zen-bear

Right on with the potatoes! Also, to keep each breath cycle nicely balanced, after I exhale, let's say 60%, I hold the breath and finish counting the other "4 potatotes" to get to 10 potatoes before I inhale back to the top. Over the years, I've found that this bit of "retention" adds to effect of each breath control sequence.

Dear Fachao, No problem with jumping in with a question about Flying Phoenix practice. That's one of the purposes of this particular thread. Your question is a good one that's often asked by practitioners starting the Flying Phoenix system. Answers (these are from a draft of a forthcoming book I on the Flying Phoenix Qigong System; I figured I might as well use it now since addresses your question: A. Simply with a lot of practice, you'll gain greater confidence and mental comfort that you are exhaling the correct percentages of your breath capacity per each exercise's breath control sequence. You just have to do them a lot and on a regular basis. In the beginning, you just estimate the percentage exhalations and just "go with best approximations." B. This is how I get my beginning students qigong comfortable with the FP breathing sequences: "Calibrate" each inhalation and exhalation of the deepest breath you can take into ten equal parts: First concentrate on taking very deep breaths, quietly and smoothly, (through the nose and with tongue touching the roof of the mouth, of course). Once you do this for a few minutes, and feel that you are breathing your deepest, fullest breathes, you then count "fit" ten even counts into each exhalation cycle--e.g., by mentally counting to yourself "one potato, two potato, three potato...ten potatoes" through each exhalation (and also inhalation). Once you're able to mentally calibrate each exhalation into ten equal parts (by counting "1 thru 10 potatoes") you'll find it's very easy to exhale a discreet 40%, or a 70%, or a 90%, or 5%--and not have any doubts about the "accuracy" of your % exhalations. Example: Let' say you want to exhale 60% of your lung capacity and then 40% of your long capacity: you take a deep inhalation, exhale through a count of "six potatoes" and hold your breath. Then inhale to the "top", exhale 100%, and inhale 100%. Then exhale as you count "1 through 4 potatotes" and stop, etc. Note: Everyone's breathing process is different; no one has the exact same tidal volume (lung capacity) as another. But because the % exhalations are are relative to one another and to one's breath capacity, they always effective. Good luck with your practice. Sifu Terry Dunn

Hi Sifu Garry and Bill, I knew there was one of your postings I wanted respond to but had forgotten about over the holidays...but I finally back-tracked and found it. Yes, regarding mudras: There are a couple of what you might call Taoist "mudras" used in the basic standing exercises of the Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Chi Meditations--e.g. the exercise called "Monk Holding Peach" (with breath sequence -- 90 50 40 20 10). And if you want to be really technical about it in the yogic sense, what I call the "tile roof hand" posture (same hand-shape as in Chen Tai Chi) used in "Monk Gazing At Moon" can be considered a very important and fundamental "mudra" to the FP system and the other internal arts of Bok Fu Pai. There are several classical, Indian-type mudras used in the seated Flying PHoenix meditations called "Monk Serves Wine." (e.g., Each hand's thumb touching index finger with the other 3 fingers extended, and placed over the knees when in half-lotus or full-lotus position. This mudra is also held in many different positions. This same mudra also done in moving fashion as seen in the 4th Meditation on Volume 5 of Chi Kung For Health (with breathing sequence 70 40 30 20), which teach some unusually short, 90-second Flying Phoenix Mediations but which have powerful effects just the same. http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html GM Doo Wai had told us the oral history about Taoist monk Feng Do Duk (pronounced Feng Tao Teh in Mandarin), the creator of Flying Phoenix and most of the Bok Fu Pai internal arts, who had traveled all across China--from Wudangshan to Ehrmeishan (Omeishan)--and throughout the frontier of western China and into Tibet and India (there are archival records mentioning Feng and steles and plaques commemorating him at both sacred mountains, Wudangshan and Ehrmeishan. Having spent years exchanging Taoist sacred knowledge with high Indian and Tibetan yogins, it is no surprise that Taoist Monk Feng Tao Teh's various qigong systems employ many Buddhist mudras seen in Indian and Tibetan yoga. Ehrmeishan was originally sacred to the Taoists for centuries. Much later, during Feng Tao Teh's time, Ehrmei also became one of Buddhism's holiest and most sacred sites--not just in China, but throughout the world. In another powerful Bok Fu Pai internal system that is unrelated to Flying Phoenix that has fifty-four (54) very powerful meditative exercises, there are numerous exercises employing mudras. In fact, the system contains every sort of mudra that I have ever seen in Indian, Tibetan and Near Eastern yogas, plus many combinations that I believe are unique to Feng Tao Teh. One example is the left mudra held at the tan tien and the right mudra is turned with palm facing upward just above 6th chakra (brow chakra). Another is a wuchi-like position "holding the ball" and both hands are in mudra. Then there are many exercises involving two mudras held symmetrically facing upward, downward, inward, outward, and upward. There is also one where two mudras are facing each other at heart-level, with only the two middle fingers touch each other. Finally, there is another mudra combination where the thumbs touch the little finger on each hand, and the 3 straight fingers in between them on the left hand are placed under the three fingers of the right hand, forming an "X" pattern, and both hands are held at the lower tan tien. Further testament to the fact that GM Doo Wai's internal art is sublime and powerful in effect and a gift from Heaven to mortal man in its sophistication and supramundane genius. http://www.taichimania.com/flyingphoenix.html HAVE A HAPPY AND MUDRA-FULL NEW YEAR!

