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MASTER Y.C. CHIANG SHARES ABOUT GUANG PING TAIJI AND MORE
By Valarie Prince Gabel
I first met Master Y.C. Chiang about 6 years ago. Not long after that I had the privilege of meeting his wife Master Liu. My impression of them was of two gracious individuals who had great skill and knowledge. I was also fortunate enough to take a few classes at the Wen Wu School while Master Chiang was still teaching. After class the students gather in the little kitchen and have tea with their teacher. When he stepped out for a minute I looked at the other students, mouth agape, and asked if they knew at all how very, very lucky they were to be casually sitting around with such a wonderful teacher at the head of the table.
Over the next several years I have also had the pleasure of taking a few lessons with his advanced students and teachers. Fu Tung Cheng and Allen Trigueiro come fondly to mind. I have also been able to attend several of the Guang Ping Association conferences which fosters the sharing, learning and hands on experience of our form.
Until the weekend of July 12 & 13, 2003, I had not had the opportunity to witness and participate in an event, lasting several hours at a time, centered strictly on Shr Fu and Shr Mu's teaching. The weekend truly gave me the opportunity to drink in the essence of who they are and what they are about. The event was held in Orange County, California at Irvine Community College and was hosted by JoAnna Schoon, one of the Association's National Advisors and a Tai Chi teacher at the college. Since I am a tai chi student/teacher my focus was mainly on Master Chiang although I could appreciate the grace and beauty of Master Liu's Dayan Chi Kung and tea ceremony.
At 81 Master Chiang is a living example of what correct living and correct attitude makes possible. He did a demonstration of White Crane form on Saturday much to the delight of all present. The first movement involves dropping to a level so that thighs are level with the ground (low horse stance), and holding that position for longer then I personally would be comfortable holding. Shrfu did so with apparent ease. Of course, the rest of the form was executed with a power that seemed unending. And this is at 81! We have all heard the wonders of the power of practicing with chi over long periods of time.... it is true!! And he shows no signs of stopping. I must also add that Master Liu's demonstration of the 2nd set of the Wild Goose form was absolutely breathtaking.
There is a definite reason this man wears the title of Master. He is an extremely educated and cultured human being. He is a doctor of acupuncture, an herbalist, world renowned painter and calligrapher. As JoAnna says "What has always struck me about Shr Fu is the breadth and depth of his knowledge. He excels in the Martial Arts, in Chinese Painting, in Calligraphy, in TCM, and in good virtue. Wen Wu School offers the best of Chinese Culture, and its name refers to that: Wen referring to culture, and Wu referring to the martial arts."
Over two days, 5 hours total, he also demonstrated each of the Yang Guang Ping forms replete with application explanation and error corrections. He had everyone spellbound as he performed each movement effortlessly. Every one of us felt the specialness of participating with a true master of movement. And rather then being dour or stern his lively sense of humor keep us all laughing and smiling.
Eighty met for a banquet held in Master Chiang and Madam Liu's honor on Saturday evening. JoAnna picked an excellent local Chinese restaurant. There were dishes served that most of us have never had before, everything was delicious. JoAnna presented the masters with Hawaiian leis which they appreciated very much. I was lucky enough to be sitting at a table close to theirs and could appreciate the fragrant flower scents along with them. Conversations were going on nonstop all evening between students, teachers, spouses and family members attending the feast. The only complaint would be that there was too much good food! Master Chiang and Madam Liu donated 2 paintings to be raffled off after dinner. I don't know which made us drool more, the paintings or the food.
The second day Master Chiang spent several hours continuing his lecture and refining form. During his lecture he shared information regarding exercises for heath. A couple of tidbits were: the arm and shoulder warm up or 'windmill' expels harmful chi as well as benefiting the shoulder, toe kicks stimulate yang meridians and heel kicks stimulate the yin, and the removal of excess fire element is accomplished by slow inhale of breath and rapid exhale. Questions were asked and answers were given. He holds no secrets, shares all he knows.
