Grandmaster's Blog

The Wonderful People of the World

2012-01-07T15:34:00.003-05:00

Far too often the news media bring us all the bad news of the world. It would seem this is what draws people's attention. Sadly, their good deeds and works of the good people around this world are highly neglected. As for me, I would like nothing better than to see a news program that brings out the wonderful charitable deeds to so many people around the world.

The news seems to be about sensationalism, rather than emphasizing the good works of so many wonderful people in the world. The hungry, sick, the dying, are neglected, but thank goodness there are those who will make an effort to help these people in every way possible. Their primary objective each day of their life is to bring them some help and relief. It would seem to me, if the news would bring out more of these good deeds of these wonderful people it might set a good example for those who might be of some help to others, and just maybe more would take part in this wonderful and charitable undertaking.

What about those wonderful people who volunteer their time to feed the poor, to aid the sick and dying and to bring comfort to those who were alone in the world? How often do you see newscast highlighting these wonderful people? Sad to say, you might see one report of the charitable work that these people do as compared to numerous negative reporting.

Think of the countless thousands of people, women and children alike who are starving this very moment. Yet here in America we throw away in one day, enough to feed all the hungry people of the world. Think of those who spend a dollar or two for ice cream soda or McDonald's hamburger when that same two dollars could be bring relief to those suffering. Needless to say, living in this world is hard enough as it is, but if we had more giving people we could alleviate a huge amount of problems that persist throughout the world right now. Yes, there is charity wards, and institutions such as the American Red Cross will try their very best to bring relief to those in suffering. But compared to the population of this world, they are few in number.

There are people in this world right now living on his little as a dollar a day. How is one expected to care for and feed a family on this trivial amount of money? Instead of telling the story of these wonderful people who volunteer their services on a daily basis, the news likes to highlight negative news. Needless to say, the news is a powerful medium that can be used to help many people throughout the world, yet because of TV ratings they tend to focus on the negative instead of the positive.

On anyone news broadcast, you would be lucky to see one uplifting news report. The rest is concerned about who's persecuting who, and any other story that might be considered just pure sensationalism. Obviously, we cannot cure all the ills in the world but if people had more of a charitable heart we could save many people from starvation, sickness and death.

Right now we are in an election year, but I think it would be safe to say no matter who is elected as our new president, few things will really change when it comes to helping the poor. Just imagine for a moment, how this world would change in an instant if we all join together to help one another.

They say to make it in the world one needs a good education. But how many can truly afford the tuition and fees to attend a worthwhile college. To the poor and hungry, this is but a dream that will never be fulfilled. We often fail to realize how fortunate we really are simply to have a roof over our head and some food on the table. Far too often, we simply do not appreciate what we have, as compared to those who have nothing.

When I was a child, at dinner time, if I did not clear my plate of every speck of food my father would often remind me by saying," son, do you realize right now some would kill just to get the remaining bits of food on your plate?" I never forgot those words, and even to this day I have never thrown food away.

I have often spoke of the evils of the world, but I feel it is now time for me to speak of those wonderful people who was so giving of themselves to help others. I have come to realize, everyone is my brother and sister under the skin, and I ask you what brother or sister would not help their siblings?

Did you ever wonder for a moment why charities or even instituted? The reason should be obvious, if people didn't organize such charities nothing would be done to help the unfortunate people of the world. It will indeed be a glorious day and bring a smile to the face of God himself, when people start caring more for their brothers and sisters who are in need.

I am a firm believer of that old saying money is the root of all evil. I can recall in the 60s and 70s when communes was started throughout the country. For those who may not be familiar with this concept, a commune was a place where all people worked without the need for money but rather to help one another without financial gain. Sad to say, because of today's society communes are rare indeed, If you can find one at all.

In conclusion, it is my hope and prayer that one day people will realize it's not all about material things. But rather for our society to live in peace and harmony with each other, and wipe out poverty where ever it may exist. It is my hope, the next time you see a person in need do what you can to help. It will be a blessing long remembered in your afterlife. Truly, the act of giving will warm your heart. Whereas, only taking will harden your heart for more materialistic things which will only wither away in time. Remember, there are no pockets in a shroud; you cannot take material things to the grave. However, the one thing you can take to the grave is the knowing you have lived to help others; this I assure you will bring you a sense of peace.

I am not a rich man, nor do I long for riches. My needs are few, simply clothing to keep me warm and food to nourish the body. It really does not take much to make people happy, other than the necessities of life. My final bit of advice, is try giving more and taking less. You would be amazed how good this makes you feel that you have done your part as a human being.

Death

2012-01-05T13:50:00.002-05:00

People do not like to think about death, this is why most cemeteries are built on the outskirts of town. However, the truth of the matter is, in one year 56 million people die. It is not only that we all pass away, the young, the old and children as well. There are certain facts about death that we must come to understand. Death is a part of life, nothing lasts forever, either human beings, or the entire universe will fade away only to be regenerated at another time. Things come into existence and things go out of existence. Why is it that people fear death? I've come to understand, the simple reason for this. We are all disconnected from one another, but one thing all of the human race have in common, is we all feel alone and separate. Whereas, the truth of the matter is there is nothing in the entire universe that is not connected. This means, each individual is connected to the other, and all others are connected to the universe.

I have written a number of blogs on my website voicing my opinion of how science has progressed and coming to understand the nature of life itself. Needless to say only a few answers have been found, and so the mystery remains. Science has a name for this joining of all matter, namely the unified consciousness. It is my firm belief after much study and research that everything is indeed connected. Consciousness itself still remains a mystery to the scientific world. Scientists are still deliberating as to where consciousness comes from. Many scientists still argue that it is part of the brain function while others will argue consciousness is universal and we are all part of this universal consciousness. It is this consciousness that survives the physical death.

There are a number of great scientists who study the workings of the human mind and functions of the brain that have concluded there are microtubules located in the brain that all but receivers of consciousness. The brain is somewhat like a radio, when you are listening to a specific channel on the radio that wavelength exists, and yet there are numerous other wavelengths that are playing at the same time, which we cannot hear, simply because we have not tuned to that channel. By selecting another station, you find another wavelength. You could tear the radio apart bit by bit and never find the announcer. He is simply not there; the radio was nothing but a receiver and transmitter, of wavelengths.

At this point I would ask a profound question, what is life? The answer to this question has yet to be found. Science has progressed tremendously over the years, and now show with the study into quantum physics what we once thought to be true about mathematics has changed dramatically. It would seem this study of quantum physics has shattered the laws of physics the way we know it. Many scientists cannot explain with any certainty the way quantum physics works. Some would even argue the point that quantum physics shows a direct relationship to the mind. Some scientists state the world that we see about us is but an illusion. True or not true, I have no way of knowing. However, if this is true, what we think about death could in fact be totally wrong.

Death itself is not painful. It is only this sicknesses by which people die from which bring pain. In the scientific world today doctors and scientists alike in all fields of study are looking into the phenomena known as near-death experience. This experience is not new and has even been recorded in such ancient writings such as the Bible. Of course, like everything else in the world, there is always the Yin and Yang of things. Some will tell you these experiences of near-death are only a reaction of a dying brain. Whereas, others will tell you the same experiences occur even when the brain is long dead.

The truth of these experiments has yet to be determined scientifically and proven. As for me, with each day of further new study and deep investigation into these matters I tend to believe more and more consciousness survives death. Science will admit we live in a three dimensional world, and counting time would give us a total of a four dimensional world. However, the latest findings are that there is a great possibility that there are in fact are 11 dimensions or more. Therefore, it is possible to say that upon the death of the physical body we merely move into another one of these dimensions.

As science progresses in this research with each new answer that is found, comes another question. No definitive answers have yet to be found. If you search the Internet, you will find numerous conclusions as to what these theories mean to a life after this life. Some may call me a dreamer, and based my conclusions on unproven hypotheses. It seems to me, there is much more to life and death than meets the eye. As our eyes look out into the world, what exactly are we seeing? Science will tell you it is nothing more than a projection from the brain formulating a world that we think is there. Based upon what we have been taught since birth.

I am not a scientist, nor physicist, I am also not as smart as many of these learned men of the world but somehow I feel we all have what is called a soul. I think it's only a matter of time before the truth is revealed to the world. We are all one, sharing the universe together, we are in fact part and parcel of that infinite being known as God. When you say the word God, people tend to picture a man in the sky with a long white beard who controls everything. To me, God represents natural forces of the universe which is highly intelligent and is more likely a membrane or brain that spans the universe. This concept is drawn from a study known as the M theory.

For the reasons mentioned above, I do not fear death, for I firmly believe there is no such thing as death. Death is only a passageway from one dimension of being to another dimension of existence. Do we reincarnate into a new life form? Or do we simply merge back from whence we came? I wish I could give you the answers to these questions, but due to my limited understanding I am not able to do so.

In conclusion, my advice to all those reading this article is to make the effort to study with an open mind. Knowledge is the key to finding answers, or drawing rational conclusions. As for me, each day of study contemplation and meditation brings me closer to my own conclusions. No man's truth can be your truth. You must question and re-question, examine and re-examine only then can you make a decision that will satisfy your curiosity about these matters. I do not believe we are simply born and die and nothing else in between. Nothing appears from nothing, nothing disappears into nothingness, everything is connected and I firmly believe we are part of this ongoing process of creation.

Finally, it is you who must make the final decisions as to what life is and your purpose in living it. To me, we are here for one reason, namely, to discover the truth about whom we are and where we came from and where we are going. This is the greatest undertaking you will ever make, for once you find the truth and have a firm belief in your heart that you have found the answers you seek, death will lose its grip over you forever.

Reality Kung Fu

2011-12-29T17:34:00.004-05:00

Many will come to a martial art school have great expectations enjoining. In many cases many would like to become an instructor of the martial arts. However, few realize how difficult it is to maintain a true martial arts school, especially a traditional school. Finding the proper space, equipping the school with the necessary training equipment, paying for insurance and overhead, and meeting the monthly bills can be a daunting process. For this reason, many traditional schools close for the simple reason they aren't able to meet the expenses needed to maintain the school. Unlike commercial schools, where contracts are employed and high rates are charged to maintain the school survival. Traditional schools, do not utilize contracts, the initial cost for training is low cost as compared to the commercial schools. Money is never the objective of the traditional school, passing the Arts down to the next generation it is a traditional schools primary purpose.

Everything done at a traditional school is based on one's honor. The teacher gives his word to do his very best to train the student to the best of his ability and gives his word, to help the student in every way possible. Because of the low costs involved, it is imperative that a student pay their monthly dues on time so that the teacher may maintain the schools viability, when this does not happen, far too often traditional schools close their doors forever.

A teacher's job is never-ending; we must maintain all forms and techniques so as to be able to pass this on to new incoming students. Forms and techniques is not the way we fight in Street condition, they are only used as a means to learn the way a martial artist would move in various situations. There is no such thing as the ultimate technique or form, that will make one the perfect martial artists. However, there is no other true way to learn the martial arts without the use of these prescribed forms and techniques which teaches a student how to move and utilize various techniques for self-defense purposes.

It should be obvious that in a street condition where self-defense must be employed for one's personal safety nobody can dictate what move or technique you may need to survive the encounter. Traditional forms and techniques are used to train an individual to see opportunity and apply the appropriate technique for that specific moment in time.

Far too often, new students coming into a school have a misguided understanding of what it's going to take to succeed in becoming an expert in the martial arts. Unfortunately new students tend to think that just by learning a martial art, they will never be hit. This could not be further from the truth. Whereas, the truth of the matter is in learning the arts you will more often going to be hit rather than be able to hit your opponent. It takes years of trial and error in applying once techniques to be able to ward off a constant barrage of attacks from an opponent. Only then, will you be hit less often. Far too often, when a new student experiences being hit for the first time they drop away from the school.

To become proficient in the martial arts one must be able to prepare himself or herself for great disappointments. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you will lose. How you deal with winning and losing will play a big part in how proficient you will be in the martial arts. In the old traditional schools of martial arts a student was required to be able to accept a strong hit so as to prepare them self to withstand such an attack and not fall apart, thus enabling them to counterattack.

There is no such thing as one perfect martial arts style, if this was the case we would need no other style of martial art. Many who are not experienced at being hit no matter how good their martial arts skill is, will usually fall apart and lose their self-control thereby causing defeat. A true martial artist is expected to be hit and is able to withstand the shock of being hit so he may counterattack.

Hitting and being hit is part of the training program. Part of the training is to withstand a strong blow to your body; this is accomplished by breath control and not becoming rattled when hit. But rather to maintain one's composure, withstand the strike and counterattack with the appropriate method. This should be evident to newcomers into the art, yet it is not. Ask any heavyweight boxing champion of the world if he has ever been hit and you will find that they will tell you they've been hit more times then they care to remember. It was their ability to withstand blow for blow that enable them to become the champions they are.

Some may recall the famous motion picture entitled Rocky, this motion picture painted a true picture of what a boxer must endure to become a champion. Boxing is a rough sport to say the least and requires years of training and brutal punishment to withstand 15 rounds in the ring. However, there are rules to boxing, which do not exist in a true martial arts encounter. In a boxing championship, there is always a referee present in the ring to see that no illegal blows are thrown. When we are in a street encounter, there are no referees; there are no rules, anything goes, and usually does.

In a street condition is no such thing as a fair fight; anything might be employed in order to win. This includes broken bottles, knives, even guns. It is true, that being proficient in a martial art can and will give you the upper hand for victory and self survival. However, this does not mean that you are untouchable. For this reason, it takes a special kind of person to excel in martial arts training. The very term martial arts refers to military arts, which primary purpose is to win at all costs, which can mean even putting your life at stake during an encounter.

As I have already stated, being hit is part of the learning program, yet many people join a martial arts school thinking the art itself will prevent them from being hit at all. This is far from the truth, as one can get hit more times then you may like. Half of our training is learning how to withstand a strike to any vital point of the human body as well as having no problem in returning the vital blow to one's opponent. If a student to get past this barrier of the fear of being hit then the chances are very good they will be victorious in a street encounter.

In reality the martial arts is the world's dirtiest form of fighting. Anything goes when it comes to self survival. I have had more people drop away from the martial arts training because they had some illusion that knowing martial arts would prevent them from being touched in any way, shape or form. Those who succeed in this art are those who have a realistic view of what combat entails.

In conclusion, I don't say these things to frighten people away from training, but rather to make you aware of what might be expected if you decide to join a traditional school of self-defense. If you join a school knowing these facts, you will have a much better chance of surviving a brutal street attack. It would be a grave error to mistake a traditional martial art school from a commercial school where this kind of contact is limited. The reasons for this are simple to understand. Commercial schools primary purpose is to gather as many students as they can for the purpose of making money. Whereas, a traditional school primary purpose is not the amount of students they gather but rather to teach a method for surviving brutal street, assault.

Finally, it is you who must make the final decision as to what you want from the martial art you are learning. If it is sport, competition and trophy winning then a commercial school will serve your purpose well. On the other hand, if you're looking for street survival techniques you would be better served in a traditional school of martial arts that deals with reality.

The End of Times

2011-12-19T17:44:00.006-05:00

Eversince the dawn of the Neanderthal, mankind has been in mortal combat. Real combat is seldom seen in the movies, or TV, it is simply too graphic to show to the public. The truth of the matter, is warfare is a horrifying sight. First, let me mention that fighting in and of itself is an ugly affair. There is no such thing as a pretty war. Idyllicly it would be a beautiful dream to see brotherly love amongst all mankind, however, this dream is more far-fetched than the one I'm about to speak of, namely self-destruction. The real question is, why do people fight to begin with? I think most can answer this question , namely money, the total lust for power, position, and control of others.

The bulk of our national debt is spent on the tools of war. Billions of dollars of our national budget go towards development of new weapons that have one purpose and one purpose only, namely to destroy life. I think because of the nature of man, it is most unlikely that we will ever see the end of fighting. If fighting is to stop at all, I think this will only happen when we encounter the next nuclear holocaust and we destroy the world completely. Is this possible? I think it should be obvious, it is very possible. It is just a matter of time before some mad man pushes the button to start the beginning of the end of mankind. It is only a matter of time, and circumstance that this will occur.

The only way to prevent the total annihilation of all human kind, is a total ban of all nuclear weapons, which I doubt I will ever see in my lifetime or my children's lifetime. All it takes is one madman to start the beginning of the end. I would think most would agree we have plenty of those madman in the world today. To me it is more shocking that it has not already occurred. Most are unaware that we came within minutes of a nuclear disaster at the time of John F. Kennedy. This occurred when the United States put up a naval blockade against Russian ships to deliver nuclear devices to Cuba. It was a standoff, I will never forget, for I was part of that engagement. This was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, which Cuba was building military sites which would enable them to launch nuclear missiles at the United States. It was a frightening affair that will always stay embedded in my memory.

It would be a wonderful thought to think mankind will be around for a long long time. But I am not that naïve to think that this could be true. As smart as mankind is, we are equally that dumb. If a natural disaster such as an earthquake, global warming, meteor strike to the earth, or some other natural disaster doesn't finish us off, I'm sure, mankind will destroy itself.

In my opinion, it is only a fanciful dream that all of mankind will someday unite as brothers and sisters in this world. The reason for this, is that mankind's frailties will always prevail namely, greed, hatred and power. In my humble opinion, total world enlightenment is highly unlikely. Even the Bible predicts an end to mankind known as Armageddon. It would appear that even God himself does not think man has a chance to discover peace on earth.

None of this is to say that there are not any good people in the world, for the truth of the matter is there are numerous amounts of people who feel the way I feel. But because of mankind's frailties the end of times is inevitable, it is only a matter of when.

If you're an avid news observer, I believe it's quite obvious to see all the violence that is occurring in the world around us. People against people, state against state, country against country, the list of violence goes on and on. I can't recall in my entire life when I ever watch the news where I did not see violence of some sort going on in the world. There have been many predictions about the end of the world, they come and they go and some will tell you this is been going on since the beginning of recorded history. This is true, but the odds of any one of these predictions coming true is highly favorable in today's tense world. Each year another country attains nuclear weapons, they are not decreasing in number,rather, they are increasing in number. All it will take is for one country to push the first button, this will start the chain reaction that will ensure total worldly annihilation. It is idyllic to think that all of mankind will discover brotherly love before we destroy ourselves completely.

I am not one to stand on a corner with a sign saying the end of the world is near, but I think the facts speak for themselves, with all the tension we have in the world at this very moment. Nothing lasts forever, and if nature itself doesn't destroy this world, I firmly believe mankind will do the job for mother nature by total self annihilation.

In conclusion, would it be fair for me to say that there is no hope at all for mankind? I won't say this, for there is always hope. But it is my humble opinion this would entail a miracle of some sort. All those who agree with me, can only hope and pray for such a miracle. If mankind can wake up in time, we in fact have the abilities to create a wonderful future for all of humanity. Just maybe, mankind will wake up in time, before we have to pay the ultimate price.

How the Martial Arts Came to the United States

2011-12-08T18:39:00.003-05:00

It was during the Japanese-American war that our American soldiers ran up against an enemy that surprised them completely by their fighting prowess. The Asian people due to their genetics are generally much smaller than the American who tend to be bigger, taller and heavier in weight. However, when Americans came face to face in close quarter combat with the smaller Japanese soldier, they found his fighting skills to be superb. In many cases, the larger built and stronger American soldier fell to the fighting tactics of the smaller Japanese soldier. This was his country's first encounter with the so-called martial art called Karate, and anotherr art form known as judo. The very nature of the system of karate is to enable this smaller, weaker individual to overcome the larger, stronger individual. This is accomplished, by use of sophisticated techniques and the ability to hit vital areas of the human body.

It wasn't until the end of the war that many Americans who stayed in Japan learned this art and brought it back to the United States. Today our own armed forces are trained in the use of hand-to-hand combat using many of these methods. Up until this time these Asian fighting arts were not known in the United States, and one of the first to introduce these arts was a man named Bruce Tegner, who wrote a series of small books displaying the arts of judo and karate.

Without getting into sophisticated anatomical weaknesses of the human body, it is safe to say that there are many points that cannot be developed to withstand certain strikes employed by the martial arts. To name a few, the eyes, throat, the brain stem, the solo plexus, the groin, the kidneys, and the bladder. There was once a book written called "the medical implications of martial arts blows." This book was written by a doctor who described the damage that could be employed by use of the strikes to these vulnerable areas of the human body. The result of hitting some of these areas could range from complete blackout, blindness, extreme pain and even death.

Because of the effectiveness of the strikes, it was of little consequence how big your opponent might be. With proper training, the smaller person could overcome the larger. What is needed to be proficient in these arts is muscle memory training so that you move instinctively, and with precision to hit the point. Of course, speed helps, but with proper muscle memory training. Speed is naturally increased. As for physical power, much less is needed due to the vulnerability of these target areas. It is said, that 12 pounds of snapping power can break almost any bone on the human body. If you were to pick up a bathroom scale, and squeeze it with all your strength, you would see this scale register very little. However, if you take the scale and making quick snapping motion with your hand, you will see this scale jump significantly. Even a child can learn to break a piece of wood 1 to 2 inches in thickness through the use of these techniques. This is more than sufficient power to take down the strongest individual.

Of course, learning the martial arts, does not come easy. It does take years of practice and dedication and the ability to endure the hard workouts necessary to train both the body and mind. Each individual is different and how fast they will develop sufficient skills to defend themselves in a brutal street attack. In reality, there is no one art or one technique that in itself is sufficient to defend yourself in all situations. The ways we can be attacked are too numerous to list. Therefore, it takes years of practice in a multitude of techniques that must be learned and developed to their perfection. You must have no fear of hitting or being hit, as well as having no reservations to employ these techniques for your personal safety, as this is the very nature of fighting. No matter how good of a fighter, you may be, if you cannot take a blow, no matter how good your skills are you will lose. Therefore, we naturally train to strike other people, but we also learned how to deal with being hit ourselves and not falling apart.

In conclusion, we must always keep in mind there is no such thing as a fair fight. There's no such thing as dirty fighting or even illegal blows. Someone who attacks you in the streets has no qualms of using anything necessary to overcome you, therefore, you must be willing to go to any measures if you wish to survive a street attack. What you see on television, in fight scenes is pure fiction. Real fighting in the streets can be vicious and brutal. Keeping this in mind, you must always train as if it was the real thing. Fighting for survival is not a sport, it's real. And if you are unwilling to do what is necessary to protect yourself, you just might be the next victim of a vicious attack, which could mean the cost of your life. The martial arts presents us with a chance to survive street attack, but how well it works depends on how hard you work to attain it.

The Start of New York Tournaments

2011-12-06T17:36:00.004-05:00

The difference between traditional martial arts schools and commercial schools is great. Some would ask when were commercial schools introduced into this country? And what is the difference between these two types of martial arts training schools?
When I first began my martial arts training, little or nothing was known about the martial arts in the United States. The only reason I discovered it, was because I was born and raised in lower New York City along what is known as the New York Bowery or the beginning of the Chinatown area. My reason for searching out martial arts was because when I was very young at the age of nine, I was severely beaten up, and was on the verge of losing my life without medical intervention. After many months of recovery, it was some Chinese friends that I had come to know in Chinatown that advised me I should learn how to defend myself better to survive in the rough New York streets.

I will bypass my training years here, and move ahead to the time the martial arts was first exposed to New Yorkers. This story is going back and arose about the 1960s, in New York City. There was a few great promoters of the martial arts at that time, namely a man called Aaron Banks, Edward Parker and Gary Alexander. Banks was from the New York City area and ran a school known as the New York Karate Academy in midtown New York. Master Edward Parker, was located on the West Coast in the California area. The two had decided to run a huge tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The name of this tournament was called the East Coast versus West Coast. Every known school of the martial arts was notified on both the East and West Coast to attend this competition. By that time the martial arts have spread somewhat in both the East and West Coast and I would venture to say at least 2000 contested showed up at the front door ready to fight. Most everyone who attended were shocked to see the amount of martial artists all in one place. We all felt this was going to be proven as one of the best fights and martial arts histories in New York City.

Needless to say, once the fighting began it was furiously hard and devastatingly brutal. Both the East Coast and West Coast were out to prove who had the best martial arts. At that particular time in martial arts history, there were no rules per se, other than the rules that came from the Orient which stated there were no rules other then to get the knock out winning blow. This meant you stepped into the ring, with no protection whatsoever, because that's the way we were taught we would fight in a street condition. No cups, no mouthpieces, Just two hands and two feet and a eagerness to win was all you enter the ring with.

As the fights progressed the physical damage increased. Contestants incurred injuries ranging from shattered teeth, ears pulled off, bones broken, and in a few cases, almost blindness. By the time the fights had ended many ended up in the hospital. It was so brutal that at one point, the New York Police Department was called after the tournament had completed because they thought they would be a major riot going on in the streets.

Because of this brutal melee that had occurred at Madison Square Garden, New York City voiced its opinion that such competition would not be permitted. It was so violent New York City would not allow this type of tournamants to go forward, as they beleived such fights were a danger to human life. . New York City wanted a set of strict rules and regulations had to be put in place before any other tournament would be allowed. This was to ensure that such brutality would not occur again. If this demand was not met, it was decided that martial arts tournaments such as this would not be permitted again in city limits.

Some months later, I was informed that a governing body would be organized known as the I.C.M.A., which stands for the international convention of the martial arts would be organized. This meeting was held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The top names in the martial arts were invited to attend this meeting to establish a set of rules that would safeguard the martial arts tournaments to continue within the city limits. Attending this meeting were the top names in the martial arts, some of which you may recognize as, Chuck Norris, Joe Louis, Gary Alexander, Alan Lee, and myself, which represented Westchester County.

After a great deal of deliberation and haggling back and forth as to what we would permit and not permit in tournament fighting, we came up with a set of rules. Only light contact to the face would be permitted and groin strikes, throat strikes, spine strikes and kidney strikes would be forbidden. Forceful body blows would be permitted to the midsection to declare a clear-cut hit. Once the city was notified that we had a set of firm rules in place, only then did they permit the martial arts organizations to compete with one another in martial arts tournaments. And so started numerous martial arts tournaments to be organized and run within New York City. However, even with all the safeguards we put in place, still many injuries resulted, as old habits of training die hard, which meant many still went all out to win and to hell with the rules. It took many years of refining the rules and enforcing them that helped prevent serious injury within the ring.

Today, tournaments are run with much more safeguards in place, such as, mouthpieces, groin protectors, and body armor. This was a far cry from the old way martial arts tournaments have been run through the centuries. However, tournament promoters were fearful of occurring hugh lawsuits for bodily injury, so heavy contact became a thing of the past. Because of these changes in approach, many martial art schools that opened in the tri-state area would limit the amount of excessive contact. Point fighting, which meant , just come close but no contact is made to the individual was commonplace. The only schools that followed the old ways of full contact became known as traditional schools. Fighting contests within the school resorted back to the old traditions, just two hands, two feet and win no matter what.

Today, it is extremely difficult to find a traditional school, most have been replaced by commercial schools which do relatively no contact fighting at all. If competition fighting was allowed at all, the individual had to be heavily protected so no bodily damage would occur. The real useful street techniques that would stop an attacker in the streets were forbidden. Needless to say it is these very techniques are the ones that can protect oneself in a brutal attack on the streets. These target area's were forbidden in commercial schools, even though these still remain your best bet to survive a street attack. Area's, such as the groin, throat, eyes, kidney, bladder were no longer taught as primary targets.. Commercial schools forbid attacking these vital areas which completely waters down the arts effectiveness in real street fighting conditions.

Some of the other differences between a commercial school and a traditional school are mainly associated with money. Traditional schools rarely charge for much of anything other than one monthly fee to attend the school. There were no contracts, your word was your bond. There was no such thing as children's classes, only adults and usually they consisted of males only because of the extreme training involved. Techniques were taught the way they have been for centuries. This meant strikes were permitted to the vital areas of the human body, namely throat groin and even the eyes to some extent. Anything that was effective to bring down an attacker in the streets was taught. Many of the old traditional schools went by the wayside because Masters no longer wanted to teach a watered down art. Commercial schools grew in number, offering children's classes, children's birthday parties, and only tournament point fighting where vulnerable areas of the human body were forbidden to hit. Even in what is called cage fighting today which is considered extreme fighting, the vital areas of the body such as the growing eyes and throat are forbidden.

You must keep in mind that the martial arts was taught for strictly for life or death situations. It was never considered a sport, but rather a tool to protect oneself from brutal street attack. The streetfighter has no rules whatsoever, they will do anything to attain the upper hand in a street fight. Street fighters have no qualms in using knives, guns, broken glass, or anything at his disposal to win. Traditional schools, realize these facts of street survival and also would use anything available to defend oneself as well as attack primary areas to survive. Sadly, traditional schools are shying away from the original methods of self-defense. Commercial schools would rarely teach these methods for defense, thereby making there techniques less effective in real life. And yet commercial schools today outnumber traditional schools fifty to one.
It became so difficult to find a traditional tournament in the United States that at one point in my life, I decided to travel to Taiwan where I could compete in an old-style traditional tournament. Tournaments in Taiwan are under the control of the Taiwan government, and fought in the traditional way. There was no protection, in fact, you had to sign a waiver that if you were killed in the tournament, the government would not be held responsible. The ways of the warrior has gone by the wayside in this country, and i am sad to say because of it the techniques taught in commerical schools could well fail to stoped a brutal attackers in the streets.

With each passing year in this country it is becoming increasingly harder to find a traditional school, as most of being replaced by the commercial school. If you are looking for a school to baby sit your children,commercial schools suit that purpose perfectly. However, if you're looking for a school of pure self-defense with time-tested techniques that work, I suggest you try to find a traditional school. The techniques taught in traditional schools are indeed violent, but needed if the smaller weaker person has any chance at all in defending against the larger, stronger opponent. To negate the practical techniques of the defense is like sending a soldier to war, but not issuing the ammunition for the weapons. How do you think he would fare facing an opponent with a loaded gun and you with an empty gun? I think the answer is obvious.

My Holiday Message to All

2011-12-05T15:57:00.012-05:00

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas just ahead of us followed by the coming new year. I'm sure most if not all are saying where did the year go? The passage of time is never-ending. As each year passes, we lose loved ones are situations change and maybe they go from good to bad or bad to good. There is no telling what each new passing day will bring each of us.

The Martial Arts is a system of self-defense as we all know, and encompasses within its teachings,what we call the study of the Tao and the forces of Yin and Yang. As most of us know the art of Shaolin kung fu gained its popularity at the Shaolin Temple in mainland China. Most everyone is aware that the Shaolin Temple proselytizers Buddhism, and Buddhism does not advocate the taking of any life be it human or insect alike. Therefore, it should be no surprise to anyone that the Shaolin techniques are heavily tempered as not to take a human life. However, the martial arts was developed for one purpose only, namely self-defense in warfare. A true Buddhist monk would rather have his own life taken rather then to take another's life, as this is the greatest of all sins.

Many of the well known martial arts seen today, such as Tai Chi, BaGwa and Hsing Yi had its roots in Taoist teachings. Tai Chi, Hsing Yi, Ba Gwa are all connected in some way to this study of the two great forces of Yin and Yang, which promote change. In fact, one of the greatest forms of divination ever created by the master Fu Shi was known as the father of the I Ching. This system of divination was based on 64 hexagrams, and if you multiply 64 x 64 you get a possibility of over 4000 various forms of change. Many other art forms of martial arts have been based on this principle of constant change. Today, the I Ching is being used by people throughout the world for guidance in leading a productive and well informed life. You may question what does the I Ching have to do with the martial arts? But if you study the Asian arts long enough, there's no escaping coming across these philosophies built into the teachings of the arts.

The martial arts has so much more to offer than mere fighting, it is a way life, and a way of making ourselves better people. The more one studies the martial arts the wiser one becomes. We come to realize that life is nothing more than a dream passing through our mind. At first glance it would appear that we have little or no control of any of the events in our life. However, at second glance, you come to realize by manipulation of the forces that surround us we can in fact lead a better life.

As we advance in years and gain wisdom, we sooner or later will realize how our life is progressing. We are certainly not getting younger, but rather taking another step towards the graveyard. However, there is hope. If you study hard enough and contemplate the wisdom of these great stages. Those that came before us, came to understand there really is no and, there is only another beginning. The Buddhists believe in reincarnation of some sort and until our soul is fully cultivated we must return to this plane of existance for further purification.. However, once we are fully cultivated we can then enter into some form of the heavenly realm and never return. On the other hand, the Taoist believe we just moved back and blend again back into natures natural forces.

Human beings tend to believe that we are very intelligent. However, most if not all of what we know comes from what other people tell us or or what science says is true. The reality of the situation is, we really can't even trust our own senses. If you look at something, you tend to make a judgment call based upon what you see. However, seeing with our eyes is only a small part of drawing a conclusion. It takes many other parts of the human brain to formulate what you think you see. It is only through our own experiences that we can be reasonably be sure something is real or not, and even then there is no guarantee you are right in your judgment call.

I have spent much of my free time not only in the practice of kung fu, but also in deep study of the sciences and theologies. These studies point to a new understandings of what is real and what is not. As science progresses further new truths are being discovered and older ones cast aside. Today, there are many new discoveries happening in our generation. To name one recent discovery that Einstein's theory of E equals MC squared, has been proven wrong. This theory as most are aware is mainly concerned with energy, mass and matter and relates to the speed of light. Einstein proclaimed that nothing can exceed the speed of light, however, continued research has proved that Einstein's law is not infallible.

Scientists all over the world have always sought to find how the universe was created. The main theory was the so-called Big Bang theory that started it all. However, the question always remained, how could something be created from nothing. Again this brings us back to the study of the martial arts and its many theories. Now scientists all over the world are considering such new theories such as the string theory, which leads to the M theory, which hypothesizes that the universe itself is one large series of membranes much like the human brain. In turn, these theories bring about the possibility of 11 dimensions of time and space. I only bring up these points not to digress from the martial arts, but rather to exemplify how little we truly know about life, God, and the universe as a whole.

Even now as I write this article, I am still unsure of anything. The one thing I can be sure of is that I'm not sure of anything. This is the mystery of life. In the martial arts we start out by learning stances and punches, but as we progress in our studies and learn more about the many theories of the martial arts, we will eventually be asking those four profound questions namely, who am I, what am I doing here, what is my purpose here, and where am I going. All humans sooner or later ask these questions, because life seems to make no real sense of purpose without the answers to these profound questions. Fighting is barbaric, and the only reason we fight to this day with each other, and other countries, is because we have not found the true reasons for living.

As I continue my studies, I become more convinced each passing day that there is a higher power, and our true purpose in life is really to try and develop ourselves to higher levels of understanding, love, and goodwill to all mankind. It is my firm belief, when we achieve this, our rebirth into this world of sorrow, grief, and pain will end.

Happy Veterans Day My Brothers!

2011-11-11T13:34:00.004-05:00

To all my follow veterans, I wish you all the very best on this our special day in which we remember all our follow brothers at arms, especially those who paid the ultimate price for their country. You have my deepest respect and prayers. Those that are serving now, my wish is God will bless you and protect .you and bring you home safe and sound.

Kenpo Grand Master Passes Away

2011-11-09T08:52:00.003-05:00

This is news I received from my Kenpo Brother, Grand Master Tom Saviano in Chicago. Another noted Master passed away NOV 5th. This is part of all Kenpo practitioners history.

Here then is the announcement.

Ming Lum, along with Jimmy Lee and Jimmy Woo, was one of Master John
McSweeney's kung fu instructors during the late 1950s and early 1960s. I had
the privilege and honor of speaking with him by telephone in 1992, we
discussed the banquet I was getting together for Master McSweeney's 65th
birthday and promotion to 10th Dan by Ray Korda, Mike Vassola and me. Some
years later (2004) G.M. John Tsai invited Master Paul Wong and me to spend
10 days in mainland China to review the National Woo Shoo teams and possibly
assist in their coming to the U.S. to demonstrate their art. While there, I
got to know Master Wong quite well, during one of our many conversations we
discovered that we had many things in common, he told me that he had
breakfast with Master Lum every Saturday morning and invited me to attend if
ever I returned to San Francisco ( I've often regretted not taking advantage
of that invitation). With so many "wanna be" Masters around today, it's
truly a shame that we had to lose a true legend.
God bless you Master Lum, we "will" speak again some day.
Respectfully,
Tom Saviano

P:S: Thanks to Zoran Sevic for passing this information on to me.

Subject: Ming Lum passed away
Just found out Ming Lum Passed away. Below is the announcement.

--------------------------------------------------

Great Grandmaster Ming Lum passed away yesterday on November 5, 2011.
He was born in Chung San, Canton, China but grew up in Honolulu,
Hawaii. He's known as kung fu's Godfather to two generations.
Grandmaster Ming Lum started his martial arts training while in grade
school at the Chungsan Language School in Honolulu where he trained
Fut Gar (Buddha Family) with Grandmaster Lam Dai Young, one of three
of the best at that time.

He also trained Jujitsu with Grandmaster Henry Okazaki and Judo with
Kenny Kawatachi during 1940-1941 just before WWII broke out. In 1955
he moved to San Francisco, California. In 1957, Grandmaster Lum began
to study with Choy Li Fut Grandmaster Lau Bun. In the 1960's he was
the first to introduce the Shaw Bros. kung fu films in San Francisco
area. He was first to bring Chinese stylists to enter karate
tournaments and has opened the doors for a non-Chinese to learn kung
fu in San Francisco. He introduced Ed Parker to many of the then
secret kung fu schools and masters in San Francisco. In the kenpo and
kajukenbo communities, Ming Lum was venerated as a virtual saint by
many.

Grandmaster Ming Lum has numerous of recognition awards and has also
been inducted in the 1992 AMAPA Hall of Fame. He has also been
inducted into the Hawaii Kenpo Jujitsu Society Hall of Fame in 1999.

He is truly a man of his words and deeds. Highly respected around the
world among laypersons and martial artists alike. In addition to his
many duties, community responsibilities he also serves as one of the
first senior advisors of the Hawaii Kenpo Jujitsu Society since it's
founding in 1995 and as the Senior Advisor to the Whipping Willow
Martial Arts Association.

Great Grandmaster Ming Lum has been council, advisor and public
relations extraordinaire to virtually every martial arts promoter and
tournament promoter in California. His renown is as such that he forms
the cultural goodwill bridge between Asia and the United States.
Primarily because he is knowledgeable of virtually every style of
martial art taught in China and his acquaintance with all of the Great
Grandmasters of both continents.

Great Grandmaster Ming Lum has been responsible for hundreds, if not
thousands, of success stories in the martial arts. Working closely
with the San Francisco Chinatown community and the City of San
Francisco to bring each closer to the needs and understandings of
these contrasting cultures, Ming Lum was a selfless man who always
thought of others first before himself.

We will miss this amazing man but remain forever grateful we were able
to know and be inspired by him. Full salute Great Grandmaster as you
return home to greet your ancestors.

Prof. Carl Totton

Desiderata

2011-10-24T18:44:00.002-04:00

Desiderata
By
Max Ehrmann

This is my favorite Poem I hope you enjoy it as much as I do/.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
Be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
And listen to others,
Even to the dull and the ignorant;
They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
They are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
You may become vain or bitter,
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals,
And everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
No less than the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Meaning of the Shao-lin Creed

2011-10-06T16:39:00.013-04:00

This is from my unpublished book on Shao-lin.

The code, or Way, as it is called in the martial arts, is
The cement, or root of Shao-lin Ch'uan. By following the Way, the
Traditions of Shao-lin are preserved while living the life of a
Shao-lin disciple.　To follow the Way is not an easy task. Many
Come to Shao-lin to try, and soon leave. The effort is just too
Much for the average person. You must be a cut above average to
Succeed in Shao-lin. The code is demanding, with no exceptions to
The rules. The rules are simple, as there is only one objective,
And only one way to obtain that objective. You simply have to
Wake up. By adherence to the Way of Shao-lin one will surely
Awaken. Then Shao-lin will take on its true meanings. Those who
Cannot follow the code of Shao-lin will fall by the wayside
Before long. The illusion of life is extremely difficult to
Overcome. It takes a special person, with deep convictions and
Determination, to succeed in Shao-lin training.　The code also
sorts out those who might learn the arts for the wrong
Reasons.　Because the code exists, the art of Shao-lin has been
Preserved to this day. Those who follow the code are called
Traditionalists. They follow their predecessors' teachings
Without question. They know there is no need to question.
Questions bring more questions and they are tricks of the mind.
There is no need to improve on what is already good. There is no
Better way, only one Way. There is no superior art or person.
Those who follow the Way know this, and therefore, ask no
Questions.

When I am talking about fighting skills, I say Shao-lin
Ch'uan. When I talk about the higher realms of training, I say
Shao-lin. The former is the outer and the latter is the inner.
The outer will return to the earth, the inner will return to the
Tao.　The code is the path to the Truth, the true purpose of Shao-lin.
Those who become teachers in Shao-lin take an oath to follow
The way of our predecessors to ensure the future of Shao-lin
Ch'uan. Without this code of martial arts, Shao-lin Ch'uan would
Be no different than any other pugilistic form. It is the code of
Shao-lin that differentiates an art form from a sport. Without
The code, the study of Shao-lin would, in the long run, become
Tedious and boring. For once you have reached your top physical
Development, where else is there to go? What road is there to
Travel? When the physical challenge is over, boredom sets in.
Soon your interest will be taken by something else. As age
Weakens your fighting ability, you come to realize the physical
Skills of Shao-lin are passing away. All that training for a few
Years of top skill. Enjoy it, for it will change as death draws
Nearer.

Without the code the whole purpose of Shao-lin study losses
Significance. Why even bother? It is Shao-lin's deeper meanings
That make Shao-lin worth while. It is the Way (code) that makes
Shao-lin study worth anything at all. As one of my teachers once
Said, " When you're dead, of what value are the martial skills to
You?" Of course, none at all. The outer skills die with you, the
Inner cultivation lives on for eternity.

Those who follow the Way only become stronger in time. Their
Inner strength will be glowing with chi. Where the physical is
Lacking the awakened mind will compensate. Your kung fu moves are
Perfect, for error cannot exist in the awakened mind. The
Simplest of moves will be totally effective and simple for the
Master. It is the cultivation of the code that brings with it
Everlasting rewards that can be carried past death's door and
Into the next existence.

The Shaolin Creed

2011-10-06T15:42:00.003-04:00

This was taken from my book I wrote over twenty years ago but Never Published on Shaolin.
None of what you will see in this book has ever been revealed until now. I will for the first time reveal various aspects of the book over time for those who love the Shaolin Arts.. Learn and Enjoy

I WILL TRAIN IN EARNEST TO FIND MYSELF AND WHILE DOING SO I WILL CULTIVATE THE NATURAL TALENTS OF MY SHAO-LIN SKILLS BESTOWED UPON ME FROM THE GREAT TAO. ¬I WILL SIT IN QUIET REPOSE TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF REALITY. I WILL DWELL IN NEVER ENDING PATIENCE THAT MY IMMORTAL IDENTITY WILL BE REVEALED TO ME. I AM UTTERLY CONFIDENT I WILL SOME DAY WAKE MYSELF UP FROM THE GREAT SLEEP OF ILLUSION ONLY TO DISCOVER THE ONE THAT IS AND ALWAYS WAS.

I WILL TRAIN MY BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT TO UNITE IN FULL EFFORT TO ACHIEVE THE FINAL BREAKTHROUGH TO ENLIGHTENMENT. I WILL FOLLOW THE PATH OF MY ANCESTORS IN SHAO-LIN AND TRAIN WITH FULL VIGOR AND DETERMINATION TO WIN THE GREATEST OF ALL BATTLES WITHIN MYSELF. I WILL STRIVE TO OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES IN MY WAY, AND TO LIBERATE MY SPIRIT. I WILL FACE LIFE AND DEATH EQUALLY NOT ALLOWING EITHER TO DETER ME IN MY QUEST FOR DIVINE KNOWLEDGE.

I WILL CELEBRATE MY DEATH BY MAKING MY LIFE FRUITFUL AND PURPOSEFUL. I WILL STRIVE FOR MY OWN ENLIGHTENMENT AND ONCE ACHIEVED I WILL HELP ALL SENTIENT BEINGS ACHIEVE WHAT I HAVE FOUND. THE PURPOSE OF MY TRAINING IS TO BE UNSWERVING IN MY QUEST FOR TRUTH. MAY THE TAO GUIDE ME IN ALL MY PURSUITS TO ACHIEVE WHAT MUST BE ACHIEVED.

