Fu_dog

Sifu Terry - Thanks for taking time to tell your story. Something told me it would be quite interesting! That said, even with the very hard work during your "wood shedding" years, I expected a story that would be simpler, easier, smoother. However, as life often is, there were a lot of twists and turns in your road towards making the Chinese arts your full time career considering your battles over rights and royalties. It's too bad the artist always seems to be the one infringed upon. However, from your story karma seemed to do what karma does. In spades. Also, you give us all something to look forward to, namely more excellent instructional videos. About 8 years ago I learned the tai chi short form from your TCFH video and continue to practice it today. So more coming is very cool! Got your message on corporate sponsorships. I will poke around and let you know if I get some interest. Again, thanks for sharing. Lloyd

Sifu Terry - There is something that's a little off topic that peaks my interest that I wanted to ask about. That's your own personal background. Please correct me if I am wrong, however IIRC, you are Ivy League educated at Harvard and Yale in finance/business. After you finished your master's degree you worked in California for a company in the financial industry. That seems like a great start to move up the latter of the corporate world. However, you left that to pursue your current career. Can you please tell us at what point you decided you would leave the business world to become a martial artist? What was your thinking at the time? There's got to be an interesting story there. Thanks, Lloyd

LOL - great answer Sifu! I live in Florida, so there are a few Rastafarians around, though I haven't (yet) seen any dropping by parachute. ;-) I usually practice FP in the late evening, and since it's starting to get a little cooler as Fall approaches, I am starting to practice outdoors in my fenced in backyard under the stars. There's something quite peaceful about the setting. Also - I *did* see the sandstorm in the background of your Vol 7 dvd. I thought it was pretty cool....didn't know it had menaced your filming. Thanks, Lloyd

Sifu Terry - IIRC, you had advised first time practitioners of FP to practice indoors. Can you please comment on practicing indoors and outdoors? Thanks, Lloyd PS - The variety (and quality) of discussions generated on this thread are outstanding...so thanks for your continued contributions to this board.

Sifu Terry - I am impressed you know of Chan Poi, the Wah Lum Praying Mantis style kung fu master in Orlando, FL. Your mention of him brought a smile to my face. It was in his school that I first became acquainted with the Eastern arts. First kung fu, then later tai chi. And that eventually led to my practice of qigong. And my search for an ideal qigong led me to Flying Phoenix. As a side note, my daughter was married two weeks ago in Orlando, and shortly after the "I do's" were said between bride and groom, a group from Master Chan's temple performed the lion dance for the newly weds to bless their marriage. This was led by Mimi, Master Chan's daughter, who is doing a wonderful job of moving the Wah Lum system forward. Small world.

Sifu Terry - Thanks for your answer to my question, and yes, you interpreted my "little hand movements" correctly. ;-) Actually, your response is quite profound, as it allows some customizations of the practice, within certain constraints. In my case, the FP energy itself seems to be urging me towards some slight adaptations. Really, I am concluding that the real underlying power of FP may have no theory that can explain it. I will try to clarify. For example, with Microcosmic Orbit, there are some reasonable explanations as to why it works. On the other hand FP seems to be more mystical, my subtle and therefore (at least to me) unexplainable in terms of why it works. One can *feel* the FP energy and see very tangible results. However, I couldn't begin to explain any underlying theory. Of course, to me, it's not important to explain "why". This is somewhat unimportant. What is important is that FP works, *every* time I practice the meditations. Again, I appreciate your contributions to the board. By doing so, you are significantly contributing to the knowledge base associated with this wonderful practice. Lloyd

Sifu Terry - To wtm's comments, with Seated Monk Gazes at Moon meditation, *after* the hand movements and sometimes even *after* the 3 deep finishing breaths, I still feel like want to hold to pose for quite some time. Would this be an acceptable adaptation of the practice? Thanks, Lloyd

