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    Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea
    Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea
    Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea
    Ebook95 pages1 hour

    Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea

    By Alfonso Araujo

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    About this ebook

    One day, being an apprentice, I was drinking tea with my teacher. We had just finished a class on traditional medicine, and it had been some time since my last physical training. Some weeks before, I had taken lessons on ancient rites and history, and now here I was, just learning that starting the following week, we would start studying the Tea Ceremony. So I asked my teacher what all these things had to do with the fact that I was studying Kung Fu. He poured some tea into my cup. I was in for my first real lesson.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlfonso Araujo
    Release dateMar 18, 2013
    ISBN9781301526895
    Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea
    Author

    Alfonso Araujo

    I live in China since the year 2000 and work as a translator, university teacher and consultant. I had the privilege of studying under my late father-in-law, master Zeng Zijing and am currently publishing a number of translations (English and Spanish) of Chinese classics as well as original material, which you can find in this site.

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      Book preview

      Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea - Alfonso Araujo

      KUNG FU IN A CUP OF TEA

      By

      Alfonso Araujo

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Alfonso Araujo on Smashwords

      Kung Fu in a Cup of Tea

      Copyright © 2013 by Alfonso Araujo.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      *****

      This work is dedicated to the loving memory of my father, don Alfonso Araujo Alvarado, and to my mother doña Sara María González de Araujo.

      My deepest gratitude goes to master Cesar Omar García Ruan in Mexico, master Zhang Yansheng in Hangzhou, and Tommy Zhu, a student in Dongyang who became my teacher in life.

      This book is the result of twenty years of studying and practicing martial arts. It is a varied collection of traditional and modern stories, discussions I have had with my teachers, and events I have witnessed during my training. It is no more than a personal outlook on the practice and philosophy of Kung Fu.

      All illustrations and calligraphy are by the author, except: 1 and 10, by Yan Li (Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 2005) and 2, 5 and 15 by Zhao Yalong (Xi’An, Shaanxi. 2004), used with their permission.

      I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed the journey.

      *****

      Table of Contents

      Prologue

      I. Fundamentals

      II. The Fist of Life

      III. The Valley of Hell

      IV. Tales and Fables

      V. Meditations and Reflections

      VI. Notes from the Training Hall

      VII. Words for the Journey

      About the Author

      Other Books by this Author

      Prologue

      One day, being an apprentice, I was drinking tea with my teacher.

      We had just finished a class on traditional medicine, and it had been some time since my last physical training. Some weeks before, I had taken lessons on ancient rites and history, and now here I was just learning that, starting the following week, we would start studying the Tea Ceremony. So I asked my teacher what all these things had to do with the fact that I was studying Kung Fu.

      He poured some tea into my cup and said, Take a sip of tea, but pay no attention to anything other than the sensation of heat inside your mouth. Forget all other things, the flavour, the odour, everything. Just concentrate on the heat. I tried to do as asked and after that he continued, Now take another sip, but this time only pay attention to the bitterness of the tea, and to no other thing.

      After the second sip came twenty-six more, and on each occasion I was asked to shift my attention to a new place: the herbal quality of the tea’s flavor, its pale color, the weight of the cup in my hand, the shapes that the vapor made in the air, the posture of my body as I drank, the heat of the cup in my fingertips, the sound of the cup as it returned to the saucer, the reflections of light in the liquid surface, and even the memory of the tea after drinking. Every time something that had never been brought to my attention just jumped to my conscience, and the total sensation may be expressed as if suddenly one would be able to watch from above and from behind a painting he knows well. A painting one has seen for years, watching only the surface.

      After all this, he filled my cup yet again and told me, Now, take a sip of tea. If you are able to do it, then you will be doing Kung Fu.

      He went on, Certainly, you can practice Kung Fu in a combat, because it forces you to a level of awareness which is uncommon, where every detail is seen as essential: every movement and every breath are fundamental. During combat, things which are usually done mechanically, without conscience, come fully into your attention. But in reality, you can practice Kung Fu in all things: walking in a garden, writing a letter, having a conversation with a good friend, or even drinking a cup of tea. Kung Fu is not something you do, but the way you do things. It is the Art of Perfection, the Art of Depth.

      *****

      I. FUNDAMENTALS

      The Spirit and the Sword

      The destiny of Man’s spirit is

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