According to Chinese philosophy, in order to achieve harmony and peace with your enemy, when there is a conflict, you must not merely conquer his or her body. True power or capability for fighting is in showing your opponents that they do not have a chance of victory. Therefore, after a physical conflict, there should be spiritual harmony with your enemy. Only then can peace be reached. Killing and conquest can only produce more hate and killing in the future. In China, the highest level of fighting is not fighting. If you can anticipate and avoid a fight, then you have won the war.
For example, there is a tavern near my studio. Occasionally, an inebriated person decides that he wants to come in and challenge the students in my school. Often, this will agitate them, and the younger ones want to fight. One time, a drunken Vietnam veteran walked into the school and challenged them to fight. Again, some students were agitated and angry. I told them I would handle it this time. I politely and carefully approached him, asked his name and if there was anything that I could do to help him. He told me how strong and great he used to be, how brave he was in the war, and how well he was able to fight. I listened and nodded my head to show my acknowledgment of his past glory. After he saw that I was actually listening to his story, his manner became gentler. Then I asked him to sit down and told him I was busy with class right now and that I would fight him after class if it were all the same to him. Next, I went to prepare some hot tea and gave it to him. I told him the tea would help him while he was waiting. Half an hour later, he woke up and sneaked out the door without being noticed. Since then, every time he passes the studio, he will smile and wave to me. Although we do not know each other deeply, at least we have become friends, and he understands that I recognize his honor. Since that night we have never had a problem with him. Another story was told to me by my Grandmother. A long time ago, there was a family that owned a small farm. The father worked very hard to make the farm successful so that he would be able to leave it to his two sons when he died. The elder son, who was married, was named De-xin, while the younger son, who was not married, was named De-yi.
One day, the father became very sick, and he knew that he would soon die. He gathered his sons together and said to them, “I wish to give this farm to both of you. Share it equally, and help each other to make it successful. I hope that it makes you as happy as it has made me.” With these words the father quietly passed away.
The sons divided the land equally and set about the task of building their own farms. Even though they had divided the land, they still cooperated, helping each other with the more difficult chores. However, not long after the father died, De-xin’s wife decided that she and De-xin had not received enough land. After all, De-yi was single and didn’t need as much land as they did. She began urging her husband to request more land from his brother.
Finally, after considerable provocation from his wife, De-xin demanded more land from De-yi. Because De-xin was much bigger and stronger, the only thing De-yi could do was to concede in angry silence and let his brother occupy more land.
However, De-xin’s wife was still not satisfied. When she saw how easy it was to get more land from her brother-in-law, she again urged her husband to demand more land. Again, De-yi could only consent to his brother’s demands. Still, De-xin’s wife was not satisfied, and finally she demanded that De-yi leave all the land to her and her husband.
De-yi requested help from his relatives and friends and begged them to mediate the conflict. No one would help. They knew it was unfair for De-yi to be forced off his land, but they were afraid because they knew of De-xin’s violent temper.
Finally, De-yi decided to take a stand for what he knew was right. He decided to stay, even though his brother wanted him to leave. For this defiance, De-xin beat him very, very badly. De-yi was finally forced to leave his home and become a traveling street beggar.
One day, while traveling in the Putian region of Fujian Province, he saw several Shaolin priests in town on an expedition to purchase food. He knew that the Shaolin monks were good in gongfu, and he thought that if he could learn gongfu, he could beat De-xin and regain the land that was rightfully his. He decided to follow the monks, and when they reached the temple he would request that they accept him as a student of gongfu.
When he arrived at the temple, he requested to see the Head Priest. The Head Priest welcomed him and asked why he had requested the meeting. De-yi told the Head Priest his sad story and asked to be taught gongfu so that he could regain his land.
The Head Priest looked at him, pondered for a few minutes, and finally said, “De-yi, if you are willing to endure the painfully hard training, then you are accepted as a student here.” With deep appreciation, De-yi knelt down and bowed to the Head Priest.
Early the next morning, De-yi was summoned to the backyard of the temple. The Head Priest was standing in front of a young willow tree, holding a calf. He said to De-yi, “Before you learn any gongfu, you must first build up your strength. To do this you must hold this calf in your arms and jump over this willow tree fifty times in the morning and fifty times in the evening. De-yi replied, “Yes, master. This is a simple task and I will do it every day.”
From then on, De-yi held the calf in his arms and jumped over the willow tree every morning and every evening. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed, years passed. The calf grew into a cow and the small willow tree grew into a big tree. Still, De-yi held the cow in his arms and jumped over the tree.
One day, he requested to see the Head Priest. He asked, “Dear Master, I have held the cow and jumped over the willow tree for three years already. Do you think I am strong enough to train gongfu?”
The Head Priest looked at him and the cow. He smiled and said: “De-yi, you do not have to learn anymore. You have completed your gongfu training. Your strength is enough to regain your lost land. You should take this cow home with you and use it to cultivate your land.”
De-yi looked at the Head Priest with surprise and asked: “If I have not learned any martial arts, what do I do if my brother comes to fight me again for my land?” The Head Priest laughed and said, “Do not worry, De-yi. If your brother comes to fight you again, simply pick up the cow and run towards him. There will be no fight.”
De-yi half believed the Head Priest, but he also thought that perhaps the Head Priest was joking with him. He took the cow and left the Shaolin Temple. When he arrived home, he started to cultivate his land.
De-xin soon discovered his brother’s return. He decided to beat up his younger brother again and teach him an unforgettable lesson. After that, De-yi would never dare to return. When De-yi came to the rice field, he saw his brother running towards him, shouting in anger.
When De-yi saw his brother running toward him, he remembered what the Head Priest had said and immediately picked up the cow and ran towards his brother. This surprised and shocked De-xin. He just could not believe that his brother possessed such strength. He turned around and ran away, never to return again.
From this story, I learned two lessons. The first is that you need patience and endurance to succeed. Great success always comes from many little efforts. The second lesson is that the best way to win a fight is without fighting. Often you can win a fight with wisdom, and this is better than beating up someone.
I remember that my White Crane master told me something that affected my perspective of Chinese martial arts completely. He told me that the goal of a martial artist’s learning was not fighting. It is neither for showing off nor for proving you are capable of conquering other people. He said the final goal of learning is to discover the meaning of life. Therefore, what I was learning from him was not a martial art, but the way of life. I could not accept this concept when I was young. However, now that I am much older, I can start to understand what he meant at that time.
In the last twenty years, I have had many questions in my mind. Why are we here? What do we expect to accomplish in our lifetime? Do we come to this life as just an animal, without a deep meaning, or do we come to this life to comprehend and to experience the deep meaning of our lives?
In my opinion, there are many ways of understanding