07/31/2023
The postures should be without defect,
without hollows or projections from the proper alignment;
in motion the form should be continuous, without stops and starts.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
This week we are going to focus on the work of Tai Chi Master Sam Tam. But rather than post his blogs or quotes, we are going to hear from one of his students who takes us through an entire week of one-on-one training with Master Tam from a post entitled “Lessons from the Masters: Taiji with Master Sam Tam (2015)” by Peter Munthe-Kaas.
“For the last week I have stayed and practiced taiji with Master Sam Tam in Vancouver, Canada. Sam has been the “Sifu” of my Danish teacher Torben Bremann for about 10 years and before this trip I had only met him at a few workshops in Copenhagen. I have practiced taiji in the system of Master Sam Tam for around 6 years myself guided by Torben.
“It has been quite a privilege to get more “hands on” experience with Master Tam. He has the ability to clearly and effortlessly to demonstrate what yielding, neutralizing and issuing is all about and embody the taiji principles like no one else I have met.
“Sam is good. Very good. When pushing hands with him you never feel him using force of any kind – there is no resistance from his side when you push him, he just moves with whatever comes at him, but without collapsing, using whatever movement you make to get you out of balance. He has an amazing sensitivity and can explain in great detail (greater detail than what I am usually aware of myself) what your body is doing and he is happy to let you feel both his yielding and issuing ability.” – Taiji with Master Sam Tam (2015)” by Peter Munthe-Kaas
Tomorrow we will feature a section entitled “My Experience.” For right now, however, let’s watch a video with Sam Tam and Peter Munthe-Kass’ teacher, Torben Bremann along with Bremann’s former teacher, Wee Kee Jin (previously featured on our site.)
Today’s Video: “At Sifus place”
07/29/2023
The ch’i [vital life energy] should be excited,
The shen [spirit of vitality] should be internally gathered.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Rather than bore you with more of Ian Sinclair’s political pontificating, we are skipping his blog altogether, and instead we will bore you with Sinclair’s impressed-with-himself diatribe from his “But I Digress…” video (aka: “Upper and Lower Part 6” }
Enjoy your weekend, everyone. See you on Monday.
Today’s Video: “Upper and lower Part 6”
07/28/2023
In motion the whole body should be light and agile,
with all parts of the body linked
as if threaded together.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Today we continued with a blog from Ian Sinclair entitled “Lest we forget. Balance is a Verb.”
“In martial art classes, beginners are often tense. They flinch and turtle. They close their eyes. They cling. They resist what pushes them, ensuring that the push has a clear target. They do not respond intelligently. They do not know how to find the still point or the fulcrum. They are a mass of inefficient class-three levers. They try desperately to hold on to whatever position they are in, and resist any force that threatens them. Because of this, everything they do only serves to make things worse. They weaken their own position while motivating and empowering their enemy.
“When we elect authoritarian leaders, we are like that beginner in a martial art class. Or, perhaps we could be compared to a boat that tries to survive the storm by anchoring itself to the ocean floor.
“While it is true that fortresses have their place in military strategy, they are only one part of it. A fortress by itself quickly becomes a prison, and then becomes a tomb. A fortress mentality fails to see the self-defeating limitations of such an attitude. By locking ourselves away, our minds make an enemy of the world.
“Confrontational politics pretends to be powerful and insightful. But there is nothing clever about demonizing your opposition. Insulting people who support your opponent will not win an election. Such is the politics of division. The best you can hope for is a slim margin of victory and a divided nation.
“Likewise, Nationalism pretends to serve the best interests of the nation. But these are like the terrified bullies who do not understand integrative negotiation, or the nature or diplomacy. They make themselves and their nation weak by insisting on acting strong. They tell you that they will fight to preserve your piece of the pie, even as they destroy the bakery.
“I have never met a superior martial artist who felt the need to act strong. On the contrary, the best martial artists that I have met have always been the most gentle and the most kind. They have discovered that empathy is the best strategy and that compassion informs the most reliable tactics….” (to be continued tomorrow) – Ian Sinclair, “Lest We Forget. Balance is a Verb.”
In today’s video, we continue with Ian Sinclair’s six-part series of The Upper and Lower.
Today’s Video: “Upper and lower Part 5 – Effortlessness in CONTEXT”
07/27/2023
The spirit is the leader;
the body is at its command.
When You open and close in the movements,
you must also open and close in the mind.
Dear Friends and Practitioners.
Today we have the first part of a blog from Ian Sinclair entitled “Lest we forget. Balance is a Verb.”
Martial arts training is a microcosm of international socio-economics. The lessons we learn in class can be applied to peacemaking on a global scale..
When I hear discussions about the swing toward extremism and authoritarianism, it makes me think about beginners in martial art classes.
Some students come to the art because of fear, and a need to have more control of their lives. But I find that beginners seldom understand what that really means. One of the challenges that a teacher has is to help the student let go of their fear and hatred so that they can see each situation for what it really is. Only then can they develop the skills necessary to feel safe, empowered, and confident in their ability to deal with the violence inherent in an ever-changing world.
There is a military maxim that was famously referenced by Sunzi in “The Art of War.” It states, “Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.” What people too often forget is that you will never learn anything about anyone by hating or fearing them. Compassion, empathy, and kindness are essential tools for survival. I suspect that these qualities have much to do with our success as a species. Our ability to overcome our darker nature has resulted in the powerful social networks and technological advances that have preserved us for so long. We exist because we can see other points of view. We survive because we can understand our enemy.
