Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Buddha statues and chi flow

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    [QUOTE=ChristinaB;108173]David, I mean no offense, but I must say that not having experienced the energy of a Boddhisatva entering a room with a dedicated statue, may be why you feel that these folks would become attached to the statue. However you would be incorrect to think that is what they mean.
    QUOTE]

    Hmm.. Either my statement was not typed clear enough, or you misunderstand the point in which I was trying to make. You also assume that I don't feel the energy of the enviroment around me.. Of course I do, and all thanks to my practice in Chi kung .

    I only point out that one should not make an attactment to such objects, while true that these things can radiate energy and give one a pleasant experience, or even set the mood , I only meant that even such things can become an attachment if you allow it so. But of course to walk into such a radiant room filled with that energy you experience is not at all a bad thing, and can serve as a reminder or even an influence which you could mentally duplicate that feeling in your daily life.

    Of course I too have a few statues, and I look at them daily and they too influence me to become at ease in mind and thought. However I realize that such Experiences and Phenomena are illusions as well.

    While such experiences should not be ignored, at the same time they should not be relied upon either.. Other than that enjoy your time and experience, I am not here to try and spoil someones good mood and feeling of such things. I only advise caution, that is all .

    Amitoufo! _()_,
    David.
    David



    Young Caine: How does man rid himself of such terrible things?
    Master Kahn: Each man must start with himself, within himself.. By slowly forging his Chi, the bond between the finite and the infinte, the inner essense of his strenght and the limitless power of the Universe, only thus can you conquer the power.. and the presence of evil.

    Comment


    • #17
      Statue consecration

      In the Tibetan tradition a temple statue is consecrated by being filled with precious items and blessed in an extensive and detailed ceremony during which ultimate awareness is invited to enter into and merge with the statue. In this way, the statue becomes a living entity capable of bestowing blessing.

      For example, in the main temple at Samye Ling monastery in Scotland the main Buddha statue contains a 'life stick', representing the inner spiritual life force, as well as relics, dried flowers and precious jewels. The statue is particularly precious because it contains relics of both the Buddha himself and Guru Rinpoche (the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet) which are located behind the diamond on the forehead of the Buddha statue.

      It is said that anyone who looks on the statue will find peace of mind and their karma will be purified.



      PS. IMHO, surely the blessing one receives from such consecrated statues must by definition be characterised by non-attachment(?).
      Kind regards,
      David

      Comment


      • #18
        Our dear Sister has displayed elegantly the practical nature of our school, our method and our Teacher. We are idealistic in our aims, yet practical in our application.

        We get results.

        We do what is best for us at our level, under the guidance of our Master, because to do otherwise would bring lesser results, or more likely, no results, or deviated results.

        A very timely article has been presented by our Sifu entitled, Legacy of Bodhidharma: Why Should We Be Mindful Of The Present When The Phenomenal World is An Illusion?

        A selection:

        But why should we be mindful of the present, despite the many benefits it brings, when the present (as well as the past and future) is an illusion. Unless you are enlightened or in moments of spiritual awakening, describing the present as illusory is a process of intellectualization.

        In practical terms, as long as you live in the phenomenal world, the present (as well as the past and future) is real -- subjectively real, subjected to how universal energy, the stuff that makes up the universe, enters your six entries, i.e. how you perceive everything around you and beyond through your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, skin and mind.
        Intellectualizing about ultimate reality doesn't bring us good results, so we don't do it. Being practical in our approach and following our Master, which brings us closer to ultimate reality (amongst other benefits), brings us good results, so we carry on with that.

        Our dear Sister could go on all day about how nothing exists really, but what's the point? It's far more a benefit to her life(and ours) to benefit from her spiritual practice.

