Mig

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Everything posted by Mig

  1. What do you train

    Where did you get that from France. France had savate which was kicks and strikes sport. Any street fight can be brutal and as a kid in those countries, you want to see blood in a fight and that's how you show you are a man. Bruce Lee didn't introduce Kung fu, he was against Kung fu and that's why created his own martial arts, a mix of wing chun, boxing and some grappling since then it had evolved as trends has changed. As he said: "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own". Inosanto had to follow the trends and if you are going to his school, you will find sambo, kali escrima, silat, wing chun and JDK. As for the Chinese fight, knight errant Youxia (Chinese: 遊俠) novels then wuxia 武俠 had influenced what people considered fight or real fight although it became more fiction than real. Today MMA is not what you could find in alleys where guys fought bare hands or knuckle fists and each generation had their own rules. Today MMA is full of restrictions to make it interesting and entertaining.
  2. What do you train

    Kung fu is a generic term and many movements, holds, sweeps have similarities both in the north and south boxing styles. What is similar to Jujitsu is 摔跤: Shuāijiāo that has roots from ancient times, similar type of wrestling you find it in India and some African countries. So it was the same in Rome, back in the days of Nero, you remember him, right? As most everything in this country, it is all about marketing, trends and sensationalism so one can see the evolution of martial arts from regular boxing to Judo, Karate (kumite), Kung fu (Katas: forms mainly), full contact, kick boxing then MMA. Gracie's idea took off and remember that congress had banned UFC because it was too violent. Really, everyone in this country live in a violent society and glorify thugs and criminals so the so called fights evolved with too many restrictions. Now, remember that Gracie's didn't make it in the beginning because the prevalence of wrestling and boxing as being the sport of poor people so they were never supported by their government.
  3. What do you train

    How do you know that Karate developed during that time. I thought Karate was systematized in Okinawa in the 17th century ?? Just wondering
  4. What do you train

    Thank you for the clarification. I am sort of familiar of all those styles and if I remember correctly Judo became popular in the US after 45 and then Karate took over. What I find interesting is the way they market names and some become popular and some don't. Just like Pankration in the 70's that never took off or then after 90s sambo never became popular. Today, there is a controversy about how Royce fights were not equally fought or didn't have athletes prepared as what you have today.
  5. What do you train

    I thought that judo was the evolution of Jiu-jitsu to become the national sport. I understand that In Judo, much of the emphasis is weighted on standing techniques versus ground techniques. On the other hand, Jiu Jitsu is heavily focused on ground techniques with some standing techniques in the form of self-defense. Is Brazilian much different? Or was it marketed differently and the timing was right in the 90's when full contact, kick boxing were fading away that became popular? Or is it another trendy thing that is so common in the US?
  6. Zhuangzi commentaries

    The link for to take it easy is highlighted "wife", is that correct?
  7. Those are the places I have lived and noticed the poor conditions an nice conditions of public restrooms. Back in the 80's when I went to mainland China the restrooms were a collective room, everyone doing their business and in the dorms, restrooms were very clean.
  8. Zhuangzi commentaries

    Alors là, tu m'épates , sacré Jean-Paul, what ZZ proposes?
  9. USA, in California, NY, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas mostly in large cities. Same thing in France and I noticed more in Sweden, so different when I live in those places back in the 70s and 80s. Also, same scenario and even worse in Mexico, Central American countries and Peru
  10. Let see one example. While traveling and living in my van, I had to use public restrooms. Whenever I had to go to impoverished area, the restrooms were filthy, vandalized and not taken care so if I had to pee, I would go near a tree as it was disgusting just to stand in those restrooms. Then I would go to a public library in a decent area and the situation was the same. Lastly, I will stop in a nice residential area or well off place, the restrooms were clean, well taken care and had all you need. I came to the conclusion that people without education, entitled and selfish wouldn't even care about public facilities, even at work, they become just like many others. People who are educated they care better and try to keep their facilities in good shape so others can enjoy too. I saw that too in other countries, industrialized or third world countries. It seems to be a natural human trait to be selfish and care less.
  11. Zhuangzi commentaries

    Thanks for sharing. Do you have any feedback reading his translation and do you see any difference if you have read Watson or Mair?
  12. It has become the norm where the influence of Hollywood, consumerism, selfishness and entitlement is now normal. And then after when they get older, everyone has a pity on them.
  13. Zhuangzi commentaries

