zen-bear

Hi EmeraldHead, While there has been no reports like yours in all the 9.75 years of this discussion thread--of experiencing yogic effects just from reading words on the forum, what you've experienced is entirely possible. Several years back, I posted an account where I was shown a writing by "Tao Stillness" (Steve Mehl) that was written by Ayurvedic medical clairvoyant, Eric Isen. And when I started reading this particular email written by Eric that Steve had forwarded to me via back channel DB email, I instantly felt the body relaxation and unique brain activation and Heightened State of Consciousness that Eric, as a deeksha of Sri Bhagavan, the founder of Oneness Meditation movement, emanates whenever he works. It's a unique state brain activation that's slightly different from the pleasant energized state in Flying Phoenix Qigong practice where every cell on the surface of the brain feels individually charged,, then followed by a "washing sensation" throughout the entire brain matter; followed by the activation of the frontal lobe and back top of the head that FP Qigong induces. The Oneness Meditation Deeksha energy charges up the parietal lobes up the side of the head above the ears--at least it does for me. So all that is to say that if one is so calibrated and naturally attuned, one can immediately feel, see, or hear the energy embodied by the sender or source of the message. Cyan or what I call a flourescent sky blue is the color of FP Qigong healing energy that anyone can cultivate and see in short order by practicing this art. If you get around to reading the entire thread, you'll know that he entire system of Flying Phoenix Qigong is very effectively taught through my DVD series that I made in 2004, which can teach the entire FPCK art without the presence of a Qigong master standing next to you. http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html I'm also curious if you pick up anything from reading this webpage or by just looking at the photo at its top of Ehrmeishan, the monastic cradle of Flying Phoenix Qigong. Thanks for your input. Sifu Terry Dunn

And speaking of Tai Chi, the video posted above (last Saturday at 4:26 a.m.) by "Phil" of Master Alan Byar's practice of the FPHHCM Long Form Standing Meditation (from the Vol.4 video) is interesting and good quality Tai Chi, but it is not proper practice of that capstone FP Qigong form-- for many reasons. Master Byar's Tai Chi form and body mechanics is excellent and I'm sure he is an excellent instructor of Tai Chi. But he is using the choreography of the Long Form Standing Meditation to demonstrate his Tai Chi principles--and not doing FP Qi cultivation. I'll quickly point out the primary and most obvious reasons why his practice is not to be emulated if a practitioner is interested in deriving the optimal healing benefits from FP Qigong--and doing it sooner rather than later: 1. First, this Long Form Standing Meditation, along with every other FP meditation except Monk Gazing At Moon (60 40 20) is done with the eyes closed. 2. the speed of movement in performing this meditation, is, as I've explained over the past 9 years, done at a speed that is 3x slower than Tai Chi form practice. And done slower and slower and ever more slowly--so as to approach the speed of a shifting sand dune. 3. Breath control sequence. One cannot tell from the video whether Mr. Byar performed the priming breath=control sequence or not. This is a subtle point: but to me, it doesn't appear that he has done it because as most FP practitioners know from experience, the instant that FP Healing Qi is mustered by the (90 60 5 50 40) breath control, one's body changes and relaxes into allostasis, and one moves very slowly and languidly.. 4. ** Incorrectly performs several postures and transitions in the classical FPCK choreography, especially from 4:14 until the end of the form (where he does each transition incorrectly, defeating and negating the purpose of the original posture and movement). For example, at 3:15, as Master Byar starts the 5 passes of forearm blocks with palm facing him, the angle of his elbow is too obtuse (should be closer to 90 degrees ***Just these two prime instructions alone--eyes closed while moving 3x slower than Tai Chi speed-- comprise about 5/8 of proper practice of any of the FP moving meditations in the system. I would explain that the other necessary 3/8 of the total secret behind FP Qigong pracrtice is to do each of the postures and transitions between postures exactly per my instructions and demonstration on the Volume 4 DVD.*** While Mr. Byar's Tai Chi form and what I call body mechanics are excellent, he has transferred his Tai Chi facility and instincts to doing the FP Long Form Standing Meditation with his eyes opened and is moving too fast to attain optimal cultivation of the FP Healing Qi. If you practice to this video, you will develop very good Tai Chi form/body mechanics; but you will NOT be practicing Flying Phoenix Qigong properly and will be grossly missing the boat (alchemic method) in terms of cultivating the FP Healing Qi...and it will take you longer to attain the health benefits--or experience the manifestation of the BLUE FP Healing Qi-- that so many practitioners have reported on this thread over the years. Everyone who has martial arts or qigong background established prior to starting FP Qigong training carries some of their habits and instincts into their FP training. But to practice FP Qigong at all, one must hold fast and adhere to doing the breath control sequence at the start, do all of the moving meditations in the FP System with eyes closed, and do them at the slowest speed that they can possibly manage. It is not a matter of just doing the Form with good Tai Chi principles. As Sifu Garry Hearfield a couple of years ago: Both the Sunn Yi Gung and FP Qigong meditations have hints of martial techniques and comportment in their longer moving meditations. However, you do not project energy with a martial intent beyond the extremities in any way--i.e. beyond your forearm, hand and fingertips. This capstone exercise is not a martial art form; it is a purely healing moving meditation. Bottom Line: Join the "Over 40-Plus Minute Club"--the network out there of FP practitioners having contests to see who can do the FP Standing Long Form more slowly than anybody else. "Ridingtheox" is one charter member, I know. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello again to all Daobums and FP Qigong practitioners: Four days until my next 3-day workshop teaching Taoist Elixir Method Qigong: The Basic 31 Exercises of Tao Tan Pai, a rare and powerful Taoist monastic system of hygienics created during the Tang Dynasty by Taoist Immortal Lu Deng Bin and impeccably preserved across 24 generations. Besides being a powerful stand-alone alchemic Qigong system, Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung also happens to be a fantastic foundational catalyst for FP Qigong training (--but not the other way around.) There are six levels to the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung system. Only the first level, the Basic 31 Meditations, is safe and appropriate for publication and mass consumption--i.e., use by beginners without background in Chinese martial arts. All the other levels of TTP Nei Kung require commensurate mastery of Kung Fu. I learned Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu and Nei Kung from 1976 until 1983 at the Taoist Sanctuary of Los Angeles and Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego from Sifu John Davidson, senior student of Taoist priest Share K. Lew. I learned the Flying Phoenix Qigong, Eight Sections of Energy Combined, and 10,000 Buddhas (Ascend to Heaven) Meditation System, and White Tiger Kung Fu from GM Doo Wai from 1991 to 1997. (I started studying Yang style Tai Chi Chuan in 1980 from Master Abraham Liu, a senior student of Prof. Cheng Man-Ching and retired general officer from the Chinese Nationalist Army (who was the oldest of all the students in the Taiwan cadre that Prof. Cheng taught in the 40's and 50's)...and I continue to study this style of Tai Chi Chuan to this day under GM William C.C. Chen who started studing Tai Chi Chuan with Prof. Cheng when he was a teenager.)

