A talk about the states of Zhanzhuang and the four forms (5)

8/7/2019 A talk about the states of Zhanzhuang and the four forms (5)

1/18

A talk about the states of Zhuang Fa

BY practicing Zhuang Fa (pile

method), one should go through three

kinds ofstates and in eachstate one

should realize and learn something

and acquire its skill. What is called

state is ones actual mental and

physicalstate while practicing

Zhuang Fa. The mental state acts

on the physicalstate and the physical

state acts on the mentalstate, so theyinteract with each other. At the end of

the Qingdynasty, the great scholar

Mr. Wang Guowei once said: Every

person who succeeds in his career

should go through three kinds of states.

The first is: The clothes and waist are getting loose little by little,

the body becomes peak and pine for the career, but one never

regrets.Secondly: Walking up the lonely tower, gazing at the skyline at

the end of the road. Last night, the west wind withered the green

trees.

Thirdly: Seeking her for a thousand times in the crowd, when

suddenly, as I turned my head; she was there under a flickering

lamplight.

Practicing Martial arts should also be like this. The first state, from

a psychological point of view, is called: Never regret. The

student will have a conviction without any doubts and have the

will that cannot be wobbled by a hundred bulls. By persevering in

practice for one hundred days, one will have the feelings. By

persevering in practice during three to four years, one willfeelthe

limbs expanding, the hands and feet becoming hotand one will


2/18

have thefeelingas if the body is filled with lead balls. The inside

of the limbs are at ease and quick to get this feeling. Anyway, both

inside and outside should have the feelings of beingfilled with

leadballs and expanding, so you can consider to have gained

something. Once you have attained thisstate, you can begin tolearn the skills. The secondstate, again from a psychological point

of view is called: Gazing at the skyline at the end of the road.

Here, one will believe that the wonder of all other Martial arts is

included in this art and not in the others and that only this art can

give the best. From a physical point of view, if one practices with

perseverance for five or six years, one willfeelthat the earsare

expanding, the brow and the nose will feel as if there issomething

moving inside, the neck and head will be erect and upright as if thecrown was suspended from a rope, the scalp will swell, the hairs

will stand on end, and one will feel as if a big stone were pressing

the forehead. This result is achieved by having the head held

upright and the neck erect through the practice ofZhuang Fa.

At the same time, thefeelingin the arms will gradually spread to

buttocks and the lower abdomen. Thisfeelingin the limbs will

grow day by day. When one attains this state, one willfeelfull of

natural delight. However, theforce

one discharges will still be themechanical force issued from the limbs instead of that from the

waist and the spine.

The third state ofZhuang Fa and again from a psychological

point of view is called: Turning ones head to look back.

Here the Instinctive Living force is like a snake. The spirit

dignified and the mind quiet, the propelled waving hands is allbut

Nature itself. Looking back at every method one has practiced

during ten years, are all like old shabby shoes, one is due to throw

them away and there is no need to cherish them anymore, for whatis practiced spontaneous and instinctively has now become the

right way. From a physical point of view, by persevering in

practice for about ten years, one willfeelthe waist and spine

getting the feelingofexpanding. Thisfeelingwill go through the

anus and the genitalia and one willfeelas if the wholebody is like


3/18

aningot(molded as one), being filled with lead, the musclesas

one and walking as if stepping through mud. Once one lifts the

hands they will produce sharp edges, the body moving will feel like

riding a wave and the waist and spine will feel massive like a bull.

When one attains thisstate, then as soon as one takes action, onewillfeelfull of natural wonder and theforce which one then

discharges will be balanced and complete. Thus the qualification

for Martial art is herby established. The above fixed numbers of

years I mentioned are all according to my own experience. As for

students, some may need a little longer; some may need a little

shorter, it all depends on ones talent and skill.

Mr.Zeng Guofan once said: To accomplish the career, talent acts

as 30%, however,diligence occupies 70%. These are not emptywords, so student should be encouraged by them. If one has been

practicing for a long time but cannot discern any clear effect, one

should check ones body if there are any inconsistencies in posture.

In that case, perhaps ones mental state is creating some side

effects on the physical, or the physical is creating some side effects

in ones mental state. In any case, there must be a problem and one

should seek advice from a wise person. Dont consider your self to

be right all the time, so be careful, be careful.Again, in ZhuangFa practice, one should avoid by all means to

always practice only one posture, one should change to different

postures day by day. At the same time, one should vary between

the standing, sitting and lying postures. The standing and lying

posture should perseveringly be practiced. This way of practice

allows afine-tuningof the body. Although each posture can

cultivate inner strength, each posture has its own particular effect

(if one wants to cure a particular case with Zhuang Fa, utilize a

posture according to each persons condition). If one is alwayspracticing one fixed posture, then from a Martial art point of view,

its only a partial way. Students should be aware of this.

