Legacy of Bodhidharma: 10 Questions for Grandmaster

[veenie]

Thank you Sifu.

Shaolin Salute

Parveen

[Markus Kahila]

By the way, I'm writing this sitting in an airborne airplane to Winter Camp. Amazing times we live in

Setting aims and objectives is an important feature in Shaolin Wahnam School

(Answer 15 continued from part II)


"
Our understanding of techniques and benefits has changed, in fact has revolutionized, the whole concept of a practice schedule. If we want to, we can choose any one or more exercises from any one or more of Bodhidharma’s legacies, and practice according to our objectives, aspirations and sometimes whims and fancies, and still attain better results in less time than most other people.

For example, if we want mental clarity, we may choose “Pushing Mountains” or “Big Bird Flaps Wings” or “Carrying the Moon” or sitting on a chair, and enjoy our practice, gently focusing on keep out all thoughts. At the end of a 10-minute session we will find our mind crystal clear, besides attaining other benefits.

But this advice is not for a “fresh beginner”. It is for someone, like you (Barry), who has a good grasp of both the philosophy and the practice of our arts.

A fresh beginner will need a more conventional practice schedule like the following.


For the first six months, he should focus on the Eighteen Lohan Hands, practicing any one or two exercises from the remaining arts he has learnt once or twice a week to maintain them.


For each practice session, he can choose any one of the exercises from the Eighteen Lohan Hands. Sometimes he may choose more or all the Lohan exercises. But irrespective of the number of exercises he chooses, the time for one practice session should be about 15 minutes where at least 5 minutes, but can be more, should be for enjoying a chi flow.


From six months to a year, when he has progressed from being a fresh beginner to an intermediate student, he can spend about half his practice time to focus on the Eighteen Lohan Hands, and the other half to any one, or two or all the remaining three Bodhidharma’s legacies.  

After a year, if he has been practicing daily following our instructions he would have become an advanced student by today’s standard. As an advanced student he would be able to formulate his own practice schedule.  

He would be more proficient in chi kung skills and enjoy more benefits than most other students who have practiced for more than five years. Those who say that they are still beginners after having practiced for ten or more years do not know what they are saying. They also have wasted their time and insulted their teachers and their art, implying how inefficient their teachers have been and how useless their art is.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[barrys]

Sifu,

Thank you for your answers.

Markus,

Thank you for organising the thread.

I look forward to seeing you both at the weekend. And I agree with Andy, blessed to have the chance to learn and practice these arts.

Best wishes,

Barry

[Andy]

I always feel honoured and blessed to be practicing the Shaolin Arts, but reading Sifu's most recent comments has reminded me once again just how honoured and blessed we all are!

What a wonderful opportunity the upcoming Winter Camp is! Wishing all those attending the very best!

Andy

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 15, part II

Sinew Metamorphosis (Yi Jin Jing) is an advanced art that needs to be learned directly from a master

(Answer 15 continued from part I)


"
For me personally, and speaking generally, the Eighteen Lohan Hands was my first introduction to these four arts of Bodhidharma. It laid the foundation for my training and development in the other three arts. Without the training in the Eighteen Lohan Hands, I would not be able to develop into the depth and richness of the other three arts that I have.


When I first practiced Sinew Metamorphosis myself and taught it to a few selected selected disciples, it was at a physical level. I myself had to perform all the 12 exercises in the Sinew Metamorphosis set, performing each exercise 49 times, yet the internal force I generated then was less than the internal force I can now generate by performing any one of the exercises only 3 times!  Understandably, many people outside our school will find this hard to believe.  


The effect is most impressive and has far-reaching consequences in both my personal life as well as the benefits our students get as a result of my teaching.  It manifests the great importance of mind. It clearly demonstrates the great difference between practicing any chi kung exercise at the mind level or as external physical forms. It took me more than 10 years from the time when I was already an accomplished Shaolin master to arrive at this stage when I perform and teach at the mind level. It is ridiculous (in a good sense) that now Shaolin Wahnam students can get similar benefits in less than 4 hours.

