Sudhamma

Allow me to share my thoughts on the opening and closing of hands (during your zhanzhuang): When opening the hands, breathe in, and closing, breathing out. When hands are opening, stretch the energy between the palms, when closing, compress the energy. Do not allow the energy to dissipate into the environment during closing of the palms. Your training of Tiger and Crane Combination is Hung-gar in essence, as the founder GM Lam Sai Wing, nick-named Butcher Wing, was a student of the famed Wong Fei Hung. As to Eng Chun Pei Ho, I believe the Fujian pronunciation should something like, Eng Chun Pek Hok. Pek Hok in Mandarin is B'ai H'er. Eng Chun is a district in Fujian. Sam Chien is San Jeen in Japanese karate, and is used to tone the body, the ‘iron body’ that you said. This Sam Chien is a Nei-gong practice. In my early days, I thought nei-gong was later known as qigong in China as the government thought that the term nei-gong had superstitions bought forth by those wuxia stories. I hope ‘bums’ here can tell me that indeed, nei-gong is not qigong though there are over-lapping principles. That name Master Ang could be from the Dragon and Tiger Association, and was in the lime-light when he took the blow from Mohd Ali to his throat. The DTA teaches Wu Mei martial arts. Wu Mei was the teacher to Yim Wing Chun, the founder of the famous Wing Chun system. I did not know about Fukien White Crane has that 'spontaneous' 5-animal set. My knowledge is still rudimentary. Zhanzhuang is a term used by those in neijia practitioners. For martial artists, the traditional term is zhang mabu for the horse stance by Northern stylists, and by Southern stylists, the Hokein would call it J-bay, Cantonese, gart-ma. If you want to train RAB till it is second nature, then train every minute of the day and when you are calm and peaceful, RAB will be involuntary. Try it.

Rocking the feet fore and aft during zhanzhuang: there are many versions and styles of zhangzhuang. I practise only the taiji-zhanzhuang without the rocking. Therefore I can't comment whether it is right or not to rock in your system. The old style of forward-backward Swinging hands require the rocking motion to train the leg muscles. In this swing-hands, practitioners normally asked whether it was correct to experience hot sensation at the feet. In my San Pan Gong, the first movement requires gyrating the body together with the feet like a S-like movement. The feet is not firmly on the ground, but move from side-to-toes-to-side-to-heel. Since your teacher said that he knew what you were doing, did you actually know what and why you are rocking? When qi is radiated out without being aware nor controlled, to my knowledge, this is qi-leaking and will affect those standing nearby whose qi is weaker. Those with weaker qi will start to sway.

Thank you for responding. Nam Yang Pugilistic Association was the representative of Fukien Shaolin Temple and Abbot Ven. Gao Cang was responsible to bring the Fukien Shaolin martial arts to Singapore in the early 1930s. By 1987, Ven. Gao Cang had passed away, that year I started serious Qigong training, Baqua Roushenggong from the Gong Bao Tien-Wang Han Zi lineage. Spontaneous Qigong or Zifa-gong is a generic classification and there are many schools/styles that are under it. My sisiong, elder classmate, used to show us his zifagong which was the 5-animals qigong, not the one that was attributed to Watuo, that great Chinese physician of the 3-kingdoms fame. No animal sounds from him. Seems that zifagong has no fixed routines and depends on the physical condition of the trainee. I'm not familiar with zifagong. Abdominal massage in Qigong is normally a standard exercise amongst Daoist systems. What is seldom taught to students is that when both hands are massaging the abdomen in a circular fashion, the internal qi should follow the direction of the hands. That is one technique that qi is led physically. In another technique, there is no massage, but the qi in the abdomen rotates from back to down the front towards the LDT during RAB MCO. The abdomen is pulled inwards, up, forward, and downwards, the qi is rotating on the vertical plane within the abdomen. That is qi leading the abdominal muscles. Both techniques are in the Baqua roushenggong system. You are right about the similarity with yoga when you mentioned about the yogis doing their abdominal rotation. Animal sounds: The Fukien White Crane MA systems require the students to make sounds, in the baquazhang Tiger system of Wang Zhuangfei (father of Wang Hanzi), the student should roar everytime the claw technique is executed. Same with Hung-gar Tiger fists. In our qigong system which requires the student to close his mouth and place his tip of the tougue against the upper palate, no sound can be made! We have to contain the flow of heavenly dew.

To place the 2 verses 153 and 154 from Dhamapada into context, I've here an extract written by Ven. Piyadassi Thera: Extract from Buddha Net http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bud_lt09.htm Quote: The Buddha, His Life and Teachings by Ven. Piyadassi Thera The Final Triumph Crosslegged he sat under a tree, which later became known as the Bodhi Tree, the "Tree of Enlightenment" or "Tree of Wisdom," on the bank of the river Nerañjarâ, at Gayâ (now known as Buddhagayâ), making the final effort with the inflexible resolution: "Though only my skin, sinews, and bones remain, and my blood and flesh dry up and wither away, yet will I never stir from this seat until I have attained full enlightenment (sammâ-sambodhi)." So indefatigable in effort, so unflagging in his devotion was he, and so resolute to realize truth and attain full enlightenment. Applying himself to the "mindfulness of in-and-out breathing" (ânâpâna sati), the Bodhisatta entered upon and dwelt in the first meditative absorption (jhâna; Skt. dhyâna). By gradual stages he entered upon and dwelt in the second, third, and fourth jhânas. Thus cleansing his mind of impurities, with the mind thus composed, he directed it to the knowledge of recollecting past births (pubbenivâsânussati-ñâˆa). This was the first knowledge attained by him in the first watch of the night. Then the Bodhisatta directed his mind to the knowledge of the disappearing and reappearing of beings of varied forms, in good states of experience, and in states of woe, each faring according to his deeds (cutûpapâtañâna). This was the second knowledge attained by him in the middle watch of the night. Next he directed his mind to the knowledge of the eradication of the taints (âsavakkhayañâna).n9 He understood as it really is: "This is suffering (dukkha), this is the arising of suffering, this is the cessation of suffering, this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering." He understood as it really is: "These are defilements (âsavas), this is the arising of defilements, this is the cessation of defilements, this is the path leading to the cessation of defilements." Knowing thus, seeing thus, his mind was liberated from the defilements of sense pleasures (kâmâsava), of becoming (bhavâsava), and of ignorance (avijjâsava).n10 When his mind was thus liberated, there came the knowledge, "liberated" and he understood: "Destroyed is birth, the noble life (brahmacariya) has been lived, done is what was to be done, there is no more of this to come" (meaning, there is no more continuity of the mind and body, no more becoming, rebirth). This was the third knowledge attained by him in the last watch of the night. This is known as tevijjâ (Skt. trividyâ), threefold knowledge.n11 Thereupon he spoke these words of victory: "Seeking but not finding the house builder, I hurried through the round of many births: Painful is birth ever and again. O house builder, you have been seen; You shall not build the house again. Your rafters have been broken up, Your ridgepole is demolished too. My mind has now attained the unformed Nibbâna And reached the end of every sort of craving."n12 Thus the Bodhisatta n13 Gotama at the age of thirty-five, on another full moon of May (vesâkha, vesak), attained Supreme Enlightenment by comprehending in all their fullness the Four Noble Truths, the Eternal Verities, and he became the Buddha, the Great Healer and Consummate Master-Physician who can cure the ills of beings. This is the greatest unshakeable victory. The Four Noble Truths are the priceless message that the Buddha gave to suffering humanity for their guidance, to help them to be rid of the bondage of dukkha, and to attain the absolute happiness, that absolute reality, Nibbâna. These truths are not his creation. He only re-discovered their existence. We thus have in the Buddha one who deserves our respect and reverence not only as a teacher but also as model of the noble, self-sacrificing, and meditative life we would do well to follow if we wish to improve ourselves. One of the noteworthy characteristics that distinguishes the Buddha from all other religious teachers is that he was a human being having no connection whatsoever with a God or any other "supernatural" being. He was neither God nor an incarnation of God, nor a prophet, nor any mythological figure. He was a man, but an extraordinary man (acchariya manussa), a unique being, a man par excellence (purisuttama). All his achievements are attributed to his human effort and his human understanding. Through personal experience he understood the supremacy of man. Depending on his own unremitting energy, unaided by any teacher, human or divine, he achieved the highest mental and intellectual attainments, reached the acme of purity, and was perfect in the best qualities of human nature. He was an embodiment of compassion and wisdom, which became the two guiding principles in his Dispensation (sâsana). The Buddha never claimed to be a saviour who tried to save "souls" by means of a revealed religion. Through his own perseverance and understanding he proved that infinite potentialities are latent in man and that it must be man’s endeavour to develop and unfold these possibilities. He proved by his own experience that deliverance and enlightenment lie fully within man’s range of effort. "Religion of the highest and fullest character can coexist with a complete absence of belief in revelation in any straightforward sense of the word, and in that kernel of revealed religion, a personal God. Under the term personal God I include all ideas of a so-called superpersonal god, of the same spiritual and mental nature as a personality but on a higher level, or indeed any supernatural spiritual existence or force." (Julian Huxley, Religion Without Revelation, pp. 2 and 7.) Each individual should make the appropriate effort and break the shackles that have kept him in bondage, winning freedom from the bonds of existence by perseverance, self-exertion, and insight. It was the Buddha who for the first time in the world’s history taught that deliverance could be attained independently of an external agency, that deliverance from suffering must be wrought and fashioned by each one for himself upon the anvil of his own actions. None can grant deliverance to another who merely begs for it. Others may lend us a helping hand by guidance and instruction and in other ways, but the highest freedom is attained only through self-realization and self-awakening to truth and not through prayers and petitions to a Supreme Being, human or divine. The Buddha warns his disciples against shifting the burden to an external agency, directs them to the ways of discrimination and research, and urges them to get busy with the real task of developing their inner forces and qualities. Unquote The obvious question is who or what is this builder of the house or house-builder. Perhaps the Buddha is referring to the Creator-God or the Cause of Samaric Cycles. Rafters, then are the binding factors that bind the various constituents of Life together. With this, you may like to refer to Dependent Origination for a comprehensive understanding.

