SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
FEBRUARY 2012 PART 3

Tai Chi Chuan

Taijiquan, usually spelt as "Tai Chi Chuan" in English, is an internal, martial art

Question 1

Firstly I would like to thank you for all I have learnt through reading all of your wonderful books. I am twenty seven years old and I am planning to start learning an internal art but I have no idea which style to choose.

— George, USA

Answer

Of course I would ask you to choose the arts we teach, i.e. Shaolin Kungfu or Wahnam Taijiquan.

There are many reasons for for my advice, and I can off-handedly list four below.

  1. I myself chose the best art to practice. If I had found a better art, I would have practiced that other art.

  2. My books are about my arts. If you find my books wonderful, it means you find my arts wonderful. Isn't it sensible that if you wish to practice a wonderful art, you would go to its source, rather than going elsewhere and hope that the art found there is also wonderful.

  3. Internal force is the essence of any internal art. As far as I know, our school enables our students to experience internal force at the quickest time, at the most one month. In many cases, students experience internal force on the very first day of their training. Most schools will generally take a few months or a few years.

  4. A forte of our school is to apply what we learn in class to enrich our daily life and the lives of other people. You don't just learn an internal art, you acquire skills, techniques and philosophy that enhance your daily life.

Question 2

I understand Xingyi, Bagua and Tai Chi are considered the main three internal arts.

Answer

It is generally said that Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan are internal, whereas Shaolin is external. But actually there are more internal aspects of Shaolin than all the internal aspects of Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan put together. This does not mean that a Shaolin practitioner is better or even know more than a Taijiquan, Baguazhang or Xingyiquan practitioner. But what I have mentioned is true, though many people may not be happy with my statement of the truth.

Nevertheless, amongst those who have the opportunity to practice genuine Taijiquan, genuine Baguazhang, genuine Xingyiquan and genuine Shaolin, Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan practitioners are likely to have internal force, whereas Shaolin practitioners are unlikely.

How does this happen? It is because Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan practitioners practice internal aspects right at the start, whereas the internal aspects of Shaolin are usually taught only at an advanced level, and not many practitioners progress to this advanced level.

But today the internal arts have been so debased that even in Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan many practitioners only learn their external forms and miss the internal aspects.

Bajiquan

Bajiquan. Picture reproduced from http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/177Kaleidoscope3180.html

Question 3

If you had the choice to learn one art, which would you choose out of Mantis, Tai Chi, Bagua, Baji or Xingyi?

Answer

Of the five arts mentioned, I would choose Taijiquan. You and others may choose differently.

Question 4

Can you please explain your choice and give me some advise on which style to choose because I am very confused.

Answer

At their best, practitioners of Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, Bajiquan and Xingyiquan attain the highest levels of health and combat efficiency, wbereas at their best practitioners of Taijiquan attain the highest levels of health, combat efficiency and spiritual cultivation. Spiritual cultivation is not an integral part of Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, Bajiquan and Xingyiquan, but it is of Taijiquan.

In other words, by practicing Taijiquan and nothing else, you can attain spiritual fulfillment, but by practicing Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, Bajiquan and Xingyiquan, you may not. Indeed, the original aim of Taijiquan was to attain the Tao, which in Western context means returning to God the Holy Spirit.

Zhang San Feng was already very healthy and combat efficient; he did not need to practice Taijiquan for good health and cokbat efficiency. His aim of practicing Wudang Shaolin Kungfu, which later evolved into Taijiquan, was to attain the Tao. On the other hand, the aim of the founders of Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, Bajiquan and Xingyiquan was combat efficiency, not spiritual cultivation.

This does not mean that a practitioner of Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, Bajiquan and Xingyiquan could not be spiritual. He mught even be more spiritual than practitioners of Taijiquan, but his spiritual attainment is due to other arts.

Praying Mantis

Grandmaster Wong performing a pattern from Praying Mantis Kungfu

Question 5

You have generously helped me before but unfortunately I have created more problems for myself. I start to think of suicide as a good option, but that saddens me since I have come so far and learnt so much.

— Dan, USA

Answer

Suicide is never an option. Don't even think of it. Not only you have gone so far and learnt so much, you still have a long way to go and great opportunities to enjoy life.

Some of my students thought of suicide before, but after learning from me or a certified instructor from our school, they realized how foolish they had been. And now they enjoy life wholesomely.

Question 6

I am diagnosed as spleen and kidney qi deficient, and have regular wet dreams. The problem first started when I tried to withhold ejaculation. I had a medical scan which revealed nothing. I am exhausted and my mind currently won't stop thinking.

Answer

Yours is a relatively small matter, compared to so-called incurable and fatal diseases like cancer. Weren't you a fool to think of suicide?

Your problems can be overcome. Attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course as soon as you can, and discover for yourself miraculous things happen. In fact I have done more miraculous things than helping a fool overcome his qi deficiency and sexual problems.

Intensive Chi Kung Course

Course participants experiencing spirtual joys during an Intensive Chi Kung Course

Question 7

I feel a blockage and pain around my lower dan tian. I would pay a lot of money to find a master to remove this blockage, because life is valuable. But most of all I just want to help my beautiful son and teach qigong in future.

Answer

Yes, life is not only valuable but also wonderful. Just to be alive is a wonder.

It may be hard for some people to believe, but it is true that if you practice high-level chi kung, you will clear energy blockage, regardless of where the blockage is. When your blockage is cleared and your energy flows smoothly, you recover your good health, which is your birth-right.

Helping your beautiful son is a noble task. There are many other noble tasks you can do when you have a lot of energy and mental clarity by practicing high-level chi kung.

You should leave aside, at least for the time being, your ambition of teaching qigong. Be a good student first, and get well. Have some respect for chi kung, which can enrich your life beyond your imagination. It is not merely doing some gentle exercises which you can easily learn and teach others.

Question 8

I still practice "Nourishing Kidneys", and Wanham Qigong from your books twice a day and usually just sleep after chi flow. I wake up 20 minutes later and feel nothing but just calmer. I used to feel so energized!

Answer

It is obvious that you have practiced wrongly. If you had practiced correctly, you would not have the problems you have now. Being healthy is nothing fantastic if you practice genuine chi kung correctly. It is an inevitable, expected result. It is like driving a car to a particular place in town. Reaching your destination is an inevitable, expected result. If you don't reach your destination, it means you haven't driven your car correctly.

If you learn chi kung from my books, there is a chance that you have practiced incorrectly. Even if you had practiced correctly, there is an incomparable difference between learning from my books and learning from me personally.

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