Part 2: Workshop Review
Grandmaster Gee continued on in refined details how the connections and consistencies of Principle (Time/Space factors), Concept & Theory (methodology), Structure (body), Energy (various qualities and methods), and an overriding philosophy (HFYs Three Connecting Bridges philosophy, for example) are truly paramount for cultivating genuine martial skill and recognizing the nature of things.
As I observed and listened to Grandmaster Gees teachings, I saw something intimately profound and bright throughout his presentation. I was immediately drawn to a chapter () in the classical (Confucian) work entitled The Great Learning:
The meaning of the expression, "The perfecting of knowledge depends on the investigation of things, is this:If we wish to carry our knowledge to the utmost, we must investigate the principles of all things we come into contact with, for the intelligent mind of man is certainly formed to know, and there is not a single thing in which its principles do not inhere. But so long as all principles are not investigated, man’s knowledge is incomplete.
As a teacher, Grandmaster Gees lessons are never without great significance. As such, sophisticated subject matters require equally sophisticated minds to both learn and teach such matters. No stone is ever left unturned, and he is an exceedingly efficient master of his craft as teacher, student, fighter, philosopher, and scholar. He truly is a rare gem in the martial arts world. What he offers through his instruction yields greater value for those of specific intellectual caliber and character. In truth, learning the art of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kuen is no small task. To truly study the depths of HFYWCK, one must have a dedicated and investigative mind set grounded with the right virtues. The volume of knowledge and information within Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kuen requires a very specific method to learning, should one pursue a serious and committed education into it. The passage continues on:
On this account, the Learning for Adults, at the outset of its lessons, instructs the learner, in regard to all things in the world, to proceed from what knowledge he has of their principles, and pursue his investigation of them, till he reaches the extreme point. After exerting himself in this way for a long time, he will suddenly find himself possessed of a wide and far-reaching penetration. Then, the qualities of all things, whether external or internal, the subtle or the coarse, will all be apprehended, and the mind, in its entire substance and its relations to things, will be perfectly intelligent. This is called the investigation of things. This is called the perfection of knowledge.
In order to truly learn something, investigations in the roots and branches of the subject matter then become quite necessary in order to achieve complete knowledge. Grandmaster Gees family genealogy includes one of the most influential persons of the last 1000 years, Chu His (), the great Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty. Grandmaster Gee is the 33rd generation descendant of the Chu Hsi family tree. Life Magazine ranked him as the 45th most influential person of the last millennia. Chu Hsis extensive works on Confucianism, in particular on the four books (the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius), have helped to shape Chinese culture and many societies over several countries such as Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Western World, over the span of the last 900+ years.
One of the most fascinating parts that resonated with me over this workshop happened when Grandmaster Gee shared some teachings of Chu Hsis metaphysical works on Li (principle), Qi (vital force/energy), and Taiji (supreme ultimate), and the parallel into the Hung Fa Yi philosophy of Heaven Human Earth Three Connecting Bridges (Tien Yan Dei Saam Mo Kiu). As he stated to us, Heaven Human and Earth represent the Time and Space in HFY. They represent the principles (Li), for we are to discover and connect with the Truth of each bound. The Three Connecting Bridges are parallel to Chu Hsis teachings on human nature and Vital Force/Energy (Qi), where this describes the conditions of the human experience within Space and Time. According to Chu Hsis teachings, the idea is to have both Li and Qi in perfect balance with the Supreme Ultimate. In Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun, understanding the nature of Tien Yan Dei Saam Mo Kiu is very much in accord with this parallel. We were once again enlightened to connection and consistency. Grandmaster Gee explained how HFY Four Gate Tan Bong Fook Chi Sao reflects the nature of the Fau Kiu (Floating Bridge) timeframe as described through the Saam Mo Kiu (Three Connecting Bridges) philosophy.
Also in attendance for the private training sessions was retired Lieutenant Colonel and Master Richard Loewenhagen of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Pai and a senior member of the Kung Fu Tong Research Team, who later offered his unique insights into HFY from his expertise in Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kuen and his military education and experiences. Master Loewenhagen shared some sharp realities over the weekend. Very few people can see something that is in truth highly distinctive and sophisticated and in moments see its real value. With his martial training, formal education, and real world experience, he is uniquely qualified to grasp the real value of this art. It is by no accident that he recognized the true quality and character in Grandmaster Garrett Gee and the authenticity of his teachings back in 2000. Why? Read on.
Master Loewenhagen successfully graduated as a Senior Ving Tsun Instructor through the Government of China and the Ving Tsun Athletic Association (VTAA). He is certified by seven senior grandmasters of Ving Tsun: Mak Po, Yip Ching, Yip Chun, Moy Yat, Chu Shong Tin, Moy Bing Wah, and Hawkins Cheung, earning their highest level of Ving Tsun certification. He was given blessing by GM Moy Yat to run the seventh official kwoon in the Moy Yat family in the late 1990s. At the kwoons highest point the student body was over 220 members and was awarded and recognized as one of the top 200 schools in the nation.
As a retired field grade military scientist and officer, he was trained at many of the most prestigious leadership, strategies and tactics, schools the United States Department of Defense has to offer. He studied and graduated at the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Air Command and Staff College, and the Marine Command and Staff College. In 1982, the exclusive International Society of Logistics Engineers honored him with the Researcher of the Year award.
His insights into HFYWCK over the years are indeed exemplary and carry great weight. Never before in his tenure in martial arts had he encountered a martial art of such high caliber parallel to his military education as in Hung Fa Yi. He knows there is something truly unique and powerful in Grandmaster Gees teachings of HFYWCK that exponentially enriches his education of Wing Chun Kuen, and testifies to that fact to this day. Upon each reveal of information, he immediately recognizes and shares the implications of such things. He can articulate in detail the reasons of his observations.
By his own informed account, from his extensive education and training in Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kuen and Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kuen, the sheer volume of information between the two respective branches is approximately a 4:1 ratio (HFYWCK : MYVTK). What we were taught over the latest workshop on Chi Sao and the Four Gates Theory has literally changed and expanded upon how we already use Chi Sao for combat, and that includes all of the aspects on a psychological level. As much as I have learned to date, (completed my training in MYVTK and ongoing with HFYWCK) I must concur with his assessment.
I have witnessed many things through the HFYs Advanced Siu Nim Tao form to the Wooden Dummy forms to Chi Sao to Sparring how all things in HFYWCK are connected and consistently exhibited to a relatively large degree. My studies and findings into the art have yet to reveal any contradictions. As an example, the movements of HFY Advanced Siu Nim Tao form and the HFY Wooden Dummy forms provide the exact specifics on how the tools of Chi Sao are to be used. These particular forms describe in great detail, the vast array of tools used to apply all the important elements of the HFY Time Space Energy formula. To have complete knowledge of this allows one to distinguish the traits of what is genuine and false.
Consequently, the metaphysical consistency of this signature can then be identified and observed throughout both sides of combat; via the How/When/Why/Where/What of sticking (Chi Sao) and striking (Sparring). The same is also truthfully stated with regard to HFYs philosophy, history, and culture. Everything is connected and consistent throughout. The central theme of this for Wing Chun comes down to stability, which implies a great deal on the nature of the art.
Ultimately, I attest that Grandmaster Gees holistic teachings (philosophical and scientific in particular) on Chi Sao serve as an illustration and testimony to the absolute magnificence of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chuns sophisticated designs. This knowledge from Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun has once again furthered and transformed my knowledge and usage of Chi Sao and fighting! I am looking forward to the next workshop tentatively planned with Sifu Billy Lau in the next few months!
