Three Treasures Martial Arts (San Cai Martial Arts)
三才武學 (Sky, Earth & Human)
Martial arts are an invaluable component of Chinese cultural heritage; “Three Treasures Fist” or “San Cai Quan” is a brilliant pearl in the Chinese martial arts treasure trove.
Legend has it that San Cai Martial Arts was created by Li Ya Xuan (李雅軒), a martial priest at the San Cai Daoist Temple (三才道觀) in Tu Long Village (土壠鄉) in Dong Yang Town (東陽鎮), Ping Lin County (平林縣) in the Da Li Region (大理) of Yunnan Province (雲南省). From an early age, Li had shown a special interest in Daoist theories as well as martial arts, particularly in the study of qigong. He would take time from his daily studies in Daoism to observe the transformations in the sky, earth, yin and yang. Applying his observations to the principles of taiji bagua and the Book of Changes (太極八卦易學之理), he created the Three Treasures San Cai Quan (天、地、人三才拳種 ). The “Three Treasures” refer to the sky, earth and life force. In the Book of Changes (or Yijing易經), it is said that “ the way (or dao 道) of the sky comprises both yin and yang, the way of the earth is made up of flexibility and rigidity, and the way of man is composed of benevolence and righteousness. These are the three treasures; hence each divinatory symbol that indicates change is made up of six strokes.” Li chose to name his fist form “San Cai” (Three Treasures) to indicate that his followers are expected to value both benevolence and righteousness; it also points to the infinite number of transformations in the fist form. San Cai Fist was traditionally taught only to priests associated with the temple and not to “outsiders.” For this reason, its development has been constrained and its popularization slow.
Three is a number, but it is also used to indicate multiplicity, as well as possible combinations and development of objects and matter. It is a figure that strongly suggests life and growth. in Laozi (老子), it is stated that “the way ( or dao道) generates one, one generates two, two generates all living things in the world.” This is the law that governs development in the natural world. Zhang Ziyang (張紫陽) explains it in this way, “Dao was generated from nothingness (it’s the origin of all matter) and it, in turn, engendered yin and yang (thus, one gave rise to two). Yin and yang combined to form the three substances (三體) , so two gave rise to three, from which all things grew.” In the natural world, the accumulation of yang forces formed the sky; the accumulation of yin forces formed the earth. When the sky and the earth came together, they generated the life force. The life force is not the result of a simple joining of yin and yang; rather, it is a whole new entity. These principles underlie the concept of three being an infinite number and the basis for the development of all matter.
The sky, earth and life force together make up the universe. They are, known as “the three treasures.”
Of the three treasures, the sky represents the yang forces, the earth the yin forces. The life force is the harmonization of the yin and yang forces.
The life force is the collection of all the energy in the universe; the life force, the sky, the earth and the natural world are essentially the same with only minor differences between them. A human being takes his life from the harmonization of the sky and the earth. The spirit and the mind are derived from the sky, whereas the body is derived from the earth. These are the laws of Nature, and Nature is suffused with the energy from the Three Treasures. Man and Nature are a unified whole. The ancients spoke of “the union of man and the universe.” In Nature, there is sunny weather, snow and rain, in Man, there are pleasures, anger, sorrows and joys. Just as sudden changes in weather cannot often be foretold, so a man in his prime may suffer sudden calamities. In the universe, nature and all living things are vitally inter-related. Man and Nature, including the various organs in the human body, are closely intertwined, forming “the chain of life” as expounded in Zhuangji (莊子齊物論).
The three treasures as applied to human beings refer to the essence, energy (qi) and spirit. All martial arts practitioners, irrespective of school or system, stress the overriding importance of the three treasures of essence, energy and spirit in the body, and all work hard to cultivate the essence, energy and spirit. According to Essentials of Internal Training (內功要語) in Three Treasures Martial Arts (三才武學) , “When the source energy (元氣) is abundant, there is no desire for food; when the source spirit (元神) is plentiful, there is no desire for sleep; when the source essence (元精) is copious, there is no desire for sex. When all three are in a state of perfection, immortality is attained.”
To sum up, essence is the foundation, energy is the level of achievement and spirit is the leading force; the three are a unified entity. Essentials of Three Treasures Martial Arts states, “Spirit comes from energy and is transformed into essence. Essence, in turn, becomes energy and energy is transformed into spirit. Essence is the basis of the life, energy is the distillation of spirit, and the body is where spirit resides.” The constant interaction of essence, energy and spirit is an important determinant of not only the metabolism and energy renewal of the human body, but also the normal functioning of the organs in the body. This, by extension, means that essence, spirit and energy play an integral role in sustaining health and the achievement of longevity.
