zen-bear

A Flying Phoenix Saturday: Yesterday, as a prolonged warm-up to my morning Tai Chi class because I had 3 beginners, i taught my standard warm-up conditioning sequence: (A) Qing Dynasty Imperial Exercises (learned from Master George Xu in the 80's), (B ) the 3 Yang style warm-ups taught on my 1989 Tai Chi for Health DVD (first 40 min.): (1) Wave Hands Like Clouds in bow stance, (2) The fluid, alternating Snake Creeps Down posture drill (3) The alternative Play Guitar/ Lifting Hands opening and closing pattern stepping 90-degrees each time. (C ) Inward circling in blow stance contouring the body (bagua exercise) (D) My favorite internal conditioning exercise that I learned from Master Bow Sim Mark (E) 3 Basic Flying Phoenix Standing Meditations: (1) Bending the Bows -- 12 rounds very slowly (2) Monk Gazing At Moon - 8 minutes (3) Monk Holding Peach - 10 min. Then the class proceeded with several rounds of William Chen's 60-posture Yang form. It ended 1/2 hour later than usual--at 2pm. After giving a private lesson in the late afternoon, I practiced for my own cultivation: (A) 2 rounds of the Long Form Standing Meditation (30 min.) -- which I recall "ridingtheox" in Arizona had discovered on his own that that was all he needed for daily empowerment of his ranching lifestyle. (B ) the first 4 short 90-second "Flash" meditations of Vol.5 (C ) One Advanced Monk Seves Wine Meditation from Vol.7 I am still feeling the cumulative sublime health and consciousness effects of yesterday's practice this morning upon awakening as a mild bliss...with the brain centers at the back of the skull and inside back "corners" lit up. I will be roughly the same amount of Basic FP Meditations each day this week. This is because, as I've stated a while ago on the thread, the FP healing energy cultivated by the Basic FP Meditations on the DVD series (vol. 1-5, and vol.7) is unique and distinct. No other Flying Phoenix level cultivates the same distinctly pristine type of energy nor imparts the same health benefits. Practice FP Qigong intensively and regularly so that you feel the continuity of its light healing energy from one day to the next to the next... Then, the blissful FP transformation will be more than just for a day or the time that you spend in practice. Sifu Terence Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Since "Fu_doggy" introduced me to thedaobums and asked me to join this FPCK forum way back in early 2010, I have from time to time poked around and read some of the other threads whose titles caught my attention but haven't had time to follow any of them to any great degree because of the time required to respond to questions posted on this one. (And I've started a couple of other threads--as public service warnings-- about my pet peeves and what I believe are obstacles to anyone's growth such as Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda and "Tai Chi and Zen Master" david dorian ross -- lofty titles and all.). Thanks for the compliment about my "consciousness." But as I stated quite early on in this thread, it's very, very easy for me to focus solely on the teaching and correct practice of Flying Phoenix Qigong because it is purely a healing art that cannot be re-purposed or perverted in any way for martial purposes. And martial arts prowess--from mundane to supernatural, as well as delusional-- is what the falsely proud like to bluster about. Also I'm older, starting my Act III in life, and it's all about teaching and leaving a real legacy, and I (hopefully) took care of all egotistical bluster and over-reactions during Acts I and II. (A lot of kung fu politics in Act II, actually--some of which I've shared on this thread when it was releveant or appropriate to keep the channel clear of distractors.) At any rate, I hope everyone survives this mercury retrograde and gets back to deeper absorption and greater spontaneous transmittal of the FP Qigong healing energy. Best to all, Sifu Terry Dunn

Mid-Mercury Retrograde cycle advice: 1. Repair all transportation and communications equipment--i.e., vehicles and phones. 2. Back up your computers. 3. Be alert to missed messages, miscommunications, and all kinds misunderstandings. 4. Do NOT enter into new ventures, start ambitious new creative projects, make major capital expenditures, or sign new contracts (until after merciury goes direct on Sept. 27) 5. Work on completing and perfecting old, long-standing projects. 6. Increase your daily FP qigong practice from 2 standing Meds. + 2 seated Meds to 3 standing meditations + 3 seated (MSW) meditations every day, rotating through all the Meditaitons taught in the DVD series (6 volumes). that will keep you very clear, stable and grounded as you watch everyone else pull their hair out over retrograde set-backs and "do-overs." Sifu Terence Dunn P.S. further to Suggestion #6: Each time I practice Flying Phoenix seated Qigong meditations, I now always practice 3 different seated "Monk Serves Wine" Meditations, each one done in full sets of 7 repetitions. I've been recommending doing 3 MSW's over the past year or so because I've found that doing so increases calmness, one-pointedness (ability to stop the world), and the syngertistic healing, energizing and rejuvenating effects of the practice to profound new levels. www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Calmness (meditation) and Wisdom are like a lamp and its light. -- The Platform Sutra by Hui Neng, 6th patriarch of Chan Buddism (Zen)

