Da Bei Chuan

I have studied a lot of different martial arts forms over the years, unfortunately having forgotten more of them than I have retained. For those who don’t know what a “form” is, it is simply a set sequence of martial movements. I have heard people analogize a form to a textbook, and this seems apt. At the most basic level, a form is just a way of stringing together information about various martial movements, giving a framework to practice the movements and ingrain them in the body through repetition.

Nearly all the forms that I have studied have been very cool in their own unique way. For me, however, Da Bei Chuan stands out as the most special. The process of learning it has proved to be one of the most body and mind altering. Da Bei Chaun is commonly translated as Great Compassion Boxing. I am told that it comes out of the Shaolin Buddhist tradition, although it seems far different than most of the Shaolin Kung Fu out there. My teacher says that the inspiration for the form was the statuary in a Buddhist temple, and this is most visible in the mudra hand postures which are incorporated throughout the form. Some of the postures also echo the asanas of yoga and like yoga (and unlike most tai chi) some of the movements are done with full extension in the joints. The form is very long with little repetition of movements. And it is supposed to be done very slowly, which makes all of the low stances particularly challenging. Done well, the form should take 25 minutes to complete. If you move slower and it takes longer, that is all to the better. Here is an excellent example of the first part of the form, very similar to the way I learned it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT0jdMf10nM

So what makes Da Bei so special to me? Part is just the challenge of mastering and retaining such a lengthy and complex form, essentially a challenge for the mind. Another part is trying to master the physical challenge of many of the movements, especially the many movements balanced on one leg and the many, many low stances executed at an excruciatingly slow pace. But, as with most things in life, the pay-off for doing something difficult is big. When I do Da Bei to the best of my capabilities, I enter a different realm of existence. Time changes, focus sharpens, things are laid bare. It is not really a stretch to call the experience “religious.” Done at my best, Da Bei is a physical prayer. Sometimes I think that I should practice nothing else, and so be satisfied.