I VOW TO BE STRONG AND RELENTLESS IN MY TRAINING SO THAT SOME DAY I CAN SAY I HAVE TRULY FOUND THE WAY OF SHAO-LIN. FOR BY FOLLOWING THE WAY I WILL BE LED TO THE HOME OF THE IMMORTALS, MY ORIGINAL HOME. TO THE GREAT TAO I MAKE THIS OATH, I WILL TRAIN MY BODY TO BE STRONG AND HEALTHY AND PROFICIENT IN THE SHAO-LIN SKILLS AND HELP ALL WHO MAY BE IN NEED OF MY SKILLS. I WILL TRAIN MY MIND TO BE CLEAR AND CALM, AND WORK VIGOROUSLY TO REALIZE MY BUDDHA NATURE. I WILL CULTIVATE MY SPIRIT TO THE HIGHEST EXCELLENCE SO THAT I MAY FOLLOW MY INNER NATURE BACK TO THE SOURCE OF ALL EXISTENCE..... TAO!

Sacrifice

2011-10-04T15:45:00.012-04:00

What does it take to be successful in the Arts? I have in my blogs mentioned many things it takes to be good, but that does not mean I have stated it all as yet. There is another big word that accounts for success, and the word is SACRIFICE. One definition of this word among others is: "Selfless good deeds for others or short term lose in return for a great gain" That's the great gain I speak of not, not financial gain. If it was all about money I would never run a school, as a traditionalist, money is not the motivation, it is the gratification of teaching.

I think many will be surprised at just what a person goes through to be successful at attaining their goals in life. But if your not willing to sacrifice the chances of you making it to the top will be limited. Without sacrifice you might make it half way up the ladder but certainly not to the the top.

But what kind of sacrifice am I referring to is the next question. The answer is just about anything it takes to be successful. If you draw a line in the sand of what you will do and not do to attain success chances are you have already limited yourself. This is exactly what many do, they wish to learn the Arts or make it to a Teacher or even Master but put limits to what they will do or not do. With limits the chances of attaining your goals are limited simply because you limited yourself.

I always knew I wanted to be good in the arts and it was in my early years I made up my mind to attain my dream. I also knew I would do anything I had to do to attain this dream. I never made excuses to myself and I cant recall ever missing a training class. Was this a sacrifice, indeed it was. I missed out hanging out with friends, going to parties, or even vacations. My friends soon forgot asking me to go anywhere with them because they already know my answer, " I cant I have Class today". So they soon stopped asking me. It wasn't to much later I had no friends outside my Kwoon (Kung fu School). But over the many years of training, even when I was in the Air Force i trained with a martial arts. I did make it and archived my Teachers level. But unknown to me the real sacrifices would now begin. With Teaching comes more demands that only true sacrifice can overcome.

As I have said often the are many reasons why people learn the arts, but for me it was a life style, a Way of living and thinking. It was not just a sport to me or a pastime, the Arts is really nether of these, it is a brutal defense that requires total dedication towards self improvement and cultivation of the mind body and spirit. Anyone who studies the teachings of Lao Tzu knows about this Chinese Sage and what I am talking about. My goal was not only to teach defense but also a peaceful and gratifying way to live life.

I started teaching in the parks, I had no school and would not have for many years. I can add Master Chang was the same, he never had a school. He would teach in parks, or places where they offered space for free. It was not long after that I realized this is fine in the summer months but needed something indoors in the winter months, so I rented space in various CYO's or Church basements and even the basements of buildings.

To help the American people come to understand the Asian Arts I would demonstrate the arts for anyone interested in seeing its effectiveness and beauty. It was years later I was spotted doing a demo by a man named Mike who was an officer associated with the Sheriffs Dept. He approached me asking if I would be willing to teach new Police recruits, as he was in charge of Police training for Westchester County Zone Three Police Academy. I agreed to do this and he got me a job with D.C.J.S. (The Dept of Criminal Justice Services) who handle aspects of Police training. The pay was very little, and I had to do all shorts of odds jobs to making a living for myself as what I received from teaching was little or nothing most of the time. The sacrifice to teach was just beginning.

As I said; I taught for years and in most cases making little or no money at all but I was indeed spreading the Arts which was my main desire. I taught because it was in my heart to teach. I would take the few students I had and did demos everywhere to expose the beauty of the arts to the American people. The gratification I got by doing this, was seeing the expression on peoples faces as they saw the Arts in action.

After some time I did manage to get a better place to teach other then the CYO or basements and opened a small school. I continued to demonstrate the Arts for the P.A.L. ( Police Athletic league) along with Flyod Patterson the former heavy weight boxing Champ who showed his boxing skills and me showing my Martial arts skills to further expose the arts. As usual there was no money to be made, these demo's were run free of charge. I also did charity work for Saint Jude's Hospital by running workshops and donating the money to the Saint Jude's Hospital for the research needed to help the children. I did this because I was asked to help raise money for an important cause, this is just was the Martial Arts is about, so I did all I could to help without financial gain. This is sacrifice because there is nothing in this for me except the desire to help.

I never did advertised as I said, because it was not about having hundreds of students it was about teaching people who really loved the arts and wanted desperately to learn. If I could help, that was my rewards. Even when I first had a so called school, I started to charge a minimum amount to maintain the rent. I never charged more then I needed to pay the bills and have enough left over to pay rent on a small cottage where I lived. I was living on cheap meals as I could not afford much else. The little I made in income just got me by and nothing more.

I was totally focused on my teaching career, and soon I was offered a position with the Sheriffs Dept. When my wife to be came to the states we had nothing when we started, in fact we had to go to a auction house to buy used furniture because we had no money to purchase much else. We were married in the States but I had no money to speak of for the wedding. So I asked a judge to marry us and a rented a hall with the hope my students would come and that money would be enough to pay the bills. I had a musical group I was teaching called Rat Race Quire, they knew I was broke and offered to play at my wedding. This is the true arts namely helping each other out when in need. But now I was teaching both in my new job and after my work at my school.

My job consisted of teaching defensive tactics, weapons retension moves, arresting methods and controls etc. I did this for years and after a while the Sheriff Dept. merged with the Country Police I soon became a County Police officer and again assigned to the Academy to teach defensive tactics. I also taught the Dept of Corrections the use of the PR, 24 know as a Tonfa in the Arts. While on the job I also became a FBI Certified Firearms Instructor to further my knowledge and helped in qualifying the new recruits in firearms. I was always eager to keep learning, this is exactly what the Arts calls for, namely Learn All You Can!

Of course I had shift work meaning I had to go in to work either days or afternoons or evening, this was again another great sacrifice I had to face. There was no time at all for my personal life, it was work and teach and teach and work and nothing else. I taught either most of the night and worked days or worked days and taught most all evenings. I had no time for anything but teaching and sleep. Of course running the school meant I was the first one there and the last one out so I had no personal life at all. When I did have free time it was spent in further study of the Arts so as to keep up with the demands to further my knowledge, which is never ending.

When a Teacher decides to open a school there is great sacrifice involved especially if the school is run in a traditional way. I always keep my school small so I did not have to charge large amounts of money and make the Arts accessible to most anyone on any budget. Even doing this I was always in trouble trying to maintain the overhead, heating phones, rent etc. Plus most would not believe me when I say many students failed to pay their dues even with the low costs I was asking. I cant tell you how many times I paid these bills from my own pocket just to keep the school open. In essence I was paying to teach people, who in their right mind would do this that unless you will willing to sacrifice to make it. Not many I dare say, but traditionalist do it for the love of he Arts.

All of the above statements are made for those who are seeking the be among the best in what they do. You have to work and drive yourself hard to be recognized as one of the best. It's all about that magic word Sacrifice. How much are you will to do, how much are you willing to risk to make it?

By risk I mean financial as well as friendships, and even your family life. There is no getting away from the facts what make people great, it is their willing to focus on their goal and not let anything or anyone stand in their way. It is having the right people with you that don't hinder your ambitions. It is your willingness to lose most of the free time and never give up. This is the sacrifice I speak of. It is the your ability to handle the flack you will get along the way from those who wish to deter you by trying to make you feel bad that you are one sighted and are neglecting others. No, it's not easy, and nobody ever said it would be easy. But this is the sacrifice I speak of.

My rewards are the people I have taught, I cant tell you how may have told me how the training has changed their life for the better. Not to mention the stories many have related back to me how the Arts saved them from brutal attacks in the streets. Often these same students told me by learning the discipline the Arts demanded of them they were able to succeed in life and achieving great goals thy set for themselves, such becoming doctors or lawyers etc. They to learned how to sacrifice, work hard and never look back but rather straight ahead into the future, and in doing so they to archived their goals.

The Five "W's".... Who, What, Where, When and Why

2011-09-27T17:45:00.002-04:00

Who are we, what is our purpose, where are we going, Why so much suffering, When will we find the answers? Profound questions indeed that have been asked since the dawn of mankind. And even with the thousands of years that have passed since man's creation, no answers have been found. When I first joined a Martial Arts school these questions were not on my mind at all, it was pure defense that I was concerned with. But it was my Masters, especially my Zen Masters, that opened my mind that just learning how to fight was really not the answer, it was much more profound of a problem that caused us the problems we face today.

In the beginning survival was all mankind had on its mind. But over time and the development of the human mind we have come to realize even more profound questions. We fight because we have not come to understand life and the real meaning and purpose of existence. If we really knew the answers, fighting would stop this instant. Wars would end, disputes would be nonexistent, mankind would change for the betterment of all sentient beings in every way. The human existence would take a tremendous transformation.

Is this all just wishful thinking? Yes, it could very well be just a dream, maybe we will never learn and we will all just destroy ourselves over time. Self destruction is more likely then finding the answers before it is too late. However, the mind of mankind has improved since the dark ages, so hope still prevails. Science has brought us from the darkness into the light. But still, we are a long way from real enlightenment.

The Buddha knew that when he awake from the dream it was useless to spread his new found knowledge and so, he just sat there and did not move. It is said even the Gods wondered why he did not get up and spread the word of what he had come to know. The answer according to many stories of his awakening; is that he knew mankind would not understand nor believe his new found revelations. He felt is was hopeless for him to even say a word of what the had uncovered. But after a while he decided that even if he could awaken just one person, then it was worth his efforts to spread the word to the people.

Buddha was right, few understood the profound truths of life. Only one or so ever really understood his message. If this was not the case then the world would have changed to that of all enlightened beings by now. But we have not, we remain in the darkness, still fighting, still killing, still suffering. In the preaching of Christ, he also indicated many would to not be saved, but rather many would be lost. He to saw the obvious as did Buddha. All you need do is look how mankind has progressed to see these Masters were sadly correct, mankind remains in the dark as to the meaning of life and its purpose.

Some have asked me; is there no hope at all for mankind? My answer is; I really don't know. I can only hope there will be some kind of earth shattering revelation that will awake mankind up in time. But somehow I am doubtful, only because of what I see around me. My Zen Masters were always preaching that mankind was asleep to truth, and to really accomplish self enlightenment takes more effort than more humans are willing to give. Waking a person up to truth up is almost as difficult as wakening a person from a coma, they simply have to awake themselves, it can not to be forced. Those who recognize truth say it will take more then one lifetime to awaken any one individual, more likely it will take hundreds or even thousands of lifetimes before you see the light of truth.

There is absolutely nothing harder to do then awaken from the illusion of life, and see it for what it really is. If we did, those small words of Who, What, Where, When, and Why would have been answered and the world you see today would have been long gone. But sadly, we as yet remain in darkness, which blinds us from the light of truth. I can only remain hopeful I am wrong and some how, some way the light will prevail over the darkness and in time and we find what the Buddha found.

My definition of enlightenment: = Release from Hypnotic Self Deception.

Enlightenment occurs only when you finally come to realize you been wasting your life by playing the fools game of Hypnotic Self Deception. Only by exposure to the light of truth do we have the capacity to wake up. Only then will the fool's game truly be over.

Let's Just Kill It!

2011-09-24T11:03:00.011-04:00

The martial arts was created for self defense, and I have no problems with a person protecting themselves at any costs. Your life is too precious to allow anyone to take it. But when it comes to killing people or any living creature on purpose when you don't have to, I am totally against that.

In my opinion mankind is vicious, we as a people seem to have no aversion to killing. The only instance I can see where killing is necessary is when there is no other way for your survival. We know anything backed into a corner will fight for its life, as it should be. But to kill when there is no need, then this is life's greatest sin.

If you look at Buddhism when they dig into the earth for some reason such as planting or building something, even if they come across a worm they move it to another spot so as not to kill it. Some will go as far to to wear a mask to they don't breath in an insect and kill it. I may not go that far myself but as for killing on purpose, as i said, I am totally against that.

When I was teaching people the Martial Arts I often said, in the ancient times people were at constant battles with each other, they had to fight for their life from road bandits, and in many cases fight hard just to stay alive. Well if you must fight, fight well and fight to win, but if you have an option not to kill, then the choice should be easy and obvious, NEVER KILL.

In today's so called modern age, we still go to wars, you would think after all this time people would find better ways to settle arguments rather then killing one another but is seems this is still not the case. Why don't those who have a problem with something, fight each other, rather then bringing in the entire world into their disagreement,as they say winner takes all. But killing mass amounts of people in wars or any violent act is the work of a sick, dumb mind.

We are suppose to be an intelligent race but you certainly can't tell that by our acts, the fighting that goes on in this world is simply insane. If there is a alien race of spacemen looking at us, I am sure they are saying this race on Earth is barbaric. They still go to wars and kill one another. As I have said in the past, if your life is on the line and there is no other way to survive to live and you have to kill your attacker or be killed then I guess you just might call this justified. But still I hesitate when I say this, because mankind tends to justify the most idiotic things if you analyze the decision mankind has made over our existence.

The US just executed a man by the name of Mr. Davis just a few days ago. They kept him in a cell for 22 years waiting to be killed. Can you imagine such torture on the human mind? He was convicted on hearsay testimony. The worst kind of evidence there is as people all see things differently or imagine the events they think they see, it becomes their reality. Also these so called witnesses all recanted their testimony over the years saying they were not sure now it was even him. Yet we killed this man.

There have been 138 known people who were innocent that have been executed according to an organization that investigates these matters and are still fighting against the death penalty. This year alone we have executed thirty eight people so far in the states and more waiting now to die on death row. Yet,they say sixty percent of the population still justify the death penalty. When this view changes then and only then will I say mankind is beginning to wake up the real values of life. Let God judge the so called guilty, not man, we are not capable of making intelligent decisions as history proves when it comes to killings. We even kill in God name. Somehow I don't think God advocates killing, if you think so, this is a not the divine loving God that I know.

Look back at the witch hunts that went on in our history and all the innocent people we burned alive simply out of stupid superstition. It is almost insane to thing people could be so dumb yet history proves just that about human decisions. If it wasn't for the sane people in this world I think we would have killed the entire population of the the Earth already, which by the way we still may do, with the Atomic bombs. I am still waiting to hear the announcement; the bombs have been launched, then all that is left to do is bend over and kiss your butt goodbye.

Life is precious, so much so that even within the known universe around us we cant find life as we know it. Not to mention how short our life span is, so what do we do, Kill everything in sight. If there is life somewhere else in the universe it better hope we don't find it, because for sure we will kill them to. You have heard the slogan, if it moves Kill It!.

What I cant understand is even though mankind has the potential to do such great things and invent such great things how can we yet be so stupid when it comes to the value of human life? Our goal should be for total preservation of all life. We are killing species of animals in the world so fast that almost every species of animal is on the verge of extinction. We hunt them down and guess what, WE KILL THEM. In many cases just for sport, or to use the skins or body parts of our own needs. Look as the poor Fox as an example, nice fur coat your wearing isn't it, you killed for that coat.

I hope some day mankind will come their senses and use the brains God gave them and learn to live in peace, without being killing machines. The key to everything, as I always say is Love, Love of all humanity, Love of all life forms , Love of the Earth, We must learn to keep a deep appreciation for the life God has given us. Amen!

Woman in the Martial Arts

2011-09-23T17:40:00.006-04:00

When I started in the martial arts there were few if any woman in the Martial Arts. In fact, in my classes I never saw a woman training, but I guess there were some woman in other schools unknown to me? Even if this is true, I still believe not many woman were training in the early days of the Arts in this country. Of course we know woman had been training in Asia for centuries but that is because that is where the Art comes from and it was well known and practiced by both male and female.

In Asian Martial Arts history it is recorded that a women created a style known as Wing Chun, or so it is believed. Some will argue this as true, there is conflicting stories as to the birth of Wing Chun but one of the reasons given why this style came to be is because the moves were better suited for woman. This is the same style Bruce Lee trained in so don't think it is a women art alone because it is not, in fact it is very popular today and is very effective and studied by both men and woman.

None of this is to say woman are perfectly suited for fighting, lets face facts, fighting history is centered around the fighting exploits of men most often. The reason for this is simple, because in many ways men are better suited for combat it just a simple fact most will admit. Men have always been known as the protector of the lady in distress. I am not into politically correct answers just to satisfy the ladies, I am into facts the why they are. Let's face facts, Little boys seem to learn toward playing with their little toy soldiers and fighting, whereas the girls are into their dolls and being motherly. It just nature's way, but that does not mean men cant play with dolls, " even though I don't @! " or that woman cant fight either, because they can!.

But to get back to the Arts, we all know there is physical differences between boys and girls such as body mass and strength and bone structure etc, even the female brain differs from men, which most men are still trying to figure out. But I am not going there, let's just say the bodies are built differently. The question is; do these differences effect a women's effectiveness in self defense? The answer is both yes and no, it depends on the person and the style they pick and how well they use it. This has always been the case with anyone practicing a martial arts, male or female alike.

However in Asia there is always a division between the male and female as seen in every tournament, the woman are not paired off against the men. But in a street condition, there is no division and most of the time woman will be attacked by men not other woman , so what are their chances of being effective in real life situations? Well the answer is they can be very effective if well trained. With the right techniques a women can defend her self just as well as any man, but they need focus on their strong points and use the right moves and hit the target point effectively.

I have had some very tough woman in my classes in my lifetime. In fact, one young woman I had was so tough she assisted me in teaching the Police one year at the Police academy and most of the guys did not want to come near. After a while, she was hurting many of the men and I had to tell her to go easy, she was that good. She was not using Wing Chun she was using Kenpo and joint locking techniques, she was that good. Yet she was not that big she was just plain old tough and determined to be good, and she was. The men gave her a wide birth and respected her abilities to defend herself very well indeed.

Women have certain attributes that are hard for men to attain, such as the shear beauty in their moves. I love watching woman perform much more then men. Men can appear awkward in the moves and not look graceful or flowing, whereas woman tend to be beautiful and flowing. But good defense has little to do with looking pretty either. It may win your points in a tournament where beauty grace and form mean a great deal but in the streets winning has all to do with hitting a vital point effectively, beauty has little to do with it. Beside's
there is nothing beautiful about getting hit in the groin, but it will certainly stop most men in their tracks.

Of course men tend to be more powerful but again this is just nature at work. But no matter what differences there may be between males and females in the strength category we have to admit, a poke to eye does not require muscular power, a child can do that. It is all about focus, and this is important to both males and females alike. A well placed knife hand to the windpipe will do wonders in stopping an attacker in their tracks as well, and this does not take that much strength to be effective. About twelve pounds of snapping power is enough to do great damage to anyone being hit in this area no matter what their size, especially if the hit is to a vital area..

The Martial arts has a vast array of movements that can be applied effectively by woman and be very effective to defend ones self. What really counts however is to fit the proper style to the person. If your sixty pounds in weight and four foot two it is a bit difficult to throw a man that is two hundred pounds. But on the other hand it not that difficult to push your finger into an eye socket and blind a person of any weight. It is always the style you pick and the person in the style that counts.

As another example you don't see many woman in Sumo wrestling as you would see them Aikido where strength is not the case to throw the person but rather to upset the center of balance which females can accomplish with little problem.. Many woman do learn Judo or Shuai Chiao as well, and under the right conditions and weight and size of their attacker they can be very effective. As I keep saying, picking the right Art for the person means a great deal for victory in the streets. But if you pick the right art for you and apply the techniques correctly both male or female are equally effective.

The bottom line is woman are effective in Martial Arts if they take into consideration the natural difference between the male and female and use moves wisely and effectively based on their physical differences.. Also in the streets woman wont be facing another Martial Artist so woman can defend themselves very effectively as they have the element of surprise and skill on their side.

We should also note the legs have been called the cannons or big gun of the Arts because legs are naturally powerful and a mans legs and woman legs both can muster a great deal of power, more then enough to stop an attack if you hit the targets. The main difference between men and woman is really more in upper body strength. But again I must inject if focus is right on, woman same potential to take a person down with a well placed kick. You don't need a massive amount of upper body strength to do this, just precision.

Today there are many well known female Martial Artists some of which are really good and have proven themselves to be worthy adversaries. I can tell you in China and Taiwan as well as Japan their are some top rated woman in the Arts. To name just one is Master Keiko Kurisake, my sister in the arts who runs her own schools in Japan as well as in Florida USA. She is a world class champion and for sure you would not like to be hit by her willing. In here schools she has more men then females, this must tell you something. She practices Shuai Chiao and many Chinese styles of Kung Fu and has proven to be a worthy adversary for anyone who crosses her path. In conclusion, the arts when used properly is effective for both male or female and has been so for decades in Asia and now more then ever in this country...... I bow to the woman in our Arts.

Faster then the Speed of Light

2011-09-23T17:32:00.004-04:00

One of the article I wrote called What if ( see Below) actually happened A particle called a neutrino moved faster then the speed of light! I believe in time many more of these What If's will turn out to be " WHAT THEN?

I did not mention the speed of light but the fact E=MC2 has always been thought to be true and a fact of physics turns out to be not so......

1905 theory of special relativity says that light travels at a constant speed, regardless of how fast an observer is traveling, and that nothing in the universe can go faster than it.

Wrong Again!!!
On Thursday, scientists in Europe reported an experimental result thought to be impossible: They had observed particles moving faster than the speed of light.

