Master Zhao Ming Wang Confirms Adrian Chan-Wyles as a ‘Descendant’ of Zhao Bichen!
http://www.wuwo.org/qfct/2779.html
When I observe ethnic Chinese people discussing health and self-cultivation on the Chinese-language internet – there is a general atmosphere of respect, seriousness and a striving for self-sufficiency and self-responsibility. This means that within the context of Chinese collective cultural existence, there is an emphasis upon sincerely assisting one another (and relieving burdens), whilst trying not to be a burden to others in trivial or unnecessary matters. What this suggests is that everyone helps their fellow-disciples (a stricture of Confucian respect) whilst attempting to be as self-supporting as possible. From the position of society and culture, this means that a balance is struck between helping others and helping one-self. This demonstrates that even within ‘New’ China – and lineages such as that of Master Zhao Ming Wang of Beijing – old-style Confucian moral and ethical notions of ‘respect’ still define social interactions. Although there are odd exceptions, this attitude of mutual respect does not exist in the contemporary West, driven as it is by the aggrandisement of the ‘self’. Although Master Zhao Ming Wang emphasises ‘face-to-face' transmissions – this mode of teaching is only available to those who possess the time and means to travel to China and communicate effectively in a foreign language throughout the entire process. Those who do attempt this are definitely ‘brave’ and need to be respected by their fellow Westerners. They certainly have my respect and support. For the rest of us mere mortals we must make do with a sense of profound inner purpose, patient endurance and humility. We must make the most of what we have in the Chinese records translated into English (and other Western languages), and cherish the wisdom that Daoist teachers living in the West possess. This includes both Chinese and non-Chinese Masters, disciples, academics, translators and travellers, etc. Indeed, when viewed from a particular perspective, this amounts to a rich seam of Daoist knowledge and wisdom, as well as practical experience. Even if we cannot immediately travel to see Master Zhao Ming Wang – there is much to be getting on with. As the Qianfeng School has a historical association with the Chinese Ch’an Buddhist School – the ‘hua tou’ (word head) is often used to ‘still’ the mind during seated meditation. Without ‘stilling’ the mind, the ‘neidan’ of the Qianfeng School will only have a superficial effect upon a practitioner’s psychological and physical health. Although Master Zhao Ming Wang teaches a certain archaic form of very old ‘Taijiquan’ (as ‘qigong’) - Master Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) taught Charles Luk (1898-1978) - my grand-teacher – that any form of established Taijiquan can be used as this physical component (Zhao Bichen practiced many different systems of martial arts). When Charles Luk met with Zhao Bichen in the late 1936 – they had only a limited time together and so Zhao Bichen focused on transmitting the ‘neidan’ aspect of Qianfeng. Charles Luk could combine this later with his martial arts practice. From this interaction between Master Zhao Bichen and Charles Luk there are two aspects of Qianfeng training that anyone can participate in – here and now – regardless of circumstance. One is ‘stilling’ the mind through seated meditation using the Ch’an method of the ‘hua tou’ - whilst the other is the perfection of physical movement and positioning achieved through the practice of an authentic system of Chinese martial arts. This is the perfection of ‘stillness’ in ‘movement’ and ‘movement’ in ‘stillness’. As Master Zhao Ming Wang is aware of these instructions to my grand-teacher – after ‘testing’ my understanding (both verbally and physically) and consulting other elderly Masters - he graciously recognised and accepted the humble lineage of Qianfeng Daoism we practice in the UK. I am very grateful for this recognition and humbled by this great man’s trust in our lineage. A deep bow of respect! In other words, make the best use of the circumstances you already possess around you. Chinese Language Reference: Master Zhao Ming Wang Confirms Adrian Chan-Wyles as a ‘Descendant’ of Zhao Bichen! http://www.wuwo.org/qfct/2779.html
