Da Le

P.S. I hope you didn't mind my "subjective" report. I found FP just 2 weeks after a long prayer talk with Puxian (not about Ch'i Kung at all), so I feel he led me to it. On more "objective" fronts, I'm feeling much more calm lately. I won't be annoying you with frequent comments, just occasionally check in. I'm averaging 2 hours of FP daily, and will keep th...

Hi Shen! Thanks for update. My practice is deepening, and I'm pretty regular with it daily, which helps. I'll start to learn more soon. Take care. I'll be in touch! Da Le

Hi Shen! I like watching dragon styles of Kung Fu, and I know a dragon style qigong that I do regularly--it includes a lot of twisting and bending, etc. Dragons are cool, especially Chinese dragons! - Dale

Taking a quick break before more Qigong! I've picked up a lot of knowledge--and a little wisdom--from having focused on Buddhist/Daoist traditions for over 30 years. Recently started Qigong because like many meditators without a physical/energy practice, my health started to suffer. The Shaolin tradition is Buddhist-based, though all Chinese Buddhism has Daoist influences (cont.)

Hi! I practice Taoist and Buddhist yogic methods, and just recently started the Flying Phoenix Ch'i Kung, which I like a lot.

Morning' Shen! I hope the remainder of your weekend turns out fantastic. I have lots of Qigong to do today; I try to do 2 hours on weekdays, and more on weekends. I'm feeling definite benefits; I'll be eager to hear reports from you as you get into your Gongfu/Qigong training. -- Da Le

...In Buddhist traditions, the bodhisattva ("wisdom-being") Guan Yin is the ruler over all dragons--the 2nd of her 33 manifestations is LONG TOU GUAN YIN "Guan Yin Chief of Dragons". I've done Kuan Yin practice for decades--meditation and chanting.

The upper part of that character LE for "joy" actually has a water-molecule structure like H-O-H; it's the di...

Shaolin Gongfu will be great! Keep me posted on your progress. At some point in training, Shaolin has some chi kung associated with it, too--all genuine Kung Fu systems have it. Hope you're having a fine day! -- Dale

By the way, the syllable "Shen" in Chinese has 3 very appropriate meanings for you (different characters, but still "shen") -- Shen can mean "spirit", it can mean "body", and it can mean "smile". The true inner smile is always the mark of the Master, you know--he who has mastered spirit and body! - Dale

Thanks! I'll report something here, but not on the main board. That DVD of Grandmaster, though I haven't learned it yet (still on Terry's DVDs), it makes me joyful just to watch the GM. And now when I meditate on Guanyin or Puxian, I've begun to spontaneously see the GM in their Hearts. - Dale

Hi James! I live in Montana, in Bozeman, and work at Montana State University there. I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, though, so I know all about living in the Pacific Northwest.

You might consider, at some point, getting a region-free DVD player. They have them on Amazon. The one I got was about $40, and then I just entered a special code into the remote to make it ...

Thanks so much for your comments on the FP discussion board -- they've been a great help! - Dale

So you probably have some lingering Oregon moisture in you, too! I haven't been back to Portland for 15 yrs or so, though; I've lived in Cambridge, MA and Denver, CO; and have lived in MT 3 different times. I've been back here for about 5 years now, probably will stay here. I'll keep you in my positive thoughts and meditations for your success in your martial arts and...

"Shen" is a fine inner soul name! My own name Dale works because it means "valley", and in Chap. 6 of the Tao Te Ching it speaks of the "Valley Spirit" (Gu Shen). Also, dividing the letters I get "Da Le", meaning "Great Joy" in Chinese.

Thanks sincerely for your inner support. I will surely reinforce you--I support my own godsons that way. I...

One last thought today! I looked at the site for your Gongfu/Qigong program, and it's impressive. A tip that works for me with DVDs: often I watch an exercise many times and let it soak in--then I find I learn to physically do it myself more easily. So just watching--with attention--is never a waste of time; it can aid the learning quite a bit. I'll talk with you again soon...

I made it back after all! Though soon I'll go practice Qigong, meditate, and read a bit.

I'll be one member of your audience for any YouTube you decide to put up later.

Finally, I wanted to ask if I may send you the three Chinese characters for "Shen" [spirit, Body, Smile]. They are nice to meditate on. And if so, do you prefer by Yahoo or Hotmail? (to send y...

I sent the email, from my Hotmail to yours. Watch for it in case it lands in your Junk folder! - Da Le

Hi Shen! Let's see, the FP qigong meditations continue to relax me and give me more energy. Otherwise, I feel a deepening of my rapport with the Bodhisattva Puxian (it's his sacred mountain where the FP was revealed, and I feel he led me to FP). -Da Le

Hi! Did you get any of your DVDs yet? Though I may be asking too soon! "The Force will be with you--always." - Da Le

Hi Shen - It's exciting that your DVDs are almost due. Tai Chi is great stuff. By Wuji, do you mean what Michael Winn and some others are teaching? I'll look forward to hearing more from you; and I am definitely staying mindful of you and your practice, as I said I would. - Da Le

Your inner Dragon will plough through any old inertia behaviors! And even if sometimes you don't feel like getting up and doing, you can sit and watch for a while, or practice movements in your mind. It's Yin and Yang and it all flows together and works together toward your goal. -- Da Le

In Taoist alchemical/healing work, there are 5 major "Shen" (Spirits) that correspond to the Kidney/Lung/Liver/Heart/Spleen. They each have a quality/color, ruling our mind/emotions. They are our soul's "Committee". You can see them as your 5 Dragons, under your core soul Dragon (Ling Shen). - Da Le

You're welcome, Shen. A white dragon (lung spirit--heals grief), dark-blue dragon (kidney spirit--heals fear), green dragon (liver spirit--heals anger), rainbow-red dragon (heart and head spirit--heals both manic and depressive extremes)... [to be cont.]

[cont.]...a yellow dragon (pancreas/spleen/stomach/solar-plexus spirit--heals worry, anxiety, lack of trust). Then a royal-purple dragon for the core soul (ling shen--the integrating and tranforming energy of your core self). -- Have fun! Da Le

Thank you for your update, Shen! I'm glad to hear your DVDs arrived. It's pretty frigid here, too, right now. My Qigong work is going quite well, with definite benefits. I've also been teaching Taoist meditation and some Qigong to a young friend (about 29) who is a chief instructor at a Taekwondo school. I enjoy that. Da Le