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The birthday banquet of GM Gin Soon Chu at the Imperial Garden in Boston’s Chinatown:

 

GM Chu Gin Soon with his senior students at the September 22 celebration of his birthday.  I recognize Linda, Peter, Mary Beth, Phil, Arthur, Jean, Michael, Arthur and a few other faces. Just behind the celebrant is Kim shifu, his second disciple. That’s me  with a red scarf. There were at least 200 in attendance, mostly the master’s students from the last 40 years.

GM Chu Gin Soon with his family at his recent birthday banquet in the Imperial Garden Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown. The Chu clan was also present.

GM Chu with Kim shifu and other students during a demonstration of martial arts in NYC. Undated.

I cannot remember when these photos were taken exactly. But it was at another September banquet, which was held on GM Chu’s birthday. Chu shigong had time to pose for photos and to Push.

GM Chu Gin Soon doing Push Hands with me in 1992. The school was located on the first floor of the Turnpike Tower Apartments at the time until it moved to its present location on Harrison Street corner of Beach. When the school, the oldest in Massachusetts, opened in 1969 it was located in the building across the street. The present address is on the second floor and is more spacious. if you are in Boston, visit the school and see the students in training.

 

With Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan Grandmaster Gin Soon Chu and his wife at the birthday banquet in the Imperial Garden Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown last September 22, 2012. I have studied with GM Chu since 1990. See essay “Looking for Yang Cheng-Fu” in the Writings section of this website. He has the most comprehensive knowledge of the Yang Family system. His mastery of the 34 fajing techniques, the curriculum, and the process of teaching is beyond words.

Celebrating his birthday with a traditional  Chinese banquet and a cake, Grandmaster Chu poses with his wife. The party was attended by at least 200 of his admirers, students, family and relatives. There were countless toasts, photo ops, Tai chi performances and speeches.  It was a spontaneous and indescribable  outpouring of love, respect  and admiration for the Grandmaster.

The Carlos Palanca Memorial  Literary Awards Night :

Alfred “Krip” Yuson and Ed Maranan are two of the few Hall of Fame recipients in the  Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the most prestigious literary competition in the Philippines. A Hall of Fame award means that the winner should have received 5 first prizes in  the main literary categories — poetry, short story, play, essay. Krip, Ed and I have appeared in different poetry anthologies. My poetry has been included in 3 of the anthologies edited by Krip — “Father Poems,” “Eros Pinoy: Contemporary Erotic Poetry and Art in the Philippines,” and “Love Gathers All: Anthology of Love Poems” (published in both Singapore and the Philippines).

That’s F. Sionil Jose, National Artist for Literature. He has written many books (novels and short stories), the most famous of which are the Rosales novels. I have known Frankie since the late 1950s. I first met him at student editors’ conferences and then at his bookstore “Solidaridad” in Ermita, Manila.

Grace D. Chong, winner of the first prize in the children’s short story for her work “The White Shoes.” I had not seen Grace for at least 45 years. We were both students in the University of the Philippines in the early 1960s writing for the campus newspaper. I was surprised when she recognized and called me from a distance.

Ed Maranan and Rene with a group of writers at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.  I was Ed’s guest to the event held at the Peninsula Hotel.  I was also his guest last year. See the photos from that night in this website.

At the Zhan Zhuang and Tai Chi Chuan DaoRen seminar. Organized by Florante, my younger brother, it was held at the main conference room of the Bahay Kanilaw in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. The seminar was actually a repeat of a seminar I taught two years ago to introduce students to the traditional techniques of Tai chi chuan training, starting with Zhan Zhuang postures and moving stances, eventually going to the basic Tai chi chuan movements. The regimen is quite accessible, even to  the older practitioners and those with certain disabilities. These techniques become the foundation for the more complicated fist and weapons forms of Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan system. I have taught the same seminars in other parts of the world — in the US, Cyprus, London, and Egypt. In the Philippines the predominant Tai chi form is the contemporary Wu-Shu set that was choreographed for competition by the government  in China. The traditional Tai chi forms are hardly seen in the parks there.  What I have been trying to do in teaching Zhan Zhuang and Tai chi chuan DaoRen together is to bring back the Tai chi practice to its basic traditional components — the 8 core movements, the dantian breathing, and the focus on the integrated physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of the tradition based on the Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan system.

