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Hi Everyone ! (Advance Warning: A long post! 
)
I have had only to one lesson in specifically a Shaolin Wahnam class so far, and signed up to receive this email newsletter a short while ago, though have a range of other experience, and experiences, "elsewhere".
I have a myriad of questions, so just a few here, in relation to getting an accurate feel for what Shaolin Wahnam is, and what it is not, from the most superficial, to deeper levels. I have sneaky beaky reasons for wondering this also. If I may, I also wished to make a comment upon an entry in a previous, and recent Newsletter article - something that comments upon a Sifu's own comments, so I hope that you may please forgive my doing so !!
A few points/questions then (it is a given that more classes in Shaolin Wahnam would assist, but ober an above this...):
1) Physically (Materially), your typical "Martial" Art is, by word definition, a largely Human Fighting Art (in the Physicality sense). Therefore, a variety of Strikes, Grabs, Chi Na etc... are utilised. However, it is also ("ultimately") an Art that realises that, really, it is ultimately nothing other than a Healing Art, one that is one of a myriad of ways to experience reality with more sensitivity, awareness, depth, caring, etc. and that naturally leads to love and compassion, caring for all things and others, and not aggression or fighting. It is real to say that we are all forms of Life, part of the Universe, that we inhabit, in an integral sea of energy which is given the Human name Chi, or Qi, or Ki, etc.... Right. That said. How, therefore, do each of the students or teachers of Shaolin Wahnam view, actually practice, and approach, their art, physically and otherwise ? How is the "correct" direction steered for this "style" ? I am concerned, as just one example, that manoeuvres such as Throat holds (nothing other than an invasive and aggressive, and frankly uncaring/impositional manoeuvre) may be utilised in the style, and this does not allie with a caring, empathising, manner - caring for the fact that the person opposite you can't be a well and happy person to be doing what they're doing in the first place (empathy needed). In arts such as Ki Aikido, as an example, the Energy of the person/s you ar dealing with is, for the most part, redirected in a manner that cares for the Humanity of the person/s opposite, and ties them up or similar. It may not be, in technique or drill, the equal in rapid fighting by wing chun/Wahnam exponents, but it really does come into its own in a REAL LIFE event, if/when one's mind is automatically clicked into the sensitive mode. How does Shaolin Wahnam approach all this (actually, in practice, not in theory) ? This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in all Life, and often very subtle to steer, or appreciate, correctly. Many seemingly well-meaning efforts to the originators, such as the US/UK in Iraq, or 1930s/40s wanting people to be Blond Haired and Blue Eyed, and genetically superior, nonetheless spiral quickly into creating anything but pleasant consequences to ALL concerned - the originator, and originated (what you give out comes back to you/equal and opposite reaction). Thus, I am very interested to know, in practice, not in imagination or theory, how does Shaolin Wahnam steer its students, teachers, and training? We chose to be programmed when undertaking any learning. It is important to be aware of whether the software suits, it naturally balanced, or subtly off-balance, and thus with consequences to the Mind, Originator, and The Other/s involved.
2) If I may be so very very bold, but very well intentioned , I should like to clarify a newsletter articel that stated that "Life was a Fight", in essence. Whilst for many this may feel the case, and examples can easily be accrued to support this line of argument, I would very much like to make an alternate, and really more "real"/naturally "correct" statement. Life, from a Human's perspective, is only a fight if one perceives it that way. There are an infinity of other ways to perceive things - this, in real "reality" is also the Einsteinian Principle of Relativity. For example, if there is a Relative Difference between how you want things to be, and how you perceive that they in fact are, there is a proportional Emotional response created by that difference. If there is no difference, then the two equate to each other, and you have a non-issue. All things in the Universe take the "Principle of Least Action", of Least Energy. Everything we experience has already done so. However, often "work" is being performed to keep things in that state, which, if we let that "work" go, allows the system to assume a more stable, lower, energy state.