Dear Lloyd, You're very welcome. I advise all students to beware of that Monk Serves Wine meditation (with breathing sequence 90 80 50 20 and five movements repeated) at the end of Volume Two--if they want to sleep. In 1995, right after I put 6 of the MSW meditations on videocassette, I gave a good friend of mine (an expatriate in Paris and a very busy executive type) a copy. After he did that 90 80 50 20 meditation at night, he couldn't sleep a single wink, kept his wife up all night as well in his misery, and felt like you-know-what-warmed over all day the next day. Yes, smart move: do that med. in the a.m. to power you thru the day. And if you want to ensure deep restful sleep, do th 50-20-10 mediation near the start of Volume 7. Regards, Sifu Terry

Sifu Garry, I'm replying to this older posting on the Forum because its subject matter is what I'm finally getting around to commenting on. I finally had some time after the hectic Christmas holiday and went surfing thru Youtube looking for clips of your performances: I came across a youtube clip of one of your students, Sifu Travis doing a YKM "ground killer" form in a school that i presume is yours? Congratulations. Very nice performance by a good student--most indicative of your level and evidence that you are a good teacher. Just from seeing your student's performance, I understand why GM Doo Wai told you that "you're gung-fu is good". It is very good. I also just enjoyed viewing your YKM weapons clip. Then I also just came across a short 2007 clip of your outdoor performance, titled Omie Bak Mei. Also very nice. Thank you for the clip of you doing the morning burning palm meditation by the seashore. Your form is very good and I see how that meditation works. We also practiced Monk Gazing At Moon actually gazing at the moon. Another of GMDW's internal systems--very powerful--had to do with the position of the sun in the sky. The Iron Palm system that I saw GMDW teach to a couple of my classmates was different. it consisted of a deep set of standing meditations plus extensive hand conditioning training using his Iron Palm jiao. Throughout the student's training, GMDW would have them (and me on a couple of occasions) strike his lower leg hundreds of times to condition our hands (and to teach us that he could send the energy back into our bodies with devastating results) at will at any instant. I have a very clear video tape of one classmate (Rashan, the pro body guard with 25 - 0 record by Knockout) hammering GMDW's lower leg 450 times with his fists, and finally giving up when he couldn't take the pain anymore of his own energy going through GMDW's leg and into his own thighs (student is seated with GMDW's leg extended across student's lap). A shot of GMDW's leg after 450 punches showed no discoloration--a tiny bit of pink. Then Rashan gave another classmate, Jeff Roth, a single sample shot to his lower leg, collapsing him instantly. GMDW demonstrated his high mastery of bodily energy every time he trained us. In one of your emails you asked if I had posted any footage of my performance of Flying Phoenix qigong. So far, I have decided not to post anything yet, as the complete first level is available on my DVD's, available on my website. I may put up some samples sometime later in 2010. I just wanted to write and complement you on your kung-fu. Best Regards and Happy New Year. Terry

sifu Garry, good one! No, this is not me or any of my students. and I had nothing to do with making this clip, although they use Tai Chi Mania as a name, which is name of my URL. The youtube post states it's from somewhere in Mountain View, CA, which is up north near Palo Alto, just south of San Francisco. I think it's pretty damn funny, though! It looks like a little Wu style at the bottom of it all. Terry

