Monday, August 24, 2015

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG UPDATED REVISITED

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG UPDATED REVISITED I am 75 years old, and have practiced Taiji Quan for over 40 years consistently. I learned Taiji Quan from the Taiwan master Cheng Menching and followed up with Bob Smith’s book on Taiji Quan. Bob, a close friend of mine is also a disciple of Cheng Menching. Cheng who is a master of Taiji Quan and calligraphy teaches the Yang school of 38 postures. Throughout my life long practices of Taiji Quan I also read widely anything I can get hold of about Taiji Quan and consulted many well known teachers along the way. I may not claim to be a master but I certainly have benefitted from Taiji Quan tremendously. As a child I was often ill and as a youth I contracted hepatitis. It was when I was ill from hepatitis, I decided that I should learn Taiji Quan to recover from my hepatitis. Now at the ripe old age of 75 I am healthy and normal. I think I can live to 80 and see the continuing launching of the Chinese Silk Road initiatives leading to the second globalization of the 21st Century (Google my many essays on the subject related to Silk Road Initiatives). Now whenever I am sick with the flu, Taiji Quan helps me to recover from the flu faster, when I feel my liver is tired I practice Taiji Quan to relax, when I cannot sleep at night I practice Taiji Quan and I go right back to sleep. When I am troubled I meditate with Taiji Quan to clear my mind. The Taiji Quan philosophy of deflect-recoil-repulse helps me to deal with all life’s tension whether personal or of a world nature. The benefits I enjoy from Taiji Quan is numerous and comprehensive. As a martial artists I know how to deflect-recoil and repulse hard at the opponent when he is off balance. As a student of international relations I know the sustaining power of win-win mutual development will eventually lead to a multipolar world of harmony. Taiji Quan teaches me the philosophy of deflect-repulse of harmony. Harmony is not static it is a never ending balance of Ying and Yang just like the Taiji action of “Push Hands”. Push Hands is a form of Taiji contest of two opponents that predates the Japanese professional wrestling. In China whether you are a martial artist of Shaolin, Huashan or Wudong schools they all incorporate some form of Taiji Quan in their practice as you see in the Chinese movie Shaolin. According to legend Taiji Quan, literally meaning the ultimate martial arts, was developed by Zhang Shan Feng, who as a Liberian of Shao Lin Temple read all the books of Shaolin Temple. Many Chinese martial artists when they get old eventually they fall back on their Taiji Quan as the ultimate form of martial art. To practice Taiji Quan properly you often image that you are doing push hands with an opponent with your eyes closed. Try to stick to him so you can feel his push then you deflect-recoil-repulse him after you get him off balance. When you push you must root yourself to the ground push with all your force from the ground up. Rooting is very important so you maintain balance when you push. It is clinically proven that Taiji Quan practioners can maintain balance better and donot fall as easily at old age. Typical Taiji Quan master demonstration is have an old mater standing in the middle with young men rush towards him to knock him down. In the demonstrations often the old master is so well rooted that the young assailants wind up being thrown off by the old master. After you learned rooting by pushing your feet against the ground, the next is to push as hard as you can with your whole body. This constant practice of pushing with all your body with all your strength eventually will help you develop your qi. To develop your qi takes years of practice. Only after you can develop your qi can you then get the full benefit of Taiji Quan. As you push with all your might in your push hands practice you should feel your qi running from your spine towards your shoulder and out your fingertips. During this process you should feel your whole body tingling with your qi up to your fingertips. When you can feel your qi running through your body that is when your body is being strengthened and repaired by your qi. When your qi is working you should feel your fingers tingling. This is how Taiji Quan can help you to develop your qi gong. When you developed to this sublime stage of Taiji Quan practice you are on your way to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilled life of harmony with yourself (Google many of my essays on harmony, harmony renaissance and harmony diplomacy). Together with the deflect-recoil-repulse daily practice you will have the confidence and strength to tackle any challenge life throw at you. Enjoy your Taiji Quan practice and best of harmony. Should you have any questions feel free to contact me at fung.geneius@gmail.com. In service of world harmony Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

