Monthly Archives: July 2015

SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AUGUST 2015 PART 1 BY GRANDMASTER WONG KIEW KIT

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15b/aug15-1.html)

Colourful India

India is full of sounds and colours

Question 1

I am a managing director of a large company, but I had a difficult past and had little money in the past.

Before my children were born, I was drinking a lot of alcohol and feeling very depressed. I made a commitment to improve myself and my future family. I was quite successful. I stopped drinking and managed to do well at work, despite often feeling frightened or desperate.

However, I realize now I was partly holding on. I found it difficult to socialize and maintain friendships.

However, things seemed to turn out well, which were associated with my wife and me working hard and making good decisions at important times. When things didn’t go so well we dealt with them, and we made a commitment to my children who depended on us.

— Edward, England

Answer

Not only you overcame your difficulties of your past, you have done extremely well in the present. Your success in overcoming your past problems would be a great inspiration not only for others but also for yourself.

You need not socialize with others if you don’t want to. You have your own family to look after and live with.

But if you want to extend your sphere of socialization, you can socialize with your friends and other company directors. You don’t have to prove to yourself or to them that you can socialize, you do so simply because you like it. You will then find that you can let go, and not holding on.

Question 2

Recently I find old patterns returning. I notice thoughts of fears of loneliness, worries about financial security, unhappiness and strong feelings of lack of motivation and pointlessness.

Answer

Our past always remains with us, no matter how successful we may be in the present. But you don’t have to recall it. If it returns to you on its own, just breathe it away, like you breathe out stale air, if you do not want it. Or, occasionally if you like, you can indulge in some nostalgia but without letting it bothers you.

In my case, for example, I had some very painful experiences when my own students whom I selflessly nurtured, and people whom I literally saved from dying, betrayed me. But I never let my past troubled me.

If the painful memories cropped up on their own, I just breathed them away. If, on rare occasions when I wanted some nostalgia, I recalled those painful memories fondly, being thankful that they were actually opportunities for my improvement.

Without those betrayals I would not be what I am now, traveling the world enjoying the best food and the best scenery, while giving health and happiness to people irrespective of race, culture and religion. I never allowed those bad memories to hold me up; in fact I am more active now than before in nurturing students and saving lives

happy faces

By practicing chi kung we control our thoughts and emotions, not let our thoughts and emotions control us

Question 3

I also think of people in under-developed countries where life is cheap, with problems of corrupt politicians putting their own interests before the people. This can leave me feeling hopeless for the future of the world.

Answer

It is noble of you to think of the social and political problems in under-developed countries. But the fact is that these people may not be suffering the way you imagine them to be. In fact they might be happier than many people in England.

A few years ago I was in Toronto. A shop dedicated a portion of its profit to people in Africa, and the shop owner told me how miserable the Africans were, so she thought. I thought differently. I thought that although the economic level of the African people was nothing like that in Canada, most Africans would be happier than most Canadians.

My experience in India was illuminating. The people were very poor, and their living conditions in slums were simply unimaginable to most Europeans. Many people as well as organizations in Europe were very noble in raising funds for them. But from my direct observation, I believe the people in India were generally happier than the people in Europe.

One of our instructors in England mentioned that many English people felt shameful of themselves because the English colonized many countries in the past. I contented that the English should change this perspective.

While the English gained a lot from their colonization, they also gave a lot to the indigenous people. Even everyday things we now take for granted, like pipe water and electricity, were the direct result of colonization. It is well known that expatriate companies look after the welfare of their employees very well. Indigenous companies tend to exploit their workers.

This general feeling of shame amongst the English could be a subconscious cause of your unhappiness. You need to make a paradigm shift. Be proud of what your forefathers did. Be proud of being English. Be aware that the English did bring a lot of benefits to many people in many places. The English Empire, like the Spanish Empire, was where the sun never set.

Question 4

I am even worrying now that I have been a less good father and husband than I had planned or hoped to be.

Answer

The fact that you made a commitment to provide well for your children, and that you and your wife worked hard to build up your company shows that you have been a responsible father and husband.

There may still be some things you would like to do as a father and husband, but you certainly have been a better father and husband than most people anywhere in the world. Don’t be unkind to yourself.

chi kung, qigong

Practicing genuine chi kung can overcome any health problem as well as homosexuality

Question 5

As I write I realize there are a few problems:

  1. I find it difficult to take joy in the world and everyday life.

  2. I am frightened about the future as it seems my mind is telling me things will turn out badly whatever I do or try.

  3. I feel shame about these feelings

  4. I have no focus on what I want to do or achieve with whatever life is left to me

Answer

Whether one is joyful depends not on social, economical and geographical factors but on his mind set. The happy Indians in their slum areas are an inspiration.

If you stop worrying and stop intellectualizing, you will find it easier to take joy in the world and everyday life.

If you realize that you have a good family, are the managing director of a large company, and live in a highly civilized country, and be grateful for all these blessings, your joy in the world and everyday life will be assured.

Don’t let your mind control you. Control your mind. Things are turning out very well for you. In fact, for people living in England, things are turning out well even for the homeless and unemployed. It is the affluents who make themselves unhappy with their unnecessary intellectualization.

Make a paradigm shift. Be proud of being English. Be proud that you overcame past problems and are now a managing director of a large company. Be proud that you are wealthy, and have a happy family.

You don’t have to achieve more and join the mad, rat race. Make your life meaningful everyday. Find joy and beauty in simple things, like seeing your customers happy with your products, and your workers well paid for their job.

You have achieved much in this world. Your workers would like to exchange their life with yours, but you may not want to exchange your life with the Queen.

Feel proud instead of shameful, feel satisfied instead of being unrest.

Question 6

This seems somewhat self-pitying as I am fairly wealthy and am probably in the top few percent of income in the world. I am scared because I thought these issues had passed.

Answer

All these issues had passed. You just made them up in your imagination.

From drinking a lot of alcohol, you have now overcome the problem. From being very depressed, you have become caring for people in under-developed countries. From having no family, now you have a wife and children. From having little money, you are now in the top few percent of income in the world. Count your blessings and enjoy life wholesomely.

dragon-from of Xingyiquan

This is Xingyiquan. Would you call it Shaolin or Wudang Kungfu?

Question 7

Back to my first question, in your view is homosexuality wrong?

— Jussi, USA

Answer

I don’t think homosexuality is wrong, but it is certainly unnatural. As an analogy, to be sick is not wrong, but it is unnatural. It is natural to be healthy.

If a person is sick, he can get well, irrespective of the illness, including so-called incurable disease, because it is natural to be healthy. Practicing genuine chi kung is an excellent way to help a sick person become healthy.

If a person is homosexual, regardless that some experts say it is due to biological reasons, he can become heterosexual again, because for humans it is natural to be heterosexual. Practicing genuine chi kung is an excellent way to help a homosexual person become heterosexual again.

How does practicing genuine chi kung help a homosexual person become heterosexual again if it is presumably true that the cause of his homosexuality is due to biological reasons? It is because genuine chi kung will help him regain yin-yang harmony. In everyday language it means that practicing genuine chi kung will help him to adjust himself accordingly to changing conditions both inside and outside his body so that he regains his normal, healthy condition.