A press release from the OPERA collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, reviewed the basics. It noted that the surprising result was based on more than 15,000 "neutrino events" that had been created when researchers sent a beam of subatomic particles called neutrinos from the organization's headquarters near Geneva to a detector at the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy, ABout 450 miles away. This particle moved fsster then the speed of light. The experiment was done 15,000 times so there is little doubt this is not true....

The bottom line here is that a particle actually moved faster then the speed of light which could change all of physics as we know it, The theory of E=MC2 would be wrong!!!!!

As I have been saying, what if the "What If's," turn out to be true Then what??? Well it happened!

Now What??? Maybe you should read my article again on What If?

A FACT OF PHYSICS HAS BEEN PROVEN WRONG, WHAT'S NEXT???

An Old Martial Arts Story

2011-09-22T12:11:00.011-04:00

This is an old story which I wrote in more detail in a Biography of myself I am working on. But I thought you might enjoy one story from it. So here it goes, Enjoy!.

I had been working out and training in Chinatown in New York for many years but after my first Master decided to return to Hong Kong and retire I was hard pressed to find another Master. I was always on the search for anyone who could teach me more. As I have said in the past, finding any Teacher at all in the old days was a hard task to say the least. Martial Arts was not the popular here yet only in the Chinatown did you really have a chance of finding anyone plus at the time they were not teaching many to begin with, and no Americans at all. The only reason was because I actually lived near Chinatown and had a few Chinese friends that lead me to one Master that would teach me. I was in fact the only American boy in the class when I started with Master Huey.

The Brooklyn bridge is close to Chinatown so one day I decided to cross over the bridge with the hope I had could find a Teacher. I was told by one of my friends he had heard there was somebody called Mr. Body there who was teaching some form of karate, I think he was a mix bread guy from what I remember, half Philippine and half American, but I did hear this guy was good. I am not sure if Mr. they was his real name, but who cares, I think it was his nick name because he had a great physical body, very strong and seeing everyone called him that, so did I. I really had no idea where the school was so I just headed to the area my friend said he thought the school was. I walked from block to block looking for a sign or some hint where this school could be. Well after searching the area I was told he was teaching in I had some luck and spotted some guys with uniforms in their hands. They were waiting outside a building, I did recognized the uniforms worn in Karate, so that was the big give away.

I approached the guys standing there and asked them if they knew of the karate school around here, expecting a yes answer, which I got from them. They said they were waiting there for the Teacher to come to class, he had the keys so they had to wait outside the building until her arrived. They said he was expected soon and just to wait with them until he came. I asked about their Teacher and they praised him up and down and said he was very efficient in the Karate. I asked if I could join the class and they said well you will have to ask him, but wait and see, which I did. I never mentioned I had some Kung Fu experience, I acted like a total beginner which was the advice I was given years ago by my Master never to tell people or brag of one's skills even though mine was very little.

After while they said "Oh I see Teacher know, there he is" as they pointed up the block. I spotted a small man but well built holding a Karate uniform haggling over his shoulder and tired in a roll with his black belt. As he turned the corner I spotted three bigger guys step in his path and stop him by putting their hand on his chest and stopping him from passing. Just then one of the student standing by me said, "Oh no looks like trouble". I said maybe we should go help out, they answered "I don't mean trouble for Teacher I mean trouble for those guys, they don't seem to know who they are messing with".

I looked back to see what was happening when they said this but what I saw seemed to end so fast I can't recount just what a happened. All I see was a series of kicks and flashing hands and the three guys were all laid out on the street. It was over in seconds and Mr. Body picked up his uniform cleaned it off and headed to meet his students who were standing there with open mouths at how quick the encounter was over. Needless to say when Mr. Body reached us standing there I bowed and asked if I could join his class. I told him I was looking to learn martial arts. I told him I would be honed if he would accept me and but I knew nothing about martial arts. He nodded his head in approval and said, Ok join us. As he opened the doors to the building his students asked what happen with those three guys. Mr. Body answered, "oh them they just needed a lesson in manners" and said nothing more about it, but I will never forget it for sure.

I must say training with Sensei Body was an enlightening experience. His classes were rough and the style was very clean and not complected like Kung Fu but powerful. I stayed with him for a short time after that, maybe under a year as I was going into the Air Force. He was a good Teacher and loved his arts, I believe it was one of the Ryu systems called Isshin-Ryu Karate, "The One Heart Way" if I can recall, but there are many variations of the Ryu styles brought back to the USA, so I am not sure which one this was, but it certainly was effective and that's all I cared about. When I left him I did so on good terms and he wished me luck and said "keep up your training in anything you can find, remember he said, all martial arts are good". I did just that even when I went into the service. I really don't think I ever stopped training all those years but that's another story. But one thing for sure I will never forget Mr. Body.

If I ever finish my biography there are many such stories and more about Sensei Body and many more of my Masters.

Bulling

2011-09-22T10:59:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid you never head of kids killing them selves because they were bullied, they would simply fight back, and come home with black eyes or lost teeth. But the times seems you have changed and today it does not seem to uncommon to hear kids committing suicide just because he/she was bullied. Just yesterday I heard of a fourteen year boy that took his own life because he was being bullied in his school unmercifully. I am sure you of heard cases like this. Of course I realize there has been a increase in such cases these days because of the advent of the Internet. But still the taking of your life over such matters is not the answer, the answer is to fight back, and protect yourself. Some will say you should report bulling but I have also heard this being done with no resolution. The resolution can only be achieved by confronting your attackers and show them you wont just stand there and take it.

Bulling consists of, name calling, teasing, pushing, threats, spreading rumors, playing means jokes, social exclusion to name a few things. Name calling means little, just call them a name back and walk away, it when there are physical attacks that you must drew the line. Keep in mind bulling is not only centered on kids male and female, adults get bullied as well, that is if they allow it. Not to mention if you don't do anything it, will only get worse. The new age of computer Internet and Facebook and other social networking only makes this problem even more perverse. However it is the face to face encounters where physical abuse occurs, not on a computer. So what can a child, young adult or even adult do when confronted with new age problem?

The answer to me as a martial artist is simple, learn to build confidence and good physical abilities to confront these problems head on. The best way to stop a bully is to face him or her head on and make it clear your not such an easy target of such assaults will not be tolerated. Usually this can settle the matter, but other times it will lead to a fight, then what? This is where learning a Martial Art can assist you when all else fails to settle the matter and you are attacked.
The martial arts builds self confidence in one abilities, by teaching the necessary skills to deal with whatever comes your way. Not to mention in a Martial Arts school you build very strong relationships and many classmates that will stand by your side if it is a question of large numbers of people bulling you. Large numbers of people standing by your side tends to deter any further attack from groups of kids trying to frighten you. Keep in mind I am not calling for gang wars here, I am just saying usually the person being bullied is alone and has no one to stand by them against large group of kids who tend to follow the leader bully. My Teacher always said when being bullied always go after the leader and the rest will back off after you put him or her down. I might add some of your best friends will be your fellow classmates in a Martial Arts school and if you ever find yourself with them in a street situation and confronted by a large group of people, you can be sure your classmates will be at your side, in situations like that you will never be alone.

Martial Arts installs confidence and the skills to deal with most if not all common confrontations. It is too bad those who feel they are in some way inadequate and don't try the study of martial arts, they are loosing a great chance to find ways to stop these personal assaults. I have seen the most shy, weak and timid of people turn out strong and self confidant when trained properly. They learn how to deal with any situations that may come their way in life. You can be sure of one thing, if people think your a push over, someone with be there to try it. However, it is also easy to spot people who just won't be pushed so easy and it is this type of person who is less likely to be picked on. If trained in the martial arts the attacker will be in for a big surprise when they try to confront a well trained Martial Artist.

Confidence has a way of showing up in your personality and most bullies will shy away from those who he thinks are confident in their abilities and not easy to push around. Bullies tend to be cowards at heart that is why they always try to find those who they think are weak and just cant take it, or wont fight back. Martial Arts has a very good reputation for changing people's opinions about themselves and building confidence to handle themselves very efficiently. This confidence shows up in the way you walk or talk and confront attackers and the chances are that alone with end the situation right there.

So in conclusion, if you feel you are being bullied and a polite get lost does not work that is the time to do something about it before it get worse. But before you can do that be sure you know how to handle yourself and that is where learning a martial art comes into play. Remember unless you can hire a body guard or have your parents walking around with 24/7 then it's all up to you to protect yourself. The arts was not meant to bully others, that is far from what I am saying. In fact Martial Artists are the nicest people you will ever met as long as you don't attack them.. It was only meant for self protection against those who would hurt you.

Sometimes no matter what you do, there is no way out of dangerous situations but to take a stand. This is the time the Arts is used for self preservation. Even if you trained for years and it saves your life just once, it is well worth the time to invest in a good Martial Arts training program. Training in a Martial Art will change the way you deal with situations for the rest of your life. If you learn to stand up for yourself people will back off more often then not, and really that all your looking for. As I have always told my students, "Fighting is the lowest form of compromise" if you can't talk you way out of it, and you and have to fight, your not that well skilled to begin with. But there are those time where just taking wont work and there is no compromise and you are forced to act, then you certainly don't want to lose, that where the Martial Arts comes into play.

The Perfect Society

2011-09-19T17:23:00.003-04:00

This is a fun article, a dream BUT POSSIBLE, so enjoy it. I know I often speak of truths or what I think are truths, but let deviate and try to imagine the Perfect Society. How could we develop such a thing. Well if we look back in Science Fiction movies or TV shows, like Star Trek you will see a society that did away with money. That's a good start I think because it causes more trouble then I can to talk about. Start Trek showed how people of all races even aliens could live together in peace. How about people needs such as food, well again Start Trek showed how they were able to reproduce food by matching the molecular structure of any food, so ended starving people in the world. Let me digress here by saying even now they can scan an object let say a wrench and then produced another wrench that actually works by re- scanning it into another machine that contain a substance that actually created another working wrench. You can check this out yourself by looking at this link, http://www.hoax-slayer.com/3D-printer-video.shtml .So to in the future we could do this with a foods so ending starvation. One of the most popular movies was called the Matrix, which could very well be true in many ways. It was a computer program that produced a wonderland for all people, that is if it is programmed the right way of course, not like in the movie. Life would change from a bad dream to a wonderful dream. Of course this movie had the machines take over where I am taking about a controlled and wonderful machines that would solve the problems mankind simply cant, or so it seems.

We will then have to find a way to give all people proper living quarters and supply each with enough to live a long comfortable life. The world would have to unit borders would be open and all people would live together in harmony. There would be no need to rob or cheat people because we would all have the same. Education would be free and people would be educated in fields that would serve humility as as whole for its betterment.

In another Science fiction movie I saw years ago as a kid, a monster computer was built that took care of the needs of mankind but kept them in check. I think it was called Coleus, but I could be wrong about the name? It was built into a mountain and made sure people did not commit crimes or start wars. In essence this Hugh Computer solved problems of mankind and found cures for all diseases. The world was like a large commune where people worked for the benefit of all in the world. We all focused on the needs of humanity and nothing else. Of course we were all free to do as we wished and enjoy ourselves as well but, only those things that did not hurt others.

Is all this possible, the answer is yes of course and if we don't kill ourselves in the meantime there is a good chance the future could very well be like this. Governments would disappear because they are run by people and people are floured with desire, greed and the other emotions which tend to destroy or hurt others. In the futuristic world I am taking about there would be no need to steal or hurt people because we would basically have all have all we need to live a good life. The society we have now simply does not work, All you need do is look at the the state of the world and most would agree we are on the road to self destruction now.

Our population is growing and all we have in the world now is, those who have, and those who have not. Yet we are all brothers and sisters under the skin and of the same species and should care for one another. We should be working for the betterment of all mankind. All we do now is seek power and wealth, and as you know total power corrupts totally. Of course all this is science fiction but I must add most of the science fiction we pictured in our past has come to be in today's world, so it is possible this could be done.

One thing for sure the system we have today just don't work and is dividing people, people starving, people going to wars killing one another, some who have a great deal of wealth and live in the lap of luxury while other live on the streets and have nothing. Some who can get medical assistance while other cant afford to see a doctor and simply die. All this can be changed if we change our direction and come together as as people. Dream On!!!!!!! But is a nice dream don't you think???

Why so Much Violence in the World?

2011-09-19T09:08:00.010-04:00

Why so much Violence in the World? When you really think of it, it's not God fault there is no so much violence in the world, it is mankind's fault, Yet people will say "God Why Me?" Yes, there are earthquakes and all kinds of natural disasters, and of course these can be sad events, but it is not an act of God, it's nature, the majority of violent problems comes from people. The very reason the Arts came into existence was because mankind, we have a tendency to want to beat the hell out of each other or kill one another for whatever reason.. We don't fight rainstorms or volcano's, we fight other people. Violence is running wild in the world. Just turn on the news and listen and all you here about is killings, one after another, sixteen killed today, hundreds blown up in bomb attacks, who killed who or who is fighting with who. It is literally a killing festival and after each news broadcast you can count the thousands that were killed that day alone.

The list is endless, most of the news is filled with events like this every day of the year more then any other types of news, you might find one good story about someone caring for another or helping another, but the violence totally outweighs those kind of reports fifty to one.. Stop blaming God and start blaming mankind. I ask you how much trouble have you caused to others in your short life span here. Or better yet how much good have you done for someone this day, I think that is the rarity, as this virtue stems from Love which is surely lacking in the world.

I remember seeing on the news a man who was hit by a car and people did not do a thing, they just let him lay in the street and waked around the body to cross the street as he lay dying. Yet another time I saw on the news a motor cyclist get hit by a car and people rushed in to pick the car up the car that trapped him underneath. This is what we should all be doing, not just turning our head to those in need.

This new candidate Perry who is running for President, he brags his state has executed more people then any other state in the union, wow! There something to be proud of right, ya right! When asked if he can sleep at night, he said he has no problem, although it has been proven many innocent people have been wrongly killed by capital punishment, oh well win some loss some!

To some killing seems to be the answer that will solve the problem. Maybe it would be better to find out why such violence exists, seems to me that makes more sense. Chances are you will find it is our laws and how we treat people that causes so much violence to begin with. I ask you, if people had enough money and were living well enough and loved one another, how much violence would there be left? I dare say not much at all.

This is why the biblical writings speak of Love as the cure for mankind, and non judgements. It is the lack of these elements that separates all of mankind. The world is separated although we all share the same world, and we should all be sharing the gifts of the world. We are even destroying the very world we live on. Yes, mankind is the most dangerous and violent of all the species. People in the world choose their religion, some are who a Jews, or Muslims, or Christians and all preach love yet, etc, yet it is these very people that fight or kill in the name of God. In fact, there is more blood spilled over religion then anything else !

Can you imagine religions speak of Love and sets rules for being good to your follow man yet what do we do, we kill those who don't agree. People are staving in certain countries right now, children literally dying of hunger, where here in the states we throw out food by the tons each day that could feed a country. If people were really as good as some make them out to be, food would be there within days to save the lives of these starving people, but it isn't, doesn't that tell you something?

It is mankind who is the greatest danger on earth. They tell us man has the biggest brain of all the species, yet animals don't even kill unless their is a need to live and feed. We kill for almost any reason you can think of and think nothing about it. We create weapons of mass destruction that are so dangerous if someone decides to push a button our own world would be totally destroyed this very day, and really I am not convinced we will not do that to in the long run. It is downright scary to think some one individuals who has control over such destruction, if they find a reason to lean on the button. Bye Bye world!!!!

We have more lawyers in the world I dare to count, why so, because people going after people left and right. Yet we make even more laws and the more we make the more that are broken with more people being prosecuted. No one is above committing some short of crime, even our own Police have been convicted on brutal charges, one such case was in the news just today and the news reports they beat a man to death, yet another Police officer in California today was charged with murder for beating a homeless man named Kelly Thomas to death, i believe he was 23 years old. Oh well, one more gone. Nobody is even safe from those who enforce the very laws that should protect us. We imprison people by the thousands in cells like animals, does such action make loving citizens out of them, more human insane logic. Because violence is on such a rampage did anyone stop to think maybe it is because of something society is doing that creates such violence?. Hmmm Maybe?

So again I ask, what causes all this violence? As I have always said it is lack of true Love and respect for each other. It is greed and power, money, judging and lack of true Love. There are some who have nothing while others have more then they need, who would not try to get some to live? People are only trying to survive in a brutal world, with a cold heart.

People are on all types of drugs either for medical reasons, or so called illegal drugs just to escape the hardships of life. If life is so good why then do people want to escape it? The answer should be obvious to all, it is because of lack of Love and consideration for others, people feel alone where no one to help. The odds are against people to do fairly well in this society, or any other society so they rob and steal or commit all kind of crimes just to make it in this world caring very little about the victim's.

In this country a recent poll showed six people out of twelve live in poverty ( news polling fact) yet costs keep going higher and higher in tax but paychecks remain the same. And that is our country, the so called best country in the world can you image the other less fortunate countries? Time for another antidepressant...

If we were really loving creatures don't you think we would care for our follow man and share the worlds abundance's with those who needed it? We are not separate, we all live in the same place in reality, namely the World! One planet divided by Greed, Power, Hatred and Mistrust, judgement and lack of real love for each other. Our system is not working, people are desperate and desperate people do desperate things to survive.

We arrest those who kill someone saying killing is a big NO NO ! yet we capture them and what do we do to show how bad killing is, we kill them to. To date 138 man have been found innocent and spent time in death row and in some cases they stayed there for years as much as twelve years according to the news. We put them in a electric chair and burn them to toast, we kill them with lethal injections or hang them or cut their head off in the name of Justice. We put a stipulation on killing, it is ok in war, or when someone is sentenced to die, or in self defense, but not at any other time, I ask you does this make sense to you, something is either good or bad it cant be both.? If you think it does your part of the problem yourself. If we could only get along as a race, violence would stop. If we valued life, killings would stop. But I must say some states have come to their senses and the death penalty is slowly becoming less, maybe there is hope for mankind? Just a fanciful thinking on my part..

If you really wanted our Earth to flourish, all you need do is get rid of all it people. Yet there are those who preach people are basically good and I believe to be true. But some have it easy since birth while other suffer from birth. It is this that drives them to the edge. It is the good people in the world who keep us from a total war and bringing an end to civilization. It is those sane God fearing people who make the big difference in keeping the balance, and a sense of sanity, so we don't start a world war.

Just maybe if we wake up in time and see the lunacy of humanity, we can prevent the total demise of our race. All we need do is to learn how to live in harmony with each other and find the love and respect we all deserve. And finally we must learn not to judge each other with such cruelty, then there is a chance we can make it as a intelligent and just race. We tend to divide the good from the bad but I ask you, who is perfect, even Jesus said " He who is without sin let him cast the first stone". If we can understand this profound statement, then I might agree there is a chance for our continued survival. But until this happens, people will continue to judge and condemn others without looking within their own heart. Until this day comes be sure you lock your door tonight before going to bed. Pray one day people will wake up, this will be the day violence comes to end, and love begins.

What Makes a Kung Fu Book Rare?

2011-09-15T21:20:00.004-04:00

There are numerous books on the Martial Arts today, as compared when I started training there were few to none. But today you will find book after book on some aspect of the Arts. But even with all the books you can find today only a select few are considered the cream of the crop. When this books go out of print they become very expensive to buy that is if you can even find one. But what is it the makes a book rare and expensive ?

The answer to this comes because of a few factors. For one the book could have been written by a very famous master who has passed on and only a select number were ever printed. This would create a great demand to get hold of a copy. Another reason is the book in question might detail an very rare Art Form where not much has ever been written about, making it again rare,expensive and hard to get. Yet another reason is the book may advocate a style of a certain famous Master who never wrote books to begin with but was released by one of his students divulging the style for the first time.

There could in fact be others reasons that a book may be in great demand but hard to find. I like to think of my first book on Chang Shih Tai Chi Ch'uan rare because Chang seldom wrote anything down.. It is the only book with his seal of approval on it after I wrote the book, and the first page has his dedication in it with his seal. This made this book a one of the kind and I only printed a certain number of them for release more then Ten years back. Needless to say they were sold out quickly and became a rare item. Even if you can find a copy, I have seen it selling for a much a five hundred dollars.

Well it has been many years now and Master Chang has long passed away, and because of great demand I rewrote the book again for release again after these many years in an updated version. It has new articles and tributes to the Master as well as new and better pictures of his form. It is the same form of course but greatly improved after almost fifteen year's more of practice for perfection.

Along with the re-release of the Tai Chi Book I wrote a second book introducing Great Great Master Chang version of Hsing Yi called "Hsing Jing Ch'uan" which means "The Best of Hsing Yi". Again this has never been released up until now to the public. This is the making of the next rare book when out of print. Some my or may not know I am the adopted Son of Chang and that was the only reason he allowed me to release his Tai Chi Book in the first place. Sadly he passed away when I decided to release his Hsing Yi version but I am sure he would have approved as I went into great detail with in this book as well as creating a DVD's on both his Hsing Yi version and his Tai Chi Book for the first time.

My hope now these books and DVD's will serve to further spread the name of this great Master to the world. There will never again be another Master such as Chang Tung Sheng. It is said when Master Chang died a hugh amount of Kung Fu knowledge died with him. I am gratified I was able to save what I did of some of his knowledge for those looking to learn some of this renowned Master Arts for future generations to come.

For those wanting copies of these books and DVD's before the go out of print go to my web site at www.kungfu.org and order them there while there still around. Once out of print they are gone forever like most other rare books.

What If ?

2011-09-14T11:58:00.010-04:00

What if, these are the biggest little words in the world. What if, we are wrong about everything that we know, or should I say what we think we know? What if, there is a God? What if, cosmologists are right that there are many dimensions of reality? Or maybe there is not three dimensions but rather, only one? What if physicists are correct about their findings in quantum physics that the world we think we know is an illusion? What if, time itself is an illusion? What If, those who had a NDE (near death experience) actually are seeing a glimpse of the afterlife? What if, there if there is spirit world or another dimensions we all go to after death? What if, The soul does exists and consciousness never dies with the physical body. What if, aliens do exist and we are only a products of their genetics? What if, such theories such as the String theory and M theory are in fact true? What if, reincarnation is a fact?

How can I say this when it seems to make no sense, there is no absolute proof of any of this. All these are only potentialities that have not been proven right or wrong. One thing for sure, if you close your mind nothing I just said will mean anything, it all becomes nonsense. But nothing of any value has ever been discovered with a closed mind, those who opened their mind to possibilities have achieved great discoveries.

