What is Kung Fu?

Great Kung Fu like Shaolin and Taijiquan is not just a martial art.
Four Aspects of Kung Fu
Have you ever been threatened by someone out to take your life or rob you? Probably not, for ours is a law-abiding society. But still there is a possibility, no matter how remote, that it could happen, and even if it is just as a protection against this possibility, it is worth practicing Kung Fu. There are other, even better, reasons and we shall discuss them later in this chapter. But first we need to understand what Kung Fu is.
It may seem surprising, but many people who practise Kung Fu do not actually know its true meaning. Some equate learning Kung Fu patterns with practicing Kung Fu; others maintain that they practise Kung Fu for health and not for fighting. Many people have spent years learning Kung Fu without understanding its depth and dimension, and without any clear objectives in their training. Needless to say, they have wasted much of their time, despite their devotion to the art.
What then is Kung Fu? Briefly, it is a classical Chinese martial art, practiced today by people of different races, cultures and religions. But although this definition is true, it is inadequate to show Kung Fu’s extensive scope and the tremendous benefits its practice can bring. We shall have a better understanding if we discuss what constitutes Kung Fu.
All styles of Kung Fu can be divided into four aspects or dimensions:
Form
Force of skill
Application
Philosophy
The Visible Aspect of Form
Kung Fu form is its visible aspect. Because it is the part that we can easily see, form is often mistaken by many people for the whole of Kung Fu. Poetically, Kung Fu masters refer to form as the ‘body’ of Kung Fu.
The two most obvious manifestations of Kung Fu form are patterns and sets. A pattern refers to a particular way in which a practitioner holds the hands, legs and body in position or motion. Sometimes it may refer to a short series of actions. For example, a practitioner may spread out both arms, stand upright on one leg, and kick out the instep of the other leg. This action is a pattern, and is known in Shaolin Kung Fu as White Crane Flaps its Wings.
A set is formed when numerous patterns are linked together for the convenience of training. Some sets are short, consisting of about 36 patterns; some are intermediate, with about 72 patterns; others are long, with about 108 patterns. These numbers are only guidelines, and are generally applicable to Shaolin Kung Fu. In Taiji Kung Fu or Taijiquan, the popular simplified Taiji set composed by a council of Taijiquan masters in China to meet modern demand, consists of 24 patterns, while the orthodox Chen style Taijiquan set consists of 83 patterns and the long set in Yang style Taijiquan consists of 108 patterns. (Taijiquan is pronounced and often spelt ‘T’Chi Ch’uan’.)
The patterns are chosen and arranged to form a set for one or more of the following reasons:
For easy remembering. This is the basic reason why Kung Fu patterns are arranged into sets rather than practiced individually as in some martial systems like Western boxing and judo. In some sets of this type, all the patterns are different from one another, and the set is generally short. The Kung Fu set illustrated in Chapter 9, Shaolin Five Animals, belongs to this type.
For combat application. Certain patterns are particularly useful for certain combat situations. Moreover, for technical reasons certain arrangements of pattern sequences are favourable. Patterns are therefore linked according to these two principles to help students learn combat application. The famous Shaolin set taming a Tiger is a good example
For force training. Uninformed students may sometimes wonder why some patterns which have no apparent combat functions are included in a Kung Fu set. The answer is often that they are meant for force training. The Iron Wire set of Southern Shaolin is a classic example.
For special skills. Kung Fu masters usually specialize in some chosen skills, like Iron palm, No-shadow Kicks and Holds and Grips. The patterns of some sets are arranged so that these skills can be used to the best advantage. An example is the Five monkeys set, which specializes in agility.
The ways in which patterns may be organized into sets are classified like this purely for the convenience of study, however. Although the construction of sets is usually based on one of the above four principles, most also include the other principles in varying degrees. For example, while Taming a Tiger is constructed principally with combat application in mind, it also includes a few patterns for force training at the beginning.

