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This is a link to video of teacher talking about his version of a well known martial art, starting from a part of the talk dealing with detachment, aka inner smile, and then going into yuan neutral power applications with no fixed concepts. This was the point being made by martial arts reformer Wang Xiang Zhai. The link https://youtu.be/P_gUIA7JElw?t=5m3s
Of course, power and virtue in practice need to go together. Hope this is of interest to forum persons.
R
I am quite interesting in standing meditations, although it seems tha Zhaun Zhuang is used to soften dissolve the tissues into sung and the void, whereas Yiquan I have not heard anyone talking like this they seem to be concerned with power generation which is quite a different game.
Or am I wrong about that ?
in MW’s course the fundamentals 3 and 4 include standing in stillness mediations with internal chi breathing. It is the same as Yiquan and Zhan Zhuang (jam jong) including the material of Lam Kam Chuen, which you mentioned recently. In 5 phases, earth is centre. These systems build the centre after warm ups – same as medical chi kung. The centre is neutral, balancing or controlling the other phases. Standing builds power from the earth and cosmos. MW and HT are teaching the healing version but is also used for internal martial arts. Skill in being able to use that power is practiced in pushing hands. Of course that skill is required in daily life, you may have noticed. Gather some power and have a bad attitude (ie phases out of balance) will soon attract trouble. The basics 6S/5A and orbits are to make sure the power is flowing in a virtuous way. The martial concepts of sticking, following, issuing power etc are not necessary for basic healing work but are fascinating and it helps to have knowledge of these as you progress. Of course a lot of it applies to everyday interactions without any physical contact – people use force mentally, with attitude, emotionally etc. Standing helps give protective coating. Doing a little (standing practice, aka Iron Shirt) before the shopping mall plus having clear intent about what you want is a good idea. One author (Hua-Ching Ni) calls it – abide in the formless before touching the form.
Well, I was doing the fusion 1 Marie CD yesterday and it dawned on me that what is occurring is that you are creating a new centre in the lower belly that is stable, constructed from the essences of the organ elements.
But Tan Tien is already there. And creating something on top is not a very good way to do things.
In Yiquan the method is very different to ZZ it seems, although it looks similar outwardly. ZZ is about dissolving so that the Source flows through you. Yiquan seems to be about generating power on top.
I speculate that this is a common thing in the Chinese Arts, and probably in spirituality.
For instance in Vipassana you force a stable concentration in your mind. You create a stable body. But …. you are creating something on top.
The ego often wants to create things on top, because it does not understand surrender.
Opening to the source means you are not creating anything, you are uncreating so that you are a channel of surrender, and then the source flows through.
And this is the state of Taoism, the useless tree. And this is my direction, surrender.
Anything created on top although it might be high energy and appear stable, it is really unstable and won’t last. Only the Source and its channels (souls) last.
I noticed that Mark Cohen (Inside Zhang Zhuan) has brought out a 2hr DVD on ZZ which I might get. He teaches ZZ.
surrender into formless is good but is not a destination you can stay at unless you truly want merger and no return; ie it is not a very functional or creative state. The front channel of return into form is called the functional channel. Video of fusion and return in movie https://youtu.be/ohnkD-gjNVQ It is a different goal to remain deeply in the core able to let go (yield) or act creatively in accordance with natural virtue.
An adept is more embodied and functional. In India I recall the discussion about Vedanta types versus Tantric. Vedanta – all is spirit, world is Maya, just leave and never return. Tantric work with form and energy of creation as feminine side, in the body as well as higher levels. Alchemical Taoism more like Tantra. The saying is that Tantra grants worldly fulfilment as well as spiritual liberation. M Chia says – the mother earth feminine grants worldly fulfilment and prosperity, heaven delivers love, acceptance, plus your destiny via the movement of the wheel, the planets etc. Yichuan and ZZ are the same – just variations of schools; can add Great Accomplishment etc for more names. They are not sufficient alone – need knowledge and practice of internal alchemy. BTW I think ‘Song’, releasing and relaxing comes from some teachings but may really have its origin in Yi Ching hexagram 6 Sung meaning dispute and conflict being resolved by the neutral centre. So it could have been originally a kind of code word meaning hey, resolve that conflict via your strong neutral centre. Good luck if you get Mr Cohen’s dvd, I have his ebook.
Human beings are very ungrounded and unconscious and this has led to many silly spiritual ideas and strange mystical phrases : it’s as if people have stopped being able to speak in a simple straightforward manner.
