It is a traditional martial arts etiquette that you do not degrade any other student, teacher or style of martial arts. There are, however, a few unscrupulous instructors who do not follow these etiquettes and will actually badmouth other schools or instructors. What happens when one such instructor moves into your town and begins to degrade your school and style as part of his new student recruitment procedure? What if you have actual knowledge that that teacher is actually a fraud? How should a traditional instructor respond to such a fraud who spreads lies about his art?

      This is a very difficult question. Upon hearing that the lineage of your art is being put down by an instructor whose background you know to be questionable, it would be very easy to publicly fire back with the truth. Especially if the truth was that the instructor spreading the lies was actually a self-proclaimed grandmaster who during his very brief affiliation with a legitimate grandmaster was never even considered to be a real student and is to this day considered to be a joke by all of the grandmaster's disciples and special students. But would this admittedly truthful American-style approach honor the ancient Chinese code of martial morality known as Wu Te? Probably not.

      It would be easy to justify exposing the truth of a martial fraud on the basis of protecting the public. The public is easily fooled, especially when a fraudulent instructor puts on a cloak of respectability by associating with martial arts councils and/or a local community college. You may be surprised that the Wu Te code does not allow for public exposure of a fraudulent instructor.

      We have a line in our Dragon Code that says, "...letting energy that wishes to exist, exist." This Taoist concept would definitely apply in this situation. By allowing the universe to unfold, it will by definition unfold as it should. Prospective students are responsible for finding the instructor that is right for them.

      I would advise a kung fu instructor whose style is being degraded by a new kung fu instructor in town to take the high road. What comes around, goes around. The ancestors of your style are aware of the reality of the situation. Be true to yourself. Do not reduce yourself to the level of the one who is badmouthing your style. He may believe that his transgressions are secret and hidden. He may believe that he can perpetuate his fraud on the public. Nothing is further from the truth. More people than he thinks will be aware of the truth and most will eventually see through his illusion structure.

      Honorable instructors do not degrade other instructors or styles of the martial arts. If you are a prospective student and visit a school where the instructor puts down another school or instructor in town in order to sell his program, politely thank him for his time and walk out. It is my intent that this article will assist prospective kung fu students in protecting themselves from being "hypnotized" by unscrupulous instructors with hidden agendas who degrade other styles. One who claims Shaolin roots follows the Noble Eightfold Path which includes Right Speech. Venerable Shaolin ancestors know who is who. My response if a fraudulent instructor was spreading lies about my art might be to discreetly communicate to him the following, "I know who you are; I am aware of what you doing; Your violations of the Wu Te Code are known to the Elders and Ancestors of my art; Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones."