The Shaolin Praying Mantis

[Luo Lang]

Thank you Joel also from me: it's indeed very interesting!

I am very happy that this style also emphasises on chi, mind and spiritualcultivation

[Luo Lang]

Hello all,
Just wanted to tell you all, that I am currently working out some interessting things about Praying Mantis!

So if you have any more relevant material, videos, pics to share I would highly appreciate it!

What I can say is that it's gonna be very very interessting! We would start to load up some relevant material here to discuss. So we may have a greater insight into this so nice style. The aim is to get all basic knowledge to know, about stances, poise patters, advantages and so on.

The most important thing though when it comes to discussionsabout other Masters, that we may all keep our respect towards them. We may agree and disagree with some things but always as respectfull as possible. We do not wish to make other Masters feeling sad and angry at us! Kepp that in mind please. Thanks!

Please have some patience, I am working on it, ass soon I am ready I will post it here!

Warmest regards,

Roland.

[Chiahua]

I was just reading the Metta thread, particularly Sihing's remarks about the Monkey Spirit:

The Monkey mind or spirit though is different. One need to be very very focussed and one pointed minded at the very same time relaxed to get this special state of mind indeed.
Then often the restlesness heart of a Monkey is very noble and can be very useful! The heart of determination: It's a very deep determination to reach aims and objectives. One of the the Greatest heart determination examples is the Great Sage equal to Heaven.

Is there a "spirit of the mantis"? What might its characteristics be like?
I remember reading a passage in Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind about the zazen of the frog. The frog sits in meditation, and acutely aware when a fly comes within range—then it springs into action quite fast.
Mantis' seem to me to be a bit similar. They can remain relatively still, but when they strike it is precise and decisive.
Here's a youtube mini documentary on actual mantis':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGuallLPcM

[Luo Lang]

Dera Chiahua,
I haven't thought of the Praying Mantis Spitit so far and I wonder if it's accurate to imply it.

From my own experience training some patterns though it may manifest some characteristics of yes I was curious to feel it as well, the Dragon! But this may be some experience within my own development.

Especially when applying the Index Finger to focus on Dotting a Vital point the mind state of Dragon occurs quite obviously.

regards

[Kingmonkey]

Hello Chiahua, Hello Sifu

I may not be competent at all to contribute in this discussion, but when I read your recent posts, it just popped up my mind.

I recently had this experience with different animal spirits during Chi flow and there were also some seconds of a "Mantis feeling". Now what I have felt within these seconds may not be the real thing and it's hard to describe anyway, but I'll try to share it. May be it can be of use.

What I felt was a kind of hardness (not in the external sense) or severity, there was a very clear, one pointed mind and thorougoingness, it felt somehow inexorable. I thought this spirit would just await a good chance and then run down everything, to put it in a more pictorial way.

That's what I still can recal, and I would again like to make clear that this was just my experience, and that may or may not have anything to do with the real Mantis Spirit.

Pat

[Luo Lang]

Hi there,
Interessting observations Pat!

Nevertheless from my humble experience with Praying Mantis Patterns, I am not sure that there is a special Mantis Spirit or if ther is a known or some known mind set involved!

Out from the charakteristics form this style you may have the agility, the trickiness of a Monkey. You may also have the determination focus of it, but this may be also fit with the Dragon. Especially some movements as far as I can tell it from now, there is some aspect of both animals involved.

For fun I tried out some Tiger Spirit, and from my humble experience is does not fit that well.

[Luo Lang]

Dear all,
I thought it would be time to slowly update you with some further information about Shaolin Praying Mantis!

Before I share some more info's it's time to ask some relevant qeustions first. Like you all know, it's our aim at Wahnam to help to get the glory of different Shaolin Kung Fu styles back. This is what we also aim with the famous Praying Mantis.

Like in all Shaolin Kung Fu styles, it's not only important, rather fundamental that One have a sound understanding of the philosophy and historical aspects of his her style. Unluckily in modern times this aspect often lacks and without meaning to be disrespectful or offensive, even many Praying Mantis Masters, independend if it's a Southern or Northern Branch, nowadays hardy know important information of this so wonderful style.

I would like to invite not only Wahnam family members, but also other Masters to have a fruitful exchange of information knowledge and wisdom.

The secular discliple Wang Lang was sent out by his Sifu at the Shaolin tempel to travell the country.

What was his aim for his search and what did he find out?

Do you know what he found out?
Do you know the content of his researches in detail?
What was eventually resulting out of this contents!

Let us have a happy discussion!

Best regards,

Roland.

[drunken boxer]

Dear Siheng,

I do not know the answers to any of the questions but am interested to find out!
All I have heard is that Wang Lang was small and could not beat his classmates, till he created Praying Mantis.
I relate because I too am small and have much trouble defeating larger classmates and indeed non classmates, hence I'm always interested in any styles/sets/moves for small people.

On a related note, and also related to an earlier post of yours regarding respecting other teachers, I went to a seminar a while back, more of an informational one than a training one, with a teacher of another art. He looked quite old, a little small/frail, and if not unhealthy he certainly didn't radiate obvious vitality that other Masters I've seen do. I was attending in some part out of politeness to an old friend who invited me, and was not that interested either before or during the talk. But at the end he gave a fantastic demonstration, where he got many attendees up some of whom were seasoned martial artists, and his combat abilities were tremendous! This was a great lesson to me that I should always be respectful of other schools and teachers, as well as not to judge a book by its cover, or underrate people.

Paul

[Luo Lang]

Dear Paul,
Nice to hear from you.

You are right, Wang Lang created a style beeing called Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Unfortunately for various reasons many people, including Masters, do not know about the process behind. I think one reason is because lots of information is secretly kept in Chinese classics. Not many people nowadays may have the chance to read the Classics and understand them.

It was not like that Wang Lang just looked at some captured Praying Mantis and developed a famous Kung Fu style out of it to be able to beat his classmates.

As I wrote in my previous post: Wang Lang was sent out by his Sifu.

Wang Lang was actually sent out with a specific aim and objective not just to enjoy travelling

Now what is interessting is what Wang Lang found out to be useful.

Now I shall wait some time to wait for others opinions or facts they have found.

Cheers,

[Kingmonkey]

Dear Sifu

Wang Lang was actually sent out with a specific aim and objective not just to enjoy travelling

I think that what you would like to hear is that Wang Lang, a lay monk at Shaolin monastery, after creating the Praying Mantis Style, was sent out to travel around and search for perfection of his style. According to this Legend he went out and over time gathered together the best thechnics of 16 other styles, e.g. Monkey footwork, Dim Mak, and others, and pasted them in to his Praying Mantis style. After returning to the monastery everyone was very impressed with what he had achieved and the Praying Mantis style became very popular at Shaolin monastery for some Time.

Nevertheless there seem to be many other legends about how the Praying Mantis style has been created. What they all have in common, is that it was Wang Lang who created it and that he has gathered the best out of 16 or 17 Styles of Kung Fu to perfect his Style.
One for instance says that he had allready known 17 Styles of Kung Fu before he observed the that Praying Mantis. Another legend takes place in a Taoist monastery, in one the praying mantis is fighting a cicada, in on a bird in once another there are two praying mantis' fighting each other.

Some of these legends can be found here.

I think the differences of these legends are not so important, what I do consider important are the similaritys, that there is the best out of 16 or 17 (give or take one) styles of Kung Fu within this style, I think thats what makes it so popular, allthough a lot of people may not know about the depths of it.....

I'm really getting anxious for that course

Pat

PS: I have heard rumors that this Style has a very special force training...