SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
JULY 2023 PART 1

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma

Question 1

I was thinking about it recently, and the last time we saw you, you were over three years ago.

— Sifu Chris Didyk, Shaolin Wahnam St Petersburg

Answer

It has been a long time since we met each other and Christina. My plan is that I shall travel less and make Malaysia my base. There will be some intensive courses.

My website is very popular. There is much information on kungfu, chi kung, health and Zen.

The last trip on the East Coast on the east coast of the United States, New York City and St Petersburg was lovely, and I think fondly of them. The "Becoming a Shaolin Wahnam Practitioner" course in Malaysia was one of my best.

I look forward to see both of you. You will bring some students. Malaysia is a wonderful country.

Question 2

I'd like to thank you for two things. I kept my mind & heart open and saved my relationship with my sister.

I know Sifu's blessings saved my uncle. Everyone called him the Miracle Man. My uncle mentioned that he saw a bright light but everyone dismissed it as ramblings.

— Name and Country Withheld

Answer

Forget about the two things.

It is necessary to have good thoughts always

Question 3

I trust you and your family are safe and prosperous during this pandemic.

— Stephen, USA

Answer

My family and I are very well. Because of the world lockdown, I can't see my grandchildren.

Nevertheless, it is for the good of the world. The lockdown will soon be over, and the world will be open as usual.

Question 4

I was wondering if you could comment from a Zen perspective.

Answer

Zen is to see reality as it really is, i.e. an undifferentiated spread of energy or consciousness. Many people would be very surprised if they read Zen sutras. They address such a question as "What is reality?"

Your meditation is thousands of times happier than mere pleasure.

Brooklin Bridge

Brooklin Bridge in New York City

Question 5

During Standing Meditation, I had a brief moment where I realized that "I" do not exist. I directly experienced that the image of me, my mind and my body, are all thoughts!

Answer

Yours is a highly spiritual experience. You classmates in your meditation class should not attempt your type of mediation.

Actually the world is undifferentiated; we are just an undifferentiated spread of energy or consciousness.

But we live in a phenomenal world; we see things differentiated into tables and chairs, trees and cars. Each individual is differentiated from one another becuase of the sence organs.

Question 6

I tried to find where my thoughts were coming from. I "saw" it was my brain, then I realized that my brain is also a mental thought. How can this be?

Am I just a thought? If so, how do I, a thought, create other thoughts? If I can't see my parents right now, are they just a thought? And they don't exist apart from me?

During this realization, I briefly panicked and cried in fear. My fiancee, my dog, my parents are all just thoughts? How is this possible? Fortunately, I remembered your Buddhist teachings and somehow managed to inquire "what if I am omnipresent and everywhere?"

At that moment, "I" expanded and my vision field went from 180 to 360 degrees. I started laughing with joy and have been in this expanded state ever since.

Answer

You can try this. Try seeing beyond your brain. At the end of the session, just think of your "dan tian". In other words, we come from the transcendental dimension which is the origin state back to the phenomenal dimension. We live in the phenomenal.

In the phenomenal dimension, thoughts create myriad thoughts.

There are two dimenisons, the trascentantal and the phenomenal. We live in the phenomenal; only very highly spiritual beings live in the trascentantal. While we are in the phenmenal, we make the best of what we have -- i.e. we are free, happy and kind, and we see things differentiated because of our sense organs.

In the world we live in, the one with the largest number who have reached the trascentantal are in Zen Buddhism or "Chan" in Romanised Chinese. Zen masters are free, happy and kind, although they may sometimes appear rough especially when they give a "gong-an" or "koan" in Japanese. They appear rough because they want to help their disciples to attain the trascentantal.

It is great that you laughed with joy. To be joyful is a sign of kindness.

Felling attack in Shaolin Kungfu

Question 7

I hope you and your family are very well and not too affected by this strangest of world situations?

I look forward to the day when travel becomes easier and I can come back to Malaysia and attend a chi kung or tajiquan course with you.

— Wood, England

Answer

It has been a long time since we last corresponded. Would you like to become a Shaolin Kungfu master?

It is a pity that you did not take up kungfu, for that is what Shaolin is best known. But you can be a Shaolin chi kung master under Shaolin Wahnam, or at least a Shaolin chi kung instructor.

My Shaolin was connected to the Shaolin Monastery built in Henan Province in 490 A.D. All my sifus were well known as I looked for them. I learned Shaolin Kungfu from Sifu Lai Chin Wah, who is better known in kungfu circles as Uncle Righteousness.

My second sifu was Sifu Chee Kim Thong, the living treasure of the Chinese Republic of China.

My third sifu was Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation successor of the Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. Our patriarch, the Venerable Jiang Nan, ran out of China from the Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. He was the last of the fighting monks.

My fourth sifu was a patriarch of Wing Choon Kungfu, which is closely related to Shaolin Kungfu.

It was Sifu Ho Fatt Nam who advocated that Shaolin chi kung should be taught to all races, cultures and religions. Our school, Wahnam, was named in honour of Sifu Lai Chin Wah and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam.

Shaolin chi kung will then be very popular and open to all races, cultures and religions. At present most people practice gentle, physical exercise, and gentle, physical exercise does not contribute to good health, vitality and longevity.

Question 8

I hope you and your family are very well and not too affected by this strangest of world situations?

I look forward to the day when travel becomes easier and I can come back to Malaysia and attend a chi kung or tajiquan course with you.

Answer

It has been a long time since we last corresponded. Would you like to become a Shaolin Kungfu master?

It is a pity that you did not take up kungfu the last time, for that is what Shaolin is best known. But you can be a Shaolin chi kung master under Shaolin Wahnam, or at least a Shaolin chi kung instructor.

My Shaolin was connected to the Shaolin Monastery built in Henan Province in 490 A.D. All my sifus were well known as I looked for them. I learned Shaolin Kungfu from Sifu Lai Chin Wah, who is better known in kungfu circles as Uncle Righteousness

My second sifu was Sifu Chee Kim Thong, the living treasure of the Chinese Republic of China.

My third sifu was Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation successor of the Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. Our patriarch, the Venerable Jiang Nan, ran out of China from the Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. He was the last of the fighting monks.

My fourth sifu was a patriarch of Wing Choon Kungfu, which is closely related to Shaolin Kungfu.

It was Sifu Ho Ftt Nam who advocated that Shaolin chi kung should be taught to all races, cultures and religions. Our school, Wahnam, was named in honour of Sifu Lai Chin Wah and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam.

Shaolin chi kung will then be very popular and open to all races, cultures and religions. At present people practice gentle, physical exercise, and gentle, physical exercise does not contribute to good health, vitality and longevity.

Question 9

Please could you consider my situation and thoughts as outlined above and please kindly give me your perspective, feedback, guidance, and advice?

Answer

It needs great perseverance to practice.

Someone who has muscular strength is nowhere compared to another person with internal force. Perhaps you have seen many people with internal force. There is just no comparison.

You may have seen an older lady with a young man. Again, there is no comparison.

Be a Shaolin chi kung instructor. Better still, be a Shaolin chi kung master.

LINKS

Overview

Selected Reading

Courses and Classes