zen-bear

I'm re-posting my answers here to questions that I answered from another Taobums member who asked the questions through a P.M. because they are basic features of the Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Chi Meditation System: 1. There is no problem with mixing the practice of FP Qigong with other forms of qigong or meditation. Flying PHoenix --as presented on Volumes 1 thru 7 of my Chi Kung for Health DVD series, is very benign and very safe. As I stated above to Foo Dog, it is self-regulating and it is not possible to accidentally create an excess of FP energy or an imbalance of energies---that is, unless the practitioner does something REALLY, REALLY stupid and contra-indicated like making up his own breath control sequences and they happen to be harmful--or NOT doing the three preliminary breathes or the three terminating breathes. ***The one safeguard ever FP practitioner needs to observe is to practice in a quiet and totally secluded space where there is no danger of any person or thing running into you or disturbing you with loud noise while you're in the FP Qigong posture(s). this is because the FPCHCM system so sensitizes the integrated mind-body that if someone does get hit or even if a sudden loud noise interrrupts--that could damage your internal energy on a very deep level.*** 2. As stated in earlier posts, the FPCHCM system is a medical/healing qigong system that was the first internal system taht GM Doo Wai taught us starting in 1991 at the same time that he started teaching me and my classmates Bok Fu Pai forms fighting techniques. It is a "back-up" system for self-healing and a great starter system to learn how to heal others or to empower whatever energy-healing art one already has under his belt. FP is also the foundation or introduction (at least for us) to the other internal systems of the Bok Fu Pai system. 3. Another quality of the FP system is that one does NOT have to abstain in anyway from sexual activity. this is something GM Doo Wai clearly told me in the beginning in 1991m because other systems that I had studied, such as Tao Tan Pai, require periods of strict celibacy when certain advanced yogas were being practiced/established. The qigong process behind FP and other Bok Fu Pai systems, which I call "alchemy" does not transmute sexual energy in the same way as Tao Tan Pai OR the Taoist Yoga system that Charles Luk writes about in his books. While we were practicing both basic standing and seated FP meditations (seated ones collectively called "Monk Serves Wine") in the early years, and then with the other more advanced martial qigong systems in later years, GM Doo Wai basically and jocularly told us to "knock ourselves out" when it came to sexual activity--because all the stuff in our training--including cooking with Chinese herbs (we made a training porridge or "jook" (IN Cantonese) constantly during our training) and ingesting of powerful herbs via alchohol tinctures and honey-based pills) kept that sexual component replenished and in balance. Personally, because I observe moderation and went through long periods without sexual activity in the 1990's, GMDW actually encouraged me to go "get busy"--for sexual activity is important to exercising one's totality of energy, obviously. Throughout those 6 years, we were all elated that the Bok Fu Pai's "set theory" and actual practice regarding sexual activity was: "No problem whatsoever" . And the way that GM Doo Wai emphasized the point to us from the very get-go, established a school-wide attitude that there was never any fear--or subscription to the belief-- that sexual activity during the course of Bok Fu Pai internal training would have the least bit detrimental effect. So my general advice to any concerned about sexual activity while doing Flying Phoenix Qigong, which I'm sure you'll all be glad to here is: NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!! NOTE: This, of course, applies only to Flying Phoenix and other Bai Fu Pai internal practices. Not to any other internal arts outside of Bai Fu Pai. ***Sifu Hearfield, what's your take on this matter?*** Peace and Love, Sifu Terry Dunn

