“Do
not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.
On the
contrary, repay evil with blessing, because
to
this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
1
Peter 3:9
Is it against our natural instinct?If I were being bullied or insulted, my spontaneous
reaction was to resort to ‘an eye for an eye’.To repay evil with blessing? No
way.
However, repaying evil with blessing is the
exact quality of spiritual life which will not be contaminated by hatred.
When you are combating in a ring, seeing
the fist of your opponent throwing to your eyes, can you relax and Song?No, you will tense up and fight back
normally.At that time, you are using
energy of Li.
However, according to Kung Fu of Qi, you
are required to act against your natural response. Instead of tensing up your muscles to fight,
you should Song more to release stronger Qi energy.
To make this happen, a lot of hard work and
perseverance are needed.You must practice
so hard that the Song requirement becomes your natural reaction in any combats.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
For Kung Fu adventurers, they must deny themselves
in using energy of Li in their daily Kung Fu practice.This is ‘their cross’.
InBiblical Hebrew, the idea of repentance is
represented by two verbs: שוב shuv (to return) and נחם nicham (to
feel sorrow).
On the road to excellence in Kung Fu, the practitioners need to abandon
using Li when he discovers the innate energy of Qi.This is the process of ‘repentance’.
This process may be accomplished in either one of the following scenarios:
Scenario one is that the learner is practicing Kung Fu so hard that
he runs out of all his ‘Li’ energy. Despite being extremely exhausted, he keeps
practicing with strong will.Having no
more energy of Li left, he is forced to find a new kind of energy which he used
to overlook, Qi.And this is the point
when he ‘returns’.
Another way may cause him to return is through direct contact with a
Kung Fu teacher with Qi energy.Through
direct experience, the learner perceives teacher’s Qi and knows what it
is.This is the point when he is
inspired and returns.
After this point of return, the learner will enter a new
horizon.He will deny his past habit and
use less and less Li energy.
‘He
had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.’
Isaiah
53:2
Compared with King Saul and King David, it
is surprising that Son of Man was not so attractive and
charming in appearance.“He came to that which was his own, but his own
did not receive him.”
Let me show you two video clips on Youtube,
which one do you prefer?
In Kung Fu world, not many people like to
watch someone practicing Kung Fu of Qi.The movements are so slow and boring that you would lose patience and
interest quickly.
Kung Fu of Li is much more impressive and
spectacular in term of rhythm, flow and presentation.It is easier to win burst of applause in
performance or competitions.
Moreover, Kung Fu of Li is much easier to master.No matter how difficult, challenging the
postures is, the player can give a perfect performance after organized, well-planned
training in a few months.
On the other hand, Kung Fu of Qi needs to
go through an ‘ugly duckling stage’ for years.It is an embarrassing stage that your Kung Fu of Qi is not strong enough
to defeat ordinary Kung Fu of Li.
Kung Fu of Li, like many traditional arts
such as music, has already developed a systematic, mature and institutionalized
inheriting arrangement.It has been
introduced into the formal education system.The curriculum is clear and continuous.The assessment system is open and reliable.Professional qualifications in this respect
are recognized.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for Kung Fu of Qi. Its existence is questioned. The curriculum is hardly available. Let alone the assessment and recognition systems. Inheritance of this skill remains outside the formal education system. Without open and reliable assessment system, it is hard to differentiate between the authentic and the fake for outsiders.
In the past, traditional Kung Fu masters
would strive for enhancing their Kung Fu level by changing their concern from
tangible aspect to intangible aspect, from use of Li to use of Qi.This is the small and narrow gate. Only a few
find it.
Nowadays, most of martial artists are
striving for enhancing their skills by changing from easy, simple physical
postures to more difficult, complicated physical challenges.The level of Kung Fu refers to its level of difficulty
and complexity, just like gymnastics.This
is the wide and broad road.Many follow.
Can we call it advancement?
