pleasantfiction

Hey Minkus, thanks for posting some vids that show a little doing. I enjoyed the bit in the wrestling cage and the two-on-one well enough. Long as we're posting vids, I might as well post something relevant to the thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwVCjXSDSY...re=channel_page

durkhrod chogori: I can understand how you might feel that way about taiji vs. bagua, especially if your taiji practice didn't yeild resluts. I've practiced Yin bagua with a long-time disciple of Dr. Xie who was very good and very strong, and I heard a lot of the same talk about strategic footwork vs. taiji centrality, as well as "taiji has no real power", but I to disagree. Much like Aikido, Bagua creates a line to fire into, and compromises its root, by stepping as a matter of course, rather than by obligation to the situation; that's a great strategy against linear externalist and hostile vagrants, but pretty sketchy against people who are unhurtable, immovable and deadly within range. As well, Bagua moves in circles or squares until it attacks from root with a straight line or a twist. Stepping aside, all the best of bagua is just proper taiji, which is not hard to grasp, considering that on every level bagua is a three-state computation of taiji. Why bagua proponents even try to seperate bagua from taiji, as though it were possible, is beyond me. I advise checking out the seminar with Sifu Mizner. I am not talking about watered down taiji. I'm talking about taiji that exceeds any previous conception of lthe "long-gone" legendary powers of Yang Cheng Fu and the like. This is taiji of Master Huang in full form. As for Black Taoist et al, I'll be sure to drop by the next time I'm in New York, but I'm no master. If anything, I'd advise them to visit with the Heaven Man Earth school. And I'll close with that point: if you want to see some taiji that really warrants the title of "Supreme Ultimate", visit with the HME school, especially if it's to see Sifu Mizner. There's no room for dillusion or doubt; if it doesn't restore your faith in taiji, I'll eat my words with hot sauce. What with all the unbelievably crap taiji in the world and the subsequent lack of faith, it's impossible to substitute first hand experience. Just go check it out if you can; if you're anything but haunted, inspired, or flabbergasted, I'll be well surprised. Mal: I think Sifu Mizner covered your questions pretty well, but I'll add this from my personal experience: - You'll receive principles that will inform every other aspect of practice, and as long as you're not dull, it's all surprisingly easy, if counter-intuitive, to understand, such that you'll keep it for life. - Keep you're teeth together when touching with these people. If you're looking to get handled like a little kid, you won't be disappointed. - More than anything, you'll get a redefinition of taiji power which will make it much easier to be more discerning with your training. Thank you all.

Okie doke. Hey guys. I posted this up in the hopes that we could discuss the contents of the seminar as a means of resolving seminar-related questions (that can be resolved on a forum) so as to afford more time at the seminar for just absorbing whatever attendees might find useful, and while I'm not outwardly opposed to spawning a discussion of other masters who have great reputations, I'd greatly appreciate it if you be so courteous as to keep the thread relevant to the topic. Towards that end, I'd be happy to floor questions as a first-hand third party. I have the experience of pushing with and learning from Sifu Mizner and his crew, as well as quite a number of real taiji people around the world; I'm also an extraordinary skeptic, and far too self-involved to flatter anyone, so I'm about as close to an objective opinion as your likely to get at the moment. That said, I have this to say as my personal reply to the posts on Xu Sifu and Chen Sifu: (keep in mind, this is my first reaction to watching the vids, and I'm not of a general disposition to offend anyone just because I don't think they're right or because I disagree about some incidental point; comments welcome) Master Xu Shi Xi: Boxing skills: didn't see any, so... he might be the best! But I certainly couldn't say for sure. taiji movement: long on harmony, short on soong economy. While it's obvious that the crew that made the video was obviously very taken with Master Xu Shi Xi, he seemed off-hand to be just a bit theatrical, and I didn't see any display of conditioning, fajing... As well, the kind of movement he was doing, while it may develop a sort of internal strength (flexible structure and root), it's not what I'd call martial science. Just personal expression. Grandmaster Chen Zheng Lei: Good power, good precision, good penetration. Didn't see much countering, or counter-countering. Either Sifu Burton is very slow, Chen Sifu is mystically quick, the demo was possibly a bit contrived, or Sifu Burton hasn't been taught how to counter and attack analog to his teacher's movements, which could mean any number of things. Who knows. I'd also like to point out that it's simply not dialectically sound to purport a practitioner's merit, as by here-say and youtube(?), without some firm sense of justification. It's not so much ethically offensive as just disturbingly disjointed. That grunted, I can personally attest to the quality of experience in Sifu Mizner's instruction. I've pushed with a lot of people, and seen crowds more that didn't even require a touch, and in my time I've been lucky enough to meet and learn from men of unquestionable ability so rare and beyond convention as to shatter the limits of my faith. Sifu Mizner tops them. Based on what little I've learned from both personal transmission and media, I don't know of a finer practitioner anywhere in the world. His martial and spiritual skills and ability to teach are, across the board, unlike anything I've heard tell of, let alone experienced; I know of no one with whom I could compare him. What is equally impressive is the quality of his students and peers. His instructors' obvious evolution towards his considerable level of prowess is a result not often seen in the martial/spiritual world. I'd be happy to answer any civil questions. Other than that, I can only say come and see for yourself. Thanks.