    So tell me, all the translations we read all over, the Watson, Graham, Meir, Féng yǒu lán 冯友兰, etc., are those translations directly from the original, whatever is consider original, or shall we read by commentaries as the one Ziporyn did? If I understand correctly, one has to read each chapter and try to make sense with the way of thinking and the way it is understood today by whichever arbitrary comment. Or is there something else I am missing? It seems that in each story of each chapter there is more to ponder and understand and many thoughts are already in the Chinese mind as opposed to those who grew up thinking that death is a curse or that we are going to heaven or hell or if I hope I maybe reach my dream, etc.
  14. Zhuang zi translations recommendations

    Great initiative in explaining those stories rather than just translating them without any explanation. I am discovering that behind each commentary there are more explanations that can be useful in real life situations and the metaphors are helpful to bring those stories more vivid captions about what the author wanted to convey. So there is a tradition in which is explained and I have found some explanations that fit well in the Chinese mind. I am finding that many of those stories became idiomatic expressions 成语 chéng yǔ and in this way I can understand better the translations. Thanks for sharing your own translations. They are very helpful.
  15. Zhuang ziers, I am contemplating 3 books on Zhuang zi translation: A.C. Graham Burton Watson Victor Mair Any recommendation for a beginner who almost read the DDJ. Not looking for a fancy translation but something that is close to the original or it can be understood easily. Thanks a bunch,
  16. Zhuangzi commentaries

    Why 郭象: Guō Xiàng commentary is important to read and understand 莊 子 Zhuang zi? Aren't most of the translations based on his commentary?
  17. probably posted way before:

    Isn't that subjective? My past recollections are in the present because I am thinking about it now but those were past experiences that my memory helps me to live them again in my head. As for the future, I don't have a clue, those are just thoughts that may happen or may not happen or half happen depending on millions of circumstances. And what is your sentence related to Zhuang zǐ?
  18. What controls the Chi

    At the end, where that energy comes from? It's not about the origin but the energy comes from somewhere? The energy that makes move earth comes from somewhere. I'm not talking about the manifestation but the source of that propulsion, whatever makes this planet rotate and how energy starts. Just wondering
  19. Did I miss something? Why calling it invisible as it seems that in the 5K words book is talking about the origin of things. If I read Zhuang zi: 齊物論: 古之人,其知有所至矣。惡乎至?有以為未始有物者,至矣盡矣,不可以加矣。 The understanding of the men of ancient times went a long way. How far did it go? To the point where some of them believed that things have never existed - so far, to the end, where nothing can be added. B. Watson translation Isn't he already talking about things have never existed and is confirmed in the DDJ Ch 40 天下万物生于有,有生于无 The myriad things of the world are born of being Being is born of non-being . Derek Lin translation Just wondering
  20. "Spirit" in the DDJ

    Mostly on the meaning of words as many commentators have pointed out some words have evolved and you find in today's mandarin it doesn't mean the same thing
  21. What the purpose of saying that Lǎo zǐ wrote those lines about the Dào? As a reader, what's in it for me whether it was nameless or nothingness? What's the reason to understand those lines and how that can be helpful?
  22. You and Wu in Chapter One

    And what is the reason of the question? 無名 and 有名 are key terms in the DDJ, and are found also in chapters 32, 37, and 41. It seems to me that isolating one term from one chapter may fall into confusion and the terms or the lines may be lost in translation. The editions by Heshang Gong and Wang Bi are popular and are used as a reference with all the commentaries from different scholars throughout ages. It seems to me that the importance is to know how those lines are helpful to understand the whole text and how to apply that knowledge for those who are interested in using it as practical manual and cultivation tool. Your thoughts?
  23. "Spirit" in the DDJ

    It seems that the whole concept of noun and verb is a very European concept that it makes me wonder if the ancient philologists or scholars paid attention to it or the explanation or commentary was more important. It also makes me wonder when a Chinese reader how they understand both terms,yǒu wú有无 in plain Chinese. I keep reading many postings focusing character by character and forgetting that the language had evolved for the past thousand years. The ancient Chinese apparently didn't rely on tones and the pronunciation was very different from today. So there was certainly another way to explain when they taught and learned from commentaries on how to interpret line by line, structure by structure and put it into perspective as a manual to be understood. Later in history we see how many terms changed and being used by different lineages as well as mixing Buddhist or confucianist concepts. I think what is important is to know what the native scholar can teach or explain how those terms can be understood. Just saying
  24. Taoism; how does it all work?

    Thanks and let's see if I follow you with this reasoning and probably I am overthinking. But for the sake of clarity, I have a garden in the backyard and if I let the nature takes it course, the garden will be devastated by insects, weeds and even the soil may lack nutrients, so I should just let nature do its thing? If I take care of my garden, I need to work daily to keep it clean, off insects, weeds and other mammals and birds that like my veggies or fruits and I feel that in obstructing nature. It seems that the Chinese term is more explicit than English when you say順其自然 shùn qí zì rán