形意拳三乘/Xingyiquan San Cheng – Xingyiquan’s Three Vehicles

是三層道理、三步功夫、三種練法。

There are Three Layers of Daoist Principles, Three Stages of Kung fu, & Three Types of Training Method.

三層道理：練精化氣，練氣化神，練神還虛。

Three Layers of Daoist Principles: Train the Jing to Transform the Qi, Train the Qi to Transform the Shen, Train the Shen to Return to Emptiness.

練精化氣，把精氣化，滋養全身。小孩都天然地會練精化氣，所以可以成長。隨著年齡的增長，欲望的增加，精難以氣化，人便衰老了。

Training the Jing to Transform the Qi, is taking hold of the Jing – Qi Transformation, & nourishing the entire body. Children are all naturally able to Train the Jing to Transform the Qi, as a result they are able to mature & grow. Along with the increase in a person’s age, cravings also increase, Jing becomes difficult to transform into Qi, soon after people deteriorate with age.

道功練精化氣是名為“大周天”的功法，要用意念將“動物”引導過尾椎，上昇至腦部，再繞道前身，下降回腹。

The Daoist Skill of Training the Jing to Transform the Qi is called “the Large Heavenly Circuit,” Skill Method, it requires using thought to lead the movement of the “sensation of motion” over the tailbone, rising until reaching the head, then in a circular route dropping along the front of the body to return to the abdomen.

練氣化神，神是什麼？不是意念，意念是隨波逐流的，十分無力，神則有逆天而行的力量。動物的進化就是用神，神到事成。神是氣的升華，可以將意念變為現實。武術有隔空打人、目光擊人的傳說，從拳理上講，是神的作用。

In Training the Qi to Transform the Shen, what is meant by Shen? It isn’t thought, as thoughts drift with the waves & go with the flow, utterly powerless. But Shen defies the natural order by being capable of strength. This is exactly how animals use Shen to evolve, the Shen Arrives & the Matter Succeeds. Shen is refined Qi, & it is capable of changing thought into reality. The Martial Arts have always had the legends of “Empty Striking” people, & “Visually Breaking” people, following from the Boxing Principle of Negotiate First, & both of which are the effect of Shen.

練神還虛，是實證到萬物的本源，與禪宗的“明心見性”相同。到練神還虛的程度，等於找到了發電廠，那時功能大發，所思所行均在常理之外。“練神還虛”是一步步功夫做成的，禪宗的“明心見性”是直接挑明，通過特殊刺激，將你推入練神還虛的境地，你的身體自發地補充練精化氣、練氣化神。

Training the Shen to Return to Emptiness is empirically arriving at the Origin of All Living Things, & is identical with Chan Buddhism’s “A Clear Mind Sees the Character.” Arriving at the point of Training the Shen to Return to Emptiness is tantamount to finding a power plant capable of great emissions, actually what you’d think would happen during training is outside of common sense. “Training the Shen to Return to Emptiness” is a step by step Gongfu that clearly succeeds, Chan Buddhism’s “A Clear Mind Sees the Character” is directly illuminated. Once, by means of special stimulation you are lead by circumstance to push into Training the Shen to Return to Emptiness, your health will spontaneously replenish via Training the Jing to Transform the Qi, & Training the Qi to Transform the Shen.

三步功夫：易骨，易筋，洗髓。

Three Stages of Kung fu: Changing the Bones, Changing the Muscles, Washing the Marrow.

按拳術規矩練習，自然有骨質增強彈性、膜騰筋長、骨髓滋長的效果。
易骨，“有時意輕輕如鴻毛，意重而似泰山。” 不是一開始練拳就要加此意念，而是在練拳的過程中，感到有一種很過瘾的感覺時，方可加上意念，猶如人喝醉了，借著酒興而有了詩情。

In light of the established standards of practice of the Boxing Art, there naturally exists the bone’s quality of increasing flexibility, the membrane turning over the muscle head, & the bone marrow developing as a result. In Changing the Bones, “the idea is sometime expecting as light as a goose feather, sometime expecting as heavy as Mount Tai.” It isn’t that you start to practice boxing & then add this idea. Rather, in the process of practicing boxing, you begin to feel an excessive craving, practice just adding on to the idea. Like a person who gets drunk, from contact with wine, their passion & poetic feeling are affected.

薛顛對易筋、洗髓的經驗沒有露，是他的周到，避免習者刻舟求劍，耽誤了大事。功夫的程度到了，人有自覺，自己調理自己。前輩的經驗僅有參考價值，知不知道，並不耽誤事。

Xue Dian replies, If Changing the Muscles, & Washing the Marrow’s experience hasn’t been reached, a person must be attentive in practice to avoid wasting time, which delays the great event. In the end, the degree to which one’s gongfu is developed depends on individual initiative, you have to look out for your self. The experiences of seniors are only valuable as a reference, the Dao of Knowing What You Don’t Know definitely will not delay things.

三種練法：明勁，暗勁，化勁。

Three Types of Training Methods: Ming Jin, An Jin, Hua Jin.

不要以為明勁是易骨、暗勁是易筋、化勁是洗髓，那就曲解了。兩者有自然的配合，卻非嚴格對應。

You must not be under the impression that Ming Jin is Changing the Bones, An Jing is Changing the Tendons, & Hua Jing is Washing the Marrow, that is just a distortion! Both sides have to correspond naturally, even though it’s wrong to be rigorous in partner exercises.

