10 Questions On Sinew Metamorphosis

[Tim]

We are so lucky this year. I am sure we have not had so many great courses around the world in the same year, resulting in so many Grandmaster Questions and opportunities for learning and developing skills.

Whilst there have been a number of Sinew Metamorphosis courses over the years, questions about Sinew Metamorphosis seemed to have been random, and swallowed up in other Q&A’s like The Legacy of Bodhidharma (which was an outstanding course). It was the Legacy of Bodhidharma course that inspired one of the most important, and most viewed, Q&A’s to date: Cleansing, Building and Nourishing.

The course that followed was the Three Treasures of Chi Kung. A complete program to help people understand, experience and progress safely through all stages of cleansing, building and nourishing http://www.wongkiewkit.com/forum/sho...he-Grandmaster

As we know, in our school we have a safety first policy. This not only applies to Kung Fu but to Chi Kung practice as well. The Chi Kung we practice is extraordinary powerful, and this is no exaggeration. As teachers we have a responsibility to help students progress in the best a safest way to obtain the benefits from the practice. But even then we cannot be there in someones own private practice. With so many techniques that lead to incredible outcomes there could be a temptation to progress quicker than is safe. As a result a person could experience deeper cleansing than is actually helpful.

Even in my own class I have noticed people going in to deep cleansing, having never practiced before, on their first lesson. Even our foundation (basic) level is high. The reason I mention this in the Q&A is that we have an opportunity to really explore the meaning of not only the techniques we practice in each art, but also the pitfalls and signs that we are over training.

Just remembering that techniques lead to skills, skills lead to experience and the experience leads to outcomes. The aim of the outcome is to live a healthy, happy, rewarding and meaningful life.

This years Summercamp is entitled Treasures of Cleansing, Building and Nourishing.

Hua Tou’s Five Animal Play will focus on how to overcome pain, clear illness and maintain health. (Cleansing)

Bone Marrow Cleansing will focus on releasing emotional, mental, physical and karmic stickiness. (Cleansing at a deeper level and paving the way for building and nourishing)

Sinew Metamorphosis will focus on the skills for building and nourishing/refining energy in various ways. (Building and Nourishing, preparing a platform for spiritual cultivation)

Spiritual Cultivation. In this very special course you will learn the essence of spiritual cultivation, leading to: A happy, healthy, meaningful life. Eternal bliss. A complete awakening. (Nourishing. Outcome depends on someones own stage of development)

As you will see this years course is complete for personal and safe training.

Sinew Metamorphosis is an enigma. Done right it can lead to extraordinary experiences (as you will read below), done wrong and it can lead to more harm than good. (Also below) Luckily for us we have the best Shaolin Grandmaster in the world today to teach us high level skills in this art. And this year we are going deeper into the skills and outcomes.

So when you preparing your questions for Sinew Metamorphosis have a really good think about what you would really like to know. Try and find a new question so we can really explore the depths of this extraordinary simple yet profound art.

Yesterday I conducted an experiment in preparation for the Sinew Metamorphosis course and Q&A.

The experiment was to find out what were the differences in terms of experience and outcomes of:

• Flicking fingers mechanically 49 times, using some tension
• Flicking fingers 49 times whilst being physically relaxed
• Flicking fingers 3 times whilst being in a chi kung state of mind

The experience and outcomes were measured in:

• How much extra energy and force I achieved
• How peaceful I felt afterwards

It produced interesting, whilst not unexpected results, as follows (typed in real time as it happens):

• Flicking fingers mechanically 49 times, using some tension. This was actually harder to do than I imagined. I have become so used to doing Chi Kung and Kung Fu relaxed that exerting some tension and force was very demanding. Not only that but by the time I had got to ten times I was already feeling fatigued. By the time I reached 20 times my muscles were starting to ache. At 30 I was starting to breath heavier and my heart rate was increasing. At 49 I was glad it was over. The result was I felt a little agitated, tired, aching and only a very small release of increased energy. I cannot recommend doing it this way, and I won’t be repeating it either. Actually I need to go and do some Chi Kung now to release the blockage.
Increase in energy 1-10=1
Peaceful Scale 1-10= -1

Well, I’ve just done a quick Chi Flow to release the blockages and feel much better! So can now try out the next stage:

• Flicking fingers 49 times whilst being physically relaxed. This was actually quite pleasant. I felt physically relaxed throughout, but my mind wandered a bit as I was not in a Chi Kung state of mind (on purpose). It was fairly simple to do, although took a little while. I enjoyed it, which is important, and at the end I felt more peaceful and felt a release of internal force through the body.
Increase in energy 1-10=5
Peaceful Scale 1-10= 5

To rest between each set of exercises I type up my findings, this time I don’t feel the need to do any adhoc exercises to release any tensions or blockages as there were none caused as a result of doing the exercise whilst relaxed.

