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FYI
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to the Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang) Website of Sifu Park Bok-Nam!
We hope that you will find this site to be interesting and informative,
and will use it as a starting point for
learning
more about the Ba Gua Zhang of Lu Shui-Tian.
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= THIS EDITION = Featured in this edition of the FYI Page: . |
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. by Master Bok-Nam Park and Francis Hriadil . is now out in the Volume 10, No. 3, Autumn 2000 issue of "Qi Journal" which is published by Insight Publishing.
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. by Master Bok-Nam Park and Francis Hriadil . is now out in Issue 50 - July/August 2000 of "Qi Magazine" (United Kingdom) which is published by the Tse Qigong Centre.
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by Bok-Nam Park and Glen Moore [Adapted and re-edited by F. Hriadil] |
| Throughout many of the dynasties in China, tales and legends have been told about Taoism that involve balance in nature, mysticism, and immortality. Among some of the most popular stories that have been told are those about the Ba Shen or "Eight Immortals." Stories about the "Eight Immortals" have influenced China's philosophy, religion, and martial arts for centuries. Many such tales are still as popular today as they were hundreds of years ago. Gift shops throughout all of the Chinatowns in the United States sell paintings, ink drawings, carvings, statues, and figures carved in jade, ivory, or exotic woods that portray the Eight Immortals. |
| The "Immortals" were often portrayed
in stories
as mystics who interceded themselves into the everyday lives of mortals
to teach and/or demonstrate the ways of Taoism. This was
sometimes
done with great humor or mischief, but generally always with compassion
for the suffering of the oppressed. In this article, we are going
to present a poem about the Eight Immortals which was written in
relation
to the . Please do not judge my translation of the poem too harshly as it was very difficult to render a good representation of the true meaning in English and still capture what the author was trying to convey. |
| The author of the poem is unknown, but when my teacher Lu Shui-Tian passed this poem on to me, he explained that it had been given to him by one of his Ba Gua Zhang instructors. Lu was also taught an eight section Ba Gua Sword form which corresponded to the words and meaning of the poem. He gave me this poem when I was taught the the Eight Immortals Sword and he used the words of the poem to help transmit the important principles present in the eight sections of the form. I regret to say that I did not ask him which one of his teacher's gave him this poem before he died.. |
 Park Bok-Nam's Instructor Lu Shui-Tian posing in the beginning posture of the Ba Gua "Eight Immortals" Sword |
| The poem is entitled "Eight
Immortals" Sword.
It implies that a sword form called . was created in recognition of the Eight Immortals - utilizing each Immortal's special skills, traits, and characteristics. Each line of the poem addresses something about one of the individual Eight Immortals and their contribution to the Eight Immortals Sword. The poem, in Chinese and English, is as follows: |
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= = = slice the Phoenix's feather with his sword. a life of moderation. |
| What follows is the translation, presented line by line, along with some of the explanation provided to me by Lu Shui-Tian about the significance and meaning of the words. |
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 This
Immortal was named Li Tie Guai and referred to as "Iron
Cane"
Li because of the iron crutch that he carried. Li is always
depicted
as a beggar with a crutch. The story is told that he had attained
such a high level of magic skill that he was often called from Earth to
the Celestial Heavens to perform his magic. When Li traveled to the
celestial
regions, he traveled only in spirit, leaving his body on Earth in the
charge
of one of his disciples. On one occasion, Li was gone longer than
usual and the disciple thought that Li had actually died. So, he
burned his body. When Li returned to Earth and found that his
body
was gone, he looked for the body of a recently deceased individual to
enter.
The only body he could find was the body of a lame beggar. Li
entered
this body and thus is always depicted as a beggar with an iron
crutch.
