Martial Man - Adam Mizner revisited

[GrahamB]

It’s Shakespeare bro.

My point is that we are all actors on the stage of life so why not take on the roll of Buddhist monk?

Or the roll of tai chi master....

But let’s be honest - he’s playing a roll. If people want what he’s selling, that’s down to them. I’ve got no problem with that, I’m just not buying it myself.

[C.J.W.]

Mizner, based on video footage, is one of the better Yang stylists I've seen. He has internal skills and can apply them in PH and other semi-cooperative "training" formats. But whether he can really throwdown or not .....is anybody's guess.

Though from past experiences, I'd say that Taiji guys who've drunk too much hippie-guru-yogi-qi kool-aid usually do not fare well when facing a furious barrage of wild punches thrown by a brawler on the street.

[windwalker]

Kind of an odd statement. His background includes Southern mantis from watching a lot of his movement and clips it seems he still has a lot of the influence.

[wayne hansen]

He would have done his share of sparing when he was with Henry Sue

[willie]

I'd say that Taiji guys who've drunk too much hippie-guru-yogi-qi kool-aid usually do not fare well when facing a furious barrage of wild punches thrown by a brawler on the street.

the truth is that hardly no one from any style of martial arts does very well against a ferocious Street brawler. So Downing people who have practiced yoga,qi gong, or believe in Buddhism or Taoism is basically irrelevant.

[Trick]

He would have done his share of sparing when he was with Henry Sue

Who is Henry Sue? Just interested to know Mizners MA background

[C.J.W.]

I'd say that Taiji guys who've drunk too much hippie-guru-yogi-qi kool-aid usually do not fare well when facing a furious barrage of wild punches thrown by a brawler on the street.

the truth is that hardly no one from any style of martial arts does very well against a ferocious Street brawler. So Downing people who have practiced yoga,qi gong, or believe in Buddhism or Taoism is basically irrelevant.

I'm perfectly ok with legitimate Yoga, Qigong as well as people who are religious. Those practices only become problematic when the practitioners turn the mystic sides of the their arts and beliefs into cults, and use them as a means to take advantage over others.

I've known a few CMAists in Taiwan and Hong Kong who honed their arts by brawling in the streets and picking fights in red light districts , billiard halls, and slums against gangsters and criminals -- perfect combat training dummies who wouldn't go to the authorities even if they got seriously injured. They are out there. It's just that those people are usually very low-key and not interested in teaching or sharing their skills at all.

[C.J.W.]

Kind of an odd statement. His background includes Southern mantis from watching a lot of his movement and clips it seems he still has a lot of the influence.

I was unaware of his southern mantis background. But still, I believe my previous statement regarding the skill he displays in his various video footage was fair and objective.

[willie]

I'd say that Taiji guys who've drunk too much hippie-guru-yogi-qi kool-aid usually do not fare well when facing a furious barrage of wild punches thrown by a brawler on the street.

the truth is that hardly no one from any style of martial arts does very well against a ferocious Street brawler. So Downing people who have practiced yoga,qi gong, or believe in Buddhism or Taoism is basically irrelevant.

I'm perfectly ok with legitimate Yoga, Qigong as well as people who are religious. Those practices only become problematic when the practitioners turn the mystic sides of the their arts and beliefs into cults, and use them as a means to take advantage over others.

okay I have some Chinese friends from Taiwan. Just recently they told me about ji tung. This is something that they don't really speak of to non-asians, so I guess I am fortunate?

[willie]

My first yang style teacher was very superstitious I would say. He was incredible.

[willie]

And if I'm not mistaken I believe that Adam told me that a lot of his martial is actually directly from Buddhism.

[windwalker]

I was unaware of his southern mantis background. But still, I believe my previous statement regarding the skill he displays in his various video footage was fair and objective.

agree but just thought it odd considering his back ground.

He is dealing with an art that has a high level and specific skill set that its noted for.
If he presents to much or far out of this context many would not recognize it as taiji
on the other hand it still has be functional enough so that it's noted by those who understand
and look for, functionality.

I believe Sam Chin, also has a southern mantis background could be wrong.
Having had some exposure to it myself though a kung fu bother the approaches used used by both
very much remind me of s-mantis, although obviously there are some differences.

S-mantis IME is taught to be used...just as hop gar is...both get tested in
ways outside the scope of push hands that most seem to use to evaluate taiji stylist by..

