Interviewer: Good evening sifu. Thanks for this interview. The number “three” features a lot in Wing Chun doesn’t it?
Sifu: Yes. Not only in Wing Chun, though. A number of gung fu systems feature three. It has special significance in Chinese numerology.
Interviewer: May I ask you about the idea of the “three doors”?
Sifu: Yes, OK. First there are three doors the trainee who aspires to discipleship must enter. In the old days it was said: “Enter the temple; enter the courtyard; enter the master’s chambers”. This was actually referring to three distinct levels of training. One was simply being accepted into the art. You had to ask three times. Once you were accepted then you trained within the temple but not in the seniors’ training area. In those days you didn’t get to see the art being trained beyond your level. Once you proved your character and developed sufficient skill, you progressed to train with the more senior students in the courtyard. This was a private, closed area and only those who were invited could enter. Finally, after training satisfactorily here, the master invited you to train individually with him in a more private area. So there were three levels.
Interviewer: Is that why we have three levels of training? Beginner, intermediate and advanced?
Sifu: In a sense, yes, it is. I mirror that, yes. I honour the tradition in that respect.
Interviewer: There is also another interpretation that you taught me, isn’t there?
Sifu: Yes. And it’s no secret. I’ve stated this in my classes in a different form when talking about the three times. There is both a spiritual and a practical real world self defence interpretation. The three doors represent the Three Doors to Liberation in Buddhist thinking. These are: wishless-ness, signless-ness and emptiness itself. Wishless-ness is not anticipating the future; signless-ness is not grasping at whatever appears in the present; and, emptiness is not grasping after the past. Three times, see? (Laughs) You can interpret this in the context of self defence or in a spiritual sense in that we must develop our mind along these lines in our daily lives.
Interviewer: Well, unfortunately that’s all we have time for now as I know you’re busy. Thank you, sifu for this brief interview.
Sifu: My pleasure.