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"Drunken Boxer's Assorted Blockages - A Study"

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  • #61
    Hello Paul and others,

    Originally posted by drunken boxer View Post
    If I was 6ft 6 musclebound skinhead would they butt in?
    As for being "fight magnets" I've had a number of very large friends over the years who have often complained that many crazy drunks want to fight a big guy in a bar. I've seen it happen a few times, and luckily my big friends have been able to diffuse the wannabe fighters. One big friend said to me a while back, "Boy, it sure would be nice to be average size...no one would want to pick a fight with me."

    I don't have any great expertise here. What I can say is that staying very calm kept me from getting in a fight in Thailand a month back. Three drunk hairy transvestites approached me at about 7:00 in the morning on the street. By staying calm, and even letting one of them into my personal space, I kept my cool and was able to firmly assert myself until they left. In retrospect, I questioned whether or not letting a drunk transvestite put his hand on my shoulder was safe. I went with my gut, and it ended well. Without my Wahnam training helping me to stay calm for those few minutes, I would have almost certainly punched the one guy and ran away or had to confront the other two guys.

    So, just because someone wants to fight doesn't always mean that you have to fight them. Of course there is self-defense, but a cool head can often avoid the need for self-defense. A potential fight can really be boiled down to two people with two perceptions. When we can see our own perception of the matter with objectivity, then we can sometimes help the other person to shape their perception into a healthier perception.

    Here's wishing everyone many years of peace.

    Best,

    Zach
    .

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    • #62
      Dear All,

      I feel it's generalising to assume that most or all types of music and most or all types of environments can't affect someone's energy, or if they can, that you can get around that by shifting your perception. There are some environments with very destructive energies, and I feel it is be a mark of humility on the part of a spiritual person to acknowledge this - we hold ourselves accountable for how we use our energy and it should be for the best purposes and intents, and the most powerful form of defencelessness is ignorance. There are some things that are not good objectively, regardless of how you shift your perception about them. This is why there is karma, and karma does not just come about from how you think about things, how you perceive them.

      James

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      • #63
        According to Sifu, karma is caused by three factors. I'll list them in order of importance:
        1. Thoughts
        2. Words
        3. Deeds


        All the Best,
        Alex
        "Take a moment to feel how wonderful it feels just to be alive."
        - Sifu

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        • #64
          The discussion about music is interesting so I replied in the music thread instead of taking things off course here. Except by posting this, of course.

          Andrew
          Love, and do what you will.

          - St. Augustine

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          • #65
            This thread (all of it) reminds me of when I first read Sifu's words:
            "Avoid Evil
            Do Good
            Cultivate the mind."
            I remember thinking that to do good and avoid evil was very sensible and logical, but I couldn't understand why such a statement of cultivate the mind was put in there on the same level.
            I've since realised in many situations that its just as vital as the other two because there are many situations where though we all want to do good and avoid evil of course, it is not always clear or evident what is evil and what is good.

            For an example, to steal is wrong. But if you must steal to feed your family, is it wrong then? Is it more wrong to let the family starve? If you are poor because your parents were dispossessed of the their land or belongings in a war, is it wrong for you to steal from the victors? Etc.
            I face many decisions where I am not sure what the right or wrong thing to do is hence I now understand the importance to cultivate my mind, so that I better decide whats right and whats wrong.

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            • #66
              Originally posted by drunken boxer View Post
              I now understand the importance to cultivate my mind, so that I better decide whats right and whats wrong.
              ......through the guidance of cosmic wisdom .

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              • #67
                Howdy Sihing, you'd mentioned that you were practicing shen training as part of your cultivation. Is this cultivation in addition to the kung fu training, or were you training your kung fu with greater emphasis on shen?

                Does your verbal sparring with Sijat Martin count as "cultivating the mind"?

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                • #68
                  Originally posted by Chiahua View Post
                  Howdy Sihing, you'd mentioned that you were practicing shen training as part of your cultivation. Is this cultivation in addition to the kung fu training, or were you training your kung fu with greater emphasis on shen?
                  Hi Chiahua,

                  No I just meant that by doing our chi kung, or zhan zhuang we are naturally doing Shen training.
                  Though I also think that Sifu or an Instructor can sometimes give a heart-to-heart transmission of a Shen technique in an instant.

                  Originally posted by Chiahua View Post
                  Does your verbal sparring with Sijat Martin count as "cultivating the mind"?
                  Yep, like I said above

                  Paul

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                  • #69
                    I just found myself on this old thread after searching for something entirely unrelated. I couldn't help but reply, after these years.

                    I really enjoyed reading through this.

                    After 5 more years of smiling from the heart, I bet you've got it all figured out through direct experience, Paul It'd be interesting to hear how your life/perspective may have changed over the years.

                    Best,
                    Alex
                    "Take a moment to feel how wonderful it feels just to be alive."
                    - Sifu

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Originally posted by AlexBaranosky View Post
                      I just found myself on this old thread after searching for something entirely unrelated. I couldn't help but reply, after these years.

                      I really enjoyed reading through this.

                      After 5 more years of smiling from the heart, I bet you've got it all figured out through direct experience, Paul It'd be interesting to hear how your life/perspective may have changed over the years.

                      Best,
                      Alex
                      Hi Alex,

                      Well how things have changed over the years, the main thing I would say is that life was ok then, but it is wonderful now!

                      Regarding the points in the thread, well I still agree with myself which will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me! I mean in terms of responses along the lines of "Instead of thinking about how to defend these situations, maybe you should think about why you are getting into such situations?" I think the past masters who developed and practised kungfu did so in large part to defend themselves in the violent situations they may have found themselves in. I am sure they preferred to avoid violent situations, but knew that violent situations are not always avoidable. I know that Sifu has never told me to put less emphasis on combat, in fact I have several times been talking to him about other things and he brings the subject back to combat and encourages me to seek out people for sparring, use the 30 opponent programme and so forth - and I bet he has had similar conversations with others in this thread.

                      In terms of my specific combat situations, well I am still a work in progress, but I have made some progress, the last time I sparred with a boxer went better than the previous couple of times as mentioned in another thread.

                      One breakthrough for me, I thought of how Sifu once said on the Eagle Claw course that if we are in a streetfight, the best techniques to use for that are kungfu, as they were designed for that. If we were in a boxing match or judo match he said the best techniques to use would be boxing or judo techniques and I remember he said "That is only logical." That helped, because some of the sparring I did was basically boxing sparring, hands only using gloves, so then I didn't feel so bad for having to switch to boxing and doing better when I did.

                      I also realised that at the time I had trained for longer in boxing, and also trained it with more intensity, ie at times 4 rounds a night, 2 nights a week where the other guys were trying not to touch me or stop and inch short, but to knock me out. It wasn't fair to think I could match that skill until I had trained kungfu sparring more.

                      So I thought "Well I guess if I get in a fight with a slugger in a bar, I could always use boxing, until I have trained and improved my kungfu enough" because I did quite well a couple of times in the past using boxing against the bar room brawlers. Or at least I could know that I had boxing in my back pocket, sort of like carrying a claw hammer in my back pocket which I would try not to use, but which might come in handy just in case all else failed.

                      Those realisations may seem strange or as if I was going against kungfu but I believe the opposite happened - this idea then relaxed me, and I was able to practise kungfu with more success and confidence.

                      I have another thread about "feeling charged all the time". When I am charged, I can feel that nothing compares to kungfu. There is no feeling in boxing, like the feeling of chi flowing, or of internal force when you are practising kungfu patterns in a "charged" state. Nor does it give you the benefits afterwards. I want to be more charged, for more of the time, and this has been happening ever since the Zen course in Dublin hence: Life is wonderful!

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                      • #71
                        Hi Paul Sisook!

                        Originally posted by drunken boxer View Post
                        Life is wonderful!
                        Quoted for the truth.

                        It's amazing that our Arts may well be called wish-fulfilling gems. I'm so happy that things have turned so much better for you since Dublin. You can be assured that we all of your Shaolin Family are very proud of your growth as a person and your progress in the Arts. Stay well and on the steady course, my friend!

                        With sincere respect,
                        Olli

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                        • #72
                          Hi Olli,

                          Thanks for your nice message, and for your company in Dublin, ah I'm back at work now and as relaxed as I am (pretty relaxed) it would be great to be sitting with you guys drinking a coffee between lessons in the Marine Hotel again, good times!

                          Ps if you are thinking of coming back to Ireland for courses, Killarney is a very relaxing place too, I am hoping to attend there next year!

                          Thanks
                          Paul

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