Legacy of Bodhidharma: 10 Questions for Grandmaster

[Anthony S]

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

[Bernardo]

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

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

[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,

[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 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,

[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 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]

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

[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

[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,

[veenie]

Thank you Sifu.

Shaolin Salute

Parveen

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 16

Question 16:

How did Bodhidharma learn the 18 Lohan Hands?

- Alex

Answer to Question 16:


"
There was no record on how the great Bodhidharma learned the Eighteen Lohan Hands. So the answer is my guess.

But there are still classical records in extant showing how the Eighteen Lohan Hands were practiced in the Shaolin Monastery in the past. They were a few different versions, and some of them were not called Eighteen Lohan Hands. Some were called Twelve Pieces of Brocade, and some Sinew Metamorphosis and Eighteen-Lohan Art (not our present version), though it is clear that many of the exercises depicted were similar to the patterns in our Eighteen Lohan Hands.

Many of the patterns, especially in the Twelve Pieces of Brocade Seated Version and the Eighteen-Lohan Art (classical version) were similar to yoga exercise. I clearly remember the first time we had a chi kung course in Switzerland that many course participants, like your Sipak Darryl, spontaneously performed yoga-like exercises during chi flow, and I could clearly feel the divine presence of Bodhisattvas and past masters guiding us.


I believe the Eighteen Lohan Hands Bodhidharma taught were from yoga. I also believe that Bodhidharma modified some of the exercises as well as invented some new ones to suit the needs of the Shaolin monks.

You may be interested to know that I did not learn the complete set of Eighteen Lohan Hands from my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. I learned only a few patterns, like Lifting the Sky, Separating Water and Big Windmill, as part of Shaolin Kungfu.


When I first decided to teach chi kung to the public, which was revolutionary at that time (1980s) as chi kung, more commonly known as nei kung then, was normally taught only to selected disciples, I chose to teach the Eighteen Lohan Hands.

The set of Eighteen Lohan Hands in our school was devised by me. I researched into whatever classics I could find to select what I considered the best 18 exercises for the purpose, starting with the Eight Pieces of Brocade which I first thought were Taoist exercises and which I found to be very beneficial in my own practice.

It is also interesting to note that in my school days as a boy scout, the health exercises I practiced and which were a requirement for the basic Tenderfoot Test, were similar to the Eight Pieces of Brocade! These health exercises can be found in the book, “Scouting for Boys”, written by the founder, Lord Baden Powell, himself. Of course at that time, and even when I practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade, I performed them as gentle physical exercise and not as high-level chi kung.


I remember being amused to think that people in future would point to our set of Eighteen Lohan Hands and say, “Hey, these Shaolin chi kung exercises, which are supposed to be Buddhist, start with Taoist exercises.” But I was very surprised to find later that a classic listed the eighteen exercises in gthe Eighteen Lohan Hands in the exact order I had devised them!

That started me wondering whether it was Buddhist monks who learned the exercises of the Eight Pieces of Brocade from Taoist masters, or the Taoist priests who learned the exercises from Buddhist masters. I still haven’t found the answer. But the answer, in the spirit of Zen, is not important; what is important is that the exercises bring the desired results.

And they did. Even in my early chi kung classes, when the level of chi kung was probably about one-tenth of what we are attaining now, students told me they overcome so-called incurable diseases, including cancer! I was quite surprised.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 17, part 1

Question 17:

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?

- Sifu Joko Riyanto

Answer to Question 17:


"
We need to appreciate the limitation of words. Firstly, words may not convey the exact meaning the speaker or writer intends them to be. Secondly their interpretation is much influenced by the experience and understanding of those who hear or read the words.

In this case, we have a third factor of time and a fourth factor of translation. Bodhidharma’s teaching was given more than 1500 years ago, and translated from Sanskrit to classical Chinese to modern Chinese and then to English.

Considering these four factors we can better appreciate that what many people understand by reading Bodhidharm’s teaching today may not be what Bodhidharma himself meant.


To help modern readers, I shall change some words which I believe better express what Bodhidharma meant, as follows:

"
Many methods lead to Enlightenment, but basically there are only two: wisdom and cultivation.

To enter by wisdom means to realize the Supreme Reality through philosophy and to know that all living things share the same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and delusion.

To enter by cultivation refers to four all-inclusive practices: tolerance, perseverance, renouncing world affairs, and practicing the Dharma.
"

Bodhidharma taught that there are many ways to attain Enlightenment, but all these ways can be classified into two main categories, namely wisdom and cultivation.

To attain Enlightenment through wisdom, an aspirant realizes that everything in the phenomenal world shares the same True Nature, called differently by different people such as Tathagata, God the \Holy Spirit, and the Great Void.

