The origin of Qigong can be traced back to ancient
China, as far back as 2,500 B.C. More than a thousand years later,
Qigong was listed as one of the Traditional Chinese Medicines
for principal methods of treatment. It became very popular among
the general public as a form of health maintenance excercise.
The main purpose of Qigong is to develop ones Qi or vital energy.
It can help realize the bodies full physical potential, resist
sickness and repair damages caused by disease and balance the
bodies energy flow. The control of respiration plays a central
role in the system. The use of the breath is a fundamental aspect
of Qigong practice and is the key to energy control as well as
the bridge between the body and the mind. Qigong can be practiced by the elderly for it's specific theraputic
or rahabilitative properties. It can also be practiced by athletes
and martial artists from other systems of martial arts to compliment
their other training.
Four basic forms
There are four internal
forms that were
never passed
down outside the immediate family circle of the descendants
of the Chan Heung.
These are the "Buddhidarma lohan 18
hands" ("lohan
kung" for short), the "siu lohan", the "da
lohan" and the "wu chi". Together these four
form a complete system of internal kung-fu to cover the whole
range
of choy lee fut qigong skills. We have grouped these four
forms under the generic name of "lohan qigong",
literally "the
art of the breath of the enlightened ones".
In its original
form lohan qigong is an internal set of exercises for cultivating
the "three treasures" of qi (vital
energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit). Done regularly
it activates
the flow of the intrinsic life energy along the meridians,
strengthens the internal organs, increases longevity through
maintenance
of health and vigor of body and mind, exercises the joints
and muscles,
promotes relaxation and stress management, prevents occupational
physical stress diseases, promotes postural awareness and
correct posture, and provides the essence and base for many
internal
and external martial arts.
Enter Damo
During the 6th century an Indian Buddhist monk,
Bodidharma or Damo, the 36th Patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism,
brought
the tripitaka,
the Three Sutras or scriptures to China and trevelling throughout
the country finally settled at the Shaolin Temple in Henan
province. He was the founder of Chan Buddhism, later known
as Zen in Japan.
Legend has it that Bodhidharma spent nine
years in meditation in a cave. During these years of meditation
he discovered
that the
lack of movements of his body and limbs over a long period
of time, plus the bitter cold and wind around his mountain
retreat,
caused
fatigue and body aches and pains. His disciples also suffered
the  same problems and often dozed off during meditation.
To combat those hazards Bodidharma devised a set of exercises,
based on
Indian
Yoga exercises, Chinese health and longevity exercise and
his
observations of the natural movements of wild animals.
This set is known s the "18
lohan hands" and is considered to be the source of
Shaolin qigong and Shoalin martial arts.
It seems to be
a contradiction that a group of Buddhist
monks living a contemplative life are also renown for
their expertise
in the
fighting arts. The reason lies in ancient times when
imperial power was weak and corrupt, bands of bandits would terrorize the population,
and people became the victims of oppression and injustice.
It feel on the shoulders of the monks to be champions
of
justice and protectors
of the people. Often people who fell foul of corrupt
officials would seek sanctuary at the temple and become monks.
Some
of them were expert martial artists. In this way the
range and
skill of
the Shaolin monks increased.
Two hundred years ago the Ching
Emperor felt so threatened by the power of the Shaolin Temple
that he ordered it destroyed.
Choy
Fook, one of the few surviving monks, fled to the Kwangtung
province in the south of China.
 When Chan Heung sought
out monk Choy Fook in his mountain retreat at Law Fo Shan to
be his disciple, Choy Fook taught
Chan Heung
the entire system of Shaolin kung-fu as well as the rare
set of four internal qigong forms mentioned earlier.
Each form
has its
own characteristics. All use breath control and the mind
to manipulate the flow of qi along the meridians. Three
are moving
exercises
and one uses stationary postures.
First form
The first form of the set, the "lohan kung",
uses movement to generate the qi. It emphasizes the extreme
of yin and yang
in the movements, and the full extension and contraction
of the circulation
of qi. However, even with the full expression of yang,
the body is still soft and supple without any stiffness.
Second
form
The second form, the "siu lohan", is more rounded
in movement and softer. In contrast to the "lohan kung",
the "siu lohan" uses more of the breath
(rather than body movement) to generate the qi
circulation. It incorporates
stationary postures at different points of the
form. Out of stillness movement is born, and out
of the
flowing movement stillness is
cultivated.
Third form
The third form, the "da lohan", is done
sitting cross-legged with the arms in different "murdas" or
postures. The mind, coupled with the breath, is used to focus
the qi at the different
meridian points along the central axis of the
body. Whereas the "lohan
kung" and the "siu lohan" work
mainly on the organ meridians, the "da
lohan" utilizes
the "jen-mai" or
conception meridian and the "tu-mai" or
governing meridian.