I believe we can hardly call it advancement
in technology when we use horses to replace donkeys to pull the cart, though
the speed does increase.But if we use
electricity to replace mechanical force, that is a real breakthrough.
To be perceptive is crucial to learn Kung
Fu of Qi because feelings in direct contact are so elusive and erratic
sometimes.So,
you need to keep practicing day by day to keep them fresh on your mind.
Don’t rely on your self-discipline.It will be painful struggles for you because
everyone is believed to have only a limited amount of self-discipline.The more effective way is to make your
practicing time ritualize.
Make your practice as a new daily
routine.Set a timer or an alarm device when
you practise.Before the alarm rings, “you
don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your
friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know anybody owes
you.This is a place where you can
simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be.This is the place of creative incubation.”[1]
When you practice, your mind, your soul
must be present. Tai Chi can be seen as a
kind of meditation in movements.There is
no room for anger, worries, anxiety and rush.They are sources of your tension.And the tension locks your Qi up.
“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who
may stand in his holy place?”He who has
clean hands and a pure heart may.
Yes, he who has a peace of mind may enjoy
being present.If you do, Qi will be
present in your moves.And you may enjoy
peak experience in which eureka may come.Insights on Tai Chi may dawn on you during practice.And this will form a positive reinforcement
circle that will help you keep this ritual easily.
You are the active agent for change. “Your strength will equal your days.”
“To be is to be perceived” is the key statement in George Berkeley’s philosophy.However, as a Kung Fu practitioner, to be is to perceive.
Since Qi is invisible and intangible, you can only learn it by your ability to perceive.
The start point of acquiring intangible aspect of kung fu is to catch feelings you get from direct contact with your teacher.These feelings make you know what ‘Qi’ is and how ‘Song’ is like.You experience how to direct Qi back and forth with your spirit.These feelings will be guiding you when you practice.They become the lamp for your feet and the light on your path.
In solo practice, you need to perceive if your Qi is present in your every movement. You need to perceive that your Qi fill the space around you, expands, falls in, and expands again.Your Qi grows stronger through this process.
In real combating situation, you need to perceive and discern how your opponent’s Qi moves and then give the appropriate response.
In ancient times, some people could feel the subtle changes outside without any instruments, such as weather and climates. They perceived the changes with Qi.As for them, emptiness in space did not mean nothingness.The empty space was filled with something invisible, like energy.They used Qi to interact with the energy in space and cultivated stronger Qi.
Three factors are interrelated: amount of Qi energy, perceiving sensitivity and learning ability. The more sensitive perceiving ability you have, the faster you can learn, and stronger Qi you can get. With stronger Qi energy, your perceiving ability will be more acute and sensitive and you can learn faster.
‘… the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’
Genesis
1:2
There's a saying in Tai Chi Classics: “Navigate
Qi with the heart, move the body with Qi.”
This involves high level of mind-body
coordination.An effective strategy to
accomplish this is through visualization.
For example, in performing the first
movement of Tai Chi Chun,
imagine you were
a piece of cloud, floating
and stretching
leisurely, freely in the sky.
Fill the
space created after stretching with Qi.
Song your
shoulder and back, let your Qi flow down to your waist like water,
then Song
your waist and let Qi flow down from your waist to your feet.
Then spread
your Qi on the ground like ripples across the lake.
Song your
feet, as if your were standing on two pieces of still floating wood.
Feel the
floating power and let your Qi ascend naturally.
Your spirit commands Qi through visualization.When you visualize your spirit sinking onto
the ground, your Qi follows.And in your
perception, spirit and Qi seem to go hand in hand and co-exist.There is your spirit, there is your Qi.How magnificent it is to visualize ‘the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters’.
Through visualization, your spirit directs
stream of Qi to flow forward, backward, to ascend, descend, expand or fall in.
There are no definite images suitable for
visualization.You should find your
own.It is personal.
for
the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua
1:9
There is a common interaction pattern among
God and His people.God shows the way.
