tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39264828441009001342024-03-06T01:25:27.362-05:00Internal Gong FuWujifa Zhan Zhuang Qi Gong internal strength training for Taiji, Bagua, Xing-yi, Yi-ChuanMike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-61299277424352628622022-09-08T11:53:00.000-04:002022-09-08T11:53:56.759-04:00Musings on Purpose<p>What is your purpose for practicing? <br /><br />Why is this question important? Because whether you are conscious of it or not, your purpose determines how you approach your practice and ultimately your purpose determines the type of skill and level of skill you attain. Let's consider some different purposes for practice. <br /><br /><b>Pursue a Curiosity</b><br />People who learn because they heard about it and want to give it a try. The purpose here is to explore something new for the sake of its novelty; maybe, to add a "I did that" to the list of life's experiences. </p><p><b>Social Interaction</b><br />People who learn to be able to interact or connect with others. The purpose here is primarily social interaction with apparently like-minded individuals.<br /></p><p><b>Belonging</b><br />People who learn to be part of a group or club or a community; a connection with a particular population.</p><p><b>Cultural Connection</b><br />People who learn to be able to understand a facet of the source culture. <br /></p><p><b>Identity</b><br />People who learn to shape or find self-esteem or pride in their effort. Achieving the desired level of skill will bring delight in their identity as a student, teacher, or master. The practice becomes like a label; I am a student/teacher/practitioner of ______. </p><p><b>Functional</b><br />People who learn because doing so will improve some aspect of their life. For example, practice to improve health.</p><p><b>Career</b><br />People who learn because doing so will provide a financial benefit or some type of career opportunity.</p><p><b>Hobby</b><br />People who learn just enough and practice at a level that gives them something to do in their spare time.</p><p><b>Passion</b><br />People who learn because they have a deep-seated desire to achieve the highest level; their personal best. They want to rise above merely being an expert technician and truly enter the realm of the artist. They do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to master the art.</p><p><b>Unintentional</b><br />People who learn because they have no choice. For example, children who either imitate or are taught by their practitioner parent. The child has no purpose to learn but learns anyway.<br /></p><p>__________<br /><br />While each of these has been described as an independent entity, there may be overlap between them. There may be a primary, secondary, tertiary purpose. There may be other purposes not mentioned here.<br /><br />And your purpose may change over time. For example, in my case I began with a curiosity. I then discovered I enjoyed the social interaction and belonging to a group. I then discovered an identity, and through this, I was introduced to other teachers and groups who practiced at a deeper/higher level. As I gained experience and understanding, I came to discern how my purpose influences my practice; how my unconscious purpose can keep me stuck (not congruent with my verbalized purpose), or spur me on to further development.<br /></p><p>My purpose in sharing this insight is to inspire a moment of self-reflection. Can you look at your practice and see yourself having one (or more) of these purposes? Is your stated purpose congruent with your unconscious purpose? Are you being true to yourself and to others? Or are you fooling yourself and others by saying you want to achieve a higher level than you really want?<br /></p><p>For an analysis of how purpose fits into a broader philosophy of practice, see my <a href="https://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2011/09/functional-understanding-of-ti-yong-for.html">A Functional Understanding of Ti-Yong for Martial Arts and Wujifa </a>.</p><p></p><p>Happy practicing everyone!<br /></p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-67048266039145214452021-04-07T20:55:00.001-04:002021-04-17T21:08:02.229-04:00Pelvic Floor: Source of Energy and Misunderstanding (video)<p>Discussion of the pelvic floor usually comes up in connection with
pregnancy and childbirth or if you have problems with incontinence. But
otherwise, it is rarely mentioned. Similarly, in most Taijiquan and
Qigong training, the pelvic floor is rarely mentioned. Yet it is
precisely these muscle layers that can help our training enormously if
we know how to use them. But how?</p><p>The Federal Association of Taijiquan and Qigong of Germany is releasing a new video which interviews three experts who share their experiences and
insights to help you deepen your understanding of how to develop and use
the pelvic floor.</p><p></p><p>The premier of this video took place on Saturday, April 17 at 1:00pm Eastern Standard Time (USA) which is 7:00pm Central European Summer Time (Europe). The movie premier lasts about 35 minutes and was followed by a 30-minute Zoom discussion with the featured experts.<br /><br /><u>Featured experts include</u>:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gesa Ott, pelvic floor trainer and Shiatsu therapist (Germany)</li><li>Michael Buhr, author of the book "Secrets of the Pelvis for Martial Arts" (USA)</li><li>Renu Li, senior trainer for Tao Yoga and developer of the Yintao Program for Women (Germany)<br /></li></ul><p>The premier can be accessed at: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3I4iijHYdTk" width="320" youtube-src-id="3I4iijHYdTk"></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/3I4iijHYdTk">https://youtu.be/3I4iijHYdTk</a> <br /></div><br /><p></p><p>A separate video where you can meet the experts can be accessed at: <br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ONHiku_83JY" width="320" youtube-src-id="ONHiku_83JY"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ONHiku_83JY">https://youtu.be/ONHiku_83JY</a></div><p><br /></p><p>Many of us here in the USA don’t often get an opportunity to hear what our European counterparts are doing and this topic promises to be most insightful!<br /><br />I encourage all of you to attend and be sure to comment in the live chat section during the premier!<br /><br />See you there!</p><p>* This premier is part of the ongoing “Treasures of Knowledge” (TOK) series which is sponsored by the Federal Association of Taijiquan and Qigong of
Germany. The purpose of this TOK series is to highlight and share the
knowledge and experience of a wide range of teachers and thus promote
international networking among Taiji and Qigong practitioners. This
particular video was produced by Martin Neumann, Sonja Blank, Sascha
Behrens and Urte Zahn.</p><p> </p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-5437335717441161742021-02-21T11:14:00.003-05:002021-02-23T20:21:19.334-05:00Quality of Movement: Water as Metaphor<p>Bruce Lee is famously quoted as saying, "Be like water..." </p><p>My friend and teacher, Richard Taracks wrote an interesting article titled, <a href="https://wujifaliangong.blogspot.com/2011/10/be-like-water.html">Be Like Water?</a> where he references the ancient Chinese engineer, Li Bing. <br /></p><p>I'd like to take this metaphor of water in another direction.<br /></p><p>Imagine you had never been to a lake or ocean. You go there the first time. Somebody tells you that you can walk in the water. You walk in ankle deep water. You notice that it is different from walking on, well, now there is a distinction - dry land and wet land. You think you know how to move in water. <br /> <br />Then someone tells you that you can walk in knee-deep water. You try it and you notice that moving is different from walking in ankle-deep water. Now you think you know how to move in water.</p><p>Then someone tells you that you can walk in waist-deep water. You try
it and you notice that moving is different from walking in knee-deep
water. Now you think you know how to move in water.</p><p>Then someone tells you that you can walk in chest-deep water. You try
it and you notice that moving is different from walking in waist-deep
water. You also begin to notice a kind of pressure on your body and a cyclic buoyancy with breathing. Now you think you know how to move in water.</p><p>Then someone tells you that you can float in water where your feet don't touch the ground. You try
it and you notice that your buoyancy is related to breathing. Now you think you know more about water than you ever knew before. But how to move?<br /></p><p>Then someone tells you that you can move across the surface of water. You are introduced to swimming. You try it and you discover a completely different way to move in water. Now you think you know how to move in water.</p><p>Then someone tells you that you can swim under water. You are introduced to holding your breath and different swimming techniques to swim under water. Now you think you know how to move in water.<br /></p><p></p><p>Then someone tells you that you can see clearly and breath under water. You are given a mask and snorkel. You try it and you discover an entirely new way to experience water. Now you think you know how to move in water and enjoy all the benefits and pleasures of moving in water.<br /></p><p></p><p>Then someone tells you that you can see and breath under water far below the surface. You are given scuba diving equipment. You try it and you discover much more about water than ever before: thermocline, buoyancy compensation, how to equalize pressure on your ears, illusion of size caused by your mask, the reduction of light with depth, how currents affect creatures around you, and much more. Now you think you know how to move in water. Indeed, you have now mastered how to move in water.<br /></p><p></p><p>So what's the point?</p><p></p><p>After I had been practicing Tai-chi and other Chinese martial arts forms and push hands and sparring for ten to twenty years, I thought I was pretty advanced. According to this metaphor, I thought I was a scuba diver!<br /></p><p>However, when I look back from where I am now, I would say that even after twenty years of practice, I was only walking in ankle or knee deep water! I had never transitioned to even learning how to float in water much less how to swim or dive in water!</p><p>So, we have three metaphors referencing water. Bruce Lee's "Be like water" which talks about changeability, Richard Taracks, "Be like Li Bing" which talks about learning how to control water, and my addition where I say that as practitioners, we develop through a range of experiences on the path to mastering the quality of movement found in Chinese martial arts.</p><p>The little bit of mind-body integration that developed from my everyday, normal, quality-of-movement, seemed like a huge change! And it was! But it was only the change from walking on dry land to walking in ankle deep water! It was only the first step, an introduction to mind-body integration.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p>When I knew very little, I thought I knew a lot. Now that I know more, I see how little I actually knew then and how much further I can go. <br /></p><p>There is much more to learn as we grow and develop in our chosen art.</p><p>Happy practicing everyone!<br /> </p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-87666839212887735402020-09-21T07:00:00.262-04:002020-10-14T16:12:59.545-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Conclusion<p>The title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to learn.<br /><br />This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Hopefully, this series of posts has provided a more thoughtful response to this question.<br /><br /><u><b>Brief Review</b></u><br />In the Introduction to this series, I mentioned how I had considered my life as a variety of compartmentalized activities and one of these compartments was internal gongfu practice. In this way of perceiving, each activity was isolated from and not influenced by any other and each activity required its own skills. Over my years of practicing Wujifa, I learned that my development is as much influenced by what happens outside of class and practice as by what happens during class and practice. <br /><br />As I pondered the question “Why does it take so long to get it?”, the insight occurred to me that these outside influences either support or hinder my development and these could be distilled into a set of components. Thus, the six components of <i>My Practice</i> was born. As I further reflected on my years of practice, I recalled various attitudes or situations associated with these so-called components. Thus, the <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> was born. To complete this picture, I added some insights regarding instruction in <i>Sources and Levels of Instruction</i>. And now, here we are at the end of this series.<br /><br /><u><b>Considering Components</b></u><br />It is possible that the components of <i>My Practice</i> that I presented here will not hold true for everyone. I was exploring how to articulate an insight based on <i>my</i> years of practice. You may want to add or modify or remove a component according to how you think about the various non-curricular aspects that influence your formal training curriculum.<br /><br />If these components are not readily apparent to you, give it some time. The inability to notice something at the outset is not a reason to dismiss the possibility that it exists. It may take some time for you to notice the connection regarding how various aspects of your life influence your practice and vice versa. After all, it took me over <i>thirty years</i> of training before this insight came to me!</p><p>You may think that the idea of components is dumb or irrelevant, that there are no components, or that I’m going off in the wrong direction, that I just need to think less and practice more. I used to think that way too. I would encourage you to at least consider the possibility. You may discover a clue to that next step.<br /><br />At the very least, this series will give you an insight into how I approached my practice in the past and how I am understanding my practice these days.<br /><br /><u><b>My Practice as a Puzzle</b></u><br />We have a saying in Wujifa that “Noticing changes everything.” Notice how and where these components show up in your practice and in your life. Notice how they interact. Notice how one component connects to and influences another and another. Notice that this is a new kind of kinesthetic puzzle.</p><p><u><b>Learning Strategies</b></u><br />When I was learning Tai-chi forms and push-hands, I applied the same learning strategy that served me well in learning other physical activities. The result was about the same level of achievement; a kind of fluency at the level of gross motor skills and not much more.<br /><br />When I began practicing Wujifa zhan zhuang, I eventually discovered that the learning strategies that worked well for me in other situations simply did not work here. I eventually learned that <i>I needed to learn how to learn</i> in the context of internal gongfu. I needed to develop a <i>new</i> learning strategy. I needed to learn how to discover connections and build congruence. I needed to literally learn how to get my compartmentalized life together. </p><p>I now know that the conditioning or preparatory phase of training largely involves developing this new strategy which gives me crucial insights and perspective.</p><p><u><b>A Brief Word About Eating Bitter</b></u><br />“Eating bitter” typically refers to enduring muscle pain. In addition, the “bitter” in internal gongfu can also refer to emotional pain that may be noticed on the road to congruence.<br /><br /><u><b>Comparing Models</b></u><br />Now that I’ve come to the end of this series, let’s compare the two models side by side. I know how these two models are different for me. My question to you is, Which model illustrates how you would represent your practice? Or would you conceptualize and illustrate your practice differently?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwWJ8l2SYxgrCDbAajdmkEw4sHszv4_vO2l2oCLFqPHNp7JGgYGkM5Vr5b3RDI1h2Py8xsvL59JNlnz_YA-oKlLuNCV8ONnc1bHGmUUF2-9S0dZXwU5ANw-5yrSlpEA08DGIX5YTRYRk/s1600/MyLifeCompartments.JPG" alt="my life compartments" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="434" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwWJ8l2SYxgrCDbAajdmkEw4sHszv4_vO2l2oCLFqPHNp7JGgYGkM5Vr5b3RDI1h2Py8xsvL59JNlnz_YA-oKlLuNCV8ONnc1bHGmUUF2-9S0dZXwU5ANw-5yrSlpEA08DGIX5YTRYRk/s320/MyLifeCompartments.JPG" alt="my life compartments" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginbWWxKQkWQe_iPhVHdLRRtHgcFEn-RXPEUYsCAjCBTRXuwS6VucKMpQMVRwui6qyW3yNPl_MmhNlF3xX6T4zH9DCEShRalDs9N2e6WTrAL9fBeo_OMYj7zWFTxQ7Tnm8rzH19BeSC8E/s1600/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle conclusion" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="472" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginbWWxKQkWQe_iPhVHdLRRtHgcFEn-RXPEUYsCAjCBTRXuwS6VucKMpQMVRwui6qyW3yNPl_MmhNlF3xX6T4zH9DCEShRalDs9N2e6WTrAL9fBeo_OMYj7zWFTxQ7Tnm8rzH19BeSC8E/s320/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle conclusion" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />So, there you have it. The secret to mastering internal gongfu. Oh? Did you miss it? Well, let me spell it out for you; BE CONGRUENT! Stop compartmentalizing your life and your body! Notice connections! Think about it a second. If you can’t notice the connections between the "components" that I spelled out for you in this series, then how the heck are you going to notice the kinesthetic connections within your own body which can be multiple times more subtle? <br /><br />Look, the preparatory or conditioning phase of training is all about discovering connections and developing congruence. Break down the conceptual walls between this part and that part of life, between mind and body, within the body, deeper and deeper into the body. Discover the congruence within your own body and between your body and mind and between your practice and your life.</p><p>When I started Wujifa training, if you told me then that I’d be writing this now, I would have said that you were full of it. “Just show me what to do!” But that’s the point. This <i>is</i> what to do! And I can’t show you specifically what<i> you</i> need to do. I can only point the way. This series is another proverbial finger pointing at the moon; the <i>whole</i> moon, the <i>round</i> moon. </p><p>So back to the question, "Why is it taking me so long to get it?" Do you understand now? You see, it comes down to compartments vs. connections. The longer you hold onto compartments, however subtle they may be, the longer it takes. The sooner you get to connection and congruence, the sooner you get through the first door! Now you are ready! </p><p>Bottom line, internal gongfu is about putting your <i>whole</i> self into practice! Learn to eat bitter and appreciate it for all that it will help you understand. And then using the learning strategy that you developed in the conditioning or preparatory phase, continue refining and discovering all you can because there is always more to learn and more doors for you to discover and open!<br /></p><p>Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/09/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Source and Level of Instruction</a></p><p>Happy practicing everyone!</p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-72387986466305834862020-09-14T07:00:00.004-04:002020-10-14T16:13:20.865-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Source and Level of InstructionThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In previous posts in this series I explored six components of My Practice. I then explored how attributes of these components may influence the rate of progress in the <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i>. In this post, I explore the intersection of my practice and instruction. Let me begin with a training anecdote.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGgCvqy6Pcmm_e78QoHuQVuySIIdAv_07z_9mniRhssAe6pa3cJJgtgxh4hh_o-046da3hgsNtmfcESFTKsT_Ck77maXmnSz2v70egFttxWZn-rh67prX4DOz7YZpfvdKQS2_b_01qlU/s1600/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" alt="My Practice puzzle completed" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle completed" border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="472" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGgCvqy6Pcmm_e78QoHuQVuySIIdAv_07z_9mniRhssAe6pa3cJJgtgxh4hh_o-046da3hgsNtmfcESFTKsT_Ck77maXmnSz2v70egFttxWZn-rh67prX4DOz7YZpfvdKQS2_b_01qlU/s320/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In 2003 I attended my first Chen Xiaowang silk reeling workshop. (I had been practicing Yang style Tai-chi forms and push-hands for almost twenty years by this time but no zhan zhuang or other stance practice.) During the workshop he adjusted my elbow and said, “Qi flowing”. He adjusted it again and said, “Qi not flowing”. He adjusted it again and said, “Qi flowing. Understand?” I nodded, not quite knowing what just happened, and thanked him and he moved on to the next person. <br />
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Following this workshop I began training with the purpose of developing the internals. Thus, I began a new adventure which led to a new understanding about the internal gongfu development process, a new understanding about teaching and learning, and a new understanding about the source and level of instruction. I’ll present the most important insights I’ve discovered and toward the end of this article I’ll reexamine this anecdote from the view of these insights.<br />
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<u><b>The Internal Gongfu Paradox</b></u><br />
My ability to discern those who demonstrate higher-level skill from those who demonstrate rudimentary or no skill depends on the degree to which I myself have conditioned my body or developed the movement principle in my body. The more I develop, the keener my discernment.<br />
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The point is that when I did not have any skill, I didn’t know what it meant to have skill. I didn’t know what to look for. I was easily duped by those who I considered as having skill when in fact they did not. When I did not have any skill, I thought I had skill but now that I have some skill, I know how little skill I actually have.<br />
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<u><b>The Terminology Paradox</b></u><br />
Some Chinese martial art terms are representations of descriptions of the author’s experience, for example, Li, Jin, and Yi which I’ll discuss in more detail below. Before I developed any skill, I misinterpreted these terms according to what I <i>thought</i> they meant. However, after I had developed some skill, I began to see and feel and understand the difference that these terms represent.<br />
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<u><b>Qi Flowing, Qi not Flowing</b></u><br />
"Qi flowing" has a particular meaning in the internal martial arts which is distinct from all other definitions and uses of "Qi". In the internal martial arts, "Qi flowing" means that the bones and connective tissue are correctly aligned which allows a particular body quality to show up. (In Wujifa we call this quality, "connection".) "Qi not flowing" means the opposite, that something in the alignment is wrong such as a muscular tension or fascial adhesion which is skewing the skeletal alignment. Each has its own distinct feeling.<br />
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<u><b>Teachers, Instructors, Guides</b></u><br />
