Doesn't a samurai ALWAYS use a katana or such? How can his sword arts be comparable to Dugu's no-sword arts?Quote:
Originally Posted by munenori
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Doesn't a samurai ALWAYS use a katana or such? How can his sword arts be comparable to Dugu's no-sword arts?Quote:
Originally Posted by munenori
Spear and bow were much more commonly used if I remember right.
I've actually had the fortunate chance to encounter a few real modern descendants of Samurai as well as had discussions with many Japanese martial art practitioners.Quote:
Originally Posted by wuyuejin
What I've come to interpret is that the samurai fighting philosophy (only talking about their mentality towards swordsmanship) is very Zen in nature. There is the whole "becoming one with the sword so that you ARE a sword" type of stuff.
There are definitely similarities to Chinese Kung Fu philosophies. One topic we discussed was something like this-- "We are all one. In the universe, there is only energy. You and the opponent are actually as one, just energies of the same source (the emptiness). Hence you must defeat yourself first in order to be able to best the opponent. Once you master yourself, you see that nothing is apart and separate but yet distinct. Like an ocean, everyone is part of the ocean, but also individual water droplets"
So that kind of stuff makes Samurais very Buddhist/Daoist. And even to some extent, reaching the level of Dugu's "no sword > than sword"
And to answer the original topic, I believe that at the highest stages all MA is the same. Although that leads to a perplexing question in Jin Yong universe-- "once you reach enlightenment, is your internal chi boundless??"
I prefer Heideggerian martial artsQuote:
Originally Posted by K2Grey
Well the highest level a samurai can reach is the level of emptiness or no-sword. You should check out Miyamoto Musashi's Book of the Five Rings. Its samurai zen philosophy and techniques/strategies is eerily similar to Dugu's no-sword arts. It's all about finding the opponent's weakness and disrupting his natural rhythm while at the same time reaching the level where you don't even have to think or strategize about your next stroke, it will happen naturally and automatically. Its like reaching the level of formless-void where you can adapt naturally and be fluid like water.Quote:
Originally Posted by wuyuejin
I wouldn't be surprised if Jin Yong was influenced by Miyamoto Musashi in his creation of Dugu Qiubai. Even if he wasn't, the sword philosophy is very similar.
Did Dugu Quibai ever defeat himself?
He would've liked some L/R combat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Chen
Quote:
Originally Posted by flamer
Heh, if both arms use DG9J and insist on offense over defence, there can be only 2 outcomes.
1.) No movement. Both arms either stay still or swing around without the arms or swords ever touching one another.
2.) He ends up chopping both his arms off.
He should use L/R skill to divide his mind and then engage in imaginary sword fighting like in Hero.
MUHAHAHAQuote:
Originally Posted by CC
I often wonder about the sanity of a man living alone with a condor companion.
Han Solo
Well, the most powerful Taoist would be Zhang 3 Feng right?
I don't think he can beat the Janitor Monk.
I would argue that Xiao Yao Pai were Daoist martial arts.
And the strongest Daoist Priest is WCY, never having been defeated in kung fu in his life. ZSF's neidan Daoism is in WCY's tradition. I think having WCY be beaten in drinking by the Buddhist/Daoist/Confucianist was to make that connection.
can zhang san feng beat wang chong yang??
WCY was better than the rest of the Greats during the first Sword tournament. But at the end of ROCH, the Greats had improved greatly. It is speculated that they had surpassed WCY by that time. Z3F is regarded as equal to the ROCH greats. So IMHO, yes, by far.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackattack
By far? I don't quite agree. I think ROCH Greats achieved equal ability as WCY during their corresponding ages at best. When ROCH Greats passed WCY's dying age, they slowed their improvement due to age.
I dont disagree with you, but when comparing characters, we benchmark them at their peak. The ROCH greats and Z3F peaked at a very old age. So a 100 year old Z3F would be better than a 70(?) year old WCY.Quote:
Originally Posted by flamer
Z3F and 4 Greats achieve Greatness the normal way and surpass a LOCH WCY great some time during ROCH.
Z3F with energy saving taichi would win over WCY (as would the rest of the ROCH greats). And IMHO, by far.
True. The peak is hard to ascertain though. I'm not entirely convinced that distinct, significantly different levels of Great level exist throughout LOCH and ROCH.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnhHung
Thats a topic for a another thread.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by flamer
Indeed. And I'm not really in the mood for another massive discussion on this topic :D.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnhHung
Xian Tian Gong was also an energy saver.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnhHung