(Lecture given at the National University of Ukraine “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”)
When we say that even now when I’m present, I still don’t know anything.
What is lacking?
Practically everything comes down to attention. You see these two things, when I hang over here – the nature. If my attention is not strong enough, I don’t have the clarity. The clarity over here is not ‘you think’. It’s because the nature speaks. So, the nature reveals. It’s as if something is mystical, actually it’s not. Those who come for the workshop, there’ll be a training to understand that.
Because there’s no answer here, you will fall back to your past experience to get the answer to understand this. So you will always fall back to your past experience, that means you are using the past to judge the moment. Then this is call judging.
When we say clarity. What is clarity? Clarity means you see the differences. Difference, that means you see the separation. When there is separation, there’s a unity. That why we say, “one” cannot unify. You need “two” to unify. But “two” needs “three”, what is the “three”? “Three” is where that separate the two (point of separation). And also that combines the two (point of unification). So, the “three” is the neutral. So can you see when you approach or contact anything, can you see the neutral. Only neutral will see things equally. See things clearly. If you see one side from another side, you are only guessing.
Like on the mountain top. If I climb here, you know there’s another slope but you don’t know how (it’s like). That means you’re on this side trying to see the other side, you cannot. Unless you’re on top. On top of the mountain is the neutral point that you see everything.
Discourse of Master Sam Chin at Phoenix, Arizona, Workshop, October 2012
I just want you guys to bear in mind that as we learn, what is learning, the most important part that you should know under our system, because it’s based on the Zen and Tao that is with nature, is understand nature, that is understand the way that it is. You have to keep reminding yourself that there is nothing to learn because it’s already there. This is the first, first thing that you’ve got to understand. If you cannot understand, make it clear why it is such, why I keep on telling you there is nothing to learn. If you cannot understand here, you will be learning the wrong thing because everything is already there you could say. It’s just like this. That’s what makes everyone the same, everyone is equal. Understand it now? Because it’s already there. You don’t think you can create something? You understand that now? Because it’s already there. So you, me, everyone is the same, has the same thing; that’s what makes us equal. Alright? So, the only thing is that understanding here then you need to understand the way to learn, then you only have the right approach. Because nothing to learn, that means you cannot add anything, you cannot take away anything. Alright? And you can say that nothing belongs to you too, yes? Laughs You see? Because it’s there! But nothing belongs to you doesn’t mean that it’s nothing. That means nothing belongs to you but that it belongs to you, everything belongs to you too. You see?
It’s only a matter that you know how. If you know how, you can use whatever you want. If you don’t know how, you can’t even use it. Because even then you still cannot use it. Understand? You can say this is the main, main concept here; nothing to learn, everything is there. Alright? If you know, everything’s yours. If you don’t know, you can’t even use what? You can’t even use it. When everything is yours, you don’t carry it around. Why do you want to carry? Everything is yours already. Laughs So there’s nothing to fight for it. Why do you want to fight for it? Everything is yours. Who do you want to fight with? Huh? Everything is yours already. Who do you want to fight with now? Tell me. Yes? If you understand here, the beauty is here. Alright? So from here, then you start to say, okay, how to approach the learning. Try to recognize, to realize what is what. Alright? So apart from here, to be with, to be with, to understand this, because the nature itself is change. To understand that, because we have a lot of garbage within ourselves. We have built up a lot of garbage. So that’s why we want to go back to understand what is neutral; mentally neutral, physically neutral. Yes? The most common thing is that, because without neutral, if you are not neutral, you cannot change with change. Alright? Can you change without being netural? You cannot. Understand? So we learn to be mentally neutral, physically neutral. Now, then you look into neutral; of what quality is neutral, what quality has the neutral of the mind?
Some answers from audience: No preference, No judging, Peace, Happiness, Openness, Stillness. You see all this is neutral. Alright? You see all these qualities is the neutral quality. That means that you are flowing with present, flowing with present. That means when we say present, that means you are changing with change. When we say about maintaining presence it means you are changing with change. Maintaining is changing. You need to change to maintain. Alright? If you cannot change, you cannot maintain. Alright? So the present has all these qualities. So present. Neutral is that you should be happy. Yes? Because you are not judging. You are seeing things as it is. Then you can change, then you can keep up. So this is so very important here. Okay?
Question: We talk about everything changes but then we talk about some things that don’t change like neutral.
Answer: Because neutral is change. Laughs Neutral itself is change. Because the change doesn’t change. The change is permanent. Understand? What is permanent? Change is permanent. You see? Understand now?
Question: No, because awareness doesn’t change; it’s always there.
Answer: Awareness is change. It’s always there, but you keep up with the change. The reflection of awareness sees change, but the quality itself that you maintain over there, yes? That you maintain over there, because what you see all change. The process, alright?
Question: Unable to hear
Answer: Awareness is the effect of what? Awareness is the effect of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the cause. Alright? So you’re mindful to aware. How do you maintain mindful? In the present moment. Present moment is what? Present is change. Yes?
Question: Unable to hear
Answer: The concept does not change, but to be with the principal you need to change. You see? You need to change to be with the principal. Then only you can balance and harmonize with it. Alright? When we talk about into action, into movement, in time and space, it’s different from the concept. Understand that now? In time and space everything changes. That’s why the poem; that’s why we wrote it. So now, in physical neutral we need to understand the six direction energy. Alright?
