 Grandmaster Feeman Ong demonstrating "The Way of Honorable Masters" in 1959 To dive into the root of honorable masters we must first look to the context of Traditional Chinese Martial Art (TCMA) history. This is a topic that has always been very controversial! Chinese history, aside from TCMA, is so seamlessly knit together with legends and mystical stories alongside of historical events that it is extremely difficult to separate the two.
For example many Chinese scholars find it impossible to authenticate various authors of classical Chinese texts! Many historians debate the existence of Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and even the famous Yellow Emperor, Huang Di. As if this problem isn't daunting enough, in other parts of Chinese history it is further compounded by the Chinese' cultural bias to name an originator of a technique, writing, or w/e under a previous master or another person altogether. 'In Chinese culture it is more desirable to have antiquity instead of personal merit.' To take a serious look at TCMA, and the various masters that make up its history without keeping all this in mind and applying critical thinking is to be terribly naive. In keeping this in mind let's dive into what makes the root of honorable masters by first exploring some major problems in TCMA...
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This principle is one that has countless applications for health and martial art practice. This simple phrase gives you a lifetime of work that will always bring fruit and ever expanding self-discovery. Many times the principle of “Move 10,000 pounds using only 4 ounces” becomes the measuring stick to say if someone’s practice is truly Tai Chi. So let’s look at what this means… To put it simply moving 10,000 pounds with 4 ounces can be summed up in one word, efficiency. What do we mean by efficiency? We go to class to get better at our martial art, but is it enough? There has been tons of research on how long it takes us to establish a habit. How to achieve mastery at a certain subject, the 10,000 hr rule sound familiar(Malcolm Gladwell)? We can sit here and argue about specifics until we're blue in the face but the fact of the matter remains. How much you put in is how much you get out.
When we go to class it is extremely important to maintain our "dedication and intensity" during our training. I understand that not all people who practice martial arts desire to be black belts, or masters of whatever discipline they pursue, but you must train with intensity to accomplish anything at all. |
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Daniel R. Hyde
Licensed Massage Therapist OIF, OEF Veteran U.S. Marine Corps Instructor of: Kwan Ying Do Kung Fu Tai Chi Chuan Chi Kung Tui Na, Chinese Massage Thai Massage Shiatsu, Japanese Massage Archives
May 2021
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