| SHAOLIN IS HERE! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FROM THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE TO LONG ISLAND | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Most martial artists are familiar with the tales of the northern shaolin temple in china. At this temple, an art form was created in ancient times ( circa 495 ad.) based on the techniques of a Buddhist monk known as, boddadahrma or Tao-mo. These techniques included a form of exercise that was intended to maintain health. This art form later developed into shaolin chaun ( shaolin boxing). Most modern kung-fu styles are descendents of this art form which has been preserved through a long history of teachers and disciples. For most of its history, the art from the shaolin temples had to be practiced and taught in secrecy. China was a tulmultious place. The monks, masters, and disciples of the shaolin were faced with civil wars, religious persecution, and even the �Rebellion of the Boxers� . still those original forms were handed down, up to today. It is said that over 300 styles developed from the ancient system. Fa-Men-Chaun or Long Pek Pai is one of these styles. The fa men chaun branch began with master Wong-Po , who taught the art of shaolin chaun to his daughter Li Min Chin ( also known as golden fists since her hands were so fast it looked like a gold blur) Golden Fists taught the art to Fan Wang, who later traveled through China and secretly taught the style in a Taoist temple. Wey Len Chen, who was the son of a middle class farmer, heard of Fan Wang and came to learn the art. He remained in the temple for 12 years while he studied the techniques of Shaolin Chaun. Fan Wang emphasized that the techniques were 50 percent external and 50 percent internal forming one solid unit. Once Wey Len Chen mastered the style, his master suggested they change the name of the style form long Pek Pai to Fa Men Chaun,in order to disguise thas part of the shaolin system and to avoid persucution by the goverment. At this time the shaolin were associated with rebellious activitie by the chinese population. Wey Len Chen traveled throughout china spreading the art of fa men chaun , until the age of 98, when he retired to Kyoto Japan. It was in Japan that he began to teach two brothers, Mitsuiroito and Sokutoito. Mitsuiroito became his disciple. He inherited all the knoledge of the shaolin and all the techniques of its esoteric science. Later Mitsuiroito was sent to Columbia as part of an agricultural program. After many years, he encountered a gentelmen of Purto rican descent whose name was Dr. Mariano Rivera. This man had been studing judo and karate-do but was searching for a teacher who could polish his techniques and give him the knoledge that he was searching for. He began to learn the shaolin techniques under the guidance of Mitsuiroito. Eventually he became his disciple and began the teachings of fa men chaun in central america, south america and the Carribean. At this time various schools have developed: 25 in puerto rico, 15 in mexico, 47 in columbia, 12 in peru, 5 in venizualla, 7 in the dominican republic and today 4 in the united states. Dr. Rivara also founded the University of Natural Medicine in Mexico. Today, Dr. Rivera was a solid succesor of the of the shaolin Fa Men Chaun system. Sen ti gun( grand master) mitsuiroito is still alive today and living in japan He is known as si-jo ( creater) In 1998, Dr. Rivera brought his internatioal asscoiation to Tai-Pei, China for the kung-fu games. The asscoiation recievd over 30 gold medals and acknoledgemnt from Dr. Huang, the president of the kung fu asscociation. Dr. Huang awarded him the the plaque declaring him kng0fu master of the year. One of Dr. Rivera�s students id Moses Arocho who began to study at the age of seven in puerto rico. Today moses arocho is teaching the fa men chaun system in the united states. He and his organazation have been successful. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| SHAOLIN HISTORY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Among the famous mountains of China, Songshan holds a central and legendary position. An especially celebrated place on Songshan is the holy temple of Shaolin, the birthplace of both Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism and Shaolin Temple martial arts. Established in the Northern Wei Dynasty(495 A.D.), the Shaolin Temple's history exceeds one and a half millennia. And during its long prestigious history, the Shaolin Temple has been blessed with the presence and accomplishments of many famed and enlightened monks, such as Ba-tuo, Hui-guang, Seng-chou, Bodhidharma, Hui-ke, Zhao-yuan, Bian-cheng, Xiao-shan, Yue-kong, and Yi-shan, just to name a few. Many