Zhang Sanfeng

"Hi Mike, that post about Chan San-Feng: Sure he has become a mythical figure, but so has Jesus, and look what is said about everything he did! I think that Chan San-Feng did exist, as Taijiquan was passed from Master to Student heart to heart, so it must have started in a human heart. It is just that the early forms of religion were magical and mythical in nature - in the verbal story telling tradition. I am sure they were both real characters. I have also studied San-Feng Taijiquan from the Wudang tradition with Máster Tian Liyang from Wudang since 2000. So, I have a bit of direct background knowledge, mostly it is in German. If you want to know more about the subject I can recommend Wudang – Mountain of the Immortals from Abbot Wang Guangde, which also has an English version. Also, it seems strange to talk about complete attentiveness and have the post full of typing mistakes. Also, why don't you switch the comments on? I think it a bit unfair to make comments without giving the chance for an open discussion. You can always delete spam, or offensive posts. You can take that as a criticism! Other than that, keep up the good work... Qigongweg: Notes about Qigong and Taiqiquan in German. Regards, Philip Stanley" Thanks for the feedback, Philip. Blogger has no built in spell-checker. I've tried the java script spell checker "i-spell" with unsatisfactory results. I'm looking for something that can work with both Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Suggestions? I agree that I should strive for correct spelling. Also, when I copy and paste text, I sometimes forget to check the grammar and/or spelling of the original author. I turned on the comments to the Cloud Hands Blog today. Generally, when I've used it before, I got mostly spam in the blog and more spam in my inbox. I'll try it for awhile again, but probably will turn it off. People can always send me email, and I answer nearly all email. Master Chang San-Feng may indeed have lived, contributed to the development of Taijiquan, and contributed in other ways. Like Jesus, however, people in later times make some claims about the deeds and thoughts of these people that are judged by me as false on the basis of common sense and the analysis of the arguments of expert historians. Neither Jesus Christ or Master Chang San-Feng are my role models for living, but I respect their influence which seems very positive in many ways. Thank you for the reference source to Máster Tian Liyang from Wudang - I will add it to the Zhang San-feng webpage. The great Taoist tradition from Wudang Mountain is without question one of the five most important sources for Taijiquan philosophy, practices, and lore. I enjoy the stories told about these wise men. The marvelous stories are full of mystery, awe, delight, and magic. Taoist Master Zhang Sanfeng is also credited with revealing the mysteries of the Taiji spear. Here is that story: "Zhang Sanfeng saw a burst of golden light where the clouds meet the mist-shrouded peaks. A thousand rays of marvelous qi spun and danced in the Great Void. The Immortal [Zhang Sanfeng] hurried to the spot but saw nothing. He searched where the golden light had touched down and found a mountain stream and cave. Approaching the mouth of the cave, two golden snakes with flashing eyes emerged. The Immortal swished his duster and the golden light came down. He gazed on it and realized that it was two long spears about seven feet five inches. They seemed to be made of rattan, but were not rattan; seemed of wood, but were not of wood. Their quality was such that swords could not harm them and they could be soft or hard at will. A rare glow emanated from within [the cave], and looking deeper, he found a book. Its title was Taiji Stick-Adhere Spear and its destiny was to be transmitted to the world. He grasped the principles of the book and analyzed all of its marvels. All of the words in the book were written in the form of poems and songs. Today we cannot understand all the principles and marvels of the spear, but Master Zhang extracted the essence of every word and transformed them into a series of postures. All men can now study and learn this art." - Quoted by Barbara Davis, The Taijiquan Classics, 2004, p. 29 Translated by Douglas Wile, T'ai-chi Touchstones, 1993, p. 138. Thanks for your constructive feedback, Mike Garofalo