Wu Life Journal - Volume 5

Sweet Sweat

07.04.10 - Life Long Learner

Happy Independence day! 

I made it to the retreat center here in the Czech Republic just fine.. and as a special treat, I got to observe the course that was going on prior to mine.  It was a Northern Native American sweat lodge.  Wanting to get more info, I asked some questions.. Namely, 'What's going on?'

'The sweat lodge is a healing process,' said the Shamaness.. 'a rebirthing of sorts.  But, before any healing can take place, we must make sure the person is connected with their soul.  If there is no connection with the soul, then there is no healing, no matter what - and that's the bottom line.

'Nearly everyone in our modern world is disconnected to some degree.  Some people opress their souls, and drive them deep into their hips.. some even all the way down to their feet.  Some people, that are anxious or looking too far forward, project their souls infront of them.  Others, that have sadness, fear, or regrets tend to let their souls trail behind.  In the worst cases, a person's soul will be far off by the nearest exit, trying to get away from the reality of that moment.

'The first step to healing is being complete within yourself, mind, body, and soul.'

Shaolin Soccer

06.27.10 - GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL

Football, no, soccer.. is anyone else watching this?  Maybe cause I’m outside the states, or maybe cause I never really followed the sport before, but I never remembered the world cup to be such a big deal.  It’s crazy out here.. and it’s hard not to get sucked in.. if it weren’t the summer time, I’d be rockin some fat good luck soccer socks for sure.

It's mayhem.  Every media outlet is completely saturated.. news, radio, magazines, ads.. it all revolves around the world cup.  Everywhere I've been, China, Thailand, Europe.. everyone is engrossed.

Back in high school, all the soccer players were Mexican gangsters.  There was a local cryp gang on the southside of town, Richmond Sur Trese, or RST.. but also known as (please don’t get angry and shoot me) the Richmond Soccer Team.  Lil Gato, Chucky, Spider, Joker, OG Scarface.. they were all out there, and probably carrying knives too.. so going to soccer games was never really a smart thing to do.  It’s quite sad in reality, but it’s true, all our sports were segregated like that back then.. football and basketball was mostly for the black kids, and us Asians got badmitton.  So, just by virtue of environment, soccer wasn’t my thing.. I just never knew.

I never knew how intense the sport was until I sat and actually watched a bit of it.  These athletes are ridiculous!  I swear the field is the size of like fifteen basketball courts.. my buddy said some of these players run as much as 10km in a single game (pardon my metric), most of which is sprinting. He also said a team is only allowed three substitutions, so most of those players are out there for the full game.  Nuts, right?  What I find most impressive though, above the stamina and endurance, is the dexterity, agility, and athleticism of these players.  To still have such control of the ball, and with their feet no less, despite all that running.. that’s tough.. and to have such a wide scope of vision for the field, to read defenses and execute shot attempts.. these guys are champion.  I love football!.. no, soccer.

Sabai City

06.24.10 - Sabai About It

I've always been a fan of Thai massage.. so, fresh from the meditation retreat, the first order of business - touch time. 

I had managed to chance upon a pretty affordable spot, that was also clean and professional, so I went in to smash on the promotional massage package.  I had no idea what I was in for.

My therapist was out of this world, this lady was ridiculous.  She was half my size and thin as a stick, but she kicked my butt.  She only used her feet, knees, and elbows on me the whole time, and she even managed to rock some pretty nifty yoga stretches out on me too.  By far, the best massage I’ve had in what feels like forever.  See, now that I have been practicing and teaching massage for all this time, I find I can never really enjoy them anymore cause I’m always analyzing the therapists’ methods and maneuvers.. so to finally come across a lady that left me speechless and jaw dropped was awesome.

Thai yoga massage.. get some.

Namaste

06.20.10 - Amen

Let’s pray.. such a beautiful practice - prayer.  Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jew.. Rastamon, Krishna, Hindu, too.. everybody prays.  We pray for forgiveness, we pray for thanks, we pray for health, we pray for wealth.. we pray for ourselves, our families, our enemies, and friends.. every single chance we get.. pray, pray, pray.. everyday, we pray.  

A surrender of sorts.. recognizing the inherent limitations of the individual and calling upon a higher  power for help, guidance, and wisdom.  So beautiful, prayer.. but often times, I feel it is incomplete.

In my opinion, the problem with prayer is that it's one sided.. just someone's outward, idealized projection of what they think ‘should be.’  Ever hear the phrase, ‘careful what you wish for’?  Well, the same holds true for prayer.  We, as humans - with characters, experiences, personalities, perspectives, biases, attitudes, and egos – often lack vision and scope.  We lack the capacity to see the bigger picture at hand, and therefore we tend to pray for things that may not be appropriate for the greater good.  Our prayers have become selfishly self serving.. one sided.. only helping us in that moment.  Even in praying for others, that too only serves ourselves – filling us with a hollow sense of compassion or saintly goodness.

So what is the other side of prayer?  GRACE. 

Zen Buddhists have an idiom that speaks to this.. they call it ‘emptying one’s cup.’  ..Daoists also practice this when they ‘contemplate the void.’  The concept is simple.. we must learn to ‘let go and let god.’  Again, we as humans tend to lack scope of the bigger picture.. only seeing things through the filter of our limited point of view.. it is therefore necessary to let go of our personal beliefs, our dogmatic perspectives, our cultural values, and our social norms.. let it all go, and clear a fertile space to receive god’s grace.

Now, don’t get me wrong.. prayer is a beautiful practice.. but for each prayer, try to compliment it with a short moment of silence.  Clear your mind and open your heart.. ‘empty your cup,’ ..present a blank canvas to the lord, and allow god to paint a masterpiece miracle.

Kiss my Converse

06.17.10 - Shogun of Harlem

It's been a full week since I arrived at the mountain top monastery.   Quickly, I grew accustomed to the lifestyle here.. seems years of living in the temple academy in Wudang have paid off.  Daily, I sit, stand, and stretch in deep mindfulness for hours on end.. diligently following the custom instruction set for me by my Dharma master.  It feels good to be back in full time practice.

One session, upon observing my breath, my belly began to gently sway with the rise and fall of my abdomen.  It felt like wine, swirling in a glass.. or a like boat, rocking with the current.  Though subtle at first, the sensation grew stronger.. it felt as if my belly had become an ocean.  With each rock and sway, a golden warmth flooded over me.. first to my lower back and belly, but then it continued to rise up to my shoulders and chest until it finally crested over my crown, covering my entire body in a golden glow.  Mind you, I express it as a ‘golden glow’ simply to describe the sensation.. I don’t mean the Bruce Leroy, Last Dragon, catching bullets with my teeth sort of way.. if only.

By the time I opened my eyes, I realized the time.. I had been sitting for an entire hour, though I swear it only felt like twenty minutes.  The sensation had subsided, but the experience left me tingling.  Mindful meditation.. sho-nuff.

Meditation, The New Black

06.18.10 - Mindful Meditations  

Here at the mountaintop temple, we practice mindful meditation.  The system is quite simple.. assume a comfortable position with the back straight and the shoulders relaxed.. close your eyes and begin with a gentle smile.  Inhale deep into the naval, and exhale naturally.. lather, rinse, repeat.  Simple, right?  Now for the mindfulness..

Throughout the course of our day, we practice mindfulness all of the time.. when watching television, reading a book, or telling a story.. our minds are engrossed in single pointed focus.  These examples, however, are all external.. we are directing our focus outward.  Therefore, in regards to this practice, we want to turn our attention inward.. in order to do this, we must focus on the body.

