OPENING THE THIRD EYE
Electronic Engineer, Switzerland
Andrew practicing chi kung during an Intensive Chi Kung Course in Malaysia
I remember when I first started reading your question and answer series I often became sceptical as to whether or not the experiences noted were real -- I am sure many other uninitiated people have this same uncertainty.
-- Andrew Barnett
Dear Sifu,
I didn't really want to write to you again so soon and apologize for taking up so much of your time. But I have had some unusual (at least for me) experiences in the last couple of weeks that I would like to ask you about. To try and keep this as short as possible, I will merely list them. All of the words in inverted commas below refer to things I find difficult to describe correctly and are the nearest approximation I can find.
During standing meditation after Chi Kung or Kungfu -- "pain" in my forehead -- mainly a point slightly above and between my eyes. Occasionally accompanied by either "lights" or "haze" in my eyes (like heat haze - or distorted lines going up and down). These sensations do not occur every time although they are becoming more regular. And once or twice I have "seen" the damage in my back being repaired and the damaged discs which caused my back problem filling with liquid/gel and becoming soft and flexible.
During Chi Kung or Kungfu but also at other times -- a feeling of great power in my hands and lower arms. Almost as though my forearms were getting bigger and my hands were expanding. Also (although not always at the same time) heat (almost like a burning fire) in my abdomen -- sometimes extending as far as my chest
On 2 or 3 occasions during Chi Kung - during Chi flow - I have adopted very peculiar postures and started "hissing". This is difficult to describe and, although I have tried, I cannot reproduce the sounds exactly. It feels as though I would breathe in for about 1 second and then out through my wide open mouth for 15 seconds with this peculiar hissing until I really can't breathe out any more. The breath I am expelling smells quite bad too. I am not at all sure where the sound is coming from.
Once again my apologies for taking up so much of your valuable time. I would be very grateful for your comments on these experiences when time allows.
Best regards to you, Simu and all in Malaysia
Andrew
andrew.barnett@bluewin.ch
19th February 2002
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Sifu Wong and his wife in Switzerland as guests of Andrew and his family
Sifu Wong's Reply
Dear Andrew,
It is always a pleasure to receive your e-mails and a pleasure to write to you, though it often takes me some time before I can find the time to reply.
Your experiences are so remarkable that I would like to reply this e-mail immediately, and to reply your earlier e-mails later.
Yet I am not surprised at your remarkable experiences. Considering the dedication that you are putting into your training, the results are quite expected. A number of dedicated students have told me similar experiences. Indeed I recently answered a similar question from Alex. You will find the answer in the February Part 3 issue of my Question-Answer series. Please refer to /answers/ans02a/feb02-3.html . Linda would have told you that all my webpages in my former website hosted at Yahoo-Geocities were lost. I have created a new site at /index.html .
A common problem with those people who have such experiences is that they have no words to describe them. This is logical because words normally describe ordianry things and events experienced by ordinary people. Yet you have described your experiences quite well.
The "pain" in your forehead is due to the opening of your third eye. "Opening the third eye" is a figurative expression. It is not that another eye, like your normal eyes, is opening at your forehead. Rather, it is the opening of an important psychic center, which normally lies dormant in ordinary people. All highly spiritual people like saints and masters, and many intellectual people like poets and philosophers, have had their third eye opened.
The opening of the third eye enables you to actualize your psychic and intellectual potential, and leads you to great wisdom. At a lower level, you will comprehend profound concepts easily and see through people and events. At a higher level, you may perceive beyond the limitations of time and space. You may, for example, know what will happen a week later, or what is happening in another town.
With power comes responsibility. You must be careful with the knowledge or wisdom you are so blessed to have. Needless to say, such power must never be used for evil purposes. Moreover, even if it is used for good, you have to be prudent. There are what are called "heaven's secrets", which should not be revealed indiscriminatingly. An example is as follows.
With your third eye, or wisdom eye, you can see that a friend will meet with a fatal accident in a week's time. Using your limited human knowledge you believe you would be doing good by warning him of the accident. This is revealing "heaven's secrets" indiscriminatingly. From a cosmic perspective you might be doing him a dis-favour. Meeting a fatal accident could be good for him! It could be his karmic operation to be reborn into a better life.
Whenever you are in doubt, a very good piece of advice is to ask your inner consciousness, or in religious terms, to ask God. Your inner consciousness which is in contact with the Universal Mind or God will always give you a right answer.
The feeling of power in your hands and arms, and of heat in your abdomen is an indication of the tremendous amount of energy you have generated in your training. Spiritual cultivation needs a lot of energy. The energy, of course, can be used for other worthy things, like maintaining good health and mental freshness, and enabling you to enjoy your daily work and play.
An interesting photograph taken while Sifu Wong's son and Andrew's son were engaged in an impromptu sparring practice when Andrew and his family had a holiday cum Shaolin Kungfu course in April 2002 in Malaysia. It is heartening that these young children can have such good kungfu forms in sparring.
Your long hissing sound is an indication of deep cleansing. The pecular postures are the result of your spontaneous chi flow shaping you into the best positions for the cleansing to take place. The cleansing is not just physical, but may be emotional, mental and spiritual. It is another preparation for spiritual cultivation. You need not worry where the sound comes from. As it is a hissing sound, it probably comes from your kidneys -- the home of your pre-natal energy -- but it may come from other parts of your body.
If you don't mind, I would like to put your questions and my answers in the "Comments" section of my website. But if for any reasons you do not wish these to be published, please let me know.
These questions and answers will serve at least three purposes. One, they are inspiring for people to know that such achievements of chi kung are real, and attainable. Two, they show that overcoming illness and pain is just one of the many wonderful benefits of chi kung. Three -- and this purpose is more for our own students -- they add credential to our conviction that we are practicing the best of the best. There is such a big gap between what most people think chi kung is, and what we know it is. I would add that opening the third eye is just the beginning, and that there is a long way to travel from its attainment at a lower level to its attainment at a higher level.
Best regards to you, your wife and your children.
Sifu.
Andrew's response
Dear Sifu,
Many thanks for your very detailed reply. I have read your answer (Feb 2002 Part 3) to Alex' question. I do see some similarity between his experiences and my own - although they do not seem (on the surface) to be the same. At times I thought I might be starting to get migraines caused by too much stress at work at the moment - I had this problem some years ago - or some other cause. But this didn't really make sense because of the tranquility I was feeling during the standing meditation (I sometimes don't seem to breathe at all for some time) despite the "pain". Also the "pain" is not the same as I experience with a real headache and usually subsides after completing the practice session.
It would be an honour for me to have these questions and answers published on your website. I hope they will provide the readers with some inspiration.
I remember when I first started reading your question and answer series I often became sceptical as to whether or not the experiences noted were real -- I am sure many other uninitiated people have this same uncertainty. Now I have had such experiences myself and have had the privilege to meet others such as Darryl who have also had such experiences. As you always say, Chi Kung and other Shaolin Arts should not be accepted on the word of even the greatest Master -- it should be diligently practiced and then judged on the results.
With very best regards and heartfelt thanks
Andrew
Andrew and Darryl engaged in a sparring session during the Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course in April 2002 in Malaysia. In the background is Mark sparring with an imaginary opponent.