The Explanation of ChanWuYi by master Xingxing

My master Wu Shanlin had taught over ten disciplines during his life, and most of them had followed him for only three to five years. However, I had followed my master for 20 years, and became the successor of ChanWuYi. With my limited ability, I had only taken two disciples, they are Shi Dejian and Wu Nafo. Among those who learn Kungfu surrounding and within Shaolin Temple, only we have followed the ChanWuYi approach taught to me by Wu Shanlin (that was original form Wu Gulun). I only had one year of schooling, my academic level may be low. Thus, I must say my understanding of Shaolin’s ChanWuYi culture was also originated from my master, and with my own reflection and experience.

First of all, Chan is not superstition. My master and mine followed and respected Buddism, we have enhanced our own life by life with Buddism – to develop a kind heart, a high moral standard, and many charity sets. We understand that Buddha is within our heart but not in the heaven – that was what Buddha taught. Buddha, nowadays, is worshipped by people as God; in fact he was a holy person but not God. My master and mine do not believe in superstition God and specter.

I had followed my master to learn a specific approach of Chan Practice that is called Mindmastering Chan, also known as Pusa Xing. ChanWu (Chan Kung Fu) and Chan Yi (Chan Medical Approach) are different form of Mindmastering Chan, but the fundamental principal is the same. Practicing Chan is a way to enrich one’s inner-self, moral standard and wisdom. Those who practice Chan will eventually break the self-center mind and reach a level that beyond self.

Practicing Chan can help an individual to live naturally, with a trouble-free mind, a fruitful and wonderful life. However, an individual must go through a diligent and persistent practice of Chan in order to reach this level of awareness.

My master had taught me: Chan is Heart (thought). In order to understand Chan, one must first learn how to enlighten one’s heart (thought). To enlighten one’s heart, one must live accordingly to Buddism’s guidelines, clean one’s inner self, establish high moral conduct and practice charity acts. Those practicing Chan should develop an internal self that consist of several elements: original, nature, kindness, and to be a benefactor to society. The most difficulty to practice Chan is to understand and control oneself, that is what Buddism said “purity of thoughts” or Chan observation. In another word, Buddism’s basic guideline:

1. No killing
2. No stealing
3. No lust
4. No drinking
5. No dishonest

The most challenging enemy for learning Chan is oneself, but no other people. Buddism advocated control “evil”. How to control the evil? First, one must polish oneself by following the methods mentioned above, and then gradually one will be able to the evil thoughts within one’s self. We are all originally ordinary people, and are always troubled by matters and others people in the world. It is not easy to be Bodhisattva; however, we can develop a thought of Bodhisattva to do everything. Those with evil and unrightrust thoughts can never reach to level of Chan, because unkind thoughts destroy the thought of Chan. Mindmastering Chan can be achieved by Chan Kungfu and Chan Medical Practice. These two approaches are both based upon “Guiding Chi”. One must maintain a serenity heart (mind), without much trouble thoughts, can forget oneself to order to be able to experience to unity of Chi and thoughts and reach the level of Chan. For individuals with unkind thoughts, immoral conducts can never know Chan nor to experience the undescribable level mysterious Chan.