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Although Master Zhao Ming Wang (of Beijing) insists upon one-to-one training, (so as to avoid false paths and bad advice), it is also true that a number of (often elderly) people who eventually find their way to his house, are described as pursuing many years of self-study, training through a mixture of book-learning and limited instruction from others. The problem they encounter is a lack of genuine knowledge and experience in the Daoist world of self-cultivation. Master Zhao Ming Wang, it must be understood, prefers to avoid superstition, and prefers a more scientific approach to his Daoist instruction, although this is a ‘science’ very different to what we are used to in the West, despite it being comprised through the use of logic and reason. This is a legacy of Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) - the founder of the Qianfeng School - who took the decision to integrate various aspects of (modern) Western science with traditional Chinese (Daoist) thinking. From what I have experienced, this process has involved the body-parts (and biological processes) being presented (in various instructional manuals) using both their Western names alongside their Chinese designations. This ‘new’ process of assessing ancient Daoist science was innovative at the time, and proved to the Chinese-mind that indigenous Chinese science was just as effective as its Western counter-part, despite having a completely different socio-historical origination! This development can be observed throughout Charles Luk’s ‘Taoist Yoga’, which is an English translation of an important Zhao Family instructional manual. Most Chinese people spend their time attempting to ‘still’ their mind in preparation for a more advanced study at a later date. Many Westerners, however, are far too hasty and want to skip this foundational stage (or falsely believe that ‘stilling’ the mind has nothing to do with Daoism). This attitude is no good and has no place within Daoist self-cultivation. Without ‘stilling’ the mind in the first instance, the Qianfeng methodology has no purpose. Simply ‘learning’ lists of procedures without ever practicing the right methods (in the correct order) and achieving genuine realisations is a pointless exercise in list-making. This is why I do not interact with these shallow people who ‘pretend’ to be polite when asking for details, but whose ulterior motives are clear for all to see! What these people have to realise is that one of the effects of ‘stilling’ the mind and exercising ‘self-observation’ (for year after year) is that the minds of others are clearly visible in their past, present and future aspects. Hidden Motives are clear to see like a rock or a chair resting in the environment! Stilling the mind is not limited to its expression in words, but is in fact an entire new way of viewing the universe! Approaching a seasoned Daoist teacher with a ‘lying’ mind is an extremely foolish thing to do! There is no need for it whatsoever. Simply decide upon mutual respect and proceed! If you are honest with yourself, then a genuine Daoist teacher will know this straightaway. Being honest in your self-cultivation is the foundation of being honest with others! Wherever you are, you must become a Daoist monastic steadfastly ‘looking within’. Do not encourage your own (deluded) ego, and do not listen to the (deluded) ego of others. Sit quietly and ‘look within’. All Daoists do this regardless of school or tradition, but many ‘hide’ this doorway as a traditional habit of quality control. Master Zhao Bichen, however, following the advice of his teachers, broke with this ‘exclusive’ attitude and opened his school to all and sundry. This is why much of its methodology is known to the outside world.
Qianfeng methodology has already been ‘modernized’ by Master Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), and part of this evolution has been the adoption of certain Western biological concept and principles, which have not replaced traditional Chinese thinking, but have rather reinforced the validity of ancient Chinese (Daoist) science. This is not very well known in the West because it happened in China in the early 1930s, with the Western terms being presented not in English, but rather in their Chinese translation (for use by Chinese-speaking people). Master Zhao Bichen was a very clever person. Logic and reason were emphasized by Zhao Bichen over superstition and ignorance. This is exactly the attitude the average Western person would have toward a medical doctor, avoiding any doctors who appealed to nonsensical beliefs, or overly used placebo, etc. Qianfeng Daoism has been modernized – but it has been modernized not by Western force of arms or economic terrorism – but rather by the Chinese people themselves, in their own time and in their own. Western science has not replaced TCM, but is used side by side in China. It is also true that Master Zhao Bichen did study Western science, understood it fully and adopted what he thought was useful for his Daoism, but he still preferred traditional Chinese thinking. He avoided dogma and prejudice and made use of what was useful in both systems whilst not allowing his personal opinion to interfere in the developmental process.
