UPDATE: The time for the group meditation has changed to as follows:
Saturdays
PDT (US) at 6 AM
EDT (US) at 9 AM
GMT (Europe) at 1 PM
BST (London) at 2 PM
CET (Europe) at 3 PM
MSK (Moskau) at 4 PM
MYT (Malaysia) at 9 PM
AEDT (Australia) at 12 AM/midnight (Sunday)

The group meditation will be repeated every Saturday (Australia Sunday) until further notice.

The group meditation is organized by Sifu Leonard Lackinger of Anstria and Sifu Andrew Barnett of Switzerland. For more details, please click here.

(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/shaolin/kungfu-sets/happy-bird/video01.html)

This is the third combat-application set of Shaolin Kungfu in Shaolin Wahnam, and is composed of the following four combat sequences:

1. Happy Bird Hops up Branch

2. White Horse Presents Hoof

3. Yellow Oriole Drinks Water

4. Naughty Monkey Kicks at Tree

Please click on the picture or the caption below to view the video

Happy Bird Hops up Branch from Wong Kiew Kit on Vimeo.

The 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:

An Unforgettable Lesson

(reproduced from  http://shaolin.org/general-2/way-of-master/way02.html)

A public performance with Uncle Righteousness as the Lion Head and me as the Lion Tail in the 1960s

There was, however, one occasion in my long learning process that I deviated from my father’s advice. Our kungfu class was preparing for a charity performance at New World Amusement Park. My master himself would perform the lion head, and everyone had expected me to perform the tail. Performing the lion tail is an extremely demanding role, for the performer has to arch his back throughout the whole performance, which in those days might last longer than an hour, and to extend both his arms in a continuous wing-flapping movement to support the covering tail-cloth.

I tried to be smart. Just a few minutes before the training session began, I went out from the training hall, pretending to buy titbits for my seniors, a bluff that I could easily do because running errands was my common unofficial task. I knew my master couldn’t wait. If I could stay away for just a few minutes, I thought, some unlucky fellow would take over my job as the inevitable tail performer, even for that training session only. And true enough, when I returned after the lion dance practice had started – something that I could time easily as the loud accompanying lion dance music could be heard from far away – I found my master and my junior classmate, Ah Weng, doing the lion head and tail. “Kit Chye,” my classmates asked in bewilderment, “where on earth have you been? Uncle Righteousness was looking all over the world for you.” “What for?” I pretended to ask. “What for! To be the tail, of course.”

“Ha, ha!” I laughed inside myself. “Why pick on me all the time? Luckily I’m not stupid, and now I can have a break from this wearisome task. Now this poor Ah Weng can have a nice taste of back ache.”

But Ah Weng had the louder laugh. “Ha, ha!” He probably said to himself, “now at last I have a break into this lion dance role which I have been longing for, for so long.”

And he performed the tail so enthusiastically and so well that he was not only asked to continue in subsequent practices, but was ultimately chosen to partner my master in that charity performance, and later in other performances. Hence my monopoly as my master’s partner in lion dance was now broken – all because of my clever trick.

Ah Weng continued to learn and practise hard, and progressed tremendously, often at my expense for what my master might have taught me, he taught Ah Weng instead. Ah Weng also became one of my master’s favourite disciples, and was the one who had learned the most lion dance skills and techniques from my master. He later became a famous lion dance artist, bringing name and glory to our school. I am very proud of Ah Weng’s achievement. I also learned a very good lesson from that occasion when I tried to be too clever — a lesson that has greatly helped me in my later kungfu development. From then on, I always learn humbly and practise diligently, never be deterred by hardship or obstacles in the way.

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.

(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/general/over-training.html)

Chi kung practice in Kuala Lumpur

Difference between Over-Training and Deviation

Over-training means excessive training, when the benefits derived from the training is more than the physical body can take. It usually results in over-cleansing, though over-building and over-nourishing may infrequently occur.

Practitioners must differentiate between over-training and deviation. Deviation results from wrong training. The two main causes of wrong training which results in deviation are tensing muscles and worrying. Deviation seldom occurs in our school.

How does one tell the difference between over-training and deviation. An effective way is to examine the symptoms.

If a student first experiences benefits, then quite suddenly experiences adverse effects, he is likely to have over-trained. If he has not experienced benefits, but he experiences adverse effects straightaway, he is likely to have deviated.

