hey everybody, as time goes on, we'll be adding in the articles that have been published in the various magazines over the years.
the first one 'The Matrix of I Liq Chuan' is done, and ready to be read if you haven't already!
The Matrix of I Liq Chuan
Mon, 05/10/2010 - 9:23pm
#2
re: the matrix of i liq chuan
I would appreciate if someone with more ILC experience/understanding could clarify a few things to me.
hey vlad, sorry to come back to this so late. i've had my hands full lately but also, this is a pretty heavy subject so i think everyone has been a little hesitant to chime in. 
1. I understand the first statement to mean anywhere on your body that the opponents makes contact with.
2. The center of the sphere is where all three planes intersect. as far as how you can find them, it's all about the awareness my friend. you just have to feel it.
3. Size of the sphere depends on the point of contact, range, section etc. so yes, they can, do and must change size to harmonize with the conditions.
Re: visualizations, I would say that that's something that got put in during the editing process at some point (although Sifu is very careful about this sort of thing). AFAIK you are absolutely right to say that we should just feel / recognize.
Thu, 05/13/2010 - 3:55pm
#3
ILC Visualizations
The visualizations sifu has shared are clear, simple and spring directly from the curriculum. One of the first is 'radiate white light on project and suction on absorb'.
there's a number of others but you get the idea. Most importantly, they all reinforce a certain feel, not intellectual abstractions. it's difficult to share this sort of thing on forums, better done in person during a guided lesson.
Fri, 05/14/2010 - 10:28am
#4
I don't seem to get it.
Hello guy,
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Visualizations aspect is more or less clear now.
However, I’m still somewhat hesitation about “connecting the spheres” part.
Ashe’s answers #2 and #3 are fine to understand if we assume that #1 is the right answer, – and we are talking about the point of contact and the sphere that we create at it.
But I unfortunately still do not seem to understand #1.
If we look at this statement:
I.“Specifically, the image is that every part of your body has the quality of a sphere. Merging the spheres, then, is the process of feeling that each and every sphere of the body is connected to every other sphere.”
And then at this one:
1. I understand the first statement to mean anywhere on your body that the opponents makes contact with.
It looks to me that the statement from the article talks about multiple spheres at the same time and connecting/merging them.
While in the Ashe’s answer there is only one sphere at a time – at the point of contact. Of course, the point of contact can be anywhere on the body. And then the sphere will be there. However, it still seems to be only one sphere at a time.
One sphere at a time is understandable. However, I thought that something else was meant in the original article. And I still doubt I understand what the correct understanding is.
Sorry guys for the tough questions. 
But I hope we find the answer.
Fri, 05/14/2010 - 2:21pm
#5
merging spheres
When you 'unify with yourself' the point of contact and the ground become one point. Merging the spheres means recognizing how this occurs. It is the process of how you refine this basic '2 into 1' understanding.
When you have unified with yourself, by 'merging your spheres', you can unify with the opponent/partner by merging with his/her spheres.
Hope this helps clarify.
Fri, 05/14/2010 - 4:00pm
#6
Not yet, I'm afraid
When you 'unify with yourself' the point of contact and the ground become one point. Merging the spheres means recognizing how this occurs. It is the process of how you refine this basic '2 into 1' understanding.
When you have unified with yourself, by 'merging your spheres', you can unify with the opponent/partner by merging with his/her spheres.
Hope this helps clarify.
As far as I understand from your post, "mergeing the spheres" is the process of unifying "2 into 1".
This means, "2 into 1" is a more complex phenomena (in a way). And to describe it the process of "merging the spheres" (a more simple thing) is used.
And it is hard for me to understand the more "simple" thing, when it is described via the complex one.
Of course, I seem to have some abstract understanding of how to unify "2 into 1". But judging by my so far little expereince in ILC, it is very important to recognize things, get rid of this abstract understanding and "know" what it means.
So far, I'm afraid, I still don't understand what exactly we merge. Joints? Bones? Some combinations of those? Or some possible trajectories they can move?
Sorry again and thanks for trying!
I would appreciate if someone with more ILC experience/understanding could clarify a few things to me.
I.
“Specifically, the image is that every part of your body has the quality of a sphere. Merging the spheres, then, is the process of feeling that each and every sphere of the body is connected to every other sphere.”
1. What is meant here by “every part of your body”? Each joint? Or each bone between 2 joints? Or something else? What are exactly the spheres that we connect (maybe a few examples)?
2. What are/How can we find the centers of these spheres? And what the size these spheres are?
3. Are these spheres static in their size? Or they can dynamically change their size?
II.
“Visualizations are often useful to help imagine how the body can correctly line up with a point of contact. I Liq Chuan has specific visualizations that help access the power of peng. The visualizations also clarify the nature of a point of contact.”
“To do this, Master Chin recommends that you imagine that every part of your body is capable of expressing the spherical type force.”
This is the first time that I hear about visualizations in Iliqchuan. In fact, I’ve heard multiple times before that we do not have any visualizations, and should not imagine anything, but rather feel/recognize. So the questions are:
1. Should we use any visualizations?
2. Are they described anywhere?
Thanks in advance,
Vlad
I Liq Chuan Belarus - www.iliqchuan.by