You're welcome, Kameel, Glad my comments rang a bell and reminded you of how effect both the standing and seated FP meditations are. If you have the old school VHS tapes of the Flying Phoenix, I would recommend Vols. 5 and 7 of the DVD series. they contain material not on the early VHS programs. Vol. 5 teaches 5 very short but powerful (90second) standing meditations that are just done once each. Vol. 7 teaches 5 Advanced Seated Meditations (Monk serves Wine that will give new meaning to the phrase "brainwashing"). Good luck and enjoy your FP practice!

LLoyd, Once you get more months of practice of Flying Phoenix under your belt, its energy will be more normalized in your system and won't keep you up at night. • There is big exception, however: the very last (6th) seated mediation on Volume 2 of my CKFH DVD series --that has the breath control sequence: 90 80 50 20 -- is a Total Waker-Upper. All FP practitioners have found that this Meditation will keep one wide-awake for hours--and make it very difficult--if not impossible-- to fall asleep. So make sure you don't do this one at night. (This might be what's been keeping you up!) • On the end of the spectrum, there is another seated ("Monk Serves Wine") meditation on Volume 7 that has the breath control sequence 50 20 10 that will cause one to sleep deeply and soundly without fail. this med. starts with palms clasped at heart level, then circles right palm our clockwise with arm extended; then Left palm circles out counter-clockwise and comes to Tan Tien underneath right palm (at heart level); both forearms swing forward to 45 degee angle; then fold back to "Sum-how" position (like Monk Gazing at Moon but at chest level). the the palms float down to tan tien, and at the tan tien both palms turn upward, with right palm resting in left. Finally, you pull the palms sideways and apart, touch the backs of the hands together, and both hands rise up the centerline to heart level. Then the palms roll to face each other and are clasped in "prayer" position. This 50 20 10 seated meditaition will aid sleep. Guaranteed. Enjoy. Terry Dunn P.S. Info on these 2 volumes of "Chi Kung For Health" teaching the seated Flying Phoenix Meditations is found at: http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Bill, Just read your post. when I saw GMDW's iron palm being practiced in the early 90's, these were the standards: 1. Breaking coconut on ground. 2. Breaking coconut held in one's other hand. 3. Breaking coconut hanging from a line/string. 4. Breaking coconut with it sitting on a piece of Tofu without damaging the tofu. There was no mention of breaking the coconut at a distance. I saw my classmates easily accomplish levels #1 and #2. I've not seen any of GMDW's students break per levels #3 and #4. While GM Doo Wai taught his Iron Palm to the most physical and street-fight-prone students, the GM taught me and other students totally different internal systems that are just as powerful but cultivate martial energy that works very, very differently than Iron Palm energy. Regards, Terry

Hi Taichikk: the internal training I experienced with Master Share K. Lew and his senior students from mid-70's through early 90's was deeply set in a framework of seated meditation. The training went in this order: 1) Everyone trained in the TTP Kung Fu forms 2) Everyone then learned basic seated meditation, that we called "quiet sitting." 3) After basic forms were mastered, then the Basic 31 meditations were learned. Around the same time, students started learning self-defense applications of the kung-fu forms. 4) We called the Basic 31 and all the more advanced levels of Qigong and Neigong that followed it "the Yoga." And more important than the Yoga was the Quiet Sitting. 5) My teachers always emphasized--and I continue to teach my students to this day--this maxim: "No matter what you do, you must do Quiet Sitting". Quiet sitting grounds and balances everything. Thus if you practice any of the Neigong incorrectly, you won't be harmed (suffer energy sickeness) for long or permanently. Hope this helps. Terry Dunn

