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I had big ambitions of posting this on the 1st of July or at the latest 5 of July, which is the second year anniversary of my learning qigong from Sifu. Unfortunately, I have been inundated with projects that have cut into even my training and sleep time. Today, I have finally found that sliver of time I need to finish my post.
It has been a terrific, wonderful, fantastic, and utterly miraculous two years, and I bless the day I stumbled on Sifu's book and then his website. I thought I would celebrate my "birthday" by writing a post on how to obtain the best benefits from an intensive qigong course with Sifu. Before I go on though, I would like to also say that my birthday celebration coincided with the visit of Dr Damian, head of Shaolin Wahnam Sabah, to my country. It was the best birthday present I could have - to meet up with the man who, other than Sifu himself, was most responsible for my qigong attainment and benefits therefrom. Our families had dinner twice in the very short time he was here, and what Wahnam gathering could be complete without training? Every single one of our family members spent a most agreeable 20 minutes doing qigong in the park, while Dr Damian and I practiced our Shaolinquan for about an hour.
And now, on to the post proper:
After three intensive qigong courses and other intensive courses with Sifu, I have watched myself change from a person trapped by anger and tension into someone to whom a very stressed-out colleague just said: "I can't believe you ever got angry. You look so happy all the time." My reflexes are still not as fast as I thought they would be (I still cannot catch every mosquito that bites me), and I still need no less than 7 hours of sleep to be perfectly functional, but the change has been nothing short of remarkable. Everyone from my best friend of decades to my new colleagues notices.
But none of that would have been possible if I had not (a) gone for the intensive course and (b) persisted in my daily practice. To obtain the best benefits from the course, though, there are a couple of important things which I have distilled over these two years.
Preparing for the intensive course
To even begin getting any benefit, you need to know what you want from the course. I cannot stress enough the importance of defining goals. If you don’t even know what you want, you will never get it, not even by accident. My Wahnam Taijiquan training partner told me that two of his friends had gone for the January intensive course, "didn't feel anything" and did not practice when they returned home. At first, I was flabbergasted. Not feel anything? That was like asking me to believe that Elvis was there at the course too. If they were so unhappy, why not ask for a refund? It turned out that they could not even be bothered to do so. They seemed to have taken an altogether capricious attitude to the whole course, and went just to "try it out". (Clearly, money was no object for them unlike some of us who spent long months saving for the course).
Generally, you need to be a seeker, thirsty for what qigong can offer, and preferably after having made several fruitless attempts to find a true master. I had been searching half-heartedly for most of my life, and earnestly in the six months before I met Sifu, and indeed, the master appears when you are ready. I rather suspect one's search would be even more rewarding if one were already afflicted with some sort of illness (even something as trivial as chronic sinusitis).
At first I was not sure, but now I am quite certain that some people do not even read the Ten Shaolin laws when applying for the course, Trust me on this - you need to read them first. And then decide if you can follow them.
During the course
During the course itself, it is of utmost importance to keep an open mind and to follow instructions without trying to be smart. In all fairness, not being to do either of these two things is in itself a major reason why some people should attend the course. Over-intellectualising, being close-minded, and being cynical are diseases, even if not classified as such. Is there is a catch-22 here? If you are close-minded, you would not be able to benefit because you would not able to follow the instructions given by Sifu. I even saw one student of Sifu who was a mental patient and whom seemed quite incapable of behaving normally, much less follow rational instructions.
But the beautiful thing about Sifu's teaching is that it is heart to heart, and powerfully so. So, even if your heart and mind are blocked, something will get through. I must have been over-intellectual and skeptical because I sure took the longest time to even get a qi flow during my first course. My mother who took the course after me had much the same problems. I asked her why and she replied that she did not want to follow instructions blindly because she wanted to know what she was doing. Translated, I think this means she felt insecure about letting go. And therein lies the problem for many people, including myself back then. It was not until recently that I fully understood what is meant by "let go and let God".
For people who cannot let go, what Sifu does is to nudge them little by little, clearing their blockages bit by bit. He was constantly reminding me to "let go some more", which I tried but was not wholly successful. But when the dam broke, torrents of stale energy just gushed out. So, even those with closed minds can benefit. But remember what I said earlier, you have to want the benefits. If your mind is totally closed, perhaps nothing can help you - you are just not ready.
Earlier I also said, you need to define goals. But (echoing Antonius), once you have set your goals, you need to let go of them. At the course, it is also important not to have expectations. When I was in the military, we had this mantra: "Hope for the best, but expect the worst". Those who have served in uniform would understand the sentiments in this short phrase. If you remain fixated on expectations, it is quite impossible to listen to your own body, or to Sifu.
