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Everything posted by zen-bear
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Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai) Kung Fu and Neigong discussion
zen-bear replied to daobro's topic in General Discussion
Hello all Tao Tan Pai practitioners, enthusiasts, and curious seekers: The only way to know what Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method") Kung Fu and Nei Kung is is to practice it: This is a last minute reminder and encouragement to attend my 3-day, 14-hour workshop teaching Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations + 10 Shen Exercises + TTTP Kung Fu Forms this Thursday through Saturday that I'm giving at the lovely Tao Retreat Center over the hill from you in Catskill, NY. I wasn't sure if you knew about this workshop from my free monthly Newsletter. Here is the link to the workshop description: https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/on-may-10th-celebrate-lu-tung-pins?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false What's different about this TTP-31 workshop from all previoius ones is that I will be teaching the Ten "Shen" Meditations (during the last four sessions of the workshop--starting with the afternoon (2:30 to 4:30pm) session) and also Tao Tan Pai 5 Animal Kung Fu forms (to my intermediate students.) The "Shen" Exercises are truly remarkable. I have never taught them before in a workshop setting on either coast. (Only a couple of times over the past 40 years to my most advanced students). But just within the past 3 weeks, I had the revelation that it's time to teach the Shen system to anyone who's ready for them. The 10 Shen Exercises imbue one with the knowledge of the difference between Ching Qi (metabolic energy) and Shen Qi ("the pure speculative aspect of action"--as per my favorite sr. classmate). "Shen" in Chinese means "(a rising) spirit." The entire Tao Tan Pai Nei Gung system is all about--and only about-- cultivating Shen Qi and Ching-Qi separately and the putting them together to manifest Qi. The Shen exercise are a relatively easy to learn system of 6 standing postures and 4 sedate seated meditations that specifically cultivates "Shen" Qi. Building upon the health, integrated strength, and structural sensitivity conditioned by the TTP-31 Basic Meditations, the "Shen" Exercise System more deeply integrates mind and body and simultaneously develops (A) the physiological capacity to literally see all forms of energy that are not seen in the consensus reality (e.g., any person's psychology, their past incarnations, and present spiritual guides) and (B) psychic intuition, the ability to know in granular detail distant events hitherto unknown in the past, in the present, and in the future. (Take this with 18 shakers of salt for now; but if you do them, they'll deliver such results!) I can almost guarantee you will feel something especially deep, extraordinary, and lasting once you finish the 10 Shen Exercises. It will takes the effects of the Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations to a higher level--and also one's Flying Phoenix Qigong practice will never be the same after the Shen practice. TUITION • LIVE ATTENDANCE: $450 early registration for 7 sessions—or $65 per each 2-hour session (ENDS today) $525 day of workshop—or $75 for each of the seven 2-hour sessions • ZOOM PARTICIPATION: $60 per 2-hour session or $385 for all 7 sessions (Zoom log-on links are below) • SCHEDULE FOR THE 7 WORKSHOP SESSIONS: Thursday: 3pm - 5pm; 7:30pm - 9:30pm EST Friday: 10am - noon; 2:30pm - 4:30pm; 7:30pm - 9:30pm EST Saturday: 10am - noon; 2:00pm - 4:00pm EST Contact me at zenbearinc@gmail.com with any questions. Sifu Terry Dunn -
Howdy Bojole, Sorry for the long delayed greetig. Thanks for connecting. Here's whassup this week: Not Flying Phoenix qigong but the other Taoist monastic tradition I preserve, Tao Tan Pi:
https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/on-may-10th-celebrate-lu-tung-pins?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false -
MAY 10TH is the 1,229th Birthday of Taoist Immortal (saint) Lu Tung Pin, the de facto leader of the 8 Taoist Immortals of Chinese religion, folklore, and culture. Celebrate this anniversary by learning Lu Tung Pin's Taoist Elixir Method ("Tao Tan Pai") 31 Basic Meditations System from Master Terry Dunn at this special 14-hour workshop on May 8, 9, and 10, at Tao Retreat (Han Chinese Culture Estate), 33 Tao Road, Catskill, NY 12414 Hello to Flying Phoenix Qigong Practioners and practioners of all ancient authentic ancient systems of Qigong, Energy Healing, and Internal Energy Martial arts. From May 8 to 10th, I will be teaching a 3-day, 14-hour immersive residential workshop in: A. Tao Tan Pai (“Taoist Elixir Method“) Basic 31 Meditations; B. The 10 "Shen" Exercises of Tao Tan Pai (A rare, truly spiritual Qigong subsystem that develops psychic intuition); C. Tao Tan Pai 5 Animal Kung Fu forms—Monkey, Crane, Snake, Dragon, and Tiger (For intermediate and advanced students: This workshop is in celebration of the 1,229th birthday of the Taoist Immortal (saint) Lu Tung Pin, the founder and patron saint of the Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu, aka the Golden Elixir School, and the author of "The Secret of the Golden Flower", a seminal Tang Dynasty text on Taoist Alchemic Yoga (neidan). Tao Tan Pai is a martial, yogic, healing, and spiritual tradition that has been impeccably preserved across 24 generations and gave rise to the Quan Zhen ("Complete Realization" or "Totally True") sect, one of the two most important movements in the history of Taoism and Chinese culture. The Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations (“TTP-31”) is an authentic and intact ancient Taoist system of moving meditation and breath control—invented in the Tang Dynasty by Taoist Immortal (saint) Lu Tung Pin—that imparts good health, strong vitality and personal empowerment—by coordinating eyes, mind, movement, and breath according to an ancient alchemic formula that opens the heart, clears and focuses the mind and profoundly strengthens the body. Regular practice of the TTP-31 series imparts a wide range of verifiable health benefits: improved circulation, respiratory power, metabolism, posture, bone strength, immunity, flexibility, agility, coordination, sound-regular sleep, higher energy levels, and profoundly increased resilience to stress and trauma. Because the TTP-31 Basic Meditation Series empowers Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu and the TTP Healing Arts (acupressure, energy healing, and herbology) to supernormal levels of efficacy, it is the perfect energizing warmup and supplement for any sports or athletic activity, in addition to martial arts. This video shows what 8 of the TTP-31 Basic Meditations look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKGt3C4cQfk&list=PLLnoZ9AAmn666z33oSXe9b7ZGWlf1PP35 <•> In addition to the TTP-31 Series and Tao Tan Pai 5 Animal Kung fu forms, during the last 4 sessions of the workshop (on Saturday and Sunday), I will also teach the Ten "Shen" Exercises, which is the next level of Tao Tan Pai Nei Gong that follows the TTP-31. The "Shen" Exercises, which I have never taught before in a workshop setting (only privately over the past 40 years) is a system of 6 standing postures and 4 sedate seated meditations that specifically cultivates one's "Shen" Energy (Qi). which my favorite TTP senior classmate called, "the pure speculative aspect of action." Building upon the vibrant health, integrated strength, and structural sensitivity conditioned by the TTP-31 Basic Meditations, the "Shen" Exercise System further integrates mind and body through calm and stillness and develops deeper jhanic absorption that simutaneously develops: (A) the physiological capacity to literally see all forms of energy that are not seen in the consensus reality (e.g., any person's past incarnations) and (B) psychic intuition, the ability to know in granular detail spatially distant events hitherto unknown in the past, in the present, and in the future. • The Tao Tan Basic 31 Meditations Series utilizes an esoteric yogic methodology that is completely different from that used in Flying Phoenix Qigong. The Tao Tan Pai tradition and Flying Phoenix Qigong's encompassing Ehrmei Mtn. White Tiger tradition have very different origins, are historically unrelated and utilize different cosmologies. They are different as night and day in terms of all three essential factors that determine any Qigong system: (1) "Xing" (Shape-form-posture(s) of the body), (2) "Yi" (mental focus and visualization); (3) "Chi" or "Qi" -- esoteric breathing method. Yet the TTP-31 serves as a superb foundational catalyst that deepens, enhances and prolongs all of the verifiable healing effects of the Flying Phoenix Qigong. Because I am the sole living preserver of Ehrmei Mountain Flying Phoenix Qigong and I also happened to have learned the entire Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu and Neigong system for the 15 years prior to meeting Grandmaster Doo Wai in 1991, there is no other person on earth who can teach you how to practice the Tai Tan Pai Qigong arts to further activate the healing and restorative effects of Flying Phoenix Qigong. (See the attached testimonials by workshop veterans Tony Arcuri and Spencer Lawrence after their first experience of TTP-31 Qigong followed by Flying Phoenix Qigong, and letter of reference by Dr. Emil Mondoa.) • Complete details about this workshop's content--as well info about the beautiful Tao Retreat Center in Catskill, NY (including pics of its wonderful Szechuan food all made with home vegetables)-- are on this issue of my monthly Newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/on-may-10th-celebrate-lu-tung-pins?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false or find at: terencedunn.stack.com I hope to see you in person in Catskill or on Zoom! Please contact me here if you have any questions. mitakuye oyasin, (Lakota greeting and prayer that means “All are related,” “To all my relations,” and “Help and health to all my brothers and sisters.”) Sifu Terry Dunn P.S. No.1 TTP-31 Qigong Workshop Schedule 7 two-hour sessions at these times (EST): Thursday: 3pm - 5pm; 7:30pm - 9:30pm EST Friday: 10am - noon; 2:30pm - 4:30pm; 7:30pm - 9:30pm EST Saturday: 10am - noon; 2:00pm - 4:00pm EST TUITION $450 early registration extended all the way to May 7—or $65 per each 2-hour session. $525 day of workshop—or $75 for each of the seven 2-hour sessions • ZOOM PARTICIPATION: $60 per 2-hour session or $385 for all 7 sessions. (Zoom log-on links will be emailed to registrants the day before the workshop begins) • Please send payment via Paypal (to zenbearinc@gmail.com or scan the QR code above) or send payment via Zelle (to terencepdunn@gmail.com). Postscript #2: Reviews by two long-term FP Qigong Practitioners of the Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations System's impact and influence their Flying Phoenix experience: 2 Reviews of “Qigong For Health For First Responders” class by Master Terence Dunn on March 29, 2020 (one hour of TTP Basic 31 Meditations + one hour of Flying Phoenix Qigong) I felt a surge of tangible sensations coursing through my entire body, streams of subtle vibrations and tingling with a particular focus in the chest and head areas. Unlike the typical calming, relaxing, and sometimes sedative effects that I usually experience from Flying Phoenix Qigong practice, this pattern of energy was more invigorating, enlivening, and longer-lasting. I was alert and full of energy with an underlying sense of ease and contentment. Its effects were still mildly present three hours after the practice session ended, and most surprisingly, after a heavy meal, something I haven't quite experienced before even having attended a dozen intensive workshops. Although we only practiced basic exercises from each system, my experience mimicked ones I’ve had practicing advanced meditations of Tao Tan Pai Qigong and Flying Phoenix Qigong separately in longer sessions. I can only attribute these effects to the thoughtful, specific, and unique combination of TTP and FP that was offered by Master Terry Dunn. --Spencer Lawrence, Jersey City, NJ I’ve studied with Sifu Terry Dunn for 5 1/2 years at Eastover and any place else I could get the chance. The major focus of that study had been Flying Phoenix Qigong and related Bak Fu Pai arts. I’ve taken a couple of workshops in Tao Tan Pai but never gave it any thought, devotion or practice. Recently I’ve partaken in Sifu Dunn’s