Its quiet suitable to practice Zhuang Fa for an hour, to an hour

and a half each day. The time of practicing Zhuang Fa in each

practice session should account for two thirds of the whole practice


4/18

session and one third to Shili (testing force). According to my

experience, this is quiet suitable, as Zhuang Fa is the basic

exercise ofYiquan.

A talk on the four forms

WHEN, through the practice of Zhuang Fa, one achieves the

state ofthe whole body as a cast, the body as being filled with

lead,, the muscles as oneand the hairs stand out as halberds,then we can talk about Martial arts. What are Martial arts? Martial

arts is theforce coming in to play vigorously (suddenly), it is not

about partial methods (fighting techniques).

Once I wrote a poem with the title;

The appearance of dance

The body moving and dancing is like a billowing wave,

the mind-force travels on the surface of the water.

As a cruising dragon or a white crane playing and making detourslike a frightened snake,

maintaining spirit, the muscles contain strength, and the bones

produce edges.

The wind disperses the clouds to emit the splendid Moon,

the heroic spirit runs through the rainbow halo.

Those billowing wave, cruising dragon ,white crane and

frightening snake etc., which we talked about in the poem, are all

Martial art patterns. The dance reproducing these patterns is what

is called the Health dance or the Martial dance.

During the Sui and Tangdynasty (A.D. 581-907), theHealth

dance was quite prevalent; it was the health preservation and

combat method of that time. Not only warriors, but most scholars


5/18

also practiced it. It was almost lost through time. Based on his

experience, contemporary Martial art Master Mr.Huang Muqiao

conjectured and constructed from the figurine dance postures on

theDunhuangfresco, some moves of the Health dance. On an

occasion in 1926, I traveled toHuainan to meet with Mr.HuangMuqiao and some how got him to teach me the meaning and the

intention behind the Health dance.

I dare not keep the secret to myself, so I passed it on to my

students, but only about ten of them have acquired the wonder of

it. As a precondition of being able to practice the Health dance

one should achieve the state of the four as, namely, having the

ability ofthe whole body as a cast, the body as if being filled

with lead, the muscles as one and the hairs stand out as

halberds, otherwise, it is difficult to dance out the appearance.

The dance would then be swinging the limbs only and be likeordinary calisthenics. As I said: the inner strength should be

sought in the body and theforce shakes out (discharge) of the body

(vigorously).

Practicing Zhuang Fa to the state of the four as the inner

strength will then be properly developed. But concerning how to


6/18

release this inner strength so as to become an external force and

have its effect in combat, the four forms are the most proper way

of acting out the appearance. The dance of the four forms should

be according to the principle ofthe form round and the force

straight. In practice, one should always set up an imaginaryenemy, storing up theforce to fight against him. The hands are

pointing and the wrists are screwing, the fingers bend like claws

(as if holding a rice bowl). No matter whether a single hand or two

hands are used in the dance, the fingers are generally pointing at

the opponents mouth and nose; you should try your best to control

the opponents centerline giving menace to your enemy. To control

the opponents centerline is to protect your own centerline from

being penetrated. Not only the forefinger, but all fingers point atthe enemy, even the thumb should curve and store upforce and

point in the same direction as the other fingers.

This palm skill is totally different from other internal and external

Martial arts, like Taiji Quan, or Shaolin Quan. If the hands are

pointing and held like claws then it prevents the wrists from

arching and sinking (flexing) to much, so instead, one must screw

the wrists with agility in order to control the enemy. One should

also have the wonder ofhooking, filing, contracting and resisting

.The fingers should not be allowed to get stiff yet all should slightly

curve to store upforce: the palms should be concave and the

fingers spread while the fingertips may have thefeelingofpassing

through electricity, this is the wonder of keeping the fingers curved

and the wrists screwing. The two arms in action are never allowed

to lose the force ofwrapping, rolling, supporting and holdingso

that not even a fly or a mosquito can land on the body (one is very

sensitive). The feet in advancing and retreating are never allowed

to lose the ability ofopen and closing, treading, pressing, twistingand never yielding an inch. The shoulders should be held down (as

if carrying something) and the elbows spread to the sides

(containing contradiction force), then the arms will have theforce

ofwrapping, rolling, supporting and holding. The crotch should sit

down and the knees propping up and forward. By sitting down in


7/18

your crotch and the knees propping up you will have strength and

the ability to open and close, treading, pressing and twisting.

