E-book: Chinese Gong Fu: Toward a Body-Centered Understanding

"Gong fu, the indigenous martial art of China, was exported into American popular culture through numerous "kung fu" movies in the 20th century. Perhaps the most renowned of the martial arts in the U.S., gong fu remains often misunderstood, perhaps because of its esoteric practices that include aspects of Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and other syncretic elements. Using the science of embodiment-the study of the interaction between body, mind, cognition, behavior and environment-practitioner and teacherR.F. Gonzalez explores the relationships among practitioner, praxis, spirituality, philosophy and the body in gong fu. Drawing on familiar routines, films, artifacts and art, the author connects the reader to ancient Chinese culture, philosophy, myth, shamanism and ritual"--

Gong fu, the indigenous martial art of China, was exported into American popular culture through numerous "kung fu" movies in the 20th century. Perhaps the most renowned of the martial arts in the U.S., gong fu remains often misunderstood, perhaps because of its esoteric practices that include aspects of Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and other syncretic elements. Using the science of embodiment--the study of the interaction between body, mind, cognition, behavior and environment--this book explores the relationships among practitioner, praxis, spirituality, philosophy and the body in gong fu. Drawing on familiar routines, films, artifacts and art, the author connects the reader to ancient Chinese culture, philosophy, myth, shamanism and ritual.

Gonzalez, a college writing instructor who is involved in the martial arts, examines the practice of gong fu (kung fu) through the lenses of embodiment and myth. He discusses the mythological founder of Shaolin gong fu, Bodhidharma, and the value that the philosophical teachings bring to the martial art, including embodied themes in various myths and their relevance to gong fu practice; the codification of gong fu forms and their mythical and iconographical influences, such as statues, steles, paintings, murals, and scrolls; film as a lens for understanding embodied experiences in gong fu, including The Drunkards Fist and Drunken Master, in addition to The Water Margin as a literary influence on film; Wu King Quan or Five Animals Fist and its Daoist influences; and the ritual aspect of gong fu and the journey of practitioners that ends in the black belt ritual initiation. Annotation ©2020 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)