It seems to me that Fascist Authoritarianism is what happens when we ignore our responsibility to the world, and stop adapting to it. After a while, the world’s problems come to our door and threaten the status quo. If we ignore the effect that our actions and inactions have on others, then we will be surprised and offended by the animosity directed at us by strangers. We react emotionally be becoming defensive, insular, and nationalistic.
We say, “Why do they hate us when we hardly ever think about them?” This question answers itself.
It can be tempting to ignore the plight and feelings of others until we get slapped in the face. Then we fail to see how we contributed to the violence. We suffer for it. But the children born into an unstable and fearful world will suffer more.
When, as a society or as individuals, we ignore our role in world events, we will find ourselves assaulted by social and political turmoil and will tend to cling to anything that offers stability…” (to be continued tomorrow) – Ian Sinclair, “Lest We Forget. Balance is a Verb.”
In today’s video, we continue with Ian Sinclair’s six-part series of The Upper and Lower.
Today’s Video: “Upper and lower, Part 4. Walk through the forest, not the trees.”
07/26/2023
From beginning to end,
the movements are continuous,
without stopping, like an endless circle.
a great river flowing continuously
and never ending.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Today’s quote from Ian Sinclair is from his blog entitled “True Power is Integrative, not Distributive.”
“There is a common human disfunction, a pathological which causes us to feel that we can gain power by taking it from others.
“Security is a negotiation, even within the techniques, strategies and methodology of combat.
“We fail when we fight against force, move against speed, or throw away our own balance for fear of the other’s power.
“Stillness, emptiness, balance, insight, compassion, understanding…these tools are more valuable than our punches, kicks, joint locks, or other weapons.
“Martial skill begins when you learn to stop fighting yourself.
“With practice, one learns to not contend with others.
“The highest skill is a state of “no enemy.”
“The balance that we fight to defend becomes the weapon that we used to not contend.
“By empowering others, we achieve the power and security that we seek.
“Otherwise we trap ourselves in an endless cycle of expansion, weaponizing our borders, fighting for dwindling resources, and growing in violence and paranoia.
“Peace is an eternal dance, not a battle for supremacy.” – Ian Sinclair, “True Power is Integrative, not Distributive.”
In today’s video, we continue with Ian Sinclair’s six-part series of The Upper and Lower. As usual, be prepared for a little philsoophy along the way…uh…maybe more than a little.
Today’s Video: “Upper and lower Part 3. Energy doesn’t matter, and matter doesn’t energy”
https://youtu.be/X4-17BI7SSU
07/25/2023
Use the Mind,
not Strength or Brute Force
then wherever your mind goes,
your chi follows.
Dear Friends and Practitioners:
Continuing with Ian Sinclair’s blog entitled “A.I. (Artificial Intelligence / Independence) and martial arts.”
“There is a common theme that recurs in martial arts. Students often confuse cause and effect. They think that their journey exists to take them to a destination. They think that they will outgrow basic training when they go on to the “advanced stuff”. They think that, if they get good at martial technique, they will be able to dominate and destroy the enemy. They fail to realize that they have it entirely backwards and inside out.
“Not only is the goal not to dominate or destroy the enemy, but the goal itself is not the goal, and the basic training is the advanced method.
“Our individual value and uniqueness is not found in the ability to achieve a goal, or to calculate an outcome. It is found in the way that we experience the journey.
“The beauty of martial art practice is that it teaches us to understand our own inertial reference frames, including physical, emotional, intellectual, and otherwise.
“The achievement we seek is not the ability to dominate, control and preserve our reference frame, but to liberate ourselves from it. We seek the “immovable mind”, which is to say that we find the fundamental self which exists independent of any reference. Whereas a beginner identifies with the body, a position, a relationship, a conflict, etc., the master transcends such limitations.
“Liberation is the awareness of the fact that we do not actually exist relative to, or independent of, any external reference frame. It is the transcendence of movement altogether. It is the removal of the tyranny of reference frames. The student first begins to experience this as effortless technique, being able to defend simply by placing the pivot wherever is most appropriate. In this way, the defender’s own balance defends itself, and the attacker’s aggression defeats itself.
‘But the real achievement is found where the goal and the journey are no longer distinguishable, and there is no enemy.” – Ian Sinclair, Sinclair Martial Arts, “A.I. (Artificial Intelligence / Independence) and martial arts.”
In today’s video, we continue with Ian Sinclair’s six-part series of The Upper and Lower. Be prepared for a little philsoophy along the way…uh…maybe more than a little.
Today’s Video: Upper and lower Part 2 – “doing” meets “not doing” or “Ippon” meets “Koka”
https://youtu.be/_CS8sflTY0o
07/24/2023
Unity of Upper and Lower,
the root is in the feet,
issued through the legs,
controlled by the waist and
expressed through the fingers.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
“When someone claims that a computer has passed the Turing test, we should consider that it might be due to the fact that people have so little experience interacting with real people that they can’t tell the difference anymore.
“The so-called Artificial Intelligence, which so many venture capitalists are buying into, does not exist. The illusion is created, not by smarter computers, but by stupider people.
