The right state of mind

Learning to enter a Zen, or Chi Kung, state of mind is the very first skill you should acquire.  If you don't alter your state into a physically and mentally relaxed, quiet, focused awareness - then you will not receive much benefit from your practice, no matter what it is.  The head to toe relaxation taught through heart to heart transmission in our school will reignite your own natural ability to enter this state of mind.  This change in brain waves is essential to allow your bodies highest levels of cleansing and building abilities to get to work healing your body and restoring your inner Zen.

enhancing the flow

Entering the Zen state of mind brings our awareness back to our energetic body.  As we relax we become aware of the small movements that arise spontaneously and we welcome the increasing circulation with relaxed musculature, a relaxed mind and a joyful spirit.

In this state it is easy to release tension and stiffness as we allow our energy system to dictate the movement of our body for a few minutes allowing energy to flow to areas that are blocked.  This cleared energy is free to join our overall circulation and release unnecessary toxicity or nourish our cells - leaving us feeling peaceful and energized.  This is literally a way to enhance our built-in-system for healing and growth.

flowing stillness

When you relax and allow your energy to circulate and clear tension and blockage in your body and mind you will see how much easier it is to achieve that deep level of mental stillness and flowing energy needed to meditate at a highly effective level.

Meditating in the standing position can be surprisingly enjoyable and tremendously strengthening for your body as well as nourishing to your spirit.  Recharge your cells and your Self by maintaining a higher state of connection to a cosmic state of consciousness.  Develop peaceful energy and a compassionate heart.

 articles for Chi Kung Students

The History of Chi Flow

http://shaolin.org/chikung/chi-flow.html

Different types of Zen

http://www.shaolin.org/answers/sp-issues/zen.html

General Practice Information

http://shaolin.org/general/chuah.html 

One Finger Shooting Zen : The Treasure of Shaolin

http://shaolin.org/video-clips-3/shaolin/special-03/special25.html 

18 Lohan Hands

http://shaolin.org/chikung/18-lohan-hands/lohan02.html   

books

My Sifu writes so clearly about everything he teaches. His Clarity makes the translation of the Eastern Paradigm easily understood and experienced.

Find these and many others on Amazon and Kindle.

QUESTION 1

Sifu, can you please explain the difference between techniques, skills and results?

— Sifu Roland Mastel, SwitzerlandY

ANSWER

Literally thousands of thousands of people, not just in kungfu and chi kung but in all walks of life, have wasted years and also harmed themselves because they do not understand or appreciate the difference between techniques, skills and results.

They have wasted a lot of time because they wrongly think that once they know the techniques, they will get the results the techniques are said to bring. They have harmed themselves because they have practiced the techniques wrongly bringing them adverse effects, but they are unaware of it. The main reason in both cases concern skills.

Techniques are particular ways of doing things. "Lifting the Sky", for example, is a technique. Techniques are visible, i.e. others can see what the practitioner is doing. Most practitioners have the right techniques, but they do not have the required skills.

Skills are how well he performs the techniques to obtain the desired results. The main reason why many people do not have the desired results of "Lifting the Sky" is because they do not have the skills. Here the most important skill is to be focused and relaxed at the same time.

Results are the benefits he gets from performing the technique with the appropriate skills. But if he perform the technique wrongly he may have adverse effects. The main benefit of Lifting the Sky, and in fact of all chi kung exercises, is generating an energy flow, which in turn will bring good health, vitality and longevity.

Many people do not get these wonderful results even when they have the right technique because they do not have the chi kung skill of generating an energy flow. They perform the technique as gentle physical exercise, thus getting only benefits of gentle physical exe rise like loosening their muscles and joints.

QUESTION 2

How does this understanding benefit our students?

ANSWER

I shall enumerate the benefits in ascending order so that our students can see them more clearly.

Our students can avoid the big mistake thousands of other chi kung practitioners make. These other practitioners practice chi kung patterns as gentle physical exercise (and not as chi kung) for years but do not realize (or admit) that they do not enjoy typical chi kung benefits like good health and internal force.

Many instructors are sickly even after teaching chi kung for many years, and most practitioners do not have internal force. They mistakenly think that if they know the techniques, they will get the benefits. They do not realize they lack the necessary skills.

Our students get the desired results that practicing chi kung will give. They have good health, vitality, longevity as well as mental clarity and internal force which enable them to have better result no matter what they do.

Our students become very cost-effective. They attain better result in six months what most other practitioners may not get in three years -- which is actually a conservative estimate as many of these other practitioners will never get the chi kung benefits as they only practice chi kung patterns as gentle physical exercise.

This statement, thought true, will appear boastful to many other people who do not really understand what we are talking about (for example, they do not understand what we mean by performing gentle physical exercise and not genuine chi kung) and are not exposed to the benefits we enjoy.

Our students can apply the skills as well as the underlying philosophy they learn in our class to enrich their daily life, especially when we highlight these to them. For example, they have to be focussed and relaxed when practicing chi kung in class. When they have this skill, they will be more focussed and relaxed (than had they not learned from us) in their daily work and play, bringing better results.

Philosophically, they understand that it is often the difference of skills, not of techniques, that brings different results. A master and a student use the same technique, but a master has better result because he is more skilful. A salesman earning $10,000 a month and another earning $2,000 a month use the same sale techniques, but the former is more skilful. Understanding and applying this principle will enrich the students' daily life in many ways.