There are four basic methods of bringing ones attention inward.  First, we hone our sense of hearing.. we listen to the breath with each inhale and exhale.  Then, we turn in our sight.. though the eyes are closed, we can still observe our belly expanding and relaxing with each breath.  Then, we internalize our feeling.. we feel our body posture, we feel the clothing against our skin, we feel for the pulse of the blood.. deeper and deeper, we internalize our feeling.  Finally, we tame the mental chatterbox.. as we inhale, we internally say ‘inhale’ ..as we exhale, we internally say ‘exhale.’  If the mind wanders and starts to think of anything other than inhale or exhale, then we know our attention has swayed, so we gently bring it back to focus.   

Though simple.. and let’s face it.. boring.. this practice can bring tremendous benefit to the body.  Consider this.. imagine a cabin, deep in the woods.  Let’s say it’s a really nice cabin, with a giant electricity generator so that you can live plush with all the comforts of modern life.  You got all your basic appliances.. air con, water heater, refrigerator, etc.. and you even got all the cool gadgets too.. flat screen tv, computer, stereo system.  The works!  Now obviously, the more gadgets you run, the harder your electricity generator has to work.. common sense, right?  Well, let’s say this cabin is your body.  You have your appliances, ie.. things that are always running.. heart, lungs, liver, etc.. and then you have the cool gadgets too.. running, jumping, singing, dancing.  Just like in the cabin, the more things you have running at the same time, the quicker you burn that electricity reserve.  The question then, is how to conserve energy.. and the answer is simple - stop multi-tasking - turn everything off!  This is why we meditate.. this is why we turn our mindfulness inwards  - to conserve and generate energy.

Sure, it’s tough.. but let’s face it.. there are 1440 minutes in a day.. if you can’t set aside ten short minutes to recharge your battery, then you’re being mighty selfish with your body. 

‘Well, what about sleeping?’.. one might ask.. ‘that recharges the body, right?’  The reality is, often times it doesn’t.  We still dream, we still chase our desires and fret our regrets.. we imagine the future, we reminisce on the past, or dream up something crazy and fictional.. all of this is still external.  Some people wake up even more exhausted then they were when they went to sleep.. smashing on the snooze bar twenty times, taking a cold shower, and chugging ten cups of coffee in the morning just to face the day.  Let’s face it folks.. sleep isn’t enough!

Meditate my friends!  It’s so good for you.  Start with ten minutes.. then, as your will gets stronger, bump it up to fifteen or twenty.  Morning, noon, or night.. practice any chance you get.  I guarantee, you’ll grow to love it.    

Shi Bai De

06.16.10 - When the Student is Ready..

Here at the Wat, I must say, we have it pretty good.  Here, we get two, awesome, veggie meals per day, an amazing monastic atmosphere to live and practice in, personalized instruction from a realized Buddhist master, and we even get our own room to crash!  ..all this for the low, low price of FREE!  

I love Buddhism! 

Granted, the accommodations aren’t exactly plush.. but after living in China for five years, I can get by pretty much anywhere.

Anyway, while practicing in my room, I’ve had some pretty interesting visitors come and kick it with me.. roaches, spiders, beetles, even a cricket.  Lord knows how they got in, as the windows are screened and there is a dust thingy on the bottom of the door.. I guess I had the same issue while living in Hawaii.. so goes for a ground level room in a tropical paradise I suppose.  At any rate, observing these visitors has given me some interesting insights into my practice.

My first visitor was a spider.. and not just some random daddy long leg, this spider was massive.  In all, it was about the size of my hand.. it was huge.. and it was there to greet me on very first night in the room.  At first I was a bit concerned, as it had found itself right at the head of my bed next to my pillow.. but, I simply chose to move my bed over a bit and leave it be.. no problem.  After that, I got into my practice.  I sat for an hour, then stretched.. then sat again, then stretched again.. I got a good three or four hours in like that, and every so often I’d check back at the spider to see it in the exact same space.  At least six hours had come to pass and the spider didn’t move an inch.  'Maybe it was dead,' I thought, so I blew at it, and with lightening speed it scurried up the wall.  The lesson was clear.. here I am, getting sore after sitting for an hour - to the point I even need to stretch a bit before I move.. and here is the spider, completely still for more then five hours, and yet still has the capacity to spring into movement instantly.  Humbled.. seems I still have a ways to go in my practice.

My next lesson came from a cricket.  Again, I don’t know how it found itself inside of my quarters, but there it was, pacing the diameter of the room.  I worked my same routine.. sit, then stretch.. sit, then stretch.  I was at it for another good two to three hours.. periodically, checking for my visitor, and sure enough, he’d still be pacing.. I could even hear its little exoskeleton legs tapping along on the tile floor.  It reminded me of when I was practicing bagua, and I would just circle walk for hours on end.  Well, here was the cricket, at least four hours had passed, and he was still at it.  He must have walked an equivalent of at least twenty cricket miles with no rest and no water break.. what a crazy cricket!  From this mega marathon cricket trek I learned about endurance, stamina, fortitude, determination, and the value of pacing oneself and preserving energy for the long haul.. something I definitely need to keep in mind when I am off on tours. 

My last visitor was pretty silly.  It was some sort of green flying beetle.. the kind that makes a loud, metallic buzz saw noise when it flies.  So annoying that beetle, it literally kept me up half the night.  Unremittingly, it would keep flying around in circles and then kamikaze smash into the window screen.. obviously trying to get to the light out side.. then, after it fell down and hit the ground with an elephant thud, it would just get back up and do it all over again.  Stupid beetle.. I was so annoyed!  Eventually, it stopped, but upon waking in the morning, I realized it didn’t stop, it just managed to finally get out somehow.  That’s when the parallel clicked.. the beetle wasn’t dumb, it just had some serious persistence.. persistence, and faith.  The more I thought about it.. I’m sure that I look pretty silly to some folks when I’m just stretching, jumping, punching, and kicking all the time.. but I do it because I love it, and I have faith that the practice will get me somewhere in the end.  Just like that beetle, I too am chasing the light.  Sure, I run into screens, I fall, I hit the ground with a thud.. but I always get back up and continue my practice, for I am certain, one day I will attain liberation.

Post script.. the meditation course isn’t exactly free of charge.. it is donation based.   Sorry ya’ll - No freeloading.

Even Monks Got Mama Jokes

06.15.10 - Say Wat

Just got to the meditation retreat and I'm already breaking precepts to write in my journal.  Karma's gonna kill me.  Sorry Buddah.

Life is extremely simple here at the mountain top temple.. I really enjoy it here.  There are about twenty other foreigners here to meditate as well, some of which seem really cool.. others a bit crazy.  Sadly, the observation of noble silence curtails any opportunity for meeting new friends or networking, but oh well.. as the monks say.. ‘thousands upon thousands of days in our lifetime, you can surely set aside a few short days to observe mindful silence.’  ..I agree.

Days here are very relaxed and free.  We are given guidelines for practice, but no one really enforces anything.. it’s all up to the individual.  The recommended schedule starts at 5 am for morning practice, and that goes until 6.30 when breakfast is served.  We then break for more practice until 8 when the head monk gives a lovely Dharma discourse.  After that, there is another practice block before lunch is served at 11 am.  From there, we are encouraged to practice again until 3 pm.. at that time, we speak to the head monk for personal instruction.  After a quick chat with the master, there is more time for practice until 6 pm when the practitioners have the option of meeting in the main hall for evening chanting service.  From there, we are encouraged to practice once more until our 10 pm bed time.  In all, we get about thirteen hours for practice each day.. something I can gladly get with.

The meditation method they practice here is Vipassana, though very different from the variation I learned in California through the Goenka lineage.  Back home, the system was geared more towards observing the physical sensations of the body.. a method that complimented my martial practice very well.  Here, I feel they focus a bit more on mindfulness.. ‘I am breathing, I am sitting, I am eating,’ ..etc.  Simple, yes.. but still deceivingly difficult.  Perhaps they will share deeper methods later, but for my first two days, that’s the bulk of the instruction.