This is the same as overcoming diseases. A person is sick due to biological reasons. Some parts in his body is not adjusting accordingly to changing conditions inside or outside his body. For example, if his own systems cannot adjust to viruses, he may have a viral infection. Practicing genuine chi kung will help him make the appropriate adjustment, and he will overcome the viruses and be healthy again.

If the cause of his homosexuality is not biological, but due to other reasons like social, environmental or other factors, practicing genuine chi kung will also help him overcome the problem. It is the same as overcoming illness. Some diseases are due to stress or environmental changes, but practicing genuine chi kung can overcome these factors and enable the patients to be healthy again.

It is important to practice genuine chi kung. Much of chi kung practice today is actually gentle physical exercise, and gentle physical exercise, though it may give benefits like loosening muscles and socialization, cannot overcome homosexuality or illness. Many students in our school have overcome illness, and some have overcome homosexuality.

Question 8

I read from your webpage that Xingyiquan was invented by Yue Fei who was a Shaolin master. This means Xingyiquan belongs to Shaolin Kungfu.

But I also have read that Xingyiquan is Wudang Kungfu. Wudang Kungfu is described as the opposite of Shaolin. Wudang Kungfu is soft and internal, Shaolin Kungfu is hard and external.

Can you please explain?

— Marc, Germany

Answer

Many people, including many kungfu practitioners, even some masters, classify all styles of kungfu into Shaolin and Wudang. According to this classification, Shaolin Kungfu is hard and external, whereas Wudang Kungfu is soft and internal. Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan are internal arts, and they belong to the Wudang group. All other kungfu styles belong to the Shaolin group.

This classification was originated by a Chinese scholar in the 20th century who wrote a treatise on “A Study of Shaolin and Wudang”. I have a copy of this treatise. This classification is incorrect, but has been established and is popularly used by many people, often without understanding its meaning.

A few Chinese terms that have been well established belong to this situation. They are incorrect, but have been established as if they were facts. Two infamous examples are “Yin-Yang” and “Five Elements”.

It is commonly said, even by otherwise authorities, that yin and yang are two primordial forces of the universe. Yin and Yang are not primordial, and they are not forces. They are just symbols representing two complementary aspects of any thing. A woman, for example, is referred to as yin, when she is compared with a man, and the comparison is usually not openly stated; it is understood. If we compare the strength of a woman who is strong, with a man who is week, the woman would be yang and the man yin.

It is commonly said that the Chinese regard all things in the world to be made up of five elements. This is incorrect, and the mistake is due to a wrong translation which has become established. The Chinese realize that there are countless processes in the world, and all these countless processes can be classified into five archetypes called “wu xing”, which means “five movements” or “five processes”, but the term has been wrongly translated as “five elements”.

Of the three internal arts, Xingyiquan is the one that has no connection with Wudang. It is also the one that is directly developed from Shaolin Kungfu by the great Song marshal, Yue Fe, in the 12th century.

Taijiquan was evolved from Shaolin Kungfu by Zhang San Feng, who developed the art on Wudang Mountain. It was initially called Wudang Shaolin Kungfu, but later shortened to Wudang Kungfu.

It is generally accepted that the First Patriarch of Baguazhang was Dong Hai Chuan who lived in the 19th century. He was well versed in Shaolin Kungfu and developed Baguazhang after learning from two unnamed Taoist saints on Hua Mountain. There was no connection with the Wudang Mountain. But a lot of Baguazhang philosophy is described in Taoist terms, and Wudang Mountain is famous for Taoist cultivation.

It is also incorrect to say that Shaolin Kungfu is hard and external, though this concept is popularly adopted by most people, and that most of Shaolin Kungfu shown to the public is hard and external. Advanced Shaolin Kungfu, which is rarely seen in public, is soft and internal.

While it is internal, Xingyiquan is relatively hard. It does not resemble the soft image of Wudang Kungfu many people have in this mistaken classification. If Xingyiquan were to be performed to a group of people, without telling them it was Xingyiquan and they were asked to guess whether it was Shaolin or Wudang Kungfu, it was likely that many would call it Shaolin, which is correct. In fact, the term “Shaolin” is sometimes prefixed to “Xingyiquan”, calling it Shaolin Xingyiquan, but never Wudang Xingyiquan.

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THE LINEAGE OF SHAOLIN WAHNAM

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(reproduced from http://www.shaolin.org/general/lineage.html)

lineage

The Lineage of Shaolin Wahnam

We in Shaolin Wahnam are very proud of our lineage which can be traced back directly to the two southern Shaolin Temples, as illustrated in the chart above.

Not many people realize that there were two southern Shaolin Temples, one in the City of Quanzhou, and the other on the Nine-Lotus Mountain, both located in Fujian Province of South China.

During the Ming Dynasty (14th to 17th century) a Ming emperor built a southern Shaolin Temple in the City of Quanzhou in Fujian Province as an imperial temple to replace the northern Shaolin Temple in Henan Province. This temple was burnt by the Qing Army around 1850s led by the crown prince Yong Cheng with the help of Lama kungfu experts from Tibet.

The Venerable Chee Seen escaped and built a secret southern Shaolin Temple on the Nine-Lotus Mountain, also in Fujian Province. This temple was also soon burnt by the Qing Army, this time led by Pak Mei who was a classmate of Chee Seen in the southern Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou.

The northern Shaolin Temple on Song Shan or Song Mountain in Henan Province remained throughout the Qing Dynasty. In fact, the Chinese characters, “Shao Lin Si” which means “Shaolin Temple” at the Main Gate of the Temple were written by the Qing Emperor, Qian Long. This temple was burnt only in 1928, 17 years after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, by rival Chinese warlords. Its burning was by cannon fire and had nothing to do with kungfu.

Our Grandmaster, Sifu Wong Kiew Kit, learned from four sifus, or teachers. Grandmaster Wong’s first sifu was Sifu Lai Chin Wah, more widely known by his honorable nick-name as Uncle Righteousness. His second sifu was Sifu Chee Kim Thong, regarded as the living treasure of the People’s Republic of China during his time. Grandmaster Wong’s third sifu was Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation successor from the southern Shaolin Temple at Quanzhou. His fourth sifu was Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, the patriarch of Choe Family Wing Choon.

It was no co-incidence that all Grandmaster Wong’s sifus were patriarchs of their respective styles because Grandmaster Wong sought for the best available teachers. Our school, Wahnam, is named after Sifu Lai Chin Wah and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam as much of our instructional material came from them.

THE LEGACY OF SHAOLIN WAHNAM

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/legacy.html)

The Famous Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple. The name itself spells magic to millions of people all over the world. For a thousand years, the Shaolin Temple has been glorified in sagas, parables, literature, and legends. Today, the legend is still glorified across the globe in movies and on television

Since it was founded in 495 A.D., emperors of every succeeding Chinese dynasty have consecrated the Shaolin Temple as their Imperial Temple. This was where emperors prayed on behalf of their people. It was also the birthplace of Zen Buddhism. Today, every Zen school in the world traces its lineage back to the Shaolin Temple in China.

Over the years, the Shaolin Temple became a haven for China’s elite: generals, martial arts masters, classical poets and painters, famous calligraphers, scholars, and spiritualists. At its height, there were over 2000 monks staying in the Temple in Songhshan province. These monks were classified into four categories: administrators, scholars, workers, and warriors.

