Hi Tim:

Can you give a clear explanation of Fah Jing?

Thanks in advance

Den,
'Fa' is a verb which means 'to issue' or 'send forth', as well as to 'initiate' an action. 'Jing' commonly means 'strength' or 'energy.'In the Chinese martial arts, jing refers to power that is task specific, and that has been trained and refined over time and with practice. Jing is used to describe these types of forces as opposed to 'li,' or raw force which is used to describe force applied inefficiently or inappropriately (without task specific training). For example, a person just learning to swim will use a great amount of force and energy in his stroke, but will barely move through the water. The force he is using is raw, untrained, inefficient and is an example of 'li.' A trained swimmer will also use force to stroke, but the force will be efficiently applied to the task at hand. He will use force appropriately and efficiently, and will glide through the water rapidly without wasted energy. This type of force is 'jing.'
When someone applies force to something else with mass, it is either 'fa li' or 'fa jing' depending on the level of trained skill. The verb 'fa' indicates that it is impossible to produce either type of force (jing or li) unless there is resistance against it (you can't 'fa jing' into the air for example). The types of jing are virtually limitless. Any type of appropriately applied, trained force is a type of jing (for example, any proficient athlete in any sport has cultivated whatever types of 'jing' their specific sport requires).

Thank you very much for the explanation, Tim!

I got another question now: What is Gong Jing? (Empty force). Please, explain it to us. Some people say it has to do with striking from a distance.

Thanks in advance

'Kong jing' or 'Ling Kong Jing' is nowadays used to describe sending 'energy' through space to push or otherwise move another person without physical contact. Originally, I believe the term referred to striking a person while in the air (jumping in and kicking an opponent for example). Personally, I've only seen the 'pushing without touching' demonstrations work on the comparatively weak-minded students of certain teachers, so I'd guess it is probably done with the power of suggestion, not mysterious energy.

Interesting article on a test/trial of one man's (Rich Mooney's) claim to be able to issue kong jing.


"An Empty Force

John David Morenski, M.D. and William P. Glasheen, Ph.D.


The Claim: On one of the forums of a very popular marital arts web page, www.uechi-ryu.com, an individual claimed
he could perform rather extraordinary feats which include the ability to move others without touching them. Chi, also
spelled "Qi" or "Ki," has become a popular concept in martial arts circles in recent years.

Stated simply, proponents believe an energy, designated "chi," flows through the body along non-anatomical
pathways call "meridians." Proponents employ this basic paradigm to explain very complicated physiologic events,
such as the mechanics of movement and balance and even diseases. Despite this simple model's utility, this energy
eludes scientific detection. One supreme difficulty investigators encounter when they attempt to examine chi is its
lack of a clear definition.

For proponents, chi can become anything they wish, and they build into the concept considerable room to maneuver.
Thus, if one wishes to attribute health to chi, one may explain an illness as a relative decrease in the person's chi.
Should the person improve, his improvement results from increased levels of chi. Chi can then explain placebo
effects, the variations in the course of an illness, the body's ability to recover, and even the results of medical
therapy. Proponents may justify their faith in the reality of chi by citing copious anecdotal reports. Chi proves a
self-justifying paradigm. Investigators often find themselves trapped with the task of disproving the existence of chi,
rather than discovering objective evidence for its existence.

The Test: The individual, however, presented a testable phenomenon. He claimed he could move others without
touching them through an "empty force." His results in demonstrations appeared impressive. Some participants
dramatically fell backwards. Offered uncontrolled demonstra-tions and unsubstantiated claims, the author and others
remained skeptical.

The administrator of the web page, George E. Mattson, a martial artist with over 40 years experience, persuaded the
individual to submit to a controlled test as part of his demonstration during the recent martial arts summer camp. The
design of the test developed over a roughly six month period through the combined efforts of Mr. Mattson, Bill
Glasheen, a Ph.D. with solid background in biomedical engineering, and the author. James Randi privately provided
many suggestions that tightened the controls of the test. Dr. Morenski insisted on a double-blind test of a specific
ability.

