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  • #31
    18 Lohan Hands-Answer 4 Part 2

    A fanastic insight into some patters and in a profound advice from past masters;18 Lohan Hands-Answer 4 Part 2:

    (Continued from Part 1)

    Every pattern of the Eighteen Lohan Hands has benefits and capabilities relevant to martial art, though the patterns may not exhibit overt combat applications.

    As a chi kung set on a whole, It provides good health and vitality, which are the basic requirements any martial artist must have before embarking on combat efficiency. It loosens muscles and joints, facilitating agility and flexibility. It generates energy flow which forms the foundation of internal force. It develops mental clarity, which is essential for effective combat.

    Each individual pattern has its special benefits, and the following is only a brief description.

    “Lifting the Sky” harmonizes energy flow throughout three warmers, which means the whole body.

    “Shooting Arrows” expands the lungs and focuses energy flow to the index fingers.

    “Plucking Stars” develop internal force at the palms.

    :Turning Head” enhances physical and mental reflexes, which are very important in combat.

    “Punching with Angry Eyes” was a core pattern that set the evolution into Eighteen Lohan Fist.

    “Merry-Go-Round” gave an impetus for waist rotation, constituting an important principle in minimize an opponent’s momentum.

    “Carrying the Moon” develops flexibility and strengthens the back which is important in combat.

    "Nourishing Kidneys” stimulates energy flow to the hands and legs.

    “Three Levels to Ground” gave suggestion to low-body work, which Shaolin Kungfu is superb though little known to the public.

    “Dancing Crane” provides the concepts of dodging and sinking back, without moving the feet.

    “Carrying Mountain” develops powerful arms and flexibility of waist.

    “Drawing Knives” gave the impetus to develop sophisticated techniques for combat.

    “Presenting Claws” led to the use of fingers in advanced combat.

    “Pushing Mountain” is an excellent introduction to internal force training.

    “Separating Water” can develop tremendous internal force.

    “Big Windmill” is excellent for developing flowing force.

    “Deep Knee Bending” develops good balance, an important ingredient for effective combat.

    “Rotating Knees” introduces the concept of circular movement in combat.

    An important kungfu saying advises that “Before one thinks of combat, he must be healthy first.” If a Shaolin student is sick or weak, he should first practice Eighteen Lohan Hands to overcome his sickness and become strong before embarking on Shaolin Kungfu. Having attained health and strength, his continued practice of Eighteen Lohan Hands will enhance his kungfu performance.

    <End>
    "From formless to form, from form to formless"

    26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
    Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

    Website: www.enerqi.ch

    Comment


    • #32
      This morning it was a crisp 2 degrees in Melbourne with frost on the ground. The sky was clear blue and the sun was shining. I celebrated this wonderful thread with a practice session consisting of all 18 Lohan Hands including some little qi breaks in between and a nice qi flow at the end.

      I just love how the 18 Lohan Hands are so flexible and that we can train them at whichever level(s) matches our "needs, aspirations, whims and fancies"!

      Thanks from the Heart to Sifu!!!
      Jeffrey Segal

      Comment


      • #33
        Dear Sifu, Dear Roland,

        I realise that the time for asking questions has elapsed. Nonetheless, I would like to ask an additional question which Sifu will perhaps have time to answer, either in this thread or later in his legendary Q&A series (I realise that this might take some time!!!).

        What is the significance of the order of the 18 Lohan Hands?

        Thank you, Sifu!
        Last edited by Jeffrey Segal; 9 July 2013, 03:38 AM.
        Jeffrey Segal

        Comment


        • #34
          Dear Sifu, dear Sihing Roland,

          as Sihing Jeffrey I didn't know that the time for asking questions has elapsed.
          I would much like to ask a question too, to me it is an actual one.

          Just now I am in a state of cleansing (having a cold - in summertime! but I know why) - and, as I always do in cases like this, I practice 10 times "Lifting the sky", followed by Chi flow. I do this more than twice a day, and when I wake up at night, too. (My "normal" practice is twice a day, and with different patterns, also from the 18 jewels, and Bone Marrow Cleansing.)

