BSL vs. SSSL: GeneChing's New Topic
This is a continuation of the "Who has trained with a Shaolin Monk" topic that GeneChing started.
I am "picking" on you, GeneChing, because you are a well known BSL stylist and am my training superior in that method.
Personally, I feel that BSL is a complete style that really can go any which way the practitioner chooses.
You mentioned that some of the Shaolin monks have a very "Chen Taijiquan" influence on their SSSL. I myself regularly do the BSL sets in a Chen Taijiquan manner, as the "Planting Technique" from "Tun Da" reminds the practitioner to focus his yang energy into and outwards from his Dantien.
I am interested in "comparing notes" with you, GeneChing, on what you feel could be emphasized better in BSL.
I'm ready for that FAQ...
As the former head Shaolin instructor for Sifu Wing Lam and a disciple of Songshan Shaolin, I used to get asked this a lot. I wrote a three-part series that compares Bak Sil Lum to Songshan Shaolin for our e-zine, as well as an article on Bak Sil Lum's legendary founder, Gan Fengchi. After reading those, let me know if you have more questions here...
Shout out to BSL members...
...haven't we discussed this before? Any of the other BSL members remember what thread that might be on?
I could not find any evidence of the *exact* forms of BSL at Songshan Shaolin, save but a slightly parallel Kwan Dao form (ver similar opening). However, there a hundreds if not thousands of forms still practiced at Shaolin. Clearly, Gan Fengchi, and other great BSL ancestors like Ku Yu Chueng, had tremendous impact upon the evolution of BSL. If they didn't, we probably wouldn't remember much more about them than their names. Now I've shown some BSL to Shaolin monks and they all concur that it's definitely Shaolin style, it has all the 'kicks and chops' characteristic to contemporary Shaolin, but no one has recognized the exact form yet. Note that there are a lot of other proponents of BSL beyond my old Sifu, and many of them post here too.
Careful about opening that Chinese Pandora's box...
It gets to be rather messy if you start chipping at when forms practice actually originated. The tricky part is how to define forms practice. Are sword dances forms practice? Are qigong routines forms practice? Both of those are traceable to very ancient times. Are line drills, like tan tui or xingyi, forms practice? Those also bleed over into basic military training. Another tricky question to navigate (but we do it here all the time) is what defines Shaolin kung fu? Be careful where you tread here.
Did you find the time to read those articles yet, rickyscaggs? Because you ain't even gonna get no answers, if'en ya don't read. ;)
If you want 'yes' 'no' answers, abandon Shaolin...
Well, here's the weird thing, while I was there, and while many of my BSL family have been there, BSL was present at Shaolin Temple. Many of the monks and disciples bring in outside influences to Shaolin all the time - in fact, a major tradition of Shaolin is that it is non-traditional, if you can follow that. It's well within the realm of possibilities that if BSL does not exist at Shaolin at this moment, it could easily be brought in once again at any moment. With literally tens of thousands of practitioners living there, there's a constant influx of material. No one ever gets to the end of Shaolin. No one ever gets it all. But that's a Shaolin secret. You don't need it all. Sometimes you can find all you need just staring at a rock...
KYC Shaolin Vs Shaolin Curriculum Today
I'm sure this has been discussed a bunch over the years, but my search fu sucks.
Since i'm a relative newbie to kung fu in general, i'm curious as to the stylistic differences in KYC's Northern Shaolin style and the stuff that you see the more traditional monks practice today, I.E. Shi De Yang.