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Selected 3 verses from the Mangala Sutta (Discourse on Blessings): "Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise, and to honour those worthy of honour - this is the highest blessing" "Asevana ca balanam - panditanan ca sevana, Puja ca pujaniyanam - Etam mangalamuttamam" "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude, and the timely hearing of the Dhamma, the Teaching of the Buddha - this is the highest blessing. "Garavo ca nivato ca - Santutthi ca katannuta Kalena dhammasavanam - Etam mangalamuttamam" "The mind that is not touched by the vicissitudes of life, the mind that is free from sorrow, stainless and secure - this is the highest blessing" "Phutthassa lokadhammehi - cittam yassa na kampati Asokam virajam khemam - Etam mangalamuttamam"

The Bardo training of the TibetanBuddhists is an attempt to train the Mind for the "last thought moment" that determines the next birth. The Mind is weakest when it is deteriorating and dying, and the ardent Bardo training of the person dying during his life-time may tip the scale against bad karma (which influences a 'bad' rebirth). If successful, the fruition of bad karma in the next birth gets postponed. However, a Bardo 'instructor' has to be present to give verbal instruction to the dying person.

Agreed. We will stop this digression and get back to the intent of the OP.

Hi Mudfoot, with proper rooting and focus, the swaying in practising iizichangong should stop, but some instructors either do not know how to assist the student (to stop) or encourage the swaying (as a manifestation of qi!). In my early days in qigong, I had put in some time into this system, and my classmates who swayed were more susceptible to fevers and colds. Actually instead of getting healthier, they became weaker.

I would recommend that before you jump into the deep end of the Buddhism, do read the book by Christmas Humprey, "Buddhism" which will prepare you with some inkling about the religion. It was his 2 books, "Buddhism" and "Buddhist Sutras" that triggered my interest in Buddhism about 40 years ago. The next book should be "What the Buddha taught" as recommended earlier by Seeker of Wisdom.