One thing I find cool is that they cover four variations of the meditation.. seated, standing, walking, and laying.  The explanation given by the head monk was simple.. ‘No matter who you are – man or woman, rich or poor, tall or short, young or old – everyone sits, stands, walks, and lies down.  Therefore, the practice of mindfulness is for everyone.’  ..I’m with it.

RAWWWR

06.11.10 - Tiger Time

After the much needed rest and recuperation time, I was finally ready to hit the city and dig into some adventure.  The very first order of business was food.  Just a short walk away from the cozy guest house we crashed is this amazing organic vegetarian spot.  SO GOOD.  Once fed, I was ready for the big fun.. I was ready to play with the tigers.

The spot we cruised was called the Tiger Kingdom.. a small tiger farm that let folks come and take photos with the tigers.  As I’m on a limited travel budget, we got the cheapest package available, which was also the most terrifying.. they put us in with the big tigers.

Now, I had heard that they dope the tigers up so that they don’t mess with the guests, but these tigers looked very much alert and explosive.. granted, they were a bit lazy as they are naturally nocturnal and the heat of the day was baking them to lethargy.. still yet, once I stepped in that cage, I was in super kung fu awareness mode.  These tigers were very big and very dangerous.

The tigers we met were two absolutely gorgeous, full grown, alpha male twin brothers.. one was named Meatball, and the other was named Sticky Rice.  As I crouched down beside the massive Mr. Meatball to pet and pose with him, I could literally feel the raw, turbulent potential packed in that beast.  I was both deathly terrified and extremely excited all at once.  Just to be in the presence of such an amazing creature and to feel that explosive potential power triggered my martial heart.. it was crazy!   That energy is a feeling that I will never forget, a feeling that I now want to cultivate and within myself.  I can understand why the ancient sages developed martial systems inspired by these massive feline beasts.. the softness, the grace, the fluidity, the ferocity, the explosiveness..  so amazing, so beautiful, and yet so deadly.

At the turn of the last Spring Festival Chinese New Year celebration, I knew this year was going to be spectacular.. I knew the year of the tiger would be one of great strides towards growth and evolution.. but to actually play with the REAL tigers and to share their air was a charge like none other.  I’m pumped!

Crushing on the Curry

06.08.10 - Dave Wei in BKK

My first week in Bangkok was super simple.  After all the non-stop go-time for months and months on end, finally having the time to sit back and relax came as such a welcomed treat.  To share the time with me, a long time companion, Joanne, joined in to split the costs and double the fun.  Our history runs quite deep, and she had just come from a nice practice travel trip of her own over in India.. so with a whole year passed since our last clash, there was much to catch up on.  Together, we got some super cheap dental work in, cut the rug through Chinatown, and took a really awesome vegetarian cooking course.  Good times in BKK.

The dental work rocked.. we chanced upon a really cool dentist that was honest and professional.  See, I had been interested in removing the metal fillings from my mouth and replacing them with porcelain for quite some time, and normally, I think any other dentist would jump on the chance to make some quick cash.. but to my surprise, this dentist talked me out of the procedure saying the drilling would actually release even more metal into my system.. which would be counterproductive.. a point I had never even thought of.. really cool dude.

For Chinatown, that spot was ultra fun.  Now, as much as I have grown to loath China, I still get a bit bouncy any time I get to mingle with my people.  While in the mix, we happened to cross a deity shop with all sorts of crazy statues depicting all the classical Chinese figure heads.  What was really cool was that the shop had at least ten Xuan Wu statues.. yup, the god of Wudang!  Go figure.  I took the chance happening as a good omen, and yet another sign along the course of my god sped optimal trajection.  So Syncro.

The last big adventure was the cooking course.  We went to May Kaydee’s, a famous place for Thai vegetarian cuisine.  The spot is half restaurant and half cooking school.. really cool.  May personally took us shopping for all the ingredients and gave us the scientific break down of all the cool vegetarian options and substitutions for traditional Thai cooking.  We learned how to make soups, sauces, salads, rolls, curries, stir fries, even desserts!  So smash!  I can’t wait to get settled somewhere to cook up a storm.

That was the gist of my time here.. next stop, Chiang Mai!

The Old Workplace

05.31.10 - Jack Handy

Been thinking about fights a lot lately.. obviously in light of the recent tussle.. but interestingly enough, the current issue of Kung Fu Magazine features an article I submitted recently - specifically about combat fighting.  It seems the tussle topic is a bit present for me these days, so I'm in a contemplative state, looking for the lessons I should be getting from this.

I remember when I first started Modern Warrior Training.. for six months, six hours a day, six days a week.. kill mode.  It was mostly private sessions with my master Bruce Chu.. this man showed me everything..  close quarter, long range, multiple attackers, weapons, empty hand, injured, blinded, on grass, on gravel, in the water, in the sand.. it was crazy.. and I loved it.

There was one instance when a couple came into the restaurant I worked at for a date.  The date was horrible, and the couple just argued the whole time.  Well, after the shift that night, the guy from the couple came to pick a fight with me, the bus boy of all people, cause he said I 'winked' at his girl.  Then, just as I looked over to see his lady standing behind him and crying, he sucker punches me in the jaw.

What did I do, you ask?  Well, I just stood there.. stood there and laughed at him.  He stumbled back, grabbed his girl, and ran away.  My manager was livid, as he had seen the whole thing.. 'How come you didn't kick his ass Mr. Modern Warrior?'  ..but I was happy with my non action.  Through non action, I hurt him far worse than my fists could have.. by taking his best shot and laughing it off, I hurt his ego.. and to have it happen in front of his girl no less.  Besides, even if I did fight back, he probably would have come back with friends later, and I don't want to bring drama to the workplace.

See, all my fights happened before I knew how to fight.. since I've started kung fu, I always chose to avoid physicality.  Even when I was a bouncer for a couple years, I never had to get physical.. even when I worked with aggressive teens at the special education facility.. I didn't tussle much there either.  I've always seemed to be able to see a way out of it and make things work to everyone's benefit.. and even knowing all this, sadly, I couldn't restrain myself the other night.

Champaign Room

05.29.10 - Shanghai Life III

Well, my first day here in Shanghai just wouldn't be complete without some funky night life.. so I chose to accompany my hosts for a night on the town.  See, my hosts are some pretty special folks.. the husband is a powerful MC and a budding film producer, and his lovely wife is an exemplary performer with fantastic talent and outstanding stage presence.  So, going out with them is a bit special.

The gist, we were in Shanghai's biggest night club with the best VIP service available - celebrating the wife's last show before moving to LA to further her career.  Obviously, it was pretty nuts.

At one point along the course of the night, I wanted to dance a bit.  So I made my way out to the floor to cut it up.  A security guard glared at me and told me to get off of the platform as I had a glass of water in my hand.  Not one to make trouble, I complied, but a sudden bump from behind caused me to drop the glass on the floor which then shattered.  Of course the guard was pissed, so he grabbed me by the arm with a lot of unnecessary force.   Here is where the story gets interesting.

I calmly reversed the grip of his grab, and with a gentle brush, I pushed him aside by the hip and proceeded to over apologize and pick the broken glass up from the floor.  When I was done, he went for another grab, and this time gripped even harder while calling on his head set for some backup.  Now, I don't like to be grabbed, so again, I reversed his grip with a simple hand technique and casually began to walk off.. then, he grabbed again.. but this time, the security guard grabbed my hair.  Now, a little upset, I abruptly stopped my stride and backed up, putting myself right in front of his face with a healthy back side body check.. I then proceed to put my hair up in a top knot, while intentionally putting my elbows in his face - with a smile of course.  Once done, he went for another grab, even harder still.. by this time, I'm a bit peeved.. so, with gentle proficiency and ease, I reversed his grip, locked his elbow and shoulder, all while trapping his other arm against his body to completely defuse him.. then, with his body pretzeled, I feather brushed his throat with my thumb to politely let him know I could have hurt him really bad.  Then, with loving eye contact and a compassionate smile, I let him go and continued to walk on.

