In the summer of 2008, Grandmaster Chen Yun Ching of Taichung, Taiwan, youngest son of Chen Pan Ling and

heir to his father's martial arts legacy, invited 19 students from the United States and Australia to come to Taiwan in January, 2009. They were to attend a training seminar and be part of a special traditional Chinese ceremony called Bai Shi (pronounced By Shur), in which the student asks the Master to share his knowledge (literally, it translates as "Ask teacher for knowledge"). This also included Master Chen's adopted brother James Sumarac and his wife Shou Mei, from Australia.
Bai Shi, a ceremony with ritual elements conducted by a master in whom one or more students "enter the door" to become disciples, involves all of these and more. It honors a unique bond - and respect between Master and student. With the conclusion of the Bai Shi ceremony, the student and Master are connected through an "adoption" or a formal extension of his family unit, in which the "inner door student" is officially recognized as the next generation in the lineage of the Master. The ceremony signifies the student's commitment to the school, to the founder, to his master and to his kung fu "brothers and sisters," and in our case also to our "uncle" and "aunt." The Master recognizes this commitment by allowing the student to "enter the door" and reciprocates by giving the student true and open transmission of his art. The student can now be referred to as Men Ren, literally "disciple or gatekeeper," and is no longer a mere student. Students merit selection for Bai Shi by showing sincerity, commitment, good character, and high skill level and are given some form of diploma - in our case, a personal certificate signed by Master Chen, Uncle James and Aunt Mei. Traditionally, a Bai Shi ceremony is a secretive event. However, in the Bai Shi ceremony conducted by Chen Yun Ching in 2009, the concept of secrecy was altered, as the ceremony was really about establishing a public proclamation of our commitment to the Chen Pan Ling Martial Arts system. The Bai Shi ceremony was, and is, in keeping with the overall ethos and direction set by Chen Pan Ling himself of overall transparency, in sharing his knowledge, experiences, and teachings with an open heart. As an interesting side-note, unlike other Masters, Chen Yun Ching (like his father) has no ban on his students studying outside his teachings. His invitation reads: "Being an inner door student bai shi does not preclude you from training with other Teachers or places."

The Bai Shi ceremony is an initiation ritual mirrored in Chinese secret societies and is only the first step in a long process of transmitting the inner teachings to a disciple. This produces a band of "brothers" and "sisters" that could recognize one another as such by knowledge of certain techniques and by a "family" name, or Pai, represented by a special banner. Ours is the Ling Yun Pai, using names from Chen Pan Ling and Chen Yun Ching. Ling Yun, which means "mountain peak clouds," is the name of Master Chen's training hall in Taichung, and it is graphically represented on the Ling Yun Pai banner.

The Ceremony The Bai Shi ceremony would normally be simple, conducted by the Master at his home or school. In our case, it was directed by a four member team, brought in by Master Chen and specially trained to perform such traditional ceremonies, and held in a side room across the courtyard from the Confucius Temple main hall. There was a sort of master of ceremonies with three additional members who wore traditional Jing Mo uniforms of grayish blue with red sashes around their waist and ankles. On the jacket's right front was a gold crest and on the back gold characters saying, "Hong Men Sheng Peng Shan," meaning Hong Door Mount Holy Peng (a subdivision of the Hong Society). Peng is a reference to a huge mythological bird from Chinese legend. A picture of Chen Pan Ling looked down upon a red clothdraped altar with two large red candles, an incense pot, and a container of incense sticks. There was also a small round mirror, a writing brush, a red painted tablet, and a stack of red envelopes to be presented to our teacher at the appropriate time. An upper shelf contained a small statue of the sage Confucius and a number of small flags. Master Chen sat to the right of the altar on a red cloth-covered chair and Uncle James and Aunt Mei sat to the left. Every object, action and person present had a purpose in this traditional ceremony. The ceremony started with the elder team member, holding two candles, saying in poetic language, "Illuminate Mount Liang and our hill." The translation notes that "Mount Liang indicates the numerically larger, but self-interestedly criminal, component of the Triad world; 'our hill' is the numerically smaller but ethically higher component of the world that is dedicated to the ideals of the sworn brothers of the Peach Garden (in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms)." "Our hill," I believe, refers to the small group present at this ceremony, differentiating it with the ancient Triad organizations. The second member holding three sticks of incense poetically praised the group present and stated that as the stick of incense is planted we are "planting seedlings." I think this is a reference to a new lineage sprouting forth, growing and thriving. He then moved a stick at a time to his right hand, referring to each as a symbol of reverence, first to Heaven, then to father and mother, and finally to the sages. With each stick handed over to the master of ceremonies, the team took the candles and the tablet outside the room, calling on the Sage to "join all brothers together in righteousness." The team returned the objects to the altar, after which the senior member took up the mirror and writing brush and pointed to the altar and said words to "activate the light of the Sun and Moon." The translators noted that: "Activate the Light" is kai guang. This is usually translated using the English idiom "turn on the light(s)", but kai actually means "open" or "begin." "Light" is capitalized because it is not ordinary light, but the light of the Sun and Moon, which together make the word ming - meaning "bright, but also the name of the Ming Dynasty, which the Triads were sworn to restore, and thus the appeal to the precedent of the patriotic sworn brothers of the Peach garden.

