The Living Practice of Nine Dragon Baguazhang
Welcome to the Jiulong Journal. Here you will find information in a variety of media, highlighting the Nine Dragon experience. Nine Dragon Baguzazhang has been a force in the internal arts world for … [Read More...]
Void
To make the soul
The eye of the hurricane
To make the spirit
A still pool
To let the eyes
Reflect the depth of sky
To make the will
A silent arrow
To make one’s purpose
An unresisting river
To root the center
Like the earth embracing oak
To have a heart of wind
Is to know no fear
Jiulong Journal readers will remember this guy. He posed the question, “Play with me and someday I will show you something. What do I mean?”
So what does this mean? The answer to this question takes us into the realm of spontaneous action.
First, let’s identify the Dragon. He’s a reference to the any of the Eight Palm Energies. So, there is a Heaven Dragon, Earth Dragon, Water Dragon, Fire Dragon, and so on. Each Dragon is an animated representation of the “personality” of the palm energy. For example, the Heaven Dragon expresses an energy that is unstoppable power that surges upward and outward. He is unconcerned with what may be an obstacle, simply flying up and out, completely overwhelming whatever stands in his way. One could think of his personality as one of unrelenting assertiveness.
In contrast, at the other end of the spectrum is the Earth Dragon.. He is soft, yielding, preferring to be like a wisp of smoke that rotates around an obstacle seeking an advantageous position. He does not contend with and opposing force, preferring to vanish and leave the opponent with the feeling of falling into empty space.
In each of these examples, you can clearly see that the nature of each palm energy is quite different. We personify these natures in the mythical animal called the Dragon and can refer to these traits as each Dragon’s personality.
Why would we personify these ideas? Why not just refer to them as energies or forces and discuss their use with reference to vectors and levels of force or power? Because since we see ourselves as personalities with certain traits, it is easier to relate to the palm energies as if they also were personalities. If I want to create and generate a force that causes my opponent to fall backwards, it is easier to think and feel like an “unstoppable dragon that is flying up and out” than a “force vector that moves on a 45 degree angle at 100mph with the contact point on the opponents body at the optimum position to destabilize his/her balance causing a loss of coordination that provides tactical advantage for enough time to………” you get the idea. It’s easier to imagine I am the Heaven Dragon with all the attributes I mentioned earlier, especially “unrelenting assertiveness”
This is not to say that you cannot generate this force by thinking of it using the physical description in the above paragraph. In fact some people’s minds work better in that mode. In either case, once you have the “feeling” of Heaven Palm, by which I mean the tactile sense of a force rising upward and outward, it no longer matters how you obtained that feeling. Now you can work directly with it.
But let’s return to the Dragon. First, with regard to gender, I always refer to him as “he”. This is because I am relating to him as a male personality in order to embody him. If you are female, you can refer to her as she for the same reason. Remember, the idea here is to use the personality of the Dragon so you can become her/him for a moment.
You now start standing, shifting, walking while using your imagination to create the Heaven Dragon feeling. There are specific methods for doing this. If you practice them you will generate the feeling and power described. As you walk, you will start to notice that the body, while following the feeling/force will “want” to turn a certain way. Or it might “want” to form one of the nine Heaven postures without you consciously deciding to form it. Of course you will start by consciously determining which postures you are going to form, and this is a very good way to create the “Heaven feeling”. But somewhere along the way, you may suddenly form a slightly different posture than you intended.
You may, for example, plan to use Twin Yang while walking with Twin Yin on the turns but suddenly, upon coming out of the turn, your arms automatically form Pressing Heaven and Earth. And it feels exactly right. You will feel a little bewildered for a moment and then return to Twin Yang because, after all, that was what you were practicing. But there was a moment in which “something else” happened.
This spontaneous change, coming from seemingly nowhere is the experience we call “the Dragon showing you something”. It can be described as a spontaneous expression or manifestation of a feeling that, while unplanned consciously, is what the mindbody senses is the correct expression at that moment. The reasons for the expression can only be determined by the practitioner and this only after a great deal of experience with the process. This is because the reasons will be specific to the time, place and state of the practitioner at that time. But none of this negates the fact that “something” happens that is automatic and spontaneous. It just happens.