Considering the components of My Practice and the Progress Scenarios in the <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> it should be obvious that each practitioner has his/her own unique path to walk. That said, there is no single cookie-cutter or template of instruction for everyone.<br />
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Granted, a system of instruction may have a general template as a guide but how the teacher guides the student within that template will be unique to that student. The teacher has to meet the student where the student is to guide the student to the next step for that student.<br />
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Given the complexity of the process, it takes two to three years for the teacher to get to know the student. Over time, the teacher develops a deep personal relation with the student; like a family relation. In this sense, attending seminars and workshops has a very limited and specific purpose since the amount of interaction between teacher and attendee is very limited. <br />
<br />
Just as each student has different characteristics and personalities, so too does each teacher. Every teacher will have his or her own understanding of the art, style of teaching, and relationship with each student.<br />
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<u><b>Muscle(Li), Connection(Jin), Intention(Yi)</b></u><br />
There are those who contend that Li, Jin, and Yi represent levels of development. Broadly speaking there is some truth to this but even this model either ignores or is ignorant of the process. Using intention is the highest level but it is also the first thing to begin training because it takes the longest time to learn how to develop. <br />
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Beginning training uses intention to focus attention on a particular location within the body to get a sense of that location. I ask my body, “What is the feeling there? Can I feel connection between point A and point B? If not, why not? Where is the break? What is a break? How can I develop feeling into a numb area?” and then I learn how to let my body answer the question without cognitive bias.<br />
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Zhan zhuang is a practice of establishing new neural connections. The existing neural pathways are good for what they are good for. Internal gongfu requires building new neural pathways for sensing inside the body. I have to develop my intention to focus my attention which encourages these new neural pathways to develop.<br />
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Therefore, I do not graduate from the Li level to the Jin level and finally to the Yi level but rather, I begin by practicing Yi and as the neural pathways develop, my body slowly transforms from Li to Jin to Yi.<br />
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<u><b>The Problem with Levels</b></u><br />
In the world of internal
gongfu the word “level” is used as a kind of relatively-speaking
acknowledgment of strikingly broad differences in skill. I suggest that
the highest skilled person can identify different qualities throughout
the developmental process and label these as “levels”.<br />
<br />
When
I began my journey, I read and heard about
these and other levels. With no experience on which to base my understanding, I created mental (compartmentalized) constructs of what I <i>thought</i> these terms meant. As I developed my reperetoire of forms and experience in push hands, I gave myself more credit than I was due. I falsely
assumed that I was working at a higher level than I actually was.<br />
<br />
After I began practicing zhan zhuang, I discovered that there are no levels in this initial phase of conditioning or
development. Even though there are signposts of progress along the way,
these “progress markers” do not constitute levels.<br />
<br />
I
wonder if instructors who use levels as part of their initial training
regimen do so to present the beginner with sense of familiarity
(compartmentalized thinking) and to offer a sense of direction and
accomplishment. <br />
<br />
By inferring a similarity between
ordinary compartmentalized thinking and the internal gongfu development
process, such an inference misrepresents the process. The beginner could
also use these levels to set expectations (show me what to do to get to
the next level) and thereby misinterpret the actual development
process. <br />
<br />
In these ways, level-thinking can hamper development.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Source of Instruction</b></u><br />
In typical martial art schools (including workshops and seminars), the source of instruction is the teacher. The process flow is typically Demonstrate-and-Imitate or Listen-and-Learn. This process works well for this kind of learning. However, the internal gongfu development process is entirely different.<br />
<br />
In internal gongfu, the source of instruction is my own body. In this environment, the teacher serves as a knowledgeable guide who can see where there is a break or block in my body and can suggest a way to improve connection. Since my body is not capable of imitating the movement quality being demonstrated, my own body must learn, with guidance, how to implement and manifest the suggestion.<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Anecdote in Hindsight</b></u><br />
Let's take another look at the anecdote presented at the start of this post through the perspective of the topics presented above.<br />
<ul>
<li>I thought silk-reeling was just another set of forms to learn. I had no idea what I was supposed to be practicing. </li>
<li>My compartmentalized thinking understood that he was at a much higher level but I had no idea what this meant.</li>
<li>I had no internal skills and I could not recognize his skill. I did not know what to look for.</li>
<li>I could find no words to describe the feeling of these adjustments and my earlier description of "Qi flowing" which was based on my cognitive-derived imaginary feeling, did not describe this feeling either.</li>
</ul><p>
In hindsight, even though I had a number of years' experience behind me, in fact, this experience did not result in developing the skill that he showed me in my own body; the difference between feeling Qi flowing (connection) and feeling Qi not flowing (not connection). It was a most memorable experience and a pivotal experience which shaped the course of my practice.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
The practice of internal gongfu is incredibly complex and yet it is also amazingly simple. To use a metaphor, progress is like a dam or levee being breached. First there’s a barely perceptible dampening of the soil, then a tiny rivulet, then a little stream, then more and more until the dam or levee is breached and fails.<br />
<br />
Translating the metaphor, the intention that builds the neural pathways in the body begins slowly and imperceptibly. This fools the cognitively biased practitioner into thinking that nothing is happening. However, continued practice builds more and more feeling into the body until one day full body connection shows up and the experience of the body is totally different than before. <br />
<br />
This series continues with one more post offering some final comments.<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/09/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_7.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? The Progress Matrix</a><br />
</p><p>Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/09/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_21.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Conclusion</a><br />
<br /></p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-1354717473738685192020-09-07T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:13:43.033-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? The Progress MatrixThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the Introduction I said that I now think of training as consisting of two phases where preparing and conditioning my body is the first phase of training and then when I am ready, I can begin the second phase of training – the practice of developing the movement principle in my body.<br />
<br />
I then introduced six components that I consider as having an influence on my practice of preparing or conditioning my body. In each of these components I identified how my approach within that component either helped or hindered my practice. Now I'd like to extend the application of this "My Practice" puzzle by looking at these components through the framework of a hypothetical <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGgCvqy6Pcmm_e78QoHuQVuySIIdAv_07z_9mniRhssAe6pa3cJJgtgxh4hh_o-046da3hgsNtmfcESFTKsT_Ck77maXmnSz2v70egFttxWZn-rh67prX4DOz7YZpfvdKQS2_b_01qlU/s1600/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle completed" border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="472" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGgCvqy6Pcmm_e78QoHuQVuySIIdAv_07z_9mniRhssAe6pa3cJJgtgxh4hh_o-046da3hgsNtmfcESFTKsT_Ck77maXmnSz2v70egFttxWZn-rh67prX4DOz7YZpfvdKQS2_b_01qlU/s320/MyPracticeConclusion.JPG" alt="My Practice puzzle completed" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> further parses these six components into three progress scenarios: Quickest, Moderate, and Slowest. The purpose for doing this is to frame the above six components in the context of situations and attitudes found in each component that influence the rate of progress.<br />
<br />
These three scenarios have been developed from my observations and from comments that have been expressed by myself and by my school brothers and by visitors to Wujifa classes over the last <i>fifteen</i> years. Hopefully, this collection of observations and comments as I’ve summarized them here, can help identify where we might be getting stuck in our preparation or conditioning phase of training and where making one or more changes may help our progress.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1" style="width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr><th colspan="4"><span style="font-size: large;">The Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</span></th></tr>
<tr><th width="17%">Component</th><th colspan="3" width="83%">Progress Scenarios</th></tr>
<tr><td></td><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick progress over short period of time (3-5 years)</td><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Moderate progress over a moderate period of time (5-10 years?)</td><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Slow progress over a long period of time (more than 10 years)</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Activity Patterns</td><td>My daily activity pattern is congruent with practice. I can train 2-4 hours throughout the day.</td><td>Some of my daily activity pattern supports practice and some hinders practice. I can train 1-2 hours a day.</td><td>My daily activity pattern absolutely hinders practice. Training time is limited to 1 hour or less.</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Cognitive Bias</td><td>I don’t have any previous experience in these arts. This is all new to me.</td><td>Sometimes my biases hinder practice, but when I notice them, then I can overcome them.</td><td>I’m not going to ignore all my previous experiences. This new stuff fits in there somehow.</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Body Structure-Character</td><td>I feel free to experiment with different aspects of my body structure-character. It’s really fun!</td><td>I’ve heard about body structure-character before. I’m skeptical but I’ll explore the possibility.</td><td>Body structure-character has nothing to do with achieving expert performance.</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Ability to Change</td><td>I enjoy exploring changing my body and daily life.</td><td>I may be open to small, incremental changes but not big changes.</td><td>I came here to learn. Don’t tell me I have to change!</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Talent</td><td>I’ve always been able to sense and feel inside my body.</td><td>I’ve never been able to sense and feel inside my body. I’ll practice but it’s difficult and uncomfortable.</td><td>I can't feel anything! Feeling is overrated. Just show me what to do.</td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td span="" style="font-weight: bold;">Commitment</td><td>I’ve (re)organized my life so that my practice is the focus. Maybe a 80% commitment to training.</td><td>I can incorporate practice throughout my daily life. Maybe a 40% commitment to training.</td><td>I’ve got other commitments that take priority over practice. Maybe a 10% commitment to training.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It is likely that many people (myself included) will not identify entirely with one column of the Progress Scenarios. It is more likely that we identify with one scenario in one component and with a different scenario in another component, or more likely we place our attitude or situation somewhere between two columns. <br />
<br />
The point is that this matrix should provide an insight into how your situation or attitude about any one of these components may be influencing your rate of progress.<br />
<br />
I don’t expect that every practitioner will agree with all of the Components and Progress Scenarios that make up this matrix. As I said, this matrix is based on my experience in Wujifa. If these components are not pertinent to you, then what components would you identify? How would you define or describe your components? How would you define the attitudes and situations that constitute Slowest, Moderate, and Quickest rate of progress for your components?<br />
<br />
<b><u>In Closing</u></b><br />
This <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> is a first step toward recognizing the influences on the internal gongfu practitioner and how the practitioner’s own attitude or situation in any given component can influence the practitioner’s rate of progress.<br />
<br />
This model may be the first of its kind to provide internal gongfu practitioners with a tool that can both provide a reasonable explanation for their rate of progress and simultaneously provide guidance on how to improve their rate of progress. It may also stand as a prototype for others to develop their own progress metrics.<br />
<br />
A practitioner’s rate of progress does not have to be a matter of chance or fate. As I've attempted to illustrate over these last several posts, it is possible to identify the components of an internal gongfu practice and then further parse these components to identify attributes that contribute to quick, moderate, or slow progress. It is here that we ultimately find what may be hindering progress and in this, we find clues as to what we might want to explore to improve progress.<br />
<br />
This series will continue with considering the role of the Source and Level of Instruction and then we’ll close this series with some final remarks.<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_31.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Commitment</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/09/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Source and Level of Instruction</a><br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-35407035646336934602020-08-31T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:14:14.412-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? CommitmentThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the previous article in this series, I explored talent. In this post, I explore how Commitment and other closely related topics help or hinder my training.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TfwsK6355mtPQLPP8hJmQNCDIUjXGR9tdmpYl-9mBQ7tMMOUPhacRqXMGCgptLysbJOBnte4Eian49lLqoySgp8yuTwQQw7erQCDGxi3CMPOKpDbdKvvS0Hzrr06tzFE3eExwxOpiwg/s1600/MyPracticeCommitment.JPG" alt="My Practice puzzle Commitment" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Commitment" border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TfwsK6355mtPQLPP8hJmQNCDIUjXGR9tdmpYl-9mBQ7tMMOUPhacRqXMGCgptLysbJOBnte4Eian49lLqoySgp8yuTwQQw7erQCDGxi3CMPOKpDbdKvvS0Hzrr06tzFE3eExwxOpiwg/s320/MyPracticeCommitment.JPG" alt="My Practice puzzle Commitment" width="316" /></a></div>
<br />
For this component I debated whether to focus on Commitment or Motivation since the two are so intimately entwined; motivation inspires commitment, the results of which can further inspire motivation. As I pondered on this, I turned to the research on these topics and discovered there are actually different kinds of commitment and motivation.<br />
<br />
As I read and interpreted these articles through the experience of my internal gongfu practice, I knew I had to present both. So first, I’ll present the topic and my description, so you’ll know why I found this topic relevant, and then I’ll present how these are applicable in the context of an internal gongfu practice.<br />
<br />
<u><b>COMMITMENT</b></u><br />
I discovered that there are (at least) two ways to look at commitment: rational commitment and emotional commitment. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Rational Commitment</b></u><br />
Rational commitment is a cognitive decision. I intentionally decide to commit time to deliberate practice (training). I intentionally use my cognitive tools to monitor and regulate my practice. Here I include Deliberate Practice and Time Commitment as elements of a rational commitment.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><u>Deliberate Practice</u></b><br />
Deliberate practice involves formalized exercises intended to improve skill. It is here that we find the various exercises, methods, and qigongs that are used in whatever art form you practice. These exercises have been rationally and intentionally designed to help you improve your skill. Sometimes these exercises can be boring, painful, frustrating, effortful, tedious and in a word, not for the faint-hearted. But they are exactly what is required to achieve the level of performance you are aiming to achieve.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Time Commitment</b></u><br />
The exercises of Deliberate Practice must be practiced, often repeatedly, for a certain amount of time each day. Let’s revisit a model I used in Activity Patterns to get a sense of the percentage of time each day that I devote to practice. <br />
<br />
Begin by looking at a typical 24-hour day. To facilitate calculations, disregard the eight-hour block of time devoted to sleep and only consider the remaining sixteen hours of waking experience.<br />
<br />
<table 100="" border="1" width:=""><tbody>
<tr><th>Hours training per day</th><th>Hours other</th><th>Percentage of time committed to formal, deliberate practice (training)</th></tr>
<tr><td>1 hour</td><td>15 hours</td><td>6% of my day is committed to training</td></tr>
<tr><td>2 hours</td><td>14 hours</td><td>12.5% of my day is committed to training</td></tr>
<tr><td>3 hours</td><td>13 hours</td><td>18.5% of my day is committed to training</td></tr>
<tr><td>4 hours</td><td>12 hours</td><td>25% of my day is committed to training</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(According to research, four hours is about the maximum time that even seasoned experts can sustain a focused, deliberate practice on a daily basis.)<br />
<br />
<u><b>Emotional Commitment</b></u><br />
Emotional commitment occurs when the goals of practice support or enhance my goals in life, my self-image, and how I feel about myself. The amount of emotional commitment I direct toward practice is determined by the degree to which the goals of practice support or enhance my goals in life, my self-image, and how I feel about myself. <br />
<br />
Unlike time commitment, emotional commitment is more difficult to quantify. Given that, I might suggest the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>100% Emotional Commitment might look like an entire lifestyle built around practice.</li>
<li>50% Emotional Commitment might look like a hobbyist or a devoted enthusiast.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
<u><b>MOTIVATION</b></u><br />
I discovered that there are several theories of motivation. The two that I mention here are the ones that resonate the most with my experience.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<u><b>Intrinsic Motivation</b></u><br />
A practitioner who is intrinsically motivated derives a sense of enjoyment from practice. The practice itself is personally important and highly valued.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Extrinsic Motivation</b></u><br />
A practitioner who is extrinsically motivated engages in practice for the purpose of obtaining a reward or satisfying a demand. The reward or demand is more valued than the practice itself.</blockquote>
<br />
<b><u>SELF-REGULATION</u></b><br />
If rational commitment pertains to <i>what</i> I do, and emotional commitment and motivation pertains to <i>why</i> I do it, then self-regulation pertains to <i>how</i> I do it.<br />
<br />
Self-regulation refers to the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes that the practitioner devises and strategically uses to monitor the effectiveness of the learning process. These processes include both internal and external feedback loops. Self-regulation shares nuanced similarities with self-control, self-management, self-directed behavior, and self-discipline.<br />
<br />
_______<br />
<br />
<u><b>Application to Internal Gongfu</b></u><br />
Now let me share how and why all this resonated with my learning experience.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid, I marveled at the abilities portrayed on the TV show <i>Kung Fu</i>. When I got to college, I was single with no other commitments than school. College coursework and Tai-chi class together supported my image of myself. I had an intrinsic motivation. I practiced my forms two to three hours a day. I had both a rational and an emotional commitment. My self-regulation consisted of comparing my perception of my instructor’s form to my perception of my own form.<br />
<br />
By the time I got to practicing Wujifa zhan zhuang, my entire life situation - priorities and values - had changed. I was married. I had a nine-to-five desk job, a mortgage, and a nearly full-time second job. Even though I could rationalize how stance practice would help me develop the abilities that I did not (and had longed to) develop in my previous practice, the most time commitment I could make was one hour a day. Zhan zhuang was so immeasurably different from any learning situation I had previously experienced, I did not know how to self-regulate and consequently I made many blunders along the way. My previous intrinsic motivation had waned and I was left with an extrinsic motivation – I practiced not for the enjoyment of it but for the want of the reward. <br />
<br />
<b><u>In Closing</u></b><br />
To achieve expert-performance requires making a huge commitment of
time and physical and emotional energy. Due to the unique nature of the practice, it may be that new self-regulation strategies will need to be developed. There may be a period of trial and error to figure out what is functional and what is not.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, my earlier
Tai-chi practice may have approached an overall 80% commitment but my
Wujifa practice was probably more like an overall 20% commitment. If I were committed to my Wujifa training in the same way as I was committed to my earlier Tai-chi training, this would have
helped my progress. However, with a diminished commitment and motivation,
this no doubt hindered my progress.<br />
<br />