Shen in Chinese means, God, Spirit, and a person's alertness (?). Yuan, is primodal, and original. so, putting these to words, Yuan Shen together, does it mean the primodal spirit that comes with the conception of the foetus? What is Yuan Shen to your understanding?

Hi Rocky Lionmouth, the swaying motion during zhanzhuang has nothing to do with rotating LDT. Its my observation of various systems, like Taiji-zhanzhuang and Xing-I zhanzhuang. Exercises that requires swaying as part of the motion exercise for joints and sinews is perfectly alright, like Huichoongong for instance. I've not seen zhanzhuang with instructions to sway the body. Even the One Finger Zen, Iizichangong, swaying is not part of the routine. Wei-dan gong on the other hand requires vibrating and shooking the body and limbs. So, swaying is accepted if it is part of the system.

As a Buddhist, Life after Death within any of the 6 realms of existence depend upon the person's karma and most importantly his/her last thought-moment. Each of us has a past karma brought forward to this life and further karma are added during the present life. Karma can either be good or bad influencing our present and future lives. It is also this karma element that differentiates people, why some are born to wealthy families while others to suffer poverty, yes, some more equal than others, some more perfect while others have some disabilities. The ability to improve one's good karma rest in oneself, not with the Buddhas. So, do good, don't do evil is the advice of all the Buddhas.

Interesting topic. I'm a Theravadin. My observations through these many years of practice: 1. In traditional Theravaden countries, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia/Laos, people(initiates) do practise spiritualism. In Sri Lanka, there are lay-devotees who practise Buddhist magic for healing and exorcism and in Thailand, it's a well known fact that there are Buddhist monks who do as well. In this forum, there is one posting by Vajra Guru on Cambodian Buddhist yantra which when consumed will initiate spiritual guidance. 2. The Buddha himself used spiritual powers: some of his exploits are in The Jaya Mangala Sutta. 3. The Ratana Sutta is often used by Theravadin monks to cleanse the place. One story in Singapore in the 1950s: A British military barrack was said to be haunted and Christian pastors, Catholic priests, Taoist priests, Buddhist monks, Muslim Imams, and Hindu priests were called to exorcize the place. All failed and the haunting persisted until The Mangala Vihara, the second Theravaden temple in Singapore was approached. The chief monk went and tied the holy string cordoning the area and chanted the Ratana Sutta. It was a very simple ceremony, no bells, no gongs, no incense, no offerrings and the British administrators were obviously doubtful. But the hauntings stopped. That's the power of the Word. 4. The power of parittas and mantras: a. About 10 years ago, wife was suffering from acute insomnia and had to be hospitalised. I arranged for my temple to perform a chant while I would as well at home at the appointed time (9pm). Traditionally, the temple would chant: Jinapanjara Sutta after the three usual suttas including Ratana. Jinapanjara is the one for the sick. As for me, I did a 108 times of a particular verse (cant remember which now) in the Ratana Sutta. The next morning I asked my wife whether she slept, and for the first time after about 2 months, she slept. She said that she slept at about 9:30pm. Coincidence? b. The Ratana was used to alleviate drought and disease and was first used by the Buddha himself, and centuries later in Sri Lanka. c. I had used the 6-syllable mantra, Om mani padme hum once to stop a haunting in my neighbour's residence. d. In 2015 there was one morning when I was out of a sudden felt very sick (extreme numbness of half of the body), and quickly got up to go to the altar and quickly did a chant (simple homage to the Triple Gems) and felt a force above my head pressing downwards. Believe it or not, the numbness subsided to a mere tingling. Of course, i still consult a doctor after that. I believe that once a person begins the chant with "Namo tassa..." the spiritual beings will begin to assemble to listen to the chant. These are the beings that provide you with protection from harm and danger on condition that the one performing the chant is 'approachable' in terms of cultivation, conduct and diet. One story in Thailand goes back to the early 1900s with Ariya (Ajahn) Mun had to traversed forests and jungles to reach towns. There was once that after days of trekking in the jungle, he was hungry and exhausted. He stopped at a spot, looked up to the sky and spoke to heaven to the effect that he believed that there were devas and that now he was on the verge of dying from hunger and yet there were no devas appearing to help him. After that, he continued his trek and came to a clearing where he saw a splendidly dressed man with containers on the ground. The man beckoned to him. Ariya Mun asked where he came from. The man did not reply, but merely smiled and pointed upwards to the sky and walked away. Ariya Mun was baffled as there were no villages nearby, and a man who dressed like a noble in the middle of a jungle. But the containers were fragrant with the smell of glorious food. Readers who are Theravadins in the Thai tradition would recognise who this Ariya Mun was. The second verse from Ratana Sutta is a command by the Buddha: "Tasma hi bhuta nisametha sabbe, Mettam karotha manusiya pajaya Diva ca rattoca haranti ye balim, Tasma hi ne rakkhatha appa-matta" Translation: "Listen here, all beings! Show your love to those humans who, day and night, bring offerings to you. Protect them with diligence." May you be well and happy always! Sabbe satta sukhita hontu! Be diligent in your cultivation.

