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  • 10 Questions on Cosmos Palm

    I am very happy to announce that Sifu has agreed to answer 10 questions on Cosmos Palm. Thank you, Sifu!

    Many in Shaolin Wahnam have heard of Cosmos Palm, but not many (to my knowledge) have been taught and practice the art. Now is a great time to build a solid intellectual understanding of the art before learning the techniques and skills of the art in person this October in NH!!

    I am also very happy to ask the first question!

    Dear Sifu,

    I would consider both One Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm to be treasures of Shaolin Wahnam. These two arts also seem to share many similar qualities - build tremendous internal force, useful for both combat and healing, and ability to strike across space. Yet one art is taught to everyone at the beginning of their training, and the other seems to be reserved for more advanced practitioners and only taught selectively. Is there a specific difference between these two arts that has lead to this?

    Though I have yet to learn the techniques for training Cosmos Palm, I would assume that a casual observer would be able to differentiate between the techniques used to train and develop One Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm. But as we have regularly experienced, the techniques are only a small part of the equation and the specific skills are really what allows someone to develop a specific art. Can you please compare and contrast the specific skills trained and developed with One Finger Shooting Zen vs. those of Cosmos Palm?

    Thank you, Sifu!

    -Matt

  • #2
    Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

    I would like to thank Sifu for always being so generous with all of us. I would like to thank Matt Sidai for starting another wonderful Questions & Answers Series. :-)

    Dear Sifu,

    If I am not mistaken, I read that Cosmos Palm can be used not only for fighting but also for healing. Nowadays, we are very lucky as many of us won't ever have to engage in a real fight. Also, many of us are not healers. So my questions are:

    How can learning Cosmos Palm enhance/enrich our daily lives and the lives of others? In other words, what would the daily applications of Cosmos Palm be when not being a healer or having to fight?

    Would you please share with us how Cosmos Palm has benefited you and any "aha" experience that might have happened while using/practicing it?


    Sifu, thank you very much in advance for taking the time to answer my questions.

    With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

    Santi

    Comment


    • #3
      Another wonderful opportunity.

      Dear Sifu,

      As with many things, I assume there are multiple developmental levels of Cosmos Palm (rather than either one has achieved it or not). Could Sifu please describe the levels of development and attainment?

      Many thanks.
      Sifu Andrew Barnett
      Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland - www.shaolin-wahnam.ch

      Flowing Health GmbH www.flowing-health.ch (Facebook: www.facebook.com/sifuandrew)
      Healing Sessions with Sifu Andrew Barnett - in Switzerland and internationally
      Heilbehandlungen mit Sifu Andrew Barnett - in der Schweiz und International

      Comment


      • #4
        Wonderful thread as always

        Dear Sifu

        Can you talk about why someone would train Cosmos Palm over One Finger Shooting Zen?

        Best wishes
        Mark

        Comment


        • #5
          Dear Sigung,

          Cosmos Palm is an advanced Art, just as Golden Bell. However it is not explicitly mentioned as one of the three ultimates of Shaolin (namely Dim Mark, Chin Na and Neigong).
          Could you elaborate on similarities and differences of Cosmos Palm, Golden Bell, Dim Mark, Chin Na and Neigong in terms of skills, philosophy, martial, medical and daily life application and kung fu sets that enhance and complement most the respective skills?

          With kindest regards,
          Anton
          Engage and maintain joyful practice!

          May all of you get the best benefits from what you do.

          Anton Schmick
          Shaolin Wahnam Germany Nord

          shaolinwahnamchina.com
          http://chikunghamburg.wordpress.com
          http://shaolinwahnam-nord.de
          http://kungfu-luebeck.de

          Comment


          • #6
            Dear Sifu,

            Thank you for offering to answer questions on the art of Cosmos Palm! Ever since reading the entry in ​The Complete Book of Shaolin about "the palm that can kill or heal," I have been very keen to learn more about it and am very excited that a course focused on Cosmos Palm itself is being taught!

            Several arts have been in kung fu literature as being useful for both healing as well as combat, especially One Finger Zen and Cosmos Palm. What is it about the force developed by Cosmos Palm that makes it so useful for healing and combat compared to the characteristic force developed by other arts such as Baguazhang, Taijiquan, Golden Bridge, Lifting Water, Golden Bell, or other arts?

            Thank you again, and see everyone at the course in October!

            Sincerely with Shaolin salute,
            -Fred Chu
            I like making silly videos (including kung fu ones!) every so often on YouTube and taking pictures of weird things on Instagram.

            Comment


            • #7
              Dear Matt Siheng, thank you again for hosting such amazing courses! Can barely wait for October to roll and make a long-standing dream reality!

              Dear Sifu, thank you for being willing to teach such a rare and profound skill and to do so openly and with such unbelievable generosity!!!

