Legacy of Bodhidharma: 10 Questions for Grandmaster

[barrys]

Sifu,

For the four arts of 18 Lohan Hands, Sinew Metamorphosis, Bone Marrow Cleansing and Zen:

• what are the differences in outcome one can expect if practised correctly and diligently
• what criteria would a person use to decide which art to practise at any given time
• what effect has each art had in your life

In what order and at what pace did Bodhidharma introduce these arts to the Shaolin monks?

If someone was a "fresh beginner" to this whole area how would you suggest they include each of these arts into a daily practice initially, after 6 months, after one year?

With gratitude and respect,

Barry

[Alex]

How did Bodhidharma learn the 18 Lohan Hands?

[joko]

Dear Sifu,

According to Bodhidharma,

MANY roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice.

To enter by reason means to realize the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and delusion.

To enter by practice refers to four all-inclusive practices: Suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing the Dharma.

(from Bodhidharma's teachings)

1. To which road that the legacy of Bodhidharma (18 Lohan Hands, Yi Jin Jing, Bone Marrow Cleansing, and Zen) will lead us to, to enter the Path by reason, by practice, or both?

2. Why did the Great Bodhidharma put the emphasize on the Path, and not the destination?

Thank you,
Joko

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to question 1

Dear all,


That's more like it!


Our Grandmaster is following this thread with great interest, and I'm happy to start publishing his answers!

Please still keep submitting questions; there are very good ones already, but as I said, we'll pick the best ones so keep them coming - the competition is still going!


So, without further ado, here is answer to question 1 by Tapio Raevaara:

Question 1:

"When Bodhidharma originally taught the monks at the Shaolin Monastery, was his intention simply to help them achieve Enlightenment, or was there more to it? Did he realize that his teachings would evolve and be built on, that the Shaolin Legacy would last for a thousand years and more, that millions of people would benefit from his art? Did he know that one day a master like you would take the core of his teachings and openly share it with the entire world? That all this would still be only the beginning?"

- Tapio Raevaara

Answer to Question 1:


"
I believe that Bodhidharma’s intention was simply to help the monks at the Shaolin Monastery to achieve Enlightenment.  He was a Zen patriarch.  He lived for the present moment, not in the past nor the future. Although he had the “wisdom eye” to see that his Zen teaching, i.e. teaching monks to attain Enlightenment, would one day branch into five Zen schools, which it did, he never planned it.  The development was natural. Although Bodhidharma, as a crown prince, was a great martial artist himself, he did not teach kungfu at the Shaolin Monastery.  Shaolin kungfu and chi kung later evolved from the Eighteen Lohan Hands and Sinew Metamorphosis which was originally taught by him for spiritual cultivation.

Though he did not actively engineer it, with his “wisdom eye” he would have realized that his teaching would evolve and be built upon, and that the Shaolin Legacy would benefit posterity.  Indeed that was what his own teacher had told him to do, resulting in his voluntarily and gladly renouncing his kingship to spread his teaching to the East. Thank you for your compliments on me spreading Bodhidharma’s teaching. Although our school Shaolin Wahnam, has spread to many countries in all the six continent, our expansion was due to meeting expedient needs, and not due to prior planning.

Seeing the real possibility of genuine Shaolin Kungfu being lost to posterity, my original intention of establishing Shaolin Wahnam was to preserve it and teach it to deserving students irrespective or race, culture and religion. Then, seeing that many sick people could have recovered from their illness if they could practice Shaolin chi kung but they did not have the opportunity because Shaolin chi kung at that time was taught only to advanced Shaolin kungfu practitioners, I broke tradition and taught Shaolin chi kung to the public.  Later when some disciples had convinced me that we should also preserve genuine Taijiquan, we included it in our Shaolin Wahnam repertoire.

Like the great Bodhidharma before us and drawing inspiration from him, although we did not actively plan it to happen, we can foresee that our Shaolin Wahanm legacy will be preserved for and benefit posterity.  But we operate at a much lower level than what Bodhidharma did.  Bodhidharma taught monks, i.e. those who voluntarily renounced worldly affairs to cultivate for the highest spiritual attainment, to achieve Enlightenment.

We teach lay people how to be healthy and happy in the phenomenal world.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Chiahua]

Lineage

Sifu, some Zen masters were very open about what school of Zen they practiced, or what their lineage was. Did Sigung Ho ever discuss how he received Zen teachings, or whether he was inclined toward one school or the other?

Thank you,
Chia-Hua

[Ish]

One Finger Zen

Dear Sifu,

Did the one finger zen hand form originate with Bodhidharma's teachings at the Shaolin Temple?

The one finger zen is used in many force training arts: One Finger Shooting Zen, Iron Wire and Golden bridge to name a few. What is the significance of one finger zen in force training and generally what effects does it have on ones daily life/combat/spiritual training?

I believe Sigung Ho's favourite art was One Finger Shooting Zen. Over other treasures such as Sinew Metamorphosis, Small Universe and meditation, what makes One Finger Shooting Zen such an amazing art?

Finally, we've read some interesting stories about Sigung Ho's expertise in one finger zen, do you perhaps have any more stories to share with us?

Thank you for your time,
Ish

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to question 2

Nice questions - keep them coming!


Below is the Grandmaster's answer to the chosen question 2 by Omar. Enjoy!

Question 2:

"In kungfu and chi kung circles lineage is important, especially in Eastern culture.  In the West this is generally not given as much attention.

We can trace our lineage back to the venerable Bodhidharma not only through historical documentation, but mainly the arts we practise that he taught and initiated at the Temple some 1500 years ago. I'm sure a lot of people in our school are aware, but probably many other people do not know that as the Shaolin arts can be traced back to Bodhidharma, his lineage went in a direct line back to the Buddha.

I wonder if we could receive some insight on why maintaining a lineage is worthwhile, and not vanity and attachment as some people mistakenly think.

Perhaps in addition some thoughts on how the teachings and arts may have evolved over time from the Buddha to Bodhidharma. And after the institutionalization of the arts at the Shaolin temples came to an end, have we seen the zenith of the Shaolin arts from Bodhidharma as they are no longer institutionalized and developed in such an environment or could they continue to develop and crystallize further in the future?"

- Omar

Answer to Question 2:


"
While lineage is important, there are other factors to consider too. One important factor is where the essence of the art has been lost in the lineage. This, unfortunately, is the case in most schools today. They can trace their lineage to great masters in the past, and the forms they practice are genuine, but they have lost the essence.

Most schools not only have lost the essence of their lineage, they have lost the essence of kungfu and chi kung in general too. How many kungfu schools today use their kungfu forms for combat, and how many chi kung schools have experience of chi? Indeed, it is shocking that modern masters who use kick-boxing for combat, and who do not believe in chi are just three generations from great masters in the past famous for their kungfu combat efficiency and internal force.

We were incredibly generous in wanting to help practitioners of such lineages recover the essence of their arts. We went to the extent of saying they could learn from us and return to teach in their own schools what they found useful without mentioning the material was from us. Such generosity was rare in the whole of kungfu and chi kung history. But either they do not believe us or are too proud to learn from us.


While it is true that the Shaolin and Taijiquan arts are non-religious, and many Shaolin and Taijiquan masters were and are Christian, Muslim and of a religion other than Buddhism and Taoism, not many people, especially those outside our school, know this fact. Therefore, we are particularly careful not to hurt the sensitivities of followers of other religions.

Buddhism and Taoism are not religions in the way most Westerners conceptualize what a religion is. The gist of Buddhism is avoiding evil, doing good, and cultivating the mind. A Taoist is one who cultivates the way to attain Truth. There is no requirement whatsoever to believe or not to believe in any particular Teacher.


