Introduction
The Body is the most profound operating system. It is self-sufficient, self-healing, self-knowing, and self-operating. To understand how the system works, to listen to its alarms and warnings, to maintain its service and not ignore or fight against it is vital. Qigong and all other healing arts aim to learn how to flow with life, to employ the body’s own healing system to obtain its balance and most of all, to allow the body to manifest its most mysterious performance.

Traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese way of nurturing life is based on the principle of supporting the normal and expelling the Pathogenic.

Yi Gong
Yi Gong is one of the highest Taoist Maoshan esoteric practices. Its system includes two aspects, spiritual and physical. The spiritual aspects have not been revealed to the public. The physical aspects include three levels, the spontaneous adjustment, celestial master points the way, and great water fall.

Awareness is the core of Yi Gong practice. Practicing Yi Gong without awareness is not Yi Gong. If you learn the practice and do not develop your awareness, you have lost the essence of Yi Gong.

Yi is mind. Gong is work, skill, method, effort, efficacy, and achievement. Yi Gong is mind training. It is techniques for awareness development. Through skillful techniques and cultivation of one’s mind, one is capable of reaching self-awakening. Self-healing or the appearance of supernatural powers is side-effects along with the body and mind’s awakening. They are not the ultimate goal for Yi Gong. Nevertheless, training one’s mind is a path to self-awakening. Yi Gong is a process of studying, practicing and harvesting. Realization is the result of that cultivation and self-awakening. Words cannot convey the knowing, the cognition, Gnosis or prajñå.

Lecture Contents include
Ten Essential Qigong Exercises
This is the essence and foundation for energy establishment. These ten graceful movements are formulated with breathing as the core, like a mala (prayer bead necklace) that links all beads together. All movements from top to bottom are aimed at warming up and opening the joints, so that energy can flow through the entire body freely.
Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong
Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong is a Taoist practice for exploration of body, mind and spirit. To know the body, you will experience four elements associated with the body, that is earth (solidity - muscle, bones, tendons, etc), water (liquid - blood, lymph, etc), fire (heat - temperature), and wind or air (movement – breath, Qi) and how to keep them in balance by awakening your self-healing system. Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong is the first level of the Yi gong system. It is spontaneous, formless and supports the spiritual development of one’s great potential.
Crucial Points for Practicing Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong
The Benefits of Practicing Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong
Contra-indications for Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong:
Spontaneous adjustment Qigong has great healing power, but it is not suited for everyone, especially not for those who have psychiatric problems. Practice with guidance from an experienced teacher is highly recommended.
Opening Channels Exercises
Specially targeted on opening the Bladder channel, which is the biggest detoxifying channel in the body. The function of some of these movements is to massage the organs and strengthen the liver.
Tapping Qigong
This is for opening the body’s primary channels and directly working on removing blockages by tapping crucial acupuncture points.
Strike wall with back
Strike wall with back is another version of tapping Qigong. Since the entire back is not easily reached by the hands, strike wall with back plays an important role to complete the goal of tapping. It is not only acting to open the Governor vessel (channel) but is also a great practice for restoring Yang Qi in the body and to promote longevity. In addition, the back has two parallel Bladder channels next to the Governing vessel (channel). Stimulating certain points on the Bladder channel on the back can improve the body’s circulation, increase immunity, enhance the function of endocrine and digestion systems, treat cervical spine problems and many other diseases.
Contra-indications:
Strike wall with back exercise is not suited for those who have a serious heart condition, serious hypertension, internal organ prolapses, or later stages of tumors.
Indications in general
The principle to adopt in any practice is to be consciously examining yourself, to keep what benefits you and drop what does not.
The best time to practice
The following table displays the time, channels and organs’ correspondences. Each Chinese Shichen 時辰or two hour period is related with one of the twelve meridians, which correspond with the Yin-Yang organ systems of traditional Chinese medicine. It can be used as a reference for a time option related with practicing according to specific pathologic needs or to strengthen a particular organ or balance the body in general.

For instance, the Bladder channel is the biggest detoxifying channel in the body. According to Chinese medicine, between 3:00-5:00pm, the Bladder channel is maximally active and receives the maximal Qi and Blood flow. If one wants to practice for detoxifying, between 3:00-5:00pm would be the best time for practice. In the same way, if one wants to strengthen the Kidneys or treat the Kidney deficiency, 5:00-7:00pm would be the desired time to practice.