He also carries a pilgrim's gourd and he is sometimes shown standing
with
a deer or standing on a crab. |
| It was said that Li Tie Guai possessed the supreme swordsmanship but most often appeared poor, down trodden, and acted like a clown - not having a care in the world. Lu Shui-Tian said that Li's contribution to the Eight Immortals Sword was strategy because he appeared as a clown and beggar yet possessed the highest sword skill of all of the Eight Immortals. |
| The Eight Immortals Sword is simple, yet elegant. You will not find any gymnastics here. You will find that movements are very efficient and effective. Just like the old Taoist saying, "The sage is always quietest before he strikes." Lu Shui-Tian also said that, since Iron Cane Li acted like a clown, carefree and uninhibited, he exhibited the Taoist characteristic of living without stress. Stress, that we create by being too serious about mundane everyday life, can disrupt our Qi. |
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but can slice the Phoenix feather with his sword. |
. Zhang Guo Lao was a recluse who had supernatural powers. He could turn himself invisible. When summoned to serve in the Emperor's court, he replied that he preferred the wandering life of a hermit. It is said that he traveled backwards on a white mule and thus is often depicted riding a mule in this manner. His emblem is a bamboo instrument that is struck with two rods. |
 This
line
of
the
poem describes the extreme precision with which the sword is
wielded. Although the Eight Immortals Sword has many
different
movements, most are accomplished with articulations of the wrist or
small
precise movements of the arm that emanate from the body. These
small
motions add great speed and precision to the movements of the
sword.
The high degree of precision described by this line of the poem can be
easily understood if you have ever seen sawgrass flowerettes, which are
tiny delicate flowers that appear on the sawgrass. It would take
a deft hand indeed to cleave such a tiny delicate thing. Lu
Shui-Tian
always emphasized precision in movement when he demonstrated
his
sword skills. And, he had me practice many hours of repetitive
drills
which involved striking small balls, bamboo reeds, or string - in order
to improve my precision with the sword. |
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chooses to live a life of moderation. |
 Lu Dong Bin was a scholar who studied Taoism with Zhong Li Chuan, the Chief of the Eight Immortals. Lu is usually depicted holding a Taoist flybrush in this right hand and has a sword slung over his back. It is said that he was given a series of ten temptations to overcome in order to demonstrate his purity and virtue. Having overcome all ten temptations, Lu was given a supernatural sword. He used this sword to slay dragons and demons - ridding the world of evil. Lu Dong Bin's sword was named Chan-yao Kuai, which loosely translated means "Devil Slayer." |
| Carrying the sword on his back and living in moderation meant that he was always vigilant in not straying from the middle path. Always using the sword to cleave away any temptations to stray, Lu stayed true to his path - even when presented with the ten most difficult temptations. In the Eight Immortals Sword, this means that there are no excesses or insufficiencies and every technique adheres to the middle or balanced path. |
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martial art stance and form. |
 . . . Zhong Li Chuan was the Chief of the Eight Immortals. He is usually depicted as a fat man holding a fan. Sometimes he also holds peach. |
 Lu
Shui-Tian said this line of the poem illustrates that any
technique,
no matter whether it uses empty hand or weapons, has to have good
footwork.
This is especially true in Ba Gua Zhang as the same footwork is used
for
both empty hand and weapons methods. Lu went on to explain how
the
correct footwork places the practitioner in a position of advantage and
protects him from counter techniques. In order for this to
happen, all
footwork must meet the required prinicples and theories of the Ba Gua
Trinity:Yin
& Yang, the Wu Xing (Five Elements), and Ba Gua
(from
the Yi Jing). Lu Shui-Tian also said that even though
footwork
was extremely important, it must be in balance with the body and the
mind
so that no extreme existed - then everything would be in balance
or
moderation. |
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 Cao Guo Jiu was not a popular Immortal because he was so fierce. It was said that he was a member of the imperial court and was a very dangerous person to tangle with. He was the son of a military commander and brother of the Empress Cao Hou of the Sung Dynasty. His symbol is a pair of wooden castanets which were made from the court tablet. Many people believed that he was elevated to the level of Immortal only because the other seven thought that he would prove useful. |
| Lu Shui-Tian felt that this line of the poem has two implications. First, don't waste time with things that are not useful. He felt this line illustrated that none of the movements in the the Eight Immortals Sword were put there just for beauty or elegance. Everything put there was useful for combat. Second, he felt that Cao's fierceness showed that the sword must not be performed without intent, as many forms are unforturnately executed today. Lu Shui-Tian felt that without intent, Qi will not flow properly nor will the sword movements be correct. Without proper intent, the sword will appear dead or lifeless. He always referred to a form that was done with the proper rhythm and intent as "bright" or "living" and a form that did not exhibit these traits as "dark" or "dead." He also made reference to the eyes in most instances when he was referring to intent. |
