Jonathan Snowiss Spotlight
JUSTIN: For those who may not yet know you, can you introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of who you are?
JONATHAN: I have practiced a Southern Shaolin internal martial art called Wei Tuo for 35 years and have taught for about 20 years. I have written many articles and a book on martial arts and qi gong. After years of training, the exercises, the sparring and all that comes with martial arts comes down to our state of mind. I just finished a manuscript on the virtues from Chinese Martial Arts.
Are there specific philosophies or principles that drive your journey as a martial artist?
The journey...yes, it is!! The path for martial arts is all the same, regardless of style, yet individually unique. All paths start at different sides of the mountain, but as we climb, the view broadens, paths get closer together, and ultimately the paths meet. Essentially, the people higher up the mountain have all the skills needed, but rarely use them. And like parents laughing at kids squabbling about small stuff that the kids think are big, masters up the mountain shake their heads at martial artists squabbling about styles or what techniques are useful or not.
This is a reason Chinese Martial Arts philosophy is influenced by Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Combined, these are the core to CMA because how one conducts him/herself is the dividing line between a violent person who can fight and the idea of "zen me zuo ren" or how to be human.
Being human is learning how to "harmonize" the heart mind with the logic mind. Within this harmonization we learn to flow with nature, or wu wei (mistranslated as 'non-action'). Without the humanity within a person, the ability to let go of the ego, the power of nature cannot flow through us as a conduit of energy (qi, kinetic energy, or whatever) because anger, hate, greed... blocks the higher potentials of a martial artist.
As that mindset is started out for fighting skills, it leads to health, which leads to living a virtuous lifestyle, and then to spirituality. It is a process of maturity of the body-mind-spirit. So when people say that martial arts is about fighting (strength, courage...), yes. When people say it is about mental balance (discipline, structure, overcoming fears which is slightly different from courage...), yes indeed. And those who say it is about spirituality, absolutely. The difference between all of these is the maturity within one's training.
Start at the beginning of the physical, and grow.
Has your involvement in martial arts influenced your family life? Do you involve your family in your martial arts journey and, if so, how?
The challenge is to figure out how to squeeze time for training with helping clean, cook, getting the kids ready for school.... So I have to wake earlier, train a bit less and learn to be ok with not practicing everyday. I have learned how the discipline of patience has helped me tremendously in raising my two beautiful girls.
I have short term goals, and a broad long term goal. Like in martial arts our short term goals is learning a form, doing more punches, kicks, or whatever, the immediate while training goals, my family short term goals are to get them to eat dinner, clean the dishes...daily life goals. And like martial artists' general goal of becoming not a blackbelt, but a better martial artist, my family goal is to have two smart, capable, and good human beings leaving the house to contribute to the world in positive ways and to be the best husband I can possibly be.
These have no obvious connections, family and martial arts, but martial arts do not stay in the dojo, school, park, backyard, or garage. It is an every second lifestyle.
My family has very little interest in martial arts. They don't even like to watch my martial art movies, but they like Power Rangers! Hahaha. They don't understand why I train. But I am introducing meditation to them to learn how to regulate their emotions.
In your view, what are the current challenges or issues facing the martial arts community, and how can practitioners address them?
This might be long winded, but there is a lot to cover. The current challenges are actually not too different from what our ancestor masters faced. Even with the internet and YouTube university, the challenges are relatively similar. The challenge is adaptation.
Every generation must find the students of the next generation. And martial arts is a lonely path. Who in their right mind would choose it? So, obviously you and I are not in the right mind! Hahaha. We do not choose the easy button. People of this dedication have always been rare. Sometimes the right student is not close by, sometimes he/she is on a different continent. Masters of the past had to either wait for the students to come, or go long ways to meet them. Now, the great Asian Martial Art masters are not only Asians, but of every race of every continent! How wonderful is that?!
In a way, like the saying goes, "there are no secrets" because the grandmasters of today are not hiding it like they did before. So a challenge is to sift through the real vs the made-up vs what is practical or even needed.
The more specific differences of the past and present are what the international cultures are changing to and how we fit in. Karate as we know it today is only 100 years old. The kung fu we know today is basically the same. Belts and lineages and stuff historically were just something to keep your pants up and a teacher teaching the next generation. The culture of nationalism at the turn of the last century in China and Japan was a challenge for them, and martial arts had to adjust to new weapons of war with how to stay relevant to the culture.
Today, how are we able to adjust to the cultures globalism, or deglobalization, the internet, social media.... Martial arts is generally a sport now, less and less real world uses. The wars now are being fought with drones and missiles, very little hand to hand, though it still happens. Our training is for sparring or for a potential street fight. Our fights now are more on Facebook comments than with the fist.
So how do we adapt, stay relevant in the 21 century? This is a challenge not for the 2 hour a week practitioner, but for the masters who want to pass on the knowledge and wisdom.
A challenge for today is, how do we contribute to the health of body and mind. We have the best medicine in history, yet we are the sickest as can be. Our depression seems to be more than ever. I believe our challenge of adaptation to stay relevant is, how do we contribute to the well-being of the global society. Some of us will be teaching kids at the local dojo, some of us will teach advanced students. No matter what kind of teacher you are, you care about the students and want the best for them. (If a teacher doesn't care, then he/she is not a master, but a person in business.) And a healthy mind and body is essential for a positive life.
Reflecting on your entire martial arts journey, what has been the most unexpected lesson or insight you've gained?
This is a strange one for "martial arts" and why martial arts is not a hobby, but a lifestyle. It is also the reason for the manuscript I am writing.
Back in 2015 I went to visit my master in Shanghai. I wanted to learn new techniques or insight to what I already practice. Well, I didn't get either! I got a week's long lecture on love. It really annoyed me at the time because I wanted something else. So I came back to California disappointed and confused. But, I figured he had a reason and it would make sense later.
Well, later happened.
As your earlier questions alluded to, the philosophy, family, and challenges, are all circles of the Venn diagram with love at the center's core, hidden below everything.
To flow with the universe, one must have unconditional love to the cosmos.
To have a family, one must have love for them.
To overcome challenges we must have self-love, love of the next generation, and love of life.
And love is self-less. It is a connection between a person to everything else in the universe.
The most advanced masters over the millennia have actually understood and alluded to this. Even though they are known for teaching how to kill and maim, they saw the pain that it causes. They wrote that if you have to fight, this is how you do it, but do your best not to. Everyone from Sun Zi "the best fighter avoids the fight". To Musashi entering the Void from the Five Rings. In a talk I heard from Tu Lam, he said, paraphrasing, that love is the most powerful.
Community appreciation and collaboration play a crucial role in the strength of Cup of Kick. Can you highlight individuals who have significantly contributed to your martial arts journey? In other words, who would you like to publicly acknowledge for their support and influence?
Wow, that is a list! I am inspired by my master, Grandmaster Si Tu Jie, my Xing Yi master, Grandmaster Wang Sen Lin, not only of what they can do, but who they are. I am inspired by our ancient masters to even influencers online. I would like to thank my kung fu brother Nick and his love of martial arts to Ty Aponte for giving me the opportunity to teach again after the pandemic. My family who understood and accepted my lifestyle, giving me opportunities and time for me to be me.
How can readers keep up with you or get in touch with you?
Contact: snowissj@yahoo.com
Facebook: look up my name, or internalqitraining, Wei Tuo Academy, or VirtuesPath.
My websites are internalqitraining.com and thevirtuespath.wordpress.com
What's the name and address of your school? If you don't teach at a school, you can list your general location .
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