Maybe the best time to make a commitment to practice is either as a child or young adult unencumbered by commitments of adulthood, career, and family. Maybe the next best time to make a commitment to practice is in retirement, unencumbered by commitments of career and family. Maybe the worse time to make a commitment to practice is during those years of career and family building like I tried to do.<br />
<br />
With this puzzle now complete, this series will continue with considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<u><b>References, Additional Reading</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>The role of emotions, motivation, and learning behavior in underachievement and results of an intervention</b>. Stefanie Obergriesser* and Heidrun Stoeger. <i>High Ability Studies</i>. 2015, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp 167–190.<br />
<br />
<b>Relationships among cognition, emotion, and motivation: implications for intervention and neuroplasticity in psychopathology</b>. Laura D. Crocker, et. al., <i>Frontiers in Human Neuroscience</i>. June 2013, Volume 7, Article 261, pp 1-19.<br />
<br />
<b>Evolving Concepts of Emotion and Motivation</b>. Kent C. Berridge. <i>Frontiers in Psychology.</i> September 2018, Volume 9, Article 1647, pp 1-20.<br />
<br />
<b>Coach-Created Motivational Climate and Athletes’ Adaptation to Psychological Stress: Temporal Motivation-Emotion Interplay</b>. Montse C. Ruiz, et. al. <i>Frontiers in Psychology.</i> March 2019, Volume 10, Article 617, pp 1-11.<br />
<br />
<b>When quantity is not enough: Disentangling the roles of practice time, self-regulation and deliberate practice in musical achievement</b>. Arielle Bonneville-Roussy and Thérèse Bouffard. <i>Psychology of Music</i>. Vol. 43(5), 2015, pp 686–704.<br />
<br />
<b>Using Wise Interventions to Motivate Deliberate Practice</b>. Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, et. al. <i>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.</i> Vol. 111, No. 5, 2016, pp 728–744.<br />
<br />
<b>Creativity and talent</b>. Chapter 28. (pp. 371–380). Winner, Ellen. In <i>Well-being: Positive development across the life course</i>. M. H. Bornstein, L. Davidson, C. L. Keyes, & K. A. Moore (Eds.). Mahwah, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003.<br />
<br />
<b>Comparing students’ self-discipline and self-regulation measures and their prediction of academic achievement</b>. Barry J. Zimmerman, Anastasia Kitsantas. <i>Contemporary Educational Psychology.</i> Vol 39, Iss 2, 2014. pp 145–155.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_24.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Talent</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/09/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_7.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? The Progress Matrix</a>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-30835115531339871352020-08-24T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:14:34.381-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? TalentThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the previous article in this series, I explored the Ability to Change. In this post, I explore how talent (or the lack thereof) helps or hinders my training.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RZzrwq0Fga0cr0r9Ov7xMW30VW3av6bxfBgRngsn-8n1skuchRsy5cZPpxgKiclK4ni9S030rGNWCCcibd5vcOYOXQTBdF3HBlvWTy4FoJ2nQglrG6dgx-U14bXcyAI34D_tmO1wmrg/s1600/MyPracticeTalent.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle talent" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Talent" border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="468" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RZzrwq0Fga0cr0r9Ov7xMW30VW3av6bxfBgRngsn-8n1skuchRsy5cZPpxgKiclK4ni9S030rGNWCCcibd5vcOYOXQTBdF3HBlvWTy4FoJ2nQglrG6dgx-U14bXcyAI34D_tmO1wmrg/s320/MyPracticeTalent.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle talent" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<u><b>What is Talent?</b></u><br />
The word “talent” is rooted in 19th century evolutionary theory and was considered to be an innate ability to excel in a particular domain. This is how I used to think of talent. In more recent years, talent has acquired the added meaning of a learned and practiced skill. This expanded meaning has created a nature-nurture debate with some interesting insights for internal gongfu practice.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Talent: Innate or Acquired or Some of Each?</b></u><br />
Scholars who study talent and expert-performance in domains as diverse as academics, music, athletics, and games provide a range of definitions from an innate ability to a learned and practiced skill. This model depicts where the various perspectives could be placed on a continuum from Innate Talent to Acquired Talent.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOUPyCZLU6FRJD9x8bUHRBm9lHGVCN9vwZZbuzYD3hjAG60BSWqhps5FpAgfSOyXnWnnQ7JkJ9CuthnF9UlO6-bXnAwLO4uvXuVx5Zv0wxjEtn3cxAqNHjLYj-RI4xP0oOqWEH9qV-Xo/s1600/Talent+Scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="772" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOUPyCZLU6FRJD9x8bUHRBm9lHGVCN9vwZZbuzYD3hjAG60BSWqhps5FpAgfSOyXnWnnQ7JkJ9CuthnF9UlO6-bXnAwLO4uvXuVx5Zv0wxjEtn3cxAqNHjLYj-RI4xP0oOqWEH9qV-Xo/s640/Talent+Scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(from Talent — Innate or acquired? Theoretical considerations and their implications for talent management. <i> </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Human Resource Management Review</i>. Volume 23, Issue 4, December 2013, Pages 305-321)</span></div>
<br />
After doing research for this article and comparing this research to my personal observations and experience, I would say that those who achieve expert-performance in the domain of internal gongfu have both an innate talent and a commitment to deliberate practice (intentionally repeating a structured activity for the purpose of improving performance). I propose my description of innate talent later in this post.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Key Points about Developing Expert Performance</b></u><br />
I found it interesting that research in these various domains could be equally applicable to the domain of internal gongfu. Here are nine key points from the Expert Performance perspective that I believe are relevant to an internal gongfu practice.<br />
<ul>
<li>Those who reach the highest levels began training in early childhood and then spent most of their lives training.</li>
<li>Early achievement is not the sole determiner of expert performance later in life.</li>
<li>Those intent on improving their performance through deliberate practice can also achieve expert-performance.</li>
<li>Even if two different individuals have access to the same training, there will be differences in performance of the acquired skill.</li>
<li>The key problem is identifying and tailoring the training tasks that will lead to the desired performance goal.</li>
<li>Simply following the assigned task is not enough. Attention is needed to identify and resolve habituated responses.</li>
<li>Duration of practice cannot predict whether expert performance can be achieved.</li>
<li>The “Ten Year Rule” is an observation that expert performance tends to emerge after ten years of deliberate practice. Even those considered “talented” only achieve expert-performance after ten years of training. For most people though, it takes much longer.</li>
<li>Many people don’t achieve expert-performance due to a lack of sustained commitment to deliberate practice for the necessary ten years or more. Obviously, motivation is a fundamental attribute.</li>
</ul>
<u><b>Talent Levels</b></u><br />
Although the following graph is speaking to the number of individuals participating in different levels of competition, I think it is a visual way to represent the community of internal gongfu practitioners; the higher the level of skill, the fewer the practitioners at that level.<br />
<br />
The various levels defined here invite a response to the perennial internal gongfu question: How are the various “levels” defined? What performance characteristics mark one practitioner's skill as more developed or refined than another's? Can practitioners be grouped by their talent level? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7Do7Dwk5h1fIMEHA9Im2qUQm7JXz-PZpwGwJlO36vHG-1qK496CmDC2IFMcwT6MP-7dLaKcY2OyNnPrTsKBsjVaBKdBSPZdhZcZRMVGy1W5xBKb0H1Wfo6VgEMcIQPHKKyXTadFifH8/s1600/Individual+vs+Performance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="555" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7Do7Dwk5h1fIMEHA9Im2qUQm7JXz-PZpwGwJlO36vHG-1qK496CmDC2IFMcwT6MP-7dLaKcY2OyNnPrTsKBsjVaBKdBSPZdhZcZRMVGy1W5xBKb0H1Wfo6VgEMcIQPHKKyXTadFifH8/s400/Individual+vs+Performance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(from The Road to Excellence, Chapter 1, The Acquisition of Expert Performance)</span></div>
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<u><b>The Problem with Defining Talent for Internal Gongfu</b></u><br />
The study of talent and expert performance in the domain of internal gongfu would face a number of challenges:<br />
<ul>
<li>There are relatively few individuals worldwide who have achieved the highest levels.</li>
<li>The various styles each have their own definition of expert-performance.</li>
<li>The qualities that constitute expert performance are unnoticeable to the untrained spectator.</li>
<li>Differing words and phrases are used to describe the same movement characteristic.</li>
<li>The recognition of talent is more or less restricted to those who have achieved some degree of skill.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Unlike the studied domains of academics, music, athletics, and games where spectators and experts alike are able to distinguish the talented from the talentless, in the domain of internal gongfu we are presented with a classic Catch 22; the circumstance denies a solution.<br />
<br />
How then do we recognize talent in internal gongfu? What qualities are possessed by practitioners who progress quickly and achieve expert-performance and what qualities are possessed by those who do not?<br />
<br />
<u><b>Application to Internal Gongfu</b></u><br />
From my experience and observations, I would propose that in the context of internal gongfu “innate talent” is a natural ability to perceive kinesthetic sensations and the experience of these sensations evokes an emotion of joy or pleasure. When applied to an internal gongfu practice, this “innate talent” is the foundational skill and the associated emotion of that experience enhances motivation.<br />
<br />
Depending on your theoretical position as to why this natural ability remained in some and was partially diminished or totally disabled in others, from the perspective of someone who does not have this ability, it seems fair to frame this ability as an “innate talent”.<br />
<br />
Deliberate practice (zhan zhuang and other qigongs) provides a context in which this innate talent can be applied. Deliberate practice mobilizes this innate talent for a specific purpose.<br />
<br />
Someone who experiences deliberate practice as a pleasurable and fun activity will want to “practice” as much as possible for the pure enjoyment of it. Someone with a similar innate talent but who does not experience deliberate practice as fun or pleasurable may not be motivated by the fun of it but by some other motivation. Both of these practitioners are likely to achieve expert-performance.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, for practitioners like myself who do not have this innate talent, the initial focus of practice (which may span a decade or more) is to develop this “innate” talent. In this case, deliberate practice may or may not be fun and may be perceived simply as a requirement to achieve expert-performance.<br />
<br />
Without the experience of the joy of practicing, motivation is likely rooted in other personal factors. Whether these personal factors are strong enough and enduring enough to carry the practitioner (myself included) through years or decades of practice to expert-performance, is an open question.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
Before writing this article, I had never considered the ideas I explored here. I had thought that practicing zhan zhuang and other qigongs would allow me to demonstrate expert-performance within a few short years. I never considered the possibility that I did not have the innate talent to achieve this goal in this timeframe.<br />
<br />
Looking back, I’d have to say that my previous lack of this perspective neither helped nor hindered my practice. That said, I do think that I was misleading myself by thinking that I was “almost there” when in fact I wasn’t. To use an analogy, I thought that I was ready to learn how to drive a car when in fact, I first had to build the car. <br />
<br />
It was only through my experience and observation of some school brothers that achieved results within a few years and some, like myself who did not, that I began to wonder how people with the same training had such different rates of progress. It had to be something innate to the individual.<br />
<br />
And so from a semi-theoretical point of view, I’d say that those without this innate talent will discover that this hinders their practice and those with this innate talent will discover that this supports their practice.<br />
<br />
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<u><b>References, Additional Reading</b></u><br />
<u>The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance.</u> K. Anders Ericsson, Ralf Th. Krampe, and Clemens Tesch-Römer. <i>Psychological Review</i>, Vol 100, No. 3, 1993, pp. 363-406.<br />
<br />
<u>Giftedness Viewed from the Expert-Performance Perspective</u>. K. Anders Ericsson, Kiruthiga Nandagopal, Roy W. Roring. <i>Journal for the Education of the Gifted</i>. Vol. 28, No. 3/4, 2005, pp. 287–311.<br />
<br />
<u>Talent — Innate or acquired? Theoretical considerations and their implications for talent management</u>. M. Christina Meyers a,⁎, Marianne van Woerkom a, Nicky Dries b. <i>Human Resource Management Review</i>, Volume 23, Issue 4, December 2013, Pages 305-321<br />
<br />
<u>The Road to Excellence: The Acquisition of Expert Performance in the Arts and Sciences, Sports, and Games</u>. Edited by K. Anders Ericsson. Psychology Press, Taylor and Francis Group. New York and London. 1996, 2014<br />
<br />
<u>Routledge Handbook of Talent Identification and Development in Sport</u>. Edited by Joseph Baker, Stephen Cobley, Jörg Schorer, Nick Wattie. London; New York, NY: Routledge, 2017.<br />
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<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_17.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Ability to Change</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_31.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Commitment</a> Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-75230139506856071272020-08-17T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:15:02.895-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Ability to ChangeThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the previous article in this series, I explored a few key concepts of Body Structure-Character that are pertinent to an internal gongfu practice. In this post, I explore how my ability (or lack of ability) to change helps or hinders my training.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6kGa7U_HFEnmgehHWEWtdARD9TxgtKgctnbBreQz1RqumqW0FOCNCrqRJkI0FSu6odfNraAF4yuxcyMLOPCGZJokq4q2o4EL7MA4PBIRtRK2Lhbb72zRQOBRjzUbeQqmpyn7ocl2n04/s1600/MyPracticeAbilityToChange.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle ability to change" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Ability to Change" border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="455" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6kGa7U_HFEnmgehHWEWtdARD9TxgtKgctnbBreQz1RqumqW0FOCNCrqRJkI0FSu6odfNraAF4yuxcyMLOPCGZJokq4q2o4EL7MA4PBIRtRK2Lhbb72zRQOBRjzUbeQqmpyn7ocl2n04/s320/MyPracticeAbilityToChange.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle ability to change" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Ability to change. The apparent obviousness of its meaning hides textures of nuance. And it was in this nuanced meaning of “change” that I confused my everyday experience of change with the kind of change required for internal gongfu. This component is an attempt to clarify this issue.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Ability</b></u><br />
In the Introduction to this series I talked about readiness as being a function of preparedness or conditioning; I am not ready unless I am prepared. Similarly, <i>ability</i>, which is the competence, skill, proficiency or power to do something, can range from being a function of natural talent to being a function of an acquired skill. I either have an ability to do something or I do not. And if I am not able to do something (and I want to be able to do it) then I must seek out training where I can develop that ability.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Change or Adapt?</b></u><br />
Sometimes I make a decision to intentionally change some aspect of my life for example, get married, start a new job, move to a new location, etc. Other times, life thrusts change upon me, for example, the death of a loved one, an unexpected diagnosis, a fortuitous chance encounter, etc. In both cases, I <i>adapt</i> to conditions after the event.<br />
<br />
However, the process of <i>adapting</i> to life changing events is something quite different from the process of internal gongfu where I intentionally direct <i>change</i> within my own body. Another way to think about it is that changes that lead to adapting occur at the <i>macro</i> level whereas the changes required for internal gongfu occur at the <i>micro</i> level.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Ability to Change</b></u><br />
In the context of internal gongfu, <i>ability to change</i> means a competence, skill, proficiency or power to change myself; to change my structure-character, to change my cognitive bias, to change my activity patterns. It also means that I am the one initiating or creating change - usually inside my own body. <br />
<br />
Before I began Wujifa zhan zhuang practice, my only experience with “change” was the macro-level kinds of adapting mentioned above. My experience with this kind of change formed my perception about my ability to change. I harbored a self-confidence that my previous experiences would serve me equally well in this new and unique endeavor. I did not foresee that my <i>ability to adapt</i> was not the <i>ability-to-change</i> skill that I needed for internal gongfu.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I did not begin Wujifa practice prepared with the conceptual understanding and kinesthetic sensory skills needed to make the micro-level changes needed. In a word, I lacked ability. Thus, <i>the first several years of my practice was an orientation to the kind of training that I would need to do to develop the ability to change!</i> I needed to first develop a recognition of or a feel for the parameters of that which I needed to change. I had to develop the skills to do the job before I could begin doing the job.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Change vs Stability</b></u><br />
Complicating the development of my ability to change was my compartmentalized view of my life and my body as previously discussed in the Introduction to this series. To review, in my internal gongfu compartment I was willing to learn (that is, change in accordance with my previous experience) but I wanted stability in the other compartments of my life. Furthermore, as I got deeper into practice, I was willing to change my structure but wanted my character to remain stable. I wanted change and I wanted stability at the same time. The net result was that I was stuck and seemingly not able to change.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Application to Internal Gongfu</b></u><br />
Let me relay a phenomenon that I experienced in my early zhan zhuang training and that I observed in fellow practitioners. When my structure was adjusted to get more weight in my legs, my structure-character was unable to instantly <i>adapt</i> to this change. This inability was due to the lack of leg strength and/or the emotional resistance to letting go as the torso was rebalanced. As a result, my structure automatically and quite without my conscious intent, readjusted its pattern to keep my weight out of my legs. My conscious attitude was, “Yes, I want to change.” but my body said, “No, no, no! Not so fast there, buddy!”<br />
<br />
This is but one of many possible examples. I chose this example because it seems to be a common experience among beginners and it illustrates the actual readiness to change. The natural or learned ability to change is not the sole determiner of change. The body’s own conditioning or preparedness is also a determining factor. <br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
The ability to change is dependent upon a complex entwining of mind and body, structure and character, intent and sensory perception.<br />
<br />
When I started Wujifa zhan zhuang training I really didn’t understand how this training was any different than anything else I’d done up to that point. In hindsight I now understand that the internal gongfu change process is focused on changing my body at a depth of sensory perception that I had never before experienced and the skill to do this was totally unrelated to my ability to adapt. I simply did not begin this endeavor with the requisite skills needed to make progress.<br />
<br />
Because I lacked the ability-to-change skill, and because I wanted change and stability at the same time, and because my body was not ready to change, this hindered my practice. As I slowly developed my ability to change and slowly worked through these issues, this supported my practice.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, the entirety of my internal gongfu practice comes down to this central question; To what degree is it possible for me to change anything and possibly everything about my entire life at both the micro and macro level for the sake of making progress in this art?<br />
<br />
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_10.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Body Structure-Character</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_24.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Talent</a><br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-46864455054429335692020-08-10T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:15:24.022-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Body Structure-CharacterThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the previous article in this series, I explored a mental process known as Cognitive Bias and how this can be a detriment to learning internal gongfu even though it can be a benefit in everyday life. In this post, I explore how my body structure-character influences my training. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD1d1gqprjrCoAxxY42FnUNjJnvEyJzPOeXxb4ayblawf1_9lNdGAkBkVwZJg7a0g3rlQQqvEPrl8NDvYjjnrKqfKUBHQRnCWt48asmRNGaieF2wneZmTz8SL42AuWoIGYOtsA-pdlwQ/s1600/MyPracticeBodyStructureCharacter.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle body structure character" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Body Structure-Character" border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="470" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD1d1gqprjrCoAxxY42FnUNjJnvEyJzPOeXxb4ayblawf1_9lNdGAkBkVwZJg7a0g3rlQQqvEPrl8NDvYjjnrKqfKUBHQRnCWt48asmRNGaieF2wneZmTz8SL42AuWoIGYOtsA-pdlwQ/s320/MyPracticeBodyStructureCharacter.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle body structure character" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Body-Mind or Structure-Character?</b></u> <br />
When I started this journey in the mid-1980s the term “body-mind” was still a relatively new concept but one that was already associated with some martial arts. Thirty years later, there are now many articles and books as well as certificate and degree programs pertaining to somatic-psychology and associated therapies.<br />
<br />
My understanding these days is that everyone has a naturally occurring body-mind connection and this connection is expressed as a unique structure-character. The following five illustrations exemplify the variability of body structure-character.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemCOGNzZKnvZA3gxdEuUXGmscLnjrQD5uDxiG1H3F_atcQdAJrJmj0Obm5pp2SYcTRWS5m4iPu3AR4_6iuDxsgUEkz_FzREftBcbavuxj3f5IUjY6oTkj6MDmFhOGytPDncfKrJc_Jrc/s1600/body+shape.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemCOGNzZKnvZA3gxdEuUXGmscLnjrQD5uDxiG1H3F_atcQdAJrJmj0Obm5pp2SYcTRWS5m4iPu3AR4_6iuDxsgUEkz_FzREftBcbavuxj3f5IUjY6oTkj6MDmFhOGytPDncfKrJc_Jrc/s1600/body+shape.png" /></a></div>
(Special thanks to Dr. Anodea Judith for her permission to use these images which appear in her book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Body-Western-Mind-Psychology/dp/1587612259/">Eastern Body, Western Mind</a> 1996, 2010.)<br />
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<br />
In terms of an internal gongfu practice, I use my invisible body-mind pathway to intentionally make changes to my visible structure-character. Let's look at this in a little more detail.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Application to Internal Gongfu Training</b></u><br />
Due to this variation in practitioners’ structure-character, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to teaching and training. For example, instructing each of the above five practitioners to “relax” or “open” or "belly breathe", will result in five different interpretations and five different expressions based on the pattern of the body structure-character.<br />
<br />
In my case, even though I understood the instruction (from my frame of reference; cognitive bias), my body responded according to the parameters of its structure-character; not able to exactly reproduce the instruction my teacher was demonstrating. It was as if my body structure-character was misinterpreting and erroneously expressing the instruction.<br />
<br />
I've also noticed that it is difficult for me to feel into areas that are tense and/or limp. I experience these tense/limp areas as being numb; I can feel <i>around</i> a particular area but not <i>into</i> that area. Practicing various exercises or qigongs has helped me develop feeling into these numb areas. I've noticed that as I develop more feeling into my body, this has resulted in unexpected character changes.<br />
<br />
Curiously, this is not a one-way street. I have also experienced how changes in character can improve the ability to feel into previously numb areas which also changes physical structure. To the extent that each can contribute to changing the other, each can also contribute to blocking a change in the other.<br />
<br />
For example, I used to think that progress meant only changing my structure and that my character had nothing to do with it. (I had even compartmentalized my own body!) The net result of my “change this compartment but don’t change that compartment” was an internal tug-of-war; a lot of effort and very little progress.<br />
<br />
Later, when I allowed for even the remotest <i>possibility</i> that <i>maybe</i> little changes to my character <i>might</i> help my training, this shift in attitude allowed me to begin playing with aspects of my character. Slowly I began to notice how my structure responded.<br />
<br />
Looking at the above illustrations, you might be able to see how each has different work to do to develop a more balanced, centered, relaxed, open, and connected structure-character. The challenges that each of us face in practice will be as unique as the body structure-character that we bring to our practice.<br />
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<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
I don’t know if there is an adult body structure-character that is predisposed to “getting it” or not, but from my observations each of the practitioners (illustrations) represented above, through developing a sensitivity to kinesthetic feeling, can transform into yet another body structure-character representing those who “got it”; a more balanced, centered, relaxed, open, and connected structure-character.<br />
<br />
When I had compartmentalized my body and denied the existence of a connection between structure and character, this hindered my practice. As I began to discover and develop the connection between structure and character, this supported my practice.<br />
<br />
Developing the ability to notice the subtlety of the connection between structure and character was very difficult for me. But as I later discovered, having a sensitivity to this level of connection is not only helpful for making progress in this art, it is also a kind of signpost of making progress in this art.<br />
<br />
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Cognitive Bias</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_17.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Ability to Change</a> <br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-67115479901974799062020-08-03T07:00:00.013-04:002020-10-14T16:15:40.749-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Cognitive BiasThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the previous article in this series, I explored how my day-to-day patterns of movement or "Activity Patterns" could either support or hinder my formal training. In this post, I explore the mental process elicited when facing an uncertainty (an unfamiliar problem) and how this mental process helps or hinders my training.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahGzNYflGW62X6WTl_PkZRS2a9i08KlwqQuUckP3sPsaRDhLmmeQZ8qpLcAaFOkqS_uo-fq72nu9MG0e3NXmKkQ3IKeGm5gHP7yMRjXp9TncRNyZ2UvpHcpUqXMKgVcI-xVWSI72zAPk/s1600/MyPracticeCognitiveBias.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle cognitive bias" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Cognitive Bias" border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="453" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahGzNYflGW62X6WTl_PkZRS2a9i08KlwqQuUckP3sPsaRDhLmmeQZ8qpLcAaFOkqS_uo-fq72nu9MG0e3NXmKkQ3IKeGm5gHP7yMRjXp9TncRNyZ2UvpHcpUqXMKgVcI-xVWSI72zAPk/s320/MyPracticeCognitiveBias.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle cognitive bias" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<u><b>What is Cognitive Bias?</b></u><br />
Simply stated, cognitive bias is the mental process of using a previous experience rather than rational thinking to solve a new and unfamiliar problem. (If you’d like to read the articles I used to arrive at this summation, see the “Further Reading” section at the end of this post.) Moving on, how does this mental process show up in daily life?<br />
<br />
First, when I’m faced with uncertainty, that is, when I’m trying to solve a new and unfamiliar problem, if I’m not reasoning my way through the problem in the present moment, then I’m most likely referencing a previous experience; I’m using a cognitive bias.<br />
<br />
Second, I have the ability to detect whether I’m present and reasoning or whether I’m using past experiences to help figure out a present problem. How do I do that? Reasoning is slow and effortful and cognitive bias is fast and relatively effortless; intuitive. <br />
<br />
The earliest identified cognitive biases are: Representativeness, Anchoring, and Confirmation. <br />
<ol></ol>
<ul>
<li>Representativeness - “the likelihood of an event is evaluated by the degree to which it is representative of the major characteristics of the process or population from which it originated.” (1972) </li>
<li>Anchoring Bias - “Anchoring occurs not only when the starting point is given to the subject, but also when the subject bases his estimate on the result of some incomplete computation.” (1974)</li>
<li>Confirmation Bias - “seeking or interpreting evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations, or a hypothesis in hand” (1998)</li>
</ul>
<ol></ol>
<br />
<u><b>Application to Internal Gongfu</b></u><br />
Cognitive bias can reference any of a variety of previous experiences. For this article I've chosen to limit this previous experience to the context of martial arts, specifically, my previous martial art experience. Here are my interpretations of how each of these cognitive biases, these types of deviations from reasoning showed up later in my Wujifa zhan zhuang practice.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<u><b>Anchoring Bias</b></u><br />
My starting point in my internal gongfu journey was learning a dancer’s interpretation of Tai-chi Chuan for one year and then learning the Zheng Manqing/William C.C. Chen/Bob Klein interpretation of Tai-chi Chuan for four years. This five year “starting point” experience formed my anchor bias. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Confirmation Bias</b></u><br />
My initial five-year experience became not only an anchoring bias but this experience also established my beliefs and expectations through which I would interpret all future experiences. I “intuitively” interpreted all my new zhan zhuang experiences according to my existing beliefs and expectations.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Representativeness</b></u><br />
When I began practicing zhan zhuang, I evaluated the likelihood of my success in this practice according to how I perceived zhan zhuang as being a representative of the major characteristics of my previous forms and push hands experiences.</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
<u><b>How Does Cognitive Bias Inhibit Progress?</b></u></div>
While this mental process is obviously beneficial in many situations, when it comes to learning internal gongfu, it can be detrimental. For example, the “it” that I want to “get” bears no similarity to any known phenomenon. The words used to describe “it” by those who have achieved “it” are misinterpreted by those who do not have “it”. Using previous experience to try to “figure it out” is a losing proposition.<br />
<br />
Cognitive bias distracts my attention from experiencing the present moment as it is. By filtering my present kinesthetic experience through one or more previous experiences, I am unable to fully engage with my practice in the present moment. Cognitive bias inhibits me exploring this new experience, with all its uncertainty, as being completely different and unique unto itself. <br />
<br />
What is the uncertainty? It is questions like these: What is the movement principle? How did he do that? What do I have to practice to develop that? How do I know if I’m making progress or not? Cognitive bias seeks to remove uncertainty and provide an answer to these questions even if the answer is wrong or misleading.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
Cognitive bias is part of our human condition; it’s how we’re “wired” for survival, for energetic efficiency. To the extent that my cognitive biases show up in daily life, my cognitive biases can also show up in learning internal gongfu.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, I unwittingly applied all three of these cognitive biases (and more) in an attempt to understand an experience outside of my previous range of experiences. These cognitive biases did not help my practice but instead, they hindered my practice <br />
<br />
These biases were so deeply embedded and their influence so subtle that I simply could not recognize how they were influencing my practice in that present moment. Now with some temporal distance from those days, the issue becomes obvious.<br />
<br />
I am thus inclined to think of Cognitive Bias as the modern psychological equivalent of the poetic and proverbial full cup, the carved block, the marked slate. To empty the cup and approach each new training experience as unique unto itself means to become aware of my cognitive biases and then to make an effort to mitigate this bias in my training. Obviously the best case is to have no previous experience; no cognitive bias, an empty cup.<br />
<br />
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Further Reading</b></u><br />
<br />
<u>Subjective Probability: A Judgment of Representativeness</u><br />
Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky <br />
Cognitive Psychology 3, 430-454 (1972)<br />
<br />
<u>Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases</u><br />
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman<br />
Science, New Series, Vol. 185, No. 4157 (Sep. 27, 1974), pp. 1124- 1131<br />
<br />
<u>Confirmation Bias: a ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises</u><br />
Raymond S. Nickerson<br />
Review of General Psychology, 2 (1998), pp. 175–220.<br />
<br />
<u>Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics</u><br />
Daniel Kahneman <br />
The American Economic Review, Vol 93, No. 5, (December 2003), pp. 1449-1475<br />
<br />
<u>Kahneman and Tversky and the Origin of Behavioral Economics</u><br />
Floris Heukelom<br />
Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper, TI 2007-003/1, (Sept 2006)<br />
<br />
<u>From Mindless to Mindful Practice — Cognitive Bias and Clinical Decision Making</u><br />
Pat Croskerry, M.D., PhD. <br />
New England Journal of Medicine, 368;26, (June 27, 2013)<br />
<br />
<u>A Neural Network Framework for Cognitive Bias</u><br />
Johan E. Korteling, Anne-Marie Brouwer and Alexander Toet<br />
Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 9, Article 1561, (September 2018)<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series:<a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/07/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_27.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Activity Patterns</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_10.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Body Structure-Character</a>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-53799270016957939302020-07-27T07:00:00.003-04:002020-10-14T16:16:01.089-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Activity PatternsThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to learn.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
In the Introduction to this series, I explored the meaning of preparation versus readiness from the context of an internal gongfu practice. I also explored two different views of my practice; a compartmentalized view versus an interrelated component view (depicted as a puzzle). In this post, I begin filling in the puzzle pieces by first exploring my daily patterns of activity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27Cxjj4XVARNCPjH712PA6CjmLHWleMBialVUCQ6WOJllTx_reWsB4MPqMBo0YO3Dz7kOIkwL8dtVdPzHXpNf6ae36zReOvDnDpnlaHs194jXviGkrUniVO3ADAnatOMyRWFpq9_6-nE/s1600/MyPracticeActivity.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle activity patterns" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Practice puzzle Activity Patterns" border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="448" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27Cxjj4XVARNCPjH712PA6CjmLHWleMBialVUCQ6WOJllTx_reWsB4MPqMBo0YO3Dz7kOIkwL8dtVdPzHXpNf6ae36zReOvDnDpnlaHs194jXviGkrUniVO3ADAnatOMyRWFpq9_6-nE/s320/MyPracticeActivity.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle activity patterns" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Reviewing for a moment, in my compartmentalized way of looking at my life (as illustrated in the Introduction), I divided my life by activity types: family, career, internal gongfu practice, etc. I had never even remotely considered that the way my body moved or didn’t move during or between these various activities would have any influence or impact on my formal training; my practice.<br />
<br />
As I pondered how I might be “training” my body when I was not formally training, I began thinking in terms of daily patterns of movement (activity patterns) that I used across the various compartmentalized types of activities. I started by looking at a typical 24-hour day. To facilitate calculations, I disregarded the eight-hour block of time devoted to sleep and only considered the predominant activity of the remaining sixteen hours of waking experience. Here is how my typical week looks:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1"><tbody>
<tr> <th>Hours Training </th> <th>Hours Other </th> <th>Percentages </th> </tr>
<tr> <td width="10%">1 hour per day</td> <td width="45%">15 hours sitting (Monday through Friday):<br />
eating meals, commuting, driving, working at my desk job, visiting friends/family, watching TV, writing projects, etc.</td> <td width="45%">Almost 94% of my day is reinforcing a single physical pattern (sitting) and 6% of my day is training internal gong-fu</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>1 hour per day</td> <td>15 hours various activities (Saturday and Sunday): standing, reaching, squatting, kneeling, sitting, climbing, lifting, carrying, twisting, looking up, down, all around, walking, etc.,</td> <td>Almost 94% of my day is not reinforcing a single physical pattern and 6% of my day is training internal gong-fu</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
When I looked at a typical week this way, I realized that the majority of my day (and week!) is spent sitting! I was spending 15 hours a day, five days a week effectively training tight hips, slouched shoulders, etc, and only one hour a day formally training the principles of internal gongfu. My entire day was training the exact opposite of my formal training! And then once a week I’d go to Wujifa class and expect to make progress. In hindsight, this expectation strikes me as delusional!<br />
<br />
Granted, the adjustments gained during Wujifa class gave me absolutely valuable guidance. However, attending class and practicing was like taking one step forward and then the rest of my week was like taking two steps backward! At the time, I was totally unaware of this due to the way I had compartmentalized my life.<br />
<br />
I have now come to the conclusion that:<br />
<ol>
<li>Daily activity patterns that <i>contradict</i> the principles of practice <i>are not</i> congruent with practice and therefore hinder my training.</li>
<li>Daily activity patterns that do <i>not contradict</i> the principles of practice <i>are</i> congruent with practice and therefore support my training.</li>
</ol>
Imagine if I could spend 15 hours a day or 94% of my day engaged in activities that reinforced and supported the principle I train in my formal practice. Imagine if I could spend only one hour or 6% of my day doing just the opposite. (Would that even be possible?) I now believe that until the day when I can have more activity that does not hinder practice and more activity that supports practice, and preferably, have time throughout the day to formally practice, then my progress will be mediocre at best.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
This component of Activity Patterns is probably the clearest example of the influence of daily life on practice. However, for me to see this I needed to shift my perspective out of a compartmentalized view of my life. After I was able to make this shift, then this pattern was easily identified and I was able to understand how my activity pattern supported or hindered my practice. Noticing this pattern also presents me with an opportunity to change it.<br />
<br />
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/07/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Introduction</a><br />
<br />
Next post in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/08/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Cognitive Bias</a> Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-75229620797572844672020-07-20T07:06:00.002-04:002020-10-10T22:16:15.008-04:00Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? IntroductionThe title of this series is: Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are you Ready? When I was asked this question twenty years ago, I responded with an emphatic “Yes!” As the years went by and I discovered the amount of work involved in mastering this art, I slowly came to realize that, no, I was not ready. Sure, I was willing to give it a try but I was not appropriately prepared to acquire new skills.<br />
<br />
This realization then shined a light on the question asked by many internal gongfu practitioners, “Why does it take so long to get it?” To this, the typical response is, “If getting it were that easy, then everyone would be a master.” Well, we need a better answer than that! This series of posts is an attempt to provide a more thoughtful response to this question.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Preparedness vs Readiness</b></u><br />
The title of this series asks, Are you ready? To be ready means to be in condition for or to be completely prepared for something. For example, I prepare for vacation by selecting a location, scheduling travel, packing clothes, etc. On the first day of vacation, I’m ready to go. That is to say, I’m not ready unless I am prepared. These concepts are also applicable to an internal gongfu practice. Simply showing up to class or seminar does not necessarily mean I am prepared or conditioned and hence ready.<br />
<br />
In the context of internal gongfu, some people are ready and some are not. Those who are ready will exhibit the proverbial empty cup, the uncarved block, the cognitive and kinesthetic <i>tabula rasa</i>. These people are either naturally this way or have achieved this state through the effort of conditioning, preparing. They are cognitively and kinesthetically ready to fill the cup anew, carve the block anew, write on the slate anew.<br />
<br />
For those who are not ready, the time-consuming work of preparation and conditioning to become ready involves <i>unlearning</i> misunderstood concepts, <i>correcting</i> misperceptions, and <i>changing</i> incongruous kinesthetic habits. For these practitioners, training is a practice of emptying the proverbial cup, uncarving the block, or erasing the slate.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, this preparatory effort gives the false impression that “getting it” is hard to learn. Actually, <i>learning</i> it is easy. As I've seen with others, “getting it” can be achieved with a few years of dedicated practice given a functional combination of:<br />
<ul>
<li>a practitioner who is ready or needs minimal preparation and guidance,</li>
<li>a system that uses a mutually understandable paradigm and instructional methods, and</li>
<li>a teacher who embodies the movement principle and is able to impart the principle. </li>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
I now think of preparing and conditioning as the first phase of training (emptying the cup of old wine) and then when I am ready, I can begin the second phase of training (filling the cup with new wine).<br />
<br />
<u><b>How I used to view my practice</b></u><br />
Let’s begin with a point we probably all share in common; our various activities of daily life. Let me introduce how I used to perceive my daily life and how my internal gongfu training fit into this picture.<br />
<br />
For the past thirty years of training, I considered my internal gongfu practices as one of several compartmentalized activities that filled my life. Each activity required its own skill set. Each activity was isolated from and not influenced by any other. The image below provides a depiction of this compartmentalization.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwWJ8l2SYxgrCDbAajdmkEw4sHszv4_vO2l2oCLFqPHNp7JGgYGkM5Vr5b3RDI1h2Py8xsvL59JNlnz_YA-oKlLuNCV8ONnc1bHGmUUF2-9S0dZXwU5ANw-5yrSlpEA08DGIX5YTRYRk/s1600/MyLifeCompartments.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="434" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwWJ8l2SYxgrCDbAajdmkEw4sHszv4_vO2l2oCLFqPHNp7JGgYGkM5Vr5b3RDI1h2Py8xsvL59JNlnz_YA-oKlLuNCV8ONnc1bHGmUUF2-9S0dZXwU5ANw-5yrSlpEA08DGIX5YTRYRk/s320/MyLifeCompartments.JPG" alt="compartmentalized life" width="320" /></a></div>
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Even after I began experiencing how changes brought about in Wujifa class were showing up in my other activities, I continued holding onto my habitual way of compartmentalizing my life. It never occurred to me that internal gongfu practice was not just another isolated activity like my other activities.<br />
<br />
<u><b>A New Model</b></u><br />
While reflecting on the question, “Why am I taking so long to get it?” I had the insight that the internal gongfu curriculum (the various training methods e.g., zhan zhuang) is either supported by or hindered by a variety of components that are outside of this formal training curriculum.<br />
<br />
Although I had been aware of these various components for years under their various guises and pseudonyms, I never really understood how they influenced my training and progress. As I sat with this insight, these various disparate components slowly formed a cohesive set.<br />
<br />
I also knew from experience that these so-called “components” are so interconnected and so intertwined and in such complex and seemingly unfathomable ways that to call them components is actually a misnomer. The beauty of being able to distill the whole into parts is that the resultant model provides an opportunity to discover how each so-called component directly influences my practice and progress.<br />
<br />
The model that best illustrates this concept is a jigsaw puzzle as depicted below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmwOaDgpx59UJgB2kkgBRCbPGqEbW_H7HUHGUTbxLbodOFW7skSD_E742IAXa6xxsw6GvLBF9nJw-5AIHbZD5jzB4rFzVgS-0gIvrfYuQEeBthKMGRzQmc5mwWJQG_KHqqo0IEkt-NNs/s1600/MyPracticeIntroduction.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="438" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmwOaDgpx59UJgB2kkgBRCbPGqEbW_H7HUHGUTbxLbodOFW7skSD_E742IAXa6xxsw6GvLBF9nJw-5AIHbZD5jzB4rFzVgS-0gIvrfYuQEeBthKMGRzQmc5mwWJQG_KHqqo0IEkt-NNs/s320/MyPracticeIntroduction.JPG" alt="my practice puzzle intro" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
Whereas the previous model of “My Life” included various activities that also included my practice, in this model, my practice is at the center of my life and the surrounding puzzle pieces are the various components of my life that both <i>influence</i> my practice and are <i>influenced by</i> my practice. These surrounding components will be introduced one at a time in forthcoming posts.<br />
<br />
Take a moment and consider how you would graphically represent your life and your practice. Would your practice look more like the first model where it is one of a variety of unrelated, compartmentalized activities or would it look more like the second model of interrelated components where each component influences each other? And what are these components for you?<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Closing</b></u><br />
In this series of ten posts over the next ten weeks (July to September 2020), I will explore an insight into the preparing or conditioning phase of training.<br />
<br />
If you’ve been practicing awhile and wonder why it’s taking so long to get it, then maybe my insights can help explain why it's taking so long as well as provide ideas to alter the path you are on.<br />
<br />
And if you’re just starting and want to understand why it can take so long and get some ideas into how to shorten that time, then maybe my insights can help here too. <br />
<br /><div>
This series will continue with each article filling in one of the puzzle pieces until the entire puzzle is complete. We’ll wrap up by considering how this puzzle can be interpreted in an <i>Internal Gongfu Progress Matrix</i> and finally we’ll look at the role of the Source and Level of Instruction.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next article in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2020/07/mastering-internal-gongfu-are-you-ready_27.html">Mastering Internal Gongfu: Are You Ready? Activity Patterns</a><br /></div>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-6787448019753692992020-05-15T15:09:00.000-04:002020-05-16T10:18:59.357-04:00Secrets of the Pelvis for Martial Arts - Link Updates As of May 15, 2020, all links on the Kindle version have been reviewed and where possible, the links have been updated.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Pelvis-Martial-Arts-Practical/dp/1492149993/">Secrets of the Pelvis for Martial Arts: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Wujifa, Taiji, Xingyi, Bagua and Everyday Life</a> was originally published as a Kindle e-book in March of 2013. In response to requests from countries where Kindle was not available, I then released a paperback version in December 2013.<br />
<br />
I periodically review and update the broken links. However, to maintain consistency of the paperback version, I only update the links in the Kindle book. If you have the paperback version, here is a pdf of the current list of updated links:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZTvhIPtD5fTNAp4S4w2YM8SR5qkSOle/view?usp=sharing">Secrets of the Pelvis for Martial Arts - Link Updates</a> Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-19220440629619605092018-11-29T20:17:00.000-05:002018-12-20T21:21:14.289-05:00Seek What the Masters Sought: Kūkai (Kōbō-Daishi)The phrase, “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” has been popularly attributed to the Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694). However, it appears that this phrase, or a phrase very similar to it, originated with the Japanese Buddhist monk Kūkai, also known by the honorific of Kōbō-Daishi (774-835), who transmitted the esoteric Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition from China to Japan and founded the Shingonshū, or “True Word” school of Buddhism.<br />
<br />
<b>Introduction</b><br />
First, we should acknowledge that this phrase:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
古人の跡をもと めず、古人の求たる所を.もとめよ<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(from: Kōhon Bashō zenshū. Volume 6, page 512)</span></blockquote>
has been popularly and variously translated as:<br />
<ul>
<li>Seek not to follow in the footsteps of the masters; seek what the masters sought.</li>
<li>Seek not the footsteps of old; but seek what they sought.</li>
<li>Seek not to follow in the footsteps of the wise men of old. Seek what they sought.</li>
<li>Do not follow in the footsteps of the old masters, but seek what they sought.</li>
<li>Do not follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.</li>
</ul>
Regardless of the translation, the message seems to be clear. But is it? Without knowledge of how it was first used, we are left with our own imaginations as to its meaning and how it should be applied. As I researched this phrase, I discovered a context and depth of meaning that was quite different than contemporary contexts and interpretations! I would like to share with you what I discovered. <br />
<br />
<b>The Kūkai-Bashō Connection</b><br />
Although we will be examining Kūkai here, we need to reference Matsuo Bashō briefly to demonstrate that he is not the originator of this phrase. I have found three examples that illustrate this. The first example is a translation of Bashō's own writing. In his, “Words of Farewell to Kyoriku”, he says,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In Kūkai’s writings we find, ‘Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought.’ This is true also of haikai poetry." Sixth Month, 1693 (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 138. <i>Bashō’s Journey: The Literary Prose of Matsuo Bashō</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
And the second example is a commentary by John Strachan in <i>William Wordsworth, Walking and Writing</i> where he says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
One must see all of Bashō’s walking in the light of a walking tradition: he walked partly as an attempt to better understand the spirit of his literary heroes, to see the places that they saw and finally perhaps to receive the benediction of these special spots by making his own poems there. “Do not simply follow in the footsteps of the ancients, but seek what they sought!” was Kūkai’s maxim, which Bashō seems always to have kept close to his heart. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 76. William Wordsworth, Walking and Writing.</span>)</blockquote>
<br />
A third example comes from the "Simply Haiku" journal:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What Kukai (774-835) had written (below) reads:<br />
"...in Buddhist calligraphy it is the spirit of old that should be learned; the likeness in figure is not what should be thought as the token of good hand". (In Shoryo Shu, compiled ca. 840, recompiled 1079.). (<span style="font-size: x-small;">Basho and Kukai. in <i>Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
<br />
Based on these three examples, it appears that it was Kūkai and not Bashō who originated the expression, “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought”. Before continuing, I must admit that I am relying on available translations and commentary. (See the References below.) In these works I have not found a translation of Kūkai's writings in which this phrase appears. Thus, the scope of my evidence is limited as will be my resulting understanding. However, even this limited exploration yields insights not typically associated with this phrase. With this meager evidence to guide us, let’s look at a few brief examples that illustrate how Kūkai may have arrived at this phrase.<br />
<br />
<b>Sample Treatises</b><br />
Saeki no Mao, commonly known by his Buddhist ordination name of Kūkai, was born into an aristocratic family, was sent to university but became disillusioned with Confucian education, dropped out and “retreated” to the countryside where he began Buddhist meditation. By age 20 he was an ordained Buddhist monk. By age 24 he completed his first treatise <i>Indications of the Goals of the Three Teachings </i>in which he illustrates the superiority of the goals of Buddhism over the goals of Confucianism and Taoism. The following are brief excerpts from each of the three sections that, in my opinion, point to the essential point of the section:<br />
<br />
Part One: Confucian<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Shigsuga! Give up quickly your foolish attachments and follow my admonitions. You can then perfect filial piety and loyalty, widen your friendships, and extend prosperity down through your family line. What I have told you are the essential things you need to advance in this world and to gain fame. (<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">pg 113. <i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i></span></span>.)</blockquote>
<br />
Part Two: Taoist<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you realize the Way and master this art, your aged body and gray hair will be rejuvenated and life prolonged. Death will be postponed and you will live long in this world. Freely you will fly up to the sky and wander in the regions where the sun sets. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 119. <i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
<br />
Part Three: Buddhist <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(Referring to the Confucian and Taoist arguments above)<br />
Their arguments are indeed miserable; they have no more strength in them than a drop of water. Their imaginations are like a tiny torch which illumines only a small area. Yet, they argue enthusiastically. But how much more qualified am I, the son of Buddha, to discuss these things. I am able to crush their idiocies, even though they pretend to be armed with sharp battle-axes that have the awesome power of a fierce tiger or panther. I know their attempts are as futile as a grasshopper’s leap to the sun. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 127. <i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From these brief excerpts, it is obvious that Kūkai has a disdain for Confucian and Taoist schools and a decided preference for Buddhism. And although an argument could be made that he is essentially expressing “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” (Do not follow Confucian and Taoist teaching because both founders were seeking Buddha), these exact words do not yet appear in this treatise. It would be many years later and another treatise to see the formulation of this phrase. <br />
<br />
Continuing, at age 30, Kūkai traveled to China and studied under an esoteric Vajrayāna Buddhist master in the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang’an (modern day Xi’an). At age 33, having fully absorbed the teachings, he returned to Japan and established the Shingonshū, or “True Word” (mantra) school of Buddhism. He also became renowned for his poetry, calligraphy and civil service.<br />
<br />
In his treatise <i>The Difference Between Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism</i>, we can see the further developing of his idea of the superiority of Buddhism over Confucian and Taoist schools as well as the superiority of esoteric Buddhism over exoteric Buddhist schools.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
QUESTION: If what you have said is really true and is given in the teachings of the Buddha, why have the former transmitters of the Dharma not discussed it?<br />
<br />
ANSWER: The sermons of the Tathagata were delivered in accordance with the particular diseases in the minds of his audience; manifold remedies were provided, depending on their varied capacities. The sermons thus adapted to the capacity of his listeners were in many cases provisional and seldom final. When the bodhisattvas composed the commentaries, they wrote faithfully on the basis of the sutras which were provisional in nature. It is therefore said in the commentary on the Dasabhumika Sutra written by Vasubhandu that "only the way to enlightenment can be talked about [and not the enlightenment itself ]," 14 and also in the commentary on The Awakening of Faith written by Nagarjuna that "the perfect sea of enlightenment cannot be talked about."111 These works were based on the [provisional] sutras and were not intended to advocate the final truth. The masters of the Dharma who transmitted the Exoteric Buddhist teachings interpreted the [passages of] profound significance [appearing in the Exoteric Buddhist texts] in the light of their shallow doctrines and failed to find any Esoteric import in them. Faithfully transmitting the Exoteric Buddhist teachings from master to disciple, they discussed Buddhism according to the tenets of their particular schools. They so eagerly supported their beliefs that they found no time to meditate on those [passages] which might have been disadvantageous to their doctrines. In the meantime, Buddhism had spread eastward in China and gradually gained a significant role there. The Buddhist texts translated from the time of Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty to that of Empress Wu of the T'ang Dynasty were all Exoteric. During the reigns of Emperors Hsüan-tsung and Tai-tsung, when Masters Vajrabodhi and Pu-k'ung were active, the Esoteric Buddhist teaching flourished and its profound meaning was discussed enthusiastically. The new medicine had not long been in use, and the old disease was not yet cured. [The Chinese masters of Exoteric Buddhism] - even when they came across passages [of Esoteric significance] such as the statement in the <i>Lankāvatāra Sutra</i> that "the Dharmakaya Buddha preaches,"16 or in the <i>Ta-chih-tu lun</i> that "the Dharmakaya Buddha is endowed with an exquisite form" 17 - interpreted them according to their imagination or were governed by the professed doctrines of their schools. It was indeed a pity that these wise masters of ancient times failed to appreciate the taste of ghee [the final truth]. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 154-155. “The Difference Between Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism”, in <i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
<br />
Obviously, there are many sub-points being made in this passage with each leading to the main point that interpreting sutras according to the doctrines of a particular school, or according to one’s imagination, results in misinterpreting the true meaning of the sutras. It is certainly arguable that the phrase he uses here, “It was indeed a pity that these wise masters of ancient times failed to appreciate the taste of ghee [the final truth]” is getting closer to the more well-known phrase, “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought." <br />
<br />
Elsewhere, in volume ten of the Complete Works of Kobo Daishi, translated below (<i>KZ</i> means the <i>Kobō daishi zenshū</i>), we see: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Also, people of old times sought the path for the sake of the path. People today do so to be famous. When fame is sought, seeking the path is not the aim. When seeking the path is the aim, one forgets oneself and becomes the path of the Dharma (KZ 10:616). (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 181. Kūkai Founder of Japanese Shingon Buddhism.</span>)</blockquote>
From this passage, another interpretation of “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” could be an admonition to not imitate the behavior of the Ancients to increase your notoriety, rather, authentically seek the path as they did; for the sake of the path. <br />
<br />
Kūkai’s final work, which is widely acknowledged as his magnum opus, <i>The Ten Stages of the Development of the Mind</i> was written around 830, or at age 56, about five years before he died. Whereas his earlier treatises focused on comparing and contrasting the various schools, his final work presented each school as representing a stage of spiritual development with Shingon being the most highly developed. For example, in the first stage, the lowest level, man is dominated by bestial instincts and has no sense of ethics. The next level, stage two, represents the awakening of the ethical mind as represented by Confucianism. Stage three represents an egoistic hope of rebirth and peace in heaven as represented by Taoism and some Buddhist and Indian schools. In stage four the mind is free from egoistic thinking but still accepts egoistic components, such as “perception, will, and consciousness” as real. Ultimately, the highest level, stage ten is conveyed by Shingon doctrine. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(pg 67-69. The Life and Legend of Kobo Daishi (Kukai)</span>)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Tenth and final Stage, conveyed by Shingon doctrine, was beyond verbal description, but the means to it could be acted upon… One discovered one’s true identity, and lived in that identity. None of the earlier stages needed to be despised, for each had been a necessary preparation. All early stages were contained within the final stage, just as all later stages were implicit in the first. From the very beginning the practitioner had been in full union with the Central Buddha, although oblivious to this fact. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 69. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Life and Legend of Kobo Daishi (Kukai)</span></span>)</blockquote>
<br />
Considering his earliest idea expressed in the <i>Indications of the Goals of the Three Teachings</i> and considering his final work, the <i>Ten Stages of the Development of the Mind</i>, one interpretation of, “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” is an admonition to not follow the doctrines of any Confucian, Taoist, or the various Buddhist school but rather to follow Shingon because <i>this</i>, The True Word, is the spirit that was sought by their founders. <br />
<br />
In the Shingon Texts, "The Precious Key" offers another hint as to the original meaning. (In this passage, sravaka means "hearer" or "disciple" and pratyekabuddha means the person who achieved enlightenment without the guidance of teachers or masters.)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“It is now evident that the wisdom of the <i>śrāvaka</i> and <i>pratyekabuddha</i> is narrow and inferior, and it should not be sought after.” (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 182 The Precious Key, Shingon Texts</span>)</blockquote>
From this passage, another interpretation of “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” could be an admonition to not rely on being a traditional disciple nor wait for a spontaneous manifestation of the experience because neither will lead to the experience being sought.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Commentary</b><br />
In the introduction to "The Weaving of Mantra", Ryûichi Abé explains that the esoteric Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition relies on "actual ritual experiences" to enable "practitioners to immediately grasp abstract Buddhist doctrines" and this is distinguished from the exoteric Buddhist schools which rely on language as the vehicle to lead to experience. Given this understanding, another interpretation of “Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought” could be an admonition to seek the experience first. Do not rely on reading (with your pre-experience understanding) to lead you to the experience that others tried to describe, rather find someone who can guide you to the experience. The footsteps of the Ancients relied on reading. What they sought was the experience but their method was flawed.<br />
<br />
Kūkai was also known for his calligraphy and poetry. In these practices he also applied this phrase.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Both Kūkai and Bashō address the paradox that the poet must confront: simultaneously seeking inspiration from the “ancients” while attempting to blaze their own path. Once again, somatic language is present, as Kūkai uses the sinograph for “body” 體 to refer to poetic “forms.” In his view, the ideal poet masters “ancient forms” (bodies), but does not imitate “ancient poems.” He extends this discussion to calligraphic practice, declaring that a calligrapher should master “ancient intent” (mind) 意, but refrain from mimicking “ancient remains” 跡. These statements treat calligraphy as an art, where the practitioner learns “forms” and “intents” and reinterprets them to create new works. (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 197-198. <i>Beyond Religious: Kukai the Literary Sage.</i></span>)</blockquote>
<br />
Finally, Hakeda summarizes Kūkai’s Major Works as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
…Kūkai is remembered for the way he assimilated foreign culture to the indigenous way of thinking. Independence and originality of mind can be detected, for example, in his works of poetry in Chinese and in his calligraphy. The ideal attitude for learning poetry and calligraphy was that “a poet should learn the styles of olden times but not imitate them; a calligrapher should absorb the spirit manifested in ancient works but not copy them.”3 This attitude was further demonstrated in his uniquely creative systematization of Esoteric Buddhism; his planning of the monastic center on Mt. Koya; the artistic devices he applied to the Lecture Hall (kōdō) of the Toji in Kyoto; his interpretation of the Buddhist scriptures; and his curriculum for a school of the children of the poor.” (<span style="font-size: x-small;">pg 4. <i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i>.</span>)</blockquote>