I'm glad that everyone has gotten the correct procedure for practicing the Volume 5 standing FP meditations in repetition. Thank you very much for Earl Grey for his nice clarifications in his post above. 'couldn't have done a better job myself! Enjoy the practice of the 90-second Meditations on Vol.5 Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello Centertime, The first four standing exercises on Vol.5 are Flying Phoenix meditations that further cultivate the distinctive healing energy of this art. The fifth meditation is a basic meditation from an internal martial art called "Eight Sections of Energy Combined," which has very nice energy balancing and manifesting effects in the hands. Because these 5 execises take on the average only about 90 seconds to practice, as Earl Grey mentioned, they are ideal for those pressed for time. For best results, they should be practiced after one has gained proficiency in practicing all the meditations in Volumes 1 through 4. The more established one's practice is of Volumes 1 thru 4 (thus having developed good body mechanics and familiarity with the FP Healing Qi), the more profound, powerful, and beneficial the Vol.5 meditations will be. But as a stand-alone practice, doing the 5 meditations on volume 5 repeatedly--i.e. 3 or 4 times each, will take you across the threshold of tangibly feeling the FP Healing Energy. It doesn't matter if you repeat the sequence of the 5 FP meditations as presented on the DVD four or five times, or if you practice the first exercise four or five times, and then do the second exercise 4-5 times, and then do the third exercise 4-5 times, etc. I often spend an entire two-hour session during my present 3-day (22 hour) FP Qigong workshops teaching practice of nothing but the Vol. 5 meditations. Just do it! Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Charlie, Thank you for sharing you experience and advice in doing the MSW seated meditations in a chair instead of half-lotus. Ever since I started teaching FP Qigong in the early 90's, I've advised students who can't assume the half-lotus or crossed legged seated position to sit in a straight back chair. that is next best. And it still imparts full benefits of the MSW series, as you've shared. The key for successful practice of MSW is (1) keeping the legs still and relaxed onthe ground and (2) most importantly, KEEPING THE BACK STILL while you perform the natural movements each meditation with total relaxation. (and keeping the back still and in good vertical postures with crown of the head stretching upward and chin tilted downward ever so-slightly). Good job, And thank you, Charlie. Sifu Terry

Hi BBmode, It sounds like your use of a rolled up blanket to support your half-lotus positions is sufficient. And based on that, it doesn't sound like your hip/legs tightness is that severe...such that any reasonable type of stretching regimen should help, such as Yoga focused on lower body. FYI, what I have incorporated over the decades into my lower body stretching regimen (in order of when I learned them) are: (a) standard stretching I learned for track and field starting in jr. high school (7th grade)--LA. City Public schools were incredibly good in the 60's. (b) conventional stretching methods in western gymnastics that systematically work towards and exceeding side splits and American splits (I was a competitive gymnast for 8 yrs--4 yrs high school and 4 yrs in college). (c) the eclectic and rigorous, north-south Kung Fu stretching regimen developed by my first kung fu teacher, Sifu Douglas Wong (1973-1977) who taught So. Sil Lum 5 Animals Kung Fu and Yau Kang Mun (the stretching, however, was closer to the stretching found in Northern Shaolin schools, (d) the excellent standard wushu stretching regimen that I learned in 1980 from Master Bow Sim Mark in Boston, which is what tne national wushu team of China practiced for decades since the early 60's. (e) the many warm-up and stretching methods of Master George Xu of San Francisco, including the Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises, who we (Taoist Sanctuary) used to invite down to San Diego to teaching during the late 1980's. (e) the stretching and warm-up regimen that i learned in the mid-1980's from Sifu John Bright-Fey, master of Chen Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua Chuan, and northern Shaolin. Most effective methods that I presently actively teach are: a particular Chen style kicking drill, a very complete and comprehensive, hours-long set of Silk reeling (chán sī jìn; 纏絲勁) exercises, and the "Silk Weaver's Exercise" Qigong form (non-sectarian--i.e., unattached to any martial tradition; just a part of Chinese physical culture.). First part shown here--and it's free(!): (f) the hip and let and root development effected by the entire FP Qigong system (the material on the DVD series). (g) the advanced stretching exercises within of 8 Sections of Energy Combined (Bat Dim Gum), a super-rare internal kung fu system consisting of 8 forms or "Sections", taught to me by GM Doo Wai froim 1991 to 1997, which develops fine control over the inner thigh muscles once the practitioner's hips are open and the basic "Monk Gazing At Moon" ("Golden Bell") posture has been established. What I've described above is the whole repertoire of stretching methodologies that I acquired over the past 43 years that I draw from to coach students to assume half or full lotus position in order to more comfortably enjoy and benefit from the seated FP seated meditations, Monk Serves Wine. My private lesson fee (online and in-person) is $110 per half hour. (most students take 60 to 90 min. sessions.) Good luck in stretching out. I think it's only a matter of time before you get comfortable in the MSW seated meds. Best, Sifu Terry Dunn

Hi everyone, One more week until my 3-day, 20-hour workshop at the beautiful Eastover Estate in Lenox, MA teaching the Taoist Elixir Method Basic 31 Meditations, the powerful first level of the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung tradition, which dates back 24 generations to its origin during the Tang Dynasty by Taoist legend Lu Deng Bin. As confirmed by many of my students to whom I've taught both Flying Phoenix Qigong and the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung, the TTP Nei Kung, although a complete as powerful stand-alone Qigong system that provides health and empowerment for its integral kung fu system, the Tao Tan Pai 5-Animal based Kung fu (not the same as Shaolin 5 Animals), also serves as a excellent foundational catalyst for FP Qigong. Having learned and practiced the TTP-31 Basic Meditations in particular will greatly enhance your practice of FP Qigong and create even more amazing results. Info and registration: http://www.eastover.com/workshop/tao-tan-pai-with-master-terry-dunn-2.html Sifu Terry Dunn

22 days until my next workshop teaching the Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method") Basic 31 Meditations at Eastover Estate in Lenox, MA. The TTP-31 Meditations is the first level of the six-level Tan Tan Pai Nei Kung system, created more than 1,100 years ago during Tang Dynasty, and attributed to Taoist Immortal Lu Deng Bin. The TTP-31 Meditations have been confirmed by FP practitioners as a superb foundational catalyst for enhancing the effects of Flying Phoenix Qigong. http://www.eastover.com/workshop/tao-tan-pai-with-master-terry-dunn-2.html

Hi BBMode, I don't know if you've tried this yet, but do your attempted half-lotus sittings with a booster cushion--like the one's sold by yoga supply companies--or any 3"-4" thick cushion or stack of cushions will do. Start on a high stack of cushions and then slowly remove a cushion and gradually lower your seat...until finally after many weeks or months, your knees and seat are all at the same level. the key is to get comfortable in the half lotus. And if it means using a thick cushion all the time, that's OK. Because that's still preferable to doing the seated MSW Meds. seated in a chair. Also, as Earl Grey mentioned, if you want customized coaching in order to open the helps and stretch the legs to more comfortably assume the half lotus, you can get that through a private online lesson. If you're interested, can contact me at [email protected] for details. Good luck, Sifu Terry http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello D, Yes, it's quite OK to less than 30 minutes of MGAM seated meditatoin (Vol.2). But you are definitely getting optimal results from doing this meditation for that duration. 30 min. is how long we would practice all of the Monk Serves Wine seated meditations when we first learned them. These days, when I teach classes and workshops, I spend 5 to 10 minutes on the 3 preparatory seated meds. on Vol.2. Enjoy. Sifu Terry Dunn http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