• Flicking fingers 3 times whilst being in a Chi Kung state of mind. I’ve sat down to write this following doing the exercise 3 times whilst in a Chi Kung state of mind, and I just need to take a moment as my body is buzzing and I still feel expanded.
First the Chi Kung state of mind was instant and deep. Not because of wanted or willed it, but because I didn’t get in the way. As a result I could already feel my energy flowing through the body and meridians before I did the flicking fingers.
As I moved my hands into the position of flicking fingers I felt a rush of energy down my arms to my hands. The first flick released a surge of energy back up my arms and into the body, the second flick actually triggered off the small universe and as the energy surged over my head I was flung forwards. The third flick the Chi had flooded all my meridians. As I released at the end I was flooded with energy. It literally vibrated through every cell. I felt both full and empty at the same time. And then I was gone. I had a sense of my body, whilst being expanded beyond my body. I was nowhere and everywhere.
I gave a gentle thought to my Dan Tien, my third eye started to pulsate and open. The third eye and Dan Tien were joined as two parts of the same. I sat down to write, then got up again to put the oven on for lunch. It’s good to be expanded, but good to be back in the here and now as well. I am still buzzing though, expanded.
Increase in energy 1-10=10
Peaceful Scale 1-10= 10

The results beg the questions:
• What damage can using tension, as in isometric, cause in exercise?
• Why was it recommended to do the exercise 49 times, when 3 times is actually evidently more powerful?
• Why is using the skill of entering a Chi Kung state of mind so powerful that it can lead to activating Small Universe and expanding into the Cosmos?

These will be answered to kick off the Q&A. Happy questioning!!

We will also be posting some interesting articles on the summer camp website in the news section, so keep an eye out for them. www.shaolin-training.com

[Leo Shaolin]

Dear Tim,
Thank you for sharing your experiment and sharp observation and for establishing another great “10 questions opportunity”.

Thank you to Sifu for answering our questions on this wonderful treasure of Bodhidharma.

Here are my questions:

- Does Sifu have any knowledge or guess about how Bodhidharma developed this simple but genius way of practicing? Has there been any ancient (Indian) art which could have been the inspiration for Sinew Metamorphosis?

- What are the energetic “mechanics” behind the exercises of Sinew Metamorphosis? Or to put it another way: How does Sinew Metamorphosis work inside?

- What other arts have been developed using the Sinew Metamorphosis approach?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer our questions.

I’m looking forward to the other questions and answers!

Best wishes,

Leo

[Tim]

Thanks Leo, I knew I could rely on you to get straight in there. Well done brother with an excellent set of questions. I am loving that we are pushing the boundaries with the 10 questions by asking 3 questions each (I did it). If we are lucky we will actually get 30 answered!

Best wishes to you.

[DarkCosmoz]

Dear Tim,

Finally! I have been waiting for this thread!

Thank you Tim for starting this thread and sharing your inspiring experiences for each mode of practice. Your post is a reminder of how lucky we are to be practicing at such a high level. I also hope you have been well since the life-changing Dragon Strengh course.

Dear Sigung,

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Sinew Metamorphosis was not formally a part of Sigung's past training with Sitaigung Ho Fatt Nam and Uncle Righteousness.

A. How did Sigung so successfully acquire the skill of Sinew Metamorphosis?

B. Prior to officially joining the school, I was following the instructions that Sigung provided earlier to flick the fingers 49 times. After Sigung improved his methodology to flicking only 3 times and announced so publicly, my practice also seemed to advance powerfully even when I wasn't part of the school yet!

Can Sigung's improvements in teaching also transmit to students without face to face learning?

C. Can Sigung please describe the daily benefits of nourishing energy for spiritual growth?


Thank you,
Stephen

[Andrew]

There are 12 Sinew Metamorphosis exercises. Could Sifu please explain the specific benefits of each of them?

[jez]

First of all thank you Siheng Tim and the fully alive team for starting such an interesting Q&A, and thanks for sharing your insights from your experiment. It is a true testament to Sifu's teaching evolution.

And of course many many thanks to Sifu for offering us such an exceptional learning opportunity. You truly are tremendously generous and gracious.



Dear Sifu,

-When practicing sinew metamorphosis, how does the process of cleansing, nourishing and building differ in comparison, when induced with such exercises as Dantien Breathing, Golden Bridge or 18 Lohan Art

-In a past Q&A on the 18 lohan art I believe you mentioned that the martial arts benefits of these exercises can be classified into three sections, namely internal force, Fa Jing and balance and agility. can the benefits derived from the set of Sinew Metamorphosis exercises be classified in a similar manner in terms of martial benefits? if so could you perhaps elaborate, also what might the classifications and developmental benefits be, in terms of enhancing health, vitality, longevity and spiritual cultivation?

-Also as we have the outstanding chance to practice numerous once in a lifetime energy arts in Wahnam, would Sifu kindly expound on how practicing Sinew Metamorphosis contributes to the development of, and building the foundation for arts such as bone marrow cleansing and the small/Big universal orbit?

Seeing as Siheng Andrew has asked a single question, I'm going to try my luck and ask a fourth, in the hope of fulfilling Siheng Tim's aim of receiving thirty answers. Perhaps someone else can help fill the gap.


-If its applicable can Sifu share with us how cleansing nourishing and building refines the five levels that Chi can be directed to when practicing bone marrow cleansing?



Thank you, with Shaolin salutation,
Jack

[Andy]

This is an exciting time for the forum! So many great QnA threads.

Dear Tim Sihing,

Thanks for the initiative, and the thought-provoking opening post.

Dear Sifu,

1. I have learned Sinew Metamorphosis before, but for whatever reason it 'did not work'. This is in contrast to other advanced practices I learned at the time such as Cosmic Breathing or Cosmic Shower, which had noticeable "Wow!" effects. What advice can you give to people for whom there is no noticeable effect when they first learn Sinew Metamorphosis?

2. After several years of regular training I tried once again Sinew Metamorphosis after a refresher from your books. It initiates a gentle chi flow, but again I seem to get different results from other students. Is this an intellectual blockage, a meridian blockage, or both?! As my regular training is very good and very beneficial, I don't hold on to this detail, but I thought I would raise the topic here as it is relevant.

3. Sinew Metamorphosis seems very esoteric to the uninitiated. If introducing the concept to the general public (non-student), what is a good and concise way of describing the practice and the effects?

Thanks in advance,

[Tim]

Thank you for the excellent questions so far, this is going to be an extremely thought provoking and rewarding thread for everyone.

[drunken boxer]

My question would have been asked many times already, probably on the forum, and definitely on courses I have been on. To be honest I have had it answered by Sifu and by instructors, and in person but I still never got it. I was, and am not, concerned because there are so many other exercises that I do 'get'! But I thought, for posterity, it would be good to address as one of the 10 questions. I also realise it will not really be possible to fully answer it with words probably, so maybe Sifu can give us some general advice to bear in mind before we practise the exercise on a course.

The question is:
How do we "flick" the fingers, meaning do we "flick" them purely in our mind, and the fingers don't physically move, or is there an actual physical flicking movement?

I have been in courses where I didn't know which it was, then in the cafe / restaurant afterwards asked other students, found that say 5 or 6 of them were certain they knew which it was, only to find that 3 thought it was done purely mentally, and 3 thought it was done physically!

[Mark Blohm]

Dear Sifu,

In Sifu's Q and A series about the 18 Jewels, Sifu wrote the following:

The wonderful thing is that we do not even need to know how, where, when and why it works. So long as we practice our exercises, which inevitably include chi flow, whatever adverse effects we may unknowingly sustain will be erased. This is an important reason why we can afford our three golden rules of not to worry, not to intellectualize and to enjoy our practice. LINK

Sifu, we benefit a lot in knowing the philosophical aspects of our arts. It enriches our learning, practice and teaching. If we take Sinew Metamorphosis as an example, are there situations where students will benefit more by knowing less about how the exercise operates and why it improves our lives? Are we in a special situation because Sifu is in the process of restoring lost arts that we benefit so much from understanding the philosophy? Or is it a general rule in practicing arts of energy and spiritual cultivation that understanding the accompanying philosophy will add to the benefits?

Sincerely,

Mark Blohm

[jez]

Hello All

I just had a look over my questions just now and I realize that they may need clarification to get the most out of my query.

-In a past Q&A on the 18 lohan art I believe you mentioned that the martial arts benefits of these exercises can be classified into three sections, namely internal force, Fa Jing and balance and agility. can the benefits derived from the set of Sinew Metamorphosis exercises be classified in a similar manner in terms of martial benefits? if so could you perhaps elaborate, also what might the classifications and developmental benefits be, in terms of enhancing health, vitality, longevity and spiritual cultivation?


-If its applicable can Sifu share with us how cleansing nourishing and building refines the five levels that Chi can be directed to when practicing bone marrow cleansing?

In the first question I would ask, "additionally which exercises would fit in which particular category? e.g. categories of martial benefit"

and to the second question I'd like to clarify that the question is asked in relation to the practice of the set of Sinew Metamorphosis"

Please do ignore me if this seems unnecessary.

Thank you, with Shaolin salutation,
Jack

[sancrica]

Thank you :-)

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

Another exciting thread for learning! Thank you Sifu one more time for you endless generosity, patience and wisdom and thank you to Siheng Tim for starting this wonderful thread.

