September 2008 (Part 3)
SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Taijiquan practitioners in our school can spar for more than an hour without panting for breath or feeling tired because we use chi, instead of muscles, to move our forms
Question 1
Nowadays, during the chi flow after “Lifting the Sky”, I perform spontaneous patterns that resemble Tai Chi Chuan patterns. Previously, during chi flow the most minute part of my body that could move was my forearm. Soon after, my wrist started to move. Then, it was common for my legs to move sloppily. Finally, my legs, ankles, and even fingers began to move with elegance, rather than just flailing around as they had done previously. It is quite a joy to practice chi kung outside!
— Navid, USA
Answer
Congratulations for your continued progress as indicated by your movements during chi flow. Your movements showed that you were more relaxed than before, and that much of your initial blockage had been cleared. Most important, you enjoyed your practice.
Also, you did not intellectualize, which is important for attaining high-level results in chi kung training.
This does not mean that intellectualization is not useful. Intellectualization is necessary in philosophical work, and has contributed much to our progress and benefit. But “there is a time for different sessions”. When we practice chi kung, we do not intellectualize. When we philosophize, we intellectualize. In the same way, when we walk we do not lie down. When we sleep we lie down. We do the right thing at the right time.
Question 2
In my earnest opinion, and in my lack of experience in Tai Chi Chuan, I can't really tell any difference between my movements and those I would see a Tai Chi Chuan exponent practicing, except for the fact that my movements, at least to the best of my knowledge, are spontaneous.
Answer
You may find it amazing, but you achieve what many genuine Tai Chi Chuan masters hope to achieve but have not! You are able to use chi, and not muscles, to move your physical forms — an achievement many Tai Chi Chuan practitioners regard as very high-level.
Why was it that you could perform Tai Chi Chuan movements when you had not learnt Tai Chi Chuan? There were two possibilities.
One, you saw some Tai Chi Chuan performance before and it remained in your sub-consciousness. Your chi flow stimulated your memory, resulting in your performing those Tai Chi Chuan movements yourself.
Two, you were a Tai Chi Chuan exponent, probably a master, in one or more of your past lives. You chi flow rekindled these memories from your mind, also called “soul” by some cultures.
Question 3
During these movements, I sometimes sink into the Horse-Riding Stance for a short while, holding my hands in One-Finger Zen. I have heard many times of how people “sank” into their Horse-Riding Stance, but I didn't really understand until recently when I could really feel that I was sinking into my Horse-Riding Stance rather than just lowering myself into it.
Also during these movements, I sometimes shoot my One-Finger Zen outward, and as I do so, I think it feels sort of like penetrating something made out of chi.
Answer
Beginners lower themselves into their stances; advanced exponents sink into them. The former is operated by muscles, the latter by chi. Beginners use their leg muscles to lower themselves, whereas the focusing of chi at their dan tian sinks advanced exponents into their stances.
In the same way, beginners use muscles to move their One-Finger Zen or any other movements, whereas advanced exponents use chi.
Novices lower themselves into the horse stance whereas advanced practitioners, like Sifu Andrew above, sink into it
Question 4
While performing “Lifting the Sky”, I feel a rumbling around the same spot in my abdomen. I am pretty sure it's a blockage. One time, when I was praying, I could “see” a major blockage in that same spot in my abdomen. It was like three scoops of ice cream on top of each other, or three spheres stacked vertically. I wasn't seeing with my eyes, but rather with my mind, I think. I also laughed, almost uncontrollably, for some reason. It felt like I was being internally tickled.
Answer
This was an interesting and beneficial experience. Just enjoy it, but do not try to attach meaning to it.
This or a similar experience may occur again in future. Enjoy the experience but do not intellectualize. If it does not appear again, it does not matter. Don't crave for one to appear.
Question 5
My uncle has asked that I give him the names of the books I've been reading so that he may see if his daughter would like to read them. I think my uncle is proud of me, and he wants his daughter to develop some sort of a spiritual interest. It is my sincere wish that she does read sacred texts and practice wholesome exercises like “Lifting the Sky”, but I don't know how to go about getting her to do that, without creating any unnecessary conflict.
Answer
Your uncle is proud of you, and like his daughter to develop spiritually too.
Sharing spiritual teaching, without forcing his own views on others, is one of the best blessings anyone can cultivate. Please note that spiritual is not the same as religious. Spiritual teaching can be shared by people of any religion or of no official religion.
Giving your uncle the titles of the books that have benefited you is a good way to help your cousin. You may also discuss your own development as well as the difficulties you have met on the way, with her if she shows interest. It is important that you respect her views. You may tell her how your views and practice have benefitted you, but you should let her choose for herself whether she will follow your example.
Nevertheless, the best and most effective way you can help your cousin and other people is by showing a good example of yourself as one who has benefited much from spiritual training. Being kind and considerate to other people, and being cheerful even under difficult situations are some of the tell-tale signs of spiritual development.
Question 6
I was recently diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis - a disease in which the body starts to destroy the stomach and progressively leads to cancer. I am desperate and very worried.
— Aysha, USA
Answer
I am sorry to hear of your illness, but the good news is that autoimmune gastritis as well as cancer can be overcome by practicing high level chi kung. This does not mean that anyone with autoimmune gastritis or cancer will overcome the disease if he practices high-level chi kung. But the inspiring fact is that a number of my students who previously suffered from these diseases overcame their illness after learning chi kung from me.