At the Jade Mountain Chi Nei Tsang internal organs seminar sponsored by the Philippine Academy of Acupuncture, Inc. It was held at the St. Joseph Convent in Quezon City. More than 30 participants attended the workshop, including 2 nuns. The weekend seminar was organized by the indefatigable Janet Paredes, an acupuncturist, officer of PAAI and head of NADA Philippines. She is a certified instructor of the NADA protocol. She graduated from the program at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, NY. She has taught in the US and Germany and is a recognized instructor internationally.   She works actively with street kids. The first CNT seminar I taught in the Philippines was in 1998. It was sponsored by an NGO — Acupuncture Therapeutics Research Center (now called INAM). I have taught many seminars in Manila since then — Qigong/Taoyin, Microcosmic Orbit Meditation (with Inner Smile, 3 Breaths and 6 Healing Sounds), Zhan Zhuang, Tai chi and CNT. Many of my students work in disadvantaged urban and rural areas. My childhood friends Romy Liwanag, a minister of the United Methodist Church from Tarlac City, and Sonny Villa, former Philippine ambassador to Thailand and China, attended the seminars in CNT and Tai chi chuan as my guests. I also taught a special seminar for members of  NADA Philippines. It is always a pleasure to teach in my country where they do not have many trained instructors like me. Next time I will write about Janet Paredes and her admirable work with street kids as the head of NADA Philippines. She was one of my first students in the Philippines.

Zhan ZHuang/Qigong Foundations
Sept. 8 / Saturday / 9AM to 6PM

This seminar sets the foundation for many healing, self-cultivation and spiritual work. Too often neglected, these postures constitute the structure without which many practices cannot be done. How do you start? What do you do? What is the position of the spine, the pillar of many practices? The paradigm will be set on this workshop so that you will see what us the Daoist body, the energetic relationship of different energy centers. Important concepts are are discussed and performed: body positioning, alignment, breathing, emptiness, the dantian, qi, and transformation. Included: Embracing the Tree, Opening Tai Ji, Heaven and Earth, Dai Mai Circle, Pushing. This subject os strongly suggested and recommended for those who are taking Tai Chi Chuan Daoren or any other meditative and healing work.

Tai Chi Chuan DaoRen
Sept. 9 / Sunday / 9AM to 6PM

Tai Chi Chuan DaoRen is a short version based on the traditional Yang Family form. Requiring little space and time, it contains the 4 classical temple core movements of Tai Chi Chuan. Its unhurried pace promotes relaxation, centering, joy, calmness, gentleness, and inner peace. Tai Chi Chuan DaoRen begins with a Qigong signature movement and draws energy from Heaven and Earth and activates the Dan Tian (Field of Elixir) center. After 40 years of practicing the art, Rene J. Navarro choreographed this form showing the reality of energy as the student moves from posture to posture repeated in a clockwise direction. The from takes you to different levels of experience the way Tai Chi Chuan should be dome: magical, playful, joyous and shamanic.

Venue
Bahay Kalinow, Guerrero cor.
Dagohoy ST., UP Diliman, Q.C.

Course Fee
Full payment of P 3,000.00 on site.
Full payment of P 2,700.00 on or before August 1st.
Full payment of P 2,500.00 each for a group of 3 persons or more on or before August 1st.

For inquiries and reservations, please contact:
Florante J. Navarro
Email: florantejnavarro@yahoo.com
Mobile: (0917) 522-3008

Jade Mountain Chi Nei Tsang (JMCNT) Internal Organ Massage Seminar-Workshop

The Philippine Academy of Acupuncture, Inc. (PAAI) invites you to a seminar on Jade Mountain Chi Nei Tsang (JMCNT) Internal Organ Massage with Sifu Rene Navarro on September 1 and 2, 2012.