Sifu Garry, I'm glad to "come out" and chime in a bit about the authenticity of GM Doo Wai's teachings, and to confirm that he is a man of tremendous knowledge and internal power. He is an unbelievable reservoir of powerful knowledge. First of all, any kung-fu practitioner with any level should be able to discern from the Bok Fu Pai form demonstrations that GM Doo Wai has put up on Youtube since or before 2007 that his Kung-fu is highly advanced. One Youtube clip, in which GMDW is indoors with a dark blue "tao" character hung on the wall (also last part in slow motion), was filmed by me in 1994 at my student's factory warehouse in downtown L.A. (which we painted pale blue). As for controversy over GM Doo Wai's demonstration of chi projection, chi materialization, and healing and martial application, the powerful healing and martial art applications happened every single day of our training. One of my classmates, Rashan Khan, Afro-American, a professional bodyguard (Eddie Murphy's for a while; with a street fighting record of 25-and-0, all by knockouts as of 1994) learned GMDW's Iron Palm training and was regularly breaking coconuts at will--lying on the the ground and held in his other hand. I have video footage of this breaking. single fresh coconuts on the ground easily borken, and then two and three coconuts stacked (balanced) vertically, and Rashan would break the bottom one. (he couldn't pick the middle or top coconut to break, however. (The next level, which is still not the highest level, is breaking the coconut suspended mid-air by a string tied around it. I do not know if Mr. Khan achieved that level) The demonstrations of chi projection and chi materialization aren't that important--and shouldn't even be talked about--for their purpose is only to initiate students and let them know that there is much more to BFP Kung Fu than the physical, muscle-and-bone part of the art. But since you say that GMDW has been taking drubbing in the forums for past 2 years, I will shed a little light on the matter "chi materialization", which I assume has been subject of argument: In 1992, after doing a special meditation, the Grand Master demonstrated it in two ways--actually, one way--to our entire circle (six of us that day): With light turned off in a pitch-black bathroom, he manifested his energy as a luminous green glow on his fingertips--the exact same color of the green light on a car's dashboard at night. Then, when he told Tino Baguio (one of the students) to turn on the light, white vaporous smoke emanated from his fingertips. (his sleeves were rolled up and his arms were clean--no paint, no devices of any type to fake it.) Six of us saw it. And we were stunned. Throughout this demonstration, there was a very distinctive smell--the same smell that emanates when a person dies and the spirit leaves the body--only it was slightly fresher in smell than that of death. (And yes, I have smelled the dying process, both naturally and unnaturally caused.) More important than chi materialization was healing with the chi. And GMDW trained us all to do this by practicing on each other and also on very small living and dead creatures. The healing method and source of energy: The Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditations. That was the YOGA he taught us to do healing (all his senior students before my group had practiced FPHHCM thoroughly and had mastered it). The basic level of FPHHCM is contained in the DVD's I published. GMDW repeatedly emphasized to us that this basic level of FP is enough to effect what most consider miraculous healings...but to us, during our training, it was an everyday occurrence. Before I started training with GM Doo Wai, I had learned Sifu Share K. Lew's Tan Tan Pai neigong and healing method (Tui Na Accupressure) over 15 years from four of Sifu Lew's senior students at the Taoist Sanctuary in Los Angeles (before it moved to San Diego)--but primarily from his most senior student at the time, John Davidson (whom we nicknamed "our mad taoist priest"). GMDW has been acquainted with Master Lew for decades and knows his healing method and spiritual tradition. One day around 1995, while teaching me healing techniques, GMDW contrasted his healing to Share Lew's healing method in the following exact words: "We don't manipulate energy...we just pass our hand over." (Tao Tan Pai practitioners effect healing by reinforcing the energy circulation of the patient with chi projected from the palms moving over the person's aura in the direction of the meridians' energy flow, especially the Jen Mo and Tu Mo, and then (usually using finger-toe diagnosis if one cannot "see" the imbalance), re-circuit energy from the bolex of energy at that particular time of day into the appropriate orb/meridian in order to heal and strengthen the weak or diseased organ/orb/meridian. Flying Phoenix healing, if one has practiced it correctly (and it doesn't even take that long compared to most other systems) is effected by passing the hand over the person. Period. Once I had completed the second level FP meditations, I would regularly be in the presence of friends and family members who were ailing or were suffering from serious disease. It surprised me at first, but I got used to it: when all I would do was focus my attention on a person in passing (who happened to be ill) or just touch him or her, the FP healing energy would spontaneously "jump" off of me and into them, causing a profound healing and rejuvenating experience. They would completely light up and feel well--to their great surprise and amazement. Note: I'm not here to contest or argue or gossip. The preceding is an account of the effects and the ability gained from my practice of the Flyiing Phoenix Celestial Chi Meditations from 1990 onward. As I said in an earlier posting, normal practice of Flying PHoenix Qigong will cultivate a reserve of healing energy in the body that within a couple months will show up on videotape as an particularly colored aura. And this was the basic "safety net" healing art that GMDW had taught to all his students that I knew in the 90's. If anyone cannot understand the distinction that GM Doo Wai made in comparing his healing method to Master Share K. Lew's, then he or she does not have the level to judge the validity or effectiveness of any internal system. (Because TTP is somewhat of a "standard" Taoist-Buddhist healing system based on finger-toe diagnosis, yin-yang theory, and 5 -element theory.) No matter what yogic art one studies--Chinese, Indian, Tibetan, Polynesian, Persian, Western hermetic, Amerindian, African, whatever--if one cannot do effective healing, then one has not practiced enough to --because healing is the EASIEST, MOST BASIC and MOST NATURAL application of energy cultivation. This was what John Davidson, Share K. Lew's senior student, taught us while we were training in the 70's and 80's. And I am passing on this basic performance benchmark to this forum as a reminder. GM Doo Wai, being practical and philosophical, told us all the time during those years that "healing is the most important thing." Many Respects, Terry Dunn

