1 My life on Earth

The name's Ming. Aleksei Ming. Born to a Chinese father and a Russian mother. Both of my parents were martial artists with my father being traditional Kung Fu and Wing Chun practitioner whereas my mother had a background in wrestling and Brazillian Jiujitsu. I grew up in my mother's gym which was owned by my maternal grandfather. There I was drilled in the basics of wrestling, locks, chokes and groundwork until it had seeped into my very bones. During breaks or on my day off, my father would introduce me to basics of Kung Fu and Wing Chun. My father was a big Bruce Lee fan and my earliest foundation in striking had been built upon Jeet Kune Do, the martial arts system popularized by Bruce Lee. Later I went to pursue my studies in the US where I came across various martial arts like Krav Maga, boxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo etc.

My first cage fight was at the age of 19. It was in a private gym near my college. Later I went on to amass a record of 21-12-3-6 in my amateur career which was not too bad. Unfortunately, before I could make my pro debut I got consecutive knee injuries which ended my career prematurely. I underwent 3 knee surgeries on both my knees which cost me 5 years for rehabilitation. During this time I travelled to India and got engrossed in its ancient culture. Here I came in contact with the roots of Yoga and Pranayama. Yoga is a system for rejuvenating the body and improve flexibility whereas pranayama is a system of breathing exercises which boosts the internal functions of our bodies. I also dabbled in Sanskrit (which is the oldest surviving written language system in the world)

and delved into the multicolour religious culture of Hinduism. During my travels, I came across various spiritual figures like monks, ascetics and gurus and learnt about spiritual practices like kundalini yoga (1), chakra system(2), Brahmanic meditations etc.

After completing my rehabilitation, I travelled to China, more specifically to my father's village. I had been here a couple of times during my school vacations. My paternal grandfather practices traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. My second and third uncles jointly own a dojo. Here I spent the next 2 years of my life under the tutelage of my grandfather learning about various herbs and their medicinal properties, acupuncture points and massage techniques. My uncles and I often discussed the origins of Chinese martial arts like Kung Fu, Wushu and Tai-chi. Specifically, the concept 'qi' and soul. Soon our discussions would devolve into the analysis of various Chinese ideologies like Buddhism and Daoism and the so-called existence of various cultivation practices. My uncles and I believed that the methods described in mainstream wuxia or xianxia novels digressed from the core concepts of Daoism. Well, arguing was the extent we could go about these theories anyway as we had no formal proofs about the existence of qi or any other form of spiritual energy.

Around this point of time, I met a guy named Han Lee. He was a Chinese-American who went to the same college as I in America. He was part of a group called 'Thrill-Seekers'. This group organised various extreme events like freestyle rock climbing(without harness or safety nets), base jumps, high-altitude parachute drops, tight-rope walks across deep valleys etc. At first, I only participated in relatively low-risk activities like parachute-drops and rock climbing. But soon I got addicted to the adrenaline high and felt the intensity of these events were not enough. So I started participating in more dangerous events like base jumps, tight-rope walks, deep sea diving etc.

Just when I was feeling that my life was at an all-time time, my world came crashing down when as I was diagnosed with bone-marrow cancer. At the time of diagnosis, cancer had already spread to a third of my body and was already at the 2nd stage. Doctors directly put me on Chemo-therapy but it was too late. I struggled desperately for 3 years but my body wasn't able to keep up with the treatment. Finally, the doctors stopped the Chemo-therapy and I was released with only 1 month of my life remaining in me. I was transferred to my ancestral home in China, where I spent the remaining time surrounded by crying relatives. As I lay contemplating on my death-bed, various scenes of my life flashed before my eyes. "Well, I lived a pretty fulfilling life. I don't have any major regrets" .... was the first thought that came into my mind. "Although I am unmarried, my relationships were healthy and my former girlfriends treated me good. I led a life where I followed my desires and didn't desire what I couldn't get. I made more friends than enemies and led a virtuous life. Okay! I am all set for the afterlife!!", as I thought this far my heart lightened and a small smile came upon my face.

Soon my breathing got laboured and my vision hazy as multiple organs in my body began shutting down. "God! If I am born as a human in my next life, please make it so that I can again pursue martial arts ... " ... this was my last thought as darkness descended and my consciousness faded away.

The curtain closed upon my 39-year-old life .... or so I thought.