Of course, there are many inner and outer aspects that one should consider, in order to make practice suit one’s lifestyle and schedule. Also different types of Qigong have different requirements on its time frame of practice for achieving its goal. In general, the time of yin-yang transition or most balance in nature is a good time to practice (around noon, midnight, 6am or 6pm). Nevertheless, the bio-Zishi (when you feel the strong electric energy current flowing) is always a precious moment for enhancing one’s energy.

Most of all, to select a proper time for our practice, we need to consider the environment that we are living in, our own convenient schedule, availability, and our own bio-time. So the best time for practice is the time your body and mind can be both devoted and engaged with practice. Avoid a situation where you have to hurry to finish your practice, in order to carry on your next commitment.

Time, Channels (Meridians), and Organs’ Correspondence Table

時辰 Shichen

寅時Yinshi

卯時 Maoshi

辰時 Chenshi

巳時 Sishi

Time

3:00-5:00am

5:00-7:00am

7:00-9:00am

9:00-11:00am

Channel

Lung

Large Intestine

Stomach

Spleen


時辰 Shichen

午時 Wushi

未時 Weishi

申時 Shenshi

酉時 Youshi

Time

11:00am-1:00pm

1:00-3:00pm

3:00-5:00pm

5:00-7:00pm

Channel

Heart

Small Intestine

Bladder

Kidney


時辰 Shichen

戌時 Xushi

亥時 Haishi

子時 Zishi

丑時 Choushi

Time

7:00-9:00pm

9:00-11:00pm

11:00pm-1:00am

1:00-3:00am

Channel

Pericardium

Sanjiao

Gall Bladder

Liver
Teaching Story
In tradition, Taoist teaching emphasized telling stories. In this way, Masters would help their students attain self realization. The first story I am going to share with you is from my Yi Gong teacher.

There was a Siddha who possessed great psychic powers. During a winter day on the mountain, he encountered a very heavy rainstorm. Rain was pouring down and it was very cold. He did not have an umbrella or any kind of shelter. He came upon a cave and intended to run in to escape the rain. However, there were two people who ran into the cave in front of him and there was no room left for another person. In reaction to the situation, he shouted to them that the mountain was going to collapse. The two people in the cave immediately ran out despite the downpour outside. When they ran out, the Siddha ran in to claim the shelter. As soon as he ran in, the mountain collapsed. He had forgotten his highly developed powers caused his words to manifest instantly. His words buried him in the mountain and he lost his life because of his own power.

Of what benefit is power without wisdom?

For Sharing
Shared on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/groups/EasternInternalArts)

01/10/2012 on Facebook

A retreat of Great Perfection Chanting - One Million in ten days
(12/18-12/27 2011)

---for those who are dedicating themselves on the path of enlightenment

Part I - Foreword

During my last visit to China in October and November 2011, I heard about how difficult it is to attend the retreat for one million chants in ten days at the East Forest Monastery or Donglin Temple. The East Forest Monastery is the first Pure Land monastery, built by Hui Yuan, the first Pure Land patriarch in 384 A.D. People believe that to practice there it is easier to accomplish such a difficult task because of tremendous power and blessings from all great patriarchs will give them strength to go through this retreat. Therefore, the waiting list is one to two years long, since the monastery only hosts this retreat ten times a year. I thought how popular it is to have such a long waiting period, and why does only one monastery offer such a great practice. Why do so many renunciants have to travel to Donglin Temple in order to accomplish it? Is their own temple not blessed? In the same way, why can't lay people do it at home by themselves? You only need a mouth and a pure heart.

Of course, I understand how difficult that effort would be. In the past couple of years I have chanted a lot. It has become a part of my daily life. I constantly chant whatever I do. It reflects my Yigong training in awareness. When my master gave me a quota for daily numbers, I start to count. At the beginning, I only did just over two thousand per hour. Gradually I increased that to four thousand and then six thousand is the most that I can do in an hour. Imagine six thousand chants per hour, I will need 16.7 hours per day at the same speed without interruption in order to accomplish 100,000 per day and one million in ten days.

After I returned from China on the 16th of November, 2011, taking action to practice the great perfection chanting - one million in ten days had been in my mind day and night quit often. This traditional Chinese Pure Land Buddhist practice was very popular during Sui (581-618 A.D) and Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). After over 1,400 years, it is now reviving in China. It is not the issue of how hard it will be or can I finish it, but when is the best time for it. I know I definitely want to get it done before my next year Bodhi Light retreat I. Can I wait that long? Or can I get it done before the New Year?

