This should have been placed between Post 1 and Post 2, or perhaps even before Post 1. However, what is done is done, so bear in mind that this is not a CONCEPT or TEACHING post but a DISCLAIMER post.
Chinese Martial Arts has a rather deeply ingrained mystical component. You would be hard pressed to find true and diligent practitioners of the art who deny this component entirely. It is deeply involved in the culture as a whole, predominantly within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and religious mystical practices. Small wonder that the martial arts developed would also place a heavy emphasis on this metaphysical force. I am, of course, talking about the concept of Qi (Mandarin), Hei (Cantonese), Ki (Japanese), Gi (Korean) and Khi (Vietnamese). The concept is distinctly Chinese but obviously evolved as it spread throughout East Asia, adapting and evolving accordingly throughout the times.
Let me first give you a brief run through as to what Qi is supposed to be. Qi is supposed to be the life breath, the inner energy that flows in all living things. The concept itself is immediately simply enough to grasp in order to gain a conversational level of familiarity. However, there are entire volumes devoted to the study of this presence. The complicated nature of this supposed energy is almost boundless. There is Heaven Qi and Earth Qi as well as Pre-Heaven Qi. Qi can be focused in certain points of the body, compressed, fostered, and guided for the purposes of health and longevity. There are movements which help regular the flow of this power to cure illnesses and to strengthen the physical durability of the human body, making it impervious to pain and injury. It can empower a practitioner to stand firmly planted in the face of a great weight charging against them, and this same force ben be applied to launch larger foes through the air. It is said that you can transfer this power into others to aid in their healing process, or to cause injury and havoc to the internal organs. Some are said to be able to project this power at inanimate objects, causing them to fly away as if thrown a great distance, or to shatter as if struck by a mighty blow. This force is governed by the foods we eat, the exercises we do, specific breathing patterns, the sounds make, the thoughts we think, the position of the planets and the stars along with an assortment of other variables which we must either gain control or or work compromises with. All things rely on this Qi to subsist, and it is through specific sounds, breaths, movements dietary habits that we are able to better channel and strengthen this invisible power within us for all sorts of semi-astounding feats of passive/aggressive interaction.
I want to make it very...VERY clear that I am DENYING the presence of this energy.
I am a sceptic at heart, but very open minded to having my opinions changed. In my years of training and traveling, I have personally seen and played participant to numerous demonstrations of remarkable feats attributed to Qi. I have seen people break bricks, concrete slabs, wooden poles and bend steel pipes with their hands, finger tips, head, feet, shoulder, arm, shin, back, stomach etc.
(I myself have broken no few bricks and concrete slabs in my earlier days but have since stopped training in that particular skill).
I have seen people throw needles through glass and frail balsa wood chopsticks (those cheap splintery ones in restaurants) into hard wooden boards. I have been physical struck (voluntarily mind you. Don't get the idea that I was assaulted) in ways which made me feel severely odd painful sensations; not the mundane pain of a bruise or a break, but sometimes a traveling pain, a distinct shock sensation or other such unpleasant sensations. I have also seen the more esoteric practices where people can sustain great blows to their testicles with ZERO effect. These same people demonstrate this ability by either tying massive weights, several hundred pounds worth, to their testicles via a piece of cloth, or tying their testicles to the cloth, and having it attached to a car/van/truck/etc and pulling said vehicle forward. I have also been privy to a more esoteric meditational exercise where a practitioner is able to RETRACT their testicles back into their abdomen, taking them out of harm's way entirely. These feats of martial ability range from the mundane to the ridiculous. However, though remarkable in appearance, they are very measurable and natural to explain without resorting to accusations of witchcraft, voodoo, magic potions, or the inclusion of a "Qi" premise (hint... lots and lots of training and hard work!!) And please don't give me the whole "Qi is a completely non-supernatural force" spiel. There is no established science to measure, gauge, or mark the pure effects of Qi.
(Note that I am saying PURE effects... like supposed projection and manipulation of Qi... not the PHYSICAL FEATS attributed to Qi)
The methods of measurements shift from discipline to discipline, and the results obtained are often times proven to be placebo effects. The few times things have come up inconclusive is because the rubric for judging was so vague that the results could not possibly be properly tabulated and explained.