Hi again DSCB57, you asked whether your practice is the same to what I practised. The dai-mai horizontal rotation: the internal qi movement initiates the physical movement of the form. Whereas the qi in the frontal internal abdominal rotation is initiated by external massage in one form, and by qi on a vertical plane on a front-to-back excluding the massage as in the LDT rotation, in another. The LDT rotation that I do, do not activate the huiyin nor baihui, and (but) allows the energy to radiates from LDT to the rest of the body, and after a while, from there to fully initiates the RAB with MCO. It will take a few years of consistent effort for the practitioner to rotate LDT involuntarily like what you have accomplished while many of us are still doing it consciously and with mental focus. About jumping forward, is this good or bad? Some qigong masters are happy about it, but some don't. The argument against the spring action is either that the student has not harnest the external energy, and not rooted sufficiently to bring it in to the body, or there is a strong leak of energy to the ground. This is the same argument against students swaying in a zhanzhuang posture (but in this case, its the qi-leaking to the environment and the qi is not stable). Perhaps, practitioners of Spontaneous Qigong systems can bring in their insights on this phenomenon.

Hi DSCB57, the many contributors here who wrote about forcefully rotate LDT do not meant physical force by moving the muscles in that area. As you know, qi moves with mental intent, and for beginners, qi is not felt to move even with great mental exertion. The rotating qi will move the muscles. It should come naturally with practice and in sync with the breathing (RAB); the rotation is not forced (physically). The method in activating the baihui in a downward spiral is not new nor innovative. The downward spiral takes a decreed direction, simultaneously, the earth energy comes up via yongchuen towards LDT until one feels both energies have reached LDT . Once that happens, the spiralling changes direction from LDT pushing the combined energy to yongchuen and exiting into the depths of the earth. The energy entering baihui is taken from three heavenly bodies of the sun, moon and the big dipper, the northstar. This sytem is taught in Baqua Ruyigong. The spiralling affects the entire body as the body moves subtly in unison.

There are three types of rotations that I do: the vertical LDT from back to front, the dai-mai rotation, anti-clockwise, and a frontal circular rotation of the abdomen. The vertical LDT rotation helps to clean the bladder and improves libido. The dai-mai rotation improves the meridians between the upper and lower torso, and the frontal abdomen rotation, the internal massaging of the organs in the abdomen. Rotation is gradual and not speeded up and in sync with the breathing. Except for the vertical LDT rotation, the other two are already in the forms that I practised.

The unbroken line represents the positive/yang energy and therefore, the broken line represents the negative/yin energy. There are three lines in each segment of the trigram, the top line represents Heaven, the bottom, Earth, and the middle, Man. To digitize it, the unbroken line is '1' and the broken line, '0'. The 1-0-1 formation in the post-heaven trigram is 'Li' with light-giving attribute and is associated with the fire element. My knowledge is most elementary and could not go further to understand nor explain why it is 'Shen' (spirit, consciousness) and th 1-1-1 formation of Qian, Yang-shen. Perhaps sillybearhappyhoneyeater or any knowledgeable 'bums' here can do us the honor.

