Qi_66v2.pdf

Tse Qigong Centre

Cover: Grandmaster Yang Meijun,her eldest son Chen Chuan Gang& senior student Sifu Michael Tse.

Qi Magazine is published by the Tse Qigong Centre.Its aim is to bring you information not readily availablein the West.

Editor: Michael TseDeputy Editor: Darryl MoyDesign Assistant: DavidDrennanAssistants: SarahBloomfield

John HayesMartin Gale

Legal Adviser: Tony Walsh

Proof Reading: Yvonne Dixon

Marketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSweden: Barbro Olsson

Consultants (Listed in alphabetical order):

Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster ChenXiao Wang

Grandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang Meijun

Columnists: GlennGosslingJ. Reynolds NelsonDr. ShulanTangSihn KeiAdam Wallace

Readers may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contribute articles, lettersor questions for possible inclusion in future issues ofQi Magazine.Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarily reflectthe opinion of the editor. Adverts appearing in themagazine are not necessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study should seekqualified tuition.

Michael Tse 2003.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.

Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be an effective wayof reaching a wide variety of people. All enquirieswelcome.For UK call: 0161929 4485For USA call: (808)528 8501

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Tse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807, Honolulu HI 96830

Tel: (808) 528 8501 Fax:(928) 441 6578email [email protected]

http://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778

Continued on page 7

We are all guests of the earth. Notany one person can own theearth and stay here forever.

When we go it means it is time for us toleave the earth. Some guests are goodguests and do a lot of good things forthe planet. Some guests are not so goodand do things that are not good for theplanet.

If you are a good guest, then youwill be invited to come visit the goodplaces again. The hostwill treat you well andbe happy to see youagain. However, ifyou are a bad guest,then even if you areinvited to come back,it will be to the placesthat are not so good,just in case youdamage the placeagain. This is myinterpretation ofBuddhist and Daoistthoughts onreincarnation.

But a persondoes not have tobelieve in rein-carnation to knowthat the earth isbeing damagedeveryday. There is ahole in theatmosphere above

Antarctica that is the size of Europe. Theatmosphere is like our skin and protectsus from all kinds of things; without it wecannot survive. It is what separates us

from the outside universe. If we keepdoing what we are doing, the problemwill only get worse.

Nature gives us everything tosurvive, oxygen to breathe, food to eat,even medicines to help us rebalance ourbodies. But everyday we are changingthe balance on the planet, likerearranging or even stealing the furniturein our hosts’ house. In South America,hundreds of acres of rainforests are

being burnteveryday so thatWestern comp-anies can strip theearth and get theminerals andmetals for theirprofit. The morepeople think just

about getting rich, then the moreeveryone on the planet will suffer.Countries will suffer, families willsuffer, individuals will suffer. We

need to find a way to protect the planetwhere we live safely and enjoy, and soour children, our grandchildren and ourgreat-grandchildren can have a place aswell.

“The host willtreat you well andbe happy to seeyou again.”

Qi Magazine Mar/Apr 2003 page 1

POBox POBox POBox...

Female Daoist Master, Li Cheng Yu, from China’s famousWudang mountains passed away on 14 January 2003 atthe age of 94 years old. She was born in the year 1909

the daughter of a very poor farming family. At the age of sixshe was sold to be someone’s wife. When she was seventeen,they were married. Around three years later, she developed acontagious lung disease. She went up to one of the templesat the Wudang mountain to worship at one of the specialtemples for helping ill people. She met a monk called MasterZhang Zhi Shen who treated her and helped her recover.

When she was 27 years old, she told her husband thathe should go to find another wife as she was going to becomea nun at Wudang Mountain. She was accepted to be 24th

generation disciple of the Daoism Dragon Gate Sect of Daoism.Throughout her life she studied at several Daoist temples, butshe particularly concentrated on developing the Golden LakeLotus Gong. When she was 88 years old, she rejuvenatedherself. All her white hair became black. All her teeth grewback and her skin became soft and shiny and smooth. Her

hearing went back to normal and her eyesight as well. Shecould even thread fine silk through a needle without wearingglasses.

At around 4am on the day of her death, she called upall her lady students from their sleep and told them to changeher into clean Daoist clothing. When they were finished, shesaid that she was going to practise and had everyone leavethe room. Around 5am, all the students came back to herroom to pay their respects as usual. When they bowed down,they noticed that the stick she had kept with her for over 60years had been dropped and they then realised that she hadpassed away. She had passed away during meditation whichfor Daoists means she became an Immortal. She was buriedfour days later on 18 January on the east side of Purple CloudTemple cemetery. Master Li Cheng Yu has been recorded asone of the long life people’s in the Wudang Mountain history.All her life she was very compassionate and loved to helpothers. She has students in over 36 countries and all overChina.

94 Year OldLady DaoistBecomesImmortal

94 Year OldLady DaoistBecomesImmortal

World Tai Chi andQigong Day - Hawaii

There are already tens of thousandswho practise some kind of Chineseinternal art. But there are many

people who still donot know what Qigongis or who have never seen anyoneactually performing Tai Chi (Taijiquan).So in order to help promote more publicawareness about the Chinese skills ofQigong and Tai Chi, a day was selectedfor an annual World Tai Chi and QigongDay. To help celebrate a healthier world,

join various local Hawaii schools andteachers who will gather together atKapiolani Park, near the area across theroad from the Waikiki Aquarium onSaturday, 12 April at 10am.

For further information,email: [email protected]

Everyone is welcome whether as eithera by-stander or participant.Bring the whole family and enjoy!

New ClassesThe Tse Qigong Centre is pleased toannounce the formation of two newclasses, on the opposite sides of theglobe!

Brisbane - AustraliaWild Goose Qigongcontact: Jane Pollard/Vera Externest61 7 4632 [email protected] [email protected].

Berkshire - UKWing Chun Kung Fucontact: Jeremy Dallow07905 177821


Polo ShirtF ive years ago, I introduced having

a polo shirt as part of the Centremembership. I had just visited the Shaolin Temple

in China and saw all of the students there had aspecial t-shirt which they wore during their classes. Itlooked very impressive and made them like acommunity. I have always seen the Tse Qigong Centrelike a family and I think that polo shirt helps to connectall of us together. It is also for us to wear at anyevents, courses, demonstrations or going to visit otherplaces together. In this kind of situation, without ashirt, it looks like people without any connectiontogether.

When I see everyone wearing the shirt in class to practise, I know that they are connecting not with just me, but allof the Centre students around the world. I always add my writing to help give the Centre special direction for that year.This helps to make us all stronger. A forest of trees is always stronger than one standing on its own. I hope that this willhelp you to understand why we offer a Centre polo shirt. It is so all of us benefit and become stronger like a family.

This is why I have decided to have the membership include the polo shirt again. Memberships will be the same asthey were last year and will include the polo shirt, reduced seminar fees and membership card booklet. If you have anyquestions, please do not hesitate to contact your nearest Centre or your instructor.

With best wishes, Michael Tse

Dear Sifu,I wanted to send you this story as it may be useful for

the magazine ,or indeed if you had any thoughts or advicethen I should be most interested in what you both think aboutthis situation.

My twenty year old son went to a pub he had neverbeen to before as he was accompanying a friend who was tobe the DJ there for the evening. The bar was empty for theearly part of the night and so they took turns to play musicand just enjoy themselves. This bar was not in their homearea. After a couple of hours, a gang of about fifteen youthscame in very aggressively.

They may have been drunk or “high”.They pushed into my son and the DJ andimmediately indicated they wanted a fight.They singled out my son, telling him theywould “bite off his nose”, ”kick his head in”etc. My son is a good person and non-violent. At first he tried to calm them downsaying that he didn’t want any trouble andwould just leave.

At that point one of the gang toldhim, “He would have him”, and hit himtwo or three times. My son pretended hewas hurt in an attempt to let the gangmember think he had won. However, heand two others in particular persisted whilethe others barred the doors. My son went to the landlord andasked (in quite a panicked state by now) if there was anotherway out and could he help get him out.

For whatever reason (probably because this gang waslocal and he was scared of them), he refused to help my son.

At this point he was hit over the head with a bottle and othersbrandishing bottles advanced towards him. Being quite athletic,he decided the only thing to do was make a run for it. He didand although suffering a number of blows en route, he didescape and get out. We reported the incident to the policeand although sympathetic, they believe they have little chanceof finding the culprits.

How do I, his father, and how does he react to this?Many people have said we should look for revenge. My son isso very against violence and neither of us are capable of pre-meditated violence. Some people, because they know I practisemartial arts, expect me to exact some sort of revenge. AlthoughI believe in fighting back if I am under attack, I cannot believein “going looking for trouble”. However, nagging questions doarise like:- “Are you scared? Can you not protect your ownfamily? What would I do if this was my 14 year old daughter?

How does one attain the balance of being a good person andnon-violent and yet not live in fear of being taken advantageof?” All tough questions.

My son is quite tough and has practised Qigong, andhe has suffered no lasting injury. He knows he has learned a

Unprovoked ViolenceUnprovoked Violence

How do I, his father,and how does he react to this? Many peoplehave said we should look for revenge.

page 4 Qi Magazine Mar/Apr 2003

lesson in life about where he goes at night and about awarenessof what is going on around him. He has also learned that nomatter how much he does not want trouble, there are otherswho will stop at nothing until they have tasted blood. I havetold my son he wasright to feel fear andthat he has nothing tofeel ashamed aboutand also that I admirethe way he handledthe situation.

I told him tolearn from this andmove on. Life will dealits own revenge forthe gang members sowe do not need tothink of revenge asthis will only keep theevent in our minds.We all must move on.

On a lessserious note, when some girls saw theblood on his mobile phone, he receivednothing but sympathy and has had theoffer of several dates as a result of thatnight. All ordeals have their “upside”. Irealise how busy you all are at theCentre, so don’t feel you have to reply.I simply am interested in anyobservations you have from the MartialArtists point of view.Best wishes,Geoff

Dear Geoff,Thank you for your email. In a

situation like that, your son and you didvery well and have a good attitude.Revenge has no ending and it will onlyget worse. Forgiving is the right attitudebecause every time that you can forgive someone’s mistake,then other people will learn from you. Eventually their heart will

start to change andproblems will lessenin your own life.

Your gooddeed will comeback to yousomeday and bringup a good future.Someday, youyourself might makea mistake and wantsomeone to forgiveyou. According tothe universal law,“What comes

around, goes around.” There is no way to avoid this. Goodpeople will always have a good result and bad people will havea bad result. It is just waiting for the right time.

To fight back is easy, but “a big man” can forgive instead.In today’s society, we have to be more careful. Going to a pub

at night is not always a good idea as emotions can run highand tempers easy to come out. If you do not go into this kind ofsituation, then less trouble will happen.

