Responding to a question concerning Master Ni's lineage.

Although Master Ni claims to be a free man, his response to lineage is Taoist. Tai Chi is a uniquely Chinese tradition. There are Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and martial teachers. The Confucians and the martial tradition derive from the patriarchal side which is oriented towards ancestry and hence lineage. The Taoists have always eschewed lineage. Unlike the Confucians and the Buddhists, many Taoist authors don’t even sign their works. As an example the author of one of the most famous of Chinese novels written in the 15th century, Journey to the West, a Taoist allegory, is unknown. Furthermore the historicity of Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, the supposed founders of Taoism, and even Chang San Feng, our patron saint of Wu Tang, is questionable at best, with scholars on both sides of the coin. While Confucius' life and dates are fairly well established, the 30% of the scholars, who believe in Lao Tzu as a real person, debate when he existed. By analyzing the literary style of the Tao Te Ching they can only approximate his dates to within a 400-year time span. Some claim that the final compilation of this Taoist Classic didn’t occur until 250 AD, while others say it was written in 600 BC at the time of Confucius. As is evident the Taoist ambiguity towards lineage even extends to their founders. Bill Powell, a UCSB Professor, who specializes in Chinese religion and one of Master Ni’s students, has met Taoists who will reveal nothing of their personal history sometimes only leaving behind a picture of themselves. The Taoists let their accomplishments speak for themselves without taking credit. We are each filled with our own unique potentials – indepen0000edff010000fcff0000fbff0300ffff00f9ff0300ffff00fcff0300ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000eaff0000 edff010000fcff0000fbff0300ffff00f9ff0300ffff00fcff0300ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000fcff009a000000ff83ac00000000000100eb00000004 00000000004800000048000000100020000300080000000004e567c804e567cc00000000000100eb00760000007700eb00000086efff0000ebff010000feff00 00fbff0300ffff00f9ff0000fbfffe0002ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000eaff0000ebff010000feff0000fbff0300ffff00f9ff0000fbfffe0002ffff00 f2ff0000edff00008fff0000eaff0000ebff010000feff0000fbff0300ffff00f9ff0000fbfffe0002ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000fcff009a000000ff 83ac00000000000100eb0000000400000000004800000048000000100020000300080000000004e567c804e567cc00000000000100eb00770000007800eb0000 0089efff0000e9ff0300ffff00fbff0300ffff00f9ff0000fefffe0005ffff00ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000eaff0000e9ff0300ffff00fbff0300ffff 00f9ff0000fefffe0005ffff00ffff00f2ff0000edff00008fff0000eaff0000e9ff0300ffff00fbff0300ffff00f9ff0000fefffe0005ffff00ffff00f2ff00 00edff00008fff0000fcff00009a000000ff83ac0