Dear Foo Dog, aka Fu Dog: I'm glad to hear you are following thee old Nike slogan/advice to "just do it"--and are getting good results. From what you've written, all the signs are that you are practicing correctly. You've experienced the fact that the FP meditations have cumulative energy effects. a tangible reserve will build with daily practice of even just 10 minutes per session. Of course, more is better. (In the beginning years, I did the FP for 60 to 120 minutes per day. then when I teach occasional workshops, I'm teaching all the exercises on Vols. 1 thru 7 and the Long Form Standing on Vol. 4 six hours a day in three 2-hour sessions. So I actually get to enjoy more practice when i teach. Just sharing my experience). With regards to the involuntary vibraatory motion and swaying of the upper body, head and neck areas caused by the seated FP meditations: JUST RELAX AND LET THE ENERGY MOVE YOU NATURALLY. YIELD TO IT FOR IT IS A SMOOTH AND SUBLIME HEALING ENERGY. and the energy will move your body naturally if you relax. The vibratory effects of the FP energy will ALWAYS subside eventually. FACT: One cannot cultivate too much of this FP Healing Chi--or "OD" on it. You will find that even with continuously strong vibratory/swaying effects that causes your upper body to displace from verticle by more than a foot in any direction, that involuntary movements will ALWAYS eventually subside. And when it does subside, you will have attained a slightly more relaxed state than ever before, and will have integrated more of the FP energy. With more practice, you become more comfortable with the FP energy. That's the wonderful thing about the FP system: follow the instructions and it works safely; it is totally self-regulating and cannot cause an excess or imbalance of energies. But you also don't have to go through each meditation so long that the vibratory effects of the energy subsides. You can stop at any time by taking the 3 deep breathes and counting yourself out. have fun--but make sure you do each meditation correctly. (if you ever do a breath control sequence wrong, take 3 breathes to count yourself out, then start all over again.) Sifu Terry Dunn

Hi Lloyd, I want to thank you again for starting this discussion thread on Taobums, for it has gotten me to share some info with the Forum that's appropriate to put out at this time, and it has also put me in touch with another instructor who has learned from GM Doo Wai, namely Sifu Garry Hearfield in Australia. We've been comparing notes and this wouldn't have been possible had you not enthusiastically started this thread. Thanks again. I hope you're getting deeper into the FP practice and that it's turning out to be more delightful and profound than you first expected. It's an art that has surprising benefits. Feel free to write in should you have further questions. I have another favor to ask. whenever you have the time, would be so kind as to write a review/critique (similar to what you said to start this discussion) of any of the Chi Kung For Health DVD's and submit it to amazon.com? There are presently 11 nice reviews for Vol. 1 and about 7 for Vol. 2 and any additional comments by you would help spread the gospel according to the Flying PHoenix! here's the link to the reviews of CKFH Vol. 1: http://www.amazon.com/Chi-Kung-Health-Gong-Meditations/product-reviews/B0008EN6L8/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 Thanks so very much! Terry Dunn

Hello mkim680, You're welcome. I'm glad you delving into this sublime and powerful system. Answer: Yes you can do the seated meditations first or even exclusively, although for best results, both standing and seated exercises should be done. Tip: in Volume One, The Basic Standing Exercises, "Monk Holding Pearl" (hands at the tan tien) with breath control sequence 50 40 30 20 10 can be done in any position: standing, seated, supine (lying one one's back). When I was working at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for the head of the dept. of cardio thoracic surgery, I taught his acute-care post-operative patients "Monk Holding Pearl" lying done and the basic seated med's of Vol. 2 because none of the recovering patients could get on their feet after having their chests re-plumbed. So to answer again: Yes, you can do the seated first. With regular practice of the seated med's (in sets of 7) you will eventually feel pronounced energy effects in the upper body, head/neck region--of the likes you've never experience before. Feel free to check back with me with more questions as they arise. Enjoy your practice! Sifu Dunn

Bakuakid, The Chi Kung For Health (Flying Phoenix) DVD's are all top-quality in terms of image resolution. The programs were shot on DVcam and mastered to digibeta. Then to DLT's, glass masters and finally on to DVD's. Any DVD of CKFH series that's blurry is either a faulty disc or an illegal knock-off. If you came across an old VHS copy tha's blurry, that's probably due to degradation of the tape. I think we stopped selling VHS copies of CKFH I think back in 2001.