"The Sun and Moon refers to the gesture of greeting in which one hand embraces the fist of the other before the chest; the fist is like the sun; the clasping hand is like the moon; together they make the character, "bright." The senior member took up a stick of incense and, holding it in both hands while pointing toward the Sage statue on the altar, commented that from now on "the whole company of brothers will be in harmony," and that "forever protected is the great fortune and joy of the Hong Realm." I took this to mean that our new brotherhood will experience a very positive future. The Master of Ceremonies then had us all sit and asked Master Chen to "please activate the Sage." Master Chen then held three sticks of incense, offering them toward the Sage on the altar. He then knelt down three times, touching his head to the ground three times at each kneeling. The Master of Ceremonies said to him, "Facing the Worthy Ancestral Teacher, perform the rite of kneeling and reverence." Master Chen then kneeled and bowed to his Father with visible emotion. We then professed our oath to Master Chen, and each of us took our turns kneeling and kou towing (bowing three times, touching our foreheads to the floor) first to the altar and then to our new Master. We presented Master Chen with the red envelope (a traditional offering) and he in turn placed a bagua necklace around our necks and presented us with our Bai Shi certificate and a Ling Yun Pai banner.

PART 2
Bai Si Art of the Disciple
John Crescione, October 24th, 2007

The accepting of a special student/disciple in traditional kung fu was a very big deal. You not only represented the sifu but also the particular style. Thus, there was a great deal of responsibility placed on the individual. If you lost a fight, got yourself in an embarrassing situation, associated with the wrong people, dishonored the system or your sifus wishes, you dishonored the sifu, the style, your kung fu family and yourself. You were the walking Image of the sifu, the style, and the school. We call It guilty by association here in the West. As you can see, a lot was riding on this and was not taken lightly. You were the son(daughter) of the sifu and the system.

If you were accepted as a disciple, you were basically closer then the sifus son/daughter and family member in many respects. There would be no holding back of Information, special attention was given, the sifu would take great pains to see that you got the Information, then see If you understood it and could put it to use. Any of the styles so called secrets-herbal medicine, dim mak, forms, hit points or kung fu techniques were revealed. The sifu was always available to the disciple, and the disciple would In essence be able to call upon the sifu at anytime with a question or problem, not always necessarily about training Kung Fu. You would accompany the sifu on all kung fu related matters, or go in the sifus place, if the sifu was unable to attend. There was never a question of whether you had to or wanted to go-sifu said go, you go! Todays excuses of work5 sickness, family and other obligations-although very real- didnt even become subject for discussion. It also meant that the sifu was stricter with you in your training, you worked harder than your brothers and sisters, were responsible for all the younger brother and sisters training, opening and closing the school, as well handling all school matters on your own or at the request of the sifu, including the cleaning, repair and promotion of the school. At all public functions, the disciples were responsible for the needs of the sifu4ood, refreshments, money handling, etc. Remember-it was a privilege to be a disciple-one not given out easily. This private club was very hard to get Into, and all to easy to be kicked out of, If you messed up. You were always on probation. But, what you were getting out of it more then made up for it. Essentially, the sifu was molding your martial and moral character, as well as your technique-al skill. Knowledge was handed out to only the special few, and since it was not a tangible itemwhomever got it was either very worthy, worked hard for it and/or was very lucky. There were only two ways to become a disciple-you were chosen or you requested to be sponsored by a fellow student who was already a disciple. If the sifu saw that you were a worthy student, the sifu would send a disciple over and let the student know that they were being considered to become part of the family. No one said no, they werent Interested. The sifu had shown interest that this was a person that they wanted to share all their knowledge and skill with, to take special interest in. It would behoove you to remember the time period. First of all, getting into a Kung Fu school was not that easy. Money was not always a criterion for admittance. If you did get In, any real knowledge was not readily forth coming. Now look at the disciple ceremony-in general this is why you came to the school 4or the style, but more importantly-the sifu. The sifu and the style were on the same level, sometimes the sifu was higher. Here was the person that would teach you, look after you, nurture and protect you, correct you, guide you and mold you. The sifu was the living embodiment of the style and the sifu was the one who was going to turn you into the same thing. I think you can begin to see the bigness of this whole thing. The other way to become a disciple was to have an existing disciple go to the sifu on the students behalf, letting the sifu know that they wanted to become a disciple. The sifu at this point would either say yes, or would watch the student from that point on to see If you were worthy, could be trusted or was just trying to buy the sifus kung fu and secrets. The sifu very rarely came out and said no outright The sifu was the person who had final say on who would be allowed in the school in the first place-if the sifu didnt like you from the beginning, the sifu wouldnt let you in the school, let alone teach you anything. (Unlike today, where a check, cash or credit card gets you In the door and basically everything you want.)