The Importance of Force Training
If you learn only Kung Fu form but never develop Kung Fu force, your Kung Fu will be futile even if you study for the rest of your life. Many people have heard this advice, but few really understand its significance, and fewer still put it into practice. Failure to appreciate this advice is probably the single most important reason why of the thousands of students who practise Kung Fu, some for years, only a handful reach a master’s level. If you understand and put this invaluable point into practice, you are well on the way to becoming a master.
Force, here, is a poor translation of the Chinese term gong (pronounced as ‘kung’). Force may be classified as basic or specialized. Basic force refers to a force or skill that can be applied generally, and is transferable from one part of the body to another. Having a solid horse stance, for example, is a form of basic force; it provides a strong, stable foundation, no matter what patterns you may be executing. You can also transfer the basic force of your solid horse stance to your legs to inflict powerful kicks.
Specialized force refers to a force or skill that is localized at a certain part of the body, and is usually limited to a particular application. An example is Iron Palm, which is localized at the palms and limited to palm strikes. This specialized force cannot be transferred to the head or legs, nor does an exponent with Iron Palm necessarily have speed or stamina.
It is useful to have a clear understanding of the difference between force and technique, or gong and fa in Chinese. Technique refers to methods or ways of attack and defence. It has form and is visible. For example, if you put your leg behind your opponent’s leg and push to make him or her fall backward, you demonstrate a technique. But whether you succeed in felling the opponent depends not so much on your technique (unless he or she is incompetent) but on your force of skill. Force or skills refers to your ability and efficiency in using technique. It is formless, invisible and involves accuracy, power and speed.
Force and technique are complementary: we need technique to apply our force, and force to back up our technique. Nevertheless, in advanced Kung Fu it is force rather than technique that constitutes the winning factor in combat. A master is measured by his command of force, not by his knowledge of technique.

Application for Combat and Daily Living
The third aspect of Kung Fu is application. One who practices Kung Fu –an form mof Kung Fu-must be able to apply it in combat as well as in his daily life. There are some students who have practiced so-called Kung Fu for many years, yet they cannot fight at all, even when it is necessary. What they have practiced is not genuine Kung Fu but a demonstrative form referred to by masters as ‘flowery fists and embroidery kicks’.
Kung Fu, including Taijiquan, becomes meaningless as a martial art if it is devoid of its fighting function. This of course does not imply that a Kung Fu student must fight to justify the art, or that a Kung Fu exponent is necessarily a better fighter than a practitioner of another martial system, but it is imperative that one who has practiced Kung Fu for some time must be able to put up a decent defence when attacked.
Perhaps more important than combat is the peaceful application of Kung Fu in our daily life. A Kung Fu practitioner, for example, should exhibit more zest and vitality in both work and play than an ordinary person, and have calmness of mind and clarity of thought even under demanding situations. If you do not have the strength to run up a flight of stairs despite many years of Kung Fu practice has been futile. Probably you have not spent time developing Kung Fu force.
Kung Fu Philosophy for Deeper Understanding
Throughout the ages, Kung Fu masters have built up a rich and vast store of philosophy. An understanding of this philosophy constitutes the fourth aspect of Kung Fu. An exponent can still be proficient in Kung Fu without any philosophical knowledge, but such a person would have missed the advantage of learning from the accumulated wisdom of great Kung Fu masters. On the other hand, knowing Kung Fu philosophy alone cannot make a good Kung Fu exponent. It is a practical art; its philosophy can provide excellent guidance, but the exponent must put in a lot of practice to achieve proficiency.
Kung Fu philosophy can help you in at least the following four ways”
It provides a background understanding of what you are doing so that your training has depth and perspective.
It saves time by providing you with tested methods that past masters took years to develop, and advising you against pitfalls that you should avoid.
It summarizes the vast, rich experience and achievements of great masters, often in beautiful, poetic language.
It expands the mind to vistas of wisdom that you may not even have dreamed of, and if you are ready it inspires you to spiritual fulfillment, the greatest achievement anyone can ever attain.

