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10 Questions on the Essence of Spiritual Cultivation

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  • #16
    Yes please sisook! Please post the next part to the question sooner rather than later.
    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.

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    • #17
      Yes, please, Mark Siheng! I definitely enjoy the "10 questions" threads and would appreciate the answers out sooner as well.

      Thank you, Sifu!

      With Shaolin Salute,
      Lee Wei Joo
      http://shaolinwahnammalaysia.com/

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      • #18
        Please, do not let us wait so long

        There are 108 days, 2592 hours, 155,520 minutes and 9,331,200 seconds left till the course...

        Thank You so much Sigung for this opportunity!

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        • #19
          Peace to Mark siheng the Pace Maker .....

          we are at your mercy but yes , we do ! we do !
          Damian Kissey
          Shaolin Wahnam Sabah , Malaysia .
          www.shaolinwahnamsabah.com

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          • #20
            Thanks Siheng Mark for keeping everyone in such anticipation but, not for too much longer, PLEASE!!!
            [/SIGPIC] Sifu Ángel Pérez
            Shaolin Wahnam Institute Puerto Rico


            "Life becomes more meaningful and beautiful as you work towards the realization of your own innate immortality."
            - Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

            "La vida se vuelve más significativa y hermosa según trabajas hacia la realización de tu propia innata inmortalidad."
            - Gran Maestro Wong Kiew Kit

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            • #21
              Spiritual Cultivation: Question-answer 1 -- Part 2 and Apologies

              Dear Family Members,
              Please accept my apologies on the lateness of this. I was going to post it on Friday, but was away with Tim and Barry teaching the level- refining energy for peace and happiness and there was no interenet connection.

              Spiritual Cultivation: Question-answer 1 -- Part 2

              (Continued from Part 1)

              The assumption that if a spiritual cultivator cultivates correctly, while aiming at Enlightenment, immortality or good health, he (or she) automatically or intrinsically will become morally upright, is not valid. This is because spiritual cultivation and moral education are two different disciplines.

              Please take note of the following two points.

              One, the invalidation of the assumption does not mean that all successful spiritual cultivators will be morally decadent. The invalidation means exactly what it says, i.e. not all successful spiritual cultivators will be morally upright.

              Because spiritual cultivation and moral education are two different issues, some successful spiritual cultivators will be morally upright , and some successful spiritual cultivations will be morally decadent. Personally I believe there are more successful spiritual cultivators who are morally upright than successful spiritual cultivators who are morally decadent.

              The second point is that these cultivators have been successful in their spiritual cultivation while aiming at Enlightenment, immortality or good health, yet some of them may become evil, like becoming black magicians. Some, like modern psychics, may not be morally evil, but they lead miserable lives, like attempting to commit suicide which indicates that their lives are not happy.

              Please take note that they have been successful in cultivating their spirit or consciousness, but may not be successful in attaining Enlightenment, immortality or good health, though these noble attainments may be a reason for their cultivation. If they had been successful in attaining Enlightenment, immortality or good health, they would not have become evil, because becoming evil is a natural hindrance to these noble attainments. In other words, as soon as a cultivator becomes evil, he would not attain Enlightenment, immortality and good health.

              Why is it that by being evil, a cultivator would be prevented from attaining Enlightenment, immortality and good health?

              To attain Enlightenment, or in Western terms to return to God the Holy Spirit, not only the cultivation must not have any evil intention, he must also not have any good intention. Any intension, regardless of good or evil, will initiate the process of differentiation and abide him to the phenomenal realm. The supreme Cosmic Reality, or God the Holy Spirit, is undifferentiated. If a highly spiritual being has great compassion, for example, he will remain in the phenomenal realm as a Bodhisattva, and will not become a Buddha.

              To attain immortality, i.e. to become an immortal or a heavenly being to enjoy eternal life in heaven, a spiritual cultivator must have very good karma. If he has any evil intention which precedes evil action, this will affect his good karma and prevent him from becoming an immoral or a heavenly being.

              It is worthwhile to note that an immortal or a heavenly being still exists in a phenomenal realm. In other words, there is differentiation in an immortal’s or heavenly being’s experience. One immortal or heavenly being is different from another, and both immortals or heavenly beings are different from the abodes they live in. But from our human perspective, the life of an immortal or heavenly being is so long that we consider it “eternal”.

              In supreme Cosmic Reality, there is no differentiation. There are no immortals, no heavenly beings, no abodes and nothing else. There is only an undifferentiated spread of energy, or God the Holy Spirit.

              To attain good health, one must have good thoughts. Evil thoughts may cause energy blockage, resulting in poor health. For example, because of his evil thoughts, a black magician, despite being spiritually powerful, is not peaceful and happy, which indicated poor emotional health.

              Because of such wisdom, spiritual cultivators must have a strong moral foundation before starting their spiritual cultivation. We benefit form this wisdom. Hence, in our school all students must be abided by and practice the Ten Shaolin Laws, which act as a practical way to moral education.

              Amongst other benefits, holding high moral values, like respecting the master as in the first of the Ten Shaolin Laws, is for the students’ interest. If he does not hold high moral values, he may not be able to attend good health in this world life, go to heaven in after this worldly life, and attain Enlightenment or described by different terms in different cultures.

              We are proud that spiritual cultivation and moral education are very important aspects of our training.
              Sifu Mark Appleford

              sigpic

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              • #22
                With gratitude and much thanks to Sifu and our Brother Mark
                Damian Kissey
                Shaolin Wahnam Sabah , Malaysia .
                www.shaolinwahnamsabah.com

                Comment


                • #23
                  Essence of Spiritual Cultivation: Question-Answer 2 -- Part 1

                  Hey Folks,
                  Here is the first part of the second question ...........enjoy

                  Peace

                  The Fully Alive Team

                  Essence of Spiritual C

                  Question 2

                  What are the benefits of cultivating a strong spirit in both the mundane and spiritual world?

                  What are the various stages of spiritual development? At what point in a spiritual cultivator's progress is he or she "tested" by God to determine if he or she would fail or succeed?

                  Which specific exercises (i.e Bone Marrow Cleansing, Expanding into Cosmos) specifically cultivate the spirit?

                  Stephen


                  Answer

                  It is worthwhile to remember that we are a spirit having a body, not a body having a spirit. The body, which is physical, changes all the time, but the spirit does not, until it merges with Cosmic Reality or God the Holy Spirit. The body takes different forms in different life-times, but the spirit remains the same.

                  The spirit develops, but it is the same spirit, whereas the body is constantly changing. Scientists have worked out that not a single minute part of a person’s body is the same now than seven months ago!

                  As we are spirit, strengthening the spirit results in many benefits in both the mundane and spiritual worlds.

                  For convenience we may describe the benefits in the mundane world under four headings – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

                  When a person’s spirit is strong, his body is strong too. Some healers as well as modern scientists even go to the extent of saying that physical illness is a manifestation of a sick spirit. Hence, a person is not healed until he has healed his spirit.

                  When a person’s spirit is weak, he is troubled by many emotions. By strengthening his spirit, a person may face the same emotions which would previously make him miserable, but with a strengthened spirit, these emotions would not affect him unfavorably.

                  Similarly, a person with weak spirit is easily troubled by numerous thoughts. He is frequently nervous or angry, and his intellect is dull. Thoughts overwhelm him. When he strengthens his spirit, he can manage the same thoughts effectively. He is able to control his thoughts and attain mental clarity.

                  When a person’s sprit is weak or low, he becomes depressed. At extreme cases, he may become suicidal. When he strengthen his spirit, he becomes peaceful and happy.

                  In the spiritual world, when a person’s spirit is weak, even if he has a big, strong body, he feels lost and afraid. Life loses its meaning on him, and he is bored or even suicidal, even if he has material wealth and social security. This is indeed a major problems with may people in the West.

                  A weak spirit may also be exposed to attack by evil and low spirits. He feels afraid, and is often in bad luck. If he strengthen his spirit, his good energy which results from his spiritual cultivation will repel evil and low spirits. His good circulation of energy also gives him good luck.

                  (Part 2 follows)
                  Sifu Mark Appleford

                  sigpic

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                  • #24
                    A wonderful thread brother. I love reading this one

                    Best wishes
                    Mark

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                    • #25
                      Essence of Spiritual Cultivation: Question-Ansr 2 -- Part 2

                      Dear Family Members,
                      Here is part 2 of question 2. This is the first time that Sifu will have run a course like this. This will be held in the UK and I would like remind any family member that there is the Early Bird discount is available until the 31st and you need to do to secure is pay a deposit. Please go to this link
                      http://shaolin-training.com/book-now/

                      or contact barry or tim


                      (Continued from Part 1)

                      The various stages of spiritual development may be classified into cleansing, building and nourishing.

                      When a person’s spirit is blocked, he becomes sad, nervous and depressed. If he has a lot of energy but his spirit is blocked, he becomes angry and aggressive. Cleansing his blockage sets his spirit free. He overcomes his sadness, nervousness and depression, or anger and aggression.

                      When he builds his spirit, i.e. strengthening it in quantity, he becomes peaceful confident and pleaant. When he nourishes his spirit, i.e. strengthening it in quality, he becomes wise, compassionate and joyful.

                      A person is tested by God or divine beings all the time. At the cleansing stage of a person’s spiritual cultivation, God or divine beings will test whether he has faith and perseverance. In our school, we do not advocate blind faith and sheer perseverance. We encourage faith and perseverance based on understanding and experience.

                      At the stage of building his spirit, God or divine beings will test whether he is disrespectful and arrogant. Many people fail at this stage. They become so much stronger than average people that they think they are better and smarter than their master. Like at the earlier stage, in our school we do not advocate blind faith in the master. They should assess their master to the best of their understanding and experience.

