Gong Fa Origins

Original Organization of Gong Fa Fundamentals

 
The main reason I developed and systematized my learning and teaching experience in different martial, medical, and mystical lineages is to offer you a map of the path, of any path.

I framed this integrative model as self-care cultivation and named it Dào Dé Gōng Fǎ 道德功法 because those are the main elements we need to refine towards greater personal agency, efficacy, sovereignty, meaning, and mastery.

Note that Gong Fa and Dao De are the two halves of Dao De Gong Fa. Furthermore, Gong Fa is divided into Internal and External. I currently focus on transmitting Internal Gong Fa.

The theories and techniques of Gong Fa can be your stand-alone system of self-care. But if you already have an existing practice such as yoga, dance, or qigong then I hope you can merge or even upgrade it with what I share.

For those of you who are not interested in committing to a formal Gong Fa practice, I encourage you to take what I teach and find simple applications in your normal daily activities. For instance, how to walk, how to deal with stress, or how to stay centered better.

To give you a reference, I organized the Internal Gong Fa based on four fundamental human postures (Standing, Sitting, Supine, Strolling) and four traditional symbolic images (Pine, Bell, Bow, Wind):

  • Gong Fa 1-4: Standing Pine (Zhàn Rú Sōng 站如松)
  • Gong Fa 5-8: Sitting Bell (Zùo Rú Zhōng 坐如鐘)
  • Gong Fa 9-12: Supine Bow (Wò Rú Gōng 臥如弓)
  • Gong Fa 13-16: Strolling Wind (Xíng Rú Fēng 行如風)

Thus far, I have mostly transmitted Gong Fa 1-4 because it is the essential basis for the others. Although these Gong Fa are transmitted in sequence, once you learn them they can be trained separately as needed.

The Standing Pine Gong Fa are entitled:

  • Gong Fa 1: Centering Points
  • Gong Fa 2: Clearing Lines
  • Gong Fa 3: Charging Fields
  • Gong Fa 4: Communing Spaces

These titles are cues to remind us of the purpose and process of each Gong Fa. This is a review for those of you who have attended a Gong Fa training and a preview for those who will do so in the future.

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