I shared my ideal with my friend of wanting to do this retreat myself at home. She said that I cannot do that. You have a duty to your work (she means my healing works). It cannot be stopped. Also, she said that it is very difficult to do it by oneself. In the monastery, there is so much energy supported by past patriarchs and dharma protectors to help you to achieve your goal. I said, I have Bodhisattvas and Celestial Masters with me all the time at home, I lack for nothing. I remember that my younger brother told me that he tried to apply for a retreat of Chan-Tea meditation a year ago in a different monastery, but it was denied because of his age. The retreat is for college students in their 20s. They said at age 50, your energy, vitality or strength is not compatible with youngsters. You cannot be in a group with them. Maybe someday, when we have a senior group, you may join. He was very disappointed… Learning that external conditions dominate the internal path for most people, I feel it's even more important to show the world it should be the other way around. You change the environment, not the environment changes you. Adding this little flavor into my retreat, which I don't have to wait for anyone to notify me that we have a space for you now, or you are not qualified because of your age, I feel so blessed to make an example. Yes, I can. The retreat became more meaningful. Not because I want to prove to anyone that I can do it without going to a monastery or that at my age of over 50 I'm not weaker than any youngsters. But I truly want to make this effort as a reminder to myself that it's never too late to start anything and never to take a break in my practice because of age or because I am a teacher now. I will always be a student until I reach full enlightenment.

Checking my schedule, I decided to do it before the New Year. The holidays are the busiest time for most people, but free for me, priority, priority and priority. After I finished my healing work on two overseas patients and the last online healing work for a European patient as I promised, I started my retreat on December 18th. It gave me one day for preparation of making some food for my retreat as self-support.

On the 17th, my friend sent me a reflection from a nun who had just finished her retreat at the Donglin monastery, which gave me a good review of how it feels. When I read that she finished her million chants in 7 days, and she did 200 chants of "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo" per minute. It surprised me. She doubled my speed. How would anyone chant that fast. So I started to try one minute chanting myself to see how fast I could go. The result astonished me with 223. I started to doubt myself. Is this number accurate? Or is my hand faster than my chant (I was using a digital counter)? I started to ask my celestial master whether this is possible. I was told that of course it is possible. It is not because of my personal ability, but because of blessings and support from all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma protectors… and they are now throwing flowers on me…

I prepared my retreat room, cooked some mixed vegetables to last for four days, a few tea eggs and some drinks, counting devices, and bought some flowers for an offering. I got a haircut and took a shower to clear myself to honor this holy practice. I went down to my retreat room at 8:30pm to turn a new page in my practice. I told my husband, unless it's a case of life and death, don't interrupt my retreat.

I spent a half hour to write some notes and went to bed at 9:00pm hoping to have a good sleep before starting my retreat in the early morning. I had not gotten much sleep the previous day since my last healing session for Europe was 12:00 midnight-1:00 am my time, in order to get best result for the patient in his morning time. I normally go to bed at 10:00pm and sleep follows right away. After this high energy work and mind activity it was hard for me to sleep. That evening, I was still having a hard time getting to sleep. Maybe I was too excited about the retreat. I looked at my clock every half hour to an hour. Finally, deciding not to waste my time looking at the clock. Since I could not sleep, I decided to get up early and begin practice.

At 2:00am on December 18th 2011, I started my journey for awakening.

Part II - Practice

12/18/2011 - Day 1

2:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

2:20-3:20am: sitting chanting: 10,200.

3:20-4:20am: sitting chanting: 8,100. Between 4:00-4:05am drink a cup of green tea with honey.

4:20-5:20am: sitting chanting: 6,700.

5:20-5:55am: mostly walking chanting: 5,000.

5:55-8:23am: mostly walking chanting: 10,000. Between 7:00-7:25am: Breakfast: a cup of almond tea with hazelnut and two pieces of multi-grain bread toast.

8:23-10:40am: walking chanting: 17,000. During this time, I had my routine drink soybean milk at 9:00-9:05am, 9:40am-10:00am rest, 10:00am a cup of tea.

This morning I have been struggling on making sure when I chant fast, my chanting and my counting are matched. The more I'm concerned, the more I don't feel confident that I can see the match. It just moves too fast. The nun recommended five times as group of chanting is the fast way. I found it depends on individual. Finally, I relaxed my mind and let go the numbers, whether is five or four or six, using a breath as core. Count on each breath what I can chant as a group. Thus, my mind became focused and I am able to see each number I chant and each button I push in a fraction of a second. It is like space and time stretched from one point and I can see them so well. This is because human's breath is most stable in its rhythm for each individual, unless there is illness. Forcing each breath long cannot last. Just flow with it and you are most relaxed and can last forever. My mind settled.

10:40-11:10am: sitting chanting: 3,000.

It is interesting to discover that not only my left hand is slower than my right hand when I push the button, but also it slows down my chanting speed as well. I cannot speak as fast as when I use the right hand. As if my brain is connected with my hand and they are interdependent and interact.

11:10-12:10pm: sitting chanting: 10,222.

12:10-1:42pm: rest, but chanted 2,000.

1:45-2:00pm: Lunch: a tea egg and a tangerine.

2:00-2:43pm: sitting chanting: 7,887.

2:43-3:43pm: mostly walking chanting: 10,234.

3:43-4:43pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,124.

I noticed, during my walking, my eyes were closed and slightly open up naturally at corner of turning. My mind was very tranquil and even with eyes closed, it did not affect my balance. In this hour I did not go to bathroom. When I glimpse my counter, it was 100,037, I right away felt the congratulations from all my masters for achieving the first 100,000 chanting.

4:43-5:00pm: sitting chanting: 2,969.

5:00-5:30pm: Dinner: vegetable, rice, a tangerine and a small cup of self-made grape juice.

5:30-6:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 3,836.

6:00-7:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 8,792.

7:00-8:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 10,381.

8:00-9:00pm: sitting chanting: 12,556. Felt sleepy but hanging in there by watching the counter.

9:20pm: go to bed.

Day 1, total chanting: 141,000.

Notes:

During morning sitting chanting, I felt nausea. When I bent my body forward, the symptoms reduced. In the afternoon, all the symptoms were gone. My dog Lucy was very quiet and cooperative. She does not bother me at all. When I have to go upstairs for meals, she will move out of my way to let me pass quietly as if she knows that I am doing a retreat.

Drank too much tea this morning and had to go to bathroom every hour for the whole morning. It is such a waste of time. This morning I also felt my lips and my throat dry. Not used to chanting this much. The afternoon chanting is great, the fire in my throat gradually diminishing.

The early morning I felt a little chilly, so I replaced my new light quilt with a down quilt at noon. I did not feel any sleepiness until the last hour of practice.

I blended chanting with sitting and walking but after a meal used walking mainly. I did not think about my counting method. I just added them up continuously and recorded them irregularly. (Please note that the current counting method of each record starting from zero was not the original that I did and which gave me so much trouble later on when the counting device had problems and needed to be replaced. I finally adapted this counting method in the last day.)

Since I finished 140,000 in a day, I have confidence that I can easily accomplish one million in ten days, or maybe even seven days. I am going to add my daily full prostrations practice into this retreat, so I don't miss any of my daily routine practice.

2011/12/19 - Day 2

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:35-3:55am: full prostrations 120.

4:00-5:00am: walking chanting: 9,558.

5:00-5:10am: had a drink of black beans with matcha.

5:10-6:00am: mostly walking chanting: 10,635.

6:00-7:00am: sitting chanting: 9,809.

7:00-7:30am: Breakfast: oatmeal congee with some nuts.

7:30-8:30am: mostly walking chanting: 9,749.

8:30-9:30am: sitting chanting: 11,454. Had soybean milk at 9:00-9:05.

9:30-10:30am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,702.

10:30-11:30am: walking: 9,176. Had a cup of green tea with honey at 10:35-10:40am.

11:30-12:00noon: 5,319.

12:00-1:00pm: rest. During the rest chanted 1,030.

1:00-1:30pm: Lunch: rice, vegetable, a tea egg and a small cup of self-made grape juice .

1:30-2:30pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,603.

2:30-3:30pm: 11,853.

3:30-4:30pm: 10,912.

4:30-5:30pm: 9,384.

5:30-6:00pm: 5,756.

6:00-6:30pm: Dinner: Miso soup. During dinner chanted 2,015.

6:30-7:00pm: 6,044.

7:00-8:00pm: 11,784.

8:00-9:00pm: 11,723.

9:30pm: go to bed

Day 2, total chanting: 159,506, and full prostrations 120. Running total of chant: 300,506.

