Many people would be surprised to hear that they are a gongfu master, but they are. In fact, no one on the planet can be better at being them than them. I have studied many styles of martial arts from many different teachers, no doubt benefiting in one way or another from all of my training. But, what I have learned from Ha Sifu stands out. In most martial arts class settings, the point of training seems to be to learn a form. The idea is that if you learn the form you will eventually gain the skills that the guy who created the form intended to pass on to you. Over time, the well-known master fades away and all that is left are his students, diligently trying to recreate their master’s skills. For almost every traditional martial art there is a set pattern of forms that constitute the bulk of the school’s training. From generation to generation the form is changed and spreads among the various students and family members. The forms and techniques eventually cease being a means to an end and become an end unto themselves. This is where Ha Sifu differs from others with whom I’ve studied.

Fong Ha teaches that, “At the end of technique is skill…at the end of skill is spirituality.” So, for Ha Sifu, it really doesn’t matter what tools (i.e. forms or styles) you use so long as you are cultivating your own skills. One of my favorite Zen quotes is from Basho: “Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old, seek what they sought.” There has been much work done to make uniform martial arts sets so that we can have competitions, etc. I don’t see anything wrong with this ‘sport’ approach as long as we call it what it is…a sport. Cultivating, manifesting, and utilizing your own gongfu requires an entirely different approach than does the sport aspect.

The first step is to realize that no teacher of any kind can get you where you need to go. We can only benefit from teachers as far as they manifest those skills or attributes we seek. Bottom line, if you are going to learn from someone, they need to have in themselves what you are looking for. Only you can master you. We may call someone our master or Sifu, but that is only a sign of respect. A true master will be the first to tell you that. What is it that you seek from your teacher? Do you want simply to learn a form? That’s ok. I still buy DVD’s and catch well-known teachers’ seminars when I can. It is always good to play around with the answers others have come up with, so long as we don’t forget to ask the questions. I’ve heard it said that advancement comes from answering questions, but discovery comes from questioning answers. It is discovery that we are after. Yang Lu Chan is long gone. Yang Cheng Fu never knew me, never mind trained me. Simply learning an old master’s set of forms will not get you anything but good at doing their form. Yang Lu Chan would likely murder most of the people doing Yang Style Tai Chi. What is it to ‘do Yang Style Tai Chi?’ Give me 100 Yang Style Masters, and I’ll show you 100 different forms. This is because, to master a style, it has to become your own. What drew me to Fong Ha was the directness with which he pursues his own gongfu and the consistency with which he asks you to pursue yours. Even after the four years I have been practicing his Integral Chuan, I still find myself trying to pin him down and crystallize the teachings. He can’t really be pinned down! He is not a Tai Chi Master, but he absolutely is. He is not an Yiquan Master, but he absolutely is. Fong is just as likely to use ballet or Xingyiquan to convey his skill as he is to use Taijiquan or Yiquan. Whatever we do – whatever style we practice – if we use it to cultivate, manifest, and utilize our own innate wisdom, power, and equilibrium, we can get ourselves to where great masters like Fong Ha are pointing.

We are all masters of our own way. We are the only ones who can fulfill our own destiny. Our practice should reflect that always.

Advertisement