A Discussion on Yielding

[Luo Lang]

Dear Cha,
With great respect and happyness I was reading your comments. Very inspiring indeed.

Thanks to Great brother Kai to share such an experience and wisdom. I came to the right timing and has right spacing.

Now let's benefit from eachother and carry on.....

Respectfully,

Roland

[shaolin_mike]

For heavens sake

Imagine my surprise when I come back to this thread after a few days hoping that everything blew over and find things got worse.

To everyone shocked that Sifu Stier would suggest sparring I think its a pretty obvious step seeing as people are calling his kung fu (tai chi?) of a low level and insisting on it. I know Marcus only wants a friendly debate but calling his art low level having never seen it is sure to be annoying Sifu Stier. I'm no martial artist but in breakdance circles if you keep talking down about another person's dancing then eventually theyre gonna challenge you to a battle (which is a non violent thing btw even if there is tension between the dancers).

I agree with Kai that you should all not be so proud and just let this thing blow over I think youve just come so far with it that nobody wants to back down.

Oh and Kevin your post is way out of line the last thing we need is someone like you fanning the flames and trying to start more trouble again. Also I think its a double standard to make a big fuss about sifu stier putting a question mark (which he himself said is a typo) and then not say anything about Kevin writing a whole long post in which he says "Sifu" stier. I'm sorry but based on your posts I just have to say grow up, show some maturity and just let this thing go. You say all kinds of things about security but the fact that you feel the need to make that long whiny post speaks for itself.

Now can we put this one to bed please?

[Michael Durkin]

Dear Kai, Thank you Siheng Kai, your experience and wisdom because of it, are treasured.

Dear Charles, Thank you for your open heartedness.

Dear Kevin, It isn't right to speculate into how Sifu Stier treats his family or friends in that way without very sound evidence, that kind of behaviour isn't welcomed here. Be more careful when airing some of your opinions.

Take care,

[Akemi]

Thanks.

Dear Charles,

I was getting quite anxious when I finally read your Blessings..I could feel my whole being released from the cycle of emotions. Thank you for manifesting the energy we need to move forward. I think you, Sifu Anthony, Sifu Marcus and Sifu Kai are exemplifying the ideal of a noble warrior worthy of admiration and respect.

Dear Sifu Stier,

While your posts have sometimes made me uncomfortable [not necessarily a bad thing], I have come to value your input in the short time I have been on the forum. It seems that we are having communication problems--we keep 'misreading' each other's posts (it's come up quite a few times) . I hope that from now on we are able to speak the same language and continue learning from one another.

With Love and Blessings from a very junior member,

[Andrew]

A lot has happened in the couple of hours since I last logged on. Shaolin_Mike's surprise after a couple of days is easy to understand.

Some very interesting posts indeed. Some supporting one or the other of the "sparring pair", some attacking one or the other of the "sparring pair", some attempting to cool down a situation which isn't actually (my humble opinion) particularly heated.

I have a suggestion which can be taken as you wish to take it (I am sure it will be anyway ).

- I would suggest that the friendly sparring which has been proposed (the "challenge") take place.
- I suggest it takes place in as friendly a setting as is possible with as many spectators as possible.
- I suggest it is recorded so that anyone who is interested may access it - both now and in the future.
- I suggest it takes place as soon as possible.
- I suggest it takes place here, on the forum, in plain view of everyone.
- I suggest it is a "written sparring session" between Sifu Stier and Sifu Marcus based on the principles, techniques, practice and implementation of "Yielding".

Now isn't that a revolutionary suggestion? Not really actually - it could have been the original thread prior to renaming and moving. In this sparring there will be no losers. There will only be winners. All of us will be winners regardless. Why? Because we will all profit substantially from the wisdom of Sifu Stier and his Shen Men Tao system combined with the wisdom Sifu Marcus has to share from the teachings of Shaolin Wahnam.

There will likely be many differences between the two interpretations and teachings. But does that matter? I don't think so. As long as the "sparring" is honourable and all of us come out of the "sparring session" the richer for the experience and wisdom shared.

