Legacy of Bodhidharma: 10 Questions for Grandmaster

[Chiahua]

Thank you Sigung!

[Zach]

Thank you, Sifu, for sharing so many excellent answers.

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 19, part I

One Finger Zen (Yi Zi Chan) is a treasure of Shaolin Wahnam

Question 19:

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?

- Ish

Answer to Question 19:


"
I am not sure whether the One-Finger Zen hand form originated from Bodhidharma’s teaching. One of the patterns in the Eighteen Lohan Hands, “Shooting Arrows”, uses the One-Finger Zen hand form, but I am not sure whether this pattern was originally taught by Bodhidharma at the Shaolin Temple or it was developed later. The many pictures in kungfu and chi kung classics showing the Eighteen Lohan Hands and Sinew Metamorphosis that I have, do not show the One-Finger Zen hand form.  


The One-Finger Zen is a very high level technique in force training. Only those who are quite advanced in internal force can appreciate it. I remember that in my young days when I went looking for black belts for free sparring, Taekwondo masters often told their students to always hold their fists.  

When I asked why, they said that firstly their fingers would be sprained by kicks, and secondly fists were more powerful than fingers. I was discrete enough not to argue with them that if their opponents could kick their fingers, their opponents could also kick other parts of their body, and that according to kungfu philosophy the fingers were the most powerful, followed by the palms, and then only the fists.

The lung meridian runs through to the tip of the index finger used for One-Finger Zen. According to Chinese medical philosophy, the lungs are the organs for generating energy. When one uses the One-finger Zen in training, he enhances the lung meridian, thus generating a lot of energy.

Hence, its training which results in a lot of energy enhances every aspect of daily life and combat. When one is well trained in One-Finger Shooting Zen, it doesn’t mean that only his index finger is powerful. His palms, his fist, his arms, in fact his whole body is powerful.

A lot of energy will strengthen the spirit, thus contributing to spiritual training. Not many people realize that spiritual cultivation demands a lot of energy.


My sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, once told me that lower spirits were very scared of the One-Finger Zen. He advised me not to use it on them unless it was absolutely necessary as it would cause them much injury.

I used the One-finger Zen once on a monster, which was many times more powerful than lower spirits. It was troubling a student. I asked it to go away but it refused. I pointed my One-finger Zen at it, and immediately it flew away in a hurry.
"

( ... Continued in Part II... )

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Fabienne]

Dear Sisook, dear Sigung

Thank you again so, so much for sharing this much information this openly! I really enjoy reading them and marvel at how Sigung always manages to constantly answer all these questions, write the Q & A and teach so many amazing courses. All at the same time, nota bene! I feel more energized and efficient just reading about it !

I love hearing stories about demons, monsters and generally everything that Sigung experienced when it comes to the Shaolin Arts, thus I can't wait for part II !

Thank you again so much for providing us with all these treasures!

Smile from the heart
Fabienne

[Adalia]

Thank you Sifu for all these illuminating answers!

Adalia

[Ish]

Very very interesting thank you for your response Sifu.

[wooden shoes]

Beautiful! Looking forward to the 2nd part. Thank you Sifu!

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 19, part II

Sigung Ho Fatt Nam's speciality was the art of One-Finger Zen

Answer to Question 19, continued from part I


"
A very special feature of One-Finger Shooting Zen is that besides being very effective for combat, it is also very effective for healing. I believe that a main reason why I could help many people relieved from their suffering and recover from their so-called incurable diseases is my long training in One-Finger Shooting Zen.

The application is not necessary direct.In fact, if I wish to transmit chi I often use the sword-finger instead of the One-Finger Zen. The application is indirect. Because of the tremendous internal force I have developed in my One-Finger Shooting Zen training, I become a more efficient healer.


Here are two short stories about my sifu and his One-finger Zen, the first told to me by my sifu himself, and the second told to me by my siheng, Ah Heng, who practice Taoist cultivation from my sifu.

.

A strong, big-sized man insulted my sifu’s mother. When my sifu intervened and advised the man to stop, he attacked my sifu. My sifu dotted a vital point at the base of his throat with One-Finger Zen.  The man immediately collapsed and white foam issued continuously from his mouth.

My sifu jokingly said, “I caused me more trouble than him.” My sifu had to carry the big-sized man upstairs to a room to revive him.

.

One day my sifu was invited to a house troubled by a monster. When my sifu and Ah Heng arrived the monster had entered the body of a woman. On-lookers could see that the face of the woman changed immediately and her eyes became fiery red.  

My sifu reasoned with the monster, asking it to leave. Suddenly the monster attacked my sifu, attempting to slap my sifu with its right hand. Instantly my sifu gripped the monster’s right wrist with his left tiger-claw. Immediately the monster attempted to slap my sifu with his other hand. My sifu gripped it with his right tiger-claw.  

I still remember the occasion my siheng told me this story. The incident must be quite funny as my siheng was quite amused when relating it. But the next instant was not amusing. The monster changed into a gigantic black spider, filling the whole room. (It is understandable that many people may not believe it. They can choose to believe that I talk non-sense.)   