".......Contrarily, in Taoism’s paradigm consciousness pervades the universe. Consciousness permeates space and time, and consciousness shapes matter. Consciousness is collective and it is intrinsic to the human condition. At conception, the classic Taoist meeting of heaven and earth, a new human life is seeded with congenital or “pre-heavenly” yuan jing and yuan shen, instilling a foetus with information and instinct. Yuan shen is seeded directly from collective consciousness. Unlike our acquired or “post-heavenly” shen, jing, and other resources, yuan shen does not recognize time or place. Yuan Shen is undifferentiated information: there is no cognition, memory or analysis which is borne of the post-natal human psyche (Lifang & Garvey, 2006). There is a distinction between yuan shen, which we attribute to Tao’s pervasive or collective consciousness, and the consciousness we attribute to our lifetime’s “acquired” psyche. For the purpose of this piece “psyche” would comprise our senses, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. At conception, the “san bao”, or three treasures (jing, qi, shen), govern our pre-natal resources. As our development moves into a post-heavenly phase which we recognize as physical existence, our originating yuan shen differentiates into “wu shen” (five spirits), which mirrors the development of the “wu zang”. This is the manifestation of the organ systems known as the Zang fu, driving cognitive processes of consciousness called “si shen”. (Lifang & Garvey, 2006). Put another way, yuan shen is delegated at conception, becoming jing shen in our physical development. Shen then manifests in the Zang Fu – our solid organs – heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys, according to the following associations: " The above is an extract from the essay (link: taiji-online.co.uk/content/essays/yuan-shen/) Yuan Shen Taoism’s concept of Yuan Shen This essay appeared in Lotus Nei Gong’s Spring 2012 newsletter.

The techniques I learned today were primarily Bagua oriented, but there wasn't any material that conflicted with my Long fist curriculum. Comment: I thought you are still learning your T'an T'ui routines, having stopped at routine #4? While he didn't teach me any extra qigong techniques, he told me to continue on practicing Sifu Korahais' material. Comment: I thought in the past that Nei-gong and Qigong were the same, but recently, I realized that though there were similarities, results from nei-gong is different from qigong. T'an T'ui is not qigong, but a martial set that if you practised it well, you can improve and develop nei-gong. That your 'internal cultivation'. Sifu Harris taught me the basic principle how to internalize my Long fist, via "relaxing but not collapsing". I was taught to relax my movements, and focus my intent when I punched or palmed. The details are hard to write, but I hope you understand what it means. Comment: Yes, he is right and closer to the 'real thing' with relaxing but not collapsing....look at some other 't'an t'ui' being practised in Jingwu you will find the glaring difference. While doing this, he emphasized the importance of being aware of my own "internal body" as well as my surroundings. To practice this, he taught me standing meditation. Comment: Being aware of your surrounding....something like a heightened sixth sense, comes from good practice. You will know when the situation arise. In your curriculum, you have the 'stance training', you can use ma-bu and gong-bu for your 'standing' with each stance taking say, 2 minutes and progressing to 20 minutes at a sitting. But you have to use a waist sash, a broad cotton sash of about 8" width x 10ft to tie around the waist. Tighten your waist with the sash, maybe about 3 rounds, and you may a friend to help you by tensioning at the opposite end. When you come to the opposite end, tuck it in behind those rounds of cloth. No need to tie the ends. Time your standing period for each stance and ignore that shivering in your legs, do breathe and not to hold your breath. However, if you do not want to use the sash, then ignore what I've written here. There's numerous others, but we have planned to focus on: 1) deciphering & applying my long fist forms for combat 2) internal power for martial & health purposes 3) learning Baguazhang - not so sure how deep I am willing to explore into the art, but we will see. Comment: Baquazhang, your instructor would be very formiable, having knowledge from Yin Fu, Cheng Ting Hua, and "others" So, is he going to teach the Yin Fu system first? Anyway, both Yin Fu's and Cheng TH's system differs from each other, beginning with stepping and palm techniques. Baquazhang is a good internal system to learn but difficult to master in depth. This will be my last post on this as you now has the asnwers to your search. Enjoy your journey.