By this time, his back up had arrived..  so it is now five guards to one me.  The first dude is behind me, two others grab my right arm, and two more stand in front of me to block my path.  Again, I don't like to be grabbed, especially since I don't think I did anything wrong.. but at the same time, I don't want to make a scene in the middle of a big party either.. so, this is where I got creative.

All in rhythm, I broke the grips of the two guards on my arm in one flowing cloud hand dance move.. I butt bumped the first guy at his hip to clear my path and then I swam past the second guard with some simple bagua footwork.  Once past, I then nudged a few party goers in their way to block them off while I swagged away on beat to the VIP room.  Once at the door, a guard that had caught up made one last grab at my shirt, but I brushed him off with relative ease and got inside to pour myself another glass of water.  My friendly hosts, now aware of my security trailers, stopped them at the door and pardoned me.  Later, I went back out with a smile and an apology, only to be met with grunts and grimaces.

Goodness.. the things that go down in Shanghai.

Crazy Connected

05.29.10 - Shanghai Life II

Meeting with Ming Shifu is always such a pleasure.  Each and every time I travel through China, I always make an effort to stop in Shanghai to see him.. and since I'm here in the city for a quick stop before my tour, I took the opportunity to bring him some good wine from Wudang and some fancy custom fit threads from the tailor.  He was stoked!

Joining us for a meal was a wealthy man who I lovingly refer to as my uncle.  Perhaps I can blog about his story some other time.. but, suffice to say, he is quite the stud.  Anyway, the three of us shared some amazing food at one of Shanghai's premier eateries and talked about possibilities for the future.. the plan is, after my tour, I want to come to Shanghai and study under Ming Shifu for a while.. and the wealthy uncle is going to lend me one of his many homes so that I can stay and just focus on practice.

Ming Shifu was very happy with this plan.. 'There are many types of wood,' said Ming Shifu.. 'some wood is for chopsticks, other wood is for carving masterpieces.. you are a good piece of wood Da Wei.. just give me six months, you will be unstoppable.'

Something Everyone Should Experience

05.29.10 - Shanghai-Life I

I just love playing dumb on the train.. this last trip, I just kept to myself and re-read my favorite book, 'The Wandering Taoist.'  I had an interesting time listening to the silly rural country folk talk all kinds of nonsense about me.. 'look at that laowai.. he thinks he's a Daoist priest.. look at his clothes, thinking he's Chinese.. look at his beard, how disgusting.. who does he think he is, coming to China and pretending to be one of us..'

I just listened.  The longer they spoke, the ruder they got.. mixed in with nasty glares and stares, I was quite the theme for them.  My personal favorite was when they threatened a young boy that was having a tantrum.. 'Better be good,' they would say.. 'or we'll give you to that laowai over there.  He'll take you home and eat you, you know laowai like to eat troublesome little boys like you.'  It was almost as good as the young boys response.. 'NO, I'll be good, I'll be good.. don't let the laowai take me.'

The best part, however, was after a full twenty plus hours of talking $#!+ about me, I finally opened my mouth to the train staff to purchace some water and they realized that I could speak Chinese.. you should have seen their faces.. priceless.

To Infinty and Beyond

05.27.10 - Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today is my last day in Wudang.. I likely won't be back until next year around this time.  This will be my longest time away in years.

This last week here has been jam packed.. sorting, packing, meeting, eating.. my biggest project, however, has been producing a movie documentary with my friend Steph.. a cultural preservation project of sorts.. basically, it is intended to bring awareness to the need for the preservation of our traditions and heritage here in the Wu.  I'm really excited about it.

Now that the project is over though, I'm free to roam about the cabin.  It's jet plane living for Dave Wei now.. and I'll be on wander mode for the next year.

The first stop is Thailand.. and please don't worry about the political funk there.. I am from Richmond, plus, I have kung fu.. I am certain I can handle.  I'm more so stoked on how cheap everything will be!  There is always a silver lining.  Anyway.. while I'm there, I'll be jumping through Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai.  Lots of smiles and sunshine to be shared.

After that, I'm off to Europe for my third Euro tour.  This time, I'll be flying in through France to hit the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, and possibly England again.  I love it.  From there, it's back home to the states for another tour out there.. California, Hawaii, Maryland, Florida, then North and South Carolina.  All over.  Once that is done, it's back to Thailand to rock the three month Tai Chi in Thailand series.  When that is all done.. I am back in China to hit Beijing, Shanghai, Wudang, Shaolin, and Emei.  Basically, I'm booked till 2012.

Keep in touch folks..

Crushing on Crustaceans

05.24.10 - Crazy Crawdads

I am super interested in discovering the symbolism in traditional Chinese art and culture.. for example, the plum blossom, as I had blogged about a couple months back, or the classic Chinese coins that I wrote about last week.  See, Chinese culture is jam packed with little symbolic things.. but the one thing I have yet to discover is the symbolism behind shrimp.

Yes.. shrimp.. I've seen paintings of shrimp here and there, and I've always found them to be especially beautiful in their simplicity, but I just never understood the significance of them.  Eager to figure it out, I asked a martial uncle for his take.. his answer was quite funny.

'Back when Japan invaded China,' he said, 'the Japanese were doing everything they could to attack the Chinese natives.  One of their ploys was to starve the locals by injecting hormones into the river shrimp so that they would grow and eat everything in the streams and destroy the fragile eco system.  Well, the plan backfired.. the shrimp got big alright.. but the Chinese people just caught them and ate them.  To add insult to injury, the locals got creative and made all kinds of crazy recipes, making the big shrimps quite the delicacy.'

My response, 'yeah right'  ..but it was still funny.

Get Money!!!

05.21.10 - Character Development

My last couple entries have followed a theme of character cultivation, and continuing on that theme, I would like to share one of my favorite classical Chinese wisdom idioms.. 'Wai Yuan, Nei Fang,' or, 'The Outside is Round, The Inside is Square.'

This little gem, like most other traditional cultural idioms, is jam packed with insight and meaning.. but today I specifically want to cover three points in particular: martial, physical, and spiritual.

For the martial perspective, we can analyze this idiom a number of ways.  First, we can observe the body of an internal martial artist.. the outside must be soft while the inside must be firm.  This refers to the relaxed nature of the practitioner and their fluidity of movement in contrast to their core stability, deep rootedness, and solid anatomical structure.  Second, we can observe the character of an internal martial artist.. on the outside, they are yielding, soft, adaptable, and cloud like, while on the inside they are firm in their resolve, purpose, and intention.  Finally, we can observe the method of an internal martial artist.. oncoming assaults are deflected, redirected, evaded, absorbed, and parried, while offensive onslaughts are direct, sharp, and calculated.

For the physical perspective.. in regards to this idiom, a lot of us in the west have it backwards.  Popular culture has conditioned us to like our squares outside with the defined muscles and slim physiques.. sharp clothes and fancy fashions.. we want to appear strong, stable, and secure.  Sadly, this often comes at the sake of having our circle on the inside.. we are hollow, superficial, and empty.. concerned more about appearance than substance.  In that light, this idiom can serve as a gentle reminder for us to take a critical look at our values.. thus enabling us to step up and take the appropriate measures for developing lasting health and cultivating a strong character - instead of just white washing the outside to cover up the mold growing inside.