Hi Zara, Yes the latter section of the TC Ruler book has the corrected version given by Master Share K. Lew. But the video only contains the first version that we were all doing unwittingly for 10+ years in the 80's, which is a "broken" tradition. Still, as far as martial exercises go, the video version is still a good practice. It's just not totally correct. Bottom line answer: You can skip teh video and just use the wooden TC ruler with the book. Regards, Sifu Terry Dunn

Hi Jinjujitsu, My answers are below in bold: **Thanks for the compliment. You're welcome. Good luck in your practice.** Sifu Terry Dunn

Hello Fachao, Best of luck in your search to find a teacher near you. As the I Ching says, "Perseverance furthers." the same advice in Christian terms gives you the A-B-C's of manifesting what you need: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" --Matthew 7:7. --But you when it comes to finding a source of Truth in the Chinese martial and yogic arts, you have knock HARD to get the Universe to send you a good teacher. Best, Sifu Terry Dunn

Hi Sifu Garry, Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I was out of town for a week on business and just got back. I understand why GMDW had you practice his Burning Palm system exclusively...and mixing it with practice of other BFP material. It also makes perfect sense since your background is in a different system and you probably learned some internal from your Yau Kung Mun master and other teachers. But to answer your question: No, because GMDW taught us in person during those years and we were seeing him every week, he did not tell us not to practice more than one BFP internal method at the same time. The fact was that I was learning and practicing four of his systems at same time, after I had learned them in this sequence: 1. Basic BFP kung-fu drills and forms and Flying Phoenix HHCM (for about 6-9 months). 2. then added to the BFP forms and FP was the Eight Sections Combined. 3. then added to these 3 systems was the 54-exercise internal system that he called Wan-Fuo (10,000 Buddhas) Meditations, which are for both health and martial. 4. Once 3 of us started the second phase, Eight Sections Combined, GMDW also taught us one of his D.M. arts. 5. From the very start of training til the very last day, GMDW was demonstrating and teaching his high level healing methods, with herbs, jiao, and energy on all of us, our family members and a few select friends. So to answer your question, I was practicing 3 and 4 of the BFP systems at the same time. But as told you in my PM account of the "misfire" accident, that happened precisely because we were practicing both very powerful martial and healing qigong systems at the same time. But GMDW was present so that he could immediate fix us and correct the conditions whenever the energies got "crossed." But if I were to teach what I know of the BFP system, I would not teach both martial and healing internal arts at the same time because I honestly don't have the skill of GMDW in "fixing" energy accidents. I would teach the healing system (FP) first for 1-3 years at least, depending on the background of the student. Once that Flying Phoenix foundation was laid along with Forms and fighting techniques, then I would teach the "martial qigong/hei gung." All the best, Terry P.S. I'll disclose these training experiences pertaining to your question in this public forum as a further testimonial to GMDW's high mastery and vast knowledge: •I recall that there were a few exercises in the powerful Wan-Fuo system where each of us (3) had to do the exercise alone while the others watched--i.e., only one person could do that exercise in the room at the same time because otherwise there would be mixing of personal energies that would make everyone sick. •When 3 of us were learning the 8 Sections Combined, each time we practiced the martial application of the energy, we would regularly get energy sickness (not every time, but pretty frequently). It was absolutely no fun. But it was all part of the training--for the GM also taught us how to take the sickening energy off of ourselves. It was just like getting hit hard and physically beat-up and bruised in sparring with the GM and then learning to take healing measures using dit da jiao. **One time, he had the 3 of us (in turn and alone) repeat a certain martial movement a certain way until each of us had given ourselves a really nasty energy sickness. Then he taught us how to take that energy off the body. GMDW's high mastery of so many BFP internal arts was just staggering. And he loved them so much. I can tell you some more experiences later on via PM.