If someone is studying Qigong, sometimes they will havethe feeling that something bad is going tohappen before it occurs. This can be justa funny feeling, or a stronger fear likefeeling that something is not right. Sorather than carry on, they will not go thereor avoid the danger. My teacher, Yang Sifu,was like this. She was in Tinnimen Squarejust before everything happened, but whenshe did meditation, she saw writing thattold her what would take place and soshe left.

For a martial artist, the purpose ofstudying a martial art is first for selfdefence. It is not just for fighting. Thesecond thing is the philosophy of the artand third is for good health. All together

these makethe skillcomplete. Thisis the levelthat a correctmartial artistneeds to reach.

I fmartial artsare used justfor fightingand bullyingothers, thenthat martialart skil l willalso damagethe martialartist. Thereare somemartial artistswho only think

of the hard side and as a result they have lots of injuries andpains themselves. Some of these persons have even died youngbecause of this.

Of course, if a martial artist is high level enough, thenhe can stop other people from attack without even damagingthe other person. This is high level and takes a lot of training. Agood martial artist is humble and not aggressive. They will bepolite and non aggressive. Others may not even know that theyknow martial arts. A high level martial artist will look normalwhile someone who has a low level of skill will do things todraw people’s attention to them as a martial artist.

Not everyone understands this because as they have atelevision idea of a martial artist. However, a good martial artistis healthy and will defend himself, his family and his country.He has no fear to fight when someone is harming his people.But for himself or for some small troubles, he might not evenfight as he knows it is not worth that kind of trouble. So formyself, I think your son did very well to leave. Fighting backdoes not always guarantee you will win the fight and in winningyou can even lose more.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

and how does he react to this? Many peoplehave said we should look forrevenge.


Everyday we receive many letters from people all over the world, sometimes asking for advice,sometimes just sharing their experience. Unless specifically asked otherwise, we will considerthese letters for possible publication in Qi Magazine. In this way, we all come together like afamily and share and help each other. That is the reason I began Qi Magazine and particularlythe PO Box. - Michael Tse

If there is anything you wish to share with others, any news or any announcements you wouldlike to make, send them to us. We also welcome articles (800 - 1000 words in length) on topicsappropriate.

Please write to:

UKQi MagazinePO Box 59,

Altrincham WA15 8FS. UK.email [email protected]

USATse Qigong Centre

PO Box 15807,Honolulu, HI 96830. USA.

email [email protected]

Farewell & ThanksDear Sifu,

I have learned the “First 64” formof the Dayan Qigong and practised ChenStyle Tai-Chi in the London class for about2 years from 1996, now I am back toItaly and I do not know if I will ever go toEngland again. So I would like to takethis chance to thank you Sifu Michael Tseand also Glenn Glossing, Shahriar, Brianand Martin who have helped me a lot inmy practice and in understanding Qigongand Tai-Chi.Bye, Marco de Angelo, Italy

More and MoreHi!

I like the web site very much,although I can’t get to it as much asI would like. I came to it today andenjoyed the video clip. I alsosubscribe to the magazine, which iswell read. My son who practiceskarate finds some of the Qi exercisesvery helpful, and I find it beneficialin my Tai Chi practices.

My neighbour of 84, and herhome-help read it too. Myneighbour always says when her hipand her heart are fixed, she will alsopractice Qigong! Many thanks for awonderful informative, and usefulmagazine and web site. It is likehaving experts in my home all, dayevery day!Caroline

Dear Caroline,Thank you for your kind comments.

I am glad you and your family and friendshave enjoyed the Qi Magazine. We lookforward to bringing everyone lots moreinteresting articles and information in theNew Year!Best wishes, Michael Tse

Continuous?Dear Master Tse,

I have been practising Qigongfollowing the instructions given in MichaelTse’s book ‘Qigong, for Health andVitality’. I have done the exercises oneat a time. Now I wonder if this is thecorrect way. Should the Balancing Gongand the Taiji Qigong be performed as aseries of movements, i.e. continuous andnot discrete? Please guide me.Yours sincerelySingam, France

Dear Singham,Thank you for your letter. The

Balancing Gong movements are allindividual exercises which are meant tohelp certain illnesses or problems. Eachmovement can be done just once or evenfive, ten or twenty times. It is up to you.The more you practise, then the moresmooth the exercises will feel until youcan move from one movement to theotherwithout hesitation, almost like a form.

With a form, we only do aparticular movement once before movingon to the next movement. Forms are goodfor making the Qi flow smoothly throughthe body and improving memory, co-ordination and flexibility. As a result,someone with a severe back problem forinstance, may find it is not enough

concentration there to heal that area.That is why you may want to practise anindividual movement more than once asthey are so good for healing specificproblems.

I hope this answers your question.With best wishes,Michael Tse

Wing Chun FanDear Sifu Michael,

I hope you are okay at thismoment. I am an African boy residing inKenya, a country in the eastern part ofAfrica. I have been a close admirer ofmartial arts movies especially Kung-fuones and when I came across your book,WING CHUN. I really appreciated youreffort in opening up this kind of martialart to the outside world. I want to learnthe second part of Wing Chun, Tsum Kiu,so that I can advance myself in thisprestigious technique. Please if you can,avail to me the online address of yourwebsite where I can download suchinformation.Thanks SifuJohnson Ekiru Tukey, Kenya

Dear Johnson,Thank you for your letter

and hope you are well. I am gladto see that Wing Chun skill isspreading all over the world. Atthis moment, the Tsum Kiu formis not available through ourwebsite, though you are welcometo visit the website and read someof the articles on Wing Chun thatappear there. The address iswww.qimagazine.com

I hope you will keeppractising your Siu Lim Tao as thiswill help prepare you for the timewhen you can learn the Tsum Kiu.With kind regards,Michael Tse

Thank YouI would just like to say thank you

to everyone who has sent me a birthdaycard and Chinese New Year card. It isalways so nice to get these, even when Ihave not seen many of you for a while. Itmeans we are connected like a family.Best wishes to all,Michael Tse


Good Thingsto ShareGood Thingsto Share

Our ancestors took care of theplanet and did not go too far, but in lessthan two hundred years, we have doneso much to damage the planet. We havemade many, many plants and animalsextinct, have created so much toxic wastethat some places are too hazardous tolive. Every convenience we create comesat a cost to the planet and our health.The further we go from nature, the morepeople lose the balance in their hearts.One of my students said to me, “Weshould not think of ourselves as Americanor European cit izens, but as worldcitizens.” If the leader of a country isselfish, then the family will be selfish. Ifthe family is selfish, every citizen will beselfish. Today we are seeing this happen,and wars happening all the time.

If we want to have a good placeto live, we need to look at ourselves. Ifwe want the world to be peaceful, wehave to be peaceful ourselves. We needto learn to treat the earth with respect,like taking care of one of our ancestors.We need to think of ourselves as guests,not owners. With care and compassionfor our family, then that care andcompassion will pass on to our teachers,our employers, our leaders, ourneighbours.

It is the same for Qigong. If wejust think about the movement withoutdoing any meditation, we will neverchange our heart. Without changing ourhearts to be more kind and to let go,then we will not be healthy. We willalways carry the problems with us. Whenwe do this, it will affect our internalorgans. When the internal organs aredamaged, then the rest of the body willbe affected and we will become ill. Ourbodies are like the planet and the internalorgans are the countries that give us foodand shelter.

So in order to help the planet, wehave to understand how to be goodguests. In order to be healthy, we haveto learn how to be good guests for ourbody. When we learn how to take careof our health and relationships, then wewill know how to take care of the planet.We can be good guests and be invitedback again. Even other nice places willinvite you to come, as they have heardyou are a good guest.

During my time of ’growing up’ in our Qigong family, learning, listening,and watching Sifu and the seniors teaching, noticing how we all interactwith each other, my understanding of the idea that we are a part of this

huge world wide family has caused an awakening of Spirit, a deeper sense ofbelonging has been nurtured. Sigong often reminds us that the most importantthing is having a Good Heart, there is no doubt in my heart that this is a wiseand skilful teaching.

After many months of being out of the country, a member of our Qigongfamily turned up at class. We had often spoken of him, wondering how he wasand what he might be doing. I could see sometimes a wistful look of sadness inSifu, maybe thinking of the loss of a good student. This student was a goodteacher too, kind, with a lovely sense of humour. It wasn’t surprising that we allmissed him. Then suddenly, there he was!

Joyful greetings, a queue of people formed, waiting to embrace him,and welcome him back, Sifu was one of the first to do just that.

We always start class with a warm up, (it’s a kind of bonding time, andunites us as a group, old members and new). I feel Sifu observes how we areas individuals, while planning what needs to be done next! This evening though,Good Heart Feelings Emerge as the structure of tonight’s class is unfolding;

We all did Balancing Gong together, before going off to practice andpolish our many and various forms. In turn our newly returned ’brother’ wentoff with a senior student to polish Wild Goose.

Good Heart Feelings Expanding; as the whole class was revolving around,and encompassing him.

The point I am taking so long to make is this; there was no chastising, nofinger wagging,just warm, openand welcoming.Good Hearts inAbundance.

What a greatfamily to be amember of.

Sue ChamberlainNorwi ch

Have you ever beenthe recipient of akind deed? Hadsomeone help in timesof trouble? Do you havean inspiring thought thatmay brighten someoneelse's day? Please sendeither by post or email to theaddress in the front of themagazine. Mark 'Attention-Good Things To Share".

Qigong Massage toReduce BloodPressure

H igh blood pressure is a commonailment. Its main symptoms areheadache and dizziness. According to

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory (TCM), if thereis something wrong with the upper part of thebody, give treatment first to the lower part of thebody. Self massage can be used to reduce theblood pressure by rubbing and kneading theYongquan acupoints on the sole of the feet. TCMcalls massage at this acupoint, “taking away thefirewood from under the cauldron” and “conductingthe fire back to its origin”.

Rubbing the soles helps reduce the liverheat, conduct the blood flow downward and lightenthe burden on the head, thus alleviating headacheand dizziness. TCM also believes that massagingthe head and neck, especially pushing andmassaging behind the ears and back of neck helpsto direct the downward flow of the blood in thehead and weaken the upsurging force of blood,thus refreshing the brain and improving eyesight.

How to do:1. Rub the soles of the foot with the hands before getting up in the morning and

going to bed at night. Keeping yourself warm, rub the soles of your feet 100times each, for about two minutes. Alternatively, you can rub and knead theright sole with your left heel and rub and knead the left sole with right heel,100 times each. Then rub the toes with some force, not just back and forth.

2. Massage the head and neck, starting by pushing and massaging the headfrom the forehead backward to the bottom of the skull behind the head. Thenturn the palms up and use the outer sides of the small fingers to push andmassage from the ear downward the small of the neck, stimulating the Fengshiacupuncture points.

You can do the exercises in either order. You should feel relaxed in boththe head and body. It has been shown that the blood pressure is usually reducedby 10-20 mm after these exercises and the benefit will last four to five hours. Toconsolidate the curative effect, massage the head and neck anytime you wish.