Greetings everyone, I've been practicing Chinese martial, yogic, and healing arts for about 37 years now, published some very successful DVD's starting in 1990 and recently was encouraged by another member to join this site to contribute to some of the Forum discussions that have arisen around some of the arts that I practice and teach. So here I am. My name is Terry Dunn. and my website is www.taichimania.com. but I'll use zen-bear as my screen name for most intents and purposes.

Hello Trunk, Thanks for the warm welcome and thank you for the info on linking up my products within my future postings. 'Will do it when it's relevant. Thanks also for the instructions on linking my website with my "signature". I'll get on that. Best Regards, Terry

Hello Dainin, Answer to your question re my Tai Chi Ruler publications (book and video): 1. Yes the material in the book (1990, Dragon Door) and the video (1985, Interarts (my company)) are based on the teachings of Master Share K. Lew. I wrote the book with Master Share K. Lew's expressed permission. 2. However, I learned the TC Ruler system in 1975 from the senior student of Master Lew at the time, John Davidson. Then I practiced that version from 1975 through 1985, and put that version on the video and the book. 3. Around 1989, 1990, I met with Master Lew and he showed me the correct, orthodox, version of TC Ruler. This was an interesting revelation--compared to what I had learned from John Davidson and had practiced for 10 years. So I added Master Lew's corrected version to the book as the "advanced" version of the practice, as seen in the indoor photos of me wear black garb), where all exercises without steps are done with feet parallel and at a 45 degree angle for each side of the practice. I added it as an addendum because I had already had professional photos taken of me doing the Davidson version and I had written the instructional text based the Davidson version because that's what I knew best. Master Lew also knew that that was the version of the TC Ruler I had been practicing because Davidson was the primary teaching in Los Angeles. 4. So that is why in the first pictorial part of my book, I teach the John Davidson version of the TC Ruler. 5. Unfortunately, I was not able to show the final draft of the book to Master Lew before the print run because the publisher was rushing me on a tight schedule. Because everyone in L.A. had been practicing the Davidson version for 10+ years and it was all under Master Lew's auspices, I thought that the Davidson method of practice was the standard "beginners" version of the art. 6. Well, after the book was published in early 1991, I found out that the John Davidson version I had photographed and written about was a "broken" tradition that Master Lew had purposely taught John Davidson due to his own reasons. The Davidson version is an "incomplete" and distorted version of the authentic TC Ruler art. Practicing this version does no harm, but it does not efficiently promote internal energy cultivation the same way that the method Share K. Lew teaches does. 7. Because the book contained the old Davidson version as well as the later correct version, Master Lew was upset one summer (1992) when a couple of his workshop students from Esalen brought the TCR book to him and said that my printed version was different from what he had been teaching them. He told me that he had "lost face" because of the discrepancy between the Davidson version and his authentic version. 8. As fall-out from this lack of communication, and his resulting unhappiness over the Davidson version being published, Master Lew changed his mind about allowing me to write a book and publish a video series on the TTP-31. He had first given me his A-OK at the same time he OK'd the TC Ruler book, but then after TC Ruler book came out with the old Davidson version on it, and that caused controversy, he then changed his mind and said "No" to the TTP-31 video and book. That's the grandmaster's prerogative. To this day, I have respected his wishes and have not published anything on the TTP-31. The last I heard (about a year ago), Master Lew is still adamantly anti-video, and has an edict out prohibiting any of his students from publishing any part of the TTP system on video. 9. Bottom line: as "broken traditions" go, the John Davidson version of the TC Ruler seen in the first pictorial section of my book (and on my 1985 video) is still an effective physical training regimen that strengthens legwork,stances and posture, and does cultivate chi to a certain extent by coordinating eyes, mind, movement and breath. But it is NOT the correct Tai Chi Ruler art. The correct version is seen in the back pictorial section of the book only. Regards, Terry