And as evidence of how fast and effectively FP Qigong practice can permanently relieve severe stress-caused tension and complications, here is a link to a video that I took of a candid and glowing testimonial by a first-time student in who had taken my free 2-hour FP Qigong primer class last Sunday afternoon (April 28) from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Eastover Estate following World Tai Chi & Qigong Day celebrations here. One two-hour class imparted the profound and lasting healing effects that she describes, which she said manifested about 15-20 minutes after she got home from the practice and then continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening, all the way up until she went to bed. The next morning when she arose, all the symptoms that she had been experiencing for the past 2.5 months were completely gone. This conversation took place the following Monday evening at the start of my 6pm community class at Eastover: https://vimeo.com/333813234 Most interesting to me: I just realized that "Rory" had achieved the excellent same-day results she described from taking a beginner's class that did NOT include "Bending the Bows," one of the cornerstone meditations in the FP System. This verifies what GM Doo Wai told us in 1991: that prolonged continuous practice of any combination of the FP Meditations will "produce good results." This was the order of practice of the 2.5 hour class: Warm-ups (40 min.): 1) "Toe-circling walk" from Chen Tai Chi 2) Silk Weaver's Exercise Qigong (first section) 3) 3 Tai Chi warm-ups (as taught in the first 40 min. of my Tai Chi For Health Short Form and TCFH Long Form DVDs (1989). Flying Phoenix Meditations: 4) Monk Gazing At Moon - 10 min. 5) Monk Holding Peach - 10 min. 6) Wind Above Clouds (3 rounds) - 15 min. 7) Monk Holding Pearl (in supine position) - 10 min. 8) MSW preparatory med. #1 (50 30 10) - 10 min. 9) MSW preparatory med. #2 (50 10 50) - 10 min. 10) Monk Serves Wine #1 (90 50 40 30 10) - 25 min. 11) Monk Serves Wine #8 (last one on Vol.7: 20 40 90 10) - 20 min. Sifu Terry Dunn

Hello everybody, Last night, the first of 8 sessions in my FP Qigong workshop at Eastover Estate went like this: 1) Toe-circling walk in cat stance from Chen Tai Chi (5 min.) 2) Silk Weaver's Exercise (10 min.) - one round 3) "Moonbeam Splashes on Water" -- two instructional dry rounds followed one with the breath-control sequence. (30 min.) 4) Monk Gazing at Moon (10 min.) 5) Monk Holding Peach (10 min.) 6) Wind Above the Clouds (8 min.) 7) Basic (preparatory) Seated Meditation (50 30 10) - (4 min.) 8) Basic (preparatory) Seated Meditation (50 10 50) - (4 min.) 9) 7 slow rounds of Monk Serves Wine No.2 (50 40 30 10) -- aka, Shiva Shakti's favorite, I recall. aka, "The Vice-Sleeper" ( as in vice-president) - 30 min. total time: 2 hours 10 min. Sifu Terry Dunn http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Final demo at WTCQ Day yesterday was of Yang style Tai Chi Sword in the manner of GM William C.C. Chen. Tai Chi practice, of course, is relevant to FP Qigong, because in both arts, we are exercising the dynamic: "The mind moves the Chi; the Chi moves the body"--or in this case, "The mind moves the Chi; the Chi moves the sword." Very challenging when one is using an extra heavy--and totally unbalanced (too blade-heavy) sword like this one(!):

More from World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, 2019 at Eastover Esate Lenox, MA: After leading everyone in 3 of the Basic TTP-31 Meditations, I next demonstrated the "Preparatory Form" of the "8 Sections of Energy Combined" Kung Fu system: Also shown here in my 2016 spontaneous practice out in beautiful Lake MacDonald in Glacier National Park after I taught FP Qigong to all the social workers in the state of Montana working in child protective services. I post these demo videos to also encourage and challenge any intermediate to advanced martial artists or yogins who are interested in learning 8 Sections Combined to go ahead and learn this Form. Once you learn the choreography, I can give corrections through private lessons as needed. And once one develops proficiency in doing these movements, I will teach the breath-control formula. Sifu Terry Dunn http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Happy World Tai Chi & Qigong Day and Weekend to everyone! Yesterday, April 27, was the official World Tai Chi and Qigong Day and at the annual celebration at Eastover Estate in Lenox, MA where I've been teaching in residence for the past 17 months, we put on a nice demonstration to close out the day: Tao Tan Pai Cane Form (which some of you are learning privately from me via Skype). Here's the lastest version for your reference: About 6 years ago, when I was trying to figure out a way for my students in 3 courses at Emperor's College of Trad. Oriental Medicine to get more benefits from the Qigong styles I was teaching them, I decided to teach this basic form to all beginning students in both Qigong traditions hat I teach ( Tao Tan Pai and Ehrmei Mountain Flying Phoenix Qigong) because it establishes five basic stances, grounding and good body mechanics essential for deriving greater benefits from the practice of any system of Qigong. Then my students Jeanne Schnackenberg and Susan Johnson helped me demonstrate three of the basic 31 Tao Tan Pai Meditations, which I have always known to catalyze and accelerate the effects of FP Qigong--and which medical clairvoyant and Oneness Meditation Deeksha Eric Isen confirmed for "Tao Stillness" and me a couple of years ago (bless his heart!). Basic Meditations No. 2, 3, and 4 (traditionally done in sets of 8 repetitions): If you have extra time, do these before you practice FP Qigong and see what happens over time: Basic TTP Meditation #2: Basic TTP Meditation #3: Basic TTP Meditation #4: Again, the above are 3 of the Basic Tao Tan Pai Meditations, collectively called "Cloud Hands." There are 15 standing meditations (all have movement) and 16 seated meditations (all of which involve esoteric movements except 3 that are stationary). NOTE: In addition to private online lessons via Skype in Flying Phoenix Qigong, I also teach the Tao Tan Pai Cane Form seen above, the entire level of Basic TTP-31 Meditations and the Basic Tao Tan Pai Animal Kung Fu forms to beginners, intermediates, advanced practitioners and instructors from other traditions. If you're interested, just contact me through email here at daobums.com or at [email protected] Sifu Terry Dunn http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Astral B, I'm sorry to take sooo long to reply to your post. First, I want to congratulate you for attaining the significant improvement of your health condition and the remission of so many serious and painful symptoms through your diligent and persevering practice of FP Qigong. Second, I want to thank you very much for sharing with the FP Qigong community in precise detail what symptoms and conditions were ameliorated by your FP Qigogn practice. I know that salient results like yours are not derived from casual, irregular practice of the FP Qigong. So I congratulate again on your constancy and stick-to-itness. Below are my comments and hopeful elucidations on some of the items you've detailed under two categories: "Results so far" and "Effects during meditation": Disappearance of undiagnosed abdominal chronic pain endured since 2014 –– I remember you describing this problem in your earliest posts on the thread. Thus i know this remission must be such a blessed relief for you--not only because the pain cessated, but also the long-term lingering fear and apprehension because it went undiagnosed for so long. Disappearance of dysmenorrhea (used to be bad!) –I had a few reports of this Detox of reproductive area De-bloating of abdomen -- !!!!! Disappearance of lower back pain –– this is a most common side-effect of FP Qigong. The breath control sequences and subsequently freer breathing done over a long period of time will relieve all tension in the diaphragm and gut region. Then as a result, lower back tensions are relieved. Increase of lower back flexibility (before, I couldn't pick up something that fell or tie my shoes) –– due to same process described just above. Draining of sinuses -- very common benefit, clearing up symptoms of toxemia. Clearing of fine forehead rash (probably due to decrease of abdomen - liver?