LEARN WEIQI (GO), THE HARMONY CULTURE GAME, FOR FUN

LEARN WEIQI (GO), THE HARMONY CULTURE GAME, FOR FUN UPDATED Presenter: Francis C W Fung, Ph.D., Director General, World Harmony Organization Education: B.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering, Brown University M.S. Fluid Mechanics, Johns Hopkins University Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame Dr. Fung is an aerospace engineer by profession. His multidiscipline experience includes energy and harmony research, U.S. – China technology transfer, academic teaching of fluid mechanics, international commerce, and creative thinking. As Director General of the World Harmony Organization, he is a prolific writer. His articles on Harmony Renaissance, Harmony Culture, Harmony Diplomacy, Harmony Governance, and Harmony Faith appear regularly worldwide on leading international media and websites. From Shibumi, bestseller by Trevanian: Those interested in impressing others with their intelligence play chess. Those who would settle for being chic play backgammon. Those who wish to become individuals of quality, take up Go [Weiqi]. Weiqi, the ancient Asian chess game, is all about harmony philosophy and extending influence by applying people soft power. It is about sharing through extending influence and not about confrontation. Also known as GO in some parts of the world, Weiqi is played by two with 361 equally ranked black and white stones (influences). Players take turns to deploy a stone of their color one at a time to gain more presence (influence) on a board with 19X19 horizontal and vertical intersecting lines (in the full version) representing potential points of influence. The objective is to extend influences across the playing board, and not to annihilate the opponent’s influence or pieces leading to capturing the king as in western chess. When equally matched, players usually win by only a few extra stones on the board. Weiqi is easy to learn and fun to play, but hard to play well. It requires good mental discipline, a deep philosophical attitude, and a multi-campaign mentality. Unlike western chess, the best known computer program still loses to the best Weiqi human player, despite the advances of computer programming. Western chess is basically a game of attack in which you must take your fight to the enemy to win; you will not win just defending. In contrast, with Weiqi’s objective of spreading influence, one generally only captures opponent’s stones if it is for strategic locations and when they are in ones acquired sphere of influence. It is never efficient to capture just for capture’s sake. According to tradition, Weiqi was thought to have been invented by the first legendary sage king of China, the great Yao Shun, to teach his son to be a future wise king. To extol the harmony philosophy of Yao Shun, Confucius said in the Classic Zhongyong, “Great indeed is the wisdom of Shun! Shun likes to ask and to investigate the words of those who are close to him. He omits the bad and propagates the good. He holds fast the two extremes and uses the in-between for the people. This is what makes him Shun!” In Confucius’ harmony philosophy, from the two extremes comes the in-between. Only where there is a third that is the in-between of the two can the dispute be resolved and harmony be achieved. When there is no third, no in-between, the two will compete and fight with each other. This will lead to mutual destruction and not harmony. In ancient China, Weiqi was given the second most important position as the “must learn” discipline, along with Ku Zeng, poetry, and calligraphy, for accomplished scholars. Both Confucius and Lao Tze considered playing Weiqi as an important accomplishment for a Confucian scholar. In Asia there were also important talented ladies recorded in history who excelled in playing Weiqi. Today it is played for fun and big prize money. In modern Japan, Weiqi has attracted as many amateur female as well as male players. In modern days, among some learned circles in both East and West, Weiqi is considered as must training of business acumen for prospective entrepreneurs, along with reading Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”. It is also a recommended game at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for counter-terrorist influence training. For today’s multilateral world, Weiqi is essential training for our youth to learn how to share in a multi-ethnic and multicultural planet. Weiqi exercises both sides of our brains in spatial and analytical skills and cultivates our use of non-confrontational soft approaches. It will be a desirable skill that will enable us to live in harmony with ourselves and with the world around us. It is a diplomat’s game to learn for the 21st century multilateral world. In this workshop, we will do a lot of practice playing between beginner students guided by experienced teacher players. By the end of this short workshop, you will have a strong feeling of accomplishment in playing and will come away with a good sense of Weiqi harmony culture. Ultimately, the play of Weiqi is not simply outright conquest nor religious influence combined with military power, as in Western chess but is a shared negotiation to achieve harmony. — photo from Wikipedia

WILL EAST AND WEST CULTURE CLASH IN 21ST CENTURY BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D.

