Dear O

When Rose Lee retired from full-time teaching in the 1990s - she sent one of her long-term Taijiquan students (James) to me. He had trained with KF and this is what he said: 'I paid £200 in advance for what I thought was a private session. When I turned-up at the address - it turned-out to be lecture hall - with 50 other people present. KF came out on time and explained he was "too busy" to stay the full hour and that he had filmed the lesson on a 15-min VHS tape. He said we could watch the video "once" - and discuss its content for 45-mins before leaving to make way for the next class. A copy of the tape was £50 for one - £80 for two - and so.' He then walked out the lecture hall whilst two of his full-time students "monitored" the group. I believe this was the late 1990s-early 2000s. James did not exclusively train with me and did not learn the gongfu - the deal seemed to be Taijiquan only - and I allowed it due to my respect for Rose Lee. As for DY - I can only say what others told one of my Chinese students. They said his Longfist did not match the lineages he claimed to represent - with others questioning how it was that he had managed to master so many styles - usually a correlation equalling the number of books he has for sale at anyone time. Now, I do not really know - and you must think for yourself - which I am sure you already do. On a lighter note, I was told about year or so ago - that my style was mentioned on a racist US martial arts site that sets itself up as an arbiter of Asian combat culture. Apparently, this is a single entry from 2011 of all dates! I had honour fights from 1994 to around 2008 - about 100 in all (no pads - no rules) in front of witnesses - and prevailed through them all as tradition demands - but there were some unhappy bunnies (we think one of these made the post in question). From 1994-1998 these fights almost always involved disgruntled ethnic Chinese people looking to finish me off in front of my Chinese family and saving the face of the Chinese community. Imagine that! I used to get these out the way a few minutes to 10am on each Sunday morning so that the classes proper could start. Occasionally, these fights might happen at 11am - as the gongfu section came to an end - with the next hour being strictly internal. These fights were malicious as the opponents were motivated with anger and hatred of an ancient culture - which I respect. As a Buddhist by birth - I like fighting (but dislike greed, hatred and delusion) and I partake with an attitude rather similar to my Muslim brothers. I have always had a good relationship with the Islamic community and was even honoured with teaching a group of their children in Sutton. I think that although we inhabit a material world - the channel to the internal can only happen through a spiritual method. Honesty seems to be the deciding factor. 

The profound level materialises after years of training and ripens with age. It looks and feels very different to the manner in which other martial arts manifest and are manifested. It has more in common with Daoist martial expressions – but is reliant upon Buddhist mind expanding practices. There is a deep sense of peace emanating from within a profound and limitless void. Power manifests – and fades away in a cyclic motion. There is no rush and yet the power manifests according to the urgency of need – as if the required power is being extracted from the surrounding material conditions as the need arises. This lack of urgency coupled with the immediacy of the required power gives the false impression that a) nothing is happening and b) nothing will happen. These false impressions flash across the surface mind of the opponent and then there is the blinding flash as the power hits home. As there is the minimum of conflict – the highest levels of attainment seem very different to the more commonly available martial arts. Nothing is happening and yet everything is unfolding. Years of preparation generate the maximum conditions that dissolve as their function is performed. This process can repeat itself as many times as is required and in as many different ways as is needed. Winning is not the objective – but rather a cyclic survival. The feeling of a deep and permanent peace is similar to floating in space free of a gravitational pull and yet gravity is fully mastered and is under complete control. Seeing beyond that which needs to be created is the essence of being nowhere all at once. Freedom is a lack of artificially imposed barriers that have no place during the birthing or dying processes. Being at one with the empty mind ground is to be at one with empty space in all places and at all times. The mind expands because these (inner) false barriers are removed. As these (inner) false barriers are removed – there can be no (outer) false barriers. This reality is devastating for the opponent to encounter and ‘healing’ for the practitioner to attain.  

The early Ch'an Dao website was esyablished around 2000 - when the net was 'new'! Initially, the early website was 'managed' by its creator and we received a bill every six months or s0 - until it was established that we owned the site and could 'self-manage!

This is myself and Ch'an Dao student Liz Wan - my friend and one time landlady. I was told by the Editor of this edition of the magazine that Jet Li had read and liked my article. 

In 1992, Master Chan Tin Sang (1924-1993) - passed on his family style of Hakka (Longfist) Gongfu to me. In 1993, he was involved in a car accident in Sutton, which led to him developing further medical complications, and following a stroke – he passed away in St Helier Hospital. I received a scrap of paper with Chinese writing on in 1992 – confirming the transmission – which was formally confirmed by his widow –Mrs Chueng Yat Tai – in 2002. This type of time scale is not unknown with regards to traditional Chinese transmissions. I moved to permanently live in Sutton around 1996, and quietly set-up a small Gongfu Training Hall after first securing permission from the local Chinese clandestine societies operating in the area. Due to the respect that Master Chan Tin Sang was held, a) permission was granted (which means the training hall was acknowledged as truly representing traditional Chinese spiritual and martial culture), and b) we were granted ‘exemption’ status from paying the usual monthly ‘fees’ to these groups. This goes on all the time within Chinese culture throughout the West, with many Westerners being completely unaware of it.  ​

As a consequence, many supposed Gongfu Training Halls – even those that are commercially successful and interviewed for publication in Eurocentric magazines and journals – are not acknowledged as ‘legitimate’ by the Chinese community these groups claim to represent (regardless of whether any Chinese people train in them). Even in modern China, although the influence of these clandestine associations no longer exists, the idea that there is ‘legitimate’ and ‘illegitimate’ representation of Chinese culture is still a very strong. Master Chan Tin Sang stated that if I decide to ‘teach’ in public (and if he is no longer alive), I am not allowed to lose any fight – be it in sparring or during a ‘honour’ fight (of which I have had many since). As I have taken on the leadership of the ‘Chan’ (陳) clan, I must represent all the ancestors going back thousands of years, and not let them or their descendants down! All opponents must either be taught and improved as both human-beings and martial artists - or ‘removed’ as a threat – end of story.  ​
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Many of those who read this (and were in our Training Hall in Sutton at any time since 1996) will know this to be true, as they witnessed the many fights (at the end of training sessions) that I was involved in. Fighting does not bother me at all, and I enjoy it as a physical, cultural and spiritual activity. I have no hatred in my heart whatsoever, and only cultivate love for existence. Insult me, my family, our friend, other people or our beliefs and I will deal with you in a firm, disciplined and ‘fair’ manner, in accordance with the law, and as a gentleman. Before this, you will have to survive one of our Ch’an Dao training sessions which have defeated professional fitness instructors, combat sports athletes as well as serving soldiers. If you doubt this to be true – we can start with a thousand squat kicks and see how well you fight after this! This is genuine Hakka gongfu and I suggest a quiet and humble approach whilst you build experience and strength.  ​