Training at Wudang

[GeneChing]

A foreigner at Wudang. He seems to have had a good time.

Dutch Taoist on good life
By Zhang Qian | 2009-10-20

WEARING his long hair in a topknot, like ancient Chinese, the man in white performs perfect yun shou (moving hands in the "clouds" style in tai chi) like kung fu masters. But his Roman nose and deep-set eyes identify him as a Westerner.

Rene Goris is a 46-year-old Dutchman who has been practicing tai chi for about 35 years. He has undergone both mental and physical training with Chinese Taoist masters, studied Oriental medicine, and in the Netherlands studied health sciences.

In 2000, he traveled to Wudang Mountain, Hubei Province, site of many Taoist monasteries, to further pursue martial arts, including qigong and Taoist medicine.

Goris lectures in Europe on Taoism and health maintenance, and recently delivered a similar talk in Shanghai for Double Dragon Alliance, an association for cross-cultural communication.

"Taoism does not simply involve martial arts as most Westerners think; it also involves Chinese philosophy and culture," says Goris. "If you know nothing about it, all you can gain are movements without essence."

Tai chi practice also involves study of Taoism as Taoists say that one should never practice anything uninformed. Physical practice is also mental practice and one needs to study the concepts of yin-yang and wu xing, the five elements.

Letting go

Thus Goris believed there's no better place to study the way than in China where Taoism originated.

Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi says that Tao is in everything and thus everything is related to each other one way or another, with a result that reality can be understood by living in the moment.

According to the "I Ching" ("Book of Changes"), if one resists Tao, the outcome will be disaster in a short time.

Goris says understanding and following Tao involves understanding how things happen and letting them happen as they are supposed to.

Keeping hair uncut is a tradition in Taoism. There is a story about an emperor ordering a Taoist to cut his hair to demonstrate his loyalty. The Taoist refused, saying that next time the emperor would ask for something bigger, maybe a finger, an arm or even head if he did so. If the emperor trusted him, he didn't need to prove himself by cutting his hair, and if emperor did not, then giving up his hair wouldn't create trust.

"That's a typical example of Taoist logic and how it sees the world," says Goris. "When things are exaggerated to the extreme (as in hair cutting), Tao is usually much easier to see."

Goris encountered Taoism when he was an 11-year-old boy with a kidney ailment that sapped his energy. After surgery to remove a kidney, doctors told he could never do intense physical exercise and probably would not grow taller than 150 centimeters.

"I happened to be reading books about Oriental sports, including yoga and tai chi at the time, and started practicing those gentle physical exercises on my own," says Goris.

He fell in love with the exercises, his health was greatly improved and he was keen on training with Taoist masters.

Health maintenance is also an important part of Taoist practice, says Goris, and is usualy called yang sheng, the cultivation of life. Taoism holds that life span is not predetermined: it can be prolonged with proper care and healthy living.

"Modern medicine usually focuses on finding the cause of ailments and fixing it with medication, but in Taoist medicine, the aim is to restore people with health rather than curing disease," says Goris.

Like traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist medicine also involves herbal medicine, tui na (vigorous push-pull massage), acupuncture and moxibustion, but it also attaches great importance to living life in the "right" way.

Taoism believes that everything is naturally organized by Tao, resulting in qi (energy) or life force. If life is not organized according to Tao, there is no qi or the qi is blocked.

Therefore, living in a way you are supposed to live is the key to health in Taoism. Otherwise, ailments may occur.

The fundamental text of Chinese traditional medicine and Taoist medicine, "Huangdi Niejing" ("Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor"), says that at one time people could live "almost forever" by living the right way.

This meant living in harmony with heaven and earth, staying in touch with the process inside and outside themselves, observing similarities and choosing the best time to perform best action to achieve the best result.

Many people nowadays don't do things the way they are supposed to, and that causes health problem, says Goris.

Take sitting for example. We are supposed to sit with our backs straight back and knees bent so that qi can flow fluidly inside our bodies. But many people sit "like a loose bag of potatoes with a hunched back, resulting in blocked qi and health problems."

"To find the way to gain health, or yang sheng (health cultivation), we have to practice," says Goris. It does not necessarily involve martial arts like tai chi, he says. There are various easy ways of practicing mentally.