WILL EAST AND WEST CULTURE CLASH IN 21ST CENTURY BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. In his book “Clash of Civilizations” Samuel Huntington predicted the clashes of civilizations between Muslim and West and between China and America in 21st century. However, Zhang Liwen in his treatise “The Philosophy of Coherence and Connectivity”(He-He Philosophy) predicted the reconciliation of the 5 conflicts of the 20th century, between men and men, between men and society, between men and nature and among religions and nations by the spirit of the Coherence and Connectivity Philosophy in 21st century as sure as the dynamic balance of Ying and Yang. He claimed that China’s assimilation of foreign cultures and religions through her 5000 years of continuous history is attributed to this “He-He force” at work at every major interruption. A country’s culture experiences strong and weak periods coincides with cycles of economic and political strength. Politics is an ever changing phenomenon according to circumstances. All cultures of the world progress with time as they develop in different regions. Cultures of the world are not better or worse, they belong to all mankind and all have strength and weakness. They are diverse, like a beautiful symphony in a colorful world garden. In times of political (confidence) and economic decline the worst part of a culture shows up in its extreme form. There is no perfect political system but whether the system produces public goods or has the confidence of the public. Often when a country is economically strong its political confidence rises and it has a tendency to gloat in glory and criticize other country. In doing so it totally disregards the Daoist wisdom that “The stronger you are the more humble you should be”. A country in decline when economy is in decline will question its past especially when challenged by foreign economic power. So for a declining culture to rejuvenate it must raise its economic and educational success level first. The proper perspective of relative importance of two cultures is best visualizes through the Taiji twin fish diagram. Both have head (strength) and tail (weakness) meshing together in a spinning (progressing) circle. And they also contain part of each other in both of them. It can be said that different culture complement each other and both contain each other and progressing together. Mankind can learn and benefit from each other’s culture. The interaction of diverse culture lays the progress of world culture as a whole. From this perspective there will never be clashes of civilization. So called civilization clashes are merely under the shadow of economic and political conflicts. Economics can be improved and political conflicts are but transient. China is now at the critical stage of rejuvenation after rising from the low of centuries of colonial invasion and humiliation. Its economics is in ascendency and citizen’s moral is high. It is great time to learn from outside and the past and move forward. It is not the time to feel inferior and shy from outside challenge and future vision. Throughout China’s 5000 years of history China has gone through cycles of strength and weakness. It took China over 400 years for Confucianism, after the decline of Tang Dynasty, to reconcile with Daoism and Buddhism. It did not happen by comparing which is more superior but accepting the He-He spirit to assimilate all three into one culture as a whole. During recent times China struggled for two hundred years to rejuvenate after the invasion and humiliation by Western powers. Today under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is peacefully rising in the spirit of Coherence Culture (He Culture) for world mutual development and common destiny. Under President Xi Jinping’s vision of China dream, China will achieve her 2020 centennial goal of a well off society and her 2050 centennial goal of becoming fully modernized without clashing with America. By that time China would have fully assimilated East-West culture in a harmonized world under the spirit of Coherence Culture (He Culture). Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA.

Monday, August 17, 2015

PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S “COHERENT CULTURE”(“HE CULTURE”) FOR WORLD MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMON DESTINY

PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S “COHERENT CULTURE”(“HE CULTURE”) FOR WORLD MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMON DESTINY BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. In a treatise by Zhang Liwen titled “Philosophy of Coherence and Connectivity” (“He-He philosophy”), Zhang claims the philosophy of He-He is the essence of ancient Chinese culture. It was the union and culmination of all ancient Chinese philosophy including Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism through the ages. The reason China has the longest culture of world civilization is because the spirit of “He-He philosophy” that holds Chinese civilization together at every major disruption. The fact that China melted foreign religions together without major wars was credited to the coherent and connectivity forces of the “He-He philosophy” at work. The 20th century is a century of hegemony and disharmony mainly caused by America’s unilateral action to propagate its ideology and value domination. In his book “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington, he predicted the coming clashes of religions and East, West cultures in the 21st century. It is under this 20th century conflict I wrote numerous essays on “Harmony Renaissance” and “Harmony Diplomacy” as process to seek world reconciliation and harmony. (Please see my essays under above subjects at Google search or www.worldharmonyforum.blogspot.com) However, Zhang in his treatise “He-He Philosophy”, categorily disagrees with Huntington. As Zhang sees it, the five major 20th century conflicts will lead to a cycle of reconciliation and unity according to the spirit of coherence and connectivity “He-He Philosophy” during the 21st century. Just as Chinese wisdoms believe the destruction of disunity and disharmony will as a rule lead to unity and harmony by dynamic Ying-Yang balance. The progress towards unity and harmony is also partly due to the rise of China and the developing countries and the relative decline of America hegemony and dominance. The five conflicts of 20th century are conflicts between men and men, between men and society, between men and nature, among religions and among different cultures. Zhang predicts the philosophy of coherence and connectivity (He-He Philosophy) will be the process that will lead to 21st century world unity and harmony and thus President Xi JinPing’s world mutual development and common destiny. I have also advocated “Harmony Renaissance” not just as an end state in my numerous essays but as a process that will resolve the 20th century conflicts and lead to the final world harmony with dynamic balance. President Xi Jinping in his long vision sums up Zhang’s “He-He Philosophy”, China’s ancient harmony cultural wisdom, and my “Harmony Renaissance” process into one grand initiative of Coherence Culture (“HE Culture”) for world mutual development and common destiny leading to the final world harmony that so many of us long for. To support his grand initiative of “HE Culture”, he adds that for his initiative to succeed mankind must holds true the five connectivity principles of mutual learning, mutual respect, mutual benefits, mutual consultations and dialogue. May world peace and harmony be everlasting!!! Francis C W Fung, Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA.