Great Kung Fu styles like Shaolin and Taijiquan are much more than mere fighting arts. In contrast to some martial arts where the main aim is to win, often brutally, in a boxing ring, or where the practitioners draw inspiration from classical samurais whose mission was to kill indiscriminately as their lords decreed, Shaolin Kung Fu and taijiquan were developed by and derive their inspiration from Buddhist monks whose hallmark is compassion, and priests whose preoccupation is to preserve life.
It is significant that the original aim of these arts as set by Bodhidharma and Zhang San Feng, the first patriarchs of Shaolin Kung Fu and Taijiquan respectively, was spiritual development, irrespective of the practitioners’ religious conviction or lack of it. If your objectives in practicing these arts are not spiritual, an appreciation of their sacred origins, as well as other aspects of their philosophy, will provide you with a wider perspective and understanding of the benefits you can derive from your training.

The Benefits of Kung Fu
Why do many people practise Kung Fu for years yet obtain little benefit, while others make tremendous progress within a comparatively short time? One important reason, among others is that many people practise aimlessly, whereas the fast students are clear about the benefits they are aiming for.
The benefits of all styles of Kung Fu may be classified into three groups:
Self-defence
Health and fitness
Character training
For great Kung Fu like Shaolin and Taijiquan, we can add another two:
Mind expansion
Spiritual development
These benefits also indicate oru purpose in pracising Kung Fu. In other words, in discussing the benefits, we will also establish the aims we can set ourselves in our training.
Self-defence is the fundamental aim of Kung Fu. Kung Fu training without its combative dimension is Kung Fu without its essence; it ceases to be Kung Fu, and at best becomes a system of physical exercise.
Some instructors and students claim that their Kung Fu training is only for health, and strictly not for fighting. This is acceptable if they have legitimate reasons, such as wishing to avoid possible challenges or applying Kung Fu techniques to cure some particular illness; but they must still understand that Kung Fu can be used for fighting. If they believe that it is not for fighting, then something is seriously wrong; they have forgotten that the term kung fu means martial arts.
Of course emphasizing the martial aspect of Kung Fu does not necessarily mean encouraging practitioners to fight. Indeed, true Kung Fu teaching always instructs students to be tolerant and avoid fighting as far as possible. But the ability to defend ourselves and our loved ones should the need arise is a valuable asset. It is only when we know with confidence that we can always defend ourselves effectively that we dare to rise to any occasion, and to right wrongs. In modern society, this psychological need is perhaps more important and more immediate than the physical need actually to fight.
The second great benefit of practicing Kung Fu is health and fitness. By health, I do not mean merely being free from illness; I mean an ability to eat with relish, to sleep soundly to work energetically, to think clearly, and to be calm yet alert. By fitness, I do not mean just the brute strength to do heavy work; I mean the ability to run and jump, to withstand heat, cold or wind in the open, to react speedily, to endure hard work, and to concentrate for some time without feeling mental fatigue.
These qualities of health and fitness will be derived from Kung Fu if we practise it as a martial art. If we ignore the martial aspect and practise it as we would other forms of physical exercise, we will still be healthy but we will miss the opportunity to acquire the type of radiant health and fitness required of top-class martial artists. A Kung Fu expert, for example, is trained to have the stamina to fight for hours, to be forceful enough to strike down a huge opponent who may tower above him or her, and to be calm even when facing a situation of life and death. This will give you an idea of the type of health and fitness you can gain from the martial training of Kung Fu.
Kung Fu is better than other forms of exercise in promoting health and fitness. In swimming, jogging and karate, for example, the fitness acquired diminishes as one grows old, but in Kung Fu it is actually enhanced. This is because Kung Fu is more than physical exercise; it involves Vhi Kung and meditation to develop the inner faculties of essence, vital energy and mind.
The third benefit of Kung Fu is character training, which is achieved both extrinsically and intrinsically. Extrinsically, Jung Fu teaching emphasizes moral development as well as physical training, stressing values like respect for the master, righteousness, courage, tolerance and reverence for life.
Intrinsically, the very nature of Kung Fu training is a long process of character building. Wholesome qualities like endurance, perseverance, discipline, loyalty and a calm disposition are prerequisites for progress, especially at higher levels. For example, training in the Horse riding Stance calls for endurance, perfecting some Kung Fu techniques calls for perseverance, unfailing practice in rain or shine calls for discipline. Because of factors like tradition，comradeship gratitude for the chance to learn a priceless art, good Kung Fu students develop loyalty to their master and fellow classmates. In sparring practice as well as in actual combat, a calm disposition is essential in order to achieve an accurate judgement of an opponent’s movement. All these qualities, acquired through Kung Fu training, are of course transferable to daily life.