Just as crucially, don't benchmark yourself against others around you. During the course, there may be many others (actually most probably so) who would be prancing around in vigorous qi flow with the most distracting antics. Remember, you are you, and everything happens in good time. This is one of the most common problems faced by beginners. After my many conversations with other Wahnam members, I realise that they were initially affected, as I was, when they saw others "getting it" while they did not. Again, trust me on this one, not jumping like a monkey does not mean you are not deriving anything at the course. Just follow the instructions, and if you have to, ask Sifu if you are doing anything wrong (he will probably tell you "you are doing fine!").
A practical tip that works wonders is this - if you are not getting a qi flow, chances are you are tensing your leg muscles. Don't be afraid to fall - you won't - if you are being pushed back, just go with it. Just try it once and you will find that you are not going to be sent off-balance. Now that I have some experience in this, it is obvious to me when novices are tensed when they are supposed to have a qi flow. You can see the tension on their faces and their limbs. So, if you think you are not flowing, try relaxing your calves.
After the course
The course will not make you a qigong expert overnight. It took me two years to get most of the benefits I am experiencing now. I repeat, ad nauseum if I have to, that you must practice, practice, practice. Nothing more needs to be said, really.
But because I am a long-winded guy, let me go on. You will find that for your ailments and other problems, they seem to get worse not better. I landed in hospital once after my course. It is for this reason that some former students of Sifu became disillusioned and gave up their practice. If you are unsure, ask Sifu and then press on. Don't just give up like that - you would be squandering the most precious opportunity you may ever have.
I found my anger taking control of me at times. I had outbursts that surprised me. I remember thinking to myself "why did I flare up over that, and oh no, will others think that my qigong is causing me deviations and making me more bad-tempered than before." In reality, the cleansing was happening so drastically that the breakthroughs manifested as such negative outbursts.
Finally, I end with possibly the most instruction that Sifu gives at every course: Do not, for your own sake, abuse the powers or abilities you develop. Many would be blasé about this admonition, thinking it is just an off-hand remark. They think so, perhaps because they do not think they will develop any supernatural powers. But Sifu is deadly serious when he says this. And one day, if and when you do develop those powers, and if you have not already made that commitment not to abuse them, you may not be ready to handle your new powers and be tempted to use them against heaven's will.
It has been a terrific, wonderful, fantastic, and utterly miraculous two years, and I bless the day I stumbled on Sifu's book and then his website. I thought I would celebrate my "birthday" by writing a post on how to obtain the best benefits from an intensive qigong course with Sifu. Before I go on though, I would like to also say that my birthday celebration coincided with the visit of Dr Damian, head of Shaolin Wahnam Sabah, to my country. It was the best birthday present I could have - to meet up with the man who, other than Sifu himself, was most responsible for my qigong attainment and benefits therefrom. Our families had dinner twice in the very short time he was here, and what Wahnam gathering could be complete without training? Every single one of our family members spent a most agreeable 20 minutes doing qigong in the park, while Dr Damian and I practiced our Shaolinquan for about an hour.
And now, on to the post proper:
After three intensive qigong courses and other intensive courses with Sifu, I have watched myself change from a person trapped by anger and tension into someone to whom a very stressed-out colleague just said: "I can't believe you ever got angry. You look so happy all the time." My reflexes are still not as fast as I thought they would be (I still cannot catch every mosquito that bites me), and I still need no less than 7 hours of sleep to be perfectly functional, but the change has been nothing short of remarkable. Everyone from my best friend of decades to my new colleagues notices.
But none of that would have been possible if I had not (a) gone for the intensive course and (b) persisted in my daily practice. To obtain the best benefits from the course, though, there are a couple of important things which I have distilled over these two years.
Preparing for the intensive course
To even begin getting any benefit, you need to know what you want from the course. I cannot stress enough the importance of defining goals. If you don’t even know what you want, you will never get it, not even by accident. My Wahnam Taijiquan training partner told me that two of his friends had gone for the January intensive course, "didn't feel anything" and did not practice when they returned home. At first, I was flabbergasted. Not feel anything? That was like asking me to believe that Elvis was there at the course too. If they were so unhappy, why not ask for a refund? It turned out that they could not even be bothered to do so. They seemed to have taken an altogether capricious attitude to the whole course, and went just to "try it out". (Clearly, money was no object for them unlike some of us who spent long months saving for the course).