So what do you say folks? Sifu Stier? Sifu Marcus? Anyone?

Andrew

P.S. And maybe a physical FRIENDLY sparring at a later date wouldn't be out of the question once this has all settled? As Sifu Kai said -- no emotions involved.

[Antonius]

I'm at school at the moment (the miracles of wireless internet), but I'd like to take a moment to sound another warning to Kevin. Please stop. Your comments are inappropriate and unwelcome.

I'm not going to edit or delete anything right now. Quite frankly, I don't have time. Also, I feel that the responses to Kevin's post may be a sufficient form of moderation.

I've said this a few times, but I'll say it again. Although we disagree with Sifu Stier in many respects, we still greatly value his contribution to this forum. Please keep that in mind.

[yeniseri]

idea

Calligraphy (writing) kungfu sounds awesome! Someone told me that some techniques are based on brush strokes in the writing of specific characters.
How about we try to be civil and the one who thinks he has been insulted (in this writing kingfu)) is the loser, all be it in a nice way.

Isn't composure in the face of strife an exemplary characteristic!
I am reminded in the chen style postuer 'unbottoning shirt lazily' when one is attacked, one simply motions to left or right (during the encounter) and takes of one's shirt as if walking leisureily through the drawing room.

sounds good to me and no animals will be hurt in this manner.

a little humour is good. Gladden thy heart in difficulkt situations, sayeth the great one!

[Mark Blohm]

- I would suggest that the friendly sparring which has been proposed (the "challenge") take place.
- I suggest it takes place in as friendly a setting as is possible with as many spectators as possible.
- I suggest it is recorded so that anyone who is interested may access it - both now and in the future.
- I suggest it takes place as soon as possible.
- I suggest it takes place here, on the forum, in plain view of everyone.
- I suggest it is a "written sparring session" between Sifu Stier and Sifu Marcus based on the principles, techniques, practice and implementation of "Yielding".

Dear Andrew Siheng,

I think this is a very good idea.

Mark

[Maxime]

Heaven or Hell?

Dear All,

I would like to express my deeper feelings. Please ignore them if you find them useless, irrelevant or stupid.

In every man there is some good and some bad. It is up to our Heart to view the good, or the bad in every person.

I highly respect everybody on this forum, my seniors AND Sifu Stier.

My seniors have a kind Heart, they are walking on a peaceful path, they are dedicated to the Art, not to its destruction. I am honoured to be part of such a Family. You are role models.

Sifu Stier is also a kind man. Yes some will argue that he acts wild. This perception can be over exagerated or not, depending on numerous factors. But is it really important? On a personal note, Sifu Stier has communicated with me a few months ago through personal mail and has helped me, sincerily, freely, without me asking in the first place, and with generosity, on a very difficult subject for me, a very painful memory from my past. I will choose to see the good in the man. His posts on the forum are also very helpful and inspiring.

I find my Great Brother Kai's words very inspiring.Thank you.

Please let's stop teasing each others because we think we are right. Life is certainly much more meaningful than this.

Shaolin Law N°4? Yes, we have to uphold righteousness. So did my seniors. Now, it is time to uphold wisdom.

Let's work for the peace of humankind. Aren't you tired of the misery and violence of the world? (I know you all are ).

In every man there is some good and some bad.
Seeing the bad, this is Hell.
Seeing the good, this is Heaven.

I would like to finish with a famous story:

A warrior came to see a Buddhist master to learn from him.
'What is Heaven', What is Hell?, asked the warrior to the Buddhist master.
'What? You really are stupid!'
The warrior was shocked, he began to get angry.
'Come on, I got no time to lose with fool like you!' insisted the Buddhist master.
The warrior, the Heart full of rage, took his sword and raised his hands to strike the Buddhist master. When he was about to strike, the Buddhist master looked at him with a gentle smile and said:
'This is Hell!'
Shocked, the warrior dropped the sword, his rage disappeared and he felt on his knees with shame in his heart.
The Buddhist master said:
'This is Heaven!'

