'Ba Gua (Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art)'

155 Pages·2016·5.62 MB·English

by  Master Liu Xing-Han and John Bracy

Title: Ba Gua : hidden knowledge in the Taoist internal martial art
Author: Liu, Sing-Han and Bracy, John
Published: 1998
VISBN: 1556432763
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I
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Ba Gua
Hidden Knowledge
in the
Taoist Internal Martial Art
Master Liu Xing-Han
John Bracy
Consulting editors:
Li Zhong-Quan and Liu Men-Gen
Beijing, China
North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art
Copyright © 1998 by Master Liu Xing-Han and John Bracy. No portion of this book, except for
brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written
permission of the publisher. For information contact the publisher.
Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Cover designed by Bianca Bagatourian
Book design by Catherine Campaigne
Printed in the United States of America
Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art is sponsored by the Society for the
Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to
develop an educational and crosscultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and
artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to pub-
lish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data j
Bracy, John, 1955-
Ba gua : hidden knowledge in the Taoist internal martial art /John Bracy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55643-276-3 (alk. paper)
1. Kung fu—Psychological aspects I. Title.
GV1114.7.873 1998
796.815'9—dc21 98-7085
CIP
12 3 4 5 6 7 9 / 01 00 99 98

Photo and Diagram Credits
Page 11: Painting of Ko Hung at his alchemical laboratory: from Photo of a
Painting by Dr. Sung Ta-Jen, from Needham, Joseph, Science and Civilization
in China, vol 5. Used with permission.
Page 12: Illustration of Taoist yogis. From F.V. Cibot, Notice du Cong Fu des
Bonzes Tao-see, 1778. Memoires concernant Vhistoire, les sciences les arts de chinoispar
les missionaires de Pekin 1778-1779.
Page 15: Wood block print, Taoist adapt. Needham. Used with permission.
Page 19: Photograph & painting of Sun Lu-Tang rendered by Chris Hensley.
Page 23: Electrical conductivity of skin at acupuncture points: from Robert
Becker, The Body Electric. Used with permission.
Page 25: Secrets of the Internal Tradition. Print from a Taoist printing wood-
block. Needham. Used with permission.
Page 31: Drawing of a Taoist Yogi—Cibot.
Photo credit
Most of the two-man drills and self-defense application photos in chapters 4
and 5 were photographed by Bijan Yashar.
Acknowledgments
F
irst and foremost I wish to thank all the internal martial arts masters who
have patiently instructed me in and entrusted me with their arts. In par-
ticular I wish to thank Master Liu Xing-Han, coauthor of this book, who
accepted me as an "inner door" initiate in the Ba Gua Zhang disciple lineage.
My training with Master Liu would have been fruitless without the foundation
laid by my other internal teachers, particularly the late Chang Shr-Jung and
Masters Ho Shen-Ting, Yi Te-Kuen, and Yi Tien-Wen of Taiwan. To these
teachers and the many others who have graciously assisted me in my study of
the martial arts I offer my deepest and most sincere thanks.
I graciously acknowledge the help of those who assisted me in this work
and made this book possible. This reference could not have been possible with-
out the editorial assistance of Bianca Bagatourian, Chris Johnson, clint Johns,
and Brent Werner; the research assistance of Eric Gulbrandson and Brian LoBue;
the technical assistance of Mike Stone; and the comments and technical advice
of my kung fu uncles, brothers, and sisters in Beijing. To the aforementioned
and everyone who provided moral and technical support I extend my sincerest
thanks.
A special note of thanks to Miss Bianca Bagatourian for her assistance in
the cover and jacket design, and to everyone at North Atlantic Books who helped
make this book a reality, jb
VII
About the authorship
With the exception of Chapter Two and the Conclusion which were written
exclusively by John Bracy, Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Martial Art is
a collaboration by both authors.
Contents
PREFACE XI
INTRODUCTION by Master Liu Xing-Han xv
INTRODUCTION by John Bracy xxi
CHAPTER ONE
The Tao of Ba Gua 1
CHAPTER TWO
Internal Power and Internal Martial Arts 5
Qi: Martial Arts Mystery 5
What Happened to the Ancient Knowledge of Internal Energy? 21
Evaluating Qi: Checking for Unconscious Participation 28
CHAPTERTHREE
The Arcane, Mysterious, and Symbolic in Ba Gua Zhang 31
Ba Gua as Taoist Yogic Practice 31
Yin-Yang and Chinese Cosmology 37
The Ba Gua Body 41
Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Principles 44
The Four Precious Methods 48
CHAPTER FOUR
Ba Gua Qi Gong 57
Understanding Qi 57
Five Methods, Eight Gates 63
IX