The
salute is the exterior manifestation of respect towards the master, the fellows,
the senior pupils, the Kung Fu organization one is a member of and the great ancient
masters, whose names are often written with Chinese ideograms in the center of
the main wall of the gymnasium. The salute ceremony has a deep philosophical meaning and it should not be a mere formality but the genuine manifestation of what one feels at the bottom of his or her heart.
It is always a good thing doing the salute before and after the training, when entering and leaving the gymnasium, when starting or ending an exercise, both alone or with a partner. In the latter case the salute shows the intention not to hurt the partner, but to help him or her to progress.
There exist two forms of salute: the standing salute and the formal kneeling one. Only the former will be discussed here.
The standing salute (Pao Ch'üan Li)
is executed this way: while standing at attention (united heels and feet tips
spread apart) the left fist is surrounded by the right hand. The salute is executed
at about nose height, because the eyes must always see; the elbows must be low
and the shoulders relaxed: this allows Ch'i to go round, so that the mind becomes
conscious of what should be done.
The command for executing the salute is "Yü Pei". Yü means "ready
with the body". Pei means "ready with the mind".
There exists a precise symbology bind to the salute.
At first the left closed fist denoted struggle, freedom, while the right open
hand meant peace and respect for freedom. The union of these symbols is uprightness,
human justice, personal freedom while fully respecting the rights of the others,
but without servilely bowing, and the humility of recognizing one's mistakes.
Furthermore the left fist is closed because the left arm is the way to the heart.
Later this salute represented Ming, the
union of the Sun with the Moon, therefore the union of Yang (proper light - the
left hand) and Yin (reflected light - right hand).
Ming was also the name of a Chinese dynasty in the name of which Shaolin practitioners
fought long against Manchu Ch'ing dynasty. So the salute once represented
the identification mark between Chinese patriots that were Kung Fu practitioners.
A variant of the standing salute is the following: when the hands are engaged, for example with a long stick, one bows by slightly bending his or her bust. In this case the eyes must never lose sight of the opponent, that could otherwise take advantage of the favourable moment to attack.
