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Legacy of Zhang San Feng: 10 Questions to the Grandmaster
Thank you Brothers and Sisters for asking the questions.
Love & Blessings,
Parveen
“So I say to you –
This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:” “Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.” “So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”
Dear Sifu, now that you have released the video and picture series for the San Feng Wudang Set, would now be a good time to ask what discoveries and 'ah ha' moments you have experienced during composing the set?
Sifu Tim Franklin
Answer (Contd)
... When I taught in Australia in the 1980s, before my regular travels to teach in the West in the 1990s, Ken, a Taijiquan instructor in Bendigo, requested me to show him some Taijiquan. I taught him how to develop internal force using Lifting Water. Not only he could develop internal force in just that session when he only heard about internal force before that, I myself was amazed at the tremendous amount of internal force I developed after lifting my arms only a few times.
With hindsight I later realized that I entered into a deep chi kung state of mind, and I also led Ken into a chi kung state of mind. I concluded that if I used the same methods but different Taijiquan patterns, I could also develop internal force.
This was a discovery and aha experience. If a practitioner performs his Taijiquan set or part of it slowly and gracefully, without intellectualizing and without tensing his muscles, he could develop internal force by perform the Taijiquan set or part of it alone, without having to perform other internal force training methods.
It also led to my discovery and aha experience that Taijiquan itself was chi kung, and that it was unnecessary to incorporate other chi kung methods from elsewhere, like Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon from Eighteen Lohan Hands, into Taijiquan to develop internal force.
This discovery had far-reaching effects, and later contributed to the flow method and the otherwise ridiculous concept that making any movements, including comical or odd movements, in a chi kung state of mind, we could generate a chi flow or develop internal force! This was indeed amazing, considering that many masters had spent years chasing after internal force but to no avail.
I also discovered and had aha experiences how Taijiquan could enrich Shaolin Kungfu. If a student was rigid in his movement, by practicing his Shaolin sequences as if he was performing Taijiquan, he could not only overcome his rigid problem but make his movements flowing.
I discovered two important reasons why a small-sized Taijiquan exponent could defeat a bigger-sized opponent. One reason was internal force. The other reason was Taijiquan mechanics, and the core of Taijiquan mechanics was waist rotation. By rotating the waist, many Shaolin techniques that were otherwise difficult to perform, became easy.
Waist rotation led to fa-jing, or exploding force. The Taijiquan principle of “starting from the back leg, rotating the waist and ending at the hand” became very useful. By applying the principle of rotating the waist, I could help Shaolin students not only to explode spiral force, such as in “Black Tiger Steals Heart”, but make their palm strikes powerful, realizing the Shaolin principle that the palm was more powerful than the fist.
Waist rotation and exploding force were also found in Shaolin Kungfu, but were emphasized in Taijiquan. My discoveries and aha experiences in Taijiquan enriched my practice and teaching of Shaolin Kungfu. Of course, my understanding and attainment in Shaolin Kungfu greatly enhanced my Taijiquan too. It was because of my Shaolin Kungfu that I could perform well in Taijiquan. Indeed, some people kindly said that my attainment in Taijiquan was better than many established Taijiquan masters.
Wudang Taijiquan was special. It was the closest to Shaolin Kungfu. In fact it was the climax of Shaolin Kungfu, and was actually called Wudang Shaolin Kungfu. But the Wudang Taijiquan Set that I reconstructed from classical sources was very long because I did not want to miss out anything important.
The San Feng Wudang Set is a welcomed creation. It shortens the Wudang Taijiquan Set without missing its philosophy, spirit and nature.
There are many varied stories of ZSF life and training, that only confuse (see http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/chang1.htm). From your research what was ZSF history prior to coming to Wudang. i.e What of the Shaolin arts would he have practiced, how did he come to train Shaolin, what Taoist training did he have?
Sifu Tim Franklin
Answer
Actually I do not know much about Zhang San Feng’s life although I have a few books about him as well as reputed to be written by him. I am more interested in his arts, and the benefits derived from practicing his arts.
This attitude is typically Zen. This was also the attitude of most kungfu masters in the past.
In the same way, I did not know much about Bodhidharma’s life, but more interested in his arts, and the benefits derived from practicing his arts. To me, whether Zhang San Feng, Bodhidharam or any great master really existed is not so important as benefits we get from practicing their arts. Whether the arts we practice which give us many benefits were actually taught by Zhang San Feng, Bodhidharma or any great master was also not important.
What I know of Zhang San Feng can be briefly described as follows.
Zhang San Feng was a Taoist priest who practiced Shaolin Kungfu at the northern Shaolin Temple in Henan. He attained a very high level. He integrated physical kungfu, chi kung and meditation into one unity, which was not done before.
He excelled in many Shaolin arts, but was best known for dim mak. The 36 points of dim mak were reputed to originate from Zhang San Feng. He used the dragon-from, One-Finger Zen and the phoenix-eye fist for dim mak.
After leaving the Shaolin Temple, he retired to the Wudang Mountain. Once he witnessed a fight between a crane and a snake, from which he drew inspiration to modify is “hard” Shaolin Kungfu to “softer” one.
Zhang San Feng was famous for his swordsmanship. His sword set was called Wudang Sword, and sometimes Seven-Star Sword. He transmitted his swordsmanship to his successor, Tai Yi Zhen Ren, who was best remembered for his Wudang Sword.
Zhang San Feng was also known for his Art of Lightness. It was recorded that when a Ming emperor invited him into his palace, and there were hundred of imperial guards surrounding the emperor, Zhang San Feng “flew’ over the heads of the imperial guards to meet the emperor.
Zhang San Feng was reputed to live more than 200 years. His life spanned across three dynasties – Song, Yuan and Ming.
Another Ming emperor wanted to learn from Zhang San Feng but the great Taoist saint did not meet him. So the emperor built a majestic temple on Wudang Mountain to dedicate to Zhang San Feng.
It is amazing that students now do not need to build a majestic temple. By attending the Legacy of Zhang San Feng course at the UK Summer Camp they can learn the arts passed down by the great Zhang San Feng.
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