- fire) – you can get clear diagnosis of the cause of the rash and the mechanism that healed the rash-relief if you consult a good medical clairvoyant like Eric Isen. (Contact me via backchannel email and I can give you more info, if you're interested.) Rejuvenation and permanent hydration of skin (appear as way younger than my age) ––a most common side-effect of FP Qigong. Disappearance of wrinkles, smoother, healed younger looking skin. Hair and nail growth – Hair: specifically, thicker, stronger hair, 100% rejuvenated and re-colored from the follicles upward. Another most commonly reported side-effect of FP Qigong--especially rapid toenail growth that's most noticeable. My personal experience has been that fingernails grow noticeably faster, but toenails grow even faster than fingernails. Increased physical energy -- that enables one to get more work done day to day without fatigue. Warm extremities ––this to is blessed relief and quite a in-the-flesh revelation for those suffering from chronic cold hands and cold feet. Increased libido -- when the allostasis is induced by the FP Qigong (I liked to say quickly "kicked in"), the body functions more efficiently, less energy is wasted, thus sexual energy is cultivated and kept in resreve, instead of being constantly depleted from the body being in survival mode and having to heal itself with that generative force. Increase in libido results from FP Qigong no matter the age of the practitioner. Deeper, more restful sleep –– Another most commonly reported side-effect of FP Qigong--so reliable that I teach a 90-minute module at high-end holistic health spas and resorts in America called "Flying Phoenix Qigong for Optimal Sleep." Increase in mental alertness, whether woken or sleeping/dreaming – Nice discernment that you are more lucid and alert in your waking hours as well as in your dreamstates! As stated several times in different ways, FP Qigong zooms you through the fist two Jhanas (levels of concentration/absorption mapped by the Buddha in his Visuddhimagga). Increase in positive attitude – increase is natural due to cessation of prolonged pain and feeling poorly, which if unabated can lead to pessimistic outlook and to depression Increase in inner peace/contentment –– back to the Source that's never left you. More synchronicities -- Once the body's physiological processes--all the organ systems-- are synchronized and working harmoniously as designed by Nature and God, then one's body/microcosm becomes synchronized to the macrocosm. Decrease in irritability -- "No one's bleeding, no one's dying, I'm not in pain anymore, so what's the problem?" Increase in pious/devotional feeling -- whether or not you had spiritual devotion before starting FP Qigong, the bliss produced by practice makes one grateful to a higher source because it is not a mundane feeling. The most common remark made by FP practitioners over the years is "I can't believe that ahuman being could have created this art." Increase in frequency of compassionate surges (I had these, but now they are closer and closer together and last longer), especially in crowded places - I used to stress a bit when around a lot of people, now I nurture them and pray for them and feel genuine empathy for irritable ones -- A self-reinforcing feedback loop, as taught by the Great Syrian Sage: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Increase in mindfulness over my body and over my responses to people and situations --Like all spiritual arts, mastering self-awareness then leads to mastering other-awareness (this happens simultaneously when one is perfectly health; if not, then one follows the other as described); natural self-regulation or self-control leads to natural ecological awareness and how to respond correctly to any encounter with human beings and other forms of life. Decrease of need to be in perfect control at all times (a particular source of stress for me, especially as concerns finances as I am the breadwinner and also support my mom) -- Wonderful to hear this. When one has responsibility for others--financial and otherwise, one always tends to do whatever one believes is necessary to insure that the positive status quo that you've worked hard to establish and maintain is not disrupted in any way by anybody. Being able to recognize over-control in keeping bread on the table and roof over the family members' heads frees up that unnecessarily tied-up energy that can be used to enjoy life and improve quality of life. You've become a more "impeccable" provider; for Castaneda taught "the impeccability of a warrior" is nothig more than being able to "conserve one's energy." Also, you can use the consistency and reliability of the FP Qigong meditations as an object lesson that there's no need to overcontrol: Feeling the freeflow of the FP Healing Qi ignited by just the short discipline required in doing the meditation correctly is in itself a lesson that one can let go and that' the FP Healing Qi's "intelligent workings" cannot be controlled. Effects during meditation: Gurgling in abdomen and evacuation of gas -- FP Qigong will cause, solid, fluid, gaseous, and spiritual entities to pass out of the body. Faster metabolism/weight loss ––if metabolism is unnaturally slow and stagnant, FP Qigong will speed it up to normal. If too fast and hot, FP Qigong will cool metabolic rate and slow it down. Acute awareness of tension in organs – as I stated many times in this thread, GM Doo Wai explained the efficacy of FP qigong in terms of this Yoga's ability to "bring all the organ functions of the body under the regulation of the subconscious mind." Feeling the FPCK energy move and act internally – the "intelligent" and sophisticated movements in the FP meditations were designed to do that. Feeling "showers" of energy going down my body, I call it "cosmic glitter", especially when thinking of the Divine --does the "cosmic glitter" have a color? When wanting to sneeze, redirection of energy into body, causing "cosmic glitter" feeling -- Nice skill Tearing of right eye as soon as I start meditation -- Interesting Feeling of upward "pulling" behind the nose, probably in the pituitary gland area -- Very interesting. Various tingles and sensations in brain -- pay more attention to these sensations when you meditate FP and see what happens. Twitching of body with sudden, short out-breaths -- release of deep tensions, which could be fear-related. Fear causes locking down of breathing; as you bring tensions to surface, the historical clamping down of breathing gets undone. Ability to enter deep meditation fairly fast -- One of the unique strengths and benefits of FP Qigong. It takes you very deep very fast!! Distortion of time -- because FP Qigong meditation transcends the construct of time. Awareness of postural mistakes –– usually not just awareness, for the FP Meds will correct and adjust the postures--usually after a whole lot of vibrations, shakings and tossings. Seeing my hands as fluorescent blue during MGM -- Welcome to the rarified but not totally exclusive club! Seeing blue sparks at random times -- Do you see this internally or with eyes open? My marriage is definitely thriving and I think the good energy is a conduit for this. My relationship with my mom living with us is also much better (she suffers from BPD, so the relationship status is a good barometer for my state of mind). >> So glad to hear that your most important relationships all around are thriving and much improved. You made it all happen by diligently practicing FP Qigong correctly. Thanks for sharing your terrific experience, Astral-B. Congratulations again. Looking forward to hearing how your practice further evolves. You have crossed the threshold to good health that also makes FP Qigong practice more and more fun and blissful. Just to know experientially what "bliss" is is quite an extraordinary achievement. Enjoy. Sifu Terry

Hi Growant, Sorry I'm not in LA to show this to you in person, but as most know, I have been in Lenox, MA for the past year and 7 months teaching in residence at a holistic health resort called Eastover Estate. (next FP Workshop is May 2 to 5, btw--that's too weeks). Notices will be going up shortly. The last posture in the meditation (palms clasped in front of heart/upper chest is gotten to from the preceding posture (palms in lap, right hand in left palm with thumbs touching--aka, the earth meditation position) by pulling the elbows outward to the sides a few inches so that the fingertips touch and the palms no longer overlap. Then touch back of the hands together and bring them up the centerline (backs of the hands touching) to heart level. Then at heart level, clasp the palms to face each other in the "prayer" position (imagining that the two hands are hinged at the little fingers (pinkies). Resting breathes between each round: After a few breathes in that final position, you separate the hands turning the palms downward and float them down to land atop of each knee. In that palms on kneecaps position, you can do quiet sitting and take as many resting breathes as you like before starting the next round. I just happened to do this "Sleeper" meditation last last night after doing an unpublished MSW that has breath-control sequence of (50 60 80 10). Slept like a baby. Best, Sifu Terry

