Video Lecture on Taoist Views and Practices by Yuan Xiu Gang

[The Way Is Virtue]

"Daoist priest Master Yuan Xiu Gang (Wudang gong fu academy ), 15th generation disciple of Wudang SanFeng Sect, shares in this exclusive interview for Life Arts Media the principles of Daoism and their connection with martial arts." (Parts 1 & 2):

Master Yuan Xiu Gang: Taoism and martial arts wisdom

Edited November 15, 2010 by The Way Is Virtue

[Marblehead]

That is one person I would absolutely love to sit down with and have a one-on-one conversation with!!!

 

What he presented is very well rooted in Taoist philosophy.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[adept]

The whole Wudang thing is the face of Daoism that the PRC want the world to see. It is nothing but consumerist, pop culture tourist daoism for middle class westerners.

This comment 'In 1994, Master Yuan was selected by the Wudang Taoist Association for Taoist Wushu Performance Team' sums it up for me I'm afraid.

Taoist wushu ???? For god's sake. Is this what it's been reduced to ?

I wonder if the Chinese government bus acrobats and actors in to Wudang like they do at Shaolin.

Shaolin temple & Wudang = Tourist traps with souvenir shops and hotels.

What a shame.

[The Way Is Virtue]

The whole Wudang thing is the face of Daoism that the PRC want the world to see. It is nothing but consumerist, pop culture tourist daoism for middle class westerners.

This comment 'In 1994, Master Yuan was selected by the Wudang Taoist Association for Taoist Wushu Performance Team' sums it up for me I'm afraid.

Taoist wushu ???? For god's sake. Is this what it's been reduced to ?

I wonder if the Chinese government bus acrobats and actors in to Wudang like they do at Shaolin.

Shaolin temple & Wudang = Tourist traps with souvenir shops and hotels.

What a shame.

Heh, the Wudang Taoist tradition is a Taoist tradition that places a lot of emphasis on internal martial arts practice as a main part of their cultivation practice. They also are known for their internal alchemy meditation and other qigong practices as well though. There are of course many other Taoist traditions in China as well that have their own different traditions and practices and which may place emphasize on different practices. Yuan Xiu Gang was just representing his own tradition.

 

It is true the Chinese government does promte the Wudang region as a tourist region, but I believe there are sincere teachers and students at Wudang Shan (haven't been there myself though) who have been sincerely working to revive and continue on the various Taoist traditions and practices from the Wudang Shan region. Yes, there is a lot of commercialization of Shaolin and Wudang traditions in recent years as well, so it would probably be advisable for one do some research and use their best discretion in seeking out a teacher from those traditions. Just because the Chinese government maintains a level of control over such things it doesn't necessarilty mean there are not any sincere authentic teachers. The Chinese government likes to maintain some degree of control over just about everything in China, but that in no way necessarily means that everything is not authentic and sincere. When the Chinese government relaxed its tight grip over religious practices and qigong practices after the cultural revolution ended, authentic teachers from various traditions did re-surface and some started to help start restoring some of these old traditions.

 

At any rate, Yuan Xiu Gang seems quite sincere to me and he is no doubt quite accomplished in Taoist Wudang martial arts and some other related Wudang Taoist traditions. If I personally was interested in focusing on internal martial arts as the main basis of my cultivation practice, I wouldn't be adverse at all to visiting Yuan Xiu Gang's school in Wudang if I had the chance and get to know him better, and get a better feeling for what all he teaches. IMO, it is always better to meet a teacher in person and spend some real time with them if possible (not just a few hours or days) before attempting to draw any concrete conclusions; however, I do personally get a good initial read from Yuan Xiu Gang as being sincere and dedicated to passing on his knowledge. Intense martial arts training is not everyone's cup of tea though. Personally I am more interested in focusing on the meditation and qigong cultivation side of things practice wise, but I do enjoy tai chi practice when I can find the time.

[Stigweard]

I hear what both adept and The Way Is Virtue are saying.

 

There is no doubt that dilutions and distortions have occurred because of the commercialism that is running rampant in Chinese Taoism. Priests in robes are more tourist guides then serious practitioners.

 

But can we truly say its good or bad?

 

In Australia here we were about to lose one of our native species, the Bilby. In order to create a preservation program a massive promotional campaign was launched. The Bilby was commercialized and tourist sites were created close to where the Bilby lives. They even unsuccessfully tried to change the Easter Bunny to the Easter Bilby

 

The result though is that the elevated public interest attracted people who cared enough about saving the Bilby from extinction to invest major amounts of money to create the first Bilby preservation reserve. The Bilby's future existence now has hope.

 

Traditional Taoism is not to far removed from the plight of the Bilby. The accent of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the China's new love-affair with commercialism has seen Taoism become more and more marginalized. Communist control has meant that, until recently, only a very limited number of students can be in any one school; the abbots and teachers can only have so many pupils. This same restriction hasn't been imposed as much on Christianity and Buddhism which has seen these two religions flourish and grow whilst China's own indigenous tradition has stagnated.

 

So commercialism is now serving to bring new popularity to Taoism. Sure it doesn't come without challenges and pitfalls, but it is merely where the Tao of it all is at the moment. Neither good nor bad.

 

Case in point with Master Yuan Xiu Gang. I had the great good fortune of spending a morning training with him and his students at his academy at Wudangshan. Through commercialism the academy gives foreign students an opportunity to come and train full time in traditional Taoist martial arts and practices (some of the students I met there were a year or so into their 5 year apprenticeship). And yes he is also soon to tour with the Wudang performance troupe.

 

These students have the opportunity of a lifetime to learn and become ambassadors of Taoism. Which means more people in the world will have, through them, an opportunity to come into contact with this great tradition.

 

And also, without the forces of commercialism, the TaoBums wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be having this conversation. So I think we just need to learn to take the good with the bad.

 

[Procurator]

The whole Wudang thing is the face of Daoism that the PRC want the world to see. It is nothing but consumerist, pop culture tourist daoism for middle class westerners.

PRC has nothing to do with it except providing a framework for their citizens to make a living. It is tourist daoism for the middle class westerners because that it is what THEY want to see. If they would be willing to exert some effort they would see more, but they wont. Its their problem not PRC's.

 

 

This comment 'In 1994, Master Yuan was selected by the Wudang Taoist Association for Taoist Wushu Performance Team' sums it up for me I'm afraid.

Taoist wushu ???? For god's sake. Is this what it's been reduced to ?

no its how short you see. The religous community was always supporting themselves by poviding services to the laity, including giving performances of various kinds.

 

I wonder if the Chinese government bus acrobats and actors in to Wudang like they do at Shaolin.

Shaolin temple & Wudang = Tourist traps with souvenir shops and hotels.

What a shame.

the shame is being brainwashed by own government into blaming other governments. Mission accomplished. The acrobats and actors are perfectly capable to hire a bus themslves and go earn some living. Temples were ALWAYS a business and its a good thing. Edited November 16, 2010 by TianShi