                      At the sate of nourishing, God or divine beings test a cultivator’s wisdom and compassion. Wisdom and compassion are the two signature hallmarks of a Bodhisattva. They are also the two signature hallmarks of the highest teaching in our school. Some advanced practitioners fail at this stage. They become cleaver, but not wise, but merciless and mistake indignation for righteousness.

                      All our training involves triple cultivation, i.e. cultivating the physical, the energy and the spirit. Hence, spiritual cultivation is found in all our exercises, ranging from the simplest like Lifting the Sky to the most advanced like Zen meditation.

                      As we differentiate between techniques and skills, an advanced practitioner may have more spiritual benefits practicing a simple technique like one of the 18 Jewels than a beginner practicing an advanced techniques like one of the Bone Marrow Cleansing exercises.

                      However, if all other things were equal, certain techniques and skills focus more on spiritual cultivation. Examples of techniques that specially cultivate the spirit include Lifting the Sky, Flicking Fingers and Standing Meditation. Examples of skills that specially cultivate the spirit include Cosmic Shower, Cosmic Breathing and Merging with the Cosmos.
                      Sifu Mark Appleford

                      sigpic

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                      • #26
                        Truly priceless guidance.

                        Thank you, Sigung.
                        Love, and do what you will.

                        - St. Augustine

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                        • #27
                          Simple and profound.
                          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

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                          • #28
                            Thank you Sifu for sharing your wisdom.
                            www.shaolinwahnam.nl
                            www.shaolinholland.com

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                            • #29
                              Thank you Sifu and Mark.
                              This is truly wonderful.


                              Best wishes,

                              Nessa
                              Nessa Kahila
                              Shaolin Nordic Finland
                              Instructor
                              nessa@shaolin-nordic.com

                              www.shaolin-nordic.com

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                              • #30
                                Spiritual Cultivation: Question-Answer 3

                                Spiritual Cultivation: Question-Answer 3

                                Question 3

                                Some of my friends practice or used to practice certain forms of Jewish and Christian mysticism and contemplative prayer/meditation. They have told me that according to their particular systems, once a practitioner reaches a watershed moment in their cultivation, they seem to attract trouble and opposition.

                                The usual explanation given to me was that "demons" are afraid that the cultivator will attain divine grace and get beyond their grasp, so they do all they can to drag the cultivator back into "an impure state." If the cultivator manages to break a certain threshold, then they become immune to these "demons."

                                

I thought it was very peculiar, especially since the arts we learn in Shaolin Wahnam are said to protect us from anything from bad luck to hostility of almost every imaginable sort (I know I have benefited from ridiculously good luck many times).

                                In fact, one of my friends who cultivates told me that my home seemed like "a safe place, protected from spirits" even though I just practiced my kung fu there and don't even think about spirits or the sort. 



                                My question is: What is it about our arts that make us "protected" and what is it about other arts that, despite also aiming at spiritual fulfilment, do not "protect" their practitioners?

                                Fred Chu


                                Answer

                                Spiritual cultivators being disturbed by demos are not uncommon, and the explanation that demons are worried the cultivators would succeed in their cultivation as described by you is valid.

                                If the cultivators persist on their cultivation, these demolish disturbance will be overcome. It is important that the cultivator should not be afraid or intimidated. Realising the truth that goodness will always triumph over evil will give assurance and confidence.

                                The main reason for our protection when we practice our arts is chi flow. Practitioners of other arts do not have this protection because they do not have chi flow. Indeed, chi flow is unique in our arts. Irrespective of what exercise we practice in our school, we have chi flow.

                                As chi flow is so wide-spread in our school, some students with limited exposure may erroneously think that chi flow is also present in other schools. This is not so. In other schools, even at masters’ level, chi flow is normally not present.

                                Nevertheless, masters of other schools who have internal force also have chi flow, though their chi flow is unlike ours where it is often manifested outwardly as vigorous movement. Chi flow in these masters may not happen every time they train. It may happen only occasionally, and usually not manifested as external movement. Because their chi flow is only occasional, whereas ours is consistent, they take a longer time to develop internal force than we do. These masters who have internal force will also have protection against demons and lower spirits.

                                Why are demons and lower spirit afraid of our chi flow? It is because our chi flow is like electricity to them. It will repulse them. If they come too near, our chi flow can spontaneously hurt them.

                                Why do demons and lower spirits experience chi flow as electricity that repulses them whereas we experience it as beneficial flowing energy? It is because due to their different “six entries” (eye, ear, nose, mouth, skin and collective consciousness), different beings experience the same material differently. Water, for example, is liquid to us, but is crystal to higher beings like gods, and fire to lower beings like ghosts.

                                Hence, chi flow, the hallmark of our training, not only overcomes pain and illness, and gives us good health, vitality and longevity, it also protects us from demonic influences. As many students in our school know, chi flow also brings us good luck
                                Sifu Mark Appleford

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