Written in Stone -Used with permission from Dr. John Painter's IAM Magazine Issue # Vol# copies of the original magazine can be locate at www.thegompa.com .

hence today, not all of them are the real thing. There are only three main schools that are direct descendants from Tung Hai­Chuan, the Founder of Pa Kua Chang, and these are: the Tung School, theYin school and the Cheng school. All others are derived from these three.

Today many teachers weaken the arts because they blend the different forms so there are so many versions. The forms practiced by the Wushu people in China and the West today bear little resemblance to real Pa Kua Chang. The style of Hsing­I Chuan my family has used for many years and the Northern system of Pa Kua Chang developed by Tung Hai-Chuan are very different from these fancy Wushu forms which have only pretty movements and no power. Of course, everyone has a right to their beliefs and to practice what­ever they wish.

How can someone who wants to lean:

one of these arts tell if a teacher or student is practicing the real thing?

Without a practiced eye it is hard to tell sometimes where the Pa Kua Chang of an instructor came from. There will be many different interpretations of the form from the same teacher. This happens even in my teaching because what I teach Richard and Iva Lim Peck, what I teach you, and what I may teach oilier students will be expressed differently by each of them. This is due to differences in their personality and body structure and so it will all look a little different, but it will come from the same source.

As long as it is within the framework of the basic principles of my art, then it is correct. It is also not such a good idea to have two, three or four teachers all teaching you the same art. It best to stick with one teacher and have your form corrected by the original teacher because only the original teacher knows what he wanted you to accomplish.

I can see you believe that a good teacher is really important. Do you feel that a student can learn how to do these arts from videos and books?

It is so hard to learn from books and films. Sometimes people interested in learning these arts do not have a teacher, and so they make up forms from watch­ing motion pictures or reading books. This is a big mistake. Most of the time they get it all wrong or misunderstand the real meaning of the forms.

The issue in which this interview will appear is featuring Pa Kua Chang. Lets talk about that for a while now. Pa Kua Chang was supposed to have been founded by Tung Hai-Chuan. His grave, or tomb, has been relocated in Beijing recently. Richard Peck tells me that your name is inscribed on the stone of this tomb. Can you tell me why?

My name is inscribed on the Founder of Pa Kua Chang’s tomb along with my teacher’s name and Tung Hai-Chuan’s close students. This was done to record for all time the true lineage of the art.

I hear your name most often mentioned with Pa Kua Chang. How long have you practiced Pa Kua?

The first art I learned was Hsing-I Chuan at the age of six. From 14 until now, Pa Kua. In Chinaf rom 1929 to 1948 I taught Pa Kua and Hsing-I all over China, in Beijing and most of the other major areas, and then later also in Taiwan.

One of the oldest books in existence is the Chinese classic, the I-Ching. It is said that the art of Pa Kua Chang was devised from the complex mathematical and ana­tomical principles found in this esoteric work. The name, Pa Kua C hang, means Eight Forms Palm. This is taken from the I-Ching and the eight forms used in the book are diagrams called the Pa Kua. Does a person needs to study the I-Ching to understand Pa Kua Chang?

You can leam to practice Pa Kua Chang without any knowledge of the I-Ching. However, the more one delves into the art, the more one will learn from it by studying the I-Ching. If you are taught correctly by a good teacher, than the I-Ching can be of great help to you.

Do you recommend any good books in Chinese or in English on Pa Kua?

There are some books in Chinese, but not many in English The English books are often written by people without complete knowledge, and so are not worth much.

I understand Tung Hai-Chuan taught most of his pupils different versions or forms, and that has resulted in some confusion as to who has the correct style. Is this true?

It is not true that he taught everyone of his students differently. He had ten good students, but only two chose to follow his teachings in an orthodox manner. These two practiced only Pa Kua Chang and had not been exposed to any other forms of martial arts. The other eight had already been studying some other forms of martial arts, and so their Pa Kua Chang could not remain pure. He had to teach the eight differently because of their understanding and background.

Pa Kua boxers have been seen to use weights in training, yet the Taijiquan people say this is bad and harmful to Qi development. Can you explain this please?

Taijiquan does not do this sort of thing; it goes in more for relaxation and gentle stretching. What you are referring to in Pa Kua practice is the wearing of weights on the wrists or lower part of the arm during some standing exercises and when walk­ing the circle very slowly. This exercise is practiced to help stabilize the shoulder and arm. It develops stamina and helps to make the arms feel heavy. The weight will keep the arms stretching down instead floating up too high.