legendary stories associated with these monks abound, such as "Bodhidharma's Nine-Year Meditation in a Cave Facing a RockWall," "Hui-ke's Severing of His Own Left Arm to Seek Revelation," and "The Thirteen Staff-Wielding Monks' Rescue of the Tang Dynasty Emperor,Li Shimin." In addition to these legendary acts of spiritual and heroic devotion, the classic architecture of temples and pagodas, ancient sculptures and stone carvings, and the exquisite calligraphy and paintings produced at the Shaolin Temple, all contribute to the great treasures of Buddhist art in China. In looking back at all these accomplishments at Shaolin Temple, we also take pride in the merits of our ancestors as we continue to emulate their examples and follow in their footsteps. Since the founding of the Shaolin Temple, it has been renown for its position as the ancestral home of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism and Shaolin Temple martial arts. And it is because of these two unique contributions to the world, that the name of the Shaolin Temple has gained respect and fame throughout the world. In recent years, however, the relationship between Ch'an Buddhism and martial arts at the Shaolin Temple has often been neglected and misunderstood. Part of the problem is due to the fact that the general population usually considers martial arts as Shaolin's chief contribution. This is mainly due to the movie industries' production of a large number of kungfu movies with Shaolin martial arts as their theme. This enhanced reputation draws visitors numbering in the millions to Shaolin every year. As a consequence, numerous martial arts academies have sprung up around Shaolin to accommodate these martial arts enthusiasts. All this certainly benefits the local economy of Dengfeng County. However, the image of Shaolin martial arts has tended to overshadow in the public eye the importance of the Shaolin Temple's Buddhist roots. And it is this very oversight that I address now. The public must keep in mind that the Shaolin Temple is a Buddhist establishment, and that its foundation and development are strongly linked to Buddhism. Historically, the rise and fall of Shaolin's fortunes have been closely linked with the prosperity of Ch'an Buddhism and has relied less upon the circumstances of Shaolin martial arts. This is a fact that was reiterated recently, for example, during a past visit to the Shaolin Temple by Mr. Zhao Pu-chu, the president of the China Buddhist Association, who stated clearly that Shaolin's chief role is to promote Ch'an Buddhism and not martial arts. Mr. Zhao's statement has important implications for those interested in Ch'an culture. In my view as a Buddhist monk , the relationship between martial arts and Ch'an Buddhism is unquestioningly dialectical. That is to say, the Shaolin Temple has always promoted and continues to promote a union of Shaolin martial arts and Ch'an Buddhism. Shaolin martial arts not only helps to strengthen the body and health, but also teaches Ch'an meditation. Among its tenets, the Shaolin Temple espouses the concepts of "entry into Ch'an through the martial arts" and "Ch'an manifestation through the martial arts." Thus the study of Shaolin martial arts cannot be divorced from the pursuit of Ch'an. The outer aspect of martial arts and the inner aspect of Ch'an are unified into an inseparable organic whole. This unity also reflects the Buddhist concept of action and inaction becoming one. A close examination of historical records, reflects that monks at the Shaolin Temple have never pursued martial arts in lieu of Ch'an. Indeed, many famous martial arts experts at the Shaolin Temple were equally accomplished Ch'an masters. This is a fact well documented in historical literature on the Shaolin Temple. In projecting into the future, the Shaolin Temple must fulfill its important historical mission as the birthplace of Ch'an Buddhism and become once again a primary center that sustains, researches, and advances Ch'an culture. Many questions need to be explored and answered: How best to explore our historical legacy? How best to utilize Shaolin's special status? How best to promote the Shaolin tradition of"Unity of Ch'an and martial arts" to better serve society? These questions are constantly on the minds of members of the Shaolin community. Since the resumption of religious activities at the Shaolin Temple, great emphasis has been placed on promoting a program of Ch'an Buddhist education in China and throughout the world. The Shaolin Temple publishes a magazine on Ch'an culture called Ch'an Lu ("Ch'an Dew"),maintains the Shaolin Temple Charitable Foundation both in China and in several overseas countries, and operates an overseas temple in North America called The Shaolin