The adverse effects are also different. In over-training, a practitioner finds that the stuff that caused his blockage, like toxic waste, rashes, pimples, and smells, is coming out too quickly for his comfort. This may cause pain, but the pain is quite different from that of deviation.

It may also be excessive cleansing of negative emotions. The practitioner may experience anxiety, fear, grief and other negative emotions. These negative emotions from over-training are also different from feeling of nausea or oppression from deviation, but the difference is subtler.

How to Overcome Over-Training

What should one do when he has over-trained.?

Here are some effective methods:

1. Reduce the time of training.

2. Reduce the intensity of training.

3. Stop training for some time if necessary.

4. Spend the excessive energy wholesomely, like spending time with parents and friends, engaging more in out-door activities, performing kungfu sets or combat sequences, and playing games.

As mentioned earlier, deviation seldom happens in our school. The very fact that our students can practice internal arts, means that they can enter into silence. The two requirements for entering silence are not thinking of irrelevant thoughts and not tensing muscles. You may now realize why not worrying and not intellectualizing are the first two of our three golden rules of practice.

How to Overcome Deviation

There are two reasons why people practice internal arts wrongly. One, they stress their mind. Two, they tense their muscles. So, to overcome deviation, just be relaxed mentally and physically.

It may be a big surprise to many people that no matter what action they perform, so long as they relax their mind and body, they will have some effects of internal arts. Of course, for most people, the effects are minimal. However, if they choose special methods, like the internal art methods we use in our school, they will have better results in shorter time.

In our school we have the magic of chi flow. Even when students made mistakes in their practice, their chi flow will wash away any adverse effects due to their mistakes. Here, mistakes refer to those made due to carelessness or forgetfulness. If they consciously go against instructions, like they worry despite knowing not to, they are only asking for trouble. It is best they don’t train our arts.

How to Prevent Over-Training

Prevention is better than cure. An excellent way to prevent over-training is not to progress too fast, or to progress according to what your body can handle. As a general rule, if practitioners can get 30% of what they got in my intensive or regional courses, they would have done very well. I repeat: if practitioners can get 30% of what they got in my intensive or regional courses, they will have done very well.

I have mentioned a few times, and I mean it seriously, what I could achieve in one year at the time when I was already a grandmaster at Shaolin Wahnam Association, a typical Shaolin Wahnam Institute student now can achieve in one month. It took me about 30 years to become a grandmaster, not only in name but acknowledged by the public to have a grandmaster’s level.

If a student now works at 30%, he can attain my level as a grandmaster in 10 years. This means his solo performance is beautiful to watch, he is healthy and full of vitality, and he can defeat masters of any martial art quite comfortably. More significantly he is peaceful and happy every day.

The Magical 30%

Working at 30% is actually quite a lot. There is a lot of attainment in my intensive courses and even in my regional courses. Students attain in a few days what other practitioners, even at their master’s level, could not attain in a few years. How many masters having practiced for a few years, for example, can direct their chi to flow at different levels, or develop internal force using various methods, like what our students do in a few days in our chi kung or kungfu courses?

I must add that to reach the level of a grandmaster, I practiced according to what my sifus taught me at least an hour a day, everyday. So, you have to practice for at least 20 minutes a day, everyday for 10 years to reach a grandmaster’s level. If you only practice chi kung, you may practice at least 5 minutes a day.

If you dream to reach a grandmaster’s level, or even a master’s level, in a month, practicing off and on, this is certainly not a school for you. Although we have become so unbelievably cost-effective that I have to tell students to work at only 30% or less, and even that is far ahead of other practitioners, consistent practice is still a must if we want good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance in daily life as well as peace and happiness.

(reproduced from http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15b/jul15-1.html)

Chi kung works on energy resulting in good health, vitality and longevity, whereas gentle physical exercise only works on the physical body, like loosening joins and muscles

Question 1

I’m writing to ask about the combination of Chi Kung practice and recreation in China.

On your site I’ve seen information about certified instructors and heelers in different countries, but there’s nothing mentioned about China.

— Svetlana. Russia

Answer

I am sorry I would be unable to give a satisfactory answer on the combination of chi kung practice and recreation in China for the following reasons.