<b>Application to Internal Gongfu</b><br />
What lessons can we glean from the original context in which this phrase was developed and used that we can apply to our internal gongfu practice?<br />
<br />
Kūkai's admonition to not follow the doctrines of any Confucian, Taoist or the various Buddhist schools can be abstracted to the admonishment to not become trapped or enmeshed in adherence to doctrines, dogmas, or methods of any particular school, but rather figure out for yourself what the founder of each was aiming for and then aim for <i>that</i>.<br />
<br />
Considering the <i>Ten Stages of the Development of the Mind</i>, there are stages of development. It is not that these stages must be followed, but there is a natural evolution or development that occurs. The problem is believing that any one stage of development is the ultimate goal which results in an incomplete understanding of the sought-after experience.<br />
<br />
Reading descriptions of others' experience and assuming your understanding of their experience will lead to the true experience (based on your never having had the experience) in fact will not lead to the sought-after experience. Understanding is a byproduct of the experience, not the other way around.<br />
<br />
In this post we looked at the various texts that may have been summarized by this phrase, we've considered various context-based interpretations of this phrase, and we've looked at applications of these interpretations to an internal gongfu practice. Possibly the most profound example of this phrase is how Kūkai's life itself exemplified "Do not follow in the footsteps of the Ancients; seek what they sought”. He sought the experience and experienced what he sought. He then assimilated a foreign culture to the indigenous way of thinking. Rather than simply and mindlessly repeating foreign adages in a culture in which they had little or no meaning, his deep experience and understanding allowed him to "translate" foreign ideas using indigenous ways of thinking. He made the experience accessible.<br />
<br />
____________<br />
<b>References:</b><br />
<br />
Basho & Kukai. by Hideaki Hirano. <i>Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry</i>. Autumn 2005, vol 3 no 3. <u>https://www.simplyhaiku.com/</u><br />
<br />
<i>Bashō’s Journey: The Literary Prose of Matsuo Bashō</i>. Translated with an Introduction by David Landis Barnhill. State University of New York Press, 2005.<br />
<br />
<i>Beyond Religious: K</i><i><i>ū</i>kai the Literary Sage</i>. By William John Matsuda. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 2014.<br />
<br />
<i>Kūkai: Major Works – Translated, with an Account of his Life and a Study of his Thought</i>. By Hakeda, Yoshito. Translations from the Asian Classics Series. Columbia University Press. 1972.<br />
<br />
<i>Kūkai Founder of Japanese Shingon Buddhism: Portraits of His Life</i>. By Ronald S. Green. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Wisconsin – Madison. 2003.<br />
<br />
<i>Kūkai's Philosophy as a Mandala</i>. By Okamura Keishin.Translated by Paul Swanson. The Eastern Buddhist. New Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Autumn 1985), pp. 19-34.<br />
<br />
<i>Shingon Texts</i>. By Kūkai. Translated from the Japanese by Rolf W. Giebel, Kakuban, and Dale A. Todaro. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2004. <br />
<br />
The Life and Legend of Kobo Daishi (Kukai), Chapter 3, pg 31-74 in, <i>Sacred Koyasan: A Pilgrimage to the Mountain Temple of Saint Kobo Daishi and the Great Sun Buddha</i>, by Philip L. Nicoloff. State University of New York Press. 2008.<br />
<br />
<i>The Weaving of Mantra: K</i><i><i>ū</i>kai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse</i>. By Ryûichi Abé. Columbia University Press. 1999.<br />
<br />
William Wordsworth, Walking and Writing. By John Strachan. in <i>Creative Engagement with the Natural World</i>. 第42 回(2016 年)全国大会国際セミナー. (zenkoku taikai kokusai semina). pg 75-79.<br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-85249996372375050172018-04-13T13:43:00.002-04:002022-02-03T12:30:39.502-05:00The Problem with Horse StanceIt occurred to me that of all the Asian martial arts practitioners that demonstrate and teach horse stance, none to my knowledge actually begin by first sitting on a horse and then proceed to explain how to replicate the feeling of sitting on a horse while not sitting on a horse, that is, while standing. In fact, many of those who demonstrate horse stance give me the impression that the person never rode a horse much less even sat on a horse!<br />
<br />
My point is that there is a chasm of difference between the horse stance of someone replicating the feeling of riding a horse and the horse stance of someone who has never ridden a horse. When the latter presumes to mimic the experience of the former, the result is a gross mischaracterization.<br />
<br />
So then, what is the primary experience of sitting on a horse? First and foremost is dynamic sitting! So if horse stance is intended to mimic sitting on a horse, then the primary intention of horse stance must be to practice the experience of sitting on a horse. While this seems obvious, many other purposes are frequently attributed to horse stance, the most common being developing leg strength. Ironically, this kind of leg strength is not needed when riding a horse - where this idea came from is anybody's guess.<br />
<br />
The central question is, "How can I mimic the feeling of riding a horse while standing?"<br />
<br />
And the answer is, get on a horse! Really! If you really want to sense the horse stance feeling, then you simply must get on a horse. There is no substitute! And I don't mean the ten minute horse ride around the corral or the basic riding lessons or the touristy trail ride. I've done all these and what I'm about to suggest is completely different.<br />
<br />
You need to find a therapeutic riding center that teaches <i>Centered Riding</i> where someone else controls the horse, where you are coached on your posture and how your body is interacting with the horse, where you are coached to let go and relax with structure, where you are coached to focus on the feeling, where you learn how subtle changes in your body are reflected in the horse's behavior, where you learn to notice and play with these subtle changes in a kind of self-instructive, horse-human bio-feedback loop. The lessons learned from this manner of horse riding then become the basis of how to practice horse stance.<br />
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<img alt="Centered Riding book cover" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDF5vxRYb7gvEctkPSfoY4itvpgeB5hD_XsWiD2UaONl_uGCVy_eCnHFJW2-aMYOaVAIqZiTNTqX1Yq2Z1I2uf8LMC1b_90msjUqkzZfVO5msJZqGhtQYSSuoSLJjuU_Puh8a7JcJo-8/s320/centered_riding.jpg" width="268" /> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Centered-Riding-Trafalgar-Square-Farm/dp/0312127340/" target="_blank">Centered Riding by Sally Swift</a> </div><p>
<br />
I am speaking here from my own limited experiences following the Centered Riding approach to horseback riding. You see, my mother owned and worked with horses for years on her small family farm. She practiced Centered Riding and shared this method and her insights with me. (Yes, I finally listened to my mother.) <br />
<br />
For all you horse stance people, if you haven't done so yet, go get on a horse. Get some lessons in Centered Riding. Discover how this experience transforms your understanding of horse stance! And depending on where you are in your training, the Centered Riding experience may even become part of your internal gongfu practice.</p><p></p><p>****</p><p>February 2022 Addendum</p><p></p><p>I consider this image to be a better representation of standing with <i>relax, balance, structure</i> than the often taught standing with a low and wide stance in which most practitioners more resemble a dead post than dynamically engaging relax, balance, structure.<br /><br />
</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFp_-guuSy26GFOadPocoBWRuKb4HEMmZisFmEStDirFVttZlrBCGufAwrDLUWnDfG2pKWkw66-PKJVUqVwloOVe2JywbS3ReDAdYIT5ZzX_ur-oFIKd1EzvTNM8Tty0pZ7a5DVEX0JV-VNugvnXna9DTXnsYS-0vBJqbee1Jnc0VaypdLhGeqn9Hq=s893" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="893" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFp_-guuSy26GFOadPocoBWRuKb4HEMmZisFmEStDirFVttZlrBCGufAwrDLUWnDfG2pKWkw66-PKJVUqVwloOVe2JywbS3ReDAdYIT5ZzX_ur-oFIKd1EzvTNM8Tty0pZ7a5DVEX0JV-VNugvnXna9DTXnsYS-0vBJqbee1Jnc0VaypdLhGeqn9Hq=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">
(Image from https://dressagetoday.com/theory/dressage-solutions-find-correct-balance-heather-blitz) </p><p>Happy practicing, everyone!</p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-64692149337445011902018-03-24T13:38:00.002-04:002020-05-26T06:42:45.247-04:00Discovering the Wujifa Crossroads BluesHere's a story of my musical life before I got into Chinese martial arts and how these two seemingly unrelated worlds are in fact connected. <br />
<br />
At a very young age I began playing piano. Then somewhere around fifth grade I shifted to saxophone. Both were based on reading music. In junior high school I bought my first electric guitar and taught myself the notes following the same score-based method. After establishing this connection, I bought sheet music with guitar tabs and discovered the resultant sound didn't match the sound of the song on the record that I enjoyed. I then shifted to playing by ear; trying to replicate the song on the record as precisely as possible just based on what I heard.<br />
<br />
Unable to understand nor reproduce the guitar parts, I switched to bass guitar which is relatively easier. I was able to copy most of my favorite '60s - '70s rock tunes pretty well. I then got into playing bass guitar in various "cover" bands; bands that played, or covered other well-known artists.<br />
<br />
After years of this, I thought I was pretty good and wanting to expand my skillset, I investigated a group of improvisational jazz bass players. I quickly learned that I was not in their league and feeling a bit hurt (I'm not as good as I thought) and not knowing where the gap was nor how to bridge it, I hung up the bass guitar and started learning and practicing Tai-chi Chuan.<br />
<br />
And then a few years ago I decided I wanted to get back into guitar after a thirty year hiatus. I wanted to learn how to play blues guitar but this time to really learn what I didn't learn the first time out. I stumbled into Griff Hamlin and his <i>Blues Guitar Unleashed</i> course which has been wonderful for me. Over the last couple years of receiving his daily email which includes tips, hints and examples and reading his blog, I've noticed how similar his message is to the message I was learning in Wujifa.<br />
<br />
And here is the lesson at the crossroad, the Wujifa saying, "How you do anything is how you do everything."<br />
<br />
The same copy-refine mindset or the way I originally approached music was the same mindset or way I initially approached my Chinese martial arts practice; copy, refine.<br />
<br />
Reflecting on those early years, just as I never learned the principle of how music worked - how to make music, not just copy music - I never learned the principle of Chinese martial arts movement - how to move from the principle, not just copy the choreography.<br />
<br />
I now see parallels between bar bands, cover bands, tribute bands and many Chinese martial arts practitioners who appear to follow the copy-refine approach where the so-called "more highly skilled" are merely a more refined copy than those with a less-refined copy.<br />
<br />
The way I see things now is that martial arts fans, students, teachers and judges who were raised up through the copy-refine system and who never crossed over to explore, learn, or develop in a principle-based system, like Wujifa, are ill-disposed to recognize principle-based movement. Conversely, those who develop principle-based movement are better positioned to recognize those who are following a copy-refine approach.<br />
<br />
And I'm standing at the crossroads...What I've learned of feeling principle-based movement in Wujifa has opened me to interpret the lessons of how to play blues guitar in a way I could not have with my former mechanical copy-refine mindset.<br />
<br />
"How you do anything is how you do everything." until you do something different and then everything changes...<br />
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Happy practicing everyone!<br />
<br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-22175548523629338472017-05-24T14:09:00.003-04:002021-09-05T10:34:27.460-04:00Investing in Loss (吃亏): The Way of Internal GongfuThe phrase "investing in loss" (吃亏) has been widely (and wildly) interpreted and yet no one to my knowledge has ventured to explain this phrase in terms of an internal gongfu practice!<br />
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Unfortunately, the phrase "investing in loss" first appeared in a reference to Tai-chi Chuan and the mechanical practice of yielding or redirecting in push-hands. I now believe that the context in which this phrase appeared has misdirected a generation of practitioners away from its true meaning. Before we get into it, let's step back and look at the bigger picture.<br />
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<b>The Invest-Gain Pattern</b><br />
In our everyday lives, we are taught to think of investing as a method to gain something; invest in learning to acquire knowledge, invest money to gain profit, etc... By the time we become adults, the invest-gain pattern is deeply ingrained in our being. Even if we implement the various interpretations of this phrase, we do so with the expectation that we will get something in return. It is not the nature of this pattern to expect the result to be the loss of something with no imminent gain on the immediate horizon.<br />
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<b>Translating chī kuī (吃亏)</b><br />
The Chinese phrase chī kuī (吃亏) literally translates as “eat loss”. Although the primary meaning of chī (吃) is "to eat", chī in another context can also metaphorically mean "to bear" or "to suffer". The term kuī (亏) can have the meaning: deficient, loss, to wane. And so chī kuī (吃亏) translates as "to suffer or bear a loss". Thus, on the surface, translating chī (吃) as "invest" may appear to be a bad translation but probing deeper, there is an inner logic within the English language which renders this a brilliant translation but only when considered within the context of a qigong or an internal gongfu practice! And please, do not confuse kuī 亏 (loss) with kǔ 苦 (bitter). Although loss may taste bitter, and you may need to eat bitter to attain eat loss, the two are not the same.<br />
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When understood from an internal gongfu perspective, chī kuī (吃亏) "invest in loss" stands as a principle of an internal gongfu practice synonymous with other phrases such as: empty your cup, unlearn what you have learned, relax, and calm down. (For an internal gongfu understanding of these terms, please see my post titled: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2017/02/emptying-your-cup-way-of-internal-gongfu.html">Emptying Your Cup: The Way of Internal Gongfu</a>.) <br />
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<b>Soft-Round and Martial Intent</b><br />
My research and experience now leads me to infer that the meaning of "investing in loss" probably arose in the context of qigong which advocates developing a <i>soft round</i> body. Those who achieved the kinesthetic quality of <i>soft round</i> and subsequently experimented with imbuing this quality with martial intent made an incredible discovery. And as they say, the rest is history. (For a discussion of <i>soft</i>, please see my post titled: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2010/06/tai-chi-principles-muscular-quality-of.html">Tai Chi Principles: Muscular Quality of Sung</a>.)<br />
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In an oversimplified and very generalized formulaic context: soft round + martial intent = the kinesthetic quality that is the hallmark of the highest level of ALL martial arts. Distinguishing <i>soft round</i> from martial intent is an important distinction. Why? Because each require a unique form of practice. It is the blending of the two that manifest a unique form of martial-oriented movement.<br />
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What does soft-round have to do with "investing in loss"? Simply, to develop <i>soft round</i> requires practicing chī kuī (吃亏), "investing in loss". (For an in-depth analysis of the meaning of "round", see my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Pelvis-Martial-Arts-Practical/dp/1492149993/">Secrets of the Pelvis</a>.)<br />
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<b>Chī kuī (吃亏) Comes to America</b><br />
When and how did this phrase enter western vernacular? According to my research, Cheng Man-ching (郑曼青) authored at least two books and maybe more in Hong Kong which used this phrase. It is most likely that these books and this phrase entered the U.S. with his arrival in 1962. His students in the U.S. subsequently translated two of these books into English. Since only two of his books have been translated into English (to my knowledge), we will limit this discussion to these two Chinese books and their English translations.<br />
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In 1957, Cheng Man-ching published a book in Hong Kong titled: 鄭子太極拳十三篇 , 鄭曼青, 時中拳社, 香港<br />
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Here is the only passage from his 1957 book that contains the word chī kuī (new style: 吃亏; old style: 喫虧):<br />
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<blockquote>
余故日,学太极拳必自学吃亏>始。从来学拳,无不欲胜人而占便宜者,今日学吃亏,谁宁为之。要知学是任人用力袭击,而我不以丝毫气力抵御,反引而去之,使其力落空,而攻击之效能全失,则我稍一撒手,彼未有不跌出寻丈之外者。</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdztdNVzfK3GjpqFPRBc9RNNeoEqJS_Mz26iz7D-F26wJXgUzj5Fusz300pZA5M72hzlRVVTNH3x629TlGgwa52iWmEKVcfoznYVi5ejmiktevxqRfPwv6pqLDnHcvVh_tl74WWu5khOE/s1600/Thirteen+Chapter+cover+%2526+excerpt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Master Cheng's Thirteen Chapters on Tai Chi Chuan" border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdztdNVzfK3GjpqFPRBc9RNNeoEqJS_Mz26iz7D-F26wJXgUzj5Fusz300pZA5M72hzlRVVTNH3x629TlGgwa52iWmEKVcfoznYVi5ejmiktevxqRfPwv6pqLDnHcvVh_tl74WWu5khOE/s640/Thirteen+Chapter+cover+%2526+excerpt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first English translation in the U.S. of the above is <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Master-Chengs-Thirteen-Chapters-Chuan/dp/0912059001/">Master Cheng's Thirteen Chapters on Tai Chi Ch’üan</a></i>. By Cheng Man-Ch’ing. Translated by Douglas Wile, Sweet Ch’i Press. 1982. In Chapter 1, Page 1 we see:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Therefore, let me say that to study T’ai-chi ch’üan, one must begin by investing in loss. When one has learned to invest in loss, then one is blessed with just the opposite. This is the ultimate in gaining the upper hand.”<br />
余故日,学太极拳必自学吃亏始。从来学拳,无不欲胜人而占便宜者,今日学吃亏,谁宁为之。</blockquote>
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The second English translation in the U.S. is <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cheng-Tzus-Treatises-Chuan/dp/B004HOQVYY/">Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan</a></i>. By Cheng Man-Ch’ing. Translated by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo and Martin Inn. North Atlantic Books. 1985. And in Chapter 1, page 22 we see:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Therefore I say, "To learn T'ai Chi Ch'uan, it is first necessary to learn to invest in loss." When one learns to invest in loss, [the loss] will polarize into its opposite and be transformed into the greatest profit."<br />
余故日,学太极拳必自学吃亏始。从来学拳,无不欲胜人而占便宜者,今日学吃亏,谁宁为之。(same passage translated above) </blockquote>
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In 1974, Cheng Man-ching published another book in Hong Kong titled: 鄭子太極拳自修新法 , 鄭曼青 , 時中拳社 , 香港<br />
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Here is the only passage from his 1974 book that contains the word chī kuī (new style: 吃亏; old style: 喫虧):<br />
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二、無畏喫虧。<br />
<blockquote>
太極拳要訣曰。舍己從人。舍己從人哪有不吃虧。故髯之十三篇開卷。便謂要學喫虧。何謂其學也。聽人進攻進擊。非獨不抗。且不還手。尤要黏連貼隨。方能輕輕走化。此意匪淺學及粗疎者所能。況初學者焉得不喫虧。若畏喫虧。莫如弗學。願欲學之。莫若學喫虧始。學喫虧。便是不貪便宜。貪小便宜喫小虧。貪大便宜喫大虧。反此者。即是吃小虧得小便宜。喫大虧而後可以得大便宜。有智慧者。必欲得體用之實。將何從下手。老子不有云乎。專氣致柔。能嬰兒乎。此即太極拳之主旨。學者既從是而學焉。倘能得專氣致柔。便學得喫虧之妙法。則已不畏喫虧矣。歌訣所謂。任他巨力來打我。牽動四兩撥千斤。則已得致柔之效用矣。</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6v2MCG-hZ2YiON1Rw_79bhCQU6hnoO5sk1K_Pm5YQDqWk8GXAjNYlwc10uVMxDUXrvqXW56k378R4jMjkWPNNeQZoBD9hMC300T1Zqa0Tp0bO8aGzGwJOAZIxTLSlvcGHjC9gtfhFZ4/s1600/New+Method+cover+%2526+excerpt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zheng Zi's New Method of Taijiquan Self-study" border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6v2MCG-hZ2YiON1Rw_79bhCQU6hnoO5sk1K_Pm5YQDqWk8GXAjNYlwc10uVMxDUXrvqXW56k378R4jMjkWPNNeQZoBD9hMC300T1Zqa0Tp0bO8aGzGwJOAZIxTLSlvcGHjC9gtfhFZ4/s400/New+Method+cover+%2526+excerpt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Side note: I find it interesting that this section is titled literally 'no fear eat loss' (無畏喫虧) or as I translate "Don't be afraid to bear loss". Indeed, fear is a typical precursor to losing, to letting go, to relaxing. This seems to suggest that an indicator of a successful practice is the encountering of fear associated with losing, letting go, relaxing. Or said another way, if you are not encountering fear in the course of your practice, then you're not really practicing internal gongfu. More on this in a moment.)<br />
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The only English translation in the U.S. (that I am aware of) is <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Master-Chengs-Method-Self-cultivation/dp/B00FDVM02M/">Master Cheng's New Method of Tai Chi Self-cultivation</a></i>. By Cheng Man-Ch'ing. Translated by Mark Hennessy. (1999). On page 12 we see:<br />
<blockquote>
"If you want to study, begin by investing in loss. ...<br />
便謂要學喫虧。<br />
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... a tiny investment in loss brings minor benefits while a large investment in loss brings you great long-term benefits."<br />
貪小便宜喫小虧。貪大便宜喫大 虧。反此者。即是吃小虧得小便宜。喫大虧而後可以得大便宜。<br />
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"Concentrating your ch'i to become soft is the only proper method to invest in loss - then you will not fear losing."<br />
倘能得專氣致柔。便學得喫虧之妙法。則已不畏喫虧矣。</blockquote><p>
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As I mentioned above, these passages are embedded in a discussion about Tai-chi Chuan push-hands which could lead one to believe these passages are talking about the mechanics of push-hands. I too believed this for the past thirty-five years! However, it is now my opinion that these passages were grossly misunderstood due to the context in which they were interpreted! Consider this, if you had never before seen a diamond and a "purveyor of diamonds" showed you a handful of sparkly glass baubles (only a few of which are real diamonds), how would you distinguish the diamonds from the baubles? Would they not all look like diamonds to you? And all the while, the real diamonds remain hidden in plain sight. This is essentially what has happened with our western understanding of chī kuī (吃亏). We interpreted the value of chī kuī (the diamond) based on our experience with glass baubles.<br />