Hundreds of years later, a second Shaolin Temple was built in Fujian province in the south of China. Though it was smaller than its big brother in Songshan province, this Southern Temple played an important role in the development and spread of Shaolin Kung Fu.

The End of Shaolin

a Shaolin monk

A monk outside one of the Shaolin halls

The Qing Dynasty in China (1644-1911) was a period of great turmoil, especially during the 19th century when governmental control was weakened. Prosperity declined. China suffered serious social and economic problems in addition a population explosion. Millions of people were dissatisfied with the government.

Although rebellions occurred all over China, the Southern Shaolin Temple had a reputation for being a revolutionary center. In an effort to crush the growing rebellion, the Qing army attacked and burned the Southern Shaolin Monastery during middle of the 19th century. Only the most skilled Shaolin Monks escaped the attack.

Our Shaolin Wahnam school traces its lineage back to two of these monks: the Venerable Zhi Shan (Gee Sin) and the Venerable Jiang Nan (Kong Nam). The lineages of these two monks remained separate for over 100 years until they were reunited again in my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit.

The Venerable Zhi Shan

Pagoda Forest

The famous Shaolin Pagoda Forest

The story of the Venerable (a title of respect given to monks) Zhi Shan is well known in many Kung Fu schools. It has been depicted in hundreds of stories and dozens of movies. The Venerable Zhi Shan was the founder and abbot of the southern Shaolin Temple.

The Venerable Zhi Shan was a revolutionary. His main objective was to overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty in order to restore the previous Ming government. His teachings were fast and secretive, with emphasis on kung fu that was hard and combative. Although internal force training was certainly a part of his kung fu, many of his disciples focused on external force training.

Pak Mei (Bai Mei) was a former Shaolin disciple who later betrayed his masters by revolting against the Temple. It was Pak Mei who led the Qing Dynasty army to the Southern Shaolin Temple. Together, they razed the Temple to the ground. The Venerable Zhi Shan died defending the temple that he built.

Several monks and secular disciples managed to escape. Many of these masters are now legendary (even in Hollywood): The Venerable Herng Yein, the Venerable Sam Tak, Hung Heigun, Lok Ah Choi, and Fong Sai Yuk. Years later, two of Hung Heigun’s disciples tracked down and killed Pak Mei in order to avenge the Venerable Zhi Shan.

The Venerable Zhi Shan is often regarded as the First Patriarch of Southern Shaolin Kung Fu. The disciples of the Venerable Zhi Shan spread Shaolin Kung Fu to Guangdong province. Eventually, these arts spread throughout the world. Most Southern Shaolin styles today, like Hung Gar, Lau Gar, and Choy Li Fut, come from the Venerable Zhi Shan. From the Venerable Zhi Shan, the art passed to the Venerable Herng Yein, then to Chan Fook, then to Ng Yew Loong, then to Lai Chin Wah, then to my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit.

The Venerable Jiang Nan

Yang Fatt Khun and Ho Fatt Nam

A priceless old picture of Yang Fatt Khun with a young Ho Fatt Nam

Another monk who managed to escape the burning of the Temple was a young master named the Venerable Jiang Nan. This monk fled south with the Qing army in pursuit. His original name is lost to us. In an effort to hide from his enemy, he changed his name. After crossing a river that marked the edge of China, he chose the name Jiang Nan, which means “South of the River”. It was south of this river that he would spend the rest of his life.

For 50 years, the Venerable Jiang Nan wandered further and further south with only one mission in life: to pass on his art to a worthy successor. One night, near the border between present-day Thailand and Malaysia, he encountered a young medicine-man who was demonstrating Kung Fu to attract customers to his mobile roadside stall. The monk observed the young man every night for 6 nights. On the 7th night, after the crowd had dispersed, the monk approached the young man. Without any aggression in his voice, the monk said, “Not bad. But despite all the applause, what you showed was not real kung fu.”

The young man was shocked. As a traveling medicine-man, he relied on his kung fu to ward off bandits and thugs who would frequently challenge him. And yet this old monk was telling him that his kung fu was useless!

The monk continued. “Don’t take my word for it. If you like, we can put it to the test with some friendly sparring.”

Ho Fatt Nam sparring

Ho Fatt Nam (left), sparring with a student

The young man agreed, eager to prove himself. But to his amazement, the 80-year-old monk beat him easily. Even when the young man stopped pulling his punches and attacked full force, the monk handled him as if playing with a child. Recognizing the signs of true mastery, the young man knelt before the monk and begged to be accepted as a student.

With a smile, the Venerable Jiang Nan said, “Yes, on one condition.” The young man bowed lower and said that he would do anything. Raising the young man’s head and looking into his eyes with a smile, the monk said simply, “Start from scratch.”

That young man was named Yang Fatt Khun.

When master Yang Fatt Khun was in his 70s, he accepted a young man as a student. This man was already well trained in the martial arts and earned his living as a professional Muay Thai fighter. That man was named Ho Fatt Nam.

At first, master Yang rejected the young Ho’s requests to become a student. But one night, with the help of one of master Yang’s students, the young Ho snuck into the secret training hall. Prostrating before master Yang with the traditional gifts, he begged to be accepted. Taking the gifts and placing them on the altar, master Yang said, “This is Heaven’s Will.”

Each year, master Yang held a grand sparring competition amongst his students in order to choose his top ten disciples. From an unranked position, Ho Fatt Nam gradually rose to a top position. When master Yang announced his retirement, he named Ho Fatt Nam as his successor.

A young Wong Kiew Kit was one of the last students to learn from master Ho. When he first begged to be accepted as a student, master Ho had only one request: “Start from scratch.”

The Reunion

Lai chin Wah and Ho Fatt Nam

Lai Chin Wah (left) & Ho Fatt Nam (right)

The name “Wahnam” consists of meaningful Chinese characters from the names of Grandmaster Wong’s two masters: Lai Chin Wah and Ho Fatt Nam. The name “Shaolin Wahnam” was chosen to honor these two masters as well as all of the past masters in the Shaolin tradition.

After over a hundred years of secrecy and exile, these two lineages, one from the Venerable Zhi Shan and the other from the Venerable Jiang Nan, were reunited in my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit. This reunion is meaningful to us because we now inherit the best of two Shaolin traditions.

The Venerable Zhi Shan was a revolutionary; his objective was to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. His teaching was fast and secretive, with emphasis on kung fu that was hard and combative.

The Venerable Jiang Nan was a missionary. His main aim was to preserve the original Shaolin arts, with little intention to fight the Qing Dynasty. While the Venerable Zhi Shan quickly rebuilt a second southern Shaolin Temple after its destruction and taught many disciples, the Venerable Jiang Nan took 50 years to search for a deserving successor in order to teach him holistically and slowly. The Venerable Jiang Nan’s teaching emphasized internal development and spiritual cultivation. The Shaolin Kungfu from his lineage is comparatively soft and internal.

GRADUATION DINNER OF INTRODUCTORY CHI KUNG COURSE

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/video-clips-10/holistic-health-cultivation-centre/overview.html)

Holistic Health Cultivation Centre

Holistic Health Cultivation Centre

The Holistic Health Cultivation Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which has an outstanding record of helping people overcome so-called incurable diseases conducted an Introductory Chi Kung Course from 11th June to 15th June 2015. The course was taught by Sifu Dr Foong Tuck Meng and Sifu Wong Chun Nga.