Taiji Transmissions Seminar with Sifu Adam Mizner Coming up in Australia in April and May is another catalyzing taiji seminar from Sifu Adam Mizner, founder of Heaven Man Earth Taiji International. Please feel free to peruse our videos, articles, and online contacts at www.heavenmanearth.com Characterized by unique lucidity and irrefutable power, this seminar tour dispels common and long standing delusions about various facets of taiji practice, and provides in their stead a solid and intricate framework of understanding and application in such areas as loosening, form, push-hands, fajing and combat applications. An absolute must for both the serious practitioner looking to touch real taiji, as well as the curious novitiate in search of a tangible example, this Taiji Transmissions seminar will be conducted in limited numbers to assure personal access to the essence of our art. As a special promotion for instructors, anyone who brings three or more of their students will be given free admission for the duration of the seminar. Admission is $200 per person for two full days of pivotal taiji insight. Arrangements can be made for the following dates and locations at the respective contact numbers: Gold Coast: April 4-5 041 564 0989 Melbourne: April 25-26 040 636 7321 Perth: May 2-3 042 203 6211 Thank you

My first teacher Chen was a great one for aphorisms. I remember he used to say often: "Do not confuse one thing with another." Just to draw a calm and friendly line in the sand between concept and experience... hands up anyone who's tangibly experienced the wuji dimension. To even think about doing so brings up issues of discernment (don't leave home without it): - if one has no actual experience of wuji, should one be talking about it, and if so, how much air of authority can one muster without feeling like a TOTAL poser? - if one would answer "yes", by what process can one evaluate and legitimize one's own experience? I have a friend who's heavy into dialectics, and I'll see what he says on validating the authenticity of traditionally addressed gnostic states, but off the top of my dome only three things come to mind: 1 The classics 2 One's teacher 3 One's own certainty Trouble is, pretty much any slap-happy ass-half can read the classics and spout; it's extremely common to get led on by a charlatan teacher or school of phenomenon (poor Tom Cruise, seriously), and it's frighteningly easy to delude oneself into thinking all sorts of neat crap that amounts to zip-all when the chips are down. As far as I can tell thus far in life, one's best bet is at the nexus of all three validations, when one has unshakable certainty of raw, lucid experience (not understanding of a concept, no matter how great the revelation may be) that falls directly in line with a genuine teacher's parallel experience of what is treated in the classics. I personally feel that anything short of this is self-directed chicanery, and it's as common as it is understandable. We all want something grand and true, but most of us are too often willing to settle for delusion, discussion, or dedication in lieu of analog synthesis. I've had one experience of wuji dimension. It was in line with the classics and my teachers, and it bore the kind of rock solid certainty that one might imagine in association with "meeting God" or something of the sort. No space/time; unidimensional, undifferentiated infinity; Nothingness that encompassed, pervaded, and preempted all knowable experience, so not really nothing, but No-thing-ness. I sorta flooked onto it (into it?) while following through on some Plato and Descartes; they (especially Descartes) kind of ditched me at the cross-section of nihilism and radical freedom, and I just started disolving everything that could be dissolved, which turned out to be everything (all forms). Eventually I was a wee node of consciousness at the center of total nothing, and when I let go of that everything just kinda equalized into "the Great Blah". I didn't hang out; couldn't really. As soon as a conscious observation began to form within that context, I bounced back to a conventional state of mind. Even so, it was of course an eternity, and what's really bizarre is that it encompasses all moments before and since "then." What I took away from it was a rock solid validation of the Taoist classics as far as wuji goes, as well as first hand knowledge of this dimension, or at least, of it's existence. I've tried getting back, but I have to admit that the deeper parts of my consciousness really don't seem that interested. Like, at all. If I had to guess, I'd say that the parts of me that are more consciously aware of wuji and such are a bit nonplussed by it and more than content with the diversion of 10,000 things; I've been fairly abiding on that point, because I'm pretty lazy. Still, I'm in constant mind of Wuji et al, and I have a healthy respect for the subtitles; I'm just not sure whether I'm procrastinating the appropriate training to masterfully approach such things, I'm genuinely not ready (possibly due to procrastination), or if these pursuits are ultimately unimportant. I do agree with homeboy that Adam Mizner seems to have the most solid grip on this stuff; sounds more like he's talking from a place of experience in that he mentions specific training and applications. For my part, I'd like to do a more thorough dissolving, whereas last time it was mostly just forms; I'd like to do the same with the whole bag, including thoughts, emotions, notions of existence, and whatever else can be found. Looking forward to it, but first things first. Don't spill it if you can't fill it. "Man, feed me or get the hell outta my head-space." - Abram Girling