Keeping fully aware of all your actions and movements, both awake and asleep (if possible) is crucial. In this way you can conserve conserve jing (essence), qi (energy) and shen (spirit) in whatever you do.

Even if you are just sitting and drinking tea, as long as you are fully aware of sitting straight, reaching out for the cup, lifting the cup to your lips and sipping, you are practicing yang sheng (health cultivation).

"As long as you do one thing with full concentration, even if only for half an hour, the practice can help you gain health," says Goris.



For more information about Double Dragon Alliance, check

www.doubledragonalliance.com

Steps to a good and long life Yang sheng, or health cultivation, involves both moral practice and physical maintenance. Moral practice - living a moral life - is considered superior in its effects to the physical practice of eating and drinking what is appropriate and supporting oneself with herbal medicines.

In Chinese legends, some immortals offer potions of eternal life to mortals, but they do not provide them freely. They are only bestowed on those who show moral rectitude and the ability to manage life and health.

The basic rules of yang sheng can be summarized:

Develop the five Confucian qualities of ren (humanness), yi (honesty), zhong (loyalty), shu (altruism) and li (respect for ritual).

Be well informed, prudent and discreet.

Be calm at heart and active physically to lead a long, full and enjoyable life.

Be broad-minded and generous.

Avoid damaging the body by losing touch with the environment. Enjoy life in all its manifestations as to concentrate the will on a single objective.

Do not seek entertainment and comfort but take things as they come.

Do morally acceptable work.

Reduce the 12 overabundances - all things in moderation:

1. Too much pondering and serious thoughts damage shen (spirit, awareness).

2. Too much wishful thinking diminishes will power.

3. Too many desires ruin wisdom.

4. Too much sex wears out the body.

5. Too much talking generates conflict between qi (energy), shen (spirit) and jing (essence).

6. Too much laughing hurts the wuzang liufu (organs).

7. Too much worrying startles the heart.

8. Too much merriment makes the shen and jing flighty.

9. Too much joy causes forgetfulness, confusion and mistakes.

10. Too much anger causes instability of the jing, luo, mai (energy channels) and destabilizes ying qi (nutritive energy).

11. Too much fondness infatuates a person beyond cure.

12. Too much disliking makes life tough and unpleasant.

Read more: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...#ixzz0UcKrAOQ4

[Blacktiger]

If you want to go to China, GO! You'll learn so much just from the experience of traveling. And Wudang is gorgeous. I'd go there just to be a tourist, just to enjoy hiking those holy mountains. Training in kung fu is icing. I've trained a lot in China and it's a great experience. It's not expensive if you're street smart. Sure, there will be people that try to rip you off, but you'll find that at any tourist spot anywhere in the world. And there are plenty of fake masters, just like here. But if you're smart and play your cards right, you can get some great training.

I was only in Wudang in '99, so I can't speak to what it's like now. I've been told that it's gotten more commercial, but I've also training a lot at Shaolin and they say that about there too. Commercialism in communist China isn't really the right term, but there are people that will try to rip you off. Just be smart and that won't happen.

I'd advise you to look up this thread to my earlier post about the Women in Wudang article. The author, David Wei, has studied a lot at Wudang and may be able to advise you. You can probably reach him through his website, which is at the end of the article.

Exactly - just go you will have a great time!!!!

[mawali]

you wont find this at Wudang !!

woo! dang!!!!!

Must I drink what is in that cup, if that is what I think it is?????

[Zi Zheng]

GO!!!
After being a disciple of Yuan Xiu Gang (www.wudanggongfu.com) and studying and promoting Wudang for the last 5 years, I would suggest you train with him. When I first went to Wudang I scouted out different teachers as well as different Wudang sects. I went with roughly 18 yrs. of training under my belt. I found him the most knowledgeable and skillful.

So, if you are gonna go to Wudang... that's my recommendation. Dave Wei (who Gene has mentioned is my gong fu brother and is a wonderful human being should you need help regarding any info. don't hesitate to contact him) can help.

Gene said it all best. The experiences are well worth it. And they are both pilgrimages many martial artists wish they could take.

As of now, I have walked away from Wudang and no longer wish to be apart of san feng pai for ::sigh:: personal reasons... SO...
MY recommendation if you want to train in China, in general... find a place that peaks your interest and go to a park and walk around. You would be amazed at what's hiding out there, but in plain sight.

