Originally Posted by
dlcox
Read slowly and ask of yourself honestly.
The origins of Yongchun are lost to history. Clouded and obscured by those who wished to keep hidden the secrets of it’s origin. Whether this be to keep admired and honored ancestors and their families safe from oppression or as a means to legitimize false claims of conception is unknown. In either scenario, improvable, giving researchers only oral legends and ambiguous writings from which to base their suggestive theories and conjectures. Because of the secretive nature clearly outlined documentation on origin does not appear to exist. For charlatans this is an ideal environment in which to catapult themselves to the forefront and capitalize on the desires of the ill informed and misguided.
Yongchun’s origins aside, it’s foundation lies in the esoteric and ambiguous concepts detailed in Asian ideology. Whether these roots be Daoism, Buddhism, Wu Xing, Taiji, Ba Gua, Dian Xue, TCM or etc. is truly unknown. Simply for the fact that if the origins cannot be clearly defined and there is no real substantive evidence to conclusively determine a genetically viable paternal link, how can claims of such links be verified?
Drawing parallels between two things is not conclusive evidence of relation. It is only suggestion and implication, and suggestion along with implication is what entices those with a want to believe to hold onto faith. Suggestion and implication are tools used by knowledgeable and experienced people to entice and direct those that are ignorant of the topic down a path they believe to be the correct one. This is the process of learning, and it is here where the problem lies. Charlatans exploit this gap in the learning curve. This gap exists for the explicit purpose of exploration. Investigation and experience can be a powerful teacher on the path of self discovery. By it’s very nature this gap is neutral and can be easily manipulated by the unscrupulous for their own selfish desires. Charlatans exploit this gap to explain, verify and substantiate their self serving claims to those that are impressionable and misled. All in all, after seeing beyond the illusion, we can only draw parallels that correspond to our own understanding and belief. No certifiable link or absolute justification can be assumed based upon belief and therefore cannot be legitimately applied to any branch of a family tree let alone to the root.
The enigma occurs with us knowing that Yongchun was not created in a vacuum, leading us to speculate, yet ultimately be unable to prove it’s origins, conceptions and theory as a whole no matter how strongly one believes the theory applied is. Individual and group understanding is not a valid measure of truth and is not applicable to universal law. For a hypothesis to be proven it must be tested, especially if it is to disprove or addend an existing theory that is accepted as truth by the general consensus.
Here are 12 basic questions you can ask yourself concerning Yongchun:
1. What are the origins of my line of Yongchun?
2. Can the origin claims be substantiated by verifiable documentation?
3. Does the documentation coincide with the oral tradition?
4. What are the fundamental concepts of my line of Yongchun?
5. Are they hypothetical or theoretical?
6. What aspects of my line of Yongchun do I hold questionable?
7. Do they hold up under investigation?
8. How is my line of Yongchun comparatively to other branches?
9. What are the similarities what are the differences?
10. Do these parallels coincide with generally accepted tradition?
11. What are the accepted fundamental concepts of my line of Yongchun?
12. Do I truly understand and comprehend these concepts beyond the given explanation?
If there is but one question that you cannot answer or verify beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is nothing more than personal belief and speculation. Not all traditions, concepts, theory, application, usage or understanding is universal across all branches of Yongchun. There is to date no verifiable and accepted source from which all of Yongchun evolved. Until this can be proven through means of thorough examination of legitimate and verifiable data, it is simply speculation and personal belief. Until that day arrives when all can be proven, those with good intentions as well as charlatans, will continue to exploit this gap, some for personal gain others simply to fill a void in order to create continuity and personal sense. Regardless of the purpose, in the end it is all still simply suggestion and subject to conjecture until it can be proven otherwise