What´s your reason for training IP?

[kenneth fish]

I do not believe in the IMA/EMA distinction or dichotomy. I practice Chinese martial arts for the following reasons:

Strength
Health
Aptitude
Zeal
Ox, power of
Ox, power of another
Money

Well, all except the very last one

[Miro]

My reason for training IP (CIMA)? Just mysticism - and nothing else (I would like to emphasize - nothing else). Well, someone can ask - why not to do mysticism itself, why not to do mysticism directly? The answer is simple: years ago, when i tried to enter deeper jhanas - look here for description (section Stage of jhana, especially paragraph The Arupa Jhanas): (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhy%C4%81na_in_Buddhism), I was not able to do this. And when I I searched for reason, I discovered that my body is not open enough... (Exactly as Mircea Eliade said something like that we have all the ancient secrets available now - because we absolutely are not able to understand them.) So I started to practice CIMA and IP just for reason to open my body and get into understanding of the "things beyond". Some people here know my opinion that I consider fighting "childish" (and I apologize right now - before any consequent attacks to those who thinks I want to put them down or who simply disagree etc.) - that is my opinion based on my belief that I can take out maybe 99%, maybe 99,99% of attackers - anyone can do this after 20, 30 or 40 years of honest training - no big deal, I think. To go further (to go for 100%, to be another invincible) is simply not worthy of training, time, effort, money, etc. - I can accept that someone still can take me out barehanded, with knife or another weapon (because bad luck or because opponent is really better than me) and I will die - that is no big deal, too.
So remaining question is - why mysticism? And what connection is between mysticism and CIMA or IP? I think (that is not belief or faith, but personal experience) that mysticism is the only real "science" and the only tool that can give me (or to you) answer about the world and myself/yourself (real Western science is unfortunately too slow for this). And why CIMA? Because Western science it too analytical, it dissects things into details so much that it lost purpose (yes, Chris is correct in the thread about He Jinghan's video that there is no continuous connection of tendons in dang arch but with this correctness he fails to understand message that dang can be really felt and it is necessary tool for jibengong, qinggong, vertical power, taoist alchemy etc. - as well as it happened with things Bob posted here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=16003). Chinese thinking, Chinese IMA, mysticism (Buddhist meditations and Taoist alchemy) are simply more valuable for me than the whole Western science.
And so, I enjoy them.

[Chris McKinley]

Miro,

Since you have singled me out for criticism, I'm going to answer it. I don't "fail" to understand anything about that particular concept. I have been training for and been able to demonstrate that concept for many years longer than a good portion of this board's posters have even been training at all. That's part of why I stated, "Put simply, this arch does not exist, even if the object of the training is to behave as if it did.". Think about that statement and its ramifications to training. You arrogantly and falsely assume that I don't understand the concept just because I can characterize it as technically inaccurate. Sadly, you are not alone it that presumption. This is exactly what happens when we respond to objective criticism that we don't happen to like with ad hominem characterizations about the person making the criticism, as you have just done in your post here.

[Bhassler]

I do not believe in the IMA/EMA distinction or dichotomy.

+1

The distinction is a convenient shorthand, but ultimately arbitrary. Also, I think it's interesting that some people equate IMA with IP. IP is one characteristic of IMA, but not the only one (and I would argue not even the most important or defining one).

So to answer the OP directly (which is really just a transparent attempt to make it look like I'm not hijacking the thread), I study IP to support the relatively more interesting and martially effective aspects of my IMA.

[Daniel]

Edited for brevity.


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Daniel]

Edited for brevity.


D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Andy_S]

SNIP
Don't care a whit about kicking ass or having unusual power or any of that mess.

I just like the way it feels.
SNIP

As per the above.

I do Taiji 'cos I like it...all the other reasons evaporated some years ago, everything is a byproduct of the Taiji.

[Iskendar]

I'm a nerd. I just want to know how it works.

Oh, and yeah...it does feel good...

[Ralteria]

I'm a nerd. I just want to know how it works.

Oh, and yeah...it does feel good...

I'll second both of those. It's really fun to geek out on and feels fantastic.

Additionally, the peace of mind that can come along with it is pretty valuable to me. Saves time so I don't have to meditate AND train. Ultimate multitasking!

[wiesiek]

thru 40 years of trainings didn`t find nothing better...

[Aged Tiger]

Easier on my aging joints., plus I love it.

Oh, and the women! Wait,.... I'm married, nevermind....

[Aged Tiger]

Ken, Ox power...... HAHA! nice.

[Ben]

My answer will be the same as everyone else, because I like it. Since we are talking more in terms of training MA in general now I will give the more detailed and personal answer. I train because who I am when I train and who I am when I am not training have some key character differences between them and I like the "training" me much more. I won't get into any more detail than that.

[everything]

The "qi" feeling is good. The health feeling. The "mysteriousness" is interesting in that nerd way. I think for me, this is qigong, not IP, though. The MA aspect isn't as interesting to me as the health aspect and feeling good. But I would like to improve in all the IMA areas we discuss...