Dear Sifu:

If I am not mistaken, the Great Bodhidharma taught the Shaolin Monks the 18 Lohan Hands, Sinew Metamorphosis and Bone Marrow Cleansing. Why? Couldn't just the 18 Lohan Hands and the Bone Marrow Cleansing lead them to the same results? In which ways these 3 different arts differ? In other words, how do they contribute one another in terms of development?

With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

Santiago

[Damian Kissey]

Immortality and Enlightenment

Dear Sifu ,

In Taoist Chi Kung : Small & Big Universe and Sitting Meditation ( jing zuo ) are used in sequence to attain Immortality ( ie become an immortal ) and Enlightenment .

In Shaolin Chi Kung : In the past did Shaolin Monks or Lay Shaolin Masters also use Sinew Metamorphosis and Sitting Meditation ( zazen) in sequence to attain Immortality and Enlightenment ? May Sifu clarify whether the techniques & skills that Sigung Ho taught Sifu to aim for or attain Immortality and Enlightenment are actually a combination of Taoist and Shaolin Chi Kung ?

Thank you Sifu and Tim .

[wooden shoes]

Dear Sifu,

I love both Flicking Fingers an Reverse Hanging of Double Hooks. Both are powerful and flowing and make me feel great in a similar way. Which made me think: Sinew Metamorphosis was already taught in the Northern Shaolin Monastery, why was there a need to develop the 18 Lohan Arts? In particular why was there a need to develop such exercises as Reverse Hanging of Double Hooks, which uses the same approach as Sinew Metamorphosis? Are there big differences between these two?

If I may, one more: if all things were equal, would a Kung Fu practitioner exclusively training Sinew Metamorphosis or a Kung Fu practitioner exclusively training Golden Bridge have an advantage in combat?

Many thanks for your answers!

Roeland

[Tim]

Here is the first part of the answer to the experiment I made with Sinew Metamorphosis (you can see it on page 1):

Answer

Thank you for the illuminating experiment. You confirmed in direct experience what we had been saying, and also experiencing but not in a structured manner you had done, all the time.

As you have said, your results beg the questions you ask. In other words, the answers are found in your own experience, which serves as helpful philosophy to posterity.

If you use muscular tension to perform Flicking Fingers like an isometric exercise instead of as an energy exercise, you will cause a lot of damage to yourself. You will feel tired, and your muscles will start to ache. Your breathing will become heavy and the rate of your heart beat will increase.

All this cause damage and is detrimental to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Worse, the damage is insidious. Many people may not realize the harmful effect of practicing Flicking Fingers or any internal art wrongly.

There is much damage but there is no benefit. There is no increase of energy nor mental clarity. Indeed, practitioners using muscular tension to perform Flicking Fingers or any internal art would have less energy and less mental clarity as a result of performing the exercise.

If the exercise is performed correctly, like the second performance of your experience, there will be benefits and no damage. There will be increase of energy and mental clarity, and practitioners would not feel tired nor panting for breath. There will be no energy blockage.

In your case you performed the exercise correctly the first time in your second performance. Most other people will take a longer time, about a few months. And only a small percentage of all those who have attempted the exercise will be able to perform the exercise correctly. This is because you understand the philosophy of the exercise and have the required skills, whereas the others don’t. After prolonged period of trail and error, a small percentage of those who attempt the exercise acquire the skills without their conscious knowing.

If you perform Flicking Fingers or any internal art superbly, as in your third performance, you have excellent result in a very short time. This is possible when you understand the philosophy very well and can perform the techniques very skillfully.

Flicking Fingers is recommended for other people to perform 49 times whereas for very skillful practitioners like some of us performing it 3 times is evidently more powerful because most other people do not have the skills or even the understanding that very skillful practitioners have. Others who are less skillful, but still much more skillful that most other people, will have to perform the exercise 6, 9 or 12 times.

It has been discovered form years of direct experience that 49 times was a suitable number for most people to practice over a prolonged period to acquire the necessary skills to develop the desired internal force. Performing the exercise, say, for 5 times was too few, and performing it for 100 times too many.

Others may not believe what we say, and think we are boastful, but it is true that some of us can develop much more internal force as well as mental clarity by performing the exercise just 3 times, whereas even when others perform the same exercise 49 times, provided that their performance is correct, their result is far less powerful. If their performance is wrong, and often they may not realize their mistake, they will have harmful effects instead.

(Next part to follow)

How I performed the first part of exercise reminded me of how I used to practice in my Karate days. With the lack of skill in being able to generate force whilst being relaxed I performed my katas by tensing. This built muscles, but my energy was locked in. I didn’t realise at the time that this was contributing to my aggressive and frustrated behaviour.

Having the ability and skill to practice at even level 2 was an eye opener for me, and was instrumental in developing skills for deeper practice.

I’ll put part 2 up within the next day or 2.