By Hsien Sheng Neil Brown,
Dragon Phoenix Taoist Arts.

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Kung fu is not only about physical development and learning self defence. It concerns inner development - of character and spiritual poise, which includes control of the emotions and the cultivation of mindfulness in all situations.

The use of symbolism to represent ideas and qualities is well known and has always been of significance in any society throughout the ages. Whether it’s the range of religious imagery around the world, clan tartans, the medieval coat of arms worn by noblemen on their tabards and displayed on their shields and banners, or modern-day heraldic devices – ie a company logo as part of a corporate identity, it is evident that the visual image can have great value, meaning and importance. The oriental dragon is a fine example of this, and it goes beyond symbolism and extends into the realms of underlying beliefs about the forces or energies of life and human nature. The Dragon as a whole is yang or active outgoing force in both its creative and destructive aspects.

Some readers may be surprised to discover that the nature of the Eastern Tianlong 天龍 or Celestial Dragon is in fact that of a benevolent creature, though mighty and fierce when necessary in its function as a guardian of holy places; a protector, as tradition states and upholds. This of course is quite different to many Western portrayals of dragons, for there are many myths or stories which depict dragons as evil and destructive beings – maleficent creatures for the hero to wrestle with and overcome, or to be slain.

 

From a psychological viewpoint, the dragon can represent an aspect of the underlying energies or driving forces of the human personality, where attitudes and emotions can lead to great acts of compassion and healing, or they can do great damage to individuals and to society as a whole. Just as a person grows from childhood into adulthood, so too can a person's ability to govern their attitudes and emotional reactions develop (to a lesser or greater degree) from basic infantile responses to a more mature, aware, considered, and hopefully well-balanced state of being, which may then lead to harmonious, compassionate, creative and constructive interactions with others. Of course, that's an ideal, and individual human growth often takes many unexpected and undesirable twists and turns in the journey of life, which can then affect an individual's emotional and mental state.

In some traditions, the Celestial Dragon and the Terrestrial Dragon refer to beliefs about two levels of the inner realms beyond the physical world, again corresponding to the emotional levels in Man. A Liberal Catholic priest by the name of William Ernest Butler, in his book The Magician (which details a Western, Christ-centred Mystical approach to the spiritual path) explains certain levels of existence, or inner planes of being, under the symbolism of dragons:
“The Astral Light is dual. Like a glittering fiery serpent the lower levels of the Light wind their evil coils around the earth; they inspire earth’s wickedness, they contaminate its inhabitants, and gain in a vicious circle by the perverted power and energy which is poured out in response to their stimulus. This is the Terrestrial Dragon... 
“But there is also a Celestial Dragon, the Upper Astral, whose glittering radiance encircles the earth. From her flow harmony, peace, happiness; although far below the Supreme Nature, yet of her also it may be said that her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. Within her realm are to be found the heroic images of the past.”

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Seahorses – symbolic of baby dragons

The benevolent Eastern dragons can be assigned to the aforementioned Upper Astral levels, and in this sense, when considered in relation to the human personality, the Eastern dragon is therefore the active, outgoing, dynamic energy of a man or woman who is in harmony with the Tao.

 

Just as an individual may need to mature before they can achieve greater fulfilment of personal expression, so too do some dragons need to go through certain stages of development before they can achieve the status of Celestial Dragon. For example, there is the Panlong 蟠龍 – these are the coiled dragons, which have not yet 'ascended to Heaven', and traditionally they can represent the person of 'unrecognised talent', here meaning an individual whose inner condition is that of unfulfilled or dormant potential. From a Taoist point of view, the coiled dragon is the stored up force of sheng chi, vitality and internal power within a person, and ever-available as life force, which needs to be nurtured and harmonised to maintain the yin yang balance. It is an energy which can be built up, becoming stronger over time.

 

Chee Soo (who introduced the Lee style Taoist arts to Western students) was a Taoist and also a firm believer in God. He was a great advocate of internal development - of working with Ching Sheng Li (external macrocosmic energy), or Heavenly energy, which comes down to Earth and permeates all things then rises back up in a divine circuit. From this comes chi, which is natural internal energy. In many cases, and for a variety of reasons, there is a significant amount of dormant (coiled up) chi within a person, which needs to be reactivated for that individual to feel a greater sense of vitality. Chee Soo introduced techniques of gaining more of this internal power by the poised relaxation of mind, body and spirit and the practice of Taoist breathing exercises. Eventually, the student learns to direct this inner energy from the lower Tan Tien, or storage centre, up the spine, over the head, then down the front of the body and back to the Tan Tien, to encourage and effect self-healing, peace of mind and greater vitality.

 

I count myself lucky to have experienced direct healing by Chee Soo - by focusing and directing inner energy to cure a long-standing pain in my knee. I was only in my early teens at the time, and did not know what to expect. He achieved this during one of his week-long Summer courses, in the presence of many other students. We were on the third day of the course and the pain in my knee had become unbearable and I'd been forced to sit down as a result. When Chee Soo came over to check on me, I explained the problem. He simply told me to stand up and turn my back to him. I did as I was asked and it felt as if his hand lightly brushed the back of my kung fu jacket, along my spine, and as he did so, the pain vanished and I was able to continue training. Naturally I was amazed, and it served as a pivotal moment in guiding my life's direction, causing me to seek greater understanding of the energy arts and meditation from both Eastern and Western psychological, philosophical and spiritual perspectives. It is worth noting that prior to that Summer course, I'd suffered with knee pain for many months, yet it was instantly cured by Chee Soo. From that point on, I never suffered with any pain in my knee again.​