While fighting with an opponent I persist in nothing, making him

completely unable to catch anything, the method rest with the

shoulders and crotch twisting. Furthermore, the shoulders andcrotch should again be powered by the waist and the spinal

column, therefore, in practice, the waist and the spinal column

shouldsway and turn like an axis and thus defeating persisting by

not persisting. The feet should be shifting as ifmoving through

mud or snow and the weight of 70% - 30% on each foot keep

changing into each other. The feet have not a fixed place; the body

does not have a fixed posture. By making the back foot as the front

foot, or the front foot as the back foot, the front and back arealternating; the empty and thesolidevolve from each other and use

your step to content for the enemys place. While in action, body

follows the mind and the hands leave the traces (by storing up

power to lacerate and leave a trace). One shouldfeelas if his whole

body is meeting a substance. If you move quickly, prevent floating,

if you move slowly, prevent slackness.

The force should discharge (in all directions) in a (sudden) flash. If

you attack an enemy in that time, malevolence is the best tactic,because the discharge offorce follows the mind. By being

merciless one can defeat the enemy, because the methods are

produced by following the mind. Therefore, every action is

accompanied by Jiajie (imagination), if ones actions are

without Jiajie, the bodys force will not be true. In practice, the

whole body should never loose thefeelingofthe whole body as a

cast, the body as if being filled with lead, the muscles as one and

the hairs stand out as halberds. This is called mind never

broken, spirit never scattered, be one integrated mass, do notforget and do not lose it. Thus, the dance has thestate offull

natural wonder. The mental acts on the physical (and vice versa),

this is the health preservation meaning of the health dance.

The real skill ofYiquan is not gained from movement, but one

should seek it in non-movement.


8/18

Practicing the four forms is a

directional training for the inner

strength, so that one is able to

discharge it and become an externalforce at any time and anywhere and to

get this ability for combat.

Therefore, in practice, we seek

whether it is comfortable only and not

be concerned with hard or soft or

whether it is beautiful or not.

However, posture is the representation

of form, and therefore, you shouldmake the postures be correct, by never

going against the law of physiology

and dynamics. If every action can

follow dynamics and never loose thestate of the four as, then a

big action will be right and a small action will be right too,

otherwise, all actions will be incorrect. In practice one should pay

attention to the use of the law of unity between opposites, about

theforce

and theinner strength

of the body. Theexternal force

ofthe body is fourfold: 1. the gravity of the body, namely, the

gravitational potential energytranslated into kinetic energy, this is

called the contending force with the earth; 2. theground

support force and its counterforce, this is what I depict as about

to push of the ground to fly; 3. the air resistance, this is what I

call to echo with the atmosphere; 4. the opponents force in a

fight, this is what I call borrowing force. Theseforces I call

togetherthe universal contending force. The bodys inner

strength, namely, consist of the wholemuscles pull and stretch inthe state of thefour as, this is what I call the perfectly round

contending force.

The diaphragm poweris also a kind ofinner body strength, this is

what I call breath elasticity If your really want to gain Martial

art ability, you should make the perfectly round contending


9/18

force and the universal contending force coordinate and be in

harmony, the wonder of their interaction all depend on the breath

elasticity. So wesay exhale and inhale is the fountain of spirit,

the force unites with the universe, the shout rides the whirlwind.

Therefore, once the diaphragm tightens, everything will be wrong,so students should take care about it.

Now Im going to explain the four forms respectively:

Billowing Wave

THIS pattern should be practiced according to the principle of

the form flexible and the force straight, and one should not loose

thestate of the four as. Its embodiment consists of using the

forces ofextending, shrinking, pressing, raising, sinking, holding

and lifting. While standing, the feet are fixed, however, the body

and the arms are doing a wave-like movement of up and down in

contrary directions at the same time. Namely, the arms are lifting

together, while the body is sitting down and while the arms are

pressing down, the body is raising up. Also, pulling up and down


10/18

reversely to elongate one self, thegravitation potential energy of

the body translates into kinetic force, thus the whole body being

like a wave force is called the gravitation wave This kind of

wave is required in combat.At the same time, pulling reversely upand down produces the longitudinalwave force, which recur to theround support force of the arms making the longitudinal wave

covertly carry transverse waves, thus you have the dance

movements and postures ofbillowing wave. While doing this,

the arms are slightly in tandem. If the left hand is in front, then put

out the left foot, if the right hand is in front, and then put out the

right foot. Both arms are cooperating with the body through

extending, shrinking, pressing, rising up and down, pulling

reversely and elongatingoneself with the hands running an ellipticpath. Left, right, advancing and retreating are changing into each

other without end. The image of this pattern is just like a tortoise

swimming, submerging and emerging out of the water. Floating

and riding the billowing wave on the water surface. So, this form is

also sometimes called divine tortoise emerging from the water


11/18

Cruising Dragon

THIS pattern should also be practiced according to the principle of

the form flexible and the force straight and should not loose the

state of the four as. Its embodiment consists of using the forces

oflifting, pressing, stroking, dividing, encircling, opening and

closing. The working of this pattern is the same as billowing

wave; you still need to utilize the gravitation wave to issue the

forces oflifting, pressing, stroking, dividing, encircling, openingand closing. Both arms cooperate with the body to pull reversely

up and down. The difference rest with the two arms running an

elliptic path with the forces of lifting, pressing, stroking,

encircling, opening and closing, along the front and the left and

right sides of the body. One should produce theforces oflifting,

pressing and strokingby the longitudinal wave and theforces of

dividing, encircling, opening and closingby the traverse wave.

Longitudinal and traverse, high and low, advance and retreatuseeach other. The image of this pattern is like a dragon swimming in

the sea, the dragon is the billow, and the billow is the dragon. The

dragon goes just as the billow moves, the billow moves just as the

dragon goes. These two patterns, billowing wave and cruising


12/18

dragon, are both using the gravitation wave in order to be

effective in the Martial art.

Therefore, in utilizing them, one shouldhave a thorough

understanding as to the degree of tightness of the wave force.

Relax to store up strength, tense to shoot out the force, relax,tense,tense, and relax, all with waves and billows. The wave

mainly needs elasticity in order to blast out force as soon as it

meets something. This is Yiquansstoring up, springing, shocking

and bursting.

Practicing billowing wave and cruising dragonpatterns one should

have thefeelingthat if you raise the body it seems very high and if

you lower the body it seems very deep. If the opponent goes high

I stick to him and make him feelraise high up in the air. If he goeslow then I stick to him and make himfeelhe is facing an abyss and

nudge him to fall deeper and deeper. This is the method of high

and low by raising and shrinking the body.


13/18

White Crane

THIS pattern should again be according to the principle ofthe

form flexible and the force straight and still one should not loose

thestate of the four as. Its embodiment consists of utilizing the

forces ofembracing, hacking, boring, thrusting turning, raising,

wrapping and screwing. Every curved part of my body when it

reacts to the opponents touch is used to hinder, or if one part theopponents body acts on a particular place in order to distort, my

curved part produces a resistance immediately to stop the

distortion with a spring-force that discharges immediately. This

burst offorce is required in the Martial art and again, this is what I

call storing up, springing, shocking and bursting. I must know,

the allowable stretch, so that my curved part can flex freely and

that the spring-force is proportional to the stretch quantity (or

recovery quantity) of my curved part. Therefore, in practicing this

form, the action scope of the arms should be slightly larger than

normal to strengthen the intensity of the immediate discharge of

this spring-force.

In action, the two arms draw arcs from the outside to the inside

alternately. If high, the fingers do not go over the forehead, if low,


14/18

then the fingers do not go lower than the navel, if the left arm

raises up first then step out with the left foot and if the right arm

rises up then step out with the right foot. In drawing arcs, the arms

should have theforces ofturning,embracing, and hacking, boring,

thrusting, turning, raising, wrapping and screwing. In practice,one should have, according to different Jiajie (imagination), the

spring-force which is produced by the curved parts of the arms

turning, raising, wrapping, and screwing, embracing, hacking,

pulling, boring or thrustingin orderto discharge it instantly. The

wonder of this pattern also rests with the rising of the foot to

overcome the enemy. If the left arm rises first, then raise the left

foot and let it fall slightly to the left side. Do not raise the foot

higher than the knee of the solid leg and do not let it fall higherthen the enemys chest. The raising of the knee, the fall of the foot,

the strength issued from the hands and the discharge of force

should all be done in oneshout. This pattern of the foot falling is

not a kick, stretching out, treading or trampling, it is in fact,

stamping. The discharge, the continual turning of the arms and the

feet used together, the image of this pattern looks like a Crane that

is ready to break free and about to fly. The three fists and one

foot(rising, drilling, wrapping and treading

) ofYiquan

are theresult of the changes coming out of this pattern. (see also: drill,

rise, fall and overturn in Xingyiquan).


