As an authentic martial art “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” acknowledges Oriental philosophy that relates directly to Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Essentially, Buddhism addresses balance, Daoism addresses ancient Chinese medicine, and Confucianism addresses ethics and morality. Given that the Chinese Martial Arts stem largely from Indian attitudes and culture, “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” seeks to embrace a degree of Indian philosophy. We also look to Chinese Chan philosophy aiming to shatter illusion and the development and cultivation of oneself.
This then is our philosophy:
Jing Qi Shen:
Resresenting the core principles and philosophy of our White Crane (“Baihe Jingqishen Quantao”), Jing is defined as Essence and Energy, Qi can be defined as Energy, breath or air. It's akin to the notion that energy and respiration are connected, that energy and spirit resides in each breath. Shen can mean spirit but also means mind and expression. It is essential that all White Crane Research Institute members embody and understand this philosophy as they represent the key to the heart of our art and to mastery of not only the art but the self.
You (Nimen):
Following on from the philosophy and meaning of Jing, Qi and Shen is the most important aspect of philosophy within the White Crane Research Institute ... You!!! “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” is something you practice and do for one person - yourself! It is you and only you who can actually benefit directly from your training. Doing it for yourself is not selfish but is the path to exploring the art within that of your own personality and understanding. It is essentially making the art your own which is the aim and philosophy of all good Chinese martial arts.
Chan:
Chan is the form of Chinese philosophy. Chan is itself derived from the Sanskrit Dhyana, which means "meditation". Contained within Chan is the philosophy of subconscious understanding … This it is the same within “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao”. Indeed, the “forms” (Xing / Taolu) one learns within “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” are, effectively the physical embodiment of this aspect of Chan philosophy. This is something we refer to as "flashes" within our training, those special times when you simply "know" that what you are doing is right, when everything just comes together! This is also a philosophy of the renowned Carl Jung which he called "Collective unconscious". The collective unconscious is also known as "a reservoir of the experiences of our species." Jung emphasized the importance of balance and harmony. He cautioned that modern people rely too heavily on science and logic and would benefit from integrating spirituality and appreciation of unconscious realms.
Karma and Compassion:
“Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” is at its heart a compassionate form of martial arts. One that believes in ‘karma’ and therefore “cause and effect’. The physical skills one learns within “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao” should only be used against another individual as a very last resort. Our techniques involve the minimization of violence and are only raised to the use of Knockouts and beyond given life-protection situations.
Wenwushuangdao:
Traditional Chinese Martial Arts always acknowledge the concept of the Warrior Scholar Way often refered to more simply as “Wenwu”. “Wenwushuangdao” literally means “Literature (Wen) Martial (Wu) Together (Shuang) The Way (Dao). Many highly-acclaimed martial arts Masters were said to be men of “Wenwu”. This meant that they balanced their studies (reading, writing, and physical martial arts practice) they would thus attain the highest degree of both skill and understanding. This is the key to understanding within “Baihe Jingqishen Quantao”.
Wude:
Ultimately the success of a student is not determined by his or her external abilities, (strength, speed, flexibility, etc.,) but rather by the students morality and character. This is known as Wude.
Wude includes two aspects:
Morality of Deed
Morality of Mind
Morality of Deed includes five elements: Humility, Respect, Righteousness, Trust and Loyalty.
Morality of Mind also consists of five elements: Will, Endurance, Perseverance, Patience and Courage.
Traditionally, only those students who had cultivated these standards of morality or Wude, were considered to be “worthy” of being taught White Crane.
Morality of deed is most important to the teacher as it concerns the student’s relationship with the Master, their fellow students, other martial artists and the general public. Students who are not moral in their actions are not worthy of being taught since they cannot be trusted nor respected. Furthermore, without morality of deed they may abuse the art and use their fighting ability to harm innocent people. Therefore Masters will watch their students carefully for a long time until they are sure that the student meets their standards of morality of deed before allowing them to start any serious training.
Morality of mind is for self-cultivation, which is required for reaching the final goal. The Chinese consider that we have two minds - an emotional mind and a wisdom mind. Usually when a person fails in anything it is because the emotional mind has dominated his or her thinking. The five elements, within the morality of mind, are the keys to training and they lead the student to the stage where the wisdom mind can dominate. This self-cultivation of the mind is the spiritual goal of White Crane.
This is but a small overview of the philosophy within the White Crane Research Institute.
