BODY, MIND AND SOUL OF KUNG FU

Body, Mind and Soul of Kung Fu

Why we learn Martial Arts or Kung Fu? Each has their own reason, passion, motivation, aspiration, and even because of apprehension or anxiety. Most are concentrating on the physical aspect, personal achievement and social acknowledgement. Some, besides these, study the ethics, history, wisdom, healing aspect and intangible benefits like meditation, mindfulness etc. Some take 2 - 3 years to get a black belt, some take many years to reach a certain level of proficiency, especially some Chinese internal arts. 

I started with Shaolin, then a little of San Cheen Do, TKD, Aikido, Qigong, boxing, Tai Chi, and the latest is Wing Chun, being the longest (20 years). We are very fortunate that we are in the internet era, where we have access to so much information, teachings and knowledge. We can compare and discern each Art's strengths and weaknesses, even within the same Art by different teachers. Thanks to the Youtube, Facebook and the free social media. 20 years back, it is so difficult to get even a DVD to learn Martial Art. Wing Chun 20 years back, "The Science of In-Fighting by Wong Shueng Leong" and Leung Ting's Wing Chun book were very well received. 

Sao Lim Wing Chun being being a synergy of Shaolin and Wing Chun, nevertheless will be slightly influenced by the Martial Arts appearing in the social media. This is the reality of the modern era, adapting and evolving with time and information. What can remain constant are the concepts, principles and iconic characteristic of a particular Art, example, 'chi sao", wooden dummy and 6 & 1/2  pole for the Wing Chun system.

Sao Lim Wing Chun look further besides the Body and Mind, but the Soul aspect through the training. We have laid out most of the Body and Mind aspect in the past (30) posts.  Do any Martial Arts look into this "soul" aspect? Frankly, we don't know. Why talk about the soul in Kung Fu training? 

To cultivate our full potential in Kung Fu, we have to understand the more intangible aspect of our thought, consciousness, habits and electro-magnetic energy, vibrating in and around us. Our seven main energy centers need to be balanced and free of impurities. The sympathetic and parasympathetic need to be balanced. When the Central Channel is clear, the electro-magnetic energy can circulate freely. Besides the four bodies of the Physical, Energy, Emotion and Mental, there is also the Casual Body which will influence our well-being of the physical, energetic, emotional and mental aspect. When only these are in balance, the bodies detoxified of impurities and the energy centers are in harmony, can one have clarity and wisdom. Also, then can you proceed further deeper into the training, which you will progress by leap and bound. Inspiration pour in, techniques you have seen become part of your martial art experience and new skills just creep into you, you being a medium for the higher intelligence to manifest through.

Many impurities, imbalance  are caused by our diet, lifestyles, environments, negative thoughts, wrong emotion and disturbed mind. Usually, the Ego Mind is the main culprits, creating false beliefs, unhealthy diet, disorganized lifestyle, sabotaging our efforts and succumbing to wrong habits subconsciously. To start off, the simplest but also the hardest is what we put into our body. The food we eat, which is one of the significant cause of impurities in our Physical and Energy body, which in turn affect our other "bodies". Modern society stress create lots of imbalance to our Emotion and mental body, which are also hard to be rectified.

To have a Body, Mind and Soul integration, the Body, the vessel must be energetically prepared, tuned to the frequency of the "higher realm", the Mind, the conduit to receive the transmission, free from "obstacles and impurities". The Ego not judging and non-discriminating, but accepting the fact that the Soul is the real Master of your manifestation. It is the Soul that resides in the Physical Body to have an experience of this three dimension duality realm of Yin and Yang. Zhang Sanfeng, the legendary Chinese Taoist was purported to have achieved "immortality" through Tai Chi Chuan which he founded more than 300 years ago. Tai Chi in this modern era, is a much misunderstood, misinterpreted and mis-transmitted Art. Similarly, there are many Arts, like modern Wing Chun is also misinterpreted. and misrepresented.

"Divine Light Meditation" is one of the way to alleviate our consciousness level, the rejuvenation of our internal organs, the clearing of our energy centers, that should be practiced. It may be not for everybody, nevertheless, we will share what we know in a separate  Blog dedicated to it, as it is a profound science of the metaphysics and spiritual beliefs.