CHUAN FA KENPO JUJITSU
THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE
Ksatreya - Vajramukti – Chuan Fa
Chuan Fa is a philosophy based on an ancient art of life and spirit.
Ksatreya or Vajramukti as they were called were responsible for leading soldiers and warriors into battle even if there was no hope of survival. This was not a lightly taken position. To be one of these warriors, the student was required to learn the most difficult of movements for self-defense as well as for spiritual leadership.
Many of these leader warriors were considered teachers or as the Japanese call them Sensei. And many of these leaders were experienced not only in war and battle but in healing their own as well. Hence the art of healing began.
Fighting without weapons was a Ksatreya specialty. They trained lowly monks and peasants in this art as well so the armies had some size and quality. This empty hand fighting was called Vajramukti and described a multiplicity of arts that were taught. Peacetime training was very important in being used to keep the body in strong physical state.
When these empty hand techniques were put together in series of movements they were called “nata’s”. Now they are called forms or dances or “kata”.
The primary teachings of the Ksatreya were held close and were considered highly secret. Little is know of the exact art except from it being handed down over generations. Buddhism influenced India around 500B.C. Buddhist monks began to follow the training of the Vajramukti art as its disciples moved to China. The term “Chuan” (meaning clasped or closed hand) was used from the Tang dynasty in China on to represent the Vajramukti art.
The Vajramukti training continued to use Chuan because of its description of closed hand for battle and open hand used for healing. Fa is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit term dharma. Thus we have the term Chuan Fa for the art of Vajramukti translated as “clasp the hand of the dharma”. This terminology has been used since approximately 200B.C. to describe this art of Vajramukti.
But what has this to do with your current training. It is a philosophy about being spiritually strong, which does not mean anything religious. It is about learning to be true to yourself and being strong when all others are weak. It is about standing up when you are scared and when it is dangerous to do so. It is about making decisions that are based on virtue, not opinions. It is about being wise, benevolent and valorous in your decision-making.
Chuan Fa is about being a light in the sky, a star that shines bright. Sometimes a star that others can see from a distance shining bright and wonderful but you being the star can’t see it at all. You, as a student, still have the duty to be this star, to show others what the truth is and what virtue and strength really mean in your everyday life.
Good luck on this journey. It is hard, slow and sometimes frustrating but well worth the trip
contact us at chuanfa@healyourselfholistic.com