WU LIFE 305

WU LIFE 305


GONG XI FA CAI, HONG BAO NA LAI

last thursday marked the start of the chinese lunar new year.. the year of the rat. it was nuts.

around the eve, the local tailor was kind enough to invite a few of the brothers and i over for a traditional family dinner at her house. her home was sweet and modest, but the food was way over the top; granted it was mostly meat, but she was nice enough to prepare a few veggie dishes on the side just for me. along with all the crazy food, they also had jugs upon jugs of their very own yellow wine home brew.. and it didn't take long before we got into a macho-man 'gan bei' drink-off showdown with the tailor's husband. everything was cool until one of my brothers got super drunk and emotional.. which was no fun at all. we got him home ok, but once home, he exploded into this demonic rage.. he went nuts.. punching, hissing, biting.. full on exorcist style. all of my crisis intervention training from teaching crazy kids back in california certainly came in handy there. it took three of us just to pin the brother down and keep his aggression in check.. it was insane. after two hours of raging out, finally he calmed down and went to sleep. crazy.

the next day was our special school feast. needless to say the agro brother from the night before didn't make it to the meal.. probably from being too hung over, or from being too embarrassed (but most likely a healthy dose of both),.. either way, it was a shame because the feast was massive. tons of goodies and sweets, tons of veggie dumplings, and a sea of smiles. i love my martial family.

the night of the new year was especially crazy.. i ended up sharing the evening with an older brother here by the name of jesse. we spent hours talking about our lives, our passions, and our experiences - which surprisingly mirrored quite well.. good times. around the midnight hour, jesse dropped a ridiculous amount of money on the craziest fireworks available and we had a HUGE explosion party right in the middle of the street. all the local kids gathered around to see the two lao wai pop off the biggest firecrackers in town.. we went at it for well over an hour, with jesse going back to the shop to reload on ammo at least five or six times. the next morning i reeked of gun smoke, my ears were ringing, and i had a nose full of black boogars. good times.


TAI YANG LAI LE

i felt like such a hippy dancing in the street with my arms flapping and my head rocking,.. but when the sun finally came out, i could hardly contain myself. after bearing a month of the coldest weather i had ever experienced, the warm touch of the sun was gladly welcomed. it was so nice. for starters, our water pipes finally thawed out providing us with the luxury of flushing down poops again,.. plus, i no longer had to wear so many layers of clothes to class.. very nice.

practice time certainly picked up too. our training coach, tien, an angry, gangster, pock-faced teenager that has absolutely no passion for teaching, saw the warmer weather as an opportunity to go outside and really drill the lao wai students. to start, we run about a mile while doing all these random foot work stepping drills. from there, he would lead us in kicks,.. doing upwards of a thousand rapid fire kicks on each leg. after that, we would do a numbing amount of conditioning, followed by a long series of stepping line drills for coordination. on average, the first two hours or so of each morning class was spent in that fashion, then we would break up and work on our individual forms. in all, despite our young coach's bad attitude, it's a really great workout. i love to 'chew bitter.'

the afternoon class is no where near as rough. there, we typically spend an hour or so doing our taiji set over and over and over.. then, for the second hour of class, we continue to work on our individual forms. for myself, i've been working on my bagua set again, and yuan shifu has been rushing me through it rather quickly. last year, when i would barely get a step a week,.. this year, he has breezed me through three palm changes in just under a month. these new movements are especially elegant, elusive, and explosive.. some super angry, mathematical shaman, ballet dancer must have created this form,.. it's that ridiculous. maybe after i work on it for a few more months i'll post a video for you all to laugh at.


HAO HAO LIEN

it's the lunar new year.. and beyond that, the start of a brand new zodiac cycle. for such an occasion, it's a common tradition to make a resolution.. a goal for self improvement.. but for myself, i really don't feel any resolutions are necessary. i see each and everyday as an opportunity for growth and evolution,.. so instead of making some cheesy, once a year, one-time only goal, i think it would be much more beneficial to recap my journey, reassess my reasons for a persistent personal practice, and reaffirm my commitment to continued cultivation.

i practice kung fu.

my journey started when my grandfather passed. initially, kung fu was just a small fraction of my complete cultural emersion.. i took up anything and everything chinese in an attempt to rediscover my roots - and ultimately, to find myself. literature, language, history, religion, philosophy, medicine, food, culture, traditions, etiquette,.. everything.. if it was chinese, i eagerly dove in.. but something about kung fu and tai chi excited me. ..that was the beginning.