Notes:

Since my chanting speed was affected by which hand I was using, I used my right hand more than left. If I knew this beforehand, I would have done some practice with my left hand. After the day was over, my right wrist was sore. Maybe the counting device is bigger and needed more force to push it or maybe I just did not push it properly. To ensure my eight more days working smoothly, I decide to do some healing after work.

I noticed that I did not always push my counting device properly. Sometimes the number did not change after one breath counting or changed one number only. I noticed if my thumb did not push down straight but sideways, it didn't change anything. I corrected myself and paid more attention to it. My chanting numbers went up substantially. Possibly, yesterday I lost some counts because of that. Anyway, today, I felt a big accomplishment and did nearly 160,000 plus 120 full prostrations. I am expecting to finish a million in 7 days.

After 11:30pm I finally fell into a sleep. Maybe because after the healing my body is too energized or the down quilt is too hot for me, I am just too hot all night. I slept about three hours awaking at 2:30am.

2011/12/20 - Day 3

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120.

3:50-5:00am: walking chanting: 12,613.

5:00-5:05am: drank a cup of almond tea with hazelnut.

5:06-6:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 8,548. Very sleepy.

6:00-7:00am: mostly walking chanting: 10,236.            

7:00-7:30am: Breakfast: oatmeal congee with nuts and dried fruits. Shower.

7:30-8:10am: rest and drank a cup of green tea with honey.

8:10-9:00am: mostly walking chanting: 9,595.

9:00-10:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,008. Had soybean milk at 9:00-9:05am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly walking chanting: 11,772.

11:00-12:00noon: mostly sitting chanting: 12,010.

12:00-12:30pm: rest.

12:30-1:00pm: Lunch: rice, vegetable and 2 tangerines.

1:00-2:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 10,593.

During the chanting, my mind is so tranquil, the verses just keep bubbling up:
"凈念相繼, 法界粉碎, 九品蓮臺, 應佛花開"
(When the pure thought continues, the dharma realm smashes; the nine levels of lotus platform, blooming by Buddha's evocation.)
"志立功已達, 足行何懼怕, 蜻蜓嬉點水, 入流自在心"
(When a determination is established, attainment is already achieved, what is there to be afraid of in making an effort? One who has entered the stream of holy living, liberty embraces as if a dragonfly dances on the water without limitation).

2:00-3:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 8,620. Writing notes.

3:00-4:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 13,506.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 7,738 + 120 full prostrations to make up what I did not do on the first day.

5:00-5:30pm: mostly walking chanting: 5,233.

5:30-5:40pm: Dinner: Miso soup (made it yesterday, 2 minutes in microwave), a small cup of self-made grape juice .

5:40-6:00pm: walking chanting: 3,987.

6:00-7:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 10,949.

7:00-8:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 12,240.

8:00-9:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 12,089.

9:00-9:25pm: prepare breakfast for several days. Soaking beans and other grains for tomorrow to make an eight-treasure congee.

9:40pm: go to bed.

Day 3, total chanting: 159,737, full prostrations 240. Running total of chanting: 460,243.

Notes:

Today did better than yesterday. Chant about 160,000 plus 2 x 120 full prostrations, which made up one for Monday did not do. Left hand push button a little faster now, but still not as fast as right hand.

Still have hard time to go to sleep. The poem or verses that rose during my practice keep running in my mind about whether each Chinese character was used in the perfect place and can fully express my experience at the time. The more think the more awake I am. So I decided to chant and request my masters help me to sleep. Fall asleep about 11:00pm and have 4 good hours sleep.

2011/12/21 - Day 4

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.
Prepare breakfast: put all soaked beans, grains into an electric pressure cooker and added nuts and dried fruits, setting the cooking time to make a breakfast for three days meal.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120.

3:55-5:00am: mostly walking chanting: 11,309. Have thoughts arising, so after 30 minutes walking I changed to sitting chanting with eyes watching my counter, in order to eliminate thoughts. It works better.

5:00-5:05am: had a drink of black beans with matcha

5:05-6:00am: mostly walking chanting: 9,961. I am so glad that I have a walking hall. It is good to do walking after meals, or after full prostrations, or when I feel sleepy.

6:00-7:00am: mostly walking chanting: 8,693.
A problem occurs on counting device. It shows total amount as 498,206, e.g. actual amount: 16,693 for this hour. I know it is impossible. So I consider it to be 490,206 or 8,693 for this hour. I know it is much less than I can actually chant in an hour, but I changed the device after I wrote down: "Chant with decency, achieve attainment in one lifetime".