This experience has been described with statements like “I didn’t do it, it did me.” or “I suddenly felt this urge to move this way rather than that way.” or “My body seemed to have a mind of it’s own for a moment”. These are all attempts to express a non-conceptual experience with conceptual thought. In fact, this entire article is exactly that. Yet the experience is unmistakable and the language we are using in Jiulong is that of “the Dragon coming out and showing me something”. At this point we are discussing the moment the Dragon shows you a different posture than the one you thought you were practicing. There are other “messages” from the Dragon .
Once you have practiced being the Heaven Dragon long enough through the visualizations taught in connection with him, and you have practiced walking both in straight lines and circles with him, you will have created the feeling of Heaven in your mindbody system. (Please note that “long enough” varies from person to person and you will have to be the honest judge of this for yourself). Having created this feeling you are now ready to play with a partner in the Two Dragons Playing in the Clouds game to get a sense of how the Heaven Dragon might find opportunities for expression while engaged with unpredictable movement. This is where it gets really interesting.
Now you are dealing with forces coming in from a partner, and you have to deal with them in the moment they occur. One of the major difficulties with properly playing this game is having a plan and therefore not being attuned to what is actually happening. For example, I have found that while I am attempting to get into a position to do a certain technique, a strike or arm bar or whatever, I have missed the fact that my partner is uprooting me. So I abandon that plan and change to another, thereby repeating the mistake. The overall process here is that of attempting to consciously control the situation.
But in the meantime, my mind and body are already constantly moving with my partner and automatically adjusting to the angles, speed etc. I am missing all this automatic movement while formulating my various attack plans. I become aware of this and attempt to be “spontaneous” which of course is not possible. One cannot plan to be spontaneous. Then, suddenly, my body flows into a space (of which I was not conscious while I was planning spontaneity) and the unstoppable up and out force of Heaven overwhelms my partner. I internally congratulate myself on my martial prowess even though I know on a deeper level that “I” did not do anything. There was just that sudden movement which instantly appeared. And it had the same quality as that palm change while I was practicing Twin Yang/Yin palms when a different posture appeared.
These experiences are part of what we mean when we say “the Dragon comes out to show you something”. In essence it is that automatic expression of the right energy and movement at the right time over which one is not exercising conscious control. So, having described the experience, we can now look at the central question “What is the Dragon?”
Readers will be familiar with the concept of engrams. This was discussed in the Fall 2006 issue. When one repeatedly practices the Heaven Palm postures and imagines the forces the postures are supposed to be generating, that neurological loop we call an engram is being created. Eventually, simply adopting the posture will generate the power if Heaven. It would be correct to say that you are imprinting the Heaven Dragon into your mindbody system. Remember, the concept of Heaven Dragon is a composite of the physical posture and the psychological attitude the it is designed to generate. The result of the posture and the attitude is the feeling of the Heaven Dragon.
We are getting closer now.
When the physical posture and psychological attitude are repeatedly imprinted through standing, shifting, walking, and playing over a long period time, the expression of the Heaven feeling becomes automatic. In other words it will suddenly appear when you least expect it in ways you did not plan, but which are exactly appropriate to the situation at hand. THIS is the Dragon coming out to show you something. It is the spontaneous appearance of a movement combined with a sensation that is determined by the needs of the moment, not the plans of the conscious mind.
In other words, you have cultivated the Heaven Dragon though posture, visualization and attitude with the result being that he appears when the situation requires him. Upon reflection, you usually see why it was the right thing to do (eg. my partner was stepping this way and I suddenly felt his balance point and was able to uproot him with Heaven Palm) thereby learning something about that situation. But what you learned was revealed through that moment when the Heaven Dragon automatically did what was needed.
So a working definition of “The Dragon” now can be “an imprinted mindbody pattern of feeling that spontaneously reacts to the needs of the moment with correct force, angle and speed without conscious control”.
This is a bit cumbersome, but, I think, accurate. I hope it is giving you some insights into why Jiulong Baguazhang is taught with such emphasis on visualization combined with exact body mechanics. It is this combination that sets the stage for the Dragon to be born within you and start generating movement. The paradox inherent in all this is that you cannot force the Dragon to appear. All you can do is practice the methods designed to create him, continually refine the physical and psychological aspects required — then release control and wait.