There will always be those who say these are all possibilities, while others will refute all of this as all nonsense. But when the mind is closed nothing anyone says has any chance of agreement. All I can say is at one time we also thought the Sun revolved around the Earth and that was false, we also thought the earth was flat, another error. Mankind is has been proven wrong more then right most of the time. Of course we are always learning new facts, and each day as science progresses we know a little more. But still there is Hugh amount of knowledge we have no idea about as yet, to name one, what is life?

We have no idea how how life started only ideas or possibilities. What we don't know much when you think of it, even how our own consciousness works, even our own body is yet a mystery to us. Think about your life, one day you popped into existence out of the darkness, you have no recollection other then you know you were born and will die. Your life is a mystery, it consists of confusion, fear, pain, suffering and you don't know why. Some will tell you life itself has no purpose and nothing really matters, because death robs us all of everything we worked for in our short span here on Earth. This generation is like a wave hitting the shore and it gone. Billions of others have died already, and as I write this article other people are dying by the thousands this very second and in a short time after that it will be like they never existed at all.

So what does mankind do during the short life span we have? Well in short we kill each other and fight and hurt one another. We are envious of others for what they have and spend our time seeking power and money and status. We seek pleasure but never really finding it, for pleasure is fleeting at best. In short life is pain and suffering. We all feel we are misunderstood and few if any really knows us and our true feelings. So we seek another, a mate who we think we can lean on. One who we think knows us and our feelings and our wants and needs, and is able to give it to us. We look for the perfect love, which is just another dream. The reason is simple; nobody is happy or secure enough themselves to give it. We look to the other and the other looks to you, each lost in the search for love that never ends.

There is no one who can lessen our fears and shower us with love and affection without wanting it in return. Each looks to the other for something nether have, yet both want it! It is like the blind leading the blind, both are lost in a world of doubt, confusion as to what is real and tangible. We become attached, to people and material goods thinking that is all life has to offer. I ask you, does it not make more sense for mankind to join forces, helping each other instead of persecuting one another.

We are all one race of humans yet we are divided by race and beliefs. Whereas we should be helping each other, and join forces to find the answers that will help people lead a descent life for the time we share on this earth. We should be looking for the answers to the profound questions I have presented here, because if we find them our lives will have meaning and purpose. Sadly humans are the cruelest creatures on Earth, compassion, love and respect for each other and nature is lacking. Maybe we have no purpose at all, maybe we are born and simply die. That would mean life is meaningless just a throw of the cosmic dice, and crap shoot that nobody wins or loses. Yet we all try to sustain life for the only reason we fear death.

We plan for a future that has no guarantees of finding anything better, in fact it will get worse as we grow older and get sick, fear and uncertainly will grow worse. We think it is our duty to stay alive, but for what reason nobody seems to know other that we fear death.. And so, all we do is work and slave to find food, a home, and money so we can buy things we think will make us happy and content. But the truth of the matter is money does not make you happy, those who have great amounts of money tend to be as unhappy as those with none. Money only buys things, and that too wears off, so you buy more and more and it all amounts to the same thing, namely nothing at all. Some of the poorest people are better off because they appreciate the little things more. But no matter who we speak of the rich or the poor humans themselves are confused and lost in a world nobody can figure out.

On the other hand what if, the afterlife is in fact real? What if, death is but a doorway to another existence in a different form? It seems to me our life here in this plane of existence could be the hell the biblical writings speak of. They say hell is torture, forever craving for what you can't have, always wanting and never really finding satisfaction in anything or anyone. Our entire existence is spent in a search for the perfect life with all our desires satisfied. But the fact of the matter nothing material can bring pleasure for very long. it all wears off and we start our search again trying to find pleasure that never comes for any worthwhile duration of time. Is this not a hell, never finding eternal satisfaction and bliss?

We are always seeking what we can't find or have, is this not an inner torture? People don't like to admit they are not happy, but in their heart they know the truth. Deep within people there lies fear, worry, regrets, sorrow, unfulfilled desires and tension when you can't find the answers. Let's face this fact; mankind has been confused since we took our first breath, and opened its eyes as to "who am I" "Where did I come from" and "what is life's purpose". We have no idea, yet decades of time have passed, the questions remain the same. I am not convinced mankind will find the answer to these questions; I can only hope they do.

What if, we are all wrong and reality is far different then we think it is? Scientists have no idea what is real and what is just an illusion. When one scientist comes up with a theory about life and it meaning, another disputes it. And so the search for what is real is still going on within the scientific world. What is it they are looking for? They in fact don't know themselves. All they do know is that they don't know. The search goes on as they break down the atom itself into protons and neutrons and further yet into quarts only to find there is nothing there, all is empty. This leads to other theories but as usual they come with nothing they can say for sure about anything. They do know that quantum physics does not follow the universal laws that we thought to be the same throughout the universe. They also know the laws of quantum physics operates on a totally different level that science cannot understand, yet it is there and is shown that it works and exists yet still unknown as to why. One discovery only leads to more questions.

What if, death is the release? Maybe that is why when people die they always say; REST IN PEACE, and so I ask; were they not at peace in life? Obviously not! There is enormous suffering in the world, everywhere you look people are suffering with sickness, loss, or just trying to survive. The problems seem endless and people are in despair with no way out nor anyone that can help. This is why suicide exists, people feel death is better then living. Sleep has been called the small death, you loss the world. There is no unhappiness in sleep, you lose your identity and you find peace and rest. That’s why people who are depressed always like to sleep, it is the great escape from this world. When you awake the first thought is, I don't want to get out of bed, you would rather be sleeping. We don't even know the reason why people sleep, all they know if you don't you would go crazy in a number of days and start having delusions.

When we are young children we seem happy because we think the future will be good, kids cant wait to grow up, and when they do they wish they were kids again, because reality strikes home and they see and realize all the troubles and pain in the world and what it takes to survive. The older we get and live the more we realize you cant find what you really want that brings you bliss, it just doesn't exist in this world. And so the circle goes round and round with no end, always searching for what you cant find. Some my dispute this but I ask you where can you found pure lastly bliss?

This is why I always say, hell could very well be the here and now, and our spirit self really does exist. The afterlife is in fact our real home. A place where pain stops, the need for money food or any material things all fades away and you exist in pure unbounded love and bliss, HEAVEN! Those who have had a NDE (near death experience) often say once they saw paradise they never wanted to come back, they felt a feeling of unconditional love and peace. If true how wonderful this would be, would it not? I don't believe in a hell after death, how could a God who is defined as unconditional Love create a hell? This is not unconditional love it would have a stipulation. I truly believe it is all about LOVE.

Those who were revived from the NDE through medical intervention say being brought back was a traumatic experience to say the least. Their life completely changed but the fear of death was banished. In fact, many of these people say they were then looking forward to their real life in the next world. They felt dead and burdened in the physical form, it felt like carry around massive weight and a body and mind were filled with the burdens of life again. In many cases it took them months of time to adjust to this world again, but were never the same after the experience. What If, what they saw and say about their NDE is true? This all may sound glum to some readers, but to me it is a hope, a chance it could be right and this existences is but a testing ground to learn these facts. Life is nothing but a chance to better our self and prepare for the real existence in the spirit form.

What if, any of this is correct? If so then what should we be doing to find this paradise, maybe we should keep an open mind. Maybe we should try to change our perceptions and the way we live, if not we could very well suffer the rebirth, another incarnation to do it all over again. Nothing remains the same, your entire body chances about seven times through out your life, a new heart kidney in short everything, and even you mind changes. You don't believe today what you did years ago and more will change as long as you grow older. Change is the one constant, you should realize this fact and try not to be so steadfast in what you believe. The fact of the matter is you will change as time progresses whether you think so or not..

What if, our true punishment reincarnation? The Buddha said; he did not want to return, why isn't life great?, he certainly did not think so, and neither did Christ when he said "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." . Rest from what? Namely all we have been taking about in this article. Buddha's only goal was to escape the Karmic Wheel of Life and Death and Rebirth. Of course I don't have the answers; I am only giving you food for thought. I am only asking you, What If, I am right? Then what???

Let me drew this to end by telling you what I believe, I believe there is a higher power, call it by any name you like, I simply call it the Divine Source, what the Chinese call the Tao. I believe that our consciousness never dies, but it part of the universal consciousness and merges again with the universe after death of the body. I believe our brain is not a creator of thought but rather a receiver of thoughts and those thoughts come from a divine source. I believe we are in fact spiritual beings composed of light, the same light we return to after death. I believe organized religions are all the same, no one way is the only way. In fact, I believe no religion is needed, religions tend to divide us not join us, just look at the world now to see this is true.

I believe Love is the key. I believe there is no sin as we know it, God forgives all our sins, this again comes from the ignorance of not knowing who we are. I believe there are other dimension of devoid of time, a place that exist now and always has. I believe death is but a doorway to return to our real home and source. I believe once mankind finds these What if questions to be true then life will have served its purpose. Lastly, you may ask why then do I practice the Arts, which is so violent, the answer is because mankind has not yet found these answers, and until they do mankind will continue to hurt one another, so we need to protect our self. But if you study this art long enough the way will lead you to the answers I have discovered. The smarter you become the less you will fight and the greater your love will be towards your follow man and your God, fighting will end and true Love will begin.

Running a Traditional Martial Arts School

2011-09-13T22:29:00.006-04:00

I have spoken about the Goal of Teachers to create other Teachers to safeguard our Art for the future. But what happens once a teacher is made and they open a school? Becoming a Teacher is only the beginning. The next step is open a school of their own simply because that is why they were made a Teacher, namely to pass the art on. This is the start of a whole new set of problems a Teacher must face. Teachers are not businessmen or business woman, they are Martial Artist that have a responsibility to teach. But running a school requires business knowledge to stay afloat.

Most Martial Artist schools close within the first five years, they simply go under with all the pressures of maintaining the overhead to keep a school viable. In the old days this was not so much of a problem. The reason is simply we did not have schools, we taught in parks, or someone basement, or rented some place at the local CYO, or some church, as I did in my beginning years. But today is much different., people expect to see some kind of organized school before they will join. And so the problems begin trying to make do with meeting rent, and utilities, insurance etc.

Far to often students become delinquent in paying the Teacher, it seems the Teacher is always the last one to be paid for teaching. Yet the bills must be paid and usually the money needed comes from the Teachers pocket. This is how schools go down as the Teacher winds up paying the student fees himself. In essence the Teacher is paying to teach students instead of the other way around. Of course I am referring to Traditional schools, commercial schools will have a student under contract whereas Traditional schools teach without contracts , everything is done on honor and your word.

If I told you I have taught entire families and that never paid me, most would not believe that, but it is a fact. A traditional Teacher is always trying to help those in need, that is our oath, and trust we hold in the students word to pay his or her fees on time to maintain their schools upkeep. But sadly there will always be those who take advantage of their Teachers generosity and leave them in a lurch.

Traditional schools try to keep costs down so people can learn the arts, commercial schools don't, they charge you for the air you breath, or so it would seem. Everything got a price tag on it. Each promotion is paid for, you pay for your belts for your certificates, and the list goes on. Whereas in Traditional schools most everything is included in your monthly fee.

In my entire teaching career I would venture to say I lost thousands of dollars on delinquent students who never paid for their lessons, even with the low costs we charge. Even at the time of my retiring from teaching I was never paid for my time and effort I gave to teach them. It would seem my word to teach was good but their word to pay a fee was not.

Running a school is indeed a problem a Teacher always has trying to maintain the bills. There is always something in need of repair, there is always the costs of phones lights heating and supplies. Traditional Teachers are usually taken advantage of more so then the Commercial school Teachers who has a contract to fall back on if the student become delinquent in their fees. This is why finding a true Traditional schools is becoming harder and harder to find as time goes on, simply because too many students fail to pay the Teacher.

When I trained with my Teachers paying therm was always my first thought. Many times when I had no money I would borrow it from a friend just to pay my Teacher. Sad to say today students just complain they have no money and ask the teacher to wait a bit, yet they will go on vacation, of course their is always money for that. Again the Tractional Teacher is left holding the bag for the monthly bills.

As I have always said my word is my bond, but it was my Teachers who taught me that and for that reason I always made sure I never owed anyone anything and if I did I also made sure to clear it up within a short period of time. Yes, running a Traditional school is indeed a hardship few understand unless your doing it yourself. Few understand what a Teacher goes through just to teach.

I will end this with what I have told my students who wanted to become a traditional Teacher, " If you looking to become rich, don't become a Traditional Teacher" We do what we do out of love for Art and following the old ways, but finding such Teachers today is becoming like trying to find a ice cream store in the desert. If your lucky enough to have one, consider yourself among the few that do, they are indeed rare in todays day and age. Sad to say, but most traditional schools do go under due to students who take advantage of the one rare thing they have, namely " The Traditional Teacher"

Which Art is Best?

2011-09-12T15:45:00.006-04:00

Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years is "What Art Should I Study, or What is the Best One" The answer to this question is one i usually say, There is no best, it is the man/woman in the Art that counts and not the Style you pick. Of course people may still be left wondering as to what Art to pick seeing there are so many Arts to pick from.

This best way to figure what is for you is to first ask yourself what do you like best? Some like throwing Arts such as Judo or Shuai Chiao, some like fancy Kicking Arts like Taekwando , some prefer Locking Arts like Jiujitsu.. Some Like hard hitting Arts like some of the Japanese Karate styles, some love weapons like Ninjutsu. If you like beautiful and unusual postures, Mei Jung Ch'uan is a good choose as well. So what style should I pick? First ask yourself what are you looking for, and start from there. Then try a few of these styles and make your pick. Remember you can always change your mind if your find it not for you and try another style, the door is never closed.

So why did I pick the arts I study and what is my favorite? Well I decided to go for the root arts, the ones that most of the styles you see today came from. I did try the hard Japanese styles but leaned towards the softer Chinese Arts. Now all I needed was to pick what style I wanted. My choice was the go for the traditional Shaolin Styles like Low Han which has very clean moves. This style was famous as one of the founding styles. I also like throwing and took up Judo but later turned towards the father of throwing styles, Shuai Chiao.

It was later yet when I looked towards the internal styles, Tai Chi for it flow and its internal power, then Hsing Yi for it directness and simplicity of Five Moves and finally Ba Gwa for it circular and twisting moves. But if you ask me what my favorite I would have to say Kenpo.

This style had in it early beginnings no forms, It was composed of Techniques only and known as the street fighters Art. Most of the ancient body guards of the ancient time learned this style for it effectiveness and numerous techniques, which I love. The Forms of Kenpo were created much later by the founder of American Kenpo, Edward Parker when he decided to add Forms to round off his system. One person that added Parker in creating some of the forms, namely the star blocking set, was James Wing Woo.

Kenpo resembles a few of the Southern Chinese styles such as Hung Gar and Choy Li Fut, but the focus was always on Techniques more then forms. Parker was never taught forms, the founder Professor Chow really focused on hundreds of Techniques. As I said, it was later when Parker came to the USA that he created his classical forms based in these techniques to make the system complete. It has been called the Fast Hand Art as well as much of the focus was on hand rather then fancy kicks. What kicks there are were focused to low area's of the body to prevent leg capture.

The thing I liked about Kenpo was that it is very practical for street fighting. It is marked by the fact the moves are fast and there was numerous hitting to vital area's holding back nothing that worked. As far as kenpo is concerned, anything goes. It was not a pretty art because form was secondary to effectiveness, and this made a lot of sense to me. Most styles look at the beauty of your stances and fancy postures, whereas Kenpo focused on fast devastating techniques that put your opponent out quickly and for good. Fighting is never pretty, what do you care about when it comes to defense, how pretty you look or how well it works for defense?

Since Kenpo's advent in this country it has been imitated more the any style I know with many different schools opening that were not part of Parker's IKKA (international Kenpo Karate Association). I think this is true because Kenpo was the first Martial Art in this country and was made very popular to the American people and even drew such people as Elvis Presley.

Some have asked my why it is called Karate rather the Kung Fu, I think it was simply because that term was better known, but Parker him self called it Chinese Kenpo, not Japanese Kenpo which is a a totally different style. Since Ed Parker's death many offshoot organisations have surfaced and the original Art has been added to a great deal in weapons and new forms and such which the original style did not have. The original style was nothing but Techniques and few weapons.

Again, I repeat when I say you have to find what you like, what makes sense to you, what you do best and is suited for you to decide which style to get into. I was naturally fast, which makes a Hand Style well suited for me. As another example, a weak person small in size might find an art like Judo not the best to choose to study, as compared to a bigger and stronger man in the same art. None of this is to say what is best, I am only giving you my view what was good for me and what was suited to my physical makeup. I will close saying all the Arts are just great, all you have to do is find what your match is. It is like a marriage, if you find the right one, you will be happy the rest of your life, if you don't it just don't work...!

A Master's Goal

2011-09-12T13:09:00.003-04:00

So what is it that a Master wants from teaching people the arts? The answer is simple , namely to create successors to the arts so it may continue into the future. This is the primary goal of any Teacher or Master or Grand Master. The arts has survived for thousands of years and it has done so by passing the arts on to those who have that certain attributes a Master looks for in a student. So what are those attributes?

It is not just ones ability to perform techniques or demonstrate forms that make good teachers, it is the heart. Most who study long enough can show their skills in techniques or forms, but the thing that is hidden is the heart and dedication to the Art and its ethics that allow the arts to continue for generations to come. Without a love for all the traditions and loyalty to the arts it would have been lost centuries ago.

This is why I have often said, "Many are called but few are chosen". Any True Master is looking for the dedication and love which is what the Arts calls for continued existence. Great Grand Master Chang did not pick his students by their skills ability, it was their character that he looked at. Many would come to him literally begging to become one of his student, but if he thought that their character was lacking in some way he would not even consider taking them under his roof.

Of course every Teacher knows well not all will make it, for many come to the Arts for different reasons and more then likely they would leave for various reasons well before they could even be considered as a top student. This is ok, and it is also expected, so it is not shocking to any Teacher then people will come and go. But there are always a few that seem to have the love for what they do and are looking for a future in teaching others. These are the one's the Teachers eye watches closely. More often then not if he is wrong in his judgement their flaws in character will show up.

I must say some have even made it to Teacher levels and after some time their flaws then appear. This is always a heartbreak to any Teacher, but it does happen. Master's or Teacher Levels (Shifu) are but mere humans can be deceived at times, when this happens the Master or Teacher (Shifu) usually disowns them and moves on. However this is not common and for this reason our art lives on.

No matter how great the Master may be their will always be those who can not live up to the ethics and dedication our Art calls for. Even a Great Master such as Jesus, had one who betrayed him, namely Judas. But it was the remaining eleven who spread his teachings and created one of the worlds greatest religions.

For those looking to become a Teacher, all that is needed is the Love of what they do, follow your Masters teachings with sincerity, if you do, your Teacher will see this in time and your dream of becoming Teacher (Shifu) will become reality. Believe me when I tell you any good Shifu, Master, Grand Master or even Great Grand Master wants this to happen more then you will even know in order to safeguard his Art for future generations. This is the goal of any Teacher no matter what their level may be.

The Old Way

2011-09-06T19:36:00.005-04:00

When I started in the Martial arts is was far different then the schools you see today. So much has changed. Now it is a business, when I was training it was not, it was a fighting art form and nothing else. There were no schools like you see today. Most training was done in rather old worn out rooms, with wood floor and a few mirrors, if you were lucky.

The arts was rough and only those that had the guts to hit and be hit would dare join. Injuries were almost constant, most uniforms had some blood stains on them from split lips broken noses and missing teeth. Learning to take punishment was part of the training, if you could not take it how them could you dish it out?

There were no tournaments in those days, it was a street art for self protection and nothing else. The Teachers were hard to find, but when you did they were rough street fighters that had little mercy about hitting you often and hard, in fact being hit was part of the class training to learn how to take a blow and come back again for more.

More of the classes was about fighting, and little else, forms training was not the focus although you had to learn them, it was about basics blocks, kicks, punches and taking out an opponent quick as possible. You either learned how to fight or you would get beat up on a daily basis. In those days the people that joined the schools were tough street kids that were learning how to stay alive in the rough city streets.

It all changed now now, It all about money, fancy schools and useless moves, competition for trophies, and the worst part is the lose of the reality of the street condition, which can and is brutal. There are no rules in the streets, therefore there should be no rules in the training school either, but now schools use tons of padding to try avoid injury, this approach is the opposite in the streets. Your not padded in the streets and there are no rules other then to take out your attacker as fast and sure as possible..

It was much later when people saw money in teaching and running tournaments that the arts changed. Now schools have everything under the sun, from yoga, to dance and weight loss programs, parties and the list goes on. Well the only thing I can think of is the next time someone comes at you with a knife or club to beat your brains in you can dance for them, maybe you will discover a partner for dancing with the stars?

Sorry, but this is the reality of the Arts as I was trained. I never in my whole training career ever deviated from the old ways, but the arts also never failed me either, because it was real training for the real thing! Just ask a Master like Chang Tung Sheng and he would show you what was real. When he fought only one person walked away, and it was Chang !!!!...

My Thank You

2011-07-13T19:27:00.005-04:00

I wish to thank my Students, Grand Students and Great Grand Students for their remembrance of me on my birthday. The one great pleasure a Teacher enjoys is the love and respect he receives from those who he has effected in some way by the teachings.

A teachers greatest reward is knowing their are those who love the Arts as he does. I have been in this Art more years I care to count now but each year has brought me great gratification seeing our members grow in number. This is why our Art has survived for thousands of years. Still now the chain of knowledge is being spread from one generation to the next. My hope is you all will continue to learn and spread the teachings to future generations to come..

I may not see many of you, but you can see me through the teachings and traditions that are being taught to you by your Shifu and Master levels. I may never meet all of you but you are a part of me as I am a part of my Masters. The techniques you do and the forms you perform all come from your heritage. We are from the same gene and like DNA our makeup is the same.

Thank you all for you dedication and love, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you. My hope is the same as your Shifu, and that is, that you continue to train and follow the path to the end. I can promise you this, if you do, you will never regret the time you spent getting there.

