Agarwood method & Treasure at sea-bottom

This article desribes the possible meaning of the kungfu method "Treasure at sea-bottom" and its synonyms

QuanPu and other sources containing the explicit technique name of a posture. Sometimes the source also mentioning the related method. There are several indications, that the methods "agarwood posture" and "beads from sea-ground" applying the same fighting method.

Technique names and postures

Number	1	2	3	4
Posture		File:Image Routine3Posture20imageSeries13picture16.png File:Image Routine3Posture16imageSeries14picture20.png	File:Image Routine3Posture33imageSeries14picture39.png	File:ReversedSingleWhip.jpg
Name	海底取球(hǎidǐ qǔ qiú): Fetching balls from the sea ground 海底出珠(hǎidǐ chū zhū): Get out beads from the sea ground 海底補捶(hǎidǐ bǔ chuí): Sea ground filling punch	Shuang Long Tan Zhao - Two dragons open talons 沉香势推倒泰山 (chénxiāng shì tuīdǎo tàishān) Agarwood posture, push over mount tai	拗单鞭单掌推碑(ǎo dān biān dān zhǎng tuī bēi) reversed single whip, single palm, push the stele(push the pillar)	抝單鞭, 揭沈香勢, 推倒泰山 (Ǎo dān biān, jiē shěnxiāng shì, tuīdǎo tàishān) expose agarwood posture pushing over mount tai
Source	Seven star mantis QuanPu of mantis routine 'Beng Bu', posture 2	Seven star mantis & northern shaolin QuanPu of routine 'BaBu LianHuan Quan'(eight step interconnected fists) posture 16	Northern shaolin QuanPu of routine 'BaBu LianHuan Quan'(eight step interconnected fists) posture 33	拳經捷要 Qi Jiguang Essentials of boxing (1560)

Terminology

Sea bottom

1. 海底(hǎidǐ) is a term for the Huiyin acupoint (the groin). The symbol 海(hǎi) means ocean or sea and is used in many technique names that are striking downwards (below waist level).

File:TreasureDragonPalace.jpg The monkey king receives a treasure from the dragon of the eastern sea	Take Treasures from the Dragon's Palace: lóng gong qu bao Take Treasures from the Dragon's Palace: grab the heel and knee of your adversary, pressing down on his knee while lifting his heel. (from falk dictionary of martial arts) compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King
File:Monkey scoop moon.jpeg A monkey tries to resue the moon from a lake	Scoop the Moon from sea ground: Number 18 of the 72 ChinNa techniques of shaolin 海底撈月手 如敵攻勢迅猛f可跳步走下盤，躐到敵近前，一手抓住褲腿 用力上提，另一手推向敵胸腹，敵即仰面倒地。( Hǎidǐ lāo yuè shǒu rú dí gōngshì xùnměng f kě tiào bù zǒu xià pán, liè dào dí jìnqián, yīshǒu zhuā zhù kùtuǐ yònglì shàng tí, lìng yīshǒu tuī xiàng dí xiōng fù, , dí jí yǎngmiàn dǎo dì) Scoop the Moon from sea ground, if the enemy's offensive is fast, you can jump off the plate and get close to the enemy Hold the trouser leg with one hand and lift it up firmly, and push the other hand toward the chest and abdomen. compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys_in_Chinese_culture
File:Acupoint gb22 Yuanye.jpeg The Acupoint GB22 'YuanYe' (deep pool)	The mantis king (huang hanxun), a scholar of the seven star mantis luo guan yu lineage assumed in his book about the beng bu routine: "Some people also call this technique SNATCHING A PEARL FROM UNDER THE SEA, indicating the cavernous area of the armpit and the pearl-like shape of the striking fist." The "deep pool" referencing to the acupressure point GB22. see the translated document at brennan translation (posture 2)

Agarwood

Origin and definition

File:Agarwood example.png Agarwood example

Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when they become infected with a type of mold (Phialophora parasitica). Prior to infection, the heartwood is odourless, relatively light and pale coloured; however, as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin, called aloes or agar in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin-embedded heartwood. The resin-embedded wood is valued for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes. Uninfected aquilaria wood lacking the dark resin One of the main reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of the wild resource. The aromatic qualities of agarwood are influenced by the species, geographic location, its branch, trunk and root origin, length of time since infection, and methods of harvesting and processing.

