“What we think and the energy we produce manifests into the action that we do. With the right mind, right energy and right action we learn and we apply this to everything that we do. With that kind of clarity we know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. It gives us the proper reference to know how to respond to the world around us.”
Meet Sifu Lan Tran, a master-martial arts teacher, adjunct lecturer, IT administrator, guitar player, motorcyclist and the proud owner of twenty-two cats.
Tran works in the department of history and political science at Cabrini College and is the founder of Internal Fusion Martial Arts in Philadelphia. On top of teaching martial arts for 43 years, Tran has been awarded medals in Judo, Karate, American Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi Chuan.
“I started martial arts when I was six years old when I moved here to the United States in 1972 from Saigon, Vietnam,”Tran said. “My father was the former ambassador for the republic of South Vietnam. I came to the United States and interestingly enough, my uncle said that at a very young age I looked like Bruce Lee.”
Here at Cabrini, Tran teaches a three-credit course entitled “Martial Arts and the Diaspora: Arts of Awareness and the Way of Life.” The course counts as an elective for the history and political science department and typically contains eight to twelve students.
“Learning how to be one with the world is how we want to make this class effective for people,” Tran said. “We look at power differently when we’re at different ages, sometimes we look at power as dominating something else and eventually you realize power is actually about you controlling yourself. Do you have the power that you can control yourself out in society and be one with the world?”
Tran co-teaches the course with American studies and folklorist professor Nancy Watterson.
Watterson got involved with martial arts in 2008 after traveling to Taiwan to speak about Cabrini’s living and learning communities. While in Taiwan, Watterson met some traditional Chinese medical practitioners. They promised to heal her knees through natural methods if Watterson promised to teach Tai Chi when she returned to Philadelphia.
After returning to the city, Watterson attended one of Tran’s martial arts classes and eventually approached him about teaching a class together.
“We went to a seminar to learn from the Grandmaster,” Watterson said. “It was there Sifu Tran told me, ‘If we are going to start a class we are going to start as equals. I’m going to start at the bottom and you’re going to start at the bottom. As we progress we are both going to know the same.”
According to Tran, the course fits with the Cabrini education of the heart, mind and body. It is the holistic approach of educating the whole person.
“Seeing the transformation is probably one of the hidden payoffs of teaching the course. To actually see a student go through the mind-set shift and apply the principles in their life is what motivated me to do it,” Tran said. “At the same time it’s about what it does for me. When I discovered martial arts I became happier, I became more relaxed, I became less angry, I became more clear. If it feels this good, then why keep it a secret.”
Currently, Cabrini College is working to recruit more international students especially those from China. According to Watterson the martial art courses inspired by Zen and Taoist principles blend well with Cabrini’s mission to improve one’s overall mindset and health. This has made the college especially attractive to students from Asia.
“It’s important to recruit international students because it ties into our mission at the college and our core values. I like the fact that it brings a different taste of culture to our campus. I think that every student that comes into contact with an international student can learn something from them,” Director of International Recruitment Charlie Spencer said.
On Dec. 12 and 13 Tran and Watterson will be hosting an event at the College during which the Grandmaster of I Liq Chaun will lead a 2-day workshop to any students, faculty and alum that are interested in participating.
