Posts by Purple Cloud Admin
五掌 The Five Fists of Five Element Tong Bei: 摔掌 Shuai Zhang or Falling Fist.
五掌 The Five Fists of Five Element Tong Bei: 摔掌 Shuai Zhang or Falling Fist. Here seen practised in its most basic form, in a high horse stance, the purpose here is the develop correct technique, ensuring this backfist not only has a forward but also a downwards momentum. This is not how the fist…
Read MoreFourth Point of the Heart Channel – Líng Dào – Spirit Pathway (HE-4)
Here is the Fourth Point of the Heart Channel – Líng Dào – Spirit Pathway (HE-4) from the upcoming translation of Explanations of Channels and Points, translated by Michael Brown and edited by Allen Tsaur, published by Purple Cloud Press. This work may not reflect the final edition. The Fourth Point of the Heart Channel…
Read More苦 Bitterness
苦 Bitterness _________________________________________________ 道在苦中求。 The Dao is sought within bitterness. ________________________________________________ The term Bitterness [ku苦] is often translated as hardships into English, however it could be argued that nuances of its meanings are shaved off by this over-simplification. When Li Shi Fu embarked on a journey throughout China in order to find a master in…
Read More白马山 White Horse Mountain #1 [Excerpt 1]
白马山 White Horse Mountain #1 [excerpt 1] _________________________________________________ Legend has it that after the True Warrior Ancestral Founding Master [真武] left his home and family, he roamed in the four places with the wish to find a treasured ground, ideal for cultivation. One day, when the road traversed the Yellow Dragon Beach, he saw in…
Read MoreTong Bei Basics “Shaking the Body” (Yao Shen 搖身)
Back to Basics Part One! One of the essential methods of power generation in Five Element Tong Bei Fist 五行通背拳，”Shaking the Body” (Yao Shen 搖身). Over time, these methods of training will gradually stretch and strengthen the connective tissue and allow one to generate power from the feet, through the spine and out to the…
Read MoreEucommia trees (杜仲 Du Zhong) and a healthy looking Clove plant (丁香 Ding Xiang)
Afternoon sun setting amidst the Eucommia trees (杜仲Du Zhong) and a healthy looking Clove plant (丁香 Ding Xiang) at the Temple of Earth (地壇 Di Tan). Once processed, both these herbal medicines have a warming nature, and both are often used in various kinds of Kidney system pathologies in Chinese medicine – very useful in…
Read MoreLotus Seed 蓮子
As Beijing enters autumn, we also enter the season for fresh Lotus seeds蓮子! A medicinal food, according to Chinese medical theory its mild sweetness, astringency and bitterness can help improve ones digestive system and calm the mind. After greedily finishing a box to myself in an afternoon, I noticed myself taking deeper breaths and…
Read More性命功 Inner Nature & Life-Destiny Gong
性命功 Inner Nature & Life-Destiny Gong ______________________________________________ 古人云 : 世有性记足，而命记亏。 -大成捷要·动静无偏 The ancients said: The world possesses Innate Nature Gong sufficiently, yet Life-Destiny Gong is lacking. -《Essential of the Shortcut to the Great Achievement》 chapter Movement and Stillness Without Deviation ______________________________________________ First of all it is warranted to define the two terms Inner Nature and…
Read MoreExplanations of Channels and Points 經穴解 (c. 1692) by Yuè Hánzhēn
Purple Cloud Institute and Purple Cloud Press proudly announce the next release of a Chinese Medicine and acupuncture book by Michael Brown; a translation of Explanations of Channels and Points 經穴解 (c. 1692) by Yuè Hánzhēn. The full work will be published at the end of October. If you are interested you can read full…
Read More輔助功 Trademark Skill Gong
輔助功 Trademark Skill Gong _________________________________________________ 不怕你一万个功炼一遍， 就怕你一个功炼一万遍。 Do not be afraid of someone refining Ten Thousand skills one time, but be afraid of a person perfecting one skill Ten Thousand times. _________________________________________________ Trademark Gong is also called Private or Selfish Gong [si gong 私功], because it is your own only, for selfish reasons and no…
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