Originally Posted by
ErnieWong
First things first, Yoshiyahu, great replies!! I was expecting that answer as well.
To Hendrik - So if all methods are the same to the ultimate goal, then why post in the Ving Tsun section? Why claim that the Fuk Sau can not dissolve? Isn't that hypocritical? Once you use Ving Tsun to prove that Ving Tsun doesn't have something, you are not pointing at the moon - that ultimate goal. You are trying to see if the path that you have chosen is right.
Like I said before, I think you have a lot of kung fu. Most people here, including me, don't understand you. You could be at a level that we're not on yet, but that means that you are there by yourself. Posing these questions is a means to get people to your level, but you have problems with languaging what you really want.
You could say that I'm narrow minded but I'm only being truthful to my own path of Ving Tsun. I have also started to study Taiji in my spare time but I'm not clouded by the ultimate goals. Sometimes observing the path on my journey is more worthwhile and if I ever achieve a goal, it wasn't by force but naturally. I just like learning and have no qualms with other's paths. I feel "to each their own."
Please don't take this the wrong way - Hendrik.
If you have many Sifus, to find answers, we could say that you are a jack of all trades but a master of none. I know that in today's world you have to make the most of your time to get what you want. But truly dedicating yourself to one thing takes much more endurance and dedication. If you say that you are truly a master of something, then there should be no questions because you've reached your goal. If you aren't a master and constantly change paths to find what you are looking for then you will never reach your goal. Mostly because once you hit a roadblock, you change paths and never stay long enough to understand why your path was obstructed.
(Only my Opinions below.)
Yes, I'm Chinese, but that makes no difference. My Ving Tsun teacher is Filipino. I've known many great martial artists who aren't Chinese. Also reality check here, in the Chinese Martial Arts Dramas, people can fly or make things explode with their Qi. If I believed that to be true, I'd be living in a fantasy world.
I've read many articles and forums about true masters. Most of the true masters who have an exceptionally high level of skill usually study one thing. Yip Man with Ving Tsun. Morihei Ueshiba with Aikijiujitsu -->Aikido. Almost all the Taiji masters before the 1930s. Dong Hai Chuan with Bagua. If there were masters who studied different things, it's because they felt it could complement the system they already learned not to combine two of them because their original system lacked something.
Also, just to make one more point. I'm Chinese, I have not "Bai Si" to anyone yet. I've only had 2 teachers who took me as students, but I never entered their doors as disciples. That's of my choice, because there is a saying (I hope my Chinese is right because I'm an ABC with low Chinese Language skills), "一日为师,终身为父“ (Mandarin - yi ri wei shi, zhong shen wei fu / Cantonese - Yaht yut wai shi, zong sang wai fu) Literally translates to, "One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father". Roughly translates to, "If you are my Sifu for one day, you will be my father for life." Once I Bai Si or become a disciple that means I am my teacher's son and he is my ceremonial father. I have a father in my secular life. I can have one more for my martial or spiritual life. So I count 2. To have multiple Bai Si's and discipleships is like having dozens of fathers. Who should I be loyal to? Which one should I take care of? Can I be close to one father but not so much to another. As a Chinese, person, I take Bai Si / discipleship as something more important than others because most Western Cultures don't have the same thing. At least not that I know of. To take it lightly, IN MY OPINION, feels like I'm disrespectful to my own culture.
But, if you have asked all your Sifus if you could become another person's disciple, maybe that's OK. But If they feel the same way I do about this ceremony, that could be one reason they haven't given you any satisfactory answers. As a culture, we are still very traditional and somewhat secretive. If I was a Sifu and took on a disciple, I would think he would be like my adopted son. If he asked to have another adopted father, I would think that my adopted son doesn't want to be part of my family. Why should I give him all that I have? He will just take it and give it all away as if it were nothing special.
Being secretive could be why we many kung fu styles or secrets have disappeared. I think we should change it, but we can only hope for change, not force it. It would be impossible and disrespectful to force your teacher to give you everything you want.
Again, I mean no disrespect to anyone and their views. I welcome your criticisms and will not take offense to anything you say. I will try to understand yours and hopefully by expressing my views, we can work together to find answers. But if we don't cooperate with each other, these boards will be useless. It would only be a place to argue, belittle, or demean others. IMO, that is not productive. So I think the best way for us to work together to get the answers is to offer answers which we can deliberate on instead of comments that make no sense to most people.
I am only trying to express my views and not try to change your own. If it seems that way, I apologize. I too am seeking answers, and don't claim to have any.