Qi Magazine 1

Recently, in my New Yorkseminar, someone asked me about psychicvampires and whether or not they reallyexisted. Can they really take your energy.I can give some examples of cases whichhave happened.

One happened in England at ahealth show where I was giving ademonstration. One of my students whowas helping suddenly felt someone staringat her, which was unusual as most of thepeople in the crowd were watching thedemonstration I was giving. He was verytall and so easy to see on the other side ofthe stage. She said that his black eyes didnot even seem to blink as he stared. Atfirst she thought shewas mistaken, thathe was not reallylooking at herbut he justkept onstaring, noteven lookingat me doingQ i g o n g .Immediatelyshe closedherself up andknew that hewoulddamagehimself bytrying todirect badthoughts ather.

Anothercase was aboutone of mystudents whowent on to travelaround the world. Sheto study with anotherQigong teacher butafter a while she didnot feel right anddecided to leave andstop studying.However, becauseshe had already hadcontact with that teacher for a while,when she decided to leave she feltuncomfortable. She mentioned that theother Qigong master used magic tocontrol her and she felt very vulnerable

and scared. In the end, she came back to meand asked my advice. I said can influence youifyoubalanceyourself. Keep practisingDayanQigong. Do the proper Qigong and you willbe alright. However, I did not see her again,so I hope she is alright and still practisingher Wild Goose.

There was another case where agrandstudent went to Malaysia. While he wasdriving, he saw a small boy cross the street infront of him. The boy turned and lookedright at him and so he stopped the car feelingquite afraid. He started to shiver and hadgoose pimples on his body. It felt like the boywas using magic in order to scare him.

I am sure that after reading all thesecases perhaps you also have

had a similar experiencewhere someone hastried to make youscared or someoneyou know has had thishappen to them.Maybe this personmade you feel tired orupset or distracted youfrom your normalliving. I have evenheard about a societywhose members arelike psychic vampireswho train themselvesto suck other people’senergy. I can tell youwhat I think throughmy knowledge ofQigong. Have you come

across the case where afriend or relative comes to

you and starts moaning and complainingabout a problem, on and on. After they leave,they feel better but you yourself feel drainedand tired.

Cover: Chen Chuan GangQi Magazine is published by the Tse QigongCentre. Its aim is to bring you information notreadily available in the West.

Editor: Michael TseDeputy Editor: Darryl MoyEditorial Assistants: John Hayes

Sarah BloomfieldSimon BedfordCaroline Garvey

Illustrator: Jamie MaslinMarketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSubscriptions: Janet ThomasUSA: Adam WallaceSweden: Barbro Olsson

Consultants (Listed in alphabetical order):

Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster Chen Xiao Wang

Grandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang Meijun

Columnists: Dr. Shulan TangGlen GosslingTse Sihn KeiDaniel PoonJ. Reynolds Nelson

Readers may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contributearticles, letters or questions for possibleinclusion in future issues of Qi Magazine.

Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the editor.Adverts appearing in the magazine are notnecessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study shouldseek qualified tuition.

MichaelTse 1999.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without

the written permission ofMichael Tse.

Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be aneffective way of reaching a wide variety of people. Allenquiries welcome.For UK contact Sheila Waddington 0161 929 4485For USA contact Jessica Blackwell (425) 823 0199

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Qi MagazinePO Box 116Manchester,M20 3YN, UK

Tel:0161 929 4485 Fax:0161 9294489email: tse@qimagazine.comhttp://www.qimagazine.com

(International Tel: +44-161 9294485)(International Fax: +44-161 9294489)

ISSN 1358-3778Continued on page 45

“He started to shiverand had goose pimpleson his body.”

Qi Magazine 2

Contents Issue 44

mtse@wildgooseqigong.com

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.

3 PO Box 116News, views, short items and questions.

8 Standing MeditationThis is an integral part of Taiji practise as it not only teaches you tosink your Qi, it also develops the elusive Peng Jin.by Glenn Gossling

9 Sense or Senseless?When studying internal arts, you must have a clear idea of what itis you are trying to achieve. All too often it is easy to loose sight ofthis and the time spent practising could be wasted.by J. Reynolds Nelson

10 Zen Master SunimOn his way to becoming a master of Zen, Master Sunim alsoextensively studied Daoism. This has given him a great appreciationof both disciplines and helped him develop his potential.by Jessica Blackwell

16 Legends Around Mantis BoxingPraying Mantis is one of the most famous styles of Chinese martialart today. Although many people know its name, not so manytruly know the skill or the history behind it.by Gerhard Milibrat

18 Falun GongFalun Gong is a name that has been much talked about recently.The debate over this style is raging near and far.

19 Eight Psychological Phases of the Martial ArtsWhen learning martial arts the student often goes through stages.These stages not only relate to their skill and ability, but also totheir perceptions and attitudes.by Shaun Rawcliffe

20 What’s it All About?The “eternal question” is something that no one has really givenan all-encompassing answer. Maybe this is because each of us asindividuals must discover this for ourselves.by Tse Sihn Kei

26 Daoist ArtHave you ever wondered at the mysterious beauty of certain Chinesepainting and calligraphy? You may be surprised to learn that manyartists try and capture the Dao in their art, and allow their Qi toflow into their work.by Nikko Barres

30 Dayan Qigong 2nd 64 Part 9Continuing our series of the 2nd 64 movements of the “WildGoose”.

33 Alcohol Addiction and TCMAlcohol is so widely available and made to look too glamorous,that it is easy for people to drink too much and become addicted.Like any addiction it is very hard to break, but TCM can help you to“dry out”.by Dr Shulan Tang

35 Book ReviewTwo books for review this issue: Inside Stories of the ForbiddenCity and Treatment of Common Diseases with Qigong Therapy.by Jessica Blackwell

40 Palm ReadingMany people have had their palms read. There are many methodsand many differing views. One way to do it is to not only look atthe palm, but also receive the person’s energy.by Michael Tse

41 24 Simplified TaijiquanThe concluding part of this ever popular exercise.

44 Aloe Vera – the Inside StoryAloe Vera is often touted as the miracle plant. But what is it, andhow does it help us?by Chris Genner

45 Zen as a Philosophical DisciplineAn entertaining tale, though the message behind the words is avaluable one.by Christopher Larthe

46 Wing Chun FootworkFoot techniques are often the neglected part of Wing Chun, eventhough they are very important. So how do you train them, do youonly rely on the forms or is there another way?by Darryl Moy

22 Wild Goose PrinciplesWild Goose (Dayan) Qigong is a verycomprehensive system of Qigong. The manyexercises within the style all have a specificpurpose. Surely though, there is only somany you need to be healthy? Perhaps theanswer to this question lies in the principlesall these movements teach us.These are the principles that GrandmasterYang Meijun’s son, Master Chen ChuanGang share with us.By Chen Chuan Gang. Translated by Michael Tse

Qi Magazine 3

Enthusiasts of Taijiquan will bepleased to know that Grandmaster ChenXiaowang will be teaching in the UK thiscoming October.

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang isthe 19th Generation and head of the ChenStyle of Taiji. He is also one of the mostfamous and popular teachers in the world.The movements of Chen Taiji are verybeautiful and quite exciting to watch andlearn. They follow the principles of Yinand Yang and also the Spiral. This makesthe movements very good for your health,they also emphasise relaxation and correctposture.

For those who are interested in theself defence side of Taiji, Chen Taiji alsoteaches you how to generate a lot of powerand release it (Fajing) together with QinNa (locking).

Grandmaster Chen will beteaching the Laojia (Old Frame) of ChenTaiji, also Pushing Hands and the Spring

and Autumn Big Sword (Kwan Dao).There are three seminars to be held inLondon and Manchester. They will coverLaojia (Old Frame), Pushing Hands andSpring and Autumn Big Sword.

This should be a very exciting andenjoyable programme. Grandmaster ChenXiaowang’s skill and technical knowledgeis quite stunning, and to top that, he is atrue gentleman and an excellent teacher. Formore information, see the advert in thisissue. Don’t miss it!

On 16 May 1999,the North American TseQigong Centre waslaunched when Michael Tseheld a workshop anddemonstration, sharing withan attentive audience thebeautiful Wild GooseQigong skill. His fluid andobviously martialdemonstration of ChenTaijiquan was impressivebutI think all were in absolute awe of his powerfuldemonstration of the Dragon Shadow Sword,

with its thrusts, turnsand leaping. For many,this was the first timethat they had seen sucha display of traditionalChinese skills. Much ofthe Qigong here inSeattle is eitherstationary meditation orvery simple skill and soseeing an entire Qigongform was a surprise for many of the

Qigong practitioners in the audience. Classesbegan the next week and it is obvious from

USA Tse QigongCentre Launched

smiling faces and newlooks of glowing healththat people are enjoying learning withMichael Tse.

Taiji Heaven New QigongVideo

The longawaited QigongVideo by MichaelTse will be availablethis October! Thiswill be Michael’svery first teachingvideo and it willfeature theBalancing Gongexercises. This setof gentle exercisesis for helpingbalance, coordination, arthritis, relievingbackpain, and kidney and knee problems.The exercises also provide relief frominsomnia and the symptoms of chronicfatigue syndrome (ME).

The video is designed as acompanion to Michael’s book “Qigongfor Health & Vitality”.

If there is anything you want to discuss, if there is anything you want to share with others, any news or anyannouncements you would like to make, send them to us:Readers in the UK can write to: Qi Magazine, PO Box 116, Manchester M20 3YN. UK.Readers in the USA can write to: Qi Magazine, PO Box 2697, Kirkland, WA 98083. USA.

Qi Magazine 4

Bruce Lee FansDear Sir,

Your article in Qi Magazine Issue 431999 both interested and confused me. Yousaid in the beginning and end of your article,that you admire Bruce Lee,both his philosophies and histraining, then you go on tosay that you feel that onlybeginners and children trainas he did now and he did nomeditation.

I feel that youshould read anything byJohn Little on Bruce Leeand especially join the JunFan Jeet Kune DoAssociation in America as Iam sure that his wife, LindaLee Caldwell, and his manyfriends, Dan Inosantoamong them, can put youstraight on many things.Many times Bruce Lee has said that he didcertain things for films. The “anger” heexpressed was the result of acting and power,not real anger. Please do not spread suchuntrue rumours, however well meant. Thereare enough people who want, even now, tosmash Bruce Lee without those who love himdoing so through misunderstanding.

Lastly, if I may suggest that you do theaforementioned things you should not onlyhave a better idea of the reality of Bruce Lee,but you may grow to love and admire him evenmore.Yours respectfully,R.

Dear R,Thank you for your letter and your

comments on my article on Bruce Lee. Iknow from your letter that you like BruceLee very much. So do I. My comments onhis skill does not mean that I do not likehim. These comments are based upon mynearly thirty years’ experience of martialarts and Qigong and are my own opinion.

Since I was eleven I began to follow and loveBruce Lee. Even now, twenty eight years later,I am still impressed by him. Any articles, anybooks that I could find, I have collected andread, some from Hong Kong and China andmany in English, including the books edited

by John Little that youmention in your letter. I stillwatch his films because Istill enjoy them as much as Idid the first time I saw them.

Bruce Lee is mostChinese people’s hero.However, although we loveBruce Lee, it does notmean that everything hedoes is correct. My articleproves I like Bruce but thatthere are some aspects ofhis training that I disagreewith. I am sure that youwould agree that BruceLee has the highest JeetKune Do skill, but Jeet Kune

Do is still a very young skill in the history ofmartial arts, especially compared to so manyother styles, which date back over hundreds,often thousands of years. Taijiquan has ahistory over 400 years old as does WingChun Kuen. These martial arts have beenpassed down from generation to generationand there has been much opportunity totrain both the martial art side and thehealth side (internal training). Bruce Leehimself studied with my grandteacher, IpMan, who studied Wing Chun from the ageof twelve until his death at the age ofseventy-eight. This proves not only thatWing Chun is good for fighting but is goodfor health. He passed the skill to so manystudents, who even now are still alive today.In particular, my Sifu and his eldest son (IpChun), who is healthy and talented in martialart.

In China and Japan there are manygreat masters who study Bagua, Xing Yi,Praying Mantis, Hung Gar, Shaolin, Karate,Aikido, Hard Qigong and who are verytalented in martial arts but who are also very

healthy. There are plenty who are overseventy, even eighty and ninety years old.From my knowledge, a martial artist shouldalso be healthy, not only be good for fighting.Bruce Lee left behind a tremendous amount ofknowledge, however, he was only thirty-threeyears old when he died. Do you find that heperhaps lacked something? He did not die inan accident, he died of a health problemcreated by an imbalance in the body. Hisdeath must be connected with his trainingbecause he spent all his energy and timetraining himself.

In the book, Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Leeis quoted as writing, “I think simply topractice gung fu forms and katas is not agood way. Moreover, it wastes time anddoes not match the actual situation” (p. 27).Bruce Lee also says in the same book, “…wenow find rigid forms which create differencesamong clans. And the world of martial art isshattered as a result…students becomemachines which imitate martial art forms. Ifhe wants to seek for truth, he should not beconfined by the dead forms” (p. 21).

Martial art forms train internalenergy. They allow the Qi within the bodyto strengthen naturally so that joints arenot damaged in practice. Forms allow themind to relax and the energy to settle. InWing Chun’s first form, Siu Lim Tao, theslow movements are like a meditation whichcalms the mind and increases Gong Lik. Wehave to ask ourselves, if forms are someaningless, why is it that all other martialarts have forms?

