[QUOTE=GeneChing;960237]
I also did a series outlining the entire Songshan Shaolin Xiao Luohan form by Shi Guolin.
Xiao Luohan: The Complete Shaolin Form
Part 1 2001 July/August
Part 2 2001 September/October
Part 3 2001 November/December
Part 4 2002 January/February Shaolin Special
Here are the lyrics from that article series.
- yue bei shi – prepare
- chi shi – beginning posture
- shuang guan tie men – double shutting iron doors
- yao zi fan shen – sparrow hawk turns its body
- shuang quan guan er – double fists through the ear
- xie bu che zhang – rest step, chopping palm
- gong bu shuang liao shou – bow step, double upwards hand
- ma bu shuang zai quan – horse step, double planting fist
- gong bu zuo chung quan – bow step, left thrusting fist
- gong bu you chung quan – bow step, right thrusting fist
- tui bu zuo chung quan – backwards step, left thrusting fist.
- qi zing xiao jia – seven star small frame
- jin ji du li – gold rooster stands on one leg.
- er qi jiao – two rising legs
- sun tong bei – smooth through the back
- fu jian chung quan – protect the shoulder, thrusting fist.
- gong bu zuo chung quan – bow step, left thrusting fist
- gong bu you chung quan – bow step, right thrusting fist
- xie bu che zhang – rest step, chopping palm
- fan bei quan – reverse back fist
21 gong bu chung quan – bow step, thrusting fist
- jin ji du li – gold rooster stands on one leg.
- er qi jiao – two rising legs
- ti shi quan xin pao – lift knee, fist heart cannon
- fu er shuang chung quan – protect the ear, double thrusting fist
- tao ding chung quan – above the head, thrusting fist
- gong bu zuo chung quan – bow step, left thrusting fist
- gong bu you chung quan – bow step, right thrusting fist
- tui bu chung quan – backwards step, thrusting fist.
- qi zing xiao jia – seven star small frame
- lao hu da zhang zui – old tiger opens its mouth wide
- zuo dun tui – left snap kick
- gong bu tui zhang – bow step pushing palms
- mong hu chu dong – fearless tiger comes out from the cave
- tao ding che zhang – above the head, cutting palm
- long xing bu – dragon form step
- gong bu chung quan – bow step, thrusting fist
- ba wang ju ding – conquering king lifts the urn
- lien huan zhao – continuous claw
- hui shen shuang an zhang – turn body, double pressing palms
- gong bu shuang tui zhang – bow step, double pushing palms
- hu jian ben shou – defend the shoulder, shoving palm
- shen feng jiao – tornado kick
- tong zi bai fo – youth bows to Buddha
- zuo pi tui – left axe kick
- luo han suai jiao – arhat sleeping
- ti shi shuang an zhang – lift knee, double pressing palm
- gong bu shuang tui zhang – bow step, double pushing palms
- shuang ben shou – double pushing palm
50: pu bu zuo che zhang – crouching step, left cutting palm
51: pu bu you che zhang – crouching step, right cutting palm
- xie bu tui zhang – resting step, push palm
- jin ji du li – gold rooster stands on one leg.
- er qi jiao – two rising legs
- gu shu pan gen – ancient tree gnarls its roots
- mong hu chu dong – fearless tiger comes out from the cave
- xie bu shuang zai quan – resting step, double planting fist.