During a special training session taught by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, the Grandmaster mentioned two important points:

  1. As a matter of course, students who daily and correctly practice the exercises taught at the course will overcome their illness if they are sick, or will prevent illness happening if they are already healthy.

  2. Students should choose the right techniques and practice at the right level to attain their aim of overcoming illness or maintaining good health.

Grandmaster Wong explained the difference between “as a matter of course” and “as a matter of fact”. If a person drove on an expressway from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, arriving at Singapore was a matter of course. But as a matter of fact, he might not arrive, if, for example, he stopped half way or turned off to other roads.

Grandmaster Wong also pointed out that medical chi kung, which was meant to overcome or prevent illness, was the lowest in the following hierarchy of chi kung

  1. Medical Chi Kung

  2. Chi Kung for Health and Vitality

  3. Chi Kung for Scholars

  4. Chi Kung for Warriors

  5. Spiritual Chi Kung

If a practitioner practiced at a higher level, i.e. if his chi kung was too powerful, he might harm himself. It was like, Grandmaster Wong explained, asking an untrained person to run a marathon or lift heavy weights.

Hence, practitioners who wished to overcome or prevent illness must not practice at a high level even when they had the knowledge and ability to do so. It was the same in daily life. One must chose the best method and operate it at an appropriate way that fulfilled his needs.

This was the graduation dinner of an Introductory Chi Kung Course on 14th June 2015 organized by Holistic Health Cultivation Centre which has an outstanding record of helping people overcome their so-call incurable diseases.

SHOWING RESPECT TO THE MASTER

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(reproduced from http://www.shaolin.org/general/respect.html)

Creating the right mental frame for the best learning.

Sifu Wong and Uncle Righteousness

An old photograph showing Sifu Wong (in his teens) performing a Hoong Ka kungfu set with his master, Sifu Lai Chin Wah, popularly known as Uncle Righteousness (middle behind in white T-shirt), looking on.

An art is best learnt in its culture. One remarkable difference between the culture of the East and the West is the respect shown to a master. In this connection I have little complaint because my students, from both the East and the West, generally show much respect to me. But I have met many Eastern masters commenting on the lack of respect, sometimes utter disrespect, shown to them.

Often it is because of the Western students’ ignorance of Eastern ways rather than their wilful discourtesy that their Eastern masters of chi kung or kungfu (including taijiquan) regard as disrespect. The following are some simple and helpful points both Eastern and Western students may follow to show the respect deservedly due to their masters.

ADDRESSING THE MASTER CORRECTLY

Sifu Wong and Sifu Ho Fatt Nam

Sifu Wong (in his 40’s) with his master, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, the third generation successor from the Shaolin Monastery

First of all you must know how to address your master correctly, something which many Western students are ignorant of. Never, never, never call your master by his name, especially if he comes from a Eastern culture. In some Western societies it may be considered personal and desirable to call your senior or even your boss by his first name, but in chi kung or kungfu culture it is considered extremely rude.

It is worthwhile to remember that your master is not your peer or equal. Your master is at least one, but usually many levels above you, otherwise he cannot and should not be your master. The proper way to address your chi kung or kungfu master is “Sifu”, which is the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language for “Master”. The Mandarin pronunciation is “Shifu”.

Actually if a great master answers you when you call him “Sifu”, you are, not he is, honoured; it shows he accepts you as a student. I always felt greatly honoured whenever I called my masters Lai Chin Wah and Ho Fatt Nam “Sifu”, because they were two of the greatest masters I had found.

If your master’s surname is Chen, you should call him “Sifu”, or “Master” if you want to sound Western, but strictly speaking not “Sifu Chen” or “Master Chen” for that is the address the public, not his students, would call him. If you call him “Sifu Chen” or “Master Chen” you are distancing yourself from him.

SHOWING PROPRIETY

Besides showing propriety in your address, you should also show propriety in your behaviour. Do not, for example, put your hand around him, pat him on his shoulder, or hug him — leave that to his wife, which following Eastern social etiquette is also only done in private.

When you stand or sit in front of or near him, hold yourself upright. You need not stand at attention like a private in front of his sergeant major, but you should not stand sloppily, with arms akimbo or hands in your pockets. When you sit do not cross your legs with a foot pointing at him, or expose your groins to him even though they are hidden by your pants.

It is only sensible that you should listen when your master speaks, especially if he is explaining some points. Yet, it is not uncommon to find some adult students (male as well as female) lying on the floor, sometimes with their hands folded at the back of their head, their eyes close and their legs open in an inviting position! This shows not so much a disrespect to the master, but an utter lack of good manners on the part of the students.

ENTERING AND LEAVING A CLASS

It is also bad manners to arrive at your class late. In the past in the East, late students would be asked to go home, or to leave permanently if they were late habitually. The logic is simple: the master has something invaluable to offer; if you come late you tacitly show that you do not value his teaching. But if there is a valid reason for your being late, you should first greet him from the door, walk quietly but briskly to him, respectfully wait if he is pre-occupied, then explain your reason and apologize.

On the other hand, you should wait patiently if the master is late — even for hours! If you think this is unfair, you are probably not ripe for great arts. There are stories of great masters who purposely arrived late, not for hours but for days, and then passed on their secrets to the few wise, patient students. Although it seldom happens nowadays, it will reflect a splendid grasp of chi kung and kungfu culture if you and your classmates stop whatever you are doing, stand up respectfully, bow and greet your master as he comes in.

Do not leave your class half-way. But if you have to leave early for some reason, explain that to your master before-hand and politely ask his permission. At the appointed time, ask his permission again, then bow and thank him before leaving. At the end of a class, the students should leave after the master, not before he does. However, if the master stays back for a considerable length of time, such as explaining some points to some students who stay behind to ask him, other students may leave first, after bowing to the master.

In the East, it is customary for the teacher to arrive last and leave first. Interestingly, it is often the reverse in the West. The teacher, Western in culture if not in race, often arrives the earliest, sweeps the floor and prepares cookies and drinks which he will serve during recess to his students, who will joke and laugh. At the end of the class, the teacher will stand at the door, shake the students’ hands and thank them for their attendance. He will then throw away the garbage his students have left behind if he still has energy left, and check that everyone has gone home before he closes the door.

OFFERING A CUP OF TEA

In Eastern culture it is always the students who offer drinks to the teacher. When you offer your master a cup of tea, it is preferable to do so with two hands. In Eastern societies, accepting a cup of tea and drinking it has deeper significance than merely quenching thirst.

In the past, even if someone had done you great wrong, if he or she offered you a cup of tea, usually while kneeling down and then knocking his or her head on the ground, and you, sitting down in front of other witnesses, accepted and drank it, it meant that you accepted his or her apology, were ready to forgive all the wrong, and would not take any action whatsoever in future.

The students should also offer a seat to the master, and the seat chosen is usually the best one available. If the master is not seated, the students should remain standing, unless the master asks them to sit down. If they dine together, the students would wait until the master has made his first move to eat or drink.

DON’T BE INSULTING

When your master is explaining or demonstrating something to you, listen attentively and respectfully. Do not bluntly say you already know what he is teaching, even if you really know. In chi kung and kungfu culture, doing so is not being straight-forward, it is being insulting — you are implying that the master does not know what he is doing.