          I see "Lifting the Sky" as sort of "First Aid" because I feel very well with it. Are there other Lohan Hands that could be used as "First Aid" against all things that may happen: injuries, illnesses, mental stress?

          Thank you, Sifu.
          ... alles, alles, alles ist doch auf Liebe aufgebaut ..." (Ellen Auerbach, 1997)

          Comment


          • #35
            Dear Uncle Jeff,

            Thanks for your sharing your lovely experience! I am pretty sure your question is in Sifu's ears!

            Dear Dorit,

            Thank you also for the question, maybe Sifu finds time to anwer it as well.

            Best regards,

            Roland
            "From formless to form, from form to formless"

            26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
            Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

            Website: www.enerqi.ch

            Comment


            • #36
              Thank you

              Thank you once again Sigung for sharing your knowledge and insight on these wonderful arts.

              Thank you Roland Sisook for creating the thread.

              With love and gratitude,
              Matt
              With love and Shaolin salute /o

              "Your purpose in life is to find your purpose & give your whole heart and soul to it." - Buddha

              Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā.

              Comment


              • #37
                18 Lohan Hands-Answer 5 Part 1

                A wonderful account on how Sigung Ho thought Sifu exercises from the 18 Lohan Hands according to Sifu's needs at time.

                It's interesting that Sigung did not mention that the exercises are from the 18 Lohan Hands.

                I remember at the Choy-Li-Fatt course in Oslo, that Sifu asked us perform a pattern from the Triple Stretch method (I can not remember the name of this specific pattern though) first, followed by the Big Windmill. After we completed both exercices with a Chi Flow afterwards, Sifu asked us which we had found more powerful. Most preactitioners would say it was the Big Windmill. It's developed force is relatively softer than the one of the Triple Stretch method, though not less powerful for sure.

                Question 5

                Which exercises from the 18 Lohan Hands did you personally learn from Sigung Ho Fatt Nam and what do you think was the reason why Sigung exclusively chose them to teach to you?

                At the recent Chi Kung course in Finale Ligure I was again amazed by the profundity of the exercise Lifting the Sky. To beginners you said that they should perform the exercise as best as they could not paying too much attention to details. To advanced practitioners you mentioned that they should gently focus on finer points and perform it picture perfect.

                Both Ronny and I were simply amazed by the results of this training session. It reminded us of the depth of Lifting the Sky. It reminded us of the constantly ongoing development we are able to experience.

                What is the reason that an advanced practitioner after having reached a certain development of skills should focus back again at picture perfect form?

                Sifu Roland Mastel


                Answer


                As far as I can remember, the exercises from18 Lohan Hands that my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, taught me were:

                1. Lifting the Sky
                2. Separating Water
                3. Pushing Mountain
                4. Big Windmill
                5. Three Levels to Ground
                6. Dancing Crane

                My sifu taught me these exercises one at a time, except for Three Levels to Ground and Dancing Crane when he taught them to me together. Each time was to meet an expedient need. My sifu also did not tell me that they were from 18 Lohan Hands.

                Lifting the Sky was the first of all the things my sifu taught me. Hence, it has much sentimental value for me. After Lifting the Sky my sifu taught me the Horse-Riding Stance.

                I did not know why he taught me Lifting the Sky, and as an obedient student I just follow my sifu’s teaching, without asking him why he taught me the exercise.

                On hindsight, I believe it was an excellent exercise to start kungfu training. It loosened joints and muscles, activated an energy flow (though I was unaware of it at that time), and created a meditative mind-set. In one stroke, the exercise prepared a student well in jing, qi, and shen, or body, energy and mind.

                When I established Shaolin Wahnam Association in Sungai Petani in the 1990s, I usually started the class with Lifting the Sky. When I first taught Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Courses I also often started with Lifting the Sky. Now we start with entering Zen.

                When my sifu taught me Separating Water, it was for strengthening my arms. I still remember feeling my arms very powerful after just a few repetitions.

                When my sifu taught me Pushing Mountain it was the start of my Cosmos Palm training. I was training Iron Palm with my sihengs, when my sifu stopped me, saying my palms were like a lady’s. Then he taught me Pushing Mountain.

