Black Dragon Forge

[Adam in Dayton]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to introduce myself and my web site. My name is Adam davis, and I've been in the martial arts for over 24 years, I'm a practicing Taoist, and I've been making blades (off and on up until the past 10 years when I've been making them on a regular basis) for almost as long as I've been in the martial arts, when my grandpa taught me how to make my first knife when I was 10. It has been a passion of mine ever since. My martial arts experience has also heavily influenced my bladesmithing, as I love making martial arts weapons and bladed weapons. If you're interested in high quality, reliable custom weaponry for a reasonable price with a lifetime guarantee, visit my website! I also carry a wide selection of unique and highly effective shaken and shuriken designs, which I am also currently adding to the types I have available there too! When you open the website, you will be able to get to the Black dragon Forge portion of the site through the navigation menu at the top of the page. There are other worthwhile things to look at on my Wu Hai Lung Temple page as well if you are interested in chi kung and meditation. Thanks and have a great day! www.wu-hai-lung.ws

[David Craik]

Your items looks very interesting Mr. Davis, but with no offense intended you may wish to consider redesigning your Black Dragon Forge site. It is extremely hard on the eyes.

[elder999]

Your items looks very interesting Mr. Davis, but with no offense intended you may wish to consider redesigning your Black Dragon Forge site. It is extremely hard on the eyes.

I'll second that......especially right after a steak 'n eggs lunch.:eek:

[Jay Bell]

Hi Adam,

Welcome to Budoseek. I noticed you mentioned Ashida Kim as well as Shugendo on your website. I'm interested in where you might have learned of Shugendo? And do you personally train with Ashida Kim, or guidance through his books?

[Jeff C.]

Welcome to Budoseek Adam!

I was reading your website and I have a few questions. You say you are proficient in Zen meditation. What sect of Zen? And how does your Temple define "proficiency?" Thanks!

Jeff Cook

[Adam in Dayton]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I don't know, it must be my monitor or something, with the exception of one or two pages, they don't seem that bright to me. Is it the color of the text, or is it something else, like the color of the background with the text, are the backgrounds too busy, etc? I tried other text color combinations with my backgrounds, and none were satisfactory in being halfway readable, as some were REALLY bright, and others were truly nauseating, whichis why I settled on the maize color with the red tones for most of the site. Please give me some more feedback on this so I can tweak it.

Now, as for Ashida Kim, I have not had the opprotunity to train with him, however, I have met him and he has given me a lot of advice on different things in my training, as well as using his texts to supplement my training. The gentleman who trained me also had Ashida's books in his collection, aside from having been trained by Sensei Duncan. I actually picked up my first copy of Secrets of the Ninja when I was 10, while I was still in Goju Ryu. I like his straight to the point style of writing and presenting the information, and the methods are easily picked up on from how he presents it in print. I learned about Shugendo through expanding my search in esoteric training beyond just meditation and Kuji Kiri mudra use. I found that much of what I was taught by my sensei when learning ninjitsu, came from Shugendo-Buddhist traditions, including the original form of Kuji Kiri that I had learned, versus the version of the mudras that I use now, (which are simpler, and don't require complex finger crossing positions, which is now a problem for me due to nerve damage in my right hand, and physical damage to my left, where I no longer have my thumb and first two fingers due to an accident)which I learned from Ashida's books. They work well for me considering. I found through reading other works from Ashida Kim, and comparing them to the teachings of Chinese Martial Arts, most notably Taoist forms such as Hsing-I, Bagua, and tai Chi Chuan, that much of the material is derived from Taoist texts, such as the 8 Brocades, and the 6 Healing Breaths, etc. hence why I am on the path I am on now spiritually, and martially, as I am working on learning Hsing-I, as taught by Sifu James McNeil of the 9 Little Heavens School. This is why I say that what I know has been influenced by the practices of Shugendo, which after I have done some more comparative digging recently, isn't a whole lot different from the shamanic practices of the ancient Fang Shih court magicians of China.