Sunday class “Tao Tan Pai + Flying Phoenix Qigong for Peak Immunity...” It consists of one hour of Tao Tan Pai followed another hour of Flying Phoenix. For the last 12 weeks I’ve faithfully practiced TTP daily with profound results. My lung capacity has greatly increased; my inhalation and exhalation are longer and deeper now (something useful In this time of pandemic). I’ve noticed, too, that my heart rate has slowed down by 5 beats per minute. As to the synergistic relationship of these two seemingly unrelated disciplines, I’ll mention a few. Tao Tan Pai is the perfect warmup for Flying Phoenix Qigong. It loosens both the body and mind. It deepens the relaxation response putting one in an altered state much sooner. This state of relaxation is so deep that by the end of Sunday’s class I can barely keep my eyes open. This is especially true of the Monk Serves Wine series of exercises. My personal practice will forevermore start with TTP and end with Flying Phoenix. --Tony Arcuri, Queens, NY Postscript #3: Observations by Dr. Emil Mondoa of the differences between Flying Phoenix Qigong and Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations Qigong. June 22, 2022 To Whom It May Concern Terence Dunn is an Ivy League-educated American who has dedicated his life to preserving and teaching ancient Chinese internal martial arts and yogas. Forsaking the corporate path, he has become something of a monk without a monastery. He has a special gift to bestow the public. I on the other hand am no monk and am a practicing physician who met Terry about 30 years ago before the internet age. At that time, I had completed a busy residency and was pursuing an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania while working full time and caring for a premature baby, our first daughter. Needless to say, it was a challenging period and I was under enormous stress. I was looking for something to manage my stress which was not a benzodiazepine or alcohol. That is when a detailed flyer came in the mail (quaint now) about something called “Flying Phoenix Heavenly Chi Meditations.” After a little thought, I ordered the complete set of 3 VHS tapes from Mr Dunn and was off to an interesting adventure. I figured doing a few exercises could not be worse than going on anti-anxiety pills. His teaching method was simple, direct and clear and after learning some basic very slow movements, stationary postures and breath sequences it was possible to follow along with eyes closed. It worked! From the very first day, I experienced a relaxed calm for which I had no other explanation. For about 18 months after that, I practiced at least 15 minutes every single day and over time, that relaxed calm evolved into a pleasant buttery, honey-warm glow that pervaded my entire body and mind and lasted all day. As a trained physician, I considered explanations. It had to be endorphins, I thought. After all, it seemed to get rid of pain. Taoist and Buddhist practitioners in China must have encountered a practice that floods the body with endorphins and elevates the sense of well-being. The fact is, I have no proven western scientific explanation and traditional chi theory is a parallel world view. It is 30 years later, and I still practice. Not as consistently as before, but I practice. I have introduced the practice to dozens of friends and relatives but no one wants to invest 20-30 minutes a day to slow movement and breathing. They give up without even trying. Perhaps a culturally familiar explanation would help. In traditional Chinese medicine, these kinds of practices are considered medicinal. In my personal experience, they are medicinal but not in terms that current science understands or to which western culture is comfortable. Until that translation is made, many people would continue to miss out on what in my opinion is the greatest gift from ancient China. In addition to Flying Phoenix, Master Terence introduced me more recently to Tao Tan Pai, a totally different system of chi kung (qigong). If Flying Phoenix embraces your being in a sweet warm, healing maternal embrace (without somnolence), the feeling after Tao Tan Pai is an enhancement in executive function, focus and athletic ability. I came across literature that suggests that if athletes actively visualize their forms, it improves their performance over and above physical training alone. Tao Tan Pai seems to be operating on that principle at an advanced level and provides a reward that is qualitatively different but no less astounding from Flying Phoenix. Again, it would help if these subjective experiences could be further studied and made accessible. Right now it is available but not accessible mostly for cultural reasons. Sincerely yours, Emil I Mondoa, M.D., M.B.A. drmondoa@mac.com
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Hi Pak_Satrio, Great that you were able to practice the FP Long Form in the Jordanian desert. It looks beautiful and inspiring. Great that you've learned the sequence of postures for the entire Long Form--even though you have numerous serious errors in the postures and in the transitions between them. But memorizing the entire form that best you can is a very big first step. BTW, until you get the FP Long Form fully corrected and refined, do NOT discontinue your practice of all the preceding 7 standing FP Meditations on volumes 1 and 3. Here are my comments to correct and improve your form. 1. First of all: start with a slight wider horse stance (ma bu): feet two shoulders' widths apart. 2. At 24 secs., your right jab over the left bridge is extending too far--dont' straight the arm that much. 3. At 28 secs, after the Rt. Willow leaf palm on centerline, when you shift left and rotate clockwise and curve the left arm: you're lifting the arm too high and also straightening it. Wrong. Move your left hand from the tan tien and keep the hand at waist level as you shift left and rotate clockwise. 4. then when you turn waist right and circle the left arm clockwise, the arm is supposed to be curved. But you are nearly straightening the left arm AND turning too far to the right. The back of your left hand faces the right normal (wrong); just rotate right until back of left hand faces the front right corner (45º). 