With regard to Qigong for health, the exact same process applies. Obviously the overall intention is different from martial practice, but the methods are essentially the same. You combine postures with visualizations and attitudes directed to creating health. The composite of these practices becomes an overall feeling in the body (and in some cases specific places in the body) and the particular Health Dragon will appear at some point and show you what posture/attitude you should be using in that practice session. We will explore this health aspect more in future issues of the Journal.
I must conclude by drawing attention the single most important aspect to creating the various Dragons in your mindbody. That is Patience.
I know this seems obvious from everything you have just read, but since the idea of an automatic manifestation of an energy one has been cultivating is quite alluring, you will find yourself wanting it to happen constantly looking for evidence that it has happened. But this will lead to frustration and delusion. You will think something has happened when in fact you consciously generated it out of that desire.
I promise you that if you are patient and disciplined in your efforts to simply create the Dragon through the methods prescribed, he will appear at some point. It won’t take years. Some people experience him within a few short months. But it will always be when least expected and only when not being consciously sought.
Is this difficult? Of course it is. But when it starts to happen, and you keep practicing and strengthening him, the Dragon will appear more and more, to the point where you can start rely on him with the trust that he will appear when needed. This takes you into the realm of complete spontaneous movement that is, after all, is the goal of the Jiulong Baguazhang player.
Trust the Dragon. He will appear and show something. And when it happens you will be the first to know.
Illness comes to us all at some time in our lives. There are hundreds of mitigating factors that cause it to appear in our bodies. We can talk about the nerves, the flow of blood and lymph and how to adjust these things and that is part of what good daily circle walking especially with the Double Palm change can do, adjust these things and help them function better. Then we have the other side in which our brain wave patterns are altered by an extended period of circle walking producing a relaxed state of consciousness akin to a light meditative state. In this state many of the body processes are able to re-charge or correct themselves just as they do in meditative practice, but with the added benefit of movement to increase circulation of vital fluids to tissues and organs.
All of these things can help us prevent illness or work towards a cure, but they are not the answer to curing the root cause of the illness in the first place. This is the realm of the psyche and the “spirit” the roles played by the mind and how it affects the body through the brain and especially a part of the brain know as the Limbic System.
The Limbic System is involved with instinctive behavior, deeply held emotional ideas, basic impulses such as sexual arousal, anger, pleasure and survival instincts. It forms a bridge between our centers of higher consciousness and the cerebral cortex and the brain step which regulates the body’s systems one of which is the immune system.
So what does this have to do with healing or illness the spirit or Qigong? The answer is that from the incorporeal mind we influence the corporeal body. Yes this is a dualist approach not a monist view but it is the view of the Li family Xin-fu Dao philosophy.
The Limbic System is the link. It is influenced by what we think, feel and desire, but it goes farther than just saying ok so I think happy thoughts and I can fly like Peter Pan or never get ill, NO not at all! You can think happy thoughts until the stars burn out and if they are not coming from the deeper realms of the spirit self, the inner self that is the root of our being then they are not going to affect the Limbic System or have any influence over the control of our immune system.
Taking western allopathic or chiropractic treatments, doing yoga or meditation or Taijiquan or Baguazhang may have some influence over our predilection to illness, but it will not stop us from getting sick, getting cancer or other life threatening diseases again and again until one of them finally kills us. We can adjust the body and give it herbs and pills and shots, however until the inner mind is right we will get sick over and over again.
What does it mean to have the mind right? That is a question for the ages and the sages. The mind we are aware of, the one we experience the world with, which tells us what we think is reality is not the important one in this situation. The inner mind that harbors all of our real desires and goals is the one that matters here and most of us are not even close to being in touch with it. I am talking about the deeper intelligence that is present at birth, that knows how to make cells form into ears, legs, hearts, muscles and that knows what talents and skills we will have as a child and adult. This inner mind is the one that really matters to the immune system. When as Joseph Campbell has said,”Follow your Bliss” or as Lao Zi says, “find our own true path” then we fulfill what our spirit has come here to accomplish, we find our “Calling” and our inner being is fulfilled and happy. This happens in very few of us as we are so out of touch with our true selves, we wear so many masks to disguise ourselves from our associated, friends, family and ourselves that we have little idea who or what we really are.