There's nothing like the experiential Grokking (I know that phrase is redundant) of this basic quality of Flying Phoenix Qigong. Enjoy and congrats, Frederic! Best, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello to all practitioners, Besides lying low, backing up computers, fixing vehicles, perfecting existing work and old dormant projects, being alert to missed messages and misunderstandings, abstaining form big capital purchases, and not signing new contracts for new ventures, mercury retrograde periods are ideal periods (through Sept. 27) for reviewing all the Forms and Qigong methods that you've ever learned. And while in meditative state, figure out how to roll-back your energies and shen with the retrograde cycle so that it shoots you out forward when the planet stations direct. You'll be amazed at your clarity and productivity--even during a retrograde period--after starting the day with two FP Monk Serves Wine meditations each morning, followed by two standing FP meditations from any volume. Reversion is the Action of the Tao. Enjoy it. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Earl Grey, Thanks for sharing your training experience at the 40 day mark and its effect on your dreams. Excellent that you're aiming to 100 or 108 days of FP Qigong. A lively dream life is a common side-effect of FP Qigong practice. If you've read the entire thread, you will have come across a series of postings when I described how Grandmaster Doo Wai in 1992 set up an evening of psychic exercises for all of us FPCK practitioners that resulted in most profound lucid dreaming capability for two of us. A. Continue with your FP Qigong practice and regard your dreaming as by-product. B. If you are actually going into the dreamstate while you are practicing FP Meditaiton, that is OK, but you should quickly bone up on methods of developing lucid dreaming--if you don't have that capability already, which is being aware that you are dreaming while you are having a dream, and most importantly having active control of yourself as the participant in the dream. C. Knowing that you woke up from a dream with the lucidity and connectedness of having practiced FP Qigong is an excellent by-product of FP Qigong practice. Don't consider it as having done your daily FP Qigong practice. Continue to do your daily FP practice. D. Practicing FP Qigong in your dreams--by programming yourself before you go to sleep to practice FP Qigong--is an advanced practice that you can try since you say you woke up feeling as if you had practiced a session of FP in your sleep. However, the superb feat to be achieved is to dream lucidly that you are practicing Flying Phoenix Qigong and actively choosing every FP exercise that you are practicing. Let us know if you're able to do that. Enjoy your practice and all its benefits. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

I feel my duty to add this postscript to my reply to Cihan's post above: P.S. Also, as I posted in Year One of this thread, I am always annoyed and irritated when I see the dilution of the meaning of the word "Qigong" in America and the west by "modern masters" who invent some cockamamy set of calisthenics interspersed with Indian yoga poses, set it all (at best) to the rudimentary coordination of movement-to-breath cycle described above, and call it "Qigong." Mere coordination of calisthenic movements to breath cycle is NOT the definition of Qigong. I've just come up with this standard or benchmark to add to the calibration of one's "WEIRD-SHIT-O-METER" to effectively test to see if any particular Qigong system is worth practicing: Any authentic Qigong system should impart at least the same health benefits as two year's worth of beginner's Tai Chi Form practice under a qualified instructor (or any other internal martial art such as Bagua, Xing-I, Liu he Ba Fa, or Tao Tan Pai, etc.). Qigong is the art of concentrative internal energy cultivation that can serves as the catalyst and accelerant of development in any Chinese internal martial art. As such, it should impart profound and transformative yogic benefits that are tangible, lasting, repeatable and verifiable. Any Qigong system worth practicing should be transformative. It should be twice as affective, twice as relaxing, twice as integrative, and twice as energizing as, let's say, Tai Chi Form practice. And if it the Qigong art in question is a medical Qigong system, such as Flying Phoenix, then its healing, energizing and rejuvenating effects should be repeatable and verifiable with regular practice. btw, feeling energy flow to the finger tips or rise up the spine to top of the head once or twice does not count--especially during one's 20's. On the other hand, for example, repeated and then permanent activation of specific brain centers through practice of Flying Phoenix seated Monk Serves Wine Meditations, is an authentic and admirable yogic development. Another traditional standard to calibrate in one's Wierd-Shit-O-Meter in order to sniff out Qigong quackery is determine whether a particular Qigong system is being taught to anyone without at least a beginner's level background in Chinese martial arts and thereby has correct stancework or "horses." If "Qigong"is being taught stand-alone to the unwashed masses and does not have a regimen that teaches and develops stancework, then chances are that it's downstream hokum. To add more perspective: A). How long does one normally train with a high-level Tai Chi master before one is taught the Tai Chi breathing rhythm--if at all? B.) The basic level of Tao Tan Pai Qigong teaches proper horse stances in the Tao Tan Pai 31 Exercises. What might be considered the "next" level in TTP, the Shen Exercises are all done horse stance. Advanced Tao Tan Pai Nei kung beyond the TTP-31 and the Shen Exercises cannot be taught unless one has become proficient in the 5 basic TTP Animal Kung Fu Forms (tiger, dragon, snake, crane, monkey).

