What Defines a Successor?
What Defines a Lineage Inheritor?
Original Chinese
Language Article By: Qianfeng Daoist Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺)
(Translated by Adrian
Chan-Wyles PhD)
All the various trades and occupations throughout Chinese
history have all had this in common – namely the tradition of ‘inheritance’. A specific individual is responsible for a
developed (and preserved) body of knowledge which is systematically taught to
other people. This ensures that certain
skills are maintained intact from one generation to the next without those
skills being lost. I can appreciate how great and immense this task can be, and
this is also true of an occupation such as farming, which has a very well
developed body of knowledge. A farmer
has to understand the 24 seasonal changes of qi energy that occur throughout
the year, or the successful planting of seeds will not be able to be
carried-out. Furthermore, there will be
no proper time for weeding the fields, or harvesting the crops, etc.
In this article I want to discuss the very important tradition of Daoist self-cultivation, and make it clear that the preserved and passed on Daoist longevity exercises are the product of thousands of years of cultural development in China. Despite the development of this highly civilised cultural history in China, I have heard that 80 or 90 years ago, some Westerners referred to the Chinese people as ‘pigs’, am I right? Apparently, this assessment was carefully carried-out and the Chinese people declared (by some) to be ‘pigs’, or of another derogatory category. Whatever the case, this kind of false speculating and questioning went on. Is this correct? Did some Westerners really think in this racist manner? My experience has been different and all I can say is that in these modern times, no Westerner has ever spoken to me like this, in fact my experience has been the complete opposite. Today, many Westerners who are interested in Chinese culture, view it as immensely valuable and very important. Instead of being viewed as the product of ‘pigs’, Chinese culture is now seen as being something like a guiding ‘mother’. Despite my experience, I can only say that there are immeasurable Daoist deities which accept everyone equally (whether they be good or bad) and embrace them with compassion.
My point is that China has a recorded history of at least 5000 years, and much of this is comprised of Daoism and Confucian teachings. This rich and diverse cultural inheritance should be considered a natural part of being a Chinese person, and valued and supported in this modern day, simply because it is part of our DNA. However, I have noticed amongst the young people of China today, a certain apathy toward their own cultural heritage, and even a preference to ‘turn away’ from it. It is as if they have no real direction in life and just shuffle around looking for shallow amusement here and there. In the past, some Westerners have said that the Chinese are pigs because like a pig they do not have ‘faith’ (as in ‘faith’ in Western religion), but today, some young people in China have no ‘faith’ (or ‘belief’) in their own ancient culture. They have become complacent and detached about it all.
What this means for Daoism is a lack of inherited understanding passed from one generation to the next. If Classic Book’s such as Laozi’s Dao De Jing, and the work of Zhuangzi are not properly understood by this generation, then Daoism as a tradition will suffer because true and genuine knowledge will not be passed on to future generations. This is a symptom of our own inner emptiness. By this I mean that many people in China lack the inner spark to engage with our own traditional culture. Instead, some of them hide this deficient reality behind a barrier of ridicule for everything that is old.
What does it mean to be a lineage successor? A lineage inheritor has been entrusted with the knowledge and wisdom of his or her tradition. Much of this depends upon karma and good luck. A lineage inheritor must be close to the source of the tradition. Many lineages have a dual inheritance system whereby family members transmit to family members, and family members transmit to non-family related (but otherwise sincere) disciples. This can lead to different versions of the same lineage and tradition. However, a recognised and acknowledged lineage successor inherits the very profound (and hard to grasp) essence of the art concerned, be it martial or medical, etc. Therefore it is said that only a lineage inheritor can understand and possess genuine knowledge of an art. However, today it is clear to me that there are many so-called Daoist and Martial Arts lineages that are false and misleading. This type of corrupt teaching only serves to confuse and damage the health of the common people who are being misled and exploited by unscrupulous individuals posing as ‘masters’. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Buddhists refer to this time as the Dharma-ending age. As for myself, I have spent many decades in steadfast and diligent practice and contemplation of Daoist self-cultivation. This journey has not been easy as I have had to distance myself from family members and friends at times to do this. Although some have reacted with misunderstanding regarding my actions, I never let this distract me from the developmental task at hand. This hard-work has paid off as I understand what my lineage is about, and what the teachings mean. I also now know how to teach others correctly. I think that my ancestors have been guiding me through our shared DNA. I had the strength to endure criticism from family members and suspicion from friends. Both sets of people were concerned with my well-being whilst I quietly locked myself away to practice the Daoist self-cultivation. Whilst meditating, I appeared to see into another realm of existence. I saw the old Grandmaster (and founder) of the Qianfeng tradition – Zhao Bichen – and he was looking at me and smiling. What did he seem to be saying?
