Magic, The Force, Chi and Religion

When I first heard of Chi and Kung Fu as a child, it was almost explained to me that I would never understand Chi or the true meaning of Kung Fu because I was an American. Yes I am half Chinese, but basically that's what a lot of older Chinese people explained to me when I was a child... even though they didn't even practice Kung Fu. There Kung Fu was from the movies, from TVB series.

Not even from documentaries but really from the Wuxia culture. 

I started to think, "Yeah I don't understand it" like it's magic that really can make you fly.

Now before you think I am going to be one of these BJJ or Krav Maga or whatever type of MMA modern martial artists that go off on the traditional as being ridiculous... I am not.

Conversely, if you think I am one of these super cultural appropriating white guys that is all about following the TRUE way and dressing up as in Kuomintang era clothes (they were really only in style for about two decades) I am also not that. 

But doing the Chinatown Blog and also reading more about Chi and Kung Fu and talking to more people, I am coming across all sorts of opinions and beliefs. Basically I used t think people that believed in the magical aspect as crazy, but I am starting to understand that there is actually a strong Orthodox belief in Chi as the Force and even going farther than Jedi powers.. out there. It isn't a misunderstanding. A lot of Taoism does belief in this as a non-metaphorical theory. 

And btw, that isn't crazier than monotheism. It's just that I never really thought of chi that way... so openly. I mean when I first started I guess I believed in stuff but my Sifu was very grounded in the way he approached Chi.. there were some beliefs which he held, but did not talk about (belief in Fu and that Qi Gong could bring cleanse your soul) because he didn't believe in them as say... Science. He didn't have the answers for that.

There was some kind of Chi War that happened in my school that started before I got there and later on I was part of it too because and it had to do with shaking. Basically the argument was about whether this shaking was real or fake and what was causing it. 

I think the main issue came from some people feeling this shaking much faster than others, and a misinterpretation of what the hell it was. Basically, I shake, and I can control this shake. Can I use it? Yes, I can use it to strike. Some people can use it to protect themselves. I can use it in that capacity as well but I am not very impressive at it. However when talking with people, telling a story about some street experiences I had and how you could apply this shaking for self defense, some lay people mentioned that they found may close quarter striking impressive. Actually I didn't mention chi at all. And yes you can develop close quarter striking simply by practicing that move, but I feel that when you use the shaking aspect of the chi to do a technique, it's just easier. Now it's not like this means I can throw Hadokans. But I do think there is some relation to people who have "crazy" strength... like when they are insane. Or even the extremely elderly. One friend once told me that her great grandmother dropped her with a quick and short motion to the gut. She collapsed Her great grandmother did not do Chi Gung or Kung Fu and was infirm. Me friend was feeding her with a spoon. My friend doesn't believe in any of the Kung Fu stuff at all I don't think, I was learning something from HER listening to the story. She was just talking about old people strength matter of factly. 

In any case, there are people who are crazy you really can kill you just by grabbing you or striking you. The "death blow" is a real thing even taking away any sort of training. Someone starving to death or on drugs can deal a death blow. It exists, scientifically it is not a myth. 

Martial Arts is training the techniques. That's real everyone agrees with it. 

But the Chi Gung, that people tend to think of as fake (or if they believe in it they believe in all aspects of it in terms of ability to become immortal etc), is a Yogic practice that I think taps into this ability. At least for me. Even though I can control the shaking.. it is semi-unconscious and not as controlled as a regular movement. In other words I can use it and switch it on, but I can't apply pressure with it slowly (Something that Tai Chi focuses on) So my Chi experience is different from a lot of practices I see out there... and somewhat dangerous when applied in say, sparring. That's why I don't use it in sparring. Not that I become superhuman when applied. But I just don't have the control necessary to absolutely prevent injury. 

Maybe someone, without that Chi, like Mike Tyson can even still strike harder then I can without it. I'm not saying I'm superior. But I do think that A) Mike Tyson uses some sort of Chi that he naturally developed through his methods of training anyway and B) Maybe if he did my method or other internal methods out there he would benefit and strike even harder 

And most important for someone like Mike Tyson C) those internal methods would be helpful to him mentally. 

Well I will talk more about this tomorrow. The main reason I am mentioning it all is I am reading some Taoist Chi Gung book and have been reading more Chi Theory stuff in general and I notice a huge difference in my perspective and the Force perspective. 

I'm meeting more people who both embrace and reject this theory on varying levels.

I used to only follow my way and really only believed in what I saw my Sifu able to do. I mean he mentioned that there were people much better than him but given that I could do what he did, I decided to leave it at that and also, a lot of the people who were supposedly good with Chi seemed not to have strength... or, something that got me into arguments with people who were shaking a lot of learning from me... they had bad form and because of that I thought they were faking.

Quickly before I end, I realized after really focusing on form and really trying to put that shaking chi into each technique I knew that you shake more when you are somewhat out of alignment because the shaking doesn't flow with the technique... and thus you look crazier.

If you can put it neatly into your technique, people can't necessarily even tell you are using that same shaking technique, it just looks like you are hitting hard in a practiced or different way.

But just like a hose being squeezed and going all over the place... if you have more water pressure, it is harder to control, less, and it is easier to control.

So actually my abilities to control "the shaking" waxes and wanes from day to day.

At one point I taught the shaking to children because it really cracked them up and they would just fake the shaking. Some people would say this is irresponsible that children can somehow Jau Fau yup mau.

But I realized in other kids classes they "shake" on purpose to "get your wiggles out"

Jau fau yup mau is real... but sometimes people take it too serious. If you go with the your natural abilities and your body, it won't happen. It's only when you try to force something that that will happen.

Next time I will talk about the difference between My Sifu's approach to the Chi Gung taught in class versus Yoga and the Chi Gung exercises I am reading about... which are pretty cool and fun to do and it seems like EVERY old Chinese person knows some version of this. So it's not like it is really secret.