“Much of the anger and divisiveness that I see in society seems to correspond with the lack of opportunities to engage personally with other human beings. This results in an inability to generate rapport with smart people who disagree with us. We forget how to exist independently of our filter bubble. We get sucked down the rabbit hole of confirmation bias, and end up in a world where the dissenting viewpoint becomes the enemy.
“We tend to resist changing our minds more because of fear than because of certainty. It is like wanting to inhale without exhaling. It is like locking horns with an opponent until you both become, for all practical purposes, one beast, unable to move or adapt to change. It is like becoming the enemy by confronting them.
“If we confront our demons without compassion and understanding, we will become locked in combat, and the demons will rule our lives. Or, to put it another way:
“Tie two birds together. They will not be able to fly even though they now have four wings.” Rumi…” (to be continued tomorrow) Ian Sinclair, Sinclair Martial Arts, “A.I. (Artificial Intelligence / Independence) and martial arts.”
In today’s video, we start a six-part series with Ian Sinclair on structure and movement in tai chi entitled the “Upper and Lower”
Today’s Video: “Upper and lower Part 1 – Tai chi with Ian S. and Nick Nahweghabow”
07/22/2023
By letting go,
you open up.
By opening up,
you act more
intuitively.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
We close out the week with a story of the Chinese general, Sunzi or Sun Tzu, from Ian Sinclair.
“The Chinese general, Sunzi, mentioned a famous old military maxim. ‘It is often said that if you know your enemy and know yourself, then you will not be defeated, even if you face one hundred battles.’ This is a principle that has been advocated by military leaders throughout the centuries. It may be the most famous quote from the Art of War.
“What most people fail to point out, however, is that you can never understand anyone by hating them. Failure to recognize this is one of the greatest failures of martial artists. Actually, you might think of it as part of society’s general pathology. Students think they can harness their fear and anger to develop high level skill. But that only entrenches them in predictable behaviour. Fear and hatred are self-perpetuating, and when we become attached to them we become self-destructive.
“Martial skill is a process for seeking peace in an inherently violent world. Skilled martial artists don’t seek violence any more than skilled doctors try to make their patients sick. Finding peace is dependent on love. It depends on love for oneself and for other people. The awareness that results from love and compassion is a powerful weapon against violence. Even in the heat of combat, when all else has failed, the person who has the best relationship with themselves, and functional love of the enemy, will have the best chance of avoiding defeat. This is not mere philosophical idealism. It is a stark reality. Love is key to preventing violence. But it is also crucial to succeeding in a fight.
“I sometimes joke that, if you want to be able to effectively conquer someone (or some thing), you need to start by loving them unconditionally.” – Ian Sinclair
In his video, Ian Sinclair discusses using the mind and not force. Have a great weekend, everyone, and enjoy self-cultivation..
Today’s Video: “Tai Chi Basics ~ Using the mind and not force”
07/21/2023
can you find the patience
to wait until your dust settles
and the water becomes clear?
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Today Ian Sinclair continues his insights on teaching tai chi, mentioning the challenge presented by the ancient wisdom of the old books…
“Consider this. Tai chi has a list of old books which are referred to as the classics. They are a sort of unofficial canon. I spoke to one famous teacher who said that when he first read them, he was a 20-year-old student of one of the most famous tai chi masters of his time. He was also University-educated and had trained in martial arts for more than 40 hours per week for the previous fifteen years in other martial arts and was heir to more than one esoteric martial art. His credentials were already extraordinary. He said that when he read the classics the first time, he felt that he understood them. With his excellent background, we might expect him to.
“But when he read them again at the age of 30, he lamented the arrogance of his 20-year-old self. Then he read them again when he turned 40 years of age, and was surprised to think how shallow his understanding was at the age of thirty. But then, when he turned 50, he returned to the classics and was amused to see how different his view of their meaning had become.
“This happens to everyone who is serious about learning. Our point of view, our experience, our understanding, will change over time. Sometimes our understanding will be opposite of what it had been ten years earlier.”
“I used to find this story depressing. I thought that if someone of his calibre, with his level of experience, education and expertise can be so challenged by these old texts. What hope can a person like me have. I don’t read Chinese, and he could read both modern and ancient Chinese. I don’t really even speak the language, but he was fluent in multiple dialects. I don’t understand the culture, but he grew up in it. I didn’t have a grandmaster teaching me 6 hours per day from childhood like he did.
“But now I accept this as a admonition to leave all doors and windows open to new perspectives, and look to the cracks in my ego and my ignorance for the sands of truth to swirl around and find their way in… over time. If my understanding of the art…or anything…has not changed in the past ten years, I should assume that I have been far too lazy. If my view of the Universe is not regularly overturned, then my inertia should be proof enough of my ignorance… and of my cowardice.
“How can I hope to enlighten my students if I cannot regularly let go of my own stupidity. How can I hold the necessary compassion and awareness if I am incapacitated by the kind of fear that perpetuates ignorance.” – Ian Sinclair
In his video, Ian Sinclair describes two training error that can hamper the quality of your tai chi.
Today’s Video: “Tai chi…The delusion can work both ways.”
07/20/2023
Relax, release,
bypass the contact point,
move your root
follow your opponent’s structure.
Dear Friends and Practitioners
Ian Sinclair continues his insights on traditions andthe various styles of tai chi..