May the Supreme Being Bless You All
Ma Shrya

Great Students

2011-07-13T13:33:00.003-04:00

I had the good fortune to have a number of Great Masters in my life, but a Great Masters are only as good as the student he/she teaches. Anyone one Master you ever meet can be one of the best, but if he/she doesn't impart their knowledge to others it will fade away in time. This is why Great Masters are always on the lookout for those special students they can reveal their secrets to.

A poor student is nothing but a waste of precious life time. A good student is a Masters greatest gift to preserve his or her knowledge for future generations. This is why Great Masters only had a few who they imparted their knowledge to. The reason is simply, great students are hard to find but when they find one they give them all they have.

My Masters were special people, they loved their Art above all else. None were rich as far as money was concerned, in fact they lived rather meager lives. Money was never their goal for teaching, only the love for what they did motivated them.

Each Master I met was unique in their own way, but the thing they did have in common was the Love for for their chosen Art. If your looking for a good Master look at their character, that will reveal their quality. If money drives them, back away and find another teacher, If they have no compassion or no strong faith in the spiritual find another Master. If they hold back knowledge after a long periods of time that have nothing to offer. If they only teach you about fighting and nothing else find another, there is so much more a Great Master can offer other then mere fighting to live a beneficial life, such as Wu-De and Spiritual Kung Fu.

Each of my Masters had the qualities I speak of. They were men driven by their principles and love for sharing their knowledge to those who stood up to their standards. None of them are alive now but they live on through those few they taught, those are the few I call the Great Students........

Quantum Physics

2011-07-13T00:16:00.000-04:00

People may wonder how I became involved with what I am about to speak about, which is life after death and the immortal soul. Well let me explain first before I get into this subject. The martial arts takes you down many roads along the journey. It is far more then mere fighting if you investigate the many roads along the way. Of course if you only focus on the techniques and forms as such then surely you will miss the bigger picture namely the meaning and purpose of life itself.

Where you may ask does the martial arts speak of this? Well students do hear about Buddhism and Taoism but some really don't take the time to investigate the deeper meanings in these philosophies. They are not religions as such because there is no God head per say, of course some will make a religion out of them but I am not going there. I am only referring to the ideas which they convey about life and death and yes even the after life. In Tibetan Buddhism their is a book called "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" where they described what to expect after death and the journey of the soul back to rebirth. True or not it certainly gives you something to think about as a possibility of what is to come.

Being born Christian, I of course was told of only one life and one death and either a hell or heaven that awaited us. Because of my encounters with all these different religions and philosophies I was driven to find out more. They all seemed to be possible if you keep an open mind. So I started to compare all the Religions of the world to see what they thought about the after life. In a way they all made some kind of sense in one way or another. But yet they all still seemed to be missing the mark in some way in my mind. Some things did just did not make sense to me. So I keep looking for more answers to make the puzzle fit somehow in my mind.

I turned to science for the answers, and came way with answers that somehow made more sense to me. One of them was the study of quantum physics and our connection to the universe. This study, to say the least is so heavy even the best minds in the world are stumped as to all the implications it offers as to the working of the mind, and yes even the soul. It speaks of time and space on a whole new level of understanding that just confounds human thinking. But even if you understand the smallest bits it's can change your way of looking at life and death.

In my studies I came across NDE (Near Death Experience) and read hundreds of cases who claim to have experienced this phenomena. Some of the best minds in quantum physics cant agree if what these people are experiencing is real or just a product of a dying brain that is oxygen starved creating an hallucination. Some of the world greatest doctors say this in not just a dream state or a trick of the mind because complete awareness is present when in some cases the brian has flat lined and the person is declared brain dead. No brain wave at all and no heart beat, yet full awareness. In some case these people are dead from minutes to hours and in rare cases even more then a day.

What they see and hear during this period of death has to make you wonder is there in fact something else
beyond death? They hear voices, see brilliant lights and seem to leave the physical body behind as they travel to what they describe as a heavenly realm. There they speak of having a full blown conversation with heavenly beings. They speak of a realm of pure love and non judgement. Only after being told they must return to human form do they return to the physical body, unwillingly at that. Most if not all say they would have rather stayed in this spirit state of being, but were ordered to return as it was not yet their time to die; and they had to go back to finish their mission on earth, whatever that mission may be?

Now if you again look in quantum physics it speaks of consciousness as being separate from the function of the brain. Those who study the brain say there is something called micro tubular's in the brain that act as quantum receivers of atoms and are in fact part of the same matter that constitutes the same makeup of the universe itself. Here is where our consciousness comes from and rejoins after death, in essence it is your soul. At death the atoms that compromise the makeup of the brain return to is source with full awareness. On rebirth these atoms are merely reassembled into another form, or should I say person, As they say after all; matter can not be destroyed only transformed.

I don't have all the answers, I don't even have some of them, but I can say, this is possible, Science does state there are in fact other dimensions, and some quantum physicists will tell you they have found to be eleven dimensions. Time itself is considered the fourth dimension it is called space time, but if you keep looking into quantum physics it leads to the string theory which again speaks of multiple dimensions of conscious awarensss.

Whatever the answer really is, no one can tell you for sure at present as we only just opening up new doorways to possibilities that a least our science can detect as real. We know consciousness exist we just don't know what it is yet, We know there are other dimensions, we just don't know where they lead, We know there seems to be some kind of intelligent design to the universe we just don't know how this is possible yet. We know one thing for sure, and that is we simply don't know yet but quantum physics tells us it is there. I learned all this just by waking down the road of the martial arts. As you walk, look and ponder, for there is much more then just living and dying, it's not that easy..........

We Don't Die

2011-07-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

The more I study the more I am convinced we never die. Many religions have stated the same in their beliefs, Of course some of us will believe it, while others will not. So what has convinced me to believe more, rather then doubt this is true?

Science has convinced me, especially if you look into quantum physics. This new science is revealing more of what reality is each passing day. What is consciousness, what is the soul, what is God? All these timeless questions are examined using quantum physics and it does give rise to possible answers. This science is revealing startling discoveries that can rattle the human mind.

Understanding this new science is extremely difficult. Even the best minds in the world cant say they understand all the implications of this study. But one thing is for sure, they do know there is many discoveries that point to new found answers we never knew until now about life death and the universe. Of course answers only bring more questions, however, what we thought to be true until now is changing rapidly each day by this ongoing study.

Of course scientists may differ in what all this means, but they do agree what we originally thought about the soul, consciousness, and god has changed since they looked into this new science. There does seem to be a divine order to creation and existence as we know it.

By the study of the atom and proton and neutron science has found reality to be very much different then what they thought. What is true reality is yet to be discovered, if that is possible at all. However, we do know it is not what we originally thought it to be.

They have also discovered by this new science the brain is more of a receiver of thoughts then a creator of thoughts. Also this thing we call the soul may well be connected to the universe, in ways never dreamed of before. All this is stemming from the study of quantum physics.

For those who doubt what I say, I suggest you do some self study into these matters and draw your own conclusions. In the end, what we all thought as just living and dying and nothing more, may prove to be the biggest illusion yet.

A Must Listen

2011-06-04T12:03:00.002-04:00

Go to this site and listen, It could change your life for the better. The best speech I ever heard about what we are..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU

Life Can Be a Dream or a Nightmare

2011-05-28T10:45:00.002-04:00

The Buddha said life is but a dream an illusion, but I would like to add, it can also be a nightmare.. Life is brief indeed, before you turn around you are old and sick. We tend to think life is long, but just stop and think for a moment, if your a teen where did you childhood go? If you are a young man or woman where did you teens go? If you are middle aged where did your youth go? In reality you don't remember your day to day existence in details, It fades into a blur, you only remember bits and peace's of thousands of days you have lived.

In the course of time we are here on earth for just a brief moment of time, just passing through as they say. We are born, go to school, then work and raise a family, retire if we are lucky to live that long, and pass away. So little time for any enjoyment, problems are many, and joys are few. Buddha did say, life is pain and suffering, and he was right. Yet with all these facts of life people don't know how to get along in peace and love. Wars rage, the killings go on, people hating people. Humans just go on blaming others for their faults, neglecting their own faults. Making judgements and inflecting more pain on each other, like just living life is not enough pain and suffering, so we make more for each other.

Just watch the news on TV for a day and you will see most of the news is bad, depressing and negative. Did you ever watch the news and say what a great day!? The news never changes no matter what's going on, shut it off for a year and turn it back on only to see the same things going on, just a different date and time is the only difference. The news is constant reminder of the many tragedies going on day by day. The deaths, the accidents, the sickness, the staving people. If you find one story of someone doing good , well he is a hero the unusual story for the day.

Mankind has not yet learned, we are making headway but so very slowly. Christ said don't judge others for you will be judged by your own standards. Yet we go on making judgements as to who are right and who is wrong, but who in fact is perfect? In the Chinese assessment, being a judge is not a good job. Who can judge others? Are we all not without sin of some kind. Who is to say what is right or wrong to begin with? We keep putting people in prison, the United States has more people in prison then any country in the world. And with each new stupid law that is passed more are convicted, it never ends, the real criminals are those who create the laws, yet they run free and control the country.

Those who have had a NDE ( Near Death Experience) have come back to say, they discovered there is no wrong, what you call bad or wrong is only a lesson to learn to be better the next time around. Those who have died and are revived come back knowing the real values in life, which is all about LOVE!. Love your neighbor as yourself was said by Christ, who really does this?. Give where you can and don't get lost in the material world, this is a waste of time and energy as well as life. Usually those who have survived a NDE change their life completely, their whole life turns towards Love and helping others, they give up the quest for material goods and focus on the blessings life can offer. They strive to help others in need and find compassion for the those who suffer. They lose their fear of death, and saver life and strive to be more giving, rather then accumulating wealth, fame or power.

In reality you have nothing to begin with, as they say in Taoism, all you own is only borrowed for a short time. Did you ever to stop to think, when you pass away from this world where all you so called possessions go? They simply disappear into time and fade away. What remains is only a memory and that to will fade in time. I ask you, who was your great grandfather, or his father? You don't know, you can only trace your family lineage back so far, then it is but a blur, meaningless to you and the way you live. You search your lineage because you are trying to find out where you came from, while this answer wont come from searching out dead relatives, it can only come from learning about your true nature, your connection to the universe. That is the source of your creation, the spirit, the light!

So what is important then? Love is important and and giving and sharing is important. The more you give the better you feel, the more you love the more you will be loved. Helping others is important, we are all brothers and sisters under the skin. We all are part of the great mystery of life and come from the same source. We all will go back from where we came from namely the spirit, back into the light. Yes, Buddha was right, he found peace by discovery of his true nature. If we just stop and think and realize this world is not ours, it belongs to the next generation and then only for a short time, then they disappear as well, everything is temporary. In time the whole world will disappear, constant change, constant creation and destruction, the cycle never ends.

Life does have a purpose, and that purpose is to find yourself. As they great saying goes "Know Thyself" two simple words, these words are of eternal significance. No better advice has ever been given to man or woman yet the least understood.. But if known, you will change for the better. Who are you? Where did you come from? Where are you going? What is your purpose in life? Find these answers and there you have it, the meaning of your existence and your purpose for living.

Love is a state of being, a condition of soul, and it is an action. Love is thus both a noun and a verb. There is no love present if it is not evident in one’s actions and thoughts. Because love is a state of soul it colors our thoughts and necessarily creates love around us. Only in practicing love do we learn about ourselves and we evolve as human beings. Only in practicing love and being in love do we gain wisdom which transcends knowledge—the wisdom of mysticism. Love, therefore, is the higher form of knowledge, the gateway to Wisdom. If you find yourself then and only then life becomes the dream rather then the nightmare...

Retired Grand -Master

2011-05-24T18:42:00.003-04:00

I have been teaching nine years short of my whole life as I draw near seventy years of age. Most of the time it has been a rewarding experience helping others learn the Arts. But I wish to tell those going into teaching to beware because teaching does have drawbacks like anything else in life.

Some of the draw backs are; if you teach in the traditional ways you will never become rich by your efforts to help others. It is something you do out of love in spreading the Arts to others and keeping the old traditions alive for future generations.

Another failing is dealing with people, as I have said many times, much of not all of our troubles in life come from people not living life. If there were no people in the world you would simply be born and die without much trouble. It is dealing with people that brings most of not all of our problems. I have often said a Teacher is like a candle with consumes itself shedding light to others. In other words we simply burn out giving our full efforts to teach others. Often this effort goes un-rewarded other then your own self satisfaction that your doing the right thing for the Art which we love so dearly.

There are many heartbreaks a Teacher deals with, in striving to create a teacher that will carry on the traditions to others. More often then not students fall short of your expectations, and seeing it can take up to ten years to create a young new Teacher we don't have the life span to create very many. So if your choice is a bad one on who we focus on, and we are wrong, then years of your life have been wasted. We have only so much time in the world and a Master is lucky if he or she can create but a handful of new Teachers to carry on.

This is why you will notice any great Master in history only has but a few he managed to train successfully to carry on. I managed to create five Master levels in my entire life and one young Shrfu level. Of course you may find others who claim they have created many Teachers, but the question is how good are they really? In fact, quality Teachers not to mention Masters are indeed hard to find. The proof of this statement can be seen just by looking who is teaching these days. If you look you will easily see the difference between quality teachers and the average run of the mill teachers today.

So what is the good part of Teaching? This answer is simply, the few you do create make everything else worthwhile. You then can retire knowing you have created a quality Teacher that will carry on the Art. One good Teacher or Master can teach thousands of others in their lifetime. This will ensure they to will find the select few who are worthy enough to be called Shrfu or better yet Master. I have done this so with all the hardships I have endured I accept knowing I did my part in safeguarding this Art for those who are sincere enough to learn it.

Religion

2011-04-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

People often ask me what religion I follow, and my answer is, parts of all of them.

It is my belief Religions tend to divide more then join people together. Just look at the state of the world now, and you can see the division, and it has been this way since the beginning of recorded time.

Most people think their way is the only way to salvation, and there is no telling people any different. It would be futile to try.

My view is all Religions have some merit in some way, even for those who say, they believe in nothing but life and death and nothing more. I am not trying to give any answers to who is right and who is wrong. That answer can only come from your own heart.

I find good and bad in everything. However, this statement can only bring up the question, as to what is good and what is bad? Again, defining these terms can only come from your own way of thinking.

To arrive at the right answers let me ask you this question. If you were the only person alive or that ever lived in the whole world, with no history to fall back on and nobody else to tell you anything about life and death, good or bad, what conclusions would you come to about life? Chances are, the answers you came up with would be the right one.

Enough said.....

More Wars

2011-03-20T09:31:00.003-04:00

As I predicted some time ago, wars will break out, and so they have, we are now in a total of three wars, and I see even more coming. Iran is quiet but not still, as they continue to gather strength. Furthermore, other Arab countries are going through major uprisings at this very moment, which will lead to more chaos.

These encounters are costing billions of dollars and that to will add to our problems here in the USA with our economy. All this stems from our weakness and a President, who cannot lead and take control of the problems that we are now experiencing both here and overseas.
Japan is in crises and the last of their problems has yet to be seen. I see more climatic changes, which will bring more disasters yet to come.

I always hated listening to those will call for the end of the world as we know it, but all we have to do is look at what is going on in the world, and it is getting harder to not believe this may be the beginning of worldwide change.

Look within our own country and you can see the many problems the States are having now. Look at our borders, which is so weak violence is pouring in the southern most states.

As a believer in the Tao, which states we are on the decline, which they call the White Sun, which means the beginning of the end of this cycle of life as we know it. Again, I pray I am totally wrong in my assumptions, and if so I will be content to be called any derogatory name people will call me. However, nothing lasts forever, the only thing that does not change is change itself, and that is exactly what we are going through now.

Japan

2011-03-15T08:51:00.002-04:00

The disasters that are going on in Japan now are heartbreaking to say the least. As I stated in a past bog this is only the beginning of a series of events that will change the very foundation of the world as we know it. The war's rage on and just when one ends another seems to be ready to start. Look at the Middle East the fighting the disorder, violence the governments are killing their own people, leaders stealing their country blind for financial gain.

The Japanese people are a prime example of what I have been saying about control, disciple and respect. You don't see chaos, even with a lack of food and water people lost and dying. There is not been one report of crowds going wild, stealing or violence. I ask you think of what would happen here if this type of event happened in the USA. I think you can all well see the picture I am painting.. However, Japan financial problems will affect the world in a number of ways that will rock the economy of the world even further.

You have to respect the way the Japanese people maintain civil order, and faith in their leader's even with the massive loss of life and property and personal safety. Look at our country now, crowds of people fighting, disrespect for our leaders. God help us if our lights went out, you would have to be armed to fight off the thieves and protect yourself from personal attack.

The world is changing right before our eyes. I don't believe there is an answer how to stop this change. The wars will grow and spread. The disasters will continue, until people come to their senses, which at this point I don't see happening. I pray I am totally wrong, but so far sadly I don't think so. My prayers are with the people of Japan.

Student Comparison

2011-03-14T17:55:00.002-04:00

If you were born in this country then chances are you love hot dogs, baseball, and rock and roll. Americans's have their own way of thinking which all stems from their cultural upbringing. This can be said of any native of any country. You are born into it, and in most cases that is what you believe no matter what. We are creatures of where we are born and where we grow up. There is no getting away from this fact.

Some of the predominant religions in this country are Catholic, Jewish, Baptists, etc. and most live according to their religious beliefs to some degree. Asians, on the other hand predominant beliefs are based on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. These are not necessarily religions as we know it because in Buddhism and Taoism or Confucianism, they don't speak of a God. In fact, Confucianism is more how to deal with your family, your country and the world. It is the law of who is who how they should be treated and respected.

The Martial Arts stems from these philosophies. It is part and parcel of the Asian thinking, and a Master is part of this thinking and therefore, there is great respect for them and the teachings. It is these ideals that separate the American mind from the Asian mind.

Of course having said all, this does not mean there is no Americans at all, after all I am an American myself, and there will always be the exceptions to any rule. I truly believe in this thinking, and it overrides my cultural beliefs. However, in general that is why the Asian student will more often than not be more loyal and dedicated and fully understand what we call Wu-De (Ethics) which is the very foundation of our art on which everything is based and is part of their cultural upbringing.

Look at any Asian Master and how they are literally worship those that came before them. Their dedication does not die no matter what. Their whole motivation is to preserve the teachings and spread the name of their Master, their art and all it stands for. Look at the American and you will find those who spread their own name and in many cases try to say they are even better than those who came before them. I leave you with one question, what do you know that did not come from someone else? The Asian mind understands this fact, and their respect and loyalty and dedication last the entire span of their life. This is what preserves our Art to this day. To those of non-Asian decent and follow this code of conduct, I congratulate you for being one of the few that do.

New Books and DVD's

2011-03-13T14:11:00.002-04:00

I just published two New Books and DVD's on Grand Master Chang's styles of Kung Fu. So far the feed back is good other then one or two who expect more. Actually the Tai Chi book has been almost all redone and I believe for those who wish to learn this from can do so with this book and DVD. The Hsing Jing DVD some said was a bit short, but the DVD combined with the book gives anyone looking to learn his Form can do so. My intent was only to reveal Grand Master Chang Form, experts can then drew their own conclusions of how the great Master viewed forms and how hew modified them to his liking.

Of course I don't go into his Shuai Chiao applications for the form, as that was not my intent or goal, but rather to disclose his form for the first time which was my goal. This I believe I have done, plus I added a version of the Overcoming Form known as Hsing Jing Ker Fu. This form show how he applied the moves for combat.

Anyone with a background in the Traditional Hsing Yi form will notice the differences in the flow that Master Chang applies. It simply runs much smoother as compared to the Traditional style Plus he uses different hand weapons and moves. I have traveled the world to get one Simple Form, so to me anything and everything is well worth it to those who love Kung fu. I hope many of you feel the same.

Anyone interested can order these books and DVD's on my web page at www.kungfu.org

Teachers

2011-02-26T10:13:00.002-05:00

I have learned a great deal in my teaching years, and in future blogs I will discuss many of the things that changed my life. But for now I would like to say one big realization I have learned. The American people and not easy to teach. Yes, I too am an American, but my Teachers, but one were not. A great deal of my learning comes from Taiwan. I have noticed one major difference in the students there and the students here in the states. And that difference is their dedication to their chosen Teacher. It is unwavering and heart felt. I have found this is a rare event to see this dedication among those in the states.

In China a Teacher is revered, respected and the devotion of his students is unwavering. Here I have found this is not the case. It is all about what I can get from you, and the dedication is fragile to say the least. It is rare for a Teacher to find students that really appreciate what a Teachers gives of himself to pass on the Arts.

I traditional Teacher never teachers for money alone. Yes, there are small fees to maintain a school but that is not why they teach. I can attest to the fact that I have lost more money teaching the I have made. It seems the Teacher is the last one to be paid, and often not at all. I am not talking about commercial schools where they bind people with contracts to collect money. It seems they are aware of the fact if they did not they would never get paid. However, a Traditional Teacher only go by the word of a student to maintain their fees and devotion and respect according to Wu-De (ethics) which is the very heart of our arts.

My biggest lesson is that few really believe in the Martial arts Ethics as compared to the Asian students. They are devoted and never waver and remain loyal to the end of the Teacher life as well as their life. Of course there will always be exceptions to the rule, but very few as compared to the large number seen in non Asian students.

A teacher is called a Shrfu, which means Teacher /Father. However, it is rare to see a student who really believes in that. They treat their Teacher as only a Teacher and nothing more. Like a Father would die for his children you would expect the same in reverse for their Teacher, but I have not seen this in this country, but for a few. I believe this was my greatest disappointment in teaching the Arts. This is the main reason I feel it this time to stop teaching and move on.

I know a Shaolin Monk of high order, who I won't mention his name, but he came to the states a number of years ago to teach only to find what I have stated here is true. He has even stated he may leave either back to China or elsewhere where he might be able to find true students. My only consolation is that I did find a handful of devotees that I leave behind, for that I am grateful.

Problems

2011-02-21T13:14:00.002-05:00

Life is a wonderful experience. It is a gift to be lived, something by which we learn by and grow. However, people will say today is a bad day or a good day. In reality, there is no bad day, it all good no matter what you may think. The thing that makes life a problem is not life but OTHER PEOPLE.

It is people who bring you problems, they way they view your thinking or the way you like to live. I believe we are born into the world to grow, to learn to become better, to find our real self and then, and only then do we move on to a better dimension of living. Science has now proven there are not just three dimensions of living, but they have now found eleven dimensions. However, I believe there are yet more to be discovered.

