SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
FEBRUARY 2022 PART 3

Pushing Mountain

"Pushing Mountain"

Question 1

I am still practising chi kung every day and am very grateful to you for transmitting this priceless art, particularly in light of the global pandemic. My first course was with you in 2002.

I feel I need to refocus my practise as it's been a while since I have been able to attend a course. I would be most grateful therefore if you could give me something to practise every day and I will do that.

— Geoffrey, England

Answer

It is wonderful to receive your email. It has been a long time since we last communicated.

You must continue your chi kung. It will not only prevent you from any illness and you won't be a carrier of any contagious disease as the virus is killed immediately, but also it will give your good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys irrespective of religion. Practicing genuine chi kung is one of the best things anyone can do especially in this present lockdown.

The three important exercises in all chi kung are "Lifting the Sky". "Carrying the Moon" and "Pushing Mountain". Teach them to your wife and children if they have not learned the exercises. Better still, they can attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course. You can check my website for available dates.

The essential condition in any chi kung is to enter into a chi kung state of mind, i.e. to be relaxed and focussed at the same time. The failure to achieve this is the main reason why many people do not practice chi kung, though they think wrongly they practice the art; they only practice gentle physical exercise which does not overcome illness or gives good health.

You can teach your wife and children any one of the exercises or all of them. As our chi kung is very powerful, you only teach for about 15 minutes. Your wife and children practice two training sessions a day for about 15 minutes a session. The training sessions should be far apart, once in the morning, once in the evening or once at night.

I repeat: you only teach for about 15 minutes per session. Your wife and children need only to practice for about 15 minutes a session; otherwise they may over-train.

The potential may be different from persons to persons, and for the same person may be different from time to time. Other people will have to practice for an hour and they perform only physical, gentle exercise.

As you have practiced chi kung before, you may be 3 times better than your wife or children. Your wife and children may be better 2 years later because of their improvement.

Practicing is performing what they have learned, whereas learning concerns new material. The trouble with most people is to focus on learning, and neglect practicing. It is practising that makes a master. We become more skilful as we practice.

Question 2

After watching the videos, I gently thought of myself back at St Pete, Florida in 2012 when I first learned Cosmic Shower from you. I gently thought of myself within your mind and energy field, and incredibly, I felt the Cosmic Shower transmission from you occur all over again!

— Stephen, USA

Answer

Once you have practiced Cosmic Shower, it will remain with you.

Basically, Cosmic Shower concerns cleansing and nourishing. First, you cleanse physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. You need to perform at one level at one time. That means four levels all together for cleansing.

Then you nourish. Also you practice one level at one time, making eight levels in all, both cleansing and nourishing.

It is important that you must enter into a chi kung state of mind, i.e. before you practice your Cosmic Shower you must enter into a chi kung state of mind, which is to be relaxed and focused at the same time.

Cosmic Shower

"Cosmic Shower"

Question 3

I have begun learning the internal arts. I am very much excited. I have picked up some thirty books attempting to get started on basic postures and building qigong to the fullness.

— Grey, USA

Answer

The onus of internal arts, like qigong (which is spelt as "chi kung" in normal English) and kungfu (spelt as "gongfu" in Romanized Chinese) is skills and not techniques, especially practitioners without experience. You could not swim nor drive if you do not have the skills of swimming nor driving. It is the same as the internal arts. Genuine internal arts are rare; most people learn from bogus masters and instructors who are plentiful.

Most people do not understand this important point, i.e. without experience it is impossible to learn chi kung and kungfu from books or videos. They think wrongly that if a practitioner has the techniques, he would get the benefits of the internal arts. That is why people who practice what they call qigong, are weak and sickly, though qigong is an art for health; those who practice what they call kungfu cannot use their art for combat, though kungfu is an art of self-defence. You can easily check this in the internet.

I would strongly advise you to take my Intensive Chi Kung (Qigong) Course. It is understandable if internal art practitioners wonder what can be learned in an Intensive Chi Kung Course of only a few days, when qigong or any internal art takes years.

You would learn a lot, especially skills that you may not learn elsewhere. You would learn in the few days of the course itself how to enter into a qigong state of mind, generate a qi (or energy) flow, develop internal force at the "dan tian" (or abdominal energy field), and to use qigong for you, especially to have good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys irrespective of religion.