- ying xiong zuo shan – hero sits on the mountain
- fan bei quan – reverse back fist
- san bu gai quan – forward step, cover fist
- mong hu chu dong – fearless tiger comes out from the cave
- duan bu zai quan – squatting step, planting fist
- gong bu chung quan – bow step, thrusting fist
- gui bu zhuang zhao – kneeling step, hitting elbow
- xie bu chung quan – resting step, thrusting fist
- gong bu che zhang – bow step, cutting palm
- ju huo xiao tian – raise the torch to burn the sky
- ma bu xia zai quan – horse step, downward planting fist
- tao ding san chung quan – above the head, three thrusting fists
- ma bu do jian – horse step, shaking shoulder
- ma bu zuo pan zhuo – horse step, left elbow
- ma bu you pan zhuo – horse step, right elbow
- zhuan shen guo quan – turn around, hooking fist
- gong bu chung quan – bow step, thrusting fist
- mong hu chu dong – fearless tiger comes out from the cave
- gong bu dao quan – bow step, pestle fist
- tian wang tao ta – heavenly king lifts the pagoda
- da peng zhan zi – roc spreads its wings
- ji zhang pu bu – clap, crouching step
- gong bu liao shou – bow step, upwards hand
- ho xiao tui – backwards sweeping leg
- gong bu san tui zhang – bow step, three pushing palms
- shen feng jiao – tornado kick
- ying xiong zuo shan – hero sits on the mountain
- sao shi – ending pose[/QUOTE]
YES! This IS luohan Quan. This is about the second best version that exists today. A long while ago there were nine sets, representing the characteristics of the 18 luohans. This form is a combination of two of the sets, namely ‘chao mei luohan’ and ‘fuhu luohan’. There is a zuo shan stance halfway through the form, most of the schools in dengfeng only practice to this halfway point.
This particular version you have listed is close to that in Tagou’s set of books written by Liu Hai Chao. I learned this version as well as the version shi Deyang does (halfway, first half also abreviated), and also a third and better version.
I say this is the second best set because the best must be considered as the one practiced by DeGen Da Shi. His form is the same as this one, although slightly shorter in the first half (not so many repeated straight punches) also with a few more unique stances. It goes all the way through to roc spreads its wings then sweep, tornado, outside cresent-zuo shan. Interestingly it does not contain the dragon steps (or drunken steps) used in most of the dengfeng versions and in the one above. This should be the same version as practiced by Zhu Tian Xi (anyone have a video?).
The character of the form is really important in Luohan Quan. All the versions I have seen except this one from Degen Da shi lack the character. Its part in performance and part in the specific form.
The term ‘xiao luohan’ is a modern naming culture. Actually it is the last Luohan quan actually practiced inside the temple (before communist era). Thus it is just referred to as Luohan quan. A lot of forms referred to as Xiao and Da nowadays were not always so. Often forms that were form DengFeng county have been called Da (greater area, e.g Da tongbei, Da pao quan, Da luohan) and forms that are now called xiao (i.e xiao tong bei, xiao pao, xiao luohan) are the forms most recently practiced in shaolin temple. They were originally just tong bei quan, pao quan, luohan quan. You will find the shaolin temple forms tend to be much longer (usually consisting of 3 sets linked together) they also contain exceptional poetic symmetry. Not to say deng feng does not have good forms, there are great forms there too, but they are forms which may have stopped being practiced at shaolin a long time ago, or were never practiced there. They are all shaolin pai though. ( I must note xiao and da hong quan were always xiao and da hong quan, and, all things considered, perhaps shaolins greatest forms).
I have encountered about 40 forms that could all claim to be shaolin Luohan quan. Since the last version practiced at shaolin was the one by Degen Da Shi then we must consider this as the Final Evolution of Shaolin Temples Luohan Quan (things evolve constantly, what if we were to consider the physics of Isaac Newton as the original physics and then abandon the last few centuries of evolution?) So, fascinating as it is to look for earlier incarnations we must have a cut off point.
Some families still retain a 9 set luohan quan, the sets have a symmetry spread over all the forms so can be practiced as one (if you have the stamina).
Typically the two surviving are the one we now refer to as xiao luohan (a seriously cut down version of the one above) and a form we refer to as da luohan or yi lu luohan, a good version is done by Zhang Shi Jie, he wheres white robes and does a great performance, you have prob all seen it on you tube. In the 9 set luohan quan i have seen these are yi lu and er lu. The second half of xiao luohan is san lu.
so a version constructed for competition which begins with tong zi bai fo… this one is not worth learning but is the most common version around today.
There are several other epic (long) luohan quan forms, they all contain a spattering of moves similar to other luohan forms, all are probably abreviations of an earlier longer complete substyle of luohan quan.
