Julia Cobbett

Hello, I’d like to introduce myself and get some advice. I am 27 years old, healthy American woman, fairly new to Qigong and Taoism though not to meditation which I have been practicing for about 12 years from the Thai Theravada Buddhist school of thought. For the past few months I have been doing Qigong exercises daily using Lee Holden’s DVD’s. Having experienced some benefits (more energy, physical health and well-being) I would like to improve and deepen my practice. I am interested in increasing my chi for vitality as well as develop my inner powers and grow spiritually. I am not interested in exoteric fighting martial arts forms. I am mostly interested in moving Qigong/Neigong spiritual practices as am already doing Theravada Buddhist sitting meditation practices (anapanasatti & vipassana). I would like to explore a more traditional Qigong/Neigong lineage and would like some advice as to where to begin. I live in the Austin, Texas area. Thanks. p.s. I would also appreciate a good basic reading list on Taoism, Qigong and Neigong for a beginner that is easy to understand. -Julia

I’m not sure what you are talking about, but Good Morning to you too! -Julia

Good to know. Yes, relaxation is indeed the key to many things. It took me many years just practicing that before I could access deeper states of meditation. Many thanks. 🙏 -Julia

No apologies necessary. You have given me much food for thought. I will take your advice to heart and start applying it to the best of my ability. Live long and prosper, -Julia

You have spoken Wisdom. Very good analogy with graphs to explain. Thank you Starjumper! 😍👍👍 -Julia

You sound like an advanced practitioner who can connect directly with deities and higher energies. I am happy you and others are here to explain some things to us newbies. Please excuse my neophyte ignorance. -Julia

Thanks. I received my moving form correspondence course in the mail yesterday and started practicing Pangu Shengong last night for the first time after watching the DVD. I did feel the Energy strongly as it accumulated and circulated in me and I slept like a baby afterwards. It’s quite marvelous actually considering it’s simplicity. -Julia

Yes, I think that I have been using stepping stones, which is fine for a beginner like myself. Direct access to deities or higher energies without mantras/passwords I’m sure is possible but it’s more advanced and one probably has to build up to that level, preferably with a good mentor to guide one. I’m working on that! 😁 -Julia

Lee Holden was a good intro for me to Qi Gong, but you are right that it was kindergarten level, which was perfect at the time I started because I knew very little as a beginner. Now that I have gotten my feet wet i’ve been looking into deeper and more powerful methods. I’m not going to comment on the money grubbing or self-promotion you state about him since I do not know him personally. His DVD’s were easy to understand and reasonably priced so it was a good start. But we all have to grow up sometime, and I think it’s time for me to do so also as far as my practice of Qi Gong. 😜 I am grateful to him for getting me started. -Julia

The person I was 12 years ago before practicing Buddhist meditation seems very different than who I am now. For one thing anapanna satti (breath watching meditation) and vipassana (observing the sensations in the mind-body as a witness) has helped me develop concentration and the ability to focus fully on any task I am doing with mindfulness rather than being scattered-minded as I was in the past. That in itself is very useful in life. I also feel more loving and compassionate due to the practice of Metta (Loving-kindness) meditation and I sleep better. I am more relaxed. Certain insights about the meaning of life have dawned on me through my practice. I am still practicing, one day at a time. The position I normally meditate in? Well it’s usually the half-lotus (sidhasana) and when I’m feeling really enthusiastic then it’s the full lotus (padmasana) position. I find that I get my best meditation experiences in these two positions. As to why some students get it or not, I have no idea. If I ventured to guess, I’d say their personal karma comes into play and how much merit they have accumulated in the past as well as the development of their morality/ethics. Theravada Buddhism teaches that all these things are a necessary foundation for meditation and students will often engage in charitable acts to build merit as well as try to live an ethical lifestyle according to the eightfold path taught by the Buddha. -Julia

Thank you. I already am sensitive and feel the movements of chi. It would be more accurate then to say that I’m interested in developing chi power, but doing so using moving forms (not standing still or sitting practices). I already get a lot from my Buddhist sitting practices, but you are right in that they are not focused on developing chi power. For me the Buddhist sitting practices have developed concentration, mindfulness, sensitivity, compassion and insight. That is why I am looking into Taoist methods for developing chi power as that is mostly lacking in the Buddhist methods I am familiar with. -Julia

Can you explain to me the difference between developing chi and developing chi power? Thanks!