Combining these then, if we feel that everything is a fight, first of all we have had to "perceive" that there is a Relative difference present, and interpet this as uphill struggle - e.g. things are not as we WANT them to be; or, things SHOULD not be happening like that (even though, in nature, they are like that, whether we like it or not !!!). We chose how to perceive that situation, from an infinite range of possible ways to look at it that we really had to choose from (Relativity again, Relative Frame of Reference looking at the same issue). We then have a thought, then an action, derived from this, which tries to "fight" the situation, and gets very tired (especially over a lifetime) performing "Work" to keep fighting this imaginary fight. If there were not a Relative difference between how we feel things should be, and how we perceived that they are/were, then the situation would either be a non-issue, would not have appeared on the radar anyway, and thus we would not feel the need to fight it ! Fighting is very tiring, requires the maintenance of continual tension in the mind and body to meet it (performing "work" again!) , and is unhealthy, in almost ALL areas of Life - it manifests/spreads in many other areas of life, and in our character, our relationships, etc, as a consequence. We have had many many Wars and fights that confirm this, and that continue to do so over and over again.
So, therefore, what course does a "Correct" "Martial", or any "correct"/Healing Art need to steer, and why ?
The "How to dissolve the fight-bit", the relative difference, is done by any of the following, as examples: a) Acceptance of how things actually/really are, rather than seeing them how we want things to be (Acceptance=Zero Relative Difference); b) Seeing if we can second-guess ourselves and perceive the situation from a different point of view (relative perspective), such as by checking and seeing if it's actually our way of thinking about the issue, or if we are correct in our thinking, or if we can deliberately take a neutral or positive perspective from it; c) Let things go; d) Be in the "No Mind" state, which has no such judgement inherently; e) Do not place Expectations or Conditions upon things to be a certain way (including yourself applying these principles!), therefore there's no relative difference again; f) Realise that your interpretation of events may be a direct reflection of yourself and your mind only, and since you would act upon those thoughts, it's best to be sure you've got them "right"; g) Empathise with your "opponent/s" and envisage what they must be going through in their Mind's and Life to be so very unhappy inside themselves as to "attack" you in some way - they really could use a bit of caring about them, which will then show in the Techniques you learn, and thus choose NOT to learn/teach, and thus in the Mind-and-Body-Programming that training instills.
In fact, the dissolving of barriers, of relative difference, the bringing together of seemingly separate things, etc, has a name, and it is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (WITHOUT condition)- the highest goal of any Art of this type. Even if a very very unhappy Person or multiple Person's indeed "attack" you, a "No Mind" state, or a state which it instantaneously caring for, and empathising with, those "attacking" you, should assist in dealing with the situation in the most appropriate means for all those people present, and a greater flow and respect will be present in the Techniques used, applied, and end result attained.
And since "what goes around comes around", (Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction), being loving (dissolving of relative difference) in this way will naturally bring this to you, which will help dissolve the need to fight, or even any fights occurring. (This is why happy people rarely experience fights etc and often write in flower-power-type langauge, but those used to fighting seem to keep finding fights and hardship in their life all the time! It has much to do with how our minds have been programmed by our experienced since we were each born (e.g. we all write and speak in English, why !!!???? think about it, why not gibberish, why what we call English!)
All this then naturally leads to another positive and more natural state for you, RELAXATION of Mind and Body. If there's no-issue, you are naturally Relaxed. No Tension held in your body. The Perception of Issues (Relative differences) creates an emotion and physical effect, which includes Tension held in the body, and the holding onto (plus other effects) of Energy. And a more relaxed person becomes a healthier person in every area of Life. A more relaxed and easy-going person, who does not experience an "attack" as a big Relative Difference (a "Shock" to the system), and has no expectation/condition/standard to compare that attack against, is naturally Calm and Relaxed and able to deal with the "attack" in a simple and effective way, as it's really a non-issue. So they look calm.
