I first met David Bates around 2005 at the International Wing Chun Academy. He presented as a supremely fit individual. His hobby at the time was gymnastics, his forte being the rings and pommel horse. Personally the ability to negotiate these disciplines appears to me to be somewhere around the same skill level as being able to levitate. What these athletes manage to do seems to be literally impossible. Watching them on television I can only assume that they are aided by some sort of trickery; computer graphics maybe?
David’s other main interest also falls into the same mind-boggling wtf category. He is an accomplished classical pianist. I have listened to some of the pieces that David played when competing in competitions. As a musician myself, I understand how difficult it is to find one’s way around an instrument at all, let alone undertake the pyrotechnics involved in the seriously demanding material that he performed. Some of Beethoven’s music seems designed to torture and humiliate aspiring pianists. David is one of the very few who can operate at this level.
I left International Wing Chun and did not see David until he showed up at my school about six years later. In the years since our last acquaintance he had changed considerably. David inherited a congenital disorder. The symptoms involve a progressive loss of normal body function. Balance deteriorates to the degree that eventually the sufferer is confined to a wheelchair. He is afflicted with constant tremors. Simple co-ordination becomes an ordeal and eventually impossible.
On one occasion I asked David how his weekend was and he brightly replied that “it was great!” His condition had alleviated a little to the degree that he was able pick up hot chips one at a time and eat in a civilised fashion. He explained that normally his lack of co-ordination forced him to grab food with a fist and stuff it into his mouth. Something as simple as drinking from a glass requires extreme care and concentration. David spoke about the joy of eating normally with not a trace of irony or self-pity. His courage and unflinching positivity filled me with awe as well as bringing tears to my eyes. Aware of my own ingratitude at the good health that I enjoy, I also felt ashamed.
David is a fighter of heroic proportion. Unbowed by the cruelty of his circumstance he undertook various treatments and practiced several therapies such as learning ballet and continuing to attempt to do gymnastics at the level that his condition allows. He came to my school to train Wing Chun for the same reason. I began teaching him the standing meditation that I had learned from Chu Shong Tin.
Chu Shong Tin stated that the purpose of his type of standing meditation was to be able to access a certain part of the brain; the Nim Tau point. He was a qualified Chinese bone doctor and in earlier times also made a living as a healer along with teaching Wing Chun. He still had friends in the medical profession and would consult with them regarding the physiological aspects of his Kung Fu research. They informed him that this particular point in the brain was to do with involuntary body movements. CST found that activating this point gave him control of those movements. While the Nim Tau point was being used he did not have to think about how to move correctly. He found that his body would naturally move that way. Again, the aim is to activate the Nim Tau point.
As David progressed he learned to change the way that he used his brain to move. While this might be hard to understand the effect was dramatic and obvious. David’s balance began to improve. He could use this new mental state to walk and perform everyday actions much more efficiently. He had begun rehabilitation therapy to slow down his deterioration, but after he began to improve his doctors suggested that he stop. This was the first time that someone with his condition had re-emerged from therapy. This disorder does not allow for improvement. His physicians were at a loss to explain his progress. David’s theory is that he has learned to move in a different way by placing his thoughts at the location of the Nim Tau point.
The difference is significant. Several of my students have commented on the visible change in David’s appearance within a few minutes of entering our school and beginning standing meditation. He is still able to perform all the Wing Chun forms. Walking and general co-ordination is visibly better. New-comers are always amazed when they touch hands with David. Despite appearing to be disabled his power generation is at the level of my senior students. Although balance is still a formidable problem for him, once he begins playing Chi Sau he is our equal. I myself find it difficult to destabilise him. Juniors do not have a chance of beating him.
To put this in perspective, David’s mother and grandmother both had his condition but to a much milder degree. They were both confined to wheelchairs by the time they had reached their thirtieth years. David is now thirty-five. His doctors wonder what is going on.
As well as being able to eat chips normally there were other joys in store for David. He has regained the ability to play music. Once again, he says that he now does this differently. He concentrates his thought at that seemingly magical point in his brain and somehow he can play. A while back he purchased a baby grand piano to continue his musical journey once again. One does not have to be a musician to understand why tears welled up in my eyes when he told me this.
When I asked David if I could tell his story he volunteered that I should use his full name. He feels that the facts here should be known. For them to be believed it is necessary that witnesses can vouch for their veracity. Who better than David himself?
I have no idea what the future holds for David. His medical outlook is of course bleak, but he has defied the odds. He has a lovely partner who comes into the school with him every time he comes. He is loved by her as well as me and the students of our school. He lives a full life still. I am incredibly grateful for his friendship and the inspiration he has provided.
As a footnote I wish to make a few things clear. I am not a healer and take absolutely no credit for David’s achievement. I simply showed him what Chu Shong Tin taught me. I am not spruiking for students. This story is about David’s courage and his success in utilising the method that Chu Shong Tin developed.
~ Mark Spence