That is why the American Indians, the Tibetans and other cultures have talked about vision quests, spirit journeys and other methods of using meditation and special training to find these root causes of our illness and discontent. It might be called rooting out our own personal emotional dis-ease. When this is accomplished and we know our true inner will, illness become less and less frequent and healing becomes truly a process we control. Jiulong Baguazhang and the practices of the Li family concepts can help in this quest but it must become more than just a martial art or physical exercise. There is much more here than meets the first layers of your consciousness.
Copyright 2009 IAM Co.
To learn to react instantly without thought is the goal of every martial arts student. When the body is capable of instantly and automatically responding to a threat with an appropriate response, this is known in ancient Chinese martial terms as becoming Wuwei, spontaneous action with no pre-thought.
What really separates the external arts from the internal methods is the idea of Neijia or inner method. Chinese Neijia wushu practice represents many things. For martial arts it is identified as the development of Nei-gong (Inner Skill) ability. Inner skill in modern terms can be construed as training the neurological system in such a way that the actions become second nature. In Jiulong Baguazhang we call this the creation of Engrams.
An Engram is by definition a pattern created by the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is a pattern of skilled motor functions that becomes part of our reactions. Engrams allow the body to repeat pattern of activity again and again, without sensor feedback control. This is also known as a “learned response.” Instead of analyzing and thinking about what to do then doing it, after you have created an Engram you just see it and do it, no thinking, and no analyzing. David Briggs our SGL in Pennsylvania says, “You just make the shape and go!” By the time you realize you did it its over. This is Wuwei (spontaneous action with no thought) this is an Engram.
Repetition Of Simple Actions Is The Key
To teach the body a new motor skill we have to repeat a simple action numerous times each training session. The sequence of training sessions to fully form an Engram must also be repeated for a number of days in succession. With continued repetition the sensory and sensory associated areas enable an individual to experience these motor movements and record “memories” of patterns of movements. Once these memories are repeated over and over they become a “pattern of skilled motor function”.
Engrams allow the body “to go through the same pattern of activity again and again, entirely without sensor feedback control”. “The cortex sits back and monitors the action, ready to impose modification as the need arises, and is unconcerned with directing individual movement unless correction is required, and is thus relieved of integration type details, it is free to concern itself with strategy.”
SIMPLE AND DIRECT IS BEST – avoid complex actions
When we learn forms if the actions are too complex in the beginning or there are too many different moves we cannot form powerful and useful engrams. To create the maximum effect what we should strive for is simple actions that possess economy of movement. “Economy of movement involves the use of minimal stabilizing energy and no fixations of points.”
Jiulong Baguazhang is the epitome of this statement. The fluid rhythmic movements combined with proper mechanical body alignment guide the practitioner towards this goal. The nervous system begins building engrams from each physical action in a manner that stresses the body and its related systems as little as possible. These lowered stress levels not only happen on a mechanical level but also on a physiological or biochemical level.
Learning one simple action like Dragon Stepping Linear patterns first will make for a strong energy in stance / movement. If we learn Dragon Stepping with the simple upper body actions of Wedge and ball in the neutral Postures we are still within a learning curve of that will not stress the (CNS).
However if we try to learn say “Heaven Palm Inside Change” with three or four moves and principles as a beginning form. Then this series of complex action will inhibit the ability of our (CNS) or bio-computer program to focus clearly on specific actions. The result will be a very pretty form that we can do easily. It will however be a learned pattern that we will have difficulty altering or changing if the need arises in combat and because the energy is spread across several actions they will not be a powerful as simpler actions given more attention one at a time.
Less is More - Adding Too Much Too Soon
Another problem arises if we start a simple learning program as in the Dragon Stepping Linear form combined with The Wedge Neutral Posture and in say a week or so add other stepping form and hand pattern to the routine. If this is done before a strong (CNS) program has been established we will be left with an incomplete motor skill in the original exercise. If we keep adding to our practice without completing the Engram for each level we will soon overload the (CNS) ability to be comfortable with previously acquired pattern of movement. Our stance and movement capability will become like a boat with a weak hull. The more techniques / postures weight added to the deck the more stress will be placed on the entire hull system.
