SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
APRIL 2023 PART 2
Chi Kung State of Mind
Question 1
I watched a video on YouTube where you mentioned that you could cure asthma. I am currently in Turkey and it would be difficult for me to travel to you. I have severely bad asthma; it's affecting my daily life. If there are exercises you can send to me as well as dietary recommendations, I would deeply appreciate it.
— Faisal, United Kingdom
Answer
I am sorry I can't send the cure of asthma to you. You have to learn how to enter into a chi kung state of mind, and then learn how to generate energy flow. You have to come to my Intensive Chi Kung Course.To enter into a chi kung state of mind is most important. Most people merely practice external chi kung forms, and they don't know about it. They call it "chi kung". Such external chi kung exercises cannot cure any diseases. Genuine chi kung is very rare, and was very rare.
With the present world lockdown I don't know when I can offer one, but you can check up from my website at https://www.shaolin.org.
Question 2
I know Sifu and family are doing well, and have enjoyed the Mid Autumn Festivities.
— Lee Wei Joo, Shaolin Wahnam Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Answer
I am glad you enjoyed the mid autumn festivals. I still remained at home; Simu is very strict with the world lockdown. But I used my time profitably. I revised my webpages; there are thousands of them. You can see my revision at https://shaolin.org/general/titles.html
I hope you can teach kungfu classes. When I first started, it was to revise kungfu as a martial art. Outside our school, there are many instructors today, but they teach only external kungfu form and a free exchange of blows using Karate and Kick-Boxing.
You will be a very few who teach kungfu with internal force and using kungfu skills in sparring. But most important of all, you give good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys irrespective of religion.
Three-Circle Stance
Question 3
I have been practising Taijiquan since 2015. I managed to get up to 26 minutes in Three Circle Stance quite easily, then later returned to 15 minutes as I felt it was enough.
I then went on to do Golden Bridge for 5-7 minutes for a few months. Recently I have added Lifting Water.
Would there be any disadvantages to doing this?
— James, England
Answer
Three-Circle Stance is beautiful, but most people cannot develop any internal force from its practice.
I remember that when I was in Australia many years ago, Ken, a Taijiquan instructor, developed a lot of internal force from the Three-Circle Stance.
You can build up your internal force, gradually about a minute per 3 days. After a few years, if you can perform the Three-Circle for an hour, you will have a lot of internal force.
You can go from Three-Circle Stance to any stances, such as Horse-Riding Stance, Golden Bridge or Lifting Water, but do so slowly.
If you progress gradually, there should not be any disadvantages. You only increase your internal force.
Question 4
Christina is doing great! I am so proud of her.
— Sifu Chris Didyk, Shaolin Wahnam St Pete, USA
Answer
I am very happy that Christina is doing very well. As she is of a very high level, it may not be easy for her to slow down.
Please remember that what is "low" level to us, is actually "high" to other people not in our school. For example, I practice for only about 15 minutes below my level.
It is good that she maintains her Chinese medicine license and credentials. I am glad that you went along the Blue Ridge Highway.
I was quite surprised that your brother, Mike, practices Taekwondo instead of kungfu. But your master retired and left the school to him, and he is doing well.
Pushing Mountain
Question 5
We are entering the phase of life where our parents need our help and support.
Answer
It was unfortunate that Christina's father had a heart-attack and a mental decline. If you or Christina ask him to practice chi kung, he may have better health.
He can practice "Lifting the Sky", "Pushing Mountain" and "Carrying the Moon", followed by chi kung, and once a while, about once a week, he can practice the three exercises as one set to have self-manifested chi movement.
We must always be kind to our parents.
It is good that Christina is helping out with real estate business. It will give her parents the peace of mind that everything they've spent their lives building will be well-managed for future generations.
Question 6
There are three Dan Tian: lower, middle and upper. You always tell us to gently think of our lower Dan Tian, why not the middle or upper Dan Tian?
— Bala, India
Answer
There are actually many "dan tian". They mean "elixir field", and are where meridians (or pathways of energy flow) can be reached.
On top of the head at the crown we have "bai hui"; which means "the meeting of hundred meridians".
We have a "dan tian" between the normal eyes. It is called "tian mu", which means "heavenly eye".
Behind the head somewhere between the ears, we have "nao hu", which means "house of the brain".
At the solar plexus, we have "tan zhong", which means "central platform". Behind the back, we have "ling tai", which means "spiritual platform".
These "dan tian" are generally regarded as upper elixir fields.
About an inch below the naval we have a "dan tian" called "qi hai", which means "sea of energy". About two inches below the naval we have a "dan tian" called "guan yuan", which means "original gate". The "qi hai" is where your mother fed you with nutrients. We must always be very grateful to our mother and father.
At the back is "ming men", which means "gate of life". About the same height are your kidneys, which are very important for supplying you with energy.
These "dan tian" are generally called middle elixir fields.
At the bottom of the body is the "hui ying", which means "the meeting of yin". It is called the lower "dan tian", or the lower elixir field.
In the middle of the hands are two "dan tian" called "lao gong", which means "art of labour". They are referred to as hand "dan tian", or hand elixir fields.
At the legs about one third from the toes are two "dan tian" called "yong chuan", which mean "gushing streams". If your "yong chuan" are like gushing streams, like energy rushing out, it means you are very healthy. You don't have to worry about energy gushing out; it will be replaced by energy rushing in.
We generally think of the lower "dan tian". If we think of the middle "dan tian", we may be top-side heavy. If we think of the upper "dan tian", it will be worst.
When we mention "dan tian" without any qualification, we mean "qi hai" or the middle elixir field. Sometime this "qi hai" is referred to as the lower elixir field.
If you examine carefully, you may see may see a small "drum" at the "tian dan"
Question 7
What is meant by opening and closing an energy point? How do you know if an energy point is open or closed? How do you open an energy point? How do you close an energy point? Do you need to have mastered certain arts like one finger zen or cosmos palm to open or close energy points?
Answer
An energy point is an acupuncture point or an elixir field, like "qi hai" and "ming men". It is a pathway of energy flow where we can reach it.
Whether an energy point is open or closed has to be shown in person. It is difficult to show via an email.
If an energy point is open, energy can pass through. If an energy point is closed, energy cannot pass through. When a person feels numb, or cannot use his limb, it is because of energy blockage.
It is not necessary to have mastered certain arts like "One-Finger Shooting Zen" and "Cosmos Palm" to open or close the energy points. But if you have learnt "One-Finger Shooting Zen" or "Cosmos Palm", it is easier to open or close the points.
Question 8
In 2011, I went into severe depression. My mother took me to a healer who made me lie down and placed her toe on my forehead. I think she passed energy through her toe into my forehead.
Answer
The healer in 2011 must be very strange. She used her toe to pass energy to you. You must thank her.
Normally healers use their fingers or their palms to pass energy.
LINKS
Selected Reading
- Art of Flexibity as Chi Kung
- How You Can Apply Taijiquan for Combat
- Shaolin Hand Forms
- Take Down and Pin Down in Shaolin Kungfu
- The Magic of Chi Flow