Sebastian

If you want to cultivate peace, cultivate trust first. Feel the bond between you and the energy animating your form. Relax into it, drop into it. Your digestive channels will open, and you may feel a sense of peace. It is not forcing peace. It is trusting and bonding with your inner Jesus, Buddha, Qi or Dao. If you want to cultivate gratitude, hold reverence for your vital energy, for all the things it allows you to do day in and day out. Your kidney channels will open, and you may feel a sense of gratitude or tenderness. It is not forcing gratitude. It is like being a delicate flower experiencing a breeze. Let the breeze be like the weeping sensation that you experience in your heart when you realize the beauty of your life. Gratitude can be so gentle and tender that you only know it's there when you experience its absence after the meditation. If you want to cultivate contentment, remedy doubt in your life. If you doubt the presence of the Divine, or doubt the value of your own existence, you will carry unresolved grief in the lungs. When you feel embraced by the energy that holds you, you feel like you are home. Your lung channels will open, and you may feel a sense of satisfaction. It is not forcing contentment. It is like knowing you can receive a hug from a wise old friend every time you need him, and that he is nearby. If you want to cultivate happiness, think of happy things that happened during your day. Maybe you ate some delicious chocolate, had a relaxing cup of tea, received a phone call from a relative. Nothing is too small to cultivate happiness. Your liver channels will open. It is not forcing happiness. It is reviewing the good things that happened during your day using memory. If you want to cultivate joy, forget happiness. Joy is happiness for no reason. You might feel a vibration, a warmth inside. You can't explain the feeling, but it feels like you are expanding from within and want to reach out and hug people. Your heart channels will open. It is not forcing joy. It is being deeply moved inside to go outwards for no reason. These emotions will be personal for everyone. So there is no definition. Gratitude is not gratitude for example. It is not simply a word. It can be an energetic process that opens a door for you to access more energy, it can change your perspective so much that it starts to heal your physiology. Emotions have different signatures and act as keys to unlock certain blockages, so they can be valuable. To reply to the OP, I think emotions can be a spring-board to higher states, but you wouldn't be focusing on them anymore at that point. Have fun experimenting with emotions and finding what they feel like for you !

From Master Ni Hua Ching, The moon waxes and wanes. Tides ebb and flow. Emotion moves up and down. Only achieved ones enjoy The smooth flow of nature.

Personally I do it like this. I start by concentrating my mind inside my skin. Then I make a prayer to the Light or the Divine. "Light, at this Moment, I would like to breathe through my skin, the energy of You". Then you call onto your Master or higher power and imagine them by your side for the length of your meditation. After your prayer, you relax your intent, and focus on your sensations. You might feel sensations at the surface of your skin, below the skin, but all you do is follow along the path of sensations with the Divine leading the way. Because you've made your statement or request clear upfront, you just trust it to unfold. Always imagine Light with you, in front of you, or looking at you while you're doing this, so you're not stuck with being a performer or doing it on your own power. Try it out and experiment, it's fun and sort of magical. You can breathe in different qualities of energy too: Light, Qi, air, electricity and see how you react for each. In other words, first be willing to let the Divine breathe you, and then tell the Divine how you would like to be breathed. It's always listening to you. Then trust it. You can ask to be breathed the YJM way, or ask to be breathed an optimal way for you. I learned this method from Master Jim Nance of Spring Forest Qigong. I enjoy it and recommend it.

Just stating the obvious I think, but outside of sharing political views on a Taoist forum, the Spirit of Dao Bums has always been tinkering with systems and sharing experiences about them. And the Bums part unfortunately is never following through on any one system, switching systems when we feel like it, or piecing a new system based on other systems... Just keeping it real here. Of course not everyone here does that, but we've all done it to some extent, and I think that's where our name comes from. Hence we are Bums. And I don't think tinkering is a bad thing.... It means we are open and willing to try new things. Turned out OK for that McGuyver guy. I also think this forum has a ton of valuable information about systems and teachers from a first hand perspective. So it's good stuff.

You could get a phone healing from Master Chunyi Lin at http://springforestqigong.com..... He's a wonderful healer, and has experience with spontaneous Qigong and also has experience rectifying deviations too. He might be busy though, if you want more personal and quicker access, you can try his most senior student at http://www.guidingqi.com/, Jim Nance. Same, he is a great healer and also knows a lot about spontaneous Qigong and teaches it.

Agree with you Chesire Cat.... You seem to be referring to quality of Qi flow, of energy. I think Mud-foot was referring to quality of form. And yes tactile sensations would probably rank quite low on your scale of quality, and mine too. By Qi-flow, I meant a real flow of Qi, something you might feel like a cascade when lowering your arms, holistically in your body. Something that will make your body sway and move if you relax your form and mind for just a moment, like a current of energy inside. That's the kind of Qigong that can make these claims, at least in my opinion... But there must be other good ways too, healing is a vast subject.