All the amazing feats of strength, endurance and health attributed to the mystical energy is the by-product of regular, disciplined, rigorous, bloody, sweaty, painful training.
There is no magic.
Gung Fu, merit gained through hard work, is not simply an EMPTY TITLE for a set of activities. It is a description for HOW TO obtain the skills.
I will grant this much for Qi. It is a good visualization technique. The concept gives a certain illustrative element to explanations, and a point of focus for ruminations. When I give pointers or am asked to teach, depending on the circumstances, I sometimes sparingly use the term. I am always careful to say that I myself am not a proponent of the concept. I only use it to guide during certain exercises. TCMA, being such a culturally specific thing, sometimes requires culturally specific explanations as a short cut explanation. If it so happens that people DO believe the concept, then by all means go ahead. My purpose for spreading and teaching TCMA is as much to keep the culture alive as it is to open the eyes of people to the martial ability of TCMA.
There is no proper way to end this DISCLAIMER, so I will say this: As mentioned earlier, I am open to the possibility of being shown wrong. If science one day comes out conclusively
(by conclusive,I understand that there will always be individuals contrary to scientific facts i.e. moon landing disbelievers, creation 'scientists' etc)
saying that they have managed to markedly demonstrated the presence of Qi, then I of course will study the materials for myself and re-draw my conclusion then. But until that time,
I stand a firm and ardent sceptic of this culturally rich, but scientifically indefensible, phenomenon.
Train Hard. Talk Less.
~Thunder Palms
Chinese Martial Arts has a rather deeply ingrained mystical component. You would be hard pressed to find true and diligent practitioners of the art who deny this component entirely. It is deeply involved in the culture as a whole, predominantly within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and religious mystical practices. Small wonder that the martial arts developed would also place a heavy emphasis on this metaphysical force. I am, of course, talking about the concept of Qi (Mandarin), Hei (Cantonese), Ki (Japanese), Gi (Korean) and Khi (Vietnamese). The concept is distinctly Chinese but obviously evolved as it spread throughout East Asia, adapting and evolving accordingly throughout the times.
Let me first give you a brief run through as to what Qi is supposed to be. Qi is supposed to be the life breath, the inner energy that flows in all living things. The concept itself is immediately simply enough to grasp in order to gain a conversational level of familiarity. However, there are entire volumes devoted to the study of this presence. The complicated nature of this supposed energy is almost boundless. There is Heaven Qi and Earth Qi as well as Pre-Heaven Qi. Qi can be focused in certain points of the body, compressed, fostered, and guided for the purposes of health and longevity. There are movements which help regular the flow of this power to cure illnesses and to strengthen the physical durability of the human body, making it impervious to pain and injury. It can empower a practitioner to stand firmly planted in the face of a great weight charging against them, and this same force ben be applied to launch larger foes through the air. It is said that you can transfer this power into others to aid in their healing process, or to cause injury and havoc to the internal organs. Some are said to be able to project this power at inanimate objects, causing them to fly away as if thrown a great distance, or to shatter as if struck by a mighty blow. This force is governed by the foods we eat, the exercises we do, specific breathing patterns, the sounds make, the thoughts we think, the position of the planets and the stars along with an assortment of other variables which we must either gain control or or work compromises with. All things rely on this Qi to subsist, and it is through specific sounds, breaths, movements dietary habits that we are able to better channel and strengthen this invisible power within us for all sorts of semi-astounding feats of passive/aggressive interaction.
I want to make it very...VERY clear that I am DENYING the presence of this energy.
I am a sceptic at heart, but very open minded to having my opinions changed. In my years of training and traveling, I have personally seen and played participant to numerous demonstrations of remarkable feats attributed to Qi. I have seen people break bricks, concrete slabs, wooden poles and bend steel pipes with their hands, finger tips, head, feet, shoulder, arm, shin, back, stomach etc.
(I myself have broken no few bricks and concrete slabs in my earlier days but have since stopped training in that particular skill).