“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not denigrating tradition. I’m just saying that we need to realize that tradition includes a history of research and innovation. If we abandon research and innovation then we are, in fact, abandoning the tradition.
“I am also not an advocate of any particular style of tai chi…and not even of tai chi itself as a style of martial art or a style of exercise. I have learned eight different versions of Yang style, five different versions of Chen style, plus Wu style, Sun style, Hao style, and other internal martial arts like xingyiquan, baguazhang, etc. I’ve also tried to learn from many different martial arts around the world. What we call a style is really just a name for a kind of pedagogy. It is the way the art is taught. But good teachers are always researching and learning. So even the best student will never learn all that the teacher has to teach. If the student is attached to a style, then the art will fade out. One of my own teachers said years ago that he has never taught half of what he knows. Think of that. He has taught tens of thousands of students, including world champions, masters, and grandmasters, and all of them combined have not learned half of what he knows. This is because he is always learning, and his learning accelerates over time. The students will never catch up to him. If we are attached to a style or a pedagogy, then the art will die. This is something you see happening with many art forms. People learn what they can from the teacher, which is never exactly what the teacher intended to teach, and the student doesn’t learn anymore.
“I know people who studied for twenty years under a particularly famous master during the 1970s and 1980s. Then they went to start their own schools, and spent the rest of their time just teaching what they learned. That same master has other students who have only studied with him for a few years in this century. But many of these younger students are more skilled than some of the old students who learned for two decades. This may be partly because their teacher has spent the intervening years improving and developing his art and teaching methods, whereas the older students did not.
“Teachers need to be willing to move beyond what they have learned, and students need to accept their responsibility for research and analysis. Critical thinking is not cynicism, and accepting that you have the capacity to understand something is not the same as assuming that you already understand it completely. You are not insulting your teacher when you admit that you need to do your own research. In fact, what you are really doing in such a case is admitting that you cannot learn all that the teacher knows. So, you have to learn how to learn by yourself…” (to be continued tomorrow) – Ian Sinclair
In his video today, Ian Sinclair discusses relaxation and its role in refining your art.
Today’s Video: “Relax Harder! ~ Tai chi and real martial power. – Preview”
07/19/2023
When the student is ready,
the teacher will appear.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
In case you haven’t guessed it yet, Ian Sinclair’s quote today on tai chi relates to the teacher and student interaction.
“It (Tai Chi) depends less on the style than it does on the teacher. Even more important is the student. But first, if we are to talk about styles, I need to explain that I think there is a distinction between a style and an art.
“I explain to people that I practise an art form called tai chi, of which I have learned several styles. Tai chi is a category of martial art, and also a healing exercise. I also study many other martial arts which help me in my tai chi practice. A style is just a particular way of teaching the art.
“But when I teach, I don’t teach an art form. I teach individual people. If my art doesn’t suit my student, I will change the art to suit them. I look at each student as a unique person on a unique path. I don’t tie myself to a particular pedagogy. I have a standard pedagogy, which serves as my foundation. But if the current method is not working, then I look for a new way…or different old way. I think that what people tend to forget is that whatever the benefits of the art may be, they came about as a result of Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED). Whatever attachments people might have to tradition, we must first recognize that all tradition was originally SR&ED. So, I like to fancy myself as an SR&ED man…” (to be continued tomorrow) – Ian Sinclair
In his video today, Sinclair continues the same theme of developing a student…
Todat’s Video: “Tai Chi Liberation”
07/18/2023
A mind filled with the past,
with the already-known,
is not receptive
to the current flowing
from the all-possible Dao
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
While Tai chi has become quite popular in recent years. Few really understand what is the essence of Tai Chi. Today Ian Sinclair explains…
“Of course, tai chi has been watered down. That is what happens to any popular art. It is what happens when people try too hard to preserve the superficial characteristics of a style and lose the essence. Also, the more famous a thing is, the more people presume a level of understanding that they don’t really have. There is so much to the art that people don’t see. And the deeper you go, the deeper it gets.
Sometimes, half of a teacher’s knowledge gets lost when they pass away, because their are not enough truly dedicated students to absorb the art. Many teachers are only able to teach about five percent of the art. But there are other reasons why tai chi has been watered down.
“Tai chi is very accessible and it can be modified to suit just about anyone. It suits beginners of all ages and fitness levels. Anyone who can move, or imagine moving, can do tai chi. You may have heard the expression, ‘Anyone who can talk can sing, and anyone who can walk can dance’. Tai chi is like that. You don’t have to master the art in order to enjoy it and benefit from it. Since tai chi is very accessible for beginners, it is easy for people to become teachers, and there is little or no regulation over who can be qualified to teach. Some people start teaching as soon as they can remember the basic routine. I don’t actually mind that. I am okay with people sharing what knowledge they have. Get the people dancing and singing, so-to-speak. But we should not forget that there is more to the art.
“It is fine for a second-grade or third-grade student to teach some addition and subtraction to their younger friends. But nowadays we expect a professional teacher have twenty more years of education, and to continue to study throughout their career. Tai chi has a lot of teachers with elementary qualifications, and only a few teachers with Master’s Degrees or a Doctoral Degrees.” – Ian Sinclair
In his video today, Sinclair discusses this very subject of traditional training vs. adaptive teaching methods.