The individual claimed he could move others without touching them, even through a barrier that prevented the
subjects and the individual from seeing or hearing one another. The investigation employed two rooms separated by a
wall. Both the individual and volunteer subjects stood at defined positions on opposite sides of the wall. The
individual received for each subject one of three random tasks: "push," "pull," or "do nothing." The individual would
then attempt to either pull the subject forward, push him backward, or do nothing.

For randomization, Dr. Glasheen used a shuffled deck of cards with one suit removed. Each suit represented an
action. After drawing a card, Dr. Glasheen informed the individual of the intended action. Prior to the test, he agreed
that one minute would be sufficient to move a subject.

Bill Jackson, who videotaped the subjects, called out the number and the time of start and finish for each volunteer.
Blinding the judges proves critical in such investigations. Even sincere and skeptical observers may be influenced if
they know what they are suppose to observe. The author cited Mr. Randi's examination of a Russian psychic in his
NOVA special, Secrets of the Psychics, as a demonstration of the need for a double-blind study.1

The Russian psychic claimed, with the support of Russian scientists, the ability to alter a person's blood pressure and
brain waves. Knowing what the psychic intended, the investigators consistently found evidence for the alterations.
When properly blinded to the intent of the psychic, the scientists observed alterations that matched the psychic's
intentions only by random chance. Thus, an observer who knew the individual intended to "push" the subject may
very well consider any backward movement in the random swaying of a subject as a "positive" result.

Dr. Glasheen provided a panel of blind judges. He submitted a videotape of the test to the judges, who were not
present at the test Dr. Glasheen instructed the each judge to decide whether a volunteer moved forward, backward,
or did not move at all. They were allowed to view a video of a demonstration performed by the individual in which he
stops an attacker's kick and pushes him back without touching him in order to know what to expect.

For the purposes of testing this individual's claim, Dr. Morenski further insisted that volunteers not know that the
individual intended to move them in some way. If the subject knows the individual intends to move him, he may move
and introduce a bias in the data. A very skeptical volunteer may try very hard not to move.

Mr. Mattson and Dr. Glasheen contended it would prove interesting to know what the volunteers felt happened to
them. At the conclusion of the test, but without knowing what the individual attempted to do to him, each subject was
allowed to state what he felt. The subjects consisted of twenty summer camp participants. Some had participated in
the individual's previous open demonstrations. Some considered themselves believers in the existence of chi and this
"empty force." Some considered themselves skeptical if not complete unbelievers. None of the principle investigators
served as volunteers or judges.

The results did not require analysis. Only two subjects, one whom the individual personally knew and who assists him
during demonstrations, moved to any appreciable degree and another who strongly supports the existence of chi and
participated in demonstrations. The first moved in the wrong direction, while the second, first moved in the wrong
direction then the correct direction. What the subjects reported they felt had happened to them during the test did
not correlate in any manner to what the individual intended.

After the test, Dr Glasheen asked the first sixteen volunteers what direction they thought they should have moved.
Only one out of the total sixteen asked felt he had moved in the direction intended. Under controlled conditions, the
individual could not demonstrate the "empty force."

Discussion: It is not the responsibility of investigators to disprove an extraordinary phenomenon. Proponents must
provide evidence. This experiment underscores the need for a scientific process. In removing confounding influences,
the double-blind study suggests how these effects occur without proper controls.

Proponents must define specifically what they wish to test. Believers readily attach attributes to phenomena which
can claim any effect as evidence. A proponent may intend to move a specific subject and fail, but then claim that
movement of an audience member resulted from his powers. As the wise men become buried under the fool's
questions, investigators feel forced to disprove any aspect thrown at them.

This experiment isolated one aspect of the individual's claims, specifically his claimed ability to move another person
without touching him. A positive result would occur only if the subject moved in the intended direction determined by
chance. A greater number of positive results than expected by chance would indicate that the individual could
influence a subject.

The individual approved of all aspects of the test and what would indicate positive and negative results prior to the
test. Since observers of a claim who know what they expect or hope to find may find evidence of it whether or not the
evidence truly exists, the judges did not know the intended results for each subject. That none of the volunteers
moved in the manner intended simplifies the analysis.

