Dharma-Zen Blog

Jet Li’s a pretty amazing guy. He has survived a tsunami, rescued his daughter from said tsunami, and has made many, many movies. If you’re a Jet Li fan and have never checked out his website, you really should. The man is amazing on many levels. He’s a humble Buddhist, a kick-ass martial artist, a family man and a great actor.

He started out practicing kung fu, wu shu, at a very young age. From his website:

WUSHU-OGRAPHY

The following is some information about Jet’s training, styles he knows and his competitive career.

Jet’s Coaches

Jet’s primary coach was Wu Bin, who served as head coach of the Beijing Wushu Team from 1964 until the early part of the 21st century. While Wu Bin started training wushu athletes at the Beijing Sports School in 1964, the Beijing Wushu Team, as it is currently known, was not formally created until 1974. Jet, himself, started training in wushu in 1971 at the age of 8 years old.

During the early years of the team Cheng Huikun and Li Jinheng also served on the coaching staff. In addition, many other coaches and teachers, each with their own specialty and area of expertise, visited the team to help train Jet and his teammates.

The original members of the Beijing Men’s Wushu Team were Li Lianjie (Jet Li), Li Zhizhou, Li Jinfeng, Tang Laiwei, Yu Shaowen, Wang Qun, Wang Jianjun, Sun Jiaming, Dong Honglin, Cui Yahui, Yang Yongli and Yan Ping. On the women’s team were Li Xia, Hao Zhi Hua, Zhang Gui Feng, Wang Xiuping, Zhang Hong Mei, Ge Chunyan, Luu Yan, Hui Xuna, Huang Qiuyan, Zhou Jingpiong, Mi Jin, Huang Xiaofeng and Zhang Dehua.

Contrary to popular myth, Jet never trained at the Shaolin Temple. At the time Jet was training in wushu (late 60’s and early 70’s) there were no “fighting monks” living at the Shaolin Temple

Styles of Wushu

Jet specialized in the following styles:

chang quan (long fist)

dao (broadsword)

gun (staff)

fanzi quan (tumbling fist)

3-section staff

pu dao (horse chopper)

And in addition, Jet also studied the following styles (some in more depth than others).

taiji quan (the 5 main styles)

xing yiquan

bagua zhangjian (straightsword)

qiang (spear)

zui quan (drunken fist)

tang lang quan (mantis fist)

ying zhao quan (eagle claw boxing)

zui jian (drunken sword)

shuang dao (double broadswords)

axe

battle axe

double hooks swords

fork

9 section whip

mace

hammer

talon

trident-halberd

long-handled spear

short cudgel

meteor hammer

rope dart

Competition History

The following is a brief history of Jet’s wushu career:

1971: Jet begins training in wushu at an after-school program at the Beijing Sports School.

1974: Jet joins the newly created Beijing Wushu Team and begins competing on a national level.

1974: Was awarded his first Men’s National All-Around Championship title at the age of 12.

1975: Men’s National All-Around Championship

1976: Men’s National All-Around Championship

1977: Men’s National All-Around Championship

1978: Men’s National All-Around Championship

1979: Retired from professional wushu competition after a knee injury where he ripped his Anterior Crutiate Ligament (ACL) doing the jump inside kick to split.

The end of Jet Li’s movie making career was rumored some time ago. Fortunately, this rumor was not true.

David

On May 17th and 18th we had a Tai Chi, Chi Kung & Meditation Retreat at Cross River Wilderness Centre. It’s a quiet, secluded place to have a retreat, “off the grid” and completely away from city life. We had no telephones, cell phones, TV, city water or cars rumbling past. The weather was so nice we often practiced outdoors. After a simple, elegant meal we’d soak in the fire-heated hot tub on the deck. We also saw and heard a lot of nature; deer, huge rabbits, jays, Calliope hummingbirds and, thankfully, only a few enormous mosquitoes. We all had a good time.
Below are some pictures from the retreat.

Danny
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Here is a recent news article called “Study Says Near Extinction Threatened People 70,00 Years Ago” that has something amazing to say: “Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests. The human population at that time was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa, apparently because of drought, according to an analysis released Thursday. The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age. “This study illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species’ history,” Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society explorer in residence, said in a statement. “Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA.” (from Thursday, April 24, 2008 found at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004370797_apclosecall.html?syndication=rss).

Below are other two other stories I found on the Internet.
“After a Window Washer’s 47-Floor Plunge, the Big Question Is: How Did He Survive?” In December 2007, two brothers had jobs as window cleaners. One day, while working together on a New York cit a high-rise building, they had a terrible accident. Both of them plunged down 150 metres before hitting the ground. The youngest brother died immediately. The eldest broke both legs, arms, and wrists, collapsed both lungs, and damaged his kidneys… but he survived. Not only that, he wasn’t even permanently paralysed. Doctors couldn’t believe he survived the fall. One said to the brother, “If you believe that miracles are possible, then this is a miracle. If you fall from even 3 floors, the death rate is over 50%. Before today it was well known that falling from 10 floors or more has a 100% death rate. I have never seen anyone survive a fall such as yours.” (Written by James Baron and Al Baker, fom http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/nyregion/12fall.html)

“Woman Shot In The Head Recounts Tale Of Survival.” On April 12 this year, a 41-year-old woman was driving around in Tampa, Florida. Several carloads of thugs began to verbally abuse her, and the incidence quickly escalated. She was shot right between the eyes by someone in a neighbouring car. But she didn’t die on the spot and was rushed to hospital. In fact, she stupefied the doctors when she began to tell them what happened. Close scrutiny showed that, upon hitting her forehead, the bullet broke into 2 pieces. Rather than penetrating her skull and killing her, the fragments only traveled under her skin, exiting behind her ear. The doctor said that he couldn’t explain how such an inexplicable event could occur. (By Mike Wells, http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/19/me-woman-shot-in-the-head-recounts-tale-of-surviva/?news-metro)

These three stories make me wonder whether the outcome of these events were predestined or determined by luck? I also am left with some unanswered questions. In the first story the writer didn’t explain the possible effects that incest would have on the children of these human beings in danger of extinction. Why is it known from endangered species of animals that to have too limited a gene pool will cause them to die out because of genetic diseases, yet our ancient human ancestors were still able to propagate and eventually spread around the globe?
From the second story I wonder that, since a miracle occurred, why didn’t the younger brother survive too? In theory and from many examples of falls from high places, everyone would say that the old brother didn’t have a chance of survival. Yet he did and he is even recovering.
From the third story I simply wonder what the probability is of a bullet breaking into 2 pieces when it hits a human being’s forehead and not killing her/him?
I’m left with the conclusion that there are many things that can’t be explained by science or experience. Sometimes there simply is no answer.

In Chinese there is a saying that goes like this, “Ming Ming Ju Jong, Zi Yo Ding Shu” It can’t be translated directly but is understood to mean, “The destiny of everything in this universe is imperceptibly but inexorably influenced beyond human being’s understanding.” Sometimes I think human beings should be more humble when considering Mother Nature. We seem to think we can control and change Nature when in fact, we are still being powerfully controlled and changed by Nature.

–Danny