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I have wanted to learn martial arts for a long time. I feel, this way, i might calm down my lost soul.
I cannot afford classes (the Internet is paid by my parents and i don't think they'd be very eager to
sacrifice it in order to pay for my training). So, i'm trying to do what i can by myself, searching in the
net, hoping i'll be able to make a workout program for me. I admire Shaolins. I hope, in this forum, you
will help me become at least a little like them.
It's good that you have noble aspirations in your life: a Shaolin training would cultivate you in every level, including mind and moral integrity. The difficulty is finding a genuine school and genuine teachers who can transmit the traditional skills to you. Shaolin Kungfu, for example, is actually an internal martial art, though it might not be taught as such in other schools. If you train in external manner without clearly gaining health, vitality, longevity, and spiritual joys, then you are not engaged in real Shaolin Kungfu which the Shaolin Monks practiced. Modern Wushu is flashy acrobatics, and even though its training might be hard, it's not going to be "training like Shaolins".
However, learning any internal art, or any of the genuine Shaolin Arts in particular, by yourself is difficult and sometimes even dangerous. This is also confirmed by my personal experience: learning in person from capable instructor is invaluable because you receive much more than you could figure out by yourself.
Written material is no substitute for learning directly from a master or competent instructor. Books and written articles are meant for review and philosophical explanation, not for any type of instruction for fresh beginners.
I can symphatize with your situation, since Greece is having massing economic troubles and difficulty in finding jobs. However, there is always hope and you can pray for an opportunity to take a course with one of our instructors. Be filial to your parents and enjoy your life! Having a proper mental and moral preparation for an internal training is essential for being a good student and getting the best benefits. It's important to realize that this is excellent advice and not me being a uncaring or unknowing. In fact, any of our instructors will happily confirm my statement.
Please take this to your heart: Don't hurt yourself by dabbling in internal arts. You have no direct experience what you are supposed to do, so things may go wrong.
Find a way to save money. Currently your closest instructors are probably in Italy, Austria, or Switzerland. Our Grandmaster also visits at least one of these countries each year, and having any regional course under him will grant you a year's worth of material to practice in few days.
You may need to read again what I wrote with an open heart.
Nowhere did I discourage you from learning martial arts. I did encourage you to be cautious, dutiful, and morally correct, so that you may be a good student in martial arts. Actually, those qualities are excellent for practically anything. Did you find this advice to be below yourself? If so, then you will not qualify as a deserving student because we are required to uphold The Ten Shaolin Laws.
May I ask why are you really here? Are you seeking cultivation of your body, energy, and mind -- or fancy acrobatics with oriental flavor?
In the latter case, if you wish to learn the modern Wushu of the current Shaolin "monks", then you have come to a wrong place. We are not associated with them in any level except by sharing name.
If you want to learn real Shaolin Kungfu, our school is an excellent choice, even if it may not correspond to what you imagine Shaolin training as being.
Your introduction here was very brief and your aims vaguely stated, therefore I made my best effort to clarify to you what is genuine Shaolin Kungfu and how you might recognize it by its benefits. For example, you wouldn't find traditional Shaolin Kungfu in the Shaolin Temple in China because the "monks" there are actually paid actors, hence they don't "train like the Shaolins". These actors don't aim for spiritual cultivation and clearly couldn't provide you with the characteristic Shaolin benefits such as mental clarity and abundant vitality.
I only warned you that internal (martial) arts such as real Shaolin Kungfu have to be learned from a qualified master. It would be unethical and unprofessional for anyone to offer workout instructions for you online because a real master only wants your best: there are real dangers involved that any deserving student will have to understand, and these skills have to be taught face-to-face. Likewise trying to assemble pleasant instructions with your own inexperience is frankly stupid because admittedly you came here seeking advice. From your response it's clear that you may have only little idea of what you are actually asking for by coming to this forum. It's recommended that you read our Grandmaster's website Shaolin.org and try to learn as much as you can about the type, scope, and aims of our practice. But don't think you can do it by yourself!
Please get a clear picture what an internal art is and why practicing it without a master's guidance is a foolish idea. Similar advice has been given to many other inquirers such as yourself several times, by both our Grandmaster in his "Questions and Answers" series and our instructors here in our Virtual Kwoon. Even though the choice of words and presentation are mine, you would not get a substantially different response from anyone else.
Wishing you all the best!
With sincere respect,
Olli
Last edited by understanding; 2 October 2016, 09:18 PM.
I think martial arts are fun and fullfilling. Also, i spent hard school years, not having any social life, receiving violence in physical
forms as well as that kind of violence one can deal without touching you at all. I have a lot of repressed anger that tortures me
day and night. I'm not saying that i necessarily want to use the skills i seek to extract revenge, i'm not saying that, if i happened
to become a super trained warrior, i'd go out to get those who humiliated or belittled me. I'm saying that i feel, if i practice some
art, i will become a calmer soul, a better person.
Everybody around me says what i need is not martial arts but some psychiatrist. I used to attend one for years, he prescribed
me anti depressants as well. Until one day, i realized that those doctors never cured anyone, they only take your money,
they only cure their own wallets. So, i stopped attending and taking medicines. I believe that the only way to find my inner
peace is to train my body and mind in the way of martial arts and i hoped the Internet and this forum would help me achieve it
at some extent, answering the questions i had about making a program for me.
But it seems what you're telling me is that, without an instructor, i'm wasting my time, you're just not flat out saying it for the
sake of politeness. So, i give up my efforts, i will accept the fact that i cannot become a martial artist. Goodbye.