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So let's ignore the glass baubles and get right to the diamonds! Let's explore the internal gongfu meaning of each passage.<br />
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<b>If you want to study, begin by investing in loss.</b><br />
Most people who come to a loss-based, internal gongfu practice are quickly confused about the nature of the practice despite their confidence in their own preconceptions; "I know what 'investing in loss' means. Just show me what to do." With a life-long indoctrination in the invest-gain pattern, the presumption is that the same invest-gain mindset can be applied to an internal gongfu practice. Although the principles and methods may be quickly absorbed at the intellectual level (though inaccurately understood), it can take a long time to structurally comprehend what the practice actually entails. If you want to engage an internal gongfu practice, the place to start is by doing the "not" of whatever it is you think you should be doing to "get" internal gongfu. What does this mean?<br />
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<b>Concentrating your ch'i to become soft is the only proper method to invest in loss</b>.<br />
As we know, the term ch'i (qi) has no equivalent in a western cultural context. It has been horribly misused since its introduction to the west and from my experience it serves no useful purpose in the internal gongfu arena. Instead, I propose thinking of this sentence in these terms: Focusing your intention on making your muscles supple is the only proper method to invest in loss.<br />
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What does it mean to make your muscles supple? Relax! Let go of emotional-muscular rigidity that is bound up in your body. From an internal gongfu perspective, loss refers to letting go of or "losing" chronic emotional-muscular tension and habituated ways of moving and being. When relax is done properly, this is loss. When on the verge of letting go of long-held muscular rigidity, fear asserts itself. Bearing fear, loss occurs. "Investing in loss" is a far more profound practice than superficially learning (adding on) a new skill; how to mechanically "yield" and redirect all the while maintaining your emotional-muscular rigidity! "Investing in loss" is not a practice about adding and refining a new muscle memory. "Investing in loss" is a practice about releasing (or losing) old muscle memories! Practice chī kuī not to get something but to lose something.<br />
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Additionally, becoming "soft" does not mean becoming "limp". Releasing/losing emotional-muscular rigidity to develop muscular suppleness occurs in the context of maintaining structure and balance. <br />
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<b>Then you will not fear losing.</b><br />
Coincident with the invest-gain pattern is the fear-of-losing pattern. Together these are a formidable barrier to allowing loss to occur. For decades I practiced Wujifa zhan zhuang both with the aspiration of gaining something and with the fear of losing something. I don't recommend this path. However, throughout my years of practice, I've also experienced countless mini-losses (let go a little here, a little there) which in hindsight represents a significant accumulation of loss! It's like the old joke: How do you eat a whole cow? One bite at a time. Letting go in a big way will get you there faster. Letting go in a small way may get you there eventually.<br />
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Once the first loss has passed, then other losses may come more easily. Repeated letting go and relaxing results in a diminishing if not an outright loss of the fear of letting go and relaxing. (This of course depends on the person and their attachment to the particular rigidity encountered.) That said, as I continue to lose, I may encounter more deep-seated fears. Being reminded of previous losses, the fear of losing may be diminished (and again, maybe not). Losing the fear of losing may require years, decades, or a lifetime of practicing loss. At some point, we are reminded, you will no longer fear relaxing and letting go. You will no longer fear losing.<br />
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<b>A tiny investment in loss brings minor benefits while a large investment in loss brings you great long-term benefits</b><br />
This passage simply refers to your practicing loss. How much do you practice each day? How many years have you been practicing? What is the quality of your practice? If you practice relaxing, letting go, losing a little bit, then you get a little benefit. If you practice relaxing, letting go, losing a lot over a long period of time, then you get great long-term benefits. What are these benefits?<br />
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<b>When one learns to invest in loss, [the loss] will polarize into its opposite and be transformed into the greatest profit.</b><br />
The key term here is "polarize". This was the great discovery of the Chinese of yore who practiced qigong (<i>soft round</i>) imbued with martial intent. This is where the magic happens. However, it would be more accurate to say, "After one has lost a particular amount of emotional-muscular rigidity, then within the suppleness there may be discovered an entirely different feeling of bodily movement." Developing this feeling, which may be thought of as the "polar opposite" of normal, everyday mode of moving, yields the greatest "profit" for health and martial arts. It is only <i>after</i> the body has attained a degree of this transformation that the diamonds and glass baubles begin to show their true value. As Douglas Wile translated, "When one has learned to invest in loss, then one is blessed with just the opposite. This is the ultimate in gaining the upper hand.” When you have lost more muscular rigidity than your opponent, then you can see where your opponent is "holding", where there is a "break" in your opponent's connectedness. This holding or break is a "weakness" that can be exploited to your advantage.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
At the beginning of this article I said these selected passages were embedded out of context. This is not entirely true. Now that we have a clearer understanding of the meaning of these passages, we can now go back to the entire passage and draw the relation between these phrases and the surrounding context.<br />
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The extent to which you can sense-feel within yourself is the extent to which you can sense-feel into your opponent-partner. If you don't practice losing (letting go, relaxing) or you only practice very little, then you probably will not be able to sense-feel deeply into your own body and the level of your push-hands skill will be superficial. Alternatively, if you lose a lot of emotional-muscular rigidity and in the process of losing you develop the ability to sense-feel very deeply into your own body, then the level of your push-hand skill will be profound. And so the place to begin the partner practice of push-hands is in the individual practice of losing emotional-muscular rigidity.<br />
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Finally, let's wrap up with looking at the translation of chī (吃) as "invest". A great amount of time, effort and more often than not, money, is needed to lose emotional-muscular rigidity. The backwardness of practicing loss is that you cannot practice to achieve that which you think you are practicing to achieve. You don't know what you will lose. You don't know where the loss will occur. You don't know how you will feel after the loss. You don't know what losing will lead you to discover. Rather, you dedicate time to allow ever deeper tensions to fall away and somewhere in this process of losing, the body naturally transforms to something else. That which was not previously available becomes available. Invest time with trust in the process without knowing what needs to be lost. Only after you have endured a particular amount of loss will you know the loss that was required for the transformation to occur (for you). Then you realize the benefit of time and effort invested in this pursuit. The term "invest" is one we readily understand. It is the process in which we invest for an unknown outcome, that is not readily understandable.<br />
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In Wujifa, there is a saying, "You don't know until you can demonstrate it." In this article I've provided a conceptual framework for these passages based on my experience and current understanding of my experience. I hope you find these insights applicable to help guide you from "knowing" to demonstrating.<br />___<br /><br />September 5, 2021 Addendum<br /><br />I recently read <i>American Shaolin</i> by Matthew Polly (Gotham Books, 2007). This is a story about his experiences training at Shaolin Monastery. There is one passage that made me think that maybe this "invest in loss" phrase was recontextualized from its original intent. </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"Coach Cheng believed that before a fighter could learn how to win, he first had to master losing. He had to experience defeat after defeat until there was nothing new to it and thus nothing left to fear. The ideal Chinese kickboxer stepped onto the <i>leitai</i> with indifference, nonchalance - just another day on the job. It was an approach Coach Cheng felt crucial for me to develop, because the fear of physical confrontation left me paralyzed." (pg 205)<br /></p><p>
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Happy practicing everyone!</p>Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-50685349943915751992017-02-12T19:19:00.000-05:002017-06-11T20:33:00.071-04:00Emptying Your Cup: The Way of Internal GongfuThe "empty the cup" metaphor is typically interpreted at the level of conceptual thinking. A summary of these interpretations is, "Set aside whatever concepts you have already formed and be open to learning without judging, comparing or weighing new experience or information against previous experience or information." Obviously, emptying the cup at this level is an important first step which by the way, can take a long time in and of itself! Going deeper, this kind of interpretation unfortunately is not readily understandable in terms of an internal gongfu practice. In this post I will try to explain how this and similar metaphors describe a key component of internal gongfu practice.<br />
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In addition to the "empty the cup" metaphor, there are also other terms and phrases which point to essentially the same meaning, for example:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"You must unlearn what you have learned." Yoda (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4jeREy7Pbc">The Empire Strikes Back</a>, 1980).<br />
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"How can you fill your cup if it's already full? How can you learn gong-fu? You already know so much. ... Empty your cup." Lu Yan (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s5V2Ex21qM">The Forbidden Kingdom</a>, 2008).<br />
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"Frankie likes to say that boxing is an unnatural act, that everything in boxing is backwards... To make a fighter, you gotta strip 'em down to bare wood. You can't just tell them to forget everything, you know; you gotta make 'em forget in their bones... Then you gotta show 'em all over again. Over and over and over... till they think they're born that way." Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Baby-Clint-Eastwood/dp/B003ASLJQI">Million Dollar Baby</a>, 2004).<br />
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Wujifa uses terms such as "relax" and "let go".<br />
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Chen Taijiquan uses the term 放松 (fàng sōng); calm down.</blockquote>
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Let's first start with Yoda's statement by asking, "What am I supposed to unlearn?"<br />
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Using my self as an example, my earliest learning was the way my childhood self unconsciously adopted the patterns of my parents; a combination of their emotional-muscular body structure became my emotional-muscular structure. Over time, I added an injury here, an emotionally traumatic event there, a little scar tissue here, some facial adhesions there. All these added to my structure resulting in a unique emotional-muscular pattern. <i>This is what I "learned"</i>; not concepts but a particular emotional-muscular bodymind pattern. This then is what I have to <i>"unlearn</i>".<br />
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In terms of the body unlearning what it has learned since childhood, we may also think of this kinesthetic unlearning as being a process of emptying the cup. So you see, when "the cup" is a metaphor for the totality of my emotional-muscular body structure with its unique pattern of chronic tension and flaccidity, "emptying the cup" assumes an entirely different meaning!<br />
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Like boxing, there is nothing "natural" about developing whole-body connected movement. Everything about the process of getting there is completely backwards. I used to believe that learning whole-body connected movement followed the same learning or adding-to process as everyday activities. I was totally wrong! Everything about the process is completely backwards. To get to the highest level, I have to be stripped down to bare wood. Layer after layer after layer however long it takes. <br />
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From my experience, emptying the conceptual cup is the first hurdle. Many people can't get past this stage. After this, and sometimes concurrently, engaging in unlearning, emptying, stripping down, relaxing, letting go, calming down is the second hurdle. Many people get stuck at this stage... including me. However, coming back and persevering has its rewards. <br />
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Once the body unlearns, empties, relaxes, lets go, calms down enough to get to the "state" or "condition" where internal connection shows up spontaneously and naturally (without any effort to learn or achieve it), then and only then can learning begin. But this time, the learning is along the lines of learning how to develop this nascent and unique feeling. The body has drastically changed. The frame of reference has shifted. Questions arise from this new experience. A genuine Beginner's Mind emerges; the mind of the unlearned, empty cup, bare wood.<br />
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After two decades of training and not "getting it", my frustration peaked and I lost all hope of achieving my dream which eventually led to my giving up training stance. Recently I had an insight (from "You must unlearn what you have learned") in which I realized that my childhood instilled drive<i> to learn </i>was counterproductive to the bodily process that needed to occur;<i> to unlearn</i>! Something shifted.<br />
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And so this month I began practicing stance again. Now I dedicate time to allow the process of unlearning to work as it will. I'm finding that this shift in priority, from learning to unlearning, has fostered a different underlying approach to training stance. It's as if the intense desire <i>to get</i> has given way to a felt sense of.... <i>(What word best describes what I'm feeling...?)</i><br />
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Unlearning precedes learning. Emptying precedes empty. Stripping down precedes bare wood. Relaxing precedes relaxed. Letting go precedes let go.<br />
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Standing Wujifa zhan zhuang is the process of unlearning, the process of emptying the cup, the process of stripping down to bare wood. <br />
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The cup must be emptied of the old body before it can be filled with the new body. <br />
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See also <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2017/05/investing-in-loss-way-of-internal-gongfu.html">Investing in Loss (吃亏): The Way of Internal Gongfu</a><br />
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Happy practicing everyone! <br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-33793963502502097252017-01-23T08:17:00.000-05:002017-01-23T08:17:25.871-05:00Talking with Dying Loved OnesOver this past year I've had the experience of my last visit with an acquaintance, a long-time friend (father surrogate figure), and a close family member, all of whom were literally on their death beds. In all three cases, I noticed that I was unable to articulate my "final words" to them because I was unable to speak through the emotion. Rather than being armored against the emotion I was feeling, conversely, I felt overwhelmed and controlled by it.<br /><br />Most recently, with my family member, I had a flash of insight. I noticed that I was trying to force myself to quell the feeling so I could articulate what I wanted to say. Noticing changes everything. I then thought of the Wujifa principles of relax and allow. I hoped to discover where I could allow myself to feel my sadness AND express the heartfelt words that I wanted to express. Unfortunately, I did not succeed and the best I could muster was a "Love you" and "Thank you" and then the tears poured out.<br /><br />As I reflect on these experiences , I remember learning in Wujifa class years ago that I have difficulty articulating my wants and needs. I experienced this difficulty again in the emotionally charged environment of my last visit with my dying friends and family. I regret now I did not work through this problem years ago. However, what is important is that I noticed and recognized how this blockage shows up in different situations. The question now is: "What am I going to do about it?"<br /><br />For those who don't understand what this has to do with internal gongfu or how my verbal-emotional block can inhibit me from developing even more physical internal connection, let me try to explain it this way. The level of subtlety to which I can feel is not bounded by artificial constructs such as emotions, body, speech, etc... If I cannot feel where the expression of intention is blocked in one area, then I will not be able to feel where the expression of intention is blocked in another area. The level to which I can feel is the level to which I can feel. My ability to feel applies equally and indiscriminately throughout my entire person.<br /><br />If this is too abstract, here's a more practical example. Let's say I have the intention to punch you. If there is tension somewhere in the path between my fist and ground, this tension acts as a kind of blockage, like a log jam in a stream. In this case, the connection is not "clean" and thus, the pure expression of my intention is diluted to the extent of the blockage in the path.<br /><br />In Wujifa I work on "relaxing"; discovering blockages and releasing them. This clarifies the path between the ground and my fist and clarifies the expression of my intention which increases the power that hits you. The intention to express myself can take many forms. I can have the intention to punch you. I can have the intention to articulate heartfelt words. Intention is intention. Expression is expression. Blockage is blockage. Discovering and releasing blockage purifies the expression of intention. <br /><br />This is my wake-up call. I hope in some small way, it may be for you as well.<br /><br />Happy practicing everyone!Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-19895316541937676472016-09-12T22:12:00.000-04:002016-09-13T06:52:49.477-04:00The Method Is Not The Truth"The method is not the truth. Once you get the feeling, get rid of the method." This is one of the many Wujifa sayings that I found very difficult to grasp. I cannot remember how many times our instructor would say, "Class, repeat after me, 'The method is not the truth. Once you get the feeling, get rid of the method.'" and we would repeat, "The method is not the truth. Once you get the feeling, get rid of the method."<br />
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No matter how many times over the years I would repeat this, invariably I would turn around and ask for another method. It literally took me fifteen years to really understand what is meant by a "method" in Wujifa. Here's what I have learned. <br />
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A method is a technique, a set-up, a posture, a stance, an exercise, an “it’s like”. A method is the finger pointing at the moon. A method is a way to allow a specific kinesthetic feeling to be elicited. My job is to simply notice the feeling that is being elicited through the method. <br />
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Maybe another way to say this is: Repeating an exercise, posture, stance, or form ad-nauseum for the sake of "practice and refinement" will NOT in and of itself, lead you to discover more subtle feelings of whole-body connectedness. There is a specific kinesthetic <i>feeling</i> that you need to <i>notice</i> which a well-designed method will point you to and once you experience this feeling, then you need to focus on the feeling because this feeling is an opening (to developing the feeling of connection) that you didn't know you were looking for. <br />
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From my years of trying to force methods to yield an imagined feeling within my existing kinesthetic paradigm (I think this is what I should feel), I now understand that it is impossible to imagine a kinesthetic feeling that I never felt before especially one as complex and simple as whole-body connection. In this game, the familiar logic of 1 + 1 = 2 is upended and in its place is 1 + 1 = 3 or 5 or 42 or whatever logically does not make sense in my present kinesthetic paradigm. Why do I say this? If you have not experienced the feeling of whole-body connected movement, then you are not familiar with the so-called "logic" involved to get there. Plain and simple! Never having experienced whole-body connected movement, I simply could not anticipate my route to get there. I was not in a position to judge which feelings were pointing in the right direction and which were not. This is where a qualified instructor is invaluable!<br />
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Well then, what about feeling? Can feeling in and of itself become a method? Sure! If you develop a feeling into a patterned response recalled from the past, that is, when a feeling becomes isolated, codified, a repeatable goal of practice, then even feeling itself becomes a method and you wind up stuck in the past and not connected in the present. To be present, to notice new feelings is to continue developing. Once you get the feeling of feeling, then there is no THE feeling, then there is FEELING. <br />