Temple Overseas Headquarters located in NewYork. In the coming years, I ask the public to support the continued Shaolin Temple legacy by lending their assistance to The Shaolin Temple Overseas Headquarters, the sole officially sanctioned overseas branch of the Shaolin Temple in North America, as it continues to promote the genuine principles of the unity of Ch'an Buddhism and Shaolin martial arts embraced by genuine monks of the 1,500 year old Henan, China, Shaolin Temple. It is my sincere wish that your path towards Ch'an cultivation be fruitful! Amitabha. Shi Yongxin Abbot of Shaolin Temple | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CHI NA AND CHI KUNG | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chin Na | Capture skills ( Chin Na ) are a kind of close combat skills used to subdue the enemy with skillful movements and ingenious exertion of strength. The basic principle in capturing the enemy is to seize, with either or both hands, a certain joint in the enemy,s limbs in order to have total control not only of a part of his body but also of his entire body, before you finally tie him up. Sucessful capture depends on daily and prolonged practice on the part of the combatant because, as the Kung Fu manual has it, "methods may be acquired from without, but ingenuity is achieved from within.". Only through repeated practice can the combatant make a correct judgement of the situation, seize the best opportunity and reach the acme of perfection in an actual combat. The following is a brief introduction to the eight essential points for the employment of capture skills. 1. Being as Sharp-Eyeed as an Eagle It is common knowledge that one should be sharp-eyed and quick-moving in boxing. This is all the more true for the employment of capture skills. A pugilist should keep his eyes and ears wide open, use the sharp and stern eyesight to pierce into the enemy's intentions and be well prepared to quickly react to the possible movements of the enemy. The sharpness of the eye has a special significance if you wish to catch a fast-moving enemy in a fierce combat. This is because only when your eyes are sharp enough to detect the instantaneous opening in the enemy's body will it be possible for you to effect a successful break-in and capture. 2. With Handwork as Quick as a Flying Arrow This analogy tells of the speed of the handwork involved in effecting a capture. The combatant mainly uses his hands in capturing the enemy, with coordinated movements of his wrists, elbows, shoulders, as well as some other parts of the body. The importance of handwork can be seen from the fact that all the 36 techniques used in the capture skills, namely, Chan, Bie, Ban, Pi, Rao, An, Diao, Kou, Nie, Cuo, Tie, Kao, Fen, Duan, Dun, Ya, Cuo, He, Dian, Tao, Jia, Wa, Quan, Wo, Jiao, Shi, Shun, Ni, Feng, Yin, Gu, Qian, Suo, Gua, Ti, Hua are techniques of the hand. The speed of the handwork should, therefore, be so quick that it looks like an arrow taking off from a bow. The "arrow" can hit the target as soon as the "string" rings, and the enemy does not have time to parry or stop your capture movements. 3. With Step as Steadfast as a Crouching Tiger Capture skills require that the combatant has as solid a Zhuang gong (the skill to be steadfast under push or kick) as that of a crouching tiger. The stableness of stepwork reflects the basic skills of a combatant. Ann effective capture can hardly be realized for lack of steadfastness or Zhuanggong in the lower part of the body. If you display an unsteady Zhuanggong in the combat, the enemy might take advantage of the situation and make a sudden counterattack to turn the tables. The employment of capture skills requires, therefore, that the combatant have correct stepwork and solid Zhuanggong, just like a crouching tiger awaiting its prey. Also required are the coordinated movements of the upper and lower parts of the body, the timely advance and retreat and the other appropriate movements of the body to assist in the capture. 4. With Waist as Supple as a Looper This refers to the bodywork as required for the employment of capture skills. In addition to the sharpness of the eye, swiftness of the hand and steadfastness of the step, the application of many capture skills demands a direct coordination of the waist movements. This is especially true for tumbling capture skills and capture skills involving drastic movements of the body and requiring a high flexibility of the waist. In a combat which involves all the seven methods of kick, hit, throw, pounce, push, bump and capture, the combatant has to rely on a highly coordinated bodywork to realize such tactical movements as advancing and retreating, crouching and leaning, turning and twisting, sidestepping and dodging, before he can succesfully capture the opponent. Proper and flexible waist performance is a key factor in the completion of the above movements. 