SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
NOVEMBER 2017 PART 1

An Intensive Chi Kung Course in Penang

Question 1

I read about Master Wong Kiew Kit's wonderful qigong. I am wondering if this qigong is suitable for me taking an intensive seminar in Malaysia.

I have been doing Tai Chi for awhile. I have tried various qigong before, but I have had unpleasant effects sometimes, and was unable to continue.

I had some trauma when I was younger, that causes severe anxiety, and some other unusual sensations. I tried the Eight Brocades. It started working, but after two weeks, I had to stop because severe anxiety started coming out. I did the Standing like a Tree qigong, but after doing it 20 minutes a day for two weeks, I started getting very angry, so I discontinued it.

Then, I was taught the Sun Salutation yoga. After doing that exercise in the morning, that evening a strong suicidal feeling came over me. I suspected I had suppressed anger or rage. I have my doubts about qigong with significant emotional issues.

I was taught medical qigong. It was helpful, but it didn't resolve or break through my problems. It seems when I start to make some progress, something emotionally strong stops me from continuing -- anxiety, anger or some other strange sensations.

— Louis, USA

Answer

It is great that you intend to attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course. I am sure you will find it both enjoyable and rewarding.

The important thing about chi kung training is not its techniques but its skills. Surprisingly, not many chi kung practitioners realize this fact. The techniques practiced by chi kung practitioners are genuine, but they lack the skills. Hence, they do not derive the benefits that practicing chi kung will give, which is good health, vitality and longevity.

A good analogy is Tai Chi Chuan, often shortened to as Tai Chi. The techniques practiced by Tai Chi Chuan practitioners are genuine, but most of them do not have internal force and combat application because they lack the required skills.

A definite benefit of chi kung practice is good health, which includes overcoming trauma and any illness. If practitioners still have trauma or illness after practicing chi kung for some time, it is likely that they practice chi kung techniques as gentle physical exercise and not as energy energy, which chi kung actually is. When chi kung is practiced as energy exercise, i.e. with proper chi kung skills, the energy flow as a result of the practice, will overcome the trauma and illness. Literally thousands of my students have realized this.

Eight Brocades is a wonderful chi kung art. But many people who practice Eight Brocades do so as gentle physical exercise, often without their own realization.

Standing like a tree, which we call Three-Circle Stance in our school, is a powerful exercise which can develop a lot of internal force. It is good for people who are healthy. Of course, it must be performed with the appropriate skills. It is not suitable for you if you still have trauma.

I don't know much about Sun Salutation Yoga. But if it arose suicidal feeling, it is not suitable for you. When you practice chi kung correctly, you will find every day joyful. Many of my students, especially healthy ones, have reported this benefit to me.

Medical chi kung is specially designed to overcome illness. In the past Chinese medical doctors often used medical chi kung to help their patients.

The chi kung exercises taught in my Intensive Chi Kung Course include medical chi kung. But overcoming illness, including trauma, is a stepping stone. Practitioners need to overcome their illness before attaining good health.

I have enjoyed reading your e-mail. I look forward to your attendance at my Intensive Chi Kung Course. Please apply to my secretary and she will e-mail you the necessary particulars.

Malaysia, especially Penang, is a beautiful and very safe place to visit. I would suggest you spend a few extra days on your own before or after the course to see Penang or travel about in Malaysia. Language will not be a problem as English is widely spoken here.

If you find my Intensive Chi Kung Course beneficial, you may consider attending an Intensive Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) Course in future.

Question 2

You have mentioned that chin-na is the most advanced of the four categories of attack. Can you please explain?

— Sifu Anton Schmick, Shaolin Wahnam Germany

Answer

The four categories of attack are striking, kicking, felling and chin-na, which is a special way of gripping.

It needs only one movement to make a successful strike. If an opponent is slow or fails to defend it, he will be hit.

It needs two movements to execute a successful kick. You have to position yourself at the right space, and then execute your kick. Even when an opponent is slower than you, if he can make one movement before you complete the two movements required for a kick, he can avoid your attack.

A felling attack needs three movements. You have to move in, cover your opponent so that he cannot strike you, and then execute your felling technique. If he can make just one movement before you complete your three movements, he can neutralize your attack.

