Paper Tigers
There have always been and will always be chalatans in the martial arts. Just look at our history and you’ll find plenty of examples of charlatanism. It’s just the nature of the beast. Consequently, there will always be those that complain about charlatans, but to me, that’s a lot like complaining about the cold wind and rain.
The best way to combat charlatans is not to complain. Just exemplify wude in yourself. And (this is the hard part) expect no reward for doing so.
I agree with Gene. BTW, that’s what I like about true CMA. No belts or ranks. Either your gongfu is good or it isn’t. Either you can fight or you can’t. If you think you can, then go ahead.
Master sun said: True victory lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating your opponent without ever having to fight.
Because in my opinion, if there is no morale force behind a man, he is just flesh and blood and is unworthy of qi.
you know, the first 9 Dans just made the party confusing, but when that 10th Dan showed up, yeesh!
I always figured the Dan system was a karate one.
my first karate teacher used a belt and dan system.
white/yellow/red/brown/black and then dans, but he could go past 4th because he himself was a 5th.
My tkd teacher also had a belt system. Holy yikes he had a whack of em, but most of em were pretty easy to get to including the black. After that (about 2 years for most students) he also used dan rankings.
My former kungfu sifu used belts and instructor levels not dans or duans. he also used the filial system. Filial to satisfy the traditional ways and sashes to satisfy us western students constant need for validation and pats on the head 
But 10th Dan! wow, that is some wicked bad ass mofo… or he’s dead as has been mentioned (in the trad japanese way).
Western interpretation of Asian Martial arts has sure made that stew taste funny, but if you get past the gooey sticky congealed blob on top of the pot, the stews pretty good underneath!
All in due time.
Cause and effect.
Or what goes around and comes around.
There are plenty of false claimants of MA.
The worst one is Tai Ji Quan.
My brother studied Zhao Bao Tai Ji and Qi Gong.
I was enslaved by Chen Tai Ji Lao Jia and still am.
Which means I practice more time with it than anything else.
We never claim we are the masters.
We know a lot and we practice a lot.
We see a lot of false Tai Ji everywhere.
We just laugh.
True gold will pass the test of the fire.
Cheng Jing Bu Pa Huo Nian.
Originally posted by red5angel
[B]I tell you what Songshan, you figure out how to get all the crap out of the martial arts, all the wanna be sifus’ all the soggy bellied wanna be warrior monks and all the people doing it for the money, the prestige and the power, and I’ll practice Wu De and not talk bad about people who suck ass. Otherwise, as far as I’m conerned, with all the talk of Wu De, no one seems to be wanting to do anything about all those people out there ruining the arts for everyone else.
fukk wude [/B]
This is what exactly I am talking about. I am not saying I have all the answers. Let’s keep the thread to the topic and pure. I am not talking about the frauds or the fakes. I think we all can see something’s up with the mail order black belt program. You can go visit a martial arts school and know something is not right if you believe there is something wrong with the lineage. Frauds are frauds and yes sooner or later they will be exposed. What I am mainly talking about talking about is you the martial artist…the person. The guy behind the screen name.
It’s easy for anyone to post here and call people “soggy bellied wanna be warrior monks” and say that there are people who “suck ass”. But this is a prime example of the lack of Wu de. There seems to be a great lack of respect to masters and students. For example, would your shifu approve of your conduct about posting such messages? Does your shifu instill good principles in you?
While it may seem that no one wants to anything about
people “ruining the arts”, it would be fair to say that there are no guidelines to martial art styles and that anyone can come up with any strange idea and call it a art/style. Yeah, those who are just trying to gain financial wealth usually do and yes the martial art world suffers another blow. Their conduct is yet still unethical.
Originally posted by Kung Lek
[B]To not question and examine is a greater error in my opinion.
To not tolerate any scrutiny is a weakness.
I understand what you are saying, but it is incredibly dangerous to put anyone on a pedistal and even more so to see anyone as above or below you yourself.
No one is beyond a deeper look. And if those individuals who walk into a controversial position in the first place and expect it to be a cakewalk, then they themselves will have to deal with it.
Afterall, what is reality but illusion? And what are we in the end?
