A new beginning

Further Reflections on B.K. Leishman
The Master said: When a man does not boast of his efforts and does not count his merits a virtue, he is a man of great parts. It means that for all his merits he subordinates himself to others. Noble of nature, reverent in his conduct, the modest man is full of merit, and therefore he is able to maintain his position." It seems that both Simon And Leishman fail in this regard! hi there cam ~ Thanks for posting that quote from the I Ching, located in Section Two, 'The Great Treatise' (p. 306), and Section Three, Hexagram 15 (p. 464) It is a great teaching, to be sure, and certainly speaks to the situations of these two men. Hexagram One teaches us that 'the Master' is one who embodies the Tao or Creative force within human society. The Hexagram's Fifth Line represents the Master's "position" of strength, but interestingly enough the Sixth Line says, "Arrogant Dragon will have cause to repent." I personally find it very interesting that even a Master can still struggle with the fault of arrogance and discover a need for repentance. This seems to imply that the need for continued ascetic struggle does not cease upon mastery, but that mastery calls forth even a more vigilant battle against arrogance and other concomitant faults. What I mean to say by this is that, according to the I Ching, 'mastery' is not a sign of 'moral perfection', and that the search for "the perfect master" is a delusion, based on false mental imagery! Even 'Yen Hui' himself, Confucius' favorite disciple, often erred, but it is said in the I Ching that once he realized the error of his ways, he'd repent of it and never fall into that same error again. Applied to the study of kung-fu, this teaches that the way to mastery consists in recognizing the weaknesses and holes in our Program, upon their first appearance and while they are still easy to correct. It is hard to change old habits, as the saying goes, and the longer one persists in doing things the wrong way, the harder it is to correct. But to prevent the repetition of errors, once we have recognized them for what they are, requires enhanced mental sobriety and presence of mind: "It is necessary to remain sober (p. 180)," meaning vigilant and constantly alert. And this requires of us, what is called in the I Ching, an "ascetic" struggle. Thus, the Great Treatise says that "the holy sages fasted for this reason, in order to make their natures divinely clear (p. 317)," because "everything depends on how the clarity functions (p. 121);" for the I Ching says that "in human life, it is penetrating clarity of judgment that thwarts all dark hidden motives (p. 220)." "Discretion," it says, "is of prime importance in preparing the way for momentous things." (p. 232) From the practice of the Ancient Masters, alluded to in the above words, we may conclude that they perceived their natures were clouded and required clarification. In accord with this saying, we read in Hexagram 35 the following: "The real nature of man is likewise originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity." (p. 137 - The footnote to this teaching refers us to another ancient document, entitled "The Great Learning", for an expansion and further development of this theme. To this I would also add 'The Doctrine of the Mean'. Both these documents should be studied in conjunction with 'The Great Treatise'.) Hexagram 45 states that "even a single passion still lurking in the heart has power to obscure reason," that is to say, our "native clarity". Mr. Leishman refered to this original or "native" state of the mind in terms of "emotional clarity", and said this was the secret to mastery, or the effective passage through the chambers. In Chan terminology, the term "native clarity" is refered to as our "original mind" prior to all temporal conditioning. It is furthered stated in Hexagram 45 that "passion and reason cannot exist side by side." Thus, from this we conclude that impassioned thoughts can only lead to a false kind of "intellectualism". Now, in Hexagram 41, we read that "passionate drives" consume or waste "the life forces," and therefore must be curbed: "Descrease is necessary; anger must be descreased by keeping still, the instincts must be curbed by restriction. By this descrease of the lower powers of the psyche, the higher aspects of the soul are enriched." (p. 159) However, with regard to ascetic practices, the I Ching also says that "if a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature, it would be injurious. And if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others, they would rebel. Therefore it is necessary to set limits even upon limitation (p. 231). " In other words, balance must prevail even in our struggle for purity, "for asceticism that is too strict, like sentences of undue severity, fails in its purpose (p. 121);" and because "the tormented body will rebel against excessive asceticism (p. 234)," and also because "mere asceticism is not enough to make a good character (p. 347)." "He who lets his spirit be broken by exhaustion certainly has not success!" (p. 182) We may clearly see from the above that the Sages were not opposed to the use of reason, or intellect, so long as it was purified and freed of impassioned thoughts; which give rise only to false and empty imaginings, or unreal fantasies (p. 23) and "inner delusions" (p. 182). And so 'The Great Treatise' says that "the holy sages purified their hearts, withdrew, and hid themselves in secret." (p. 316) And again, that "they were divine, hence they knew the future; they were wise, hence they stored up the past. Who is it that can do all this? Only the reason and clear mindedness of the ancients, their knowledge and wisdom, their unremitting divine power." (p. 317) There is more that I wish to say on this, but time is fleeting and it will have to wait 'til later, but suffice it to say, that with regard to the correct application of "the reason and clear-mindedness of the ancients," the I Ching gives the following advice:- 1 - "The heart thinks constantly. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart - that is, a man's thoughts - should restrict themselves to the immediate situation. All thinking that goes beyond this only makes the heart sore." (p. 202) 2 - "Penetrating reflection must not be pushed too far, lest it cripple the power of decision. After a matter has been thoroughly pondered, it is essential to form a decision and to act. Repeated deliberation brings fresh doubts and scruples, and thereby humilation, because one shows oneself unable to act." (p. 222) 3 - "Knowledge should be a refreshing and vitalizing force. It becomes so only through stimulating intercourse with congenial friends with whom one holds discussion and practices application of the truths of life." (p. 224) There are many reasons why so few people who start to train themselves in the fist-art never continue in it long enough to achieve mastery, and with this in mind, Mr. Leishman would often speak about both the internal and external forces of distraction. The student of the fist art must learn to effectively deal with all such distractions, or else risk failing to complete his training in good time. This was again his way of stressing the importance of cultivating what he refered to as "emotional clarity" or the ability to stay focused on the present moment and the lesson at hand. A few other passages from the I Ching that speak to this matter are offered below. In the first passage below, we see that "emotional clarity' means not being at the mercy of "moods" or the "fear aroused by the outer world", i.e. an aggresive opponent, for example:- 4 - "If a man remains at the mercy of moods of hope or fear aroused by the outer world, he loses his inner consistency of character ... etc. Such experiences are not merely effects produced by the external world, but logical consequences evoked by his own nature." (p. 128) 5 - "A quiet, wordless, self-contained joy, desiring nothing from without and resting content with everything, remains free of all egotistic likes and dislikes. In this freedom lies good fortune, because it harbors the quiet security of a heart fortified within itself." (p. 225) 6 - "True joy must spring from within. But if one is empty within and wholly given over to the world, idle pleasures come streaming in from without. This is what many people welcome as diversion. Those who lack inner stability and therefore need amusement, will always find opportunity of indulgence. They attract external pleasures by the emptiness of their natures. Thus they lose themselves more and more, which of course has bad results." (p. 225) 7 - "Often a man finds himself weighing the choice between various kinds of pleasures, and so long as he is not decided which kind he will chose, the higher or the lower, he has no inner peace. Only when he clearly recognizes that passion brings suffering, can he make up his mind to turn away from the lower pleasures and to strive for the higher. Once this decision is sealed, he finds true joy and peace, and inner conflict is overcome." (p. 226) Yes I have been studying the I-Ching long before I even heard of E.L. It's knowledge reveals itself at the proper time and place for those receptive to it! I see it as a life-long study, an intellectual study, in part, though the I-Ching does warn against the study of the self-taught as being ponderous! It is good to hear about your studies. I, on the other hand, was first introduced to the I Ching by my contact with EL Studios. Having said that, though, I should also repeat that Mr. Leishman refused to teach the "spiritual" side of kung-fu to the student body, in any real depth or detail, and laid down strict guide-lines as to what his Instructors were allowed to teach and discuss with the student body. In the early days, when Master Island was around, it was a common thing to see the wisdom teachings posted on a bulletin board for the student body to read. However, it is my feeling that by observing the effect this had on the novice, in general, he became less inclined toward this sort of free sharing; as I say, because of the novices' inability to translate 'The Teachings', on their own, into anything of practical use in their training. He was not even that willing or ready to discuss "the Philosophy" with his Instructors, unless it had a direct bearing on the immediate lesson at hand. Then he would give out a little something, depending on your level of receptivity. Everything he did with us was a kind of test of our degree of "receptivity" to 'The Teachings'. I myself failed many such tests, to my great chagrin! Regarding the question of being "self-taught", I can see what you mean, for sure. On the other hand, 'The Great Treatise' says that "Though you have no teacher, approach them (i.e. the Changes) as you would your parents." (N.B. To understand how to approach them as parents, I would recommend reading the Confucian classic on "Filial Piety".) "First take up the words, ponder their meaning, then the fixed rules reveal themselves. But if you are not the right man, the meaning will not manifest itself to you." (p. 349) From these words, we may discern at least two things: first, that having no teacher does not mean all is lost. And by teacher, we ought to understand a true Master, in terms of Hexagram One. And why? Because of the Oracle. In the absence of a living Master, it is possible for the Oracle to guide one's training, if one is "the right person". But what does it mean to be the right person? Well, part of the answer has already been given. He or she that treats the Oracle with filial piety, or devotion. It is stated in Hexagram Two that the trait or characteristic of "Receptivity" is devotion. Secondly, the right person means being "marked out by fate for good fortune." (p. 161) "All oracles ... are bound to concur in giving him favorable signs. He need fear nothing, because his luck is ordained from on high." (p. 161) He will surely attain it! There is more I wish to say, but I must go now. Perhaps I'll comment next time on the last link I recommended, regarding the I Ching. I did'nt mean to sound condescending in any way, so I hope you will understand. There may be persons reading along with us who have very little knowledge of the I Ching, and will profit from such a weblink. In closing, I wish not to make any pretense to being more than I am in reality. Being out of the Fist Art for so long, I hardly even consider myself a "white-belt"! very humbly, Yen Hui

