Special Wudang Taijiquan Course: The Pinnacle of Kung Fu

[Mark Blohm]

Wudang Taijiquan is both the climax of Shaolin kungfu development and the source of all styles of Taijiquan. Hence, the combat application, energy training and spiritual cultivation of this course will be of a very high level.

This statement by Sifu means exactly what it says. All of us here in Penang can confirm it through our direct experience. Not only is Wudang Taijiquan the pinnacle of Kung Fu, Sifu is the best teacher in the world. How can I say Sifu is the best teacher in the world? Just consider our results!

A key point we learned in the Art of Teaching course is that a teacher, healer or any leader should be measured primarily by the results he gets for his students. It's one thing to just teach, but the ability to directly transmit skills is fantastic and rare. These skills we are acquiring so effortlessly immediately improve our quality of life and the lives of other people. It's a pity that some may have ignored such an invitation due to their perception. On the other hand, we here are benefiting so much.

[Nick Jones]

I thought I would share with you a couple of personal highlights of this course

Well, you know it's going to be particularly special when right at the very beginning you expand into the cosmos, which is often the grand finale of a course. At the welcoming dinner the course participants are discussing the ridiculously high level of the course and Sigung points out that we've 'only' been working at the form level and that the energy and mind levels are yet to come. After hearing that the room erupted in disbelieving laughter, since the first day had already passed the expectation of even those who have learnt the set on a previous course.

Sigung has created multiple new innovations for training force on this course that can be applied to any other kung fu sets or sequences. My favourite is provisionally called the 'tortoise' method. I will never be able to do it justice by descbring the technique, which is very simple - performing the set very slowly, about 5 times slower than normally done so in Taijichuan. At this speed performing the whole set could take upwards of 45 minutes. What happens to the mind is incredible, we were having experiences such as our hands vibrating with internal force, percieving the chi flowing through individual meridians, perceiving individual cells in our arms, immediately understanding where there were long unnoticed weaknesses in our form and experiencing pure timelessness. After using this method with the Wudang set we applied it to other kung fu sets of our choice.

[Mark Blohm]

A Treasure Beyond Measure

The azul waves roll in from the the Straits of Malacca and beyond the vast Indian Ocean and India itself. Mother India, the land where our Shaolin patriarch was born. Where the great Bodhidharma left aside a life of luxury to bring the transmission to Shaolin. The great Zhang San Feng sojourned from Shaolin, bringing Shaolin Kung Fu to its peak and achieving Immortality on Wudang mountain. And somewhere not far beyond these blue waters and the gentle hills before me is the border with Thailand. The Venerable Jiang Nan came out of China and found refuge there, entrusting the spiritual wealth to our Sitaigung. Our Sigung passed the light to our beloved Sifu. And here, by this peaceful shore, our Sifu has opened his heart wide to bless us with this treasure.



I would like to quote Michael Agar's post from the Art of Teaching thread:

A little postscript to the Art of Teaching Course:

Sifu has just been innovating applied Art of Teaching techniques in the Wudang Taijiquan course, no soon as he finished the Art of Teaching last week. Unfortunately, 3/4 of the 40+ students who attended the Art of Teaching course have missed out on some amazing refinements in how he transmits heart to heart learnings: the Force Method is now history and the Flow Method has just become soooo last week. For those taking courses with him in the future, prepare yourselves for internal force building and other qi-based techniques that almost blew the roof off the Copthorne Ballroom . Some of these techniques are so new that the names for them are still being developed.

[Charles David]

To echo what Sifu, and some of our brothers have said, the level of transmission is indeed very high.
To elaborate on what Michael wrote, the tentatively-titled water method consists of three parts, form leading chi, then chi leading form, and finally, form leading chi again. Everyone at the course will attest to how amazingly effective this is in developing both great form and great force. To use the American vernacular:it is a game changer.

A personal highlight for me, one which will forever change the way I practice all Kungfu, is the realization that we are free to practice the patterns and sets in so many many ways. Sifu has given us the key to such freedom and power in our practice. It is easy to see why Sifu refers to these training techniques and skills as the climax of Shaolin Kungfu.

I feel incredibly lucky to be able to take this very special course.

With Respect to Sifu and Past Masters,

[Luo Lang]

Dear all,

Thanks for all the accounts. It's obvious you all enjoy the course tremendously.

Looking forward to read more.

