ChiDragon

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Posts posted by ChiDragon


  1. What exactly is "Empty Force" Fa Jin? Obviously there is a force applied otherwise there would be no physical movement. Now "where" the force is being generated, how the energy behind the force propagates is the important question.

    I believe the "Empty Force" is an invisible force which has to be felt by one individual. They don't call it "Jin" for nothing.

     

    As far as:

    1. "Gives the sort of clear evidence of fajin that would hold up in a peer-reviewed scientific journal."

     

    2. "Not one single documentary to be found that outlines any amount of credible data accrued through proper scientific testing."

     

    There are many esoteric literature written in the Chines Language, but was not translated into English for some reason. The facts about "Jin" and "Tai Ji Kung" was told to me by the word of mouth. In my School, I was told on the side while other westerner students were talking among themselves. It is because the term "Jin" is a Chinese term and it's easy for a Chinese to grasp and understand. Like I said before, Jin has to be experienced. It is the same situation as Tao or Chi. Who can explain them by words....???

     

    PS....

    This was happened last Sunday. A friend of mine saw me in a supermarket. He asked me about my Tai Ji or Chi Kung practice. I had told him I have more Jin than few years ago. Then, I held up my right hand and touch his upper left arm with the back of my wrist and fajin slightly. Immediately, he told me that he felt my Jin.


  2. Nope ... haven't bothered to even try because I haven't seen anyone apply this type of empty-force fajin in a real combat situation. What's the point of spending so much time learning something if it doesn't work.

     

    ;)

    That's all I have to say is that one hasn't reached to that level to experience it. It is not a matter of learning. It was a result from practice of Tai Ji. If one cannot Fa Jin, it is just an indication that one need to do more practicing until getting to that level.


  3. So my question is to you then, What kind of fajin (if any) can you demonstrate? I don't need book references - I can use google and amazon for that. I want to see a practical demonstration please.

    Jin is a spontaneous body strength from Tai Ji practice. You either have it or feel it in you. A demonstration will not help you to understand what it is. You have to experienced yourself.

     

    Again, I will repeat myself the nuance between the characters 力(li) and 勁(Jin).

     

    1. 力(li): a normal body strength.

    2. 勁(Jin): a tremendous body strength practiced from Tai Ji; it could be 5 to 10 times the normal body strength.

     

    1. 發力(Fa Li) is to exert a normal body force in the arm; and the arm must move forward in contact with the object.

     

    2. 發勁(Fa Jin) is to exert the tremendous force in the arm and the arm only require a slight movement or none to move an object. The arm does not has to move as much nor stay in contact with the object as oppose to 發力(Fa Li). We can see a demonstration in the video posted by orb. Did see the student moved back and the instructor did not have to move an inch...???


  4. There are dozen types of 'jin', which is simply a 'trained/integrated' kind of power which has also different characteristics in different martial arts (Taijiquan does not have exclusivity of 'jin').

    The different 'jin' can be 'fa(ed)' (issued) in many ways, resulting in a huge number of combinations.

     

    Chen Yanlin lists, I seem to remember, a couple of dozen 'jins' in his Taijiquan book published in the '40.

     

    Anyway, I see the logic expressed in the method and stipulations describes in the original post has having very, very little to do with actual 'fajin' ... if any :)

     

    YM

    "(Taijiquan does not have exclusivity of 'jin')."

    With all respect, this was an understatement about Tai Ji Quan. It is tolerable for one that does not understand what is (勁)Jin if, and only if, that s/he is not a Tai Ji Quan practitioner. However, if a Tai Ji practitioner does not know what Jin is, then s/he was not taught properly.

     

    I'm totally in agreement with the last statement in the above post. :)


  5. It is strange to think that qi should be polished on high mountains or in deep caves, on the contrary , qi should be polished among the mass, in the society as a Chinese saying already tells us :" 小隐隐于野,大隐隐于市" ( "Real retreat is to hide among the crowd ,not in the wilderness" )

     

    To a Taoist, 天人合一(human and heaven united as One) is the most basic fundamental philosophy. The thought about going to the high mountains was being able to be close to Nature. The air are much fresher there than the city. Mountains are quiet for serenity. Especially in a green area, there are an abundant source of Chi. Hence, it is a good place to cultivate Chi.


  6. But except for the concept of change it seems to me that there are no absolutes. This is my understanding at this point in time.

     

    I do reserve the right to change my mind at any time without prior notification though.

     

    (I also reserve the right to disagree with myself any time I so desire. Hehehe.)

    You are absolutely a practical philosopher..... :D


  7. Chidragon its yust a mini-Erlu like Pu-Erh described .. every form of taiji is a form of qigong if you look at it. In this case its Chenjiagou Taijiquan wich he learned from GM Chen Xiaowang.