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 Lan Cai Ho's emblem is a flower basket. This particular Immortal is sometimes depicted as a female and sometimes as a male. As such, he or she (as you may choose) represents change and is the representation of Yin and Yang within the Eight Immortals Sword. In this character, we also find a representation of unpredictability that is always present with a lunatic, or one who may be referred to as "touched by the Gods." |
 . The reference to the "four gates" in this line of the poem refers to a particular type of sword entry into the space of an opponent which, with quick wrist maneuvers, renders damage, or as the line states "shines through." |
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 . Ho Xian Gu is the only true woman of the group and is perceived as being very wise and a good organizer. Having eaten a supernatural peach, she became a fairy wondering the hills. It is said that once she was in danger of being overcome by a demon, but Lu Dong Bin saved her using his magic sword. |
 It is thought that she is the one who pulled the other Immortals together to create the Eight Immortals Sword and that she herself was chosen to set the pattern for the form. Every form has a particular pattern. And, as Lu Shui-Tian said many times, without rhythm, a form is "dead." The organization skills of Ho Xian Gu remind us to adhere to natural patterns and rhythms in martial arts practice. |
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 Xiao
Xiang Zi was the son of a famous scholar and it is believed that he
could make flowers grow and blossom instantly. He was student of
Lu Dong Bin, who took him to the supernatural peach tree to become
Immortal.
His emblem is the flute and he is the patron saint of musicians.
It is said that whenever he was given money, he scattered it about on
the
ground because he had no need for it. Xiao Xiang Zi is depicted
as
very young and it is said that he did not like to utilize his
sword.
But when he did use his sword, no one could escape. It is also
said
that Xiao traveled the countryside playing his flute and attracting
birds
and beasts of prey with the beautiful sound. |
 This
line in the poem sets the tone for the use of the weapon. It
should
only be used in extreme cases but when it becomes necessary, it should
be wielded with authority. Xiao Xiang Zi is depicted many
times
carrying a flute and one of the techniques in the Eight Immortals Sword
resembles someone playing a flute. Lu Shui-Tian also said this
meant
that we should try to live in balance and harmony but when things
are
interfering with that harmony, we should not hesitate to cut them out -
or balance them. Given the right discipline, we should never
fail to set things just as Xiao Xiang Zi did and, metaphorically, cut
them
out. |
| Lu Shui-Tian explained to me that the Jian (Straight Sword) is not for use by a beginner in the internal martial arts. He said that of all of the Ba Gua weapons, the Jian, in particular, required a meticulous foundation of the body, the footwork, and the mind before one could hope to master its methods. The Jian is considered a very high level weapon, meaning that it requires a great deal of skill to wield properly. It requires wrist, shoulder, and waist training along with proper utilization of whipping body principles to make the weapon effective. Many times I have gone to tournaments and seen people perform with the Jian. It was extremely rare that I was rewarded with a pleasant sight. Most of the people who were attempting to perform the Jian were really beginners. Their forms were lifeless. I use the term "lifeless" here figuratively, but it could be taken literally because the practitioners that I saw would have cut themselves to ribbons with a real sword. It was clear from their performance that they did not understand that the Jian is a double-edged weapon. I hope that in the future, we will see people utilizing this weapon with proper technique, proper intent, and with a properly prepared body. |
| The Jian is a wonderful weapon and the Eight Immortals Sword is a wonderful form. In my "style" of Ba Gua Zhang, the training is long and rigorous and there are many basic sword techniques to practice before the Eight Immortals Sword will be taught. After my students complete this form, they will not just know a "form;" they will also understand the many uses and applications of its movements. I know that no one will walk down the street today carrying a Jian in preparation for a fight, but it is necessary to understand intent and use in order for the Qi to flow properly. This means that the practice of the Eight Immortals Sword must be "bright" and have the proper rhythm. |
| This has been a very brief introduction to the Jian as a Ba Gua weapon. I hope it has been educational and entertaining. I fully believe that the internal arts offer a better life for all who practice them. It is my hope to share as much knowledge as possible so that Ba Gua Zhang does not become a watered down or lost art as so many others have. |
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