WRONG INFORMATION ON INTERNAL ARTS IN BOOKS AND ON INTERNET
Marshel Yue Fei
Question
There is this book that describes Stages of Xingyi development. The author's interpretation seems not to make much sense.
Your understanding of Chinese classics is very deep. Could you please comment on the following stages referring to Xingyi?
First stage:
Ming Jin (in the hands)
Wai Xi (outside breath)
Yi Gu (change bones)
Lian Jing Hua Qi (transforming jing to qi)
Xiao Zhou Tian (the microcosmic orbit)
Second stage:
An Jin (in the elbows)
Nei Xi (inside breath)
Yi Jin (change tendons)
Lian Qi Hua Shen (turn qi to shen)
Da Zhou Tian (the macrocosmic orbit)
Third stage:
Hua Jin (dissolved force in the body)
Tai Xi (breathing of baby in mothers womb)
Xi Sui (Wash Marrow)
Lian Shen Huan Xu (Return Shen to Xu)
Xing Ming Shuang Xiu
Sifu Anton Schmick
Answer
Today there are many books on internal arts that give wrong or misleading information. This book seems to be one of them.
The information in some books is correct, but the authors do not understand the meaning. They merely repeated or translated what they found in classics.
How does a genuine master know that the information is wrong, or that the authors do not understand the right information he reproduced? The master has direct experience of the right information.
Let us take a simple example. Suppose an author describes the art of walking as follows.
One must carefully learn how to walk. As he places his foot on the ground, make sure that his toes touch the ground first. He must breathe in through his nose when his foot touches the ground, and breathe out through the mouth when his foot leaves the ground.
As we have direct experience of walking, we know that the statement of the author is wrong. We also know from direct experience that even when the second statement may be correct sometimes, it is misleading.
But not many people practice Xingyiquan or understand its development. Hence, many people not only may not know the information is wrong but may also consider it authoritative.
I shall firstly explain what the author says about Xingyiquan development. Please remember that what he says is incorrect.
According to the author there are three stages of development in Xingyiquan. At the first stage internal force is obvious in the hands of practitioners. This is due to external energy, i.e. energy transmitted by another master. This energy can change bones, i.e. make the bones stronger. The training at this stage is transforming substance to energy. It results in the Small Universal energy flow.
At the second stage, the internal force is at the elbows. This is due to internal energy, i.e. energy developed by the practitioner himself. This energy can change tendons, i.e. making the tendons or muscles stronger. The training at this stage is transforming energy to spirit. This results in the Big Universal energy flow.
At the third stage, neutralizing energy is manifested in any part of the body. This means that regardless of how opponents attack a Xingyiquan exponent with various types of force at any parts of his body, he can neutralize the attacks. The breathing method at this stage is “foetus breathing”, i.e. the exponent does not have to breath with his nose and mouth. The training at this stage is returning spirit to the Great Void, which in Western terms means returning to God the Holy Spirit. The cultivation is both physical and spiritual.
Please note that the above three paragraphs are a translation of what the author says in Chinese, and are incorrect.
Even in just a few days of the Xingyiquan course during the UK Summer Camp of 2013, you can tell from direct experience that the author’s information is wrong.
Internal force is not just obvious in the hands but all over the body. Using the expansion mode of the Three-Body Stance, for example, many course participants experienced internal force radiating out of their whole body. In the correspondence mode, some course participants experienced energy linking their corresponding hands and legs as well as being focused at the dan tian.
The energy experienced by the course participants was not external energy transmitted by me, but internal energy generated by themselves. Not only their bones but also their whole being, including their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects, are stronger. Their noticeable increase of their energy was not due to the breaking down of their body cells into energy, which is transforming substance to energy, but due to tapping energy from the Cosmos. Yet, except for those who had taken a Small Universe course from me before, the course participants did not have a Small Universal energy flow. Hence, what the author says in the first paragraph is totally wrong!
When course participants exploded force, the internal force came from their shoulders, not from their elbows. Nevertheless, as they progressed, the internal force could be issued from their elbows, and then from their wrists. It was true that it was internal energy, and was developed by the participants themselves. While the energy could make the tendons or muscles stronger, this was not a main purpose of the training.
It was true that the training at this stage involved transforming energy to spirit. The participants were peaceful and happy, besides feeling very powerful. But they did not have a Big Universal energy flow, apart from those who had taken a Small and Big Universe course from me before. Hence the author’s second paragraph is misleading.
Our students did not have to progress to an advanced stage to have “hua jing”, i.e.being able to neutralize opponents’ attacks using different types of force on any part of their body. They could do so even at the elementary stage. Our students were not tired and not panting for breath, and they did not have to be consciously regulating their breathing in and out through their nose and mouth. But they did not use “foetus breathing”, they used the flow-method.
It was also true that our cultivation was both physical and spiritual, but our students did not return spirit to the Great Void. Their training was to ensure a meaningful and rewarding life here and now. Hence, the author’s third paragraph is misleading.
It is not uncommon that some kungfu and chi kung teachers use philosophical terms like “ming jing” (obvious force), “nei xi” (internal breathing) and “tai xi” (foetus breathing) to make their writing appear grandiose, but they do not understand what these terms mean. This author seems like an example.
Students at the Xingyiquan course has developed internal force not just at the hands or elbow but all over the body
Xingyiquan Questions and Answers
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions to Sifu about Xingyiquan in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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