The blade has to be able to do manythings and all to a high standard. Ithas to be strong enough to withstand

the blows that it delivers and receives(though you should try to avoidletting blades clash directly - toavoid damage and blunting), yet ithas to be light enough to be agilewhen wielded, and convenient tocarry about. It has to be softenough to be flexible and hardenough to hold an edge. Theway that a sword achieves allthese things is partlythrough the crosssectional shape of theblade and partlythrough the foldingand tempering of themetal.

The Chinesestraight sword’sblade has adiamond shapedcross section and ittapers towards thepoint. The diamondshape gives the swordstrength enough toparry. It also stops thesword being tooflexible along itslength. A certainrigidity is essential toallow the point topuncture a body whenthrusting. The diamond shape also allowsthe edge of the blade to have aparticularly acute angle. The centralportion of the blade tends to have asofter temper than the edge. The softertemper prevents the blade being toobrittle and the harder temper at theedge is necessary so that the blade canhold an edge while cutting through fleshand bone.

You should be able to flex a goodsword blade a few inches without itpermanently losing its shape. A sword isno good if you have to keep stopping inthe midst of battle to straighten it.Likewise, if it is too hard and brittle thereis a great risk of the blade snapping orsplitting. A simple iron bar will either snap

or bend when put under stress. This isno good for sword blades. A sword needsto be able to take a blow, flex and thenreturn to its original shape. This is whyto get a good sword you need thetechnological advances of temperedsteel.

Other methods of creating aflexible blade include repeated foldingof the metal during forging, weavingstrands of wire together during forging(as on Viking swords - see the recreationof the Sutton Hoo sword at the Britishmuseum), or pattern forged blades (alsoknown as damascene) where differentkinds of metal are welded together tocreate the desired balance of metallurgicproperties. All of these complex forging

techniques allowm i c r o s c o p i cmovements tooccur betweenthe differentmetals orlayers ofmetal. Thiscan providee x c e l l e n tsword bladesbut it can farmore easilyp r o v i d eawful ones.S w o r dsmithing hasalways beena highlyskilled job

and goodsword smiths

have alwaysbeen rare. In

Japan where swordsmithing is still taken

very seriously the topsmiths may produce as little as a singleblade a year.

To cut well a blade needs avery thin and hard edge. This isaccomplished by applying a hardertemper to the cutting edges than themiddle of the blade. The Chinesestraight sword has a very fine edgeand is a perfect cutting weapon,

however, this fineness makes itvulnerable to chipping or blunting, andis why Chinese straight sword forms tendto emphasise soft circular parrying ratherthan solid blocks.

An essential part of any swordsmanufacture is the sharpening andpolishing of the blade. Nowadays mostblades are made by industrial processeswhereby a piece of sprung steel ispunched out and then machined intoshape. If you look along most new bladesyou will be able to see the minusculeridges caused by machining. These donot matter too much for the purpose ofpractice , however when cutting thesemicroscopic ridges cause friction thatreduces the cutting capacity of the blade

by Glenn Gossling.gle nn@qimagaz ine . com

The most important and also the most technologically complexpart of any good sword is the blade itself.

Swords- Part IIISwords- Part III

Che

nTa

ijiq

ua

n

“A sword is no goodif you have to keepstraightening it”


King Xiang from the state of Zhao was very fondof horses and liked the idea of learning howto drive a carriage. Wang Ziqi taught him and

some time later the King raced with Wang. However,even though he changed horses three times, hopingto improve his chances of winning, he still lost eachtime.

In the end, the King became upset and toldWang, “I have asked you to teach me how to drivea carriage, but you have held something back fromme. That is why each time you win!”

Wang replied, “Your majesty, I have taughtyou all the skill I know, but you have not used myskill in the proper way. The important thing aboutdriving a carriage is that the horses’ bodies shouldfeel comfortable with the carriage and the driver’smind should be in harmony with the horses. Thenyou can achieve great speed and go long distances.”

“However, when you are behind me, all youwant is to catch up with me. When you are in frontof me, you are afraid all the time I will catch up withyou. When driving carriages in long distance races,one person is always either in front or behind.”

“When we were racing, no matter whetheryou are leading or whether you are trailing behind,your mind is always set on me. In that case, howcan your mind be in harmony with the horses? Thisis why you could not catch up with me, Your Majesty,not because I held any skill back from you.”

by Hanfe iz i

A Matter of MindA Matter of MindQi Magazine Mar/Apr 2003 page 11

Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum) is one ofthe most popular flowers in Chinaand an important member of the

Chinese Herbal materia medica. Thebook ‘Guang Qun Fang Pu’ written inthe Qing dynasty recorded between 300- 400 varieties of Chrysanthemum; themain types including Bai Ju Hua (WhiteChrysanthemum ),‘Huang Ju Hua’ (YellowChrysanthemum) and YeJu Hua (WildChrysanthemum).

Ju Hua has longbeen a favourite topic ofChinese poets andwriters, who havewrapped the flower inmystique andsymbolism over manycenturies. In literature,the Chrysanthemum isreferred to as ‘Qu Ju’, roughly translatedas ‘Autumn Chrysanthum’. While mostflowers prise open their buds in springand summer, Ju Hua chooses to bloomin autumn. To the Chinese, its naturalability to withstand the frosty winds ofautumn indicates a steadfast characterand strong personality. If a girl is born inAutumn, she may often be given thename ‘Qu Ju’ in the hope that she willembody these worthy characteristics.There is even a famous Chinese film,which I saw recently in Manchester, whichtakes its name after the lead character,‘Qu Ju’. Needless to say, she was avibrant lady!Ju Hua’s medical function is even morevaluable than its contribution to the arts.The flower is sweet and bitter in flavour,slightly cool in property, and acts on theLung and Liver channels. Ju Hua has twomain functions:1. To expel wind-heat to treat wind-heat syndromes, such as hayfever, coldetc. Use together with Sang Ye (Mulberryleaf), Bo He (Peppermint), Lian Qiao(Forsythia fruit).2. To calm the Liver Yang andbrighten the eyes. In this way, it is usedtogether with Xia Ku Cao (Selfheal spike),

Sang Ye (Mulberry leaf) and Jue Ming Zi(Cassia seeds) for swollen blood-shoteyes. For rising Liver Yang, which resultsin dizziness and headaches, Ju Hua maybe used with Gou Teng (Gambir vine)and Mu Li (Oyster shell). Ju Hua is alsoused with Gou Qi Zi (Wolfberry fruit), NuZhen Zi (Privet fruit) and Sheng Di Huang

(Chinese fowglove root) for dryeyes caused by deficiency of LiverYin.

Of the three types of JuHua mentioned earlier, Bai JuHua is the sweetest, and whilenot as heat-clearing as theother two, is good forcalming the LiverYang and improvingthe eyes. HuangJu Hua (YellowChrysanthemum)is more bitterwith a greaterability to clearaway heat, and istherefore usedmainly forexternal wind-heat.

The wildvariety, Ye Ju Hua,is the most bitterand is used to cleartoxic heat. It is oftenused to treat eczema,psoriasis and abscesses.

The quality of JuHua depends on where it

is grown. The best quality Bai Ju Hua,called Bo Ju, is grown in Bo Zhou (Thebirth place of the legendary Chinesephysician, Hua Tou). Another high qualityvariety,Han Ju Hua is grown in HanZhou,Zhe Jiang province. Many old Chinesemedicine practitioners, when writing theirtraditional prescriptions, will write HanJu instead of Bai Ju Hua.

There is another type of Ju Hua,called ‘Gong Ju’, otherwise known as‘Lady Emperor flower’. During the Tangand Song dynasties, this was mainlygrown at the foot of the famous Yellowmountain, in An Hui province. Such wasits fine quality, subjects would presentit formally (Jin Gong) to the Emperor,thus giving rise to the name Gong Ju.

Nowadays, we use Gong Ju tomake tea at ceremonies and

auspicious occasions. A verypopular tea is ‘Gong JuBing cha’, whoseingredients are Gong Ju,Lian Zi Xin (Lotus leafbuds), Gou Qi Zi(Wolfberry fruit), Pang DaHai (Boat Sterculia seed),Shan Zha (Hawthornfruit), Xi Yang Shen(American ginseng) androck sugar. Taken as a tea,these ingredients can clearand moisten the throat,brighten the eyes, calm theheart and strengthen thebody. It also tastes nice,and makes an elegantaddition to a Chinesedinner table.

Whatever varietyused, modern researchshows that Ju Hua has theability reduce cholesterollevels and reducehypertension. It also has anantibacterial and anti-fungal function. You maybuy dried Ju Hua in specialist

health food shops or evenfrom Chinese medicine clinics

by Dr. Shulan Tang.shulan@qimagaz ine .c om

Having covered many ailments over the years that can be treated byChinese medicine, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on individualherbs that are commonly found in the English countryside and gardens. Youmay be surprised by how useful they can be!

A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Herbs

Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum)A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Herbs

Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum)

Tra

dit

ion

alC

hin

ese

Me

dic

ine

The wild varietyis the most bitterand is used toclear toxic heat

The wild varietyis the most bitterand is used toclear toxic heat


Basic Self Defence for LadiesBasic Self Defence for LadiesSelf-defence is something most people think about at some point in their lives. Usually it is more of a concern to

ladies, as they often feel more vulnerable due to the differences in strength between the average man and the averagewoman. There is also the difference in size to take into consideration.

Therefore any self-defence method must take into consideration these points and overcome the differences. Onlythen can the lady have a realistic chance of using them.

Hair Grab and upward wrist lock

i. Again the attacker grabs the hair from behind.ii. Place both hands over his and take a step forwards

with your right foot.iii. Spinning to your left, quickly turn to face him and at

the same time twist his wrist all the way round toyour left.

Hair Grab and inner wrist lock

i. The attacker grabs the hair from behind.ii. It is important to remain as calm as possible. Place

your hands over the attacker's hand.iii. Quickly turn around to face him, allowing your body

to bend forwards.iv. Then suddenly straighten up and bend his wrist back.

Hair Grab and outer wrist lock

i. Again the attacker grabs the hair from behind.ii. Place both hands over his and take a step

forwards with your left foot.iii. Spinning to your right, quickly turn to face him

and at the same time twist his wrist all the wayround to your right.

Practise these movements until you can do them quicklyand smoothly and not allow your attacker to regain control.When practising be careful not to damage your partners wrist.

These techniques work, as they do not pit your strengthdirectly against your attacker's strength. Most people will tryand release the grip by moving the hands or fingers directly.However , your attacker's grip may be very strong and if you

are not strong enough to prise the hand away, then you willnot be able to free yourself and also put yourself at more risk.This movement directs your strength to another part of theattackers body, his shoulder. When his attention moves awayfrom his hand, his grip will loosen and so you will be able tocontrol his wrist and release the grip.


