Can anyone help identify this Neigong practice please?

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Greetings. My name is David. In my introduction I spoke briefly of my past experience in martial arts and Qigong/Neigong cultivation. I promised to provide as much of an in depth description of this practice method, however please take into account that I can only speak from memory, and the actual training took place around 1993 shortly before I started training with Master Kam Chuen Lam in London. In addition to that, I have very little in the way of written notes. In fact all I have aside from my memory is a single ageing sheet of paper with a few diagrams and some Kanji writing...

I apologise for the unavoidable length of this post, as there is a considerable amount to discuss. I encourage you to first read my introduction so that you understand how this fits into my cultivation history. 

The problem is that I only had the good fortune to study with this master for a very short period - less than 6 months, after which he simply vanished without trace. I met him on the island of Antigua while I was working there as a musician. He was sent from mainland China to work in a restaurant as a chef, but I found out that he was teaching internal arts and Shaolin Gongfu to certain students. His name was Yuan Yao. He spoke very little English, and most of the communication with him was via diagrams and hands-on instruction. He was also a master of an art I had never even heard of, but which according to him was so common-place in China that he was unable to earn his living using it. This truly surprised me once I saw him demonstrate the art...it consisted of him using nothing more than a small wooden scribe and his Qi to inscribe and draw on small stone tablets. The example he showed me was a small stone upon which he had inscribed a portrait of President Lincoln, underneath which he had also inscribed the entire Statute of Liberty - all this was hardly visible to the naked eye, and could only be really seen using a magnifying glass. The actual stone tablet was probably around 2 inches high and 1 1/2 inches wide from what I remember.

Anyway, after having put me through a very cursory test he said he would teach me, and told me to return at 6am the following morning, which I did. In case you are interested, the test consisted of him telling me to hold my arm out, after which he struck it really hard. He seemed satisfied when I was able to withstand the blow without injury or yelping in pain. I was somewhat surprised actually, since I was no longer practicing the hard Qigong conditioning I had learned in the Shaolin Pei Hung gongfu system I started out with.

Communication was really difficult, and what I wanted to explain to him I could not, which was that I was practicing a form of MCO with which I was having real difficulties, as it had just been taught to me before having to leave for this 6 month tour of Antigua. (Having become disenchanted with Nam Yang after my visit to Singapore in 1987 I had started to train with Master Lam's thumb student, however the techniques I learned from him did not come from his discipleship with Master Lam, as I later found out, although we did learn the Lam Long and short forms, as well as various Choy Li Fut forms, including the sword form, none of which Master Lam still taught)  

In those days there were no mobile phones, and contact with my Sifu was by letter and took a considerable time to exchange notes. The way I was taught the practice I now consider to have been overly complicated and in fact dangerous...

In any case, let me try and describe what I was taught by Master Yuan Yao:

 

First of all Master Yao had me hold a large piece of polystyrene between my hands, and turn it between my palms as though it were a large ball. In my own time he told me to practice a form of Qigong he taught me which consisted of standing with my feet shoulder width apart, and my lower hand palm up just below the lower Dantian, and the other hand palm down just below my chin. I was to stand like this for at least one hour each day. After a couple of weeks I started to get a handle on the practice with the polystyrene strip - I spent around 2 hours practising with him each day. I learned how to constantly circulate the material both toward me and away from me in constantly shifting spirals - to begin with very slowly, then gradually faster and faster. My hands were spiralling against one another, and my whole body followed the movement of the imaginary ball. After about a month of this, he drew a diagram of the MCO and showed me how to roll my eyes as the Qi reached the Dazhui gate, in order to help move the Qi around the head and back down the front channel. I remember that he showed me with a gulp in the throat as the head was slightly rotated just when the Qi completed the first part of the circuit, coinciding with the rolling of the eyes (while shut). My Qigong practice now changed. He showed me that I now needed to move the Qi in my lower Dantian in circles in all directions. This roughly coincided with the new practice of learning to walk the circle whilst still rotating the polystyrene strip. Gradually he encouraged me to move faster and faster, until I had the impression of a gyroscopic force pulling my body along with the direction of the Qi ball as I changed direction on the circle. After a while Yuan Yao had me practice on top of a circle of bricks. Then the circle changed into a figure of 8, and starting off very slowly he eventually had me moving at a cracking pace, changing direction constantly. Then one day he took he polystyrene block out from between my hands and motioned for me to continue without it. What surprised me was how strongly I could feel the Qi between my hands. I suppose about 3 months must have gone by by then, and I could feel what felt like a solid block between my Laugong points on either hand. Then one day, I went to the area behind the restaurant where we would meet every day but he was not there. I asked in the restaurant and they told me that he had returned to China. It was so sudden that he had not even been able to leave a message, which I found really suspicious. I knew of another student to whom he had been teaching Shaolin Gongfu, and he was also none the wiser. Unfortunately for me I was then to fall victim to my earlier difficulties in my MCO practice before meeting Yuan Yao, and became very ill. Upon my return to the UK I was rushed to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, as I had all the symptoms of viral meningitis. I was totally incapable of moving my neck, and had a very high fever. Lumbar punctures were performed on me on two occasions, despite my trying to explain my belief that the real cause for my condition - the increase in cerebro-spinal fluid causing pressure on the brain - was probably down to my misunderstanding of the MCO method I had been taught before leaving for Antigua. I still believe that I actually forced the cerebro spinal fluid around the MCO instead of leading the Qi around it. My physical strength diminished considerably as a result of the lumbar punctures, and I have never returned to my previous level of fitness. But that is by the by. The fact is that what I acquired through the practice Yuan Yao taught me has remained with me, and it is this which has made the Taiji Ball practice so easy for me, but I don't know where to go from here. I would like to have the opportunity to have a master help me take the practice I began with Master Yao to the next stage, if there is one, and correct any errors in my practice. The problem is that despite the fact that I am sure there must be masters here in Spain or Europe who have the necessary level and ability to assist me in this process, I have yet to fnd one...(and one I can afford).