Hi Cihan, Thank you for sharing your valuable corroborating experience learning over time that coordinating particular movements with inhalation and exhalation parts of the breath cycle is totally unnecessary and uncalled for in Flying Phoenix Qigong practice. In the moving Flying Phoenix meditations, you perform the movements as slowly as possible, approaching the goal of "moving at the speed of a shifting sand dune"--and breathe naturally as you do this. Indeed, if one tried to coordinate any of Vol.4's Long Form movements at that speed with one breath cycle, one would pass out from creating an oxygen deficit. I can empathize with your experienced difficulty in breaking old habitual breathing patterns of coordinating rising/lowering, expanding/contracting, gathering/releasing movements with inhalation/exhalation. I practiced both So. Shaolin 5 Animals Kung Fu with its internal system and Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung, which both generally coordinate movement with breath cycle in this manner for 15 years before learning FP Qigong and Bok Fu Pai Kung Fu, which completely undid my fixation to that pattern. (Tao Tan Pai's extremely powerful higher Nei Kung levels--described elsewhere in this thread--followed that pattern, so that pattern was deeply ingrained in me.) This is a good time to reiterate this vital aspect of FP Qigong practice for the benefit of the Flying Phoenix community: Other than moving as slowly as one can, approaching the "speed of a shifting sand dune," all the while breathing normally and naturally, Flying Phoenix Qigong has nothing to do with any type of movement-to-breath cycle coordination. Not only does FP Qigong have nothing to do with type of movement-breath coordination, but the advanced Tai Chi Chuan that GM William C.C. Chen teaches (in the Cheng Man Ching lineage) begins with the opposite of that particular movement-breath coordination described above. Carry on with no movement-breath coordination!! Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Charlie, Good advice for Qigong in general. But focussed awareness on breathing is not absolutely necessary for FP Qigong practice for the many reasons stated since start of the thread and the unique quality of the FP Qigong system as explained to me by Grandmaster Doo Wai: Each FP Qigong meditation will impart its health, energizing, rejuvenating benefits regardless of how you focus your mind so long as you hold the posture, do the breath control sequence and the movements (if there are movements) correctly. This remarkable aspect of Flying Phoenix Qigong is what sets it apart form every other Qigong method that I know about. The breath control sequence for each one of the FP Qigong meditations in the system imparts calmness and profound mind-body integration as all organ functions are brought under the regulation of the subconscious mind. This process develops a natural awareness of all bodily processes. Awareness comes naturally from calmness as does wisdom (per Hui Neng's essential Platform Sutra). One does not have to concentrate on being aware of the breath in order for calmness, expanded inner and outer awareness, and wisdom to arise--along with FP Qigong's full range of physiologicla health benefits. But there's nothing wrong with turning the mind towards breathing. I occasionally think of lower tan tien breathing when I practice FP Qigong. But it is not essential to this practice. In the stationary FP Meditations in DVD Volumes 1 and 2, I think more along the lines of the ancient teaching: Keeping Still. Keeping the back still until one no longer feels the body. What I mentally concentrate on is doing the movements of the meditations "at the speed of a shifting sand dune" and with perfect relaxation so that I no longer feel my body. Good practicing. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Frederic, Welcome to the Flying Phoenix community. Here's a tip that will enable you to gradually increase the duration of your practice of the basic standing FP Meditations such as Monk Gazing At Moon: do Bending the Bows on a regular basis and as much as you can. This cornerstone moving meditation imparts profound relaxation in all physiological functions, transforms muscular and nervous tension, relieves pain, and conditions the body to assume the FP Meditation postures with comfort. Practice of all the stationary FP Meditations will naturally be more relaxed and easier to prolong. Good luck with your practice. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Gendao, Thank you for making this point. In June 2008, right after dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda was released worldwide and in China, Chinese cultural leaders were actually asking each other: "How come no one in China came up with such a creative and innovative idea?" And "How could we let the Americans take China's national symbol, the panda, and one of its cultural treasures, martial arts, and turn it into American low-brow, slap-stick Jack Black humor?" There were plenty of Chinese foreheads banging on walls inside the Cultural Ministry in self-recrimination. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071103281.html Reading about such reactions to Kung fu Panda within China of course just added salt to the wound of Dreamworks theft in 2002 intellectual property theft (as I will allege in a forthcoming copyright infringement suit in federal court). *If you look closely at Timeline's May 29-June 2, 2002 cell linking to the Hollywood Reporter article and then review the monumental trial defense theory contained in Chris Kuser's March 15, 2011 signed Declaration with 27 attached documents, you will see how much money, energy, brain-power, and diabolical thinking Dreamworks spent in creating this totally bogus defense theory--all ordered buy Jeffrey Katzenberg (who said at trial "the buck stops here (with me)" and carried out by Dreamworks lawyers at Loeb & Loeb, which all unravels and stands as a brazen lie to hide its theft forever because its lynchpin, Michael Lachance, is seen lying transparently as the professed creator of the Kung fu Panda movie idea in his deposition videos. Lachance's performance as a bad liar in this whole sickening affair is at least entertaining. At any rate, 5 years after my first trial was derailed by a prejudiced trial judge and 3 years after my first appeal was quashed by what my lawyers and I content is public corruption in the California Court of Appeals, anger no longer clouds my will, and now it's steady dispassionate work on my part to get the entire story of Dreamworks' method of idea theft that I testified to at trial in 2011--which my lawyers and I believe includes witness tampering, fabrication fo evidence, and bribery of public officals-- out via news media, publishing, and the internet. Forthcoming is a book with titled (what else?): "The Theft of Kung Fu Panda". Also a series of national magazine articles by the two most respected journalists in America specializing in reporting on complex big business scandals (e.g., 2008 financial meltdown and a recent big pharma scandal) , and a new copyright infringement suit that I will be filing in the near future. Again, the whole story of my development of Zen-Bear, the Kung Fu Panda, and my communications with dramworks is contained on this Timeline exhibit that I recently updated: http://www.kungfupandalawsuit.com/Timeline_Hotspots_New.html (The governing website is currently being overhauled and updated and will be up in a week or two.) Thanks for your support, for seeing into the heart of this matter, and for sharing the truth far and wide. Terence Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