Sifu Terry - A question for you. Sometimes when I am run down with low energy (i.e., I often work some very long hours, usually with business travel for days on end and it is draining), and I start with Seated Monk Gazes as Moon (the very first one in the seated series), I feel a vast amount of energy entering my system. In other words, the energetics I feel from this are really excellent. It feels revitalizing, as an "energy building" mediation, i.e., like an "energy recovery" qigong. So, my question: How long can one hold the stationary Monk Gazes at Moon pose before beginning the little hand movements? If *feels* so energetic that when I am a bit run down I am tempted to hold the Monk Gazes at Moon posture for an extended period of time before beginning the hand movements. As I am holding the Monk Gazes at Moon pose portion of the meditation, I am experiencing a strong inflow of energy and my intuition tells me to "hold it longer". However, so far, I have not done this as I feel it best to get your advice. Man, I am glad you take time to post on this board.....you are answering so many questions that really help us enrich the practice. Thank you, Lloyd Note: edited for grammar

Effilang - both are very good videos. Two thumbs up! Thanks for posting.

Sifu Terry - Another question. On a longer practice, do you recommend doing standing FP before seated, or seated before standing? I am guessing it may make a difference, so thought I would ask. By the way, the last two times I have done seated FP (with eyes closed as per the practice) I have at times seen flashes of light and at other times some crazy colors dancing as I do the MSW meditations. It was very cool actually. I recall you said don't open the eyes during the practice of a FP meditation.....and while this was going on, I would not have wanted to, because for sure it would have stopped the images. Thanks in advance for your advice regarding my question. Fu-dog

Sifu Terry - At your suggestion, I will relate my experience of doing FP at the 7 month mark: - Increased sexual energy. Seems some other posters have had this same experience. - Improved digestion - I love to eat spicy-hot food, even though it doesn't agree with me. Since I have been practicing FP I have far fewer effects from this. (Yah I know. I should probably just stop eating spicy food.....but I don't see that happening.) - Improved condition of skin - I have classic pale Irish American skin and have spent too much time in the sun. So for the past 7 or 8 years, I have been in the Dermatologist's office 4 or 5 times a year to have seborrheic keratoses removed. New ones would pretty much surface and grow all the time and required constant trips to the doctor to have them removed. I have not had to visit the Dermatologist once since I started FP. This is really a tangible sign of the healing qualities of FP - Improved, younger looking complexion - this has been noted by a number of people, which as I've stated once before is great since I'm 55 years old. ;-) - Balancing effect from stresses of the day - I am a businessman and work 12+ hours every day, often with travel. I find doing FP Seated #2 (50 30 10) just before bedtime to be excellent for de-stressing, which allows me to sleep soundly. (I remember you saying the first of the Advanced Seated FP (50 20 10) is also good for sound sleep and I can confirm it does, however, I am usually doing Seated #2 as this works for me.) - On FP meditations where the hands move, the qi feels extremely "thick", effectively slowing my speed of movement. Often my hand movements become *very slow* as I allow the feel of the qi itself to tell me how fast to move.....and often it really is as slow as a "drifting sand dune". In general, I have found doing the FP exercises in the exact sequence as you have demonstrated on your DVD's to be the most effective for me. I do as many as time allows every day. And, I can distinguish the feel of the FP qi to be different than the qi generated by other qigong practices. It seems lighter, it's direction seems to move from lower abdomen to the head, it is more healing than anything I have experienced before. There are many good qigong systems that promise healing, more energy, etc. That said, I have felt the effects more quickly, more tangibly from FP than anything else I have tried. To be honest, from my perspective you really don't "hype" the FP style. However, it is really quite special. I am certainly enjoying both the FP practice as well as the benefits. Again, thanks for all of your posts on this board....I have picked up many helpful hints that have allowed me to incrementally improve my practice. Fu Dog

I *thought* there were similarities between standing FP and ZZ. So, Sifu Garry - thanks for confirming this! And actually, Sifu Dunn seems to use a ZZ posture as a warm up on one of his FP videos. Also, some of the hand positions from the first few basic seated FP meditations (the ones practiced in sequence before the Monk Serves Wine exercises) seem to have similarities to ZZ. Very cool! Edit: typo