Maintaining a lineage is not vanity or attachment, though some schools regard lineage in this way. They may have descended directly from great masters in the past, but if they claim that kungfu cannot be used for fighting and internal force is not true, as many of them do, they are actually insulting the great masters of their own lineage.

Other schools may not make such claims, but if they cannot use kungfu for combat and have no internal force, like what past masters of their lineage used and had, and they make no effort to restore the great achievements of their own past masters, they are not paying due respect to the masters of their own lineage even though they may have much attachment to their lineage, possibly to boost their reputation.

Maintaining a lineage is a good way to show respect and gratitude to the masters who passed down the arts to us. In our lineage, except for the Venerable Chee Seen and Uncle Righteousness, who were well known in Chinese kungfu circles but not in the West, the other masters were not well known.  This is testimony that we did not attempt to use our lineage to glamorize ourselves. Rather we maintain our lineage because we honour and are grateful to our past masters.  Indeed, the past masters in our lineage are becoming more well known now because of our effort in honouring them.


Stretching our history to the remote past from the Buddha to Bodhidharma, there are two invaluable lessons worth noting, though many people may not be aware of them.

Followers of the Buddha’s teaching right down to the time of Bodhidharma never called their practice “Buddhism”! What did they call it?  In Sanskrit it was called “dharma”, and in Chinese it was called “jiao”. Both “dharma” and “jiao” mean “teaching”. There was no connotation of religion at all.

Bodhidharma, like the Buddha, was Indian, not Chinese.  When I first taught Shaolin kungfu and later chi kung to non-Chinese, many Chinese masters fiercely opposed my action. I could readily reduce, if not totally erase, their objection by reminding them that the great Bodhidharma, whom we sincerely and gratefully honour as the First Patriarch of the Shaolin arts, was Indian, not Chinese.

If there was any objection left, I could remove it by subtly suggesting that if they were still not happy, they could always spar with me. It was not logical, but the general attitude was that if your kungfu sparring was superior to them, especially if you demonstrated it gracefully without them losing face, they would “moh wah ho kong” (Cantonese), which means “have nothing more to say”.


Before I present my thoughts on how the teaching had evolved over time from the Buddha to Bodhidharma, please bear in mind that the teaching of both the Buddha and Bodhidharma aimed at helping students attain Enlightenment, not attain good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and combat efficiency as we now do in our school

The Buddha’s teaching was described as “Buddha’s Zen”, and Bodhidharma’s teaching as “Patriarch’s Zen”. More poetically, the Buddha’s teaching was described as “teaching within the tradition”, whereas Bodhidharma’s teaching as “teaching outside the tradition”.

In Buddha’s Zen an aspirant first stilled his mind in sammadha meditation. Then he used his one-pointed mind to investigate into Ultimate Reality in visspasana meditation.  Eventually he “saw” Ultimate Reality and attained Enlightenment.

In Patriarch’s Zen an aspirant aimed to attain no thought or no mind. There were two main approaches, using Zen meditation and using seemingly illogical questions known as “gong-an” (koan). Eventually he “saw” his Original Face and attained Enlightenment.

Buddha’s Zen was described as “teaching within the tradition” because it was orthodox, and was systematically practiced in a monastery. Patriarch’s Zen was described as “teaching outside the tradition” because it was unorthodox even when it occured inside a monastery. For example, a monk might ask his master what was the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the West, and the master might suddenly barked like a dog!


Yes, with the burning of the Shaolin temples, the Shaolin arts have deteriorated to a ridiculous level now. Instead of practicing Zen, people now study Zen – and they do not even know what the difference is. Instead of using kungfu for combat, they bounce about and use kick-boxing. Instead of using chi kung to develop internal force, they lift weights and build big muscles.

Yet, there is real hope that we may continue to develop and crystallize the Shaolin arts further.  Others may call us boastful or presumptuous, but we are honest with ourselves.  The standard of our attainment is still far below that of past Shaolin monks and masters, but the speed and efficiency of our accomplishment is truly astonishing.