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Let's for example look at the first Wujifa 1-2-3-4 alignment. Getting into the best 1-2-3-4 you are currently capable of with an little additional coaching or adjustment, can elicit a feeling of more weight dropping into your legs. Once you get that feeling, then using that set-up to elicit dropping into legs becomes a method. If you continue going back to only that feeling, then you are stuck. If you use that method to elicit further relaxing and further dropping and noticing what shows up, that is, following the feeling the method is designed to elicit, then you are making progress.<br />
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It is OK to work with a method, to get the feel of something. This can bring a new feeling. If you are willing to step away from the method and follow the path, you will notice the feeling changing.<br />
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This is essentially the core of internal martial arts work. However, many internal martial art practices tend to lure in the unsuspecting with flashy qi-gong exercises and so-called "qi feelings". Remember, qi-gong is a method! People can also get lured in by the siren's call of "advanced exercises". These too are simply methods. In fact, the most advanced method is the simplest and the simplest is the most advanced: stand and relax. Anything else should be custom tailored to you to help you to feel more or connect more. This is where a qualified instructor can notice for you, can notice what you are feeling and guide you to opening more to more feeling.<br />
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Chasing methods became a trap for me. Please avoid the mistake I made. When the method becomes more important to you than feeling, take this as a sign that you're on the wrong track. When there is no feeling or when you are stuck at one level of feeling, remind yourself, "The method is not the truth. Once you get the feeling, get rid of the method." Then you can begin practicing in earnest... again... <br />
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Happy practicing everyone!<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-9157502016282011432016-08-16T17:19:00.001-04:002016-08-16T17:19:55.861-04:00Noticing Language's Impact on the Development of ConnectionHave you ever thought about how the language you speak could inhibit your development of internal connection? As I've mentioned repeatedly throughout this blog, we have no words in the English language to describe the various kinesthetic feelings associated with developing internal connection. This linguist handicap is one factor contributing to the difficulty of teaching, learning and explaining the internal arts. And as we say in Wujifa, "Noticing changes everything!"<br />
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It is said that the Eskimos have 50 words for snow while we in the English-speaking continental U.S. have only one word; snow. Similarly, in English we have one word "Love" and we use this one word to express feeling across a wide variety of relations. Does this mean that we have the exact same "love" feeling for a spouse, a pizza, a long-time friend? Probably not, but when a variety of subtle and nuanced feelings are constrained to be expressed through just one word, the result is the generalization and reduction of the complexity of the nuanced feelings to a single overall feeling devoid of its subtle nuances. We numb-down our ability to discern-feel subtle nuances.<br />
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This exact same phenomena occurs in the so-called field of "body-mindfulness" exercises of which yoga and Tai-chi are probably the most well-known. The term "body-mindfulness" is used much the same way as our word "love". It is used to describe in vague and ambiguous terms any kind of body-awareness regardless of how superficial or how deep and nuanced the experiences may be.<br />
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Now, let's consider the article, <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/the-ancient-greeks-6-words-for-love-and-why-knowing-them-can-change-your-life">The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)</a> . Whether there really are six words or not, the proposition nevertheless provides an opportunity to explore nuances of our word "love". Here are the six words from this article:<br />
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1. Eros, or sexual passion.<br />
2. Philia, or deep friendship.<br />
3. Ludus, or playful love.<br />
4. Agape, or love for everyone<br />
5. Pragma, or longstanding love<br />
6. Philautia, or love of the self<br />
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Take a moment and recall a couple different relationships that might have different nuances in feeling along the lines of the above. Can you notice something that you had not previously felt-noticed before? Even if you only notice a barely perceptible hint of a variation in the "love" feeling, this is a step to feeling a little bit deeper. What you can do in one area, you can apply in another area.<br />
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Now, assume that "body-mindfulness" likewise has many subtle kinesthetic-emotional feelings. In the same way that you begin to feel and discern various love feelings, you can begin to feel and discern various kinesthetic-emotional feelings in your internal gong-fu practice. Feeling is feeling.<br />
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In Wujifa there is the saying, "The method is not the truth. Once you get the feeling, get rid of the method." This applies here as well. Discovering and identifying various kinesthetic-emotional feelings is a method to help you develop the ability to feel deeper and relax deeper until connection begins to show up. You may want to name the feelings you notice, but it's not necessary. The important point is to notice and build connection between your pre-conscious bodily feeling and your consciousness; I can feel ______ . This is another step along the journey.<br />
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Connection will never be discovered if you only have the ability to distinguish the lack of body-mindfulness from a rudimentary body-mindfulness. In many cases, those who speak of body-mindfulness have only peeled the first layer of the proverbial onion and have mistaken the first layer to be the entirety of the onion. Having only one word "body-mindfulness" to describe the multitude of kinesthetic-emotional experiences is like having only one word for "snow" or one word for "love". It is too vague, too generalized, too ambiguous, too numbed-down. It says something and says nothing both at the same time.<br />
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And so, rather than looking for that one special feeling that everyone says is "It", invest in noticing variety and nuance throughout your body. The more nuances you can feel is a fair indicator of how deeply you can feel. How deep you can feel is an indicator of how deep you can relax. And in this process, you may discover that our English word "relax", like "love", also has a variety of subtle and nuanced feelings.<br />
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Happy practicing everyone!<br />
Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-11371526209860338822016-05-10T21:21:00.002-04:002016-05-12T19:21:47.001-04:00Yinyang Body vs. Wuji BodyThe most profound insight I've had so far is the recent realization that as the body transforms, so too do the thinking processes and the linguistic expression of those body-based thinking processes. For many, many years I was completely clueless to this. Let's dig in... <br />
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First, let's agree to the premise which is:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thought processes (and their projection through language) are congruent with bodily experience. </blockquote>
Next, let's define our terms. "Yin" represents emotional-muscular flacidity or limpness and "Yang" represents emotional-muscular hypertonicity or rigidness. Therefore, a yin-yang body is one that is composed of a unique patterning of emotional-muscular flacidity/limpness (yin) and emotional-muscular hypertonicity/rigidness (yang). This is the typical or usual body of almost everyone (even many so-called internal-martial arts practitioners).<br />
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In terms of thought processes and the linguistic expression of these thought processes, the yinyang body-mind (person) operates from a position of duality or polarity. A body that is composed of a mix of emotional-muscular flaccidity (yin) and hypertonicity (yang) creates a perspective that is fundamentally dualistic (yinyang).<br />
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The second premise is that:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Everyone begins their Wujifa training with a yinyang body and through Wujifa training, progresses toward developing a Wuji body.</blockquote>
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The Wuji body is one, unified body. Through years of practice, the state of flaccidity and hypertonicity (yinyang) resolves into a state of relaxed connection (Wuji). This means that emotional-muscular flacidity/limpness and emotional-muscular hypertonicity/rigidness are slowly* transformed into a unique state of relaxed connectedness. This is a different lived-experience of the body as compared to the lived-experience of the yinyang body.<br />
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( * Let me clarify "slowly". If a practitioner has a lot of resistance to changing existing emotional-muscular patterns, then working-through and getting rid of these patterns could take a long time. In fact, "getting it" happens spontaneously, instantaneously, like an on/off switch. You don't train to "get it", rather you train to get rid of that which prevents connection from showing up. This is a crucial distinction to understand!)<br />
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In terms of thought processes and the linguistic expression of these thought processes, the Wuji body-mind (person) operates from a position of connection or unity. A body that is composed of a unified structured connectedness creates a perspective that is fundamentally unified.<br />
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The student (with a yinyang body) who is able to grasp this concept will realize that it is misguided to believe that someone with a Wuji body is somehow "on the same wavelength". For example, a Wujifa student asking a question from a yinyang perspective may be answered from a Wuji perspective. Sometimes the answer makes sense and sometimes it doesn't (from a yinyang perspective).<br />
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And so now, after years of training, I am beginning to understand why my instructor thinks and talks so differently from the way many beginning students think and talk; from the way I used to think and talk. With each advancement I make, I realize that I am still just beginning to learn about the power of Wujifa internal gong-fu.<br />
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Happy practicing everyone!Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-91669241279584103502016-04-14T21:18:00.001-04:002020-06-07T08:01:54.321-04:00Wujifa and Iron Shirt: Journal Notes #143Notes from my March 2016 Zhan Zhuang Training Journal. I train with The School of Cultivation and Practice which practices Wujifa.<br />
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<i>(Note: There are as many interpretations of iron shirt as there are methods to train iron shirt. My understanding is that iron shirt does not make you Superman where bullets bounce off and pointy metal objects cannot penetrate. My understanding is that iron shirt can make you impervious to the effects of punches. Some systems train to numb the body to pain, others train to harden the body against pain. The internal Wujifa way is to relax with structure to allow the impact energy a clear path to ground. It all comes back to effective zhan zhuang training.)</i><br />
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* Feeling leads to understanding. Understanding without feeling is data. What do you find interesting; data? or feeling, empathy, connection? It's easy for me to say "that's interesting" when I encounter a new conceptual factoid but not have the same response when encountering a new or different feeling. Isn't that interesting?<br />
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* Tell you the truth... often an hour of class will pass wherein we get into some very deep emotional-muscular work and the "a-ha" moments are streaming in at a subconscious, kinesthetic feeling level that to stop the flow and organize a thought to write it down is both an interruption to the body-learning in progress and somehow an abomination to the purity of the interaction. When a kind of natural conclusion is reached where I can write, I don't know what to write! Really! It's a real struggle! When it comes to this whole feeling thing and the multiplicity of topics and subtopics and sub-subtopics and how each interacts and reacts and influences the other up a level and down a level and across and back and, and, and... I don't know what to write about. And what I do ultimately write about is but a mere shadow, a phantom of the lived experience. Here's an example...<br />
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* Following up on February topic, we had a long talk about connecting with people. The conversation wended its way into revealing that I'm interested in connecting with some people and not others, or the "not others" in particular situations. For example, I'm not interested in connecting with the bedraggled panhandler on the street that I pass by every day but if I'm serving food in a soup kitchen and I see that same bedraggle soul, then I am interested in connecting with him. Why would I be willing to connect in one situation and not the other? Judgment. The point is that this illustrates how my internal categorization (yin-yang) system is still intact and I am not operating from a principle of connection. As long as I continue to put people and situations in conceptual "boxes", this too shows up in my kinesthetics and my ability to feel my body kinesthetically. Connection is connection. There is no such reality as "conceptual boxes" and "kinesthetic unity". A break is a break. A numb area is a numb area. You're either connected or your not.<br />
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* If you don't feel and are not immersed in it, then you can't understand it. Reading someone else experience, collecting and analyzing data about the experience will not lead you to the experience. In fact, the latter path only creates roadblocks to the actual experience. Data, expectations, judgment are barriers that will eventually have to be addressed.<br />
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* If you got rid of "I have to", would you do "I choose to"?<br />
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<i>OK. Now here's where we get to the iron shirt stuff...</i><br />
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* In today's class I watched my 300+ pound instructor punching (barehanded) my 180 pound school brother in the chest, that is, on his pectoral muscle, and he stood there, relaxed with structure, and didn't even flinch from the punches! (Video is on the Facebook Wujifa Practitioners Training Logs.) Next, I was invited to punch him in a similar way. I started light, being afraid to hurt him but was repeatedly encouraged to punch harder until I was truly giving him the strongest Wujifa punch I could muster. Each time, the same result. He just stood there, unflinching, relaxed. He did comment that he was surprised how hard a skinny geek like me could punch.<br />
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* Truth be told, he's been practicing receiving punches like this for a while. What I noticed is that his body was not hard. It was soft, relaxed and yet he did not move at all; he maintained structure and absorbed the punch impact. He then asked me to punch him each time as he incrementally hardened his body. This was a huge, dramatic demonstration of how soft can mimic hard but hard cannot mimic soft! Sure, I've been to workshops and I've seen demonstrations of "punch the master" but I've never known anyone personally who I've worked with and watched move from a grossly tense and twisted body to one that was relaxed with structure. What he demonstrated today was not possible when he first started. He's made amazing progress!<br />
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* This kind of punching exercise is really good at bringing into awareness the quality of my punch when giving a punch and the quality of relaxation with structure when receiving a punch.<br />
<ul>
<li>On the giving side... Is my punch disconnected? (It probably is.) Where? At the shoulder? Does it have the feel of anger? or love? This will undoubtedly sound bizarre but in fact, I notice a me-body transmits emotional content. The more angry-tense, the more superficial the punch. The softer the emotion, the more solid the punch. It takes some time but it is possible to calibrate the emotional content to the power of the punch. If you've never experienced this and you think this is crazy-talk, I understand. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On the receiving side... If the recipient's body is too hard, it could get broken. If it's too limp (no structure to transmit the energy), it could get hurt. Most likely, in both cases, the structure will "break" somewhere and the receiver will fall back from the punch because there is not a path to ground. Also, being punched (as a training method) helps to notice anger and tightness, and thus where the breaks are. By learning how to relax and receive a punch without experiencing pain serves as a calibrator to the amount of tension and anger released. </li>
</ul>
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* When I get punched, I still tense. I can relax some when my tension is noticed for me. For example, when told to relax my pelvic floor and legs, the net effect is that this relaxed my upper body and helped me to ground the punch. Another time, I was focusing on relaxing through my pectorals and pelvic floor, but I was getting knocked over. I was told that I was tensing my back muscles to brace against the punch. I didn't notice this. Why not? It's part of my unconscious compensatory pattern. Consciously relax here. Unconsciously shift the tension there. <br />
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* When I think about all that I've read and seen about Iron Shirt training, somehow, I've never seen relaxing with structure and Iron Shirt mentioned together. And yet, if one objective of iron shirt is to become impervious to punches... there are many methods.<br />
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* You are not an onion! I mentioned how I'm working on the next layer of tension and was immediately called to the mat for it. People who use the onion analogy are making excuses to hold onto tension. They feel comfortable to let go a little in one area but in effect they drive the tension deeper into their body because their self-identity is tied to the tension and they are not willing to completely let go of whatever is the root of the tension. Tension is tension! There is no such thing as "layers of tension". The onion analogy is simply another example of compartmentalizing, of divisiveness, of yin-yang thinking. It's a strategy to maintain control. You are not an onion! You are a human! <br />
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* We began another class with an hour of massage to relax the pelvic floor. Upon standing after this session, I was disoriented and unbalanced. I went through the same readjustment pattern that I went through during the massage session, namely: Scared, Discomfort, Tensed, Relax. (See? This is a perfect example of what I mentioned above "Tell you the truth...")<br />
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* This month I also returned to my Rolfer for another four sessions of Rolfing work.<br />
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Further reading:<br />
Introductory article explaining this "Journal Notes" series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2010/08/zhan-zhuang-training-journal.html">Zhan Zhuang Training Journal</a><br />
Previous article in this series: <a href="http://internalgongfu.blogspot.com/2016/03/huge-breakthrough-part-two-journal.html">Huge Breakthrough! Part Two: Journal Notes #142</a><br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926482844100900134.post-79863689671738526882016-04-03T22:03:00.000-04:002016-04-03T22:03:42.144-04:00How You Stand is How You MoveI had an interesting insight at the last Wujifa class I attended and I'd like to share this as a quick little post.<br />
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One of the new guys was engaging our instructor in a conversation about a problem he was experiencing during stance practice. Somehow the conversation turned to mentioning his Tai-chi Chuan practice and he said something like, "You've never seen my form." and I chimed in, saying "Well, I know how your form will look just by looking at how you're standing."<br />
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Of course, he couldn't believe his ears. And rightly so. How could I possibly know? Here's how....<br />
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When I see him standing in zhan zhuang, I see shoulders rolled slightly forward due to contraction in the chest. The chronic contraction in the chest (besides restricting his breathing) keeps the chest "relaxed". When he raises his arms (to hold the ball), I see an increase tension in the chest (to keep the chest down) to counter the raising of the arms which is performed with an elevated amount of contraction in the back to counter the tension in the chest. You get the idea? Movement is pretty segmented and there is a lot of tension and counter tension.<br />
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So by observing his holding patterns, that is, <i>how</i> he was holding himself in stance, I deduced that he most likely would move with the same characteristic physical pattern that he demonstrates when standing and raising his arms for zhan zhuang. <br />
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What I was saying was not that I could know what choreographed routine he did just by looking at him, but rather I knew the quality of its execution would be performed with the same bodily holding patterns as demonstrated in stance.<br />
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So, how can you apply this to your practice?<br />
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Your body doing any martial art form is equivalently your body standing still and vice-versa. The holding patterns don't miraculously dissolve or disappear when you start moving, if anything they become more hidden from you because you're focusing on some aspect or other of your form or whatever. <br />
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One way to discover these patterns is to not move at all (some form of stance practice) or to do simple repetitive movements that are designed to bring attention to and help release a targeted holding pattern.<br />
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Rest assured that anyone who has relaxed more than you is able to see your body's holding patterning simply by looking at you standing there. You don't need to demonstrate your form to show what you can do. It's not the what that matters, it's the how.<br />
<br />Mike at internalgongfu.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522311573919277909noreply@blogger.com0