I recall some occasions when my masters taught me something that I already had learnt quite well. Thanks to my training in Eastern culture, I followed their instructions faithfully although they appeared very simple and below my level then. Only much later did I realize that had I not follow these apparently simple instructions I would not have acquired the foundation necessary for advanced development.

Do not ever make the fatal mistake of telling a master what or how to teach you. This is not only unbecoming, it is also very foolish, for you will be denying yourself the very purpose why you need him. If he is a master, he knows best what and how to help you attain your best results; he is able to see your needs and development in ways far beyond your limited perspective.

FOR THE STUDENTS’ INTEREST

Some westerners may find the above-described master-student relationship odd, just as those accustomed to Eastern culture would find the behaviour of some western students unbelievable. It may be more surprising, especially for those who think they are doing the master a favour by paying him a fee to learn, to know that all these customs of respect for the master are actually for the students’, not the master’s, interest.

Someone who teaches kungfu dance or gentle exercise for a living will probably care more for your fees than your respect, but a master whose art gives you good health, vitality, mental freshness and spiritual joy actually does not care whether you respect him more or your dog. But those students who have experienced the wonderful benefits of genuine kungfu and chi kung will understand that the respect given to the master is not only a sincere token of appreciation to the master for sharing his art, but also constitutes an ideal psychological state for the training to take place.

GRANDMASTER WONG KIEW KIT’S SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS JULY 2015 PART 3

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15b/jul15-3.html)

Ng Long Pat Kua Khun

David performing the Ng Long Pat Kua Khun or Fifth Brother Octagonal Staff at UK Summer Camp 2014

Question 1

I have been feeling a strong presence of past masters around me while practicing since Summer Camp. I would like to ask if there is anything special I can do to honor them, as well as my Sifu, and you Sigung outside of my practice.

— David, USA

Answer

Other people may think we are crazy, but divine beings and past masters often come to bless and guide us in our practice. We are indeed very lucky. A good way to honour the divine beings as well as your Sifu and me is to lead the type of life that we are very proud of you, like you have been doing.

It is important to note that being blessed and guided by divine beings is very different from being controlled or taken over by another being, divine or otherwise. Being blessed and guided by divine beings is a great blessing. Being controlled or taken over by another being is a great deviation. We are in conscious control of ourselves all the time, even when being blessed or guided by divine beings.

Question 2

Many thanks again for your answers to my question about the 12 Bridges. Since then following your advice all 12 Bridges have manifested at once spontaneously — at a very low level I am sure.

To test this I managed to break a thick board with a gentle tap while holding it up with my other hand. One thing that is somewhat concerning though is that I can feel this “12 bridge strike” giving off shock waves in the astral realm. How can I keep from damaging spirits or is this even a concern in the first place?

Answer

You have made good process in your 12 Bridges, though there is still much room for improvement. But do not rush at or crave for progress. Enjoy your training, and the progress will naturally happen.

You need not worry about your force creating shock waves which may disturb the astral realm, though it is thoughtful of you to think of it. It is not a concern in the first place.

It is ridiculous but many students expanded into the Cosmos during our advanced courses

Question 3

I practice Expansion into the Cosmos once or twice a week. Since Summer Camp it feels like I am leaving my body behind entirely, travelling and exploring across the Cosmos. I’ve experienced spectacular things, various cosmic entities, the formation and destruction of stars and galaxies, the creation and destruction of life itself, as well as my Original Face sometimes.

This is a full immersion experience with no awareness of my body or my practice area. When I come back I usually find myself sitting or laying down. Is this development safe? It seems a lot like astral projection, and I know you ‘mentioned before that astral projection was dangerous.

Answer

Expanding into the Cosmos is a very high level art. It is ridiculous, in a good way, that even our students have such attainment. With your good heart and internal force, your spiritual expansion into the Cosmos is safe.

Nevertheless, regard this incredible and wonderful benefit as a bonus. Basically our arts enrich our life here and now in our mundane world, giving us good health, vitality and longevity as well as spiritual joys and peak performance.

Question 4

I’ve been at training sessions for almost two hours, basically all chi flow just letting it happen and happen. I have been overtraining with rashes, and my hands feel very “thick”, my skin actually starts bursting open on the outside of my hands. They look like deep cuts on my knuckles and fingers. The palms and inside of my hands are soft though and are normal.

But I am adjusting and learning, lowering the time of my sessions, controlling the chi flow and force. I just didn’t want to miss out on any opportunity. That was why I foolishly kept the flow going as to absorb the skills.

— Tim, Belgium

Editorial Note: Tim’s other questions can be accessed at July 2015 Part 2 issue of the Question-Answer Series.

Answer

Fools do foolish things because they do not know their actions are foolish. But you know your actions are foolish, and still you continue doing those foolish things. Are you a very big fool?

Training for two hours per session is over-training. You should cut down to half an hour. Use the other one and a half hours to get a girlfriend, organize some kungfu classes or chi kung healing, or do some wise things.

As I have often mentioned, an important aspect of chi kung and kungfu teaching and training is to know when to stop. Just letting it happen and happen, whether it is chi flow or any aspects of training, is foolish. Stopping at the right time is wise.

Rashes appearing and your skin bursting open looking like deep cuts bring harm to yourself not benefit. Such training makes your life miserable, not enrich it.

Continuing in your chi flow that produces too much internal force to the extent of harming yourself, is not making use of an opportunity, it is being foolish. What opportunity are you talking about? You can’t describe an event that brings harm as an opportunity. Cutting down the time of your over-training is being wise.

Drunken Eight Immortals

Drunken Eight Immortals

Question 5

There is also always some Drunken Immortals influence, even with the Tai Chi Chuan flows. Lift Pot Offers Wine happens at the end of some sequences sometimes, but then with open palm.

Answer

At your level now, you should focus on Drunken Eight Immortals as your main art. Tai Chi Chuan is your supplementary.

Question 6

I learned a sequence some weeks ago, felling an opponent with one of the Immortal Li kicks, and finishing him off all in one flow with a palm strike in a Unicorn step. I did it over and over until I got it right. I attack and am covered all at the same time.

Answer

At a master’s level you should be able to compose combat sequences for different purposes. Of course, we are talking about genuine kungfu masters. Nowadays, there are many practitioners whom we call “masters” out of respect, do not have internal force, and cannot apply what they practice and teach in real combat.

However, it is usually internal force that eventually decides the winner in combat. Suppose a juvenile Karate black belt of twelve years old is involved in a real fight with an able-bodied adult who does not know any fighting art. The juvenile black belt would be beaten badly. This is an important point many parents who think their children with black belts can defend themselves. They can’t.

It is the same in kungfu fighting. If your internal force is very powerful, although your age may be the same as your opponent’s, in terms of force he is like a child to you.

So in sparring with martial artists of other styles, you must not be afraid of using your internal force. This does not mean that you hurt them with your internal force. You should control your strike, but you can ward off their strikes with force. Later, when you find that your internal force is too powerful for them, you can minimize your force. Even that they will still find you powerful and formidable.

Dragon Strength

A pattern from the Dragon Strength set

Question 7

For me one of the benefits of Dragon Strength for daily life would be to make one smarter.

Answer

Unfortunately, many martial artists today are becoming duller as they spend more time in their training. They are not even smart enough to realize that it is simply foolish to endure punches and kicks routinely when they practice an art as a hobby.