We all love Bruce Lee and we allwish he were here today so he could stillteach us personally. I am sure you wouldlike that, too.

His teacher lived to be seventy eightand so if Bruce Lee had followed the WingChun training properly, doing not only thepunching and kicking, but also the forms,do you think he might still be alive today?The more we love Bruce Lee, the more weshould try to understand what he was missingso that we can try to carry on his skill. Inever have studied Jeet Kune Do, however,

Wild Goose Book!Michael Tse will shortly be releasing twonew books. The first book scheduledfor release is a compilation of editorialsand articles. As regular readers of QiMagazine will know, Michael’s articlesare always filled with with rareknowledge and fascinating stories ofold masters. Entitled “Qi Journeys”, thebook will give you an insight into thecorrect attitudes to developing yourbody, energy and mind.

The second exciting release is a bookon the Wild Goose (Dayan) Qigong. Thebook will show the First 64 movmentsand have many illustrations and detaileddescriptions. It is based on the hugelypopular series featured twice in QiMagazine, however it will include evenmore detail on the movements andacupuncture points.

Class MovementsFor over five years, the Tse QigongCentre has held its Central London

Classes at the Central Club Hotel.However, due to the recent closure ofthe Central Club the classes have nowmoved to:

Civil Engineering Building,Imperial College,South Kensington,

London SW7

All the class times remain the same.For more information please check theWhat’s On page at the back of thisissue.

Qi Magazine 5

his philosophy affected me a lot as a child.When I began to study with my Sifu, Ip Chun,I found that Wing Chun was a very completesystem. It had both the fighting and the healthside. I did not find that it lacked something.

This is what I think.Michael Tse

Computer PainsHi there!

I am 27 years old, and have been workingwith computers for many years. I haverecently begun to develop pain in my righthand/wrist, presumably from such intensivemouse use. Trying to rest this by using myleft hand to control the mouse, I have foundthat this has begun to hurt as well! I havebeen seen this morning by a rheumatologistat a hospital who explained the difficulty indefining (and treating) my condition, andsuggested physiotherapy.

I am wanting to know whether you orone of your assistants would be able to see meprivately to give your diagnosis, andsuggestions for recovery. My father sufferedfor many years with M.E. and was only ableto live a normal life again through practisingQigong which he has done now for manyyears. I am also interested in classes which Iunderstand you run in Manchester.

I look forward to hearing from you.Yours truly,D

Dear D,Many people today suffer from the

same thing which you talk about. When weuse the computer mouse, it blocks theenergy from flowing down to the fingers.That is why it is easy for the fingers to feelcold and the wrist to hurt. It is good thatyou are alternating between your left andright hand but as you have noticed, it justtransfers the problem.

The best thing is to take frequentbreaks and to massage the arm from theshoulder down to the fingers gently, alwaysrubbing downwards. If you rub upwards,this goes against the flow of Qi and bystimulating the Qi downwards, negativeenergy will be released. This is one of theways I massage my patients in Qigongtherapy.

It is also good to get up and walkaround and move the whole body. It is notjust the energy in the hands and arms thatbecomes blocked. It is all over. Sitting toomuch will be bad for the back so you can dosome of the simple Qigong exercises, likeBalancing Gong, that I cover in my book tohelp loosen the hips and back. Doing some of

the Dantien holding exercises will help bringthe energy back to your Centre and will warmyour hands as well.

The Qigong classes in Manchesterare on Monday and Tuesdays at 7pm at theFriends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street inCentral Manchester.

I hope that this helps and I am surethat you will find the Qigong will help youa lot.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Big Classes?Dear Master Tse,

Hello, I teach kung fu to a very smallgroup of people and was wondering whatwould be the best way to teach, and whatcould I do to get more students? I start withthe basics first, then where should I go fromthere? I usually teach basics such as: stance,blocking punching and kicking, forms andkatas. What do you suggest?Yours truly,P.

Dear P,My suggestion is to deepen your

knowledge and study with a good teacherto learn the proper skill. This is better thanjust teaching. Make sure you are goodenough before you begin to teach. You cantrain together and share the experiencewith others but your knowledge is moreimportant than more students at this time.You are most welcome to join in my classes.You should also read more books and keeppractising. When the time is right, yourteacher will tell you when it is time to teach.Do not expect to get more students at thisstage because when you are good enough,the students will come to you.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Learning ProblemsDear Mr Tse:

I have a few questions regarding theDayan Qigong form in issue 42. Assumingthe starting position is facing South:1. Are numbers 26, 27, 28 done facing

East?2. Is number 28ii (Figure 96) done on

right side only?3. Is number 29i (Three Swings) Turn to

the left: does this mean turn the body90 degrees to the left facing Northand step out into wide horse stance?

4. Are Figures 106 and 107, 180 degreeturns North then South?

5. Is Figure 106 the first in the Swing

series?6. Are the left toes raised on left turn

repetitions (figure 106) like fig 107?7. Is number 30, Pull Back the Body and

Cover Face, done facing South?Thank you for your responses. Could

you please number your answers so that Icould match the correct response with thequestions?Your sincerely,C

Dear C,Thank you for enquiry. I am sure

that there are many people who also havequestions about the movements as the Second64 Dayan Gong is quite detailed and moredifficult to learn. The Wild Goose exercises inthe magazine are really more for referenceonce you have already learned them ratherthan trying to teach yourself from thediagrams. Otherwise you will miss a lot. Totry and answer all yourquestions might be toconfuse you rather thanmake it more clear.

I think it is bestto find a qualifiedinstructor who will helpyou learn not only theproper movements butalso the principlebehind the movements.I have two authorisedstudents in Americaand also am teaching inAmerica myself overthe next year. In theyear 2000 it may bethat there will be aresidential course forWild Goose Qigong and this will beannounced in Qi Magazine.

Wild Goose is a very beautiful skillbut also very powerful. Out of respect forboth the skill and my teacher, I want to seethat the skill remains pure and is beingtaught properly. I do not want people tohave problems by being taught somethingincorrectly. I think that the way I do is rightand it has helped many people all over theworld. I have enclosed my email address inAmerica so that you can contact the officethere on tse@wildgooseqigong.com if haveany questions about courses or other matters.Your sincerely,Michael Tse

More BooksDear Mr. Tse,

My name is Mark Buhrdorf. I haveonly recently received a copy of your bookwhich was co-written with Grandmaster Ip

Qi Magazine 6

Chun (I am curious as to why the spelling ofthe grandmaster’s name is different for thisbook. I have always seen it spelled “YipChun” elsewhere.). It is a very good book inmy humble opinion. The chapter on Siu LimTao is very good. I have been tutoring ayounger Wing Chun brother, and I think thischapter may help him to learn the form better.

I have been involved in Wing Chun fora little over a year. My training has been in theMoy Yat family system. As I mentionedabove, I haven’t had the book very long. Iintend to read it in the near future. I justwanted to drop you a quick note while I wasat my computer. I am eagerly awaiting yourfuture books on Tsum Kiu and Biu Jee.Sincerely,M

Dear M,I am glad that you enjoyed the Wing

Chun book. I hope that you will also enjoythe future books which should be releasednext year.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Bowled OverDear Michael,

I wonder if you can help. I haverecently acquired a meditation bowl that wasburied amongst bric-a-brac at a local second-hand shop. The bowl is larger than othersinging bowls that I have used and it has aninscription in the base. The enclosed graphicsfile shows the cast letters. Can you help withthe translation of this or perhaps put me intouch with somebody who can. I have triedSamye Ling and the Tibetan Society. Anyhelp on the bowl would be welcomed.Regards,I

Dear IThe inscription on the bowl translates asMade by the Military for Ming(Xuan De Emperor)Dynasty.I hope this helps,Michael Tse

TaiwanTraining

Dear Michael Tse,In approximately a year’s time, I shall be offto work in Taipei, Taiwan, and I waswondering if you could recommend anyteachers of Qigong and martial arts there. Iam currently doing Muay Thai and will soontake up Shaolin (Southern Style) as well. Iwould like to take up more, such as your

training seminars in London, but other prioritiesare in the way.Yours truly,R

Dear R,I am sorry that I am unable to refer

you to anyone in Taiwan. I myself donot know any Masters there. I wish you allthe best in your stay.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Kung Fu FanDear Master Tse,For the past two years I have been thinkingof learning kung fu. I wish to dedicate my lifeto it. I want to become as good as Bruce Leewhich I know is hard, but I am prepared tostart. I have emailed master James Sinclair, astudent of Ip Chun, and asked him to tell memore about kung fu and where I can learn it.He hasn’t replied yet: I’m assuming he’s onholiday. I want to learn kung fu, whenever Ihave the time. Any time you are prepared toteach me, I will be there to learn. This is not aone off thing, I have been thinking about itfor two years and don’t worry if you think Ihave been taken in by stereotypes because Ihaven’t. I saw you in a kung fu video,demonstrating the art of Qi (which I am quiteknowledgeable about) and when I found thisweb site I was excited and extremely happy.If possible I would like you to teach mewhenever you are prepared to do so. I live inMill Hill NW7 area. I will ring you as well totalk of this matter. I have tried to quit mygames lessons in school, to train towardskung fu but this is proving difficult. I knowthat you started kung fu around about my age(explained in the video). That is about all Ihave to say, and reply soon I’m dying to hearfrom you. Thank you very much. I forgot totell you why I want to learn kung fu. Themain reason is because I want fulfilment inmy life. Not going to school every day again

and again. I am also curiousto see what I can make ofmyself. Someone once said,“The more you knowabout Kungfu the moreyou want to learn”. This iswhat has happened withme. Please consider me as astudent; I would beextremely grateful and later

in my life I hope to teach Kungfu. Thankyou.Yours sincerelyP.Dear P,

Thank you for your email. I think thebest thing for you now is for you to

continue your education (even Bruce Leewent on to University) as this will help youlater in life. Your studies should come firstand martial art is second. This is also partof the martial art education, be polite andhumble. It may be possible for you to beginto study Wing Chun in the evenings at myLondon class which is held on Wednesdaynights at 8 pm and this would not interferewith your school work.

As you know about my Sifu Ip Chun,you might be interested to know that he willbe giving a seminar in London in Junethrough the Tse Qigong Centre. However,James Sinclair is not his student although hetaught him some skill. Sifu has announcedthis in public. This would be a goodintroduction for you so if you are interested inmeeting Grandmaster Ip Chun or if you wantmore information on classes call my Centreon 0161 929 4485 and someone there cangive you information.

There is also an article on BruceLee in this issue of Qi Magazine which mayinterest you as well. I talk about histraining in the article.Wishing you well,Michael Tse

Avid Kung FuFanHi,

I’m an avid fan of martial arts, BruceLee being my childhood idol. I would just liketo know if you could possibly email me withdetails of any training and advice you couldgive me with regards to training.

I am currently reading the book onWing Chun written by Grandmaster Ip Chunand Michael Tse, and this I find a veryinteresting and informative book.If you can help I will be very grateful.Yours sincerely,Z

Dear Z,This issue of Qi Magazine talks

about Bruce Lee and you can contact myCentre on 0161 929 4485 for informationabout this and also classes which aretaught in Wing Chun. My Sifu,Grandmaster Ip Chun will be visiting inJune and giving a seminar then as well. Ifyou are interested in meeting him, this is agood opportunity as I do not know when hewill be returning for another visit.

Just remember that in any martialart, the most important thing is to behealthy.Wishing you well,Michael Tse.

Qi Magazine 7

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Qi Magazine PO Box 116 Manchester M20 3YN Tel 0161 929 4485Fax 0161 929 4489 Email sheila@qimagazine.com

Are YouReading This?

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Qi Magazine 8

Standing Meditation

Chen

Taij

iquan

Zhan Zhuang is common to most stylesof Taijiquan and some systems ofQigong. This meditation is one of the

foundations of the Chen system and is to berecommended for students of all levels.

ZhanZhuang is a standing meditationand emphasises many of the basic principlesof correct posture that relate to Taijiquan asa whole. Most importantly the postureshould look and feel smooth and flowing.The body should be relaxed.

Zhan Zhuang begins in the sameway as a form. We start by standing withour feet together, arms by our sides,upright and alert. The knees should beslightly bent. It is helpful to take a fewmoments to calm down, relax, and correctthe posture before opening. To open, theleft heel is lifted and then the foot isstepped out to shoulder width. We centreour weight and sink into the posture. Howdeeply you hold this stance is up to you.The deeper you go the harder the exerciseis. The important thing is that the postureshould be correct no matter how deeplyyou hold the stance.

It can be quite difficult to get thestance correct if you are a beginner, butthe principles are very simple. The weightshould be centred. It is possible to checkthis by moving the body slightly andfeeling where your weight falls on yourfeet. Try moving backwards, forwards,left and right until you are confident aboutwhere the centre is. The spine should beupright and vertical. It is possible tocheck this by moving as well. The hipsand the shoulders should both be level.The head should be upright.

It can be very helpful to workwith a partner to get your posture correct.Most of us are far more used to working withour visual rather than our tactile senses.Initially it is a lot easier to correct someoneelse from the outside than ourselves from theinside, but with a lot of practice considerablesensitivity can be developed.

To check someone else’s posturethere are a number of factors to look out for.The spine should make a nice clean line fromboth the side and the back. It should be

positioned centrally between the feet. Thespine is distorted if the hips or the shouldersare not level. The hips should also be tiltedslightly forwards so that the lower back isnot arched. Taiji postures need to be “satinto”. If the legs are too straight or the stanceis too high it is difficult to correct the spine.The ears, the shoulders and the ankles should

all be on one vertical line when viewed fromthe side.