     

    Credit where credit is due, cheers !

    Yes, every form of Tai Ji is Chi Kung but one must reach at the highest level to be considered Chi Kung. Anyway, after one passed the basic level, then goes to the different levels such as push hand, fast Tai Ji, Tai Ji Kung. Now-a-days, Tai Ji Kung is called Tai Ji Qigong for some reason.

     

    As I had said before, I must emphasize that Jin was achieved from the long period of practice with the basic movements. At the beginning level, the basic practice must not exert any force on the muscles. It can be said that one is at the Yin stage. After years of practice with the basic movements, the Jin will be built in the muscles. It can be said that one is at the Yang stage. Then, one can do pushing hands. Without the Jin, one cannot do pushing hands. Without Jin, one cannot do Tai Ji Kung.

     

    At the stage of Tai Ji Kung, muscle strength were exerted to arms and legs by muscle contraction.

    Deep breathing must be done, in order, to generate the muscle strength or energy. Jin is much stronger than regular body strength. Someone had mentioned that some students have weaker Jin than the other. Actually, the weaker Jin was not Jin at all but just normal body strength. If one hasn't been practiced for years or just a beginner, then one will not have any Jin at all.

     

    PS....

    What I had said, here, is the basic fundamental knowledge that all the Tai Ji practitioners should be aware of.

     

     

    Edited to add:

    BTW Jin can be achieved without doing any weight lifting. I used my Jin and beat my brother-in-law in arm wresting. He has been doing some weight lifting for quite sometime. After our match, his right lower arm had a little pain for couple weeks.


  8. The demonstration shows the practice at a much higher level of Tai Ji which called Tai Ji Qigong using (發勁)fajin with deep breathing. I think you can hear the breathing in the video at 1.31 min. 勁(jin) was developed from the practice of the basic movements day after day. One can only use (發勁)fajin at the highest level.

    • Like 1

  9. Ok, I see that the file attached, so a few more commments:

     

    The MCO is a orbit which travels through and connects the Governing Vessel (back side) and Conception Vessel (front side--think conception !). At the bottom they are naturally connected via the Huiyin (CV-1) but they are NOT connected at the top.

     

    I know there are two cosmic orbits, "小周天(Minor Cosmic Orbit)" and "大周天(Major Cosmic Orbit)".

    1. Is "Microcosmic Orbit" referred as the "Minor Cosmic Orbit"...???

    2. Is there a "Macrocosmic Orbit" maybe preferred as the "Major Cosmic Orbit"....???

     

    The description of the MCO, you have described here, is 小周天(Minor Cosmic Orbit).


  10. Oh I think that's a bit unfair (possibly true though ironically). Enlightened is a proper English word ... as per 'The Enlightenment' which has nothing to do with Buddhism. It can just mean someone who has understood ... i.e. the Sage who embodies the Tao ... it doesn't have to mean Buddha.

     

    We are all confused I would suggest ... its just some of us are less confused than others ... :)

    Yes, I grant you that "Enlightened" is a proper English word but that is not my argument. The argument was that a Taoist is not after "ENLIGHTENMENT" as a Buddhist would. Is there another word that we can use here to replace this word to eliminate the Buddhist flavor....???

     

    PS....

    This is only my hard-nose opinion. :D


  11. You gave your explanation as to the speaker who is silent because he might waste his time on others. Is that Laozi's position? He is tired of others who won't listen so he is silent to spite them? He is silent because chinese culture has for thousands of years preferred action over words.

     

    I'll be silent. I just remembered.

     

    1. One who is wise will not speak.

    2. One who will speak is not wise. :)


  12. A translator who uses the word "enlightened" to translate the Tao Te Ching must be a pseudo-Taoist. Boy, is s/he confused.

     

    Oh, I know. This translator was a crossbreed of a Buddhist and a Taoist.... :o

     

    The irony is that this is complete common sense and in fact we're taught this as children, remember when we were told, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all?" Well that's what this is saying as well, in another way. If we know that what we have to say will only cause people to become confused or angry, then why are we saying it in the first place, if not simply to stroke our ego and prove how we are correct and they are wrong? Well that doesn't seem so nice to me.

     

    Well said. Aaron... :)


  13. Erm did we ever consider that perhaps the speaker doesn't speak because she actually understands Chapter 1 properly ???

     

    Just a thought ... carry on ;)

     

    Does anyone ever understood Chapter 1 properly....??? :lol:

     

    PS....

    We have a friend here treating Chapter ONE as a lifetime project trying to understand it. Every time he approaches it; he stepped back more remotely.