This True Nature is not apparent to people because it is shrouded by people’s sensation and delusion due to their interpretation of the True Nature through their gross sense organs.


In modern scientific terms, it means that everything in our phenomenal world is undifferentiated energy, but after going through their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin and mind, people interpret this undifferentiated energy as differentiated entities like individual persons, cats, elephants, mountains and countless other living and non-living things.

To attain Enlightenment through cultivation, an aspirant has to be tolerant (including tolerant of other people’s beliefs which may be different from ours), persevere against all odds, renounce all world pleasures like eating meat and enjoying sex, and practice the teaching as taught by established masters.


The road via wisdom is the road of Zen. It is pointing directly at the mind and attaining Buddha Nature in an instant.

The road via cultivation is the road of other Buddhist schools, especially Theravada Buddhism. It is poetically described as “teaching within the tradition”.

It is pertinent to note that the above teaching was given by Bodhidharma to Shaolin monks, who had voluntarily renounced worldly lives. If you are a lay practitioner, it is fine if you eat meat and enjoy sex. But if one is a Shaolin monk, or claims to be, eating meat and having sex, regardless of whether he enjoys it, are not only against Bodhidharma’s teaching but are two of the five cardinal sins in Mahayana monkhood.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

(… continued in part 2 …)

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 17, part 2

(Answer to Question 17, continued from part 1)


"
With this background understanding, we can now better answer your two questions.

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?

As is often the case in our school, the answer can be by reason, by practice, by either one road, by both or by none, depending on various factors.

Although the Shaolin arts were taught by Bodhidharma to enable Shaolin monks to attain Enlightenment, this is not our aim in Shaolin Wahnam. We are still worldly. We still wholesomely enjoy eating meat, having sex and other worldly pleasures. So to us the answer is neither road. Practicing the legacy of Bodhidharma does not lead us to the road of reason or practice to enter the Path – at least not now when we are not monks.


Nevertheless, though we are not ready yet to enter the path of monkhood, practicing the legacy of Bodhidharma will give us not only a glimpse but the actual benefits that Shaolin monks in the past received from Bodhidharma. These numerous benefits may be summed up into two categories, namely giving us meaning in life, and enabling us ot live lives more rewardingly. Hence, the legacy leads us to both the road of reason and the road of practice.

In practical situations, Bodhidharma’s legacy may lead some of our students to the road of reason, and some to the road of practice. While practicing any of the arts, some of our students may expand into the Cosmos, and realize experientially that everything in of the same True Nature. Other students may not have such a spiritual experience, but become more tolerant and determined in whatever they do.

Now we come to your second question.

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

It is a matter of interpretation. You may interpret that the “Path” as the journey, some may interpret it as the destination, yet others may interpret it as both the journey and the destination.

This is a hallmark of great teaching. It fulfils the aspirations of practitioners according to their needs and developmental stages.

Basically, Bodhidharma’s teaching is as follows. You can attain Enlightenment by realizing cosmic wisdom or following established practice. The destination is the same, though people may call it by different names. There are many ways to reach the destination, but the many ways may be classified as by wisdom or by practice.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 18

Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit (left), pictured here with his sifu, Sigung Ho Fatt Nam (right)
Sigung Ho Fatt Nam was a Zen master.

Question 18:

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?

- Chiahua

Answer to Question 18:


"
I did not learn Zen formally from my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. My Zen training from him was indirect, like over tea or meals. But the most important source of my Zen training was his personal example.

My sifu thought, spoke and lived the life of a Zen master. When food came, for example, he ate and enjoyed it no matter how simple the food might be. He did not speculate what the food would do in his stomach, or how the cook prepared it.

When I asked him a question, he answered it straight-away and matter-of-factly. Often his answer was in action rather than words. For example, I asked him how to counter a certain attack. He would say, “Attack me”, then demonstrated the counter.


He did not tell me how he received his Zen teaching and what school he was inclined towards to. In hindsight, I reckon that if I had asked him the two questions, he would have said, as typical of Zen masters, “Now, drink your tea.”

If I had politely persisted with the questions, he might have said, “Does it matter much whether I was initiated with full regal in a temple or while practicing kungfu? Does it matter much whether I am inclined toward the teaching of Bodhidharma, Hui Neng or Lin Chi? What is important is that your practice, whether you call it Zen, Tao or by any other name, brings you and other people benefit.”

It may be of interest to mention that not many people, even amongst many of his own students, knew that he was a Zen master. Interestingly, the public knew him as a very high-level Taoist master with incredible powers.  


How did I know he was a Zen master? He told me so! He did not say he was a Zen master. He told me that he valued and practiced Zen more than Tao. Most obviously his daily living showed without doubt he was a great Zen master.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,