So, all in all, I do hope you'll forgive my saying so, but in the Universe actually "Life is a Fight" is only correct if one insists in maintaining that viewpoint and perspective, for whatever the reasons. The most natural Universal State, instead, includes the combination of the Principle of Least Action (stop performing "Work" on an imaginary problem), Dissolving of the APPARENT Relative Difference between things (Principle of Relativity, Acceptance, Love, etc...), and Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction (What you give out comes back to you (in all Life's areas)). This leads to Happiness/Contentment, Relaxation (you can stop fighting!), more of the positive things in Life, and so on.... And there are other Principles too !
Applying these "Correct" Universal Principles in a Martial Art, will ONLY support the usage of certain techniques in a system, and certain methods and mindsets. Because Martial Arts genuinely "Program" Minds and Bodies, the Program itself need to be very careful, otherwise many Mindset and Physical Consequences result in EVERY area of our lives, in those areas where the Programming was not in a natural balance. May I therefore ask what Shaolin Wahnam does in this respect, IN PRACTICE, not in theory ?
A USEFUL GUIDE:
Take a Calm Flat Pond. A Ripple (Issue) starts. If we try to Stop the ripple we create more ripples. If we fight harder to stop these ripples we get yet more ripples. If we panic, and try (fight?) even harder, we create a storm on the water ! All this Noise, Energy-usage, Faff, Frantic Mind & Action, etc... We could use an anti-phase wave to cancel out the ripple, but that would take Extra Energy and Resource itself to create. Therefore, like a Murderer in a TV Detective Program, and as in Martial Arts, or in Anthropogenic Climate Change, or in so much of Life, THE ONLY CORRECT SOLUTION is not to have create the deed (ripple) in the first place. That is, the ONLY CORRECT solution is to let the first ripple die down of its own accord. And then we have a Peaceful, Calm, Tranquil, Relaxed, Natural, Flat Pond (Ourselves, and all in our Lives and Arts!).
I hope this helps, in all areas of the Lives of the Readers of this Forum (long as my post may be!), as well as in Shaolin Wahnam training !!!
My Sincere Best Wishes !
Chris. M.
)I have had only to one lesson in specifically a Shaolin Wahnam class so far, and signed up to receive this email newsletter a short while ago, though have a range of other experience, and experiences, "elsewhere".
I have a myriad of questions, so just a few here, in relation to getting an accurate feel for what Shaolin Wahnam is, and what it is not, from the most superficial, to deeper levels. I have sneaky beaky reasons for wondering this also. If I may, I also wished to make a comment upon an entry in a previous, and recent Newsletter article - something that comments upon a Sifu's own comments, so I hope that you may please forgive my doing so !!
A few points/questions then (it is a given that more classes in Shaolin Wahnam would assist, but ober an above this...):
1) Physically (Materially), your typical "Martial" Art is, by word definition, a largely Human Fighting Art (in the Physicality sense). Therefore, a variety of Strikes, Grabs, Chi Na etc... are utilised. However, it is also ("ultimately") an Art that realises that, really, it is ultimately nothing other than a Healing Art, one that is one of a myriad of ways to experience reality with more sensitivity, awareness, depth, caring, etc. and that naturally leads to love and compassion, caring for all things and others, and not aggression or fighting. It is real to say that we are all forms of Life, part of the Universe, that we inhabit, in an integral sea of energy which is given the Human name Chi, or Qi, or Ki, etc.... Right. That said. How, therefore, do each of the students or teachers of Shaolin Wahnam view, actually practice, and approach, their art, physically and otherwise ? How is the "correct" direction steered for this "style" ? I am concerned, as just one example, that manoeuvres such as Throat holds (nothing other than an invasive and aggressive, and frankly uncaring/impositional manoeuvre) may be utilised in the style, and this does not allie with a caring, empathising, manner - caring for the fact that the person opposite you can't be a well and happy person to be doing what they're doing in the first place (empathy needed). In arts such as Ki Aikido, as an example, the Energy of the person/s you ar dealing with is, for the most part, redirected in a manner that cares for the Humanity of the person/s opposite, and ties them up or similar. It may not be, in technique or drill, the equal in rapid fighting by wing chun/Wahnam exponents, but it really does come into its own in a REAL LIFE event, if/when one's mind is automatically clicked into the sensitive mode. How does Shaolin Wahnam approach all this (actually, in practice, not in theory) ? This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in all Life, and often very subtle to steer, or appreciate, correctly. Many seemingly well-meaning efforts to the originators, such as the US/UK in Iraq, or 1930s/40s wanting people to be Blond Haired and Blue Eyed, and genetically superior, nonetheless spiral quickly into creating anything but pleasant consequences to ALL concerned - the originator, and originated (what you give out comes back to you/equal and opposite reaction). Thus, I am very interested to know, in practice, not in imagination or theory, how does Shaolin Wahnam steer its students, teachers, and training? We chose to be programmed when undertaking any learning. It is important to be aware of whether the software suits, it naturally balanced, or subtly off-balance, and thus with consequences to the Mind, Originator, and The Other/s involved.