Who did Richard Shergold train under when he started?

DRShoalin, I went to see Master Terlecki today. I was in his neck of the woods. He and I had an interesting chat. He said that he was the one to start Richard Shergold on the path. Regards, MrE2Me2

Cool thanks. Richard Shergold was the one that I started getting trained by. It was fun then getting trained in the garage.

About Energy Lake Kung Fu Studios
Hello all, This is my first post here, I am glad I found this site, for years I have been wondering what happened to Brian K. Leishman. I was one of the assistant instructors back in the eighties. I knew Mr Richards and Adelino, and others. If you do know of how I can reach Brian Leishman, I would appreciate it. Some here mentioned that Brian was mean. I would not say, from my experience that he was like that, though I was afraid of him often. He was a very intense character, he would talk to you in a serious tone about a couple inches from you face at times. I saw him sparring with Adelino once and Adelino (another instructor) spun around and hit hit head against the table near by and a huge gash opened up, blood everywhere, but it was an acident. I was sparring Mr Richards once and i surprisingly had him on the ground, I looked up at brian Leishaman and he told me to complete the movement, but as I looked down at Mr. Richards he shot his fist stait in my nose and blood gushed everywhere. When I came out of the washroom, I saw Brian throwing Mr. Richards around like a some puppet. Brian told me that in the higher levels of Mastery the test was intense, three days of testing I believe. One time he told me a story of how he fell under the ice and was trapped, another master came and smashed his fist though the ice saving him. I heard all sorts of these type of stories, stories of his being attacked by wolves and surviving, stories of Monks with the burns on their arms, etc. he was a facinating character, and I was very impressionable at the time. When you were around him, you could not help but be in awe, for the good or bad, thats the way he carried himself. I remeber one time he taught me what Kung Fu was all about. He asked me to chip away at the ice all around the building, it was about 6 inched deep or so. I chiped away, and chipped away, it took me a long time. But when I finished he looked out the dorr and looked both ways and said to me. "Good kung Fu". I left there for different reasons, it was not anything to do with his character or teaching. I had been studying things on my own aas well as in the studio, and one day Adelino saw me sparring with another student, and he rushed over in a somewhat proud manner and asked me to spar with him. He was being cocky and kept saying to me that I have a lot to learn, when he told me this I thought I should try harder and he kept saying this and I tried more of the things I had learned in my own studies. I had wacthed how the praying mantis caught a twig that I poked at it, and I developed a technique from that creature. When Adelino said I have a lot to learn, I thought, perhaps I should try what I have learned from watching the praying mantis, so I did. To my surprise I hooked his hand wrapped my other hook around the back of his head and spun him around, he ended up on his hands and knees on the floor and I was on top of his back. He was upset and went into a fury and scuffled up and told me to give him 100 push ups and to count loud. He went upstairs and I kept counting. You must understand, I was not trying to show off, I was generally a very quiet person and I was serious in my study. I went upstairs and he dismissed me for two weeks and when I went back and we talked before Brian Leishman, I was already becoming cold to the club, I stayed for a while after but then I left. I left and went to another club where I learned Hung Gar and White Crane I have continued to learn other styles and Shao Lin movements. But I was always wondering if the Shao Lin Kung Fu taught at Energy lake was authentic, and if it could be traced back to any of the Shao Lin Temples, norther or southern. Does anyone here have info about this? I thought at one time what was taught there was a form of Kenpo. I would also like to talk to mr. Richards Bruce Downey