Hi Bill, Yes, you can ask and I have tried to answer: First, do you happen to remember the name of the American you met in China who had studied Master Lew's Tao Tan Pai system? I know pretty much all the old-timers who have been studying with Master Lew since the 70's. Based on my experience of the TTP internal system, I could not and would not say that there is a qigong method of doing them and then a neigong method of doing them. To me, it's all neigong. Maybe the person you met was trained differently... I don't know. We were taught just to do the exercises. And the TTP internal exercises are most profound. They date back to the Tang Dynasty and are attributed to the patron saint of the system, Lu Tung Pin. [i just got back from two trips to San Francisco in October and November and i visited the Taoist temple in Chinatown that is dedicated to Lu Tung Pin. (Jeng Sen Buddhism and Taoism Association). It is a private church, membership only, and I had not been there in 15+ years; but the spirits felt that i was a proper initiate and so I was invited in.] My answer again: The TTP exercises themselves dictate whether there is retention or natural breathing. I learned to practice circling palms only one way: deep inhalation as the hips square to the front and one arm extends to the side; then slow exhalation--as slow as possible--as the arm sweeps 180 degrees to the other side. The fourth exercise of the Short 31 (the seated one, also known as the 18th meditation of the 31-meditation set) has breath retention, of course. I hope that this answers our question. Regards, Terry

Hello Sifu Garry, I sent you a lengthy email message that explains in detail the arts I learned from GM Doo Wai. My "sentbox" confirms that it was sent to you. For the forum, I will explain that I learned three arts from GM Doo Wai: 1) Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Chi Meditations (2 levels) http://www.taichiman...ingphoenix.html 2) Eight Sections of Energy Combined (Bat Deem Gum) - a very rare and esoteric southern Buddhist internal martial system that I describe as a system of martial qigong. This is NOT that "8 Pieces of Brocade" set of calisthenics that's been published a lot in books and videos, but a complete kung-fu system consisting of 8 complex forms, and a large body of "preparatory forms" and internal exercises. BDG is also NOT related Bok Fu Pai. GM Doo Wai emphasized this many times and also explained that that was an art that he "traded" some of his BFP knowledge to learn from a senior Buddhist monk. 3) "10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven" -- An Ehrmei Mountain system of martial/health Qigong exercises (by Feng Tao Teh, same creator of Flying Phoenix) consisting of three sets of 18 internal exercises. When used as martial art, each of the 3 sets produces an energy that "penetrates" or infuses into the target's natural energy system very differently. 4) Bok Fu Pai - GM Doo Wai's BFP forms and expecially the training drills (repetitive line drills) taught me how to punch and kick with the whole body and to issue the geng (jing) in every move. This happened after I had trained 17 years in other systems. (What can I say, I'm a slow learner!) I was pretty close already...but GMDW completed my training and basically made a kung-fu man out of me. One BFP form that I specialize in is the "Ten Hook Eagle Claw" form, which all of GM's students at the time practiced. I practice all the above arts religiously, but I also practice just as much Tai Chi Chuan and LHBF--if not more and actively teach Yang Tai Chi Chuan. Many Respects, Terry, aka zen-bear