Develop a Base First - Walk Before You Try To Run
Because walking is one of the primary concerns of the (CNS) motor activity it is best to learn the Jiulong Baguazhang stances and movement patterns before attempting more complex postures with the upper torso. To attempt to lean a form complete with stances / moves and posture can reduce the body’s ability to create a strong Engram for each desired skill.
Therefore it is necessary to learn the standing, shifting and then walking pattern first as your foundational Engram. Only when the (CNS) is comfortable with these patterns and has created stance, movement, and walking engrams will there be a basis for the (CNS) to open up and accept more challenging patterns of movement and posture.
Unlike some contemporary martial arts that just teach form for forms sake the goal of Jiulong Baguazhang as a martial art is to develop a solid foundation (Stance / movement) capability and an arsenal of postures. These can be connected at any time like a modular building system to create a desired energy. The analogy is that your stance / movements and postures become separate engrams that like a set of children’s leggo blocks can be attached to each other to form the shape required at the moment.
Freedom From Rigid Patterns
In this method of learning to create simple engrams by first developing stance/movement engrams then posture engrams the (CNS) never adjusts completely to any one combined form. Research at the Life Sciences Institute and the work of Moshe Feldenkrais indicates that a system of pre-established simple engrams that is constantly adapting to new and different moves results in a more free flowing exchange of neurological control. This freedom resulting from combining simple engrams in various patterns allows the body to freely create new more complex patterns by patterns that do not significantly challenge the (CNS). Studies on this method show the end result is more flexibility, range of motion and freedom of movement in joints and muscles. We believe that this approach is unique to learning this method of Baguazhang or any other internal style.
Holding Postures To Create Engrams
During standing meditation and the early stages of Linear forms and Circle Walking Jiulong Postures are often held in a static position for extended periods of time. There are two main reasons for this practice:
1. Enhance The Sung
Holding a posture in the correct position for any length of time can result in a release of tension in all antagonistic muscles not involved in holding the posture. The result of this is to train the (CNS) what muscles are unnecessary in this position and thereby add to the concept of “Sung” or relaxation.
2. Create Final Point Engrams
The positions held in each standing posture are the “Final Point” of the posture. That is they are the place where the palm ends up after striking, neutralizing or throwing. The actual impact point is just short of this position by some three to six inches. When the (CNS) established a memory for this Final Point it is easy to go there again and again from any other position without thinking about it. On the way the palm naturally passes thought the “Point of Impact” which enhances focus and penetration ability. Research also indicated that by having muscle memories of this type increases speed through improved muscle contraction. A side benefit of holding postures in the Twin Yang or Twin Yin positions is the ability to enhance the peripheral vision known as “Soft Viewing” . This is a skill that allows the Baguazhang boxer greater access to engrams by bypassing the brains see / think / do response with almost instant autonomic reflex response for any technique held as an engram.
CONCLUSION
Jiulong Baguazhang forms practice when looked at as the creation of engrams become a type of Nei-gong (subtle energy skill) activity. The Engram serve to increase the efficiency of all skeletal muscles and allow the body to perform a specific function / principle without conscious thought. This ability to perform without conscious thought allows the actions to exist on as a peripheral nervous system response, which is automatic. Such ability is invaluable to the martial artist who needs to see / react, not see / think /react in a crisis situation calling for immediate response to an attack. The lack of resistance from emotional anxiety and improperly used muscles will greatly add to the overall strength of the entire “whole body” action thereby improving power greatly.
SIDE BENEFITS OF ENGRAM TRAINING
A side benefit of reduced stress on muscles during activity is also an improved circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid in and around the muscles without a significant increase in muscle waste products as found in resistance type exercises. Also reduce emotional stress and strains on the internal organs and related systems bringing about more balanced functions of the internal processes.
Other methods of Nei-gong training can be created by avoidance of excesses, eating too much or too little. Excesses also include too much exercise too much physical inactivity, too much looking, listening and thinking.
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