Re: About Energy Lake Kung Fu Studios
But I was always wondering if the Shao Lin Kung Fu taught at Energy lake was authentic, and if it could be traced back to any of the Shao Lin Temples, norther or southern. Does anyone here have info about this? I thought at one time what was taught there was a form of Kenpo. That IS the question... Welcome to the forum Bruce, thanks for the insight on another past student of Master Simon. Cheers

I remeber that Brian Leishman used to say that the spiritual aspect of Kung Fu is 90 % of the kung fu training, tyhe other 10% is physical. I disagree with the Spiritual direction he took, but the style he taught was deeply involved in mediation and eastern philosophy. He also told me that he used to teach the RCMP at one time. Bruce

Hello Bruce, I trained under Brian Leishman back in Edmonton in 1977-78. Then he was transferred to Calgary. Apparently, he left shortly after that and went back east. I talked with another of his students a couple of years ago. He said (rumor has it) that Brian was teaching outside of Calgary. This fellow might know how to get in contact, as well. http://www.kungfubc.com/ Here is a link to one of his former black belt instructors. This is provided by forum member Yen Hui. http://www.warriorsage.com/meet.htm There are several former students of the “Energy Lake” school at this forum. I believe that they are Drunken Monkey, Yen Hui and Cam. There may be others, I’m not sure. Regards, MrE2Me2

Hello all, recently I was talking to a man who claims to be a Shao Lin Monk and who is connected with the Shao Lin Temple in China. But I had another man, who was an administrator of a martial arts Forum, tell me this, "The Shaolin Temples, it's monks, all religious groups, artists, drug addicts, and any group thought to be subversive and a threat to the government (and historically the Shaolin Order WAS a subversive group and used their influence for government reform) were eliminated during the cultural revolution. What you have in the "modern" Shaolin temples is a tourist attraction set up for martial arts tourist from the West. The folks that "play" the monks are actors (not unlike Colonial Williamsburg) who cater to those with the money and want to believe a fantasy. The Chinese communists are not stupid and realize that there are plenty of suckers in the West that are more than happy to ignore or are ignorant of history, and will gladly fork over their money for the "authentic" Shaolin experience. What is being taught there is not Shaolin arts, but the official PRC approved art of Wushu. It is logical to conclude as folks in China immigrate to the West that some of these "actors" would find their way here as well, set up shop, and carry on their previous trade of selling a fantasy. So it you want to engage in this Shaolin fantasy...please feel free. It's your life and your money." Is there any truth to this, is it possible that all those who claim Shao Lin lineage, ( except for styles that are connected in past history like Hun Gar etc) are actually not real? Bruce

That would be sad if it were all true... I suspect there is some validity to that statement, I personally don't know.

