hi sal,
was wondering if you know the history and origin of the separate
rouquan sets.
the three sets from shi degen's lineage, starting first with the
luohan 13 shi qigong set, is said to have been created by second chan patriarch huike. (with one arm?
)
then there is a single set listed in the shaolin encyc. which says it was created even earlier than the above. it says batuo's disciple, monk chou (seng chou) also known as "chan master chou" (chou chanshi), was skilled in
qigong and fighting, and everyday had people come to ask for lessons from him. in order to help the old monks exercise too, he developed this
rouquan set of originally 18 postures by combining his combat experience with the basic skills of
luohan shiba shou. in the qing dynasty monk zhanju (湛举) edited the set and expanded it to 41 postures.
now what about the
yilu and
erlu rouquan sets done often by shi yanzhuang? they are visually unrelated to the other
rouquan sets. what is the story on them?