5. At 38 secs, as you lower left palm towards the right hand at the tan tian: keep for fingers together and cup the left palm very slightly. And float the hand and forearm down softly--don't "push" the palm down. 6. Your movements from 1:07 to 1:24 require too, too much correction and refinement to put into words here. We'll cover the necessary corrections in your next private lesson...or if you can take next 3-day (14-hour) Flying Phoenix Qigong Workshop on Zoom. 7. Your movement starting at 2:26 to 2:33 is WAY OFF mark. Not in the form at all. You swing your chest to left knee, across to right knee and then immediately upright into the PRESS, You added an entirely new move with arms fully extended ( 2:30 to 2:31) that's not in the classical Meditation!. It is a very creative and interesting addition though! 8. When you do your two "Presses" (left palm on right wrist) from 2:32 to 2;40, you are leaning forward too much on each one. Keep you back vertical the entire time. 9. From 2:47 to 3:23: On your 5 outward blocks with the forearms (thumbside edge leading), these are the errors: A. Your elbows are too high and your forearms are angled forward too "flat" away from the body. B. Your hands are not high enough. Fingertips should be slightly above eye-level and can be up to the level of your hairline. (Watch any of my 3 Youtube videos of the FP Long Form as reference,) C. How you switch from one blocking forearm to the other (after traversing it 180º) is WAY OFF--and too long to explain here in writing. The major corrections needed here will require private lesson time. • Pak_Satrio: That's all I time and energy I can provide for your corrections on this site. All the corrections above can be made more easily during a Zoom session. Good work, nonetheless, on memorizing the FP Long Form choreography. Memorizing the Form is, of course, the essential first step. As Master John Fey said to me after I demonstrated the 6 Harmonies/8 Methods (Liu He Ba Fa) form in Pasadena, CA before a large audience during World Tai Chi Qigong Day in 1985 (I had just learned the form from Dr. York Why Loo): "Well, at least you know a complete Form." LOL. But now lets' tackle the corrections whenever you're able. Note to all FPCK subscribers--as Bill Maher puts it: NEW RULE: Feel free to post links to your FP Long Form performances on this thread---BUT NOT BEFORE you post a video of your demonstration of "Moonbeam Splashes On Water" ( the 2nd moving meditation on Volume 3). One must become proficient in "Moonbeam" through lots of practice and refinement before starting practice of the Vol.4 Long Form. I know for a fact that not enough FP practitioners are mastering "Moonbeam" before starrting the FP Long Form --because there aren't any questions being posted here about the practice of that meditation. SO EVERYONE, GET BUSY ON MOONBEAM! Sifu Terry https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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HAPPY WORLD TAI CHI QIGONG DAY!!! Celebrate WTCQD, by attending my free TAI CHI FOR HEALTH class (50 min.) and free FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG class (50 min.) at the Lenox Yoga Studio, 52 Housatonic Street in Lenox, MA. 2pm to 4pm EST. I will also be demonstrating Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method") Kung Fu and Qigong, created during the Tang Dynasty by its patron saint, Taoist Immortal Lu Tung Pin. Tao Tan Pai is a different ancient Taoist monastic tradition of Qigong & Kung fu unrelated to the Ehrmei Mountain Bok Fu Pai (White Tiger Style) Kung Fu, which was created in 1644 by Taoist monk Feng Do Duk. ZOOMABLE, of course: Topic: World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Free Class & Demo's Time: Apr 26, 2025 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82126393118?pwd=iLHotTV8baxWaoPCnTp6gwPZeYXrtV.1 Meeting ID: 821 2639 3118 Passcode: 844128 37-POSTURE YANG STYLE SHORT FORM OF PROF. CHENG MANCHING EHRMEI MOUNTAIN FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG'S CAPSTONE LONG FORM (FEI FENG SAN GUNG) = "FLYING PHOENIX HEAVENLY HEALING CHI MEDITATION
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Hello Julian, I'm truly sorry that it's taken 11 years and 15 days to finally see your post for the first time and now answer your question about others being able to see your light. I had missed and completely overlooked your posting that in the first week of April 2014 because that was precisely the time when I received the devastating news that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear my appeal of lower California appeals courts and CA Supreme court decisions refusing to hear my Writ of Certiorari seeking a retrial of my lawsuit in California against Dreamworks Animation for stealing my story, concept and characters for MY original kung Fu panda concept, characters (13 main characters) , and pilot story called "The Adventures of Zen-Bear, the Kung Fu Panda" that I had begun in 1991 and worked on for 9 years before pitching my project to the No,2 executive at Dreamworks Animation, a senior V.P. who reported directly to the "K" in Dreamworks SKG, inc.. All the public information in the court record of the first trial--including all of my intellectual property work product and other registered evidence and testimony about proving the primacy of my creation of my characters, original concept of a kung fu-fighting panda bear, and elaborated story involving 12 other animal characters for children's books, for mulitple seasons of an animated TV series, and my movie idea is mounted on this website that I created in 2016: http://www.kungfupandalawsuit.com/Timeline_Hotspots_New.html I lost a veritable fortune starting in June 2010 to file this lawsuit (seeking minimum damages of $20 million for breach-of-implied-contract) and bring it to trial in July-Aug. of 2011, only to lose at trial by a hair due to public corruption and being out-lawyered and by DWA's dirty tricks law firm, appealing to the CA Court of Appeals in 2013, tghe CA State Supreme Court the same year, and then the US Supreme Court in 2014--all to of no avail. Thus I was buried in four years of legal bills, 4 full years of having all my creative business momentum brought to a standstill (because no one creative can be productive while in a lawsuit ag, a Hollywood film studio), and suffering from cumulative fallout from losing