“Benevolence” is very important in Chinese martial arts; it is the heart of martial virtues.
The saying goes “the benevolent have no enemies”, because they make no enemy and, thus, they are invincible. Enemies, if any, are not overcome or fought back with force, but dealt with in an appropriate way.
As the saying goes, “Exercise your muscles, bones and skin without and cultivate your one single breath within”, a martial art practitioner with “benevolence” should be gentle and approachable.
Bibliography
Dictation by Master Chen, Chi-wen
Chen, Kuan-yu (2011), Family tree of Ba-Ji-Men. Unpublished.
Ji, Chao-hua (2002), Ji’s Ba-Ji-Quan. Taipei City: KOFU Publishing Co.
Liu, Yun-qiao (1985), Ba-Ji-Quan. Taipei City: Jong Wen Books.