The Traditional Ceremony The candidate was Instructed on the proper procedure by an existing disciple or sponsor. Every school has its own rituals and procedures but below Is the most common. The whole school was usually present-the ceremony, and hopeful acceptance was cause for a big celebration. If the student was made a disciple, after the ceremony the new disciple would take everyone present out for a feast. The sponsor disciple or senior disciple would be standing on the left of the sifu, who would be seated. The candidate would be standing in front of the sifu. 1. The senior disciple would pour a cup of tea and hand it to the candidate. The candidate would then either hand it to the sifu and get on their knees OR taking the tea, gets on their hands and knees, and holds it in front of the sifu. 2. The candidate would then bow their head and state- My name is.. .,my fathers name is.. ..,l come from.. ..(place of birth) I am humbly requesting the honor and privilege of becoming a special/private/indoor student or disciple of sifu. . .(sifus name) The candidate then raises up and offers the tea to the sifu. 3. The sifu would take the tea and not drink it. The candidate would then bow 3 times (kowtow) and make his sworn pledge. The pledge is a personal commitment between the student and teacher and is an individual thing. The 3 bows must contain a commitment to the sifu, the style and traditions or school of kung fu. Below are some examples o Sifu- I pledge/swear/promise to have no other sifu, and do everything In my power to make my sifu proud of me." I pledge to take no other as my sifu, and will belong to no other family, from now until my death. I pledge to honor my sifu, to follow and obey him (her) without question.- The main idea is the commitment of the student to the individual o Style- I pledge/swear/promise to keep, develop and protect the name of (school and/or style). I pledge to bring honor to both my style and my sifu. I will do nothing to bring shame to the name of (style).-The main idea is that you and the style are now Inseparable. You are no longer a kung fu student, you are a (style) practitioner with a family and represent both family and style. o School/Tradition- I pledge/swear/promise to preserve and protect the teachings of(school). I pledge continue to grow as a person within the art of(style) as taught to me by sifu(name) of the (school name). I pledge to continue and uphold the traditions and teachings of (school name) as my own. -the main idea is to bind yourself with the school, Its traditions, and the traditions of the style and schools ancestors. 4. The candidate could bow and recite each one, (3 bows and recitals total), then bow their head or stay bowed, recite all three and bow three times or just stay bowed and recite all three. 5. After listening to the candidates pledges, the sifu would then drink the tea (if accepted).Most schools now a days end here, the candidate would then give the sifu a hung bao, (red envelope with money) and the sifu would help the new disciple up, signifying the new sifu/disciple relationship.

6. After the sifu drinks the tea, the sifu pours a cup of tea for the student. This tea is usually from a different teapot, and the tea is scalding hot. The student must take and drink the tea without hesitancy, discomfort or pain. This signifies to the sifu the candidates willingness to endure great hardships, whatever the sifu gives out. 7. After drinking the tea in one gulp, the student hands the teacup to the senior disciple, and then hands the sifu a hung bao containing a prescribed some of money. This money ranges greatly from individual to individual-anywhere from $500 to $3,000(or more).The money-traditionally- was given in like bills. If it was $2,000 for example. two 1,000 dollar bills to signify the multiplying of money and good fortune/prosperity. 14(00) or 4000 was not used since the 4 in Cantonese -(say)-sounds like the word, die or death-bad luck I All the odd numbers are yang numbers-good luck numbers In general. The sifu would take the hung bao and then help the new disciple up. The sifu would the say, From this day forward you a part of my family and will be called (kung fu family name given by the sifu) The disciple now has all the rights and privileges of a family member, and thus the training truly begins. At this point a formal picture was taken with the sifu seated and the disciple standing on the sifus LEFT hand side. A picture taken with the disciple on the RIGHT meant that the student had learned everything and was ready to go out on their own and teach. A graduation picture of sorts. Bai Si in Todays World Being a kung fu disciple In todays world aint all its cracked up to be. In many schools it has turned into a way for the sifu to make money off of sincere students, promote idol worship, slave labor/ego boosting and separation from the kung fu brothers and sisters. However, some schools today dont hold much back, but most people are not appreciative of or realize the depth or significance of what they are getting In their school, In comparison to a similar stylel school up the block. And the majority of people really dont care what style of kung fu theyre doing, its close to the house and I can do it with my kid, or I can always go to a different school up the street. There are more people out there who want to doll earn something, then those who are shopping for a (Insert name of specific style/system)school. And thus the sifus attitude can become Get as much from them as I can now. People expect to pay big money for a chance to train with a Martial Arts Somebody, let alone become a special student of someone famous, if theyre lucky enough. Let me give an example-the general public would pay to train/become a disciple of Jackie Chan, a Martial Arts Somebody. The general public does not know who Dan Inosantos, Peter Urban, or Graciella Cassillas are, therefore they become Martial Arts Nobodies, even though to us they are big time Somebodys (The general public Is driven to the Martial Arts by the media, not a specific style or style representative. The general public knows that Chuck Norris does karate, the martial arts public knows what style of karate he does.) The martial arts public know and are driven to specific people and or style because we are on the inside looking out, we know what were looking for. The martial arts public would expect to pay big money to train with these people, not the The general public. That only happens when the general public becomes the martial arts

public and are educated In their schools, go to the seminars, read the books, buy the magazines and watch the videotapes. But if the martial arts students are spending large amounts of money for a Martial Arts Neighborhood Nobody to become a disciple, then they really should be taught something special, not just what is in the curriculum. The disciple now has usually become the sifus servant, practice dummy and gopher-all for the privilege of hanging out with the sifu, under the hopes of getting some pearl of knowledge that no one else will get. As I stated before, in the Sifus mind, knowledge is intangible, how or how much do you charge for It.? How long is the person going to be In the school ? Why should I bust my butt to make them get it when they 1. 2. 3. 4. Dont get it, Arent worthy or appreciative of its depth and beauty, Are going to leave when they get bored, run out of money or find something else to do, Dont realize that what the sifu is teaching took years of work and understanding to internalize and then teach.

So, You want it?,You can have It but it will cost you I And thats only If the sifu Is sincere. If the sifu is just out to make money off of the students-you aint getting Jack In a good kung fu school there should never be anything held back, everyone Is treated the same, taught openly and honestly and the sifu should always put the training and welfare of the students first. The sifu should always treat everyone as a student, friend and a potential would be or could be disciple-someday. So the question becomes-Why be a disciple If Im getting it anyway without all the above fuss? What the student gets is good kung fu, taught to you correctly and with the emphasis on you being good at it. The disciple gets an understanding of how to live the art, when you can no longer tell where your Kung Fu ends and Life begins, of bonding, fellowship with other disciples, of a commitment to the system, style and school, and to the sifu. In some schools it is a personal thing, you do it for your own reasons. The sifu has now taken on a son or daughter, and must do everything In the sifus power to be there for them, guide them, mold them and set a good martial and moral example for them. The sifu is their Martial Arts father and Kung Fu role model.(If we can play with a famous saying and altar it a bit-With great responsibility, comes the potential for great power.) Those of you who are students contemplating becoming a disciple sooner or later, or have been approached or chosen, remember that it is a commitment to the style, as well as the school and the sifu. But it is also a commitment to yourself. When you choose to become a full time student of the art (not just something you do a couple of nights a work when you have nothing else to do), your kung fu and your mindset change. You eat It, breath It, think It sleep It, poop it. Becoming a disciple is(in my opinion)the last great step in a kung fu persons development-and it is important to make sure that all those of you who are Interested in it, have the knowledge, Information and education for the opportunity and experience to do it, complete it and live it.