October 2008 (Part 3)
SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A picture of a fairy reproduced from http://www.victoria-dove.com/flgnones.htm
Question 1
During the graduation dinner of the Four Gates Course at the UK Summer Camp this year, something extraordinary happened. I hope this will be of interest to you.
You were telling us that there were many other worlds and beings besides our own phenomenal world. You told us that other beings, like gods and fairies were all around us too.
— Sifu Roeland, Neitherland
Answer
I was very impressed with the high-level questions asked by the course participants at the graduation dinner. It was one of the best dinner talks I have had, and added evidence to my saying that some of the best lessons in our schools are obtained while having meals with the master.
I am sure many martial artists would be surprised at what we discussed before our food came. As Marcus rightly remarked, instead of questions like how to avoid a kick or how to throw an opponent onto the ground, course participants asked questions conccerning cosmic wisdom and spiritual cultivation. It showed the very high level of intelligence and development our participants had.
Question 2
As soon as you had mentioned the word ”fairy”, I was approached by one! She was a beautiful, white presence. She asked me if she could listen through me to the cosmic wisdom you were spreading. As she didn't feel evil, I consented. I immediately felt pressure behind my eyes, ears and mouth then. I also noted she was a happy and mischievous presence.
After we had left, I asked her to leave, but she didn't feel like that as she was having fun. Only after some insistence did she leave. It was an amazing experience, although it did leave me with a headache.
I don't know if it was wise to let her into my head. Her request seemed very honest and she didn't feel evil, even though she didn't want to leave. Would you advise against this in future?
Answer
A lot of people, understandably, will think your question and my answer crazy. That is their business, not ours.
Your allowing her to enter your head to listen to me indicated your kindness. While this was commendable, I would not recommend it in future. A better alternative was to ask her to sit beside you to listen to my spiritual teaching. If it made her more comfortable, you might mention her request to me and asked my permission.
Although she meant no evil, allowing her inside you invited the risk that she might not want to leave, or she might stay longer than you desired. We could still force her out, but it would be unpleasant. We do not want to cause any unpleasantness on a lovely fairy, even though she may be mischievous.
This brings up an important principle for Shaolin Wahnam students. We must be ready to say “No” even when a request is well-intended. We can, and should, be polite while being firm. For example, if someone whats to borrow your car and you do not feel like lending him, then you don't have to force yourself to oblige.
An effective answer is something along these lines: “Your request is reasonable, but I am sorry the answer is No.” If he asks you for a reason, instead of trying to find some excuses, it is better to tell him honestly in a firm but pleasant manner, like “I am sorry but I just don't feel like it”. Should he press you further, smile at him and say, “That's a good reason for me.” Then walk away, giving him no chance to bother you further.
I would like to post your question about the fairy and my answer in my Question-Answer series, as it will beneift many people. Many other people, understandably, may think the question and answer crazy. That is their problem, not ours. However, if for any reasons you do not want your name to be mentioned, please let me know. I shall then use a pen name.
Question 3
I would like to thank you once again for the wonderful “Four Gates” course! The two days of teaching were simply amazing and full of energy.
Answer
I am glad you have enjoyed and benefited much from the course. It is an incredible course, and I am proud to have offer it, passing on some important secrets to deserving students.
James and Jez practicing some sophisticated combat application at the Four-Gates Kungfu course at the 2008 UK Summer Camp
Question 4
I took up chi kung for health purpose. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. I have been practising chi kung since your course for a year now. I have felt tremendous energy all day at work. However, my blood test results have not improved much. Neither is my blood pressure, but I have a very stressful job and I believe the chi kung has helped relieve the stress.
Lately, my blood sugar level has gone up in spite of extra medication, exercise and almost regular chi kung. I am also getting tired easily physically and mentally. On top of all these, I am worried of the complication of my diabetic condition.
I hope you could offer some chi kung exercises which will specifically help my condition or if I should see you for direct treatment. I have a demanding job and my energy is letting me down. I hope you could assist me.
— Ellen, Malaysia
Answer
Yours are indications of a transitional period when chi is cleansing your blcokage in a powerful manner. When the cleansing is too powerful, you may feel uncomfortable or tired. It is Nature's way of telling you to slow down. You become tired not because you lack energy, but because you have too much energy!
How could having too much energy make you tired? An understanding of yin-yang harmony would help to explain this seemingly paradox. Here, yin represent your physical body, and yang represents your energy level. If a person has insufficent energy, his yin is excessive over yang, resulting in yin-yang disharmony. He becomes tired because he does not have enough energy to work his physical body.
However, when you have too much energy, you will also have yin-yang disharmony as your yang will be excessive of yin. You also become tired because your physcial body is unable to cope up with the excessive energy. It is like a samll car having a big engine. Nature is telling you to rest so that your body can adjust to the newly increased energy level.
How does your physical body adjust to excess energy? By changing some energy into vibrant cells so that your physical body becomes stronger. Please note that your physical body becomes stronger or more resilient, but not necessarily bigger. In chi kung terms, it is transformation of chi to jing. It is a natural process, and happens all the time. But when we practice chi kung, the process is enhanced many times. Hence you need to rest to enable this process of transormation of chi to jing to take part smoothly.
If a person does not have sufficient energy, then the process is reverse, which is the transformation of jing into chi. In other words, some of his body cells are broken down to produce energy. If this goes on for a period of time, he will becomes thin and worn out. Instead of breaking down his body cells, he can take good food which is broken down by his body system to produce energy. This is also the transformation of jing into chi. But we are more cost-effective. We take in cosmic energy directly for our energy consumption.
You need not have to learn new exercises. Any one of the exercises you have learnt from me is adequate to solve your health problems. Indeed, instead of practicing more, you can now practice less, so that the cleansing that is going on is not too drastic. If you continue your daily practice, you should soon overcome your health problems.
Question 5
I would first like to thank you again for your help in the past. I attended your Chi Kung courses in Florida last year. I feel as though I was introduced to a larger world, and ever since I have been practicing chi kung once or twice daily as instructed. I find that my practice sessions are becoming more beneficial over time.
— Andrew, China
Answer
I am glad that you have benefited much from the courses in Florida. More wonderful benefits will come as you continue your daily practice.
The Florida course is an introduction. If you have the chance, you should attend the Intensive Chi Kung Course in Malaysia. This is the gem, especially for those who already have been initiated into our Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung at regional courses. You will learn in just three days fundamental chi kung skills that range from the beginners' to the masters' levels, that enables you not only to have good health, vitality and longevity but also to perform well in daily life and to experience incrediable spiritual joys that people only read in books.
But if you are unable to attend, it is alright. What you have learnt at the regional courses will be suffienct for you to derive wonderful benefits for a life time.
Question 6
I recently read “Chi Kung for Health and Vitality” and plan to practice some of the exercises I learned there, too.
Answer
With the skills you have learnt, you can practice any exercises in that book or other books with good result.
But remember that the exercises are techniques, which means they are a mean to an end. They are not the end itself. In other words, we practice the techniques so as to get the results practicing chi kung will give us, whcih are good health, vitality and longevity at the basic level, and abundant energy, mental clarity and spiritual joys at advanced levels.
Many people confuse techniques with results. They only learn more and more techniques, but do not realize they re not getting the results.
When Mr Yong arrived at the Intensive Chi Kung Course of January 2008, he could not stand upright due to a back injury. It is incredible but true that after just the first day of training, his back injury was overcome! Here Mr Yong performs "Lifting the Sky".
Question 7
I read in “Chi Kung for Health and Vitality” that practicing chi kung in polluted environments is inadvisable. It certainly makes sense that if a practitioner wants to be healthy, he or she ought not to be in unhealthy places. Nevertheless, I do intend to be spending time in a relatively unhealthy place — Tangshan, China. I wonder if I would put myself in greater peril by practicing chi kung there.
Answer
The answer to your question whether practicing chi kung in an unhealthy place will put you in greater peril is “Yes” and “No”, depending on some variables.
For most people who practice low-level chi kung, or practice gentle physical exercise though they mistake it as chi kung, the answer is “Yes”. This means it will be better for them not to practice. This is because their practice will cause them to take in more poluted air and dust than ordinary people.
But for those who have high-level skills, the answer is “No”. Not only they can prevent as much as possible poluted air and dust from entering their system, they can also clear out poluted air and dust that is already in them. This means practicing chi kung in poluted environment can bring them benefits, though the benefits will be more if the environment is healthy. These advanced skills are learnt in my Intensive Chi Kung Course.
The course “Generating Energy Flow” taught in regional classes is our lowest level in our Shaolin Wahnam chi kung programme. It is interesting to note that the techniques taught in the low-level “Generating Energy Flow” course and the high-level Intensive Chi Kung Course are the same, namely “Lifting the Sky”, “Pushing Mountain” and “Carrying the Moon”. But the skills developed with these techniques are different.
“Low” and “high” are relative. If we take chi kung practitioners in general as the basis for comparison, those who have attended this “Generating Energy Flow” course and therefore can generate an energy flow, will be high-level practitioners. Understandably, this may make us sound very boastful, but it is true. Most other practitioners irrespective of the number of years they have practiced, cannot generarte an energy flow, which actually is the essence of chi kung.
If you can generate an energy flow, you will be able to clear out poluted air and dust. Hence, you can benefit from your chi kung practice even in an unhealthy enviroment. Your chi flow can clear out the bad chi that you would have taken in from the environment.
You also can enter into a chi kung state of mind, another essential chi kung skill that most other practitioners do not have. As you take in energy, just have a gentle thought that you are taking in good cosmic energy. In this way you may filter out the poluted energy and dust. How well you will do it will depend much on how powerful is your chi kung state of mind. But remember you must do so gently.
Question 8
When I worked there, I often was sick about every two weeks, but usually just with a sore throat. My throat would tend to get irritated and infected after hours of lecturing in air filled with coal dust and other filth. I was more severely ill, with fever and loose stools, only a handful of times. Still, Tangshan is the most unhealthy place I've ever lived in. The city suffers from many sanitation problems.
Answer
Even when we have high-level chi kung, we must remember we cannot go against nature and we are also not as adaptable to the environment as the local people, even though they may not have practiced chi kung.
Your soar throat is an indication that your body is fighting against agents that could have made you sick. But there is a limit to your resistence. If you are in an unhealthy environment for a prolonged period, you may still be sick.
But why are the local people not sick. They have been used to the environment for generations. They have been born with genes that can handle the situation, which would be adverse to people elsewhere but may be “normal” to them.
If the place is so unhealthy, it would be wiser to move to a healthier place to live and work, than to endure yourself long enough hoping to become like a local. To be sick about every two weeks is very bad. Even if you are not sick, continually filling your lungs with coal dust is not wise.
But if for legitimate reasons you just have to be there, then use your chi kung to make the best of what you have. Wear a sanitary mask to cover your nose and mouth as much as you can.
LINKS
Selected Reading
- Our Classes are Full of Fun and Laughter
- Felling a Kick-Boxer when he Kicks
- A Gift of Chi
- Personal Experiences of Breathing Methods
- Experiencing Satori on the Blue Mountain