the first trial in August 2011, and then have 3 appeals all the way to the SCOTUS to be heard. That said, I'm sorry I couldn't answer your question when in posted it 11 years ago and half a month ago. But here now is the answer to your question, "And, do I understand this correctly, that at some point in time others (non-practitioners) could also see my light?": • Yes, at some point in time, non-practitioners will be able to see the cumulative Flying Phoenix Healing Qi that you have steadily cultivated through your practice, which you call "your light"--even though most or all of them are not practitioners of Qigong or Yoga. The very first kind and most common recognition by others (non-practitioners or "everyday people") of your FP yogic cultivation is their "seeing" your very "clean" aura. It often happens when you enter a public place like a restaurant or coffee shop, and almost every head in the room turns to look at you. It's similar to the instinctive and instant turning ones head and upper body to look at a person that you have just sensed as having entered the room--especially if your back is facing the entrance. All my FP Qigong students within their first six months of weekly classes (and regular daily practice) have sooner or later reported this head-turning phenomenon whenver they went to a public eatery right after class. This phenomenon of everyday people seeing "your light" is a very common and regular occurrence. But the more background and experience any person has in any style of authentic Yoga, meditation, or quiescence, the greater potential he or she has of instantly seeing your FP-charged aura---as a natural side-effect of their practice(s). And you can be sure that whenever you began to see the distinctive, signature "blue light" that accompanies concentrated and long-ter FP Qigong practice, more everyday people and certainly more yoga-meditation-qigong practitioners will be seeing your pristine blue-radiating aura. I hope you've already discovered most of these features about Flying Phoenix Qigong that I've described. Please let me know how your practice has progressed over the years and about the effect or impact that the FP Qigong has had on your life. Best, Sifu Terry https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai) Kung Fu and Neigong discussion
zen-bear replied to daobro's topic in General Discussion
EFreethought, No. Tao Tan Pai students can learn the 5 Dragons Meditation at any age--so long as they've done all the prerequisite Kung Fu (5 animals forms) and Qigong (TTP "Basic" 31 Meditations, Shen Exercises, Six Stars, and 9 Flowers), which takes a good number of years. I just mentioned in passing that my classmates and I who got good results from the 5 Dragons Meditations learned this Capstone Qigong Set while in our 20's and 30's. I learned it at age 24. Just in time to keep my energy level and immunity very high during two years of graduate school in Boston, MA. I've practiced the 5 Dragons ever since with varying regularity. In the past 8 years after I moved from SoCal to New England with its colder winters full of ice and snow, I've practiced either the full orthodox version of the 5 Dragons (which takes 50-55 minutes to complete) or its 3/5 version (about 40 minutes to complete--that my classmates and I instinctively created successfully) on a daily basis. There is also a classical (not modern) 1/5 distilled version of the 5 Dragons that can practice When one has completed the entire Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung system, ending with the 5 Dragons, and practiced the latter for 4-5 years or longer , one has cultivated a profound super-abundance of internal energy fueling one's Tao Tai Pai Kung Fu to a super-normal level. That internal energy is available to use--if one has properly and equally trained one's Shen Qi--to displace the indigenous energy of any of an opponent's vital organs located in the torso or head, but without a crushing or penetrating physical blow,. All that's needed is a palm or back of the wrist (Crane's beak) touching the skin above an organ and the adept then crunching his toes to activate his fingertips--or simply coughing--in order to fa-jing. All ordained Tao Tan Pai priests, of course, are also versed in restoring the normal healthy energy balance of the subject after being disabled using this Nei Kung. After having completed the Tao Tan Pai Neig Kung, if one has learned the TTP energy healing, one is capable of rendering the TTP "Energy Balancing" treatment, which generally normalizes all minor energy imbalances in a patient and heals a wide variety of disease symptoms. (I have taught this Tao Tan Pai technique of Energy Balancing in the NCCAOM-accredited course titled "Medical Qigong I" at Emperors College in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2022). My favorite senior school brother (da-sihing) and spiritual benefactor, the ven. John Davidson who was the first-generation senior student of Taoist priest Share K. Lew in America (and who visits me on occasion from the other side, believe or not), taught me and another classmate how to safely transfer one's ENTIRE 5 Dragons' field of energy in an emergency to another person with low vital signs and who is close to dying of chronic illness or natural causes--in order to stave off death for a day, several days, or longer (given that the subject has not any suffered catastrophic organ damage or failure). So that is the very profound, high level of kung fu and energy healing art that the TTP Nei Kung enables. Sifu Terry Dunn -
To all FP Practitioners: Reminder that today and every Sunday from 3pm to 4:30pm EST I will be teaching my weekly Intermediate/Advanced Qigong class that covers: A. Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method") 31 Meditations (a complete system of Chinese Yoga in and of itself that accelerates and prolongs the healing effects of FP Qigong) B. Tao Tan Pai 5 Animals Kung Fu forms and weapons. Each TTP Form is a Shen-driven Qigong exercise. C. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong 1. Essential form corrections and refinement of "Moonbeam Splashes on Water" (on Vol.3) and "Long Form Capstone Meditation" taught (on Vol.4) 2. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong - Level 2 (9 standing meditations). Login URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87650026839?pwd=YkslBzNMFYgZBfJEmpnXFjbWCBIMys.1 • FEE: $60/ class or $440 / 8-class series or $800 / 16-class series (Please send tuition via Paypal (to zenbearinc@gmail.com or scan QR Code below) or send via Zelle to terencedunn@gmail.com) Complete details about course content are on my free weekly Newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/terry-dunns-tai-chi-for-health-and-92a?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false See you in class or on Zoom. Sifu Terry