People follow. God is with them.They
enjoy the blessing.
Qi energy does not have direction
itself.The spirit or will shows it
directions.When you ‘Song’, Qi energy is
free and expands. The field of Qi is
created around you.This is a spherical
field.The spirit can lead the flow of
Qi to anywhere within this field.It can
navigate Qi to attack any point within this field, just like the laser beam
navigates the missile.
Like Qi, the spirit is invisible.Its navigation is expressed through your
eyes.The Qi energy will run into the target
where your eyesight stays and focuses.It can also express via your mind’s eye to direct Qi flow to somewhere behind
your back.
For effective navigation, there is no room
for doubts, hesitations or any analytical attempts.If you intend to keep Qi staying there for
your to appreciate or analysize, or if you disbelieve in yourself, lack
confidence, have negative emotions, your spirit will lose ability to command at
once. Qi will seem to vanish right away.
For effective navigation, the spirit should
command with faith, confidence and determination.Your body should perform as Song as possible
at the same time.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another’s feet.”
John
13:14
How is God’s love like?No one knows until you have experienced
it.Then you would exclaim “It is the Lord!”Then your life is being transformed.
In traditional Kung Fu classics, there are
several key concepts like ‘Song’, ‘Qi’, ‘Yi’ and so on.They summarize direct experiences of masters
throughout generations.
Direct experience is unique and
concrete.However, it becomes abstract
and general when it is put in words of concepts.The language itself raises the level of
abstraction and creates barrier for beginners to inherit traditional skills on
their own.
As a teacher, he is the one who should be
able to transform abstract concepts into unique and concrete experience for
students.
“Teacher, how can we acquire ‘Qi’ in Kung
Fu?”
“All of us have ‘Qi’ since we were
born.‘Qi’ is innate.We ‘forget’ its existence because we get used
to using ‘Li’ energy in our daily activities.”
“Then how can we feel its existence?”
“Well, language seems to be powerless and
useless at this point.Come on, touch my
palm.Now I ‘Song’ my muscles and
joints, lift up my spirit, Qi is released.Can you feel it?Grasp this
feeling and save it in your memory.Re-play it whenever you are performing ‘Song’.Now is your turn to show me the ‘Qi’.”
This was my first lesson with teacher, Mr.Tan Jing. “The value and significance of
my role is that I can teach you not only with words, but also with my Kung Fu.”
He said.
There are two dimensions involved in
learning intangible aspect of Kung Fu—knowledge dimension and experience
dimension.And the experience one is
more vital.
Let me elaborate with an analogy of
software programme.
If you want to install a software programme
in your computer, the first and most important file you need is ‘setup.exe’.Without this file, the programme is totally useless.
Direct experience from your Tai Chi teacher
is the ‘setup.exe’ file in your process of learning Kung Fu of Qi.Without this direct experience, you are still
an outsider of this field, no matter how much knowledge you have in your head.
When you learn a new skill, sometimes you
learn it by watching demonstration, sometimes you learn it by listening to the
instructions.As for Kung Fu of Qi, it
is invisible and intangible.You can
only learn it by sense of touch.And
only teachers with this kind of Kung Fu can provide you the opportunities to
feel it.With this direct experience, the
mysterious concepts concerned become bright and clear.It ignites and activates learners’ previous and
new knowledge just as the ‘setup.exe’ file initializes the software programme.And the learning process thereafter is to
catch feelings in each direct contact experiences and perform accordingly in
your routine Kung Fu practice.
So, the crucial factor for you to acquire
intangible aspect of Kung Fu is not secrets you read in Kung Fu manuals, but
your opportunity to meet a teacher with Kung Fu proficiency in this respect.
“Only those Kung Fu teachers with Neijing
can make learners inherit this kind of Kung Fu.” Sifu Tan Jing said.
‘Song’ does not have exact English
equivalent.Most writers in English on
Tai Chi translate the term literally—to relax, loosen. But this is only partly correct.