Workshop participants will learn the basic diagnostics and treatment of abdominal massage, clearing of the organ channels, Opening  the Wind Gates,  manipulating the Colon, Liver, Stomach, Spleen, Kidneys,  Pancreas, Lungs, and detoxifying the Hara.

Sifu Rene Navarro will also cover 3 Breaths, Inner Smile,  6 Healing Sounds, Qigong and Zhan Zhuang and classical 5 Elements.

Rene J. Navarro, Dipl. Ac., NCCAOM (National Commission for Certification in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, martial artist, healer, writer, poet and internationally known teacher. He is one of the earliest instructors of the Healing Tao and Chi Nei Tsang founded by Mantak Chia. He wrote “The Greatest Enlightenment of Kan and Li”, and edited “Sealing of the Five Senses”, manuals in the high Taoist spiritual practice of internal Alchemy, “Chi Nei Tsang Internal Organs Chi Massage,” the master guide on abdominal manipulation, and “Dao-In” the book on meridian activation and muscle stretching.

Rene holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political science, and a Bachelor of Law, a diploma in acupuncture and a certificate in classical Chinese herbs from the New England School of Acupuncture in Boston, MA. He has taught in four continents.

Seminar details:

Venue:  Religious of the Good Shepherd Convent (RGS), Heart of Mary Villa Conference Hall, 1043 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City. This is beside St.  Bridget’s School and the Katipunan LRT station.

Training Fee: P 6,500 regular fee.

Early bird fee is P 5,000 only if paid on or before August 15, 2012. Training fees include handouts only.

Attire: Please wear comfortable clothes and foot wear. Bring a towel, malong, powder and massage oil.

Schedule: September 1, Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
September 2, Sunday     9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Participants will have to provide for their own snacks and lunch. Food can be ordered for delivery from restaurants in the Katipunan area.

PAAI will only accommodate 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. They will work in pairs during the practicum.

For reservations, please contact Ms. Sinag Cuasay at PLDT mobile landline Tel. 4254247, mobile number +639336360908, or email sinagcuasay@yahoo.com.

Assure your slot by depositing the full amount to PAAI BPI Loyola Katipunan branch Savings Account Number 3083-7065-88.

Please bring your deposit slip on September 1.

The Philippine Academy of Acupuncture, Inc. (PAAI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization.  It engages in fund generation and resource mobilization activities to finance its projects and activities. The organization aims: to promote and develop quality education, training, and research in TCM acupuncture; to improve professional quality for TCM acupuncture practice; to promote the science of  TCM acupuncture; to support grassroots endeavours in the practice of TCM acupuncture; and to ensure the integration of acupuncture and TCM into the Philippine health care system.

Executive Committee Members: President-Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, Vice President:Dr. Alfonso Lagaya, Secretary:Dr. Tess Umipig, Treasurer: Janet P.Paredes, Auditor: Dr. Jennifer Madamba.

Board Members: Dr. Rosalinda Maglana, Dr. Francis Ras, George Facsoy, Dr. Tan Cho Chiong

A rice field somewhere in Ubud. Photo by KJ Lau from Hongkong.

It was the rainy season in Bali. Every day it rained. The view from the house was all green — the rice fields were being harrowed, the last stage before planting, and soon was going to be planted one by one in symmetrical lines by a group of farmers, both men and women. I noticed this farmer every day faithfully caring for the rice fields. He trimmed the grass along the paddies, directed the water along the canals, and even when it was raining, he was there with his coconut leaf hat as his only protection.

A farmer planting rice seedlings in symmetrical rows. Imagine the discomfort of bending to plant each rice seedling row after row, hectare after hectare.

A group of farmers planting rice. A common scene in Asia. In the Philippines, volunteers (“sugu”) would come to help in a work called “bayanihan” (after the word “bayani” or hero) whether it was to move a house, repair the dam or anything that would require communal effort. In my grandfather’s farm, the volunteers would be fed rice, mung bean soup (probably with the young shoots of bitter melon) and “tinaklub,” a triangle of muscovado sugar.

A farmer harrowing the flooded field. At this stage, the final preparation for planting the rice, a type of cricket called “camaru” emerges and is collected. Fried with garlic and spices, it is a delicacy in many countries.