Sifu Terry - As I am typing this, I have quite a bad cold with congestion, blah feeling, etc. Everyone knows the feeling. So, is FP a good qigong to practice to recover from illness? If yes, are there any particular meditations you might recommend? Thanks, Lloyd

Sifu Terry - I very much appreciate your explanation of the 90 second meditations. Very cool indeed! I am not ready for them yet, however, they definitely give me something to look forward to.....a cherry on the cake, as you describe it. One thing I am enjoying very much about the FP system is there are a number of steps to take along the way to realizing the expression of the system. And you said there are more advanced FP meditations that go beyond what can be reasonable taught via video....which I also liked hearing. I have another question. You refer to FP as an "esoteric" system. I understand how Webster defines the word, however, can you please explain what *you* mean by "esoteric" in this context? i.e., what is an "esoteric qigong"? Thanks, Lloyd Note: edited for grammar.

Sifu Dunn - Can you please tell us a little about the five 90-second Flying Phoenix meditations? These seem a bit different than the other FP meditations. And, they look pretty cool. ;-) I haven't practiced them (and won't until I progress further with my FP practice), however I did get your DVD and gave it a look this past weekend. Do these short five FP meditations have different objectives/results? Also, at what point in one's practice of FP should one consider these? Finally, after someone starts practicing them, how often do you recommend? These are quite interesting meditations, so I'm looking forward to hearing your comments. Thanks in advance, Lloyd

Thanks for your thoughtful response Sifu Terry. Agree - AWESOME WORDS from Mencius! What's interesting is that we agreed there is a power in virtue. Also, there is a strong energy in qigong. However, these are not necessarily related. People can have the power from virtue without ever practicing qigong. And to your comments above, if a person is not virtuous then practicing qigong will not make him virtuous. However, if a person is virtuous and practices a powerful qigong, like FP, then there is a magnifying effect. Very strong Sifu, thanks. Lloyd

King's 913 Green 3rd Grade (green oolong) from Ten Ren is quite good and affordable at $24 for 5.3 oz. You can order it on tenren.com Cheers!

I've read Michael's book, and liked it quite a bit. Also, I always like his posts. Thanks so much your review of his seminar.

Nice videos Sifu Garry! Thanks...

Hi Sifu Terry - Now for a question that our discussions seem be leading up to: Does practicing a solid qigong such as Flying Phoenix develop virtue? Why? Any contrainments? Thanks in advance for your response. Lloyd