Today’s video: “Tai chi: traditions vs adaptive teaching methods”
https://youtu.be/3m86PwfhoDU
07/17/2023
The Sage gets out of the way
So the Dao can flow in
Empty your mind,
and let the Dao flow in.
This week our focus is on a Canadian Tai Chi and martial arts teacher, Ian Sinclair. In his brief quote today, Sinclair, while explaining that martial artists do not train to be violent, gives us a deep insight into who he is.
“People think tai chi is either a martial art or a healing exercise. But these are really two sides of the same coin. I think people somehow assume that martial artists train to be violent. But that is the exact opposite of what a martial art is about. Violence is what happens when you DO NOT practise a martial art, just as illness is what happens if you do not exercise. To assume that martial artists are training to become violent, is like assuming that doctors are training to promote illness. A martial art is the perpetual search for peace, balance, health, empowerment, and understanding. Violence is the result of NOT practising a martial art.
“To quote Leo Rosten, ‘I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong.’
“The arts I teach are, first and foremost, about cultivating self-awareness and compassion.”
Now that you have some idea of who and what Ian Sinclair is, let’s take a look at Ian Sinclair’s video on Wuji and Self Defense/
Today’s Video: “Wuji (non-duality) as the foundation of self defence (PART 1) with Ian Sinclair and Hsu Pei-Lan”
07/15/2023
Wu Wei, Not-Doing,
is not passive,
supremely alert,
physical and mental readiness,
without memory,
without someone who does,
a whole-hearted welcoming,
to whatever life brings,
not with fatalistic surrender
nor a sense of achievement,
welcoming one’s own acceptance
of one’s openness without fear.
Dear Friends and Practitioner,
One last insight from Howard Wang before moving on next week. This is one of his most import messages “On Love and Metta.”
“Universal Love and Metta in Buddhism are the same, yet from a personal perspective, there are different orientations.
“First of all, Consciousness is universal, it is never personal.
“The manifestation is the consciousness expressed itself in the form of thought, the energy intertwining with the veiling of sentience i.e. Shiva-Shakti, and or Samsara.
“The consciousness is the pure witness in stillness and silence whilst observing the show on manifestation.
“It is the misidentified individual with the body sentience that experiences the manifestation.
“The person is the shadow of the conscious substance, and it does not matter how hard the individual tried, the shadow can never become the substance.
“From the personal perspective, Metta is the personal rationalization of what should or should not be, with a sense of doership, whereas from the consciousness perspective, Metta is the nature of the conscious presence free of the shadow of the mind.
“Devoid of the mind, in a state of no-self, Universal Love and Metta is the one aura of the conscious presence, intrinsically one, yet conceptually apart.” – Huaihsiang Wang, “On Love and Metta”
In Today’s Video, the Martial Man has a series of viewer questions for Howard Wang. Enjoy your weekend, everyone. See you Monday.
Today’s Video: “Q&A with Master Huai Hsiang Wang”
07/14/2023
When your opponent touches you,
become like quicksand,
drawing his touch into emptiness,
then guide him away
with your waist.
In the second part of “On Mind De-Flamation,” Howard Wang sumarizes how to deflame our mind.
“To de-flame the mind, one has to restore the efficacy of the animated Primal energy in circulation by releasing the muscle tension to activate the fascia’s energy conductivity capacity whilst connect the feet to the antenna by joint alignment to enhance the integrity of the counterforce throughput from within the bone marrow.
“When the Primal energy circulation, i.e. the micro-cosmic orbit is in circulation, then it will be possible to de-flame the mind to harmonize with the body sentience, i.e. the confluence of the electric energy wave frequency with the vital energy into the magnetic fluid.
“This is what Taoism alchemy referred to as Simultaneous Mind-Body Modulation/性命雙修
“Once the magnetic fluid is in shape, the flow of the magnetic fluid at the command of the mental orb without flame is conducive for the emergence of consciousness awareness.
“Statically, one is the consciousness awareness witnessing the manifestation.
“Dynamically, one can have the internal freedom to modulate the electric energy wave in motion.” – Huaihsiang Wang, “On Mind De-Flamation”
Just a reminder, you can see more of Howard Wang’s Insights and learn about his Master Program on the Prana-Dynamics website.
Today’s Video: “Extend your energy into their fascia – Qin Na Explained”
07/13/2023
Where the mind goes,
the qi follows.
Where the qi goes,
the blood follows.
Where the blood goes,
healing follows.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
“Very important Howard Wang insight today “On Mind De-flamation”(Part 1) and the nature and workings of the energy trinity.
“After the infusion of the Primal energy into the body, the life animation process diversified the Primal energy into Astral, Vital, and Mental energy by functionality.
“The Astral is the entrapped Primal energy and is the substratum that animates the sentience.
“The vital energy is to support and sustain the normal functionality of the body.
“The mental energy is derived from the body sentience with a sense of doership, the involuntary attachment in the thought of I within the five skandhas, i.e., form, sensation, perception, mental modification/thought, and consciousness.
“For energy to function, there are two polarities, positive and negative. In Taoism, the two polarities of the Primal energy in animation are Ying and Yang. In Indian Philosophy, it is called Prakriti and Purusha.
“To de-flame the mind is referring to the dissolution of I by detaching oneself from the sensing of form, sensation, perception, and mental modification/thought.