Hello Fachao, You are very welcome. I enjoy giving advice in response to serious practitioners. Since you are not learning Qigong directly from a teacher, I would strongly advise that you try to find a live teacher. I know you're in Europe and there's few teachers...but that is the best way to proceed. As I've posted before, Qigong is a the traditionally secret, esoteric engine that empowers Chinese martial and healing arts to supernormal levels that is normally slowly meted out towards the end of a student's training. Besides the systems that I have learned, most Qigong systems that been exposed to by fellow teachers (by comparing notes and exchanging demo's with them) are high yogas that are taught to students as the capstone to their training. I think that Sifu Garry Hearfield would agree. He didn't come to be accepted by my teacher (of FP and other internal systems), GM Doo Wai, until he had shown him his mastery of Yau Kung Mun Kung-fu. What is published in books and videos are very basic introductions to Qigong. The Flying Phoenix is an exception because my teacher, GMDW, authorized me to disclose the breathing sequences for each exercise. (there are two secrets to Chinese martial and qigong arts: breathing and footwork (stance)). Without the breathing techniques, the FP would be like most other qigong systems that have been published. There are very few complete Qigong systems that impart much benefit if practiced out of the context of martial or healing art. My experience over the last 30 yrs. has shown me that practicing Qigong before the Kung-fu never leads to wholesome results. It creates imbalance and delusion on many levels. If one isn't practicing kung-fu, teaching it, or doing holistic healing work, the energy cultivated by qigong practice isn't being channeled into the most natural applications--i.e., it has nowhere to go. With some Qigong systems, after they are mastered, the effects of their practice automatically "kicks in" when one practices martial art or does healing. One is self-renewed just by teaching or healing--without the actual practice of the original Qigong exercises. But this comes after mastery. It is also what Carlos Castaneda's teachers meant by "not doing." If you practice an authentic qigong system properly (i.e., in martial/healing context with superior instruction) then you will eventually be able to draw your own map of Taoist cosmology and call it whatever you want. The Taoist cosmology is just a "map" that some wise old rice bags drew up once they clearly saw Ultimate Reality--the nature of the Universe. e.g., one of the true Taoist geniuses in Europe was Hildegard Von Bingen, the Abbess of two Benectine monasteries in Germany during the 12th century. If you look at her art you'll see that her high visions that came through her contemplative practices are identical in theme and celebration to the best Taoist artworks in China throughout the ages. Like kung-fu systems, the complete truth of a qigong art is never taught in class, never completely recorded in writing, but transmitted to advanced students through oral teachings, symbols, and other telepathic means, depending on the teacher. If you want to learn qigong correctly, find yourself a good kung-fu master with a solid lineage and stick with the training. Eventually, you'll get there. All the best, Sifu Terry Dunn If you are practicing the Qigong

Fu Dog, Just got back on the Forum after a week+ of travel for work... Speaking of color, you can make your own aura a visible color blue (that will record on videotape, especially with today's new and affordable HD cameras) by regular practice of the Flying Phoenix Qigong. As I've said in my many postings regarding this system, the coloration of one's aura is a side effect of practice. 'Makes the practice all the more enjoyable. Terry

Hello Fachao, Sorry to take an extra day to get back to you. (Very busy schedule this week.) But it was good that I delayed because I'm now able to give you a better response after thinking more about your question. My answer to your question, if I understand it correctly, of whether it is possible to practice the FPCHCM concommitant with another neigong system (in my case, that of Tao Tan Pai) based on "classical" Taoist and TCM principles (Yin-yang theory, wuxing, etc.) with degrading the effectiveness of either system is: Yes. It is possible. But it depends on what the other neigung system is. But I would not advise learning FPCHCM at the same time that you're learning another neigung system. When I began learning the FPCHCM and other internal arts from Grandmaster Doo Wai in 1991, I showed him the other internal systems that I was trained in and not only did he immediately recognize those other traditions, he told me that there's no problem with me practicing his internal along with the others. He told me that I could practice both and "mix the energies..." My personal experience since that advice was given has obviously proven to me that the GM was correct. However, If I take your question to mean whether one can practice FPCHCM within a mental context/construct of classical Taoist cosmology (yin-yang, wuxing, etc.), my answer is that one can do so but it would do him no good. It would indeed degrade the effectiveness of the FPCHCM practice because "the map doesn't fit the territory." So I would strongly advise against it. Imposing Taoist theory and philosophy on the practice of this particular high yoga would be totally unnecessary and counter-productive. It's what the Zen people would call: "gilding the lily" (which would kill it) or "putting legs on a snake" (which goes against mother nature.). When I first starting learning FP and other internal arts from GMDW, I naturally would ask questions about the training based on the Taoist principles and "set theory" that I had underpinned my earlier training in TTP. Every answer GMDW gave me boiled down to: "just do the practice." And this is how I teach his BFP arts today: No preceding theory or philosophy. I just teach the Qigong (as on the DVD's) and once the students start feeling the profound results, then we talk about the benefits--and celebrate them in Taoist cosmological terms if they want to. The yoga of FPCHCM in itself is sufficient and complete. It doesn't need any kind of "map". But I think what you meant by your question was whether you can practice FPCHCM and another classical taoist neigung system at the same time. In my specific case, the answer is "Yes" since the other system was one that my teacher was familiar with. But if you want a specific answer relevant to what you're doing, I would need to know what the other neigung system is that you are practicing. And even then, if I am not familiar with it, I may not be able to give you a definitive answer. I hope this helps a bit. Sifu Terry Dunn