Our view of chi kung is quite different from that of most chi kung practitioners in China. We consider what they practice as gentle physical exercise, and not chi kung. Chi kung is an art of energy, but what most practitioners today in China do is to work on their physical body, like loosening joints and muscles, and not on their energy.

As an analogy, which may give a clearer picture, what most Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) practitioners today practice is external Taijiquan movements and not Taijiquan. Taijiquan is an internal martial art, but there is nothing internal, and nothing martial in what most Taijiquan practitioners today practice.

In both chi kung and Taijiquan, the forms used by most other practitioners and by us in our school, Shaolin Wahnam, are the same. The difference lies in how we practice the same forms. Most chi kung practitioners in China practice the chi kung forms as gentle physical exercise; we practice the same forms as an art of energy. Most other Taijiquan practitioners all over the world practice the Taijiquan forms as external movements; we practice the same Taijiquan forms as an internal martial art.

This is our view. You should also get the views of those whom we consider practice chi kung as gentle physical exercise, or Taijiquan as external movements.

Nevertheless, there are masters in China who practice chi kung as an art of energy, and there are masters in the world, including in China, who practice Taijiquan as an internal martial art. But they are few and rare, and may not be interested in teaching their arts.

On the other hand, I am competent to give a satisfactory answer on the combination of chi kung practice and recreation in our school. While there are many other benefits, like good health, vitality, longevity and peak performance, we take our chi kung practice as recreation, and not as endurance as many other chi kung practitioners may regard their practice. If you learn from us, you will soon discover that the three golden rules of practice in our school are (1) not to worry, (2) not to intellectualize while practicing, and (3) enjoy your practice.

This difference between recreation and endurance is more noticeable in the various styles of kungfu practiced in our school. In most other schools, kungfu training is characterized by endurance, epitomized by the term “ku lian”, which means “bitter training”. In our school the key word even in kungfu training is “enjoy yourselves”. It is almost a joke.

Chi kung, but not gentle physical exercise, is excellent for therapy. Many of our students overcame their so-called incurable diseases, like cancer, heart problems, diabetes, chronic pain, depression and addiction, by practicing chi kung learnt from us. Those who are already healthy prevent these so-called incurable diseases from happening, and are daily full of joy and vitality.

Please take note that “therapy” here means healing yourself, not healing others. In other words, our chi kung practice enables our students to heal themselves if they are sick, and remain healthy if they have no illness. If they want to be a chi kung healer to heal others, they must first become a good chi kung student, then be selected to attend special courses on chi kung healing.

My website contains information about activities, including certified instructors and healers, in various countries but not in China, because it describes activities as they are, and we have not expanded to China. If people in China believe that they can benefit from our activities, we shall gladly expand there. It is worthy of note that the expansion of our activities worldwide is spontaneous, initiated by dedicated people in the countries themselves.

Question 2

I would like to combine recreation, therapy, relaxation with Chi Kung practice. Is it possible to do in one of your health cultivation centres. I have recently come across the book by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, “The Art of Chi Kung”, and I’ve realized that it’s exactly what I need.

Answer

If you like to combine recreation, therapy, relaxation with chi kung practice, I would recommend that you attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course. You may also be amazed at the many other benefits that you may not even dream about. Please see my website for details, and apply to my secretary for registration.

Thank you for the kind words about my book. Many people have kindly told me that it is the best book they have read on chi kung.

Kungfu is for fighting — using kungfu techniques, not kick-boxing or techniques of other martial systems

Question 3

I want to learn kungfu.

— Ali, Pakistan

Answer

Many people want to learn kungfu, but end up learning kungfu forms or kick-boxing instead. Learning kungfu fomrs or kick-boxing is fine, but it is different from learning kungfu.

Before you learn kungfu, or any art, it is wise to know what that art is. This may sound trite or unnecessary, but it will not only save you a lot of time but also prevent you from much injury.

For convenience we may classify kungfu into three types: ordinary kungfu, good kungfu, and great kungfu.

Ordinary kungfu is for self-defence. There are also other arts of self-defence, like kick-boxing, karate and taekwondo. The main difference is their forms. Kick-boxing uses kick-boxing forms, karate uses karate forms, taekwondo uses taekwondo forms, and kungfu uses kungfu forms.