Hi Bill, GM Share K. Lew's Tao Tan Pai system requires rigorous daily practice for best results. It is an authentic monastic system where the internal has to be practiced with kung-fu. My teachers' experience and my experience is that teaching the TTP internal alone never leads to wholesome and lasting results. Thus I am of firm believe that the TTP system has to be practiced after one acquires a solid kung-fu foundation. Because your plumbing/pipes have to be clear, and body mechanics perfected, before you start running internal energy through them. I was fortunate to have had about 4 yrs of training in Doug Wong's Sil Lum White Lotus kung fu before I started Tao Tan Pai. After learning TTP's basic animal forms--tiger, dragon, snake, crane, and monkey (no leopard)--we started learning the Full 31, then reduced to the Short 31. ARound the same time we practiced the Shen ex.'s. Then with the years came: 9 Flowers, Six Stars, and finally, the last level, Five Dragons, which changed everything. But we practiced Circling Palms every single day for 4 years. 4 years. And that's 4 sets of Circling Palms where each set consists of 8 repetitions of the L-R circling, each sweep of the arm we tried to strech to a 20-second exhale. All in deep horse stance. (NOT standing straight up as some later folks taught!) Sometimes Circling Palms took so long--close to an hour-- that we would skip #2 and #3 and finished the Short 31 with #4 seated (legs extended). And after we completed the 5 Dragons, going back to Circling Palms showed us that it was more powerful and profound than ever. I still practice Short 31 quite a bit. Yes, I was very lucky to find authentic sources of knowledge starting in the 70's and to learn directly from the m or from their No. 1 senior student. But ultimately it depends on how hard you practice on your own. During my insane 20's right out of grad school, I worked a full-time job and practiced 6 days a week, 6 hours a day after work in my teachers' studios, for about 12 years. On many nights, our fighting class (full contact) would start around 10 or 11 after forms. And before we knew it, it was dawn. That's kung-fu training. Don't give up on the TTP 31. Get back to it and redouble your efforts! Best, Terry Dunn P.S. It's never too late to start investing.