You're very welcome and thanks for the positive feedback on your practice, Fu Dog! GM Doo Wai's ancestral spirits are happy that their art is thriving and doing its thing. It's always gratifying for me to hear someone get benefit from the FP practice. I'm also 55 yrs. old; so, yes indeed, it is a good thing ;0) Great that you're working up to doing doing 4-6 seated exercises in one sitting. For beginners, as I recently advised Rene Salazar on this Forum, I recommend doing the whole Volume One program in one session and in a different session do all the seated med's of Volume Two in one sitting, taking breaks in between each different exercise (put the DVD player on pause). The goal is to keep doing all the FP meditations until your favorite ones "find" you. Then you can focus on them for 6-7 months. After mastering those and creating a solid foundation and reserve of energy, then go back to the ones that aren't your favorite and force yourself to do them until you make them yours as well. It may take months or even years, but once you get familiar with all the FP meditations and can do all of them from memory, you will have mastered a lot of qigong. As long as you do them at the very, very slow speed of "a shifting sand dune", you will get ever increasing benefits by doing 2 or 3 standing meditations a day and 1, 2 or 3 Monk Serves Wine seated meditations at each sitting. But it's quite okay to give yourself nice 10 min. breaks in between each one and do quiet sitting. Be sure to read the "Guidelines for Qigong Practice" on my website under "freebies". Best, TD

hello Rene, You're welcome. Enjoy the practice. Again, the Flying Phoenix Qigong is very easy to do yet fast-acting in its sublime healing and energizing effects. Particularly the seated mediations. make sure you review the Guidelines for Practice on my website (under "freebies"). Answer to your question: First of all, qigong is the secret engine the empowers Chinese martial and healing arts. Some spiritual arts, too. Within Chinese martial systems, qigong is an advanced practice that comes after many years of training in forms, combat, weapons, etc. So anything published on Qigong is not going to be very advanced or powerful because no Kung-Fu style is going to reveal to the masses it's "family jewels" and highest secrets that initiates throughout the generations have jealously guarded and some had died protecting. I guess there are some very basic exercises from broken traditions of qigong that cultivate a "generic", non-differentiated vital energy in the body. A lot of these are basic natural calisthenics that the central government of China started disseminating starting in the early 1970's through tens of millions of those printed pamphlets with line drawings. A lot of these Qigong systems I call "pedestrian" systems. Unfortunately, quite a few of them have been translated over the years by self-proclaimed experts/fast-buck artists and peddled in America as all there is to Qigong. There is no generic form of Qigong in my book, but you could never tell that by all the bland books that have been written that mostly all style and feeble substance: all kinds of flowery philosophical talk but no real transformative chi kung. The Flying Phoenix Healing Qigong is unusual because while it's a simple and basic practice, it imparts energy and rejuvenating effects that you wouldn't expect from a basic level qigong. It's energy is first of all very tangible; you can feel it within a couple of weeks of regular daily practice; some students in my workshops and classes feel it within minutes. Especially when they get to the mediation with the 90 80 50 20 breathing sequence. And FP qi feels distinctively different from other energies cultivated by other qigong systems. Especially the seated exercises in Vol. 2; they effect very pleasant sensations in your brain matter, inside your skull. Try them and find out for yourself. My strong advice is to find out through your own experience how different qigong methods cultivate different types of qi. You do this by mastering one system thoroughly and then maybe mastering another. Then go visiting other masters and schools. Once you attain a certain proficient level in kung-fu, or tai chi and qigong, then you can share information with other stylists, train with them, spar with them, and experience how their cultivated Qi feels and functions in comparison to yours.. Enjoy your practice! Terry Dunn P.S. Regarding various types of Qigong-cultivated Qi correlating to electromagnetic spectrium: That's a very wierd question. since qi means energy, and all electromagnetic radiation is energy, then you can say that every form of electromagnetic radiation measurable by man can be regarded as "qi." And obviously, not every form of electromag radiation can be cultivated through qigong. Then there are some very esoteric forms of Qigong that cultivate energies that I wouldn't begin to know where they would fit on the electromag spectrium--or if they even fit at all!!! It's a wierd and tricky question because you're mixing apples and oranges: apple: electromag spectrum is scientifically measured by wavelength and frequency of the energy; orange: the whole art of Qigong is premised on the fact that energy--and therefore the laws of physics--are on the plane of mental control. Once you introduce Mind, you are in the realm of alchemy--metaphysical science as opposed to physical science.