Hello all, here is some good news, I talked to a Shaolin Monk the other day he said he trained in the traditional Shaolin way, he told me others train in the more modern Wu Shu style etc, Here is his remarks to me and his link,. I met him in Toronto. "Hello Bruce, Thank you for you inquiry. To answer your question, there is some grain of truth to what Mr. Carver is saying. However, his comments are skewed as someone who is not intimately involved with the Chinese martial arts community and are misleading. The cultural revolution did occur where the government did try and wipe out all forms of traditional Chinese martial arts (TCMA). They did this by enslaving many great masters into working camps. The government back-tracked realizing it had made a mistake and then tried to revive the practice (it was rumored that Japan had challenged China to a friendly martial arts competition and China lost). What occured afterwards greatly impacted Chinese martial arts today. The government tried to rally the remaining masters to work together and revive the art, but what happened was 3 schools of thought emerged: 1) One group of masters were totally on board and decided to pool their talents to create a new art, known today as wushu (Contemporary Chinese Martial Arts - CCMA). It is characterized by lots of running, high jumping, acrobatics. Think gymnastic floor routines intermingled with martial arts. Everything was standardized and it's goal was primarily for sport and performance to promote culture. 2) Opposite was a group of masters who were simply set in their ways and didn't want anything to do with this collaboration; nor did they want to share any of their information. They were absolutely traditional and remained rooted in the old ways. 3) Another group of masters saw the benefit of sharing information to broaden their horizons and saw the benefit of collaboration but still recognized the importance of traditional values. Our Master Lee was fortunte enough to have started training under his grand-father in his own family's traditional style called Lee Family Southern Way Fist. As his grand-father was well associated with other masters in the 3rd school of thought that I outlined above, Master Lee then went on to become the disciple of 9 different Masters of various styles of TCMA. Through these masters, he went on to network and learn from other influential masters of TCMA. One of those masters was the honourable Master Shi Suxi (previous Grand Abbott of the Shaolin Temple). Although Master Lee's physical training was under Master Shi Suxi's disciples, he eventually was ordained 31st Generation Warrior Monk status directly under Master Shi Suxi in 2000. Although many recent "monks" have also received this title, many have been taught basic forms/CCMA in the "public" training hall and have been given the title to act as "ambassadors" to the Shaolin Temple for their respective country. Master Lee however is one of the very few who was also granted exclusive TCMA material and training in the Temple's "private" training hall. Throughout Master Lee's years of education in Chinese martial arts, he has adamantly sought out to train TCMA and purposely stayed away from CCMA as he has come to the understanding that sport/performance is only a small piece of what martial arts, as whole, has to offer. Returning to Mr. Carvers comments: The modern "Shaolin Temple", in my opinion, is setup as a tourist attraction simply because in today's society, money is required for everything. There is a lot of upkeep and costs tied to the operation and they have been forced to follow modern economics in order to keep up the promotion of their "art". When travelling groups of monks visit and perform outside of China, sometimes they are auditioned or taken from various Shaolin "feeder schools". The Shaolin Temple holds "auditions" each year and accept only a handful of individuals to become full Shaolin Monks. As a result, "feeder schools" are prolific in the region and many students aspire to become a monk via a "feeder school" by studying a regiment of either TCMA or CCMA or both. What should be noted is that in many of these performances, CCMA (wushu) is showcased. Why? Because to the untrained eye, TCMA is not as exciting and flashy. The general public would rather see a person doing 720 spinning jump kicks and back flips rather than a properly delivered straight punch. The general public can't appreciate the complexity of traditional martial arts, let alone Chinese martial arts. The same problem occurs in Korean and Japanese martial arts. Karate is divided among sport and traditional, so is Taekwondo. How can you tell if a Shaolin monk knows TCMA or CCMA? In often cases, you can't until you've trained under them for quite some time. Sometimes, they purposely choose not to teach TCMA. Due to Master Lee's background in TCMA, our Shaolin program only teaches the TCMA embodied in the Shaolin style. It should also be noted that the Chung Wah Kung Fu International System also embodies many other famous, traditional styles such as Wing Chun, Preying Mantis, Hung Gar, etc. thus we are not only commited to promoting Shaolin, but all the other styles embodied in our program. To better understand our program, unique training methodology and philosophies, it's best to book an appointment with me so that we can continue our discussion on the true nature of martial arts. Please contact me if you are interested. In summation, Shaolin style kung fu has not been wiped out and the traditional knowledge is still available. Whether or not if someone is qualified or willing to teach you the knowledge is really the question. Regards, Charles Chang Chung Wah Kung Fu International System General Manager" http://www.chungwahkungfu.com/ga I think this sounds reasonable, many monks and teachers would have went into hiding in the Cultural revolution, and style like Hung Gar, Cho Li Fut etc would have remained as they do today and they can also trace their history back to Shaolin.

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