Thanks for reading,

Maxime

[Kevin]

Sifu Korahais and members of the Wahnam Family, I do want to apologize if my last post was out of line in any way. That was certainly not my intention in writing it. Cha Muir stated it very clearly and simply when he said my feelings regarding Sifu Stier are known and need no further elaboration. I thank him for pointing that out to me. I appreciate that. And I'll attempt to take a lesson from that. From now on, especially in this particular thread, I'll keep to discussing and responding to specifics. No more generalizations about what I think of Sifu Stier personally, overall.

Along with that, I was putting the "sifu" in Sifu Stier's title in quotation marks because in my opinion, his behavior on this Forum is not representative of what I would expect from a Sifu. But I'll cease doing that, as it does offend others and really serves no purpose.

Reading Cha Muir's last post actually showed me something else too. My posts, while meant to counter Sifu Stier and explain how I felt about his behavior, were actually on the verge of becoming like Sifu Stier's recent posts. In my effort and desire to speak out against unkindness, rudeness, immaturity, etc., I myself was on the verge of sounding exactly like what I was speaking out against. Thank you Cha Muir for that lesson. While I don't think I have been unkind up to this point, I definitely don't want to end up there.

To be quite honest, I responded so quickly and intensely to Sifu Stier's last post because of the physical challenge (threat) to Sifu Santer. Everyone has their own pet peeves. And one of my biggest ones is a martial artist, especially one of Sifu Stier's age and experience, doing the "why don't we just meet face to face and settle this with our fists" thing. It just really gets on my nerves to see someone of that level actively seeking a physical confrontation.

Anyway, back on track now.

Kevin

[Sifu Stier]

Greetings to All!

Well, I don't know whose post you all were reading in regards to my MAKING A CHALLENGE, but it certainly WAS NOT MINE! I MADE NO CHALLENGE...I only asked Sifu Santer IF THAT WAS WHAT HE WANTED! I have no desire to fight with anyone here, or to harm anyone anywhere. However, I was beginning to feel that perhaps Sifu Santer was trying to goad me into a physical confrontation with his incessantly demeaning comments to me and about me. I did not wish to assume this to be true without hearing directly from him...so I asked simply and directly if this was the case or not. Thus far...I still have not received a simple yes or no answer to that very simple question.

So...once again I respectfully request that if he DOES NOT want me to take his words as a personal challenge, please stop speaking to me and about me in the antagonistic manner he has used for the past many weeks. Period. This is an easy thing to resolve....REALLY! Just stop! It would be MY PREFERENCE to SEE ALL of this LOW VIBRATIONAL ENERGY completely and totally DISAPPEAR FOREVER from this fine Forum.

I offer my sincere apologies again to whomever has been offended by my words...whether it be Sifu Santer or Joko...or whomever. I shudder to imagine how you would react if I was actually making an effort to provoke you, since you have been so much more defensive about so much less than I have received here....but as the man said...let that be water under the bridge, OK? Remember that whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger! So we should all be considerably stronger than before by now, eh? In turn, I offer my forgiveness to all who have offend me.

BLESSED BE ALL!

Sifu Stier

[joko]

Thank you, Sifu Stier.

Joko

[Maxime]

Paradise is a state of mind



these words are hanging above my altar, I would like to share with you,

"Paradise is a state of mind"

Kind regards to all,

Maxime

[Marcus]

Hello all,

In response to Sifu Stiers last post and taking the advice of Kai Sihing I plan to have a nice cup of Pearl Jasmine Green Tea.

I will post tomorrow. Goodnight

Kind regards

Marcus

Namo Amitabha Buddha Namo Amitabha Buddha Namo Amitabha Buddha

[Charles David]

Blessings and Forgiveness

Thank you Sifu Stier for your blessing and forgiveness.

We will save the debate on Neitzschean philosophy for later.

For now, let us bask a bit, float away on some clouds...