The Source of Water

A stream with four dotsrepresents the drops of water orpebbles on its bank. as radical

water ; river

niao sui urine cuan

chuan; chuan; shun;

xun; xun; zhen.

a river

Personal Tuitionwith Michael Tse

Study on a one toone basis with

MasterMichael Tse

lessonsalso availablewith senior student

Darryl Moy

ContactTse Qigong Centre

PO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS

Tel 0161 929 4485Fax 0161 929 4489.

Email [email protected]

Liao Fans Four LessonsAncient Teaching for Modern TimesFor a free copy write to the Tse Qigong Centre

(see Whats On Pages for UK & USA addresses)


Mr Liao-Fan Yuan originally wrote Liao-Fan’s FourLessons in the 16th century of China. The book was intendedto teach his son, Tian-Chi Yuan, how to recognise the trueface of destiny, tell good from bad, correct one’s faults andpractise kind deeds. It also provided living proof of the rewardsand outcomes of people who practised kind deeds andcultivated virtue and humility. Relating from his own experienceat changing destiny, Mr Yuan himself was a living embodimentof his teachings.

While reading, one may wonder why the Chinese placedso much emphasis on examinations. In the past, studying washeld in highest regard while all other occupations wereconsidered low class. The Chinese government selected itsofficials through a system of meritocracy. Many levels ofimperial examinations were given to all who wished to takethem. It was very difficult to pass these tests and one had tobe very learned and talented in writing essays.

Those who did pass had the chance to advance to highgovernment positions and live a life of wealth and prominence.People who could not pass the examinations were notrecognised, regardless of how smart or capable they wereotherwise. This was why many youths of that time turned tostudying for the exams in hopes of a prosperous future. Theoriginal text of Liao Fan’s Four Lessons was written in classicalChinese which is very difficult for today’s readers to understand.This is a re-edited version of a later, still further simplifiedtranslation that makes it more accessible to all.

The First Lesson: Learning to Create DestinyThere once was an Emperor in the Yu Dynasty by the

name of Shwun. One day, before he became Emperor, hewas watching some fishermen on Lake Leize. He noticed thatall the younger and stronger fishermen took the spots wherethe water was deep and fish were abundant, while the olderand weaker fishermen were left with the rapids and shallowwater, where there were very few fish.

When Shwun saw the situation, he felt sympathy forthe older and weaker fishermen and thought of a way to turnthe situation around. He decided to join in the fishing party toset an example for the others. Whenever he saw fishermenplunder good fishing spots, he would conceal their faults andnever spoke of their selfishness.

When he saw those who were humble and yielding, hepraised them everywhere he went and even followed theirhumble and polite ways. Shwun stayed and fished like this fora whole year until the other fishermen got into the habit ofyielding good fishing spots to others.

This story of Shwun is only an example to show how aperson influences others through his actions and not throughhis speech, it is not meant to encourage others to fish. Shwun,as a wise and intelligent man, could have easily influencedothers with a few words of advice. So why did he not just saysomething instead of sacrificing a year and personally joiningin the gathering?

Shwun did not want touse words, but preferred to setan example for others throughhis actions. Shwun wanted thosefisherman to feel ashamed oftheir own selfish behaviour andchange on their own accord.This shows how deep andsincere Shwun’s wish for othersto practise kindness was.

By setting an example,Shwun also avoided to comparehimself to others. When anotherperson is unkind, we should not

use our own kindness to measure or compare ourselves withothers. When others are not as capable as we are, we shouldnot purposely surpass them with our abilities.

Even when we are intelligent and competent, weshould keep our skills hidden and not boast. Instead, weshould behave more humbly than ever. We should lookat what we have as impermanent and when someonemakes a mistake, we should tolerate it and give them achance to reform their heart without losing their selfrespect.From Liao Fan’s Four Lessons.Acomplete version

of Liao Fan along with commentary will soon beavailable via our website.You can also write or callto request a free copy of this book at one of the Tse

Qigong Centre offices.

Liao Fans Four Lessons

Success is not just measured by how much money you have made, how high aposition you have reached. If you have a lot of money, but no one likes to be with you howcan you call yourself successful? This means we need to know how to be with others.

“He praised themeverywhere he went and even

followed their humble andpolite ways.”

“He praised themeverywhere he went and even

followed their humble andpolite ways.”


Hong KongHong Kong

Ip Man Tong Part IIOpening of

Foshan

The day after the Ip Man Tong celebrations we were treated to a tour of theFoshan region that was organised for us by Grandmaster Ip Chun. The tourafforded us the opportunity to see more of this part of China and included visitsto a few temples and a tour of the National film studios. These studios areresponsible for the production of some of the soaps and films on Chinese TV. Part

of the experience included a mock battle from Chinese history and we witnessed animpressive display of horsemanship from the resident stunt men.

The lasting image that will stay with me from that day will be the 39 Metre highcopper statue of Kwan Yin (female Buddha) which was situated on top of a dormantvolcano called Lotus Leaf Mountain. Coming up the mountain in the coach the statuewas shielded from view by trees and the twists and turns in the mountain road so the

After the highs of the Opening Ceremony, there weremore treats to come. A guided tour around Foshan withGrandmaster Ip Chun, taking in some spectacular sightsand of course, a spot of training...


Hong KongHong KongFoshan &

effect when you round the last bend and see this colossaldedication to Buddhism dominating the skyline is quitebreathtaking. Great consideration is given to the siting andlayout of statues and the areas are havens of peace set asidefor contemplation and meditation. Just being there, you aredrawn to thoughts of a spiritual nature as the sheer size makesyou feel physically small and insignificant.

Having spent the day touring we started the journeyback to Hong Kong drawing to a close our three days in Foshan.We now had ahead of us four days that were to be dedicatedto some serious tourism. Apart from sightseeing, shopping,and eating the group were aiming to avail themselves of everyopportunity to train at Sigong Ip Chun’s school in Hong Kong.Balancing the different agendas of a group of twenty peoplemeant dividing up so that everybody’s expectations could be

After the highs of the Opening Ceremony, there weremore treats to come. A guided tour around Foshan withGrandmaster Ip Chun, taking in somespectacular sights


fulfilled. We came together for the most part for eating andtraining outside of which the choice was catch the sights orcatch the local traders for a bargain!

There were many highlights for me over the ensuingdays. Sigong Ip Chun suggested an impromptu seminar, whichwas a bonus over and above the opportunity to train withsome of his senior students. It turned out to be a master classduring which he trained and talked in his inimitable relaxedstyle on many key aspects of Wing Chun. When not requestedto teach on a specific subject, he always veers towards hisfavourite subject, Chi Sau (literally translated, as sticking handsChi Sau is an interactive way of training all the skills of WingChun). Sigong Ip Chun has in the past described Chi Sau asthe essence of Wing Chun and views this as the most beneficialway to develop your skill. For the first two hours of the sessionhe mostly let his hands and feet do the communicating andfollowed this by detailing the small points which if traineddiligently would give big results. He reiterated once again theimportance of footwork and of practising turning which is asubject that has cropped up in every seminar I have everattended.

Having checked our technique and given us somepointers we were invited to ask questions and what follows is

a paraphrased version of the ensuing session that proved tobe very interesting and enlightening. It offered some insightinto the way Grandmaster Ip Chun sees the future for WingChun and what we, as practitioners, should be striving for inour training.

I asked Sigong to give us some background as to thework that had gone in to the planning and setting up of the IpMan Tong and to give us some indication of how he felt giventhat the event was such a success.

The organisation of the Ip Man Tong took a lot of energyand time. Firstly, there was the process of obtaining permissionfrom the officials in Foshan and the agreement of a plan forthe two days. They had to be satisfied on many levels notleast of which was how the people coming in to China wouldbe vetted. They needed to check for potential terroristsdisplaying a reticence for the event initially and creating abureaucratic jungle that eventually necessitated a hundred tripsback and forth from Hong Kong to Foshan. These werenecessary to fine tune the detail, sort out the funding andensure that everything would be dealt with as promised. Thistook place over 2 years preceding the event and had to be

“For the first twohours of the sessionhe mostly let hishands and feet do thecommunicating.”

Jeremy Dallow gets some pointers from Sigong

Derek Fowlertravelled fromSeattle to visit hisSigong.

and enjoyedevery second

SimonBedforddiscovered that two is not

always better than one


The bronze Kwun Yin statue A spectacular view of Lotus Leaf MountainA Daoist Monastery atHui Long Lake A group photo at Lotus Leaf Mountain

Grandmaster Ip Chun takes in Baiyun An impressive movie set The tour of South Sea Film Production The Ving Tsun Athletic Assoc in Hong Kong

Mike Baker Chi Sauswith Ip Sigong The author tries his hand So does ChiMan Sigong does not miss After training noodles!

Chi Sau in a packed room A group shot infront of the famous plaque Time for personal mementos A marble tablet with the history of the VTAA

More noodles!A Junk ride aroundthe harbour More training Victoria Peak at night Hong Kongnever sleeps

Bargin hunting Dim Sum time Stunning skyline Making a deal One last memory of a trip of a lifetime


approached with some determination. Even so the location forthe memorial was only set temporarily in the grounds of theAncestral Temple until such time as a permanent location couldbe determined. They were definitely keeping their optionsopen. In many ways the local bureaucrats under estimatedthe interest that the event would generate and the continuedinterest in Wing Chun throughout the world.

Once these obstacles had been passed the event wasorganised and announced and a deadline for July 2002 wasset for everybody to forward mementoes, photographs andcontributions for the exhibits. These should have been sentdirectly to Foshan. Unfortunately most people sent them toHong Kong which contributed in no small part to the final tallyof a hundred trips with many of the contributions being relayedby Ip Chun and Ip Ching personally. I reported on the successof the event in Issue 65 so you can see that many things in lifethat are taken for granted, that appear smooth and calm onthe surface have much ‘hidden’ energy to maintain theirmomentum.

Satisfying our curiosity about the Ip Man Tong he movedon to talk about his decision to step back from travelling. IpChun retired from travelling around the world on the seminarcircuit in 2001 and one or two erroneous conclusions weredrawn in certain quarters regarding his capabilities saying that,not to put too finer point on it, he was past it!

Sigong Ip Chun raised this point himself whichdrew a few ironic smiles from many people in the roomwho had just spent some time honing their skill withhim knowing that nothing could be further from thetruth. Such remarks are ill informed to say the leastand probably made by people who have spent no timewith him. Nobody at the age of 78 has the naturalstrength they had at 40 or 50 or even 60 for thatmatter. What is amazing about the man is that hisskill, application, understanding and enthusiasm arestill there for everybody not only to see, but toexperience first hand! (No pun intended). For two outof the three hours that he was teaching us he was onhis feet during which time he Chi Sau’d with everybodyoffering them the opportunity and encouraging themto do their best. He still has a skill level and hand eyeco-ordination that I have yet to glimpse in anybodyelse. The essential difference is his mind set and overallattitude. There is still an enthusiasm and zest for life that doesn’t

just limit itself to WingChun and it is somethingwhich is worth aspiring toon it’s own.