The life-preserving and life-lengthening exercises of the Daoist path is truly amazing. They can clear the mind and develop the intelligence. Whilst performing these exercises, the spirit (shen), essence (jing), and vital energy (qi) are all clearly distinguished, strengthened and made clear. This enables the mind and body to have the vitality and strength of a teenage person. This experience explains why I have dedicated my life to the pursuance of Daoist self-cultivation, which is a truly great spiritual tradition and art. In recent times I have visited many Daoist and Buddhist centres renowned for self-cultivation. Generally speaking, I have been disappointed and regret the low standard of practice that I have encountered around the country. Not long ago, I visited the Wutai Mountains where in the Yangming area I stayed at a Buddhist shrine. I was confused when I noticed that many peopled burned incense to the Buddhas as if they were gods, and did not appear to be practicing any self-cultivation. I asked my colleague Wang Yibin why it was that people were doing this? His face remained expressionless while he answered for ‘wealth’. I thought this cannot be right. What motivations lie behind this single word ‘wealth’? It seems that people nowadays are in a wretched state whereby they seek wealth, but they do not seek health and longevity. I was speechless. I sat quietly for a long time, and contemplated this lesson….
Qianfeng Hermitage: Zhao Ming Wang
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2015.
Original Chinese Language Source Text: http://752315496.blog.163.com/blog/static/88300182201571901612253/
在中华历史传承中各行各业都有这样一种称呼。某某传人,其意就是传承了某种本领、我的这种说法范围太大了,就是种地也要有传承的,农民要懂得24节气才知道什么时候下种,什么时候除草,什么时候收割于储藏。
这里我要讲明的是功法传承,而我要讲的是中和几千年文明道家功法传承。如今的80后90后都听西方一些反华势力称呼华人是猪的词汇吧?大家仔细分析一下些说中国人是猪的人是什么人?没有一个西方人种说过这句话,反正在我面前没有一个人说过,恰恰相反的是中国华裔,曾经养育他的华夏中华反而成为猪的母亲,只能说无量天尊善恶有抱。
中华文化传承来自5000年文化,儒、道文化在每个华夏子孙脑海里都有着深刻印象,应为那是我们骨髓里的基因,我们活着是为了传承这种美德,如今太多的年轻人轻易的抛去她而他已经变得不中不洋了。
而西方人说你没有信仰,没有信仰的意义是不如猪狗。可悲的那些忘记华夏文明的华夏子孙们还洋洋得意认为自己超脱了。
谈及传承在这里有为神秘的要属道家了,老子的道德经加上庄子的逍遥游,让后人更难理解道家的文化,以便神秘化和讽刺嘲笑他,其实这就是我们内心的空虚。不理解就用嘲笑来掩盖我们内心对中华道家文化的空虚感。
道家文化历来都有传承的,尤其是道家功夫的传承,传承不明思议要有传人,而传人要真正了解道家文化和功夫的意义,他才有资格传承此道文化和信任忠诚于此道的意义。
什么叫嫡传?嫡传指亲近放心信任,方面要看缘分,大部分有家族嫡传徒弟嫡传而两者无分。嫡传是要传承本门派系功夫的精华,唯有嫡传才能掌握本门派不轻易传承的功夫。而如今打着道家功夫传承的人肆无忌惮的在忽悠世人,让世人迷糊猜测怪不得佛家言道么法时期神鬼时期。几十年的光阴我为了证实道家玄学功夫性命双修,我曾经下过的苦功夫是平常人难以想象的寂寞,亲人的猜疑朋友的冷淡而我义无既往的坚信着她,这可能是祖上的基因起到了作用我默默修炼着。我忍受着猜疑、亲情的牵挂世人的不解,自己静静的沉迷于性命双修功夫当中。我仿佛看到另外的一个天地,在我初步有所成就的同时我看到了太爷千峰老人赵避尘笑的面容,好像在说着什么?