Witnesses of both the dramatic open demonstrations and the test may wonder what happened. Simply stated, strict
controls removed other influences. Analysis of the controls suggests reasons for the results seen in the uncontrolled
demonstrations. Participants in these seminars stood straight, often with their arms and hands fully extended. The
individual then made motions in the direction he wished the participants to fall. Anyone familiar with the ideomotor
effect seen in dosing or Charcot's pendulum will recognize an analogy. In all cases, an object exists in an unstable
position. Dowsers hold rods in such a manner that the slightest movement of the hands or body will result in
movement of the rods.

With Charcot's pendulum, the subject suspends a watch or pendent on a string or chain held between his index finger
and thumb. Very small movements of the hand muscles that the subject and witnesses do not notice will cause the
pendulum to move. Individuals can influence these minute muscle movements. A person moving his hand around the
pendulum can appear to make the pendulum swing and even rotate in the direction he wishes. The human body is
essentially and unstable structure. The axial muscles of the back along with the muscles of the limbs actively maintain
a stable position. Vision, vestibular, proprioception, and cerebellar pathways work in conjunction to correct small
deviations. Any impairment of these systems or the muscles they influence will affect a person's ability to maintain a
stable posture.

Just as a person holding a pendulum or a dowsing rod can influence their movements, a person standing can sway in
the direction intended. Indeed, it is impossible to maintain station without even the slightest sway. The individual
attempting to move the subject and any observers may attribute any sway in the intended direction as evidence of the
apparent empty force. However, swaying does not account for subjects falling. The holder of the pendulum received
constant reinforcement from the individual trying to move the pendulum.

The individual moves his hand in the direction he wishes and gives verbal encouragement: "See? It is moving!"
Audience members may join in the reinforcement. The empty force demonstrations often involve a number of
volunteers, some who have attended if not assisted in previous demonstrations. Their movements serve as a visual
reinforcement of what the subjects are expected to do. Part of the purpose of Chariot's Pendulum is to select subjects
who are more suggestible than others. The individual demonstrating the empty force may then select subjects who
respond better than others and use them for progressively more involved demonstrations. Each "positive" result
reinforces further cooperation in the subject and may strongly influence new subjects. The double-blind study
removes all of these confounding influences. Without them, subjects behaved as one would expect if no force exists.

That the empty force cannot demonstrate specific results without confounding influences may lead on to conclude
that these influences in and of themselves explain the dramatic results observed in uncontrolled demonstrations.

References: 1 NOVA: Secrets of the Psychics, copyright: WGBH Educational Television, 1993

Acknowledgments: The author wishes to thank George E. Mattson for proposing and sponsoring this test.
It would not have been possible without his constant encouragement and occasional diplomacy. He has
practiced and taught martial arts for over forty years, and he runs the annual summer camp in
Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. For more information about the marital arts or the annual Martial Arts
Camp, visit the Eastern Arts website: www.uechi-ryu.com or call Mr. Mattson at (508) 586-3969 or
e-mail at: gmattson@uechi-ryu.com.

James "the Amazing" Randi (www.randi.org) patiently answered questions and critiqued the test during
throughout its design. His suggestions proved invaluable for designing a proper study. Joe Nickell, CSICOP
Senior Investigator, provided suggestions for conducting the test and, especially, for reporting and
analyzing the data. Bill Jackson provided volunteered his time and expertise videotaping the test.

Authors: John David Morenski, M.D. has practiced martial arts for twenty years and serves as a Clinical
Fellow with the Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington. He often acts as the
resident skeptic for the forums on www.uechi-ryu.com.

William P. Glasheen, Ph.D., has practiced martial arts for nearly thirty years. He received his doctorate
in Biomedical Engineering and is currently the Director of Health Care Assessment for Trigon Blue Cross
Blue Shield in Richmond, Virginia and a Visiting Assistant Professor for the Department of Plastic
Surgery, University of Virginia. He administers one of the general forums on www.uechi-ryu.com ."

