Friday, July 22, 2016

Excerpt from Important Explanations for the Accomplishment of the Thirteen Postures (十三勢行功要解) by Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄)

收即是放,放即是收,斷而復連.

武禹襄
"To collect is to release, to release is to collect; join snap and return (to the original state)."

By Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄), based on the translation by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu & Li Styles (太極拳武李氏先哲秘要) and various translations on the internet.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Excerpt from Report of Liú Qílán (劉奇蘭) Sayings (述劉奇蘭先生言) in Boxing Concepts Explained Authentically (拳意述真)

三則

道藝之用者。心中空空洞洞。不勉而中。不思而得。從容中道。而時出之。拳無拳。意無意。無意之中。是真意。心無其心心空也。身無其身身空也。古人云。所謂空而不空。不空而空。是謂真空。雖空乃至實至誠也。忽然有敵人來擊。心中並非有意打他。無意即無火也隨彼意而應之拳經云。靜為本體。動為作用。即是寂然不動。感而遂通。無可無不可也。此是養靈根而靜心者所用之法也。夫練拳至無。拳無意之境。乃能與太虛同體。故用之奥妙而不可測然能至是者鮮矣。。

郭雲深
"The function of the Daoist arts is to empty the mind within. When there is no effort, there is centering. When there is no expectation, there is obtaining. Follow the easy balanced way and the moment will emerge. [It says in the Boxing Classics:] “The boxing is without boxing. The intention is without intention. Within no intention is true intention.”
The mind is without mind, for the mind is empty. The body is without body, for the body is empty. An ancient man [Kumarajiva in his commentary to the Diamond Sutra] described this as: “Empty but not empty, not empty but empty – this is known as true emptiness.” Even though you are empty, you thereby achieve perfect genuineness and sincerity. Suddenly an opponent attacks you, but within your mind there is no intention of striking him (no intention meaning no anger), and you follow his intention along and respond to it. It says in the Boxing Classics: “Stillness is the fundamental form. In movement lies the function.” By being silent and still, then upon sensing anything, you connect with it, and everything you do will be right. This is the method of “nurturing your virtue by bestilling your mind”.
When you have drilled the boxing to the point of nothingness, then you have in the boxing the condition of no intention, and then you can be one with the “grand emptiness” [the universe in its essence]. Thus you will act with such subtlety that you cannot be fathomed, and you will then have become a rare one indeed."

Excerpt from the translation by Paul Brennan, to be found in the Brennan Translation blog.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Trouble The Water To Catch The Fish (混水摸魚 ) from the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六計)

混水摸魚

乘其陰亂,利其弱而無主。隨,以向晦入宴息。
"Before engaging your enemy's forces create confusion to weaken his perception and judgment. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. A distracted enemy is thus more vulnerable."

Quoted from Chinese Classics and Translations

Friday, July 8, 2016

Excerpt from Important Explanations for the Accomplishment of the Thirteen Postures (十三勢行功要解) by Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄)

力由脊發,步隨身換.

武禹襄
"Power is emitted from the spine; steps follow the transformations of the body."

By Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄), based on the translation by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu & Li Styles (太極拳武李氏先哲秘要) and various translations on the internet.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Fire Above, Water below; Water is heavy, Fire is light. (火上水下,水重火輕) from The Real Theory of Baguazhang (八卦掌真理篇) by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵)

火上水下,水重火輕

心在上屬火,腎在下屬水,所謂「心火腎水」,也就是前面所說實腹暢胸的心要虛,腹要實的意義。

薑容樵
"The heart above corresponds to fire, the kidneys below correspond to water. Thus the phrase “Heart of fire, kidney of water” above says that the substantial abdomen and the empty chest are the sense of the empty heart and solid abdomen."

From the book Bāguàzhăng Practice Method (八卦掌練習法), by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵), based on the translation by Joseph Crandall

Friday, June 24, 2016

Excerpt from Important Explanations for the Accomplishment of the Thirteen Postures (十三勢行功要解) by Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄)

曲中求直,蓄而後發.

武禹襄
"Look for the straight within the curved, accumulate then emit."

By Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄), based on the translation by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu & Li Styles (太極拳武李氏先哲秘要) and various translations on the internet.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Excerpt from Important Explanations for the Accomplishment of the Thirteen Postures (十三勢行功要解) by Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄)

蓄勁如張弓,發勁如放箭.

武禹襄
"Accumulate Jin like drawing a bow, emit Jin like releasing an arrow."

By Wǔ Yǔxiāng (武禹襄), based on the translation by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu & Li Styles (太極拳武李氏先哲秘要) and various translations on the internet.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Excerpt from Report of Liú Qílán (劉奇蘭) Sayings (述劉奇蘭先生言) in Boxing Concepts Explained Authentically (拳意述真)

二則

形意拳經云。養靈根而靜心者。修道也。固靈根而動心者。敵將也。敵將之用者。起如鋼銼。落如鈎竿。起似伏龍登天。落如霹雷擊地。起無形。落無踪。起意好似捲地風。束身而起。長身而落。起如箭。落如風。追風趕月不放鬆。起如風。落如箭。打倒還嫌慢。打人如走路。看人如蒿草。胆上如風嚮。起落似箭鑽遇敵要取勝。四稍具要齊。是內外誠實如一也。進步不勝。必有胆寒之心也。此是固靈根而動心者。敵將所用之法也。

郭雲深
"It says in the Xingyi Boxing Classics: “To nurture your virtue by bestilling your mind is a matter of cultivating the Way. To solidify your virtue by rousing your mind is a matter of dealing with opponents.”
As for how to deal with opponents: “Lift like a steel file. Drop like a hooking pole… Lift like a hidden dragon climbing to the sky. Drop like a thunderbolt striking the ground. Lift without a shape. Drop without a trace… Send your intention out like wind rolling over the ground… Bind your torso when lifting. Hide your torso when dropping. Lift like an arrow and drop like the wind. Chase the wind and pursue the moon without letting up. Lift like the wind and drop like an arrow. Knock him down, bewaring of being too slow… Fight opponents as if you are taking a stroll, looking upon them as if they are but weeds. Your courage rises like the wind whipping up. Lift and drop as if arrows are drilling in. When encountering an opponent, you should seek to win, and so your limbs should all work in unison.”
Now inside and outside are truly as one, and “if you advance and lose, it must be that you lost your nerve.” This is the method of “solidifying your virtue by rousing your mind” in order to deal with opponents."

Excerpt from the translation by Paul Brennan, to be found in the Brennan Translation blog.