My development of the mind level as a result of Sinew Metamorphosis led me to my “discovery” of Bone Marrow Cleansing. I was wondering at the debate whether Bodhidharna taught Bone Marrow Cleansing as there was no record of its from though there was record of its effects. It suddenly dawned on me that unlike in Eighteen Lohan Hands and Sinew Metamorphosis, there were no specific forms in Bone Marrow Cleansing but there were specific effects.  

For me personally, the singular effect of Bone Marrow Cleansing, not obvious at the time of its development but more noticeable from hindsight, is to highlight the important difference between form and effect, between techniques and benefits. This concept enables us in Shaolin Wahnam to be very cost-effective.


I did not learn Zen formally from any of my sifus, but I had much Zen training from them informally. Thus the material I am going to teach in the Zen course at Winter Camp as well as in a few Zen courses I taught before, is gathered from my own experience and practice which I have found to be very useful.  

Many people have commented on my mental clarity, and also many people are inspired by my experiencing joy in daily living. These are the effect of my Zen training.


Bodhidharma first taught the Eighteen Lohan Hands, then Sinew Metamorphosis to the Shaolin monks at a pace that was most suitable for their progress. Different monks would progress at different rates, just as our Shaolin Wahnam students nowadays do. But it can be safely said that both the rate of learning and the rate of accomplishing the result of the Shaolin monks were much slower than ours.


It was never recorded, in fact it was unthinkable, that any of the Shaolin monks could learn any of the four great arts or attained any of the results in a course of four hours!
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[Andy]

Thank you Sifu for these continuing gems of wisdom

Thank you Sihing Markus for providing us with this wonderful opportunity

WSS,

Andy

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 15, part I

Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands are used to build fundamental chi kung -skills in our Wahnam school

Question 15:

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?

- Sifu Barry Smale

Answer to Question 15:


"
Holistically all these four legacies of Bodhidharma have the same outcome if one practices them correctly and diligently, i.e. it gives him good health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness and spiritual joys, though the depth and intensity may be different.

Hence, we would consider their thematic aspects. Relatively, the Eighteen Lohan Hands provide good health, Sinew Metamorphosis provides a lot of internal force, Bone Marrow Cleansing is excellent for purification physically as well as emotionally and spiritually, and Zen training gives mental clarity and spiritual expansion.  

Please note the qualifier “relatively”. All the four great arts give all the benefits mentioned above, but each art is more cost-effective in some particular results. If a person is sick, for example, he can regain good health by practicing Zen or any of the other Bodhidharma’s legacies, but it would be most cost-effective if he practices the Eighteen Lohan Hands. On the other hand, if a healthy person wishes to have mental clarity or to expand into the Cosmos, he can derive these benefits by practicing the Eighteen Lohan Hands or any other Bodhidharma’s legacies, but it would be most cost-effective if he practices Zen training.


Three criteria a practitioner should consider when deciding which one of Bodhidharma’s legacies to practice are his needs and aspirations, resources available and his developmental stage.

If his objective is to develop a lot of internal force so that he can win free sparring competitions, for example, the best choice is Sinew Metamorphosis. However, if this course is not available or the instructor teaching it only teaches external form, the next best choice is Bone Marrow Cleansing.

However, if he is new to chi kung (genuine chi kung, not just chi kung forms), Bone Marrow Cleansing may be too powerful for him. He should then choose Eighteen Lohan Hands even though relatively it provides less internal force than Bone Marrow Cleansing and sinew Metamorphosis.

Obviously, one needs some background understanding to be able to benefit from the advice above. For many people outside our school, even when they trust our advice and understand the dictionary meaning of all the words used in the advice, they may still not benefit from it.  

