Mudfoot

There is always a tendency to be stuck in the cultural pattern one is raised in, albeit "brainwashed" is a somewhat harsh term. There is also a tendency when you change culture to immerse deeply in the new world view, proclaiming distance from the old one. To see both world views for what they are, that's the trick, right? "When everyone knows the good, then the not-good comes into being" TTC (Hendricks Guodian translation)

Straw dogs?

Mystics of many traditions and cultures, not only Daoists, have had interesting insights in the reality of space and time. The problem comes when trying to compare notes with natural science. Are we talking about the same thing? Is this insight really the same as that which can be measured. Anyone in physics would ask for an experiment proving the theory based in insight. That is how science works, like a glove thrown in the face: Prove it! Chinese medicin have a deep and intricate theory, but as can be seen in this thread (and in others, including in other forums) it is very difficult to say that one thing means the other.

Earth meditation for the intention (Yi). Metal meditation to create boundaries. thus Qi is not dispersed. Wood imbalanced attacks Earth, seems you are describing that combination? Fire meditation for calming down the Shen. Nothing for Water while you were at it?

I will follow basic rules of conduct here, so my name, my lineage and the size of my **** will remain private Many training methods can give more than one result. For example, Shaolin methods developed for Poison Fingers prepare you very well for External Qi Healing.

Point being that one should work on ones emotions before focusing on Kong Jing training, so one can take responsibility for the Qi one spreads. Out of respect for ones training partners if nothing else. What goes around, comes around?

When I trained Lin Kong Jing I was told that it was the martial application of Kong Jing, but that explanation might be true only for that particular teacher. I quit the martial side years ago, so can't say if it works in a hot combat situation, but was fun in training though. In the style I practice, Kong Jing is translated Universal force, not Empty force. Some styles calls it Cosmic force, and there are numerous books with exercises for this. Although styles like Hsing-I train in it (in san ti), Kong Jing as taught by my teacher is used fot two main reasons: Healing and transmitting experiences to students. The latter is a key technique in both Buddhist and Daoist tradition. I belive (but I might be wrong here) that Kong Jing as Empty force for combat is rarely a key technique. Would you like to depend on it when your life is at stake?

I also found it useful.

If you want to enhance a more general flow of qi (for health), most standing postures will do. And many books teaches the basic alignments for standing. And for this general flow (better than not doing it) music or TV is ok, as is the principle of more time in standing. But if you have a specific goal with the training it is useful to understand what the specific hand/armpositions do to the qi. Also, having the intention and awareness in the exercise from the beginning might actually cut some corners in the long run. Starting with the hands low is often considered a good idea, the higher handpositions being added at a later stage. Adding breathing and micromovements (call that nei gung if you like) will definetly enhance your work. For someone with interests in the IMA, standing is an exellent way to practice peng, an, and the rest of them, as well as building the ability to take a beating . The later one never worked for me though! Personally, I am on the side of focusing more on the standing the first years, than focus more on the dynamic exercises. That only mirrors the style I practice, rather than being a "truth".

The five elements is a huge area in Chinese cosmology, and there is a difference between the elements and all things correllated to them. Paul Caval writes: The realm of the Five Elements is colossal as it engulfs the entirety of manifestation. Two ways to gain experiential knowledge of the elements are: • Direct—making contact with the elements themselves, which requires deep meditation guided by a true adept. Both the transmitter and receiver must be adequately trained. • Indirect—creating specific weaves of neigong to uncover the underlying nature of each of the elements, which amounts to a far less challenging task—albeit requiring dedicated practice over some years (and possibly longer). In Energy Arts practices: Water is correlated to the downward movement of Qi Fire is correlated to the upward (spiralling) movement of Qi Wood combines the upwards and downwards movement of Qi Metal combines periphery-to centre and centre-to-periphery movement of Qi Earth integrates all above movements. In the realm of emotions (The Seven Emotions): Metal is a contracting movement, withdrawal and placing up a barrier. Earth is the flexibility of change between the others, and also a "neutral" mode. Fire is a spreading movement, the dissolving of barriers. Wood is a rising, outgoing movement (and so the distinction between Fire and Wood are often blurred). Water is a sinking movement. These movements, elements or not, can be experienced and if that experience is collected by a researcher it would be called qualitative research, aka science, which many a Ph.D. is built upon. In Internal Alchemy, the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams can stand for any number of things, depending on lineage and level of training. Just adding to the confusion....

Hello! Name's technically not Mudfoot, but that will be my imprint here so to speak. 18 years of experience in qigong, have a history in taijiquan, also study some meditation. I'll be around, so to speak.

A comment to the 18 Lohan qigong as taught by Wong Kiew Kit, and on lohan gong(s) in general. This is not a set that was handed down from his teachers, this is a mixed set that he put together himself http://www.shaolin.org/answers/ans98a/jan98.html (hope I got the right URL). That might explain why he focuses on some of the exercises on seminars, these are exercises that comes down through his lineage. So, if you choose to do this set, know that it starts with Eight pieces of brocade. There are many lohan sets, most connected to the fighting tradition from Shaolin. Here are some more versions: http://www.wudang.cis.com.pl/luohan_2_11.html and http://www.neijia.net/neijia/luohan09.html There is also a set of 16 static stances called Luohan gong, where the number sixteen points to a more buddhist tradition with 16 arhats, 18 being a number more influenced by chinese culture. Having trained with two qigong masters involved in Shaolin style qigong, both mentioned induced qi flow and both stated that it is preferable to do that type of exercise in a later stage of practice, when the energy system has stabilized and you have worked out the worst kinks in the emotional and mental body. It's a powerful practice, but can give side effects. One of the two stated that induced qi flow should be done in the presence of a qigong master only. Personally I belive that both teachers was influenced by the reports from China in the mid-late nineties about qigong psychosis, and that they wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Having tried Wong Kiew Kits Lifting the sky and the induced qi flow myself, it feels great and is easy to learn even from a book. In the end I abandoned it for the first opportunity to get live instructions from a teacher.

But everything is up for interpretation, of cause. In the end, you make up your own based on your experience. And brokenenglish, svengelska (thats brokenenglish with a side dish of swedish) will be my choice of language.

Five should be simple enough.

So, for the time being I'm in the lobby. But hey, isn't that a bar? (Walking over to the bar) Hey, bartender, please give me a cup of elixir and a bowl of yellow sprouts. (Ingesting) OMG, is that a mysterious female?

Evidently there is som technical thing I do not get, so I am not entitled to comment on threads. At least not in the one where I have experience enough to have an informed opinion.