From the traditional Chinese medical perspective, which is vastly different from that of the West, there is no such a thing as an incurable disease, because good health is natural. Hence, illness — any illness — is unnatural and only temporary, and therefore can be rectified. In other words, illness occurs when one or more parts of the body are not funtioning naturally. The Chinese describe it concisely as yin-yang disharmony. Here, yin represents all bodily functions, and yang represents the factors that may cause malfunction.
The great inspiring truth is that yin-yang harmony is the norm. In other words, disease-causing factors (the yang) are affecting us all the time, yet we are not sick beacuse our body functioning (the yin) naturally overcomes them all the time. This is possible because of our harmonious energy flow.
Again, the Chinese describe it concisely as harmonious energy flow leads to yin-yang harmony. In simple language, it means that when energy flows harmoniously to all our cells, tissues, organs and systems to enable them to function the way they are supposed to function, we will be healthy — even when disease causing agents like stress and viruses are present.
Then, why are some people sick? This is because some of their body systems fail in their normal functioning. The intermediate causes for the temporary malfunction are many and varied, like stress, negative emotions, viral attack and physical injury, but the root cause is a blockage of energy flow.
For example, if a person has a viral infection, from the Chinese perspective, it is not the viruses that cause the infection! In this case, the viruses cause a blockage of energy flow, which in turn causes the infection. If the energy flow is not affected, there will be no infection despite the presence of viruses.
For another example, a person may become anxious under stress. From the Chinese perspective, his anxiety is caused by a blockage of energy flow, which in turn is caused by stress. If his energy flow is smooth, he will still be calm even under stress.
In your case, the intermediate cuases of your autoimmune gastritis may be factors a, b or c, which may or may not lead to cancer. From the Chinese perspective, the root cause of your autoimmune gastritis is not a, b or c but a blockage of energy flow caused by a, b or c. When your energy flow is restored, you will not have autoimmune gastritis despite the presence of a, b or c.
Suppose the energy flow is not restored and the autoimmune gastritis leads to cancer. From the Chinese perspective, it is not the autoimmune gastritis that causes the cancer. The autoimmune gastritis causes a blockage of energy flow which in turns causes the cancer. When the harmonious energy flow is restored both the cancer and the autoimmune gastritis will be overcome as a matter of course.
The crucial point is that when we work at the root cause, we do not even have to know what the factors a, b and c are. When you succeed in restoring your harmonious energy flow, your autoimmune gastritis will be overcome, irespective of whether the intermediate cause is a, b or c, or even x, y or z.
Let us take an analogy. Suppose a person who earns $2000 per month wishes to go for a holiday. But he does not have enough money. This may be due to his low income, or to his overspending his saving or to his failure to obtain credit. These are only intermediate causes. The root cause is a blockage of cash flow. If he succeeds to increase his cash flow from $2000 a month to $20,000 a month, he will overcome his economic problem irrespective of the earlier intermediate causes.
In the same way, your health problem is due to some intermediate factors that affect your present energy flow. If you succeed to increase your present energy flow, say from 2000 units to 20.000 units, you will overcome your health problem irrespective of the intermediate causes. Practicing high-level chi kung is an excellent way to do so.
Grandmaster Wong's oldest student was Robert Trout, who started learning Shaolin Kungfu from the Grandmaster when he was 87
Question 7
What do you do for a living?
— Nick, England
Answer
My profession, I believe, is the best anyone can ever hope for. I give health and happiness to people, and am handsomely paid for it.
I travel around the world and teach people from all walks of life, ranging from monks and nuns to top doctors and corporate presidents.
Most important I enjoy my work tremendously. I am a teacher of chi kung, Shaolin Kungfu and Taijiquan.
Question 8
How did you become a master?
Answer
There are three stages in my becoming a master. First, I was a good student. In fact I was an exemplary student. I respected and honoured my masters, and practiced diligently and devotedly what they taught me.
Then I helped my masters as their assistants in their teaching. Later I set up my own school with many branches.
Thirdly, I was recognized as an authority in the arts I teach. I was awarded chi kung master of the year by my peers, my books were best-sellers and people all over the world asked my advice via the question-answer series of my website.
Question 9
What is the age of most of you students?
Answer
As I have literally thousands of students, though many of whom I may not remember personally as I met them only once in one of my many classes spread over 30 years, my estimate of their average age may not be accurate.
As far as I can remember, my youngest student was only a few weeks of age and my oldest student 85 when they first met me. My youngest student was born with restricted artilleries, and my oldest student had a heart problem so severe that he could hardly walk out of his room. They both recovered. Two years later my oldest student traveled half the globe to Malaysia to learn kungfu from me.
The average age of my Shaolin Kungfu students is 30 years old, that of my Taijiquan students 40 years, and that of my chi kung students 45.
LINKS
Selected Reading
- Kungfu - a Karmic Burden?
- The Movements of Cloud Hands
- How to Have Leverage Advantage in Pushing Hands
- You can Enjoy Pushing or Being Pushed Around Irrespective of Age, Sex and Size
- How to be Fast and Forceful Without Panting or Feeling Tired