SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
MARCH 2020 PART 1

Lifting Water

Lifting Water

Question 1

I have a question for you about the exercise "Lifting Water". In the Intensive Zen Course in Hawaii in 2014, you mentioned three components, using "Lifting the Sky" for quieting the mind, "Lifting Water" for strengthening the mind, and "Cosmic Breathing" for spiritual expansion.

In the case of "Lifting the Sky" with the method of focusing on the breath, I understand that this is the concept of focusing on the one to quiet the many, but how does "Lifting Water" strengthen the mind? When you speak of strengthening the mind, are you referring to developing the ability to quiet all of noisy thoughts at will, or something else?

— Sifu Molly Kubinski, Shaolin Wahnan Twin Cities

Answer

I can't remember whether I said that "Lifting Water" would strengthen the mind, but "Lifting the Sky" would quiet the mind, and "Cosmic Breathing" would be excellent for spiritual expansion.

Focusing on one thought which will lead to eliminating other thoughts is a very good principle in quieting the mind. Many spiritualists use this method, like focusing on a pebble or reciting a mantra. "Lifting the Sky" is excellent in this approach.

Any method to quiet the mind will also strengthen it. Indeed, a major problem with most people is that myriad thoughts come to their mind.

When I speak of strengthening the mind, I can refer to the ability to quiet all noisy thoughts at will. Actually, quieting the mind and strengthening the mind are two different processes. When the mind is quiet, the person will comparatively be able to work on thoughts that he is focused on. But strictly speaking, his mind is not necessarily strengthened. In other words, even when his mind is strong, if he has myriad thoughts coming to him, he will not be able to make good use of his strong mind.

A good way to strengthen the mind is to increase internal force. "Lifting Water", if performed properly, is a good method. When he has increased his internal force, presuming that his mind is quiet, he will be able to focus deeply on this chosen thoughts.

However, most people do not perform "Lifting Water" properly. This can be evident in many Taijiquan practitioners, or Taiji dancers, who have no internal force or depth of thoughts, as "Lifting Water" is an important pattern in most Taijiquan sets.

Question 2

Sifu, if I may ask, regarding the Wudang Sword in times past would a high-level master such as the Great Zhang San Feng have been able to fight another high-level master with a "sword of the mind"? Would it be possible to project his chi into a stick and use that effectively as a sword?

— John, Ireland

Answer

High-level masters like Zhang San Feng and Chee Seen could project their chi to their hands. It has been shown that by waving their hands they could send their opponents falling many feet backward. I am not sure whether they would use their projected chi like a sword; they probably did not want to hurt their opponents.

"Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground" from the Essence of Shaolin

Question 3

After the course, I performed the Essence of Shaolin Set on the rooftop of Kek Lok Si Temple.

Answer

The Essence of Shaolin is a wonderful course. It brings practitioners to the level of the marvellous, which even real master could not attain. You need only to know about 3 combat sequences well, and you will be marvellous. Actually I did not use these combat sequences; they are too sophisticated and give the opponent no chance at all.

These combat sequences were composed after much thought subsequent to my sparring with many opponents. The combat sequences are the result of Sifu Ho Fatt Nam's combat application, Uncle Righteousness' forms, and my deep thoughts. You only use them when necessary. Usually it is not necessary, yet you will be able to defeat other opponents, including masters and professional fighters.

Question 4

I am a student of Chinese medicine and have been undergoing acupuncture treatment from my teacher for a few weeks. The results have in many case exceeded expectation.

— Bjarni, Iceland

Answer

You have a very good acupuncture teacher and healer. Value her dearly.

Acupuncture is a very important aspect of Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is a complete art; it can overcome any illness!

But acupuncture is poorly practiced, especially in the West. Some acupuncturists use Western medical paradigm, and some just use appropriate acupuncture points to treat certain diseases. This is incorrect, yet many of these acupuncturists succeed though they usually treat diseases that are not life-threatening, like fatigue, back pain and anxiety. One can imagine how successful acupuncture can contribute to good health if it is practiced properly.

Western medical paradigm and traditional acupuncture paradigm are totally different. Using Western paradigm on acupuncture is like using English grammar on the Chinese language. In the Chinese language there are no singular and plural, no tenses, and no alphabet.

Instead of using stereotype acupuncture points to treat diseases, an acupuncturist should have a detailed diagnosis to find out what aspects of a patent's psychological and physiological processes are not functioning normally, and then insert needles to stimulate qi flow, or energy flow, so that the patient regain his good health.

Food

You can take any kind of food if your practice high-level chi kung

Question 5

My main concern, however, is how varied each session is. Sometimes I get miraculous benefit, but sometimes I seem to not feel anything. Sometimes, I seem to feel worse after a session than before.

Answer

Each acupuncture session may vary. Sometimes you may have miraculous results, but sometimes you may feel nothing or may feel worse than before. If you feel nothing, it doesn't mean that acupuncture is not working for you. It may be a plateau before some miraculous effects occur.

Feeling worse than before also occurs in Western medicine, and is sometimes called remission. In qigong (chi kung) terms, it is called "qi entering the oven", i.e. the qi from qigong or from acupuncture is pushing out all factors that cause the disease. In the process of pushing out the disease-causing factors, you may feel worse than before.

Question 6

I have heard that some acupuncture doctors tell their clients/patients to do or not to do certain things after a session like not showering or eating for an x amount of time before and after the session. My teacher doesn't seem to know about them, but her success rate as an acupuncture doctor and herbalist is very high.

Answer

High level acupuncture does not require abstinence, like not showering or eating certain food. Your acupuncture teacher does not require the abstinence. It is important that her success rate is very high.

I remember that some cancer patients told me that they should abstain from certain food. I asked them whether they had helped cancer patients recover. I have, and my success rate is also very high.

Lifting the Sky

Lifting the Sky

Question 7

Could you tell me more about these guidelines for patients before, during and after treatment and which ones you deem to be the most reasonable to inform patients about so that their progress/healing process is as steady as possible?

Answer

Follow the advice of your doctor, not what you think is best. But first, make sure your doctor is successful in treating the disease you suffer from.

To me the most reasonable guidelines are to follow my advice, including what and how a patient or student should prctice his chi kung healing, and what food he should abstain or not to abstain. If he does not believe in me, he should not learn from me in the first place.

Question 8

I have had similar experiences after practicing Lifting the Sky from your book, having once been completely free from symptoms for a whole day after practicing in the morning. I was disappointed, however, that sometimes I got worse after training which made me stop training for fear of further aggravating my problem.

Answer

Congratulations for having good results from my books. If you get adverse results, it can be due to your experiencing a plateau (like what I explained above) or your practicing wrongly.

Even if your results are good, you can save much time and money if you attend my Intensive Chi Kung Course. My fee for a few days of the course is not cheap; it is 1200 euros. You can read about the benefits of the course at The Unbelivable Intensive Chi Kung Course. If someone charges you 120 euros (which is one-tenth of 1200 euros) for a month, it is expensive if you gain no benefits.

If you have any questions, please e-mail them to Grandmaster Wong via his Secretary at stating your name, country and e-mail address.

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