For example, because they do not really understand the difference between genuine cjhi kung and external chi kung forms, they would not understand why practicing Eighteen Lohan Hands as genuine chi kung would give them more internal force than practicing Sinew Metamorphosis as external forms, or why correctly practicing Bone Marrow Cleansing as genuine chi kung may be harmful if they are not ready for it. Our Shaolin Wahnam students will have no difficulty understanding all this and benefit from it.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

-- Part II of Grandmaster's answer to follow soon --






Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 14

Question 14:

When the great Bodhidharma came to Shaolin he found the monks too weak to practice meditation adequately;

• If the great Bodhidharma were alive today, what do you think his opinion would be of the general public's spiritual condition?
• If the great Bodhidharma were alive today, what do you think he would teach openly to the general public?

- Sifu Andy

Answer to Question 14:


"
This may be a surprise to some people, but I think people today, especially in the West, are more knowledgeable in spiritual matters than people in the past. Modern people are also more spiritual in practice.

For example, today people have access to spiritual literature that was unthinkable in the past. If they want to, they can read up great varieties of techniques for spiritual cultivation – though they may not have the necessary skills to practice them correctly.

In spiritual practice, despite the many cruelties still abound, I believe people today are more kind to others, including strangers they have never met. Charities and volunteer work are more now than in the past.

Hence, if Bodhidharma were alive today, he would be very pleased. Both people and conditions are more suitable for spiritual cultivation now than before. Nevertheless, I am sure of one thing. He would tell many people, especially those in the West who “study” or read about spiritual cultivation, “Stop intellectualizing; practice.”

I am not sure whether he would teach openly to the general public, as his teaching was elite. But if he were to teach openly to the general public, he would teach the same arts he taught at the Shaolin Monastery as these arts were the best. A great teacher always teaches his best.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 12 and 13

Here are two answers for the price of one! The topics go excellently together, however

Self-manifested Chi flow is one of the fundamental arts taught in Shaolin Wahnam

Question 12:

Sifu - Did Shaolin Kung fu evolve out of the Qi Gong patterns themselves? Or were they a result of the Qi Flow from these exercises?

- Sifu Christina

Answer to Question 12:


"
Some Shaolin Kungfu evolved form the Eighteen Lohan Hands, some from the chi flow resulting from these chi kung exercises, and some from former generals who cultivated as monks at the Shaolin Monastery to attain Enlightenment.

The patterns from the Eighteen Lohan Hands evolved into the Eighteen Lohan Fist, which was the prototype set of Shaolin Kungfu. But the monks who evolved these Lohan Hands into Lohan Fist were already very proficient in kungfu. They introduced many of their kungfu techniques into the Eighteen Lohan Fist. They also created techniques to meet various combat situations.

Later, Zhan San Feng formalized his chi flow movements into kungfu patterns which contributed to the extensive repertoire of Shaolin Kungfu.
"

Question 13:

Sifu, were the 18 Lohan Hands taught to the monks at a more physical level than what you teach us now?

- Sifu Roeland Dijkema

Answer to Question 13:


"
Based on records still in extant, yes, I believe the Eighteen Lohan Hands taught to the monks at the Shaolin Monastery in the past were at a more physical level than what I am teaching now.

It was similar to what I first taught about 30 years ago (about 1980s). My early students had to repeat the forms many times in a relaxed manner without thinking of anything and with appropriate breathing. After practicing for about 4 to 6 months, they would have some slight chi flow. Gradually their chi flow became more and more vigorous.

Today in a regional course, students can have a vigorous chi flow in the first hour! It is incredible how much we have improved in our teaching methodology.

And now we realise that it is the chi flow, not the techniques themselves, that gives us the benefits of good health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness and spiritual joys. It took me more than 25 years to realize that, which was remarkable, considering that most other chi kung practitioners, including masters, may not know this important fact.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[Bernardo]

Thank you Sifu for the surprise! An excellent New Year gift.

I hope everyone may enjoy a happy 2012 - and beyond.

[Anthony S]

I'm very happy for all those that will be in Oslo. I'm sure you all treasure the opportunity. Enjoy!

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 12

Happy New Year to everyone!


Here's a little 2012 surprise from Sifu:

"Although we have announced that this question-answer series has been closed, as a bonus for the New Year and in line with our school tradition of answering all questions, I am answering the remaining questions."

