Master Logray

If disempowering is what you mainly worry about, then don't do any spiritual practices because they do disempower the person in different areas, albeit for their benefits. Nothing is without side effects in this world. Anyhow Qigong is not really spiritual/soul practices, unless you go very very deep. I think it is better than gym or jogging, but don't expect very "healing, physically, emotionally, generally make one feel better and happier, maybe even bring about seemingly spiritual experiences". You need more than Qigong exercises for that.

It is common. e.g. the Yellow Emperor Internal Classics, said to be written BC2600, but believed to be written or compiled around BC300.

It was the lore. Actually the Ji Ying Taoist of Ming Dynasty made YJJ and purported to be from Buddhist origin. It was written around 1600 only.

Damo's description is not correct according to China research. There are so many different sets that differs from each other so markedly as if they are different Qigongs. Some of them are dangerous. My first time to receive acupuncture in life was due to a set of YJJ allegedly from Putin Shaolin Temple which injures me.

If you observe and think carefully, the mandatory system of Karma and reincarnation do not work theoretically. It may be only feasible in a very simplistic world. Once more and more people are involved and complexity of societies increase, these 2 systems would be so complicated that each one has millions of Karma accumulating everyday and from numerous previous lives. Everyone is tangled helpless in this big web. It would be fine if good deeds and wrong deeds can be offset, but it implies someone can be evil if he is doing enough good deeds. If it is not offset then is it possible? I happen to read a very famous Confucian scholar in Ming Dynasty. His opinion was that Lord Buddha observed the phenomenon, but it is far from applicable to everyone as most of the people have weak souls/ingrains that cannot be passed from lives to lives. They are wiped clean. Only the saints and super villains could possibly keep a certain traits from previous lives. @Shadow_self is very right that it would be a very lengthy discussion.

Leaving a religion disrupts Chi. But leaving the loved ones, leaving a country, leaving money, leaving a career all disrupt Chi. I think telling a person his past life is bad is not right. Real or not, you are a new person, which is why death is for, it gives you a clean slate.

I don't believe that. Both Chen Style and WC (esp WC) are not battlefield combat skills, but personal protection skills. Those northern martial arts are. But the 1/3 training speed is true. The major weakness of Taichi is the much longer training time. Although it is considered the most sophisticated martial arts, but it takes ages to train and be proficient. WC could be quite useful after 6 months. Taichi needs few years. While WC can be trained solo for most of the time, Taichi needs quite a few comparable opponents in simple skill like push hand, not to mention more realistic training. Taichi is very inefficient in learning.

There is a famous Chinese saying that has Taoist connotation, "A Big Tree attracts the Wind" - a famous person draws criticism. If you are small and insignificant, sometimes you may be bullied, but most of time, you are being insignificant and always ignored. Once you grow in size and power and fame, it would attract all sorts of attentions, from love to hatred, but no longer being forgotten. Another point is about your friends and allies. With the "T" included in the LGB..., your people will receive all the supports and love the others are having. But the downside is all the negativity against the others will be affecting you too. So it is not exist all along. Situation has changed.

Recently I come across an old age centre which offers courses for old people. Not Taichi, not Qigong, but Wing Chun. Poor Wing Chun.

You are looking for the translation of the text (theory etc) or translation of the movements? For movements, I think there are some English versions, even in Kindle.

Your info is very useful. Zi Ning YJJ could be the more "original" one. This one has full English explanation and results expected. It is the most common set nowadays.

There are still people who train very hard. But the training is in wrong direction. They train hard for performance, competition, medals. No one train in fighting. Martial training needs actual experience, need to face fear, need to stand pain, need to respond in split second, need to see blood... Nowadays even the teacher themselves never fight (may be in their early days). There are many legitimate reasons, but the result is Taichi is no longer a fighting skill. China's videos often show Taichi "masters" totally at a lost on stage, they don't know what to do and are knocked down in seconds. You see there are people who practise Taichi for decades, can they fight a teenager who has no training? Do students practise flipping, rolling on mat? Push hand is uncommon, loose hands (freer fight between students) is almost non-existence. The long form of 100+ moves is reduced to 48, 24, 12 or even 4 moves. If everyone is happy using Taichi boxing for something else, so be it. But there are better systems around.

You heard of this Muslim Saint in Singapore, his mausoleum is rather near in Palmer Road. I have never been there. Any idea? Maqam Habib Noh Maqam Habib Noh is the mausoleum of Sayyid Noh bin Sayyid Mohamad bin Sayyid Ahmad Al-Habsyi (1788 – 1866), a saint whose lineage traces back to Prophet Muhammad SAW. He was well-known for his widely reported miracles and his immense compassion for people in his times. The mausoleum also houses the tomb of another saint, Habib Abdurrahman, a relative of Habib Noh.

Bodhidharma used to be credited as the writer of Yijin Jing. This subject has been widely researched and found not to be the truth. First, to quality as Jing (Sutra), a certain format must be adhered to in Chinese Buddhism. YJJ doesn't Secondly, YJJ is full of Taoist jardons. Thirdly, some of the teachings are impossible for monks in a monastery. e.g. hiring young boys and girls to do massage, offering different ways to exercise the male organ. It is generally believed the book was written by 明末道教天台山紫凝道人, of late Ming Dynasty, around 1624.

I know this temple. But it is a bit dark and deserted. The small garden next door is more refreshing.