as i progressed, i cared less about ideas and theories and became more involved in actual practice. research and reading was left aside in exchange for more tai chi, qigong, and kung fu.. i had fallen in love. the excitement of fighting applications gave me an indescribable thrill.. i was no longer learning.. rather, i was 'remembering,' ..these movements were natural and second nature. training became top priority in my life.. but in time, i realized that even though i could break an arm twenty different ways, i didn't know a single way to fix an arm once it was broken.. i came to realize my practice was out of balance. that was when i discovered the healing arts.

i took up therapeutic sport massage, chinese acupressure, zen shiatsu, thai yoga massage, and hawaiian lomi lomi. the study of body work complimented my martial practice beautifully,.. and the simultaneous practice of both, helped further my understanding and deepen my training. in time, i was turned on to energetic healing methods like reiki, jin shin, and medical qigong,.. with that, my touch became more therapeutic for my clients.. but before long, i realized that if i was to truly help others heal, i would need to heal myself first.

it was at this time that i moved to wudang, china. in the states, practice could only be a hobby at best.. it was impossible to dedicate all my time to training and still earn a 'living'.. so a temple academy in the mountains was the perfect place for me. once there, i committed endless hours to rigorous foundation training and critical internal reflection.. and in time, my body became soft, supple, and more life-like. in all my years, i had never felt so alive,.. wudang was now my new home. i became a taoist disciple and took on a new name - zi rong.. 'endless capacity.' however, as my training continued, and my health gradually improved, i realized that i was still at the whim of my turbulent emotions and reactionary habit patterns.. sure i lived and trained in a temple academy, but the temple of my being was still murky and cloudy. it was time to take my practice further.

i then found an interest in cleansing and purification. i wanted to clear my body and mind of all the rubbish that had accumulated from my years of self neglect and destructive behaviors. fasting and herbal cleanses became routine and my practice progressed. the regiment was strenuous,.. but the courage, persistence, and determination acquired through years of martial arts proved helpful whenever obstacles and roadblocks arose. fasting from food gave my physical body a chance to heal and mend itself, and mental fasting through meditation and contemplation gave my emotional body a chance to find a healthy equanimity. slowly, i began to let go of past emotional traumas and the physical tensions that were tied to them. my practice progressed further still. i was finally working my way back to neutrality.

now, as i continue to cultivate and slowly return to a natural, harmonic state of being.. i am beginning to realize that a physical practice and a spiritual practice are really one in the same - they are simply two sides of the same coin. there is no distinction between internal and external training - they are both one.. and through the realization of the total unity of being, i am beginning to understand the total unity of all that Is. i now see that through elevating my own personal consciousness, i am, in actuality, making a positive contribution to the collective consciousness of all in creation. the external universe, in all its magnificence, is merely a reflection of the internal universe that churns within,.. every spiritual breakthrough i make for myself is really a spiritual breakthrough for all.. for the myriad manifestations of all that is, is in reality, just One. we are all One.

i practice kung fu.

for many, learning kung fu means learning how to fight,.. and even though that may very well be true to an extent, the only fight i am interested in is the fight against my inherent ignorance. kung fu, for me, is a foundation for spiritual growth.. providing me with the strength, determination, and will to tred the treacherous trail of spiritual evolution. kung fu is my stepping stone along the path to Self awakening.. the realization of ultimate consciousness.

so, it seems to me that my practice has come full circle. what started as a journey towards self realization, has transformed into a journey of Self realization.. ain't it beautiful. everyday is my first day. each moment is my first moment. i've worked so hard to get here.. back to zero.

no matter how far my training takes me, i will always be right here.. right now.. 'chewing bitter.'

i practice kung fu.. now, and forever.


ALOHA ALL

new year's is still going off here in china.. and it will continue to do so until the fifteenth day of the new lunar calendar - which i believe marks the red lantern festival. so, the party ain't over yet.

traditionally, the chinese new year is celebrated with family,.. and in that light, i would like to acknowledge all my family and friends that have shown me love and support.. even from across the pacific puddle. mom, dad, sam, jeff, and derek start the list.. but there's also betty, paul, mike, john, drew, and aunt rose too. big up to y.c., hui liu, erlene, loc, phil, dante, eliza, ben, mark, bobart, cassie, tiff, and the rest of the wen wu gang. alex feng, charlene, liu ming, sat hon, santee, bruce chu, brother barry, medina, ray, sowski, jerry, red bean, gene, kisu, e-guru, boo, kimubai, orion pie, cinzia, le, rani mom, money, the copps, skewsis, ernesto, evans, mala, tasi, tyler, gach, and the potato princess get props too.. and that ain't even the half. i feel so popular. why you guys gotta love me so much?

to everyone.. i wish you all well. happy new year.
may everyone realize their full potential.


see you on the other shore,
-zi rong



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May all beings be happy.