For the spiritual perspective, very similar to the martial artist, we can learn to adapt, evolve, and flow in the face of adversity all while having a firm resolve in who we are as a whole and complete being with loving intentions and heartfelt direction.  To take it a step further, we can consider the outside circle as our sangha, or social community, through which we are allocated rights and privileges.. yet at the same time there are obligations and responsibilities for one to maintain as well.  Beyond that, we can even learn to expand our circle awareness further and observe the sphere our global social climate, and from that space, act with personal integrity, virtue, and valor locally.

Round on the outside, square on the inside.. it's deep.

Smack

05.20.10 - Self Defense

Many begin their training in the martial arts as a means of self defense.  Maybe they are getting picked on or bullied by their peers, maybe they live in a rough part of town, or maybe they just want to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of a random, unforeseen crisis.  What ever the case may be, leaning to defend one's self is typically the initial spark of interest for a young and budding practitioner.

My first master, Bruce Chu, dropped science on me very early on.. 'Forget about self defense,' he would say.. 'instead, just focus on developing the Self.  With an understanding of Self, all the other things fall into place.. self defense, self esteem, self preservation, self improvement.. all that.'

Just the other day, Master Yuan gave his take on self defense too.  'People have a very superficial understanding of self defense these days,' said Yuan Shifu.  'They think that if they can fight good or take on multiple opponents that have all kinds of weapons then they must have good self defense.. but they are wrong.'

'Self defense does not have to be limited to physical defense,' Yuan Shifu added, 'We must also protect our emotions.  What if you get into an argument, or someone upsets you.. you get angry, sad, anxious, or afraid.. these extreme emotions damage the body as well.. how do we protect ourselves then?  Or what about when our spirits are down and we lack motivation and drive?  How do we protect ourselves from that?  In this regard, physical defense is useless.. a cut or bruise can heal, a broken bone will eventually mend with time.. but for someone that is hurt on an emotional or spiritual level, they may never recover.' 

'We must learn to defend ourselves completely,' said Yuan Shifu.  'Yes, we must learn to protect our bodies from the threat of an attacker, but we also have to protect our health and wellness from our very own bad habits and behavior patterns.  We have to protect our emotions from stress and aggravation.. and most importantly, we must protect our vitality and spirit from lethargy and indolence.  This is true self defense.'

The Golden Peak of Wudang

05.19.10 - Mountains and Rivers

The Daoists have a saying.. 'Jiang Shan Yi Gai, Bing Xin Nan Yi.'  This means to say that 'mountains and rivers can be changed in an instant, but a man's character may never budge.'  This classic idiom speaks to the concept of 'De,' or, 'virtue,' an ideal that is quite prominent in Daoist tradition as cultivating one's character through virtue is a primary goal of practice.  

'We practice martial arts to develop our character,' said my master, Yuan Xiu Gang..  'Sure, kung fu is for fighting, but what next?  Learning to fight is easy, any one can throw a punch or kick and hurt another person.. those that only practice to fight can never evolve as individuals, they will always remain at a low level.. in both skill and understanding.' 

'Then what,' Yuan Shifu added, 'for those that can get past the fighting aspect, the next obvious realization is that a martial practice can heal.  Kung fu as a healing art takes a lot of time and understanding.  Practice can develop three levels of one's physicality: Jing, Gu, Pi.. 'Tendons, Bones, and Flesh.'  In time, with persistent practice, a person's coordination, mechanics, and circulation will improve, renewing their overall health and vitality.. but there is more.'

'Beyond the external development of Jing, Gu, Pi,' master Yuan continued, 'there is the subtle, internal development of Jing, Qi, Shen.. 'Essence, Energy, and Spirit.'  This is the highest level of our martial practice, the primary goal of our cultivation.  To truly refine one's character takes a deep understanding of self, an understanding that many will never attain.  Most people are too scared to look inside, face their flaws, and make the sincere effort to develop their character and truly improve themselves.. and even for the few that are bold enough to take that step towards positive change, even fewer still have the personal integrity, fortitude, and perseverance that it takes to see the process through.  See, what the ancients said was true, 'mountains and rivers can be changed in an instant, but a man's character may never budge.'

Me and my Master

05.18.10 - Final Countdown

This is it.. my last ten days in Wudang.  To think, just five short years ago I made my way out to this remote mountain town to dedicate my life to practice.. now, here I am, transformed, and ready to move on to the next challenge.  This last little stint of time will likely be filled with plenty of packing, courtesy chess match meetings, and massive meals.  Man, I can't believe it's almost over.

While packing, my master came into my room to chat for a bit.  I really enjoy these casual little private sit downs with my master.. his smile always hits me just right.  We didn't talk about too much, but a few points were made about how humans today are too smart for their own good and how it seems that the smarter we get, the dumber we get.  If that makes sense. 

'The ancient masters had wisdom,' Shifu said.. 'they lived in accord with nature, they were balanced, and their choices helped improve their health and wellness.  Today, most people aren't wise, they are just clever.. their choices only benefit themselves for material gain, and they often cause serious damage to themselves, their communities, and their environment.  It is true.. the smarter people get, the dumber they get.'

At the end of our chat, my master gave me his blessing to go out into the world and teach.  'Don't be stupid,' he said.. 'stop learning so much.. instead, practice learning to forget so that you can find peace of mind and serenity.  Cultivate wisdom, and help others discover their wisdom, and you will be happy.'

Michael and the Super Mario Mushroom

05.16.10 - Great Success

The Healing Tao China Dream Tour came and went.. and everything that could have went wrong with this trip did.  The weather report was all bad, the reservations made months in advance were canceled the day before, the schedule had to be reworked countless times along the course of the tour.. not a single thing went according to plan. 

I really pulled this project out of my butt and winged it proper.. but despite all of the random chaotic mishaps.. the end result was absolutely flawless.. which of course, I'm pretty stoked about, as this event was probably one of the more pivotal points of my martial career.

Funny how random events in our lives prepare us for things in ways we never would have dreamed of.  First off, obviously all my time spent here in Wudang gave me the networks and know how to pull some pretty strong strings to ensure the best possible service for the guests.. then, my public speech and communications degree from way back in college gave me the capacity to speak to the group and present information effectively.. all of my experience with event production gave me the ability to organize and run a program of this scale.. my martial arts training helped me to conserve my energy and work hard with very little rest.. my time being a server in a restaurant taught me how to make sure the patrons' needs were met beyond satisfaction.. even my adolescent street savvy helped me to keep my cool under the pressure of all the uncertainty.  This was definately a tough project, and it took all of my experience and resources to pull it off proper.  Kind of like the movie 'Slum Dog Millionaire'.. all of the little random events in my life just seemed to come together like Voltron to help me champion this cause and pull me through my challenges.  

Now, with this tour behind me, I have a new experience under my belt.. I have made a lot of new friends and I've developed relationships with some pretty influential people.. who knows how this is going to play out later on along the course of my wonderful life.

Celebrating 30 Years of Teaching

05.10.10 - Headless Chicken

Wow.. in just two short days, Michael Winn and Mantak Chia will be here in Wudang for their Healing Tao China Dream Tour.  They are stopping by for a few days as part of a full 23 day tour of various sacred sites here in China.  The purpose of this trip is to celebrate 30 years of sharing their practice with the world.. quite the legacy, I must say. 

On this end, however, I've been running around like a mad man securing everything for their visit.. train tickets, private buses, hotel reservations, event coordination.. the works.  I'm meeting with government officials, tourism executives, haggling prices with managers.. it's such hard work.. and all this while I have my own agenda.  I have to renew my visa, take care of students at the school, prepare curriculum for my tours, and still make time for practice!  Goodness!

Just this morning I was in a rush from one meeting to the other, and I could literally feel the tension mounting in my neck and shoulders.  Still dealing with old programing.. I thought of different things that could help me relax.. namely substances.  All those ideas, however, were quickly countered by thoughts of the damage such substances would do on my body.. then it clicked.. all I needed was AIR.