There are different styles of kungfu, like Shaolin, Taijiquan, Praying Mantis and Baguzzhang. Praying Mantis kungfu forms can be very different from Baguazhang kungfu forms.

About 90% of those who say they practice kungfu only perform kungfu forms. Strictly speaking they do not practice genuine kungfu because they cannot apply their kungfu forms for fighting. Many of them may not admit this fact. Some may not even realize it.

Of those who practice only kungfu forms and cannot use their kungfu forms for fighting, 70% of them perform their kungfu forms for demonstration. Past masters referred to such demonstrative kungfu forms as “flowery fists embroidery kicks”. 30% of them use kick-boxing or other martial techniques, but not kungfu, for fighting.

I would like to clarify that personally I have nothing against them. What and how they choose to practice is their right and business. Actually many of those who practice “flowery fists and embroidery kicks” are very nice people – the type of people I would like to have tea with, though I disagree with their concept and practice of kungfu.

So, kungfu is quite rare. Kungfu is for fighting. But the great majority of those who say they practice kungfu, cannot use their kungfu for fighting, though some of them are good fighters using kick-boxing or other martial techniques.

For every 100 persons who say they practice kungfu, only about 10 can use their kungfu for fighting. In our classification, we call this ordinary kungfu.

But kungfu is not just for fighting, though combat efficiency is its most basic requirement. Good kungfu contributes to health, vitality and longevity. While the percentage of those who practice genuine kungfu is low, only about 10%, amongst those who practice genuine kungfu, the percentage of good kungfu is high, about 70%. So about 7 out of the 10 practitioners of genuine kungfu have good health. They also have high moral values.

Amongst those who practice “flowery fists embroidery kicks”, the percentage of good health is also very high, about 90%, or about 63 of 70 practitioners. But they cannot be said to practice good kungfu, not even ordinary kungfu, because they cannot use their kungfu for combat.

Why is the percentage of good health amongst “flowery fists embroidery kicks” practitioners, 90%, higher than that of genuine kungfu practitioners, 70%? It is because genuine kungfu practitioners engage in combat where they may tense their muscles to generate mechanical strength. Those who practice kungfu forms but use kick-boxing or other martial techniques for combat do not have good health because they sustain a lot of injury which is routinely left unattended to.

Great kungfu, which is not only for combat and good health but also for spiritual cultivation, is very rare. Only 1% of those who say they practice kungfu may have a chance to practice great kungfu.

Please take note that spiritual cultivation is different from moral cultivation, though they are closely related. A morally cultivated person is kind and considerate, but he may or may not believe in his own spirit. He may think that he is only a physical body. Spiritual cultivation is the cultivation of the spirit. A spiritually cultivated person is relaxed, peaceful and happy, and at high levels may have glimpses of Cosmic Realty.

Please also take note that spiritual cultivation is non-religious. Any person of any religion or without any professed religion can cultivate spiritually. Spiritual cultivation will enable a religious person to be a better follower of his own religion because it makes his religions teaching come alive.

To sum up, kungfu is rare. Most people practice only kungfu forms, and use kick-boxing or other martial techniques when they have to fight. Genuine kungfu may be ordinary, good or great. Ordinary kungfu is for fighting. Good kungfu is for fighting and good health. Great kungfu is for fighting, good health and spiritual cultivation.

It is a golden opportunity to be able to practice great kungfu. But because kungfu today is so debased, the public generally does not have a good impression of kungfu practitioners. They think of them as rough and aggressive. In fact it is the resvers. A genuine kungfu practitioner is gentle and considerate to others, relaxed and happy to himself.

Question 4

I often feel more powerful after training a Small Universe session rather than an Iron Wire session.

— Steven, USA

Answer

If all other things were equal, Iron Wire will produce more internal force than Small Universe. On the other hand, Small Universe will give better health benefits than Iron Wire. This is relative. Iron Wire, when practiced correct, also gives very good benefits for health. Small Universe also produces internal force.

But many people practice Iron Wire wrongly. They perform it as isometric exercise which also produces much strength. But it produces big muscles which are detrimental to health.

For you other things are not equal. You have learned both Iron Wire and Small Universe, and can perform them well. More significantly, you gain the benefit of breadth and depth, which enhance both your Iron Wire and Small Universe as well as all other arts. Hence, different from the norm, your Small Universe generate more internal force for you than Iron Wire.