Copyright 2000 by John David Morenski, M.D. and William P. Glasheen, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

I thought I'd add what one of my teachers said about kong jing...

He said that there were two steps to making someone feel that they have been hit from a distance:

1) the set up: the person has to become afraid of you. So you need to spar or show a technique on or very near him so that he is afraid off you. This is the key thing. He needs to be intimidated.

2) the "hit": standing in front of the person (but well away), do some warm-up movements to get him focusing on you. When he is focused and anticipating a hit, make a powerful strike toward the face or stomach.

And they will feel it!

Why? Because the natural flinch response will cause the face or stomach muscles to contract. But only if you can induce that flinch. That's why it's important to totally intimidate the guy.

Have fun!

My take on "empty force."

Once, in an aikido demonstration, Kushida Sensei was doing free style against something like 6 or 8 guys armed with bokken and jo. There were enough guys were he was having to really work at it, and you could tell; he was throwing people pretty hard.

One guy had him in his sights, and was closing in on Kushida from the back... until Kushida turned and put a look of death on him. The guy tried to stop, but his feet ran out from under him, and he fell.

I spoke to him afterwards. He was convinced, at that time, that Kushida was going to kill him.

That was using empty force, in my opinion.

Thank you for that article on the Rich Mooney test, Tom. That certainly explains why he holds such a strong personal grudge against Randi (he consistently calls him a pedophile whenever the subject comes up on a discussion board). Mooney has to be placed on the same level as Ashida Kim when it comes to both fa jing and martial arts.

Out of curiousity, who is Ashida Kim?

Dave Gartner

http://www.ashidakim.com/

"Ashida Kim" is the nom de plume of a notorious martial arts charlatan, who has made quite a lot of money selling "secrets of the ninjas" books and supposedly training an army of "astral spies" in his "secret compounds". He is a fraud of the worst caliber, doing an extreme disservice to the martial arts community. He is also a thoroughly rude and unlikable individual, using ridicule and personal insult to silence any questioning into his claims or background. Not unlike Rich Mooney.

re the "test"

It did not take all variables into consideration.

Some variables were purposely left out.

It took over a year to see the results published.

It was hastily put together in about 10 minutes time.

I never saw the tape. I have no idea who saw what.

The people who did the "test" are vehement skeptics, who have everything to lose if I succeed
and everything to gain if I did not pass their
alleged "test".

The "test" proved nothing. Except that it showed what some skeptics can accomplish by throwing in a group of biased people to take part in the "test", and to rule out other variables that should have been taken into consideration.

Suffice it to say that I have a full plate of presentations to do every year, and am continually asked back time and again to teach at some of the best schools in the world.

Dave, as far as putting me on the same level as 'ashida kim' when it comes to fa jing and martial arts, you have your opinions, as biased and as uniformed as they are, and I have my facts.

If any of the more adventurous people out there; those who are more openminded and willing to make up their own minds, instead of having them made up for them by others, would like to, I have quite a few enlightening articles and mpgs at my homepage:

http://richmooney.com

Thanks for your interest, and have a great weekend!

my bad, the comment for dave should have been addressed to chris

for Tim:

"'Kong jing' or 'Ling Kong Jing' is nowadays used to describe sending 'energy' through space to push or otherwise move another person without physical contact. Originally, I believe the term referred to striking a person while in the air (jumping in and kicking an opponent for example). Personally, I've only seen the 'pushing without touching' demonstrations work on the comparatively weak-minded students of certain teachers, so I'd guess it is probably done with the power of suggestion, not mysterious energy."

The term Lin Kong Jing has nothing to do with striking a person while in the air. If you would read Chen Wei Mings book on Taiji you might be able to discern that. The term Means Lin: Powerful Kong: Empty Jing: Force. As far as the implication that some teachers use their own students to demo the ability, I will not take issue with that, as I have never seen anyone do the things I do in person. I however, NEVER use any of my own students to do any demos. Nor do I ever take any of my own people to any of my seminars in the US, Europe or the UK.