This story about three people dying in a sweatlodge conducted by a "new age" guru made my blood boil so I decided to start a discussion of it here by sounding off on it, since Amerindians are indeed the indigenous Taoists of North American: I hope you never do a sweatlodge unless it's being conducted by an geniune Amerindian spiritualist. Check this out: ( took time off tonight to post this to thetaobums.com to start a totally different type of conversation:) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/us/14sweat.html?ref=us http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local...e_deaths_010210 Starting in 1980, my friend and kung-fu classmate Geoff Pfeiffer, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, and healing arts protege of my teacher John Davidson, the sr. student of Taoist Master Share K. Lew, was a devoted follower of a Lakota Indian spiritual group led by Don Perrote and invited me along to many of their sweatlodges, which were done properly according to Lakota traditions (using so many river rocks and using the right combination of herbs placed on the heated rocks. I attended about 20 over the course of 3 years, sometimes at a rate of once or twice a month. Some were held in the backyards of the Indian members. We did several sweatlodge ceremonies at a bucolic retreat center in NE San Diego county near the rustic town of Julian (apple country) that had beautiful meadows and lakes. From a 60 min. sweatlodge session straight into cool lake--nothing better. On a few occasions a very powerful Lakota medicine man, aka a "roadman", named Bear Heart presided and led the Lakota songs and prayers, with any number of other Lakotas beating drums. (By definition, a roadman has control over 400 types of spiritual entities. The stories of his spiritual work are awesome and hair-raising--they sound quite related to and on par with Castaneda's chronicles of Don Juan and Don Genaro). But there was never--ever--more than 15-16 people in any of the sweatlodges I attended. Most of the time it was 10 to 14 including the leader. A sweatlodge is a very personal place of prayer, healing, and sacred communion with many types of supramundane entties--where each person airs out his problems/confesses sins/etc. before his peers, the roadman, and the Spirits. A sweat should only be conducted by an experienced healer who has powers and can "see". Our group's Lakota custom was that each person did not enter or leave the sweatlodge without saying "Matockqui-essen". Every sweat that the Lakota group conducted was free-of-charge; except that everyone brought a dish for the potluck dinner that followed each one. A sweat-lodge--where temperatures can reach in excess 300 degrees F. (bearable because of the herbs used, so the lining of your lungs and sinuses don't sear) should never be run by amateurs--let alone by a self-proclaimed "new age" guru for commerce and profit. Spiritual Warrior my ass. This so-called guru James Arthur Ray who put 55 people in a sweatlodge and got 3 killed is guilty at the very least of negligent homicide. And just punishment for him would be being placed face-down on a pile 40 fully heated river rocks. (40 is the no. of river rocks I was told the Lakotas use when they do sweatlodges for inmates in the state penetentiaries.). In the sweatlodges that I attended, we used between 16 to 24 river rocks. 24 heated river rocks in a 20 ft-diameter, 4 foot tall wickiup is damn, damn hot, folks. At any rate, this guru's operation is nothing but a money-grubbing cult because there's nothing that overloads the critical mind than an intense steam bath with 55 confused souls chanting who knows what the "guru" was having them chant. To see how long one can stay in the sweat is never the point of any sweatlodge. Besides causing 3 deaths, this total bastardization of an authentic and powerful Amerindian ritual is totally disgusting to me and makes my blood boil. I'm thinking of writing the Arizona D.A. to give him ideas as to how to make his case for making the stiffest criminal penalties stick to Ray--by using authentic Amerindian medicine men as expert witnesses and presenting to a jury how far this puke departed from safe and correct Amerindian practices. Sifu Terence Dunn