Hi SApe, Thanks for explaining the origin of the breath control sequences in the various styles that GM Doo Wai teaches. Yes, that is exactly how GM Doo Wai explained the breath controls: He created the breath control sequences because he found that the subtle breath control methods that he learned from his father were too difficult to teach others. All I can say is that the percentage breathing system that he created works. And the breach controls work for all the systems that I've practiced under GM Doo Wai--4 systems altogether (including the Fei Feng San Gong). Flying Phoenix is purely a medical qigong system that cultivates a sublime healing energy, that's "lighter" than the energy of his other systems. It will also show up on videotape as a distinctive, visible aura around anyone practices regularly for about a year (sometimes even less). FP is like the foundation or safety net that one needs (or is nice to have) before learning GM Doo Wai's other heavy-duty internal systems. The 3 other systems I learned are what you might call "martial qigong." And the energizing effects are even more profound...such that during our training from 1990 through 1996, the circle of students that created (invited) around GM DooWai would occasionally have "energy accidents" of unbelievable nature. So if there's any question or doubt anyone has about the authenticity of Doo Wai as the GM of his family system, White Tiger Kung Fu, or the effectiveness of his internal arts, awesome martial art, and healing powers, I can remove all doubt and question with first-hand testimony about or demonstration of their effectiveness. I consider GM DooWai to be one of the few great high-level masters that I have met in this lifetime. --And I've been around the arts for a while. On my website, taichimania.com, in my "favorite links" section, I put GM Doo Wai under "Old School Kung-Fu" alongside only two other grandmasters: Ark Yue Wong of Sil Lum 5 animals, and Huang Hsing Hsien, the great Southern White Crane master who later became Cheng Man-ching's successor in the Yang style of Tai Chi. (Share K. Lew is right up there with them, but there is no video footage of him anywhere because he doesn't allow it, his art being a monastic tradition). I've been practicing GM Doo Wai's art since 1992, and it has transformed all my other martial arts: My Yang Tai Chi Chuan is more powerful, Six Harmonies & Eight Methods is a different body-dynamic than BFP, but it also has been helped. My Tao Tan Pai (Sifu Share K. Lew's system) was completely transformed and empowered 2x by the BFP, and the first system I learned, Sil Lum 5 Animals was also thoroughly empowered. GM Doo Wai told me that even though his internal arts is very different from Share K. Lew's Tao Tan Pai, I could "mix" the two energies. And he was absolutely right: the two have mixed well and both are stronger for it. GM Doo Wai knows GM Share K. Lew very well for they are peers--fellow grandmasters, so Doo Wai knew the nature of Share Lew's nei-gung and that it could be practiced alongside his own art. P.S. Yes, GM Doo Wai trained since he was a very young child, and at the age of 17--that's 17!!!!-- he took on the mantle of "Grandmaster" of Bok Fu Pai, his family style. 17!!! If anyone knows what vast amount of knowledge GM Doo Wai has, one CANNOT imagine how much training that is. And for him to be named GM at age 17, you know that in western culture, that would be considered child abuse. (btw, not only is GM Doo Wai the 6th generation GM of BFP, but he is master of (at least) two other complete systems of kung-fu that he also learned after he mastered BFP. I have learned one of these outside systtems and have seen the other one demonstrated by the GM. Yes, BK, It's percentage breathing. And I learned the system from GM Doo Wai. I just joined the site and this Forum tonight to contribute more info about Flying Phoenix and the many other arts under GM Doo Wai's Bok Fu Pai umbrella. Terry Dunn Hi Trunk, Thank you very much for the nice feedback. I just joined the site and this Forum to contribute info about Tai Chi , Qigong and kung-fu (for health mainly). the Tai Chi for Health videos are still going strong in DVD format, and we put in a powerful feature called "Select Lessons" mode, whereby viewer can use a menu map and go to any part of the form, and then just that movement is played repeatedly in a loop (for hands-free practice) until one presses the "next" button. More info is available at: http://www.taichimania.com/taichi_catalog.html I'm also working on an ambitious multi-year series for PBS to be filmed entirely in China exploring all the internal healing and martial arts. About a year after it airs, the DVD versions of the series will be released in a big way. If you're interested in more artilces on Tai Chi, qigong, etc. I have some posted on my site, taichimania.com, along with a large section called "Favorite Links" where I comment on a large number of video clips that I've found on Youtube and other places that I felt were worth sharing. Cheers, Terry Dunn

Hi Lloyd, Thanks for bringing me into taobums and encouraging me to contribute to the forum. I'll be glad to answer anybody's questions about Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Chi Meditations (Fei Feng San Gong) by Feng Tao Teh, which I learned from Bok Fu Pai grandmaster Doo Wai. There are other internal systems I learned from Grandmaster Doo Wai, and before I met the grandmaster in 1990, I had been certified in 1983 to teach other kung-fu styles with internal systems (e.g., Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method) of Master/Taoist Priest Share K. Lew in San Diego and Ark Yue Wong's Shaolin Five Animal Kung-fu). But I found Flying Phoenix system, out of all the qigong systems I had also practiced and taught, to be the most fast-acting in terms of imparting tangible healing energy that just accumulates and build and builds in your system with regular practice. Because it was also the easiest to teach and easiest for students to retain, and also the safest Qigong to teach, I decided to put on DVD's in 2003. http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html And although I haven't been in touch with the grandmaster since I ended my training with him around 1996, I was very glad to hear through the martial arts network in 2004 that Grandmaster Doo Wai approved of them and said that they were very good. I'm glad that the messages I've read in this Forum thus far about Flying Phoenix and other topics are by intelligent and experienced folks who recognize real from unreal--unlike so many of the Youtube postings (around G.M. Doo Wai's clips) that are just totally bizarre and blind, off-hand insults sent in by ignoramus's and people with no level whatsoever. Well, that said, I'm glad to be here and am eager to contribute and eager to learn from you folks out there. http://www.taichimania.com/flyingphoenix.html