His true love of martial arts, chi, green tea, etc., and obvious respect for all life was there for all to see no matter the level of the attendee. I have been practicing tai chi for over 25 years and thoroughly enjoyed the entire event. A student of mine came to the Sunday lecture after having only 3 weeks of lessons. She told me how happy she was to have followed my advice to not miss this 'once in a lifetime event'. I feel as if I have received a vitamin booster shot in the chi! My motivation to practice more has been heightened. I feel a renewed desire to watch every step, every shift of weight, every arm/hand/hip/shoulder/knee/foot/wrist/waist/head/back movement more closely then ever.
For those of you who have not or will not have the same opportunity, I highly recommend you attend at least one of the Guang Ping Association conferences. There is that same sense of sharing, learning and camaraderie going on among the teachers and students. You come away with such a sense of renewed enthusiasm.
And lastly but not least I wish to extend 10,000 thanks to JoAnna Schoon who held the vision of the workshop up high enough to make it happen. It was a ton of work coordinating Shrfu and Shrmu's visit: accommodations, meals, transportation, etc. She also spearheaded the fund raising, registration of students for not only workshops but medical consultations. JoAnna made sure there was green tea for all as well as teacups, teapots, hot water, all for 70 people! Job well done JoAnna.
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 On Saturday, May 18, 2000 Cynthia Hom Eaton was the honored guest speaker at our 8th annual taiji students' graduation at Irvine Valley College. As a certified instructor of Dayan ("Wild Goose") Qigong and a senior student of Master Hui Liu, Cynthia Laoshr teaches qigong at Wen Wu School in El Cerrito CA, and at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Oakland CA. Cynthia Laoshr's speech drew from her own personal experiences and the expertise she has gained from her 7 years of studying Dayan Qigong.
I am so honored to be here to address this years class of taiji (tai chi) students at Irvine Valley College, because being asked to do so seats me more precisely in the center of my own role as both a teacher and a student. For as teachers and students we are all alike. We are all on the same level, admiring and taking part in ancient practices that balance the body, mind, and spirit.
I bring with me the warm regards and congratulations from Master Y.C. Chiang and Master Hui Liu, of the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts, and their encouragement for you to follow your teacher and to keep practicing.
When I first came to Wen Wu School it was for general health reasons. I was recovering from a few car accident injuries; I was getting older, and I realized that I had better start doing something to ensure my ability to amble about freely as I continue to age. Dayan Qigong (chi kung) was the practice I was fortunate enough to stumble upon seven years ago. And much like taiji, what I learn and the benefits I receive from this practice is very different from what I was originally seeking. Now that I have been teaching a few years I can see that this is not an uncommon experience. You come for one thing and you walk away with much, much more.
What I wanted was to reduce my chronic back pain. What I received along the way was increased flexibility, a stronger general constitution, increased physical strength, and a profound sense of grounding and internal calm and a yearning to deepen my practice on a daily basis. Dayan Qigong has become my way of practicing peace in everyday living. Teaching affords me that opportunity in many ways. My role as a teacher is simply to be a guide to help others learn how to practice, for it is the Form that is our true teacher. And it is only through practice that we are allowed to discover what there is to know through the Form.
Three years ago, with the help of Master Liu, I was able to design a t-shirt that describes Dayan Qigong as the gentle path towards health and fitness. I did that to remind us that the path towards health and fitness is gained as much through gentle ways as it is through physical exertion. Too much in life pits us against ourselves, causes us to disregard who we are in the moment in search of something or someone else we think we should be, as if who we are in the moment is not enough. I wanted the t-shirts to counteract the "no pain, no gain" adage that alienates so many people from forming a positive relationship to the body that is theirs for life. I wanted people to know that it is possible to enjoy good health, and to work toward improving our health, by working with who we are today.
In my own practice within myself and as a teacher, I spend a lot of time helping people to develop patience, encouraging them:
* To work within their own range of motion. (Do what you can do. Don't worry about what you are not able to do yet.)
* To work on improving the quality and accuracy of their movements rather than paying so much attention to other people. (Just do your best. Your best is good enough.)
* To meditate more and on a regular basis. (Try to see meditation as a gift that we give to ourselves.)
* To allow themselves to be wherever they happen to be on the learning curve and to know that its okay.
Grandmaster Yang Meijun, who is a living legend as the 27th generation inheritor of the Dayan Qigong lineage, and who will be celebrating her 108th birthday in China this year, tells us: "Daode, dedao. Zheng daoxing." Translation: "When personal virtue is valued, the right dao (way) will flourish." For Daoism (Taoism) in its purest form is not a religion. It is a way of life that calls upon us to live simply in harmony with the laws of nature. This is what is at the core of both taiji and qigong.
Shifu (Master Y.C. Chiang) and Shimu (Master Hui Liu) will tell you that there are three levels of practice:
* A Physical Practice (exemplified by movement and the Form)
* A Spiritual Practice (exemplified by meditation), and
* An Interpersonal Practice (exemplified by how we interact with others)
This range of practices makes it easy to thread taiji or gigong throughout the day. Shimu often says that, if we are doing the Form but not actively practicing the principles in our daily lives, the Form we practice will be empty. So with this in mind, I would like to close by sharing a quick story about something that actually happened at Wen Wu School many years ago. Marty Verhoeven*, who was a PhD in the Philosophy Department at the University of Wisconsin, one of Shifu's original four teaching assistants, and who eventually went on to become a Buddhist monk, was present when this event occurred.
The former site of Wen Wu School was at a different location along the busy thoroughfare of San Pablo Avenue. It was a much smaller place so they often had to use the tennis courts next door for practice. One hot summer day the doors had been left wide open, presumably to capture some cross ventilation, and it so happened that a cantankerous drunk swaggered in angrily spewing forth obscenities and racial slurs. He seemed uncontainable and clearly looking for a fight. Noticing the situation, Shifu calmly walked back into the studio and announced cheerfully, "Okay, everyone. It's time to practice standing meditation. Everyone out on the tennis courts." He looked up at the man suddenly, as if surprised, and said, "Oh. Would you like to join us? No? Okay. Then you can stay here and watch our things and answer the telephone. If anyone calls, just tell them we are practicing out on the tennis courts." And with that, Shifu went outside to join the others leaving the gentleman inside by himself. Bewildered by Shifu's response, the man became bored quickly and trundled off to some unknown destination. The students, who had seen Shifu's considerable prowess demonstrated during many classes, witnessed one of his most powerful lessons on that day. In Marty's words, "They had witnessed a true master at work, applying the same guiding principles that inform the movements of the Form to a real life situation." In the absence of a force upon which to exert himself, the gentleman's intentions were disarmed. Everything in life does not have to result in overt confrontation. Without exerting any physical force at all the Master had "won" and the peacefulness of the afternoon prevailed. Just follow the laws of nature.
I would like to welcome you to this stage of your practice, knowing that there is so much more for each of us to learn, by ending with a quote from the Dao:
The soft overcomes the hard.
The gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
But few can put it into practice.--- #78, Dao De Ching
I hope you will challenge yourselves to be among that few. Maintain your practice.
NOTE: Ms. Eaton does not know Marty Vanhoeven personally. He shared this story as a collegial anecdote with Reverend Heng Sure, at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, and subsequently the story has been retold many times by both of them.
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MASTER HENRY LOOK ON TAIJI & AGING
 The following is a transcript of a talk given by Master Henry Look on July 17, 2000 at a gathering of Southern California Guang Ping Yang taiji players. Master Look spoke on taiji and aging, sharing his own personal experiences and the expertise he earned from studying with the late masters of internal martial arts, Kuo Lien Ying, Han Hsing Yuen, and Yu Peng Shi.
