Crazy Monks) and Sap-Baat Moi Kiu (18 Ghost Bridges). [edit] Bak Mei according to the lineage of Nam Anh Ming China, which had been weakened by corruption and internal rebellion, was overtaken by the Manchu in 1644. Hong Mei ("Red Eyebrows"), abbot of the southern Shaolin Temple, died during this time and his position was passed onto onto Chi Thien Su, also known as Jee Sin. Another such master named Chu Long Tuyen did not accept this. He believed the Ming had become corrupt and would rather serve the Qing rulers. In 1647 the Manchu attacked the southern Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian province. Only five masters managed to escape, and since then became known as the Five Elders. Chi Thien Su, one of the Five Elders, founded another temple at Nine Lotus Mountain in Fujian where the survivors sought shelter. Chu Long Tuyen refused to provide his real name for fear of retribution against his family and students, in case they survived. The abbot then christened him Bak Mei—White Eyebrow. According to some stories, Bak Mei betrayed the Ming by taking information about their plot against the invaders to the Manchu Shunzhi Emperor, then returned with information about the Manchu attack plan to the Shaolin. After the temple was destroyed, Bak Mei and Fong Toh Tak (creator of the Bak Fu Pai) left the temple on separate paths in order to study Daoism. Bak Mei trained an anti-imperial attack force but, following capture of the force by the imperials, was forced to teach and lead 50,000 imperial troops in the second destruction of the Shaolin Temple to prevent those captured with him from being tortured and killed. There, Bak Mei slew the "invincible" Shaolin leader Chi Thien Su in single combat by breaking his neck. He claimed he did this to prevent the massacre of the monks in the temple by the troops who followed him. Bak Mei was eventually killed but accounts disagree on whether he was poisoned or slain. While he is often portrayed as a traitor, Bak Mei's actions were undertaken, including the destruction of the temple, with the intention of preventing harm to those who had chosen to follow him. It is possible that if Bak Mei had not aided the imperial forces, his followers would have been tortured to death. [edit] Bak Mei according to the lineage of Jie Kon Siew During the reign of the Qing emperor Kangxi (1662–1722), the warriors of the Xilufan rebellion were so feared that the two ministers whom Kangxi ordered to quell the revolt fled China rather than face either the mercilessness of the Xilu warriors, which often involved beheading. In 1673, over a period of three months, the 128 monks of the southern Shaolin Temple defeated the Xilu army without suffering a single casualty. However, by doing so they had made enemies of some Qing officers who were embarrassed by how easily the Shaolin monks had succeeded where they had failed. Rumors soon began to spread about the threat posed by a power so great that it defeated the entire Xilu army with a force of only 128 monks. This campaign of innuendo was wasted on Kangxi, who remained grateful to the monks, but the rumors had their intended effect on his successor, the emperor Yongzheng (1722–1735). He began his reign by plotting the temple's destruction and was said to have secretly recruited a band of renegade warrior monks from Tibet to carry out his plan. In 1723, on the 6th day of the first new moon of the lunar calendar, a former Shaolin disciple named Ma Ning-Yee aided Qing forces to launch a sneak attack on the southern Shaolin Temple. They began the assault by bombarding the largely wooden monastery with a relentless deluge of burning arrows. Between the surprise attack, the fire, and the overwhelming number of Qing soldiers, 110 out of the 128 monks were killed that day. The Great Shaolin Purge took 70 days as Qing forces hunted down the 18 survivors. The surviving monks of Shaolin inflicted massive casualties on their Qing pursuers but, in the end, their numbers were too great. Soon only five remained. Their identities vary but they are generally accepted as the following:
It was decided that Bak Mei would infiltrate the Qing court as a spy while the others travelled throughout China to establish an alliance of anti-Qing rebels. The more Bak Mei learned, the more he realized that his allies' efforts would never be enough to overthrow the Qing. He decided to give up on the rebellion, which was seen as a betrayal. Over the years, the rebels sought to punish Bak Mei for his withdrawal. Almost all who made an attempt on his life ended up dead at Bak Mei's hands. This included Jee Sin and Miu Hin's son[3] Fong Sai Yuk (Miu Hin's grandson according to other sources) whom Bak Mei had known since Sai Yuk was a small boy. [edit] Bak Mei Pai The Bak Mei Pai traces its origins to Mount Emei, where Bak Mei is said to have transmitted the art to the Chan (Zen) master Gwong Wai,[4] who then passed it on to Juk Faat Wan[5]. Bak Mei's fighting style makes use of the four principles of "floating" (fou), "sinking" (chum), "swallowing" (tun) and "spitting" (tou) common in the southern Chinese martial arts. It is characterized by its emphasis on powerful close range hand strikes, specifically with the extended knuckle attack known as the "phoenix-eye fist". Bak Mei strikes are usually executed in conjunction with intercepting and jamming the opponent's strike. Unique to Bak Mei is its classification of the following 6 nei jin (powers): biu (thrusting), chum (sinking), tan (springing), fa (neutralizing), tung, and chuk. Bak Mei emphasizes the movements of the tiger and its strikes are executed with explosive power via Fa jin. Additionally, it contains numerous kum la (joint manipulation) techniques as well as ground-fighting methods in the Dei Saat Kun form. [edit] Fushan branch According to the Fatsan family tree, Pak Mei passed the art to Kwong Wei, Chuk Yun, Fong fo Dao Yan, Lao Xiu-Luang (刘少良) who establis | Archives |
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