La Traversée du Zen Do Ken

An Hurted Adult

I thank life, cause I have now a good health, in the center of a big problem. I am ill of a heavy illness since 25 years.

Before this rupture, in my childhood and teenage, I grew up in suburban Paris and over the spanish and french border of Basque Country (70s’ – 80s’). Both regions were of social and political intensity, and I grew up with this intensity, defending myself quite good.

Finding my illness (and its medical care) with 20, I did then (eight years) my university studies.

Fighting for Literature

Since then, I spent ten years to work daily like a becoming (literary and free political) writer, quite in break with my concret environment, and its different kinds of integration (my art way). I took quite often offense of the force-relations I met, also in street-life, even if only as seemingly, but…

At the last terms of my resistance, I finished my works, that I could not publish, and on the same year (2001), I registered them free in a Contemporary Art Center in near spanish basque country.

Fighting for Body-Spirit

I met then Tai Chi, and Kung Fu. As my literary way found me exhausted (a long and dangerous self-target trend), Tai Chi principles gave me very much wellness and very quick, I also started seriously Wing Tsun for three years, more clearly combat.

I decided to spend at least ten years, like I did with literature (that I so let wide by side), in martial arts practice. I had the full agreement of mines, who saw me flourish as new, after long years of grey letters. And, well, I did it. We are in 2011, and since october 2001, my full time daily activity has been martial arts, and mostly internal martial arts.

At the cross between the Tai Chi Kung Fu I started to learn in France (two years), and the Wing Tsun Kuen I started to learn in Spain (three years), and with both agreement of the teachers, I was accepted by one of the then most recognized Yi Quan masters in France (Paris). Yi Quan was a prestigious chinese internal martial art in France till 2000s’, most land in Europe.

Involved in Yi Quan

It was at the end of 2004. I practiced its principles full time, with much discipline, in 2005 and 2006, without being able to return to visit my master in Paris.

Then I practiced some 18 month Kendo in Spain, to illustrate the Zen buddhism long trend learning I found in the step of Yi Quan. However I still recognized myself as internal martial art practitioner.

I then agreed again with my Yi Quan master, and in 2009 and 2010 I practiced again daily his principles, going three times for two days’ learning personal sessions in Paris. Our contract had four, and we went through the last two days’ personal session on june 2011. It was so 30 month that I was learning daily a specific Yi Quan program in the Ming Shan (chinese and french) internal martial arts’ lineage.

I have so a tittle of Healing Yi Quan Initiator, in my master lineage and not as a State Teaching Recognition (official federal unions). Therefore, I register in the Association Française de Bio-Energétique as Practitioner of Energetical Therapy for (1) Tai Chi – like practice (even fight) (2) meditation.

Be a Tai Chi Guy

I would ask Tai Chi, and in it, Tai Chi Qi Gong, to accept this situation, like breath gets without else duty into some lungs… That’s the way I felt Tai Chi in 2001 at the very beginning.

My personal lineage is the one I worked since 2004 in Yi Quan. It is a soft practice (internal martial art) which is to be considered as a wild outdoor practice (and so a hard kind), because it chooses natural and even wild places for the current trainings. As such, it is an art, it is a poetry. It should and should not be a routine. Presence, body and natural contests.

But my body strength, and moral and physical health, are often too tense and extreme. I wish Tai Chi, and Tai Chi Qi Gong, to be a civilized counterpart of this. I wish Tai Chi, and in it, Tai Chi Qi Gong, to be a welfare kind learning. I wish its practice to be a selfmanaged and fruitfull way to respectfull duties.

Tai Chi like Practice ? Like letters are on one hand to the told words, like letters are on the other hand to the written words.