The skill is gained from Zhan Zhuang. What I was taught comes from the lineage of Wang Xiang Zhai. His teacher was Guo Yun Shen, and his was Li Neng Ran. If you look at the book Hsing-I, translated by Douglas Hsieh, and printed by McLisa Publications in 1977, I believe, you will see a reference to Li's Lin Kong Jing ability, in that "He was able to cause his opponents to fall down and be wounded at a distance, with them not knowing the cause of it". Then you have the same ability as related to Yang Lu Chan, who bounced back a pair of tyros trying to make a name for themselves at his expense, while he was fishing. Then we have on the Japanese side, Shigeru Egami, of whom it was said that he had an ability called in Japanese "Toate" or striking at a distance. Then we also have Morihei Ueshiba, who is also alleged to have been able to throw students at a distance. Nowadays we have Kozo Nishino, who, interestingly enough, was a student of Kenichi Sawai. Sawai had a very interesting encounter with my Great Grandmaster during WW2, which is recounted in his own words, in his book Taikiken.

No suggestion. Just lots of hard work over a period of years. What my Master, Paul Dong, taught me, was what his teacher, Yu Yong Nian taught him, which is what his teacher, Wang Xiang Zhai taught him. If it did not work, I would not do it. If the results were not good, I would not be asked back time and again to the various schools that I travel to.

as far as that "test", everyone makes mistakes in their life, doing that "test" was mine. After all, the tibetan monks who can withstand extreme cold temperatures on the mountains of their homeland messed up in an alleged "controlled" test some time ago.

So, in closing I would ike to remind everyone that we should all remain openminded.

I admire your work, and feel you should do some more research so you are better informed than you appear to be at present.

this oughta be good.

Kong Jin is not a part of main stream YiQuan thought.

Best Regards,

Rick Matz

As far as Ashida Kim goes, all I can say is, "Oh my god." That was the funniest read ever. Thank you, Chris, my mind is now more warped than ever. I think I may be stupider now for having looked at that website.

Dave Gartner

Kong Jin(g) and Lin(g) Kong Jin(g) are not the same thing. Paul Dong explained to me that Wang taught many people. He also taught different things to different people. Some learned martial arts, some learned health aspects, some learned esoteric aspects. What my teacher taught me was what his teacher taught him.

Kong Jin(g) is a medical qigong. the results gained for moving people are a trained response.
Kong Jin(g) will do no good for martial arts applications, since its goal is for health purposes. Lin(g) Kong Jin(g) is a martial qigong.
It works on varying types of people whether or not they have trained qigong, whether or not they have trained in martial arts.

Anyone who has trained in it could tell you that.
Unfortunately it is a hotly debated topic, and either you understand or you don't understand.

There are people who have never done a days worth of practice in the method guessing all sorts of things about it, who have not got the slightest idea of what they are talking about.

It works for me more times than it doesn't work. That is good enough for me, but not good enough for others. As long as I keep myself happy and my seminar people happy, thats all that matters.

Everyone else can (and do) argue about it all they want, but its like a dog chasing its tail.

The ONLY way to get the answers you look for is to train in the method.

I found info recently that pointed to a similar thing concerning Shigeru Egami, and his ability with Toate, and also something in Silat arts called TENAGA DALAM, I have heard tales of Ueshiba doing similar stuff, and there is also a modern day aikidoka named Kozo Nishino who has his own brand of it as well. Nishino trained under Kenichi Sawai, who of course had trained with Wang Xiang Zhai, and had his own taste of Wang's LKJ ability, detailed in Sawai's book on taikiken.

So, if the LKJ is not a part of modern day yiquan, then it is a missing part of the heritage, or a part of it that has been left out
or lost by modern day practitioners for whatever reason.

Where can I go to have someone demonstrate this on me? I would very much like to feel anyone do anything from a distance.

well, go to my homepage and read the first article to get a better understanding about this topic.

http://www.richmooney.com/articles.html

I don't want a better understanding of the topic.
I want to feel anything from anyone at any distance. Getting a better understanding of the topic might sway my thinking.