道家性命双修的功夫真是无比的神奇,他能让你清醒聪慧,尤其是体内在炼功中体会自身精、气、神增补过程中自己感到年轻十几岁的感觉。从此我更坚信华夏大地道家功夫的神奇。我要用一生来体验追求她。我近几年走了不少佛门道门场所。让我遗憾的是没有一处是修炼之地,前不久我去了一次五台山,而五台山杨明之处是佛学圣地,相反我看到的是出现了一个五爷其香火顶胜让我迷茫,我问了和我同行的王意斌为什么这里如此香火顶胜,他面无表情的言道,财。没有想到一个财字的背后是什么?可怜现在的人们,把一生的经历花费在一个财字上面。我无语了,默默沉思良久。我,,,,,,在思索。
千峰草堂:赵明旺
In this article I want to discuss the very important tradition of Daoist self-cultivation, and make it clear that the preserved and passed on Daoist longevity exercises are the product of thousands of years of cultural development in China. Despite the development of this highly civilised cultural history in China, I have heard that 80 or 90 years ago, some Westerners referred to the Chinese people as ‘pigs’, am I right? Apparently, this assessment was carefully carried-out and the Chinese people declared (by some) to be ‘pigs’, or of another derogatory category. Whatever the case, this kind of false speculating and questioning went on. Is this correct? Did some Westerners really think in this racist manner? My experience has been different and all I can say is that in these modern times, no Westerner has ever spoken to me like this, in fact my experience has been the complete opposite. Today, many Westerners who are interested in Chinese culture, view it as immensely valuable and very important. Instead of being viewed as the product of ‘pigs’, Chinese culture is now seen as being something like a guiding ‘mother’. Despite my experience, I can only say that there are immeasurable Daoist deities which accept everyone equally (whether they be good or bad) and embrace them with compassion.
My point is that China has a recorded history of at least 5000 years, and much of this is comprised of Daoism and Confucian teachings. This rich and diverse cultural inheritance should be considered a natural part of being a Chinese person, and valued and supported in this modern day, simply because it is part of our DNA. However, I have noticed amongst the young people of China today, a certain apathy toward their own cultural heritage, and even a preference to ‘turn away’ from it. It is as if they have no real direction in life and just shuffle around looking for shallow amusement here and there. In the past, some Westerners have said that the Chinese are pigs because like a pig they do not have ‘faith’ (as in ‘faith’ in Western religion), but today, some young people in China have no ‘faith’ (or ‘belief’) in their own ancient culture. They have become complacent and detached about it all.
What this means for Daoism is a lack of inherited understanding passed from one generation to the next. If Classic Book’s such as Laozi’s Dao De Jing, and the work of Zhuangzi are not properly understood by this generation, then Daoism as a tradition will suffer because true and genuine knowledge will not be passed on to future generations. This is a symptom of our own inner emptiness. By this I mean that many people in China lack the inner spark to engage with our own traditional culture. Instead, some of them hide this deficient reality behind a barrier of ridicule for everything that is old.
What does it mean to be a lineage successor? A lineage inheritor has been entrusted with the knowledge and wisdom of his or her tradition. Much of this depends upon karma and good luck. A lineage inheritor must be close to the source of the tradition. Many lineages have a dual inheritance system whereby family members transmit to family members, and family members transmit to non-family related (but otherwise sincere) disciples. This can lead to different versions of the same lineage and tradition. However, a recognised and acknowledged lineage successor inherits the very profound (and hard to grasp) essence of the art concerned, be it martial or medical, etc. Therefore it is said that only a lineage inheritor can understand and possess genuine knowledge of an art. However, today it is clear to me that there are many so-called Daoist and Martial Arts lineages that are false and misleading. This type of corrupt teaching only serves to confuse and damage the health of the common people who are being misled and exploited by unscrupulous individuals posing as ‘masters’. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Buddhists refer to this time as the Dharma-ending age. As for myself, I have spent many decades in steadfast and diligent practice and contemplation of Daoist self-cultivation. This journey has not been easy as I have had to distance myself from family members and friends at times to do this. Although some have reacted with misunderstanding regarding my actions, I never let this distract me from the developmental task at hand. This hard-work has paid off as I understand what my lineage is about, and what the teachings mean. I also now know how to teach others correctly. I think that my ancestors have been guiding me through our shared DNA. I had the strength to endure criticism from family members and suspicion from friends. Both sets of people were concerned with my well-being whilst I quietly locked myself away to practice the Daoist self-cultivation. Whilst meditating, I appeared to see into another realm of existence. I saw the old Grandmaster (and founder) of the Qianfeng tradition – Zhao Bichen – and he was looking at me and smiling. What did he seem to be saying?