Agarwood in chinese culture

File:Agarwood china map.jpeg This map of East and Southeast Asian shipping routes was one of the first Chinese maps to reach Europe. In this detail we can see the economic significance of agarwood, which is depicted by a row of eight Aquilaria trees (the source of agarwood) on the Malay Peninsula (Bodleian Library, MS.Selden supra 105)

For thousands of years, this exceptional incense of agarwood has inspired the Chinese about peace and harmony. Chinese started to use incense as early as in 770 BC, but it was not until 206 BC that the emperors and royalties of the Han Dynasty had substantially enthroned the prestigious status of incense and made it a sensational item for everyone. During 220 AD to 589 AD, people used incense to “steam” their clothes to make them smell good. It was also a popular hobby for scholars to use incense. In the Tang Dynasty, scholars became even more attached to incense – clothing, beddings, workplace, play houses… Incense was everywhere! Among all the incenses used – agarwood, sandalwood, ambergris and musk, agarwood was the most esteemed. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, incense appreciation had become an important trend. Along with tea, painting, and flower arrangement, these were coined as the “Four Arts of Chinese Scholar”, with details recorded in the three most important publications on incense – Xiang Sheng (A History of Incense), Xiang Pu (Material of Chinese Incense), and Chen Shi Xiang Pu (Material of Chinese Incense by Chen). Then, the culture of incense was brought to Japan by a monk named Kanjin, and it was later developed into the famous Kodo. (from [1])

Agarwood relation to "treasure": First-grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw materials in the world, with 2010 prices for superior pure material as high as US$100,000/kg.

Agarwood relation to "sea-ground": It is said, that high grade agarwood is sinking in water, whereas lower grade agarwood is floating. (compare wikipedia)

Agarwood relation to "beads/pearls":

File:Prayer beads.jpeg A buddhist monk with prayer beads

Buddhism: It is stated the fragrance of agarwood can penetrate the three domains, which makes it an important offering. Pieces of agarwood are agarwood powder is used in meditation, scripture chanting and other holy ceremonies. Agarwood is also used in making malas to be hung around necks and wrists. It is common for a Buddhist to hold a malas in his/her hand when reciting the scripture. Being warmed by body temperature, the agarwood mala would then release a fragrance that induces clarity and the peace of mind. the monks used their Agarwood (Oud) beads to treat the disease. After Agarwood (Oud) beads are crushed, patients will recover by drinking Agarwood (Oud) crushed powder. The desire of high ranked Buddhist monks is that they can use all the beads before dying.

Techniques

Technique relations

• '3' and '4' have the same technique name (Reversed single whip) as well as the same posture
• '2' and '4' have different posture but name the same method (agarwood posture, push over mount tai)
• '1' has different posture and technique name, but the term fetch 'treasure' or fetch 'beads' could possibly be a synonym of 'expose agarwood' (see terminology)

Technique application

In the following table a hypothesis of the technique application is displayed, that is indicated by the posture symbols (hand and foot posture) as well as the additional technique description

Number	1	2	3	4
Posture	File:Image Routine1Posture2imageSeries1picture2.jpg	File:Image Routine3Posture20imageSeries13picture16.png File:Image Routine3Posture16imageSeries14picture20.png	File:Image Routine3Posture33imageSeries14picture39.png	File:ReversedSingleWhip.jpg
Application	‎	‎ Shuai Chiao: Inner Hooking or Chinese Wrestling Variation of the Inside Trip (YouTube Video)	‎File:ShuaiJiao inner hooking2.jpg Fundamentals of Shuai Chiao - The Ancient Chinese Fighting Art By Chi-hsiu Daniel Weng, Ph.D. (Page 29)