I think I understand where he's coming from... Qigong at its essence is not about forms, lineage, or how good you look in the park. The real payload of Qigong is "Qi flow". People have many energetic blockages inside them and by virtue of the word "energetic blockage", the main path to recovery is to generate a Qi flow gain. The Qi flow you generate will progressively soften the blockage until it loosens up and disappears. He's right in saying you can generate good Qi flow by butchering some forms. And it's also true you can perform a Qigong routine perfectly well, and for a long time and have no energetic sense whatsoever, little Qi flow. In that case you're doing it as gentle physical exercise, as many people do in the park in Asia.

From my experience with SFQ, I was told by Master Lin and Master Nance that their preferred way to remove energetic blockages is based on two key ingredients: Light, and an open Heart. Practically, you visualize yourself as a glass bottle, completely transparent, in the Light. Master Lin also uses the image of test tube for you scientists out there (thinks of Drew :)), but the thinking is the same. You are a transparent vessel, and placed in an ocean of Divine Light. The open heart part means resting in the recognition of the presence of the Divine, as opposed to doing something only on your own power. It means being sincere and praying to the Light to remove whatever blockage you need removed. And then trusting that process as it unfolds. When you do this, I was also told that it's better to focus only on the Light in front of you, and not on the body as in the Bruce Frantzis meditation. This is because there is a lot of ego involved in wanting to remove your blockages, it seems to make them more real in a way. So you visualize a bonfire of Divine Light in front of you, and trust that it will trickle to you, because you trust the workings of the Light. One elegant way to do this meditation is to pray to your preferred deity, for example Jesus and imagine his energetic body in front of you, completely transparent and radiating Light. If you use Jesus, you can use his words from the Bible "My yoke is easy, and my burden is Light" which holds the essence of this meditation. And then pray to the Light to remove whatever blockage and visualize his transparent body in front of you. This is how I was taught this meditation. Just a final note that you don't need to 'actively visualize' and keep feeding the meditation with imagery. If you say that Light is there, it will come to you, as long as you know its true. Whether you actually see light or not doesn't matter, if you need to see Light it will be shown to you. Hope this helps

Hey Guys, When you're not practicing cultivation and feeling generous, do you have any ideas which charities are good to donate too and have the most impact ? I remember Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh saying that in some countries, even buying a simple pill could save a child's life. Most charities are so opaque and you never know where the money is going, so if you could vouch for a few good ones in this thread, I would appreciate it. Certainly not bragging about it, but I recently donated to haitiwater.org. For $250 there they can create a chlorinator that cleans water and helps hundreds of people have access to clean water. That's like the gift that keeps giving, and I'm looking for charities that have similar impacts, ideally health related. Thanks, from Paris today Seb

I practice Spring Forest Qigong.... although I could interchange it with anything else that takes me back to the Divine. Recently my Master framed correct practice as being a leaf in the wind, as opposed to someone driving a Volkswagen and needing machinery, fuel, and some type of external mechanism to go forward. When you drift, you practice being guided by the Divine. When you drift, you practice being a beginner, open and willing to go anywhere. When you drive your Volkswagen, you practice accumulating things to get somewhere: like fuel (energies, blessings) or repetitions of movements & meditations, and you drive along your own limited spiritual perspective. And you try to go fast, often thinking you've got the Divine figured out. You are indeed an expert in that case, and there are fewer possibilities in your mind. The Divine has less room to maneuver in you, because if you are already perfect, what use do you have of the Divine ? So always stay a beginner. Some last thoughts from things I've learned from my Masters in recent months.... Setting up a practice pattern is a good thing for your body to sort of know what to expect. So I have a practice. Being attached to the brand of your practice isn't as helpful. Being attached to your spiritual perspective is deceiving, because everywhere you look all you see is your perspective. That's why profiling people based on energies can never be done. No expert mind can ever grasp the Divine fully. So always stay a beginner and establish a relationship to the true expert, which is the Divine nature in you.

I've learned a lot from my interactions here. Every exchange with my fellow bums was a learning experience, no matter good or bad. I found we're all students and teachers at the same time. When you learn from others, you act as a mirror to them and they might not like the reflection. Likewise maybe you choose to walk away from certain perspectives or energies. All this can make it seem like you are falling out with members but remember that every interaction was not random and a greater energy is at play. The DaoBums is like an interplay of collective energy seeking to enlighten itself. You should thank every player in this interplay, and remember that you might come full circle one day and get closer to the people you grew apart from. The truth is you've never moved from them, and that all perspectives dissolve into Oneness. No one can preach that his path to Truth is the only correct path. That is sure to alienate this person from others. There is no need to argue in the forums or prove others wrong. Only to learn from each other. Remember that when interfacing with Intelligence there are infinite possibilities, and only a few when using the intellect. That's why you can learn from everyone here, and everyone has their place. No one is lower than you and everyone here is your spiritual friend. So just follow your interactions, respect everyone as much as possible, and see where it leads you. Hopefully to a place of peace and acceptance of yourself and others. Of equanimity.

