SELECTION OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
JANUARY 2023 PART 2
Grandmaster Wong has not been sick for more than 50 years
Question 1
I just wanted to thank you for being the brightest of lights and the best of teachers.
— Warren, South Africa
Answer
It is great to receive your email.To be accomplished in the Shaolin arts is better than changing stones to gold by touch. At first I thought it was an exaggeration, but now I appreciate its truth. I learned it while teaching a person suffering from cancer more than 20 years ago. When there is chi, there is life. Of course she recovered from cancer.
Most people just practiced gentle, physical exercise, and they don't know it. I knew it when I was teaching, not during my students' days. Now more than 75, I can roll and jump on hard ground, and I haven't been sick for more than 50 years.
Chi kung and kungfu are very rare at present and also in the past. During the time of crucifixion, people paid with their lives.
I started to travel when my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, told me to do so. I was aware that the Shaolin arts might be lost within two generations, when many "masters" could not use their kungfu for combat, and when chi kung teachers did not know what chi (or energy) was.
Today we have reversed the situation. Many Shaolin Wahnam instructors are prepared to take over from me, though actually the number of Shaolin Wahnam family members are relatively small.
Any time you want to take up teaching, just tell me, and you will be appointed a Shaolin Wahnam instructor. Africa is the second largest continent after Asia, and there are certainly many people who like to take up chi kung and kungfu practice.
Anything you teach will be genuine kungfu and genuine chi kung. You need to pay me 10% of the fees you collect, but you need to pay me only when you have 20 paying students. You must charge high fees, and teach only deserving students.
Question 2
We have been in Sydney now for 3 months and I have a hidden memory which appears of a place that we spent time together. It's been a great 3 months although Caroline and I are back in lockdown again for the last week.
— Sifu Michael Agar, Shaolin Wahnam Melbourne
Answer
Sydney has been a great time when we were together. I like Circular Quay and Chinatown. Melbourne is also a great city.
Working with filmmakers is lovely, but you must have good supervision. Business is great though in recent times many business units are affected. By the way, Copthorne Hotel where we had our intensive courses is no longer functioning. It is indeed a pity.
Accomplished in the Shaolin arts (and Taijiquan is Shaolin) is better than changing stones to gold by touch. I learned this while teaching chi kung more than 20 years ago. A lady was suffering from cancer, and she recovered. Many so called "incurable" diseases are actually curable. I thought then it was an exaggeration, but now I find that it is a fact.
Good health is our greatest wealth. At more than 75 I can still run and jump, which is a great achievement.
Practicing chi kung daily is wonderful, but kungfu is even better. It is a good prevention against any disease, and gives us good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys irrespective of religion. Most people, however, practice gentle, physical exercise, and honestly imagine the art as "chi kung". Genuine chi kung is, and was, very rare.
At more than 75, Grandmaster Wong can role and jump on hard ground
Question 3
I understand that pre-natal chi defines the maximum lifespan of any person.
— Stefan, Austria
Answer
Pre-natal chi is the chi before you were born as a baby, and post-natal chi is the chi after birth. In modern times we call our pre-natal chi the genes or our DNA.
We must always be kind to our father and our mother even when there may be different opinions.
The Buddha has taught that even if we carry our invalid father or our invalid mother for 50 years, and we do that for 500 lifetimes, we have not repaid the kindness our father or our mother has done.
By practicing chi kung we can improve our post-natal chi tremendously, but we cannot change our pre-natal chi. For example, I haven't been sick for more than 50 years. Other sifus in our school are just as healthy and full of vitality.
There is a small range of scale of pre-natal chi. The IQ of a person who is dull may not be many points ahead in the scale of points of a person who is intelligent, or one who is sickly may not have be many points ahead from one who has good health. By raising a few points of the IQ, one may improve his intelligence or health. Practicing chi kung is a very good way to overcome this lack of intelligence or lack of health. A person can be both intelligent and healthy.
Question 4
Could you elaborate a bit more how the potential maximum lifespan of a person is defined?
Answer
Your sifu, Sifu Leonard Lackinger, is one of the best instructors I have known. It will be a great pity not to learn from him. His fees may be higher but the greatest wealth is good health.
Pre-natal chi may be generalized in Western terms as genetics and DNA. We are born with it.