In that same eureka instant, I stopped my quickened pace, stood still in the middle of the bustling village street, took a deep breath, and smiled. 

Nothing like a moment of mindfulness to ease the tension of the day.  Try it out!

Puja Party

05.07.10 - Well Alright

Normally, I'm not one to celebrate holidays much, but for the folks in Brazil, today is a very special day.. today is Orgasm Day.  Right?  Imagine that.. a day to celebrate the orgasm.. now that's a holiday I can get with. 

In many world cultures and orthodox religions, sexuality is very taboo.. but as Daoists, we believe in cultivating one's complete spectrum of being.  Having a healthy understanding of your sexuality is an integral part of self realization, personal growth, and evolution.  That said, I encourage you all to go out and enjoy a loving orgasm!

Another Duh Moment

05.03.10 - Worthless Invalid

Sadly, back as a young boy, I would spend countless hours in front of the television set with my mouth gaping open.. I admit it.. I was once a mouth breather.  I'm not that sure when I managed to shake the habit, but even today, I'm still prone to the occasional mouth breath while either sleeping or while getting some serious cardio in.  Pretty weak.

Recently, I learned that in crowd control training, the riot police are taught to scan a large group for people that have a higher potential for threat.  In this training, officers learn to overlook all the mouth breathers as they pose absolutely no threat what so ever.  The explanation is simple.. mouth breathers are only running at half capacity.  When breathing through the nose, oxygen is immediately absorbed through the nasal cavity to nourish the brain.. almost like turbo fuel injection for a car.  In that regard, nose breathers are arguably sharper and smarter, and thus, more of a threat in a riot.

While living in China, I've come to discover that mouth breathing is the norm.  It was quite surprising to see how many mouth breathers cruise the streets with their jaws dropped and knuckles dragging - especially when they stare at us foreign folk.  Pretty weak.  There are so many of them, many of my friends here like to play a game now.. it's similar to 'Slug Bug,' but instead of Volkswagen Beetles, we call out all the mouth breathers and then punch each other in the shoulder.  It's quite entertaining. 

Games aside.. seriously folks.. breathe through your nose.  Breathing through your nose protects the lungs by filtering the air with your nose hairs, and by warming the air with your mucous.. on top of all that, as stated earlier, breathing through the nose nourishes the brain by immediately absorbing oxygen up through the nasal passage.  Moreover, mouth breaths tend to be shallow and centralized in the chest which can bring about all sorts of funky repercussions.  Pretty weak.

In short, don't be a worthless invalid..

Don't be a mouth breather.

Huh, What..

04.25.10 - Back to Solids

It's been a long, long week of massive mud butt, hot chills, and cold sweats..  but as of today, I am finally feeling normal again after that funky case of the torquing twist pits.  It is confirmed, the twisting will clear your guts out, there isn't an ounce of doubt about it.

Once in the city, it took another day or two to get back to good health.  Then, on my very first day of solids, my friend Kendra wanted to share a special Beijing treat with me.. turns out Peaches was in town.. and she got us tickets.  Now, for those of you that aren't hip, maybe it's best to leave it that way.  In gist, Peaches is a very explicit, raunchy, and graphic singer.  In hindsight, I have no idea why I accepted.

It was fun and all, but I should have known better than to go to a Peaches concert while I'm still getting my recovery on.  I could have easily done without the loud synthetic electro beats, the gigantic plumes of cigarette smoke, and all the shoulder bumping in the pit.  Surely, that night set me back a good day or two in my recovery, but, it sure was one hell of an experience. 

Thanks Kendra.

More Martial Fam

04.17.10 - Back to the Wu

For these last few days I was away on a short tour.  My master chose me to lead a group of international students.. respectively, we represented America, England, France, Russia, and Scotland.  We were all invited to participate in a special birthday celebration for Xuan Wu, a celestial guardian deity who is highly revered in Taoist tradition.  The festival was held in Ping Ding Shan, Flat Top Mountain, just across the way in Henan Province.  Typical to most functions that we are invited to, however, not a single person had any idea about anything that was going on.. we were forced to just go with it.  Such fun.

We were hosted far better than I had anticipated.  My master told me we would live in a temple.. but we were driven around in SUVs, dined at quality restaurants with elite company, and put up in an awesome four star hotel.  

We would come to find out that they wanted us to demonstrate for their function, yet had no idea what was to be expected of us.  They only hinted at suggestions of what we could do, but there was no rehearsal, no script, no time line.. nothing.  We were expected to completely wing it.. in front of a 100,000 plus crowd.. and, being the only Chinese speaker, I was the designated speaker for our group. 

Well, the crowd was much smaller than they said.. we just had about 2, maybe 3 thousand tops.  No where near the 100,000 plus they were boasting.  Still yet, a few of the folks were nervous.. especially my martial uncle who had cowered away to the sidelines and refused to speak last minute.  We rocked it, never the less.. I amused the crowd with some of my simpleton Chinese banter, and we busted a short portion of our Taiji set.. the crowd loved us. 

The highlight of the trip for me, though, was getting bunked up with my martial uncle.  At night, he would drop all kinds of science on martial applications, practice principles, and esoteric theory.. things that my master is just too busy to share these days. 

In all, it was a wonderful experience.  I made a bunch of new friends, got some big public speaking practice in, learned a lot more about Wudang kung fu, and shared a lot of smiles.  Such fun.

Mount Wudang - Mystical and Fairy

04.11.10 - Edge of Death - A True Story

Early morning wake up sequence.. wiggle the toes, scratch the scalp, rub the gut.. got ready to sit for a bit, then there was a feint rapping at my door.  The wind?  A bat perhaps?  Some little critter?  Maybe Mark is here early?  A crazy Chinese person?  The wrapping continued, and a trembling voice called out my name in a low, sickly growl.. 'Da W-e-e-i-i.'    

He painfully worked his way into my room and stood at my open doorway.. weakly swaying like a ghostly, undead apparition.. his face pale, his voice hollow, his body shivering.. 'it's - my - time,' he said softy.. 'grand - father - is - call - ing.'

The spiritual shaman, a new friend I have made here in Wudang.. who's name I am purposely omitting.. was deatly ill.  Though only friends of five days, we have bonded deeply.. even still, needless to say, I was shocked to see him so early in this state.

'Take me up the mountain, it's my time,' he said.. 'I go the way of the animals, I need to be with nature.'  Not willing to escort him to his death, we compromised.. I'd take him to the mountain only if I could take him to the hospital after, but he had to get our master's permission first.  He agreed.

Yuan Shifu, apprehensive, gave me a short scolding in Chinese.. 'He is crazy, take him to the hospital, he needs real help.  What will the mountain do?'  ..but, I trusted the shaman's way, and I wanted to honor our agreement, so I pleaded with my master one last time..  'Then GO,' Shifu said.. 'but you must take care of him.'

After working our way through the bustle of the main gate and bus stop.. we made our way to visit my long time friend - the humble bumble bee monk that lived in the crow's cave.  He greeted us.. warmly, as always.  We made offerings, made small talk, and shared smiles.  The shaman looked ten times better already.  We went down to the sacred octagon pavillion and practiced postures.. only to be quickly called back up by the bumble bee monk to share a nice lunch.  By now, the shaman looked good as new.

From there, we hiked down through the forrest to the Purple Heaven Palace, and I showed the shaman where our master once lived and trained as a monk.  After that, we hiked deep into the Care Free Valley, and played with the monkeys that bounced around in the trees.  By now, the shaman was beaming with vitality.. seems like the mountain was a better choice than the hospital afterall. 

Deep in the valley, we hiked up to my favorite spot, the abandoned temple ruins of the Empty Jade Pavillion.  We spent several hours there, practicing, politicing, and picking each other's brains.  In just a few short days we had already grown close.. but by now, the shaman and I were fused.

