While Kung fu has practical combat applications, and some schools train participants to enter tournaments, Kung fu is also a spiritual art and path to enlightenment when taught, practiced and walked as a path in life in this manner. This is the way we teach it.
Some people wonder whether this art trains one to have a big ego ... or to be aggressive and combative in approach to life. All these things depend on the teacher and often, more importantly, on the student. Just as numerous priests have been known to divert from their spiritual path and behave in questionable ways, teachers and students of any spiritual art have been known throughout time to do the same. The same can be said for a follower of any faith and student of any path. It is very difficult to judge a path based on stories or the behaviours of some of the people associated with these things.
At times, a student may go through very challenging stages in their Work ... things may seem to get worse (in many ways) before they get better, as aspects of the self are brought to light for transformation. How much of this is there? ... How long does it take? It is individual. In natural medicine and other holistic healing modalities, a healing crisis is a common theme ... in spiritual texts, we come across mention of the dark night of the soul. The light is brighter on the other side of this Work.
Kung fu and Chi kung, in the way I was taught, is a spiritual path with side benefits which include practical combat applications (which some people enjoy demonstrating in tournaments), and high levels of health and fitness. According to the work the student puts in, and their current level of health and Being, it is obvious that people will get different results in the same amount of time.
Many other benefits are experienced according to the level of Work put in by the student and their level of being. The art can build up the inner strength and confidence of a student ... this is not the same as having a big ego ... though some people might view it as such. Some students do develop an ego of self-importance ... or self-pity ... (perhaps they come to the art with these traits) ... this has more to do with where they are at internally at that time and they may, as they develop over time, come to see themselves as they are and Work to transform. This is not only seen in arts such as Kung fu - one can see it in the spiritual self-importance projected by Yogis, religious people, healers of various disciplines, Tai Chi practitioners, kick-boxing clubs, Karate schools and Gyms... not to mention anyone we may come into contact with in the general public! We must always be aware of judgments, comparisons, justifications and labelling ... and avoid playing these games. Work on self ... cleaning our own mirrors and focussing on higher more worthy things is Work enough for all of us.
We do not have a filtering system or a specific characteristic we look for .... like the hopeful aspirants at the gates of the Shaolin Temple or those waiting at the feet of gurus in stories we've heard and movies we have seen. Many schools in the West (and now the East too) open their doors and work with the general public at the level they are at, with the hopes of planting seeds and watching students reach their potential ... whatever that may be.
Over time, practiced and walked in the highest manner, one can attain extra-ordinary abilities in mind, body and spirit... and real change in Being. Aggression and ego (the many forms of ego manifestation) ... among other things are to be faced, seen and transformed. This will occur only to the level at which the student is prepared to clean their own mirrors of self-projection and Know Themselves ... willingness and ability to travel their own inner landscape and their own unique ability to see and to Work ... All these things are factors in this.
The body is the physical tool used by the student (as in the path of Yoga etc.) ... with which to transform energies and their level of Being ... as this occurs, all can be new inside and out.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Kung fu Chi Kung Life System
I have been a student and practitioner of Kung fu and Chi Kung since 1997. The style I was taught is a Southern style (Southern China in origin) - 5 Animal, 5 Element Kung fu. My teacher called this the Kung fu Chi Kung Life System, and with great respect for what he has taught us, I call it the same, doing my best to pass on what I have been able to integrate into my being from what I have learned and done. Though my interest and experience in Yoga and attendance in other spiritual groups/classes began prior to my studies in Kung fu, the Kung fu Chi Kung Life System is truly my foundation and passion.
My teacher was taught traditionally by monks. The story is that the monks left a politically difficult climate ... left their country, later wishing to transmit their teachings; therefore, training others. Apparently, my teacher was taught privately with a small group of practitioners. He told me that we were learning a traditional art and that it is a spiritual path.
He was trained in the art of the warrior, the healer and the monk. These aspects of the training are integrated into the whole art ... though we may find ourselves studying one or more of these aspects in more concentrated focus at various times along our path. I trained for many years for hours a day under his guidance - intensely and with much devotion and love for the art. I can truly say with all my heart that this is my path with heart which I walk along the road of spiritual enlightenment - a development and growth of never-ending learning. I am so very grateful for these teachings.