You may have enemies if you wish to. Not my cup of tea. The words "in my opinion" are usually redundant. Everything one says, in earnest, is one's opinion. We are responsible for our opinions, even if only to ourselves. Aside, may I respectfully request an explanation of your views on internal power, wherein leverage does not play a part? I'm no master, and as yet I still have to see, touch, and then train to truly absorb internal principles from a sifu. I usually find them extremely subtle and counter intuitive, and the actual, experiential mechanics of body, energy, and mind almost never turn out to be what my first, rough impression of them was. Those who can fully understand the internal workings from sight alone have my inherent respect. I look forward to such skill, and to my time with those who might teach it to me. Metta

The aim of training is to destroy all self, all impurity, all disharmony, all weakness and defilement, like weeding a garden. The aim of combat, when it's necessary, is to conquer, to pacify, not to destroy. Conquer oneself, and what enmity can persist? All of us are well able to nod in agreement to such words, but the essence of their meaning is often missing is the small, quiet spaces of our practices, in the gaps between training methods, in the obscure pre-mind fecundity from which our motivations for training arise. Talk is cheap. 99% right is still 100% wrong. Pride is fear. My impression of taiji quan, as a martial art, is that when trained properly, it has the potential to eclipse all other martial arts completely. Not just because it's a better system of techniques, strategies and views, but because it is something else altogether, something more than a martial art. That taiji functions equally as martial art, medicine, and meditative practice is simply an indicator of the lucidity of said principle. As such, my standard of "good taiji" has always been the degree to which the practice yields development of Mind, well being, and transcendentally scary martial ability. I'm nothing, but I've been lucky enough to have worked with top rate taiji men, from strong Taiwanese family schools, to European adepts, to the very best that WuDang has to offer; enough to know real power and skill when I see it. I've rolled with boys from the Gracie school, and dabbled in some Pikiti Tersia Kali. I've worked with Sifu Mizner, and he is easily and by far the scariest fighter I've ever met, whilst simultaneously being one of the calmest and most precise. All there is for it is to test a man's kung fu first hand. Anything short of that is loathsome conjecture. Spirit Ape, it is obvious that you love kung fu as much as anyone. Why not just make it a point to find out for yourself. Few things eat at a man's soul like curiosity. Metta

Y'know Stig, I've lived out this seeker's life under the relatively ardent yoke of acute skepticism, so when I find somebody who incontrovertibly shuts me up with the answers to all my best questions, as well as a more efficient path than I had previously dreamed of, it's easy as hell to hallelujah. He's at once the best teacher, the best fighter, and the most enlightened person I've met. Granted I'm nothing, but I haven't seen anything greater than this. I hope you do get a chance to touch with Sifu Adam at some point. Let me know what you think. Metta, ~ Benjamin

Hey Mouse, good lookin' out. I'm training with Sifu in Phuket. I trained previously with Sifu Chen from Jensen Beach, FL. www.tckf.net He's got some good taiji, but there wasn't much boxing or Iron Robe, some while I can dig and at least attempt many of the the push hands and forms, my hands are as slow and blind as my body is weak and fragile. Eh. That's what training is for, right? And where and with whom do you train? Metta, ~ Benjamin