Smoky Mountain YSB Study Group Information

LION SYSTEM FOUNDATION PRACTICES

Dr. Xie Peiqi’s comments on the YSB Qian/Lion System Foundation Practices

Transcribed by Rand Cardwell

Note: This article is provided to YSB students in an effort to promote a greater understanding of the Foundation Practices of the YSB Lion System. This is a transcription of the YSB Lion System DVD series available through the Association of Traditional Studies. Any errors are my own.                      

Dr. Xie Peiqi: We have put together this tape to share the Qian Trigram Lion System basic training practices of Yin Style Bagua. In the Lion System Sweeping Strike video we talk about the governing principles of bagua in the Qian Trigram Lion System. Without these governing principles, then there is no true roundness or no true squareness. Thus, when there are rules and principles, then there can be roundness and squareness. This is what bagua addresses as the theory of the art and mathematics of the square and the round. It is one of the most important topics in the Book of Changes [I-Ching].

If you want to practice your skills well, to make them solid, then you must practice basic training techniques. Among the basic training techniques are foundation practices and among the foundation practices is The Golden Dan Has Its Roots in 100 Days. This includes the basic requirements for developing essences, qi and spirit.

The first thing we do is practice essences, so they become qi. If the essences are not full, then they will not change into qi. This refers to Post-heaven, or Pre-Natal, Qi, which is qi derived from essences becoming qi, hence the name of the practice.

Then there is practicing qi to nourish the spirit. When the essences and qi are full in the person, then the spirit is naturally robust. The spirit, when practiced to a high level, can then return to the void. It is at this point that we call it Reversing Aging and Returning to Youth. Preventing the debilitation of age and not easily aging; to continue to be independent and active. This is practiced in the spirit to return to the void. These are the basic practices. Once they have moved on in the Foundation Practices, they increase qi, strength and force of a person. When a person has increased and full qi, strength and spirit, then they have great endurance, great patience, and a strong constitution. When this is true, then rather it be an intensive practice or in competitions of fighting, one doesn’t easily break a tremendous sweat or suffer from a great lack of breath. At this point, one can develop Not Differentiating Between Cold and Heat. One does not catch cold in the winter when wearing thin clothes. Nor suffer heats stroke in the summer when wearing thick clothes. This is achieving Not Differentiating Between Cold and Heat.

From the Foundation Practices we can arrive at the Taoist concept of 100 Days to Obtain Roots or a foundation. Those that achieve this no longer simply have three items, but instead they have four.

• Essences
• Qi
• Spirit
• Mind

The heart creates the mind. The mind creates the character and the character creates one’s feelings. This allows one to see people, emotions, situations and things in a clear light, to be able to clearly judge a persons sentiment. It is at this time that one does not age easily and the curing of illness, existing illness and the immune systems abilities are strengthened and contained in one’s practices.

In fighting, be it attacking or defending, Chinese martial arts talks about rising, shifting, falling, reversing, advancing, retreating, and defense preparations. It doesn’t matter what style someone practices, as long as it is a Chinese martial art it shouldn’t leave the concepts of rising, shifting, falling, reversing, advancing, retreating, and defense preparations. These concepts are in Sun Tzu’s Art of War. For example, in the Lion System Sweeping Strike, it often reverses from sweep to sweep. [demo] Cutting has rising and falling. [demo] Understanding this grantees your effectiveness in fighting. This should provide an outline for understanding basic practices, foundation skills, and developing abilities.

In Chinese martial arts there are Chinese people who call it Gong Fu. “Do you have Gong Fu?” they might say. Outside of China, among foreigners, some call Chinese martial arts Gong Fu, or Chinese Gong Fu. But what is Gong Fu? Most people aren’t that clear. Gong Fu includes two concepts. One is time, as if one has practiced for a long or short period of time. The other is environment. Environment is the opportunities provided by the climate. By climate we mean the mountains, the forest, or the coast. If you are in a very good environment, in a good climate of good air without any pollution, you will derive much more from the practices. When practicing, you must give it an amount of time. It is these two things, time and environment, that make-up Gong Fu. If you have developed greatly from your time and environment, then that can be described as having Gong Fu. For example, in the most basic of practices, which are the Strengthening exercises, the standing postures of the Lion, from Lion Open Its Mouth, to Holding the Ball, Rolling the Ball, Playing with the Ball, and the Sweeping, Cutting, Chopping, Hooking, Shocking, Blocking, Seizing and Grasping stances, one should work to holding them for more than 3 to 5 minutes. It is only at this time, when you take in qi, be in contact with qi, store qi, gather qi, and close in qi. It is only when you have these abilities can you move qi and fill the three dan tiens.

When qi is full in the lower Dai Tien, then the essences are created. When the qi of the middle Dan Tien is full, the qi is created. When the qi is full in the upper Dan Tien, then the spirit is nourished. This is when there is always a surplus of spirit, which is a result of the essences, qi and spirit being full. If you only practice each exercise for half a minute you won’t have these results. It is not enough to create Gong Fu, or your Gong Fu will not be enough.

Let us speech of the opposite, if you put in too much time practicing. At 3 to 5 minutes of good practice per exercise you will have spent just the right amount of your energy and grasp the perfect balance. If you practice just one exercise for an hour, you wil have gone too far. In going too far, you will suffer from tepidness and stiffness. In going too far, you will cause the opposite effect and suffer fatigue. When suffering fatigue, you will not achieve filling the essences, qi, and spirit. In fact, you will have the opposite effect and harm the essences, qi, and spirit. What is this called? It is called injuries due to the practice.

One must master practicing just the right amount of time to derive the most benefit. This is then called true Gong Fu. Gong Fu does not come in one day. Why did the Taoist say 100 Days to Create the basis of Gong Fu? Because, without the basis of work, you cannot begin to get Gong Fu. Today, we have a spreading of two to three day Gong Fu. Or three or five day Gong Fu. Or two week Gong Fu. There are even qigong teachers that call themselves greatly evolved after a week of Gong Fu. There are so many charlatans and fakes out there. We do not have these kinds of teachings in Yin Style Bagua. You must be very honest with yourself. Clearly see yourself and practice Gong Fu and thus achieve some real Gong Fu. Do not think on gender. Do not think on youth or old age. There is a common expression in Chinese, which is;

Good practice derives good benefits. Poor practice derives poor benefits. Not practicing derives no benefits.

If you practice correctly, then certainly there will be benefits. When teaching in the United States, I often stress that no one should lay in class. Then sinking qi in the hands [demo], which is also a basic practice, as long as the posture is correct, you will find the sensation. If your posture and movements are incorrect, then you won’t find it. [demo] If you are like this, of course, you won’t. You must use the governing principles in your stance and movements and then you will find the sensation of qi. If you didn’t find it and are embarrassed to say so, instead of pretending that you did, then you are only cheating yourself and that is fake Gong Fu. When there is fake Gong Fu, you can not obtain true Gong Fu.

I hope everyone practices studiously, so that you can put Gong Fu into your own selves, as that is when you will live year after year happily and remain healthy. Only health provides the greatest of happiness. My country now has many long-lived people, but they do not get up out of their beds. They cannot because they are unfortunate to be 70, 80, or 90 and not independent. For instance, yesterday I went and climbed to the top of the Great East Mountain outside of the city. I hope that everyone will reflect on the fullness of my essences, qi and spirit. I am 78 this year and do not need to be helped up a mountain by anyone. You must realize that as long as there is good practice there will be good benefits.

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