                When my progress in Pushing Mountain was good, my sifu taught me Big Windmill, unlike the gentle way our students now perform in 18 Lohan Hands but in a forceful manner. I remember it was very powerful. I could only perform 2 repetitions with each arm.

                Soon I returned home in Penang for a holiday from Kuala Trengganu where I trained with my sifu. At home I tried breaking a brick, and to my surprise it broke. I confirmed my powerful, much of which was derived from forceful Big Windmill, by successfully breaking a few more bricks.

                (Part 2 follows)
                "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                Website: www.enerqi.ch

                Comment


                • #38
                  As a further note:

                  Sifu told me during my last visit in Finale Ligure, that actually Sifu himself learnt from Sigung a different version of the Big Windmill: the forceful one.

                  Actually some of the students may remember the occasion where Sifu taught this version once: it was at one of the wedding review courses, if I remember correctly it was at Chun Nga's wedding.
                  "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                  26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                  Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                  Website: www.enerqi.ch

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    18 Lohan Hands-Answer 5 Part 2

                    18 Lohan Hands-Answer 5 Part 2:

                    (Continued from Part 1)

                    Three Levels to Ground and Dancing Crane were taught to me to loosen my leg muscles. I asked my sifu whether I could practice sitting meditation by sitting upright on a chair.

                    “No,” he said, “if you want the highest result. You must meditate in a lotus position, or at least a half-lotus position.”

                    “My legs are very stiff,” I told my sifu.

                    Then he taught me Three Levels to Ground and Dancing Crane. I practiced nightly for about two years before I could meditate in a half-lotus position.

                    Lifting the Sky is a wondrous exercise. Its benefits range from the most basic, like being relaxed, to the most advanced, like merging with the Cosmos, and countless benefits, like generating an energy flow, attaining a one-pointed mind, and enjoying a cosmic shower, in between.

                    I advised beginners not to pay too much attention to details because if they did they would perform it as physical exercise. They would not be able to generate an energy flow because their mind would be intellectualizing on how to perform the form correctly.

                    My main objective was to enable them to use Lifting the Sky with appropriate breathing to generate an energy flow. If they free their mind from unnecessary details they would be able to do so.

                    Advanced practitioners could generate an energy flow easily. So they could focus on finer points.

                    There are three areas of finer points advanced practitioners can focus on, namely jing, qi and shen, or form, breathing and mind. Of course they should not attempt to improve all the areas at once, they should focus on just one point or a few points at a time, and progress gradually.

                    The progression should be in the order of form, breathing and mind. If advanced practitioners can just improve on the finer points of form, they can improve their results remarkably.

                    These finer points on form include that their arms should be straight but not locked, the palms are at right angle as best as possible to their forearms, their fingers pointing at one another, when they lift up they should do so with the base of their palms and not just with their fingers, when they lower their hands their palms should be at the sides of their thighs and not in front, and they should pause after lowering their hands with their wrists and fingers relaxed.

                    The breathing and the mind aspects are profound, and should be supervised by a competent teacher. Basically, practitioners should breathe in gently, and enjoy their breathing. It is energy, not just air, that they take in. Their mind should be cleared of all thoughts, and be gently focused on the breathing.

                    The 18 Lohan Hands are a legacy of Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of the Shaolin arts. It is no wonder that they give wonderful benefits. Like many things in our school, the best exercise, Lifting the Sky, is taught first.

                    <End>
                    "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                    26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                    Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                    Website: www.enerqi.ch

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Wonderful. Thank you Sifu and thank you Roland
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                      • #41
                        Dear Sigung,

                        I have a question that may be somewhat outside the scope of the topic.

                        My question is "What do we do after our 18 Lohan practice to ensure the healing benefits stay with us?"

                        The context of this question is from my practice session earlier. I did Carrying the Moon and felt good and strong after closing and walking around my back yard, but as I was walking some thoughts arose in my mind such as "I hope my injuries stay gone so I can get stronger" and with that thought some aches that left with the session came back instantly. So essentially I am asking how can we stop our mental workings from negating our results?