Any kungfu style would make its practitioners smarter if it is practiced correctly as it improves mental clarity. Dragon Strength is particularly effective in improving mental clarity as the dragon trains the mind. There are, of course, many other wonderful benefits of Dragon Strength.

Question 8

Sifu, as you told us not to prepare for Dragon Strength so as not to interfere with the new type of force we will learn, can I trust my chi flow and just let it happen, or should I slow down when this happens again and just wait for the course?

Editorial Note: This question was asked before the Dragon Strength Course in December 2014, but as there is a long waiting list for the Question-answer series, the answer is only released now.

Answer

Enjoy your chi flow. Amongst other benefits, it will enhance your Dragon Strength.

When I told students not to have special preparation for Dragon Strength, I was referring to special methods of internal force training, like Iron Wire and the Santi Stance of Xingyiquan. This was because, as you mentioned correctly, their own force training methods might interfere with the force training methods we would learn at the Dragon Strength course.

SIEW FOONG’S ARRIVAL BROUGHT LOVE AND PEACE, AND FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENT

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Grandmaster Wong Kiew KitThe Way of the Master, written by my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, is now officially launched.

You can order the book through Amazon or write a review.

You can also read more delightful stories, or order the special edition directly.

Please enjoy one of the memorable stories from my Sifu’s book below:

SIEW FOONG’S ARRIVAL BROUGHT LOVE AND PEACE, AND FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENT

(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general-2/way-of-master/way23.html)

Wong Siew Foong

My youngest daughter, Wong Siew Foong

The year 1987 was very special for me and my wife. That was the year my youngest daughter, Wong Siew Foong (黄小凤) was born. My wife often said Siew Foong was a harbinger of good luck. Since her birth everything was propitious.

One indication of good times to come was the appearance of pigeons in the compound of my house. One morning, after my daily kungfu practice, I was surprised to find many pigeons flocking to my house. The pigeons had been coming, but that particular morning, there were many. They made a lot of noise and were obviously having a good time, though neither my wife nor I, unprepared for their arrival, bought any grains to feed them.

I was surprised not at the pigeons, or their number, or the noise they made, but at why they came to my house. According to Chinese beliefs, pigeons only go to houses of rich people. Although my financial position had improved, I did not consider myself rich, i.e. financially rich, though I was actually very rich in other aspects, like good health, happy family and appreciative students both in the school I taught as a school teacher and in my kungfu and chi kung classes.

Nevertheless, my financial position continued to improve. I did not know, neither was I concerned, whether it was due to my improving financial position that pigeons came to my house, or the other way round, due to pigeons coming to my house that my financial position improved. But I found it poetical to believe that because of Siew Foong’s arrival, both my financial position improved and pigeons, symbols of love and peace, came to my house.

With our improved financial position, both my wife and I could help other less fortunate people, like my wife buying meals for poor children in school, and I giving money to people in need.

Indeed, it was just the other day at the time of writing, that Swee Zhi, the girlfriend of my youngest son, Chun Yian, told us she was so pleasantly surprised when she and Chun Yian caught up with Chun Yian’s friends during the Chinese New Year festive session, that one of Chun Yian’s friends, who is now a lawyer, told her that he knew my wife.

“How did you know auntie?” Swee Zhi asked.

“Not only I know her, I am very grateful to her.”

“Did you meet her before?”

“Yes, every day during my primary school days. She bought meals for us during school recess.”

My youngest daughter, Siew Foong, was very attached to me. Initially, whenever I went overseas to teach chi kung and kungfu, she would be sick. At first, I was not aware of the relationship between her sickness and me going overseas, but my wife, with her motherly instinct, discovered that her sickness was due to her thinking of me when I was not at home.

So, following my wife’s discovery, when I was about to fly overseas, I would console my youngest daughter, telling her that I would soon be home again and asking her not to be sick. It worked very well. Since then, she was not sick when I went overseas.

Whenever I was at home, I would spend a lot of time playing with her and her younger brother, Chun Yian, who arrived two years later. They would run into my arms, and I would swing them overhead, sometimes with them somersaulting in the air, but with me holding them carefully. My wife would be concerned.

“Be very careful not to let them fall,” my wife would call out with some apprehension.

“They are perfectly safe,” I would reply.

My youngest daughter and youngest son, Siew Foong and Chun Yian, were specially close, especially when my other three children were much older than them, and therefore may have different likings. Nevertheless, all the five brothers and sisters were close and loving to one another.

Wong Siew Foong

Myself and Siew Foong at the China Town in Terengganu

You can read more stories at our Discussion Forum. Here are details to order the special and limited edition. This edition will not be reprinted once it is sold out.

CHINESE CHESS STRATEGIES FOR DAILY LIVING

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/discussion-2/chinese-chess.html)

Wong Chun Yian

Wong Chun Yian teaching Chinese Chess

Santiago

Shaolin Wahnam Ireland

4th October 2011

The ‘Chi’nese Chess

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

I always write after a course and this time will not be different. As always, Wahnam courses are so enriching that exceed my expectations.

It has been a while since I don’t practice Western chess. It has been so because I don’t particularly feel attracted by it. But, with Chinese chess, the situation is very different. It is much more fun and much more realistic.

As in all Wahnam courses, the Chinese chess course (1st and 2nd October 2011 in Ireland) is full of philosophy, advices and strategies to apply on real life too. I made a list with the ones that impressed me most:

Situations can Always be Turned Around

In just one move, one can change from an adverse to a favorable situation. Those in the course had the opportunity to experience this when playing with Chun Yian Siheng. In my case, in one of the games, I was in a favorable position and Chun Yian Siheng gave three advices to my opponent and I lost the game. That taught me a lot. If one knows how, almost any situation can be changed.

Don’t Waste Unnecessary Movements

Like in Zen, it is better to be simple, direct and effective. Again, playing with Chun Yian Siheng, I learned this valuable lesson. I was making a short movement and then, I moved the same chess piece again. Chun Yian Siheng told me: “You did two movements to arrive here. That could be done in only one move. You wasted one movement and you gave that advantage to the adversary.”

Have a Whole Picture of What is Happening

Like in life, one tends to focus only on one perspective or view. It is easy to forget that many other facts can affect the game. One chess piece placed on the back can change everything in only a couple of moves. Again, Chun Yian Siheng demonstrated to me this precious advice within the game. Once, I was so focused on my attack that I forgot about the rest of the chess pieces. In a couple of movements, I lost the game. I didn’t pay too much attention of what Chun Yian Siheng was doing with the other pieces.

Safety First

Many people on the course was attacking without paying attention to defense. What Chun Yian Siheng told us about was: “One cannot think about an attack when defense is weak. First defense, then attack.”

Reduce Your Mistakes

I am very sure that everybody within the course remembers this advice. The more mistakes we were committing, the less opportunities we had for winning the game.

Don’t Lock Yourself

That is another extraordinary advice from Chun Yian Siheng. Within the game, we were locking our chess pieces in order to accomplish one strategy. But, what we forgot, was that we couldn’t use those pieces for the rest of the game because they were locked. Then, most of our resources were wasted and limited. Again, playing with Chun Yian Siheng, he demonstrated to me how important this advice was. He killed 4 pieces of mine with only one piece of him. My other pieces were locked doing something else so I could not do anything about it.