I'm very sorry to read about the abuse and hardships you have faced. My own background is not so very different from yours, and all the emotional problems you mentioned can be easily cured by practicing Shaolin Chi Kung or real Shaolin Kungfu. You are not alone with your observation that the Western medical system is unable to cure mental or chronic illnesses, but only medicate the symptoms.
Your problems sound serious enough. It would be extremely unwise if you attempted any kind of mind training on your own if you feel emotionally locked up or oppressed inside. I can tell from my own direct experience that it will not work and only makes you more miserable. You should seek help from a qualified master. It's strange that you would think that getting proper Shaolin healing or training is not on par with Western medical professionals, so that you could self-medicate just like that. You are already disrespecting the Art if you think that anyone can just learn it like snapping fingers.
I's essential to realize that all healing starts from the Heart. You should sincerely wish to become a better person and leave all the past wrongs behind, and you must have devotion, confidence, and moral character to accomplish this and other great things in life. Without this first step you would miss the essence of any healing and receive no benefit.
Figuratively running away from here is unlikely to help you overcome your problems. We would be happy to have you around if you had a change of Heart and turned to be a deserving student.
You have perverted views on what is a good and wholesome training. Asking for online prescribtions for emotinal issues is no good. Why are you thinking otherwise? Your flawed expectations are holding you up from healing: your problems are not in your control anymore, or otherwise you wouldn't seek other opinions (contrary to your medical advisor) and healing through the Internet. It takes an open Heart to trust good advice and humble yourself to become an unassuming, deserving student.
Finding us was an incredible fortune for you. If reconsider my words and see the wisdom and compassion in them, then you would understand that you are not far from getting the training you have dreamed of. But healing starts from the Heart. If you close your Heart on the basis that the words I shared aren't immediately pleasing to you, then it's your choice not to train with us.
May you find the peace and happiness you seek!
With sincere respect,
Olli
Last edited by understanding; 3 October 2016, 06:38 AM.
I happened to come here today and have a look, just to kill some
time, because i was bored, and saw that you answered me back
on October. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. You
keep telling that i'm not going anywhere without a qualified master.
I told you that i have no access to a qualified master. If we put
one and one together, we essentially agree that there is no way
out of my misery, that i'm destined to live with that. So, why are
you telling me that i shouldn't have run away from here, that i'm
not far from getting my healing etc? Your attempts to give me
false hope make me feel worse than before. How do you feel for
increasing my unhappiness?
I understand you and the hardships you have endured. I have dealt with anger and resentment for much of my life, and because of a closed heart I lost many good opportunities back then. I was physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and morally wretched and unable to appreciate many good things in life. It took a lot of conscious and persistent effort to steer myself right. Being good is simple, but not always easy.
How could anyone call themselves a true warrior or seek Shaolin training if they couldn't even take the initial steps to conquer their own lower nature?
I wrote what I wrote exactly for the reason you are now displaying: I saw the signs of you giving yourself to despair for no good reason. There is always hope, but if you consciously close your heart, then even a great chance might pass you by unaware and you lose it.
Negative or overtly critical thinking has actually very little use. It limits the range of actions you might take, often especially the good ones. If you think something is a destiny and make no effort to change your course, it will become one.
You are obviously a bright young man and have a wonderful life ahead with or without genuine Kungfu. If you conditionalize your happiness to very strict outcomes, then it will be very difficult for you to be happy. However, it's still entirely your choice whether to be happy whatever the circumstances you live and have to deal with, despite how compelling or unfair they might appear to be.
In Kungfu circles it's said that a master will appear when the student is ready. Moral and good behavior is one of the highlights how the preparation of students is measured in good Kungfu schools. If you would seek apprenticeship in schools that do not value good morals and readily accept anyone, then you would certainly be seeking real trouble.
Even when training alone morality is a necessary preparation for good consequences. Training with a closed heart is very unwise and bad to anyone's health.
I gave you excellent advice in terms of moral preparation because genuine training begins exactly with that. Also, a real master wouldn't teach a whiny or ungrateful student, I guarantee you that. The fact that you responded with an accusation that I have done something wrong to you is completely false. What I have written to you has been out of pure brotherly concern and nurturing the best in you, not for the sake of giving any type of false hope or bad ideas. I wish you could see that, but if you don't, then it's all your choice and not my problem.
Goodness begets goodness. All the best to you, Lost Soul.
With sincere respect,
Olli
Last edited by understanding; 18 June 2017, 08:50 AM.
So you are just giving up and blaming others for not getting anywhere?
I don't know your situation other than the bits you shared here and I don't know how old you are and whether or not you work ...
But how about finding a small job and saving up some money, while at the same time searching for a school in your area?
Some things in live take more than a desire to get them... kungfu means "hard work" and your first "kungfu" might be to get up and find the means to realize this dream of learning Shaolin Kungfu or any other martial art.
What I have written to you has been out of pure brotherly concern and nurturing the best in you, not for the sake of giving any type of false hope or bad ideas. I wish you could see that, but if you don't, then it's all your choice and not my problem.
If it's not your problem, why do you answer my posts?
Great advice has been given to you, but unfortunately you choose not to see or accept it, which of course is your right to do.
We are here to give what we regard as the best advice we know, although it might not always be the easiest and most comfortable way. Countless people have benefitted from our advice and those who were deserving and ready to put in some effort have benefitted even more from our outstanding training.
However, we are not here to argue with someone who comes here to start a quarrel when he is bored every now and then.
We sincerly wish you all the best on your journey,
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