                        Thank you!

                        With Shaolin Salute,
                        ~ David Langford
                        Shaolin Wahnam USA

                        "Every morning you are born again. What you do today is the most important thing".

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          18 Lohan Hands-Answer 6

                          18 Lohan Hands-Answer 6:

                          Question 6

                          How extraordinary (or rare) is it to meet, learn and benefit from a master who can genuinely transmit a skill that brings all the benefits (like we receive) in the 18 Lohan Hands?

                          Also, how extraordinary is it to meet, learn and benefit from a great living master like Bodhidharma?

                          Finally, how extraordinary is it to meet, learn and benefit from such a great living teacher as the Buddha himself?

                          Sifu Mark Blohm


                          Answe


                          While mediocre or even bogus teachers are plentiful, nowadays it is very rare to meet, learn and benefit from a master who can genuinely transmit a skill that brings all the benefits (like we receive) in the 18 Lohan Hands?

                          How would we define a genuine master? The minimum qualification is that he is able to help students obtain the benefits from the art he is teaching. If he is teaching the 18 Lohan Hands, he is able to give students the benefits the 18 Lohan Hands are meant to give, which are overcoming illness, good health, vitality and longevity.

                          Unfortunately, such teachers today are rare. Not only many teachers teaching the 18 Lohan Hands do not have this minimum qualification, they themselves are often sick and weak.

                          As a random estimation, out of a hundred teachers, only one can give these benefits of the 18 Lohan Art.

                          Masters having this minimum qualification means that that genuine masters exist in the world., though they are rare. Whether students can get the benefits depend on three further factors, namely whether they can meet, whether they can learn, and whether they can benefit from a genuine master.

                          Even when a genuine master exists, students may not meet him. Even when they meet him, they may not learn from him. Even when they learn from him, they may not benefit from his teaching. Considering these progressive factors, it is reasonable to say that the chance of meeting , learning and benefiting from a genuine master is one in a thousand.

                          As you have rightly said, students in our school get all the benefits the 18 Lohan Hands are meant to give. I believe that the total number of our students, though large by itself, is less than a thousandth of the total number of people in the world who practice the 18 Lohan Hands. Hence, the estimation that opportunity to meet, learn and benefit from a master who can genuinely transmit a skill that brings all the benefits of the 18 Lohan Hands is one out of a thousand, is reasonable. It is, therefore, extraordinary.

                          Why is it that even when a genuine master exists, students may still not meet, learn and benefit from him? The reasons come from both the master and the students. A genuine masters is usually not keen to teach. Even when he teaches, he is very selective about their students.

                          On the other hand, not many people have heard of the 18 Lohan Hands. Those who have heard of the art may not know of its wonderful benefits. They mistakenly think the 18 Lohan Hands are like any other gentle physical exercise. In short, they do not have the good karma to meet a genuine master.

                          Even if they have the good karma to meet a genuine master, they may not have the good karma to learn from him. In free talks I used to give in my early years of teaching, for example, some people were convinced of the benefits of the 18 Lohan Hands, otherwise they would not have taken the trouble to speak to me after the talk telling me how wonderful the talk was. Yet they gave excuses not to attend the course.

                          Even when they have the good karma to learn from a genuine master, they may still not benefit from his teaching. The success rate in our school is exceptional. In most other schools, even when the master is genuine, the success rate is low. Out of a hundred students, only about 10 would get the benefits of the art after many years of dedicated practice.

                          The opportunity to meet, learn and benefit from a great living master like Bodhidharma is even more extraordinary. There is a big gap between a genuine master who can produce the benefits of the art he is teaching after many years of practice, and a living master like Bodhidharma who can produce unbelievable benefits in a short time, sometimes even immediately. The opportunity is easily one in a hundred thousand.

                          The opportunity to meet, learn and benefit from a great living teacher like the Buddha is most extraordinary. It is an underestimation to say that the opportunity is one in a million. In reality, for most people it is not even once in many lifetimes.