For example I just came back from a “Cosmic Breathing” class in Spain. About half the class experienced their spirit expanded beyond their body! This is simply incredible, and we can understand if other people think we are lying. If Shaolin monks in the past could have similar results after five years of cultivation, it would be considered remarkable.


In the Shaolin Kungfu class concluded yesterday, relative beginners experienced internal force on the first day of training, and were able to use Shaolin Kungfu in free sparring on the third day. It is true their force is nowhere near that of an external martial artist at black-belt level, and our beginning students would be badly beaten by him in free sparring.


But these are not the issues in question. We never say that we are more powerful than others or will beat others in free sparring. We say we have internal force and can use kungfu in free sparring. Whether we are more powerful or are better fighters is another issue.  In comparison to our students now, it took me many years of dedicated training before I could experience any internal force, and also many years before I could use my kungfu in free sparring, and I was generally regarded as a fast learner.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

(text emphasis added)

Best wishes,

[Mark Blohm]

Dear Markus Siheng,

Thank you for providing the beautiful answers from Sifu. Here's my question:

Dear Sifu, how closely related are the teachings of Confucius and Zhang San Feng? And, are the teachings of Confucius related closely to other well known Masters in history?

[veenie]

Thank you Siheng Markus for starting this thread. Thank you to Wahnam family for asking the questions. Thank you to Sifu for providing the answer.


In the Bloodstream sermon, Bodhidharma points out “To find the Buddha you have to see your nature” Sifu, can we point directly to ‘the mind’ to ‘find Buddha’ through our practice of Chi Kung, Smiling from the Heart and Don’t Worry, Don’t Intellectualize, Enjoy your practice?



In the Breakthrough Sermon Bodhidharma mentions three precepts and the six paramitas. Sifu can one “dispel the three poisons drive away the six thieves” by ‘just being’ in the present moment?



Sifu as you have mentioned in the teachings that Samsara is Nirvana and Nirvana is Samsara, does karma also arise in ‘the mind’? does it only exist when ‘the mind’ arises to the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion? and thus not existing when the mind is ‘empty’ ?


Sifu if everything we are surrounded by now in our phenomenal reality is a manifestation of our mind and from seeds sown in the past, yet everything is impermanent, can we instantly change our reality through our present thoughts or is always subject to karma?


Sifu could you please offer an insight into the Lankavatara sutra and if one can realize enlightenment through compassion alone as compassion is non -dualistic and egoless?



I would be grateful for any answers given to ‘see’ the true understanding.


Shaolin Salute
Parveen

[mping]

Parveen, I find your questions immensely profound. Thanks for posting them. I eagerly await Sifu's answer. It's also interesting that I'm reading Sifu's Complete Book of Zen

[Markus Kahila]

Competition closed

Dear family,


Thank you for all your questions! Sifu has made his choices, and I will publish his answers gradually in the space of couple of weeks.


I think all the questions you've sent are excellent; of course, not all will be answered.


However, you still have the best possible option to receive answers to your questions - through direct experience in training under the personal teaching of Grandmaster Wong! Therefore, I welcome all of you here with open arms to come to Norway next January - It will be an event to remember!



Best wishes,

[LeeWeiJoo]

Dear Sifu,

What are the first steps to take to unite the world's great religions together? Or rather, to make all see that underneath the cultural. societal and religious facades that the message is essentially from the same Source, that we all speak the same language?

Is this possible this generation?

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[Markus Kahila]

Dear Lee Wei Joo,


Thanks for the question! However, check out my last post first


Best wishes,

[LeeWeiJoo]

Dear Siheng Markus,

Ah, I didn't notice that the competition was closed.

Thank you for presenting this opportunity to us, and to Sifu for answering the questions

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[Daniel]

Dear all,

I´m eager to read the answers to all these interesting questions!!!

best regards,