Welcome back Sifu Terry! And thank you for your insightful thoughts....very good stuff. Your post is worth reading several times. There is a lot in there, so I will use several posts to respond. First, to your opening paragraph, it does indeed seem like I've personally gone through a "retrograde", especially over the past several weeks. I've had three solid weeks of 16 - 18 hour workdays with lots of travel included, and as a result I have had almost no time for qigong practice, little time for meditation. This has been a somewhat frustrating last three weeks from a personal development perspective. Last night was the first time I have been able to get back into some FP practice, and I could really feel the balancing effect. I sincerely hope this retrograde period in the world you mention is drawing to an end. Your insight that answers my question, "Is there an energy associated with Virtue?" all stemming from the One is quite interesting. I say this was especially relevant to me because I had thought I had found answers to my question by looking at several chapters of the I Ching and Tao Te Ching. I felt I had found the answer to my question in the first two chapters if I Ching. The first two are (1) Ch'ien / The Creative and (2) K'un / The Receptive. I looked at these as a matched pair. In other words, as Yang / Yin and a balancing set of Guas. I recently picked up the Wilhelm/Baynes translation of I Ching, so I will provide some remarks from this edition to make my point. Wilhelm discussing (1) Ch'ien / The Creative: "The power represented by the hexagrams is to be interpreted in a dual sense-- in terms of its action on the universe and of its action on the world of men. In relation to the universe, the hexagram expressed the strong, creative action of the Deity. In relation to the human world, it denotes the creative action of the holy man or sage, of the ruler of leader of men, who through his power awakens and develops their higher nature." This seems to say there is a direct connection between virtue being a "holy man or sage" and "power". Now, Wilhelm on (2) K'un / The Receptive: "The Receptive does not combat the Creative, but it completes it. ...there is clearly a hierarchic relationship between the two principles. In itself the Receptive is just as important as the Creative, but the attribute of devotion defines the place occupied by its primal power in relations to the Creative; then it is productive of good. Only when it abandons this position and tries to stand as an equal side by side with the Creative, does it become evil. The result is opposition to and struggle against the Creative, which is productive of evil to both." This describes the Receptive as working in harmony with the Creative resulting in "good". Also the Receptive trying to go it alone, trying to be equal to the Creative resulting in "evil". I see parallels to the Christian traditional story of Satan. The story goes Satan was the most powerful of angels, i.e., good. However, when he decided to try to become the equal to God, the result with evil. The course of evil seems destined to be forever parasitic, as the Receptive by nature can't stand on it's own. Also, I find answer to my question in Tao Te Ching 40: "Returning is the motion of the Tao." This to me is quite powerful. You ask "Returning to what?", and as you peel the onion deeper and deeper, we ultimately return to the Source from which we came before we were born, before we were in our mother's womb, before we were conceived. Ultimately the return is to the One. If all of our lives we strive to Return to that Source from whence we came, we will have lived a life with good purpose. So, after reading your comments on "Embracing or obtaining the One", I was quite excited. Why? Because the One is the ultimate Source of the Yang/Creative and Yin/Receptive. The Tao produced the One The One produced the Two Your insights on the One takes what I gleaned from the Creative and the Receptive up a notch. It answers the question about "the energy associated with Virtue" from a higher level perspective. There is more I wish to say, however, I will stop here for this post. (Note: edited to correct spelling/grammar.)

I took a look - Nice website Sifu Garry! Also for the board...Sifu Terry is tied up this week with some business matters. Will return to the site when he gets them sorted out. Lloyd

Sifu Terry - Actually, I have also experience the phenomenon of enhanced cardio ability that I'm convinced is realized through the practice of FP. For me, I love the rowing machine and it seems I can just go on and on, much more easily than I *should* be able to go based on my cardio training alone. OK, on to my question: You had mentioned FP for people with an illness. I would like to get your recommendations on doing FP when sick. I had a virus last week that put me under the weather, and I practiced the "Monk Holds Pearl", as that's one you had mentioned earlier. This seemed to have made a big difference as it seemed to stop the virus from running it's normal course. So, when ill, other than Monk Holds Pearl, are there any other FP exercises that you could recommend? That could be practiced lying down? Any cautions? Now, back to this week, the FP continues to get stronger as I practice. In an earlier post you mentioned if the energy gets too strong to eat something. Well, I haven't had to do that, however, I am beginning to see that the FP energy can get unusually strong....I'll leave it at that for description. I am figuring the FP energy feels so very strong perhaps because my body/system simply isn't used to it. This begs another question. When doing the hand movements, for me the energy feels stronger in some directions than others. Or maybe I should say different in some directions than others. For instance in some directions of hand movements the energy feels thicker and more difficult to move through while in other directions it feels smooth, calming, peaceful, smooth. Have other students experienced this? Is there anything you can attribute to this? Thanks, Lloyd

Gandhi was married and had 4 children. IIRC it was sometime around 36 years of age that he decided to become celibate to enhance his spiritual experience, even though he was married.

Gandhi's autobiography, "My Experiments with Truth" remains one of the most powerful and inspiring books I have ever read. I highly recommend it. His life was extraordinary. One of the fine examples of a personal quantum leap is the one Gandhi made between being a seemingly normal college student and the high level of spirituality he obtained in his first few years out of college. He also wrote an interpretation/commentary of the Bhagavad Gita, which is most excellent. Also recommended reading, regardless of your religious affiliation.