                          <End>
                          "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                          26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                          Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                          Website: www.enerqi.ch

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            18 Lohan Hands-Answer 7

                            18 Lohan Hands-Answer 7:

                            Question 7

                            I am so amazed how much value our foundational techniques have.
                            When you taught us the Skill of Bone Marrow Cleansing, why did you choose the techniques from the 18 Lohan Hands (and not techniques from our 18 Lohan Arts, Sinew Metamorphosis or One Finger Shooting Zen) ?

                            Sifu Anton


                            Answer

                            Indeed, you have highlighted a very important point. Our fundamental techniques and skills have tremendous value. Besides meaning elementary, fundamental means very important. The fundamentals are the foundation upon which all future development depends upon. How fast and how far a practitioner progresses depends greatly on the fundamentals.

                            Many people say that the fundamentals are very important, but they may not really understand what they say. In kungfu training, to many people the fundamentals mean practicing kungfu sets. But they forget that they only practice kungfu sets without progressing to other things no matter how long they practice. Many people may not know what is meant when they talk about fundamentals.

                            What is meant by fundamentals may be interpreted at different levels. At the basic level, the fundamentals are standing upright and be relaxed, not thinking of anything, performing techniques without muscular tension, and breathing in and out gently. At another level of interpretation, the fundamental of chi kung is energy flow. At the level of progression of learning chi kung techniques, the fundamental level is the 18 Lohan Hands. Higher levels are 18 Lohan Art, and Sinew Metamorphosis.

                            A main reason why I chose techniques from the 18 Lohan Hands for Bone Marrow Cleansing was because that was what I believed Bodhidharma did. However, I also believed that Bodhidharma did not teach the Shaolin monks the five levels of skills in Bone Marrow Cleansing.

                            The Shaolin monks practiced the techniques and developed the skills on their own spontaneously. When they reported their results to Bodhidharma, the great master described that one had attained his skin level, another his flesh level, a third his bone level and Hui Ke, whom Bodhidharma named as his successor, attained the bone marrow level.

                            Then, why do I use the five levels of skin, flesh, meridians, internal organs and bone marrow in Bone Marrow Cleansing. It is because chi kung classics explain that energy flow at these five levels.

                            There are also other reasons why I choose techniques from the 18 Lohan Hands. Bone Marrow Cleansing is an advanced art. Students must have some prior chi kung experience before attempting it. All our chi kung students know Lifting the Sky, Pushing Mountain and Carrying the Moon. Only a few have taken courses in 18-Lohan Art and Sinew Metamorphosis. Hence, using these three techniques, or choosing some from the 18 Lohan Hands which are fundamental, is most logical.

                            Moreover, the techniques from the 18 Lohan Hands are excellent for the purpose of Bone Marrow Cleansing, and our students using them produce remarkable results. Using techniques from the 18-Lohan Art or from Sinew Metamorphosis would be too powerful.

                            <End>
                            "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                            26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                            Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                            Website: www.enerqi.ch

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              18 Lohan Hands-Answer 8 Part 1

                              18 Lohan Hands-Answer 8 Part 1:

                              Question 8

                              Dear Sitaigung,

                              In the past, you recommended specific exercises to overcome specific health problems. Nowadays, with the tremendous improvement in your teaching methodology, you kindly explained to us that it is the chi flow induced by and following the exercise which leads to the benefits of Chi Kung.

                              At our current level of attainment, how important is exercise selection to overcome specific health problems?

                              For example, if a new student has a problem in his lower back and practices only Lifting The Sky or only Carrying the Moon, would there be a difference in his recovery if all other factors were equal?

                              Steffen


                              The discovery that it is chi flow or energy flow, and not the chi kung exercise itself, that brings chi kung benefits like overcoming pain and illness, promoting good health and vitality, contributing to longevity as well as enhancing mental clarity and spiritual joys, is recent, and as far as I know it has not been advocated explicitly before like we do.

                              We also have discovered that it is chi flow, and not the force training exercise itself, that eventually develops internal force.

                              This does not mean that we discover chi flow or internal force. Chi flow and internal force have been present since millennia. Ancient classics have clearly mentioned that harmonious chi flow results in good health. There is no doubt that kungfu masters in the past had internal force.