Hello Everyone, I have re-posted Shiva Shakti's post (to "Eugene") 6 years and one month ago in which he gives an excellent prescription for beginners--and advanced practitioners-- to experience meditative bliss using just the basic Seated Warm-up meditations and the 3 "Monk Serves Wine" seated meditations on the Volume 2 DVD and the one preparatory "warm-up seated med with breath sequence (5 60 80 40 30). (I came across Shiva's post along with many others because I am now combing all postings from Feb. 2013 to the present for all practitioners' accounts of significant health benefits brought on by their practice--short or long term--of FP Qigong...because I'm laying the groundwork for a public health study on the efficacy of FP Qigong.) I post ShivaShakti's Rx here because he confirmed by his own practice that the "basic" and "preparatory" MSW meditations are not so "basic." As is true of many complete Qigong systems, the secret is taught at the very beginning and ot remains an open secret that many people just don't see or recognize in their impatience or hate for something more "advanced." If you are experiencing good results from your FP practice thus far and have a very comfortable and deep Monk Gazing At Moon facility, and therefore a powerful BTB and WTTreetops, going back to doing what some call "Seated Monk Gazing At Moon" (5 60 80 40 30) will be a profound booster and catalyst to your practice. I also strongly recommend that beginnin practitioenrs complement Shiva's Rx with 3 stationary standing FP mediations (MHPearl, MHPearl-supine, MHPeach, MGM) PLUS at least one of the moving standing meditation-- Bending the Bows, Wind Through Treetops, Wind Above Clouds, Moonbeam, or the FPHHCM Long Form because, of course, the standing meditations are more powerful and beneficial to the body than the seated MSW meds, even though the latter may feel more affective and may even seem like a ticket to transcendental bliss. ;-) Or, if you are an experienced FP practitioner who has learned all meditations presented in the DVD series (vol.1-5 and vol.7), I recommend complementing your basic seated MSW formula with doing the following combinations: A.) Any four of the five moving FP Standing meditations one in one session: Bending the Bows, Wind Above the Clouds, Wind Thru Treetops, Moonbeam, and FPHHCM (aka Vol.4 Long Form), or-- B.) Two rounds of FPHHCM Long Form --one right after the other. Since the start of the year, I have upped the frequency of practicing FP Qigong to 5 times a week. Whenever I practice, I always practice two rounds of the FPHHCM Long Form coupled with doing 3 of the Monk Serves Wine meditations (7 rounds of each, of course). I usually do the 3 MSW's in one practice session. Sometimes I will do one MSW "waker-upper"-type in the morning and two sleep-supporting MSW meds in the evening.. This is my Passover/Easter prescription for intermediate and advanced FP practitioners to deepen their practice--in terms of jhanic absorption--and to enjoy their time practicing FP all the more, which is something ShivaShakti nicely cited above in his post. Again, as one becomes ore proficient in the FP system, the basic FP meditations will reveal themselves to be not so "basic" at all--but rather very advanced. This is also true in many classical systems of Qigong--such as the Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method"), which is 1,300 years old and attributed to Taoist saint Lu Tung Pin. In that 6-level system (7 if one includes the 5 Animal Kung Fu forms), the secret is taught in the very first exercise of the 31 most basic Meditations, which is called Circling Palms and is done in 4 sets of 8 repetitions. Having completed the entire TTP system (which means having mastered the TTP-31, the Shen Exercises, the Nine Flowers, the Six Stars, and the dangerous Five Dragons meditation, "Circling Palms" becomes the height of profundity...because one discovers and realizes that it embodies Tai Chi. But just as in Tao Tan Pai, expanded state of consciousness is attained when all the FP meditations can be done with total relaxation and fluidity so that one no longer feels the body. That is the basic standard in basic sedentary meditation, as set forth in the I Ching, Hexagram 52 "Keeping Still"... and that is the same meditative modality that is facilitated by doing the Flying Phoenix moving meditations "at the speed of a shifting sand dune", which is at least 3 times slower than typical Tai Chi form speed. When one has practiced the FP moving meditations properly long enough, one will no longer feel the body while moving and will have attained the most advanced body mechanics that Tai Chi grandmaster William C. C. Chen describes as "muscle-free." Carry on and Good Practicing to all. Sifu Terry Dunn http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Antares, Ok, thanking for posting this theory from the Wudang tradition. so "Shen into Emptiness" may not be a bastardization of Six Harmonies/Eight Methods' (Liu He Ba Fa's ) final (Sixth) Harmonization "Movement into Emptyiness." So what does this final 9-year instructional phase in a Wudang tradition have to do with Flying Phoenix Qigong?--or any Bok Fu Pai internal art? The answer is still nothing. I have all the respect for the Wudangshan arts as I do for the ones that I practice and preserve. As a matter of fact, the Eight Sections of Energy Combined Kung Fu system that I learned from GM Doo Wai (along with only 2 other classmates) is an art that GM Doo Wai is certain has its roots in Wudangshan. I also happen to practice the Wudang Dan Jian Form, which I learned five years ago from a student of Wudangshan's Master Bing (in exchange for Push-hands lessons). But Wudang's yogic teachings to attain immortality by "transforming Shen into Emptiness" are not relevant to Bok Fu Pai arts. Period. Not that i needed the confirmation, but for the sake of being able to quote Grandmaster Doo Wai to re-emphasize the points I made in my previous posting, at the end of a pleasant Skype conversaation last night that he had initiated, I asked him if there was any significance in Bok Fu Pai to a "final stage of 9 years of training." HE SAID, "NO." I also asked him if in our tradition there was any use in talking about spiritual development in terms of "jing" and "shen". HE LOOKED AT ME BLANKEDLY AND THEN SAID, "NO" AND CHUCKLED. Then I asked him if there was any need to think of "jing" and "shen" while practicing Bok Fu Pai arts. HE SAID, "NO." I then said, "just do the practices correctly, right?" HE SAID, "YES..(and with a smile) YEAH, OF COURSE!" The difference between Wudang internal arts and Ehrmeishan internal arts (Bok Fu Pai) is the difference between the Black Snake & Tortoise and the White Tiger. So please do not take yogic and spiritual writings from other Taoist traditions out of context and post them here to make off-hand speculations about levels of practice of sages like Feng Dao Deh that you know nothing about. And if you are not deeply practiced in the Taoist internal arts created of Chen Tuan, Lu Tung Pin, and now Wudang founder Zhen Wu--whose alchemic writings you cite and believe to be universally applicable (but you have not been taught the meaning of those writings by Masters of those arts who are versed in the classical Chinese language), then you are indulging in a false pride that serves no constructive purpose for anyone following this thread. Sifu Terry Dunn P.S. You also wrote: I personally would appreciate any grounded view on any aspect of human spiritual development. A little broad, don't you think? ••> Please start your own separate discussion thread with this question. By seeking "any aspect of human spiritual development", you are only inviting further disruption and derailment of this discussion about the practice of FP Qigong. And such disruptive off-topic postings will be promptly deleted. Please enjoy your fielding of "most aspects of human spiritual development" elsewhere on the blogsite. Since they are transcendental and ineffable, you will be sure to get responses describing high spiritual experiences that can't be eff'd.