I will translate it as 'The way of Immortality'.

The T'an T'ui 12-routines of Jingwu was a special formulation. There is a T'an T'ui M'en in Shantung, said to be originally from Loong Tan Temple and what is taught there is a complete MA system complete with weaponry, not just one set that we know as 12 routines. T'an T'ui was effective and famous as a fighting arts in the North and there are other MA systems, like Cha-chuen that incorporates t'an t'ui techniques in their Cha-chuen T'an T'ui routines. My opinion about mixed styles is not about those that have assimiliated various fighting techniques of different schools-of-tfighting into one homogenous style, like for instance 7-star Praying Mantis with their Tongbei techniques, or Jou-Jia assimiliating both Southern and Northern techniques. I'm referring to a mixed syllabus where a student learn in a centre one set taken from A school is taught for say 6 months, then another set from B school for another 6 months that sort of programme, unless there is a sort of a common thread between the sets. For instance, the common thread in Sip Pai Gi is Northern Shaolin and there is no conflict (of interest). To illustrate what is conflicting thread, take for instance one set of the long stretched 'big' movements of Hua Chuen for 6 months and move on to the 'small frame' Wu Taijichuen for 6 months. This type of mixing is not good for the student. The jing in Taijichuen is different from Fujian White Crane or Northern Shaolin and even the stances are different, similarly, the expression of jing in Northern Long Fist is not the same as the explosive Southern school. Yes, ultimately, the jing in its highest level of expression is the same regardless of fighting system, but the student has not reached that destination yet. As is commonly said, the externalist will train from the external to reach the internal, and the internalist, from internal to reach external. That's when karate becomes more like taijichuen in its external form as said by contributor Michael Sternbach. However, in Tibetan White Crane, there is The Needle in the Cotton set, Hung-gar with its Steel Wire Fist set, Northern Shaolin with its Taming the Tiger set, these sets are 'internal' yet different from the emphasis of 'internal' of taijichuen, with the exception of The Needle in the Cotton.

I've a different approach to learning martial arts. Each 'founder' of a school/style had his own fighting philosophy and that would choreographed the movements accordingly (normally after tested the techniques for practicality). Thus, learning the martial arts of a particular school is like reading the books written by a singular writer. However, this ease of understanding may not be so in a system with mixed sets from various schools. The fighting philosophy of taijichuan for instance is very different from karate as an illustration. The internal cultivation of nei-gong is immaterial if the purpose of learning martial arts is just for health similar to running and swimming. Similarly, learning one set well and understand its applications and able to use it for that internal cultivation is much more satisfying and purposeful than learning 20 sets but arely scratching their surfaces, rolling stones do gather no moss. On the other hand, learning a mixed style has itss benefits similarly like that of research and personal development. Knowing other styles broadens one's outlook and know that there are mountains higher than the one you see. There are different approaches adopted by different schools. However, one must have a good foundation with one unmixed style. So in your case, choose one set, perhaps T'an T'ui, and concentrate on learning it in depth. Learning martial arts is itself an education.

Hi Aden, When Jingwu was formed, various masters from various schools were invited to teach in various centres, but all students had to learn two basic sets, the 12 routines of T'an T'ui and Gung-Li chuen. From my understanding, the T'an T'ui set was special choreographed with unique movements from other schools. Only Jingwu will have this 12 routines of T'an T'ui. You can't even find this set from the original T'an T'ui school in Shantung. Thus, the teaching curriculum within the Jingwu varies from centre-to-centre. If you are looking to learn a un-mixed style, then schools like Liu-He-M'en, Da-sheng Piqua M'en, or the 7-star praying mantis will meet your expectation. Da-sheng piqua M'en is a Northern monkey style.