Once the basic posture is correct thearms are slowly raised and the eyes closed.The arms form a circle in front of the body,with the palms facing inwards and veryslightly upwards. The circle can be held at avariety of heights but most people aim totrain at shoulder height. At this height theelbows should be slightly lower than the

shoulders or palms. Once the arms are raisedthe posture should be checked and correctedagain. Particular attention should be paid tomaking sure the weight is still central, thebody is not leaning and the shoulders arerelaxed.

The Zhan Zhuangposture can be heldfor some time, one hour is a basic standard.

Any tension in the body willcause physical discomfort.Tension can be a particularproblem for beginners. Mostcommonly it occurs in theshoulders, especially if the armsare held at shoulder height. Partof the key to the posture isletting the skeleton do its shareof the work. The shouldersshould be back and relaxed sothat the weight of the arms istransferred to the collarboneand spine.

Once in the ZhanZhuang posture one shouldplace one’s attention on theDantien. The idea is to relaxand breathe deeply so that theQi can be felt circulating. Themore you practise the strongerthe Qi will become, and themore smoothly it will flow.Just relax, but stay alert.Meditation is not like going tosleep. Pay attention to thedifferent sensations thathappenand keep your attentionon the exercise. The mindshould remain focused and thebody still.

Zhan Zhuang primarilytrains the legs and the skeleton,

but it is also very useful for improving generalposture, sensitivity, and mentalconcentration. It is a powerful exercise fordeveloping energy and like other methods ofmeditation can be beneficial for stressreduction and health promotion. It shouldbe one of the most important componentsof daily training.

by Glenn Gossling.TocontactGlennemail Glenn@qimagazine.com

The meditative aspect of Taijiquan is known as Zhan Zhuang,which is commonly referred to as “holding” or “embracing the tree” inthe West. It is one of the best known of all meditation postures.

Qi Magazine 10

Sense or Senseless?

Perception and awareness are essential principles whichpractitioners of the internal arts need to develop from an early stagein their training. These characteristics are sensory in nature andoften mysterious to many beginners who have shut themselves offfrom the daily bombardment of modern culture.

T he senses need to beutilised within the three individualstrands of training (Jing Chi Shen)

in order to develop the practitioner intoa whole scholar of the arts.

Utilisation of the senses is a naturalphenomenon, fundamental to survival forall animals on this planet, humansincluded. Whilst our five basic senses arewidely recognised among westernsciences, many more senses occur amongstour animal precursors. Daoist arts arebased upon the observation of animals,including their sensory perceptions, andare traditionally expressed in the manyforms we practise.

Training the senses on a Jing levelbegins early in ourdevelopment. From our firstlesson, we are told to lookinside and feels internalversus external movement, todifferentiate muscle, tendon,fascia, ligament, and bone.

We must learn to feelour way into correct postureand alignment. The tendonline of the body and ourcentral equilibrium (ZhongDing) must be correct in order to developpower. Rooting and fullness must betrained to become heavy. The internalsensation of winding and folding must befelt in order to maintain connection (PengJing) throughout the forms. Thesequalities are difficult to obtain without theuse of sensory feedback. Our eyes tell uswe are straight. Our breath and pulses tellus we are heavy, and our nerves and skintell us we are stretched and counter-stretched. Some practitioners hear, feel,even taste the potential (Suu) of powerthey can develop in the form beforedischarge or Fajing.

In two person training we mustlearn to turn our senses outward, to

become sensitive to ourpartner’s or opponent’sJing. Learning to stickand adhere requires thedevelopment of thelistening skill. To avoidbecoming wooden wemust learn to quicklyprocess our sensoryinput so that we maychange in time with ouropponent or trainingpartner. Anticipation, anemotion, must beovercome in order toallow our mind to beempty and sensitive to

the feelings we are trying to evaluate. Thismay often time result in us losing at pushhands practice but investment in this lossteaches us that sensation is our guide, notour emotion. Following skill oftendevelops in relation to our ability tosublimate our ego. Some individuals findthis part of sensory training too high aprice to pay and consequently are unableto perceive the natural cycle of changesbetween Yin and Yang. It is only aftergreat investment in an empty cup, thatsensory experience begins to accumulateand we are able to trust our sensations.

Practising on an energetic or Qilevel, sensitivity must be used in order tofeel the circulation, pulses, and

transmission of energy through the body.The student must first learn how toidentify the feeling of the differentcentres of the body. They must be able tosink the Qi to the Dantien. Later theyshould learn the basic circulation or orbitsof energy movement. On a higher level,they may eventually learn how to feel themovement of energy along the meridiansof the body in time with the variousQigong exercises they perform. Thestudent must turn their senses inward toidentify blockages they may have due topoor alignment, injury, illness, or habitualbehaviour. They may also learn to feel andevaluate how the various emotions affectparticular organs and imbalance thesystem as a whole. Qi practice often usesthermal imagery by identifying thesensation of heat where the energycirculates freely and where blockage ispresent by lack of heat, for example coldhands or neck. Sight may also be used onchecking the hands for colour, meridiancontour, and even fullness

byJ.ReynoldsNelsonYoucancontactReyonJRN@qimgazine.com

Inte

rnalM

att

ers

“Only after greatinvestment are

we able to trust oursensations.”

Qi Magazine 11

Qi Magazine 12

Born in Korea, Master Hyunoong Sunim has devoted hislife to Zen Buddhism, becoming a monk at the age oftwenty. However, during his studies, he fell seriously ill.He then met a Daoist monk with whom he studied forthe next ten years. During these ten years, he lived alone

in the mountains, learning to rebuild his health through the Daoistexercises of Sun-Do and Chinese herbs. His Daoist Master also taughthimthe principles of the Yijing(I Ching), YinandYang, Five Elements.He learned also how to diagnose pre-natal weaknesses and illness ofothers by looking at their horoscope. From a person’s Four Pillarsor Ba Zi, he can recommend the type of diet and lifestyle they shouldadopt in order to avoid illness and increase health.

In his forties, he received an invitationto lecture in Switzerlandwhere he lived for a year. After this he came to America where he setup the Sixth Patriarch Zen Center in Berkeley, California. He nowholds regular classes in Zen meditation and Sun-Do and energyanalysis. It has taken time to understand the lifestyle and culture and

the needs of people in the West and he has adapted his teaching to suitthis, although the principles remain the same as what he studied.

I asked Master Sunim what had made him want to become amonk. He said that when he was eighteen years old, he began to seehow everyone’s lives seemed to be the same. They got married, hadchildren and grew old and then died. It did not seem very fulfilling tohim and he did not want to fall into that pattern. He started toresearch and see what others had done to see if there was some otherpurpose in life. He also began to read a lot about both Western andOriental philosophy, including Tolstoy and Nietzsche. His readingmade him see that although they were very famous that at the timesof their death, they were not happy people and he wondered how thiscould be. He saw that he could not therefore depend or base his wayof life on their teachings.

Later he went to visit a Buddhist monastery. He says, “Onthe wall was a sign that said, ‘Awakening is precisely the Buddha’.When I saw that, it suddenly gave me the faith and realisation thatbecoming a Buddha was something that I could do too. So at thatpoint I made the decision to discard everything else and just do this.”

I asked Master Sunim if he could tell us more about Buddhismand particularly Zen Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. Master Sunimsays that the basic fundamental purpose of Buddhism is the same inany of the Buddhist cultures but that it can differ according to theindividual and the degree of their faith. “In Zen the teachings of theBuddha, the Sutras and Precepts and actions and the behaviour ofthe Buddha is the mind of the Buddha. So Zen is seen as the core orfundamental seed of Buddhism because words come as a result ofthoughts that arise in the mind. So when the mind is correct,

automatically our behaviour becomes correct. This is why Zen isconsidered very important.”

His training as a young monk was rigorous and intensive.Sometimes he said practice went well but at other times it did not gowell. The monks would get up at three in the morning and go to bedat nine in the evening. He says, “When I first entered the monastery,

“With Zen the first thing theyteach you is about detachment, sowhen you apply this to yourDaoist training which follows,then there is not a problem.”

In the East, Buddhism and Daosim have co-exisited side by side for manythousands of years. Unlike attitudes in the West, a different school of thought is nottreated as a rival, it is just accepted as different. Some people have benefited from both

Buddhism and Daosim, and Master Hyunoong Sunim is just such a person.

Qi Magazine 13

I was a novice and I was given duties to do and that kept me very busy.I did not have time to think about anything else all day long. BecauseI was very intent on doing Zen practice, I was very delighted to be inthe monastery. Because I had felt that I had reacheda kindof limitationin society, come up against a wall, for me being in the monastery waslike paradise, to have the studies that were available. Even when theygave me a lot of work that was very difficult, I never thought of it asbeingdifficult.”

However, this intensity eventually led to him becoming ill.He says, “If I had really practised correctly, then perhaps that mightnot have happened. I realised that when my practice did not go wellor that it became incorrect that it was a result of my impatience, ofwanting to achieve my goal quickly. The Buddha is something thatevery human being has within them and if you canawaken to that Buddha within you, then you arefree in both body and mind. Free from

anxiety. Awakeningto that Buddhawas my goal and I was too much

in a hurry to achieve this. Sothat mind of wanting

to hurry,became

a great obstacle to my practice and it was thenmy health started to deteriorate. Then I met a very proper Zen teacherwho corrected my practice. But at that point my body had alreadybecome quite weak.”

He felt that he needed then to study alone and went into themountains of his homeland. It was then that he met the Daoist

master. Master Sunim entered a hermitage in the mountains where hefollowed a raw food diet, eating what could be found from the land.There were no phones, no electricity and it was very remote andisolated. After two years of doing the Daoist practices with his teacher,he saw a tremendous change in his health. His energy was revitalisedand he had very strong Qi. He says that he felt very confident that hecould accomplish anything. Having begun a new spiritual life inBuddhism and then turning to Daoism for healing his body, Iwondered if Master Sunim found any conflict within the twophilosophies and what he saw as the differences between the two. Hesays, “ In Zen, Zen is a matter of awakening to the truth we havewithin us. In Daoism, it is establishing and creating harmony, physical,spiritual and mental harmony and harmony with the energy of theuniverse so that one can live for a long time.”

“In Buddhism when someone has an awakening, then theydo not have any problems, but until that time it is very important toestablish good harmony, balance and health and that is where I feltDaoist practice is very important. If someone focuses only on Daoistpractice then they can become too attached to the idea of alwaystrying to maintain that harmony and balance within the body. Theybecome very focused on their health and maintaining that health.And that is a kind of attachment. Our human body is something thatno matter how healthy you may be and how long you may manage tolive, eventually it is going to die. So having that attachment to the

physical body is a kind of anxiety. In Zen practice, with Zenawakening, you become free of these kinds of attachments. But

I feel if you can practise with wisdom, that doing both is veryimportant.”

He continued to say, “I feel if someone does Daoistpractice first and then tries to study Zen later, it can be aconflict but I was able to do my Zen practice first and then

later Daoist practice and I was able to combine the twowithoutconflict. In doingthemboth,each practice benefited

the other. If someone

practicesDaoism first and then they try to do Zen, then

they tend to approach the Zen through a Daoist style. What I meanby that is that they have already developed that attachment that canhappen in Daoist practise. With Zen the first thing they teach you isabout detachment, so when you apply this to your Daoist trainingwhich follows, then there is not a problem.”

I wondered if some Zen followers usedthis idea of detachmentfor allowing the body to become unhealthy. “This is a very goodquestion and is a very incorrect type of thinking in Zen practitioners.In Zen the true teaching is not to ignore the body. It teaches that youmust take care of your body but in doing so, not become attached toit. The same thing applies if you have money. It does not mean thatyou should not have money, but you should learn detachment fromthat money. If you have money and you spend that money in a waythat your mind is not attached to it, then you can use that money andstill be free from it.”

Following any spiritual path can be difficult, however, in theWest, particularly in America there are many temptations, more thingsto buy, to eat, and to see. I wondered how well received are his

“With Zen the first thing theyteach you is about detachment, sowhen you apply this toyourDaoist training which follows,then there is not a problem.”

Qi Magazine 14

teachings and how he himself has adaptedto living in America. “Because there is sucha highly developed materialism here andpeople get involved in those things, as aresult American people tend to live veryunhealthy lifestyles. So this makes me feelthat what I have to teach is something theyneed even more because of that. For myself,I do not feel tempted by the material thingsthat are here.” He had not thought aboutbecoming a teacher when he began histraining, however, he has learned manythings from this experience. He says thathe had many problems of his own then.“But through my own practice, a lot of myproblems began to resolve, through thatprocess I began to understand other peopleand their problems. That is when I realisedthat it was important to teach this to otherpeople. I feel that if I had begun this practicewith the idea of teaching it, I doubt that Ireally would have studied it correctly.Because that can be a kind of greed.”

Not everyone has the opportunityto separate themselves from society andjoin a monastery. I asked Master Sunim ifthis was necessary in order to obtain thefull benefits of Zen Buddhism. He says, “Ifeel that if you meet a very correct teacherthenit isnot absolutely necessary to separateyourself from society. I feel the mostimportant thing is that you have faith. Forme it means faith that I could awaken totruth and transcend my suffering. Onereally has to awaken to the fact that humanbeings are living in suffering and so thatcreates a limitation. Only when one trulyrecognises that can they really practisecorrectly. But even though that is true,human beings do not really realise oracknowledge that. This is the first step.”