High level chi kung can certainly improve our post-natal chi, but within certain limits it can also improve our pre-natal chi though it may not change it, like changing from a Negro into a Caucasian.
In certain life periods there are certain life expectancies. In other words, different people of different life periods, may live to a certain age. The present life expectancy is about 70 years, though some people may leave the phenomenal world at 50. Practicing genuine chi kung is a very good way to improve life expectancy.
A very good master may improve life expectancy, but he cannot change pre-natal chi. If a person's life expectancy is short due to accidents or other shortcomings, he cannot grow old practicing genuine high level chi kung. If his life expectancy is short, he cannot change his pre-natal chi, though he may improve his parents' chi at the time of conceiving or other factors.
We can improve but not change pre-natal chi
Question 5
These days I am doing the Shaolin exercises for the eyes.
— Javier, Spain
Answer
The Shaolin Eye Exercises are excellent. They have helped many people who wore spectacles to throw away their spectacles.
There is a special connection with my children. When they were small (now they are adults with their children), they were told by specialists to wear spectacles, but I told them to practice the Shaolin Eye Exercises. They did, and even now they don't have to wear spectacles, and their eyes are better than many.
Besides improvement in eyesight, there are many benefits. The concepts you have mentioned are some of these benefits. Your concepts are correct.
I would just mention two of the concepts -- mental clarity and depression.
You can have a little game with our Shaolin Discussion Forum, which is under Sifu Andrew of Switzerland. Cover the names of the posters of webpages, and guess whether the posters are students and instructors of Shaolin Wahnam or outsiders. You will find that you are mostly correct. Shaolin Wahnam students and instructors are caring and wise, whereas outsiders are confused.
Do you know why people in Shaolin Wahnam are not depressed? It is because they have a lot of energy. A well-known master mentioned that chi (or energy) should be focused at the dan tian (or abdominal energy field).
Some people mis-interpreted it and raised their shoulders, with the result that chi rose to the shoulders. Those who practice Shaolin Kungfu in our school have no problems, as they place their fists at the waist while performing the Horse-Riding Stance, thus "sinking" their chi to their dan tian. But those who practice Taijiquan may have problems. In some of my Intensive Taijiquan Courses, I asked them to hold their palms instead at breast level, thus helping their chi to "sink" to their dan tian.
Question 6
I would very much appreciate Sifu's opinion on this topic.
Answer
I would also like to commend upon the connection between the heart and the outside world. In Chinese the "heart" is what in English is often called the "mind". The connection between the heart and the outside world was activated by your friend who had suicidal thoughts.
I would like to appoint you as a Shaolin Wahnam instructor when you are ready. But please do not conflict with the other instructors. You will pay me 10% of the fees you collect, but you will pay me when you have 20 paying students. You are in a very rare position to give health and happiness to people.
When a person mentions "heart" in English, it is often referred to as "mind" in Chinese
Question 7
What is your opinion on Shamans and Shamanism?
— Robin Gamble, England
Answer
Personally I dis-favour "shamans" and "shamanism", and favour the terms "spiritualist" and "spirituality". Others may disagree. A shaman, or a spiritualist, deals with spiritual matters; and "shamanism", or "spirituality", concerns the spirit, soul or consciousness.
It is important to realize that spirituality is different from morality. My proverbial example is a black magician, who knows much about the spirit but is low in morals.
Smiling from the heart and always having good thoughts are two effective ways to enhance spirituality and morality. Smiling from the heart sets the heart free. In English, the "heart" often means the "mind" in classical Chinese.
Psychedelics are used as medicine and for spiritual insight. But they should not be mis-used. A black magician may mis-use them.
Question 8
What is your opinion of psychedelics for medicinal use and for spiritual insight?
Answer
The Buddha, Lao Tzu and Jesus were the greatest of teachers. They never advocated drugs as a form of spiritual development.
If you have any questions, please e-mail them to Grandmaster Wong via his Secretary at stating your name, country and e-mail address.
LINKS
Selected Reading
- Learning Kungfu as a Student
- Shaolin Eight Eye Exercises
- Why I Remain Undefeated in Free Sparring and Real Fights
- Taijiquan Treatise of Zhang San Feng!
- One-Step, Two-Step or Multiple-Step Chasie