        Rain is an illusion, but we still take an umbrella to work when it's pouring. Likewise, a statue is an illusion, but we may(or may not) use it to bring us closer to ultimate reality, operating at our current level.
        少林華南台灣 Shaolin Wahnam Taiwan

        Facebook

        "Then how could chi kung overcome diseases where the cause is unknown or when there is no cure? The question is actually incorrect. The expressions "the cause is unknown" and "there is no cure" are applicable only in the Western medical paradigm. The expressions no longer hold true in the chi kung paradigm. In the chi kung paradigm the cause is known, and there is a cure."

        -Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by Mark Blohm View Post
          Rain is an illusion, but we still take an umbrella to work when it's pouring. Likewise, a statue is an illusion, but we may(or may not) use it to bring us closer to ultimate reality, operating at our current level.
          My thoughts exactly! And very well said Sifu Mark Blohm, you put it better than I could..
          David



          Young Caine: How does man rid himself of such terrible things?
          Master Kahn: Each man must start with himself, within himself.. By slowly forging his Chi, the bond between the finite and the infinte, the inner essense of his strenght and the limitless power of the Universe, only thus can you conquer the power.. and the presence of evil.

          Comment


          • #20
            Fantastic Sihing Mark
            from the Heart...

            Comment


            • #21
              Excellent post, Sifu Mark Blohm.

              Joko
              开心 好运气
              kai xin... .......hao yunqi... - Sifu's speech, April 2005
              open heart... good chi flow... good luck ...
              ------------------------------------------------------------
              Have we not opened up thy heart ...? (The Reading, 94:1)
              ------------------------------------------------------------
              Be joyful, ..and share your joy with others -(Anand Krishna)

              Comment


              • #22
                Hi, beautyful thread

                it was a wonderful reply Sissok Mark. Very direct

                One question to Si Ku Jie Christina, could you elaborate more on "Thanks to Sifu's kind guidance I also learned the proper way to treat an altar.

                I'm very interested in it. Since I have also a little altar, I use to light candle and burn incense, but never thought about if I'm doing it in the proper way.

                If you don't mind, and it is possible to share, every advice will be great....

                Thank you
                Luce e ombra attraversavano la sua vista, le stelle e la luna gli attraversavano il cuore.
                Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Dear family

                  What a great thread! Very inspiring and also a testament to what might still lie in store for me .
                  The only thing I can say is that I have a special corner in my room where I set up a buddha statue my mother brought me from her last holiday (even though it might not be the real deal, I treat it as such since it is filled with the love of my amazing mother^^) and the book "Journey to the West".
                  I have made it a point to thank to the direction of this quiet corner whenever I thank the cosmos after my practice. Sadly, I am not allowed to burn any incense sticks, even though I bought some quite a while ago.
                  I truly hope that I am able to express my thanks "sufficiently" through a gentle but firm "thank you", even though I am working on thanking "properly" one day.
                  As Sifu often said: "Ah, the Great and Merciful Guan Yin really doesn't care about when, how or with what you thank or call to her. As long as it truly comes from the heart, you'll be fine!"

                  The book is something my treasured Sifu lent me with the words "The book has taken some light damage, so please feel free to repair it however you like. Return it to me whenever you're ready." It may seem unnecessarily melancholic, but the book has been the most valuable object in my room ever since . It has also been with me for almost a year now ...

                  @mauro:
                  Siheng, I hope that Christina Siguma will tell you about that one time, at one of Sigung's courses, where the course participants put their belongings ONTO the altar. Sigung's lecture must have been legendary ;D!

                  Thank you all for sharing your experiences this openly. I will never cease to be amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness of the words posted by some of you!

                  Smile from the heart
                  Fabienne


                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Hello Mauro! I have to say first that Sifu gave me a very wide variety of ways to "worship" at an altar with a large leeway in how it is done. As with everything it is more important to come from the heart than to be done at 6:15 am and 12:22 pm if you get my drift.

                    Just like our Qi Gong there are many ways to do things, but there are also slightly "better" ways to do things. Like burning incense at dawn and dusk and midnight. But of course you can burn incense at anytime morning and evening, or just morning, or morning and evening and midnight - or of course you can choose not to burn incense at all!!