2) If I may be so very very bold, but very well intentioned
, I should like to clarify a newsletter articel that stated that "Life was a Fight", in essence. Whilst for many this may feel the case, and examples can easily be accrued to support this line of argument, I would very much like to make an alternate, and really more "real"/naturally "correct" statement. Life, from a Human's perspective, is only a fight if one perceives it that way. There are an infinity of other ways to perceive things - this, in real "reality" is also the Einsteinian Principle of Relativity. For example, if there is a Relative Difference between how you want things to be, and how you perceive that they in fact are, there is a proportional Emotional response created by that difference. If there is no difference, then the two equate to each other, and you have a non-issue. All things in the Universe take the "Principle of Least Action", of Least Energy. Everything we experience has already done so. However, often "work" is being performed to keep things in that state, which, if we let that "work" go, allows the system to assume a more stable, lower, energy state.Combining these then, if we feel that everything is a fight, first of all we have had to "perceive" that there is a Relative difference present, and interpet this as uphill struggle - e.g. things are not as we WANT them to be; or, things SHOULD not be happening like that (even though, in nature, they are like that, whether we like it or not !!!). We chose how to perceive that situation, from an infinite range of possible ways to look at it that we really had to choose from (Relativity again, Relative Frame of Reference looking at the same issue). We then have a thought, then an action, derived from this, which tries to "fight" the situation, and gets very tired (especially over a lifetime) performing "Work" to keep fighting this imaginary fight. If there were not a Relative difference between how we feel things should be, and how we perceived that they are/were, then the situation would either be a non-issue, would not have appeared on the radar anyway, and thus we would not feel the need to fight it ! Fighting is very tiring, requires the maintenance of continual tension in the mind and body to meet it (performing "work" again!) , and is unhealthy, in almost ALL areas of Life - it manifests/spreads in many other areas of life, and in our character, our relationships, etc, as a consequence. We have had many many Wars and fights that confirm this, and that continue to do so over and over again.
So, therefore, what course does a "Correct" "Martial", or any "correct"/Healing Art need to steer, and why ?
The "How to dissolve the fight-bit", the relative difference, is done by any of the following, as examples: a) Acceptance of how things actually/really are, rather than seeing them how we want things to be (Acceptance=Zero Relative Difference); b) Seeing if we can second-guess ourselves and perceive the situation from a different point of view (relative perspective), such as by checking and seeing if it's actually our way of thinking about the issue, or if we are correct in our thinking, or if we can deliberately take a neutral or positive perspective from it; c) Let things go; d) Be in the "No Mind" state, which has no such judgement inherently; e) Do not place Expectations or Conditions upon things to be a certain way (including yourself applying these principles!), therefore there's no relative difference again; f) Realise that your interpretation of events may be a direct reflection of yourself and your mind only, and since you would act upon those thoughts, it's best to be sure you've got them "right"; g) Empathise with your "opponent/s" and envisage what they must be going through in their Mind's and Life to be so very unhappy inside themselves as to "attack" you in some way - they really could use a bit of caring about them, which will then show in the Techniques you learn, and thus choose NOT to learn/teach, and thus in the Mind-and-Body-Programming that training instills.
