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Eventually I started realising that some of the most fundamental questions of life are the same as those of wing tsun. This is also not a coincidence. Wing tsun is rooted in the very deep spiritual tradition of Buddhism, coming from the Shaolin temple. Taoism and Confucianism are its other two philosophical/spiritual pillars. These ancient traditions were trying to find answers to questions about how the universe works, what is our place in it, how our minds work, what the relationship between the mind and body are, and how to live life the proper way. For a duration whose starting end vanishes from our sight into the depths of time, generations after generations have sook the answers, and have accumulated enormous wisdom by the time wing tsun was born. Wing tsun derives its ingenuity from this unfathomable wealth and wisdom and knowledge, but not in a mechanical way. It is not that there are certain doctrines that are somehow translated into specific techniques. It’s more like the same heart is beating at the centre of these ancient traditions and wing tsun. It is not something that can be understood intellectually. Of course it can be understood intellectually but it cannot be KOWN that way. It does require the intellect and it does require constant training of the body.

For a while, after experiencing the physical and psychological benefits of training wing tsun, which have helped me improve my life beyond belief, I have been seeing it increasingly as a spiritual practice. I have seen its ability to transform, to help its practitioners become better people. As well as keep perfecting my technical skills, I now have a desire to pass on this incredible gift, and even if in a small part, make the world a better place, in a very real sense.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my teachers, SiHing Gábor Spenger and SiFu Ferenc Kovács for creating, and constantly improving our beloved school, and for tirelessly working on maintaining our relationship with SiKung Norbert Máday, whose invaluable teaching has been so inspiring for all of us. During his recent London seminar and book launch of The Book Of Ancestors he spoke beautifully about the history and spiritual background and nature of wing tsun, which has encouraged me in a large part to write this post.

In short, it doesn’t matter if you just want to learn how to fight well or if you’re just intrigued by the ingenuity of the art, or you see it more as a spiritual journey. What matters is that you do it with heart.