Wu De or the lack of it is not the problem in my opinion, it is fat egos and tempestuous personalities. Sure some of the people saying these things come across as foolish but consider this:
Only a fool takes heed of the words of another fool. Also, something worth thinking about is that which we are most repulsed by is more often than not strongly present in ourselves. [/B]
To question and not examine is an error, absolutely. Everyone questions and examines potential martial art schools before they join. To question and examine with respect is the key here.
Fat egos and some personalities are part of the problem. “Something worth thinking about is that which we are most repulsed by is more often than not strongly present in ourselves”. Yeah, I would agree and perhaps maybe that is why I have strong feelings on this issue. There are lots of times I wanted to post personal feelings about the Shaolin Temple flamers, post personal feelings on certain issues. post about people who call all modern songshan kung fu students “wanna bes”, people who call the monks fake, dismiss modern shaolin as “wushu”. Human nature usually says flame back…but I always think about it and realize that it would be unethical…wrong. I would become no better than those who slander on these forums. I always believed that there are right ways to do things and there are wrong ways to do things. Maybe I am just part of the last few that believe in wu de.
I always believed that there are right ways to do things and there are wrong ways to do things. Maybe I am just part of the last few that believe in wu de.
Not so few as you might think. Just less vocal and abraisive. One thing I make a point of reminding myself, is that it is not personal. Those who attack me sight unseen, or even if they have seen me, would attack anyone else with just as little provocation. As it is some imaginary foe they are going after, I cannot be the target, and there fore, there is no need to agnolagde the slight.
… Don’t always work, but it helps…:rolleyes:
I grew up with 5 brothers and 2 sisters. When one of us would complain about what another was doing or not, we were told that we should be more concerned about our own actions. If that advice wasn’t taken, additional housework was metted out to keep us busy from worrying about someone else’s perceived flaws.
At the time I thought my Mom and Dad were tired of having 8 kids ratting on each other. I understand there was an additional lesson.
This thread is just a reminder of that lesson. It will only serve as a reminder for some, others will not care. It is how we treat each other, martial arts or not.
To question and examine with respect is the key here.
Western society is decidedly lacking education in the area of respect and allowance of dignity in others.
Don’t believe me? take a look around.
Belligerance is something that is everyday everyday.
Soime people even think that they are actually “cool” because the act like a bitch or a total asshole towards others in business.
Television is rife with mean spirited over competitive types vying for a little money and some frame time.
The attitiudes and morals of the entire society are in tatters.
I think there is a greater question than protecting the traditions and diginities of a few martial arts guys and girls.
Education needs change, how we deal with each other in business and everyday life needs to be changed.
We need to see respect and appreciation as a more common thing in our society, but because of various demons such as fear and doubt, laziness and greed, et al, it will be a hard journey forward.
P.S this doesn’t mean go running to the shelter of a church! IT MEANS TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF FIRST.
Thank you
That is all
Greetings..
Treat people the way you wish to be treated yourself, regardless of their attitude.. the rest will take care of itself.. Now, that being said, i believe that everyone practices this concept, so.. if someone expresses a poor attitude i assume that they wish to be treated the same way.. (not really, but occasionally it just works out that way..)
The title (whatever it may be) should be bestowed on someone by their peers, superiors and students, all in agreement.. self-proclaimed “masters”, etc.. have no foundation, no authority.. a title is recognition by others, not a self-appointed position.. we are all just people on a path, some further along than others.. to the degree that those further along can help us find our way, we acknowledge their place on the path through a gesture of respect.. whether that be a title, a formal ritual of bows and gifts, or just a polite nod of respect, we simply acknowledge the time and effort invested to find their place on the path..
Charlatans are a perennial topic of disdain, but.. they serve a purpose, they acquire a body of students that are not sufficiently clever to make wise choices, and given the amount of time spent learning from a charlatan, the hapless student reinforces the need to be there.. the true aspiring warrior soon sees the charlatan for what they are and moves on, there are simply too many resources available to plead ignorance in these matters.. however, if that is all that is available, there is no fault in the student’s taking advantage of whatever may be useful in the charlatan’s program..
Be well..