When we made it back down to the town, it was far too late to visit the doctor as we had intended.. so the next day we took him in for ultra sound and blood work.  Well, turns out, my dear friend has a tumor in his liver and a gallbladder infection - which interestingly enough, he feels is his divine sign for his new thunderous, transition in life.  We set him up with herbs and got the clearance from the doctor.. the condition sounds far worse than it really is.. the shaman will survive.

...and Much, Much More.

04.05.10 - Back on the Block

First week down.. man, it's so good to be back in the Wu.  My body is sore all over from a full schedule of practice, something I've missed so much while away on tour..  I'm back to an hour a day of meditation, something I haven't been able to do for nearly two years.. and I'm almost back to my full flexibility.. which has fallen off a bit since my groin injury last year.  Man, it's so good to be back in the Wu.

It's not all good though.. there are still many of the same funks here, along with a few new ones.  There are still rude locals that gawk, stare, and jeer with no reserve.. there is still rubbish everywhere and the stench of burnt plastic in the air.. it's so terrible.  To make matters worse, the school is ridiculously crowded now.. never have I seen so many students here. it just seems to get bigger and bigger.  Moreover, the town has exploded with development, it's non stop.. and with a deal set for a local airport to be opened within the next three years, Wudang is going to bustle till it bursts!  Seriously, what is going on here?

Perhaps the worst bit is how all this growth has effected my master.  He is SO BUSY now.. goodness.  If I have a full plate, my master has the full buffet.. he is swamped.  What's really sad is that he is noticeably more irritable these days.  He is always on the phone, always running around, always heading off to meetings with government officials and television stations.. poor guy.  I really feel for him.

So goes I suppose.  Wu Life is thriving.. but maybe a bit too much.

20 Inch Blades on the Buick

04.03.10 - It Hurts so GOOD

It's my first day back to class.. I'm out there kicking, jumping, punching, and stretching with a new vigor.  Goodness, I LOVE kung fu.. although, I must admit, after so many years of training, all this practice can be a bit mundane and redundant at times.  Especially after moving to China to train full time.. to be here, day in and day out, along side all of these high-level practitioners.. I've sort of begun to take practice for granted.  But, after running a few tours, and seeing how hungry normal, everyday folks are for these traditions.. I am rediscovering how lucky I am to be here training.  So here I am, getting back to basics once more.. and I couldn't be happier.

Well, after my first full day of class, I treated Yuan Shifu and my beloved kung fu brother Jeff to a nice meal.  As we sat and ate, I welled up inside, soaking in the full experience of China's favorite pastime with two of my closest here in Wudang.  Never have I enjoyed a simple meal so much.  It is good to be back home.

Along the course of the meal.. Shifu dropped a gem on Jeff and I.. "A master must teach his disciples two things," said Shifu, "Yi and Qi."

(This was shared in Chinese, so allow me to paraphrase the gist of the chat.)

"Look at any other master, and observe their disciples.  For the most part, many of the disciples will look exactly like their master.  They will move the same, act the same, dress the same, maybe even think the same.  It's almost like they are carbon copies of the master.. this is because they have only learned QI.. the tangible element of practice.  Now, observe yourselves.. the two of you have found your own way.  You have discovered your own feelings.. you are growing into your own bodies, tapping your own potentials, and developing in your own individuality.  This is because I have shared my YI.. essence.  Anyone can teach QI.. techniques, movements, mechanics, applications.. these are simple.. but YI, the essence, must be transmitted too - or else there is no real growth.  Qi with no Yi is empty.  You must remember this."

Eternal Bloom

03.31.10 - And We're Back

Twelve long hours and tons of turbulence later.. I arrived safely back in Shanghai.  Immediately, I am reminded of why I've grown to loath China.. people rushing all over, spitting, smoking, mouth breathing, gawking.. the people here are so gross.  YUCK.  There is something special about this trip though.. I've arrived just in time to witness the brief two week window of Cherry Blossoms - my absolute favorite.

Literally, it was just days ago that I was reminded of Optimum Trajectory.. or as I call it, my 'possibility flower in an eternal bloom,' ..and here I am, arriving in Shanghai just in time to catch one of the shortest bloom seasons of the year..  see, THIS is what I'm talking about.. These are my 'divine signs.'

Now, that's just one example.  This entire tour's been littered with little random points of coincidence..  conversations, meetings, encounters, experiences, and other chance happenings with random folks in random places - all unfolding from every angle of my life - yet ringing with seemingly impossible connectedness and divine coincidence.  It's everywhere.  So moved, I chose to start counting the night's syncro-moments around dinner to see if I could catch five 'coincidences' by bed time.  Well, I got 24.  Blooming! It's as if the complete network of my being is beautifully webbed in melodic consensus to create a cataclysmic luminance of love. 

Sure, China might suck, but this rip tide of life is launching me back home to Wudang for more practice.. and I'm ready.  Catapult loaded - target tomorrow.

I Practice Lookin Hard

03.30.10 - Sponsored by Colgate

I've always had a fat cheese.. even back before braces, when I had teeth all over my face, I was always beaming from ear to ear.  I'm just one happy dude. 

Today, smiling has become the primary principle for my practice.  Ask anyone that has taken one of my workshops.. smiling is the biggest part of my program.

Funny thing is, I am beginning to get the feeling that smiling just isn't cool anymore.  Perhaps that's why I feel I have to remind people to smile so much in my seminars.  Back home in the Bay Area, there is a whole youth movement where folks are going around looking as mean as they possibly can.  When I was in New York, it was almost scary to smile at people sometimes.  Even out in Europe and China, people look at you funny if you are too happy.  When did it become so fashionable to frown?  Why is it so wrong to smile?  I just don't get it.

Seriously.. take a look at old people.  We've all seen faces that are wrinkled from a life time of frowning.. it's almost as if they have literally conditioned their funky demeanor with their furrowed brows, clenched jaws, and stiff lips.  Beyond that, most of those foul faces are often coupled with heavy headaches, stiff necks, tight shoulders, shallow breaths, constipated guts, creaky joints, and lower back pains.  How miserable!

For goodness sake, SMILE PEOPLE!!!  Stretch those face muscles.  Open up your eyes and mouth bright and wide.. stick out your tongue.. make silly noises.. then smile as hard as you possibly can!  Work your smile muscles, and condition them to be happy!  Don't end up grumpy and old.. smile wrinkles are far more flattering than old frown faces.. so start smiling NOW!!!

Go With the Flow

03.28.10 - Down Time Realizations

After a long teaching tour, I finally got a chance to chill out and enjoy a bit of down time..  So, I made some green tea and watched 'The Men Who Stare at Goats,' starring Mr. George Clooney.  In this film, Clooney's character talks about a concept called Optimum Trajectory, and says "find your personal destiny, and the river will carry you."  Well, at risk of sounding like a new age hippy, I couldn't agree more.

He gave the example of Gandhi being a stock car driver, or Anne Frank being a high school teacher.. in order for those folk to do such things, they would be going against the current of their personal destiny.  It just wouldn't work.  The trick then, according to Clooney's character, is discovering your personal destiny and going with the flow.

'We must look for clues,' says Clooney.. 'hints from the universe that let us know we are on track.'  Now, this is something I've been hip to for quite a while.. back when I was in college, I took notice to life's subtle coincidences and I chose to express them by saying 'the world must be on my side.'  Later, I adopted the term 'syncro-destiny,' and later still, I called it a 'beautiful flower of possibility in an eternal bloom,' as my life's little coincidences practically grew to become common place.  Thing is, there are countless ancient traditions that have hermitage or pilgrimage practices.. both internal and external.. where one follows 'divine signs' towards personal growth and evolution.  It's nothing new.