Mind Expansion and Spiritual Development

Great Kung Fu like Shaolin and Taijiquan is not just a martial art. Taijiquan was first developed at the Purple Summit Temple on Wudang Mountain, one of the most sacred centres of Taoism, by Taoist priests who had dedicated their lives to the quest for longevity and immortality. At its advanced level, the study of Taijiquan expands the mind to investigate the secrets of the Cosmos. Taijiquan philosophy opens the practitioner’s mind to the Taoist teaching on the mysteries of man and the universe, described by such concepts as yin-yang, wu-xing or the five elemental processes, and bagua or the eight trigrams.
The highest stage of Taijiquan training is jing-zuo or silent sitting, which means meditation. While jing-zuo can enhance the martial as well as the health aspect of Taijiquan, its primary aim is spiritual cultivation. The supreme objective is nothing short of the Taoist attainment of unity with the Cosmos.
Shaolini KungFu, on the other hand, was developed in the famous Shaolin Monastery, which was no ordinary monastery; it was an imperial temple where emperors of every dynasty ascended to pray on behalf of the people. Hence, Shaolin monks were no ordinary monks; they included some of the best general, ministers, poets, philosophers and other great minds of the empire. Many princes renounced their luxurious palace lives to pursue higher development at the Shaolin Monastery. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Shaolin Monastery was both a collecting and a diffusing centre for some of the best teachings of the Chinese civilization.
As the foremost Buddhist monastery in China, Shaolin Monastery naturally inherited the rich legacy of the Buddha’s teaching. And if you think that the Buddha’s teaching was only about religious topics, think again. Centuries before modern scientists, the Buddha and other masters explained reality in terms of subatomic particles and energy (called dhamas and kriya in Buddhism), the relativity of time and space (patiyasamutpada), different levels of consciousness (vijnana), multi-dimensional existence (triloka), the illusion of the external world (maya) and millions of worlds as specks of dust in cosmic cycles (kalpas).
The mind expansion of Shaolin masters in the understanding of such awe- inspiring wisdom is not merely intellectual, but more importantly experiential. In other words, Shaolin masters do not just read about such wisdom in sutras or Buddhist scriptures, but directly experience these different levels of reality in their meditation. After all, Zen, which is the highest of the Shaolin arts, is the training of the mind.
Shaolin Kung Fu at the highest level leads to Zen. Many people may be unaware that Zen , or Chan as it is known in Chinese, was first developed at the Shaolin Monastery, blossomed in China during the Tang and Song dynasties, and later spread to Japan and other cuntries. The supreme aim of Zen in Shaolin Kung Fu, just as the supreme aim of jingzuo or Silent Sitting in Taijiquan, is spiritual fulfillment, the highest accomplishment any person can ever attain.
Although not all people who practise Kung Fu are ready for or interested in spiritual development, an understanding of its scope and depth, especially the greatest Kung Fu like Shaolin and Taijiquan, will add a new dimension and meaning to your practice, making you aware that the potential benefits of your training go far beyond self-defence and keeping fit. This is a practical book, however. You will acquaint yourself with the combative and health aspects of Shaolin Kung Fu before venturing into the mind and spirit. But first you need a clear understanding of the historical background and various styles of Kung Fu, so that when you meet terms like wushu and quanfa or famous styles like Bagua Palm and Praying Mantis Kung Fu, you will know what they mean and how they fit into the matrix of fundamental Kung Fu knowledge.