Thank you Earl. Flying Phoenix Qigong sounds wonderful. Can you tell me a bit about the background of the founder of this tradition? Also, can one learn it through DVD’s and where can I purchase them? What have you personally received from utilizing this method? -Julia

I agree that an open heart is very helpful to attune to a deity but if that were the only element that is important then we wouldn’t have the tradition of mantra yoga in all the major traditions of spirituality and religion including Buddhism, Hinduism (Santana Dharma), Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism and even in several sects of religious and spiritual Taoism. These mantras (or “password phrases”) have been designed and transmitted by the deity to open up a pathway of communication and reception of said deity’s energies. They serve like a telephone number to the deity. A mantra is nothing more than the essence of a deity translated into words. In Hindu Tantra it is rightfully stated that the deity and its mantra are one. -Julia

There are several differences between Winn’s method and that of Master Wei as far as I have been told by other Pangu Shengong practitioners. Pangu Shengong was transmitted/channeled to Master Wei according to his own account by Pangu himself who transmits Yuan Qi to formal students. Without transmission you are working at a significant disadvantage. It would be like someone trying to do Reiki healing without a traditional Reiki initiation. Yes I believe my friend and others I have spoken to. The password phrases help to activate the energy. So yes, they are necessary. Otherwise he would not teach them. So are the sun/moon visualizations that are taught with the method, but which Winn omits entirely and infact says are not necessary, which totally contradicts the founder’s own teachings. As an example in Tibetan Buddhism there are the “empowerments” (in Pangu Shengong the Yuan Qi transmission) to do a Tantric practice, along with a Mantra (in Pangu Shengong the “password phrases”) to invoke/attune to a deity, along with visualizations (in both traditions) to receive the purifying Light of the deity, and hand mudras, hand movements or body positions to create a pathway for the chi and anchor the energy in the practitioner. To do only the hand mudras/movements for a Buddhist Tantric deity and claim that you are practicing a Buddhist Tantric sadhana of a deity would be a half-truth in that your practice is missing many other necessary elements. If someone is getting something of value from Winn’s method, then good for them. But it would be intellectually dishonest to call Winn’s method “Pangu Shengong” because it is missing several important pieces. And I do think they would be getting much more if they followed the complete package. -Julia

Good to hear you are getting something out of it. -Julia

I’m not sure what you are asserting Limahong. This is a discussion forum, is it not? -Julia

Thanks. 👍 Yes, I’ve watched that video in the past. I’m familiar with the movements but I’ve also been told by my friend who is a Pan Gu Shengong student that Michael Winn’s version in this video is not accurate because it is missing the following elements: 1. The energetic transmission given by Master Ou Wen Wei when one is formally accepted as a student. 2. The password phrases used to invoke the energy. 3. The visualization of the sun and moon spinning and combining while doing the movements. 4. Standing quietly with palms up for several minutes in the beginning to receive gong. So Michael Winn just teaches the hand movements alone, and what he teaches is incomplete. I would rather get it from the source and have sent an application to be accepted as a student. -Julia

Yes, you are right Limahong! 🙏 A friend has suggested Pangu Shengong which looks promising. I plan on checking it out though I’m not sure if the founding teacher of this method, Ou Wen, has a prior traditional lineage or if he studied with other teachers before creating his own method which was received from a deity named Pangu. But I am told that the results speak for themselves and it’s a very powerful exercise for chi increase and spiritual growth. Just what I’m looking for. The other suggestions here by experienced members also give me much food for thought and I plan to research them further. -Julia

All excellent suggestions. Thanks! 🙏