With the exhibitioncompleted he is con-centrating his energy intowriting, hoping to pen afew books. In order to dothis he is stepping backfrom the committees andorganisations and will beteaching less and less inperson.

The first book heis intending to write willbe on the subject of ChiSau, a task he considersa big challenge as it is not

proving to be an easy thing to do. His ambition is to be able toconvey the essenceof what isconsidered goodChi Sau and as it isexperienced throu-gh connection withyour opponentconveying thisthrough the twodimensional worldof words andpictures in ameaningful way willtake some skill andtime.

This pointgave way to furtherdiscussion on WingChun. In

“He is intending towrite a book on ChiSau, a task he considersa big challenge”

Describing the finer points of Wing Chun

Jessica Blackwell tries her handPeter Walfisz find out Sigong has not lostany of his skill


conversations with his father Ip Man concluded that who eversucceeded in simplifying Wing Chun would make a significantcontribution to the furtherance and development of the art.His father at one stage had tried without success to combinethe three forms into one.

This raised an interesting point about human naturethat he had discovered from his own experience. When hecame to teach he remembered the conversations with his fatherand decided to take a simple approach and teach only ChiSau from the beginning and not to bother with the forms.After some time he was approached by his students asking tobe taught the forms as they were being criticised by otherschools for not having this knowledge. Such was the persistenceof their requests that in time he gave in to their wishes andstarted to teach them the forms. His conclusion was that peoplewanted to learn more rather than less to make them feel as ifthey were progressing. He only succeeded ultimately inchanging the sequence of learning rather than what is learned.So he would have to leave it to someone else in the future todiscover a way of simplifying the system without detractingfrom it.

Asked if he was going to appoint a successor to him asa figurative head of Wing Chun when he passed away. IpChun’s response was to suggest that to do so would be counterproductive because to suggest that one Sifu would haveprecedence over another would only create conflict and not inthe long term interest of the development of Wing Chunthroughout the world. His ideal would be for everybody tocontinue to practice and develop Wing Chun and pass it’sbenefits on to future generations. This point seemed a goodtime to finish and the official record of the event was sealedwith a photo session taken against the backdrop of pictures ofIp Man in the presence of his son. Definitely one for thememory banks.

That evening following the seminar we returned to theWing Chun Athletic Association building for an evening classwhich lasted a further three hours and consisted solely of ChiSau. Although it was autumn it was still very much T-shirtsand shorts weather as the temperature was higher than wewould enjoy on a hot summers day in England. Add to thatthe local humidity plus the presence of fifty people training ina room that normally houses twenty and you have anexperience akin to training in a Sauna such was the combinedeffect. Many of the people from different parts of Englandwho were in China for the past few days were back in HongKong and also taking the opportunity to get some extra trainingagainst different hands, so the room was packed.

Wing Chun aside there is a lot to recommend HongKong for a break if you have the constitution. It is continuallyactive something like Oxford Street on a busy day but everyday!The thing that hits you is the combined affect of smell, sightand sound that have your senses battered for the first coupleof days but if you give yourself over to it the experience it isfulfilling, stimulating and interesting so you can never be bored.

It is an international city with better communicationsthan most cities I have visited so getting around is easy. Thelast thing you need in Hong Kong is a car! We took in themarkets that are definitely not for the faint hearted, a ride ona dao, a trip to Victoria Peak, the seated Buddha on LantauIsland and of course numerous restaurants. I will finish at thispoint just in case you think I am working for the Hong KongTourist Board

by John Hayes The author getting pushed into a tight spot

Dave Davenport Chi Saus with the Grandmaster


Dao An the creator of

Wild GooseQigongWild GooseQigong



S oat the age

of twelve,Wei was sent

to a Buddhisttemple to stay

and study. Hisfamily thought that

this was the only placewhere Wei might be

accepted. You can imaginehow hard this was on a little

boy who had lost both hisparents. Now his only family was

also abandoning him. Luckily, Weihad been educated by Ru Jia’s thinking.

A good person should be able to standany difficulty and accept their fate andovercome their problems. Crying andcomplaining will not help the situation.The serverity of a problem depends alot on how we look at it and handle it.

When Wei got to the temple, histeacher gave him another name, DaoAn. Even though he was young, he wasjust one of so many people and so histeacher did not pay too muchattention to him. He was left to dothe cleaning and other jobs thatother people did not like. He didnot mind and was happy toaccept the situation. Byconcentrating on what he wasdoing and not worrying orcomplaining about his fate, hismind became peaceful and hisheart developed.

This kind of education isdifferent than in the West. In the

West, education concentrates more on an individualperson, whereas in traditional Chinese culture, it isabout the whole family. How to respect the parentsand teachers is the first most important thing. Whenwe are born, we have not brought a single thingwith us and so without our parents to take care ofus, we would already be dead. It is not thegovernment that takes care of us when we areborn, it is our own parents, from the day your motherbecame pregnant. Their help is the greatest.

As my brother recently said, having justbecome a father himself, “Now I understand myparent’s hard work.” It is true that a lot of peoplewill not see things from the other side until theystep in that person’s shoes. I have also heard


In fact many practitioners only know it as a slowmoving exercise routine, and are completelyunaware of its more practical purpose. Othersknow there is more to it, but do not wish to learnthe fighting skill.

However, for those wishing to immersethemselves in the whole art, and not just one aspect

of it, such as its health benefits, there is one stylethat is eminently suitable - Chen. Its history

stretches back to the origins of Taijiquan, sinceit was the first form from which all otherstyles developed. But unlike the morepopular styles such as Yang, Chen StyleTaijiquan does not seem to appeal to manywomen. With its deep stances, and fast,explosive movements, at first sight it mayseem more suited to the male psyche.It definitely cannot be described asladylike. Our female forebears wouldbe horrified at the high kicks and fastpunches performed by those of uswomen dedicated to its practise. But

beneath the showy exterior lies anextremely subtle art, which I

believe is equally applicableto both men and women.But do not be mistaken, to

practise as a woman you donot have to become one of thelads!

In my experience, bothsexes approach learning Chen

very differently. Men areinstantly attracted to thefighting skill. They avidlywatch the applications, theireyes gleaming as a fellowstudent is effortlesslybrought to his knees, or

A Bit More YinMen and women the World over

practise Taijiquan, and derive hugebenefit from it. In many classes theemphasis is on health, relaxation and

meditation. Few practise Taijiquan asit was meant to be – a martial art.

A Bit More Yin


spun across the room by theirSifu. When practisingapplications on one anotherthey wade in enthusiastically,and you sometimes have tostop them inflicting seriousdamage on one another.Then when they practisethe form, theyconcentrate onaggression; kickinghigh and punchinghard. But what theyoften miss is thesubtlety of the art.This is where womenhave the upper hand.Taijiquan calls forsoftness and sensitivity,something mostwomen have inabundance. If you pitstrength againststrength, the smallestperson will lose, be theymale or female. ButTaijiquan calls for cunning,not upper body strength orbullishness. To begin with,the weight has to be in thecorrect place for the posturesto work. The constantshifting of it a little more toone side then the other is adelicate operation,something either sex canmaster. Then there is useof the waist. Manybeginners move their armsfrom one position to another,instead of letting a turn ofthe waist take the arms withit. This use of the waistproduces a lot more powerfor very little effort. This,again, is an area I thinkwomen find easier tounderstand - let’s face it,we have a waist to turn!What you do need, though, is strength in the legs, and this iswhere a lot of men are at an advantage over we women. Butthis is not impossible to overcome. There are many sports atwhich women excel that require strong legs, it just takes a bitmore hard work to achieve. In general, men are naturallystronger, and therefore at first seem to progress more quicklythan women, who can sometimes become disheartened as aresult. But once students get past the stage where they needstrength to hold the stances, and start to learn relaxation andsoftness, then the women catch up.

As with any new skill, you need a certain amount of gritand determination to master it , but you can still remainfeminine. In fact, this will only make your skill more deadly,

since no one willexpect it of you. Ifyou can smilesweetly whiledelivering apowerful punch itwill be all the moreeffective for beingunexpected.

So while themen have morepower, and fightingcomes morenaturally to them,women have moreof an eye for detailand their approachis more subtle.This means their

development towards mastering Chen style Taijiquan is fromopposite ends of the spectrum, but eventually they will meetin the middle. There are a few female Masters to give usinspiration. One such is Master Chen Guizhen who is famousfor her Chen skill. She was featured on the front cover ofIssue 39 of this magazine, and there must be many more likeher.

So come on all you women out there. Chen classesare currently dominated by the chaps. But do not approachthis new challenge as an honorary man. Use your femininewiles – after all, we have been honing them for many centuries.Why not put them to a new use?

by Kate Britton

“If you pit strengthagainst strength, thesmallest person will lose,Taijiquan calls forcunning, not upper bodystrength or bullishness.”

The author with Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang


Jeremy Dallow- BerkshireInstructor Insight

Stir-fried Watercresswith Tofu

One bunch fresh watercress½ package of firm tofusoy saucepeanut oilsalt2 cloves chopped garlic

Wash the watercress under cold water and drain. Chop into 2 inch pieces and set aside.Drain the tofu and rinse under cold water. Wrap in paper towel or a tea towel to help absorb some of the moisture for

five minutes. Afterwards, cut into ½ inch slices and set aside.Heat the oil in a wok or large flat pan until hot and add pinch of salt. Add the tofu and let lightly cook on one side before

turning and cooking other side. Remove to a plate.

Wash the wok with water (no soap) and place back on heat until water evaporates. Add oil and salt and heat till hot. Addwatercress and garlic and stir fry quickly. Keep turning so cooked evenly. When just done (will still be crunchy but a bright green),add a few dashes of soy sauce. Add back in the tofu and stir to coat. Remove to plate and enjoy.

When I first started learning Wing Chun I was looking for something that wouldget me fit and healthy - a friend of mine had been studying Martial Arts and could notenthuse about it enough. After wandering into the class I found and saw peopleplaying (Chi Sau or sticking hands), smiling and correcting each other’s positions. Imust admit that this did not exactly reflect the scenes I’d seen in many a martial artmovie! Probably not a bad thing. After a couple of weeks I noticed people stayingaround for the Qigong class. After asking about the Qigong and finding it was moreattuned to health, I was invited to watch the class. The movements astounded, theattention to detail knocked me out, but the attitude of those in the class really shonethrough.