The muscle around the shoulder joint will stretch and make a hollow place in which you can place an egg as if it were in a cup. This is not a weight lifting exercise, it is a stretching exercise.

That space you speak of would be in the supraclavicular fossa, which is a depres­sion formed between the neck muscles (sternocleidomasatoid and the trapezius muscle just above the clavicle) when the arm is extended. I suppose that the use of the weights helps to develop this area to such a degree that the muscles will in­crease in size over time.

Yes, that may be true, but it is better to work the tendons by stretching than pumping the muscles. Stretching is much better than lilting weights. If you can stretch and extend your muscles one inch, it is better than doing heavy weight lifting which often makes the body tight. You should use the tiger for a model. Watch him stretch his muscles, he is very strong.

Does Pa Kua Chang develop Qi the sa’ne way Taijiquan does?

Each of these arts will develop the Qi in their own special way if they are taught and practiced correctly. It all ends up being the same in the end, even though the path to it may be a bit different.

Some people do not think that the inter­nal martial arts are good for self-defense because they look so soft. Do you think Pa Kua can be used in a self-defense situ­ation?

Every move that one does in Pa Kua Chang is for health and also for self-pro­tection. It is a martial art and can be very strong. I have used it many times in my younger days when I had to prove myself.

Is there one exercise that is the most important exercise in Pa Kua Chang?

The practice of the basic principles, and then all of the forms, is the most important. No part is greater than any other. You must work to master it all from start to finish. If you have not learned the forms really well, then you should not change it. Learn the forms and understand their meanings, practice them for many years, and then when you do Pa Kua Chang it will just come out of you and you will change it to your own style.

If you do this early on, or before you are ready, then it will not look right or be right.

Whatever you do, if you do not follow the fundamentals or basics then it will never be correct. The principles are the most important things. Study the classics, read, and listen carefully to your teacher’s ad­vice. Do not listen to others while you are learning. Hear just your teacher, that way your art will stay pure. The most common mistake one makes is to disregard the basics and fundamentals.

What statement would you like to make to those who practice the internal martial arts?

People who are true internal martial artists must come forward and share their knowledge with others. I want to say that when you really want to have the art spread in the world, it is best to see that it is taught with integrity and sincerity. Do not cause factionalism between styles and forms.

The whole universe is one family, so do not criticize others because you may not understand them. I want to bring all of the worthwhile things from China’s rich heri­tage of the internal martial arts to the West. I think it is time for these methods to be shared by the entire Family of Man for the good will and peace they can bring to the entire world.

Master Lu, 1 want to thank you for taking the time to let us hear your thoughts on these matters. I am sure that our readers will enjoy coming to know you through this interview and your seminars around the country. You are an inspiration to us all.

Author’s personal note:

After a lengthy photo session, while Iva and Richard Peck were changing back into street clothes, Master Lu, ever the tireless teacher, began walking the circle in the training hall of the Holistic Fitness Center and demonstrated to me and the camera crew his Hopei Hsing-I Chuan forms and some of the Northern Pa Kua Chang for which he is so well noted.

After a few moments he motioned for me to walk the circle. I reluctantly complied, demonstrating part of my Quan-Yin, Goddess of Compassion, Pa Kua Chang set, a combined Pa Kua Chang form from my teacher’s repertoire. Master Lu acknowledged this rare form and gave a thumbs up and a hearty Chi­nese How-How (good-good), indicating that he was pleased with the form’s most unusual style. All I can say is, that to have even a smile from this one-of-a-kind master indicating he liked my poor per­formance certainly made my day!

Men like Lu Hung-Bin are the sun source of arts like Pa Kua Chang and they need to know that when they die there will be a darkening of the sun and this will leave their students, like plants, with no source of nourishment. Like the rain that does not fall to feed the thirsting plants, the students and pure art cannot survive unless men like him come for­ward and leave us all a written legacy to explain things in their true light. Yet it is just this type of master who often refuses to write anything down or allow himself to be video-taped for posterity.

Through good sincere students who devote themselves to one master and the written word, these men who are the true masters must become the rock solid foundation for the building which is composed of their students. Their legacy must, if it is to survive, be written in stone.

editors note - we have removed the contact information and references to prevent confusion - Master Lu has passed on and IAM no longer publishes - Dr. Painter is alive and well and host seminars and can be reached via his web site noted at the beginning of this article.