I wondered whether or not thatpeople have the feeling that they have tosacrifice too much, i.e. becoming avegetarian, not marrying, etc. Master Sunimsays, “I think feeling as though you have togive up or sacrifice something, is verydifferent from truly recognising that the lifewe lead causes suffering. That recognitionis very different from the idea of sacrificingsomething.”tobecontinued...

TheinterviewwillbeconcludednextissueinwhichSunimwilltellusmoreaboutenergy

analysisandhowthisunderstandingofourownbirthelementscanhelpprotectourhealthand

enrichour relationships.

Special thanks toJaGwangwhosepatienceandspecialunderstanding has allowed the ideas and

thoughts of MasterHyunoong Sunim tobesharedhere socompletely.)

byJessica Blackwell

Qi Magazine 16

Zhuang Gong studied the insect and was impressed bythe martial efficiency of the mantis’ fangs. Later heordered that weapons be forged similar in shape to the

insect’s fangs. His soldiers, armed with these weapons, werecalled mantis soldiers.

Inspired by the praying mantisThis legend is only one of the stories circulating

in China. According to another story the founder ofTang Lang struck up a friendship with the abbot of aTaoist temple in Shandong after a fight. Both of themtogether created the Tang Lang system. There are atleast five other legends but all of them have one themein common: whoever founded the system was inspiredby a praying mantis. In one version the mantis fightsagainst a cicada while in another it puts a snake to flight.None of these legends can be proved historically, in factthe origin of Tang Lang Quan lies in the dark. Dependingon the region and style, one or another of the legends isfavoured.

Who is “Wang Lang”Even the person Wang Lang is subject to a variety of stories.

For instance, Wang Lang is not supposed to be a name but just tomean “young sir” and he is supposed to have intentionally createdconfusion. According to manuscripts by Tzue Xue-Shan (around1900) and Lian Xue-Xiang (around 1830) and literature by masterChan Pui from America the characters, though pronouncedidentically, were mixed up so that the name Wang Lang meaning“cheerful man” became the title Wang Lang “young sir” .

There is no historical record of when Wang Langactually lived. On the one hand he is said to have lived

Legend tells that Zhuang Gong (king of the state ofQi, 770-476 bc) was journeying to the provinceswhen his attention was called to a particularly largepraying mantis (Tang Lang).

Legends Around

Boxing“Many masters

practising ‘pure TangLang’ are very reservedand some have taken theirknowledge to theirgraves.”

Qi Magazine 17

around 1650AD, on the other hand his life is supposed to date backto the Han dynasty, about 2000 years before that time. In the regionof the Laoshan mountain range (Shandong province) Wang Lang isequated with the person of Yu-Chi (around 1750) who wasconsidered to be the Robin Hood of Shandong and fought againstthe government for its suppression of the poor local population ofthe Laoshan mountains. Yu-Chi organised a group of rebels anddistributed all the booty of their campaigns to the poor. This madehim very popular but he had to escape into the mountains and soughthelp from a monk. To flee his pursuers he agreed to disfigure his face.He was indeed not recognised and survived. In spite of Yu-Chi’snoble fame researchers in China doubt that he was Wang Lang. So,who was Wang Lang in reality?

The original technique of Tang LangIt is considered confirmed that Wang Lang himself did not

develop any forms but only individual methods for arm movementsand steps. However these contain all the principles

of Tang Lang Quan. Subsequent generations linkedthese “original techniques” into forms and addeda variety of forms using weapons from otherdisciplines. Over time, up to 100 formsdeveloped depending on the style practised.“Pure Tang Lang techniques” should always beclearly visible in the six main forms which aretaught in nearly all existing styles. The

traditional forms include:Fan Tze, Da Fan Tze,Xiao Fan Tze, Beng Bu, Lanjie, Ba Zhou, Zhai Yao.

Every school and style choose theirindividual forms. Other popular forms are: Tow Tao,

Bei Yuan Tao, Bei Yuan Tzu Dong, Mei Hua Lu, Mei Hua

Quan, Shi Ba Shou and others. “Originally only pure Tang Langexisted, but due to different interpretations, the system was modifiedso strongly in some cases that hardly anything remained of the originalTang Lang Quan”, says master Sun Shi-Kang, the direct descendentof the Hao family. The number of the 12 original principles expandedfirst to 16 and then to 20 following a meeting of a great number ofTang Lang masters in the 1940s.

Recognised main stylesThe following are the recognised main styles of Mantis

Boxing: Xi Xing Tang Lang (seven stars praying mantis), Mei Hua

Tang Lang (Plum Blossom Tang Lang) and Liu He Tang Lang (SixHarmonies Tang Lang). Over time up to 40 styles developed.

Hao Jia Tai Ji Mei Hua Tang Lang QuanMaster Sun Shi-Kang is a direct descendent of the Hao (Huo

He) family, the keepers of the Mei Hua Tang Lang tradition. Thetraining methods, forms and interpretations of family Hua’s Mei HuaTang Lang are based on sound written and verbal records going backas far as Lian Xue-Xiang and further.

The heirs of the Hua family strive to maintain the authentictradition of Mei Hua Tang Lang and founded a research society someyears ago whose published results are generally recognised.

According to these Tang Lang Quan spread from the townsof Layan, Haiyang and Huang Xien to Yantai, Qingdao and Dalian.Many aspects of the history and spreading of Tang Lang Quan areunknown even in China. Many masters practising “pure Tang Lang”are very reserved and some have taken their knowledge to their graves.

The most famous Mei HuaTang Lang family

Probably the most famous Mei Hua Tang Lang family is theHuo family (Hao Hé). They live in the province of Yantai/Shandongand learned the plum blossom Tang Lang from Zao Zhi-Lu and LiangXue-Chiang. Huo Lien-Yu’s second son was born in 1887 and giventhe name Huo Hung-Lu. Huo Lien-Yu taught the boy Tang Lang andHuo Hung-Lu became an expert in the art besides having greatqualities of character.

When he was 22 years old Hung-Lu was called to Peking towork as a Kung Fu teacher in the army. However, he did not like themilitary structure and withdrew quickly from the army and hisposition as instructor.

Founding of the first Kung FuSchool in Mu Ping Xien

Back home Hung-Lu made himself a name as a fighter andteacher. Around 1920 Zhang Xian-Wu (general of the East of China)became aware of Huo Hung-Lu. After becoming friends they foundedthe first Kung Fu school in Yantai, then called Mu Ping Xien, together.During this time the name Wushu (fighting art) became Kuoshu(national sport). Consequently they called their school Mu Ping XienKuoshu Kwan and it became a great success. Gradually Huo Hung-Lu became friends with Mei Hua master Gi Tzung-Ting who was astudent of Jian Hua-Long.

These two experts exchanged their experiences and opinionsand spent many years researching into and deepening their Mei HuaTang Lang. Huo Hung-Lu had his son Huo-Pin trained by Gi Tzung-Ting. He himself concentratedondevelopingthe essential forms (ZhaiYao) and became an unbeaten Mantis boxer.

Weapons from other schoolsand systems are integrated

In the area of martial arts with weapons Huo Hung-Lu becamea master of the sword. Since Mantis boxing had not developed itsown weapon forms these were taken from other schools if they wereof a high standard. For instance, the sword was taken from Buddhistschools (Shaolin-Damo-Jian) and Taoist schools (Wudang andHuashan) to be integrated into Mei Hua Tang Lang.

Huo Hung-Lu’s status in society grew in accordance withhis reputation as a fighter and a person of high integrity. Finally hewas appointed an advisor to the provincial government. When hisschool had reached its height of success he passed it onto his sonHuo-Pin.

tobecontinued...byGerhardMilbrat

“Many masterspractising ‘pure TangLang’ are very reservedand some have taken their

knowledge to theirgraves.”

Qi Magazine 18

On Sunday, 25 April 1999, over 10,000Falun Gong followers joined togetherand silently surrounded the compound

of Beijing’s Government leaders, Zhong NanHai, and began to meditate. The reason forthe demonstration was reportedly inresponse to an article that appeared in anacademic journal published in Tianjin thatwarned people of the dangers of cult groupsin China. The cult, known as Buddhist Law,is led by leader Li Hongzhi, who now residesin the United States. It has been estimated

that he has more than 60 million followersin China alone, 4 million more than theCommunist Party.

Li Hongzhi was born on 27 July 1952at Princess Peak about fifty miles from thecity of Chang Chun in the province of Jilin.However, records show that he had hisChinese identity card altered to show thathis birthdate was instead 13 May 1951. Inthe lunar calender, this is the eighth day ofthe eighth month of the year, which is theday that people traditionally honour as thebirthday of Buddha. His family was quiteordinary and when he was four years old theymovedto ChangChunCity. His family called

him Xiao Lai. He did not go on to study atUniversity but joined the Chinese Armyinstead. After his sojourn in the army, hebecame a security guard at a local oil factoryearning a small wage.

It was during the eighties that hedecided to visit his sister in Thailand. Hestayed there for one year. Upon his return,he proclaimed himself to be a saviour ofmankind and created Falun Gong. He alsobegan telling people that when he was fouryears old, he was passed the tenth generation

high level Buddhist skill by the monk, QuanJue. He also said that when he was eight hehad reached a high level of Buddhism. Hesaid that when he was twelve years old helearned Daoism from the Daoist Baji ZhenRen. He says that he also met the high levelDaoist Zhen Dao Zi who was from Chan BaiShan. His continues to say that when he wastwenty-two years old he had twenty Daoistand Buddhist Masters travel to visit him topass him their skill.

However, a reporter from NextMagazine visited Li Hongzhi’s mother whosaid that it was not true. She continued on tosay that she saw how he grew up and it was a

completely different story to the one he tellspeople. She said that she never saw thesepeople and that his growing up was nothingspecial. The reporter from Next Magazinealso visited some of his co-workers at the oilfactory where he used to work. The workersthere said that they had never seen him studyor practise. They also said he was very quietbut a little bit strange and stubborn. Someeven said that when he returned fromThailand that he began to teach in the factory.Some of the old workers who studied withhim were interviewed. They said that theydid not find what he taught was very specialand so they stopped. Also, they knew hisbackground and how he grew up.

In 1994, Li Hongzhi returned backto his home town from Beijing and began totell people that the universe would explode.He said that the time of the earth’s explosionwas controlled by him and that he would usehis energy to delay thishappening for anotherthirty years. He has also been quoted assaying that there are aliens on earth and thatthey intend to replace all humans with clones.

He also said that the Chinese leader,Jiang Ze Min and his aide Li Peng invited himto visit them and asked him to do anythingthat he could to delay this explosion. He waspurportedly told that this was his duty.Eventually Li Hongzhi left China, sayingthathe would have problems there if he stayed.It has been said that despite all the profits hehas made through the sale of his book andtapes, (reported by New York Times to bein the millions of dollars), that he owes taxto the Chinese Government. He is quotedas saying, “I do not even take a penny. Hesaid that he only made 2,000 RMB for hiswriting.” His book, however, has now beenbanned from being published in China andin 1996, the Chinese Qigong ScientificResearchAssociationalso hadthe FalunGongname removed from its list.

Li Hongzhi said to the reporter thatFalun Gong is not a religion and nor is it areligious style. The reporter went on to askif he was a saviour, “I never tell the studentsto treat me like a God. I always tell mystudents, I am sitting in front of you as acompletely real person.”

FALUN GONGThe information for this article has been amalgamated from Hong Kong’s

Next Magazine - Issue 478 (7 May 1999), Times Magazine (10 May 1999), TrueBuddha News Weekly – Issue 220 (6 May 1999) and an article which appearedin the New York Times on 30 April 1999.

Qi Magazine 19

Of course not every single studentdevelops in exactly the same way andwith the same attitudes, but overmany years of training and teaching

I have come to recognise a general patternthat I am sure will be familiar to manyinstructors. These phases are common formartial art students regardless of style andhave been recognised by many martial artistssince martial arts training began.

The primary phase of martial artstraining is characterised by a general feelingof uncertainty and insecurity. There is ageneral nervousness that often surfaces as fitsof frustration, misplaced egotism and evendoubts about the style and the instructor. Asany previously held ideas or beliefs arereplaced by new ideas and concepts, so thestudent incorrectly reasons that any previoustraining or knowledge is worthless. Theirmind is in turmoil believing that they havepreviously learnt nothing.

The secondaryphase develops along withthe student’s newlyacquired skills. As the

student replaces their emptiness with afullness and meaning, a sense of pride andachievement grows. An air of certainty and apositive attitude is apparent in their manner,practice and conversation. The student nowstates their opinions confidently andconfirms those opinions by appealing to thelogic of their listeners.

The tertiary phase develops slowerthan the first two as the student realises thattheir knowledge is only superficial and thatthey must now train harder to refine andperfect the techniques. At this stage thestudent becomes quieter and more amenableto discussion and debate, their mind is openthough they never lose sight of their idealand goal. At this stage an interest intheoretical matters often develops.

Throughout the fourth phase thestudent is torn between two extremes,sometimes feeling confident and sure of theirdirection, other times they are insecure and

lost as to the way forward.This is a very trying anddifficult time for thestudent; they are locked inan inner conflict trying to

attain mastery overthemselves and their body. Thisis often make or break for moststudents, their forms (katas)become either excellent or awful,they begin to take notice of theirfriends and fellow students,listening to their advice with keenears and are easily influenced andmisled. Confidence can easilyebb to an all-time low.

The fifth phase sees thefirst dawning of understanding,

appreciation and true confidence. Thestudent has, if they reach this level, attaineda little direct wisdom in their training. Theybegin to believe in their practice and that theyare finally on the correct path. The studentbecomes much more dedicated to theirtraining, and becomes interested inresearching the style and its history.