Sometimes You have to Choose to Lose

That is another excellent advice. Chun Yian Siheng was teaching me that lesson as follows: He was placed his chess pieces in the way that always two pieces of mine were in danger. One of them always had to die and I was the one choosing which one of them I was going to sacrifice. Then, I remember in exact words what Chun Yian Siheng told me: “Sometimes, you have to decide what you want to lose in order to get something else.”

It is Better to Lose a Game but Win a Friend than to Win a Game but also Win an Enemy

Chun Yian Siheng finished the course with this excellent advice and quote mentioned by Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, his father.

As always, it is difficult to return what Shaolin Wahnam is giving me. I feel very blessed with Shaolin Wahnam family within Ireland. Thanks Chun Yian Siheng for coming to teach us this treasured game. It was a wonderful weekend. Thanks also to Joan Sijie for taken care of me and thanks to all Shaolin Wahnam family, here in Ireland, for making me feel like at home.

Shaolin Salute,

Santiago

Chinese chess

Santiago and Wong Chun Yian playing Chinese chess

The above discussion is reproduced from the thread Scholar Project — Chinese Chess in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.

SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS JULY 2015 PART 2 BY GRANDMASTER WONG KIEW KIT

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15b/jul15-2.html)

Some training in Shaolin Kungfu provides an excellent foundation to learn any other martial art

Question 1

Sifu told me that the best complementary force training for the Drunken Eight Immortals was Wuzuquan, after that Tai Chi Chuan and then One Finger Shooting Zen.

I was reading about Grandmaster Yang Lu Chan and I read he attained high levels by “stealing” Tai Chi Chuan and practising by himself. As I had some experience of Tai Chi Chuan in chi flow, I wanted to emulate Yang Lu Chan and become good at the style and complement my Drunken Eight Immortals with it. I decided to learn Flowing Water Floating Clouds from the videos.

I have been training Tai Chi Chuan now for about a month. The results are (for my level) quite amazing.

— Tim, Belgium

Answer

Yang Lu Chan could attain very high levels in Tai Chi Chuan even when he “stole” it and trained on his own without the personal supervision of a master because he was already well trained in Shaolin Kungfu. And Shaolin Kungfu was the best preparation to learn or “steal” any other arts because all other arts were also found in Shaolin Kungfu. Had Yang Lu Chan been trained in other arts, like Eagle Claw or Fujian White Crane, his attainment could be different.

Not many people know these two facts — that Yang Lu Chan was already well trained in Shaolin Kungfu before he worked as a servant in Chen Zhang Qing’s family, and that Shaolin Kungfu prepared well for him, or any person, to learn any other art. Many people thought that Yang Lu Chan started straight away with Tai Chi Chuan. Many people did not know that all that was found in Tai Chi Chuan was already found in Shaolin Kungfu.

You have the same two advantages Yang Lu Chan had. In fact you have an extra advantage. You can ask your seniors or me whenever you have any problems concerning your Tai Chi Chuan training. Yang Lu Chan had no one to ask. No one knew about him secretly practicing Tai Chi Chuan, and to a very high leve, until he defeated a challenger who came to challenge his master.

So, you should do well in your Tai Chi Chuan.

Question 2

I guide myself through Tai Chi Chuan practise. This time it is not with the usual Chinese dialect, it’s a form of Japanese. It is a strong deep voice, not at all what one would expect from a soft Tai Chi Chuan master, but a deep fierce voice is guiding my forms and speaking through me.

This is either my own sub-consciousness or a master comes teach and merge with myself. Or I am tapping into the cosmos.

Answer

Tai Chi dancers are soft, but genuine Tai Chi Chuan masters are not soft, though they can be gentle.

But what is important is that you must be in control of yourself, not directed by a spirit, even when it is divine and has good intentions. This is very important.

It may not be a spirit but you own sub-consciousness. But for this purpose of regaining conscious control for yourself, you need not worry or intellectualize whether it is a spirit or your sub-consciousness, or something else. So, in the following description, I shall refer to a spirit. You follow the same procedure if it is actually your sub-consciousness or something else.

You should do the following for some time until you regain control. Suppose the spirit asks you to move forward with a powerful strike. Even if this is what you yourself intend to do, don’t do it. Gently thank the spirit but do something else, like moving to your left, without breaking the momentum of your chi flow, and execute a kick instead.

Repeat the procedure for some time until you are fully confident that you have complete conscious control of your own movements and intentions.

in full control

We must always be in full conscious control no matter what we are training in

Question 3

I experienced this a lot of times before as I mentioned in previous emails, but this time I really become one with it. I believe I’m growing up in our arts and at my level now I can let it happen at will, going deep and just going with the flow guiding myself in our arts.

Answer

Becoming one with the Cosmos is growing in our arts. When you become one with the Cosmos, you are becoming yourself at the most supreme level where there is no differentiation at all.

Becoming one with another spirit is not growing in our arts. It is a serious deviation.

I may or may not be right in my presumption that you may become one with another spirit. But either way, i.e. irrespective of whether the force directing you is another spirit or is your own sub-consciousness, following my advice is for your benefit.

If it is a spirit, even a good one, you should not be directed by it and become its slave. You may listen to its advice if it is good, but you have a free choice to accept the advice or reject it.

If it is your sub-consciousness, you also should not be blindly directed by it. You should have your conscious control, based on wisdom and courage.

It is a big mistake if you think that you would lose a great opportunity if you do not follow a powerful spirit. Even without any guidance from any spirit, you can be very powerful by just practicing our arts.

In fact, you already have become powerful. Compare, for example, what you are now with what you were when you first attended a UK Summer Camp. You were such a weakling then that when you were chosen for demonstration, Robin was genuinely concerned that I could pull off your arm.

Why do we train internal force or gain benefits from our practice? It is not for their own sake but to enrich our lives and the lives of other people. We must not forget this, otherwise we may become a slave to our arts instead of becoming masters.

Question 4

I’ve learned the Cloud Hands set in chi flow: I perform palm strike sequences, and snake hands, with cloud hands in between. Sometimes I spread a strong flowing force to my palms or finger tips. I also do fa-jing.

Tai Chi Chuan has a lot of snake influence. Cloud Hands seems to be my own internal flow, merging with energy from around me.

I just want to check up with Sifu if what I’m doing is correct.

Answer

What you are doing is excellent.

Even some world-known Tai Chi masters may not be able to do what you have done. Many of them cannot perform Cloud Hands in chi flow, cannot spread a strong flowing force to their palms or fingers, and cannot merge themselves with the energy around them. All these are indications of high-level Tai Chi Chuan. Indeed, many Tai Chi masters today have no internal force and do not know any Tai Chi Chuan combat application.

These attainments should not make us proud, or belittle others, but they indicate that you have been training very well.

Cloud Hands

Chi flow movement, poetically described as “flowing water floating clouds” or “cloud hands” for short, was the source of Tai Chi Chuan

Question 5

I wish to have strong stances in my chi flow. Sometimes, when it becomes too light, I refuse to let go into chi flow. I think I need to be grounded more, and have a solid foundation in my stance.

Answer

You should aim at yin-yang harmony. Not only you are solid, you are also agile.

When you, your stances or your chi flow have become light, instead of holding yourself up, you should let go and enjoy the agility generated.