In his middle age, Henry Look decided to try taijiquan for the express purpose of improving his failing health. Although a successful architect, his health had deteriorated from the effects of work-related stress and the frequent trips he made back and forth from Asia to San Francisco. When he inquired about a good taiji teacher, everyone told him to go see "the old man in the park". So, in 1970 he began training with Kuo Lien Ying, who was then 80 years old and still strong and spry. Seven years later, to broaden his horizons, Master Look studied Xing-yi with Han Hsing Yuen. Master Look's third teacher in the internal martial arts was Yu Pung Shi. Little did he realize, but all three were martial arts brothers back in China! After 30 years of practice and at the age of 73, Master Look attributes his good health and allergy-free life to the internal martial arts.
One of Master Look's personal experiences with taiji and aging took place three years ago when he was invited to participate at a symposium on Aging and the Martial Arts at UC Berkeley's annual martial arts program. Two medical doctors spoke first, presenting their research on aging, and espoused that when you get to be 35 years old, you're no longer at your peak and from a health standpoint, you're going downhill. When it was his turn, Master Look started with a demonstration of his slow taijiquan routine and someone commented, "This old man will do all the slow stuff!" On hearing this, Master Look suddenly broke into his fast Xing-yi moves, duly impressing everyone!
 Master Look gave several convincing demonstrations of internal strength, with the help of a younger, stronger looking man from the audience. First, Master Look showed how tightening the external muscles to resist having his arm bent by a forceful opponent proved to be unsuccessful, whereas relaxing his arm, and letting the "qi" energy flow unimpeded from his arm to the ground, made bending more difficult, if not outright impossible. Then Master Look demonstrated the importance of paying attention to posture and alignment. He showed how a swayed back is a weak back that can easily be bent by applying external force. But with the centerline down and the back straight, he demonstrated how strong the back is. Master Look explained that you make the back straight by pushing your pelvis forward.
One significant tip Master Look shared was the importance of standing meditation. He cautioned us against dismissing the Universal Post as nothing. His Xing-yi teacher had told him, "Big movment is not as good as small movement. Small movement is not as good as no movement. No movement is your real movement." Upon first hearing this, Master Look thought that it didn't make sense. Later, he came to realize that when doing standing meditation, like the Universal Post, the internal system is cranking away. The whole body gets warm because everything is working inside. It helps to develop internal strength.
Master Look spoke about the difference between external and internal martial arts. In the external systems, they work out to develop muscular strength but inside they are hollow. He gave an example of how an external stylist may appear to be very powerful, but still lack internal power. He likened this to a thermos bottle which appears to be sturdy on the outside, but is easily shattered on the inside. He recalled that Master Kuo told him, "If someone comes up and wants to fight you, just take 3 steps back and stand there, smiling at them. How long can they stand in their fighting stance, all muscled up and holding their breath, while you're relaxed?" The practice of external systems takes its toll physically, and the practitioner cannot keep it up for long. It is age-limited. But the internal systems are good for your health and keep you strong through old age. The more relaxed you are, you use the internal system to tie yourself together, like an inflated balloon. A balloon is floppy when there is no air in it, but once expanded, it is not easily crushed. It springs back at you when you apply force on it.
Since the subject of this talk was "Taiji and Aging," Master Look recounted the advice he gave to a 74 year old woman, suffering from arthritis. Her elbow hurt so much, she'd cry every night because she couldn't sleep. He showed her how to do "Grasp the Bird's Tail" and told her to do both right and left sides 25 times each, followed by "Universal Post" standing meditation for 5 minutes on each leg, every morning. After his own morning practice, he would look out his kitchen window where he could see into her garden, because she lived next door. He wanted to make sure she was practicing as he had suggested. She did the exercises routinely and never complained of pain again. She grew stronger and lived to over 90 years old. Master Look can attest to this because the woman was his own mother!
Master Look mentioned the recent attention that taiji has received from the studies published on its prevention of senior citizens from falling. He said they found a 45% improvement. Master Look pointed out that doing taiji makes you feel good, and when you feel good, you don't need to take pills. He also believes that you are never too old to start taiji. But, you have to do it every day. Practicing taiji is like putting money in the bank. The more money you invest, the more interest you can draw out. So, after many years of practice, Master Henry Look likens himself to a good bottle of vintage wine: "The older I get, the better I get!"
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