              My question concerns the place that Cosmos Palm holds in arts that develop skills using the palms, and its ultimate potential as an art:

              Is Cosmos Palm closely related to the arts of Strike-Across-Space Palm, "Kak San Ta Ngow" or 'Hitting a Buffalo through a mountain,' and Diamond Palm; and if so are these natural progressions from the development of skills in training our palms or do they require specific separate training? Aside from these arts/progressions, what is the ultimate potential for training Cosmos Palm in martial and healing application for a master who specializes in it over many, many years?

              Also, if Sifu would be willing, could you share an experience or two of how Sigung Ho taught you this art or how Sitaigung Yang Fatt Khun taught him?

              Thank you Sifu, for absolutely every incredible opportunity and generous teaching!! I very much look forward to both the exciting answers to the questions here and, of course, the experiential answers that will come with the courses in October!

              Infinite thanks to all!

              With respect,

              Kristian

              Comment


              • #8
                Question on behalf of a dear brother

                Greetings again!

                It is with great honor, privilege and pleasure that I write to post a question on this thread on behalf of my dear, endlessly kind, and totally awesome Shaolin brother Karol; who is unable to log in to the Kwoon for the time being due to technical issues.

                Here is his marvelous question:

                "Dear Sigung,

                Thank You for Your generosity and kindness in transmitting the skills and teaching the methods for attaining Marvelous Fist, Golden Bell and Art of 1000 Steps, You have given us the opportunity to develop amazing skills.

                Does the training of Marvelous Fist, or any of the other specialized arts available in our school (from One Finger Shooting Zen, to Golden Bridge, Lifring water, Triple Stretch, Iron Wire, Dragon Strength, etc...) develop or enhance the power of cosmos palm?



                If so, more specifically, is there
                a way to add to the Marvelous Fist training some methods by which to develop both Marvelous Fist and Cosmos Palm?"

                With the sincerest of thanks and deepest appreciation on behalf of Karol and myself,

                A Shaolin salute to all, and countless blessings, always

                Kristian

                Comment


                • #9
                  Dear Sigung,

                  The opportunities for Taijiquan practitioners in our school to enjoy spread and depth in their training by learning Shaolin Kung Fu is quite extraordinary and quite unprecedented in Taijiquan.

                  Has Cosmos Palm ever been taught in an exclusively Taijiquan setting previously?

                  Is it possible for Cosmos Palm to manifest over a period of time when training Taijiquan?


                  How would Cosmos Palm enhance a Taijiquan practitioners' skills in Pushing Hands?

                  Thank you Sigung for another excellent Q & A series.

                  Thank you Sisook Matt.

                  All the best,

                  Kevin
                  Last edited by Kevin_B; 23 August 2016, 11:22 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Dear Sigung,

                    Would you be willing to talk about the history and nature of Cosmos palm? Was it passed on to us by the Venerable Jiang Nan as his specialized skill? How does Cosmos Palm fit into the grand scheme of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung?

                    Many thanks,
                    David
                    Shaolin Wahnam USA

                    "Every morning you are born again. What you do today is the most important thing".

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Dear Sigung,


                      Thanks for your endless generosity in sharing so many wonderful arts. This thread seems to be epic!

                      I am looking very forward to read the answers.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thank You

                        Hey Everyone,
                        Thank you for the questions and of course thank you Sifu for the answers

                        Peace

                        Mark
                        Sifu Mark Appleford

                        sigpic

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          If my count is correct, we have our 10 questions! Answers, secrets hidden in the open, and excitement coming shortly!!

                          -Matt

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Question 1

                            All right! Sifu has generously started answering our questions on Cosmos Palm.

                            Dear Sifu,
                            Thank you for your generosity, insight, and all the effort and time required to answer these questions (and all of the other questions in the many 10 Q&A threads on the forum)!

                            Question 1:
                            I would consider both One Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm to be treasures of Shaolin Wahnam. These two arts also seem to share many similar qualities - build tremendous internal force, useful for both combat and healing, and ability to strike across space. Yet one art is taught to everyone at the beginning of their training, and the other seems to be reserved for more advanced practitioners and only taught selectively. Is there a specific difference between these two arts that has lead to this?

                            Though I have yet to learn the techniques for training Cosmos Palm, I would assume that a casual observer would be able to differentiate between the techniques used to train and develop One Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm. But as we have regularly experienced, the techniques are only a small part of the equation and the specific skills are really what allows someone to develop a specific art. Can you please compare and contrast the specific skills trained and developed with One Finger Shooting Zen vs. those of Cosmos Palm?

                            Sifu Matt Fenton
                            Sifu's answer:
                            Indeed, both One-Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm are treasures of our school. Not only they contribute greatly to combat and healing, they also enrich our daily life.

                            The reason why One-finger Shooting Zen is taught to all Shaolin practitioners of our school at the start of their learning from us, whereas Cosmos Palm is reserved for more advanced practitioners, is mainly historical. My teaching follows closely that of my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. One-Finger Shooting Zen was taught to all students who learned from my sifu, but Cosmos Palm was taught selectively. As far as I know I was the only one he taught Cosmos Palm.