The sixth phase sees a growth inconfidence and ability. Now the student isprobably assisting the instructor to teach theclass, perhaps even teaching their own smallclass. Unfortunately they often believe thatthey have finally attained “the way” andbecome satisfied and often somewhategotistical. The danger is that they oftenmistakenly believe that they need no furtherguidance or instruction. In their physicaltraining this may, perhaps, be true, in otherways it is far from true. Fast and powerfulattacks, defences and counter-attackspredominate here, alongside the desire to be“the best” and their emphasis is usually uponfighting ability. This is when many students“go it alone”, driven by the desire to“educate”others and convince others of theirskills and knowledge.

By the seventh phase an exceptionallyhigh standard of practice, knowledge andunderstanding has been attained, their innerstruggles, turmoil and egotism have beenresolved and their direction and ideals areclear. The path to achievement of the highestand subtler levels of martial arts practice havefinally been appreciated and understood. Thestage is now set for true learning andprogression. Clarity of purpose and directionis apparent and an accomplishment andunderstanding is seen. By now a true teacher(Sifu/Sensei) has evolved with the ability todisseminate techniques and to explain themphysically, scientifically and theoretically insimplistic terminology. They have nothing leftto prove to themselves or others, beingdriven neither by ego nor financial reward.They teach honestly and openly, training withtheir students and not on them.

The final phase is beyond anyclassification; its holder has a command oftheir inner self, a peace and harmony that isreflected in their teaching, training andlifestyle. They are truly “at one withthemselves and their art”. They can know,understand and assess a student by talking tothem and can judge their potential by watchingthem. They are respectful of others and arerespected by all that know them, setting theexample that others wish to follow.

For me, my Sifu, Ip Chun, is such aman

byShaunRawcliffe

Psychological Stages of the

Martial ArtsOnce a student begins training in the martial artsand progresses through the system, they pass throughvarious psychological and physical phases.

“Many are driven bythe desire to convinceothers of their skills.”

Qi Magazine 20

I can honestly say I do not know theanswers to these questions. However,since practising Qigong, I know that my

philosophy and outlook on life has changed.I am sure that getting older and more maturehas also shaped my thinking as well. Whenwe become older, we look at thingsdifferently and have different priorities thanwhen we were 18 or even 28. When we areeighteen, getting a job or furthering oureducation is a big priority. So is having funwith friends and family. It is also a time whenwe are interested in dating and socialising ona more intimate level.

As young people enter theirtwenties, many will get married and someeven will begin a family. This is like theanimals in nature and follows the cycle ofbirth, maturation, and procreation.However, many choose to delay gettingmarried and having families till muchlater and instead concentrate oncareers. Many couples findthat havinga child is too time consuming and feelthat it will stop them from enjoyingmany of the things they like to do.There are so many more choicesnow than there were for ourparents and grandparents beforeus and sometimes these choicescause more confusion and strifethan they do happiness.

There is a higher divorcerate than ever before, inEngland, in America and evenin China. Dating has becomemore like a wine tasting. If youdo not like your current one, thereis a different bottle to try next time.There is the temptation of so many varietiesof wine all packaged so nicely that instead ofhaving our appetites satisfied, they becomeover stimulated and we want to try more andmore. You can also say we have become moreselfish in this quest for personal satisfaction.We care less for building a relationship andmaking it last than for pursuing a taste ofsomething more delicious.

It is inevitable that this leads peopleto think more of the outward qualities, asthese are what we usually see first, than ofwhat is inside of a person. I was told a storyabout a couple that had been married for over30 years. During that time, they hadseparated due to the man being unfaithfulwith another woman. However, they seemedto drift back together over the next few years,perhaps because they had the commoninterests of children and time. Then, hesuddenly found that he had cancer and hadto have an operation to remove it. His wife

stood by him

through the time in the hospital and was thereto take care of him when he was released.Unfortunately, there were complications andhis condition became worse. He even had astroke which left him paralysed and unableto communicate. Now, his wife, not hismistress, is caring for him day and night. Ido not repeat this story to put blame on himor elicit pity for her. I repeat it because I

think that this shows a deep love that hasborne both good and bad times. Theirrelationship was not perfect and had manyscars.

Too often we only think about thesweet and not the bitter. However, you canonly keep eating the sweet so long before itbegins to have its effects. I remember onceat Christmas time making some chocolatecandy and it wasso delicious that I kept eatingit. Every time I passedby the kitchen, I wouldhave a taste and this continued for three daysuntil it was finished. By the second day, ithad already begun to lose some of its

specialness and by thethird day, it tasted funnyon my tongue and mytummy began to hurt.Eating too much sugarcandamage our teethandour spleen and cause thebody not to function atits best. By the token, inlife we need the badtimes as well as the good,as the bad times make usboth stronger and wiser.

Maybe there isno such thing as foreverlove in today’s societybut I think that we aremeant to do something

more than just be pleasure seekers. I thinkthat our time here is also a test of how weovercome difficulties and how we treat otherpeople. Change is constant as we individualsare constantly changing. However, that doesnot mean we should not be kind to othersand try to help them. If we are so focusedonly on pleasing ourselves, on chasingentertainment, we miss a great deal of living.We should learn to balance our lives andfollow nature. Accept that there is a time weshould step aside and rest ourselves and besatisfied.

byTseSihnKei

emailSihnKei@qimagazine.com

Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s it all about? Why arewe here?” I have often thought about these questions. Is it just tohave a good time and pursue pleasure and happiness? Is it to makea lot of money and become wealthy? Is it to have children so thatour family name and bloodline can be continued?

Life

Tra

inin

g

What is it for?

“Maybe thereis no such

thing asforever love

in today’ssociety.”

Qi Magazine 21

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“For the serious

pracitioner!”

Qi Magazine 22

Principles of

WildGooseQigong

Thoughts of Grandmaster Yang Meijun collected andpresented by her son, Chen Chuan Gang. Translated by Michael Tse.

(Grandmaster Yang Meijun:) I have beenteaching Wild GooseQigong now for many years and I have come to see many of mystudents grow to be healthy and have good skill level and good heartsas they practised. There have been many people to support WildGoose Qigong over the last several years and even the Chinesegovernment has examined the form and accepted it as a healthpromoting style of Qigong.

Many people want to prove that Qigong exists and is goodfor health. In the beginning, when I first opened the Dayan skill, Iwas asked by the Chinese Qigong Research Society to take part insome tests. They did many scientific tests. One was to test my brainpatterns. Internationally renownedphysicist, Dr Qian ChuanGang, doingthe testing said that the waves comingfrom my brain were abnormallystrong and powerful, stronger thanordinary people by six times. They didmany other tests as well and at theend they were all convinced that Qiwas very real and that Qigongimproved one’s human potential.

Aboutthe Wild Goose Qigongsystem, it is very profound andunusual. Many of our ancestors havespent their entire lives developingtheir Qigong level. No one knows

exactly how far their potential developed. Even me, now over 100years old, I am still learning. It is only in the past twenty years thatinformationabout Wild Goose Qigonghas been written down. Beforethis, knowledge was passed down by word of mouth from teacher tostudent. It was the same with myself and my teacher, (GrandmasterYangMeijun’s grandfather, YangDe Shan).

Wild Goose Qigong does not only consider the principle, italso considers the method. It is concerned with 108 acupuncturepoints and all the channels and organs in the body. Every singlemovement has more than one meaning and application. So if we justtalk about principle, it is not enough. It must be principle and methodtogether. All the principles are there, inside the movements andmethods. So every single movement of the Wild Goose Qigongsystem must follow the principle. The more we practise, the higher

the level of skill. The higher level ofskill, then the more you understand theprinciple.

(NB from translator MT: Thismeans that when people begin to studyWild Goose, then they do not reallyunderstand the principle. They justpractise what they have learned. The morethey practise the more healthy they becomeand then they start to realise theprinciple.)

Everybody understands theskill in a slightly different way, notexactly the same. The more youpractise, the more you understand the

Qigong is a very complicated subject. Over its long history, many generations ofmasters have enriched it with their own experiences and wisdom. Wild Goose QigongSystem is very large and covers a great many things. In this exclusive article GrandmasterYang Meijun shares her thoughts with us.

Master Chen Chuan Gang with his mother Grandmaster Yang Meijun

Qi Magazine 23

A posture from Dayan Fist

Qi Magazine 24

principle. However, everytime you develop to anotherlevel, you understand theprinciple in yet a differentway than you did before.Again, when you progress toanother level, you will see theprinciple with a deeperunderstanding different thanbefore. And the more youpractise, the more you findthat you start from thebeginning again. The morehigher level person does notknow what level they are up

to, but when they need theskill, the skill will come.Benefits of Dayan Qigong

Now I would like totalk about a few points aboutWild Goose Qigong. Thereare five points which we needto follow:

1. The first pointis that regular practice can heal a lot of obvious illnesses. The longeryou practise, any hidden disease will be brought out and these toowill be healed. Then you can live a longer and happier life.

2. The more you practice, if you are ill then you willrecover. If you continue with your practise then the illness will notcome back again. If you are not ill then you can avoid even cancer,heart problems and other incurable diseases.

(NB: Note from translator: this means that as the immunesystem of the body becomes stronger, then your body can avoid thesame problems.)

3. Concentrate on practice and balance the emotions. Inthisway, whenthe emotions are inbalance, then your sky-eye potentialwill develop. You can begin to see energy and you may even have thepotential to diagnose other’s illnesses. Someday you may even develophealing potential.

4. Regular Qigong practice will open the channels in thebody and so the Qi will flow smoothly without interruption. The Duchannel will be opened and the Qi will be stronger and is stored in theDantien. The body becomes like a balanced universe in whicheverything is functioning in harmony.

5. Keep practising Qigong, particularly the first 64movements of the Wild Goose Qigong. At night do the meditation

and empty the mind. If you do this continually, you will reach thehigh level.

The Spirit and the Body Combine Together to Become One,Seven Points Opened

Mind and Qi combined together is the principle of bothBuddhism and Daoism. When we use the principles of Buddhism andDaoism it does not mean that we study these. Buddhism only concernsitself with emptiness and nothing is important. Taoism principle takesus to a point of emptiness or nothingness from which something oranything is possible. Actually, this is similar to Dayan Qigong trainingwhich trains the YuanShen, which meansoriginal spirit. DayanQigongalso trains the seven points: eyes, ears, nose, tongue (saliva) andmouth. The eyes are the spiritual point. The ears are the sound point.The nose is the smell point. The tongue and mouth are the tastepoints. There are five organs and seven points. These are the essence

of the Dayan Qigongtraining.

Dayan Qigong isbased upon movement todirect the energy. It does notuse the mind to direct theenergy. However, during themovements, the spirit willjoinwiththe movementsandthe Qi will develop.

Movement withoutrelaxation will never developenergy. However, when youconcentrate on themovement, at the same timeyou will develop the eye

spirit. Before we begin any movements, we stand relaxed with theeyes looking straight ahead. Either you look further out or close, itdoes not matter, as either will open the channel of the energy. Theenergy from the eyes will begin to connect with nature. Eyes arevery powerful. When you look forward, it creates the energy field,so the Qi can go through the top of the head. When the top of thehead is opened, then the Qi can come in through the body throughthe Baihui point. When looking forward, do not move the eyesaround, then the eye spirit and the mind spirit will come together.

You should have no distracting thoughts to disturb you. Yourmind should be calm and the body relaxed. When the Baihui pointopens, Qi will come down from the heaven through the Du Channelto the base of the spine. The Shenshu points will then open at thebase of the kidneys. When the kidney Qi is open, the earth Qi willrise up through the Yongquan points in the soles of the feet to meet

“When looking do notmove the eyes around,then the eye spirit andthe mind spirit willcome together.”

Practising Qigong

Enjoying his mother’s Birthday party

Michael Tse & Chen Chuan Gang at GrandmasterYang Meijun’s Birthday party

Qi Magazine 25

together in the Dantien. The energy fieldwhich is created by the earth Qi and theheaven Qi will create an energy fieldaround the whole body. So when youpractise Wild Goose Qigong, you cangather the Qi very quickly. However, somebeginners never concentrate on the eyespirit. They look around during practiceand do not concentrate on the movements,and the Qi will be lost. Therefore, theirQigong will never develop properly andbe high level.

The tongue is connected with theupper and lower channels. We always sayto let the tip of the tongue rest against theupper palate duringpractice. The whole areaof the upper palate is the energy area whichconnects with the tongue. The upperchannel runs fromthe upper palate throughthe front of the face, along the nose andpast the sky eye and on to the Baihui point.It travels down to the Yamen point at theback of the neck all the way down throughto the end of the spine, to the Wuiyin point.The lower channel runs from the upperpalate all the way down from the chin, tothe middle of the neck to the middle chest(Ren Channel) and then to the lowerDantien. From here the energy then flowsdown each leg to the Yongquan points inthe soles of the feet.

In regard to the nose point, weshould breathe naturally during practice.When the energy field is created, thebreathing will be very deep and gentle.Sometimes, the breathing will be veryobvious and other times it may feel like ithas stopped.

(NB: Note from translator: Whenthe breathing is very obvious, it is becausethe body is releasing negative energy. Whenthe negative energy is released, the breathingwill become quieter and the body will beginto open and energy is taken in through thewhole body, not just the nose, but throughthe skin and pores. Obvious breathing isvery natural and also is a sign that the Renchannel is open.)

