WUJI STANCE, COSMOS STANCE AND LOTUS POSITIONS
The half-lotus seated postition
Question
When practicing the Small Universe you have mentioned that the Wuji Stance is best for beginner/intermediate students and that the Cosmos Stance is best for advanced students as it enhances results when they are ready.
What of practicing the Small and the Big Universe in the seated (lotus/half lotus) position? Is it more or less advanced, and how do the purpose and effects of the Small and the Big Universe differ in the seated position versus standing? Are there other traditional postures in which the Small and the Big Universe were trained?
Dom Z
Answer
Yes, the Wuji Stance, or standing upright and relaxed, is the best position for beginners and intermediate practitioners when practicing the Small Universe. It is also the best position for practicing the Big Universe.
When the practitioners are advanced, and know the skills and the techniques of the Small Universe and the Big Universe well, they can use the Cosmos Stance. The Cosmos Stance is better than the Wuji Stance because it is more stable and focuses chi, or vital energy, at the dan tian, or abdominal energy field.
For both the Small Universe and the Big Universe, being more stable and with chi better focused at the dan tian is more favorable. When a practitioner is more stable, he is in a better position to circulate energy flow continuously round the Ren Meridian and the Du Meridian in the Small Universe. In the Big Universe, when a practitioner better focuses his chi at his dan tian, he is in a better position to circulate his chi in the 16 primary meridians in the Medical Big Universe, and to merge with Cosmic chi in the Spiritual Big Universe.
Then, why is the Cosmos Stance not suitable for beginning and intermediate students of the Small Universe and the Big Universe. It is because the Cosmos Stance needs more effort than the Wuji Stance. The extra effort may distract practitioners in acquiring the skills of the Small Universe and the Big Universe.
In the Cosmos Stance, a practitioner has to bend his knees slightly to sit at the Stance, whereas in the Wuji Stance he merely stands upright. The practitioner will be more easily tired in the Cosmos Stance than in the Wuji Stance. He may have to concentrate on performing the stance correctly instead of focusing on developing the skills of the Small Universe or the Big Universe.
Moreover, by standing upright and be relaxed in the Wuji Stance, it is easier for a practitioner to circulate his energy round his Ren Meridian and Du Meridian in the practice of the Small Universe, or the 16 primary meridians in the Medical Big Universe. In the Spiritual Big Universe, it is easier in the Wuji Stance than in the Cosmos Stance to perform Cosmic Breathing, which will develop a lot of chi for him to expand into the Cosmos.
When a practitioner has developed into an advanced level, when he can circulate his chi flow, or develop a lot of chi, he can then adopt the Cosmos Stance.
There are four main modes of position a practitioner can adopt when practicing the Small Universe and the Big Universe, and they include all possible positions. These four modes of position are standing, sitting, lying down and moving. These are also the four modes for practicing meditation, or training of mind or spirit.
A practitioner may adopt any mode he likes. He may, for example, stand with his hands on his hip, his toes pointing outward like a letter “V”, leaning slightly backward, and tensing his muscles. Or he may sit on a sofa lazily, lie in bed like a worm, or move about haphazardly.
But throughout centuries, it has been discovered that standing at the Wuji Stance for beginning and intermediate practitioners, and standing at the Cosmos Stance for advanced practitioners are the best in practicing the Small Universe and the Big Universe. Some advanced practitioners may not know that the Cosmos Stance instead of the Wuji Stance will produce better result, or they are so used to the Wuji Stance that they do not want to change to the Cosmos Stance, or because of other factors the Wuji Stance is preferred, or the difference in result may be negligible.
Hence, a practitioner may sit in a lotus or a half-lotus position when practicing the Small Universe. But if all other things were equal, his result will not be as good as the Wuji Stance when he is a beginning or intermediated practitioner, or the Cosmos Stance when he is advanced.
The lotus or the half-lotus seated position are not as effective as the Wuji Stance or the Cosmos Stance because being seated the chi will be focused at the base instead of being circulated or expanded. The lotus and the half-lotus seated position are excellent in stilling chi so that the practitioner can focus on the mind or spirit.
Indeed, due to their years of dedication, some masters have attained the Small Universe, but usually they are not aware of it. A very, very few, the greatest of them all, may have expanded into the Cosmos.
It is indeed ridiculous, because other things are not equal, participants in the coming Small and Big Universe Course will have an opportunity to experience the Small Universe and even the Big Universe, not after many years but in just 3 days. From past experience, at least 60% of the course participants may expand into the Cosmos.
In theory practitioners can adopt any position when practicing the Small Universe or the Big Universe, but in practice most practitioners stand upright, i.e. in the Wuji Stance, when practicing the Small Universe and the Medical Big Universe, and sit in a full lotus or a half-lotus position when practicing the Spiritual Big Universe. They do so not because they understand the philosophy behind, but because that is the standard way to practice the Small Universe and the Big Universe. In the coming Small and Big Universe Course, we use the Wuji Stance when practicing the Big Universe.
It may have become trite by now, but most people practice the techniques of the Small Universe and the Big Universe without attaining the results. Only very, very few people, due to their long years of dedication, may have acquired the skills and eventually attain the Small Universe and the Big Universe.
Irrespective of whether practitioners are standing or sitting or adopting any other positions, the results of the Small Universe and the Big Universe are the same. In the Small Universe, chi flows continuously along the Ren Meridian and the Du Meridian. In the Medical Big Universe, chi flows continuously in the 16 Primary Meridians. In the Spiritual Big Universe, the personal chi of a practitioner merges with the Universal Chi of Transcendental Realty.
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions on Small and Big Universe in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
LINKS