Best regards,

[Andrea]

A Tornado Course ...

We are in the middle of the course with another 2.5 days ahead of us. Yet, to me, time and space have sort of disappeared and it feels like we are in one continuous flow that just keeps growing stronger. Another approach we practiced is the provisionally called tornado method - but actually the whole course is sort of a tornado, starting from a gentle breeze and becoming more and more powerful. And in the middle of this powerful tornado there is stillness again. And then moving to the edge, there is power again.. and so on....
And like any powerful tornado the course takes up everything there is. I feel like whatever I have learned before in Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin Kungfu, and Chi Kung is there, and it is being polished, and crystallized. It is hard to describe. But I am sure my practice won't ever be the same after this course.

Another highlight as has been said, is that the course is also an extension to the Art of Teaching course from last week. We are privileged to witness how Sigung is once more refining his teaching methods. They are fantastic and such a skill booster . I let others describe more. What I meant to say is that the transmission from last week's course just continues... and I it's amazing to receive Sigung's transmission both as a student and as an instructor at the same time.

From the heart - Thank you Sigung for allowing me to be on this course and for teaching us so generously!

Andrea

[Charles David]

Yes, Andrea, the really wonderful thing is that we can apply these techniques and skills to all of our Kung fu and everything else we do.

The term "tornado" is apt. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is a Sharknado!!


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[sancrica]

Thanks for Sharing :-)

Dear Wahnam Family,

The azul waves roll in from the the Straits of Malacca and beyond the vast Indian Ocean and India itself. Mother India, the land where our Shaolin patriarch was born. Where the great Bodhidharma left aside a life of luxury to bring the transmission to Shaolin. The great Zhang San Feng sojourned from Shaolin, bringing Shaolin Kung Fu to its peak and achieving Immortality on Wudang mountain. And somewhere not far beyond these blue waters and the gentle hills before me is the border with Thailand. The Venerable Jiang Nan came out of China and found refuge there, entrusting the spiritual wealth to our Sitaigung. Our Sigung passed the light to our beloved Sifu. And here, by this peaceful shore, our Sifu has opened his heart wide to bless us with this treasure.

Thanks Siheng Mark. That was just beautiful.

Thanks to all of you for sharing. It is an incredible and enriching experience to read from all of you. :-)

With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

Santiago

[Andrew R]

A cosmic sharknado? That's my favorite kind of sharknado.

Cosmic Sharknado.jpg

[Claudien S]

Waves upon waves of bliss...

I am now in my room just after the morning Wudang session trying to write this post. Why do I say 'trying' to write this post? It is because every minute or two I have to stop, sit back and allow an amazing feeling of expansion to happen. I just don't want to do anything except being with this feeling of continuous expansion, wave upon wave of expansion, with my mouth gently open, this experience has been going on for the past 20 - 30 minutes.

This experience has been building up since the start of the course, even when we were still at very basic form level, but has intensified beyond anything that words can explain following this morning's practice session of Wudang at 'mind level'. We didn't do much more than maybe 20 minutes of 'mind level' training but it was so profound and intense. As soon as I went into the practice there was no longer me but 'nothingness' and 'everythingness' at the same time. There was just a still aware presence. This process goes on while I am writing this. It feels like lotus flowers opening up in my heart centre in a never ending way. As soon as one flower fully opens, another flower just opens spontaneously from the middle of the previous flower ad infinitum with waves and waves of bliss running through my whole being.

I guess this could be a glimpse of what the Great Immortal Zhang San Feng experienced on the Wudang mountain.

Dear Sifu, words cannot express what I am experiencing through your teachings. The eternal in me is profoundly grateful to You.

With blessings to all,
Claude

[Leo Shaolin]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experience!

I'm very much looking forward to Sifu's next courses and learning all the new methods.

I am glad that you all have the chance to attend this marvellous course. Enjoy your time!

Best wishes,

Leo

[Dominic Roche]

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

Thank you for sharing such beautiful and inspiring experiences.

Shaolin Salute,
Dominic.

[Andy]

As one of the 40+ at the Art of Teaching who just missed out on the Wudang Taijiquan I have to say I'm not jealous at all










Congratulations to all participants

[Mark Blohm]

What A Feeling

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[Claudien S]

Thanks for posting this photo Mark Sihing

Just looking at it connects me to the 'Timelessness' experienced at the course

Best wishes,
Claude