As for my proficiency in Zen meditation (which I'm sure you know comes from Chan Buddhism as it is known in China), I am not sure as to what particular sect that it was from, as I didn't question my sensei about it. He simply told me how to sit (in zazen), and what to do, and I did it, or at least did my best to do it until I was able to. I learned later on exactly what it was that I was doing, but starting out, I simply knew it as meditation. I didn't get as severe treatment as the Zen monks by any means, but getting hit with a whiffle bat when you're dozing off is a real attention getter, and so is getting a cup of ice cold water in the summer when you're dozing off while meditating. It was really hard to simply "stop" the thoughts, I mean, come on, I was a kid, and all sorts of thoughts were going at any one time. It took me a little over a year before I was able to really do it. There is no real way to put into words what it felt like when I was able to still all the thoughts at once for the first time. Since then, I have learned about other methods used in different Taoist temples, such as the Complete Reality School, where one acknowledges the thought, then puts it aside, doing this basically one by one until they are all put aside to quiet the mind, rather than merely shutting things off like a light switch. This is another method thaat I found while reading Ashida Kim's books, that is another derivation of Taoist teachings, as he teaches a similar method. I personally don't teach Zen meditation, but the latter method, of "putting the thoughts away", as I like to call it. I still have whomever I am teaching face a blank wall to provide mimimum visual distraction. I still find it difficult at times to simply "drop in" to Zen meditation, such as when I have a lot on my mind worrying me, which is when I use the latter method to achieve the same end. It is also, as I found out, a great way to train haragi, since someone who has really become proficent in their meditation, will not only be still within, but will have full awareness of their surroundings. I have found personally, that when I am "in the zone" so to speak, that not only will I be aware of my own internal sounds, but I am also fully aware of sounds that would normally escape my attention otherwise, as well as the movements of animals and people outside of the room I am meditating in. It is very difficult to put into words, all of the things one feels and hears while meditating, it is as if the stillness of mind opens up the abilities of the senses, and extends the wa as well. As far as proficency goes, I would say that when one of the people that I have taught (which has only been a few individuals mind you, I have yet to open a "real temple" in the way that I truly wish to) relates an experience similar to the ones I have described to me, I would consider them having reached a level of proficency. It's not satori or enlightenment, but it is a 'step on the path in the right direction" to be able to focus on "nothing" but be aware of all around you in a "detached" fashion. I do use recordings of certain sounds to help induce the proper mind state (i.e. an alpha wave state in the brain) such as environmental sounds, and a track that I have called "Tintannibulation", which is a recording that runs for about 60 minutes of very deep temple gongs.

I hope this adequately answers everyone's questions, and again thank you for the feedback on the site, please let me know more about how I can "tone it down" a bit where needed.

I remain,
Adam Davis
Black Dragon Forge
www.wu-hai-lung.ws
Wu Hai Lung Temple

[David Craik]

Where to begin... With regard to the 'Forge' site, the first thing I would do is lose the tiled photographic backgrounds and replace them with a (WAY) more muted light solid color or pattern and use that same one on every page save the index. I would also lose the script that scrolls the text over the background. On the 'Gallery' page, for example, the scrolling yellowish text on top of the garish Hollywood 'ninja-to' background makes it extremely difficult to read the descriptions or concentrate on a picture. Since you are attempting to sell a product, your entire site should tone down so that the items you want people to see are the focal point. See Z1 and Z3 here:

http://websitehelpers.com/design/

I'd also get rid of autoloading music on any page. The first thing I do when I open a page and music or sounds blare at me uncommanded is to close the window or flail wildly to turn off my speaker. Some of your pages also have ridiculously large text. Size 7 is way too big.

Generally you should want your site to be similar to looking at a magazine or catalog. You can't usually go wrong by erring on the side of simplicity.

As for Ashida Kim/Chris Hunter/Radford Davis..ehh, it's too early in the morning. :D

[rgoad]

Adam,

Where have studied Willow system Kali?

[Adam in Dayton]

Ok, thanks for the feedback on the site David, I'll do some work on it and test it out.

Richard,

As I see that you're in my neck of the woods, I'm sure you're familliar with TAMA Martial Arts, Manuel Taningko's school. I studied with a pair of guys that used to work out privately with Manuel before TAMA was founded "officially", and they know the system as "Largo de Mano", which Mr. Taningko has now started to call Willow Leaf System. I didn't learn all of it personally, as I favored Balintawak, since it "suits me" better in how I like to fight. If you would like to know more, email me or catch me online on AOL sometime. Thanks!

[Ninjakiller]

Smells like Ashida Kim crony , this guys drinks the Kool aid , LOL. Just joking guys .

[Sorros]

Sounds like every advert I ever saw in Black Belt Magazine.
But never had the money to investigate.

[wildwills]

Ok, thanks for the feedback on the site David, I'll do some work on it and test it out.

Richard,

As I see that you're in my neck of the woods, I'm sure you're familliar with TAMA Martial Arts, Manuel Taningko's school. I studied with a pair of guys that used to work out privately with Manuel before TAMA was founded "officially", and they know the system as "Largo de Mano", which Mr. Taningko has now started to call Willow Leaf System. I didn't learn all of it personally, as I favored Balintawak, since it "suits me" better in how I like to fight. If you would like to know more, email me or catch me online on AOL sometime. Thanks!

Hey Adam. Rich still goes to TAMA's and I used to (for 2 years). Lat I remember Rich studies Ich Ryu Aikijutsu and dabbles in Tai Chi and a little Dumog/BJJ. I studied Kenpo and Dumog/BJJ while there.

From you days when you were studied with Taningco, do you happen to remember a guy named Thom Shaffer?