I wanted to share some thoughts about One Finger Shooting Zen and its elusive cousin, Two Finger Shooting Zen. I’ve never written about this before, so grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing), and let’s dive in!
Where It All Began: One Finger Shooting Zen
I originally learned One Finger Shooting Zen back in 1997. I flew from NYC to San Francisco, officially to attend a qigong workshop, but really to get private Shaolin Kung Fu instruction from my ex-teacher. In our evening sessions in a hotel hallway, I was surprised to learn that One Finger Shooting Zen, which I had already learned from his book, contained 4 sequences. The book had only shown one. Gotta love those secrets!
Years later, I had a similar experience with another teacher. I had learned one of his palm techniques from his book and DVD. Later, I found out that the DVD had intentionally taught the technique incorrectly as an (apparently unsuccessful) attempt to guard the secrets.
I talk more about this phenomenon in my book, but here’s my point: The history of qigong (including tai chi) is riddled with secrecy. Once you’re aware of this fact, you can navigate more easily.
I didn’t steal any of my secrets (ahem, unlike the patriarch of tai chi, but that’s another story). I earned them from my teachers, so I’m free to share as I please. But honestly, even if I HAD stolen them, I’d still share them with you. The age of secrecy is over, and I will NEVER keep them from you.
Creating Two Finger Shooting Zen
As far as a I know, the Two Finger Shooting Zen set that I teach is my own creation. By that, I mean this:
- I extracted 4 secret qigong sequences from a long and difficult Shaolin Kung Fu set.
- I organized these 4 sequences in the same format as One Finger Shooting Zen.
- I used the same qigong principles that I was taught for One Finger Shooting Zen
- I taught this new set to qigong students, without them having to learn a long and difficult kung fu set.
Basically, I just codified the set. All the real creation was done by past masters (in this case, female masters—more on that below).
The set that I extracted these 4 sequences from is called the Shaolin Flower Set. As is often the case with traditional kung fu sets, the qigong was hidden in plain sight. Past masters often did this to keep secrets while still passing down knowledge to those who they deemed worthy.
Once you know what to look for, the secrets are easy to find. In this case, I found them easily because of my experience with One Finger Shooting Zen.
The Power of Female Kung Fu Masters
Did you know that two of the most famous kung fu masters in history were both women? I’m not talking about the most famous female masters; I’m talking about the most famous masters PERIOD!
Ng Mui (伍枚, Wú Méi), one of the legendary Five Elders of Shaolin, and her disciple, Yim Wing-Chun (嚴詠春), will both appear on any list of the top kung fu masters of all time. In fact, Wing Chun Kung Fu is still one of the most widely practiced styles in the world. This is the style depicted in the popular “Ip Man” movies.
It’s inspiring to know that two of the most influential figures in kung fu history—both women—practiced and refined the Shaolin Flower set, and thus, Two Finger Shooting Zen. There’s a legend about Ng Mui, a Buddhist nun, that I will summarize, just for fun. Some of it is probably fictional, but it still proves an important point.
Ng Mui: The Nun Who Stopped a Feud
Kung fu masters in the past sometimes got in feuds. One master would be killed in a duel, and then their fellow disciple or family member would challenge the winner, kill them, and thereby perpetuate the feud. This would go back and forth, with senseless fighting and killing on both sides.
Legend has it that Ng Mui acted as a peacemaker in one of these feuds. What you need to understand is that the half dozen people involved in the feud were all powerful masters. But then Ng Mui showed up, said, “please don’t fight any more,” and everyone stopped!
Whether this legend is true or not, it has circulated through Chinese culture for centuries. China has a long history of sexism, but for some reason, kung fu masters are often excluded.
In this case, a famous kung fu legend involves a badass female nun who was not just powerful in terms of kung fu, but also in terms of wisdom and authority. She told a bunch of legendary fighters to stop their feud, and they stopped. How cool is that?
The Five Gates
Fun fact: The Two Finger Zen hand posture recently made an appearance a popular video game that chronicles the adventures of the Monkey God, Sun Wukong. You’ll also see this posture in kung fu movies. But what’s it all about?
Two Finger Shooting Zen is probably a historical development from One Finger Shooting Zen. As the name suggests, it involves a hand posture that uses two fingers. Sometimes, this hand posture is called a Dragon Claw. Like One Finger Shooting Zen, there are 4 sequences in Two Finger Shooting Zen.
Both sets use a combination of fists, Tiger Claws, Snake Palms, and blocking techniques.These hand postures help to get qi through what is known as the Five Gates:
- Dantian
- Shoulder
- Elbow
- Wrist
- Fingers
The 5 Gates are areas where qi naturally get stuck. There’s something about both the One and Two Finger hand postures that encourages the qi to flow through these gates. And once it’s flowing, we can “fill” other, more martial hand forms with our qi.
Training on Stance
Two Finger Shooting Zen involves a combination of stance training, breath control, and directing the qi through the 5 Gates. Ta Chong, or “training on stance,” is fundamental in Shaolin Kung Fu. The stance helps us gather the energy, and then we practice moving that qi through the Five Gates.
What I find most interesting is that “training on stance” is arguably more useful for healing than for fighting. With both One Finger and Two Finger Shooting Zen, you’re not just building external power. These techniques cultivate deep, internal energy—what the Chinese call neijin.
Healers will find this kind of training to be incredibly valuable. Whether you’re an acupuncturist, massage therapist, osteopath, or chiropractor – developing neijin will naturally enhance your skills. You don’t even need to learn any formal qi healing, although that can also help. Simply practicing techniques like One or Two Finger Shooting Zen is enough to enhance what you’re already doing.
The internal energy developed through One and Two Finger Shooting Zen has health benefits that go far beyond self-defense. These techniques can improve qi and blood circulation, increase vitality, and cultivate a deep sense of calm and mental clarity.
Check This Out
Here’s an old video of me doing Two Finger Shooting Zen outside of my studio in Florida, circa 2014:
So those are my thoughts. One and Two Finger Shooting Zen aren’t just relics of a forgotten kung fu past; nor are they secrets inaccessible to the average qigong practitioner. These arts are still very much alive. I would even argue that they are more relevant today than ever before!
Here’s something that inspires me: I’ve already taught One Finger Shooting Zen to more students than any of the masters in my lineage. And with my new Qigong 301 program, the same will soon be true of Two Finger Shooting Zen!
The age of secrecy is over, and I’m determined to share everything I know with you, openly and without any BS.