It's taken a long test of patience and faith over several years to get out from under the fall-out of this I.P. theft that took place in 2002 and to see the karmic cycle finally approach just resolution 14 years later. So 2 weeks ago, I uploaded to the web this enhanced Timeline Exhibit: http://www.kungfupandalawsuit.com/Timeline_Hotspots_New.html --especially with people working in news media and internet news. It's finally time to get the full story out through a forthcoming book, national magazine articles, and web news articles. The governing website for this Timeline exhibit, http://www.kungfupandalawsuit.com, is going a major overhaul and renovation from its 2012 version and will be up soon. Thanks for your support of Universal Justice--i.e., perfected justice. Best, Sifu Terence Dunn

Hi Jeff, That's a good question concerning the second MSW meditaiton on Volume 2 that I asked myself more than 20 years ago and also got an answer for by practicing: While there's no harm in going straight from the last position of the meditation (earth meditation) to the first position of the meditation (sky meditation) instead of first bringing both palms to the knees, in doing so, you may be depriving yourself of this one extra "reset" position in between each "activation" cycle of the meditation. Any complete meditation system will cultivate the focus of Yang (activation) and Yin (reset) and impart the experience of these two energetic phases. By skipping the in-between hands-on-knees position, you are decreasing the amount of downtime (reset) between each active flow of the meditation's movements. There is no harm in doing this, especially if you spend a lot of time (i.e., several minutes) in the earth meditation position at the end of every round. Let us know what happens as you continue to practice in this manner. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html.

Hi ZenYogi, Thank you for asking--and sorry for taking this long(!) to give you a reply. The 1.5 year delay in response gives you an indication of the level of pressure and oppressive fallout I've had to deal with after Dreamworks prevailed against me in my lawsuit against it for breach of contract in August 2011 and then was able to quash an almost bullet-proof appeal to get a new trial in Calif. Appeals Court in April 2013. My lawyers and I contend that my Petition for Retrial heard in April 2013 should have been granted immediately by default (because Dreamworks' written opposition had no counter-argument whatsoever for any of my grounds for a new trial citing 4 classes of "reversible error" (as defined by state law) that were blatantly committed by a prejudiced trial judge in instructing the jury), but instead was summarily denied with no legal reasoning whatsoever that rose above "because we say so." That said, one update is the uploading to the internet last week of this newly expanded informational Timeline that describes and documents my 16+ year development of my "Zen-Bear, the Kung Fu Panda" project starting in 1991, my in-person and telephonic communications with Dreamworks executives from Nov. 20, 2001 to April 12, 2002, and all the events leading up to the filing of my first lawsuit ag. Dreamworks Animation on June 1, 2010. http://www.kungfupandalawsuit.com/Timeline_Hotspots_New.html Please share this link far and wide. This Exhibit, where almost every dated event captioned in a vertical "cell" on the Timeline is also linked to corroborating documents, presents overwhelming evidence that Dreamworks did indeed steal all the story elements that I pitched to it over the 5 month period end April 12, 2002, and then published in the press in June of 2002 a very clumsy and sloppy defensive posture that it would contradict 9 years later with its "new" trial defense theory of "independent creation"--all resting on the shoulders of this transparently lying butterball known as Michael Lachance. This is kind of entertaining (in a sick way) if you simply look at the May 29-June 2002 cell on the Timeline, and then scroll to the far right and read the last 5 cells dated March 15, 2011 and later. Under the June 6, 2011 cell describing Michael Lachance's videotaped deposition, there are links to 7 of what I call his "greatest hits". All 15 video clips are available on this Youtube channel known as "Eat Your Panda": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC83iB8wGWMa8fgqWS8qFD-w The new TIMELINE is an in-depth reference exhibit for anyone, including law enforcement, to closely examine the anatomy of idea theft in Hollywood. Further details and all the implications of the information on this Timeline will be revealed in my forthcoming book as well, titled (what else), "The Theft of Kung Fu Panda," and in a series of book excerpts and web articles coming soon. Part 2 of my update: I can publicly announce at this time that I will soon be filing in federal court in Los Angeles a copyright infringement lawsuit against Dreamworks Animation over it's use of my story ideas that I had pitched to the studio on Nov. 20, 2001. Even though I lost a Round One litigation in 2011 alleging breach of implied contract, in which the jury voted 11-to-1 that an implied contract did existed betw. Dreamworks and myself (i.e. the jury believed I pitched what I said I had pitched) but voted 9-to-3 that Dreamworks did NOT use my ideas (an anomalous verdict that was totally rigged by an extremely prejudiced judge who committed 4 classes of reversible error in instructing the jury), for this case in federal court, I am alleging that Dreamworks copied my artworks, animation themes, and other creative expressions that I had created since 1992 and that were all transmitted to Dreamworks during the discovery phase of the first trial. This pending case is based on Dreamworks copying some of my "Zen-Bear Kung Fu Panda" art designs (all protected by registered copyrights) and story elements (beyond the contents of my pitch to the studio in Nov. 2001) and using them in their Kung Fu Panda 2 and KF Panda 3 movies, and also possibly in numerous ancillary products (merchandise). Whereas in the 2011 trial, the trial judge only instructed the jury to compare my pitch to the first KF Panda movie (released June 2008) and to determine whether their movie was substantially similar to the contents of my pitch. The homepage of the governing "kungfupandalawsuit.com" website is currently undergoing a massive overhaul, and will go online in about 1 or 2 weeks. Thanks to all for your support of Justice. Sifu Terence Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Earl Grey, You're not really confused at all. What you just stated as your understanding is quite sound: I interpret this to mean that I can continue to practice what I already learned and established as part of my daily regiment long before I began Flying Phoenix, as long as it is done separately during the day and not within the range of practice time during FP. Yes, just continue with your already established practice and do you Flying Phoenix practice in a discreetly separate practice session. If you've mastered another internal martial art or Qigong system, then you can practice FP Qigong or any other art and have the first at as a valuable frame of reference. What I've stated in past postings is that one should not learn another Qigong art at the same time that one is learning FP Qigong. Learn the FP Qigong system by itself if at all possible. What I'm expressing agreement with Cihan above is that one should not practice another Qigong system concurrently with FP Qigong if one wants to maximize the effects of FP Qigong and master each meditation and understand the synergies between each Meditation and eventually master the system. For the first 2 full years of training under GM Doo Wai, FP Qigong was the only Qigong that we practiced outside of kung fu forms.. Of course, his presence and higher level supervision accelerated the cultivation of the FP Healing energy. I hope this clarifies. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html.