This leg crossing issue is real unfortunately. At the meridian level, it blocks the circulation of Qi along the bladder meridian if you do this at the knees. Substitute it with this This is how my own Master sit when they feel the need to cross. It's a little bit annoying at first, but you get used to it quickly. Hope this helps !

Yes, I enjoy the new movements a lot too. Especially connect to Heaven and Earth. I found the new system goes very deep. There is an entire science behind the addition of emotions. They subtly recondition you to see yourself as an energetic being. You will realize that whatever disturbance comes to you, you can shift your inner energetic arrangement into a posture of peace. You get used to shifting. You start asking what's real ? The story in your mind, or the posture of peace/happiness you just created ? You realize that you can subtly sculpt your energy into any way you wish. I mean you're already doing it with the movements, so why not try in daily life ? Then you need to drop the shifting altogether, and just watch as any external disturbance dissolves into that posture of peace. You're not doing it anymore, you've conditioned the energy. It's all prayer and the energy following your intent at that level. Each emotion will also strengthen your organs. Gratitude is especially useful because it strengthens the communication lines between organs, between the kidneys and the four organs. When there's any illness, you can be sure there's kidney energy not flowing correctly to an organ. You can even imagine being into the kidneys and sending love to the four organs. They will be grateful for it. Peace is the second most important emotion for the connections between organs. Imagine you are in the pancreas and sending peace to the other organs. Because the pancreas is the energetic switchboard of the body, as described by Master Chunyi Lin. Once the connections between organs are strong, the best exercise to actually strengthen them is Moving of Yin and Yang. The hands hover over the organs and slightly massage them along the front channel. After a while, the five Qi from the organs will gather to become Divine medicine. It's an entire system.

Of course I'm serious. My granddad used to be a zoo keeper. I can't believe that no one noticed that the Monkeys were giants too. I mean.... compare them to the wolves on the left and the man doing some Taichi... At least 15x their size. So I would to revise by saying they are Giant Monkey Spirits symbolizing Yin and Yang that ate the pineapple of immortality.

It symbolizes Yin and Yang. The monkey to the left, Yin, has a mostly sedentary lifestyle and a diet consisting primarily of bananas. The monkey to the right, Yang, has a mostly active lifestyle and a diet consisting primarily of apples. They are both levitating over the Mountains because they are Level 5 Mopai practionners. Also, there won't be a rooster this year, because it is in the belly of the Yin Monkey. Sorry folks !

Hey, Try this. Rub your hands until the palms get warm and then place them on top of your closed eyes, and let the heat enter. When the heat has settled, make circles with the eyes, still closed, 36 times clockwise and then 36 times counter clockwise. Personally I keep the eyes covered with the palms when I do this. Source: Master Chunyi Lin from Spring Forest Qigong Time Needed: Takes about 5 minutes a day. Investment is 0 too of course. Results: I used to have lower than average vision but always rejected seeing an eye doctor. I did this practice consistently for 2 months or so, and I've been tested as max vision in both eyes at last medical. In fact, I feel that my vision goes better than max, and I marvel at what I can see. It's really a great feeling. But again, I'm not the only one claiming results from this method, as there are many SFQ testimonials. You can also add the message: "vision is perfect in both eyes" at the end of your session. The only drawback of this technique is that it's a tad boring. Personally I miss lots of days now, sometimes weeks, but the vision still seems as good. Been over a year too, so it seems consistent. Trick is going it religiously for 100 days I would think. Thought I would share, because I'm grateful that someone showed me this. You can combine with any other techniques you find too. Cheers

What about skinny fat then ? Seems like the best of both worlds.

Strange comment about not reading his books because of his teeth.... His son said he was turning 99 this year and that he was still hiking one hour a day in Southern California daily, and this information is only a few months old. He also said he was blessed with good health in his advanced age. Personally, I'd place his books at the top of the reading list Amazing man and author.

Both are very legitimate. I met practitioners of Flying Phoenix at SFQ events. They were fantastic, very open people. I don't think you can go wrong with either, and I've heard only good things about Flying Phoenix. I'd say find the path that resonates with you most, and stick to it. Flying Phoenix has a very tangible lineage feel to its energy, and there are many many forms and meditations. In Spring Forest Qigong, there is not a lineage so to speak, we channel unconditional love and the universal energy. We work on ourselves from the bottom up as an energetic individual, there are no shortcuts so to speak. There are only a handful of movement forms, and it's heavy on visualization sometimes. I think both systems can take you so far beyond your expectations that you can just stick to the one you like best. Remember that the mindset that you approach the movements with is even more important, and transcends any system. It is who you are as a being, and what direction you are developing yourself that matters. In that sense, there is no difference between the two systems, they are brothers.