Qi is stored in our cells.When you tighten up your muscles to generate
your strength, Qi is locked and blocked inside.You cannot feel it.If you want
to perceive Qi, you have to set it free first.
So, you should get rid of tension in your
body, postures and movements by using force of Li as little as possible.This is why your Tai Chi coach keeps
reminding you to relax.
However, getting rid of negative element does
not guarantee the positive factor arises. De-tension alone does not guarantee the
release of Qi energy.
Relaxation can be in either positive sense
or negative sense.
Relaxation in negative sense is passive in
nature.Imagine that you are exhausted
after office, sink yourself onto a sofa.You are relaxed, but slack, sleepy and passive.This is another way to lock up Qi energy like
that of the state when you tighten up your muscles.
Positive relaxation is what you need.Physically, you loosen your body, muscles,
joints and remain tensionless.Meanwhile,
you raise your spirit and keep wakeful, mindful and being present.Then, you can experience a sense of expansion
in your consciousness.That means Qi is
free and radiating from within.If I
touch you at this moment, I can perceive this sense of expansion too.This is what ‘Song’ means.Only under this state, Qi is ready to receive
the command from your spirit.Your
spirit can direct stream of Qi to flow forward, backward, to ascend, descend,
expand or fall in.The higher level of ‘Song’
you can achieve, the stronger and quicker the stream of Qi can flow under your
spirit’s command.The ultimate objective
of Kung Fu practice is to achieve optimal level of Song.
The benchmark of the learning outcome of ‘Song’
is that you succeed to release your Qi energy.
‘Song’ is also the key touchstone that
differentiates between the genuine and the fake Kung Fu of Qi.If someone shows his Kung Fu with
stiff muscles and full of tensions, you will be 100% certain that this is not
Kung Fu of Qi.
As your Kung Fu progress, you will grow
deeper understanding of Song.
For Christians, there is no limit in developing
virtue of love.“Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another,…”
For Kung Fu practitioners, there is no
limit in developing Song.There is
always a higher level out there.
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
John 3:6
The verse shows two kinds of life—life of flesh and life of spirit.They are totally different in nature.Life of flesh never becomes life of spirit by means of improvement or modifications.
In traditional Chinese Kung Fu, there are two fundamentally different kinds of forces. The mechanical force is called Li (力) which derives from joined efforts of muscles, bones and tendons.Li is commonly observed at elementary level of Kung Fu. This is what we are familiar with and called ‘strength’.
In contrast, non-mechanical force is ‘energy of Qi’ or called ‘Neijing (內勁)’ which derives from joined efforts of spirit and Qi.It is the source of power employed in advanced Kung Fu.
Just like life of flesh and life of spirit, these two forces are completely different in nature.Li can never become Neijing by increasing its amount or by enhancing its skill level.
Proficiency in martial arts is not determined by the level of difficulty or complexity of forms per se, but by the nature of the force employed.
Although both Li and Neijing co-exist in our body, they are mutual exclusive in use.They cannot be applied at the same time.The more Li energy is being used, the less Neijing can be being released, and vice versa.
This is because the ways they generate and use follow different, or even contradict laws, just like life of flesh and life of spirit.
The amount of Li force you can be employed in Kung Fu depends on several variables such as resilience of muscles, strength of bones, speed and timing of attack and so on. An effective way to enhance the Li force is to exercise your muscles and bones by applying increasing pressure on them (weight training, gym exercises, etc.).
On the other hand, the amount of the Neijing force depends on the degree you can ‘Song’ （relax in positive, active sense）.
The Li force is observable when it is employed. At the point of attack, you must tighten up your muscles to unite your strength and create an explosive power. In this process, the state of your muscles changes from soft and loose to tight and tense. The effectiveness of Li follows the principle of leverage. In combat, the point of contact is the point of attack. The combatant who can make better use of this pivot point has a greater chance to defeat his or her opponent. The muscles, your fists and legs, are weapons themselves.