I have seen people throw needles through glass and frail balsa wood chopsticks (those cheap splintery ones in restaurants) into hard wooden boards. I have been physical struck (voluntarily mind you. Don't get the idea that I was assaulted) in ways which made me feel severely odd painful sensations; not the mundane pain of a bruise or a break, but sometimes a traveling pain, a distinct shock sensation or other such unpleasant sensations. I have also seen the more esoteric practices where people can sustain great blows to their testicles with ZERO effect. These same people demonstrate this ability by either tying massive weights, several hundred pounds worth, to their testicles via a piece of cloth, or tying their testicles to the cloth, and having it attached to a car/van/truck/etc and pulling said vehicle forward. I have also been privy to a more esoteric meditational exercise where a practitioner is able to RETRACT their testicles back into their abdomen, taking them out of harm's way entirely. These feats of martial ability range from the mundane to the ridiculous. However, though remarkable in appearance, they are very measurable and natural to explain without resorting to accusations of witchcraft, voodoo, magic potions, or the inclusion of a "Qi" premise (hint... lots and lots of training and hard work!!) And please don't give me the whole "Qi is a completely non-supernatural force" spiel. There is no established science to measure, gauge, or mark the pure effects of Qi.
(Note that I am saying PURE effects... like supposed projection and manipulation of Qi... not the PHYSICAL FEATS attributed to Qi)
The methods of measurements shift from discipline to discipline, and the results obtained are often times proven to be placebo effects. The few times things have come up inconclusive is because the rubric for judging was so vague that the results could not possibly be properly tabulated and explained.
All the amazing feats of strength, endurance and health attributed to the mystical energy is the by-product of regular, disciplined, rigorous, bloody, sweaty, painful training.
There is no magic.
Gung Fu, merit gained through hard work, is not simply an EMPTY TITLE for a set of activities. It is a description for HOW TO obtain the skills.
I will grant this much for Qi. It is a good visualization technique. The concept gives a certain illustrative element to explanations, and a point of focus for ruminations. When I give pointers or am asked to teach, depending on the circumstances, I sometimes sparingly use the term. I am always careful to say that I myself am not a proponent of the concept. I only use it to guide during certain exercises. TCMA, being such a culturally specific thing, sometimes requires culturally specific explanations as a short cut explanation. If it so happens that people DO believe the concept, then by all means go ahead. My purpose for spreading and teaching TCMA is as much to keep the culture alive as it is to open the eyes of people to the martial ability of TCMA.
There is no proper way to end this DISCLAIMER, so I will say this: As mentioned earlier, I am open to the possibility of being shown wrong. If science one day comes out conclusively
(by conclusive,I understand that there will always be individuals contrary to scientific facts i.e. moon landing disbelievers, creation 'scientists' etc)
saying that they have managed to markedly demonstrated the presence of Qi, then I of course will study the materials for myself and re-draw my conclusion then. But until that time,
I stand a firm and ardent sceptic of this culturally rich, but scientifically indefensible, phenomenon.
Train Hard. Talk Less.
~Thunder Palms
Interesting disclaimer, but having no evidence of something does not imply that it does not exist. Science is always discovering things that were not thought to have been previously possible. Science is only recently discovering the power that the mind holds over physical trauma, and general health, whereas it has been an understanding in other cultures for ages.
ReplyDeleteScience has it's uses, but cannot be applied everywhere, just like there is no sufficient biological explanation for the phenomenon of morality in consciousness without involving religion.
Personally, I do not much care for the debate over qi. If it exists, then it does, if not, then it does not. Regardless, as you have stated, it is a handy tool for explaining martial movement and practice connecting body and mind/intent.
Several points:
ReplyDeleteI understand that lack of evidence does not denote non-existence. That's precisely why I mentioned that if it is discovered in the future, and established as a provable entity, then it merits re-evaluating for everyone.
A person can believe many things to be true, but if there is no explanation/solid near irrefutable proof for that belief, then it amounts to very little. Knowledge is only knowledge if it has the potential to be grasped universally. Math is valuable because it is a set of laws and tools which can be applied universally and can be seen in action universally. Belief in the Easter Bunny is... well... not.
And final note. Just because Science HAS NOT explained something does not mean science CANNOT explain something. Very strong difference. There are lots of things Science has yet to explain, many hypotheticals floating in the air waiting to be proven. The thing that's going for Science despite the many questions in the air is the fact that they approach things in a very systematic, controlled, and, though sometimes painstakingly so, thorough way.
But yes... I approve of it as an analogy. Analogies are very useful teaching tools.
Thanks for reading
Indeed. What I meant is that science cannot explain everything at any given point in time. Given time, naturally, science aims to understand everything. That said, the scope of our current understanding and ability to understand is severely limited.
