8 Questions with Aurelian Popa

[DentyDao]

In what I hope will be as exciting for you as it is for me, I have arranged a Daobums interview with Aurelian Popa! As you may know, Aurelian is a long time student of Wang Liping, authorized to teach with the Longmen Pai. In addition, he is a student of Sifu Jiang Feng and also authorized to teach in that school as well. His is quite accomplished from what I have heard and seen on video (I have not met with himin person), and has fairly unique access to both teachers. He has written a book about Sifu Jiang Feng who is very well known now in China after building "Apricot Forest Chinese Medicine Hospital" in the Yellow Mountain district of Anhui Province. Jiang and Liping are quite aware of each other and both have had positive things to say about the other's work, from what I hear. A rare enough thing these days perhaps.

 

Aurelian has offered to answer eight questions:) Why eight I have no idea, but I can guarantee that I'm going to work on him to answer more. The call will be recorded and posted here on the Daobums forum. I think we will have some time to refine and edit our questions so that we get the most bang for our proverbial buck. Aurelian will personally choose the eight questions directly from the forum, so don't be afraid to ask more than one or two for fear of hogging up the interview so to speak. I think a sincere approach hopefully will open the door to more sharing for those who are interested in really dissecting these teachings and applying them to their life.

Edited August 14, 2015 by DentyDao

[Dharmakaya]

I saw the video where Aurelian and a teacher were levitating small bits of paper with their qi, and I would ask, what he was doing there with his qi in order to produce this effect?  How long did it take to refine his qi to this level? and what was the progression like? (i.e. stages of development..)  Given that his teacher can set things on fire with his qi (there's a video of him starting a fire in pine needles), I am very curious to hear how this power is developed, i.e. how long it takes, what the progression is like.

 

My question would be; what are the mechanics of progression in your tradition i.e. opening the dantiens and filling them..?

 

Awesome thread!

Edited August 15, 2015 by Dharmakaya

[Aeran]

- I'd be interested in a general overview of the system which Master Jiang teaches. What kind of practices does the training consist of? What are the internal processes by which these practices work? And what are the major goals of this system - healing seems like a major part of it, but I'd love to hear more about the spiritual component you mention briefly in your blog where discuss Shen cultivation (with the video of the Grandmaster doing massive mathematical calculations in his head). In the video you mention the concept of "becoming a Buddha" briefly, could you expand on that within the context of the teachings of Master Jiang's lineage?

- Are you able to go into some detail about the similarities and the differences between the training and teachings of Wang Liping and those of Master Jiang?

 

- I was fascinated by the video demonstration of Master Jiang's cupping, where he extracted the stagnant blood from the body and then compared it to the fresh blood. I've never seen any demonstration like it - are you able to explain how this process is achieved (I'm especially interested in the blood seeping out from the cupping site - does this happen as a result of the Chi work he does on the patient beforehand, or is it a result of the unique cupping device he uses, or some other mechanism?)? Have you undergone it yourself and what was the experience like/what effect did it have on you?

 

- I remember reading somewhere that Jiang's treatment modality includes herbal prescriptions - I've recently developed a bit of an amateur interest in herbalism and would love to hear anything you can discuss about which herbs he uses, what preparation/activation processes are used, and again would love to hear about any of your own personal experiences in this regard.

 

Thanks for taking the time to spread some knowledge

Edited August 21, 2015 by Aeran

[thelerner]

What are the fundamental/basic practices that should be mastered before moving forward?  What are the signs that you've mastered such basics?

[gendao]

A few humble questions for Aurelian's consideration...
1) What exactly does it mean to fuse or merge Yin & Yang, as a lot of neidan theoretically dictates? Is it more like just connecting them, like forming an electrical circuit?  Or tuning into and syncing up certain waveforms?  Or akin to creating an electromagnetic field using "electric" Yang and "magnetic" Yin?
2) How do you practice genuine ming gong (命功) and replenish xiantian yuan jing/qi, if you can?
3) Could you compare and contrast Wang Liping/Longmenpai, Jiang Feng (江峰)/Gengmenpai (耿门派), & John Chang/Mopai? What's the most amazing/impressive thing you've witnessed/experienced from any of them and who would win in push hands or arm-wrestling?
4) Can you define theoretically and experientially: zhen qi (真气), Yin & Yang qi? And what would happen if Yang qi flowed in a Yin meridian?
5) Why does Daoist immortality theoretically result from complete True Yang only, and not some reintegration or transcendence of Yin & Yang polarity?
6) What is the definition of and importance of "love" from a Daoist perspective?
7) What personally inspired or drew you to Daoism and what is your ultimate goal?

Edited August 21, 2015 by gendao

[idquest]

Here is my question:

 

There are movement practice and sitting in silence. By movement practice I mean either forms like taiji or qigong/neigong short forms. What time proportion for these practices do you recommend for beginners and intermediate students? Is it possible to achieve anything by sitting in silence only if the goal is spiritual development?

[MooNiNite]

My question is a little on the personal side, but the curiosity behind my question is from a purely alchemical standpoint.

 

I was told by several of Wang Liping's students that his teachers died without their physical body dissolving into light. As far as I understand it, Wang Liping's teachers had practiced for several decades and were quite accomplished. Why were his teachers not able to attain full light integration?

[thelerner]

bump. 

Unfortunately Dentydao hasn't been online lately . 

I hope he's well and this interview is still in the works.