The trees, home of the spirits, are venerated. When a Balinese cuts down a tree or kills a animal for food, he first seeks its permission. There is a close relationship between human and nature and the spirit world.

This bamboo basket is one of many utensils that was made by an expert hand. Baskets are woven from palm leaves, rattan or bamboo or carved from wood. Dippers are made from bamboo or coconut shells. Bones are carved into figures like the characters from the Mahabharata. I bought a coconut shell etched with the faces from Ramayana — Rama, Sita, Garuda, Hanuman. Many of household utensils are hand-made, but mass-produced goods — usually plastic, are sneaking in.

That’s one of the active volcanoes in Bali. One time it exploded suddenly, without much warning, devastating a large area and killing many in villages around the vicinity. Enroute to a temple, when we wanted to see the volcano, there was a mist. We thought the mist would evaporate, but when we came back, there was an even thicker fog. We could not see anything infront of us. “Use your vision,” Nikolay suggested and we all laughed.

View of a volcano from the balcony in the back. Often the volcano was misted or completely invisible. It was a pleasure watching it from a distance.

Another view of the mountain from the back of the house.

Ganesha Books is right in the heart of downtown Ubud, next door to Bali Buddha, an organic bakery, and the Post office and just a short walk to Om Cafe serving organic drinks and cakes. In between, you’ll navigate streets full of stores vending all sorts of goods — native handicrafts mostly — and cafes. There are Tibetan stores with bells, singing bowls, bhurpa, thanka, dorje. Haggling is part of the tradition, so go down by half or 2/3 and negotiate it from there. You’ll also see a few children begging. Bring some change for alms. NB: Ganesha has an excellent collection of new books on Indonesia (culture, religion, handicraft, art, artifact) and used books from the West. I did not buy any of the new because I thought they were rather expensive.I did buy book markers made of bamboo.

You can rent a scooter. But forewarned,forearmed: the roads are difficult and dangerous to travel, especially in downtown and along the arteries. Aside from having to drive on the left side, the traffic is idiosyncratic and insane. The traffic in Bali is the craziest I have seen anywhere because there are trucks, cars, scooters, motor cycles, buses — all of them trying to hog the road. I do not know if it is true, but I heard that no driving test is required, all you have to do is pay for the license and you are let loose on the road. Even if you do not believe in Ganesha, the elephant god of beginnings and the arts, you are advised to offer some flowers and incense at his altar.

There are many “massage parlors” in the area, especially downtown, offering different spa services: hot stones, essential oils and flower essences, foot bath and massage, reflexology, sports, herbal sauna, Thai. You can actually combine different techniques from the menu of techniques. In the center of the photo is Len, a married woman with a child, who worked on me a couple of times. For the foot massage, including shoulders, the fee was about 60,000 Balinese rupiah. (The exchange was about 900,000 BR to $100.) I did not ask how much she was paid by the establishment. Always, give a generous tip.

As you can see, this street is crowded not only with stores but also but tourists and scooters. It is probably the heart of downtown.

That’s the main drag of Ubud. I can’t remember its name now. Hanuman? There were huge statues — Arjuna from Mahabharata and Sita from Ramayana — on main intersections. I did not spend a lot of time downtown. I bought postcards or saw the ubiquitous money changer or had the occasional dinner with friends.

There were always idle taxi drivers waiting across from Ganesha Books. They thought I was Balinese. When they asked me where I came from, I challenged them to guess. I would give them 3 chances, I said, but they said, Chinese, Thai or even Mexican.

I got his name but promptly forgot it. He helped me charge my 2 camera batteries without trying hard to sell me anything. He was very patient, looking for the right charger. He found one and told me that it would take 2 hours for each battery, that I can come back later in the day. But I had no transport, so I signed up for a massage next door, listened to gamelan CDs at a sidewalk stall and joined Marina and Nikolay at Om Cafe. Only one battery was charged, the other was apparently dead. It is one of the hazards I’ve encountered in my travels. In Java, my camera died and won’t take a photo of the Magus. In Bali, the batteries died a couple of weeks into the trip and the G9 Canon fell into the water when my feet skidded on a mossy surface. It occurred to me that perhaps the spirits were preventing me from taking photos of some objects, people or rituals. I wondered if it happened to other people, too. Later this man in the photo volunteered his companion to drive me home in his scooter at night. It usually took only10 to 15 minutes to get to the house, but we apparently got lost. He got me home in the outskirts of Ubud in an hour and 30 minutes.

That’s Agung, our tour guide and translator, with a box containing betel nut, lime, leaves and tobacco. Part of a traditional ritual in the villages. A slice of betel wrapped with a green leaf daubed with a paste of lime is chewed slowly. It leaves a red color on the gums, lips, and teeth. I understand that it gives a mild high. My mother used to have it occasionally when we lived in a small town during my childhood, but gave it up when we moved to the capital. When I wrote to Tynne about it, she did some research and said,
Betel nuts, the fruit of the areca palm, are used exclusively as a mild drug which is said to promote euphoria, heightened alertness, sweating, salivation and an increased capacity to work. The active ingredient is betel nuts is an alkaloid named arecoline. It is ingested as a component of a ‘betel quid’ which is both chewed and held like chewing tobacco inside the cheek. Chewing betel is popular in many cultures. The nuts are legal to cultivate, buy, possess, and distribute without a license or prescription in the United States, although the Food and Drug Administration has banned the importation of betel nuts.
Read more: How to Use Betel Nut | eHow.com
End of quote. This girl is fun!

David and I were having a chat one morning when KJ Lau from Hongkong arrived and started to take photos of us. KJ sent me some of the photos he took around Bali. He gave me permission to use some of them in my website.

Myles (London), Cem (Turkey), Rene (US-Philippines), Tynne (Connecticut), and Lee (California) at a Balinese resto in downtown Ubud. I met Myles in London about 7 – 8 years ago. He studied Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan with me, including the 108 Solo fist form, Dao/Knife and the Gun/Staff. Cem is a teacher from Istanbul. I met him briefly aout 7 years ago in a penthouse restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus and a famous bridge in Turkey. Tynne is a raw-food chef and a Healing Tao instructor. It was the first time we met. Lee is a popular qigong teacher and acupuncturist who has been featured on PBS. I’ve known him since the early 90s. It was one of the very few times I joined my friends for dinner. Otherwise, I stayed home and often cooked or ate fruits (mango, avocado, papaya, banana, mangosteen, durian, mandarin oranges).

Pierre-Jean (formerly from France, now living in Turkey) occupied the bedroom downstairs from mine in Bali. A professional chef and a serious qigong and alchemy practitioner with a dry sense of humor, he has studied with David for many years now. I first heard about his exploits the second time I was in Istanbul when I was a guest of David in his flat along the Bosphorus. We were supposed to meet in Dalian, China in late 2007 but he got delayed in Turkey. Well, we finally met in Bali. A generous man, he used to share his delicious dishes with me.

NIkolay is at the cutting edge of psychic research in Russia. He is himself a master of several of the phenomena. In exchange for massage treatments, he patiently gave me lessons in improving “vision” — being able to read and see with the eyes closed. “But I am too old,” I protested. “This is better for the young.” He said: “Children and old people are the same. They both have fun and do not care about making mistakes.” I took him at his word and practiced the excises. On the last lesson, Marina joined us at the table and said: “Rene, this thing really works.” She asked me to give her a book to read. She put on a blindfold and black hood and forthwith began to read from the page of a recipe book I placed in front of her. The night before she did the same demo for a Hindu priest who was incredulous about the technique, except that she read from a Balinese newspaper.

David practicing in the morning. It was always raining in Bali and we hardly saw the sun. So when it came out, David and I stepped out. I went to the garden in the back and he went in front of the house to benefit from the sun. I remember taking a photo of David practicing one morning in a park just outside of Rome.

David practicing in a park in Rome (2009). I often see David practicing in the morning, whether it was in Chiangmai, Istanbul, Rome, Huangshan or Bali.

Tynne, Lee and me during break. We horsed around a bit before the fire rituals practice. I thank both of them and other students of David for being suppotive and fun. Photo was taken by Cem, a teacher from Turkey.

Rene and Lee in Bali. We shared a dinner for two. A few items appeared on the plate, some of it very hot and inedible. Like Thailand, Bali can surprise you with their green and red peppers that sneak up like an explosive.

The plate Lee and I shared had all sorts of small appetizers, a few of which were very spicy, but it was filling.

You’ll often see women with a basket balanced on top of their heads. The first time I went to Bali, in 2006, I was surprised to see a queue of women, their arms to their side, backs straight, carrying baskets on their heads on their way to the temple.

The old shaman walking in the rain. He usually had that cloth with the black and white pattern, a symbol to ward off evil spirits. It was raining hard. The birds in their iron cases were asleep. The old shaman excused himself and went to the bathroom for his regular morning ablution.

I was taken aback when I saw this young woman, somebody I had not seen before, making an offering at the spirit house. It was the first and last time I saw her.

The boy would quickly appear and as quickly disappear. One time he squatted on the ground and ate his lunch while a woman was making small baskets of offerings.

We had seen a temple and were in Kuta. Our driver Wayang followed a circuitous road until we ended at a parking lot by the sea. It was well past lunchtime. Nikolay, Marina and I took a walk on the beach and passing a small wooden bridge, we smelled the scent of roasting corn. We got one each.

This photo was taken at the coffee plantation. The man was roasting luwak coffee, a unique kind pooped by the civet cats who eat the coffee beans. A crew carefully picks the excrement, washes it and then this man roasts it in a wok. Marina and I tasted the free sample. I heard that a cup costs about $40 in Tokyo and London Heathrow. I paid about $40 for a small box of it. I was told it can yield 50 cups.

The young woman was inside the store in the half-light. Her eyes were intense and she was motionless. I took the photo from the car while our translator and guide Agung was buying a gift for the old shaman.

This article was written by Ed Maranan, and first appeared in his column ‘Passage’ in The Philippine Star.

In Rene Navarro’s website, there is a description of where his journey began:

“Rene was raised in the shadow of the western mountain ranges of Luzon. His grandfather, Ingkong Poli, a raconteur and farmer and artisan, was the greatest influence in his early life. Ingkong Poli told him stories of powerful beings, warriors, monsters, fairies, from legends and corridos. It was in this idyllic world that Rene was first exposed to nature, storytelling, native herbs, craftsmanship, martial arts, poetry, and the mystical.”

Rene was a law student, prominent Alpha Phi Betan, campus writer, and an impromptu speech gold medalist in UP when I was still an undergraduate. The next time I would hear about him, I was living in London and I would be reading about his achievements in the US as a martial arts expert and a published writer. When he and another Fil-Am writer Patrick Rosal visited the UK, we arranged for a poetry reading for them at the Center for Filipinos in Hammersmith. After impressing the audience with a moving poem about the final days of his father, Rene proceeded to give a demonstration of the Yang Family Sword Form, annotating as he went through the graceful but powerful movements.

He invited me to his friend’s house in Richmond, south London, where he cooked a gourmet meal for the three of us, and later on the roof deck which had a magnificent view of the meandering Thames, gave another demonstration of his skill in Chinese martial arts and Filipino arnis.

A couple of years later, I wrote to him in Boston, inviting him to contribute an essay to a book I was editing with my daughter Len, A Taste of Home: Pinoy Expats and Food Memories. He came up with a terrific essay that did justice to the whimsical title: “Reflections on the Diaspora, Burung Babi, a Favorite Uncle, Malayan Fish Head Curry and a Trip to the Mountains.”

He visits the Philippines from time to time. Last year, he was here briefly to give a two-day seminar. The first day was on Zhan Zhuang (stationary postures and breathing exercises), while the second day, which I attended, was devoted to Tai Chi Chuan Dao Ren, the eight core movements based on the traditional Yang Family solo fist form. Only eight movements, but we sweated gallons through a full day of slow, deliberate motions done repeatedly.