So, there will be a few more answers to the "Legacy of Bodhidharma" -series - already handpicked by Sifu!


Enjoy!

Question 12:

Regarding the Arts of Energy and Mind that Bodhidharma transmitted some 1500 years ago, why did it take so long for them to be made available to the general public at the high level taught in Shaolin Wahnam?

- Sifu Andrew

Answer to Question 12:


"
These arts were elite, taught only to emperors, state ministers, generals and special disciples. Not only the general public had no chance to learn these elite arts, they did not even have the chance to learn mediocre arts of energy and mind.

This is a fact many people in the West may not be aware. Many people in the West mistakenly think that most, if not all, Chinese knew kungfu, chi kung, and Zen. They also mistakenly think that all kungfu, chi kung and Zen were the same; they do not realize that there was a huge difference in both the types of kungfu, chi kung and Zen practiced, as well as the quality of benefits derived.  

The truth was that only very few privileged Chinese had a chance to learn even mediocre kungfu, chi kung and Zen, and of course to learn the highest arts was a very, very rare opportunity. China was a feudal society. Most people were poor farmers or labourers whose time was fully occupied with finding enough to survive.  


The kungfu practiced by a privileged few was mainly physical. Meanwhile the highest arts of energy and mind were taught inside the Shaolin Monastery, not available to the public. Nevertheless, some techniques of these arts of energy and mind were brought out of the Monastery by secular Shaolin masters and taught to very few selected disciples.  

However, over time the essence was lost, only the outward forms remained. This problem was aggravated by the fact that, unlike in Shaolin Wahnam, in traditional Chinese culture, students did not ask questions, and both teachers and students believed in long, dogged training. Concepts like smart learning and improving methodology, which we benefit from in Shaolin Wahnam, were alien in traditional Chinese thinking.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Click here to apply for Shaolin Winter Camp 2012

www.shaolinwintercamp.com

Best wishes,

[Omar]

Dear all,

I think Sifu Joan's above post sums it up great. Bodhidharma's legacy is indeed priceless.

The three treasures of Shaolin are intervowen as practitioners know, but most courses are either centered around chi kung or kung fu. To have a whole course that ends up dealing with what is Bodhidharma's legacy, Chan (Zen) is a rare opportunity even for our shcool.

I'm very happy to be hosting the 2012 Winter Camp here in Oslo, anyone attending or thinking about attending are free to ask me any questions they might have.

There are people from as far as Australia attending, so if you live in or near Norway and wish to properly learn and practise Zen, this is a rare opportunity to do so.

Any Norwegians, Swedes or Danes reading the forums should not be shy in contacting me if there is anything I can assist with.

Yes, that also include you 14 or so people living on Iceland

[Joan]

Yipee!!!

My Dear Family,

I am on my way to Oslo

Something deeply touched my heart when I read all the questions and answers. It is difficult to convey, almost like the deepest and most profound appreciation and gratitude that can be felt.

Travelling to Oslo feels like a pilgrimage to pay homage to the great Bodhidharma and our wonderful Sifu.

Thank you Markus and to Omar also for making it possible

With deepest respect,

Smile from the Heart,
Joan

[Angel Guillermo]

Why or how?

Dearest Sifu,

Thanks so much for this wonderful opportunity! It is very difficult to put into written from questions, which are answered by you at the mental level, just as they appear. But something that baffles me is; how do we end up being warriors?

I consider my own body/mind the most difficult battlefield and I the most formidable opponent, and to overcome my own weaknesses has been the purpose of my entire life! But, why Sifu? Why or how do I am of a Warrior’s cast? Why do I take so much pride into standing for what I believe is trustful and honorable? Why do I am willing to spare my life for it?

I know that the aim of this thread is to post one question, and I ended up posting four. If you think that I took advantage of this opportunity and/or any of these questions are irrelevant, just ignore them, or choose the one worth answering. I know that during the Course and/or in silence you will answer all of them, as always!

May the blessings of God be with you always.

Humble,
Angel