The life-preserving and life-lengthening exercises of the Daoist path is truly amazing. They can clear the mind and develop the intelligence. Whilst performing these exercises, the spirit (shen), essence (jing), and vital energy (qi) are all clearly distinguished, strengthened and made clear. This enables the mind and body to have the vitality and strength of a teenage person. This experience explains why I have dedicated my life to the pursuance of Daoist self-cultivation, which is a truly great spiritual tradition and art. In recent times I have visited many Daoist and Buddhist centres renowned for self-cultivation. Generally speaking, I have been disappointed and regret the low standard of practice that I have encountered around the country. Not long ago, I visited the Wutai Mountains where in the Yangming area I stayed at a Buddhist shrine. I was confused when I noticed that many peopled burned incense to the Buddhas as if they were gods, and did not appear to be practicing any self-cultivation. I asked my colleague Wang Yibin why it was that people were doing this? His face remained expressionless while he answered for ‘wealth’. I thought this cannot be right. What motivations lie behind this single word ‘wealth’? It seems that people nowadays are in a wretched state whereby they seek wealth, but they do not seek health and longevity. I was speechless. I sat quietly for a long time, and contemplated this lesson….
Qianfeng Hermitage: Zhao Ming Wang
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2015.
Original Chinese Language Source Text: http://752315496.blog.163.com/blog/static/88300182201571901612253/
在中华历史传承中各行各业都有这样一种称呼。某某传人,其意就是传承了某种本领、我的这种说法范围太大了,就是种地也要有传承的,农民要懂得24节气才知道什么时候下种,什么时候除草,什么时候收割于储藏。
这里我要讲明的是功法传承,而我要讲的是中和几千年文明道家功法传承。如今的80后90后都听西方一些反华势力称呼华人是猪的词汇吧?大家仔细分析一下些说中国人是猪的人是什么人?没有一个西方人种说过这句话,反正在我面前没有一个人说过,恰恰相反的是中国华裔,曾经养育他的华夏中华反而成为猪的母亲,只能说无量天尊善恶有抱。
中华文化传承来自5000年文化,儒、道文化在每个华夏子孙脑海里都有着深刻印象,应为那是我们骨髓里的基因,我们活着是为了传承这种美德,如今太多的年轻人轻易的抛去她而他已经变得不中不洋了。
而西方人说你没有信仰,没有信仰的意义是不如猪狗。可悲的那些忘记华夏文明的华夏子孙们还洋洋得意认为自己超脱了。
谈及传承在这里有为神秘的要属道家了,老子的道德经加上庄子的逍遥游,让后人更难理解道家的文化,以便神秘化和讽刺嘲笑他,其实这就是我们内心的空虚。不理解就用嘲笑来掩盖我们内心对中华道家文化的空虚感。
道家文化历来都有传承的,尤其是道家功夫的传承,传承不明思议要有传人,而传人要真正了解道家文化和功夫的意义,他才有资格传承此道文化和信任忠诚于此道的意义。
什么叫嫡传?嫡传指亲近放心信任,方面要看缘分,大部分有家族嫡传徒弟嫡传而两者无分。嫡传是要传承本门派系功夫的精华,唯有嫡传才能掌握本门派不轻易传承的功夫。而如今打着道家功夫传承的人肆无忌惮的在忽悠世人,让世人迷糊猜测怪不得佛家言道么法时期神鬼时期。几十年的光阴我为了证实道家玄学功夫性命双修,我曾经下过的苦功夫是平常人难以想象的寂寞,亲人的猜疑朋友的冷淡而我义无既往的坚信着她,这可能是祖上的基因起到了作用我默默修炼着。我忍受着猜疑、亲情的牵挂世人的不解,自己静静的沉迷于性命双修功夫当中。我仿佛看到另外的一个天地,在我初步有所成就的同时我看到了太爷千峰老人赵避尘笑的面容,好像在说着什么?
道家性命双修的功夫真是无比的神奇,他能让你清醒聪慧,尤其是体内在炼功中体会自身精、气、神增补过程中自己感到年轻十几岁的感觉。从此我更坚信华夏大地道家功夫的神奇。我要用一生来体验追求她。我近几年走了不少佛门道门场所。让我遗憾的是没有一处是修炼之地,前不久我去了一次五台山,而五台山杨明之处是佛学圣地,相反我看到的是出现了一个五爷其香火顶胜让我迷茫,我问了和我同行的王意斌为什么这里如此香火顶胜,他面无表情的言道,财。没有想到一个财字的背后是什么?可怜现在的人们,把一生的经历花费在一个财字上面。我无语了,默默沉思良久。我,,,,,,在思索。
千峰草堂:赵明旺