                              In other words, chi kung practitioners in the past had chi flow which overcame illness and gave them good health, but they were unaware of this fact. They probably thought that it was the chi kung exercises they performed that gave them the beneifts.

                              Kungfu masters in the past had chi flow which developed their internal force. But they were unaware of this fact, and probably thought that it was the force training exercises that gave them the internal force.

                              We discovered the fact that it is chi flow and not the relevant chi kung or kungfu exercise that gives good health or that develops internal force. The exercises generate chi flow and the chi flow brings the benefits. If past masters discovered this fact before, they did not publicize it the way we do.

                              An excellent analogy is cash flow. It is the cash flow, not the job people do, that enables them to repay debts (which corresponds to overcoming illness), and to enjoy comfortable economic life (which corresponds to internal force contributing to vitality).

                              We need the job to generate the cash flow, but it is the cash flow, not the job, that brings the benefits. Even if they do their job well but there is no cash flow, they will still be in debt and cannot enjoy comfortable economic life. In the same way even if chi kung practitioners perform their chi kung exercises well, and kungfu practitioners perform their force training methods well, if there is no chi flow, they will still be sick and have no vitality.

                              Realizing this fact and putting it into practice give us a lot of benefit. We are able to achieve a lot of results in a relatively short time. It becomes ridiculous but true that when other practitioners need years, our students can get the same results in months!

                              This background information gives us insight when answering the question.

                              In the past when I did not know this fact, I focused on teaching specific exercises to help students overcome specific problems. For example, if a patient had back pain, I would teach him Carrying the Moon. If another student had kidney stones, I would teach him Nourishing Kidneys.

                              Even at that time I was aware of the holistic aspects of chi kung besides its thematic aspects. In other words I knew that while holistically all chi kung exercises would overcome health problems, thematically certain exercises were particularly effectively in overcoming certain problems. But my focus then was on the type of exercise, rather than on general chi flow.

                              Now having known the fact about chi flow, I also employ the holistic and thematic aspects of chi kung in my teaching and healing. But my emphasis now is on chi flow rather than particular exercises.

                              The philosophy hasn’t changed. But there has been some change in emphasis.

                              (Part 2 follows)
                              "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                              26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                              Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                              Website: www.enerqi.ch

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                18 Lohan Hands-Answer 8 Part 2

                                18 Lohan Hands-Answer 8 Part 2:

                                (Continued from Part 1)

                                How important is exercise selection to overcome specific health problems depends much on the attainment level of practitioners.

                                For us in Shaolin Wahnam in general, at our current level of attainment, exercise selection is not important in the sense of being necessary. In other words, it is not necessary for us to select the correct exercises for particular health problems. As long as we perform any exercise, which may be in chi kung, kungfu or other activities, as long as there is chi flow, we can eventually overcome the health problems! This statement may sound ridiculous to other people, but it is true.

                                To take an outlandish example, suppose you have back pain. If you swing your arms about and generate a chi flow, your chi flow will eventually overcome your back pain!

                                As an analogy, it does not matter what job you do or what activity you do, as long as it generates a cash flow, your cash flow will eventually enable you to repay your debt. Suppose you just hop about on a street, and people throw money at your feet, which is your cash flow, you will eventually be able to repay your debt.

                                However, to say that it is not important in the sense of being necessary is not the same as to say it is not important in the sense of being cost-effective. If you select an appropriate exercise to generate an appropriate chi flow, you will be more cost-effective in overcoming health problem than generating a chi flow at random. Hence, exercise selection is important in the sense of being cost-effective.

                                To illustrate the importance of exercise selection, we may classify practitioners into three categories, namely beginners’ level, intermediate level and advanced level.

                                At the beginners’ level, practitioners do not know enough chi kung exercises or chi kung philosophy to make wise selection. Hence, at this level, generating a chi flow irrespective of what exercise he performs is more important than selecting an effective exercise.

                                At the intermediate level, practitioners have some knowledge of chi kung exercises and chi kung philosophy. Here, choosing an effective exercise is more important than generating a chi flow at random. For example, if a practitioner has knee problems, choosing Rotating Knees to generate a chi flow is more important than generating a chi flow with Carrying the Moon.