[wayne hansen]

He would have done his share of sparing when he was with Henry Sue

Who is Henry Sue? Just interested to know Mizners MA background

Henry is a Gold Coast based chow gar teacher
He has been around since the early 70's
His cousin malcom is the more well known due to his Moto
Let malcom sue
Put confidence in you
With Kung fu
They also taught tai chi but it was not their strong suit

[C.J.W.]

okay I have some Chinese friends from Taiwan. Just recently they told me about ji tung. This is something that they don't really speak of to non-asians, so I guess I am fortunate?

In case your friends didn't tell you, Ji-tung, which is basically the Taiwanese equivalent to a psychic or medium, is a superstitious Taoist practice mainly seen in remote low-income cities and villages in central and southern parts of Taiwan. It's really not that big a secret though. If you travel down south and go to any major temple that has its own religious parade troupe, chances are you'll see at least a few of them.

It's also no big secret among the locals that the majority of Ji-tung come from poor disadvantaged families and become junkies because they often take illegal drugs to numb their senses so they can perform painful feats of self-torture and convince onlookers that they are "possessed by the spirits." They also claim they can see the future as well as communicate with the dead. (Every once in a while, you'll also see on the news here that some ji-tung managed to convince a dozen poor ladies that the only solution to whatever ailed them was to have sex with him.... ) 　

Back in the 70s and 80s, the government used to crack down on religious parade troupes (especially ji-tung) because many functioned like gangs and dealt in all sorts of rackets, mainly drugs and extortion. They were and still are famously known for recruiting middle-school and high-school dropouts to do their dirty work.

[marvin8]

He would have done his share of sparing when he was with Henry Sue

Who is Henry Sue? Just interested to know Mizners MA background

Here is an interview by one of Adam's students without a date, Pushing Toward the Light,
https://www.blitzmag.net/people/kungfu- ... -the-light:

Though he has left Australia in his search for enlightenment through taiji (tai chi) practise, Sifu Adam Mizner recently returned Down Under to teach others what he has discovered about internal power and ‘martial meditation’. He gave Blitz the following insights into his training and teaching methods.



What is the goal of taiji training?
The goal of taiji training is the complete transcendence of the dichotomy of yin and yang. Put simply, it is liberation or enlightenment. Although ultimately the goal is singular, the benefits during the path and training are many. These benefits can be summarised into three categories: gains in health and wellbeing based in the body; gains in martial prowess through the cultivation of internal power and sensitivity and spiritual gain through concentration and insight. When results are present in all three areas it is a sign of true taiji training, regardless of style or lineage.

Could you please give an overview of the training framework in your system?
The framework I teach in is the Satipatanna or the ‘Four Foundations of Mindfulness’. It is the base for all Buddhist internal work and is an indispensable tool on the path towards enlightenment. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are as follows: form, feelings, mind and phenomena. In terms of taiji training, these foundations of mindfulness are to be trained in progressively, working from the course to the refined.

Mindful awareness is the supreme tool in training, and is the essential energy of taiji. This energy is classically known in taiji circles as ting, jing or listening energy. So what is it that we listen to? Through mindfulness we direct our awareness to the knowing or listening to form, feelings, mind and phenomena.

First is form, or the material body — starting with our own body in our taiji forms practise and moving on to the bodies of others in our taiji push-hands practise. One directs their awareness to the knowing of the aspects of the body: structural alignment (alignment of the ‘nine pearls’), weight distribution, relaxation, the stretching and unstretching of the tendons, and the presence and placement of the physical centre of gravity. This knowing of one’s body when nurtured can be projected to knowing the bodies of others in push-hands and martial practice. The mind controls and directs the physical body, so there is a mind -body connection. Most so-called internal arts stop at this level of refined awareness of the body, led by mental intent.

Second is mindfulness of feelings. It is at this stage that we work with the chi or fine material energy. The chi is most easily perceived through feelings and this path of practice helps one to bypass the common pitfall of relying on imagination and visualisation of the internal energy, as this can quickly become a fabricated fantasy rather than a direct knowing of reality in the present.

The student trains in mindfulness of the feeling of the chi as it moves up and down the body or is projected from the body through intent. It is from this relationship between mindful awareness, feelings and body that the saying ‘mind leads chi, chi leads body’ finds its meaning. Moving waves of relaxation through the body with the intent, moves the chi through the body. The relaxation acts as a pump to move the chi and makes the body more sensitive to the feeling of the chi. The deeper one’s ability to relax, the higher the potential for the movement and cultivation of the internal energy. Once again, this process starts within oneself and progresses to encompass one’s training partner as well.