I now train in a Daoist family style 6 generations deep. And there are a lot of teachers in the park near me teaching all sorts of different styles. at one temple there are every major style of taiji and others practitioners practicing every morning. Lots of xing yi in all sorts of variations and even a few other family styles, as well as well known. Shaolin, mei hua, tong bei.

I live in Taiyuan, Shanxi province

Follow your heart, make your own decisions, and don't get too caught up in forum talk.

[GeneChing]

Perfect answer to overcrowded Shaolin Temple
English.news.cn 2010-08-24 10:59:20
by Zhu Linyong

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- In the kungfu world there is a saying: "In the North, Shaolin holds sway; in the South, Wudang rules".

In recent years, however, Shaolin Temple and its kungfu have become better known thanks to superior marketing by its abbot Shi Yongxin.

"Shaolin kungfu is extremely popular in Australia and New Zealand," Jackie Sheargold, a massage therapist from New Zealand, says, mainly because it has had plenty of movie exposure and troupes of Shaolin warriors have performed all over the world.

Meanwhile the soft, poetic, internal kungfu style of Wudang has been relatively overlooked.

Slovenian Elizabeth Skuber Ostermaw says mass tourist visits are threatening Wudang.

"Shaolin has become the place to go for Chinese kungfu enthusiasts from around the world," says Norwegian Bjarte Simon Hiley, who intends to restore the balance a little by establishing a Wudang kungfu society in Norway.

He says he was disappointed to find on a recent trip to Shaolin Temple that the cradle for Zen Buddhism was excessively commercial and "only superficial skills were taught".

The city of Dengfeng, where Shaolin Temple is located, has become the largest training base for Chinese kungfu, with about 80 training schools and about 50,000 domestic and international students per year.

In contrast, Mount Wudang has less than 20 training schools, according to senior Wudang kungfu tutor Guan Yongxing.

Li Wei, a senior manager with the Wudang Taoist Kungfu Academy says they receive less than 1,000 students a year, although the academy is one of the largest and most influential training centers on Mount Wudang.

"Personally, I like it quiet," Sheargold says.

The local government and the Wudang Taoist Association say they are not planning to organize a Shaolin-style marketing campaign, though there have been changes, such as transforming the traditional academy building into a modern hotel.

In 1997, the Wudang Special Economic Zone was set up, combing the hillside town with the scenic Mount Wudang.

Last year, an expressway linking Mount Wudang and Xi'an was built so that it takes just two-and-a-half hours for visitors to get there after a visit to the Terracotta Warriors. Additionally, an airport is under construction and will be operating in two years, local officials say.

Meanwhile, more business facilities and hotels are being built around the mountains, a cable car going to the Golden Palace on the summit of Mount Wudang is being refurbished; new movies featuring Wudang warriors are being produced; and Wudang kungfu festivals such as the upcoming one in October have been held since 2008.

Also, Wudang kungfu, tai chi and Taoist shows are being staged daily from July to September at the Group Level Squares of the Shanghai Expo site, in the hope of attracting more visitors to Mount Wudang.

Slovenian Chinese studies expert Elizabeta Skuber Osterman, however, believes "cheap mass tourist visits to Wudang are threatening the century-old cultural heritage site".

She says visitors speaking loudly to each other and on their mobile phones, drinking alcohol, smoking and littering at the Taoist holy site should be discouraged.

"The culture of which you are so proud will soon decline, if these cheap mass tours to Wudang are to continue," Osterman says.

"It is important to develop tourist trips to Wudang where people come to be serious and humble ..." she adds.

(Source: China Daily)

I'm amazed the author didn't reference The Karate Kid.

There's more on the Shanghai Expo on our Shanghai 2010 World Expo & Shaolin Haibao thread which is, of course, on the Shaolin forum.

[GeneChing]

The Way to Wudang
English.news.cn 2010-08-24 10:37:14

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Hubei province's Mount Wudang is a Mecca for Taoists and martial arts pilgrims keen to learn the way of the fist and tai chi, Zhu Linyong reports

Summer is the best season to experience Mount Wudang, a mist-shrouded Taoist Mecca in central Hubei province. Most visitors arrive in the morning, pay homage at the Taoist monasteries, climb a stairway to the awe-inspiring Golden Palace on the mountain peak, and leave at dusk.