                                At the advanced level, practitioners are both knowledgeable and skillful. If an advanced practitioner has knee problems, it is more important for him to generate an effective chi flow than selecting an effective exercise. Irrespectively of whether he performs Carrying the Moon, Rotating Knees or any other exercises, he can direct chi to his knees to overcome the problems.

                                If all other things were equal, when a new student has a problem in his lower back and he practices only Lifting the Sky or only Carrying the Moon, there will be a difference in his recovery. Regardless of whether he practices it as chi kung or gentle physical exercise, he will recover faster is he practices only Carrying the Moon. This is because Carrying the Moon is more suitable for overcoming lower back pain than Lifting the Sky.

                                Let us take four new students, A, B, C and D, for a rough comparison. A practices Lifting the Sky from another school. B practices Carrying the Moon from another school. C practices Lifting the Sky in our school. D practices Carrying the Moon in our school.

                                Roughly A will take a year to recover, if he ever does. B will take nine months to recover, if he ever does. C will take six months to recover, and he will. D will take three months to recover, and he will.

                                Other people may be angry at the statements. As I have often mentioned, that is their problem, not ours.

                                Here are the reasons for my estimation. Most other schools practice Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon as gentle physical exercise. Gentle physical exercise does not generate a chi flow, and therefore does not overcome back pain or any health problems.

                                But if A and B are dedicated in their practice, they may at times enter into a chi kung state of mind without their conscious knowing. At such time they may have a chi flow, which may hopefully overcome their back pain. Carrying the Moon is more effective in this respective than Lifting the Sky.

                                We practice Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon as chi kung in our school. Each time C and D practice, they generate a chi flow, which can overcome back pain or any health problems. D will overcome his back pain sooner because Carrying the Moon is more cost-effective for this purpose.

                                The example of the four new students above illustrates the interplay of the relationship between the art, the student, and the teacher in the process and result of learning. In any art, there are three components that determine how well the practice of the art art progresses and how fast and far the desired result will be.

                                These three components are the art, the student and the teacher. Students A and B will not overcome their back pain because the art they practice is not chi kung but gentle physical exercise., which does not overcome pain and illness. If they ever overcome their back pain because they may occasionally enter into chi kung state of mind and therefore have some chi kung benefit. B will have the result faster because Carrying the Moon which he practices is more cost-effective in this case than Lifting the Sky which A practices.

                                C and D will overcome their back pain because the art they practice is chi kung, which will overcome pain and illness. Although like A and B, C and D are new students and therefore do not have the knowledge for effective exercise selection, they have competent teachers who select the exercises for them and help them to generate chi flow.

                                Should C or D try to be smarter than their teacher and pay attention to their form rather than chi flow, they may not overcome their back pain. Some students unwittingly do this. When their teacher asks them to discontinue performing their chi kung forms and enjoy their chi flow, they do not follow the teacher’s instruction and continue performing their chi kung forms, not realizing that they perform their chi kung forms as gentle physical exercise rather than as chi kung.

                                This usually happens to new students. They do not realize how lucky they are that they have a rare opportunity to practice genuine chi kung taught by competent teachers. These students think they are smart and practice what they think should be done, and not what their competent teachers tell them to do.

                                This situation is aggravated today where most chi kung teachers are not competent, teaching chi kung patterns as gentle physical exercise rather than as genuine chi kung, and they are unaware of it. We in Shaolin Wahanm may give these students who think they are smart another chance or two. If they persist in not following instructions, that is their choice and they will miss the wonderful benefits of chi kung. In the past I would ask such students to leave immediately. But I have been softened by Western culture, and now allow them to stay, hoping that they may change later on or leave on their own.

                                <End>
                                "From formless to form, from form to formless"

                                26.08.17-28.08.17: Qi Gong Festival with 6 courses in Bern:
                                Qiflow-Triple Stretch Method-12 Sinewmetamorphisis-Bone Marrow Cleansing-Zen Mind in Qi Gong

                                Website: www.enerqi.ch

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