The ear points are for listening tothe poem of the form you are practisingand so all the Qi will flow to together.

(NB: Note from translator: Everyform in the Dayan Qigong system has apoem to help us remember the movements.Usually when we begin to study, we thinkabout the poem before we start. So the earsalso relate to the mind, spirit andconcentration on what you are doing. Youshould not be disturbed by other soundsduring practice. This is the higher level ofthe ear function when practising WildGoose Qigong).tobecontinued... translated by Michael Tse Practising the North Pole Sword

Qi Magazine 26

he Dao itself is very hard to put into words. The Dao De Jing says,“Dao can be talked about, but not the eternal Dao. Names can be named,but not the eternal name.” In part it can be thought of as the hiddendesign behind the flow of Qi, as well as the flow itself. It is ultimatelyunknowable, but its manifestation can be experienced. It has sometimes

been translated as the Way, the Path and the Meaning.Daoists try to live in harmony with the Dao through trying to understand

its laws. They allow themselves to be guided by its will (through their intuition)and are energised by Qi flowing through them. This state of being is called WuWei.

The purpose of art in Daoism is to experience the Dao. The Daoist painterHseih-Ho wrote that art should manifest “the life movement of the spirit throughthe rhythm of things.” It needs to express the spirit of the Dao – to be flowing,spontaneous and suggest impermanence (as all is in a state of flux) and to createharmony through the balance of Yin and Yang elements. To achieve this theartist needs to sacrifice his own self-interest – thoughts of how the work “should”look, or thoughts of reward – and allow the Dao to manifest through him. Hismind needs to be still and empty of all self-important concerns. For an artist to

Daoism asserts that there is a mysteriousmeaning giving energy which flows through allthings. This energy is called Qi. It vitalises andnourishes all things. Qi is in constant motion,through the interaction of Yin and Yangelements in nature which continually act tobalance each other. Each element is, therefore,part of deeper harmony.

Qi Magazine 27

be receptive to the Dao, he needs to live in harmony with it.Otherwise, he is regarded as “a blocked flute through which noair could pass.”

Daoist art came into being around the Six dynasties period(265-581 AD) and flourished in the Tang and Sung dynasties(616-1279 AD). Landscape painting and calligraphy were themost highly regarded art forms.

Landscape paintings attempt to evoke the Dao in nature.The painter Tsung Ping wrote that landscapes “both have materialexistence, and reach out into the realm of the spirit.” Landscapepaintings are known as mountain and water pictures as theseare almost always depicted. Mountains were thought to be thedwelling places of the Daoist immortals (perfect beings). Theywere seen as a bridge between heaven and earth. There are storiesof immortals ascending from mountains into heaven or enteringparadise through slits and crevices. Water is an important Daoistsymbol as it flows like the Dao, following the path of leastresistance. In this way it represents Wu-Wei, the ideal state ofbeing for man.

Mountains are Yang and water is Yin. The scene is oftenshrouded in mist, giving a feeling of the cosmic spirit passingthrough things. If figures appear, they never dominate thelandscape but are at one with it, part of a greater whole.

Another common theme in painting is bamboo. Bamboois seen to representthe ideal man in thatit is upright, strongyet yielding in thewind, and stays greenin winter. In otherwords it remainsstrong, dignified,humble and constantthrough allconditions.

Artists did notaim for perfectlikeness but tried tocapture the Qiflowing in what theyrepresented.

Hovelaque writes, “Imitations only reproduce a deadform no longer animated by any living principle; they are onlythe thing produced, not the elusive spirit which produces.”Perhaps to avoid focusing on the external appearance artistswould not paint at the scene of the landscape. Rather they wouldvisit it, attempt to become one with it through feeling thepresence of Qi flowing in it, and then later in their studio try tocapture the energy they had witnessed.

The act of creating is really a process of meditation,entering into harmony with the Dao. Chung-Tzu writes, “thepainter takes off his clothes and sits cross legged”. In otherwords the painter empties his mind of superficial concerns andenters into meditation. Ching Hao, a tenth century artist, wrotethat Qi is produced “when the artist’s mind does not interferewith the free movement of the brush and thus spontaneouslyproduces the picture without fear”. The ideal is to be able toexpress that which manifests in one’s mind at the same time as it

“Qi isproducedwhen the

artist’s minddoes not

interfere.”

Qi Magazine 28

manifests, without intellectual intervention. Paintings were donein ink on porous paper or silk, aiding spontaneity andencouraging a flowing rhythm.

Techniques could resemble those of action painting.Chen Jung, a 13th century magistrate and artist was known tospit water, spill ink and make marks with his cap before workingwith a brush.

A characteristic of Daoist paintings is the presence ofempty space. Emptyspace serves to drawthe viewer into thepicture, encouraginginner experience. Itis said in Daoismthat it is emptinesswhich makes thingsuseful, just as it is theempty space inside aroom, a vessel or ashoe that makes ituseful. Inneremptiness is requisitefor receptivity to theDao. It is out ofemptiness that the Dao manifests. Chung-Tzuwrites, “to a mind that is still the whole universesurrenders.”

Empty space can be seen to represent thespiritual realm (Yang) which unites with thematerial realm (Yin) in a painting, so bringingharmony.

Calligraphy is well suited to Daoist aimsas it is done spontaneously and has a flowing,rhythmic nature. Like in painting, ink is usedon porous paper or silk. What is written is ofsecondary importance. What is important is theQi flowing in the writing. There are no fixedways that characters “should” look, rather, theindividual spirit of the calligrapher is valued.Calligraphy is perhaps a purer Daoist art formthan landscape painting, as in painting there is anarrative element while in calligraphy the focusis more on the Qi in the forms.

The creative process is the same, the artistneeds to become a channel for Qi to flowthrough him. Alan Watts writes, “If you hesitate,hold the brush too long in one place, or hurryor try to correct what you have written, theblemishes are all too obvious. But if you writewell there is at the same time the sensations thatthe work is happening all by itself – as a riverfollowing the lines of least resistance, makeselegant curves. One can see how there is a philosophy of livingin this creative practice.”

There is also a Yin-Yang interplay in calligraphy with eachstroke creating new Yin-Yang relationships until harmony isreached at the end.

Calligraphy became important in Zen (Zen being anamalgam of Daoism and Buddhism). In Zen, the stage of astudent’s spiritual development can be assessed by seeing howpurely Qi flows in their work.

Daoist philosophy is also important in craftsmanship.Daoist craftsmen try to work in harmony with whatever materialis being used. They carve along lines of least resistance, respectingthe natural flow in an object, rather than just imposing design

onto it. They too work from an attitude free of the self-importance, allowing the Dao to flow through them.Chuang-Tzu tells the story of a master craftsman whowould, before starting work (in this case on a bell stand),spend a week quietening his thoughts by fasting so that allthoughts of praise, reward and his own bodily concerns wereforgotten. Concentrating only on the bell stand, he went

into the forest andintuited which treeto use and how tocarve it throughbeing at one withit, free of self-i m p o r t a n tconcerns.

MiniatureDaoist paradiseswere a commontheme in carving,invariably ofmountains. Theseallowed citydwellers, especiallyofficials, tocontemplate theDao away from thenatural landscape.There are stories ofDaoist magicians,like Xuan Jie, whocould makethemselves verysmall and jumpinto the miniaturelandscapes and soenter paradise.This can be seen asa Daoist lesson inart appreciation. Ifone humblesoneself (becomessmall) by letting goof one’spreconceptions

and intellectual concerns, one may feel the Qi and deeperharmony in the work, and so connect with the Dao (enterparadise). The act of viewing is one of active participation –attaining the right attitude and entering the flow of energy. Itis a spiritual exercise, offering insight into the nature of reality

byNikoBarnes

“They workallowing theDao to flowthrough them.

Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan

Qi Magazine 30

38. Brushing WingsI. Relex the two arms, but keep the

hands over the liver and spleen, abouttwo inches away.

II. Flutter the right palm in anti-clockwise motion to liver area threetimes. Then rest at the liver area. Fig128.

III.Flutter the left palm in clockwisemotion to the spleen three times.Then rest the left palm at the spleenarea. Fig 129.These movements are for giving Qi to

both organs, left side for the spleen and rightfor the liver. Fluttering the palms to theseorgans also releases the toxins from themwhich is why we circle the area from insideto outside. The Qi goes from the Laogongpoints, to the Qimen point (LiverChannel), the Jingmen point (Gall BladderChannel and which also relates to thekidneys), Riyue point (Gall BladderChannel) and Zhangmen point (LiverChannel andwhich also relates to the spleen).

39. Brushing the armsI. Lift up the right arm with five fingers

closed. Bring the hand up to the Qihupoint. Fig 130.

II. Roll the whole arm forward.Meanwhile keep the fingers at theQihu point. The eyes look at theelbow as it is rotated forward threetimes. Fig 131 - 132.

III.Lift up the right arm and repeat themovement. Fig 133 - 135This movement is for opening the

shoulders and the joints on the arms, likeJianjing point (gall bladder channel),Jianyu(Large Intestine Channel), Jianliao point(Triple Warmer Channel),Binao (LargeIntestine Channel). These acupunturepoints will be openned when the arms isrolling and the fingers touching at the Qihupoint.

40. Shake the wings andwash the chest.

I. Relax the two palms and keep theLaogong points to the Qihu points.Fig 136.

II. Flutter the palms passing the Qihupoints, going down past the Daimaipoints and down the legs to theankles. Come back up to the Qihu

Fig 128 Fig 129 Fig 130 Fig 131

Fig 132 Fig 133 Fig 134 Fig 135

Riyue Point

Zhangmen Point

Qimen Point

Dayan Gong 2nd 64part 8

Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan

Qi Magazine 31

points again. Repeat a total of seventimes. Fig 137 - 138.Fluttering the palms we make the the Qi

go through the chest and repreating it seventimes will smooth the Ren,Chong, Stomach,Liver and Kidney channels. This releases thenegative Qi and old Qi from the chest. Thismovement is also good for people who easilyfeel sick and depressed.

In the Wild Goose Qigong system thereare many movements which are repeatedseven times and this is because seven (fromthe Yijing) relates to the heart and kidneys.

41. Stretch the wings andwash the head

I. On the seventh and last repetition ofthe last movement, rest the hands infront of the forehead with the Hegupoints to the Taiyang points. Fig 139.

II. Then rotate the head anti-clockwisethree times, with the movementcoming from the waist. When doingthis movement, do not let the head gotoo far down, not below the waist.Hands stay in the same position. Fig140.

III.Having finished three circles (Fig 141),rotate the head in clockwise directionwith the hands etc the same as before.Fig 142-143.The head is a very important part of the

body that should be clear and light.Rrotating the head opens Dazhui, Fengfupoints (Du channel), Dazhu, Yuzhen points(Urinary Bladder Channel) and Fengchipoint (Gall Bladder channel). Thus we donot have headaches and migraines.

Fig 136 Fig 137 Fig 138 Fig 139 Fig 140 Fig 141

Fig 142 Fig 143 Fig 144 Fig 145

Jianliao Point

Binao Point

YuzhenPoint

FengchiPoint

Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan Gong 2nd 64 Dayan

Qi Magazine 32

42. Close up the wings.I. Close five fingers and slowly drop the

hands to the Dabao point (Spleenchannel). Than rest the hands there.Fig 144.When the fingers touch the Dabao points

this clears the Spleen channel and opens themiddle warmer area, from middle Dantiento lower Dantien, which covers the liver,spleen and gall bladder. It can also balanceall the Yin and Yang channels.

43. Flying upward.I. Relax two palms, then raise the hands

with fluttering movement up abovethe head. Fig 146.

II. Open the hands out and down (Fig147). Then quickly, with a flickingmotion bring them into the Dantien,at the same time stand on your toes.Relax the hands and let your heels dropto the ground. Repeat seven times intotal. Fig 148-148a.

III.After the seventh time, close fivefingers and touch the Daimai points(Stomach Channel). Fig 149.Fluttering upward helps clear the

channels from the body to the head andmakes the body lighter and the mind clearer.When the movement goes down the Qi willgoes down to the ground. So heels drop tothe ground. Yongquan point (KidneyChannel) will be more open. The last partof the movement touching the Daimaipoints relates to the lower warmer. This areacovers from the lower Dantien to Wuyinpoint (Du Channel) and includes theKidneys, Intestine, Urinary Bladder organsetc.

44. Point to the sky.I. Opening two palms and lift them up

to the chest. Left over the right.Laogong points to Qihu points. Fig150.

II. Turn the palms out. Right hand up andleft hand down. Right palm turns tofinger sword closing the thumb andsmall finger. Other three fingers arestraight. On the thumb theShaoshang point (Lung Channel)touches the Shaochong point (HeartChannel) on the small finger. Eyeslook at the three fingers. The left handrests on the side of the waist with the

palm facing down and Hegu point(Large Intestine Channel) to Daimai(Belt Channel). Meanwhile the rightfoot steps forward. Fig 151.Humam being live between the heaven

and the earth. So when pointing to the skythe body will connects with its Qi to balanceour internal Qi. We become part of natureso our illness will be balanced and the Qiwill be strong.

When the Shaoshang point connects withthe Shaochong point it makes the Heart andLung Channels strong. The three fingers upto point at the sky means Heaven, Mankindand Earth all become one. We become partof the universe which is a Daoist principle,it means following nature.

