The Intention of Yellow Dragon Fist

The Yellow Dragon philosophy is ultimately about exposing weaknesses, recognising them and turning them into strengths. The aim of this approach is to create a well-balanced personality that can then be further developed both for the benefit of the individual and for society. It is far more difficult to develop the correct attitude than it is to gain the physical strength and skill to pass a martial arts grading. It is this attitude that we should be seeking through practising real kung fu.

Some people believe that the ability to fight is everything. Now Master Wong questions you:

1) "When your girlfriend tries to leave you can you beat her up?" I'm sure you can but you'll probably end up going to jail and losing your girlfriend at the same time!

2) "When your boss fires you or refuses to give you a promotion can you beat him up?"

3) "When someone breaks into your house to steal your belongings when you are not there can you beat them up?"

Now you can see that fighting can not sort out your problems. Only idiots believe that they can make their lives better if they can fight. To just train your body and not your mind is training to be just like a bull, hold a red cloth in front of a bull and you can expect him just to charge without too much thought. If someone were to piss you off you too would just see red and try to beat them up. But if you were to use your mind, it would be easy to tame even the most violent bull- just put a ring in his nose and he will follow you anywhere. If Master Wong had the choice to fight using the mental power of thought or merely physical strength he would most definitely choose the mental side against any opponent. This is called "the art of fighting without fighting."

The training that the Yellow Dragon system provides aims to lead us toward this understanding. By incorporating the strength of the most effective system of kung fu, the mental aptitude and balance of tai chi, the internal and external health aspects of chi gung, the ability to bring harmony to our homes with feng shui and a high degree of spiritual strength, the system gives one the potential to solve all the problems in one"s life.

The idea of "emptiness" - that everything is impermanent - is illustrated by an old Chinese story. A general had won a thousand battles and believed himself to be invincible. One day he was idly examining an exquisite piece of jade that he particularly treasured, when it spilled from his hands. Panicking, he grasped it just before it smashed on the floor.

Reflecting, he recognised that in that one instant he had experienced fear. But this was not the same fear he had felt in all the battles and dangerous situations he had survived. Why was it different? It was because he loved the jade so much that he was scared of losing it. This thought triggered the realisation that with love there is attachment to fear, with fear there is attachment to anger, with anger there is attachment to hate which lead to suffering. With this new awareness he smashed the jade and laughed, understanding his mistake. (You may remember that this Buddhist philosophy was used in Star Wars too!)

This story has a lesson for the many people who practice martial arts purely because they love aggressive physical combat. Such individuals are already "attached" - as their training progresses they end up becoming big headed and egotistical, thinking they are better than everyone else. The majority of martial artists want to challenge masters from different styles. They do not realise that this obsession creates and increases their suffering, and they will therefore never find inner peace.

In order to be a true fighter one must fist gain the wisdom to overcome all obstacles in their minds. Once you have learnt this, you have the ability to withstand any amount of pain, to defeat yourself against any opponent, to conquer any fears that you have. This type of strength is not taught in any other kung fu school and it is more difficult than any form of physical training, yet it is the only key to becoming "untouchable". If you think you are strong enough to withstand this type of training, Master Wong opens his doors to you!

To find peace you must look inside yourself and try to understand how the six senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, taste and intuition create an illusion that we interpret as reality. The thoughts and actions of most normal people are dictated by their six senses. This is like six "thieves" controlling our minds, at least until we have the wisdom to control them. To gain this wisdom, the first step is to find a real Master, from whose guidance you learn that the real wisdom is within yourself. Paradoxically, without such guidance you may never realise this.