                            There is an interesting story how I learned Cosmos Palm from my sifu. My sihengs were practicing Iron Palm during their leisure hours when they were not training the main kungfu material taught by my sifu. A long rectangular bag filled with iron fillings was used. My sihengs must have practiced Iron Palm for a long time because I could see that the bag was much seasoned. But it was the first time I saw them practicing Iron Palm. This was probably because I usually trained in the afternoons, whereas my sihengs usually trained at night. It was a night session then, and I joined the training infrequently.

                            I asked one of my sihengs, Poh Lok, whether I could join in the training.

                            “Oh yes, go ahead,” he said.

                            I raised my palm above my head and hit the bag without any muscular tension, like what I did many years ago when I trained Iron Palm unsuccessfully from a book. There were two points of difference. The bag I used them was filled with black and green beans, but this bag was filled with iron fillings. I hit the bag 5 times each round – with my palm smashing down, with the edge of my palm chopping down, with the base of my palm stamping down, with the back of my palm hitting down in a reverse manner, and with my five fingers stamping down. My sihengs hit the bag 3 times each round – with their palm, the edge of their palm, and the base of their palm.

                            Much later I asked my sifu why my sihengs did not use the back of their palm and their fingers. He told me that there were nerve endings at these places, and doing so would harm the nerve endings.

                            But that night I knew enough kungfu etiquette to do what my sihengs did, and not tried to be smart hitting the bag 5 times. Yet, I saw form the corners of my eyes that my sifu was approaching. I thought he would scold me for trying to be smart, attempting to train what he did not teach me.

                            (Part 2 to follow)

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Answer 1, part2

                              Sifu's answer, part 2:
                              But to my surprise he said kindly. “You know how to hit a sandbag!”

                              “Show me your hands,” he continued.

                              I showed my sifu my hands.

                              “You have a lady’s hands. Iron Palm is not suitable for you.”

                              For a moment my heart sank. I thought I lost a chance to learn Iron Palm.

                              Then my sifu continued, “I’ll teach you Cosmos Palm”.

                              He took me to a side of the training hall. “Show me Pushing Mountain,” he said.

                              I showed my sifu Pushing Mountain which I had learned earlier.

                              “Very good,” he said. “Practice this every day.” Then he walked away.

                              A few months later during my afternoon training, my sifu asked me, “How is your progress in Pushing Mountain.”

                              “Very good, sifu. I practice it every day.”

                              “Show me.”

                              I showed my sifu Pushing Mountain.

                              My sifu was impressed. “Now, follow me..” My sifu showed me the Forceful Big Windmill.

                              I can’t remember whether my sifu called the exercise the Forceful Big Windmill. But I found out later that the external movement was similar to that of the Big Windmill in 18 Lohan Hands, but the Lohan exercise was performed gently, whereas the Cosmos Palm exercise was performed with internal force.

                              The obvious difference between One-Finger Shooting Zen and Cosmos Palm is that the former uses an index finger whereas the latter uses a palm. The difference, however, is not just external. Using a finger facilitates dotting energy points, whereas using a palm facilitates striking an opponent.

                              Both arts are internal. It is not the external striking point that damages an opponent, it is the internal force of the exponent damaging the opponent’s energy network. In One-Finger Zen, the art that derives from the training of One-Finger Shooting Zen, the exponent’s finger stops the energy flow of the opponent. In Cosmos Palm, the exponent’s energy flows into and damages the opponent.

                              Hence, the operation of energy in these two arts is quite different. One stops the opponent’s energy flow, the other damages the opponent’s energy network.

                              But this difference did not lead to why One-Finger Shooting Zen was taught to all Shaolin students in our school, whereas Cosmos Palm was reserved for a selected few. The reason, as mentioned earlier, was historical.

                              I did not earlier investigate into why One-Finger Shooting Zen was taught to all, and Cosmos Palm was taught to a few. I believed it was a tradition of our lineage. But viewing the question with hindsight, I believe this is logical. One-finger Shooting Zen is excellent for developing internal force. It involves both flowing force and consolidating force. Only when one is proficient in flowing force and consolidating force, he should progress to Cosmos Palm, where his force flows into an opponent to damage the opponent’s energy.

                              I believe that our school is amongst a very few, if not the only one, that differentiate between skills and techniques. Almost all other practitioners, including masters, think that if they practice the techniques long enough they will acquire the art. To us, it is glaring that this is not so.

                              The techniques practiced by most other kungfu practitioners are genuine, yet even when they have practiced these techniques for a long time, they cannot apply these techniques for fighting. It is because they do not have the necessary skills.

                              The techniques practiced by most other chi kung practitioners are genuine, yet even when they have practiced these techniques for a long time, they do not derive chi kung benefits. It is because they do not have the necessary skills.

                              (part 3 to follow)

                              Comment

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