Lau Bun Stories

[hskwarrior]

V,

you really should explore the martial arts world a little more. the term "Profesor" is widely used and to name drop a few are Professor Wally Jay, Professor Rick Alemany, Professor Ralph Castro, Professor Lau Bun.....Need i go on?


its really an injustice to the world when you hold on to a simple word that represents a level of achievement and clutch it to your bussom (?) and say no one could ever use this title outside of academics.

Its a pretty petty argument. not to mention one YOU or anyone else in the world could ever win. thats not a dis, that's reality. like it or not. listen or change the channel. you get what i mean.

no hard feelings.

[hskwarrior]

v,

embrace the word. it exists, and can scientifically be proven it exists.

come to the light.........walk to the light..........you want to be in the light.......there's love in the light.


hsk

[hskwarrior]

v,

you said the title of professor can actually cheapen the reputation of great masters?

that confuses me. why would you say that?

[brothernumber9]

I think he meant in instance(s) of self agrandizment or promotion. When someone more or less names themselves "Professor", in contrast to someone like Lau Bun who was given the name by his peers and/or students. You (Sifu McCarthy) are the de facto historian of your lineage on these boards so you would know, but I'm willing to bet that the late Sifu Lau Bun never called himself "Professor".

On the flip side many or even most people here have probably come accross a crop of people who promote themselves "GrandMaser" or "GreatGrandmaster", or "Great GrandPubaShortyMoneyGripZipTightJeans" especially after "creating" their own version of Jeet Kune Do, or just flat out BS.

[cerebus]

Hello hskwarrior. I'm enjoying all the Lau Bun stories (I love martial arts history), but I'm confused about something you said. You refer to Bruce Lee's "student" the "green hornet". Are you referring to Van Williams, the actor who played the Green Hornet in the TV series (in which BL co-starred as Kato)? That wouldn't make any sense. Williams wasn't a student of Lee. He also wasn't a fighter or martial artist, he was an actor. Could you provide any clarification on this? Thanks in advance.

[hskwarrior]

that was according to my sifu, who was there, and he said at the time van williamas did learn gung fu from bruce.

im just recallilng the stories.

[5thBrother]

if any one knows.

what was training like at lau bun's school?
what did a typical training session consist of?

great stories on this and CTS thrreads!

thanks

[5thBrother]

very motivational these stories (of all the diffenert masters and teachers)...

i was just about to ask if Lau Bun had dit da healing skills.. but ur post beat me too it..

do u know what areas of healing he was proficient or majored in eg needling, herbs, massage, cuppingm moxa, etc or all of the above?

any stories related to healing skills also welcome....


good luck with your book and thanks for sharing these interesting stories. i know u have to keep stuff in reserve for the book so double thanks

[5thBrother]

http://www.jewleong.zoomshare.com/

thanks!

nice website and great photos

im not choy lay fat but love martial arts and historical stuff...

well i did clf for about a year as it was the only decent school in the town i was staying.. i like clf though.

anyways just saying good site! and good stories

PS:

"The American Hung Sing Kwoon. copyright 2001."

has this been published already then? do u know the isbn?

[CFT]

how could any one ever dispute something so trivial as a title in the first place?

hskwarrior, I think you're being contradictory here. You can't ask someone to respect the title and then say it is a trivial matter at the same time.

In my opinion, the English terms like grandmaster are an inadequate translation of the Chinese terms.

sifu = master/teacher (OK)
si-gung = grandmaster (not OK), grand-master (OK, IMO!)
tai si-gung = great grandmaster (not OK), great grand-master (OK, IMO!)

jung si (zhong si) = Grandmaster

The first 3 indicate lineal (family) relationships, whereas the 4th is a term of respect accorded you by your peers.

Both "sifu" and "jung si" can be used by the general public with reference to the person, but to call someone "si-gung" or "tai si-gung" when there is no relationship make no sense. That subtlety is lost in the crude English translations grandmaster and great grandmaster respectively.

I get what you're trying to say, but I think "Grandmaster" is a better term than professor because there is less confusion with academic titles. Grandmaster is the "top of the tree" in the chess world (I think).

Anyway, keep up the good work promoting CLF. I like to hear stories of the "old" masters. Life must have been very different for a Chinese person in the USA back then.

[5thBrother]

sorry i didnt actually read most of ur post CFT...

BUT...

"Professor" seems to be a term come into popul;ar use via hawaii and America.. then much later eurpoe prolly copy america...

1. use the terms of ur art.. ie. chinese martial arts sifu, sigung, tai sigung etc...

the whole english terminology to me is a waste of time.....

2. who cares... call the teacher "great super supreme with extra cheese grand grand master" ... its "TERM" thing"....... worst case its an 1 upmanship thing... its better to use the chinese terms or if an okinawan arts master okinawan terms or if and indoensian arts master the indo terms.... best case it just shows english speakers tryingto sho respect...

lets forget termin0ology,,,


and get back to the stories

professor
associate professer
director

who cares its "just a name" the skill is in the hands

"professor" william chow - "hawaiin kenpo" appears to not be a well educated in academic sense... but he had the "martial arts" i guess westernes are using terms they can relate too.. and for them "professor" means some one HIGHLY skilled and knowledgeable and achieved in there art etc...

back to da stoires...

of which..


there is a Yang Taiji Quan Sifu.. i cant recall his name... Kuo.. ???? (maybe)

was said to have been a body gaird.. and carry darts and whip chain...

any connection???

or stories

if stories can start another thread on him

having done many years of security including high risk securoty.. i LOVE hearing stories of masters that actually applied theire martial arts in reality and such...

"does it work?" ... "well im alive" :P

thanks all

[hskwarrior]

Like 5thbrother Said,

[hskwarrior]

Like 5thbrother Said,

[hskwarrior]

cft,

are you practicing foshan wing chun still?

if so our gung fu styles come from the same place.


are you yuen kay say wing chun?

[CFT]

hskwarrior,

I would say nothing surpasses the "Grandmaster" title in the same way that nothing surpasses the "professor" title. So what happens to great great grandmaster, etc.?

At some point you don't need to note the relative generations, you want a title to reflect someone's standing that would be valid no matter what time period you look in. So for example, Chan Heung is a grandmaster (and founder) and so is Lau Bun. Chan Heung is not such a good example since he is CLF founder, and I am unfamiliar with CLF history. But you can probably pick out a few exceptional individuals in CLF history and say these people really stand out as fighters, teachers, both, etc. All worthy "professors" or "Grandmasters" in their own right.

In Cantonese, we would say "yut doi jung si" - a teacher in a generation. This is the "jung si" that I translate as "Grandmaster".

Yep still practice Foshan Wing Chun, though I'm really what you would call a hobbyist (but hey remember the story of the turtle and hare!). Not Yuen Kay San lineage, but via one of Yip Man's Foshan students: Lun Gai --> Derek Frearson --> David George (both UK based).