Fourth form
The fourth and final form, the "wu chi",
combine the skills of the last three with fighting intents.
The movements
are fluid
and flowing, the body soft and supple.
Stillness of mind is blended with movement of body, the fast
flows into
the slow. It is a reflection
of the cosmic dance of creation where yin
and yang, the universal opposites, interact to form the myriad
phenomena and entities of
the universe. It is a very effective fighting
form, combining the hard physical fighting skills with the
soft mental concentration
and qi circulation. "Wu chi" is
not unlike the Chen style taiji’s "pao
chiu". There are graceful movements
inter-mixed with explosive strikes. It
is considered to be one of the most advanced
fist forms of Choy Lee Fut.
The key to the
technique Lohan qigong can
be practiced on its own for health and
well-being. However,
for the serious
choy
li fut
stylist it holds the key to the secrets
of the advanced techniques. In the primary
level
we
tend to work
mainly with the physical
aspects of kung-fu, stances, footwork,
punches and kicks. Power comes mainly
from the muscles and bones. It is external
and superficial. To progress onto the higher
levels
we must work with
the body, the
mind and the spirit as an integral whole,
in
other words, the "internal" aspects
of kung-fu. We achieve this by working
with the qi, our intrinsic life force,
for this is where lohan qigong really shines.
In
terms of form, "lohan kung" is
usually taught at the beginning of the
secondary level, "siu lohan" at
the end, and "da lohan" at the
beginning of the advanced level. What about "wu
chi?" Well, true to the translation
of the name (literally "without ultimate"),
it is an endless search for perfection.
There
is an interesting story of how lohan qigong
has played an important part in
the continual
survival of a traditional
family
style. After all, there are few styles
nowadays that can trace its direct family
descendants
back to the
original founder.
Two of the more famous exceptions are master
Chen Xiaowang
of Chen
style taiji, and master Chen Yong Fa, of
Choy Lee Fut.
Master Chan Yong-Fa, the great,
great grandson of Chen Heung, was born just after the
Communist Chinese
revolution.
Because
of the
nutritional problems in the country at
the time, Yong-Fa was born a sickly child.
His
grandfather,
master Chan
Yiu-Chi, worried about
his chance of survival, started to teach
Yong-Fa "lohan kung" when
he was only four years old. His health
improved, he became stronger, and has
never suffered any major illness. Of
all the
children (three
boys and one girl), he was physically
the smallest, but through his early training
in the lohan qigong and his diligent
practice
of the fighting arts, he surpassed his
larger brothers to become
the most skillful in choy li fut kung-fu.
He is presently the accepted "keeper
of the style", jeurng mun yeng of
choy li fut.
Master Chen Yong-Fa did not
forget the benefit of lohan qigong when
he left
China to settle
in Australia.
He
realized that
the only way for choy li fut to survive
is as a genuine traditional martial art
was
to open
up
its teaching
to the outside world.
Traditional knowledge should be used
to serve and benefit humanity. In its
selfless service, choy li fut will survive.
Before Yong-Fa’s
generation, lohan qigong was taught only
to the members of the Chen family. It
is historic that the secret is now made
available
to the world thanks to master Chen’s
wish to share this life-saving health
treasure with as many people as possible.
(Editor’s note: The surnames "Chen" and "Chan" have
the same character and meaning in Chinese.
The former is a Mandarin translation
and the latter is a Cantonese translation.
Likewise,
the names "choy li fut", "choy
fee fut", "choi
lay fat", and "cai li fo" all
refer to the same style of martial arts
in different Chinese dialects and pronunciations.)
The
Lineage of Lohan Qigong
Da Mo (Bodhidharma
) the 36th Patriarch - Arrived in China from India in the
early 6th century. Generations of Shaolin
monks and disciples, the most famous being monk Gok Yeun,
who enlarged the exercise
to 72 movements,
and
Lee Sau and Bak Juk Fung, who further
enlarged the 72 movements and
transformed the original "lohan
18 hands" into an effective
fighting system.
Monk Choy Fook (died in 1840)
Chan Heung,founder of choy lee fut,
1806-1875.
Chan Koon Pak, son of Chan Heung, 1847-1920.
Chan Yiu Chi, grandson, 1888-1965.
Chan Wan Hon, great grandson, 1919-1979.
Chen Yong Fa, great, great grandson,
born in 1951. Fifth and present generation "keeper of Choy Lee Fut".
by Howard Choy
reprinted from IKF June 1992 |