15/18

Frightened Snake

THIS pattern should be again according to the principle of the

form flexible and the force straight and not loose the state of the

four as. Its embodiment consists of utilizing the forces of

raising, stamping, taking in, sending out, supporting, holding,

swinging and lifting. The working of this pattern is similar to that

of the White Crane, as one should still make use of the spring-

force of the curved part arms in order to discharge the forces ofraising, taking in, sending out, supporting, and holding, swinging

and lifting. In action, if you step out with your left foot, then raise

the left arm which draws an arc from the inside to the outside, at

the same time, the right arm draws an arc downward from the

outside to the inside under the left arm. Advance with the right

foot, then the right arm draws an arc upward to the outside, at the

same time; the left arm draws an arc downward under the right

arm. In doing so and according to different Jiajie and utilizingthe spring-force of the curved arms in order to discharge, one can

make use of theforces ofraising, stamping, taking in, or sending

out, but also, one can discharge with theforces ofsupporting,

holding, swinging or lifting. Front, back, left, right, up and down

change into each other without end. The image is like aFrightened


16/18

Snake escaping suddenly, turning left and right like asword

flashing. What one calls the three fists (rising, drilling and,

wrapping) and thethree pressings (shoulder press down, chest

presses in and the head presses back upward), they all have

evolved out of this pattern, which is unparalleledand frightening.White Crane andFrightening Snake, these two patterns are both

using elasticity force in order to be effective in Martial art.

Therefore, one shouldgrasp the quantity of tension and relax,

retract to store up strength, extend to discharge force. If you are

about to extend, you must retract first; if you are about to contract,

you must extend first. Tension and relax should make the whole

body like a spring. This spring-force should discharge and burst

out immediately as soon as it meets an object. Therefore, theseWhite Crane andFrightening Snake patterns are also exerting

storing up, springing, shocking and bursting Practicing White

Crane andFrightening Snake patterns, one should know that the

White Crane can overcome the enemy transversally while

Frightening Snake can nip the enemy lengthways. If the opponents

hands come out together, then wrap his force, make him spin and

pull out his roots. If he comes with one hand, then let his force pass

and come to naught, making him bent forward. This is the methodofIf transverse, then wrap his force, if lengthways, and then let

his force pass.


17/18

A talk on the philosophical justification of Yiquan

With regard to the philosophical justification ofYiquan, Ihesitateto write too much about it and therefore I will only put it forward

in the form of a philosophical proposition. After critical

examination and putting it all together, it will then not be difficult

to see the real meaning and aspect ofYiquan naturally.

Zhuang Zi said: That which creates substance, is not really

substance. This means that what creates substance to become a

substance isnt substance itself. Yiquan asserts that all forces are

the gathering ofspirit(mindisforce,force is mind). It can also besaid, thatforce isntforce. In other words, what createsforce to

becomeforce is reallyspiritand mind. This is thesubtle essence

of why Yiquan is called Yiquan (mind boxing).

Lao Zi said: Keep to non-doing then all things are done

naturally. Yiquan asserts that Action proceeds from in-action

and The movement of non-movement, is the living movement.

What one callsNon-action and non-movementisZhangzhuang

(standing pole) inYiquan

and what one callsAction

andmovementare Shili (testing force) andFali (release force). Yiquan

attaches great importance to the practice ofZhanzhuangwhich

meansNon-action.

Some time ago, someone compared Yiquan with the Static qigong

of ancient Daoism. This isnt far from the mark.

Lao Zi also said: Reversal is the movement of the Dao. Yiquan

asserts that Force is contradictory in nature but is one in

essence. In other words, it is the unification of the contradictionsof forceandcounter-force and what one calls contradiction and

fragmentary, should be unified.

Chan (Zen) has a saying: All methods are empty, which is the

real image. Again it is said: Dont think of good or bad, instead

return to the state of before you where born. The state of not


18/18

being born yet is the state ofemptiness and nothingness. Yiquan

asserts that All kinds of strength are produced by the whole body

extending to the point of being empty and forgetting oneself.

Therefore, I urge people toseek reality through negationand exert

themselves in emptiness.AnotherChan saying says:Without method and without

persisting. Yiquan asserts: Without method and without

persisting to defeat the persisting. In a fight, never persist and

make the opponent also have nothing to persist. Not only resisting

and using external force are considered persisting, but also using

fixed methods is persisting. Defeat persisting without persisting.

In the Mingdynasty ScholarWang Shouren brought forward the

theory ofCause of good insight. Yiquan asserts the theory ofDevelop good ability.Wang Shouren also said that It is like

water flowing toward a wet place and fire coming toward a dry

place. In Yiquan its trend is just so.

Date post:	09-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	chinesearts
View:	214 times
Download:	0 times

A talk about the states of Zhanzhuang and the four forms (5)

Documents