Unlike the Li force, Neijing is invisible and hence unobservable when employed. The pivot point is not necessary. At the point of attack, you must ‘Song’ yourself to release all Qi energy and direct it towards the target. The contact point only represents the gateway to conduct Neijing to the target.Your muscles are channels of Qi only.
The Kung Fu component of Li force is limited by your physical condition. When you pass your prime age, your Kung Fu ability will pass the optimum level, too. The degree of Kung Fu will decline when muscles and bones are not as strong as they used to be. On the other hand, the Kung Fu of Qi continues to grow as long as one lives. Qi energy becomes stronger despite the aging process.
Tai Chi Chun is the kind of Kung Fu with energy of Qi.
Tai Chi Chun was first made known not due to its values and functions to keep fit or stay healthy, but its powerful effect as Kung Fu.With Tai Chi Chuan, Yang Lu Chan defeated all competitors and became the Chief Kung Fu Coach of royal guides and personal coach of the royal family of the Ching Dynasty hundreds years ago.He got a name of ‘Invincible Yang’.
Nowadays, millions of people in the world practice Tai Chi.But persons who know its Kung Fu function are rarer than pandas.
and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and
the man became a living being.’
Genesis
2:7
In traditional Chinese medical system, it
is believed that Qi energy flows and circulates along the channels and
meridians within the body.This
perspective is quite commonly shared among authors on Tai Chi inside and
outside China.
However, my teacher Tan Jing proves with
his Kung Fu that he can direct his Qi energy out of the body to attack the
opponent.He believes that Chinese Kung
Fu theory on Qi actually goes beyond Chinese medical theory.
Within the framework of Chinese Kung Fu, Qi
is inborn. Every person is believed to possess this innate energy.Martial artists can cultivate the force of Qi
to the extent that it is strong enough to be applied in combats.It is non-mechanical, invisible and
intangible.When it is being directed by
one’s will, it is called Neijing（內勁）.
Unlike the Emperor's New Clothes, Qi can be
perceived through sense of touch.Although we have different level of sensibility toward Qi, all of us
have inborn ability to sense it.
Qi is stored in our cells.It is like the treasure “in jars of clay”.This is the force that still remains
unexplored for natural scientists.I
have a dream.Scientists can provide its
scientific specifications some day.
Playing Tai Chi without Qi is like leading
Christian life without Holy Spirit.
Nowadays, books about Tai Chi are
many.Most of them focus on its tangible
aspects like standards and requirements on postures and movements.
Most writers on Tai Chi have either
maintained an embarrassing silence concerning energy of Qi, the intangible
aspect of Kung Fu, or just put it in a marginal place and leave it
un-elaborated.
However, the greatness of Tai Chi lies in its intangible aspect. “What
is essential is invisible to the eye.” [1]
This is the diamond on the top of the crown of Kung Fu.What a shame if we present the crown to the
world and find that the diamond has gone.
Energy of Qi is not unique in Tai Chi
Quan.Many Kung Fu varieties aim at it
at their advanced level.
Terms and jargons in traditional Kung Fu
theories are usually loan words from traditional religion or philosophy
classics. The cultural content density creates
high barrier for westerners to understand.
In the following articles, I try to summarize
what I have learned from Mr. Tan Jing, my Kung Fu teacher.In these articles, I try to present a general
introduction to intangible aspect of Kung Fu with least of those traditional
Chinese terms and jargons.
Here I need a scaffolding framework that
westerners are familiar with.I choose
Bible.
However, the verses quoted in the articles
may not be equivalent to their original message because they are used as
analogy for scaffolding purpose.Therefore,
Bible verses in this context are like bridges that facilitate western Tai Chi
learners to cross from known to unknown.