Just look at the world all the problems you see, why is this so? It is people who cause them. People starving, but why is this so? The answer is because people don't care. The food we throw out in this county each day would feed the starving people of the world now. Look at the countries that hate each other, why, it is the people and the way they think. They are right and you are wrong. Instead of letting people believe as they will and live as they will people are always trying to force their own way of thinking on others.

The world does not need to change. It is a perfect creation, unlike people. If people could change today the world would become a paradise this very day. The key is LOVE and Respect. Two words we use rather freely, but in reality, they are over used and meaningless. The bottom line is there are few if any problems. We have to learn to live and die according to nature laws. As i have stated often, there is no death, for energy can neither be created not destroyed, it only changes like water to steam and back to water.

Live fully without fear, threat those around as you would like to be treated, respects nature and have faith in the divine, for it exists, call it God or any other name you like, there is the perfection which we must all strive for, for when we reach this perfection problems will cease to be.

Wars Coming

2011-02-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

I hate to say I told you so but since my last Blog about this President, all I said has transpired. Now we have State's going against our own Government, we have a war on the Mexcio border, which are getting worse by the day. We have uprisings now going on in Egypt, which are spreading all over the middle east. Now, Jaruslium feels the United States is abandoning them and just may have to take action on for their own survival.
We have a Government that is failing to provide jobs for the people. Our debt is growing in leaps and bounds, and this President just keeps spending. Now our Government is taking even more control over private industries,banks and our health programs. Our borders are so porous anyone can enter with a nuclear bomb. We have a congress that is so liberal we are on the verge of becoming a socialist county. I can only hope someone with common sense in this Government takes action to prevent a major War, which just may end our existence.

This President

2010-10-31T12:29:00.002-04:00

I don't say much about politics on our Kung fu page or facebook because I know how deeply entrenched people are into their beliefs. However, in this Blog I always say what is on my mind, and this is it.

This President, in my opinion, is the worst we ever had. I was joking with another Teacher and said I am dressing up this Halloween as the President and going out as a Failure..

This President,is sending the country down the socialist road. The people he knows and interacts with should be enough to show most people his inner thoughts and character. It is my guess, he will take this country down if left unchecked.

My prediction is this, if this president continues as he is doing now, this county will go down, I see wars. I see a breakdown again in the economy. I see civil unrest as never before in this country. I would like nothing better than to be totally wrong, but my guts say, I am right.. Time will time won't it.....

I am going on 69 years of age now, and I can honestly say I have never seen this country so divided as now.. My prediction is this country is on the verge of big change, and not for the better. I would like nothing better then to be wrong...

The Traditional Gwan

2009-12-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

The Gwan is a very special place to a Martial Artist, in Japanese they use the word "Dojo" is used as the word Gwan is used. Actually the word Dojo translates as " The Place of the Art " Some translate it as The Place of the Way. In Chinese the word Wu-Gwan translates as a Martial Arts's Training Hall. In China the Gwan was where the Master was. Students would follow their chosen Masters to attain their knowledge of the Arts, where he went they followed. Wherever the Master decided to settle down and live that became place of the Gwan.

To a Martial Artist the Wu Gwan is a very place where the secret knowledge was passed on. According to tradition the Gwan symbolizes all that is taught within it walls., namely, Attention to detail, meaning the placement and arrangement of everything in its proper place. Cleanliness in two ways, the first is the Student, he had to neat and clean, this is a sign of self respect, his clothing and body always well cared for. The second is the Gwan itself, it had to be perfectly neat and spotlessly clean. Anything out of order was an indication somebody mind was not focused into detail. In combat lack of focus could cost you your life, so these matters were taken very seriously.

Gwan's could appear anywhere, on mountain tops, to deep forest hideaways. Where the Master decided to stay that's where the Gwan was built. It did not matter how fancy a Gwan is that makes it good, it is the mind set of its members that resurrects a Gwan. Small, big, fancy or not it was well kept up to a students best ability. The all seeing eye of the head Master could see the smallest discrepancy in order and the next thing to happen was everyone had to pay the price for not catching it. This formed a caring bond between students looking out for one another. If someone did something out of Tradition the classmates would quickly correct the error before the Maters spotted it.

The Gwan also teaches the meaning of courtesy, and respect, being polite and respectful of not only people but places and things as well. A Gwan teaches students to look for and seize opportunities as they arise, this is part of the training to develop the warrior mind. A Gwan training teaches the students to push them self beyond what they think is their limitations. A Gwan teaches the importance of hard work and constant practice. A Gwan teaches the importance and value of developing great patience. Only fools rush in, as they saying goes. Martial Artists never rush, rather we move slow and steady, watching each step of the way. A Gwan teaches the connection between Mind Body and Spirit , to transform a student to that of a whole and complete person..

As you can see, a Gwan is a special place of learning and transforming into that of a Martial Artist. Some of the nicest people in the world are martial artists. The are capable people, trust worthy, loyal, honest, and just. The have overcome their most inner inhibitions. They are confident, and capable, and intelligent, all of which comes from the Gwan training. They are family, bound together by the hard work sweat and trails of victories and defeats they all have faced together. They are bound by the oath they all have take to perfect the Way. The share the same beliefs and goals so they remain close throughout life as brothers and sisters, all taught within the walls of the Home Gwan. The bottom line is, Gwan training is a focus on character building not only skill building. Punching and kicking can be learned quickly but without the right mind set, it is all a waste of time. The Gwan teachings builds a person from the inside out, not the out side in.

In short Gwan's have lasted hundreds of years as s special place to those in training, our home away from home, our refuge for learning and developing our self to the fullest potential. Unlike a church or temple we don't look to God for help, we look to our selves to make the necessary changes to better our self. God helps those who help them selves and the Gwan is the means for all this happen. This is a Gwan, a very special place indeed........

When Kung Fu Fails!

2009-10-14T19:25:00.003-04:00

As wonderful and powerful Kung Fu is for self defense, it can fail you, and here is when.
1. When you fail to practice enough to perfect your techniques.
2. When you fail to remember proper mind control, namely your fears.
3. When you think you cant lose.
4. When you fight for unjust reasons.
5. When you start fights.
6. When you fear using your techniques in fear of harming your opponent.
7. When you underestimate your opponent.
8. When you are unaware.

Solutions:
1. Practice your techniques realistically and work on variations.
2. Practice mind control techniques, this requires Chan (Zen) practice.
3. Practice as if your opponent has never been beaten, now go from there.
4. Practice restraint.
5. Practice humility rather then vengeance. Humility, compassion, and wisdom characterize the state of enlightenment
6. Practice justification of force.
7. Practice the principles of Sun Tzu.
8. Practice staying in the moment. Maximum clarity of your environment and situation at hand. This is Shaolin Chen.

The best of all solutions is never having to fight at all, when you do, you have already lost control of the situation....! But if no other way out, and you have followed the eight solutions mentioned above, you should emerge victoriously and unharmed. This is when Kung Fu Works!!!

Buddha Bless

Never Give Up

2009-10-07T13:48:00.002-04:00

This art is wonderful for making you ready for the battle of life. If you stay and succeed in this art achieving a high level it is an indication you are on the verge of finding great self discipline and control over yourself so that the battles we all face in life will be under your control rather then running wild and out of control.

Life is a constant challenge, no day goes by without us having to make decisions and playing them out to a fruitful conclusion. But this take a strong mind and will to stick to your guns, it does not come without tempering yourself to deal with situations as they arise. You need to find that control of mind and body and this is what the Art is all about, becoming your own Master rather then the slave of others.

There will be days when you say, wow, I cant make workout, I am tired, or I have others things to do, or just missing one wont hurt me, I think I will relax today. These attitudes lead to defeat down the line in dealing with other matters other then the Gwan and its demands. Maybe the one workout missed wont hurt you, maybe it will because you have given in to your whims rather then saying NO! I will push myself to go, even if I am tired or busy with other matters. You just don't give in to being lazy or making excuses which is what Martial Arts pride themselves on, namely not giving up.

Most of the troubles in life will come from our own shortcomings to deal with situations and standing strong in the face of adversity. There are people who will try to deter you along the way, You have be a strong person to say, sorry, I have a class to make or sorry it is time for my home practice. The more you don't give into your self weaknesses, the stronger you get, in the final outcome nothing will ever deter you from completing tasks in life with a clear mind determination will to succeed.

I can say in all honesty I have never given in to myself when it came to training. When you do this, your life will revolve around your Arts, rather then the Arts revolving around your life. This in turn will lead you to self mastery which is the primary purpose of training, to change you into a strong determined individual who is independent and self sufficient and one sighted in your goals in life.

We all want to be happy in life, but happiness comes from making the right moves and to see the right move you must be clear sighted meaning you know the consequences of life are determined by your choices. Nobody can make the right choice for you, it must come from you and to come from you you must train yourself to be clear minded and follow through with any demands made to you. You never back off or slack off.

Yes, our Art is more the fighting, so much more! It is a Mastery over our weak self to that of the warrior self which lies within all of us. You just have to bring it out, then you can bask in the glory of your successes which come from proper decisions and follow through until what must be done is done. Don't let your life be guided by others, you must cut your own path in life, nobody can do that for you except yourself.

A Poem on the Arts

TRAINING...

The bells ring and I detect incenses,
Butterflies in my stomach have cooled their senses.

Enter the armory as a mere man,
Leave as warriors of the same clan.

Spread to four corners on the hard floor,
Contorting our bodies to melt our core.

The time is close at hand, let us prepare,
Place your cloth on the ground and wipe the floor bare.

All in a row, we are stakes in the ground,
We do not move, do not make a sound.

The teacher comes forth and our journey begins,
We bow our bodies, but raise our chins.

The doors are flung open for all to know,
We're in his world now with no place to go.

Working long and hard without much break,
For those who quit quick this was a mistake.

I've tried my best and my muscles all ache,
Even ones I didn't know that I could awake.

Pushing the limit as far as we can,
Reaching our goals with a guiding hand.

But its over now and we must go,
What wills me to stay I do not know.

I am reminded that the test isn't done,
Because life is a game that cannot be won.

Though, if I take time to practice my skills,
I'll be scaling more mountains than hills.

*** Author: Poem by Marc Gatien
Posted on our ACCS Blog for public consumption.

ShrYa

The Stupidity of Mankind.

2009-10-05T11:36:00.002-04:00

This country Is now undergoing a great change. I don't want to scare people, but major changes are just around the corner and along with them will come more an more attacks by our lack of accepting the facts as they are. I believe the USA is getting weaker, not stronger and like Rome, we will go down in short order. As a Martial Artist I can small trouble coming, just be prepared is my only advice.

Why do I say this? Well because of human nature, and the interplay of Yin and Yang. There will always be those who want to fight for what they think is good. It may look bad to another but to those it is good and the right thing to do. There is no changing what others see as correct, just as you cant be convinced to their way of thinking. This brings conflict.

If people understood this fact then we as a country would take strong precautions to stop or limit the chances of attack, But what we have done thus far is just not enough to ward off attacks, being prepared is a Martial Arts tactic. When you lessen your guard, expect the attack. As I look out into the world affairs I see less precautions being taken, our guard is down because many have forgotten the rules of Sun Tzu. Therefore, attacks will be the result, and sooner or later, it will hit us hard, I see sooner rather then later.

Mankind is destructive, we just cant seem to live together in the world in harmony, We tend to fight among ourselves, or anyone who don't agree with us. Mankind has not learned by the long history of wars and conflict. Since man set foot in the world he has been fighting and this will continue until we all wipe our self off the face of the earth.

The only salvation is for man to wake up, and share the world, we are on an island in the universe, and there is no place we can find peace in the world. So sad, but true. We have been praying for peace since day one , but it has never come and this is due to a state of the unenlightened. They see differently then those who see the truth, love and peace.

Nothing will stop this drift towards total destruction, it is only a matter of time. My advice is to be prepared and ready for what will be, find love, find peace and accept things as they are. So when it all transpires you will be ready to face whatever it is we will face... Then you can die at peace. Mankind has been doomed since it creation because we are lost souls, who don't realize how to live in peace. Total world peace never existed since the dawn of man and never will until we end it with one Big Bang!

Until then, don't worry, there is little you can do once we the wheel is rolling, and as I see it, it is rolling a great deal faster now....

My only wish is that our next appearance into existence will be a better one then what we have created thus far.

Pray for peace, but don't hold your breath too long or you will meet you maker sooner rather then later..

I Pray I am totally Wrong!!! But somehow I don't think so...

Training in our Art will make you stronger to accept things as that are, and deal with them as they are. The events you cant change, just accept them and be prepared to face them bravely having faith and trust in the Dao.

Some may say this is another doomsday prediction, and we will be fine, but I say, if you understand how Yin and Yang works then where there is a beginning there must be an end. This is not a possible prediction, it is fact how yin and yang work......

Buddha Bless Us All

Six tips for staying happy...

2009-09-28T12:36:00.002-04:00

1. Accept yourself – You are what you are, accept yourself and don't think for a minute you are either bad or good You are just you with all your faults as well as good points. This is what makes you, you. Love yourself for nobody else will love you the way you do..

2. Happiness is a state of mind - Try to remember really everything is as it should be, there is no bad nor good it all comes from your mind and the fear of not be considered Good. You are good. Your perfect, that's why your you. Don't look of happiness, it is with you now, just focus on it.

3. Prioritize your life - Lean towards the things you want to do, as opposed to what others want you to do. Of course find the balances, but never put your needs second, nobody else does, why should you? We all must find our won way, do not depend on others for your happiness.

4. Stay in the company of happy people - People who bring you down should be avoided. People who cry on your shoulder should find another shoulder not yours. Don't be with those who drain your spiritual energy and optimism. Be with those that boost your spirits and bring a smile to your face..

5. Be grateful - learn to be content and happy with what you have now, even if not much, enjoy it and don't become attached to material things. Be grateful for the moment no matter what it is, it can always be worse.

6. Have no expectations - Just take it as it comes, to have expectations to be setting yourself up for disappointments..

ShrYa

Misunderstood

2009-09-23T19:37:00.002-04:00

The Martial Arts is more then just defense, tricks to overcome an opponent, it is so much more then just fighting, but that is the part most see when they hear the words Martial Arts. Actually it is a way of life, a path to self discovery, a discipline that can carry you through the hard times that life is sure to bring. It is a constant means for us to examine our inner most core, which is the very reason for our fears and lack of confidence to accomplish whatever life throws at us.

The Martial Arts is a journey to self discovery, of what makes you tick, it brings to light your good points and allows you to find ways to overcome your weak points. It is an adventure in learning the secrets of life itself, if you follow the path into your own existence. The forms and techniques are but tests to see if you can spot your weakness then overcome them. By mastering each form or technique your focus becomes that much more clear. You will learn the way to hold your attention on points you have overlooked for most, if not all of your life.

The Martial Art does not teach violence but rather the avoidance of it. It teaches you respect for human life and your follow man. It teaches you how to lessen your ego, and rather then enhance it, thus becoming a more compete human being who nature has been tempered by discovery of the truth of your existence. The Arts is a challenge for you to find patience, and fortitude, which is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty in trying times. It teach perseverance to tackle any task to it successful conclusion.

The Arts is far more then just fighting, in fact, it teaches us not to fight unless there is no other way out of a situation. You will never find a martial artists looking for a fight but rather trying to avoid it altogether. It teaches love for all mankind and respect for life in every form, be it human or animal or even insect. Killing is life greatest sin, and no martial artist wants to destroy any form of life but rather enhance it, embrace it, and help foster it in any way we can.

The Martial Arts is a way to liberation from the mundane and cruel world and leads it followers to a more sublime way of existence. It teaches us there is hope for all of us to improve our present human condition to that of a sage if we take it to it furthest ends. Yes, our Art is misunderstood by those that are not leading such a life style, but those involved know these truths and that is why our Art has survived of so many hundreds of decades and will continue to do so as long as mankind continues to search for truth, peace and harmony in life.

Buddha Bless and Kwan Yin Protect

Money

2009-09-18T12:07:00.002-04:00

If you look at the Commercial Martial Arts publications all they talk about is MONEY!! As if money is everything, here are some of their headlines in these magazines. Double Your Income, Make more Money, Triple your enrollment,and the list goes on. But in a Traditional School none of this is our concern. We would rather have less students and money then break our code. To a business minded person this can not be understood. But the bottom line is we don't consider ourselves a business we are a learning center. We cater to those who wish to improve their life in some way. To develop a good character and be a disciplined and caring people who are confident and unafraid to face the world and all it challenges. If we make less so be it, if don't have contracts that is good, because we don't want to force people to stay or pay absurd amounts of money, we want people who want us and not by contract.

Commercial schools are just that, commercial, that means money first caring second and only if the money is there or they don't care anymore that is when the phone calls starts coming in from the collection agencies asking for the money owned to them. In a traditional school the costs are low and we make arrangements for those who are low on funds. It is always a hand shake and commitment that binds us together, not a contract. A true traditionalist would rather close their school then go commercial. We would rather have ten dedicated students then two hundred students who are not so dedicated. We make no sense when it comes to commercialism, we brake every rule a good business man would put into effort to gain students. We simply want to teach what we love most, namely the Arts. In fact we rarely advertise our schools, we believe our love for the Arts and fair and honest instruction is enough good advertisement.

I am not against business that what make our country grow, but we are not in business we are in an Art Form, a Way of Life, a Discipline to enhance the quality of our life. Our goal is to make friends and build a good character and develop confidence in our own abilities. This was how the Arts has survived all these centuries, it a love for what we do and the relationships we make along the way. Money is never the object of the having a school, as we say in the Arts, " there are no pockets in a shroud", so the accumulation of money is unless in the end. But love last forever, good deeds are long remembered, and lasting friendships are just priceless. Both money and greed are everywhere, and they have had some very negative effects on this world since the beginning, it not going to change anytime soon ether..

The Arts is more then fighting, that is the least important gift this Art offers, what is really important is to learn how not to fight by making friendships and learning to respect others and their feelings. We have noting to prove with the exception of becoming better people, more self reliant and unafraid to face whatever life throws at us, and for sure it will to all of us at some point in life. I have been teaching my whole life and my bank account is empty but my heart is full of love for what I do and the people I have meet over the years. When we teach, we do it out of Love for what we have, and only want to share this wonderful experience with anyone willing to step on the path.

Buddha Bless
ACCS

The Brother and Sisterhood

2009-09-03T14:38:00.002-04:00

I have yet to see a stronger bond then that of Martial Artist. It is truly your extended family, people who you train and sweat with, people who share the same goals and desire as you. People who believe in the same ideals as you and people who share your beliefs on loyalty, honor and respect. This is a martial arts family and no matter where we are in the world we stay together always in touch always helping out the other in any way we can. This is the family of martial artists.

I have almost no personal friends for a simple reason, we don't share the same goals and ideals as those of my brothers and sisters in the arts. We don't like the same things and we don't spend our time talking or practicing the arts. Therefore why bother with people who I don't have much in common with? All those around me are in some way connected to the Arts, even if not from your school it is still the Martial Arts and all martial artists share almost the same foundations no matter what the style as long has it is a legitimate arts style, Karate or Kung Fu or whatever, we all love the same principles and philosophy.

I have had contact with these people for over thirty years and we still send each other birthday cards and well wishes. What we have in common few understand outside the arts. We are indeed a fraternity of special people who share the same love namely the ARTS. If any of you stay in this art long enough you to will find your life revolving around your brothers and sisters. They will be the ones you associate with the most because therein you will find those that you are in agreement with your actions and thoughts about life and it meanings and how best to live it. We all help each other with moral support in times of need. And if one needs help, we all help any of our brothers or sisters without a second thought.

I think this alone is worth having in life, namely people you can trust and rely on. Friends come and go but martial arts brothers and sisters stay close to each other until each others last breath. I have never seen such devotion to traditions as that of martial artist. We are bound by our love for this discipline.

I hope those of you who are studying now stay long enough to find what many of us have found who are in the Art for years. The binding of our souls and striving to archive the perfections this art offers in return for your dedication. When I am in my Gwan I am at home, and I hope your feeling the same, if not it is only because you have not been there long enough or your don't get as involved as you should. If you do the next thing you will find is many people standing by your side who will always remain true to you and offer a helping hand in your times of need and as well sharing your good times and bad times as well. They will be your strength, your happiness and your souls mates now and for the rest of your life.

I will say it again, Martial Artists are the best people in the world, and I am proud to be a part of them . You are all my family, and I hope you consider me a part of yours? I am there for you for one simply reason, we are martial artists which means we are FAMILY!!!

Ma ShrYa
Buddha Bless

The Don'ts

2009-09-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Here are ten points that will assure your success in learning a Martial Art.

1. Don't compare yourself to other students, only focus on yourself.

2. Don't become discouraged with slow progress, it comes in stages.

3. Don't become complacent, or your will miss the real secrets.

4. Don't rush to learn, let it come naturally, just rather enjoy the journey.

5. Don't ever think you are reached your fullest potentials or the learning is over.

6. Don't be afraid to invest in loss. In winning all the time, you will lose the lessons gained by lose, therein lies the greatest of secrets.

7. Don't be afraid to face your errors, errors are the mother of learning, if you look at them.

8. Don't become lazy in your training, always put your best foot forward.

9. Don't expect anything but do everything and you wont miss a beat.

10. Don't ever give up on yourself, you are worth it.

As I have often said; Learning the Arts is not difficult, it is YOU who are hard to teach. Within all of you lie the Master, All you need do is bring him/her out into the open. This comes from the intent of ones desire to achieve the best for themselves. Sort out your weak points and accentuate your strong points. This is the key to the door to release the master within you.

ShrYa

Violence

2009-09-01T09:30:00.001-04:00

We all have to understand one fact before I say anything else. Violence in part of the human nature whether you think so or not. It is a part of our fight or flight response which is no different then the animal world which we are a part of. For some it takes little or nothing to get them into a rage while others can take an huge amount of provocation before they will explode but in the final analysis is we will all reach a certain point then explode and at that point, you have two choices namely to run or fight, and if you cant run you will fight.

Violence is part of you, all you can do is to try to keep cool and do nothing unless there is no other recourse then, fight without reservation. After you know you did your very best to avoid the situation then it time to defend yourself and never feel sorry for defending yourself, if you don't defend yourself who will do it for you? Some like to think they are not capable of violence but when confronted with a life and death situation this would be the furthermost thought from their mind and they would lash out against whoever is assaulting them, it is only a human reaction to survive.

