August 2008 (Part 3)
SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Participants of the Chi Kung Healing Course in Penang in 2008 where the best of Shaolin Wahnam attended
Question 1
Thank you again for the wonderful healing course. It was an incredible and very fulfilling experience. I have no doubts that as a result of this course, there will be many, many people in the World who will now benefit greatly from Chi Kung healing.
— Sifu Jordan, UK
Answer
I am very happy that I conducted the Chi Kung Healing Course, and that the best of Shaolin Wahnam attended. I passed on to the course participants the skills, techniques and philosophy that had enabled me to help many people recover from various forms of pain and illness, including some so-called incurable ones.
Though I had no doubt that the result would be good, it surpassed what I had hoped for. Indeed, a few have successfully applied what they have learnt in the course to help others. Yes, many, many people all over the world will benefit.
Question 2
If you remember, I spoke briefly with you about a lady who had a heart condition that required surgery. At that time I had no details about her condition. So the day after I arrived back home, I telephoned her to find out more.
This is what I learned: She has a severe leaky valve. She has had a leaky valve for quite some years which the doctors check yearly to track its progress. She is due to have a checkup next week which will determine if surgery is the best option. The doctors may not be able to repair it in which case there will be no surgery. She has mentioned her coronary arteries are clear. As far as I can tell, this condition is not stopping her from continuing a fairly normal life.
Answer
I have helped many people over such problems. Most of them overcame their problems by practicing our chi kung, some of them through my chi kung healing.
The amazing thing about chi kung healing is that it does not matter what the specific or detailed aspects of the problems are. In other words, even if different patients have different specific or detailed heart problems, they all can be treated similarly as “heart problems” and not as problems of the valves, arteries or blood pressure!
We treat the heart problems holistically, instead of as problems of specific parts of the heart. This may sound crazy to some doctors, but it makes things so much easier for us. And the most important thing is that it works, even in cases where conventional doctors regard as “incurable”.
The philosophy and techniques are also very simple. Basically, there is some blockage in the heart or in other parts of the body related to the heart. We don't have to know where the blockage is. If the chi flow is consistent and sufficiently powerful, it will reach the blockage and clear it. This is the natural characteristic of chi.
In terms of techniques, we need to open relevant energy points, including those of escape routes so that excess energy can flow away safely. These points are found at the back, on top of the head, at the shoulders, elbows and wrists, as well as the thigh and the knees. Then ask the patient to perform two or three appropriate chi kung exercises. “Lifting the Sky”, “Carrying the Moon” and “Dancing Butterfly” are excellent choice.
Then the patient goes into chi flow, which is the main part of the healing session. He concludes in Standing Meditation when he gently visualize or have a gentle thought that he will recover and be happy and healthy.
While the philsophy and techniques are simple, great skill is needed to treat heart problems. As heart cases are delicate, we have to be extremely careful. Sometimes the chi flow can be vigorous, but unless you are very sure, it is best to ask the patient to slow down and be safe. Nevertheless, most of my patients recovered after some very vigorous chi flow. As I have many years of experience in successfully treating heart patients, I can have this luxury, but new healers are advised against this.
I recall an interesting case in Spain. A lady had some serious heart problems, and she was in vigorous chi flow. At first I asked her to carry on, knowing that if the chi flow was spontaneous though fast, it was safe. But her movements became so vigorous that I became concerned. I was about to ask her to slow down when I notice a smile emitting from her lips. That was a sure signal she was fine. Soon her specialist doctor was surprised that she recovered from an illness that was not supposed to be cured!
Question 3
I think that if surgery is an option for her, then she will take it. She was keen to when I spoke with her. I do not wish to convince her otherwise until more sure of my position with the laws here. I guess then the question would be what is best to do after the surgery. How long after surgery would it be safe for her to practice Chi Kung? I normally wouldn't accept this type of case.
Answer
When I was doing healing regularly I often had the dilemma of whether to advise a patient not to undergo surgery when I knew very well that the surgery would not help him, or to play safe with the law and ask him to proceed with the surgery. Questions like “What, despite my best intention, if my judgement is worng?” or “What, if I don't advise him against it, if he dies as a result of the surgery?” cut deeply into me.
Our Shaolin training makes us brave and wise. I usually told my patients something like this. “In my opinion — please remember that it is my opinion — you don't have to go for the surgery. It is only my opinion. You have to decide for yourself.” Of course, I made such a statement only when I was very sure. And I am proud to say that, as best as I know, those who followed my advice eventually recovered.
However, in your case, as you have correctly said, you cannot make such a statement because you do not have my certainty. Indeed, you should not take up any heart cases yet. But, for the sake of theoretical discussion, the healing method I have mentioned above is effective for heart patients before as well as after their surgery. A month after surgery would be safe.
It may be incredible to some people but true that self-manifested chi flow may overcome any illness!
Question 4
There was one exercise in your Qigong book that was related to belly size, but I was told on the forum a while ago that it only made your stomach smaller and did not necessarily make you lose weight from all parts of your body.
— Jeff, USA
Answer
That exercise is called “Drawing the Moon” and can be found in my “Chi Kung for Health and Vitality”. It is an excellent exercise for reducing excess mass at the belly. Whether it will reduce body weight will depend on whether the weight reduction is good for life maintenance and performance. In other words, practitioners may reduce their belly size but still maintain, or even increase, the body weight if it is good for him.
