XIAN REN ZHANG GONG

Celestial’s Palm | Brief Description 

Excerpt from the book: Jin Jing Zhong. Authentic Shaolin Heritage: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin >

The exercise “Celestial’s Palm” belongs to hard Shaolin exercises for outer strengthening. This exercise trains to obtain so called “YANG Hand”, it trains the skill of stabbing force of finger tips. There is a similar, on the face of it, exercise for a hand YIN, the soft exercise “One Finger of CHAN Meditation” (YI ZHI CHAN GONG) (see par.#7). However, those two exercises are similar only in that in both cases finger tips are used. Four fingers closely laid together are used in this exercise. The training method is quite simple and one can achieve a good result comparatively soon...

<  A full description of the training procedure is available in the book: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin >

....If you deliver a blow at an enemy with your palm, you will inflict on him a severe wound. Therefore, one should be quiet and well-balanced. Even those who improve their skill in “Iron Bull” (TIE NIU GONG) and bear sword and spear blows with confidence, will not be able withstand. It is of no importance whether he knows about this technique or not: when he comes across with “Celestial’s Palm”, he will surely lose. A trainee in “Iron Bull” exercises hard force of YANG. Although a trainee in “Celestial’s Palm” also exercises the hard force of YANG, but the soft force of YIN is also available, therefore YIN overpowers YANG. It is called “to overpower hardness with the help of softness”. There is such a saying among fighters: “Training the exercise “Iron Bull”, it is possible to attain perfection, but this skill becomes ineffectual against “Celestial’s Palm”.

...When training this skill, it is better to exercise both left and right palm, in that case the enemy will not know from where a blow will be delivered. Two words (hieroglyphs) JIAN and REN – “Tenacity” and “Endurance” can be the best wishes.