ZiRanMen (Natural Style Kungfu)
ZiRan (自然) is a key concept in Taoist philosophy.
It is so by virtue of its self, natural.
Naturally spontaneous.
ZiRanMen seeks to develop a frame of mind,
that aims to avoid all confrontation and resistance.
Man follows the order of the earth,
Earth follows the order of heaven,
Heaven follows the order of the Tao,
Tao follows the order of nature.
In accordance with the Taoist view of the natural laws,
ZiRanMen has the following as its own philosophy.
There is no beginning or end in movement,
There is no beginning or end in stillness,
Change is instant,
Movement within stillness.
Both true and false, real and empty,
All actions are spontaneous,
Action without action.
ZiRanMen is considered as the fourth internal art.
XingYi - Power
BaGua - Body
TaiChi - Hand
ZiRan - Sponteneity
It adheres to the philosophy of the theory of One and Zero,
namely the principle that One or Action (You 有),
stems from Zero or Nothingness(Wu æ— ).
There should be no presence of mind or tension during practice,
no concern for matter, with all action arising spontaneously out of nothingness.
Qi is the root, the foundation for movement,
spontaneous natural action is the way that follows, the manifestation of Dao.
ZiRanMen employs extensive physical training,
body conditioning exercises and fighting techniques.
With a focus on two major components.
The first is external physical body training, known as WaiDan.
The second is internal cultivation training, known as NeiDan (Ziran Qigong).
ZiRanMen enhances and reinforces bodily awareness and sensitivity.
Training the mind and the body as one,
the Yi (intellect) is nourished and the body strengthened.
When facing an opponent, one is calm and playful,
like that of a small child or a curious animal.
Once attacked one is unencumbered, fast and spontaneous,
of a manner that provides an opponent no means of escape.
This aim is captured in the saying:
Dodging like the wind, moving like a sword from the scabbard.
When the opponent moves, move like an avalanche.
ZiRanMen training requires a long-term, dedicated and committed approach.
As in the initial stages of training many of the movements feel unnatural.
As time passes, these unnatural movements become more and more natural,
at which stage one may finally reach a state of natuaral spontaneous action.
Grandmaster Wan Lai Sheng said.
The patterns in nature started with unnature,
Progressively changing into the rythms of nature.
One who has belief, passion, courage and perseverance,
Will eventually be successful and attain ZiRan.
Understanding that within nature, change is constant,
is later applied to ZiRan fighting techniques.
If one encounters an opponent who is stronger (Yang),
Evade, decrease or redirect their force (Yin).
If an opponent is unbalanced or in a weak position (Yin),
Create a strong position, take advantage and attack (Yang).
The key is in understanding the situation and adjusting yourself accordingly.
This is what is meant to act in a manner that is naturally spontaneous.
Defense is within attack,
Attack within defense,
Action without action,
This is the way of ZiRan.