Fig 146 Fig 147 Fig 148 Fig 148a

Fig 149 Fig 150 Fig 151

ShaoshangPoint

ShaochongPoint

Qi Magazine 33

Alcohol Addiction & TCM

Trad

ition

al

Ch

inese

Me

dicin

e

A reasonable amount of drink leads to acomfortable social life. This especiallysuits the British climate – where a lot

of the days are rainy and cloudy, it isimpossible to do outdoor activities all of thetime.

A proper amount of drink is alsobeneficial for good health, for example,arthritis (due to the invasionof “damp cold”),heart problems or poor blood circulationare all eased with an appropriate amountof alcohol.

However, over drinking andaddiction to alcohol not only costsa lot of money, it can also cause a lotof problems, both physically andmentally. For example it can causestress, headaches and rashes. All ofthese problems can affect work andlifestyle and can even lead to the break-up of marriages. If someone is addictedto alcohol, they usually lose self-controland this can make their life a misery.

If youare addictedto alcohol, youare advised to find a qualified ChineseMedicine practitioner. He/she willbe ableto help you get rid of the addiction andimprove your general health and qualityof life.

I have been practising in the UKfor nearly ten years and have treated alot of alcohol, drug and nicotineaddictionwith highly successful results.Here, I would like to describe a typicalcase history for you.

A lady of 32 years of age wasmy friend’s sister and worked inGreece as a nanny. Just beforeChristmas 1998 she had to come backto the UK to stay with my friend. Shehad been told she did not have long tolive due to heavy drinking which hadcaused liver failure.

The first time she came to see me wason 4 February 1999. She had been drinkingheavily for five years. She drank five bottlesof spirits and smoked forty cigarettes a day!She had severe pain around her liver area anda cough, bringing up a lot of green phlegm.She also suffered from headaches, sinus

problems, hot flushes and very dry itchy skin.She also perspired a lot and had severepalpitations. Her heart rate was 102 beats perminute and her blood pressure was 167/140mmHg.

Initially, I gave her acupuncturetreatment to stop her drinking and smoking.After 30 minutes, when I had finished thetreatment and checked her blood pressure

again, itwas

151/121 mmHg, and her heart ratewas 81 beats per minute. I prescribed a specialherbal tea for her to take for two weeks.

She came back on the 18th ebruary,two weeks later. This was the 11th daywithout any drink at all. She said her smoking

had reduced to twenty cigarettes a day. Sheexplained that after the acupuncture, she feltvery relaxed and more balanced. There wasno pain around the area of her liver, herheadaches had gone, the palpitations werebetter and she had little sweating. Thecondition of her skin was better and she didnot feel hot and nervous anymore. However,she still felt anxious and ate a lot more, whichshe did not like. Her blood pressure was100/83 mmHg and her heart rate was 60beats per minute.

I gave her another acupuncturetreatment and prescribed herbal pills for

anxiety. Also, I gave her some herbaltea to regulate her digestive systemand to suppress her appetite.

Two weeks later, on the 4th

March, she continued to feelbetter and reported that theherbal pills were good forrelaxation. After theacupuncture, she felt morebalanced again and her bloodpressure was 100/60. Ingeneral, she felt a bit tired andfelt she could do with moreenergy. Her smoking was

downto fifteencigarettesa day. Herappetite had calmed down and she had

lost some weight. I prescribed anotheracupuncture treatment and she continued totake the herbal pills for anxiety, together withother herbal pills for improving her energy.

Her last visit was on the 18th March1999. She came to say she felt good and hadno drink at all. She did not enjoy smokingand had only two cigarettes a day until then.I gave her another acupuncture treatment toconfirm the treatment and she had two weekssupply of herbal pills (for anxiety) to takeback to Greece with her, when she startedwork.

At Easter time, I met her sister andshe told me how glad she was to see her sisterback to being a normal, healthy person again.

byDrShulanTang

emailShulanonShulan@qimagazine.com

To “go for a drink” is one of the most popular social activities in theUK. Young people start to drink as soon as they reach the age of eighteenand a lot of people only see their friends regularly in the pub. A friend toldme how he went to work abroad and that a year later, when he returned, hefound his friends at the same time in the same pub.

Qi Magazine 34

Book ReviewsInside StoriesOf The Forbbiden CityVarious Author s£4.95 Inc p&p

It can be interesting to hear the morepersonal details of history. Inside Stories ofthe Forbidden City is a collection of storiesfrom various authors who describe eventswhichtook place inthe ForbiddenCityduringthe Ming and Qing Dynasties. The storieshave been researched from both official andunofficial histories so often the stories havethe flavour of a gossip more than fact.

There is the story of EmperorChenghua who had a child through thescheming of his nurse, Wan, who was“intelligent and sharp witted and knew howto carry favour with the throne”.Unfortunately for her, her son and heir tothe throne died as a young boy and so shelost her position as “queen mother”. Out ofrevenge, Wan forced other concubines toabort their pregnancies or killed themaltogether. However,she was unable to dothis in the case ofLady Ji, a librarian inthe Imperial Court.One day Chenghuapassed by her workingand was so capturedby her beauty that heinvited her to be hiscompanion for thenight. The result oftheir one nighttogether resulted inher falling pregnant.When Wan heardabout it, she was veryangry andwasgoingtohave her get rid of thepregnancy. However,one of the servantslied and said it was only a growth and so thebaby was secretly born and given to a womanoutside the palace to raise. Not even Lady Jiknew that her child still lived. Wan suspectedthis but could never find the child so thatshe could have him killed. This is but one ofthe twenty five stories in this compact andeasily read book.

Treatment OF CommonDiseases WithQigong TherapyXue Yuan £6.95 inc p&p

It is one of thosebooks that does not look likemuch but sometimes weoverlook the knowledge thatcan be found in simplicity,thinking that the morecomplicated, the deeper theknowledge. Professor LiXiangminghasstudiedQigongfor over thirty years and outof his understanding ofDaoisim and the body, hecollected a series of exercisesand ways of thought called theThree Treasures SupremeHarmony Qigong.

Although I havetried the exercises andcannot vouch for theireffectiveness, I enjoyedhis chapter on HealthPreservation and

Longevity. There are few Qigong books thatdiscuss cultivation of the spirit as well as thebody. He says, “Speak less to save Qi; watchless to promote hearing. Ask less to cultivatetemperament; think less to protect the heart.Gain less to preserve essence. Move less toreplenish the mind.”

Some readers may find it lacking as itis without photos or illustrations of the

exercises. Also, some beginners to Qigongmay find it confusing to follow hisdescriptions as he makes numerousreferences to acupuncture points as guidance,

even though he doeshave a simplifiedchannels andacupuncture chart inthe appendix. Benefitsof the exercises areincluded along withrelated references fromold classics on Daoism,Buddhism and others,including the YellowEmperor’s Classic soone can chooseexercises that pertainto their condition.

The secondsection of the bookgives detailed

Boo

kR

evi

ew

True stories are often more unbelievable than fiction. Whenyou read one of our new selections, you will find this was verytrue in old China. Also up for review, a book on the fascinatingtopic of Qigong therapy.

information on which acupuncture points tobe stimulated in the cases of various diseasesand illness, to include problems with thenose, ears and eyes. This section along witha chapter on Qigong healing and use ofChinese Magnetic balls may be of particularinterest to those doing energy work orhealing. I would recommend this book tothose interested in Qigong, acupuncture orhealing or for practitioners in these fields

byJessicaBlackwell

“Out of revenge,Wan forced other

concubines to aborttheir pregnancies or

killed them.”

Qi Magazine 40

You can say this subject is easy. You cansay it is difficult. Generally we haveChinese and Western palmreading, two

different styles, but I am sure there are morethan that. Some are popular and some are notbecause every culture in history has its ownway of reading people before they knowsomebody.

There are so many ways to readpeople, one is palm, one is face, one is theperson’s attitude and their body size. Otherways are through their eyes, the colour oftheir aura and even high level skill of bonetouching. Palm seems to be one of the mostinteresting and so it seems agood thing to talk about thistime. Palm reading can belearnt by yourself becauseyou can buy a lot of bookswhich are available. However,my suggestion for reading allof these books is not to trustthem 100%, otherwise youwill get confused. Everybodyhas their own way and someare similar and others arevery different. Actually, thisis the way it should be aseveryone should havedifferent opinions for palmreading.

This is because through palm readingthere is only a certain percentage of thingsyou can learn from this physical evidence.There is also the mental side and this is muchharder to learn. This is the intuitionpart.Therefore, some peoplewillneverget it rightbecause they only believe what they see onthe hands and the knowledge fromthe book. They lose the feeling andthe message of the hand itself andlose the feeling from the person aswell. The higher level of palm reading, apartfrom the knowledge you know, is yourintuition and what you think, particularly, thefirst instinct. I remember once somebodyshowed me their palm and when I looked atit. I said to the person, “The image I see is

you sitting on a bench with a sword overyour leg. Behind you there is a large clocktower.” And they said, “You can seesomething like that from the palm?” I saidthat I did not know but that is the messagethat I received from his palm.

Another time, when looking at theirpalms, I asked if his girlfriend had just hadan operation and he was quite shocked that Ihad been able to see this from his palm.Actually, I did not see it in his palm, but Ireceived the message from my mind when Itouched his hand. I know that when wepractise Wild Goose Qigong our sky eye

develops.My teacher, YangMeijun, talksabout this many times. The more you studyQigong, the more your sky eye will open.Some people will see the Qi, steam, the auralike a double shadow, even colours. The skyeye is not only about what you can see, but

Palm Reading

Many people ask me about palm reading so I think it is good toshare some of this knowledge with you. However, the knowledge I havecomes from my Qigong, my experience and traditional Chinese palmreading skill.

about receiving messages. The message isabout what the energy is, about the past,present or even future. Sometimes I am rightbut other times I am completely wrong.Wrong because it is the imagination and acase of the energy not being clear. It can alsobe a case of someone lying to themselves.That is why there are so many phoney people,but there are also some very genuine peoplewho have true abilities.

In the beginning, before doinganything, first calm yourself and sink yourenergy to the Dantien for fifteen or twentyminutes in the meditation attitude. This wayyou will not be disturbed by other energy

and your mind will be calmer. To read aman’s palm, look at the left hand first.For a lady, look at their right palm first.Now take the person’s hand in yourown and ask yourself how you feel.Usually, your first instinct is the right

one. If you feel that this person isvery gentle or very stubborn,

powerful, weak, any of these thingsmay come out. This is theirpersonality.

Also, you can check from thehand, a gentle person will usually havea soft hand. A stubborn person’s hand

will be stiff and find difficult to evenrotate their wrist. A weaker person may

have cold, slender hands with more lines.The hands could also be pale because of

not enough blood. A person who ispowerful will usually have thick

hands that are warm and full ofblood. An ill person will havecold, bony hands and you caneasily see their veins in theirpalm. It may even be yellow or

brown in colour. If they are healthy,their palm will be full and an even red

in colour with shiny nails. Their hand shapewill be even and natural. There are manyother things as well but we will talk aboutthese in the next issue

byMichaelTse

“Take the person’shand. Usually, yourfirst instinct is theright one.”

Qi Magazine 41

aijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

24 Step Simplified TaijiquanThis form of simplified Taijiquan was created as a means to promote Taijiquan to the

general public. It has been promoted throughout China and the world by the Chinesegovernment, and is now practised by millions of people.

Fig 108 Fig 109 Fig 110 Fig 111 Fig 112 Fig 113

Fig 102 Fig 103 Fig 104 Fig 105 Fig 106 Fig 107

Fig 114 Fig 115 Fig 116 Fig 117 Fig 118 Fig 119

Fig 120 Fig 121 Fig 122 Fig 123 Fig 124 Fig 126

Qi Magazine 42

aijiquanSimplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

TaijiquanSimplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

Fig 127 Fig 128 Fig 129 Fig 130 Fig 131

Fig 132 Fig 133 Fig 134 Fig 135 Fig 36

Fig 137 Fig 138 Fig 139 Fig 140 Fig 141 Fig 142 Fig 143

Fig 144 Fig 145 Fig 146 Fig 147 Fig 148 Fig 149 Fig 150

Fig 151 Fig 152 Fig 153 Fig 154 Fig 155 Fig 156

Taijiquan

Qi Magazine 43

Simplified Taijiquan

aijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

Fig 156a Fig 157 Fig 157a Fig 158 Fig 159 Fig 160 Fig 161

Fig 162 Fig 163 Fig 164 Fig 165 Fig 106 Fig 167

Fig 162 Fig 169 Fig 170 Fig 171 Fig 172 Fig 173

The Names of the Movements

11 Single Whip. Fig 102 to 10612 High Pat on Horse. Fig 107 to 10813 Right Straight Kick. Fig 109 to 11414 Two Beaks Hit the Ears. Fig 115 to 11815 Turn the Body and Left Kick. Fig 119 to 12416 Left Single Squat Down. Fig 125 to 13117 Right Single Squat Down. Fig 132 to 13818 Going Through the Left and Right. Fig 139 to 14919 Pin at the Bottom of the Sea. Fig 150 to 151.20 Flash the Back. Fig 152 to 15421 Turn the body with a Straight Punch. Fig 155 to 16122 Like Sealing Like Closing Fig 162 to 16723 Crossing Hands. Fig 168 to 171 (Check)24 Closing. Fig 172 to 173

TaijiquanSimplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan Simplified Taijiquan

Qi Magazine 44

Aloe Veragel containsover 75knowningredients

ALOE VERA - The Inside StoryAloe Vera, often called the Miracle Plant, the Natural Healer, the Burns Plant, goes by many names which havesurvived the 4000 or so years during which this amazing medicinal herb has benefited mankind. George Ebers in 18B2first discovered its antiquity in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, dated 3500BC, which was in fact a collection of herbalremedies. Other researchers have since found it was used by both Chinese and Indian cultures.