My sifu immediately used his One-Finger Zen to dot the navel of the gigantic spider. The monster immediately fled away. This incident was witnessed by many people.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Javier Silió]

Thank you for this story, Sifu!

I believe many of us (including myself) have some experience with spirits and monsters or other creatures. Practicing the Shaolin arts opens our sensitivity to other worlds and beings.
But it is difficult to handle these new situations sometimes, and learning about them is extremely useful, at least for me.
Please keep posting on this topic!
By the way, it is also invaluable to hear of Sigung's compassionate attitude towards all beings.
May all beings be happy
Javier Silió

[David Langford]

Since practicing Shaolin I haven't come across many negative entities.

My friends family has a big vacation house by some hot springs. They said the master bedroom is haunted and no one goes in there any more. They told me of all sorts of scary things that have happened back there.

Everyone else went in the other rooms to sleep for the night, but I just went back there and sensed a thick "sad" cloud of energy. I did some lifting the sky. Afterwards I sensed a "glowing" cloud of energy that seemed to float away upwards, and the "mood" in the room lightened considerably. My intuition told me that whatever was in the room had found peace.

I decided to sleep right there alone that night. Everyone thought I was insane but I slept like a baby.

[Andy]

Hi David,

Nice story! Congratulations on passing on the blessings!

The Shaolin Arts are truly wonderful

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 20

Question 20:

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?

- Sifu Mark Blohm

Answer to Question 20:


"
The teachings of Confucius and of Zhang San Feng are worlds apart.  


Confucius, the founder of Confucianism and regarded by many as China’s top philosopher, was pragmatic and taught good living in this phenomenal world. The hallmarks of his teaching were loyalty to the state and filial piety to parents.


Zhang San Feng, a great Taoist master and regarded as the first patriarch of internal arts, did not care much about worldly affairs. The hallmarks of his teaching were internal cultivation and attaining the Tao.


Confucius also talked about attaining the Tao. But the Tao of Confucianism and the Tao of Taoism are vastly different. To Confucians, attaining the Tao means living a long and righteous life here and now. To Taoists, attaining the Tao means attaining immortality or blissfully integrated into the Cosmos.


The famous master most closely related with Confucius was Mencius. Mencius taught Confucian teachings, but what distinguished him from Confucius was that while Confucius emphasized rituals to attain a glorious state, Mencius focused on humanity to lead a meaningful life. In other words, one worked for the king, the other worked for the people
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 21

Question 21:

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?

- Parveen

Answer to Question 21:


"
Yes, we can. Our chi kung practice like smiling from the heart, not worrying and not intellectualizing, and enjoying our practice are the method which can be used to attain supra-mundane goals like pointing direct at the mind to find Buddha.

We can also use the same method for mundane goals like enjoying good health and vitality, and attaining peak performance in our work and play.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[Markus Kahila]

Answer to Question 22

Question 22:

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?

- Parveen

Answer to Question 22:


"
In Buddhist context, the three precepts are taking refuge in the Buddha, taking refuge in the Sanka, and taking refuge in the Dharma. The six paramitas are perfection of charity, morality, tolerance, effort, meditation and wisdom.

The three poisons are greed, anger and delusion. The six thieves are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Why are these six sense organs called the six thieves. It is because they distort the Supreme Cosmis Reality, called the Spiritual Body of the Buddha, and cause us to experience it as differentiated entities, or the phenomenal world.

No, in conventional language, one cannot dispel the three poisons and drive away the six thieves by just being. In other words, by doing nothing, one cannot overcome greed, anger and ignorance, and perceive reality as an undifferentiated spread of energy.


We can overcome the three poisons with the first three of the six paramitas. In other words, when we are charitable, morally upright and tolerant of other people’s beliefs, we will not be greedy, angry and deluded. By practicing the other three paramitas, we can drive away the six thieves. In other words, when we persist in practicing meditation we will acquire the cosmic wisdom not just to know that the phenomenal world is an illusion but actually experience that everything is undifferentiated.

Bodhidharma also teaches that by merely following the three precepts one cannot attain Enlightenment. In Zen terms it is described as the three precepts are useless in pointing at the Mind. Those who do not understand the teaching deeply, which means most people, will find the teaching sacrilegious. In essence it is like saying, “If you meet a Buddha, kill him!”

The deep meaning is that by merely believing in Buddhism, even becoming a monk, and reciting sutras and sitting in a lotus position, one cannot attain Buddhahood. Similarly, if you still perceive someone in this world or in the divine realm as a Buddha, differentiated from other entities, you still exist in the phenomenal. Only when you can break through the phenomenal and perceive everything as undifferentiated, you have attained Enlightenment.


Hence, in the cosmic sense, by just being one can dispel the three poisons and drive away the six thieves. By just being, one returns to the Original State, which is Buddhahood.
"

- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Best wishes,

[veenie]

Dear Sifu

Thank you for the teachings.
It is a blessing to be given direct answers.

I am moved to tears for how wonderful it is that we have been transmitted the arts which enable us to understand our nature, to have good health, enjoy life and be shown the diamond teachings to cut through illusion/dualism.

Shaolin Salute
With Love & Gratitude to all

Parveen