Monk Shidejian

I have been training regularly everyday now since around the 20th of December and I have made some improvements and feel much happier about my training and the reasons for my training. I realised I was training and trying to get better and learn Jutsu for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to be strong, for people to talk about me and say how amazing I was.....

It all changed for me when I watched a documentary about a shaolin monk called Shidejian who trains at a mountaintop monastery with a small number of students and teaches Chanwuyi, which is zen, martial arts and medicine. His martial arts style is called xingyiba and is mostly an internal style and relies on everyday activity to train structure and connectivity and whole body power.
Something about him struck me as being very different, happy, peaceful and pure. He mentioned that his teacher told him that in order to learn martial arts he must first learn to be a good person. Then he can learn martial arts and then if he becomes good he can learn the medicine and help people. I could talk about this guy all day long..... He trains very purely and heals the people he can for free very selflessly.
One thing struck me that made a difference to my outlook on my training. He said martial arts are not to show off, see who is strongest or to hurt anyone. Martial arts are a way to discipline and train yourself to be a better more peaceful person, it's never been about fighting. I have heard this many times, but for some reason for me it never rung true because it when it was said it never sounded sincere just said because it was the thing to be said. But I could tell when Shidejian said it and by the way he lives and train a that he means it.... I then remember that Akuzawa sensei also said the same thing many years ago. He said it's not and has never been about who is stronger or weaker, it's about your spirit.... How has your spirit developed. Shidejian also said that the training makes you healthy and enjoy life.

So to get to the point this is how I am now approaching my training, with an easy going relaxed mindset, enjoying it whilst still training hard and not being focused on being the toughest man in the world. And low and behold I have now made my biggest connections and understandings in all my 7 years of training. I cannot wait to train everyday and feel my body is coming together as a unit and my mind it more peaceful when I train. I am enjoying so much.
I would highly recommend watching Shidejian on YouTube, he is a very inspiring man.....