To Antares: I have been extremely busy this spring preparing for a full schedule of teaching workshops on both coasts and several locales in the mountain states compounded by fulfilling numerous commitments starting last November that I made to the college that I attended back in the 70's. Thus it has taken me so may days to get back to this thread since my last responses to postings and questions. Antares, I will start by saying that while you are entitled to your own belief that "a practitioner should avoid any dreaming on the advanced level of practice", your statement that it is taught or upheld universally by a singular or monolithic "Taoist Tradition" is absolute wrong, fallacious and misleading, and counterproductive in that it only sews confusion in a beginner of Qigong of any tradition--whereas an advanced practitioner would have had enough experiential truth to know that the matter is absolutely moot and thus know to take issue with you. [As far as I know according to the authentic Taoist Tradition (TT) a practitioner should avoid any dreaming on the advanced level of practice.] First of all, your statement is nonsensical and transparently erroneous because there is no such one Taoist Tradition or "the" Taoist Tradition'. What is the "authentic Taoist Tradition (TT)" that you speak of? Please name the sect, its origins and its history and where it is described in the classic or modern Taoist literature. And please disclose what lineage of living masters teaches a Qigong system that includes this avoidance of/taboo against lucid dreaming. Second, your fallacious statement--regardless of where you got it or from what written source you interpreted it from-- is immediately proven false by anyone who has read Chuang Tzu, which Taoists consider to be at least 1/3 of the Taoist Canon, or let's call it the literary reference of "Taoist Tradition", as you put it...for Taoism is not wholly represented in writings, but much much more in esoteric yogic and spiritual practices. Chuang Tzu was no beginner and he obviously advocated and celebrated dreamwork: "Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things." ---Lin Yu Tang translation of this classic Taoist parable, which only extols dreamwork--indeed reveling in the dreamstate--as an Advanced component of Chinese Yoga (Qigong) As i said, Chuang Tzu was no beginner and his writing is a major part of the Taoist Canon. And this passage speaks directly to the ALCHEMIC " TRANSFORMATION of material things." Your second sentence of your first paragraph, stating that the "reason" supporting your (fallacious) theory is "simple" is also completely erroneous. I don't know what type of lucid dreaming you have experienced--if any--but lucid dreaming in my personal experience and in the experience of classmates in two authentic "Taoist Traditions" (Tao Tan Pai from the Tang Dynasty and Ehrmei Mountain Bok Fu Pai from the 17th century) spanning almost 40 years, lucid dreaming has never, ever caused depletion of any Jing or any form of energy. ON THE CONTRARY, LUCID DREAMING EMPOWERS ONE'S SPIRIT, MIND AND BODY. This is not only true in authentic Taoist practices, but also corroborated by many Amerindian traditions, including the one taught by the late Carlos Castaneda, and by practitioners of western hermeticism ("Alchemy") with whom I'm closely acquainted. The only form of dreaming that would deplete anyone of Jing or any amount of Qi would be a wet dream!!! The reason for that is very simple - dreaming, especially vivid lucid dreaming, depletes one's jing and pactitioner must preserve it for converting it into Shen. But for that there must be a special alchemical method. You seem to believe--apparently based on someone's article interpreting various writings by Taoists Chen Tuan, Lu Tung Pin, etc. (that you cited at https://forum.daode.ru/f1461/dream-yoga-taoist-view-33609/ )--- that the practitioner of any Taoist system must preserve his jing in order to convert it into Shen. This supporting PHILOSOPHICAL THEORY that you cite--of transformation of jing into shen, besides being infinitessimally narrow and applicable only to a some--but not all Taoist Yogic traditions--HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RELEVANCE TO THE PRACTICE OF FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG NOR TO ANY OF THE BOK FU PAI INTERNAL ARTS, NOR TO THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION THAT THEY FACILITATE. I have written throughout this thread that Flying Phoenix Qigong and the rest of the Bok Fu Pai Nei Kung arts DO NOT USE NOR NEED the descriptive framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine such as meridian theory, Yin-Yang Theory or 5 Element Theory. None of that is necessary and none of those roadmaps represent "a special alchemical method." I also posted early on in this thread that when GM Doo Wai was asked by one of my classmates in the early 1990's whether we needed to observe celibacy or any form of restraint from sexual activity while learning any of the Bok Fu Pai Internal Arts--including Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong--he told us, "Nah, you can guys can go knock yourselves out (having sex)!" You obviously did not read this posting, which DIRECTLY REFUTES your over-generalization that "authentic Traditional Taoism" requires that "the practitioner must preserve Jing for converting it into Shen" . Otherwise, (I hope) you would not have posted your irrelevant over-generalization. The FP Qigong and the other Bok Fu Pai internal arts that I preserve in that vast PURELY TAOIST TRADITION--HAVE YOGIC MECHANISMS THAT DO NOT USE THE TERMS OR CONCEPTS OF "JING" OR "SHEN". You may verify this fact with Sifu Garry Hearfield in Australia or any other certified instructors of Bok Fu Pai. CHEN TUAN'S AND LU DENG BIN'S TEACHINGS APPLY ONLY TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TRADITIONS: HUASHAN ARTS AND TAO TAN PAI, RESPECTIVELY--AND NOT TO THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE OF TAOIST NEI KUNG. AND YET YOU TAKE THEM OUT OF CONTEXT AND CITE THEM HERE IN ORDER TO ASSERT YOUR CULT-LIKE BELIEF IN THEIR WORDS WITHOUT ANY EXPERIENTIAL BASIS OF UNDERSTANDING. HAVE YOU PRACTICED HUASHAN TAOIST ARTS? HAVE YOUR PRACTICED ANY ART ATTRIBUTED TO LU DENG BIN? IF YOU WANT TO RECITE GENERAL OR UNIVERSAL CELEBRATIONS OF HIGH MEDITATIVE STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, YOU CAN REFER LAO TZU'S TAO TE CHING. LONGER THAN I HAVE PRACTICED AND TAUGHT FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG (BY 15 YEARS), I ALSO TEACH TAN TAN PAI ("TAOIST ELIXIR METHOD"), WHICH IS LU DENG BIN'S ART. HE IS THE PATRON SAINT OF TAO TAN PAI KUNG FU TRADITION. HIS TECHNICAL YOGIC TEACHINGS THAT YOU CITED IN THAT RUSSIAN BLOG HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO APPLICATION NOR RELEVANCE TO FP QIGONG PRACTICE OR ANY BOK FU PAI ART. As my Taoist colleague, author Deng Ming Dao, wrote in his 1980's biography of his great master, Huashan Taoist priest Kwan Sai Hung, "The Wandering Taoist" (which I strongly recommend that you and every Taoist practitioner read): "There are no chakras. There are no meridians. Everything is Mind." And as my favorite teacher (da-xihing) of Tao Tan Pai, Master John Davidson, wrote: It is a special teaching (transmission) beyond words. The writings of the ancients point to IT (your "special alchemical method"), but THEY ARE NOT IT. And as Alfred J. Korzybsky, the great Polish mathematician-philosopher and the founder of General Semantics put it: THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRITORY. •And if one has the WILL POWER to read all 2,000 pages of his tome on General Semantics called "Science and Sanity," (warning: one can normally only read 5-7 pages per sitting), which is the greatest western tome that teaches Zen by purifying the mind of all tendencies towards semantic distortions, one will never confuse a map with the territory again: https://ilam3d.