Third is the training of mindfulness of mind — once again, both of oneself and of our training partners. Mindfulness of the mind starts from the coarser aspects of mind and moves to the refined. The thought formations in the mind are observed and trained to act in a skillful way; perceptions are observed and purified. This helps the martial artist in many ways, as our perceptions govern our subconscious reactions. ‘Unskillful’ mental states such as aggression and fear can be known directly in the mind and let go of and replaced with clear awareness. In this stage of training, we are working heavily with the mental intent and how it leads the internal energies and the body.

Finally, we have mindfulness of phenomena. This stage refers in general to one’s awareness of the workings of cause and effect, in relation to the training of the first three foundations of mindfulness and specifically to the realisation of emptiness through direct experience. We train in mindfulness of body, feeling (chi) and mind. Through direct experience we begin to realise that body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and sense consciousness are all inherently empty, and thus [we] release attachment to them. This is the goal of the training: in this emptiness, the duality of yin and yang, yield and issue [attack], self and opponent, taiji and non-taiji cease to remain. Everything becomes an aspect of your own mind, which in itself is empty. This is the realisation we aspire towards.

What is the genuine way to practise yielding?
Many martial artists use the technique of going with the opponent’s force and call it taiji yielding; some also redirect the opponent’s force and call it taiji yielding. Yielding is neither redirecting force or going with the flow, but is the process of absorbing the opponent’s force, letting the force in, yielding to the force. The main qualities necessary to yield in this way are relaxation, structural integrity and the guiding mental intent. We relax, and soften the body and mind to let the force of our opponent enter our body and awareness, and thus fall under the control of our mental intent. Once the energy is inside our body and under the control of our awareness, we can use mental intent to direct the energy where we wish it to go. Often the energy is directed towards the ground through our body and back leg. As the energy travels through our body towards the ground it is neutralized through our structural alignment. During this process we aim to transform the opponent’s physical force to energy, and the energy into emptiness. This is the true meaning of yielding and in turn neutralising, as I understand it.

What would you say is the most important quality necessary for the attainment of skill?
The most important factor in the attaining of skill is definitely mindful awareness. Mindfulness is the forerunner of all other skillful qualities. It is mindfulness that allows you to judge wisely who to take as a teacher. Some students learn under a specific teacher for deviant reasons, such as the teacher’s fame or lineage. There are many famous teachers with a strong lineage who nonetheless have not taken the principles of taiji to the heart. Some are unable to demonstrate the internal energies of taiji, while others have neglected the spiritual essence of the art and have attained nothing but fighting skills. Fighting skills, fame and lineage name are aspects of the deluded world and really have little to do with the essence of taiji ,which is emptiness and non-self and is realised through mindful awareness.

Mindful awareness also ensures that a student can learn quickly and accurately what their teacher gives them; it is the key to correct understanding and honest training. To achieve the energies of taiji, a lot of self-investigation is necessary, otherwise a student always returns to the use of external force as a quick-fix to gaining power. Without mindful awareness, one can take these side paths for many years and not even know that they are not training taiji at all. Awareness is also the main energy of taiji training itself and must be present at all levels of practice, from the awareness of the body all the way up to entry into emptiness and transcendence of birth and death.

How much time is needed to achieve skill in taiji?
Time is a relative truth, not an ultimate one. The past is nothing but corrupted memories and the future never reaches us. All that we have is the present moment, therefore the present moment is the time to train our awareness and achieve skill. Yet if we analyse the present moment we can never find it — as we contemplate it, it has already become the past. Where the very close past and the very close future meet, there is no present moment to find. Nonetheless, we must focus our attention on the now of the present moment in order to progress in our practice. Some teachers say it will take x-amount of years — this is a completely external view. Focusing too much on the time holds one away from that which we strive to realise, which in turn gives us mastery of taiji.

Does push-hands have a place in martial arts training? Is it realistic?
Firstly, push-hands is push-hands and fighting is fighting. Push-hands is also not sparring and should not involve striking. To be successful as a martial artist, one needs to develop power and sensitivity so as to allow one to use that power in a skillful way. In taiji, it is training in the form that is used to develop power. The refinement of body mechanics, relaxation, internal energy movement and mind intent leads to the development of effortless power. Push-hands are used for training in sensitivity. Unfortunately most people try to be sensitive in the form, and to use power in their push-hands. The result is the use of brute force and wrestling, and has little to do with taiji. Push-hands should be used as a tool for developing awareness of your body energy and mind while it is under pressure and receiving force from a partner — as well as while you are issuing force, and to develop awareness of your partner’s body energy and mind during both these actions. This training teaches you how and when to apply techniques for the greatest outcome, as well as how to neutralise the power of your partner’s attacks. The skills one learns in push-hands are then transferred into one’s boxing drills and exercises. I believe that push-hands not only has a place in martial arts training, but is an absolute must if one wishes to attain true sensitivity and internal power.