5. Using Breathing Exercises to Concentrate Strength The practice of capture skills should be coordinated with the practice of Qigong, or breathing exercises, which forms the basis for the attainment of inner strength and skills. Without the inner cultivation of Qigong, there can be no inner skills or inner strength. Each of the seven combat methods is closely related to the practice of Qigong. The boxing manual has it that "In a combat, victory goes to the deep breathing combatant, not the shallow breathing one," and that "only when the breath circulates in the entire body can one concentrate and direct his skills and strength on an intended part of his body." These explain the importance of the inner skills and inner strength. The art of directing one's breath is the art of the concentration of one's strength, and therefore a well-trained combatant with deep breathing skills is at his ease in actual combat, devoid of any signs of breathlessness or unsteadiness that might lead to failure. When inner strength is exerted onto a charging arm, siad arm is immovable under push or pull from the opponent. Such strength may easily come and go, concentrate and disperse, combine and separate at your heart's content. The combatant who lacks the training of Qigong cannot master the quintessence of capture skills, neither can he perfect his techniques. 6. With Force as Abrupt as Lightning Before the exertion of one's strength in effecting a capture, the combatant has to carefully find out the enemy's weakpoints or loopholes. Once such weakpoints or loopholes are accurately located, the combatant immediately makes an abrupt and unexpected explosive attack as quickly as lightning or as a bullet. The combatant should consolidate and develop, with further fierce and resolute tactics, his superiority over the target part by tightening up his grip to such an extent that the enemy is unable to retreat from or thaw, escape, and avoid the grip, thus bringing his entire body under control. 7. Knowledge and Experience Perfects One's Skills "Knowledge and experience" here refers to the level of one's combat consciousness when the capture skills are used and one's skillfulness in the employment of the seven basis methods of the combat art. In actual combat, the enemy is bound to resist and make a desperate counterattack. Lack of knowledge and experience about the various changes in the combat art will render the combatant to a vulnerable position. One must have a clear understanding of the situation in a combat before he makes up his mind to capture or to fight. He should also coordinate his movements and be ready to change strategems by using any of the seven methods in order to make the enemy lose his ability to counterattack and prevent him from breaking away. No capture skills, no matter how superb they may be, can be effectively applied without the coordination of the other six combat methods. An inexperienced and short-sighted combatant does not know how to make a skillful and coordinated capture and often becomes himself a hitting target and captive. 8. Presence of Mind Is Key to a Powerful Attack Presence of mind in a combat is of great importance for the correct judgement of the situation and a quick decision to choose the appropriate tactics. A boxing manual has it that, "He who is highly skilled has the presence of mind; he who is not skilled loses his mind". Calmness and presence of mind are of special significance under the combat situation of one against two, of a bare-handed combatant using short weapons against an enemy with long weapons. The combatant who fails to break into the enemy's loophole or retreats when it is time for him to advance is often unskilles and lacks the presence of mind. Presence of mind shows one's combat spirit and is an embodiment of not only skill but also power. With overwhelming spirit, the combatant can exert enough strength to his muscles and bones to tackle with even iron and stone. Will and spirit have the power to kill. Although physical exercise can strengthen the body and limbs, Da Mo knew he needed to keep the inner organs healthy since they provided the fuel to keep the body going. As a persons breathing becomes better and his or her organs become stronger, that person will begin to develop "Chi". Chi is the ability to reach inside and draw power from within the body itself. This powe comes directly from the "Dan Tien" which is located in the lower abdomen. Da Mo developed these breathing patterns which are still used today in Kung Fu, Yoga and other Eastern forms of exercise and meditation (da mo refers