You need to make four movements to execute a successful chin-na attack. You need to move in, cover your opponent so that he cannot strike you, hold your opponent, then grip your opponent in a special way to disable him. If he can make one successful movement before you have made four, he can frustrate your attack. Hence, technically chin-na is the most advanced of the four categories of attack.

However, while speed is important, a chin-na exponent also uses tactics and strategies. You may, for example, leave a false opening, make a feint move, or trick him to fight in a way easy for you to implement your chin-na techniques.

You may apply a particular chin-na technique on an opponent. If he is slow or hesitant, you disable him with your chin-na attack. If he is capable he may avoid or defend against your chin-na attack. Following his movement, you can apply the same chin-na technique on him. If he can avoid or defend against it again, you can immediately follow using the same attack the third time.

Three-Circle Stance by Sifu Joan Browne of Ireland

Question 3

What is the difference between chin-na and dim-mark?

Answer

In chin-na you grip an opponent in a special way to disable him from further fighting. In dim mark you disable him from further fighting by dotting his energy point to stop his energy flow.

"Chin-na" means "hold and grip". But it is not ordinary holding and gripping. It is a special way of holding and gripping whereby an exponent can disable an opponent by separating his tendons, dislocating his joints, or gripping his energy points.

"Dim mark" is in Cantonese Chinese. It means "dotting meridians". In Mandarin Chinese it is called "dian xue" which means "dotting energy points". Energy points are located along meridians.

In chin-na, tiger-claw, dragon-claw and eagle-claw are usually used. In dim mark, the usual attack media are One-Finger Zen, dragon-hand form, and phoenix-eye fist.

Chin-na and dim mark are compassionate arts. Instead of breaking an opponent's skull, fracturing his bones, or damaging him seriously to prevent him from further fighting, a chin-na or dim mark exponent disables an opponent temporarily so that he can later seek a healer to overcome the injury to regain normalcy.

Both chin-na and dim mark are considered as two of the three ultimate arts of Shaolin Kungfu, the third being neigong, or internal art.

It should be noted that kungfu terms are used for convenience. Although chin-na and dim mark are internal arts in other contexts, they are here considered as external with visible outward movements. Neigong is considered internal, as there are no visible outward movements, and the training procedures are not readily visible.

Question 4

Could you please elaborate what is the difference between praying for someone, blessing someone, and transmitting chi to someone? Further, is praying and blessing always safe for anyone to do if they are intended only for good?

— Olli, Finland

Answer

The three activities are actually self-explanatory. Don't make things difficult by unnecessary intellectualization. Nevertheless, I shall answer your question.

When you pray for someone, you pray for someone. When you bless someone, you bless someone. When you transmit chi to someone, you transmit chi to someone. They are different activities. That is why different words are used to describe the different actions.

Similarly, when you slap someone, kick someone and kiss someone, the activities are different.

Whether you pray for someone, bless someone or transmit chi to someone, or slap someone, kick someone or kiss someone, or any other activities, there may be common factors in the different activities.

When you pray for someone, bless someone or transmit chi to someone, usually, but not necessarily always, you are concerned for that somebody. When you slap someone or kick someone, usually, but not necessarily always, you dislike the other person. When you kiss someone, usually but not necessarily always, you like the other person.

When you pray for someone, you may be or you may not be blessing or transmitting chi to the other person. It is also the same when you bless or transmit chi to someone, and also the same when you slap, kick or kiss someone.

You may, for example, slap and kick someone at the same time. You may also simultaneously kiss him (or her, which is more interesting for you provided you like her), but it may need some acrobatic ability to do these three things at the same time. Similarly you may pray, bless and transmit chi to someone at the same time, or two activities at a time, or one activity at a time, or none at all.

Whether it is safe when you pray or bless someone, depends not on your intention but on the situation. When you are crossing a busy street, for example, it is not safe for you to pray for and bless someone simultaneously or do the two activities separately, even when your intention is good.

How would you counter a chin-na attack, like the one shown by Sifu Anton Schmick in China?

Question 5

The Buddhists and Christians often do dedication of merits with the basic intention that they should get the least of benefits for the sake of others. Considering overtraining, how effective is dedicating merits in contrast to our school's practice of self-regulation?

