The Three Stages Of Zen Training In Martial Arts

1st Stage: Jian Chi – Never Give Up
You need willpower, belief and knowledge of your goal so you don’t give up. Having a goal means we know which direction our training is going and we have something to work towards. This helps us to Never Give up.
2nd Stage: Dong Jing – Balance
This is a special word for martial arts which is difficult to translate. Dong means to move, Jing means to be still. When your martial arts comes to the second stage, it’s very important that you don’t lose your balance. It is like the two wings of a bird. You need to do Qi Gong and Kung Fu but not only that, when you do Kung Fu you need to have stillness in your movement.
3rd Stage: Ch’an / Zen
The Chinese writing says “Ch’an”, which is the highest of the martial arts. Martial Arts training is there to help you understand yourself, the result is to know yourself and be yourself. This is the final stage of your training. Sometimes it can be tough to accept who you are but in order to find peace with yourself you need to do this.