Question 5
I know from reading your book that “Carrying the Moon” makes your hair grow back eventually but I haven't noticed any of my hair growing back despite having practiced for almost 3 months already (I have hair loss and actually have some white hair on my head, for some reason). Because I'm thinking that if I looked better, I might not get so many weird and sometimes mean looks from people walking around me in public and I might even be able to defeat my social anxiety disorder since I might feel better about myself in general.
Answer
Three months is too short for the result you wish. More likely, the good effect from your chi kung training is working on other more urgent problems in your body which you may not know.
But most important, how good you are depends on your whole person, especially your mind, and not just on the hair on your head.
The many weird and sometimes mean looks from people walking around you are a product of your negative imagination. Even if you have a slander body, an acne-free face and a headfull of black hair, the other people are not going to change their look on you. They are more interested in their own lives than on how you look.
Instead of giving you a long philosophical explanation on why practicing high-level chi kung will enhance you remarkably as a whole person, I shall give you a simple, direct and effect instruction to help you, and it is as follows. Practice and enjoy the chi kung exercises you have learned from me the way I have taught you — including not to worry or intellectualize — daily for a year. You will see noticeable result. Many people have done this and found they have enriched their lives and the lives of other people.
Question 6
Sifu, am I wrong and irrational to demand more progress in a shorter time? I will still keep on practicing the exercises even if yes, I'm wrong, but I was just curious. Because sometimes it's comforting to know and makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong exactly or if all these little mistakes would be solved if I went to the Intensive Qigong Course?
Answer
Yes, it is unreasonable and unrealistic of you to demand more progress in a shorter time, especially when you have not been following my most important instructions.
What are my most important instructions? They are not the ones relating to how many times you should perform “Lifting the Sky”, or whether “Carrying the Moon” is better. They are not to worry, not to intellectualize, and enjoy your daily practice.
At regional courses participants learn "Carrying the Moon" to generate an energy flow, but at intensive courses participants use the same exercise for more advanced skills, like tapping cosmic energy and enjoying a cosmic shower
Question 7
If you do hold another Intensive Qigong Course or Intensive Kungfu Course, do you think I should spend my time and the money on the Intensive Qigong Course correcting any potential mistakes that I made doing those 3 Qigong exercises or just go for the Intensive Kungfu Course since you stated that the Qigong there was “stronger”?
Answer
If you don't worry, don't intellectualize and you enjoy your daily practice, it does not even matter if you make some mistakes in your practice. The chi flow from your practice will be powerful enough not just to erase whatever side effects you may have from your careless mistakes, but also give you benefits.
Some of our students are like you — worrying and intellectualizing unnecessarily. You don't have to attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course, or any other courses. If only you and these other worrying and intellectualizing students put the above advice into practice, and not merely read and understand it, yours and theirs benefits will easily be improved twofold.
Attending my Intensive Chi Kung Course is not necessary, but it does not mean it is not useful. As an analogy, if you already have a Fiat, it is not neceaary for you to have a Volvo, but it does not mean it is not useful.
At my Intensive Chi Kung Course, you will learn the same three exercises you learned at the “Generating Energy Flow” course, namely “Lifting the Sky”, “Carrying the Moon” and “Pushing Mountain”. But you will use the exercises for more and deeper skills than merely generating energy flow. For example, you will learn how to tap energy from the Cosmos, to direct energy to wherever you like in your body, and to enjoy a cosmic shower.
Hence, if all things were equal, it would be ideal for you to take my Intensive Chi Kung Course, and then my Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course. But in real life, all things are not equal. There are constraints like time and money. Hence, if you intend to attend my Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course, you need not attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course. It is a better course for your needs and aspirations. But you must have some prior kungfu experience, otherwise you will be unable to follow the course.
Question 8
Again Sifu, I'm sorry to bore you with my petty lower middle-class worries and problems, but for some weird reason, I felt like typing so much of this depressing stuff to you. I try really hard to not think of them nowadays but to stay positive and optimistic about everything so as to be in the correct state of mind to practice Qigong, just like you said in your last e-mail to me. Sifu, your opinions, advice, and suggestions on my questions would be invaluable and greatly appreciated.
Answer
Your questions are certainly not petty. They are interesting and meaningful, and are also very helpful to other people who read my Question-Answer Series where I intend to post them.
Typing out depressing stuff is one way to clear it. A better way is to practice chi kung exercises like “Lifting the Sky” and “Carrying the Moon”, and let the chi flow flush out the depressing stuff. You can feel the effect immediately.
Trying not to think of depressing stuff is different from actually not thinking of it. Don't try, just do it. Just don't think of depressing stuff. If depressing stuff still comes to you despite your not thinking of it, practice “Lifting the Sky” or “Carrying the Moon” to let the chi flow clear the depressing stuff.
LINKS
Selected Reading
- Some Interesting Questions from Four Gates
- An Effective Sequence against Boxers
- Incredible but True — Dispersing Clouds
- From Pre-Arranged Sparring to Combat Efficiency
- Combat Applications of Shaolin Sword against Sabre and Samurai Sword