A handful choose to stay for a night or two, so as to enjoy a more relaxed tour of the scenic spots.

Fewer still, such as Elizabeta Skuber Osterman, a Chinese studies expert from Slovenia, stay longer to experience the natural beauty of the mountain, Taoist culture and the legendary Wudang kungfu.

Osterman has been training at the Wudang Taoist Kungfu Academy since April.

The 21-year-old Wudang kungfu training center near Purple Heaven Palace is the largest and best-preserved Taoist compound on the more than 1,600-meter mountain, which is the headquarters of the Wudang Taoist Association.

Under the leadership of the association, the organization has drawn increasing attention from kungfu enthusiasts seeking an alternative destination to the Shaolin Temple in central Henan province.

Osterman's one-month stay at Wudang was a 60th birthday present from her son, daughter-in-law and friends in 2009.

"I had a great time, lots of exercise, Taoist philosophy and meditation under the tutelage of such kungfu masters as Guan Yongxing and Li Tengfei," says Osterman, who visits again this summer.

Taoist kungfu teacher Ming Zhengwang guides a special class for kids.

The daily routine included a morning Taoist scripture chanting session at 5:30 am in the temple, morning and afternoon training sessions in Wudang tai chi, and Taoist lectures in the early evening.

She also learned traditional Chinese healthcare from Taoist doctors such as Wang Taike and Zhu Huaying; and learned to play the guqin, the seven-stringed, plucked Chinese instrument, from Taoist nun Fang Chongyi.

She describes Wudang as a "holy land" of "extraordinary Taoist kungfu masters, magnificent natural beauty, pure-hearted nuns, warm-hearted priests, as well as refreshing vegetarian foods".

In Osterman's view, Taoism is not just a metaphysical theory but a better way of life.

"Being modest, natural, retaining tranquility and purity of the heart are the greatest treasures that I have received by studying Taoism and practicing Taoist kungfu," she says.

Jackie Sheargold, a massage therapist from New Zealand, shares the same passion as Osterman.

She has visited the academy for five consecutive years, to improve her tai chi skills.

Back home, Sheargold has practiced qigong, and tai chi for at least 10 years, and has used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to help cure her clients.

"I have progressed to the point that I am really enjoying Taoist philosophy and I'm trying to incorporate it into my life," she says.

For Raphael Robert Zanders-McNeil, a Chinese language major from San Francisco, learning Wudang kungfu has been a dream since he was a teenager when he watched a movie featuring Wudang Taoist warriors.

Zanders-McNeil has been practicing Chinese kungfu for about 10 years. His focus is Wudang jianfa, or Taoist sword techniques.

Besides the demanding routines that include "lots of kicks and difficult stances", he studies the Tao Te Ching, the supreme Taoist canon, and books about Ba Gua Zhang Boxing, a sub-branch of China's Taoist kungfu.

Asked about the benefit of practicing Wudang kungfu he says it benefits the development of one's character and body.

"Physically, you can stay healthy. It keeps your mind focused and gives you a clear awareness of your body and the environment, and of yourself and others."

Although Taoism behind Wudang kungfu is ancient Chinese wisdom, Zanders-McNeil insists that it is relevant to his life.

"The Taoist ideas have a universal meaning. It does not matter whether you come from the East or the West," he says. "If more people were exposed to the Taoist approach, the world would be a better place."

Bjarte Simon Hiley, a young man from Norway, is on a mission. When he was young, Hiley began practicing kungfu under the guidance of his mother and has studied under many kungfu masters.

His mother, Pamela Hiley, the director and founder of Norsk Taiji Senter, in 1983, is widely considered to be one of Europe's most experienced tai chi and qigong instructors and the first professional instructor of kungfu in Norway.

"In Norway, more and more people are interested in learning kungfu, especially tai chi," he says. "Every week, hundreds of students come to learn from my mother at the Norsk Taiji Senter."

A graduate of Beijing Sports University's wushu department, Hiley has for three straight years learned a wide variety of Wudang kungfu skills, both bare-fist and weapon skills. The Ba Xian Gun, or Eight Immortals Staff, is his favorite item.

"My goal is to become an invincible warrior who fights and wins using the tai chi principle - sending back the energy of my enemy to beat him," he explains, adding he will assist his mother when he finishes his studies.

Aside from drawing foreign enthusiasts, the academy also holds a spell over locals who are thirsty for time-tested knowledge and skills such as Taoist ideas and Wudang kungfu.

For instance, each summer, Deng Yinglong, a travel service manager from Yichang, Hubei province takes at least two months off to head for Mount Wudang and "special treatment for body and soul".

The 34-year-old has been intrigued by the poetic and mysterious Wudang kungfu since he saw a TV show three years ago featuring a Wudang tai chi performance by Taoist priests.

This time, Deng took his 5-year-old daughter Deng Yiling, who attended a special class for kids, guided by young Taoist kungfu teacher Ming Zhengwang.

"I am not a lay Taoist practitioner. But I like the atmosphere here very much," says Deng who increasingly feels it is "an indispensable part of my life to have a brief, annual escape from urban life".

(Source: China Daily)

Raphael Robert Zanders-McNeil, when you get back to S.F. give me a holla.

[tiaji1983]

If anyone that is going to Wudang could possibly get the poems for the Wudang Longmen Taijiquan forms, it would be greatly appreciated. The only "Daoist from Wudang" that I knew to ask told me no because I was not his paying student and our forms would be different. Even if its not the same, at least we'll have something to work with. Sorry for ranting but any help would be greatly appreciated.

[RenDaHai]

Hey all,

I spent some time at Wudang.

This school is in the town at the bottom of the mountain. I didn't train there, i trained in a very small school a little way up, but i did have some friends at this school and visited often (there were no other foreigners at my school).

It seemed really good. They are in the town so if you need to get anything it is very conveniant. It is only about an hour from the nearest city (and nearest McDonalds, sounds strange to say but even if you hate mcdonalds its nice to know where one is). There are regular buses.

There were a lot of foreigners over the summer (30-40). This was kinda cool since it formed a nice community. The master was really good and speaks great english (although with a lot of foreigners i don't know how much face time you get, but thats the same anywhere).

You will find the basic training layout is exactly like shaolin and the basic skills are for the most part identical. Wudang is fast becoming like shaolin with many big schools. The different sects still exist (songxi pai, xuanwu pai, sanfeng pai etc) although you will find there is a base of forms which all schools learn, each sect having their own special ones on top.

If you want a more traditional training experience you can find a small chinese only school on the mountain, but if you don't speak the language and are not used to the lifestyle, you will find this grueling and won't be able to learn as much. A school like the one you mentioned is great for you to begin with. YOu will find it easy to adjust to, comfortable living conditions and lots of company. And with all that you can train all the harder. And the training is all day every day. Thankfully this school is relaxed enough that you can take time out when you need to.

[Syn7]

it says taiji quan was created at wudang? i thought it was created in chen villiage??? is chen villiage in wudang? or do i just have it wrong???

[bawang]

if ur a rich forenger, yes

[sanjuro_ronin]

Historical evidence points to the Chen village and folklore points to Wudang, take your pick.

[ShaolinDan]

Well, either way, taiji really comes from Shaolin.

[Syn7]

well thanx for the clarity on this issue guys...

if your rich you suck

its shaolin

its chen villiage

its wudang in legends



clears that right up... lol you all suck donkey ballz!!!
exept bawaang... he sucks wombat nuttz!!!

[bawang]

Historical evidence points to the Chen village and folklore points to Wudang, take your pick.

there is no folklore. information about wudang tai chi comes from 1960 fantasy novel condor heros
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hea...d_Dragon_Saber

then jet li did 2 movies about it. then businessmen start building schools at wudang and hire instructors.

[RenDaHai]

The definition of what is Taiji has changed over the years.

In terms of what is now considered Taiji its from Chen village. But the concept of Taiji is ancient in china and many things have been referred to as Taiji before the current Taiji Quan. The style of Chen Taiji is in application very close to shaolin, in terms of performance it is closer to some daoist arts.

Perhaps some deeper concepts used in Taiji come from Wudang kung fu... perhaps, but the style we are familiar with does not. Wudang has its own styles which are sometimes referred to as taiji but not necesserily related to chen taiji.

Chen village is in Henan close to shaolin. In terms of the overall size of china Wudang is also close to shaolin.