As I write this, the boy from Tarlac who would turn into a Renaissance Man forever voyaging in the Filipino diaspora is in the mystical village of Ubud on the island of Bali for intensive training in Lei Shan Dao (lightning and thunder path).

It is just one customary way station in a life-long journey of self-discovery, in search of the ancient secrets and methods of meditation and healing, the Taoist philosophy of going with the flow, as much as the cultivation of character and physical strength via the martial arts. For more than 50 years, Rene has trained under the best gurus, sifus, magi, teachers of the ancient arts. After obtaining a third degree black belt from the Karate Federation of the Philippines in 1968, he became absorbed with Chinese martial arts and apprenticed under legendary teachers in Manila’s Chinatown. He learned Shaolin kung fu from “the most complete master” Johnny Chiuten and grandmaster Lao Kim, and obtained mastery of the Chinese staff, spear and sword under the tutelage of Lao Sigong. His first teacher of tai chi chuan was Chan Bun Te at the Hua Eng Athletic Association which was then in a Buddhist temple in Binondo.

Immigrating to the United States after finishing his law studies at UP, he worked as a lawyer for indigent clients, but never let up in his pursuit of more arcane knowledge, obtaining a degree in acupuncture and a certificate in classical Chinese herbs, seeking out the masters of Chinese martial arts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York, gaining more expertise in martial arts, finally discovering the method of the Healing Tao under Mantak Chia in New York’s Chinatown. It was also in New York where he reconnected with his Filipino roots, meeting up again with his former teacher in arnis de mano, Mat Mariñas. He resumed his training in Filipino stick-fighting with enthusiasm, even coming home briefly after the EDSA revolution to renew his ties with old buddy and karate/kung fu teacher Johnny Chiuten who was by that time living in Bantayan, Cebu, perfecting his eclectic methods of Chinese, Japanese and Philippine martial arts.

Rene has gone to the source of the ancient knowledge several times. He traveled to Chengdu in Sichuan in 1983 to study various forms of Wu Shu, such as northern spear, sword, monkey fist and cudgel. He was in China again a few years ago to teach English as a means of livelihood, but the main purpose was to explore further the ancient traditions of Shaolin kung fu in places where it is still being taught by venerable masters.

His knowledge of the ancient arts of healing, meditation, and fighting with bare hands or weapons is vast and prodigious, and this knowledge he imparts to students in workshops and seminars from the Catskill Mountains in New York to the shadow of the pyramids in Egypt, from a sun-washed island in Cyprus to an executive suite in a Makati building, from a village green in England to a tranquil village in Thailand.

The fields Rene Navarro is considered an expert in and therefore qualified to teach include acupuncture, dragon-well qigong, Xing shen Zhuang rehabilitative therapy, tai chi chuan Dao Ren and related forms, internal alchemy and spiritual practice, Chi Nei Tsang internal organ massage, Taoist philosophy, Shaolin kung fu or wushu, and arnis de mano. A metal/gold dragon, the master turns 72 in October.

An excellent chef, Rene loves to serve up his two favorite dishes. One is congee with black chicken, herbs (ginseng, astragalus, He Shou Wu or Mr. Wu’s black hair), red berries, and lurong or deer horn. The other one is pheasant or Cornish game hen with garlic, cloves, capers, olives, bay leaf, salted cod fish (bacalao), and chorizo de Bilbao.

I have hinted that he is an accomplished essayist. Rene is also a lyrical poet, with some of his poems appearing in various anthologies, and with three poetry collections reflecting his deep connection to the Chinese tradition: Du-Fu’s Cottage and Other Poems, Ascension and Return: Poetry of a Village Taoist, and The Weaver Girl and the Shepherd Boy.

Here are some lines from his poem “Dream in Baopu Temple”:

As I pass the rock where we sat, / I catch a glimpse of you doing / the Immortal Sword Dance / in the moonlight. / There is a spark of lightning in the sky. / I hear the Golden Rooster / crowing among the pines / ready to fly. / I offer three joss sticks for you / and the Taoist priest / rings a gong that resonates / in the distance. Where / is Ge Hong, the alchemist, / can he do his magic / to bring you back / here among the willow / trees?