I found both the Qigong and the Wing Chun extremely difficult, in all honesty,but those in the class showed absolute patience in nursing me through an everincreasing number of exercises, whilst keeping what was already learned in goodshape. It is an amazing feat how the skill has been passed down with such detail andsuch accuracy - but it still allows a person’s personality to shine through. For this Ithank my teacher Mike Baker, Sigong (Michael Tse) who never fails to astound, be itwith astonishing skill or simple answers to what seem like complicated questions!What amazes about the Centre is that everybody has much to teach each other, andso much respect for those who have taught it - right to the source of whichever skill.

I’m now qualified as an instructor and looking forward not only to teaching theskills that I have been so grateful to receive, but also to learning off of my students asI endeavour to set up my own class. I can only hope to show the dedication andpatience to my future students that has been shown to me.

Jeremy is authorised to teach WingChun Kuen. He can be contacted on

07905177821

page 30 Qi Magazine Mar/Apr 2003page 30 Qi Magazine Mar/Apr 2003

Poems forHealthy

LivingGongPart I

Poems forHealthy

LivingGongPart I

Collect the QiFrom left and rightTo Dantian, swayFrom side to side.

Sweep hands to both sidesAnd stand very proudTo separate the fog

And look for a cloud.

Lets search for fishBy the side of the lakeKeep head above waistTo get rid of headaches.

When golden dragonStretches it claws

Move waist and armsWithout pause.

Old tree winds its rootsTo sink your Qi

Imagine how strongYour legs will soon be.

Jade ladder climbsInto the sky;

It helps when your blood pressureIs too high.

Of a beautiful ballKeep a gentle hold

To rid yourselfOf bronchitis and cold.

When you look for treasureAt the bottom of the chest

Its not money but good healthIn which you invest.

Swing the child left and rightShift weight and bend knees;

It gets rid of tennis elbowAnd circulates your Qi.

By Vera Externest

Hands like windmills motion.Only when the fog clears is wisdom

found.Fishing in a Lake.

A dragon springs from the watermaking prophecies

Stepping behind an old tree the beastsoars away.

Climb those winding roots all the way.From above a child’s ball falls to the

groundBouncing onto a hidden treasure chest.Children run over retrieving their ball,With childlike innocence, one measure

for all.By Barry Horre ll .

by Caity Collins

Poetry in MotionPoetry in Motion

Images of QiImages of Qi

Thanks to everyone who has sent in their poems. We are sureall our readers have enjoyed them as much as we have. Next issuewill be the last opportunity to have your work in print, so if youare still thinking about it, don’t delay send us your poems today.


This was brought home to me veryclearly as I recently spent two weeksin Hong Kong. It was well over

crowded and my practise was limited anddone mostly during the evenings at aHong Kong garden equivalent, a largepaved terrace with shrubbery behind myfather and mother in-law’s 30 storyapartment building. However, each dayI walked a lot. To the station, back to thestation, all around different areas,sometimes as much as five hours a day.

I also had the opportunity to domore Chi Sau (Wing Chun sticking handspractise) than I have done in a long time.I brought to Hong Kong an aching lowerback and a pinched nerve in my shoulderbut by the time I came home, both hadall but disappeared.

This separation from my normalroutine, made me see several things, notonly to do with practise. The beds inChina and Hong Kong are wonderfullyhard. Even my pillow, although giving mean earache from its hardness the first fewnights, began to feel good after awhile.I noticed that my back did not slink downinto a curve at night and so pulling myneck downwards in a crinh as well.Because I did not drive, but had to takea train, I was standing more often thanusual. I noticed that, generally, people

in Hong Kong don o t

have the poor posture which we see somuch in our own culture. They also havemore flexibility and less back problems.When you by chance see a Westerneramong all the Chinese people, you canreally see the stiffness in their body. Youcan say that is in the genes, but it is alsoa society issue. Squat toilets are stillcommon in many homes andrestaurants. If you have a bad back andcan not bend down, then you have awhole different kind of problem! Sadly,though, the epidemic is beginning there,and is more common among their younggeneration who have grown up playingcomputer and video games. In the past,this would not have happened.Confucianism had instilled a proper wayof sitting, eating and even writing, whichhelped to discipline the mind and body,but also was very good for proper Qi.

So all of these things, made ahuge difference. One evening arounddusk, I was worn out and went down bythe harbour to sit down awhile. Whilethere, I watched a little old lady takingher evening stroll, Qigong style. She hadher own little routine:- as she walked,she would swing her arms, shake eachfoot as though it had been asleep, tapthe top of her head, sometimes walkingslow, sometimes speeding up for a shortfive second burst of speed, little armsflapping like a duckling, and then slowingdown again. She would stop and do

stretching against the railings, leanover and pound her fists against her

lower back, bend over and stretchupwards. I could tell she knew

how to listen to her body. Whenyou come to that level, youdo not need forms.

Although she waswell into her seventies andmaybe even older, shemoved with the fluidity ofa twenty year old. Shewas a bit plump but notoverly so. Everything onher was balanced. Youcould see the serenityin her mind coming outthrough hermovement and theway she was not

distracted by the other people aroundher. For me, she was a Qigong masterin her own way. It really inspired me.

In the West, everyone considersus so lucky as we are so rich andcomfortable by their standards. In HongKong, people are working (if they arefortunate enough to have a job) six daysa week and twelve or more hours a day.They have a lot of stress and worry justto pay their rent and other bills. Somepeople are even killing themselves andtheir families because they cannot cope.

But in the West, we have morecomfort and relaxation time. We comehome to sit on big sofas and sleep onspecially designed mattresses, yet we stillhave so much weakness in our bodies. Ifyou asked a teenager to stand up straightfor ten minutes without moving, he wouldfind it so difficult. Our soft sofas and bedsactually damage our Qi and make thejoints and muscles weak. Not enoughmovement creates a lot of blockageswhich makes us tired and have chronicpain which can later develop into moreserious illness.

Hong Kong people are in-between both the old and the new. Babystrollers (push chairs) are becoming morecommon, but they have not thoughtabout the baby’s posture and health,only convenience for the mother. Somany times I see that although the chairleans backwards, the baby is sittingforward perfectly straight. The babyknows instinctively what is the rightposture, but we break that intuitiverightness by the time they are two orthree.

In other parts of China, wherethey are still riding bicycles and walkingmore, they are still more healthy. That isnot to say they do not get ill, but theirillness can be treated and healed morequickly. There are cases to disprove allof what I say, but I am looking at theforest not each tree. I hope that thepeople in China can keep some of theirold ways. Even the sofa in my mother-in-law’s home was hard. They teased meabout shipping a Hong Kong bed backto America. I am still thinking it over!

by Sihnkei. s ihnkei@qimagaz ine.com

If you put me on a witness stand and made me swear in, I would have to pleadguilty. Guilty for not trusting and using my Qigong more to make me healthy.

Between the OldBetween the Old & New& New


Chan and Ma were walking throughthe local town on one of their regularchores. After their morning practise,

they had to go and fetch wood for thefire. They had to do this everyday andhad been doing so for a long time.

“Oh, I’m fed up with doing thisall the time,” sighed Ma, “I wish we coulddo what ever we wanted to wheneverwe wanted to.” Chan looked at him,“What’s wrong, feel like your stuck in arut?” he asked. “Yes I’m fed up with thesame old routine.” said Ma kicking at theground. “Everyday is the same.”

“Have you heard about theFamous Crazy Men?” Chan asked Ma.“No, who are they?” he replied. Chansmiled, “One of them is the richest manin the province. He has never had to doa days work in his life. He inherited allhis money and had no family once hisparents had passed away.”

“Whatever he wanted he wouldjust go and buy, sometimes he wouldbuy things whether hewanted them or not,just because it wassomething to do.Finally he was allalone, he had nofriends, and there wasnothing else hewanted to buy and hehad no ambitionsbecause if he neededanything, he could justbuy it.”

“The otherCrazy, was a beggar,who was very poorbut once had a goodjob and a good life.Things had gonewrong for him and he had lost his joband home. Now he slept on the streetsand everyone took pity on him and gavehim food if he was hungry or clothes ifhe needed them. He, too, was all aloneand had nothing else to do.”

“So the two of them just spenttheir days wandering around, wasting

their days away. As time went on theybecame more and more eccentric anddid lots of strange things. It was as ifthey were becoming more andmore detached from the realworld and real people.”

“Wow,” saidMa, “Do you meanthey becameenlightened?”Chan laugh-ed, “No, theydidn’t.” hereplied, “Tobecome en-lightened youhave to let go ofattachments. How-ever these two werenot letting go, theywere actually creatingtheir own worlds inwhich they could dowhatever they pleased.

But as they had no direction, they endedup doing nothing instead. They just layaround all day and as the days wastedaway so did their energy and their spirit.”

“People started to say, “Those twoguys are crazy, one is so rich, he can doanything he wants, but instead he justlies around all day. And the other one is

so poor, even if he justfound a simple job, hewould surely be better offthan he is now.”

“You see,” saidChan, “Routine is whatkeeps you grounded, whatkeeps you in touch withreality. Without routine, you

loose your direction and energy. Forexample, everyday we have certainthings to do, and then we can decidewhat to do with the rest of the day. Ourroutine consists of training and ourchores. If we only concentrated on ourtraining we would become selfish, as allour thoughts are just about ourselves.

Following RoutineFollowing Routine

How many times have you been on holiday only to feel homesickafter a while? Though it is strange to say, you might even feel glad toget back to work, back to the old routine.

Cli

mbin

gth

eM

oun

tain

“Whatever hewanted he would justgo and buy, whetherhe really wanted themor not.”


Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 [email protected]

The rich man could do whatever he wanted, whenever hewanted and because of this he ended up doing nothing. In hismind there was always tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes.The poor man lost his sense of routine when he lost his job.His job gave him stability and without it he lost his spirit aswell. So he too ended up doing nothing. Of course it is alwaysnice to have a break but you cannot live like that all the time.”

“So what happened to the Famous Crazy Men?” AskedMa. “Well the funny thing is, while they were wandering aroundtown, they kept seeing each other and then they startedtalking. The poor man said to the rich man “You’re so rich,you should not be wasting your time like me.” and the rich

man said, “You had a good job why don’t you find another. Atleast you know how to do something, I don’t know how to doanything.” The more they talked the more they could seehow each other was wasting his life away. They even startedcalling each other crazy! This made the people walking past

them laugh. Fromthat day on theyagreed to meet upeveryday at the sametime to talk. As thedays went by theylooked forwards totheir meetings andbegan to arrangetheir days aroundthem.”

“They startedto get into a routine.”said Ma. “Yes and itgave them apurpose. Eventually

they set up a business together using the rich man’s moneyand the poor man’s business skill. They became very successfuland started giving jobs to all the poor people and drifters inthe area, because they wanted to help them. And do youknow what people started to say about them?” asked Chan.Ma shook his head, “Those two guys are crazy! They take onall the useless people in the area, surely they could find betterpeople to employ!” Ma shook his head again, “Some peoplejust miss the point.” He said

by Darryl Moydar r y l@qimagaz ine . com

“They even startedcalling each other

crazy! This made thepeople walking past

them laugh.”