Friday, August 7, 2015

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG UPDATED

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG UPDATED I am 75 years old, and have practiced Taiji Quan for over 40 years consistently. I learned Taiji Quan from the Taiwan master Cheng Menching and followed up with Bob Smith’s book on Taiji Quan. Bob, a close friend of mine is also a disciple of Cheng Menching. Cheng who is a master of Taiji Quan and calligraphy teaches the Yang school of 38 postures. Throughout my life long practices of Taiji Quan I also read widely anything I can get hold of about Taiji Quan and consulted many well known teachers along the way. I may not claim to be a master but I certainly have benefitted from Taiji Quan tremendously. As a child I was often ill and as a youth I contracted hepatitis. It was when I was ill from hepatitis, I decided that I should learn Taiji Quan to recover from my hepatitis. Now at the ripe old age of 75 I am healthy and normal. I think I can live to 80 and see the continuing launching of the Chinese Silk Road initiatives leading to the second globalization of the 21st Century (Google my many essays on the subject related to Silk Road Initiatives). Now whenever I am sick with the flu, Taiji Quan helps me to recover from the flu faster, when I feel my liver is tired I practice Taiji Quan to relax, when I cannot sleep at night I practice Taiji Quan and I go right back to sleep. When I am troubled I meditate with Taiji Quan to clear my mind. The Taiji Quan philosophy of deflect-recoil-recover or attack helps me to deal with all life’s tension whether personal or of a world nature. The benefits I enjoy from Taiji Quan is numerous and comprehensive. As a martial artists I know how to deflect-recoil and attack hard at the opponent’s heart when he is off balance. As a student of international relations I know the sustaining power of win-win mutual development will eventually lead to a multipolar world of harmony. Taiji Quan teaches me the philosophy of deflect-recoil-counter balance of harmony. Harmony is not static it is a never ending balance of Ying and Yang just like the Taiji action of “Push Hands”. Push Hands is a form of Taiji contest of two opponents that predates the Japanese professional wrestling. In China whether you are a martial artist of Shaolin, Huashan or Wudong schools they all incorporate some form of Taiji Quan in their practice as you see in the Chinese movie Shaolin. According to legend Taiji Quan, literally meaning the ultimate martial arts, was developed by Zhang Shan Feng, who as a Liberian of Shao Lin Temple read all the books of Shaolin Temple. Many Chinese martial artists when they get old eventually they fall back on their Taiji Quan as the ultimate form of martial art. To practice Taiji Quan properly you often image that you are doing push hands with an opponent with your eyes closed. Try to stick to him so you can feel his push then you deflect-recoil-push him after you get him off balance. When you push you must root yourself to the ground push with all your force from the ground up. Rooting is very important so you maintain balance when you push. It is clinically proven that Taiji Quan practioners can maintain balance better and donot fall as easily at old age. Typical Taiji Quan master demonstration is have an old mater standing in the middle with young men rush towards him to knock him down. In the demonstrations often the old master is so well rooted that the young assailants wind up being thrown off by the old master. After you learned rooting by pushing your feet against the ground, the next is to push as hard as you can with your whole body. This constant practice of pushing with all your body with all your strength eventually will help you develop your qi. To develop your qi takes years of practice. Only after you can develop your qi can you then get the full benefit of Taiji Quan. As you push with all your might in your push hands practice you should feel your qi running from your spine towards your shoulder and out your fingertips. During this process you should feel your whole body tingling with your qi up to your fingertips. When you can feel your qi running through your body that is when your body is being strengthened and repaired by your qi. When your qi is working you should feel your fingers tingling. This is how Taiji Quan can help you to develop your qi gong. When you developed to this sublime stage of Taiji Quan practice you are on your way to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilled life of harmony with yourself (Google many of my essays on harmony, harmony renaissance and harmony diplomacy). Together with the deflect-recoil-push back daily practice you will have the confidence and strength to tackle any challenge life throw at you. Enjoy your Taiji Quan practice and best of harmony. Should you have any questions feel free to contact me at fung.geneius@gmail.com. In service of world harmony Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG

SECRETS OF TAIJI QUAN, THE ULTIMATE OF CHINESE WISDOM, MARTIAL ARTS, MEDITATION AND QI GONG I am 75 years old, and have practiced Taiji Quan for over 40 years consistently. I learned Taiji Quan from the Taiwan master Cheng Menching and followed up with Bob Smith’s book on Taiji Quan. Bob, a close friend of mine is also a disciple of Cheng Menching. Cheng who is a master of Taiji Quan and calligraphy teaches the Yang school of 38 postures. Throughout my life long practices of Taiji Quan I also read widely anything I can get hold of about Taiji Quan and consulted many well known teachers along the way. I may not claim to be a master but I certainly have benefitted from Taiji Quan tremendously. As a child I was often ill and as a youth I contracted hepatitis. It was when I was ill from hepatitis, I decided that I should learn Taiji Quan to recover from my hepatitis. Now at the ripe old age of 75 I am healthy and normal. I think I can live to 80 and see the continuing launching of the Chinese Silk Road initiatives leading to the second globalization of the 21st Century (Google my many essays on the subject related to Silk Road Initiatives). Now whenever I am sick with the flu, Taiji Quan helps me to recover from the flu faster, when I feel my liver is tired I practice Taiji Quan to relax, when I cannot sleep at night I practice Taiji Quan and I go right back to sleep. When I am troubled I meditate with Taiji Quan to clear my mind. The Taiji Quan philosophy of deflect-recoil-recover or attack helps me to deal with all life’s tension whether personal or of a world nature. The benefits I enjoy from Taiji Quan is numerous and comprehensive. As a martial artists I know how to deflect-recoil and attack hard at the opponent’s heart when he is off balance. As a student of international relations I know the sustaining power of win-win mutual development will eventually lead to a multipolar world of harmony. Taiji Quan teaches me the philosophy of deflect-recoil-counter balance of harmony. Harmony is not static it is a never ending balance of Ying and Yang just like the Taiji action of “Push Hands”. Push Hands is a form of Taiji contest of two opponents that predates the Japanese professional wrestling. In China whether you are a martial artist of Shaolin, Huashan or Wudong schools they all incorporate some form of Taiji Quan in their practice as you see in the Chinese movie Shaolin. According to legend Taiji Quan, literally meaning the ultimate martial arts, was developed by Zhang Shan Feng, who as a Liberian of Shao Lin Temple read all the books of Shaolin Temple. Many Chinese martial artists when they get old eventually they fall back on their Taiji Quan as the ultimate form of martial art. To practice Taiji Quan properly you often image that you are doing push hands with an opponent with your eyes closed. Try to stick to him so you can feel his push then you deflect-recoil-push him after you get him off balance. When you push you must root yourself to the ground push with all your force from the ground up. Rooting is very important so you maintain balance when you push. It is clinically proven that Taiji Quan practioners can maintain balance better and donot fall as easily at old age. Typical Taiji Quan master demonstration is have an old mater standing in the middle with young men rush towards him to knock him down. In the demonstrations often the old master is so well rooted that the young assailants wind up being thrown off by the old master. After you learned rooting by pushing your feet against the ground, the next is to push as hard as you aging with your whole body. This constant practice of pushing with all your body with all your strength eventually will help you develop your qi. To develop your qi takes years of practice. Only after you can develop your qi can you then get the full benefit of Taiji Quan. As you push with all your might in your push hands practice you should feel your qi running from your spine towards your shoulder and out your fingertips. During this process you should feel your whole body tingling with your qi up to your fingertips. When you can feel your qi running through your body that is when your body is being strengthened and repaired by your qi. This is how Taiji Quan can help you to develop your qi gong. When you developed to this sublime stage of Taiji Quan practice you are on your way to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilled life of harmony with yourself (Google many of my essays on harmony, harmony renaissance and harmony diplomacy). Together with the deflect-recoil-push back daily practice you will have the confidence and strength to tackle any challenge life throw at you. Enjoy your Taiji Quan practice and best of harmony. Should you have any questions feel free to contact me at fung.geneius@gmail.com. In service of world harmony Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA