Kung Fu Principles to Masonic Esoteric Philosophy – Part 4

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This continues a 5-part series applying Masonic principles and esoteric concepts to Eastern martial arts, specifically Wing Chun Kung Fu.  We will only touch on the fighting theory but then focus on applied philosophy.

Wing Chun Kung Fu simplifies as a fighting system derived from Snake and White Crane systems as its base.  It was originally based on Buddhist Shaolin systems and was refined in the Taoist Wu Tang temple.  This well-documented lineage history makes my brief description an injustice to the beautiful history of the Shaolin temple, the Wu-Tang temple, Snake, White Crane, and Wing Chun systems.  This series of papers narrows the focus to the core Wing Chun principles of Centerline, Facing, Immoveable Elbow, Economy of Motion, and Simultaneous Attack and Defense, and we will match this Eastern theory to Western Philosophy.

With this fourth installment, let’s look at the Economy of Motion principle.  One of my Wing Chun teachers once told me “Kicking to the head is like punching to the feet.  It’s a long way to go.”  Another way to explain this is, if I can punch someone 10 times quickly with short-distance punches, why would I sacrifice speed for power and distance.  This is where Wing Chun’s famous one-inch punch comes into play.  Bruce Lee famously demonstrated this punch several times over his career, and he used it extensively in his own practice.

As with Freemasonry, Economy of Motion may relate to a few hidden meanings.  Maybe these old designers of martial arts systems were thinking deeply about more than just “hit hard, go home” as a template?  Although there’s a lot to be said for smacking someone up-side the head and watching them collapse to the ground.  Quoting Illustrious Jim Tresner:  “But I digress.”

Practical applications to economical motion become obvious when using the closest weapon to the closest target, controlling the area between yours and your opponent’s center lines (another Immoveable Elbow usage principle), and finding the openings to exploit.  The opponent’s style of fighting may make this very easy or more difficult, and if more difficult we turn to the esoteric concepts behind economical movement which might loosely translate to “work smarter, not harder” in applying combat skills.

Economical motion also correlates to the application of mathematics, logic, and reason.  Physically, we see the application but may not appreciate the intense training and repetition of contact-reflex drills and flow that develops in order to actually perform the actions.  It takes years of study, analysis, and working through obstacles in order to develop the sensitivity, and that study to recognize facing angles, footwork, and the opponent’s intersecting bridge requires much thought and reason.  

The application of Economical Motion relates directly to mathematics, logic, and reason just as Freemasonry gives us the working tools to build our own cognition, to cut through the emotion and find the facts, and to use those facts to find the best solution through reason.  It’s no coincidence the Trivium and Quadrivium teach similar progressive lessons.  We Masons would be wise to consider the first half of the Winding Stairs in relation to how the theory of Economical Motion, when adjusted to Math, Logic, and Reason, gives us a beginning foundation upon which we might work the stones of our own temples.  We use mathematics toward the discovery of sacred geometry, and we use logic/reason to understand critical thinking while we learn to apply both to ourselves and our lives.

The theory of Economic Motion may not give us the same guideposts and solid anchors we saw in previous parts of this paper.  Rather, this theory gives us the means by which we can test our working tools, test our use of them, and test the outcomes of our efforts.  Western traditions, especially Freemasonry, use this concept of testing both inwardly and outwardly.  Inwardly we Masons now see the theory of Economical Movement as we use the square: a means of thinking critically and test the action and outcome of our self-improvement.  Outwardly we measure our growth in Freemasonry and how that affects our family, Brother Masons, and our extended community.  We test our perceptions, our interactions, our thoughts and deeds, and we use logic and reason to find the best means toward efficiency in our pursuits.  The theory of Economic Motion explores testing thoughts and actions with the sole intention of providing us our own best way to stay on the path as well as return to it if we occasionally stray from our path.

Testing our thoughts and actions, then analyzing the results of the test, and finally applying lessons learned becomes a means of comparing ourselves to the Virtues, Pillars, and Principles we Masons hold to be the bedrock of our fraternity.  The testing and application of the lessons sets us apart from so many other organizations, and we should not take this lightly.  It is indeed a responsibility within each of us.

In previous parts of this article, we examined the Cabbalistic framework, alchemical perspectives, and touched on other philosophies’ similarities to our work.  With Economic Motion, and the way we’ve defined it to be a means of testing and examining ourselves along the path, we see that meditation, contemplation, reflection, and inward inspection become even more important.  We begin to see the links between the first three theories might be tied together with cognition and reflection.

In closing, our mystic tie that binds us to each other isn’t imaginary.  We strengthen ourselves by challenging our own thoughts and actions, testing them against principles, tenets, and virtues.  We make others better when we do our own inner work, and we are strengthened by others in the same manner when they do their inner work.  We make progress, our Brothers make progress, and we encourage them as they encourage us by example.  We also see more interrelation to previously discussed Eastern theories, and we find we must consider how we use the principles, tenets, and virtues, or theories, in a more cohesive manner through cognition, logic, and reason.  As we finish part 4 linking the theories into a structured means of testing ourselves, we now look toward part 5 where we learn how to apply these theories together to achieve synergy.  

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30-plus years of teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12-year span. Randy is a 32nd-degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Kung Fu Principles to Masonic Esoteric Philosophy – Part 3

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This continues a 5-part series applying Masonic principles and esoteric concepts to Eastern martial arts, specifically Wing Chun Kung Fu.  We will only touch on the fighting theory but then focus on applied philosophy.

Wing Chun Kung Fu simplifies as a fighting system derived from Snake and White Crane systems as its base.  It was originally based on Buddhist Shaolin systems and was refined in the Taoist Wu Tang temple.  This well-documented lineage history makes my brief description an injustice to the beautiful history of the Shaolin temple, the Wu-Tang temple, Snake, White Crane, and Wing Chun systems.  This series of papers narrows the focus to the core Wing Chun principles of Centerline, Facing, Immoveable Elbow, Economy of Motion, and Simultaneous Attack and Defense, and we will match this Eastern theory to Western Philosophy.

With this third installment, let’s look at the Immoveable Elbow principle.  As with Freemasonry, the meaning of Immoveable Elbow changes with application and with nuance.  At the surface, the principle is exactly it’s definition.  Wing Chun practitioners work on specific angles of 30, 45, 60, 90, and 135 degrees in the arm’s angles which provide significant strength over most other positions.  Hung Gar, Southern Preying Mantis, and Kali/Arnis/Silat for comparison use some of the same angles, and Chen Tai Chi expands upon the Wing Chun angles to find angular strength in sweeping movements.  Immoveable Elbow, therefore, is not just putting the elbow on the central line and forcing opponents to take a longer distance around the elbow.  Immoveable Elbow embraces the idea of finding the best musculoskeletal positions of strength and stability as a means of resetting structure during a physical confrontation.  

This same Immoveable Elbow concept conveys the concept of stronger structures or positions as opposed to weaker structures or positions.  We find this directly applicable to mental structures when applied to Freemasonry, philosophy, and Western tradition.  When we memorize ritual, no matter the means whether repetition, memory palace, whatever, we find the patterns we memorize become a mental structure.  We find comfort in this structure, and it becomes a place of strength from which we may reset our minds or from where we might find symbols or phrases for discursive meditation.  I’ll discuss different types of meditation in other writings, but for a more complete overview see the works of Bro. C.R. Dunning, Jr.

Similar to the theory of Facing, the theory of the Immoveable Elbow gives us guideposts and solid anchors mentally through ritual, through memorization, and through contemplation, and reflection.  Western traditions make use of a balanced Facing (Theory of Facing, covered in part 2) both inwardly and outwardly as critical to our moral and mental structures.  I mentioned that how we perceive the world and how others perceive us will be reflected by how quickly we return to a balanced interaction after we choose to respond in an out-of-balance manner.  The theory of Immoveable Elbow structure becomes that anchor upon which we rely for our own thoughts, feelings, and expression so that we may always return to that place of strength and harmony.

Ethics cannot be overstated.  Your own inward code of ethics and your own morality must be solid, and your own personal limits must be established.  This mental foundation is critical and explained many times in the initiatic experience.  Repetition of those concepts becomes an initiatic lesson in the importance to ever work diligently on morality, ethical thoughts, and behavior.  That anchor becomes your foundation in creating the Immoveable Elbow concept in any practice, whether it be Masonic, Eastern, Western, Gnostic, Theurgic, Mystic, Rosicrucian, Martinist, etc.  This lesson also applies to the clergy or priesthood.

Again, repeated: holding true to a moral structure of thoughts and actions relates to the alignment of our core being.  As we begin to see in this 5-part series, these Eastern theories overlap and interrelate.  Just as the theory of Facing gives us the means to measure and balance, the theory of Immoveable Elbow also relates to any Masonic moral structure based upon the Virtues, Pillars, and Principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.  The mental anchor created by contemplation, reflection, and refocusing gives Masons and Western traditions practitioners the advantage of getting more directly in touch with that foundational sense of being and our true self. 

The practice of Immoveable Elbow creates our own cornerstone as a base from which we may work on our own inner temple.  The obstacle created to force opponents to go around may be looked at as a barrier to our internal ruffians, our own internal problems or issues, that interrupt or inhibit us from progressing on our path of building our temple.  

Describing this from an overly simplistic Cabbalistic framework, we must solidify what we feel, think, and do so as to apply balance and explore our individual path.  From an alchemical perspective, the Immoveable Elbow mental anchor corresponds to the foundational workbench, tools, and formulas needed to light the fires for purification.  Lighting fires without a solid foundation or without clearing the workbench might lead to some serious impurities or other hazards in our laboratory.

Immoveable Elbow in practice refocuses Masonic or other Western tradition lessons in ethics and morality.  There is no substitute whether studying Eastern or Western traditions, and only meditation, contemplation, reflection, and inward inspection provides answers to the deeper meaning of our own personal cornerstone and foundational discoveries of our inner selves.  Our code of ethics toward ourselves and others changes our perspective on morality, and vice versa.  We must face our vices and internal issues (theory of Facing), directly focusing our intention upon the core of those vices and issues (theory of Centerline), and give ourselves an anchor of mental focus and solid mental structure of Faith in a Supreme Being (as described above as Immoveable Elbow).  Only by putting into practice contemplative work do we begin to understand ourselves.

In closing, our mystic tie that binds us to each other isn’t imaginary.  We strengthen ourselves in finding our symbolic anchor in faith, and that carries on to strengthen others.  We make others better when we do our own inner work, and we are strengthened by others in the same manner.  Our Brothers make progress, we encourage them as they encourage us by example.  We also see the beginnings of interrelating the previous Eastern theories into a connected cycle, and next we will explore the ways of using the principles, or theories, in a more cohesive manner through cognition, logic, and reason.  Finally in part 5 we will see how to apply these theories together to achieve even greater results.  The concept of the Immoveable Elbow as simultaneously being a solid structure, a mental structure, and faith in one Supreme Being gives us a means to make great progress in our inner work.

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30-plus years of teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12-year span. Randy is a 32nd-degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Kung Fu Principles to Masonic Esoteric Philosophy - Part 1

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

This begins a 5-part series applying Masonic principles and esoteric concepts to Eastern martial arts, specifically Wing Chun Kung Fu.  We will only touch on the fighting theory but then focus on applied philosophy.

Wing Chun Kung Fu simplifies as a fighting system derived from Snake and White Crane systems as its base.  It was originally based on Buddhist Shaolin systems and was refined in the Taoist Wu Tang temple.  This well documented lineage history makes my brief description an injustice to the beautiful history of the Shaolin temple, the Wu Tang temple, Snake, White Crane, and Wing Chun systems.  This series of papers narrows the focus to the core Wing Chun principles of Centerline, Facing, Immoveable Elbow, Economy of Motion, and Simultaneous Attack and Defense, and we will match this Eastern theory to Western Philosophy.

With this first installment, let’s look at the Centerline principle.  If we strike an opponent’s vertical centerline there’s no means for our opponent to spin or rotate the body in such a way as to minimize impact.  If we focus the strike from our own centerline and are always aware of our own centerline, then our movements are either solid or fluid at our choosing.

