Branches 1 & 4: Roots, Roads, Pens, and Daggers of Shaolin

Sifu said something that resonated with me today, during our private lesson.  On this, my third private lesson and my second part of The First Road to Shaolin Double Dagger, I was shown that last set of postures to complete the form.  We worked on stabilizing the last set of postures within me and then putting all the pieces together. After about an hour of this, the lesson began to wind down.  

I spoke on the next step of my personal training-- to find my own timing and rhythm to these forms in order to more deeply internalize them.  (Check my last post on fluidity and flow).  He referenced how another practitioner used this form in a very hard style and though it may seem effective in the strikes, there are other options.  He stated that as long as you keep the movements blowing and in flow with the mind and body, it could be done in a more fluid style...like the wind.

In wanting to internalize forms more deeply, i spoke in my last post of relating them to dance and poetry.  These are both a set of skills I have worked on internalizing for years.  So I decided to take the 36 postures of the double dagger form "First Road to Shaolin" and turn it into a poem.  This requires taking the sets of postures and putting them in groups/stanzas, turning it into a story that can be read/spoken, and modify it to make it my expression of the form, while keeping all the roots of the phrases authentic. 

The thought is that if, I can do this internally in mind, spirit, and voice--then it will strengthen it in my external physical expression as well.  The end goal is that the it will link the two, my internal/external--my yin and yang, and make it the strongest expression I can create: fluid and powerful.

The steps I took:

1. collect together all 36 posture phrases in order (the underline parts)

2. turn those phrases of posture into a story (the stanzas)

3. modified the phrases to make the expression and story/poem mine and not simple a list of moves--

   without taking away the authenticity of the phrase (the non-underline parts)

4. did some research on the three terms I was unfamiliar with: lo han, king yu, and king pa

   (#1, 2, & 3 and defined at the bottom of the poem)

5.  I repeat the first stanza in order to root this as a poem/story.

This is a rough draft and an experiment in deepening my internal, linking with my external, and strengthening my own self.  Let me know what you think!

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First Road to Shaolin

         To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. 

          The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; 

          the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.

                                                                                            -Bruce Lee

                        I

Gathering breath I stand in the Ready Position.

The Great General Gives His Command

And with the 18 hands of   [1] Luo Han, Salutes the Buddha.

I Raise 2 Legs and Fly into the Sky;

Our spirits Ride the Tiger to Cross the Mountain.

Above, A Giant Eagle Spreads its Wings,

Two Purple Swallows Both Fly Out,

And a Giant Goose Flies Sideways.

Below, a Black Bear Shakes His Shoulders,

We pass through the forest, 

While apes and men Pick Peaches.

Above, a Golden Leopard Turns his Head.

Below, a Giant Python Flips His Body

As a Vicious Tiger Jumps over  the Creek.

Above, a Butterfly Salutes the Wind.

                        II

Gathering breath We stand in the Ready Position,

The Great General Gives His Command,

And with the 18 hands of  Luo Han, we Salute the Buddha.

We Raise 200 Legs and Fly into the Sky:

Our spirits Ride like the Tiger to Cross the Mountain

We, as Apemen, Enter the Caves.

We pass the Sleeping Dragon. He Shakes His Horns

We follow the tiger; the tiger follows us.

Giant, the Tiger Embraces His Head.

Above, Doves Dive Over the Mountain.

Below, the Vicious Tiger Enters the Forest.

                        III

Gathering breath We stand in the Ready Position,

The Great General Gives His Command,

And with the 18 hands of  Luo Han, we Salute the Buddha.

We Raise 200 Legs and Fly into the Sky;

Our spirits Ride like the Tiger to Cross the Mountain

Like White Horses we Gallop Over the Meadows.

Like Golden Chickens Kicking their Legs.

Like Dragons Coming Out of the Sea,

We Sit on the Mountain to Observe the Tiger.

Like Dragons we shake our horns and

Dive Under their Ocean.

Like Needled claws of Green Dragons,

We Stirs And Riot their Ocean.

Luo Han Salutes His Ancestors and,

As a White Doves, we Shoot into the Clouds.

                        IV

Gathering breath I stand in the Ready Position,

The Great General Gives His Command,

And with the 18 hands of  Luo Han, Salutes the Buddha.

I Raise 2 Legs and Fly into the Sky;

Our spirits Ride the Tiger to Cross the Mountain.

In heaven, he Points to the Door and

Breathes through the City Gates;

Our Legs Fly Across heaven’s Silver Creek.

King Yu[2]   Calms the Ocean of our battle and commander.

Above, a Giant Eagle Spreads His Wings Sideways.

In the ocean of heaven King Yu, the Immortal,

Brushes His Sea and, with anger,

Calls The Meteors to Strike Down upon us.

They are knives Left, Right, Striking down upon us.

Army and General Break from heaven’s Door.

King Pa [3]    Raises the Flag.  The meteors still and

Close the Form and I, we, are pushed and pulled

Back to the Starting Point:

Gathering breath I stand in the Ready Position,

The Great General Gives His Command,

And with the 18 hands of  Luo Han, Salutes the Buddha.

I Raise 2 Legs and Fly into the Sky.

Our spirits Ride like Tigers to Cross the Mountain

 ====================================================

1 Lo Han

A mythical story states that Bodhidharma, while visiting the Shaolin Temple 

taught the monks a series of exercises.  By observing and imitating the forms and 

expressions of Arhat statues in the temple, meditation and practice, those 

ancient exercises later evolved into a comabt form called "18 hands of 

Luohan,"  which is the oldest documented, systematized style of Shaolin Kung Fu.

2 Yu-kiang

In ancient China it was believed that a mythical creature by the name of 

Yu-kiang ruled the ocean.

This creature was often described as a large fish (whale) that was several 

thousand feet long and had human hands and feet.

When Yu-kiang became angered it would turn into a giant bird and cause 

terrible wind storms in the ocean.

3 King Pa

The primaeval being of the Confucians. Father of Yüan-shih. The 

primordial Great Monad separated to form the Yin and Yang. They both split to

 form four lesser beings which produced Pan-ku. Alternatively, he was hatched

 from an egg and pushed the two halves of the shell apart to form earth and 

sky. 

In some accounts he modeled the first humans from clay or, 

alternatively, men developed from the fleas on his body after he died. 

It is said that it took him 18,000 years, during which he grew bigger 

every day, to achieve the final position and he died from the effort.

His left eye became the sun, his right eye the moon and his beard became 

the stars. Some say that he had a snake-like body with the head of a dragon. 

He is depicted working with a hammer and chisel to make the universe from 

blocks of granite floating in space, assisted by his companions, a dragon, 

phoenix, tortoise and unicorn. In some versions of the creation story, 

Pan-ku was assisted by the woman Kua. Also identified as Pan-ku, Pan-ko or 

Pan-ko.