I’ve heard about some famous teachers that state when issuing or practising fa-jing, one needs to lose control momentarily; the body shakes, almost like a spasm, and you have to tap into some primitive mind state. What is your view on this?
Yes, I know of the method you speak of; it is not fitting to criticise other teachers or their methods. At some level they may be giving their students what they need and want, and hopefully [are] not bringing any damage to them internally or externally. However for those interested in the path of taiji training that is in harmony with the laws of reality, I will give a few words on the subject.

To fa-jing simply means to issue energy or force, so when a martial artist releases power through a strike he is in turn issuing force or fa-jing. So to say that fa-jing is a singular technique is not really correct. From the point of view of a genuine practitioner of taiji, issuing force must be done through relaxation, letting go and through the mind and energy bodies. One can issue energy in many ways, from the gentle to the destructive, such as firing the jing into an organ or into the spine of your opponent so as to kill them. Naturally such actions bear only negative results in this present life and the next, and are extremely unskillful. For this reason, the best way to train in fa-jing is to train in ‘long energy’. When I say long energy, I am referring to the bouncing energy of taiji, where your opponent is projected many metres away by the internal force. This is not to be confused with an external push or shove, and anyone with some discernment will be able to see the difference.

As I have mentioned, the main energy that we train in taiji is awareness or listening energy. This awareness must be present throughout the issuing phase and it is actually this awareness that creates the issue, rather than some storing up of power. It is this awareness that gives us our martial skills as well as our spiritual heritage. To lose awareness is in direct contrast to listening energy and therefore is the opposite of taiji. The idea of tapping into some primitive or animal mind state could maybe work in a basic combat situation, but is on the level of reverting to an animal awareness and the outcome of that awareness would be a disaster for one’s spiritual growth.

Who would you say has been the most influential for your development as a martial artist?
Great kindness has been shown to me by a number of teachers. Roger Cotgreave and others openly shared with me the huang style forms and push-hands sets. My biggest influence without any doubt has been Sifu Mark Rasmus; he has been and continues to be a great friend and guide to me. Many martial artists talk about living the martial arts as a spiritual path, but you almost never meet one who does it. Mark opened my mind to the true nature of internal power and taught me how to live as a martial meditator. Through example and teachings, he has put me on the right path and kept me on it — Mark’s kindness to me is something that I can never repay. More recently, Sifu Lau has guided me in refining my push-hands skills. He is a very talented martial artist that I am grateful to train with.

As you have now moved away from Australia and only return to run seminars, what are your plans for teaching in the future?
I am now based in Thailand. My priority is teaching elite taiji and the cultivation of the mind. I am running in-depth private training in taiji form, push-hands and martial applications. Coupled with meditation and chi gung [qi gong] training, the focus is always on the development of true internal power. These personal training retreats are open to martial artists from all styles. We also offer instructor training for people of an appropriate skill level that wish to open a branch school for the Heaven Man Earth Taiji International.

Who Is sifu Adam Mizner?
Adam Mizner began on the martial arts path in his early teens, studying kung fu, chi gong and taijiquan (tai chi) under Sifu Henry Sue, as well as the spiritual disciplines of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, and ‘Complete Reality’ Taoism.

In pursuit of “the heightened mind”, Mizner has since pursued full-time training in Asia and Australia, spending vast periods of time in temples. In Australia, he also undertook an intensive, live-in initiation into the hermetic sciences (a Western metaphysical tradition) over several years with Sifu Mark Rasmus, while also mastering rieki learning Thai and Chinese massage.

After years of teaching taijiquan, meditation, chi gong and kung fu, Sifu Mizner founded Heaven Man Earth Taiji International. The organisation teaches the Huang style of taiji, originally taught to Mizner by Sifus Rasmus and Cotgreave, which Mizner now studies under Sifus Yek and Lau of Malaysia, both direct disciples of master Huang Sheng Shyan.
Though he now lives in Thailand, Mizner oversees three Heaven Man Earth schools in Australia.