Hi Cihan, Thank you for your input and your reflections on the greater benefits from regular FP Qigong practice without mixing in other practices combined with healthy sleep cycles. As I've stated throughout this thread, the FP Qigong Meditations are are synergistic and their health benefits are cumulative with regular practice. As I've stated many times, mixing in other meditative and Qigong practices will interrupt the synergism. Thus I have strongly recommended that people practice solely FP Qigong for one year to two years and complete the training int he Basic Level (Vols. 1 through 5 and Vol.7) before mixing in other practices. Because I have so many arts to preserve and perfect that are underneath the Bok Fu Pai banner/umbrella, I have to always discipline myself to make my FP Qigong practice "pure" and not interspersed with other Bok Fu Pai Family practices such as 10,000 Buddhas Meditations (54 Meditations, each with a breathing formula), and the Eight Sections of Energy Combined Kung Fu system. That is why you will notice from my postings that I usually do 3 or 4 standing FP Meditations and, whenever possible, combine that standing practice with at least 3 seated MSW meditations. If I practice seated FP Meditations separately from the standing, it iwll always be 3 or more meditations done one after another. The Long Form Seated Monk Serves Wine meditation (coming to DVD in about 9 mos. time) is directly related to and is a member of the immediate family of MSW meditations. The Red Lotus FP Qigong, even though it bears the Flying Phoenix name, is an art that is "cousin" to the basic FP Qigong that I teach on the DVD series. Even though I have proven to myself and medical clairvoyant Eric Isen has confirmed for "Joolian" and myself that Tao Tan Pai practice is highly compatible and has catalytic/accelerating effect on FP Qigong cultivation, the Tao Tan Pai art is best learned completely separately from FP Qigong. For best results, especially if one is time-constrained, each art should be learned/established independently of the other art. Again, thanks for sharing your process with us. Best regards, Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html.

Last Wednesday, this was the order of my practice in the late afternoon between "shifts" of work (after getting a normal good night's sleep the night before): 1. Wind Above the Clouds, 2. Wind Through Treetops, 3. Moonbeam Splashes on Water, 4. FPHHCM - Long Form Standing Med. (Vol.4) 5. Long Form seated Monk Serves Wine Meditation (coming soon via new DVD) 6. Red Lotus Flying Phoenix Seated No.1 (unpublished) 7. Advanced MSW with four movements (20 40 90 10) - 7 rounds. 8. 10 minutes Quiet Sitting. Total practice time: 1 hr. 25 min. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

A week ago Saturday (July 23) I proved to myself that FP Qigong practice cannot replace sleep by practicing one round the Long Form Standing Meditation (Vol.4) followed by 3 of the Advanced seated "Monk Serves Wine" Meditations after doing a powerful. My normal sleep cycle was cut in half to four hours--from going to bed extremely late after an inspired late night writing session and then being woken up by construction workers next door starting at 8 am. So not being able to resume sleep anywhere else in the house, I decided to go to my closest private meditation spot in the hills (about 10 min. away) and practice my most advanced Qigong. I then practiced these four FP Meditations: 1. FP Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation (Vol.4 Long Form Standing Meditatation) -- 9 min. 2. 80 70 50 20 - 2nd MSW meditation on Vol.7 (10 movements) 3. 70 50 20 10 - 3rd MSW meditation on Vol.7 (11 movements) 4. 60 70 40 10 - 4th MSW meditation on Vol. 7 5. 10 minutes of Quiet sitting Afterwards I felt mildly rested, very relaxed, alert, and quiet within, and quite energized in the brain, and mildly energized throughout the body, but not fully rejuvenated in the body. I was still very tired physically--and wanting of sleep. I then Instinctively practiced a full set of the Tao Tan Pai Five Dragons. the most advanced yoga in that system. After completing this yoga in 50 minutes, I felt energized throughout body and mind to the extent that it felt like I had just slept an additional two hours. I then followed that with one round of the TTP Snake Form, which seemed to further raise my energy level to a slight degree. I then completed a very full 10-hour day of work. I am most fortunate to have another completely different and complete Qigong system, Tao Tan Pai, to compare and contrast with Flying Phoenix. Both arts are profound. Both are vast. Both work through very, very different yogic mechanisms, or "alchemy" if you will. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

STRONG EAGLE MEDICINE--says my friend Patti Johnson. This is the very end of Advanced Flying Phoenix (Qigong) Meditation No. 9 (the last of the Advanced FP Qigong series) that I was inspired to practice last April alongside Lake McDonald in Glacier Natl. Park, Montana. I post it now because I just today discovered that at 40 seconds, a golden eagle streaks across the background sky and at 45 seconds, its wingman (or wingwoman) zooms into view. The American version of two flying phoenixes! Thanks to my good friend Patti Johnson of the Glacier Natl. Park Conservancy for shooting this for me! I just pinned this video to the top of my Facebook product page: https://www.facebook.com/Terry-Dunns-Tai-Chi-For-Health-236579434951/?fref=ts