As for the term, “Three Treasures,” when applied to the universe, it refers to the sky, earth and life force; when applied to the sky, it refers to the sun, moon and stars; when applied to the earth, it refers to fire, wind and water; when applied to the life force, it refers to essence, energy and spirit, and, finally, when applied to martial arts, it refers to training, fist forms and weapons training forms.
The principle behind Three Treasures Martial Arts is the bringing together as one all the elements of essence, energy, spirit, sky, earth, life force, training, fist forms and weapons training. Without a clear understanding of essence, energy and spirit (三三), it is impossible for the student to even take the first steps in his training. Similarly, without a clear understanding of how essence, energy and spirit are unified (三三歸一), it is impossible for the practitioner to achieve success in his training. Hence, the unifying process of essence, energy and spirit is the chief study of Three Treasures Martial Arts, and it is also the way to prevent illness, prolong life, become accomplished in martial arts and cultivate one’s mind.
Three Treasures Martial Arts is a unique form of traditional martial arts. There are three levels – basic, intermediate and advanced. It consists of three fist forms, four training methods and five weapons training methods. The fist forms are Tianlo Flying Palm(天羅飛空掌), Dimen Wind and Fire Palm (地門風火掌), Renhuang Soft Palm (人皇綿空掌), Sky Earth Life Fist Forms (天地人三趟套路) and Long, Middle, Near Three Methods of Attack (「遠、中、近」三門技擊之法). The five weapons training forms are all named after the Three Treasures. They are Five Elements Three Treasures Sword (五行三才劍),Four Phenomena Three Treasures Sabre (四象三才刀),Sea Spray Three Treasures Spear (水花三才槍), Free and Easy Three Treasures Sword (逍遙三才劍)and Ruyi Three Treasures Cane (如意三才拐). There are four training routines; they are, Xichenshi (洗塵勢) , Xulingba (虛靈把), Xiaoyaoyuo (逍遙遊) and Sanyuangong (三元功). Sanyuangong is the foundation routine course. It includes Sky, Earth, Life Force Three Treasures Dantianzhuang（「天、地、人」三才初立丹田桩）, the three yin and three yang routines of Sky and Life Force Convergence, Earth and Life Force Convergence, Sky and Earth Convergence (天人合一、地人合一、天地合一三陰三陽三部功), and Walking, Sitting, Lying and Kneeling Sanyuansihe Gongfa (行、坐、臥、跪三元四和功法).
Emperor's Canon Fist
(Pao Huang Chui, Paau Wong Chui)
Three Emperors’ Cannon Fist is also known as Cannon Fist. It is a fist form of the Three Emperors’ Style.
It is so called because the fist is formed like the hammer and it is forceful as the cannon.
Three Emperors Cannon Fist is built on the harmonizing effects of yin and yang, the complementary action of force and flexibility and the combined use of feints, attacks, advance and retreat. Qi (energy) is its core and power is at the forefront. The cross-hand hammer is its basis and the circular stance is its root. The Book of Fists states, “This particular fist form has qi at its heart and power at its forefront. Qi is the master, power is the servant. Where the master and servant work in harmony, one can expect to overcome the opponent.” The fist form requires the functional coordination of the hand, eye, body and footwork with the mind, focus and strength. The integration of the mind, breathing and movement is of vital importance.
Cannon Fist has a foundation of softness, but its application calls for vigour, as witnessed in the saying, “the hard fist is trained in softness.” The techniques are plain and without fanciful moves. The focus is on practicability. Vigour is its main feature, but it is used in combination with softness. The main features include approaches to the centre, the use of long and short fists, the use of the sliding step to move forward, and there are relatively few high kicks. It is a fist form that is versatile and agile, steady, strong and forceful as the cannon. In training, it is important to keep the mind calm and focused. The move to generate power is like opening a bow and the force is then released like an arrow. Advance and retreat are regarded as one, so that advance is retreat and vice versa, and both are dictated by the transformative actions of yin and yang. The health benefits of training in the Cannon Fist include balancing the mind and spirit, improved circulation, as well as strengthening the bones and tendons |