Consequently I am simply practising Xiangong Fragrant Qigong, the 8 Zhan Zhuang/Yiquan postures (as taught by BK Frantzis, not what I learned from Master Lam), Taiji Ball (as taught by Dr Yang Jwing Ming in his first two videos) and circle walking, and a little Lam style Taijiquan, but that's about it without a teacher or a worthy opponent to train with. So my question is, from my description of what Master Yao taught me, what was the system, and what would the next stage in my training have consisted of, and who could help me to achieve this? I should mention that I am able to move the Qi around in my Dantian at will, and my perception of the state of my Qi development is that the Qi ball is very large and needs to be condensed into the pearl of immortality in order to move on from where I am. Does that make sense to any of you?

[awaken]

My English is poor.

 

I teach wu Wei dan dao.

 

It is very different from what you learn.

 

If you are interested in it.

 

Please read all my posts.

 

And join my qq qroup.

 

The dao bums

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[Sudhamma]

What your Master Yao taught is similar to Taiji Longevity Ruler which is practised traditionally with a stick.

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What your Master Yao taught is similar to Taiji Longevity Ruler which is practised traditionally with a stick.

Thank you for your reply Sudhamma, but do you know how the practice should have progressed from the stage I described? A further question: does this type of practice provide everything which the Yijinjing and Xisuijing would bring, or would one need to also practice either those forms or something similar?

[Gerard]

The problem is that despite the fact that I am sure there must be masters here in Spain or Europe who have the necessary level and ability to assist me in this process, I have yet to fnd one...(and one I can afford).

 

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Your training needs to start from scratch beacuse you have been exposed to hard stuff. Also all that forced dantien rotation is wrong, it should come naturally after a couple of decades of correct training.

 

You should check the Rum Soaked Fist forum and explain your situation. There are competent teachers in the UK and France.

 

The situation in Spain is not that good. Too hard and emphasis on martial rather than developing a strong foundation and circle walking until your legs and butt start to resemble like the trunk of an old oak: thick and wide. That's a sign of a competent Bagua player.

 

Note: I'm originally from Spain but live in Australia.

 

Good luck!

[Sudhamma]

Dear DSCB57,

".... but do you know how the practice should have progressed from the stage I described? A further question: does this type of practice provide everything which the Yijinjing and Xisuijing would bring, or would one need to also practice either those forms or something similar?"

 

1. I don't understand what you meant by 'stage 1'. For beginners in qigong, the first to master is the physical form of the movement be it seated, moving or lying prone. Structural perfection is demanded by the instructor or your sifu so that the meridians, the pathways of your qi are not restricted, that is according to (strict) Daoist approach. Given some time, the student is taught a system of breathing, later with mental focus. Final instruction is on how to be aware of the qi-flow and drive it within the body and how to emit qi. Nothing can be rushed.

 

2. Qigong providing everything. Some qigong systems are specific in their objectives though by and large, all systems want to improve the health of the practitioner but employing different approaches. My understanding of Yijinjing and Xisuijing is very, very shallow and I can't satisfy you with any indepth answer. Perhaps other members with better knowledge can help you. However, what I observe is that Yijinjing is akin to Yoga of the Hatha variety. As for Xisuijing, the Washing of Bone Marrow, it is said that this set of exercise has disappeared from Shaolin Temple and has never resurfaced on the faces of the earth.  It is said and believed that by practising the micro-cosmic-orbit reverse abdominal breathing method, one will not be afflicted with 100 diseases, and proceed to be immortal. Personally I can attest that with this breathing method, I'm seldom and rarely sick, but don't quite know about the immortality bit. And by practising the macro-cosmic-orbit, it is believed that your qi will manifest in all parts of the body, clearing all qi-blockages and will have the ability to freely emit qi. Now, what is this everything that you meant?

 

3. I'm now into Daoist system of qigong and thus given up on Buddhist system. The reason is that both systems employ different breathing methods, so I chose to stay with the Daoist system. All qigong systems, about 2000+ of them, are good and proficient in improving one's health, and the difference is the quality of instruction and the commitment and tolerance of the student. Commitment: if one is to train once a week for 1 hour, progress will be slow. Qigong should be practised daily for a duration of 2 hours, and then again, the quality of instruction must be good and knowledge indepth. If the sifu said 'no sex, no beer or liquor after training, means no sex, no beers or liquor' and not be brushed aside. He has his reasons, and the student, be obedient, and time will show improvement. Tolerance: some students can't even stand a proper zhanzhuang, 'standing the post' for more than 10 minutes, complaining of crams and pain and begin to fridget. How then to improve? Choose a system that you are comfortable with and stay with it, and not go from system to system without giving time and commitment to it.