Generally, you need to be a seeker, thirsty for what qigong can offer, and preferably after having made several fruitless attempts to find a true master. I had been searching half-heartedly for most of my life, and earnestly in the six months before I met Sifu, and indeed, the master appears when you are ready. I rather suspect one's search would be even more rewarding if one were already afflicted with some sort of illness (even something as trivial as chronic sinusitis).
At first I was not sure, but now I am quite certain that some people do not even read the Ten Shaolin laws when applying for the course, Trust me on this - you need to read them first. And then decide if you can follow them.
During the course
During the course itself, it is of utmost importance to keep an open mind and to follow instructions without trying to be smart. In all fairness, not being to do either of these two things is in itself a major reason why some people should attend the course. Over-intellectualising, being close-minded, and being cynical are diseases, even if not classified as such. Is there is a catch-22 here? If you are close-minded, you would not be able to benefit because you would not able to follow the instructions given by Sifu. I even saw one student of Sifu who was a mental patient and whom seemed quite incapable of behaving normally, much less follow rational instructions.
But the beautiful thing about Sifu's teaching is that it is heart to heart, and powerfully so. So, even if your heart and mind are blocked, something will get through. I must have been over-intellectual and skeptical because I sure took the longest time to even get a qi flow during my first course. My mother who took the course after me had much the same problems. I asked her why and she replied that she did not want to follow instructions blindly because she wanted to know what she was doing. Translated, I think this means she felt insecure about letting go. And therein lies the problem for many people, including myself back then. It was not until recently that I fully understood what is meant by "let go and let God".
For people who cannot let go, what Sifu does is to nudge them little by little, clearing their blockages bit by bit. He was constantly reminding me to "let go some more", which I tried but was not wholly successful. But when the dam broke, torrents of stale energy just gushed out. So, even those with closed minds can benefit. But remember what I said earlier, you have to want the benefits. If your mind is totally closed, perhaps nothing can help you - you are just not ready.
Earlier I also said, you need to define goals. But (echoing Antonius), once you have set your goals, you need to let go of them. At the course, it is also important not to have expectations. When I was in the military, we had this mantra: "Hope for the best, but expect the worst". Those who have served in uniform would understand the sentiments in this short phrase. If you remain fixated on expectations, it is quite impossible to listen to your own body, or to Sifu.
Just as crucially, don't benchmark yourself against others around you. During the course, there may be many others (actually most probably so) who would be prancing around in vigorous qi flow with the most distracting antics. Remember, you are you, and everything happens in good time. This is one of the most common problems faced by beginners. After my many conversations with other Wahnam members, I realise that they were initially affected, as I was, when they saw others "getting it" while they did not. Again, trust me on this one, not jumping like a monkey does not mean you are not deriving anything at the course. Just follow the instructions, and if you have to, ask Sifu if you are doing anything wrong (he will probably tell you "you are doing fine!").
A practical tip that works wonders is this - if you are not getting a qi flow, chances are you are tensing your leg muscles. Don't be afraid to fall - you won't - if you are being pushed back, just go with it. Just try it once and you will find that you are not going to be sent off-balance. Now that I have some experience in this, it is obvious to me when novices are tensed when they are supposed to have a qi flow. You can see the tension on their faces and their limbs. So, if you think you are not flowing, try relaxing your calves.
After the course
The course will not make you a qigong expert overnight. It took me two years to get most of the benefits I am experiencing now. I repeat, ad nauseum if I have to, that you must practice, practice, practice. Nothing more needs to be said, really.
But because I am a long-winded guy, let me go on. You will find that for your ailments and other problems, they seem to get worse not better. I landed in hospital once after my course. It is for this reason that some former students of Sifu became disillusioned and gave up their practice. If you are unsure, ask Sifu and then press on. Don't just give up like that - you would be squandering the most precious opportunity you may ever have.
I found my anger taking control of me at times. I had outbursts that surprised me. I remember thinking to myself "why did I flare up over that, and oh no, will others think that my qigong is causing me deviations and making me more bad-tempered than before." In reality, the cleansing was happening so drastically that the breakthroughs manifested as such negative outbursts.
Finally, I end with possibly the most instruction that Sifu gives at every course: Do not, for your own sake, abuse the powers or abilities you develop. Many would be blasé about this admonition, thinking it is just an off-hand remark. They think so, perhaps because they do not think they will develop any supernatural powers. But Sifu is deadly serious when he says this. And one day, if and when you do develop those powers, and if you have not already made that commitment not to abuse them, you may not be ready to handle your new powers and be tempted to use them against heaven's will.
Thanks Zhang, I enjoyed reading the experience also.
Aaahhhhh!
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