“What remains is the consciousness witnessing the dance of the Ying and Yang, Prakriti and Purusha, with the veining of sentience.” – Huaihsiang Wang, “On Mind De-Flamation”
Tomorrow in Part 2, Howard Wang tells us what one must do to de-flame the mind. In his video today, Howard discusses weight training and diet.
Today’s Video: Is Building Muscle Counterproductive for Internal Martial Arts? – Prana Dynamics
07/12/2023
Do not push,
do not drop,
do not pull away.
harmonize with the force,
with the tension inside,
and be the energy that you are.
In today’s insight from the internal arts genius of Howard Wang, he was asked about God and all the negativity in this chaotic world. Read how he responded.
“Q: In your relationship with mind, body, Spirit, where does God fit in or does he? What is your belief in this chaotic world and how do one zone out with so much negativity in the world today do you have a connection or solution within yourself to share with everybody or a path where someone can find soleness in oneself?
“A: The trinity of Kung Fu is: Essence, Energy, and Spirit. If one really understands the metaphorical pointers, the connotation means: “There is no other God but thee!”.
“Beingness is the essence, the combination of the Primal energy with the animation of body sentience. Once in animation, all is a function of the primal energy with the veiling of sentience. Spirit is of the manifestation, the reflection, and extrapolation of the psyche.
“Ancient Chinese Kung Fu is an empirical art of reverse self-engineering. It is always up to oneself to realize one’s true nature.
“On the path, there is no room for mystery nor religion. For if there is a mystery, you are the mystery bound by ignorance, whereas when the spiritual teachings become a religion, the essence is gone.
“All relevant teachings, both advanced Kung Fu and spiritual teachings are metaphorical pointers, once digested and graduated, there will be no more seeking high and low, for the seeker is the sought.
“Knowledge disappears, one becomes the knower, the seer, in peace and harmony always, rifting on life current in the moment of now, Prana Dynamics.” – Huaihsiang Wang, “What About God?”
Just a reminder to check out Howard Wang’s Prana-Dynamics website and corresponding Facebook page and you may want to think about joing his next Master Program starting in January, 2024.
Today’s Video: “How to transcend the mind – Prana Dynamics (Part 7)”
07/11/2023
Avoid the desire to win.
Invest in loss
and you will gain
in insights and understanding,
physically, psychologically,
and, above all, spiritually.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Today we look at the second part of Howard Wang’s “On Intent and the Fear of Death.” In the first part, Howard told us that we need to derive the will from the heart instead of the mind, to modulate the magnetic fluid to flow, first throughout the body, then into space. Now let’s discover what he has to say about the fear of death.
“About death, the fear of death is due to ignorance. On the screen of manifestation, whenever there is a beginning, there is an end. By the same token, whenever there is a birth, there will be death. It is something like the beginning and end of a show, the live show.
“However, if you settle in with the conscious awareness as of the observer of the live show, then there is no room for fear, especially the fear of death.
“Only the dead will die, as the conscious awareness en rapport with the life animating Primal energy, one is the immortal Primal energy animating the live show. The mind can not comprehend this perspective, only when the mind fasts, reality appears, when the mind feasts, reality disappears.
“To practice is for you to evolve and transform yourself from the stronghold of the mind to the omnipresence as of the observer in the form of conscious awareness to wake yourself up from the intrinsic fear for death due to the involuntary identification with the animated body sentience.” – Huaihsiang Wang, “On Intent and the Fear of Death.
In his video today, Howard discusses a subject with his important to many martial artists, both internal and external..
Today’s Video “How to train Zhan Zhuang – Standing Postures Explained – Prana Dynamics (Part 6)”
07/10/2023
Release the flesh and muscle,
allow gravity to take them
down to the feet.
Allow the feet to engage
with the earth.
It’s magnetic yin energy
drawing the yang,
releasing it to flow
upward and outward
through the tissues.
This week we continue to work with the internal arts genius of Huaihsiang (Howard) Wang and his insights. Today’s insight is from “On Intent and the Fear of Death.” The first part is on ‘Intent’ or willing.
“The animating life energy, the Prana, is electric magnetic by nature. After the animation, the mind is the electric energy dispersing away from the magnetic fluid.
“The mental electric energy functions through the congregation of tension in the form of fear, whereas the magnetic fluid functions through neutralization in the form of love.
“By willing, if one will from the mind, then due to the intrinsic separation from the magnetic fluid and the presence of a tension in fear, one will tend to bump with happenings in manifestation, therefore, there can be no magic.
“True mental relaxation is about the modulation of the hyperactivity of the mental electric energy in vibration and frequency to the confluence with the magnetic fluid, i.e. simultaneous mind-body modulation to energize the fascia for its energy conductivity and to open up the chest area where the heart functions.
“By willing, deriving the will from the heart instead of the mind, to modulate the magnetic fluid to flow, first throughout the body, then into space. When in the state, you then become the source of magic to people. The rest of the practice is to stabilize yourself in the state. There is no question for more, just dive deeper back into the mind-body…” (The Fear of Death will be presented tomorrow) – Huaihsiang Wang, “On Intent and the Fear of Death.
In today’s interview with The Martial Man, Howard discusses the Holy Trinity of Chinese Kung Fu.