As I have always said every encounter you ever get into will be lost because of the fact you got into the encounter in the first place. As I have always said, fighting is the lowest form of arbitration but there are times when words or actions mean nothing and you just have to defend yourself or be brutally beaten up if not killed. Nobody wants to fight and hurt people unless there is something wrong with their mind, but sadly there are those types as well, so learning a dependable defense system is of great need.

Violence in any form is ugly and the very meaning of the Martial Arts is to form good relationships with people and find ways to control our violent nature by self examination and justifying all our actions through the disciplines with learn in our martial art philosophy. We learn to respect all people as well as diminish the intensity of our ego. In simple words we learn to let things go, like water off a ducks back. Of course this does not mean we are willing to take a beating if attacked, it means we will do everything within our power to avoid situations where violence may be needed. This is the best we can do as humans, just try to get along with others and respect others opinions and you will limit violent encounters by fifty percent or more with a good attitude like this.

But having said all this violence still exists in the world and we as martial artists are always alert to sudden attacks without provocation. Then we don't think any more we just act or pay the consequences. Unless there is a second coming and only love exists I don't see any changes in human kind, we are what we are and what we are is the human animal that will fight like any another animal when pushed into a corner. Therefore our art which does not teach violence but rather how to survive it, must be used. Those that hesitate are simply beaten up, robbed or killed. Remember, even Jesus used violence in the Temple to show his distaste for human greed. And the God of Abraham said Vengeance is mine. If God can get pissed off sometimes I think your entitled to the same for the sake of justice and self survival.. What do you think?

Buddha Bless

Freedom to Live

2009-08-16T12:00:00.002-04:00

If you knew today was you last day on earth, and not worried about it, what would you really like to do? Well whatever your answer is, ask yourself why then are you not doing that today? People tend to think somebody else is going to die today, but not me. Child or adult it makes no difference to death. Children die everyday by the thousands in this world. Death is ageless, It has no regard for your present age, conditions young and old alike die, it takes you when your time comes without a second thought. None of this is being said to frighten you, but rather to remind you of what you should remind yourself each day of your life. If you do, you wont let a moment go by so quickly, you will embrace it and savor the moment for what it is no matter what your doing.

Death can change the quality of your life by the gentle reminder to live fully and learn, and enjoy and don't be afraid to live freely, savoring your desires to know and experience them freely. You can even be thankful for "bad" things because often they lead to something positive through learning, changing and growing. The secret to happiness is having your basic physical needs sustainably met for health warmth, clean air, clean water, nutritious food, rest and movement, and a variety of interesting things to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch, having the freedom to make your own decisions about your life, without fear of criticism from others for your life style.

According to Karmic Law we are born for certain periods time so as to balance our Karmic scale then and only then can we leave this vibrational state of existence so we may move upward in evolutionary development. I asked, in one of my email's, are you really free? Well, the answer to that question is NO! Only those who are awakened are really free. Until that day arrives you are a slave caught in the illusion, this is not freedom, it is slavery is of the worst kind. As long as you are trapped by the illusion of Yin and Yang you will always lean one way or the other, and never finding balance, thus freedom.

You are not free, you are captive, forever, choosing this or that, fearful of this or that, denying this or that, judging this or that and even with your judgement calls you wont be find satisfaction. In your heart you will be wishing it were different, but the power of the dream is too overwhelming for the average person to overcome. You need a discipline, a path a direction to follow so as to be shown the clearing ahead to the top of the mountain, the way through the dream, and into reality, then you will be fully awake and thus fully alive and content with life as it is, without the phoniness associated with the dream. You will be truly alive and free then and only then.

Freedom is happiness, freedom from your Master namely the illusion. You can live happier today if you take the chains off your free will, live as you feel, your inner naturalness cant make a mistake, only the thinking calculating mind can cause confusion and doubt. Until you are free you will always remain the slave of the illusion. You make your decisions according to societies rules, not yours, you live according to societies demands, not yours, You do this because of the threat of punishment by society or others criticisms if your don't. You are not your own master as long as you are caught in this web of yin and yang. Some will say we have no choice, it is either yin or yang, what else is there? There is choice not to take either, it is the third choose not spoken of by society because it is to dangerous for societies survival. The sage takes neither choice but rather simply follows his or her inner callings.

This reminds me of a story I have told before; but I will tell it again for those who not read it. There were two monks walking down a road, when they came upon a large floor of water blocking the path. There by the flooded waters stood a woman wondering how she was going to pass over the water without getting herself wet. Now monks are not supposed to touch or even look at woman for fear it would arise sexual thoughts, but one of the monks picked the woman up into his arms and carried her across the water and put her down on the other side. The other monks was shocked, and after some time asked his follow monk, "how could you do that?" "Do what? Replied the other monk." Pick up that woman, was his reply. The other monk looked at him and said, I put her down hours ago,, yet you still carry her, why so?... End of story

This is an example of what we do each day of our life, carry our fears with us, if we but put it all down and forget good or bad, yin or yang we could learn to do what we see fit to do without guilt or shame. Simply doing what comes naturally, without regrets. Knowing the ways of existence brings with it the freedom to break free of the dream and live as nature intended you to live. FREE At Last!!! FREE at Last!!

Buddha Bless

Martial Arts Beliefs

2009-08-15T09:52:00.002-04:00

Tantra, Buddhism , Taoism all speak of finding the truth of existence. There will always be those who seek Religions, and some also practice Buddhism or Taoism or Tantra as a religion, but they are not. Once you change these philosophies into religions you are lost again. They are not religions they are philosophies that don't center on a God but rather theories of existence that make a great deal of sense when analyzed closely.

We as humans have always sought after the power that created the wonders around us. We associated all this with a being that did it all and it is this being who judges us and control all the wonders of the universe out of chaos, yet everything is perfect in every way. This order is unexplainable so they associate it a higher power, rather then the perfection of existence. The Chinese don't have a name for God, so they call it the workings of the Tao. A force that although appears to be chaotic is perfect. So we assume there is some kind of control, therefore there must be a God doing all this.

What is the Tao nobody knows, it is beyond our human comprehension. But logically speaking with such order out of disorder their must be some form of awareness of consciousness in control or everything would cease to exist. In reality there is nothing to pray to nothing to fear there is no sin there is no hell there is no heaven. There is only what you project to be real. The sad part of this is we are like a genie in a bottle, what we wish for will at some point come into existence. If you believe in a hell, you will create one. This story came's from the New Testament. The was a place just outside of Rome where dead bodies were dumped, it become know as the place of hell. So hell was born into the imagination, we create our a dream and believe in it and with this belief the dream becomes real in time.

There is a greater power, but don't associate it with some being who will judge you, you will in the final analysis judge yourself. There is no being that wants to dam you to eternal damnation, you will do that yourself, this your are capable of without the help of any one God. You are a product of nature, or should I say existence. Like all other creations you are subject to the laws of the universe, the laws of creation and destruction. You are never ending, you are nothing more then the matter which is physical material as opposed to spiritual; you are a substance of a particular composition and consistency ( mass,is a fundamental concept in physics) of the universe in human form.

If you understand all this and believe it you can live fear free knowing all is as it should be. That's you will never die, but only take on new form as matter evolves into a different form of mass. There is nothing good nor bad, it is only how you define things. Yet people live their lives in fear of breaking some kind of law that will condemn them to eternal punishment. They live the whole life in fear of doing something wrong. You cant ! You cant change your roll as a human, You can change your thinking but not your humanness. Just live as you feel this will come from your humanness, you don't need a manual on humanness, to find out how to live, or follow some prescribed way to live. A dog follow his nature, so should a human being. You would say it is ridiculous to have a bible for the dogs, they are dogs and should live as a dog lives and nothing more. Yet we do that already as humans. This is because humans don’t know who they are to begin with and the dogs do.

Fear freezes you up, restricts your life and happiness, All this comes from believing is children's stories. Free you spirit, live freely, you are intrinsically good, not evil. I ask you what in the universe is evil??? As they say:: Its all Good! Now live as you feel, and feel as you live...

Buddha Bless

Real Character

2009-08-12T17:00:00.001-04:00

As my student Master level Eric Sbarge so apply put it " which would you rather have it say on your tombstone, " Here lies a man who could kick your butt" or " He lies a man who was compassionate, gentle and loving" Well said Eric!, because in essence that's what it is all about in life. Living life in harmony with others and the world around us. Here is another paradox of Taoist thought; You are important and unique, there is no question of that, and your existence matters so as to maintain the balance of the universe, but on the other hand you are insignificant in the scope of things.

What counts in life is how you deal with life. Don't take it so seriously, yet, don't' miss the chance, there is that annoying paradox of Zen again. It is important yet, it is unimportant, both exist, you have to balance the both of them. What matters is finding the balance of things, as the saying goes; a balanced scale neither goes up nor down, but rather finds it center and stops..

Nothing matters yet everything matters, down to the last second of human life. We have to find the important points of life. It not making money, or attaining the American Dream, it is finding peace, contentment, and banishing our fears. Money is meaningless paper. Yet people call money the root of all evil, still I say it is not, people are the root of all evil. Money is ok if you don't make it an another obsession. All you really need is a roof over your head for shelter and some food, maybe a place you can call your own where you can hide from the world , we tend to call this place... HOME. That's all you really need, all else it simply over extravagance, unneeded, garbage.

So what is good character? The dictionary defines it as : a quality indicative of the nature of an object or an organism. So, if you look you will see the word nature. So the word character doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means, like saying this person is; loyal, or selfish, or friendly, or nasty. This has nothing to do with our real nature. These are qualities are inherited by being infected by the illusion. Character means what is in your heart, knowing who and what you are. Knowing what's really important that brings you into balance with your nature. You are part of the Tao, there is no escape of what you are, Your were born out of existence, and will end by moving back into existence. Your character is that which comes with inherent humanness.

The character I speak of is your real character which comes from the Tao not society or your upbringing. But I ask you how real are you now, what role are you playing now, how are you fooling yourself today? As I keep reminding you, don't live by society rules, they changing day by day. Live by natures rules, have been in existence since the conception of time was realized. These are the essential rules to live by, it should be easy as this nature comes with your appearance into existence at the time of your birth, but the second after birth the conditioning starts and we loss our real nature into the ever developing illusion, obstructing the truth of who you are..

Be yourself, but without the phoniness society imposes on you. Live as you feel, and feel as you live, experience life as it was meant to be experienced before you were blinded by the illusion. There is no sin greater then missing the point of your existence. Because if you miss, you will continue to suffer, your life will be enslaved by your fears, you will continue to seek the unattainable from an illusion. The sad part is that you know it is a dream yet, your still pilled into it, helpless as a new born infant, this is the only sin. That's is why we all must continue to work toward freeing ourselves, so our real nature can emerge, this is enlightenment.

Your character is the same as mine, if we strip away the influences of society and reveal the dream for what it is, we will all understand this point clearly. We are the human animal, homosapien. As humans, we seek to understand and influence the environment around us by trying to explain and manipulate natural phenomena. Here is where we make the mistake, don't try to manipulate, rather we all must learn to flow with the Tao and again be part of our original nature. One who does, their character will naturally be a good one, for they will be in harmony with their naturalness and that naturalness is the Tao.

Buddha Bless

The Great Search

2009-08-09T09:42:00.002-04:00

Life is a search, a constant search, a desperate search but what your searching for you have no idea. All you know is your missing something but you know not what it is, so the search is always on.

Whatever you find never seem to be what your looking for, whatever you find bring you no satisfaction, your search leads you again to searching again for the elusive something that will bring satisfaction, but it never does.

There is a certain state of mind in which whatsoever you get is not going to bring you satisfaction. Frustration seems to be the destiny of humanity, because whatever you get becomes meaningless. The moment you get it, you start searching again.

The reason for this frustration is because what you are searching for does not quench the thirst of the soul. Until you find the truth it is like drinking salt water, the more you drink the sicker you become and the thirst is never quenched.

The answer lies in finding the truth, then the search is over, this is enlightenment, like drinking pure cool water, the thirst is GONE..........

There is nothing in the world that will help you, for Truth is not part of this illusion, it is fake, salt water, it looks like water but it is not, drinking it does nothing but make you sick.

Look for the reality, there you will find the cool stream you seek, the search will be over, your thirst will be quenched.........

A true martial arts school main focus is finding the pure stream of salt free water; thus bringing the follower the relief they seek in life. It is so much more them fighting, fighting is easy, just go slap someone in the face, and the fight is on, but try finding love, compassion, and forgiveness, and all fights come to an end. Truth will set you free of the eternal search.

Ego

2009-07-29T16:35:00.003-04:00

Martial arts Teachers are some of the nicest people I have ever meet. I would say just about everyone I have ever known in the arts has been a perfect gentleman or lady. However, there are those who only seek to be famous in the Arts and those few are some of the most devious people I have ever meet. I am glad to say the percentage is very low, but they do exist, and you should be aware of them.

You should be able to tell if you meet a Teacher who seems to be trying to prove how great he or she is. If you spot one of them just leave the school because your in for nothing but trouble and extremely bad teachings that do not agree with our Kung Fu ethics which 99% of us believe in and live by. A True Master is a pure gentleman in every sense of the word. But there are those who only want to be recognized as the Best in the arts. They will claim they have privy information no one else has or special skills nobody else processes. Or they will boast of being the toughest and unbeaten fighter there is. They will lie and cover the truth so as to get you to think how great they are, and how lucky you are to be able to join their school.

However, a true master is modest, caring and has a gentle nature. They have nothing to prove to anyone. They stand by their well earned reputation and associations which will verify their skill level. Once you meet a true Master you will feel his or her warmth and good character. On the other hand when meeting a egotistical so called Master their ego will be easy to see. But beware, some of them can be very cunning as well, and will do most anything to make you believe theirs is the best system and they are the only ones who have such a high rank or status in the arts.

It is sad for me to say this, as most all the people I know in the Martial Arts are really wonderful people who have shed their ego and have come to realize their own shortcomings and are always at work to make themselves better yet and do all they can to help those who seek true martial arts training.

Just like any other profession there will always be the bad apple in the group, just because someone claims to be this or that does not make them good people. So when thinking of joining a school ask to see the head Master, if he/she makes you feel welcome and has what appears to be a gentle and kind personality then chances are they are just fine and you can learn from them very well. But if that person seems gruff and mean or boasting about his title or skills and putting down others Masters or schools you should head for the door and find another school.

Yes, we are Dinosaurs, and we are Proud of It!

2009-07-28T09:39:00.013-04:00

The commercial Martial Arts associations call us Dinosaurs, and we do love it, that's just what we want to be, the Old School. They say we should wake up and treat our schools a business and back away from the old way of doing things. But the truth of the matter is we are not a Business we are a Family of devotees that love the old ways of teaching and dealing with all aspects of our ancient arts.

Commercial schools would have you believe their way is best to earn tons of money and hundreds of students. But a Traditional School does not think that way. Money has never been our goal in teaching but rather finding people who have a love for this art and its old ways of doing things, which in my opinion has a quality about it that commercial schools have lost along the way. They tell you we have our head buried in the sand of time and refuse to change with the times. And I agree with that and love it. Traditional Martial Artists are not interested in the number of students as much as they are interested in the quality of students, not how much they can gain from ripping people off for every little thing the offer.

Now commercial schools have many big name Martial artists behind them, and to this I say they Sold Out the Old Ways, and more then likely it was for some monetary gain. I would rather close my schools then ripe people off. I love teaching, so I can help people find their way through the hard road we call life. Money was never a motive for my Master nor is it for me.

ACCS is a unique school that focuses on quality of teaching and helping people even those with little or no money. You can not buy anything from us you don’t earn, that means rank. Where as in many commercial schools if you got the money you will get the Black Belt after they take you for all they can. In traditional schools we don’t even charge for promotions that you earn, but you wont get it if you don’t meet the standards no matter how much money you offer.

Commercial associations contact me almost on a daily basis trying to get me to join in their associations telling me how much money I can make if I follow their prescribed way of doing business. My answer is always the same NO Thanks! I would rather close my schools then submit to ripping people off for every penny I can get from them or having collection agencies going after delinquent students. In a Traditional School this never happens. If you don’t pay we try to help you and work with your finances so you can continue in your training without worry. It is always The Students Word of Honor and Our word of Honor that is the basis of the relationship between the student and the Master.

As I have always told my up and coming Black Belts, which we call Laoshr Levels in Kung Fu, " If you want to be rich then don’t become a Teacher of this Art." Money is never the objective rather, it is a means to preserve what we hold near and dear to our heart, namely passing the arts and all its traditions on to the next generation of people. It has survived that way for thousands of years and I am not about to change what I have been taught from my Masters. I can sleep at night knowing I have never cheated anyone out of money, but rather have given them the gift of our art to help them in develop the Mind Body and spirit development.

Yes, I am a dinosaur, and I love it and those that train in a traditional schools will say the same. There is a love there between the Master and his students that money can not buy. There is a respect there for what our Masters taught for generations and remains the same to this day. We are not progressive, we are constant in our approach to teaching and spreading the Real Meanings of this art and one of them is not ripping people off.

Can Martial Arts Books Teach You?

2009-07-21T14:07:00.002-04:00

I can say the answer right off with ..NO! books can not teach you how to do a Martial Art. Books don’t teach only human can do that. But books can help you in many ways to better understand the vast world of Martial Arts. Bruce Lee had an extensive library, and I also have a hugh library I have collected over the years, but I can say it was my Teachers who showed me the moves and corrected my errors, not the books.

If you are now training with a Teacher then books can be useful to read and better understand history, or theories of movement. I wont say that books are useless because they are not, they can be great help to better understanding of styles and systems. It like when you go to high school, you have to buy the books, but it is the Teacher not the books that grades you and corrections you misunderstandings.

However, having said all that, there are some wonderful martial arts books out there that have be written that can very enlightening while in training with a legitimate school of learning. Some of these books titles I will mention in future writings for those who may be interested in which books are well worth reading. Some books are pure garbage and a waste of your money to buy, believe me own a few of those myself, these books served me well in starting a cozy fire in my fireplace on cold nights.

I am often asked, What if there is no schools near me then what?, can books be of help? I still hold to my comment, not really. Books can not correct you and to learn Kung Fu skills you need the presence of a Teacher to correct the many error new practitioners have in starting out. I have always told my students, If your Kung Fu is Bad, don’t use it, it would be better to fight the way you always fought, because bad kung fu will not work against a polished street fighter.

I love books so please don’t get me wrong, I am an avid reader and much of what I have read has illuminated my thinking in many ways. But this does not have anything to do with actual fighting skills which I learned under the eye of my Masters criticism and corrections.

I always tell me students to study which means reading, because knowledge is good and can certainly help in better understanding of complicated theories and or Kung Fu history which can become clouded at times. Books do have a place in the Arts but not for teaching a beginner basics, Absolutely nothing replaces a Teacher standing there looking at your moves and making the adjustments to your errors. Books will never correct your mistakes, and it is these mistakes that will cause you to lose in an encounter.

If there is no school near you may have to travel as I did over my years of training. I went as far as China and Taiwan to find the best Teachers of the day. Oh by the way, my last Master Chang Tung Sheng had little or no library to speak of. He was not a book man, as most great masters are not, they learned the old fashion way, Hard work, sweat and injuries under the eye of their Masters.

Some will argue books can teach you, well maybe some things for sure, but the arts requires a certain type of movement that can only be taught by hands on experience under the eye of your Teacher. So if you serious about learning the true Art don’t expect him/her to come to you, you must seek out the Master if you really wish to learn...... then read all you want..........

People Just Don't Know the Truth

2009-07-20T19:30:00.002-04:00

I don’t like to mention names, so I wont. I could easily point to names of so called Masters who are nothing but failed students who wish to make a name and money for themselves. I have had many so called instructors come to my school asking for instruction which is not unusual, having taught Teacher levels before, so this was not unusual, but when I saw the skill level of these so called instructors I thought my eyes failed me.

The basics of our Art were almost totally absent, and after asking them to take a simple stance I proved it to them by dropping them in their tracks. The very core of our teachings was absent, yet they were out there somewhere teaching unsuspecting students who would not know one stance from other unless taught properly. It is sad to think how our Art could be so badly represented, yet it is, and the newly inducted into the Arts suffer the loss of learning the true skills that comes with years of practice under the eye of a qualified Master.

I often tell beginners, you can learn the Art, even a child of two can learn this Art, WITH 50 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. True skills are not instantaneous, it is knowledge gained and nurtured with years of experience, making the moves true to form. But if you really love what you doing then you don’t worry about how much time anything with take, you simply enjoy the journey, loving each passing year.

I started this Blog to get the attention of the public, for as a devoted follow of the Arts, my only wish is to see our Art spread to the public in its true form. Let the public beware and choose carefully if you really wish to learn the Arts as they were intended to be learned.

Check out the school thoroughly and ask for references and their lineage. Then make the effort to check it out what you find. If they are good you will find out and if bad you will find that out to.

If you find the right Master, they can change your life for the better, if you find the wrong teacher you gain little in the way of true skills, but for sure you will lose money and your precious time......

As they say, a True Master is like a candle, he exhausts himself in shedding the light of knowledge...

Low Level Instructors

2009-07-20T11:14:00.005-04:00

With the advent of Kung Fu in American along with that came many low level teachers. Some are becoming so called Black Belts in four to five years. If you got enough money just about anyone can now attain rank and call themselves Teachers. But the truth of the matter is it takes many years before one can call them self a Teacher. Reaching a Black Belt level is really just the start, not the finish of learning. In traditional schools it can take up to Ten Years before one is called a Teacher and even then they are not fully qualified in there teaching methods. In traditional schools a Teacher is made after many years and even then they stay with their Master until he or she feels they are ready to take on students of their own. Only after the Master sees just how they are teaching and passing on the Arts will they truly be acknowledged as qualified Teachers. If a person tells you they are a Teacher, always ask how many years have they been teaching and how long it took them to archive the level of Teacher, look for long periods of time, a few years just don’t make it in the Arts. Teaching is so much more then just showing moves, anyone can do that. Never settle for some young kid in the Arts, look for the Teacher who has years behind him or her and can be verified with their Master.