Hi Phanman, One helpful aid, as Tao Stillness suggested, and which I have recommended to beginning students who do not or cannot take classes in stretching, yoga or martial arts, is to use a cushion thick enough to sit cross-legged or in half lotus position. The other more expedient remedy is to take martial arts training that incorporates a very systematic, scientific course of stretching the legs and entire body, like the one taught by my first kung fu teacher, Sifu Douglas Wong of White Lotus Kung Fu. Scientific stretching is almost a given if you study a northern style of kung fu. One of the best stretching regimen that I learned was when i studied with Madame Bow Sim Mark in Boston during my second year in graduate school. Also, after learning them in workshops that Master George Xu gave in SoCal in the 80's and during visits to his classes annually in San Francisco, I teach his warm-up exercises known as "Qing Dynasty Imperial Exercises" at the start of my Tai Chi classes and even some of my qigong classes. Start with a cushion. With seated FP Qigong meditations, it's fine to sit up against a wall or prop you back up with furniture. Then start a stretching regimen under good instruction. Good luck. Sifu Terry Dunn

Hello Frederic, Sorry for missing this first posting before answering your second. Welcome again to the FP Qigong community. As you've already seen, you'll find lots of friendly help and support here in FP Qigong practice . Here are answers to your first set of questions: The reading: Should I focus on a) drawing down the heavens (e.a.) leading up to flowing breeze sweeping willow? Page of Swords Flying Phoenix? Two of Cups c) Both in their own time (drawing down the heavens a few times a day, to nourish, dredge & circulate). The Universe There's no need to ask me that question as your 3 cards are self-explanatory and indicate auspicious results if you follow the 3 courses of action, including the qigong with the visualizations/invocations you've described. But since asked, I will give you this further interpretation of the 3 cards: Page of swords means an early beginner in martial arts (not a yet squire nor man-at-arms, not a knight): You can use "drawing down the heavens (e.a.) leading up to flowing breeze sweeping willow" as you please as a beginner's practice, but as I wrote in my first reply, it isn't necessary for Flying Phoenix practice. So keep it as a separate practice. Two of Cups – is a most accurate descriptor of the spiritual nature of the Flying Phoenix Healing energy. Labeled/defined as "Love" by Crowley-Regardie-Harris in their deck bearing Crowley's name: Healing is the most direct and easiest expression of compassion. Compassion for others is rooted in love for all mankind. Universe – is auspicious feedback to your intent to practice both "in their own time". There is a place in the Universe for both practices. Any ancient Yoga that is still with us today has proven its value through the ages. [• But I reserve judgement and am extremely scrutinizing of all modern methods of Qigong and hold them all to a high standard with a "show me" attitude from Missouri. As I've stated before on this thread, my opinion is that there is no such thing as "modern qigong", for most of what I've seen labeled "modern qigong" doesn't even qualify as qigong--let along works better than the ancient classical Chinese systems...unless, of course, such a modern qigong system has been recently created by a present-day yogic genius/avatar/sage. I am indeed falling in love with Flying Phoenix! GREAT THAT YOU'RE LOVING THE PRACTICE! ENJOY IT. For now I have memorized the first three basic seated meditations (the second can easily bring a very ecstatic feeling, the third a deep relaxation), and the first two standing. Over time I will add the other basic standing meditations first. I have about an hour each morning, and time really flies by when communing with the blue phoenix! Third question: Can flying phoenix take care of all the health benefits that I might gain from Tai Chi. I've done some basic level 37 tai chi a long time ago, and think of picking it up again, but ask if it might be as beneficial (for health & healing) to just focus on FP. I'm not sure what you mean by "take care of". I assume you mean "replicate" or "cover". In general, I can't answer that question because: (1) the benefits one derives from Flying Phoenix Qigong (i.e., from just using the DVD training) are reliable, verifiable, repeatable, demonstrable, while the benefit that a person derives from practicing Tai Chi is more than 50% a function of the extent of the Tai Chi teacher's knowledge and his/her willingness to teach all of it. But if one learns the complete art of Tai Chi Chuan from a high-level master and can manifest Tai Chi's universal healing energy, the way, for example, GM William C.C. Chen and several other senior students of Prof. Cheng Man Ching can, or the senior students of Ma Yu Liang can, then they have the same valence of healing energy as a master of FP Qigong has. But these are a very rare and small handful of "old school" Tai Chi Chuan masters who can share at will their "conductance" of a sublime-blissful universal healing energy with someone standing close by. (2) the very specific energizing benefits of FP Qigong go beyond the healing benefits of Tai Chi in that FP Qigong can empower one to become a natural healer. Tai Chi Chuan will support good health and longevity, but it does not cultivate a purely healing energy the way FP Qigong does because it is a martial art first and foremost, and its jing (energy issued from the sinews) is not a healing energy. Fourth question: In the description of the 5 basic standing meditations I read that the three dantian meditations build up the energy and the moving ones circulate it. Is there a reason bending the bows is done in between the upper (gazing) and middle dantian (peach) one, and not at the end of the three static standing meditations? When I teach the standing meds., I sometimes teach Monk Gazing At Moon, Monk Holding Peach, and then Monk Holding Pearl in that order; othertimes I will teach this order reserved. Or I will alternate a static FP meditation with a moving FP meditation. No, there is no particular yogic reason for the Bending the Bows meditation being done between the Monk Gazing At Moon and Monk Holding Peach meditations other than my preference to alternate between still and moving meditations. The order of the 5 Basic Standing FP Meditations on Vol.1 is not cast in stone. You can do them in any order you please. Your assumption is understandable given my brief description of how the 5 FP Standing Meditaitons work on the website and the DVD jacket. However, your assumption is not exactly correct. This explanation will help to clarify: • Each one of the FP Qigong meditations--standing and seated--ignites the distinctive FP Healing Energy and circulates it regardless of whether the exercise involves movement or not. • With regard to the moving FP meditations, I have described their energy-cultivation process as (a) the breath control sequence igniting the FP Healing Energy and ( the movements then circulating that energy. That is also precisely how GM Doo Wai explained the workings of the FP moving meditations to me. (and yes, this is one question that will quickly resolve itself through practice :-) ) Frederic, as for the "harshness" of my reply to your statement about "One of the great conceptual benefits of Reiki over Qigong", what i wrote was my honest and measured reaction to this proposition and your stated support for it ("emphasizing more on being a channel vs. building a reserve... , both of which I found to be preposterous. Just trying to follow what you were saying in that third question (post #3716) honestly made my head start to spin into a rabbit hole. So that prompted me to draw one tarot card to shed light onto what you were saying. 