Issue 16 - May 2006

Editorial

Dear friends and Students,

It gives me great pride and joy to present this issue of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute – UK newsletter to you. Regular readers of the Shaolin Wahnam Forum will need no introduction to Sifu Robin Gamble.. For the rest of you it gives me great pleasure to give you a little background.

On 9 th April Sifu Robin achieved something that is a landmark for the Shaolin Wahnam Institute UK . He used Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan to win a full contact sparring bout at The British Tai Chi Open Championships . Whilst other competitors used kick boxing and other non Tai Chi Chuan styles, Sifu Robin used Tai Chi Chuan and used it to win. This is a wonderful achievement.

Sifu Robin Gamble clearly demonstrated the combat efficiency of Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan and believes that this is a victory for REAL Tai Chi Chuan and Kung Fu. It also validates the effectiveness of Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit's teaching methods. If you would like to read further details of this event and view more pictures, you can do so at our discussion forum, a link is provided in the article below

Now I will hand you over to Sifu Robin and his article for this edition of the newsletter the subject of which, coming from someone with so much combat efficiency, genuinely pleasantly surprised me. If ever there was an example of the Scholar Warrior, Sifu Robin Gamble is it. Enjoy.

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Finding Beauty in Everyday Life

 

Finding Beauty in Everyday life
By Sifu Robin Gamble (far right in photo above)

If you would be so kind, for just a couple of seconds I would like you to take the late John Lennon's advice and… imagine.

Imagine feeling love and compassion for your enemies instead of hate or malice. Imagine feeling joy and contentment at the sight of a cherry blossom in full bloom instead of just walking by it. Imagine loving your family and friends more, but without becoming too attached to them or wanting to control them.

To many, these experiences may sound a little idealistic and maybe even a little ‘new age' But we in Shaolin Wahnam count ourselves as extremely lucky as we do not have to ‘imagine' life as beautiful and meaningful, we actually experience it. Indeed many of our instructors and students enjoy these experiences regularly and even on a daily basis. What is more is that they are not necessarily strived for, but are the natural and expected results of our regular practice in Shaolin Wahnam Kung-Fu, Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin Cosmos Chi-Kung.

I would like to share an experience of immense beauty that I had while travelling from John o' Groats to Lands End (the furthest two points in the British Isles ) with my brother Nick last year.

It happened in the Scottish Highlands section of our trip, I was driving at the time, and started to become aware of the simply awe inspiring beauty of the scenery we were encountering. The colours of the trees and hills seemed much more strong and clear than I had ever encountered before and this began to fill me with a deep and fantastic Joy. While navigating the winding roads I appreciated the beauty of nature, as I never had done before. The perfect design of the trees and the subtle pleasure of the rolling hills were most enjoyable. It is a good thing Nick did not ask me anything as we were travelling, as I was utterly speechless at the time. Please do not worry; I was always well aware that I was driving a car while this was happening. This lovely sensation was ‘topped off' if you will, while driving round a corner only to see the majestic spring sun penetrating through the clouds before us. It sounds funny but if someone where to ask “what is one of the most beautiful things to happen to you in this life thus far?” I would say that driving around a twisty road in Scotland is in the top three. I would also put the cause of the delightful experience directly to my regular practice of Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan.

Unlike the joyful experiences derived from many external stimuli e.g. eating chocolate, driving fast cars, shopping etc. which over time and when taken to excess may loose their appeal, the joy derived from regular practice actually increases over time. There are after all only so many pairs of shoes you can buy and so much chocolate you can eat!  This is because all of the Shaolin Wahnam arts are a detailed and systematic method of personal development and Spiritual Cultivation, with clear goals and objectives to help you along every step of the path. When you are happy and confident of where you are going, how to get there and feel the benefits, it is only natural to feel your happiness grow as you progress ever closer to your goal.

Obviously practicing one of the Shaolin Wahnam arts is an excellent method for finding such beauty in everyday life, but there also many other simple ways in which we can do this. For example taking the time for a walk in the country side with your family members, or forgetting about work for an entire evening when your are with your partner, choosing to focus on the beautiful parts of someone's character as opposed to their faults or realising that all problems can eventually be overcome. These are just a few examples of things we can do to realise the innate beauty that is hiding away in our everyday lives, and to make our lives more rewarding.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, may life be more meaningful and beautiful with everyday.

Sifu Robin Gamble will begin teaching Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan later this year in London and Brighton . For further details you can contact him at robin.gamble@shaolinwahnam.co.uk .

To learn more about Sifu Robins victory at The British Tai Chi Open Championships (with pictures) please visit the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion forum


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Sifu Robin, Carm and Composed at the Competition

Robin (wearing the white t-shirt) calmly observes his opponent. Notice he is standing at Four Six stance


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Dates for your Diary

27/28 May 2006 Warrior Project with Sifu Kai Uwe Jettkandt, recipient of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame award. Contact Scotland@shaolinwahnam.co.uk for more details (open to Level 2 and upwards Shaolin Wahnam students only)

5 th July 2006 Summer Camp 2006 begins! Shaolin Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit will be teaching a variety of course to the public click here for full details


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Until next month I wish you success in your practice.

Kind regards,

Marcus Santer
Shaolin Wahnam Institute - UK
Helping you to fulfil your physical and emotional potential

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