Today’s Video: “Essence, Energy, Spirit – The Trinity of Chinese Kungfu – Prana Dynamics (Part 5)”
07/08/2023
Bones up,
flesh down,
release the muscles
and soak the mind
throughout the body.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
Yesterday Howard Wang began telling us how our collective human ignorance causes our bondage and prevents our conscious awareness from emerging. In his interview with The Martial Man, he says, “It’s already in you. You already are the energy in animation. So here’s the trouble. Everybody starts from the ego mind. But it’s this ego mind that has blocked you away from this sensing of it. So you are already perfect. Everybody’s the same. There’s nothing missing. Without energy there can be no possibility of life. You already are the primal energy in animation and more. You are the animator not the animated.” With that in mind, here is Part 2 of his blog “On Unstruck Sound.”
“With the emerged conscious awareness, there is no other Godhead but thee. All spiritual teachings will concur with you instead of for you to concur with any of them.
“The nature of life animating energy is electromagnetic by nature in the form of the Trinity. The Primal Energy is the light. After the infusion of the Primal Energy into the psychosomatic body, the animation process begins. The animated body sentience is electric with the veiling of the animated body sentience within the invisible limits of the animated sentience. The consciousness is the magnetic aperture, whereas the two polarities of the inter-sensitizing electric energy is the duality, forever negating one another yet never exceeding the zero universe of manifestation for the entertainment of the consciousness.
“Once one can equalize the hyperactive mental energy, the dissolution of the mind is inducive for the emergence of the conscious awareness within.
“The unstruck sound is the metaphorical pointer to the state of impregnation deep into stillness and silence into oneness with the Primal Energy onsite at the aperture of the consciousness within the body, the state of Knowing free of the distortion of the electric energy in vibration in the form of thought, i.e. nirvana, no more electric energy in vibration/distortion.” Huai Hsiang Wang, “On Unstruck Sound”
Are there any benefits to semen retention? In his video today Howard responds to the question. Have a joyful weekend, everyone. May the Truth, love and beauty be with you.
Today’s Video: “Semen Retention, What are the Benefits? – Prana Dynamics (Part 4)”
07/07/2023
The whole body is the hand.
as the palm moves the fingers,
so the central equilibrium
moves the four limbs.
Thus any part can strike.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
When you see some of the incredible things Howard Wang does, you may very well wonder how he has achieved such a high level. What particular system or method of training has enabled his development? But the momentum comes from within not from any particular system as Howard states: “I pay equal respect to all systems, all traditions and lineages but I do not subscribe to any of them because by the end of the day, I realize it is I who is practicing as my body as my mind. I’m the only one to make a difference from inside of myself. Nobody else can do it for me. Okay, so no point for me to copy or to learn from other people. It’s more about becoming more and more awake and aware of who and what am I. So as my orientation changes substantially, my landscape changes substantially, and when I flip the coin around and look into the spiritual dimension, I see exactly the same fallacy. So that’s why (I have) the same mentality and attitude. I pay equal respect to all religions and all spiritual practices, but I don’t subscribe to any of them.”
He suggests that the journey is similar to when you want to make a trip to womewhere you have never been. You need a map. And this is what today’s excerpt from his blog “On Unstruck Sound” (part 1) is about – the conceptual roadmap that point us in the right direction.
“For the dreamer to wake up from the living dream, a teacher/coach/Sifu/Guru is needed to inflict the click, to impart/educate the conceptual roadmap, and point to the direction of the journey from individuality due to the involuntary identification with the animated body sentience as an individual to the unfolding of universality from within oneself.
“Hence, the nature of teacher hood is out of compassion, instead of intellectual excellence in the name of holiness. The challenge to every seeker is to validate the imparted knowledge for the emergence of awareness, the awakening.
“After the awakening, there will be no need for a teacher, guru, etc., the All is nothing but one’s reflections; all reflections on the manifestation screen are temporal, and are transient by nature; there is no truth contained therein with it, at all.
“Failure to see the overall picture will make one fall victim to mental speculations/imaginations or self-infaturation, hence the complications of traditional spiritual textures due to the collective ignorance of human bondage.
“Once realized, there will be no more seeking highs and lows. Everyone is born perfect. The seeking and the seeker will begin to vanish for the emergence of conscious awareness…(to be continued tomorrow) – Huai Hsiang Wang, “On Unstruck Sound”
In his video today, Howard Wang continues his conversation with the Martial Man, explaining the difference between Internal and External.
Today’s Video: “Internal vs. External, what’s the difference? – Prana Dynamics (Part 3)”
07/06/2023
Not visible,
Not audible,
Not tangible,
moving without moving,
I stand in front
but find myself behind.
I stand behind
but find myself in front
What is this energy?
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
We continue with more from Howard Wang and his internal arts method of Prana-Dynamics. Today’s quote is from his blog “On Internal Breathing.” It is more or less a return to our primal breathing that we all had as newborns before our social conditioning created an ego to which we identified. As you read, you will come to realize that Howard Wang’s genius is in his devoted attention to Self-Cultivation and Self-evolution devoid of any dependence on particular systems or traditions.
“When the ego mind functions, it demands and commands vital energy support and functions through physical tension modulation in the form of force.
“When the ego mind functions, there is no room for magic. The mind-body energy is contracted through the invoked musculature tension to manifest the power of force. Therefore, the more one practices in this mode, the bigger the Ego.
“As prescribed in Tai Chi classics, those who are able of force can not sense energy, those who are able of energy can not use force.
