Importance of lineages in martial arts
By John Chow of Tao of Tai
Chi Chuan Institute,
Lineages very important because we need to be able to:-
determine whether our information came from an authentic source.
whether our immediate source has been properly trained and certified by an authentic source.
whether our immediate source has been authorised to teach by an authentic source.
refer back to an authentic master( and their masters) for any doubts, confirmations, or dispute.
be corrected by an authentic master in our ideas, direction, history, and physical performance.
For example, we can ask our master about the history. Unfortunately for those in the West, they can not easily do that, and thus, many points of debate (such as “Did this really happen?” or “Did you say this?” or “Did you really teach this guy? or “Is this guy your closed door disciple?”, may never get resolved in the West. You just do not have a reliable referral system.
Having a proper lineage means we can also cross reference with masters of similar lineages. We can cross reference with another master of another authentic lineage. Many very famous teachers in the West whose lineages are in doubt can not, or do not, or refuse to provide access to their lineage masters. Sometimes the lineage masters are shrouded in secrecy, and information is not only vague and disjointed, but simply not available because these sort of masters make the excuse that the person is dead! But, that lineage master should have a family, and should have other disciples and students, so why not provide free and ready access? How about the lineage master’s brother-in-art? Afterall, we are all interested in searching for truth. Or should we accept excuses that they are all very elusive and not available for us to question them? Or they belong to some triads and are in hiding? Or they have illegally entered a Western country and are in hiding?
This is the meaning of having an authentic lineage - we want physical proof of the lineage connection, and be able to cross reference to them that the things our teacher taught are what the lineage taught. I believe this is a very dicey area for many teachers in the West.
I will take Nigel Sutton for an example. I can verify that the people he mentioned as his lineage do exist, and they were where he said they were, and when, and they have left things and disciples behind as tangible living proof. I can cross reference everything he said. Two of my lineages come from the lineages he described I know the stories Nigel Sutton told because I have heard them even before I ever heard of Nigel Sutton. If I heard of Nigel Sutton prior to them, I would need a lineage source to check up on him. Hence, a lineage is very important to know what is the correct way. Nobody is beyond providing us proof of what they claim.
Lastly, many teachers in the
West tell many interesting stories of their encounters, or examples
of their Fa Jing.
I would like to obtain proof of what they claimed happen - actually did
happen. Or whether stories of, for
example, a Korean gentlemen beating up a well known Tai Chi Chuan teacher
of an alleged original and secret lineage in
Written on 27 April 2005, by John Chow, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncturist, masseur, healer and teacher of martial arts and spiritual paths.
Copyright:
No part of this article can be used, quoted, copied in any form without the permission from the author.
For further information on this article, please contact John Chow at vajra_master@yahoo.com.
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