Fig 1 Fig 2a Fig 2b

Fig 3

Healthy Living Gong Part IIHealthy Living Gong Part II8. Opening the Channels by Touching the Fingers

i. Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Hold hands at upperchest level, Laogong points facing upwards. Fig 1

ii. At the same time, hop on right foot and swing the armsbackwards, up and then forwards in a circle. Finish with thearms at the upper chest, thumb and index finger touchinglightly together. Fig 2a-Fig 2b

iii. Hop on left foot and swing the arm again, this time finishingat the upper chest with the thumb and middle fingerstouching together. Fig 3

iv. Keep hopping on alternate legs, each time touching theremaining fingers and thumb together in a cycle fromthumb to first, second, third, and fourth fingers. Repeatthe cycle. Fig 4 to 6

BreathingWhen you hop up, you should breathe out. When you

pause while touching the finger and thumb together, you shouldbreathe in. Alternatively, you can just breathe naturally.

ConcentrationWe should keep a relaxed and happy attitude when we

practise the movement. It is a little bit like skipping rope butwithout the rope. So you do not need to worry about the ropehitting your foot as you hop. Therefore, you can completelyrelax and concentrate on the hopping. This should relate withtouching the fingers together. Each time you hop and touchthe fingers together, you should pause for a second beforebeginning another hop. The hands should be at the middlechest with the Laogong points facing each other.

BenefitsThis is a very relaxing movement. It brings us to a happy

attitude in order to help us forget our stressful lives. Today ourlives are so busy, and we do not have time to plan and thinkabout what we really need. Everyday we go to work and comehome tired. We just repeat the same routine everyday untilour day off. By then we are so tired and stressed that we justwant to do nothing and be lazy. Do you really like life likethat? If not, then we must change it. Otherwise you will regretwhen you are lying on the bed waiting for your last breath.

Continuation of Part II


Fig 4 Fig 5

Fig 6

Opening the Channels by Touching the Fingers

We are tired because we do not know how to plan ourlives. Also we do not know how to recharge our Qi when wecome back home. Actually we do not need to be that tired ifwe do some Qigong before you go to bed. I have a studentwho is very busy and every night when she goes home, she isvery tired and she then repeats the same schedule the nextday. She does have much time for her practise. I told her “Youcan’t carry on like that. You will be ill soon or later. Then youwill be forced to stop.” So I suggested for her to practise atnight before she goes to bed. Even though she maybe missesa little sleep, it will not make her more tired because Qigongpractise is recharging our energy. It is similar to sleeping butactually it is even better. By practising, she will get rid of thestress from the day and then she can do some meditation tocalm her mind and settle the energy. It will make her sleepbetter and she will not be so tired the next day.

Skipping helps us to lose weight and touching the fingerswill help open the channels by stimulating the internal organs.In the Five Element theory, the thumb connects with the spleen,index finger with the liver, middle finger with the heart, ringfinger with the lungs and the small finger with the kidneys.

HistoryThis movement comes from skipping when we were little.

I can still remember how the kids played in the street or at theplayground with jump ropes. Today we do not see this game asmuch because children are more interested in their Playstationgames. So instead of exercising the whole body, they are onlyworking their thumbs. If you stop them while playing their game,they will have a very bad temper and be unhappy. Becausethese computer games make children excited, it is easy forthem to become hyperactive and this creates a fighting attitude.This attitude can affect other parts of their life so if somethinghappens on them and they do not get what they want, thenthey will be upset and angry.

Do you want your children to be like this? This is whythere are so many children with problems today. When born,

all children are innocent and lovely, yet society creates somany things to abuse them, sometimes we do not even knowit is abuse. Like all these violent tv games, it may seementertaining, but the result comes out to be that negative,just so someone can make a lot of money. No one thinksabout the future and the long term effects on both childrenand society as a whole. If in playing games, children solvethe problem with violence, what lessons do you think theywill learn and use from this play? Do not forget that thesechildren will be your grandchildren’s government leaderssomeday, the ones to make decisions of what kind of worldyou will live in. What kind of world will that be? Practising thismovement can help bring us back to a simpler time andsimpler thoughts. This will help to calm our mind and heartsand make us more peaceful and happy.


Fig 7 Fig 8 Fig 9

Dancing with Long Sleeves

9. Dancing with Long Sleeves

i. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees lightly bentand weight on the thighs. Hands should be resting naturally,just in front of the thighs

ii. Simultaneously move the right hip back while lifting theright arm to shoulder height. Fig 7

iii. Simultaneously move the left hip back and lift up the leftarm while letting the right arm drop back down to thewaist level, but not close to the body. Arms should be slightlyaway from the body to let the Qi move. Fig 8

iv. Repeat movement from side to side. Fig 9

BreathingJust let the breathing happen naturally, breathing in

when starting arm lifts upwards and breathe out when thearms lowers.

ConcentrationAs you move the body, make sure all the movement

comes from the Dantian. When you lift the hand, it should gono higher than shoulder height. When dropping your hand, letit drop to the waist level, but do not drop it too close to thebody. This lower hand should be away from the waist as thiswill cultivate more Qi around the body.

When you do the movement, do not shift the weightfrom side to side. You should bend the knees slightly and movefrom the waist and hips.

BenefitsEvery time I practise Healthy Living Gong from part

one to part two, I find that by the time I have gotten to DancingWith Long Sleeves, I am sweating even in cold weather. It isbecause the previous movement, Opening the Channels byTouching the Fingers, builds up a lot of Qi and heat. Thensuddenly we slow down the movement with Dancing with LongSleeves. Therefore, if you practise all the Healthy Living Gongyou will find a lot of benefit.

If you just practise Dancing with Long Sleeves, then youwill have good coordination, you will know how to move yourbody from the waist. Our waist is our external Dantian, thecentre of the body and centre of gravity. It is like the sun in thesolar system. All the planets move around the sun and relatewith it. So if we move our body, we should move from andrelate to the centre. If everything you do:- sitting, standing,walking, even sleeping, comes from the centre, you will bevery healthy and you will live longer.

Practising Qigong teaches us to move from the centre,stand properly, sit and act properly. When we do this, we willbe balanced and use less energy. Our bodies will thenautomatically relax. All our health problems will be solved andwe might even be able to stop taking medicine. But this cannothappen unless you change your life style.

HistoryIf you have seen some old traditional Chinese dancers

or operatic actors, you will have seen the robes that they wearhave very long sleeves. When they dance, all they have to dois just move the arms and the whole sleeve will follow. It looksvery beautiful and carefree.

In old China, the richer you were, the more clothingyou had to cover yourself. A person maybe had two or threerobes with long flowing sleeves to show their position. Peopleworking in the fields, could not work with long sleeves andmany robes. They had shorter sleeves and trousers. So if youhad more clothing, longer sleeves, then the higher and richeryour position.

Today, we just need a small amount of cloth to makeour clothing. It is more convenient, but that does not mean itis cheap. Today we follow fashion so much and are changingour look all the time. This means our mind will never be calmand it also shows our insecurity. A lot of wise people have onlyvery simple dressing because they prefer to spend their energyon developing their wisdom and internal things rather than ontheir wardrobe and external things.to be continued... by Michael Tse


Every day, without fail, after I’vepractised my Taijiquan or Qigong, Isit down and meditate. Sometimes

I concentrate on the breath, sometimesI silently say a few prayers and reflect onthe nature of compassion, wisdom orsomething that’s happened to me theday before, some days I just sit andwatch the monkey mind jumparound aimlessly. And some daysI just sit and get cold!

But I always finish mymeditation by bowing to theBuddha, the Dharma (theBuddha’s teachings) and theSangha (the community ofmonks, nuns and lay-followersin a temple). And I alwaysfollow that with a bow each forall the sigongs, my sifu, myfamily, friends, loved ones andall my students. Without myteacher and his teachers Iwouldn’t have had theopportunity to learn and practiceso much, physically, mentally,spiritually. I wouldn’t have grownnearly so much. Without mystudents I wouldn’t be able toimprove my teaching, nurturingand communication skills. Without

the support and indulgence of my family,my training would be much lessenjoyable. Bowing isn’t strenuous and itdoesn’t take much time. What itrepresents to me is important though.

I’m part of a lineage, both inBuddhism and in my Qigong andTaijiquan. With my teacher I breathe in

and absorb his profound teachings, onmany levels. With my students I breatheout, expressing myself and my innernature. Except that I learn from mystudents too and I give my sifu manyopportunities to practice patience and

compassion! I try to stay open to thelearning and teaching flow. Even whenI’mnot physically withSifu or my students,the learning and the teaching continues.Whatever I do,whatever I think, whateverI become, cannot help but influence mystudents, my family, my peers and reflectback upon my teacher. There are no

loopholes in this process. There are nodays off. There are no short cuts. Nothought or action that doesn’t eventuallysee daylight whether we like it or not.And it doesn’t matter what our religionis, it doesn’t matter what style(s) we

practice, the process is the same.As part of a lineage I’m a

custodian of ancient skills but I alsosee part of my role within the

whole teaching and learningprocess as providing some kindof sacred, safe space in whichgrowth can happen. Usuallyit’s in class. Sometimes it’snot.

Those of my peersand students who feelthe same will know that,however polished orragged our Taijiquan,Chun Yuen, Kunlun orwing chun forms are,something else ishappening too.There is a processgoing on, sim-ultaneously for allof us, day andnight, whereverwe live or train.Something isopening up in usas we begin tofulfil ourpotential and nomatter where we

are in that journey,no matter what we

think our level is,there’s actually only one true

level and if you can stay open andhumble, sincere, then you’re alreadytouching that level, that profundity thatwe all share, whether we call it ourpractice, sifu (the representation of thatpractice), the Dao, Buddhism or God.That profundity is in all of us, whatevershape or representation it assumes at anytime. I bow to it every morning. When Isee the face of my teacher or those Ilove and care for, the profundity, the onetrue level bows backby Julian Wilde . Julian@qimagaz ine.com

One True LevelOne True Level

On

eTr u

eLe

vel

Introducing our new columnist Julian Wilde. Each issueJulian will share his thoughts and views on internal arts,Buddhism and philosophy.

“It doesn’t matter what ourreligion is, it doesn’t matterwhat style(s) we practice, theprocess is the same.”

“It doesn’t matter what ourreligion is, it doesn’t matterwhat style(s) we practice, theprocess is the same.”