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/alfred-korzybksi-science-and-sanity.pdf [In the beginnig of this thread I read that Feng Tao Te invented this system while sitting in deep meditation for 9 years. He seemed to do that on the last stage of the alchemical practice (converting Shen into Emptiness). It might mean that he reached the very high level of the alchemical mastery and gained Immortality. By the way did anyone have channeling to Feng Tao Te? ] I BELIEVE YOU'VE READ THIS THREAD INCORRECTLY. IF THAT INFO ABOUT FENG DO DUK SITTING IN MEDITATION FOR 9 YRS (IN ORDER THE CHANNEL THE BOK FU PAI ARTS) IS ON THIS THREAD, I DID NOT POST IT. NONE OF MY CLASSMATES UNDER GM DOO WAI HAD POSTED IT, FOR GM DOO WAI HAD NEVER TAUGHT SUCH HISTORY ABOUT FENG DO DUK. I KNOW THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT FFD WAS ACTIVE AT EHRMEISHAN, BUT I WILL NOT DISCLOSE IT ON A PUBLIC FORUM. THAT IS KNOWLEDGE DISCLOSED ONLY TO INITIATES OF BOK FU PAI. YOU CAN TRY TO GET IT FROM SIFU GARRY HEARFIELD OR OTHER CERTIFIED BOK FU PAI INSTRUCTORS SUCH AS THE WHITE TIGER SCHOOL IN LOS ANGELES, BUT I DOUBT VERY MUCH THAT THEY WOULD TELL YOU. BUT I WILL SAY THAT IT WAS FAR, FAR MORE THAN 9 YEARS. [He seemed to do that on the last stage of the alchemical practice (converting Shen into Emptiness).] BLIND SPECULATION ON YOUR PART. I.E., YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. AS STATED MANY TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THIS THREAD, FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG PRACTICE AND ALL OF BOK FU PAI'S NEI KUNG PRACTICES ARE NOT DESCRIBED BY THE WRITTEN OR PHILOSOPHICAL ROADMAPS OF ANY OTHER QIGONG SYSTEMS, TAOIST OR NON-TAOIST, NOR BY THE PRINCIPLES OF T.C.M. YOU ARE USING THE WRONG ROAD-MAP HERE TRYING TO FIND DIRECTIONS TO A PLACE THAT YOU ARE NOT READY FOR, WHEN IN ACTUALITY THERE IS NO ROAD-MAP. THERE IS ONLY THE LIVING QIGONG ART AND A LINEAGE OF TEACHERS. YOUR LITERAL EXPRESSION "(converting Shen into Emptiness)" IS A TEACHING THAT I HAVE NOT HEARD OF--NOR IS IT A PROCESS OR A TEACHING THAT IS RELEVANT TO FP QIGONG OR BOK FU PAI NEI KUNG ARTS--AT ANY LEVEL. RATHER, IT SOUNDS LIKE A BASTARDIZATION OF THE LAST TEACHING IN LIU HE BA FA (6 HARMONIES/8 METHODS KUNG FU--WHICH I ALSO HAVE STUDIED SINCE 1980 UNDER THE LATE MASTER YORK WHY LOO AND ACTIVE MASTER CHAN CHING KAI), WHICH GOES: "MOVEMENT AND EMPTINESS COMBINE." ("COMBINE" = "HARMONIZE") OR, IT MIGHT BE A TRANSLATOR'S GROSS SIMPLIFICATION OF THE BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS ABOUT THE HIGHEST STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE VISSUDHIMAGGA, WHICH ARE REFERRED TO (IN TRANSLATION) AS THE FOUR "FORMLESS" JHANAS. ...BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHERE IT COMES FROM. PLUS, YOUR SPECULATIONS ABOUT FENG DO DUK'S LAST STAGE OF ALCHEMICAL PRACTICE AND WHETHER OR NOT HE HAS OR HAS NOT ATTAINED IMMORTALITY IS IRRELEVANT TO ANYONE'S GROWTH OR PROGRESS IN FP QIGONG OR ANY QIGONG. Please, stop posting on this thread your blind speculations and wildly erroneous beliefs about the relationship between lucid dreaming and the cultivation of Shen. The beliefs that you've put forth as supporting "facts" or Taoist principles are not grounded in any human yogic experience. If you wish to speculate about the requirements of preserving jing in order to convert Jing into Shen" through "a special alchemical method", you can start a separate discussion thread on that topic, as Earl Grey had suggested. This subject of this thread for the past 9.25 years is the correct practice of Flying Phoenix Qigong. THIS COMMUNITY THREAD IS A RESOURCE FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN CORRECTLY PRACTICING FP QIGONG OVER THE LONG TERM OR ARE ACTIVELY PRACTICING IT TO AVAIL THEMSELVES IMMEDIATELY TO THIS ART"S PROFOUND HEALING, REJUVENATING, CONSCIOUSNESS-EXPANDING, AND SPIRITUAL BENEFITS. Sifu Terry Dunn Why know the name of a thing, when the thing itself you do not know? -- Carlos Castaneda www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Stillwater, Sorry for taking so long to get back to you about your questions re lactic acid buildup in the shoulders while doing MGAM. Answer to your question: many beginning students with no internal martial arts background do feel stress and soreness when they first do Monk Gazing At Moon. That's a normal sensation that comes with the exercise. But prolonged and extremely painful lactic acid buildup is not normal. (A) Cihan made a correct and excellent suggestion that you do a lot of Bending the Bows in order to condition away the soreness in shoulders. BTB is a cornerstone moving meditation in the FP Qigong system. (B) Also do Wind Through Clouds (50 40 30). the bending over down-ward tilt of the torso to right left and right again will take the pain out of your shoulders and bring the underlying stress to surface and your awareness. (C) to better regulate the soreness that you attribute to lactic acid buildup: do the preparatory seated meditation for the "Monk Serves Wine" meds on the Vol.2 DVD that has the breath sequence (50 30 10) and looks like the opening movement of Tai Chi done repeatedly--where you raise and lower the extended arms from waist level while your seated to shoulder level. Do this A LOT! **I know it's a Catch-22 because you're having a tough time sitting in and stayng in the half lotus position. Hint: use booster cushion to raise the butt and have the thighs angling downward. And if worse comes to worse, you can just do the seated meditations sitting in a chair with feet flat on the floor. It's sub-optimal, but still allows you to train the FP seated meditations, which are sublime. BTW, that (50 30 10) preparatory seated med will probably put you through some changes. As I've posted early in the thread that when my comrades and I first did that meditation in the first months of our training in 1991, every single one of us students of GM Doo Wai (who were all instructor level with 10+ yrs of solid kung fu experience, felt incredible, almost excruciating pain the first week we did that meditation. Prop your self against a wall or couch or sit in a chair if you can't do half-lotus and do the arm floatations up and down 18x as slowly as you can. Doing that daily for a couple of weeks should transform your neuro-musculature. As Carl Jung put it, "There is no coming to Tranquility without Pain." (actually, he said "there is no coming to Consciousness without Pain"--but I'm exercising poetic license. Good luck, Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi BP, Your question, Is it ok to do hand on healing for someone for free? --is a very loaded, overly general question that in its present form does have a single correct answer. I will answer by saying that it all depends on these factors and more: (A) how effective your healing powers are, (B) how clear and perceptive you are in terms of diagnosing the illness or injury; (C) how clear and perceptive you are in seeing the patient's character and spirit; and (D) how physically, mentally and spiritually strong you are to withstand a patient's disease, negative energy, or even negative intent and his projected psychic energy; (E) who you are trying to heal. • If the person is a family member or loved one, there should be no problem. And certainly no bad consequences or karmic fall-out should result from rendering a healing without charge. • But if your skills are inadequate and ineffective (not saying that they are either inferior or superior in reality), and wind up causing negative complications or worsening the condition, then you've hindered or hurt rather than healed. But even