I have trained with other teachers for a number of years ... expanding my horizons and being exposed to other methods, personalities and paths of spiritual study. This has enabled me to be open-minded and aware of the various ways in which people walk in order to connect with Spirit and the essence of who they really are. Having experienced and studied different healing methods and paths has taught me the common ground/tools of healing and spiritual Work ... I was a seeker of ancient knowledge leading to understanding of human nature and the roots of illness, well-being and spiritual growth.
Though I decided long ago that my learning is life-long, and I continue to attend classes and learn new things, I have enough to work on for the rest of my life from what I learned from studying Kung fu and Chi Kung alone (and this is on-going)! It is through this art that I have learned the valuable lesson of depth ... through depth and inner work we can discover/uncover many wondrous things!
Prior to starting my studies in Kung fu, I did Yoga. I continue to do Yoga and have integrated it into my practices. Many people are aware that the roots of Kung fu lie in yogic influence, so there are many yogic practices in the Kung fu which are obviously influenced by those lines ... check out the history of Kung fu.
There are many styles of Kung fu. We teach Five Animal (tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon) Five Element (earth, air, wood, water and fire) style. Our focus includes the external and the internal aspects of the art, as we were taught. It is a southern style art which includes a focus on deeper stances developed over time. Though it is a spiritual and healing art, it also has practical combat applications which were used in times of war, originally, as self-protective measures in difficult political climates.
What we have to offer at Souhl Center is a spiritual path of study and work which uses the physical body as a tool for spiritual practice - similar to the teachings of Yoga, Tai Chi etc. Chi Kung is the soul of Kung fu, and our teacher taught the two together - often saying that without the Chi Kung, the Kung fu would simply be empty form. Though often embarked on for the spiritual teachings and journey, the side benefits of consistent practice over time, by the way, are greater levels of health, fitness and energy to do the things you love to do as you express your wondrous being in this world! More Chi please!
My teacher was taught traditionally by monks. The story is that the monks left a politically difficult climate ... left their country, later wishing to transmit their teachings; therefore, training others. Apparently, my teacher was taught privately with a small group of practitioners. He told me that we were learning a traditional art and that it is a spiritual path.
He was trained in the art of the warrior, the healer and the monk. These aspects of the training are integrated into the whole art ... though we may find ourselves studying one or more of these aspects in more concentrated focus at various times along our path. I trained for many years for hours a day under his guidance - intensely and with much devotion and love for the art. I can truly say with all my heart that this is my path with heart which I walk along the road of spiritual enlightenment - a development and growth of never-ending learning. I am so very grateful for these teachings.
I have trained with other teachers for a number of years ... expanding my horizons and being exposed to other methods, personalities and paths of spiritual study. This has enabled me to be open-minded and aware of the various ways in which people walk in order to connect with Spirit and the essence of who they really are. Having experienced and studied different healing methods and paths has taught me the common ground/tools of healing and spiritual Work ... I was a seeker of ancient knowledge leading to understanding of human nature and the roots of illness, well-being and spiritual growth.
Though I decided long ago that my learning is life-long, and I continue to attend classes and learn new things, I have enough to work on for the rest of my life from what I learned from studying Kung fu and Chi Kung alone (and this is on-going)! It is through this art that I have learned the valuable lesson of depth ... through depth and inner work we can discover/uncover many wondrous things!
Prior to starting my studies in Kung fu, I did Yoga. I continue to do Yoga and have integrated it into my practices. Many people are aware that the roots of Kung fu lie in yogic influence, so there are many yogic practices in the Kung fu which are obviously influenced by those lines ... check out the history of Kung fu.
There are many styles of Kung fu. We teach Five Animal (tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon) Five Element (earth, air, wood, water and fire) style. Our focus includes the external and the internal aspects of the art, as we were taught. It is a southern style art which includes a focus on deeper stances developed over time. Though it is a spiritual and healing art, it also has practical combat applications which were used in times of war, originally, as self-protective measures in difficult political climates.
What we have to offer at Souhl Center is a spiritual path of study and work which uses the physical body as a tool for spiritual practice - similar to the teachings of Yoga, Tai Chi etc. Chi Kung is the soul of Kung fu, and our teacher taught the two together - often saying that without the Chi Kung, the Kung fu would simply be empty form. Though often embarked on for the spiritual teachings and journey, the side benefits of consistent practice over time, by the way, are greater levels of health, fitness and energy to do the things you love to do as you express your wondrous being in this world! More Chi please!
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