As Westerners, we should follow the good and virtuous example of Master Zhao Bichen, and we should do this regardless of where we live, or how we live. Master Zhao Bichen abolished the traditional Daoist practice of one master teaching one disciple per generation, and instead opened his doors to all and sundry. This does not mean that everyone is suitable for the training, but it does grant everyone an equal chance to ‘try’. Rich or poor – everyone can train regardless of social status, gender or ethnicity. Master Zhao Ming Wang (b. 1966) tends to prefer ‘face to face’ training (at least in the beginning stages), and he does this because like a TCM doctor, Master Zhao Ming Wang will also ‘treat’ the student by stimulating the qi energy channels that flow throughout the body (and mind) as a means to release psycho-physical blockages (usually stored as ‘tension’ in the musculature surrounding the inner organs), build physical strength and clear the mind. He does this by examining the attitude and bodily movement of the student, the colour of the eyes and tongue, and the strength of the various pulses, etc. He also advises a vegetarian diet and no alcohol. Master Zhao Ming Wang massages the muscles, and uses a traditional Daoist acupressure stick which hits the ‘points’ of the qi energy channels exactly. A student may lie down to receive this treatment, or sit upright in a chair. Master Zhao Ming Wang also teaches people with disabilities and adjusts this treatment to their needs. (This is an important point as I have seen other Daoist schools ‘banning’ disabled people on the grounds that they are ‘bad luck’ - this is exactly the ignorance that Master Zhao Bichen abolished). Western students of Qianfeng Daoism have to meaningfully make sense of all this in a manner that fully respects the cultural view of China (as expressed through the Qianfeng School), understands what Master Zhao Ming Wang a) expects, and b) is talking about, and do all this whilst carefully navigating a course through the choppy seas of cultural adaptations and potential misunderstandings. My own view is that all this must be achieved through a sense of spiritual self-sufficiency. Spiritual self-sufficiency has nothing to do with social status or economic situation – but is rather a reliance upon the realization of the empty mind ground (shen), and how this understanding permeates through the entirety of the body (automatically ‘clearing’ all the qi blockages and building ‘jing’). The mind must be ‘stilled’ to realize this reality which does not require any other stimulus – although this is a rare state to achieve. Stilling the mind is the first crucial stage of Qianfeng Daoist training and can be performed exactly where you are right now. Without the mind being ‘stilled’ the Qianfeng training will be only moderately successful. Whilst training to ‘still’ the mind, a Qianfeng student should train in a traditional Chinese martial art that suits their character (whilst ignoring the pettiness of sport). Regular qigong exercise builds a robust body and ensure a fluid mind. All this can be pursued around a central practice of ‘nei dan’ - or meditation which ‘stills’ the mind (whilst also guiding the breath and the circulation of qi and jing etc). If this is established, then the machinations of the external world will fall into place, ensuring that all paradox and confusion falls away. ACW - 釋大道 (12.9.2019) UK Qianfeng Sub-Branch of the 千峰先天派 (Qian Feng Xian Tian Pai) - Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (Beijing) The subjective elements of (nei dan) Daoist training are not confirmed by the rigours of modern science (but this does not mean they do not exist). Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) embraced modern science (which he accessed through Western texts) and even incorporated certain Western (biological) terms into his explanation of ancient Daoist methodology – although it is also true that he preferred ‘Chinese’ science over its Western counterpart. The point is that he integrated modern scientific terms into Chinese Daoist commentaries as a means to prove the ‘scientific’ nature of ancient Chinese thought (which had been demonized by the forces of Western imperialism in China). I was always taught – and prefer – fact over faith, and note this is the position of the Zhao family of Beijing as expressed by Master Zhao Ming Wang (b. 1966) - the generational and lineage inheritor of the Qianfeng School in China. By and large Zhao Ming Wang does not acknowledge the other lineages that ‘claim’ to represent his lineage due to their lack of respect for his status (although this is a complicated issue that needs clarification). Many key disciples of Zhao Bichen founded Qianfeng Schools (such as Niu Jin Bao) - and there is no problem with this – but it is what happened in the second or third generations, etc. On top of this, there are the fake Qianfeng Schools in China that charge huge amounts of money for the qigong forms that Zhao Ming Wang teaches for free, and a fake school in the West (not the US or Europe), which charges huge amounts and teaches a Eurocentric mish-mash of Orientalized ‘Taoism’ - working from the false assumption that no one outside of China possesses the language or cultural skills to check their lineage. I have checked their lineage and it is ‘false’. However, these other groups can do as they please, as Master Zhao Ming Wang insists that once correct knowledge and viewpoint is established, we must not ‘conflict’ with others as this is ‘unDaoist’ - I fully agree with this.