A Taoist Master once said : Remember that the best in Qigong is to use the simplest form to reach the formless. Why ? Because we are trying to make Qigong no different than our daily life activities . We don't need sophisticated tools to be natural. Can you be in the emptiness when walking slowly at sunrise ? When doing daily chores ? Spring Forest Qigong movements might be what you are looking for - they have no physical exertion whatsoever. From the moment you expand your arms for Breathing of the Universe, you are swimming in the emptiness. The SFQ level 1 movements are so stripped down and bare bones that you could say they are nothing. Yet they are something, because the Qi you feel is very real, your entire being feels renewed and refreshed. So to answer your thread, I'd vote for practicing the SFQ movements from YouTube and following along. SFQ Movements fit what you are looking for, here's what makes them special: 1) They were chosen by the Master to make you enter the emptiness immediately 2) Every movement is deceptively simple yet whole body balancing energetically 3) Every movement carries the Master's energy which strengthens their effect Because you're not practicing sophisticated meridian Qigong to enter the emptiness, you'll find that everyday life offers you more opportunities to get into a Qigong state. EDIT: If you don't want or are too tired to practice, I'd recommend just watching the videos. Your own energy body will respond. It's not quite as powerful as doing the movement yourself, but it can refresh you, try it out !

You could say that there are various "isms", each developed in the wake of different Masters treading the earth and spreading their Light. Additionally, each of these "isms" absorbed the local culture and color of the time, accounting for more differences. The essence of all religions, the Light, is the same. Religious Taoism or Folk Taoism is very different from Tao for example. You could say all roads lead to Tao, instead of Rome, if you're focusing on the essence of all the "isms".

I would say it's a medical qigong system, but not limited to that. There is no talk about alchemy, but you can do what you want with it. It can help you with laying a good foundation for more advanced alchemical work if you're into that kind of thing. If you're doing that much training, personally I wouldn't mix it. Not sure what you would be looking to gain. You will find that it gels well with other systems because every movement is whole body balancing - the Master recommends a 30 minutes buffer before and after for the body Qi's to stabilize when mixing with something else, for example Yoga or running. Taichi, he doesn't submit to the same rule and says you can mix freely. He actually recommends mixing with Taichi. He also does a few Yoga stretches daily himself. If you're looking for a similar medical qigong system that uses an alchemical neigong process then check out Yamu's stillness movement. At least this is from my limited understanding, I don't know much about alchemy. Hope this helps

Chunyi is a very simple man, with a kind heart. SFQ itself is an end-to-end medical healing system, but it benefits the user in many ways, from health to spiritual. Chunyi seldom discusses complicated neigong methods, and actually offers a very simplified Qigong method. He focuses on the essence of Qigong and growing as an individual. I've heard him refer to his Level 1 movements as highly advanced for healing. This may seem counter-intuitive seeing their simplicity, but sometimes difficulty lies in making complex things simple and effective. He designed every movement as whole-body balancing in particular, so they can be performed stand alone. This was to reach as many people as possible, because people are impaired in different ways. His method uses the mind a lot to affect the body constructively for healing purposes, and works with the sub-conscious and message healing a lot. If you study SFQ, you'll be messaging your body a lot, especially in the emptiness. The entire system relies on energetic transmission. He uses the term Master quite loosely compared to other Teachers. Basically you connect to your chosen Master via your MDT and then access greater energy to heal people. He uses a very unique method via sound and the Master's energy to run the MCO. There are countless testimonials of the healing benefits of SFQ, many seemingly miraculous. The man never stops healing people and offering his help and time to others, and he's been doing so for over 27 years. Basically, he's gained my complete trust and respect. His aura fills a room, and he's just a nice guy to be around. He'll spend as much time with older folks in his seminars than others, and makes no distinction between folks no matter where they are at spiritually. Spiritually, I think his energy can take you far, as a by-product of studying this system.

I think the easy answer to the thread title is yes, if it's natural, and no if you are indulging in something you like but with excess. Wu-wei, as I understand it, is doing nothing extra. Each of us has a pre-disposition to like and enjoy certain things. I think that's fine. Just notice when you went overboard doing something and adjust accordingly. Lifting weights, as I understand it in terms of body building, you need to push your muscles to their limit for them to break down and grow the next day right ? So I would look for that natural limit where you see gains the next day. Pushing them to their breaking point beyond what's sensible just to see how far you could go would be excess imho. Hope this helps