To My Black Belt Students
The lesson on Thursday began tying together the internal nei kung work we have been working on this past year with the external harmonies we have been working on since we began studying kung fu. I think everyone has a better appreciation for the complexities within the hung set and some deeper insight as to why I teach those forms so late in a career. I am hoping that there is a concerted effort to apply your new insights consistently to your form training so that I can continue to move ahead with systemizing the teaching of these higher concepts.
I also want to thank those of you who were there for the discussion we shared at the end. Your insights are always valued and appreciated. The higher arts are not for everyone but there is no future for traditional martial arts if we allow kung fu to devolve into the exercise of narcissism that prevails in today's "martial arts". That word 'perspective' is something that we need to keep in front of us at all times. Two students exposed to the same lesson can see things completely different from one another. One student's tool is another's hoop. Perspective is the difference between seeing the instructor as someone trying to help you or someone who is limiting your progress. It does not take much to shift a perspective so it is important to always ask those two questions:
Where am I?
What am I doing?
There is a difference between learning how to defend yourself and learning how to live. Learning how to defend yourself is a very one dimensional approach that only does address the needs of the ego. Learning how to live is the only true self defence for everything that life is going to throw in your way. Yes, it is the more difficult road to travel but we all know that value is found in the journey, and the more difficult the journey, the more value it offers.
Jeff Brinker