With the world lockdown, I am not sure when I shall offer the Intensive Chi Kung Course. You can check available dates on my website. Meanwhile, you should read my article on The Unbelievable Intensive Chi Kung Course.

Question 4

How do I lower into the lower Dan Tian? Does levelling the head automatically do that? Or are the qigong building exercises required first to feel the qi, so as to know whether you have qi to store and direct?

Answer

Lowering your "qi" into the lower "dan tian" is a skill and not a technique. Those who have the technique but not the skill cannot do so, even when they know where the lower "dan tian" is. At the Intensive Chi Kung Course, you shall learn the skill within the first hour of the course.

Levelling the head is also a skill. You may have the techniques like clearing your head of myriad thoughts or having mental clarity, but without the skills you will be unable to do so.

Building qigong exercises or developing internal force to store and direct "qi" is also a skill and not a technique. Depending on the progress of the class, you shall learn it on the second or the third day of the Intensive Chi Kung Course.

Skills

Skills are more important than techniques in internal arts

Question 5

There are no masters even close that I feel have the correct insights to train from.

Answer

There are no "masters" even close that you have the correct insight to train from because they do not have the skills. Techniques can be read from books or emails, but skills have to be learned from masters or at least instructors willing to teach you.

A main reason why I travel the world and give courses is because my sifu (or master) asked me to share the Shaolin arts irrespective of culture, creed and religion.

Question 6

The preparation for the upcoming video recordings has been very beneficial. I am currently revising all the basics and patterns in great detail and work on getting rid of mistakes.

Kung Fu is alive and has to be adjusted to the situation, but I'm trying to find the "standard" version when practicing the form alone.

— Sifu Leonard Lackinger, Shaolin Wahnam Wien

Answer

The main reason I travelled the world was because my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, told me to spread the Shaolin arts irrespective of culture, race and religion. I was concerned that the Shaolin arts might be lost within two generations, as there were "chi kung" teachers who were weak and sickly, though chi kung as an art gives good health; and "kungfu" teachers could not defend themselves using kungfu techniques, though kungfu is a martial art.

But after traveling the world for more than 20 years, and having established instructors like you and other worthy masters, I now know that chi kung and kungfu will continue to give good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys to humanity, although Shaolin Wahnam, despite being the institution with the most number of students, is actually small compared to the number of people who practice "chi kung" and "kungfu".

Immortal Waves Sleeve

"Immortal Waves Sleeves"

Question 7

Which of the three versions would be the standard?

  1. I became used to this way, inspired by Tai Chi Chuan's Vertical Block technique, using body movement/rotation.
  2. Asking the way in a straight line.
  3. Asking the way in an upwards curve as used in the "Dragon in Zen Set".

Answer

The videos you sent to me are very good.

The standard in Shaolin Kungfu should be like what we perform in Shaolin Combat Sequence 2, which is "Poisonous Snake Shoots Venom".

When we teach Taijiquan, where "Poisonous Snake Shoots Venom" is often referred to as "White Snake Shoots Venom", we must remember to rotate the waist, which is fundamental in Taijiquan.

But for you and other masters, kungfu is alive. Use it in whatever ways you find it suitable

Question 8

In "Immortal Waves Sleeves" of Tai Chi Chuan, I got used to a more "curved" execution with my elbow slightly outside the shoulders' width.

Is it correct or should it be more like what I do in "Beauty Looks at Mirror" in Shaolin?

Should we use the hips as well in "Happy Bird Hops up Branch" and "White Horse Presents Hoof"?

Answer

In "Immortal Waves Sleeves" in Taijiquan, following waist rotation the elbow can be slightly outside the shoulders as this can mean the opponent is led further back which is nearer the exponent.

Your "Beauty Looks at Mirror" is correct.

In using kicks, the hips are used as well.

In "Happy Bird Hops up Branch", (which you sent) the guard-hand is too near the groin. In "White Horse Presents Hoof", the standing leg is brought back a small step towards the kicking leg, otherwise the exponent may be too close to the opponent. But in application the distance can be adjusted.

While it is good to have a standard for each form, I believe you are too rigid with your instructions. Students should be given some allowance. The important aspect is to understand the principles. If it is too close, the exponent can move further away. If it is too far, the exponent can move closer.



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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