There may be various reasons which we don’t need to worry about, but will discuss here for intellectual pleasure. A likely reason is that having learnt Iron Wire, you know how to develop internal force using the force method. When you practice Small Universe, your flow method enhance the internal force earlier created by your force method, making you more powerful than had you employed only the force method.

A Small Universe Course in Penang

Question 5

Can Small Universe be used as the sole method for training internal force? If so, is the internal force generated from Small Universe classified as flowing force?

Answer

Yes, you can use only the Small Universe to generate internal force. But because you also know other methods, it is wise to use the other methods too, even once a while.

Yes, the internal force generated from Small Universe is classified as flowing force. Because of our benefit in breadth and depth, we can convert the flowing force into consolidated force, and vice versa, if we like.

You need not worry whether which method will give you the optimum benefit, because even if, without your knowing, you have chosen a relatively less effective method, you will still produce a lot of internal force and other benefits.

As an analogy, if a man uses method A he earns 4 million dollars a month, but he uses method B he earns only 3 million dollars a month, which is by proportion considerably less. But he needs not worry and makes himself stressful which method to use. Even if he earns only a million dollars a month using any method and performs below par, he still has more money than his needs.

But if he earns four thousand dollars a month using method A, and only three thousand dollars a month using method B, he needs to be sure he uses method A. Earning 25% less income in this case makes a difference.

Question 6

By practicing the Small Universe daily and training Iron Wire once in awhile, does my Iron Wire force dissipate from the circulation from Small Universe? I believe the answer is no from personal experience, but I would be very grateful if Sigung could confirm.

Answer

You are right. The answer is no.

For other people without our benefit of breadth and depth, not only the Iron Wire force will dissipate, it may interfere with his Small Universe training.

This is because of the magic of chi flow that we have. We can convert flowing force, or a portion of it, into consolidated force, and vice versa.

An Iron Wire Course in Lisbon

Question 7

I’ve been trying to slowly incorporate Iron Wire back into my training regimen by practicing every other day. However, I find that the force generated from Small Universe often spills over into my Iron Wire practice, making the Iron Wire sessions too powerful.

Answer

This is quite normal in our school because of our benefit of breadth and depth. Yours and many other people’s examples in our school answer a question some of our instructors initially asked, which was whether they should focus on what they already knew or learned new material.

Our advice to students, which is quite ridiculous to other people if not a joke, is to tell our students train less, not more. Don’t over-train. Use the time you save and the internal force and mental clarity you gain from your training to get a good girlfriend.

Question 8

Could Sigung kindly provide training advice as to how to proceed with Small Universe and Iron Wire?

Answer

If you earn a million dollars a month when your needs are ten thousands, you need not worry about the best working procedure. Just carry on working the way you have been doing, with the three golden rules of working, namely don’t worry, don’t intellectualize, enjoy the work. Even if you earn only one tenth of your potential, you still earn ten times your needs.

This is the same as internal force training. You change “dollars” to “units of internal force”. If you generate a million units of internal force a month when your needs are only ten thousand units, you need not worry about your best training procedure. Even if you generate only one tenth of your potential, you still have ten times more force than your needs. Just continue training the way you have been doing, but taking care not to over-train, following the three golden rules of practice, namely don’t worry, don’t intellectualize, enjoy your practice.

Is it fair to say that you can generate a million units of internal force? Let us do some comparison. Suppose a student in another school is lucky enough to train internal force, and he develops 20,000 units of internal force a month. You develop 1,000,000 units, which is 50 times more. So the question is whether it is justifiable to estimate that you are 50 times more efficient.

You develop so much force in just one session. From practical experience of students training internal force, it is reasonable to say that he does not develop a similar amount of force in 50 days. So the estimate is justified.

Is it reasonable to say that a person’s needs to carry on life healthily are 10,000 units of internal force? By leading a healthy life is meant that he is not sick nor in pain, he can eat and sleep, and do his work and enjoy his play. We assign 10,000 units of internal force to carry out such activities.

Not many people have a change to train internal force. We assign 20,000 units to a person who has genuinely and successfully trained internal force. In other words, a person with internal force will have double the amount of force to carry out the normal life of a healthy person. From everyday experience, this is a reasonable estimate.