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Reminder to all FP practitioners: Today from 2:00 to 3:30pm EST, I am teaching a beginners' class in Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method") Basic 31 Meditations followed by 45 minutes of FP Qigong. This is an excellent opportunity to learn the TTP-31 and the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (a classical distillation of the TTP-31 into 5 essential meditations). Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung is totally different from FP Qigong in terms of yogic methodology, as it is highly shen-driven while FP Qigong is very Shen-passive. Yet all levels of the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung traditiion serves as a superb foundational catalyst that enhances and prolongs the healing effects of the Flying Phoenix Qigong. Here is the Zoom log-on information and the tuition info: ZOOM Meeting ID: 836 4548 3188 Login URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83645483188?pwd=i6XM7LeghEWSFmD6Jr62njlMoIKw36.1 • FEE: $40 per class; $280 / 8-class series; or $500 / 16-class series Complete details about class content are this and all other issues of my free monthly Newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/terry-dunns-tai-chi-for-health-and-92a?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false See you soon on Zoom! Sifu Terry
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Thanks for the additional info, Boreas, What the acupuncturist said describes energy quality and movement tied to the liver. Liver, as per 5 Element Theory is tied to the element of Wood and emotion of anger. Acute pains in tne lungs is associated with the element Metal and the emotion of grief. Did you suffer some incident 2 yrs ago that caused you grief and great anger? You can try a little bit of FP Qigong at a time (5 to 10 minutes)...and see if it has good effect. If it exacerbates any of the pain symptoms, then or course stop. Good luck, Sifu Terry P.S. Pain in the upper and middle back and in the lungs are of two types of "body syndromes" in my school/set theory of holistic healing and counseling that is anchored by hypnotherapy (Kappasian, as in John Kappas, founder of Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI) in Tarzana, CA--where I trained and was certified in the mid-1980's.) If you want to do a consultation via Zoom, you can contact me at zenbearinc@gmail.com https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Antares. You wrote: Hi Boreas, I don't quite understand what your acupuncturist had diagnosed you as having when you wrote: "I was checking the box for the beginning of a deviation..." Where is the "deviation"? In what part of the body? • What presenting problem or type of pain(s) do you have that caused you to seek treatment from an acupuncturist? Unless you are having symptoms that prevent you from doing the FPCK breathing formulas and/or that make assuming the basic postures such as Monk Holding Pearl, MHPeach, and Monk Gazing At Moon painful, then hold back from practice. But FP Qigong is so mild, so restorative and stress-dissipating that you can continue practicing it so long as you are feeling its calming, energizing, and rejuvenating effects. And should any of the standing FP Meditations become difficult or painful, then practice the seated Monk Serves wine seated Meds. in Volumes 2 and 7. Remember: I was vetted and cleared by the I.R.B. of Cedars-Sinai Medical center in L.A. in 1999-2000 to write the first in-hospital Qigong protocol in American medical history for the Dept. of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery to accelerate the recover of acute-care pot-operative patients (who had major heart, lung and back surgeries...having their chests replumbed.). This content of first of its kind protocol was 80% FP Qigong. Good luck. Sifu Terry https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Antares, The Chinese term you've defined as "yuan shen = original spirit" does not have a functional role in the practice of FP Qigong. After you've experienced the salient health and spiritual benefits of FP Qigong, you can philosophize and celebrate the sublime restorative and "spiritually calibrating" (my coinage) effects of long-term FP Qigong practice any way you like. As I've told all my student in both Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung (created in the Tang Dynasty ad correctly attributable to Taoist Immortal Lu Tung Pin [and I will be proving it to academia soon]) and in FP Qigong, once you practice either one or both of these arts correctly, you can go out and write your own Tao Te Ching!! GM Doo Wai never mentioned "yuan shen" in all the years that I trained with him--in any context. Not in the context of FP Qigong or any of the other Ehmei Mtn. Bok Fu Pai internal energy arts. Yes, it does means "original spirit." The primordial spirit that one is born with that is constant and unalterable. But there are definitions like this floating around on the internet --parts of which that I happen to STRONGLY disagree with: "The concept of Yuan Shen is the primordial original spirit that you are born with, and it is the foundational core personality unaffected by the experiences of life. It is the essence of our being and the source of our vitality, which is deeply related to the concept of returning to the source." I strong disagree with the first phrase in bold. Because this hokey definition complete negates the concept of karmic evolution and growth, as any Buddhist initiate will tell you. "Essence of our being and source of our vitality"--yes that is the most commonly held meaning for yuan shen by Taoists. But I think that it is so general to be almost meaningless--unless you provide a specific context. Yuan shen as essence of one's existence. But the "source of vitality" varies from one Taoist or Buddhist tradition--or even Hindu tradition--to another. For example, in the Tao Tan Pai ("Taoist Elixir Method"--aka, the "Golden Elixir School") tradition that is correctly attributed to Taoist Immortal Lu Tung Pin (Lu Dengbin), the patron saint's most spoken and written "source of vitality" is "the Circulation of the Light"aka, the Microcosmic Orbit as he outlined in "Secret of the Golden Flower." And beyond health, enlightenment, and immortality, Lu Tung Pin's most transcendent and most powerful alchemic potential realized is what happens when " Yuan Shen as the source of our vitality? Yet it was never mentioned once by GM Doo Wai in all the years I trained with him starting in 1991. There are numerous sects of Taoism and the concept of yuan shen is used to varying degrees from one to the next. It's a nice term to have in one's holistic otr spiritual vocabulary. But, again, it has no pivotal role in the practice of the Ehrmei Mtn. Bok Fu Pai internal arts. Another example of yuan shen never being mentioned by high masters: in the 45 years that I have studied Yang Tai Chi Chuan in the Cheng Man-ching lineage, not one of my teachers--the late General Abraham Liu, the late Master Benjamin Lo, nor my current teacher the great Grandmaster William C.C. Chen ever mentioned yuan shen. I (on my own), however, did come to experience and realize through my mind-body ("Xin") (--not xing) the universal truth and meaning of the very first passage of the Tai Chi Classics: "Tai Chi comes from Wuchi and is the Mother of Heaven and Earth; In movement it separates, in stillness it fuses (congeals)." And that experience that occurred in 1984 and transformed me forever. And has kept me on the Tai Chi Chuan path. I felt like I was struck--not really "struck," but suddenly inhabited and filled 100% by a bolt of soft lightning. My entire body was electric and comfortably fluid and not hot in temperature. And at first, I did not know how to move my body in that state. Then I learned how to use my shen and will myself to move in that state--which brought into play the precise teachings of Master Ben Lo that I heard over and over and over again in his summer retreats in La Honda, CA: "The minds moves the Chi; the Chi moves the body." • If you master Tai Chi Chuan and attain this ability, "The mind moves the Chi; the Chi moves the body and the environment...", then you will also come closer to knowing the meaning of "yuan shen." Finally, that passage that you quoted that begins with, "The two fundamental terms... " was NOT written by Grandmaster Doo Wai !! He does not speak like that nor does he write like that. That passage is from an article written by a David Sorenson on a website called "tibetan.tripod.com" that was created by the Hudlin Brothersº--who I had introduced to GM Doo Wai around 1993 and brought into the learning circle in L.A. (that I created around GM Doo Wai in 1990). "The Taoist Monk Fung Doe Duk's Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Meditations is supposed to be the key that unlocks the energy within our body and subconsciously activates our inner mind to generate and balance the positive energy within our own body. The result is an illness free body with healthy, balanced, positive energy that enables its practitioners to use that energy to heal others. The Goddess informed the Monk that the meditations were sacred Heavenly meditations and that he was to be very selective of whom he was to teach them." This paragraph is generally accurate. And it sounds like a translation of GM Doo Wai's semi-broken English. But it does not explain in any insightful manner how-- "The Flying Phoenix Qigong 'pushes the brain back' (as GMDW slowly moving his right index finger over his head from the hairline back towards the crown) and activates the body's self-healing faculties." --Grandmaster Doo Wai, 1991 (--which I happen to have recorded on SVHS video when he was teaching me the advanced Monk Serves Wine Meditations. I may finally post this video sometime in the future.) Bottom line: be careful not to use terminology that you read about that is NOT grounded and based in your direct yogic experience of practicing FP Qigong. Because as we learned by the early 1980's after we had been practicing the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung for about 10 years under GM Share K. Lew' personal supervision: "The only real truth is the experienced truth." (Hence, the similarly minded Bruce Lee advised: "Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear." The semantic map (language) that one uses must precisely match the yogic territory (experience) that one wants to talk about. Using the wrong map--such as "xing" meaning "inner mind" that is activated by Qigong... only breeds confusion and wastes time. Sifu Terry Dunn P.S. btw, that website from where you excerpted the passage from the David Sorenson article about Feng Do Duk and the spiritual gifting of FP Qigong, etc. was created in the late 90's by the Hudlin Brothers, who were old friends of mine from my college and grad school years whom I later introduced to GM Doo Wai in 1993, and invited into the learning circle of instructors that I had created around GM Doo Wai in 1990. Well, by 1997, one of the students I had invited into the training circle played GM Doo Wai in such a debasing, Hollywood-like manner that the spirit of GM Doo Wai's teachings completely changed, and the window of learning that I had created around GM Doo Wai closed. I departed without a word. And the person who caused this window of transmission of sacred knowledge to be closed prematurely--by 20 years, per my estimation-- has had a karmic debt to bear ever since. The fact that all the other links on this old and unattended website, tibetan.tripod, are dead should tell you something about the seriousness and discipline of its keepers. Still the Sorenson article about FP Qigong is not all that bad. I give a grade of "B-" (also for its bad grammar). https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Antares, You are purely speculating about the symbolic meaning vs. literal meaning of "Moon" in the name "Monk Gazing At Moon"--without having any direct FP Qigong teachings from GM Doo Wai or from his