Answer

Paradoxically, while those who dedicate their blessings to others, do not normally crave blessings for themselves, they are the ones who are most blessed. The one who gives is more blessed than the one who receives.

It is the practice in our school to bless others. Blessing others can help to reduce over-training. It is an example of God works in mysterious ways.

But you should not depend on blessing others to reduce effects of over-training. Indeed, you should not even think of any benefits when you bless others. To control over-training, you should regulate your level of practice.

Question 6

I have experienced a lot of suffering in the past years due to a difficult family situation. I have learned a lot from my mistakes and those inflicted to me by others, and my goals now are to live a peaceful and happy life here and now. Also, I want to go to heaven after I die.

I know the basic requirements for this and will gladly do my best to fulfill them.

— Afonso, USA

Answer

The basic requirements for living a peaceful, happy and healthy life here and now, and to go to heaven in the after-life, are in theory quite easy, though in practice they may not be so.

Just learn from anyone of our certified Shaolin Wahnam instructors. You can see a list here, and practice twice a day for about 10 minutes a session what he or she has taught you.

In the past, I used to tell enquirers to learn any genuine chi kung. But I discovered that those following my advice ended up with learning gentle physical exercise.

Both the teachers and the students usually do not realize what they practice is gentle physical exercise though they call it chi kung, because they use the same chi kung techniques. It is the skills that make the techniques genuine chi kung. So, now and honestly to help them realize their objectives, I ask them to learn form our Shaolin Wahnam instructors.

Why does practicing chi kung learnt from us enable people to live a peaceful, happy and healthy life, and to go to heaven in their after-life?

It is because practicing genuine, high-level chi kung generates energy flow which overcomes any illness and makes them healthy. Genuine high-level chi kung sets their spirit free, enabling them to be peaceful and happy. Genuine high-level chi kung emphasizes on practicing high moral values, creating good karma which will enable them to go to heaven in their after-life.

However, in practice many people may not learn from Shaolin Wahnam International. The usual excuse is that they don't have time.

A legitimate reason is that there are no Shaolin Wahnam instructors living in their area. If they really want to live a peaceful, happy and healthy life, and go to heaven in their after-life, they will find ways to learn from the nearest Shaolin Wahnam instructor. Or they can attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course (please see my website at http://www.shaolin.org) and continue to practice at home.

As I have mentioned many times, it is their choice and their problem whether they want to learn from us. It is not my choice and not my problem.

Two fundamental skills in chi kung training are to be relaxed and free from all thoughts

Question 7

However, I know that one can be reborn in heaven and then move on to a lower realm due to bad karma. How can one prevent this?

Answer

Again, in theory it is easily done. Avoid evil and do good, and the heavenly being will cultivate good karma which will enable him or her to continue to be in heaven.

Amitabha Buddha, who is different from Shakyamuni Buddha in our own world, has created the Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss where beings there can remain to be heaven beings until they attain Enlightenment, or merge with Cosmic Reality, or return to God the Holy Spirit in Western cultural terminology.

Please take note that Amitabha Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha and Buddhism are non-religious. Any person of any religion or of no official region can go to the Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss if he wants to and qualifies for it.

To be reborn in the Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss, a person or any being must fulfill the following three conditions:

  1. He (or she) must believe that there is a Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss.
  2. He must want to be reborn there.
  3. He must do the necessary activities to be reborn in the Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss. One of the simplest, but not necessarily the easiest, is to recite Amitabha Buddha's name three times with a one-pointed mind.
Amitabha Buddha has created the Western Paradise of Eternal Bliss in such a way that those in this paradise will not be reborn in a lower realm.

However, heavenly beings in other heavens can be reborn in a lower realm if their karma is bad. To prevent this from happening, they need to maintain good karma by avoiding evil and doing good.

Question 8

Do we remember our past lives when we are in heaven? How can we keep reaping good karma, then?

Answer

No, we do not remember our past lives in heaven. However, there may be some exceptions. To reap good karma, avoid evil and do good.



If you have any questions, please e-mail them to Grandmaster Wong via his Secretary at stating your name, country and e-mail address.

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