Turning the waterwheel is the ability to separate jing (精) and qi [氣] (from the breath) whilst continuing to circulate this substance through the Governing and Conception Vessels (and beyond). The breath continues the take-in of qi, and to provide the muscular ripple that travels up the spine, over the head and down the face, mouth (with tongue touching the upper palate), throat, sternum, abdomen and groin, etc., but the ‘intention’ of the mind now drives the rarefied and highly condensed jing-qi and shen (神) admixture into a new and extensive orbit that reaches tremendous speeds whilst sat in cross-legged meditation. This can work whilst performing martial arts forms – but only in the highest levels of spiritual self-development. Generally speaking, for the maximum health benefit, the breath must be deep and full and coordinate with all the martial arts movements. The waterwheel can be applied to a combat situation so that deep breathing is not required, and techniques ‘lash’ out at tremendous speeds and cannot be anticipated or countered by an opponent. This mastery is achieved whilst engaged within seated meditation, and not moving meditation (or martial training), but it can be expressed in martial practice after the fact. This is like when the breath ‘ceases’, although of course it does not really ‘cease’, but becomes so subtle that it is hard to discern. ACW - 釋大道 (8.9.2019) UK Qianfeng Sub-Branch of the 千峰先天派 (Qian Feng Xian Tian Pai) - Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (Beijing) In modern China there a Socialized health system (similar the NHS in the UK) which provides the best healthcare free at the point of use (paid for through taxation). China differs, however, in that there are two types of medicine available; a) Western medicine, and b) Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both are used interchangeably, with patients choosing which treatment method best suits their illness or injury recovery. Therefore, hospitals in China fall into three categories; 1) Western medicine, 2) TCM and 3) Integrated treatment. Hospitals in China are administered either by the Chinese State, or the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Rich individuals can choose to contribute (as a ‘thank you’) to the Chinese State and ‘pay’ for their treatment, but as the standard of medical care is so high in China – the service they receive is exactly the same as that received by the poorest villager. Master Zhao Ming Wang has written in his blog how he has often visited TCM hospitals in China, and helped treat people suffering with cancer when Western medicine has not worked. His experience suggests that the Daoist methods he employs are more effective in certain circumstances than the equivalent Western treatments. This does not mean that Western medicine is ineffective – as just as many Chinese patients report the opposite finding – namely that TCM did not work (or only partly worked), whilst Western medicine cured them fully or to a greater extent. Of course, in some incidences it could be that a combination of the two methods is the best approach.
My advice to you is that if you are ill, visit your General Practitioner (GP) or Medical Doctor (MD) and never leave ailments or injuries to drag on and get worse without treatment. I am aware that in other parts of the world (unlike the UK, Northern Europe, Japan, Cuba, North Korea or China, etc.), many people do not have access to regular or affordable healthcare. This is an unfortunate situation and issue of broader political development and democratic processes. In other words, things can be changed overtime through political effort, but what should a person do ‘here and now’? The internet is a great resource for basic self-healing and further research into herbal remedies and other treatments. There is a plethora of online videos, for instance, offering ‘free’ physiotherapy advice. The local Pharmacy is a good place to gain basic advice on treatment and pain relief, etc. As intelligent human beings, we must use our intellects to overcome our material hardships. Herbology is a good start, as herbology is the basis of the pharmaceutical industry, but can often offer alternative methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Daoist methodology is its greater part, is a system of preventative medicine. This means that we train our bodies and minds in methods that prevent illness through a continuous purification process. The problem with this approach is that we remain ‘unaware’ of how may illnesses we could have contracted, but which we avoided through this wise behaviour. Modern, Western medicine, however, tends to treat definite symptoms as and when they appear. TCM does this as well, but there is a greater tendency toward preventative than there is in Western hospitals (particularly with regard to the use of acupuncture which attempts to ‘undermine’ the illness whilst treating it as an ‘imbalance’ which needs to be rectified). TCM still uses freshly gathered herbs and plants which are viewable in the medicine shop, and which are prepared in front of the patient once a prescription is written. TCM treatment is a much organic experience than its more industrialized Western counterpart. Master Zhao Ming Wang, whilst meeting disciples in his home in Beijing, assesses their wellbeing through their posture, voice, skin-tone, eye colour and behaviour, and usually starts Qianfeng Daoist training by him personally ‘unblocking’ the qi energy channels and putting the disciple on the right psychological and physical path. There are levels, however, below and beyond the physical application of recuperative Daoist medicine, which involve the generation of universal love and compassion for the entirety of creation! Master Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) exercised this when he abolished the old Daoist tradition of one master to one disciple per generation, and threw open the gates for all to train! Daoist methodology is the practice of exact physical methods of discipline which are applied to the mind and body. Although some people have associated superstition and myth with Daoist methodology, Qianfeng Daoism rejects this approach and only focuses upon the physical Daoist techniques that have been proven to work, albeit applied with a sense of love and respect. Belief in miracles or of divine beings is not used to ‘cure’ the mind or body (although this approach does exist in other Daoist lineages, which is fine). We do not rely upon ‘faith’ just as a Western doctor does not rely upon faith. This does not mean that no one should have faith – as this is a matter of personal choice – but it is not within the methodology of the Qianfeng School. It was not part of the Qianfeng School during the latter Qing Dynasty, the Nationalist period, or the ‘New China’ era. It is not a new approach, but a matter of ancient Chinese science which understood thousands of years ago, that effective methods must be premised upon observation of material (physical) process and repeatability of results. This explains in-part why Zhao Bichen was interested in Western biology and science, and incorporated some of this terminology into his numerous Daoist instructional manuals. ACW - 釋大道 (2.9.2019) UK Qianfeng Sub-Branch of the 千峰先天派 (Qian Feng Xian Tian Pai) - Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (Beijing) |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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