The space, physical is the space, the xyz has 6 direction energy. That means the 6 direction; that’s why the 6 direction energies are also the 3 dimensions. Usually we only talk about the 3, because the 3 dimensions contain the 6 energies. But I put back the 6 energies there, because sometimes students cannot see the 3 dimensions ?? energies. So with the 6 energies here, because of the xyz, understanding the center, balancing the up down, forward backward, left right, sometimes I call it the junction, sometimes I call it the neutral line, maintaining the neutral. That means when you’re on the junction, you can go all directions. Alright? So on point of contact have junction; on your body have junction. With the contact the spacing have junction. Because the junction is the neutral point that object and subject here have to cross. Alright? So, that is the spacing junction, but point of contact of a body junction that all this must be able to meet and match. The junction you can say is also 3 dimension spherical energy; it’s a cross in 3 dimensions. That’s why we say the 6 energy and 3 dimension is a neutral energy, is a fullness energy that can change. Understanding here then all other movement is only born correctly. Understand that now? To maintain. But through our curriculum we learn to recognize.
We go from stage 1 to stage 2 to stage 3 to stage 4 to stage 5. Each curriculum we learn different ?theory?. We go through all this learning block to learn through, to understand, to incorporate the 13 points. Now the 13 points is the reference point of unifying your body. The 5 mechanism is the unification of the movement. Now, when I say that now, when you come in contact, how you act, why you act, what is your reference point of act? What do you base on to act? 13 point is the reference point. Laughs You balance the 13 point to the point of contact. But the point of contact that to balance this 13 point to the point of contact you are using the cross, using the cross and center to match. But you must have the 13 points first. Then only to match with the cross, or the cross match where? Where to end? Understand that now? There’s 13 point over there. So the 10 10 starts with 13 points. There is the process of learning 10, there is the quality of 10; 10 10. The quality of the 10 is the ?subject? of the 13 point. So if you understand your 13 points good enough, there is unification in yourself that you keep on balancing, unify yourself with the action of five mechanism movement. Any movement has this five mechanism, but not necessarily is unified.
So when you move you must have this five unify mechanism with the 13 points. Okay? And then on point of contact, when you unify your opponent, you’ve got to have flow, fend, roll, and pivot. Alright? So and here we have four strategies to understand the cross, understanding this open and closing line where it changes. That’s why the four strategies comes from here. So this concepts, to understand this principal, this life that you’re training, you must really hang on to over there, so your precisement, so your movement is correct. If you cannot understand this; what is enough, what is not enough, what is too much. Without understanding this mechanism, the diagram of the mechanism of this line, you don’t know, you can’t understand. Not enough, or enough, or too much. The line of mechanism, the diagram. We have three diagrams; one yin yang diagram, 13 point diagram, and the mechanism of that movement of this line diagram. So you understand the yin yang diagram first; understand which one is yin which one is yang, then you understand the 13 points, then you understand the line of mechanism of this line. To understand the preciseness, the precision, is under these 3 diagrams.
All this you must understand that book and system guide is not just there for drawing. It has some purpose. Laughs Understand that now? So the training and the learning process you must focus enough to see this. Alright? So then we have 6 energy, 3 dimension, and physical as a base. Sometimes we call that the primordial energy or sometimes we call that internal power, because it is a spherical energy, it’s a core energy. Maintaining there then you have fullness, you have readiness; this readiness and fullness that you can change.
Often times, many people misunderstands that being a martial artist, one must be ‘aggressive’, rough, and tough in order to have the upper hand over your opponent. Quite the contrary, here, world renown martial artist, Master Sam Chin explains why you should focus your training on “neutral” instead.
In this video, Master Sam Chin talks about what exactly is “physical neutral” under the Zhong Xin Dao principles. It explains how understanding the neutral on touch helps you connect to your opponent center(s) and built a network that sends you all the information. Only on neutral, you’re open to receiving the most accurate details without the influence of your own judgement.
He also reveals how by being neutral helps you escape from being bound by timing and spacing, so you no longer need to concern about speed and being ‘faster’ than your opponent. There’s no speed faster than “you being already THERE”.
So under the arts of ZXD/ ILC. The principle is on mental neutral and physical neutral. Mindfulness, right mindfulness is the neutral attention and the physical center starts with one point. A point is a center point. A center point, how do you classify as a center? That means a center must have forward, backward, left, right, up down. That means it’s 6 directions. At least 6 directions then there’ll be 3 dimensions. So this is the neutral energy and also how to look into the space.
ZXD is the approach teaching you to hold on neutral. As Tao said, circle with center, everything adjust and fall in place to the center. So it’s a bit tricky here. I can explain, Does anyone have beads.
Now, this is a center. If I try to use this to adjust. This is one side, this is another side. I try to do this, to go to the center to adjust, to coordinate to go to the center. The ZXD (approach) is that, I hold the center. Everything falls in place. Understand? You see when I hold there, everything will go to there, will align. So in the training. Can we maintain and hold on the point? But you must be careful that the oint is also keep on changing, you must be able to flow to be with the point. That means all movement will aligning to the point. So this is one of the approach.
In our principles, first we talk about circle with the center. Then center to center, then how you link the center. When there’s a link, there’s a tension to hold the link. So the tension turns into one. For instance, these 3 things. 3 points. This to this. If you don’t link, then you drop this. This will be with this. Then this will turn into the past. If I have this, this, this, linked, this turn into one present. So we are holding onto that neutral. So when we can hold, how many centers. It creates a network. When I create a network, like a wireless network, for instance.
If your network is as big as this house, that means you connect there connect there. If my network is the whole compound, that means my radar is bigger. Like the table is my radar, your radar is only this. That means anything inside here, you know. Outside you don’t know. But outside is under my radar. So that means I know this will be going into your radar, into your space. That means this is your future, so your future is under my present. So this is about timing and spacing. If I’m there occupying all the time, I’m there all the time, there’s no more time and space. So how can you be faster than me?
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