8 of Swords. Please don't take personal that previous reply or this reply. We're here for honest, open discourse to further our practice of worthwhile arts. The way I teach FP Qigong, which I consider to be sacred knowledge, is the way of martial Zen. So let the single sword, the Ace of Swords, highest intelligence, shatter the 7 other swords (Futility) and leave itself standing with few faint clouds to its left and a completely clear cloudless sky to its right. Best Regards Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello Frederic, Welcome to the FPCK discussion and I'm glad you're enjoying your exploraiton of Flying PHoenix Qigong with Volumes 1 and 2 of the DVD series. Here are answers to your questions. (Several of your questions are answered in depth in the early sections of this thread, but I will give these answers here again [in blue].) "Perfectly balanced cleaniness" -- that is an accurate (partial) description of the very pristine and unique Flying Phoenix Healing energy that we cultivate with this practice. The little I understand of Neigong or energetic development/alchemy is that, in most systems, it follows a clear line of development with a few milestones like, waking up the lower Dantian, feeling of heat, microcosmic orbit, macrocosmic orbit and the development and integration of the other Dantians. How does Flying Phoenix fit in with that? It doesn't. FP Qigong utilizes no visualizations whatsoever nor does it rely any type of yogic doctrine or theories, or on anyone's conceptualization of what Nei Kung is. FP Qigong is one of those rare arts that works-- in which you don't need to read anything or subscribe to any medical model or cosmology in order to derive maximum benefit from its practice. But since we all have human curiosity, it is natural to try to seek words to describe our experience or to corroborate it with others. After you become proficient in the FP Qigong, you can formulate and describe your experience in any terms that you want. But the long trend has been that once FP Qigong practitioners become proficient to the point of seeing a luminescent cobalt blue in their aura and in their internal environment with eyes closes, they are pretty much speechless in reverence to the sublimity of this art. Again: no conceptual framework is necessary to understand FP Qigong is and what it does. (As per the Nike commercial slogan, you JUST DO IT.) As you'll read further in this thread, all one needs to do is do the breath-control formula and assume the posture and do the movements in any particular FP Meditation. The mind does not need to focus on anything or visualize anything. As I wrote years back, I like to quote Taoist priest Kuan Sai Hung who said in "The Wandering Taoist" written by his student Deng Ming Dao (Mark Ong): "there are no meridians, there are no chakras....everything is Mind." IF you study acupuncture, you will be working plenty with principles of TCM. But those principles aren't necessary to make Flying PHoenix Qigong effective. Over the past 3 years, I've been teaching accredited courses in Tai Chi, FP Qigong and Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung at the best acupuncture college in California and the No.2 college in the country (by evaluation of 66 peer colleges). In the FP Qigong course, I don't teach any TCM or acupuncture theory whatsoever. In the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung course, however, I do teach Five Element Theory, Ying Yang Theory, the concept of Shen-Qi and Qing-Qi, "law of noonday/midnight", etc. ...because those principles are utilized not so much in the practice of the TTP Nei Kung, but in the manner by which we diagnose disease and apply the TTP-cultivated energy to heal with acupressure. [*btw, for those who have worked a good amount with the DVD series and want corrections and further refinement: I offer online private tutorials in both Flying Phoenix Qigong and the (Basic) Tao Tan Pai 31 Nei Kung exercises.] Second question: I've read that silent meditation is a great addition to Flying Phoenix, because of my other practices my meditation is either -just sitting- or meditation on the lower dantian (hara), is that alright? Yes, that is correct. Quiet sitting nicely complements the seated FP Qigong meditations collectively known as "Monk Serves Wine" and the FP Qigong system as a whole. Just as correct is the fact that FP Qigong will facilitate the increase and deepening of the absorption-jhana (concentrative level) attained in any sitting meditation practice. More about this profound effect is contained in my forthcoming book on FP Meditation. One of the great conceptual benefits of Reiki over Qigong is that the emphasis is on becoming a better channel instead of building a greater reserve (think the Magician Tarot card ;-) ) but this might just be a conceptual difference. Excuse me, but WTF are you talking about?? LOL. A "conceptual benefit" is not a benefit--because it exists in your belief system and does not exist in reality. Your idea of "one of the great conceptual benefits of Reiki over Qigong"--implying that there are others(!)-- is a ridiculous figment of either yours or someone else's imagination because the reasoning behind it that you've stated in the same sentence is grossly incorrect and absurd hogwash: "Becoming a channel" and "building a reserve (of healing energy)" are NOT mutually exclusive as you have erroneously assumed for Qigong in general. In fact, as you will experience as you continue your FP Qigong practice: Perfecting mind-body integration and thus "becoming a channel" while simultanously "building a reserve" is EXACTLY what the Flying Phoenix cultivation effects. No FP Practitioner can cultivate the super-abundance of the FP healing energy that I've described over the past 7 years on this thread unless his/her practice has channeled into that "trunk" of macrocosmic energy. "Channelling" and "building a reserve" are absolutely interdependent as far as FP Qigong cultivation is concerned. That is why "Fei Feng San Gung" ("Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditations") is a spiritual art, as reflected in its name. Yes, "becoming a channel" vs. "building a reserve" is a conceptual difference--one that I hope continuing FP Qigong practice will quickly erase for you. I just now turned this tarot card (Crowley deck) to let the angels help end your confusion and the over-infatuation with Reiki that is leading you to perverse views: 8 of Swords, Interference. I wish you great success in your FP Qigong practice. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello Shiva33, Welcome to the FPCK community. And thanks for answering Phanman's questions correctly by citing the DVD instruction. One minor thing that you got wrong is to assume that one keeps the tongue on roof of the mouth on the third breath when exhaling through the mouth. On the third breath taken to end any FP Meditation, you exhale through the mouth with the tongue flat. Enjoy the practice and we'll look forward to your progress reports and questios. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn

Hello Phanman, Sorry to take so long to answer your post. But it was a rough last week. (Worldwide as well and up through today, sadly). I'm glad to hear that you are discovering the wonderful energizing and healing power of Flying Phoenix Qigong. im having some trouble with some of the methods, for example in volume one and volume two, can i practise all five in one go? Yes, you can practice all the 5 standing meditationson Vol.1 and all the 6 seated meditations on Vol.2 in one session. All the meditations are synergistic with one another. So after a while, you can change the order of practice and mix them as you pleasel. But in the end, one needs to practice all of them to the same thorough extent and feel that one has become fuly "saturated" with each Meditations energization. If i do that, after lets say the first exercise do i have to do the three breathes ending it and then do the three breathes to start again? And then continue to the second exercise. Yes, for every FP Qigong meditation, you start it with 3 deep breaths and end it with 3 deep breaths. Then you start the next exercises with 3 full breathes, etc. Thirdly, about the breathe % when you say inhale fully does that mean inhale for 10seconds and exhale 60% means exhale for 6seconds? From there you say to inhale to your lungs and exhale fully , so we dont inhale to our danien and expand contract only inhale to our lungs (no diaghraphm breathing) do we do that fast or slow becuase i seem to run out of breathe holding my breathe in when i try to inhale for ten seconds.... You can estimate the percentage exhalations in the FP Qigong breath-control formulas according to time by timing you fullest breath cycles and then partitioning them into tenths. As per earlier postings I made on this thread (you should review the entire thread over time), Sifu Garry Hearfield and I separately came up with the same method of estimating the breath percentages: by mentally counting "one potato, two potato, three potato, four potato--for a 40% exhalation, for example. Lastly when breathing (either standing or sitting) do i do normal breathing or reverse breathing and also do i focus on my dantien while breathing or focus on my laogong or yongquan points when inhale/exhale. NO, do NOT do reverse breathing when you start FP Qigong. Just do simple and natural natal breathing. You also DO NOT NEED TO FOCUS ON ANY POINT in the body or any mental imagery during FP Qigong meditation according to any particular yogic tradition--the Hindoo 7 chakara system or any Taoist maps of the internal alchemy. NO VISUALIZATIONS ARE NECESSARY WHATSOEVER. JUST DO ASSUME THE POSTURE, DO THE BREATHING FORMULA AND THEN HOLD THE POSTURE OR DO THE MOVEMENTS ACCURATELY. I also have been feeling a heat in my belly throughout the day at random times of the day, is this normal? Did the heat in the belly come into your awareness right when you started FP Qigong practice? --and has continued with FP practice? Also have you practiced any other Qigong system or meditation before? If yes, the FP Qigong may be catalyzing and activating the effects of those past practices. If not, then the heat might be from the FP Qigong directly. It should not be an uncomfortable sensation. If it is, then something else is going on. And does one have to stop having sex while practising these qigong? NO. As I relayed in earlier posts during the first year of this thread, you do not have to adjust your sexual activity in any way when practicing FP Qigong. the FP Qigong practice will naturally enable you to subconsciously regulate your habits including sex life in a healthful manner. I'll repeat again here that GM Doo Wai said that we could continue as usual--which I interpreted as us being able to knock ourselves out in that department. *thanks to Shiva33 above who answered most of your questions correctly. The one thing he said that is not correct is that on the third breath at the end any FP Qigong meditation: you exhale through the mouth with the tongue flat and not touching the mouth. (Shiva33 took my instructions on the DVD too literally and extrapolated it incorrectly on that detail.) Hope this answers all your questions, PM! Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html