In fact, the dissolving of barriers, of relative difference, the bringing together of seemingly separate things, etc, has a name, and it is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (WITHOUT condition)- the highest goal of any Art of this type. Even if a very very unhappy Person or multiple Person's indeed "attack" you, a "No Mind" state, or a state which it instantaneously caring for, and empathising with, those "attacking" you, should assist in dealing with the situation in the most appropriate means for all those people present, and a greater flow and respect will be present in the Techniques used, applied, and end result attained.
And since "what goes around comes around", (Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction), being loving (dissolving of relative difference) in this way will naturally bring this to you, which will help dissolve the need to fight, or even any fights occurring. (This is why happy people rarely experience fights etc and often write in flower-power-type langauge, but those used to fighting seem to keep finding fights and hardship in their life all the time! It has much to do with how our minds have been programmed by our experienced since we were each born (e.g. we all write and speak in English, why !!!???? think about it, why not gibberish, why what we call English!)
All this then naturally leads to another positive and more natural state for you, RELAXATION of Mind and Body. If there's no-issue, you are naturally Relaxed. No Tension held in your body. The Perception of Issues (Relative differences) creates an emotion and physical effect, which includes Tension held in the body, and the holding onto (plus other effects) of Energy. And a more relaxed person becomes a healthier person in every area of Life. A more relaxed and easy-going person, who does not experience an "attack" as a big Relative Difference (a "Shock" to the system), and has no expectation/condition/standard to compare that attack against, is naturally Calm and Relaxed and able to deal with the "attack" in a simple and effective way, as it's really a non-issue. So they look calm.
So, all in all, I do hope you'll forgive my saying so, but in the Universe actually "Life is a Fight" is only correct if one insists in maintaining that viewpoint and perspective, for whatever the reasons. The most natural Universal State, instead, includes the combination of the Principle of Least Action (stop performing "Work" on an imaginary problem), Dissolving of the APPARENT Relative Difference between things (Principle of Relativity, Acceptance, Love, etc...), and Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction (What you give out comes back to you (in all Life's areas)). This leads to Happiness/Contentment, Relaxation (you can stop fighting!), more of the positive things in Life, and so on.... And there are other Principles too !
Applying these "Correct" Universal Principles in a Martial Art, will ONLY support the usage of certain techniques in a system, and certain methods and mindsets. Because Martial Arts genuinely "Program" Minds and Bodies, the Program itself need to be very careful, otherwise many Mindset and Physical Consequences result in EVERY area of our lives, in those areas where the Programming was not in a natural balance. May I therefore ask what Shaolin Wahnam does in this respect, IN PRACTICE, not in theory ?
A USEFUL GUIDE:
Take a Calm Flat Pond. A Ripple (Issue) starts. If we try to Stop the ripple we create more ripples. If we fight harder to stop these ripples we get yet more ripples. If we panic, and try (fight?) even harder, we create a storm on the water ! All this Noise, Energy-usage, Faff, Frantic Mind & Action, etc... We could use an anti-phase wave to cancel out the ripple, but that would take Extra Energy and Resource itself to create. Therefore, like a Murderer in a TV Detective Program, and as in Martial Arts, or in Anthropogenic Climate Change, or in so much of Life, THE ONLY CORRECT SOLUTION is not to have create the deed (ripple) in the first place. That is, the ONLY CORRECT solution is to let the first ripple die down of its own accord. And then we have a Peaceful, Calm, Tranquil, Relaxed, Natural, Flat Pond (Ourselves, and all in our Lives and Arts!).
I hope this helps, in all areas of the Lives of the Readers of this Forum (long as my post may be!), as well as in Shaolin Wahnam training !!!
My Sincere Best Wishes !
Chris. M.
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