Learning “true basics” is at the core of Kung Fu. In this session, Part 2 of our interview, Adam Hsu talks about communicating and the practice of Kung Fu Weaponry. Want to watch All (Parts 1-8) on youtube? Want to watch Part 1 on this site? Want to watch Part 3 on this site? Want […]
Oct
14
2015
14
2015
Oct
13
2015
13
2015
Adam Hsu Interview, Part 1
In Part 1, our interview starts with a question about Kung Fu’s true DNA. Discussion follows, on the Kung Fu experience, and what that means, and what makes Kung Fu absolutely unique as a martial art. Part 2 (on this site) Part 3 (on this site) Part 4 (on this site) Part 5 (on this […]
Apr
13
2012
13
2012
The Way of Chuang Tzu, Thomas Merton
Chuang Tzu , living almost 2500 years ago, was what we might today term a monk. He was certainly an iconoclast. Thomas Merton was not only a monk but…
Mar
28
2012
28
2012
Standing Still
Personally, I continue to believe that standing practice is important and useful. The trouble is that there is a deep, deep contradiction in the way it is taught in many schools.
Feb
5
2012
5
2012
Why Are the Forms on Your DVDs different …
At Plum we get this question all the time. On one level the answer is obvious as a spinning heel hook; different people teach differently. But that is not the whole story.
Jan
24
2012
24
2012
Sonoluminescence: The Light at the End of the Tumble
We are filled with light, never forget that. But the metaphor of light used by so many is a weak substitute for the true light inside us. Some practices encourage this recognition. But too many half-heartedly pursued, improperly understood, lackadaisically researched impressions and clichés only dim the inner experience to weakly glowing embers.
Jan
21
2012
21
2012
A Black Belt Story
I start teaching the next class but I’m really bothered; on the one hand, Dan might just be claiming what never happened; on the other hand, I guess I could have forgotten I attended a ceremony, or something like that.
Jan
13
2012
13
2012
My Gripes About Push Hands
I remember Adam Hsu telling me that there had recently been a big Push Hands championship in China. Then, shaking his head, he said, “…and all the students beat the instructors.” This was hardly a surprise to me. I have officiated at Push Hands competitions and can see all the problems.
Dec
21
2011
21
2011
Midnight and Midwinter
At this time of the year I think about two things: giving and darkness.
Nov
3
2011
3
2011
Form
When I open the door I expect the garden to be there. It would not shift in the night. That is just not the garden’s style. First I visit the olive trees which, in the morning, stand and sparkle with a.m. light next to my front door, as though they had been rehearsing to show […]
Oct
16
2011
16
2011
Loss: Revisted
Sometimes people remind me of the saying “Invest in loss.” For martial artists this is a pivotal idea. Even before you think much about it you also have to admit that there are times in life when it isn’t even a choice, when loss is all we have. It would make me uncomfortable to drag […]
Sep
16
2011
16
2011
Poem
The Glitter of Moonlight Here, in my hand is the hilt, Still, without life until lifted Now, when the set is just started Moon, comes to flash until finished.
Sep
13
2011
13
2011
The Double Voice
Martial artists are an ornery lot. They dedicate themselves to discovering their own way. In this modern world where rewards are social and ridiculously exaggerated, it’s hard to follow a very faint voice at the back of your mind.
Aug
15
2011
15
2011
Aug
2
2011
2
2011
The Corner Man
We all need a corner man now and then…
Apr
14
2011
14
2011
Huge Disconnects
Ever notice how some people who love the martial arts actually have big disconnects between certain parts? I knew an instructor who practiced diligently, hours a day…
Jul
21
2010
21
2010
The Body/Mind Connection
To put the monks in the condition necessary to carry out the Buddhist practices Bodhidharma or Ta Mo as the Chinese call him, taught them a series of physical movements and breathing exercises that came to known as Chi Kung.
Jul
21
2008
21
2008
What You Should Know About the I Ching
Here’s an introductory article, nothing more, on one of the most influential and oldest books ever written.
Aug
18
2007
18
2007
The Body, the Mind and Conscious Movement
Seen with normal eyes the body is a single solid thing, but any scientist can tell us that that’s just an illusion, that the body, like everything else in the universe, is more air than matter.
Dec
21
2006
21
2006
At Taoism Class
When I was 10, my younger sister and I mounted a campaign to convince our parents that the money they were spending on religious school (every Saturday, lessons at the Temple) could be used in a better way…
