Separating martial fact from fiction is a perilous task. If you are too credulous, you may be tricked into joining a fraudulent kung fu cult. On the other hand, if you are too skeptical, you will cut yourself off from real high-level skills. “Common sense” is an unreliable guide, because it is grounded in your own limited experience, and odds are you’ve never met a legitimate master.
For this and other reasons, I do not use my website to mock other martial arts and artists. Sometimes, though, I hear a story so fantastical that I just cannot resist the urge to share it. Without further ado, and for your pleasure, I introduce The Legend of Ba Gua…
Bagua was the name of a man born in a remote province of China over 1500 years ago. At a young age Bagua traveled into the mountains to learn. From his training and study of nature, Bagua reached a point of tremendous internal and external strength and ability. One night in a dream, Bagua saw the province in peril from an impending invasion. He came down from the mountains to warn the Royal family and offer his assistance to help protect the kingdom.
At that time, during a crisis, it was common for people of all different positions, of all different ages, man, woman, and child alike to come to the aid of the Royal family to protect the kingdom. Bagua was one of many individuals who offered to help. With the Royal Familiy’s permission, his task was to build a strong army to protect the kingdom. With his knowledge and training, he was able to assemble an army in one tenth the time normally necessary. Each solder was taught the knowledge and skill to be a qualified general.
When the time came to do battle, this elite fighting force easily defeated the opposing force about one hundred times as strong. Bagua had saved the kingdom and made the province a better place for its people. The King’s main wish had always been his concern for the protection of each citizen and after the opposing army was defeated he felt that the needs of the Kingdom would best served if Bagua would take the throne. With his head down the King offered the throne to Bagwa whom he respected. Bagua’s humbled response was that he was still learning and that he had a long way to go and wished to return to the mountains and continue his training. He could not accept this victory with pride and was troubled with the thought that others would remember him as a great warrior.
The King then asked Bagua what he should do to protect the kingdom if there was another threat. Bagua agreed to stay 100 days to further train many prominent citizens of the kingdom, including higher nobility, priests, offers, and other leaders involved in protecting the kingdom.
When Bagua finally left, he respectfully bowed to the King. As he slowly walked away in a peculiar stepping manner, the King called after him, asking him questions. There was no response. Only Bagua’s rhythmic breathing that sounded like BAAAG WAAA! BAAAG WAAA! BAAAG WAAA! Within a short distance from the town, the King saw his body disappear, almost as if it floated away.
This legend has been passed down orally from one generation to the next, since the time of the Han Dynasty, or so I’ve been told. We can thank the Oom Yung Doe organization for sharing it with us.
Ba Gua
Other people insist that ba gua means eight trigrams in Chinese. But, as Iron Kim has taught, the facts may never be determined.
Marketing Jujitsu
Is The Legend of Bagua just a silly story, or is it a cunning sales pitch in disguise? Try reading this condensed version before making up your mind.
Are you tired of being a foot soldier in someone else’s army? With our legendary art of Bagua*, you can transform yourself into a powerful general**. Ten times faster than other methods!
After centuries of secrecy, the ancient Bagua movements have been revealed. Sign up today, and you too can learn these ancient offensive and defensive positions. ***
* Based on oral traditions. No written historical evidence provided.
** Generals must defer to our authority.
*** For entertainment purposes only.
It seems kind of quick and rash that they would open up the secrets of the Bau gua to the public so quickly. I guess it would be worth it to hear what they have to say, I don’t know if they are going to be comparable to Sun Tzu’s teachings, but hey…its worth listening to.
Oh I wish I’d seen this legend earlier…I like it.
Bagwa is important to moo doe teachings;
it is used in many movements, including
various weapons (dong bong, samurai sword,
etc.). I have found the benefits of bagwa to
be lasting.
ok how can I learn this bagua
Total BS. Ba Gua Chang or Pa Kua means “eight trigrams boxing.” The eight trigrams are symbols contained in the I Ching, a text of Taoism. Ba Gua, Hsing I, and tai chi are the three biggest “internal” martial arts, and are just a few hundred years old. Well known history. No bid secret. Google it.