Customer Reviews

Walking Meditation: Pakua-The Martial Art of the I Ching

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This may be one of Paul Crompton's best books. He writes about the meditative and health aspects from a perspective of many years of experience in martial arts. The book is well researched and contains some diagrams which appear to have come from his friends book published in the late eighties. Unfortunately the nuances of the physical conditioning and cerebral pulse work will only be grasped by those who really spend a lot of time circle walking.

This book is rare because it only addresses the transformational and health aspects of Pakua. But this is a very important and overlooked subject. It is also an effective way to introduce Pakua to a broader audience of normal people seeking the yoga of walking. Pakua is an art that could easily surpass Tai Chi Chuan as an effective alternative exercise and health tool. Serious practioners of the art should take a closer look at this book as a means of expanding the popularity of this incrediable art.

The book provides some great history and information that will be beneficial to all people interested in internal arts.

The title says it all... this book is primarily about the meditative aspects of BaGuaZhang and touches only briefly on the martial aspects. I found his explanations of the history of BaGua very interesting, but his attempted explanations of the health benefits of BaGua to be somewhat suspect. For example, many other sources have somehow tried to tie in the effects of cerebrospinal fluid to sexual and physical health, mostly with unsuccessful results... I think his viewpoints on craniosacral therapy is no different. Certainly craniosacral therapy has not reached mainstream approval in the medical community. BaGuaZhang was initially created to be a very effective martial art, and has been likened to a "graduate school course" for people who have already reached proficiency in another external or internal martial art. None of this really comes through in Paul Crompton's book. His tone reminds me of many T'ai Chi books that concentrate on chakras, relaxation, and "being one with the universe", but completely gloss over the fact that T'ai Chi was initially created as a method of self-defense (and a very effective one, at that!) I much preferred Park Bok Nam's series over this one, which gave basic training tips, good diagrams for moves, and had excellent tips for power generation and stance stability. Keep it in mind if you are interested in broadening your horizons on the esoterics of BaGua, but think twice about buying it if you are looking for books that aid with significant real-life principles and applications of this martial art...

Walking Mediation Pakua The Martial Art Of The I Ching is an excellent book for any beginning student seeking to explore this soft martial art. It is well written by an experienced martial art teacher and author. The book covers the history, the health benefits of practicing Pakua, the circle walking steps, a touch of Taoist philosophy, and the relationship of Pakua to the I Ching. There are sufficient illustrations of the Pakua movements that the reader will not have any difficulty following. The author has included the spinning step that is rarely found in other Pakua Chang books. There is a section for self defense application which may be useful for those seeking Pakua as a fighting art.

The title says: "walking meditation" and you think that you are going to find a lot of information of theory around the art of BaGua... but I got really disappointed. There is some information about the philosophy of BaGua but non that you cant get from a simple introduction to Daoism, and the physical aspect well "in this position your back is open as Yang and your chest is closed as Yin..." even a beginner can see that.

If you read between the lines you can see that Paul Crompton is a very experienced martial artist but the book does not really explain the real questions (at least not mine =) of BaGua

I agree with Mr. Laruso's review that this book is a great study guide for the student, as for Mr Yeung's review I would make the comment that it seems that the core of the arts origin is from the Taoist community whose main goal is longevity. Their is some information on fighting but rely on going to a teacher for that.

Paul Crompton has written a truly fine piece on BaguaZhang. This book should enlighten and guide both the novice and skilled martial artist alike. The book explains the art well; I highly recommend its reading and study.