“Force and Energy are mutually exclusive by nature.
“The Internal Breathing in Prana Dynamics is referring to the capability to confluent the mind-body energy throughout the fascia.
“The released muscular tension is conducive to the emergence of awareness.
“To breath is to modulate the vital and mental energy to flow throughout the fascia and or into space.
“The ability to modulate the energy throughput the fascia is derived from the internal breathing mechanism, an internal capacity called tension modulation. or fascia breathing.
“Awareness in motion is the higher goal of Prana Dynamics. Once established, will it then be possible to know what is stillness in silence.
“The stillness in silence is the nature of the conscious presence as of the aperture, the Primal energy that permeates and projects onto the screen of manifestation with the veiling of sentience is of the motion.
“It is the nature of energy to vibrate and move, Hence the nature of manifestation is the conscious presence expressed in motion in the form of thought.
“All Is, and the All is mentalism.” – Huai Hsiang Wang, “On Internal Breathing”
In his continuing interview with The Martial Man, Howard Wang discusses rooting and kung fu in relation to the teaching of Lao-tzu.
Today’s Video: “No rooting, no kungfu.” – Prana Dynamics (Part 2)
07/05/2023
Suddenly appearing
suddenly disappearing
appearing and disappearing
following like a shadow.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
I hope everyone had a enjoyable and safe July Fourth holiday. Today it is a pleasure to introduce a teacher from Taiwan that I have known for several years now. Huai Hsiang Wang (Howard) has been exploring the theory and practice of Traditional Chinese Kung Fu through multiple disciplines since he was 14 years of age. He first learned the Eight Step Praying Mantis / 八步螳螂拳 system from his father, Grand Master Wang Chieh, who had learned the system from Grand Master Wei Hsiao Tang. To him, his father was the last paradigm of Tradition, a real Master to the title.
Afterwards Howard culminated his traditional martial skill by implementation through the Eight Step Praying Mantis to assimilate ‘hard core’ application skills from different martial arts systems, including but not limited to Tai Chi, Hsin Yi, Aikido, Judo, etc. He began to each internationally after his Kung Fu brother, Michael Martello passed away in 2009 and has conducted seminars in North America, Europe, and Asia.
But Howard is much more than an internal martial art instructor. His cultivation and evolution has taken him beyond the physical into the spiritual realms. He experienced his internal martial arts transformation during the period from 2001 to 2007 after forsaking the orientation to fight. He reverted his mental energy from dispersion to harmonization – thus the dimension of internal energy was revealed. Through diligent practice and evolution, he can intuitively see the answer to all questions regarding the essence of the art, both martially and spiritually from within himself.
Combining the theory and practice of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and spiritual insights through the touch of an epiphany, he has summarized the essence of Chinese Kung Fu into “Prana Dynamics,” literally life energy in animation.
We start off our look into Huai Hsiang Wang with something most of us wonder about – “Wu Wei.” What is it? How do we accomplish it?
“When Laotze made this statement, he was in the state of no-mind, he was speaking from the heart, i.e. the consciousness. He was the magnetic potential for manifestation, the maternity of creation.
There is no deliberation, hence there is no energetic vibration through the motion of the two polarities of the magnetism. Whenever there is the intent to manifest, the energy vibrates from the motion of the magnetic potential into electric energy in vibration with the veiling of the animated sentience.
I, the consciousness, am the creator of all contents on the screen of manifestation free of the shadow of the mind. Whatsoever is on the screen of manifestation is nothing but my reflection. I, as the consciousness, am the intemporarity manifested in temporarity. I, as the consciousness, am the maternity for all creations.
Been freed from the shadow of the mind, the All is I. Hence there is no deliberation, nor doing, nor doership, only my universal presence at the moment of now, free from the confinement of space and time.” – Huai Hsiang Wang, “On Wu Wei”
A frequent guest instructor at the Martial Man camps, in today’s video, Howard is interviewed by the Martial Man with clips of Howard and his students.
Today’s Video: “Introducing Master Huai Hsiang Wang – Prana Dynamics (Part 1)”
07/01/2023
HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE 4TH OF JULY. See you on the 5th.
The feet, legs, and waist should act together
as an integrated whole,
so that while advancing or withdrawing
one can take the opportunity for favorable timing
and good position.
Dear Friends and Practitioners,
We start off July with our final quote and video from Adam Mizner. This one is about something all of us can use: relaxing our shoulders.
“Besides the obvious martial arts benefits of keeping the shoulders relaxed and sunk in daily life and health gains are truly profound. After all, what happens to our shoulders when we are stressed? They rise up and tense up and we begin to wear them like earrings! Once our shoulders are up and tight then we begin to stress mentally, the breath rises in the body and we manifest the qualities of anger without even knowing it.
“I have noticed within myself that sometimes even before I realize I am stressed or fixating on something that is unskillful I can recognize that my shoulders are rising. Seeing this all we need to do is consciously relax the shoulders, song and let them sink back to the natural position. In doing this the stress of the mind fades away with the dropping of the shoulders. The mind can lead the body and the body can lead the mind, the two are intimately connected. This is a truth I find we can use both ways to live a more healthy and peaceful life with the load off and our shoulders down.” – Adam Mizner
And here is the corresponding video…
Today’s Video: “Tai Chi Living – Release the Shoulders. Quick Advice from Sifu Adam Mizner”
