Page 57 - Robert W. Smith - Pa kua_ Chinese boxing for fitness & self-defense-North Atlantic Books (2003)

A. KUO FENG-CH'IH'S ADVICE
mind free from any impatience and anxiety. Haste seldom solves
One month has passed since I began teaching you Pa-kua. We have
anything. Slowness therefore is needed to alleviate the tense desire
met two or three times a week for an hour each session. Although
for progress and success. Slowness harmonizes the outside and
you have tried diligently, your progress is slow because you have
inside influences. By beginning slowly the novice will have suffi-
not conformed to the requirements for an Internal learner. You
cient time to seek, listen to, feel for, and apprehend the quintessence
lack the concept of the Internal (nei chia). You can get it through of boxing and to adjust his body and limbs to test the reactions
ridding yourself of erroneous but ingrained thoughts, and through
from the various muscles. This will increase his potential as a
substituting somewhat revolutionary and scientific ideas. With this novice boxer.
goal and with perseverance and humility, you can master Pa-kua.
These are secrets of the Internal system. Traditionally, secrets
are not disclosed casually. In fact, the so-called secrets are not
really very secret. Most secrets lie in what occurs in our everyday
1. RELAXATION AND SLOWNESS life, in our being most natural. But because they are posited on an
In Internal Boxing the beginning step is to gain a foothold (chan ordinary base, people usually ignore them. Internal Boxing does
chuang); that is, to take a standing posture in which the novice may not.
quiet his nerves and relax and soften his muscles. This phase is
largely mental, almost spiritual, and says that the mind can will
relaxation and softness. As you stand, you practice this willing of
2. THE MIND (I)
the tranquil flow from your eyebrows to the soles of your feet. Your The mind (i) in Chinese is usually synonymous with the heart
mind thus travels this imagined route. With practice and concentra- (hsin). According to Chinese psychology, the mind dominates all
tion all distracting thoughts will be shut out, your nerve-ends sharp- actions. Internal Boxing insists that three things are coordinated:
ened but at ease, and your whole being peaceful and sublimated. "The mind (i) commands, strength (li) goes along, and vital
Thus your mind is liberated, and, when this happens, your body energy (ch'i) follows." Consciously or subconsciously all physical
and limbs will attain a happy, unencumbered circulation of air and functions are directed by the mind. Training the mind slowly en-
blood. ables one to transform internal truths into external boxing forms.
Chan chuang is literally a maneuvering of the mind for gaining a But it must be done slowly. If a beginner lays too much stress on
static outside and a dynamic inside. Chinese philosophy of ancient physical performance, he will fall short. How important the con-
vintage says: "To stand still results in the mind's settlement, mind's cept of mind is to boxing may be seen in the very names of the
settlement in tranquility, tranquility in a sense of security, security three orthodox Internal systems: t'ai-chi (The Great Ultimate),
in wholesome thinking, and wholesome thinking in great accom- hsing-i (The Form of Mind), and Pa-kua (The Eight Diagrams), all
plishment." The ancients followed this philosophy to cultivate suggesting thought and action in unison.
their bodies as well as their minds.
The word slowness refers not only to action but also to a state of

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