Reversing Shaolin

In a recent post I explained the origins of the expression Reversing Shaolin to create neijia, the inner school.

It means to  take the "substance" of Shaolin ideas and methods and reverse them. Reverse-Substance is an expression from jindan, the golden elixir or inner alchemy. Reversing Jing

I have to wonder if I’m the only person who is saying this openly, I’m not aware of anyone else. 

Here is a superb scholarly description of jindan. It is a preview of an essay by the dearly departed queen of Daoist studies Isabelle Robinet (very thoughtfully translated by Fabrizio Pregadio).

As you can see, internal martial arts are simply the application of jindan to martial skills. I am using different language than Robinet to say the same thing. Basically, once you create the correct order of perception-action then you start reversing things.

Here is a list of some of the things we might think about reversing. Note: This is a blog post, not sacred text, or an epitaph, I’m just throwing this out there.


Reverse Rooting

Reverse Breathing

Make that which is full, empty

To be full, hollow out (Laozi)

Fight without fighting

Wei wuwei (act without acting) (Laozi)

Shi wushi (start without starting) (Laozi)

Wei wuwei (taste the tasteless) (Laozi)

Bend what is straight (Laozi)

Make fake real, and real fake

Be soft on the inside, hard on the outside (instead of the other way)

Replace outward strength with inward

Replace balance with counterbalance

Replace inner breath with breath outside the body

Replace sinking qi with fluffing qi

Replace technical know-how (意) with spatial-aliveness (神靈)

Replace Fajin with Huajin

Replace focus with openness

Replace listening with ignoring

Replace feeling with trust

Replace vegetarian diet (grain and boiled-vegetables) with meat and pickled vegetables in stock

Replace social with asocial

Replace 'shoulders down' with shoulders hollow (tong 通)

Replace ‘chest relaxed’ with 'chest reactive'


Okay that’s a start! Feel free to add more reversals in the comments.