                    The same goes for food offerings. Though Sifu did mention that often the larger offerings like food and flowers are generally given on the first and the 15th of the month. However, I imagine this likely follow the lunar calendar rather than solar.

                    While Sifu gave me some wonderful general guidelines on where statues should sit in relation to each other, when incense can be burned or how to say a prayer - he definitely taught me that exactly what you do is of course less important than how you do it.

                    For what it is worth it seems to me the choosing of specific times of day to "worship" or "pray" at an altar according to natural phenomena such as sunrise/sunset is similar in effect to these times of day on qi gong practice. It is simply a little bit better, but unimportant enough that it should NOT be worried about. : )

                    The most specific thing I can think that he told me was that the statue of the highest level should be in the center with the next highest to their left and the third highest to the right. Also the Highest level represented should be the tallest of the three and so on. If the statue of the highest level is smaller than the second level then you should elevate this statue on something until it is the highest.

                    For example on my altar Amitabha Buddha is center an the tallest, Quan Yin sits to his left and is elevated on a small stand so she is shorter than Amitabha Buddha but Higher than the Guan Yu statue that sits to the right of Amitabha.

                    Hope that helps : )
                    from the Heart...

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Hello all,

                      I wanted to share this video of an alter I do have. . . At least some what anyway. And since I got a new camera early for Christmas after breaking the camera I had. I thought it would be an idea to first film my Alter (of sorts) anyway.

                      As I am reading the comments here. . Please do feel free to make suggestions or pass along any information about improving this alter (of sorts) and were to buy certain needed items. Thank You.

                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxUR1JVZmx8
                      David



                      Young Caine: How does man rid himself of such terrible things?
                      Master Kahn: Each man must start with himself, within himself.. By slowly forging his Chi, the bond between the finite and the infinte, the inner essense of his strenght and the limitless power of the Universe, only thus can you conquer the power.. and the presence of evil.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Direct experience of Shaolin Wahnam chi kung help sipritual development

                        Just to provide some general experience, I encountered in learning Buddhism. I pratices pureland Amithaba for almost 6 years on a daily basis. I notice as my Chi Kung improve I tends to be able to have longer time one pointed mind of recitation of Amitofo. Recently, I found that it is very easy for me to visualise amitofo image during my recitation. This is one of the great banefits learning Shaolin Wahnam Chi Kung from our great grandmaster Sifu Wong, thank you so much and I believe everyone will enjoy this art for good. Amitofo

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Hi Christina Si Ku Jie,
                          Thank you very much for your reply.
                          Actually I have a statue of Amithaba in the center, Da Mo on his right and Mi Lo Fo (Maytreia) on the left side.
                          Because the Damo statue is the highest, I lifted the one of Amithaba. I'm not really sure if I should change the Position of Damo and Milofo.
                          But I think a good way is to not intellectualize to much.

                          Thank you very much
                          Mauro
                          Luce e ombra attraversavano la sua vista, le stelle e la luna gli attraversavano il cuore.
                          Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Dear Christina,

                            Thanks for sharing Sifu's advice on this topic, it is somthing I have intended to ask him myself.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              HI Christina,

                              Thanks for sharing this! Did Sifu give any advice on the location where the statue should be placed? I live in a New York City studio apartment = one room .

                              Big hug,

                              Eugene

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                hi David,

                                I've had a particular experience of chi in Taoist temples and shrines. It's happened to me in two different places in Penang: the energy was very light and fresh, even light in color. It was very specific, corresponding to a specific being, and not the general energy of the place. And I haven't sensed this particular energy elsewhere, outside of Taoist temples.

                                As for Buddhist statues, they enhance my chi flow, rather than starting it. Tibetan bowls do induce vigorous chi flows in me (I even stand on my head effortlessly during the bowl sessions), and Tibetan mantras may induce general or located chi flows.

                                All the best,
                                Javier

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X