  14. Don't try to understand it. This kind of talk has been like this for centuries. Nobody ever understands it. If you ask again and again, the story just repeats itself again and again. Those who told you that they understand are just trying to impress you but they really don't understand. Most of the time, they are trying to tell you something that they don't even understand but hope you do. Then, you can turn around and repeat the same story to others by pretending that you do understand. People think you understand because you can repeat the same story what the previous person had told you. Now, we all have heard the same story, do you understand...???


  15. It's mine too. I was first struck by the incongruity of "those who know don't speak, those ..." Now, why should we believe this 'speaker'?

    Those who know don't speak was because the others won't listen. Why should they be wasting their time talking.


  16. I like the cloth bottoms for indoor - the plastic are too hard - not enough cushion.

    Feiyue for outdoors

    Yes, I have a pair with cloth bottoms on right now inside the house. It is not very durable, and the rubber sole I do wear them outside.


  17. 1.知者不言。

    2.言者不知。

     

    There are three levels of interpretation here.

    A. Personal level

    1. One who speaks doesn't know.

    2. One who knows doesn't speak.

     

    B. Philosophical level

    1. One who is wise will not speak.

    2. One who will speak is not wise.

     

    C. Political level

    1. A ruler who is wise doesn't issue numerous decrees.

    2. One who issues numerous decrees is not a wise ruler.

     

    A. It was an irony of a Chinese scholastic arrogance. It says, one who was saying a lot but, actually, was saying nothing. One who is knowledgeable of the matter but hesitated to talk to those who cannot understand.

     

    B. Philosophical level

    1. One who is wise will not speak.

    2. One who will speak is not wise.

     

    B. It sounds like to be a wise one was by not speaking at all. That was not the case, it was simply means to be wise if one doesn't say something to upset, offend, irritate or agitate someone.

     

    C. Political level

    1. A ruler who is wise doesn't issue numerous decrees.

    2. One who issues numerous decrees is not a wise ruler.

     

    C: 知者(one who knows) is interchangeable with 智者(an intelligent one) which implies that a ruler as an intelligent individual. It was a taboo to mention the ruler directly in any document. That was why LaoTze uses these terms sage, wise one, intelligent one, or virtuous person as an implication for a ruler.


  18. I just bought a pair for $7 the old price was $5.

    I was told they would keep importing them but the price would go up.

    Chinatown NYC

     

    What a coincidence! I've bought a pair for 7.99 with rubber sole from the new stock of the store in Monterey Park, CA.... :o


  19. Hi, people. Let's keep everything straight. If we want to learned the real stuff, let's do it right.

     

    The SKY is YANG and the Earth is YIN. Please consult with the YI JING.

    乾(qian2): Heaven is the YANG-est of them all.

    坤(kun1): Earth is the YIN-est of them all.

     

    If people treat them both ways, then which definition are we going to abide by...??? You guys are making it confuse as hell.

    • Like 1

  20. from what i've learned, yang chi is hot and yin chi is cool. for myself, i cannot detect the differences in chi temperature but i'm certain that my senses are not yet keen enough to differentiate the two.

    By your description, you have felt the chi temperature. If you do not put too much emphasis on Chi in your thinking, then you will know the difference in Chi. Yang Chi was only a description for HOT in words; and same thing goes for COOL, Yin Chi was only a description for COOL. If you can feel the heat, it was said to be that you are feeling the Yang Chi. Same thing goes for COOL.

     

    FYI...

    The character 氣(Chi) was used for many many descriptions of different things by the Chinese. Pleas try to distinguish its meaning wisely by not trying to abide by one simple definition as "energy" as most people do.

    • Like 1

  21. 1. Try to breath some into your belly, I bet you can do it longer.

     

    2. 100 seconds if I do focused breathing first.

     

    3. I am thinking there are probably many more benefits that we don't notice.

     

    1 & 2. Exactly. Now-a-days this is the "abdominal breathing". The ancients called "breath sunk to the dan tian" or "氣沉丹田". Understand abdominal breathing, what it does was to flatten the diaphragm to increase the volume of the lungs; so they can hold more air and oxygen. The more oxygen in the lungs for the body cells to used, the longer you can hold your breath. Another word, a person can hold the breath depends on the amount of oxygen in to lungs for the red blood cells to be collected.

     

    3. You are so right. Most people just took it for granted without realizing what Chi Kung is all about.

     

    FYI...

    I had a breathing problem more than thirty years ago. I took up Tai Ji to correct this problem. There are lots of people cannot do abdominal breathing for various reasons, but it can be corrected with Chi Kung. The ultimate goal of Chi Kung was to accomplish the abdominal breathing method.

    • Like 1