senior students such as myself. Plus you are imposing other irrlevant semantics with your belief of what "xing strengthening meditation" is and then saying relatedly that "nature of xing is light." What Chinese character are you referring to when you say "xing"?? Which one of the four tones in Chinese is used in pronouncing the "xing" that you mean? (4 tones means 4 different meanigs.) I take that romanization "xing" to have its most widely used meaning: the shape-form of the body, as in Xing-I Boxing. MGM seems to be xing strengthening mediation but nature of xing is light. Ordinary person' Xing has more yin quality and symbolically can be associated more with moon, so it depends how much MIng (life) one has. • Besides not know what on earth you are trying to say here, I do know that it is 100% IRRELEVANT to the practice of FP Qigong. As I've told every student who's attended a live class or workshop with me since 1992, leave ALL YOUR BELIEFS about other styles and methods of Qigong and Yoga at the door when you practice FP Qigong. You do NOT need to believe in anything to benefit from FP Qigong. You just do the posture and do associated percentage breath-control formula correctly...and the Flying Phoenix of Feng Do Duk will teach you what you need to know. I am not sure we need Moon for MGM progress. Please do NOT guess. I have stated on this thread in the past that FP Qigong does NOT utilize any principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or its set theory as a map --i.e., no need to meridians, hours of the meridians, law of noonday-midnight. None of that is necessary or relevant to make FP Qigong work or to understand how it works. I did explain on this thread--and I shall repeat it here: that the FP Qigong system--along with all the other Ehrmei Mtn. Bok Fu Pai internal energy arts DO RELY on the position of the sun and the moon. Being aware of where the sun and/or the moon are in the sky is extremely important in the advanced practice of FP Qigong and all Bok Fu Pai energy arts, including its deadliest arts. So for beginners, just follow what GM Doo Wai taught: Practice Monk Gazing At Moon while gazing at the moon in the night sky. ••> And as I advised at various points in this thread, practice when the Moon is low on the horizon so you don't have to crane your head upwards and bend your neck to look at it. FP Qigong is totally self-explanatory. All you have to do is practice enough. Sifu Terry Dunn https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Hello Antares, Which FP med. are you referring to when you said, "I did 5 60..."? Nice that you saw the blueish light inside your head. Because I'm very "visual" in how I interpret and represent my experience, I see a very bright, flourescent sky blue light saturate the inside of my eyelids and then fill my head. ...so interesting to experiment how it would work if to do Pearl one after the other one. • If you want best results from FP Qigong in terms of healing and restoration, do MGMoon in the shoulder-width stance as taught on the DVD. Master Monk Holding Pearl, MHPeach, and Monk Gazing At Moon first, and especially Bending the Bows and Wind Above the Clouds on Volume 1. Then you can experiment with variations in stance for MHPearl. But there's actually no need to "experiment." Within the FP Qigong system, the Monk Holding Pearl mudra IS done in the 2-shoulders' width horse stance. It's done in the fifth posture of "Moonbeam Splashes On Water" and it is done again in the very last posture. And this ending posture can be held for minutes on end until one takes the 3 closing breathes. The Monk Holding Pearl posture done in the horse stance occurs again in the fifth posture of the FPHHCM Long Form Capstone Meditation ( Volume 4). If and when you experiment, by doing Monk Holding Pearl in a wider and deep horse stance for long periods of time--i.e, upwards of 15 minutes, you will find that it will cause lower body, back and shoulder/upper arm tension in beginners, and will snaps you into martial mode--if you have had any previous kung fu experience. The classical horse stance is used in practically ALL KUNG FU systems that ever came out of China. In the Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong (9 Standing moving meds.), a wider 2-shoulder width stance is used in all except two of the meditations.. BUT this Advanced FP sub-system it is NOT a purely healing Qigong like the level I presented in the DVD series. The Qi that it cultivates is both healing and "athletic/martial" in nature. Sifu Terry Dunn https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com
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Last Friday the 14th, I recovered from my first day of moving furniture and belongings almost single-handedly from old my abode into a new one 12 mi. away--by doing Monk Gazing At the Moon in the moonlight after doing the Capstone Long From 2x, and then doing 3 of the advanced Monk Serves Wine seated meditations (on Vol.7). In total, I spent 3.5 days moving, finally completing the laborious task yesterday at about 5pm (--while getting only 5.5 - 6 hours of sleep on each of those 3 nights.) Of course, over those 3.5 days, I did what I always do in the mornings: Tao Tan Pai 5 Dragons Meditation (will be discussed in the Taoist Elixir Method Kung Fu thread); the TTP Dragon kung fu form; the Bok Fu Pai Kung Fu System's "Eagle Claw 10-Hook Attack Form"; my 4 favorite "8 Sections Combined" forms: Sections 3, 4, 5 and 8. This is the FP practice regimen that I used last night to fully recover---and feel 100% today from the moment I woke up: 1.) FP Standing Long Form (vol.4) -- two times, back to back. -- 30 min. 2.) Monk Gazing At the Moon while gazing at the moon and having my entire body illuminated by the moon's light - 14 minutes. 3.) The third advanced MSW seated meditation on Vol. 7 (70 50 20 10) -- 15 min. 4.) The fourth advanced MSW med. on Vol. 7 (70 60 40 5) - 10 min. 5.) The first Adv. MSW med. on Vol. 7 (50 20 10) --aka, "the Sleeper" - l4 min. (holding the last 5 postures (mudras) for 10 breathes each). For best results, take a hint: spend the equivalent amount of time outlined above--i.e., 83 minutes-- on your personal FP Qigong practice, however you compose it. Sifu Terry Dunn https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com