《烈火戰車》（Chariots of Fire）轉眼已經是廿九年前的電影。然而有一幕畫面，依然歷歷在目。兩位奧運選手在跑道上奔馳。其中一位是埃里克‧亨利‧利德爾（Eric Liddell）。他在奧運會之後成為傳教士，到中國華北當一位中學體育教師。日本侵華時，被日軍關進集中營。1945年在集中營病逝。在奔跑時，他全神貫注之中，帶有一份樂在其中的怡然。反觀他的對手，對成敗念念不忘，患得患失。幾次緊張地轉頭看他的競爭者。
Tan Jing is a Kung Fu Master who specializes in the studies of ‘Nei Jing’ in Chinese Kung Fu. He was born in 1951 in Xiamen, Fujian, China, and now lives in Hong Kong. He is also a writer, theorist, and experienced instructor of Chinese martial arts .
Compared with famous Kung Fu Masters from modern-day China, Tan Jing is a Kung Fu educator with a low profile. Nonetheless, reports indicate his abilities inner 'Qi' energy abilities.
Tan Jing followed his first Kung Fu teacher, Tan Jiang Lin, in 1963. Tan Jiang Lin was ranked as the Number One Scholar of Marital Arts in the imperial examination during the late Qing Dynasty .
Tan Jing started learning Xingyiquan （形意拳）and Liuhebafa Chuan （六合八法拳）from the renowned Master Zhang Chang Xing in 1981.Master Zhang was the department head of Xingyiquan in the Nanjing Central Guoshu Academy during the 1930s .He was also a Master of Liuhebafa Chuan.Master Zhang was the top disciple of Wang Xiang Zhai and Wu Yi Hui . Master Wang was visited by many Japanese experts during World War II . One such visitor, Kenichi Sawai, became his student and created his own school back in Japan named Taikiken.
In 1985, Tan Jing became a disciple of Zhou Yong Fu who was a Professor of Martial Arts in Shandong Institute of Physical Education and Sports. Professor Zhou is regarded as one of top-ten Martial Arts professors in China, and was highly praised by Premier Zhou En Lai and General He Long since the 1950s. He has achieved the highest honour attainable in China: the Ninth Degree of National WuShu.
Tan Jing followed two Tai Chi Masters named Li Yan Xi (since 1989) as well as Sun De Ming (since 1991) who were successors of Yang Style Tai Chi in Wang Yong Quan's line.Kung Fu professionals who had contact with them commented on their strong and powerful Nei Gong, inner energy.
And since 2005, Tan Jing became the only student of Wang Zhong Ming, the son of Wang Yong Quan.
Tan Jing practices Chinese Kung Fu to such an extent that he has visited hundreds of famous Kung Fu Masters across several provinces in China.He has established his own theoretical system about Chinese Martial Arts . He has published three books about advanced Chinese Kung Fu with detailed descriptions on the studies of Qi.
His publications include:
1."Quan dao zhong deng xue: Tai ji quan lian yu wu (Practice and Insights on TaiChi) ISBN:962-85546-2-X,
2."Zuo zhuo shun gui tai ji quan lun ping shuo zhi yi.1, Wang Zong Yue Tai ji quan lun (Commentary on Wang Zong Yue¡¦s Tai Chi Theory)" ISBN 962-85546-3-8),
3."Quan dao yao lue (Principles of Quan Dao)" ISBN: 962-85546-0-3; 978-962-85546-0-7).
Tan Jing has been invited to be speak at seminars on Qi for students of Master and PhD Courses in GuangZhouChineseMedicalUniversity. He was appointed as the Chief Martial Arts Instructor Consultant of the Hong Kong Police Wu Shu Association .
Further, he has attained the Diploma of Wu Shu Instructor issued by Qing Dao Martial Art Training .
Even though the energy of Qi is a popular concept in Chinese Martial Arts movies, it is rarely observed. It is portrayed in classic Chinese Kung Fu manuals within a Chinese philosophical framework. However, it is still considered foreign to modern science, particularly in medical and life sciences.
The precise nature of Qi requires systematic research and explanation. Tan Jing bridges traditional experience and modern research.