Greetings, I just read this thread about iron palm and am jumping in late. I like your thoughtful and experienced opinion about learning Iron Palm training from a book or video and generally agree with you. Beginners should definitely not try Iron Palm training without masterful supervision. In fact, beginners shouldn't even be learning Iron Palm (but that's just my orthodox opinion). I would say that much depends on (a) the practitioner's level and also ( which published Iron Palm system the person is trying to learn: a. If one is a certified/sanctioned instructor in a kung-fu system and has already one or two Iron Palm systems under one's belt, then I would venture to say that a person with that level (such as Spirit Ape) might get by if the teacher of the new IP system put the complete training and tips and "troubleshooting" advice in the book or video as well. The student then at least has solid background in a different system to fall back to and "triangulate" or do "sanity check" should anything seem to go awry. btw, Spirit Ape and I trained at different times with the same 6th-generation grandmaster (lineage holder) of the White Tiger Kung-fu (Bai Fu Pai) system and learned many other arts under his umbrella. Spirit Ape was recently sanctioned to publish this Grandmaster's Iron Palm system on DVD...just as I was encouraged and permitted to publish on video a healing qigong system by the same grandmaster called "Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Chi meditations" (Fei Fung San Gung) in 1996. Thus, out of respect to the grandmaster alone, I would say that Spirit Ape's forthcoming DVD on Bai Fu Pai's "Burning Palm" System is probably safe for an advanced student to do. This ever advancing age of media technology does add strange wrinkles to our ancient martial traditions, doesn't it? A'ho Mitaque Oaysen! (Lakota Indian expression: Help and Health to all my brothers and sisters!)

Absolutely, do be careful... --and make sure your sweat is being run by someone very well trained, experienced, and sanctioned. How awful about the two deaths in Australia that you were close to you. The second death due to salt poisoning just sounds particularly "wrong" and "off" in terms of being conscious of the environment (feng-shui). Are sweatlodges also a traditional practice of Australian aborigines? If so, I never knew that. Thanks for the correct spelling of A'ho Mitaque Oaysen!

You're very welcome, Rene. Tip: In the beginning, try to practice each DVD's entire series of exercises in one sitting--or standing . Each DVD program 9 except for Vol.2) takes about 50 minutes. This Qigong practice is cumulative. Within a matter of days or less, you will feel tangible results. (Vol. 2 will take longer as each of seated meditation is done in sets of 7 repetitions. With Vol. 2, practice all the warm-up meditations regularly and then one or two of the Monk Serves Wine mediations at a sitting.) A lot of people using my DVD's try one or two exercises and not do them for 5 minutes each or not do the seated ones in sets of seven, and then skip around the program...and they ask me why they don't feel anything!!! No, that produces results very slowly--about 10x more slowly. Or even no results at all. In the beginning, try to do each FP exercise (both standing or seated) for at least 10 minutes. Once you cover all the exercises this way, then let the exercises "grab" you. there will be certain ones that you just cause you to naturally resonate more and then you can focus on this favorite ones intensively. it's different for every practitioner. In my Qigong classes in Los Angeles, we cover all the basic seated (6) meditations and all the standing med's in Vols. 1 and 3 (sometimes 4) in about an 1 hour 45 minutes--with very short if any breaks. ALL IS MIND.