if you've not done a service but instead you've inadvertantly done a disservice, if the intent was purely to help, there should be no negative karmic fall-out. • Or if the person you're working on is seriously afflicted with something that's beyond your healing capability, then you are doing something that's of no use and also putting yourself at risk of contracting the either biological disease or spiritual disease/affliction that he/she has. • Or worse, if the person you're trying to heal is a parasite or disguised energy vampire, you will be drained to some extent of your own vital life force and have your spiritual energy soiled. Every skilled healer who has worked long enough has come across • it also depends if the patient can afford your services or not. If the subject is someone you've deemed worthy of being helped but cannot pay you, then doing a barter is fine to accommodate, and giving the healing for free is a good charitable act that will "improve your karma," as you put it, and come back to you in a positive way somewhere down the road. It seems to me you would inprove your karma by helping other for free, you would probably get a return some where down the line and if you enjoy it why not? • Yes, the basic law of karma, as taught by all the great spiritual leaders and great religions of the world, holds true for all tie--"do good onto others and good will be done onto you": Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. – Matthew 7:12 "(5) The fact that men one experienceth even in the unhappy worlds of existence (i.e., life on earth) moments of happiness as a direct outcome of having performed little deeds of mercy while in the human world showeth the virtue of the Holy Dharma." – XVI. The Ten Virtues of the Holy Dharma, "Tibetan Yoga & Secret Doctrines" transl. by W.Y. Evans-Wentz The Master said: "To bless means to help. Heaven helps the man who is devoted; men help the man who is true. He who walks in truth and is devoted in his thinking, and furthermore reveres the worthy, is blessed by heaven. He has good fortune, and there is nothing that would not further." – Confucius, as quote in the I Ching, Book of Changes to explain the top line of Hexagram #14, "Possession in Great Measure" that reads: "He is blessed by heaven. Good fortune. Nothing that does not further." From a buddhist book i have been reading it says a bodhissatva should be prepared to give up everything for some on, even their body...bit extreme imo but is charity not a virtue? Not extreme. Charity is indeed a great virtue. One must renounce all in service to humanity in order to gain all--as exemplified by Moses, Christ, the Buddha and others. *I hope you have misquoted the book that you've been reading--for a Bodhisattva or saint has already given up all and renounced everything material and even health and extended life, in order to attain liberation from the world and the karmic wheel of deaths and rebirths. Your statement above is correct only if you insert the word "aspiring" before "Bodhisattva". I hope that this clarifies. May I suggest that as you practice FP Qigong that you also study works such as the Bible, the I Ching (the Wilhelm-Baynes translation, especially "The Great Treatise" in the center of the book), "Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines" by W.Y. Evans-Wentz [which I made in 1983 required reading for all of my students] or any other great spiritual work. Best wishes, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

A_B, Thanks for your expressed faith in my being able to explain this. But I cannot answer for FP Qigong's effects in relation to progesterone intake. It is possible that FP Qigong's effects are so balancing, harmonizing and restorative of all natural bodily processes that it could override the effects of the pill, but I am not scientifically qualified to authoritatively say one way or another. And I am not in the life mode where I can remotely scan your system and determine this. But I want to recommend to you someone who can probably give you a clear read on the possible effect of FPCK overriding the pill in your body specifically: contact Eric Isen, and excellent medical clairvoyant, who starting several years ago, was profoundly accurate in remotely reading and rendering in great detail the health and yogic effects of each and every FP Qigong Meditation for "Tao Stillness". Just contact me through backchannel PM to get Eric's contact info. (He charges $90/ half hour for his consultations.) Best, Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi A-B, I'm sorry to take so long to reply to your post. After I got back from my travels last weekend, I somehow I had missed it on this next-to-current page. I just now read it. My answers to your specific questions and concerns: I think the guy at home likes to be near me when I do FPCK, because he comes into the same room where I am practicing. I don't know how close he comes, but aside from the blue light that she sees clearly, my daughter saw a black shadow around me when I was practicing (I see him as a floating shadow-type figure, but at that moment my eyes are closed). She never sees a black shadow around me at other times - she is able to see this anytime while wide awake and she only saw it during my practice. I was wondering if he was trying to benefit from the chi kung. •• If you and your daughter have perceived a spirit co-inhabiting your home over the past 7 years and are certain that it is not malevolent, and your daughter has seen this spirit as a black shadow only when you are practicing, then your hunch or belief may be correct that it manifests and comes near when you are doing FP Qigong because it likes the FP Qigong energy. Also, a benign spirit may be drawing near each time you practice because our FP Qigong puts you in a clear, integrated, and highly perceptive state of consciousness where you are more able to perceive or possibly even cummune with that spirit as well as other entities. If you are healthy and in a strong and positive frame of mind, that spirit, besides making its presence known, might be approaching to commune with you. (You can contact me via PM backchannel if you want to discuss means for you to better recognize this spirit yourself and how get acquainted with him if you want to.) •• Great, btw, that your daughter sees your energy when practicing FP as the "signature" blue light! It would make sense if you said not to do it at home, because I have a lot of difficulty doing it there, it just seems to be more awkward generally, either I get interrupted by my child, or I get distracted by sounds like someone being there, or whatever the obstacle may be on any given day. It may look like coincidence, but it may be because I should not? •• You've pretty much answered your own question about whether you should practice FP Qigong at home or not. Co-habitating spirit(s) aside, because your practice is generally more distracted, awkward, and interrupted at home, unless you can secure your abode and shut out any and all forms of mundane interference, you would be better off practicing in a more quiet, comfortable and secluded setting. If you have no other alternatives to practicing FP at work in a room with a lot electronic equipment, then that will have to suffice. It is certainly not ideal, but at least you won't be interrupted. Everyone has to cope and make do with their environments in order to practice FP. Over the years, I've practiced countless times in spaces with turned-on electronic equipment and/or machinery not in operation. And as a matter of fact, when GM Doo Wai taught me and the circle of students I had formed in the early 90's, about 80% of training was in a hotel room with the television turned on. Best wishes, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html