Before I began to study WingChun the most exhilaratingactivity I had experienced bothon a sensory and physical levelwas downhill skiing. I learnt to

ski when I was 13 years old and probablyjust like most people who take up skiingwhat appealed to me the most was thespeed. To get from top to bottom asquickly as possible was my greatest thrill.Achieving this feat was the easy partbecause all I had to do was follow thelaw of gravity, point my skis down hilland go! This early idea of skiing mighthave seemed exciting but it wasn’t verysafe because I had no control notknowing how to turn and stop, I wasnot only a danger to myself butother people and inanimate

objects that got in my way.Over the years I

developed these skills inorder to turn and stop

when I needed to, thismeant that I

could now

Speeding UpSpeeding Up

Wing Chun Kung Fu is famous for itsspeed. But what is makes it fast, is it theperson, or is it the style itself. If it was purelydue to the person, then Wing Chun cannotclaim to be fast, so it must be part of the skill.


ski safely and also faster because the control and speed wereworking hand in hand: “The more control the more speed”.Now I had conquered myself I could take on the mountain.

Wing Chun is now my passion and my experiencesthroughout my development and training seem to mirror thelearning processes above, where the skills required to co-ordinate speed and control are essential. Most people whenencountering Wing Chun for the first time only focus on thespeed of movement not the underlying skill. However, if allyou consider is speed then all you have is the ability to strikequickly in a straight line, this may seem effective but in realitymay be dangerous to yourself and your training partner, simplybecause you do not consider the consequences of your actions.

For example:Can you stop or change your energy when you need to?Do you leave yourself vulnerable to attack?Is your opponent faster than you?If you have not considered such points as these then

you are living a perilous existence, “Sailing close to the edge”!If you just let your energy travel in a straight line as fast

as you can, you may be over committing yourself, you alsolack the ability to change the direction of your initial strikewhich may prove hazardous, leaving yourself open to a counter-attack from a more sensitive and faster opponent.

The best way to develop the other components requiredfor good Wing Chun of course – is to practice “Chi Sau”. Thiswill teach you the sensitivity and control needed to be able toharness your speed in order that you can use it safely andeffectively when necessary: “The more control the more speed”.

For us to achieve a higher level of Wing Chun it isimportant to develop the inner balance of Yin and Yang. Afterall if Michael Schumacher used only speed without control hewould never complete a Grand Prix circuit. Everyone can drivevery fast in a straight line, but what about in the bends? Actuallyit is in the bends, where the race is won. The same is true forChi Sau. Anyone can attack quickly if the opening is clear, butit is how you set up and create that opening that counts. If youcan do this very quickly and naturally without your partnernoticing, then when you strike, you can do so with ease, noteven having to go at full speed. Of course you can do if youwish, but the point is the hard work has already been done.This where control and sensitivity comes into play.

In any martial art, speed is a great asset. However ifyou rely on speed over good technique and skill, then you will

be vulnerable to people who are faster than you and there isalways someone who is faster than you. I am not saying thatyou should not develop your speed, on the contrary, but youshould develop skill first and then speed. When you need tomove quickly you should not have to think about it, it shouldcome naturally and you are always in control of it

by Martin Gale


QiM

att

ers

Jing for men is the seminal fluid, whichis stored in the kidneys (that housePrenatal Qi) and lost through

ejaculation. Jing for women is the blood,which is stored in the liver and lostthrough menstruation.

Loss of blood and Qi can result indizziness, headaches, lethargy, and cold,leading to a feeling of emptiness,vulnerability, and anxiety; the symptomsof Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).Although women cannot control theirmenses they can recover vitalenergy and emotional balancethrough Qigong and meditation.However, during this timemeditation should be focused on theMiddle Dantian, as opposed to LowerDantian, otherwise menstruation maybe induced to flow stronger.

Men, by contrast, can controlloss of Jing during intercourse byexercising self-control. The majority areignorant of this fact, but even with thisknowledge most would still beunwilling to change lifelong habits. Wehave been programmed to believe thatintercourse is completed with therelease of Jing, and that celibacy is theonly way to prevent this fromhappening. Neither case is true, andstoring Jing during copulation in factheightens and prolongs pleasure.The key is breath control and toremain ‘aware’ in the presentmoment (not become over-excited) and if you begin tolose yourself recognise thesensations early and apply self-control,mentally and physically to regaincomposure before continuing. Thisrequires discipline, effort, and patienceto master but it will prolong your life,confer newfound energy, and keep thebody young. While women involuntarilylose Qi just once a month many menwillingly rob themselves of Qi twice a day(or more) so that by the age of forty theylack all vitality and age prematurely.Perhaps this accounts for why womengenerally possess higher resistance todisease, recover more quickly from illness,and outlive men by five to ten years.

Western science has concludedthat seminal fluid contains vitamins,proteins, minerals, hormones, traceelements, ions, enzymes, and othernutrients necessary to sustain (andcreate) life. Daoists believed that whenJing (coarse Qi) is stored, and combinedwith ‘deep-breathing exercises’ itconverts to (purer) Qi for vitality whichrises to the head to nourish Shen, or

Spiritual Qi (purest), and creates abody virtually impervious to

disease. Semen also containscerebrospinal fluid which

nourishes the brainand sharpens themental faculties.Depletion leadsto loss ofmemory, con-

centrat ion,a n d

creativity, and muddledthinking, indecision, anddepression. Excessiverelease of Jing also

weakens kidney Qi, the consequence ofwhich is lethargy and fatigue (weakenedimmune system), stiff and sore limbs,weak knees, impaired hearing or tinnitus(ringing in the ears), dry eyes, mouth andskin, poor circulation causing cold handsand feet, and finally hair loss. Altogetherhardly a fair trade for a fleeting momentof pleasure!

The Max Planck Institute inGermany firmly established that menwho possessed abundant and viscous Jing

held a greater resistance to highlycommunicable diseases than those whodid not. (NB: The more frequently Jingis discharged the weaker and less potentthe fluid becomes.) Sun Tsu-Mo, a famousTang Dynasty Daoist physician, statedthat if a man can regulate his emissionfrequency to twice monthly (notexceeding 24 times a year) then he willattain health and longevity, providing healso pays attention to exercise and diet.Generally, a healthy 20 year-old malemay emit daily while a weaker manshould do so only every couple of days.This frequency should steadily diminishas he becomes older so that by his sixtieshe is perhaps doing so only once amonth, or less. Of course these guidelinesapply to physical health only; spiritualdevelopment requires greater restraint.

Following nature, Jing should beconserved especially during winter tokeep the body warm. An emission inwinter is a great deal more harmful thanin spring. Jing keeps the body cool andmoist in summer and those who squander

it recklessly will sufferinternal Dryness andHeat. We are taughtthat the bodyconstantly manufac-tures and replacesJing. Actually we areborn with a finiteamount, and whenthe body replenishesits supply it drawsupon tremendous Qi

resources from the internal organs, whichwould otherwise be available for thebody’s growth and cell repair.

Each discharge of Jing containsbetween 200 and 500 million spermcells. Nature is not so wasteful as tocreate a body which possesses the‘potential’ to populate a nation in onesingle emission only to bear a fewoffspring (maximum) over an entirelifetime. Therefore, Jing is not solely forprocreation, nor for mere seconds ofpleasure, but for health, spiritualdevelopment, and evolution

By Adam Wallace .adam@qimagaz ine .c om

Jing, or ‘bodily essence’, is the material foundation for health and longevity,according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is no Shen (spirit) without Qi(vital energy) and no Qi without Jing. Thus, the formula for health is Jing-Qi-Shen.

JING - The foundation of HealthJING - The foundation of Health

Jing is stored, andcombined with ‘deep-breathing exercises’

Jing is stored, andcombined with ‘deep-breathing exercises’


Be grateful to those who havemade you firm and resolute andhelped in your achievement

Living in aGratefulWorld

Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you,for they have reinforced your determination.

Be grateful to those who have deceived you,for they have deepened your insight.

Be grateful to those who have hit you,for they have reduced your karmic obstacles.

Be grateful to those who have abandoned you,for they have taught you to be independent.

Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,for they have strengthened your ability.

Be grateful to those who have denounced you,for they have increased your wisdom and concentration.


Feng Shui for the Living RoomFeng Shui for the Living RoomPart V

51.The tables in your living room shouldmatch the sizes of the other furniturein the room. If you have a table infront of the sofa, generally it will beone third of its size. However, a tableshould not dominate or make theroom smaller. This will give you goodrelaxation. It means you will stay inone place more.

52.If there is no table in front of the sofa,this means that you will do morethings and be more active. You willtend to come join up more as afamily and do more activities together.

53.A good living room should have a rugwhich gives a focus to the centre ofthe room, like a Dantian. This meansthe people living there will have morefocus and complete their goals.

54.It is good to have photos of familyand friends as this will bring up thewarm feeling and you will have lotsof friends and family visit. It shouldbe balanced with other things,though, and not be too much as canbecome confusing.

55.The living room should have enoughlighting. The ceiling should have onelight and there should be otherlighting as well. If there is enoughlight in the room, then it will bringup your energy and you will not feeltired and you have a good a future.

Colours and ElementsEveryone has a personal element

which belongs to their year of birth.These are based on the Five Elements ofWood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Woodrelates to the colours brown and green.Fire relates to the colours red, orangeand pink. Earth relates to the colouryellow. Metal is related to the colourwhite and Water to the colours blue,purple, black and grey.

Each of the elements have arelationship with each other, either

A room with a table which is balancedwith the furniture around it.

A room with a table that is too big andso disturbs the rest of the room.

Your living room is one of the most important rooms in your house.Often your home is centred around it and you spend most of your timewith your family in it. So it is important that the Feng Shui is right.


supporting or depleting. This is shown inthe figure above. The supportingelements are on the outside of the circleand follow each other. If it is a depletingelement, then it is the arrow inside ofthe circle.

If you are a Wood person, thenyou will tend to like nature, gardening,herbs, understanding and dealing withhuman things.

If you are a Fire person, then youlike excitement, dancing, dramatic things,

talking and socialising and lots of brightcolours.

If you are an Earth person, youwill like knowledge, reading, studying toreach a higher level, like to do thingsone step at a time, in order. If you are ametal person, you like cars, machines,are good for computer programming, aregood at organising, like clean clothes andenvironment.

If you are a water person, you likemore low key and like to help and supportpeople. You are more quiet.

Sometimes, you may be more likemore than one element, but it is theelement you favour most. For instance,you like studying and also you likegardening. If you find you can stay inthe garden longer than you can read abook, then you are then more a woodperson than earth person.

If you know you are the elementWood, then you can see that Water willsupport wood. So the colours blue, black,purple and grey will be good colours foryou. If you are Earth element, then Firewill support you and so you should usethe colours pink, red or orange. However,you should not use two different colourswhose elements are against each other.This will cause fighting and confusion.

If your partner is an opposingelement, you should look at the partnerwho is the income maker of the familyas they support everyone

by Michael Tse

A rug in the roomcreates a focus and actslike the Dantian of the room.

A room with goodbalanced lighting willbringupgoodenergy.

Fen

gSh

ui

EarthMetal

Water

Wood

Fire

The FiveElements


Documents

Qi_66v2.pdf