to an indian monk who went from india to china and who created shaolin kung-fu) What is chi kung? Chi kung is the art of developing vital energy particularly for health, vitality, mind expansion and spiritual cultivation. Is chi kung the same as qigong? Yes, they are the same. "Chi kung" is the usual English spelling, whereas "qigong" is the Romanized Chinese spelling. In Romanized Chinese, q is pronounced like the English ch'; and o like the English u. Hence, both "chi kung" and qigong" should be pronounced like the English "ch'i gung". Are there many types of chi kung? Depending on how we would define "types", there are two, three, four, five, six, hundreds of or thousands of types of chi kung. Some people divide chi kung into two types: quiescent and dynamic, or internal and external. Some into three types: quiescent, dynamic, and quiescent- cum-dynamic. Others into four types: standing, sitting, lying down, and moving. Still others into five types: Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, medical, and martial. Some add populace chi kung to the five to make six types. There are various schools of chi kung, such as Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung, Shaolin Damo Chi Kung, Taiji Eighteen Steps Chi Kung, Flying Crane Chi Kung, Fragrance Chi Kung and so on. Sometimes, people may refer to different chi kung techniques as different types of chi kung, in which case there are thousands of them. Hence, it is understandable that there are also different levels of attainment in the various types of chi kung. Is chi kung the same as Taijiquan? They are different, although Taijiquan (if it is practised the way traditional masters practised it) makes extensive use of chi kung. Basically, Taijiquan is a martial art, whereas chi kung is a collective term for various arts of energy, which may or may not be used for martial art purposes. The movements of some chi kung types resemble those of Taijiquan, whereas many other chi kung movements are totally different from typical Taijiquan movements. What are the benefits of practising chi kung? There are many wonderful benefits derived from practising chi kung, and they may be generalized into the following five categories: 1. Curing illness and promoting health. 2. Enhancing vitality and developing internal force. 3. Promoting youthfulness and longevity. 4. Expanding the mind and the intellect. 5. Spiritual cultivation. Many chi kung types focus on only one or two of the above categories, but a few cover all the five. For example, most types of medical chi kung aim mainly at curing illness, virtually all sexual types of chi kung emphasize solely on youthfulness, whereas Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung touches on all the above five categories of benefits. What kinds of illness can practising chi kung overcome? According to Chinese medical thought, practising chi kung can cure as well as prevent all kinds of illness, including diseases like asthma, diabetes, hypertension and cancer which are generally considered "incurable" by conventional medicine. Practising chi kung is also very effective for overcoming psychological problems. (Please see the following section.) How does practising chi kung cure so-called incurable diseases? One must, first of all, realise that the conventional medical paradigm is only one of many ways to look at health and illness, and it is not necessarily the only correct way. According to the Chinese medical paradigm, there is no such a thing as an incurable disease, although a patient may be incurable if his disease, even a simple one, has done damage beyond a certain threshold. No disease is incurable because it is our natural birth-right to overcome all types of diseases -- if our psychological and physiological systems are working the way they should work. Illness occurs only if one or more of these natural systems fail in their functions. When all our systems are functioning naturally, the Chinese figuratively describe this condition as harmonious chi flow, i.e. the energy flow that supplies the right information to every part of our body (and mind), that provides the right defence or immunity when needed, that repairs all our wear and tear, that channels away toxic waste and negative emotions, and that performs other countless things to keep as alive and healthy, is functioning the way it should. If this harmonious chi flow is disrupted, illness occurs. The forte of chi kung is to restore and enhance this harmonious chi flow, thus overcoming illness, irrespective of the labels one may use to define its symptoms, and promoting health, which the Chinese have always considered to be more important than curing diseases.
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