Although there are over 200 species ofaloe, there are probably only three orfour with medicinal properties. Of

these, Aloe Vera Barbadensis (Miller) is themost potent. To benefit from Aloe Vera, thegel can be taken internally for its nutritionaleffect or it can be combined with otheringredients to produce topical creams andlotions to nourish and improve the qualityof the skin.

It works by providing a rich cocktailof nutritional elements whose combinedaction and balance produce a more powerfuleffect together than would be expected fromthe addition of the individual components.This is because they work as a team,enhancing each other’s effect - known assynergism. It also has adaptogenic properties,which means it is a substance which increasesnon-specific resistance of anorganism to adverse influences suchas infection or stress.

Aloe Vera, because of itsnutritional qualities and antioxidantproperties, helps firstly to preventinjury to epithelial tissues, andwhen they are damaged, itpromotes healing. (The largestepithelium is skin, but also includedare the lining of the gut, thebronchial tubes and the genitaltract.) Antioxidants fight thedestructive ’free radicals’, theunstable compounds produced byour metabolism and found in environmentalpollutants. They are thought to cause variousailments including some cancers as well ascontributing towards the ageing process.

Its natural anti-inflammatory andantimicrobial action combined within itsnutritional constituents promote cell growthand therefore healing. However, it is not onlyhelpful for people with problems; most peopletaking it report a greater sense of well being,calmer and less anxious, able to sleep better.

Inside an Aloe LeafAloe Vera gel contains over 75 known

ingredients which can be divided into thefollowing groups:VITAMINS: It contains a wide range, butthe most important ones are the antioxidantvitamins C and E and Beta-Carotene, the

precursor of Vitamin A. It is also one of thefew plant sources in the world of VitaminB12.MINERALS: These include magnesium,manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium,sodium, potassium and iron.AMINO ACIDS: The human body requires22 amino acids, the building blocks of proteinsand Aloe Vera gel provides 20 of them. Moreimportantly, it provides seven of the eightessential amino acids that cannot bemanufactured by the body and whichtherefore have to be consumed as food.SUGARS: These include the important longchain poly-saccharides which act on theimmune system to boost itseffect.ENZYMES: Lipasesand proteases which

break down food and aiddigestion as well ascarboxypeptidase that isinvolved in theinflammatory process.PLANT STEROLS: The threemain types act as powerful anti-infammatory agents.LIGNIN: This woody substance bestows onAloe Vera its penetrative ability to reach deepinto the skin.SAPONINS These are soapy substances thatexert a powerful anti-microbial effect againstbacteria, virus, fungi and yeasts such ascandida or ’thrush’.ANTHRAQUINONES: The mostimportant ones being aloin and emodin, butaltogether they are strong painkillers, and areacknowledged to possess anti-bacterial and

viruscidal activity. In their pure form, theyare very powerful laxatives.SALYCYLIC ACID: This aspirin-likecompound is anti-inflammatory and topicallyhelps to break down dead tissue.

Aloe Vera is not a panacea for all illsand there is no magic about it. It seems towork primarily in two areas – epithelial tissueand the immune system. This is largely backedup by anecdotal evidence, as many thousandsof people over the centuries have reportedbenefit for various skin complaints such aseczema, psoriasis, ulcers, burns, acne evenstings and bites. They have found relief forbowel disorders such as colitis, diverticulitis

and Irritable BowelSyndrome. Other

c o n d i t i o n sresulting from ad i s o r d e r e dimmune systemsuch asa r t h r i t i s ,asthma and ME(post viralf a t i g u esyndrome) andLE (lupus) have

improved after aregular ingestion

of Aloe Vera gel.Clinical trials in the

UK are now startingto ratify this evidence.

***Theaboveinformationis takenfrom

“HE FACTS”by DrPeterAtherton

MB. ChB. D.Obst.RCOG.MRCGP.

However, what ismost important is the quality and quantity ofaloe in the product being sold. Unfortunately,many products on the market labelled as ’AloeVera juice’ may contain only a small amountor proportion of the actual inner leaf gel. Ifin doubt look for the Seal of Approval of theIntentional Aloe Science Council. This is anindependent American regulatory bodywhich monitors the quantity and quality ofaloe in products. Ensure their Seal of Approvalactually appears on the container.

byChrisGenner

Qi Magazine 45

In the library at Dharamsala they weredressed for debate, mallas wrappedaround biceps, robes around shoulders,

arms free to gesticulate. The words ofShakyamuni Buddha had finally beencommitted to writing four centuries afterbeing spoken. So many words - fifty years ofteachings compressed into eighty volumes ofscripture. The patriarchs debatedphilosophical disciplines and such matters asthe relative karmic consequences of killing areal person or of killing an imaginary person.“Enough,” declared the rebel, Bodhidarma“How can we gain merit picking to piecessuch unlikely situations?” “Then how are wesupposed to understand the scriptures?”, saidthe Rinpoche, the one aware of his previousincarnations. “Dhyan. Meditate. Just do it,”replied Bodhidarma, gathering his robe abouthim, crossing his legs into lotus and gazingat the foot of the wall.

Later he rose and walked through thesnowy Himalayan passes into Tibet, and theideas of the Buddha enlivened there withdemons and deities, dakhinis andbodhisattvas, sustained by hierarchicalmonasticism, entrenched in illusion, withform, ritual and ceremony. “For illusion toexist it must be observed, therefore theobserver exists”, he mused, “who must bejust as real as the illusion.”

Wandering east along mossy trails,he felt thoughts and words clouding themoment of clarity. “It is only my ownexperience that is real to me, as is our own toeach of us, as was his own to Shakyamuni.He tried to communicate this, but had to usewords. Can we do without words, empty themindof all experience?” “Or let go searching”,remarked Lao Tzu, asleep by the wayside.Bodhidarma stopped. “How do you know Iseek?” “You move, therefore you seek.Whatever it is, is already there. You know it,even if you cannot define or describe it. Doyoudance?” “Of course,” repliedBodhidarma,“what spiritual teacher doesn’t?”

ThePatriarch andtheCelestialMastercircled in stately rhythm, singing to the rockyhills.

Sang Lao Tzu: “Being in the ordinaryway, strolling through life, supremely atleisure.” Res-ponded Bod-hidarma: “Living

each day intensely, as if your hair were onfire!”

“Tis simple to understand but not toexplain,” trilled the Sage.

Bodhidarma slowed, a slight frowncreasing the fearsome brow. “The idea ofseeing your face before you were born isactually quite hard to understand and cannotbe explained at all.” “No understanding, noexplanation,” sang Lao Tzu, “No thought,no talk, just mystic quietism, dancing orworking, healing or fighting, loving orlosing, singing a song or sewing a seam,coming or going, yet always at home.”

“Ah,” Bodhidarma beamed “Mysticquietism-sitting inmeditation,contemplatingkoans.” Lao Tzu grinned as he hoppedaround a stone “Just sitting, just living, it’sall meditation. Beyond definition, beyonddescription, beyond using words to promotethe idea of no-words. Ch’an. Just do it. ”“Long speech” said the Patriarch. “You’regetting the idea,” said the Sage, mounting anox, “you only need words to heal, to comfortand to teach.” He sat still on its back as theox plodded away, calling over his shoulder,“let good fortune jump on you.”

Bodhidarma strolled into the risingsun, contemplating the moment of notthinking, of connection with reality. Whenyou start to think, he thought, you’re back inmind and the moment has become of thepast. Our lives are spent heading for thefuture, away from the past, while the presentslips by unnoticed. Our lives are spent. Wespend our lives. We spend. And yet to stopthe mind thinking is like asking the heart tostop beating. Is no-mind a philosophy? Isnot-thinkinga discipline? There must be moreto it than that!

He met the Yellow Emperor by wayof the Dragon Gate and asked him “Why arewe here?” “Are we here? And if we are, whynot? Do we need a reason? What reasoncould there be? To sit in meditation untilarms and legs wither? To pray to a god? Torenounce society or to live in society? Tolive right? What is right?” With a mentalshrug Bodhidarma gave up, and watched thedawn of subtle clear light and heard at last thesilent thunder: “Neither seek the truth norcherish opinions. Zen. Just get on with it.”

byChristopherLarthe

as a philosophical disciplineYou can say that

these people are suckingyour energy or even thatthey are psychic vampires,but they do not set outwith the intention oftaking your energy. Theyfeel better because theyhave gathered the goodenergy from you. You donot feel good afterwardbecause youhave takenthenegative energy fromthem. Of course, whenyou are very weak and thishappens, it may take a longtime to recover and mayalso affect your life as well.So it all depends on yourenergy.

I am sure thatthere are people who dotry to develop the skill totake other people’s energy.Usually they stare at youtrying to establish aconnection or maybe getsome personal belongingfrom you in order to dothe same thing. Then theyimagine taking yourenergy or making youweak or even ill. This willonly work if your energyis weak or you are easilyinfluenced. This will notwork if your energy isstrong, you practise a lotof Qigong and are healthyand balanced and yourmind is calm. On theopposite side, theythemselveswill be affected.

For instance, if somebody tries topush you but you are very strong, they willnot be able to push you over and they willwaste their own energy and may end upinjuring themselves instead. At the very least,they will be tired. However, if you are veryweak, and one of these psychic vampirespushes you, then you will be easy to pushover and be affected. It is similar to whensomeone is afraid of ghosts. The more youare afraid, then the more ghosts will come toyou because you create the ghosts. But if youare strong, then there are no any ghosts.

EditorialContinued from page 1

Qi Magazine 46

Wing Chun Footwork

Win

gChun

have a good stance and your posture is correctand therefore strong. This also allows youto relax more, use less strength to defendyourself, and at the same time allow you togenerate more power when attacking.

This all sounds very attractive, buthow do you do it? You may be surprised tolearn that this is actually trained whilst youare doing Chi Sau – Sticking Hands. This is apart that a lot of people miss. Chi Sau is notmeant to be a stationary exercise, or one

where you monotonously step forwards andbackwards.

Whilst Chi Sau allows you to developyour hand techniques and discover how touse them, it also does the same for yourstances and stepping. Once you realise this,

If you talk to any traditional Chinesemartial arts teacher, or read any articlesand stories about traditional methods of

training, the most common things you willfind are tales of how hard people trained theirstances and their legs. The reason they did itback then is still relevant to today’s students.Quite simply, your legs are your foundation,andwithout a good foundationyou will neverbe strong or steady enough to make yourtechniques work as they should and WingChun is no exception.

Training a good stance takes a lot oftime, patience and practice, but even thoughyou may have made your stances technicallycorrect and physically strong, the nextquestion is how do you use these stances andhow do you change from one stance/positionto another? This is where your footworkcomes in.

In Wing Chun there are threestances, Yee Chi Kim Yeun Ma, Jeun Ma andJun Ma. To link these stances up togetherthere are two methods of stepping, Bui Ma(Thrusting Step) and Heun Ma (CirclingStep). Training Jeun Ma also trains turningyour body 45 degrees and 90 degrees andthis is another important link in the chain.

Roughly speaking, Bui Ma, Huen Maand Juen Ma will be used in combination. Inthe forms all the stances and stepping aretrained separately and this allows you toexamine them and understand themtechnically. Although, if you only used themin isolation, you wouldfind that your Wing Chunwould be quite stiff andwould lack a great manythings, leaving you feelingvunerable and wonderinghow to cope with a greatmany situations. Thus it isvery important or shouldI say very, very importantthat you can move quickly, smoothly andtechnically correctly to different positionswith ease. When you can do this you will bein a better position to use your handtechniques, whether they be attacking ordefending. This is because at all times you

it is only a matter of attending to it. Forexample, when you first start Chi Sau, it isnatural not to move too much, andconcentrate on your hands. If you are told atthe same time to try and move your feet andwaist, you would become very confused, veryquickly. So at the start, you concentrate onyour hands. Your teacher and your seniorsshould be able to remind you each time youhave your legs too straight, or your feet toowide/narrow etc. so you don’t need to worrytoo much.

After a while, you should start toconcentrate on your legs and your footwork.A good way to do this is to repeat the samemethodology to your feet as you did at thestart, i.e. forget about your hands (or at leastdon’t worry about them), and concentrateon your feet.

A nice simple exercise to try:Use one hand, and changing from

either Tan Sau to Bong Sau, allow yourpartner to guide you in any direction byeither pushing on your arm, or pulling it.Your partner should not use too muchpressure as the exercise is designed to trainyour footwork, but as you get better, theycan make you move faster, or alternate thepace suddenly.

Your partner should continuallychange directions, going left or right,forwards or backwards etc. You should tryand follow his/her lead, moving at the samespeed and changing direction smoothly.Sometimes your partner can move only alittle, so you need only to take one or twosteps, or even just turn.

Try not to make it a fixed pattern, themore you can make it random the better.Your partner should tell you if you are makingmistakes. Be careful not to only step andforget about turning your waist. Once youfind you are quite comfortable, try to useyour new footwork skills in your Chi Sau.The difference it makes is quite marked. Asthe Chinese saying goes, “A journey of athousand miles starts with a single step”, orin our case a single step or turn

byDarrylMoy.

contact DarrylonDarryl@qimagazine.com

One of the least attended to aspects of Wing Chunis footwork. The problem is many people onlyconcentrate on their hand techniques and they forgettheir feet.

“Roughly speaking, BuiMa, Huen Ma and JuenMa will be used incombination”