This same vertical center line concept applies to philosophy and many Western traditions and explained as the Middle Pillar of the Cabbalistic Tree of Life.  The core of your body relates to the core of your being and connects you to your true self.  We see the parallels go a step further by looking at the true actions or true beliefs of any person must be genuine if coming from the aligned gut, heart, and head.  Morality is a different subject, so even though the person may be speaking or acting from his core, the alignment may not mean those genuine actions or expressions translate to good intentions toward us.  Bad actors may still act from a bad place and be genuine in their intentions.  If that intention is to harm others or act in a complete disregard to morality, we label that person and action accordingly.

Holding true to a moral structure of thoughts and actions relates to the alignment of our core being.  A Masonic moral structure based upon the Virtues and Pillars should be continually contemplated and refocused so as to stay in alignment with our own core values.  Our own practice of these virtues, pillars, and other Masonic lessons become the reason we are the Elu, the elect, the ones set apart from the rest of the community.  We may never be recognized, or we may climb to the heights of fame.  The centerline, or middle pillar, or core values, separates us as Masons, and we tend to celebrate that mystic tie in every lodge when we might share a passage that begins with “Behold…”

The Tree of Life, when superimposed over a drawing of the human body is often referred to as “esoteric anatomy” which, in my opinion, does a grave injustice to the subject of esoteric anatomy by narrowing the scope to only that superimposition of images.  However, for the purposes here let us consider that the middle pillar Sephirot can correspond to some Eastern concepts of energy centers, or chakras, within the body.  Wing Chun only focuses on one energy center initially, and that is the lower Dan Tien which is about an inch below our navel.  The focus is not to say the others are ignored, but that lower energy center below the navel also corresponds to the crossover point from the (upper) left hand to the (lower) right foot, and conversely the right hand to left foot.  This makes a giant X with the arms and legs spread wide.  Anatomically, we are discussing the lower 5 lumbar vertebrae and their connection to the psoas major and iliopsoas muscularly corresponding to our center of gravity, center of the body, center of that cross connection, etc.

The crossover point becomes our focus here as it demonstrates the location on the center line, or middle pillar for our purposes.  When we bend our knees a few degrees, we lower that point to correspond with our body’s center of gravity, and the options of motion open widely to us.  Boxer’s footwork, exercise classes, Yoga, weight lifting, all stress the importance of proper stance and a very slightly bent knee in most cases.  Pilates formed an entire system of exercise around that same core. 

Western traditions may not lower the center of gravity by bending the legs, but the concept of sinking corresponds to the same common method of moving into a meditation state by relaxing and feeling gravity gently pull against your body.  The Western approach in this manner aids the practitioner in getting in touch with his own body, and the lessons parallel the more Buddhist approach to learning how to focus on the body by an outward-in approach.  This, as opposed to the Taoist approach of focusing inwardly first, then bringing that internal awareness outward.  Both have distinct parallels in Western traditions, and Western, Buddhist, and Taoist approaches achieve similar results over time.  

Notice parallels in guided imagery of imagining a sphere of light above your head then drawing that light down into the body, whereas a Taoist method may initially work with the same conceptual sphere of light at your center, on your centerline.  Both Western and Eastern teachings then use the Middle Pillar, or Centerline, as the directional focus of how that light is imagined.

Let us put this into practice:  The Centerline or Center Line principle is further explained as the central line, that is, the shortest distance between your vertical center line and your opponent’s vertical center line.  This concept is not only for fighting, but the mystic tie that binds as well.  Imagine we sit in lodge, and we begin to draw imaginary connected lines between our own lower gut center and each of the Brethren sitting around us.  This looks like a spider web of sorts when all the Brothers are connected to each other.  Now let’s imagine that same spider web connecting our hearts, and other spider web connecting our brains.  Now we can turn the individual pieces (gut, heart, head) into a column, or vertical center line, connecting to all the other vertical center lines of our lodge Brothers.  This exercise may not happen quickly, and only with practice can we build up to keeping multiple lines in our imagination consistently.

Our connectivity to each other isn’t imaginary, rather, we feel good when we sit in lodge together.  We raise our feeling of brotherhood, our mystic tie that binds, spreading the cement, whatever we call it.  This tangible feeling brings us together while keeping our individuality, and we celebrate that connectedness with fellowship events and festive boards.  The concept of our unique center, center line, and how it relates to others should drive us to continue our efforts toward The Great Work.

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30-plus years of teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12-year span. Randy is a 32nd-degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.