Fusion appears to me to be an incorrect practice of creating a new centre in the tantien area. This is a wrong practice because you are making a mess rather than embodying tantien. Humans often make a big mess outside and inside in a desperate effort to create stability, all the time running from themselves. Your tantien is there why not try to feel what it is, embody it and surrender it …. as it is. Rather than creating a multi colour multi energy energywhirlpool thing on top. Eventually all the rubbish you make you will have to remove again painfully, to return to who you are.
Secondly surrender is a natural counterbalance to being here in creation. It does not result in death nor in avoidance of society. But many human spiritual aspirants could only go halfway. They realised the universal. Unfortunately many have the belief system that the human is evil or a mistake and to destroy it. Problem is God made you a human, you have to awaken the human itself.
Tantien is where the energy from the Source (of the universe’s energy) rises up into the human being, to merge you reverse the flow.
Indian spirituality Vedanta/ Tantra are completely different because they work mostly with the head and Consciousness. Taoism does not, it works with the Tantien. Taoism is the awakening of TanTien in the belly, India is the awakening of Consciousness in the head.
ZZ is a surrendering dissolving practice.
Yiquan is a build power on top practice – at least from what I have seen. Please correct me if I am wrong.
With respect to your Fusion issue: I don’t believe you are creating a new center and ignoring the tantien; rather, you are creating something WITHIN your tantien.
Okay so you are creating something within your tantien.
Why you do that ?
Is one tantien not enough for you – you want to be big man with 2 tantiens or extra large one with big brass balls ?
Create what you like, even make a giraffe in there.
But eventually everything flows into the ocean, and all zoo animals must learn to swim as they leave. Some are good at swimming, some better at drowning. Tao doesn’t care, it is like they say, “straw zoo animals”.
Then tantien is just tantien, but tantien is awake, because Tao flows through.If you want to wake up your girlfriend, what do you do ?
Do you bring strange men to sleep in bed with her ?
Or do you just open the curtains ?
Maybe better not to wake her up and you go back in bed with her.
But just you, no strange friends.
Then you can wake up … together.
Is analogy, but you know what I mean.part of video on karate, Okinawa, talking about squeezing. IMO very relevant to grounding and comfort in daily practice even if focus not on martial. Helps overcome things like weakness in feet when not interested in, or unable to do, regular walks due to weather etc. Also his advice on not wasting energy, just turn waist, is very helpful. This is sometimes called ‘changing your shape’ to respond. When developing inner power there are many skills to develop to handle that power in daily life – keeping the waist and belt channel clear helps avoid unnecessary entanglements and power wrangles, and helps keep internal power hidden, more neutral. No need to watch beyond text on screen part unless interested in martial practice.
Here there are some of the Healing Tao practices also, but with very scarce description; Six Healing Sounds is called Six Hieroglyphics and one cannot make any sense what one should really do, but there are many other interesting things if one only has enough time.
HOWDY
Excerpts from the book: Jin Jing Zhong. Authentic Shaolin Heritage: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin. ISBN: 978-1440474170
http://www.kungfulibrary.com/shaolin-kung-fu-4.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2riIACilqM
…squeezing…
This is mainly so called isometric activity or is it something else?
… if one only has enough time…
Reason to do so and will power also.
I have had two separate around 10 minutes sessions with Bruce Lee’s book in the local bookstore (I didn’t bought it) and I noticed that he seemingly has been very dissatisfied how easily one looses one’s strenght when one is not practicing for some time.
Here both neidan and advanced pranayama training are working for one’s benefit; maybe Lee wasn’t aware how to discipline both breathing and energy system.
But now I must check if the definition below is the only way to do steaming or there are maybe more than one way to STEAM.
Sorry for my broken English.
HOWDY
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_exercise-
Isometric exercise or isometrics are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called dynamic/isotonic movements). Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion.
-https://www.universal-tao.com/tao/course_it_i.html-
…steaming of the sexual energy (Ching or creative) into life-force energy (Chi) in order to feed the soul or energy body…
Sources of info: chi kung fundamentals 3 and 4 for chi breathing and bone breathing. The book Bone Marrow Nei Kung (Chia) has the detailed practices. Squeezing is called bone compression. The section is called Healthy Bones and is a health practice utilised for martial training. Coupling of alchemy is Kan and Li (fire and water interact via tan tien neutral earth, belly) and happens spontaneously when deeply grounded. The terminology can obscure the simple and natural. Practice is key. Even simple bone breathing is a big help. Starting can be to overcome some health issue such as couch potato foot weakness, computer neck, etc. The martial ideas have their correspondence in everyday psychic, energy, interactions – boundaries, protection etc. R
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