Basically, I have always had that deep seeded pioneering drive.. first, it was to get out of Richmond and go to Hawaii.. then, to move to China and do kung fu.. and now, to trot the globe and explore the international teaching circuit.  I could take credit for all of this, but really, the credit isn't mine - I didn't do anything - I just opened my heart, followed my passion, and pursued my bliss.  I took note of all the little coincidences, and just went with it.  As Mr. Clooney would say, I caught the current of my destiny.. I'm just enjoying the ride.

Now, this 'ride' is open to everyone.  There are no height requirements, and there are no long lines.  There are fast drops, loops, and corkscrews though.. and it takes a bit of courage to surrender to the flow and let everything go.. but if you step up and give it a shot, you'll be surprised to see where the current of life takes you.  Mr. Clooney calls it Optimum Trajectory.. I call it Loving Life.  Now go follow your bliss and catapult yourself into your tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Looking Bright

03.24.10 - Dirty 30

As a young child, I thought when I turned 30 I would have a steady job, a family, a car, and a home in the suburbs.. quite typical, I assume, for an American youth that was raised on low-fat milk and sitcom television.  Later, as a delinquent teen, I was certain that I would be dead by 25.. and subsequently, I quickly adopted complimentary habits and belief systems that would ensure such an early demise.  It was a tough time.  Well, I've come quite a long way since those days.. and for the moment, there is no job, no wife, no kids, no car, no home in the suburbs, and I am certainly not dead.  Funny how things pan out, as I am now officially 30 years old, alive and thriving, and leading a fantastic fairytale life that I never could have imagined.  How wonderful.

Currently, I find myself in the UK on the last leg of my second Euro tour.  After one final round of workshops here I'll be heading back to China to host Michael Winn and Mantak Chia over in Wudang (google them, they're big).  From there, I am up and off to Southeast Asia, then over to Europe again, and then back to the US for another long round of teaching tours.  I am completely booked well into 2012.. it is crazy.. my passport reads like a short novella now - far from typical for a Richmond City Native.

On one hand, I feel completely inadequate.  I am young, I make mistakes, and I am very far from mastery.. yet on the other hand, I've run well over 100 programs in the last year alone - each and every one of which has been a smashing success.. and each day, more and more opportunities are popping up.. my life is crazy. 

Today I turn 30.. and I'm living my dream.
Wudang Wen Wu World Wide
How wonderful.

Caught Mouth Breathing

03.20.10 - I'm Beat

Euro Kung Fu Fairytale Tour Two is a smash hit.  Every stop has been a huge success so far, but I am so tired from all this traveling. 

I am now in Sweden.  Yesterday, I spent my day in the beautiful city of Landskrona working with private clients.  Today, I am in the city of Malmö to run a weekend Wudang Kung Fu workshop with my disciple brother, Ota.  When we are finished here, I have some community service lined up at a social center where I'm scheduled to give a short speech to a group of unemployed folk, and then it's back to Prague to catch my flight over to London.  Busy busy.

Sure, I love my work, but I'm really looking forward to some downtime. 

No Words

03.17.10 - The Weirdest "Shit" Ever

This morning, we woke up ultra bright and early to enjoy a sunrise ritual.  My kung fu brother Ota sat in the middle of our little meditation circle and made a small fire while leading everyone in a special Vedic mantra.  When it was over, folks gathered around and began rubbing the ashes from the fire on themselves and each other, some even ate it.. I just observed.

It was an interesting process.. Ota took this herb and smeared ghee all over it.  Then he stacked the herbs in a pyramid and lit it all on fire.  From there, he added eight grains of wild rice to the flame.. he was very focused and full of loving intention. 

Well after the ceremony was over, and after having some of the ashes smeared on my forehead by a student, someone finally told me that the 'herb' was in fact dried cow dung.  Yes, we were burning cow shit this morning.  How fun.  They went on and on about the healing properties of the ritual, how it was discovered, and all the other ways people use cow shit in ceremonies. 

Maybe I'm just an ignorant American.. but I can think of plenty of ways to be spiritual without burning cow shit in the morning. These people are crazy.  Come to think of it, I still have the ashes on my forehead.  Time to shower.

Take Ya Stunna Shades Off

03.15.10 - Real Eyes Realize Real Lies

Opening the scope of human consciousness is quite a mystical topic for some folks, but in reality, it is very simple to understand.  Here's an analogy.. if you wore green sunglasses, obviously, everything you looked at through them would have a green tint to it.  Well the same holds true for our state of being.

For example, if you're starving to death, everything you see, do, or think is going to be geared towards getting food in your stomach.  It's the same if you are angry or upset.. everything you see will likely be aimed towards finding more reasons to further your funk and justify your anger.

Now, with this in mind, remember that bad day you had.. where nothing at all went your way?  Think back, where you wearing 'bad-day sunglasses'?  Some of you may even be wearing bad-day lenses right now.. or worse yet.. bad-life shades. 

To quote Jedi Mace Windu, played by Sir Samuel L. Jackson.. 'The focus of your mind determines your reality.' ..and the 'reality' is - we see things not as they are, but as we are.  So, if you're feeling a bit funky, take those shades off.. allow your real eyes will realize the brilliance that surrounds us in every moment.  Life is pretty spectacular when you open the scope of your consciousness. 

I'm an EE "G"

03.11.10 - This Little Light of Mine

While here in Prague, my buddy Bo turned me on to some interesting technology, one of those neural biofeedback machines that monitors brainwaves.  He uses it in his meditation to track various brainwaves that relate with specific states of being which then, of course, further correspond to a particular bio chemical response of the body.  NUTS!!! Once in the mix, he can then hone in on a single frequency such as the theta wave, for example, which is responsible for relaxation and rest - which then induces a deep meditative state.

Just in speaking about in, my brain nearly exploded..  then he strapped me in.. that's when it got crazy!

The first round was nuts.. he said my brain was like a light bulb, as I was reading way off the charts in the gamma frequency.. a frequency that can be related to stress on one level, and super consciousness on the other.  Since I was absolutely still in a meditative state, we deduced that it wasn't stress.  I felt like a real Jedi.

I tried it again later and crashed the system.. then, after rebooting, I got a much better session.  Once in, I would focus on specific parts of my body and see how it effected the reading.. then, if I happened to drift off on some thought, I could clearly see the levels jump.  So awesome.  After an hour, I drifted into a super deep state, feeling every bit of my body with tremendous clarity and detail.. then, it felt like my body started to resonate and glow in a golden hue.  By far the most amazing experience I have ever had in meditation.

This machine is so cool!  It simply acts as a window into your brain activity, allowing you to clearly see what is going on up there.. and that's it.  The depth of meditation only comes from targeting specific brain waves - which is that much easier when you can actually see the wave you are working with on the monitor.

The coolest thing is that with this new found understanding of how to target specific brainwave activity, I can then induce these experiences at will.. turning every activity into a chance for meditation.  I LOVE IT.

If any of you ever get a chance to get your brainwaves monitored, DO IT!!!

Czech Mex Burrito Bar

03.03.01 - More Pace Picante Salsa

Had some Czech Mexican food for lunch and I found it quite fun.  Huge servings of the freshest canned vegetables, the finest Velveta crack cheese, frozen Costco party guacamole, and of course Tostitos brand restaurant cut corn tortilla chips.  It felt like the perfect grade school picnic lunch.  I loved it.  They even had Cholula hot sauce on the table!

Well, food aside, you've probably noticed that I gave the page a new layout.  Brother Will busted out a logo for me so I'm playing with a new theme right now.. not too sure if I like it just yet.. but we'll see. 

If you've looked around, you probably also noticed a few new pictures, videos, even gifts in the donation station.  I felt it was a about time to revamp the page.. so please, take a look around and let me know what you think.