Following the law of nature is the key to longevity

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Due to the number of elderly people with silver hair who have practiced Wushu all their life are vigorous and walk at a brisk pace, it has been proven Wushu leads to longevity. Wushu practicing indeed helps prevent disease and prolongs human life, but begs the question: how many seniors over the age of 1oo practice Wushu?

Ning jiaokuan,a 96-year-old Taoist, performing shooting arrows, Shandong Guoshu Examination in 1934 There are some Wushu practitioners who have lived for oo years and longer among the superb Wushu masters, such as Yang Yuting (1887-1982) who practiced Taiji, Ma Meihu (1805-1924) andLiu Wanyi(1820-1918) who practiced Xingyi Boxing, Zhang Zhan’ ao (1817-1916) and Wang Ziping (1881-1973, who practiced spring kicks. Still, despite the existence of many long-time Wushu practitioners, the life span of some modern Wushu masters were not that lengthy, and those who practice the same kind of Wushu may not necessarily lead the same length of life. The Taiji master Wu Tunan (1884-198g) died at the age of 1os, while Yang Chengfu, Li Yishe(1832-1892) and Chen Zhaokui(1928-1981), who were also Taiji practitioners lived only for so to 6o years. Of course, human longevity depends on multiple factors like inheritance, economic situations, living conditions and psychological qualities, but such cases also reveal that practicing Wushu is not the only precondition of longevity, and does not necessarily bring about a prolonged life.

Mastering basic skills and turning brute force into physical latent force is the first step tolearning Wushu. Beginners must practice everyday all year round regardless of rain or snow. But, those who learn Xingyi boxing risk injury to their legs and feet if they use too much force, and these injuries are often overlooked when young, instead affecting the Wushu master as they age. Moreover, certain kinds of Kungfu skills, such as stake kicking Kungfu, iron head Kungfu and iron arm Kungfu, are more prone to causing permanent damage to the bones and muscles of beginners who are young, aggressive and eager for success. Outer injuries, therefore, are likely to occur when practicing obvious force.

When it comes to practicing potential force and neutralizing force, internal energy based and masculine energy is gradually weakened. Internal energy cultivation mainly requires individual contemplation and guidance of thought more than communication with other fellows. Masters generally teach their pupils more routine skills and less internal energy. Therefore, many Wushu practitioners typically develop their internal energy little by little, and in the exploration process, detours and deviations are quite common.

Internal energy cultivation involves quiet and clean surroundings apart from the concentrated spirit of the individual. Unexpected shock can easily scatter their energy, or even disturb the meridian system, resulting in mental confusion or partial paralysis known as “going crazy and out of control.”

When practicing the potential force or neutralizing force, therefore, inner injuries are more likely to occur from incorrect practice methods or accidents. Learning Zhoutian Kungfu can cause dizziness, or even high blood pressure, if too much force is involved.

Portrait of Buddist Arhat in Red by Zhang Daqian in 1944 Wushu masters also feature aggressive dispositions and like to compete with each other.Many practitioners traveled through Jianghu after learning real Kungfu and made friends with others by rivaling in Wushu.The so-called“making friends through Wushu”refers to making a lot of friends by competing against on another.But injuries are common during competition since both parties regard each other as the deadly enemy and are fighting for survival.Therefore，one has to compete with others numerous times before earning prestigious as a Wushu master.

Generally speaking，Wushu masters have a strong sense of winning and losing，and have developed the concept of”defeating others with superior Wushu skills”from the moment they start learning Wushu.Affected by such ideas，Wushu masters are usually on alert and are ready to compete with others at any time and any place.This also teaches them to be sharp.The psychology of beingalert at all times ensures the Wushu masters are in a constant state of nervousness，which allows them to develop into an intangible spiritual pressure that modern medical science believes is harmful and contributes to cardiovascular disease or cancer.

In summation，Wushu masters do not necessarily enjoy a longer life due to the discussed physical and mental reasons，and practicing Wushu does not necessarily result in longevity.Nearly nine out of to seniors around the age of ioo are not Wushu practitioners.But，many of them also live in pollution-free villages，where the air is fresh，It not only allows elders to be open-minded and shielded from world strife，but also enables them to lead a thrifty life without unhealthy hobbies like smoking or drinking，or over stress of physical labor，which are the reasons for their longevity.

Portrait of Zazen

Zen Buddhism，one of the 13 sects of the Chinese Buddhism，was said to start from Bodhidharma，and prevailed from the sixth patriarch Hui Neng.After the mid and late Tang Dynasty，it became the mainstream of the Chinese Buddhism，and also one of the most important symbols of the Chinese Buddhism.

Zen Buddhism does not require a special cultivation environment. It focuses on a certain luck to become eminent by chance and acquire the realm of clear mind. However, the realm of clear mind requires not access to sacredness from commonness”but “access to commonness from sacredness.”Zen Buddhism upholds that cultivation does not require one to read scriptures, or become a monk or nun. One can liveordinary daily life as usual. The daily life of those who succeeded in Zen Buddhism cultivation has no difference from that of ordinary people, and the difference lies only in the state of mind. There is only a momentary slip between ordinary people and Buddha.

Zen Buddhism has created many new meditation methods such as roaming. All the methods can enable people to have the sensitivity to immediate enlightenment. The enlightenment is beyond all time and space, cause and effect, and past and future, and obtains a sense of freedom to be free from all things and all constraints, thereby overcoming the material desire and attaining sainthood, and freeing from rigid adherence to the worldly things, but still living a normal daily life.