ReplyDeleteThis is your blog about TCMA, so I won't further tarnish it with peripheral discussions on philosophy and sociology beyond this post (I would rather just send you a message to discuss it). I come from a different strain of thought than you, and I find it enriching to hear your views. I would contend that science attempts to put ALL things in a materialist perspective, hence the literalizing (not a word.. yet) of the Old Testament and the atheist notion that God* does not exist because the God cannot be quantifiably explained. It is in THAT sense I say science cannot explain everything. It is selling Science short to say it is merely systematic and controlled, since at the upper echelons of most scientific disciplines, it really becomes more an art than a science.
Science excels are figuring out material things, but it cannot be universally applied. In TCMA there are many concepts which can be explained via pure methodical science, but the philosophical (and indeed, spiritual) teachings that come with an art are just as important in understanding it.
Students of the Chan Hon Chung 陳漢宗 gymnasium were forced to take an oath of pure intent before being taught, meaning they would not misuse the lessons they were taught. Liberalism, science, and the free market have a tendency to be reductionist and end up "murder[ing] to dissect" as the poem goes.
This is a wonderful blog, and I hope you keep it up! It is a very healthy read for all martial artists and those interested in martial arts!
*God really is an inappropriate term, since no one has any idea which "God" one is talking about. Indeed, the Christian God is supremely different from the Jewish God, from the Hindu "God", etc
"This is a wonderful blog, and I hope you keep it up! It is a very healthy read for all martial artists and those interested in martial arts!"
ReplyDeleteTell all your friends about me then (kidding. Salesman tactics are pretty low... especially for a casual blog like this).
I agree that Science threatens to be a Reductionist in all things. Only time will tell if that approach is correct. There is a certain beauty which people tend to attribute to something more ephemeral than what science can currently explain. It is that beauty which people do not want to see destroyed by the encroachment of science in what they think to be hallowed or 'special'. Not saying anyone is right or wrong in this. As I mentioned, only time will tell. As one of my favourite philosophers says, and I paraphrase of course, Science runs the danger of breaking the spell. Some spells should be broken i.e. cults, charlatans that take advantage of the poor and desperate etc. But sometimes people look at science as an audience in a magic show might treat an unruly and selfish individual who keeps on trying to shout out the secret to how the trick is done. Sometimes people just want to be fooled, such as in the case of Las Vegas Magic Shows. Careful examination, and the people who conduct said examinations, tread a fine line of informing and ruining. But there is an argument which states that if it was a lie to begin with, ruining the lie will allow for greater progress. Ah well... time.
And feel free to hijack away. Comments are meant for exactly that. So long as they maintain the perspective of the piece the comment is for, then it is completely appropriate. This post was about my hesitance to believe in the non-quantifiable or non-deducible. So your comments related to such things are obviously welcomed.
Thanks for reading.
My point was not to undermine the value of dispelling illusions, but rather that science can sometimes see illusions where there are none. It's more a matter of murdering to dissect. Sure, dissection can teach us a lot, but sometimes to understand something, you need to observe it in its complete and intact form. Western languages do not have the vocabulary to appropriately address Eastern values, which is why you have people thinking that Hinduism is polytheistic, and that Buddhists pray to Buddha as a "God". In an analytical way (which is what science is), the West tries to reduce and translate things which cannot be translated, because we do not have a common basis for understanding. An atheist trying to tell a jew that there is no supreme being beyond the clouds would be met with blank stares, because no part of that was ever a Jewish argument to begin with, which is why there are so many jews who also classify as agnostic/atheist whatever.
ReplyDeleteIt is with this approach that my sifu taught me (Hung Gar). He uses qi to explain intent, focus , and movement in the body, but leaves mysticism out of it, only mentioning it to give me context and proper understanding (that's rare, though). Personally, the jury is out on qi for me. I don't have any need to bother with it, so I just leave it be. It IS annoying, however, to hear people blathering about qi blasts etc haha
I guess the question will arise if and when I study Hung Gar's iron wire. There is a lot to Hung Gar I do not understand, and iron wire appears to be heavily inundated with talk of qi. My sifu briefly touched on it, talking about vibrations, flow, tension variances, and tendons. I wonder how much can only be explained with "qi", though....