Editorial Note: Tim’s questions will be continued at July 2015 Part 3 issue of the Question-Answer Series.

Question 6

I learned the art from two of your direct students, Sifus Chris and Christina Didyk this year. I had purchased your book, “Chi Kung for Health and Vitality”, and found it to be a marvelous resource and well-written piece of literature.

— Aaron, USA

Answer

Chris and Christina are very good teachers. If you learn from them, you are in good hands. If you learn from Chris, you will address me as Sitaigung. If you learn from Christina, you will address me as Sigung.

In our school we carefully follow the tradition of correct address. Although those who are unfamiliar with chi kung culture and the importance of mind set in advance chi kung training may think we are fastidious, this is actually for the benefit of the students. You may experience the truth yourself later on as you progress in your training.

Thank you for your kind words about my book, “Chi Kung for Health and Vitality”. If you find any difference in training methods, follow the instructions given by your teachers, and not the book. Your teacher observe your personally and give instructions according to your progress. My book is written for those who do not have the advantage of learning personally from a competent teacher. Generally you will find the instructions from your teachers are simpler, yet produce better results.

Carrying the Moon

Carrying the Moon

Question 7

Sifu Christina taught me Lifting the Sky and demonstrated Pushing Mountains for me, but she also mentioned that if I have any desire to learn any of the other exercises from your book I should not be afraid to practice them.

I am currently performing Chi Kung to rid myself of general disease but also to remove my Crohn’s disease from my body. It is an illness that affects the colon area via an autoimmune response.

I read that performing Lifting the Sky, Pushing Mountain, and Carrying the Moon in sequence helps stimulate good chi flow to rid the body of illness, but I was wondering if you had any other advice as to what exercise or exercises would be better for targeting that particular area of the body.

Answer

If all other things were equal, performing Lifting the Sky, Pushing Mountain, and Carrying the Moon in this sequence produces the best chi flow to rid the body of any disease in general.

If all other things were equal, if a person has a disease at his colon, Plucking Stars will be the best exercise. Another excellent exercise is Merry-Go-Round.

But in real life other things are not equal. Suppose we have two persons, A and B, suffering from the same disease affecting their colon. A is relaxed and performs Lifting the Sky. B is tensed and performs Plucking Stars. A will have better result than B even when B has chosen a better exercise.

You have advantages many other people do not have. You learn personally from two excellent chi kung teachers. If they ask you to perform exercises other than Plucking Stars and Merry-Go-Round, it is because of some relevant reasons which you may not know.

Question 8

My next question is more of a philosophical/scientific one. I understand that Shaolin Wanham Chi Kung in general provides the body with more energy by drawing it in from the cosmos or other outside sources. So performing chi kung is a way to feel less tired throughout the day if you perform it at the start of the day.

Sleep also does the same thing, and I can see many parallels between sleep and chi kung. Both relax the body to a great degree. Both activate certain areas of the brain that are not normally active. Both energize the body to their own degree, and both are responsible for the growth and healing of the physical body.

Now modern science has not been able to find any conclusive evidence as to why the physical body needs sleep other than we just need to sleep. Is it possible that sleep is a natural (although inferior) form of chi kung that we are inherently born with?

In other words, do our bodies naturally know how to perform chi kung even without us being conscious of the fact or am I way off in my thoughts and reasoning?

Answer

Yours is an example of unnecessary intellectualizing. Your teachers may have told you our three golden rules of practice, which are as follows:

  1. Don’t worry.

  2. Don’t intellectualize.

  3. Enjoy your practice.

Not only your intellectualizing does not bring you any benefit, it actually brings you harm. For example, even if you know the answer, and presume that your answer is correct, it will not overcome your Crohn’s disease. It makes your stressful. It saps your energy. It affects your chi kung training, and may turn your chi kung into gentle physical exercise without your awareness and without your understanding it s meaning.

Nevertheless, I shall still answer your questions, directly asked as well as implied.

Yes, sleep and chi kung are the same. Both relax the body, activate some parts of the brain that are not normally active, energize the body, and are responsible for growth and healing.

Or I can also answer that no, sleep and chi kung are not the same. You need only 10 minutes to relax your body when performing chi kung, but you may toss about in bed for hours before you can sleep. Chi kung can heal you of any disease, but sleep doesn’t.

Yes, modern science has not found any conclusive evidence why a person needs sleep. I can also answer that no, modern science has found conclusive evidence why a person needs sleep. He needs sleep to remain sain. If he goes without sleep for days he may go crazy.

Yes, sleep is a natural, though inferior, form of chi kung. I can also answer no, sleep is not a natural form of chi kung, even inferior. Chi kung gives you mental clarity, but sleep may make you dull.

Yes, our body naturally knows how to perform chi kung, with or without our awareness. Our chi flow is natural. Naturally we repair wear and tear in our body. These are important tasks chi kung does. You are spot on in your thoughts and reasoning.

I can also answer that no, our body does not know how to perform chi kung naturally. That is why genuine chi kung teachers are very rare and valuable. More than 80% of people who say that they practice chi kung, actually perform gentle physical exercise, and most of them do not even know it. If our body can naturally perform chi kung, this ridiculous situation would not have happened. So your thoughts and reasoning are way off.

Hopefully by now you would have realized that your intellectualization is futile.

DAY 3 OF INTRODUCTORY CHI KUNG COURSE BY HOLISTIC HEALTH CULTIVATION CENTRE

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(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/video-clips-10/holistic-health-cultivation-centre/overview.html)

Holistic Health Cultivation Centre

Holistic Health Cultivation Centre

The Holistic Health Cultivation Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which has an outstanding record of helping people overcome so-called incurable diseases conducted an Introductory Chi Kung Course from 11th June to 15th June 2015. The course was taught by Sifu Dr Foong Tuck Meng and Sifu Wong Chun Nga.

During a special training session taught by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, the Grandmaster mentioned two important points:

  1. As a matter of course, students who daily and correctly practice the exercises taught at the course will overcome their illness if they are sick, or will prevent illness happening if they are already healthy.

  2. Students should choose the right techniques and practice at the right level to attain their aim of overcoming illness or maintaining good health.

Grandmaster Wong explained the difference between “as a matter of course” and “as a matter of fact”. If a person drove on an expressway from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, arriving at Singapore was a matter of course. But as a matter of fact, he might not arrive, if, for example, he stopped half way or turned off to other roads.

Grandmaster Wong also pointed out that medical chi kung, which was meant to overcome or prevent illness, was the lowest in the following hierarchy of chi kung

  1. Medical Chi Kung

  2. Chi Kung for Health and Vitality

  3. Chi Kung for Scholars

  4. Chi Kung for Warriors

  5. Spiritual Chi Kung

If a practitioner practiced at a higher level, i.e. if his chi kung was too powerful, he might harm himself. It was like, Grandmaster Wong explained, asking an untrained person to run a marathon or lift heavy weights.

Hence, practitioners who wished to overcome or prevent illness must not practice at a high level even when they had the knowledge and ability to do so. It was the same in daily life. One must chose the best method and operate it at an appropriate way that fulfilled his needs.

This is Day 3 of an Introductory Chi Kung Course from 11th to 15th June 2015 conducted by Holistic Health Cultivation Centre which has an outstanding record of helping people overcome their so-call incurable diseases.