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Conviction is paramount:
In practicing Gu Lun Fist, conviction must precede all else. Just as in treating illness, trusting and following a doctor's prescription leads to healing, so does trusting in Gu Lun Fist principles ensure progress. Doubt leads to non-compliance, rendering even the best methods ineffective. Therefore, belief and practice must align perfectly with Gu Lun Fist principles in every thought, breath, and action for success to naturally follow. Thus, the essence lies in "sincere belief, avoiding arrogance." Only sincere belief allows steadfast focus on training, endurance through hardships, and ultimate success. Arrogance breeds doubt, anxiety, and eventual abandonment of the path.
Mastery in daily life:
The essence of martial arts lies in daily living. Every moment and thought should be deeply contemplated, whether standing, sitting, walking, or lying down. Each breath should follow Gu Lun Zen Martial Arts principles, adhering to life's fundamental laws. This transforms every moment into practice, independent of location or circumstance. By steadfastly adhering to this path, one achieves mental and physical harmony, maintaining unwavering focus and discipline. As the saying goes, "Understanding through words alone without practice leads to faltering in real challenges. Understanding through practice ensures mindfulness in every action, whether still or in motion, thus achieving strength."
The root of all techniques lies in stance training:
Beginners should start with stance training, and progress depends on mastering it. The empty stance holds utmost importance in stance training. Stance training isn't confined to specific postures; whether standing, sitting, moving, or practicing martial arts, all actions embody stance training principles. Stance represents a fundamental principle rooted not in form but in ingrained personal habits. The essence of stance training lies in transforming negative habits and gaining insight into life's essence. Thus, stance training mirrors Zen meditation, permeating every aspect of daily life. "All methods arise from emptiness," making the empty stance foundational. It serves as both a simple introduction and ultimate truth. The empty stance, a posture of stillness, allows practitioners to perceive life's changes through subtle shifts in body relaxation and tension, nurturing vitality. Without at least three years of stance training, all martial arts techniques remain superficial. Thus, Gu Lun Fist emphasizes patience, avoiding haste and greed, prioritizing foundational principles over elaborate techniques that can degrade into mere performance.
Moderation in relaxation and tension is the path:
Balanced relaxation and tension nurture life. Within the empty stance, balancing relaxation and tension in cycles mirrors yin and yang's interaction: opposing yet supportive, achieving equilibrium through transformation. Moderation lies in "Relaxed without negligence, tense without rigidity." Like the yin-yang symbol, yin includes yang, and yang includes yin, harmonizing strength and flexibility. Excessive relaxation and inadequate tension lead to negligence, dissipating energy and increasing weakness, akin to prolonged bed rest. Excessive tension and inadequate relaxation lead to rigidity, depleting energy without replenishment, akin to chronic exhaustion from relentless labor. Neither extreme relaxation nor tension benefits; only balance and harmony promote vitality.
Gu Lun Fist is fundamentally Zen:
Gu Lun Fist's practice system follows life's fundamental laws, harmonizing mind, body, and energy, allowing practitioners to understand life through serene training. This mirrors meditation. Each movement in Gu Lun Fist should be seen as meditation, gradually revealing life's essence. Through consistent practice, this understanding permeates every aspect of life, every moment, leading to profound comprehension of life and self-awareness.
Personal progress through deliberate practice:
An ancient saying states, "The master leads the student to the door; practice is personal." Others can demonstrate physical movements, but they cannot reveal the internal changes within their bodies or how energy and spirit operate. In Gu Lun Fist, executing a palm strike may appear complete upon extension. However, the practitioner's small muscles, joints, energy, and spirit continue nuanced engagement — this indescribable "feeling" depends entirely on personal insight. Therefore, practice must proceed deliberately, enabling practitioners to discern every subtlety, gaining control over muscle, joint, and bone changes. Such deliberate practice allows martial arts execution at one's pace, continuous and uninterrupted, with constant internal energy flow, nurturing organs, strengthening muscles and bones, and enhancing vitality. |