Hello Rene, I recognize your name from one the orders we recently received. Your DVD's are on their way. to answer your question, as I mentioned I think in a prior posting, I have video footage of GM Doo Wai finishing the 14th seated meditation in the series called "Monk Serves Wine", which is part of the Flying Phoenix system. At the end of exercise, as his forearms swing forward toward the camera and his palms turn upward, all the space around him turns a bright luminous blue, the normal background of the shot (wall behind him) cannot be seen. Then the blue lifts like a cloud--but not like a cloud. It just lifts off and the normal background is seen again. GM Doo Wai regularly told us that the blue auric luminosity is just a side effect of FP practice... that it's nothing special--just practice daily for a few months and then videotape yourself. But to me, whether you see it or not, it feels absolutely divine. Last year i was introduced to a renowned auric energy researcher at UCLA named Dr. Valerie Hunt who's in her 90's. But our meetings and conversations haven't developed into any study that makes sense and that I believe would benefit the art or society in general. Yes, Sifu Garry Hearfield is correct, GMDW has been studied and measured with medical instruments over the years. The GM told me that he wasextensively monitored by the head of the Naval Hospital in Long Beach I think in the 1980's. One demo GM said was monitored: GMDW had consciously stopped his earth rate for 20 seconds. I don't know what else was studied by the Navy's doctors. On a different occasion, GMDW's San Diego student, Kevin Ulmer, now living in Tennesee, told me that the GM had Kevin reach in with his fingers around his sternum and left rib cage and then the GM stopped his heart so that it rested like heavy lump on Kevin's fingertips. This of course totally, totally freaked Kevin out. [such feats of stopping normally involuntary organ functions at will is a well-documented capability of all masters of high yogas, and is talked about matter-of-factly by W.Y. Evans-Wentz in his classic 1935 tome "Tibetan Yoga and Secret Practices"--see chapter on "Yoga of Psychic Heat." GMDW is/was definitely a high master of Chinese yoga, because he could recognize another kung-fu master's art and power level from seeing how he breathed. Which further shows the timeless truth of: If you've masted one Yoga, you've mastered them All. (91-yr old Taoist Master Share K. Lew is the same way: he can look at how a person walked and know whether he practiced kung-fu or not; he could also tell whether the art he practiced was northern or southern kung-fu--just by seeing his posture and how he walked.) To answer your question re difference betw Flying Phoenix and Tai Chi Ruler: they are very, very different arts. GM Doo Wai's oral history tells us that the FP was created by Feng Tao Teh in the early 1600's. what arts he derived FP from and how old they were, no one knows. TC Ruler was purportedly created by the same yogin, Chen Hsi-I, who created 6Harmonies/8methods Boxing, and a powerful "sleeping yoga" during the Sung Dynasty (11th century). There's no relation whatsoever. Or very much similarity. TC Ruler is very much shen-cultivating as one's eyes are focussed on the center of the ruler throughout practice; FP practice is 99% done with eyes closed. TC Ruler breathing can be done with inhalation through nose and exhalation thru mouth (for cleansing); FP breathing is always through the nose (except for the last final (3rd) exhalation taken to end practice of an exercise). TC Ruler practice goes about 1/3 speed of Tai Chi Chuan practice; FP movement can be as slow as the human body can possibly move: following the oral teaching: "move at the speed of a shifting sand dune." So they are very, very, very x 10 very different! Enjoy your FP practice, Rene! Sifu Terry Dunn

My sentiments exactly regarding jail time. You are also absolutely right about the structure in Sedona not even being a proper sweat-lodge.

Drewhempel. I just read: http://www.realitysandwich.com/sweat_lodge_tragedy thanks again. excellent article by an experienced lodge-leader with solid western medical credentials. it calmed me down quite a bit. To the point where I just shake my head in grief over what happened. I teach and preserve several Taoist and Taoist-Buddhist arts: Tao Tan Pai kung-fu, Yang Tai Chi Chuan, Six Harmonies/Eight Methods Boxing, Flying Phoenix Qigong (one of my students started a forum discussion on this rare and esoteric art), Eight Sections of Energy Combined. When my teachings in these traditions occasionally get misused by the profane, I've taken appropriate measures. I'm also a certified hypnotherapist in California and an expert on cult phenomena with real experience in the very difficult art of deprogramming. I know all the ins and outs of cult manipulation and have seen first-hand the extreme damage it can do to people. I know how it's done, and how to undo it. 'Encountered a dangerous amount of it during my first 15 years of training under bona fide kung-fu masters. Got totally clear of it in 1985 and am a quiet crusader against that sort of evil ever since. that's why I boiled over when I read about the Sedona incident.

Thanks so much, drewhempel. I will check out these discussions. Regards. TD

P.S. To end on a positive note, here is another's nice account of a Lakota sweat properly done: http://carl-hereandthere.blogspot.com/2007...weat-lodge.html

Garry, Thanks for helping out with additional good advice. I forgot to mention that the three full "priming" breathes at the start of every one of GM Doo Wai's meditations (including all of the Flying Phoenix meditations) gives one the "reference" for 100% breath capacity. Terry