AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF BONE MARROW CLEANSING
A Bone Marrow Cleasing class at UK Summer Camp
Question
Are there specific aims and objectives we should/could define when including Bone Marrow Cleansing in our practice schedules?
Sifu Andrew Barnett
Answer
Normally we set our aims and objectives first, then choose the best skills and techniques to practice to achieve the best results. We can do this quite well because we have a sound understanding of chi kung philosophy.
Suppose a practitioner is sick and wants to overcome his sickness. The best skill will be self-manifested chi movement. He can use any three techniques from the Eighteen Lohan Hands and perform them vigorously and continuously to generate a vigorous chi flow. This is an excellent choice as he knows that vigorous chi flow is effective for breaking through energy blockage, which is the root cause of his sickness.
Now he is healthy, and he wants mental clarity and a lot of energy so as to attain peak performance in his work and play. The best skills will be building mental clarity and developing internal force. An excellent exercise will be Golden Dragon Taps on Ground, or Flicking Fingers, from Sinew Metamorphosis.
Next, he wants to expand into the Cosmos, or a glimpse into the Supreme. An excellent skill will be Cosmic Breathing, and an excellent technique will be Dan Tian Breathing.
The above three examples exemplifies the three main levels of chi kung training, namely the health level, which includes overcoming illness and attaining vitality and longevity, the energy level which develops mental clarity and internal force, and the spiritual level for spiritual expansion.
If a practitioner is very skilful, he can choose just one technique and employ different skills to operate at the three different levels. For example, he may choose Lifting the Sky to go into a vigorous chi flow, to build mental clarity and internal force, or to expand into the Cosmos.
If a practitioner lacks the necessary philosophy, skills and techniques to make wise choices, he should choose wu-wei. He can practice any technique or techniques, and let the Universe Chi guide him.
Now let us reverse the procedure. We have the skills of Bone Marrow Cleansing in our practice schedule. What aims and objectives we should or could define?
Bone Marrow Cleansing can be operated at five different levels of skills -- the level of the skin, the flesh, the meridians, the internal organs and the bone marrow. We can select various techniques to operate these various skills. In theory, any techniques can be used to operate any skills, but in practical terms certain techniques because of the special way they are performed are better suited for particular skills. Let us base our choice of techniques from the Eighteen Lohan Hands.
For the skill level, Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon are excellent choices as they spread energy all over the body. Nourishing Kidneys and Three Levels to Ground are not so appropriate as the former focuses on the kidneys and the latter on the legs. Objectives for practicing this level are to overcome skin diseases, to enhance blood circulation on the skin, and to have rosy skin. As the skin is the largest organ to protect the body, aims include enhancing immunity and to have a radiant appearance.
For the flesh level, Pushing Mountain and Separating Water are excellent choices, whereas Turning Head and Merry-Go-Round are not so appropriate. Objectives include toughening arms and legs, and increasing strength. Aims include increasing physical capacity and imporoving combat efficiency.
For the meridian level, Pushing Mountain and Deep Knee Bending are excellent, whereas Punching with Rounded Eyes and Rotating Knees are not as appropriate. Objectives are to spread warmth and to clear internal injuries. Aims are to promote good heath, vitality and longevity, and to develop internal force.
For the internal organ level, Separating Water which affects the heart and lungs, and Merry-Go-Round which affects the spleen, stomach, kidney, gall-bladder, liver and kidneys, are excellent choices, whereas Drawing Knife and Dancing Crane are not as directly effective. Objectives include overcoming dysfunction of the respective organs and overcoming related emotional problems. Aims include promoting health and increasing vitality.
For the bone marrow level, Turning Head and Pushing Mountain are excellent, whereas Green Dragon and Nourishing Kidneys are not as effective. Objectives include cleansing nerves and generating a lot of internal heat. Aims include attaining mental clarity, and sharpening physiological and psychological functions.
Please note that whether the choice of certain patterns for the respective skills is excellent or less appropriate is relative. For example, for the skill of channelling energy to flow along the skin level, Nourishing Kidneys and Three Levels to Ground are relatively not as effective as Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon if all other factors were equal. But themselves, Nourishing Kidneys and Three Levels to Ground can generate energy flow along the skin level even by beginners, and masters employing these techniques can generate more energy along the skin than students using Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon.
Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon are all-round techniques. They are not only excellent for channelling energy at the skin level, but also at all levels.
For us in Shaolin Wahnam, it is needless to say that by performing the right techniques alone without the appropriate skills, practitioners may have benefits of gentle physical exercise like loosening joints and being relaxed, but they will not have chi kung benefits like overcoming illness, developing internal force and experiencing spiritual joys irrespective of for how long they practice. This is a fact that most chi kung practitioners today do not realize.
The above question-answer is reproduced from the thread 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong on Bone Marrow Cleansing and Eighteen-Lohan Art in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum
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