明勁，明字除了明確，還有明白之意，是要入“體會勁”，拳力增大是這一階段的必然效。練明勁有個巧方法，要在轉折處求之。五行拳不是練拳，而在練五種不同的勁，所以每一種拳的轉身姿勢都不同。轉身姿勢是為了勁而設立的，多練練轉身，對領悟勁有幫助。明勁的練法為：動轉和順、起落整齊，方者正其中。方正其中，是達到高度平衡之意。明勁並不是一味剛猛，而是追求練拳時的平衡感。

With Ming Jing, in addition to the Ming character being clear cut, it also has the idea of obviousness, which is essential to enter into “Whole Body Jing.” The inevitable result of this stage is an enlarging of the Fist’s Power. Training Ming Jing is an Individual Skill Method, you must seek it during a break in conversation. The Five Phases Fists are not practicing boxing, & yet while training the Five types’ Jing are distinct, as a result each type of Fist has a completely distinct Turning Body posture. The purpose of the Turning Body postures is for the Jing to establish itself. Constantly training & training Turning Body is correct way to understanding helping the Jing. Ming Jing’s Training Method is: Moving & Turning are calm & flowing, Rising & Falling are orderly & even, the principles of the Method are included within this. Among the principles of the Method is to attain the heights balance is the idea. Ming Jing is emphatically not blindly hard & fierce, rather it seeks to train the Fists when feeling balanced.

暗勁，是要人由明轉暗，淡忘對勁的體會，讓其成為一種自然反應。暗勁的練法為：充實丹田，使身體堅如金石，神氣舒展、動作圓通，圓者以應外。暗勁階段，丹田會發生作用，練精化氣。孫祿堂的“動物”經驗發生在暗勁階段。暗勁令肌肉堅實，“暗”不是陰虛。暗勁是協調性，要“活活潑潑不可滯”，動作可以不規範，在周身協調的基礎上，以隨意的動作來提高自己的機動能力。

With An Jing, it is important that people follow Ming turning to An, that it be forgotten & merged with the Whole Body, allowing it to become another type of natural reaction. An Jing’s Training Method is: full & solid Dantian, which causes the body to be as strong as metal & stone, Shen & Qi open & extended, movements are round & connected, round means using a responsive exterior. In the An Jing stage, the Dantian is able to function, Training the Jing to Transform the Qi. Sun Lutang’s “Moving Thing,” experience happened during the An Jing stage. An Jing causes the flesh to be firm & substantial, “An,” is not Yin Defecient. An Jing is Harmonized Nature, it must be “lively, lively, splash, splash, can’t be sluggish.” Movements may be irregular, but with the Whole Body Harmonized as the prior foundation, one is able to move at will, coming to improve one’s own movement capabilities.

化勁，是收放自如。化勁的練法為：動作不可著力，專以神意運用，勿忘勿助，一氣貫通而已，三回九轉是一式，即此意也。化勁在動作上與明勁、暗勁的動作一致，是規整的拳套或稍作變化的拳套，不把拳打成新模樣。動作一致，但內涵已變，動作不用力，以神意練拳。貓全神貫注地盯著老鼠洞，達到忘我之境，老鼠一出洞，貓就撲上去。此時貓不會想著腿如何跳、爪如何抓，意念一動，身體就飛出去了——這便是化勁。是忘我的，把自己和老鼠融為一體，無念無想。

An Jing is unobstructed reviving & releasing. An Jing’s Training Method is: movement should not manifest power, concentrate in order to put Shen Intention to use, One Qi Threaded Through & nothing more. Three Returns Nine Rotations are one pattern, that is the idea. Hua Jing exists in movement first, with Ming Jing & An Jing’s movements coming simultaneously. It is the formula of the Fists’ structure, with a little work, that changes the Fists’ structure, not giving the Striking Method a new look. Movement is the same, but the implication is already different, since you don’t exert yourself physically in movement, instead using Shen Intention to train the Fists. The cat with rapt attention stares attentively at the mouse hole, to achieve the condition of selflessness. As soon as the mouse leaves the hole, the cat pounces toward it. In this moment the cat is unlikely to think ‘allright, how do I get the legs to jump & the claws to scratch,’ thought is one with movement, the body immediately flies to go — this precisely is An Jing. It is having selflessness, to take hold of yourself & the mouse & blending as one body, no thought & no planning.

“練精化氣，練氣化神，練神還虛”

“Training Jing to Transform Qi, Training Qi to Transform Shen, Training Shen to Return to Emptiness”

薛顛言：“如有人來擊，心中並非有意防範，然隨彼意而應之，自然有堅決之抗力。”如有人偷襲，心中來不及反應，身體已作出了反擊。“且練習之時，心中空空洞洞，無念無想，其姿勢雖千變萬化，然不勉而中，不思而得”說的是化勁，化勁是道藝。

Xue Dian said: “If someone comes to strike you, if in your heart you’re really not interested in being on guard, then follow that idea & comply with it, the nature must have the power of resolute resistance.” If someone sneak attacks you there’s no time to react in your head, the body has already counter attacked. “Moreover, when practicing, be empty in one’s thoughts, no thought & no planning. It’s posture, through constant permutations, makes no effort & yet hits the mark, not thinking & yet gaining.” What is spoken of is Hua Jing. Hua Jing is a Daoist Art.