7:00-7:30am: Breakfast: eight-treasure congee, shower.

7:30-8:05am: rest and drank a cup of green tea with honey.

8:06-8:45am: mostly walking chanting: 8,002. Start with new counting device.

8:46-9:00am: waste a lot of time on checking numbers. The new device was not easy to use, so went to find another one to replace it again.

9:00-10:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 12,078. Had soybean milk at 9:00-9:05.

10:00-11:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 12,060. When I change clothing with the counting device on my hand, I accidentally touched the return to zero button, so I have to restart from zero again and write down what was the running total.

11:00-12:00noon: mostly walking chanting: 11,696.

12:00-12:30pm: Lunch: noodles, vegetables, and a small cup of self-made grape juice. During cooking I chanted 1,210.

12:30-1:00pm: walking chanting: 5,410.

1:00-1:35pm: sitting chanting: 6,938.

1:36-2:20pm: rest, drank a cup of green tea with honey.

2:20-3:00pm: walking chanting: 7,889.

3:00-4:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 13,533.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 12,135.

5:00-6:00pm: mostly sitting chanting 12,766.

6:00-6:30pm: Dinner: made two pieces of Chinese pancakes and one tangerine. After dinner my mouth was very dry, probably related with the pancakes. During this time I chanted 1,373.

6:30-7:00pm: walking chanting: 5,540.

7:00-8:00pm: sitting chanting: 11,166.

8:00-9:00pm: walking chanting: 10,440.

9:20pm: go to bed.

Day 4, total chanting: 170,199 and full prostrations 120. Running total of chanting: 630,442.

Notes:

Today I wasted a lot of time on the problems with counting devices and calculating my numbers. My husband always reminded me don't even think about being a mathematician.

After going to bed, shortly there is much light appearing at my forehead. It is not glaring, but soft and colorful with beautiful and curved lines. A desire to see the true face of Avalokitesvara(or Guan Yin in Chinese) arises by remembering that my master told me that I might able to see the true face of Avalokitesvara, not the manifestation. Because of the longing, the magnificent light disappeared after appearing less than a minute.

Because of my hot body, at 11:30pm I get up to change my quilt to the light one I used before. I sleep very well.

It seems that I am making progress every day. I think it is important to record chanting every hour. In this way, I can compare and keep up my effort for every hour.

12/22/2011 - Day 5

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:53am: full prostrations 120 + 12. To save time,
I divide 120 prostrations in ten sets with each number. Time passed so fast, I cannot believe the counter, so I did an extra set. After going back to look at the time I noticed that it has taken 23 minutes. For 120 full prostrations, I only need 17-20 minutes.

4:00-5:00am: walking chanting: 12,100. Thoughts are arising about priorities.

5:00-5:05am: drink a cup of almond tea with hazelnut.

5:10-6:00am: sitting chanting: 10,177. To stop thinking, I changed to sitting chanting with eyes watching counting.

6:00-7:00am: sitting chanting: 12,827.

7:00-7:20am: Breakfast: reheat eight-treasure congee, 2 minutes in microwave and a small cup of self-made grape juice.

7:20-8:10am: Rest.

8:10-9:00am: mostly walking chanting: 11,153. The counter has a problem again.

9:00-10:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,692. Had soybean milk at 9:00-9:05am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 12,177.

11:00-12:00noon: mostly walking chanting: 12,238.

12:00-12:40pm: Lunch: Making Quinoa for three days meal. I put Quinoa into rice cooker and added twice amount of water at 40 minutes to go before lunch. At lunch time I just add some Ghee and pesto into it. Put lettuce into boiled water for two minutes.

12:40-1:30pm: walking chanting: 11,145.

1:30-2:10pm: rest, drank a cup of green tea with honey.

2:10-3:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 10,050.

3:00-4:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,005.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 13,385.

5:00-6:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 13,058. During my tranquil walk, feels like that I can walk on the single beam bridge above 10,000 feet abyss without fear. My heart is absolutely still and quiescent. Everything is in silence but the click from my counter, clock on wall and my chanting.

6:00-6:30pm: Dinner : Making Miso Soup. Eat half and save a half for tomorrow. Writing notes.

6:30-7:30pm: walking chanting: 13,632.

7:30-8:30pm: sitting chanting: 12,847.

8:30-9:00pm: sitting chanting: 5,817.

9:00-9:30pm: taking 10 minutes bath for having a good sleep.

9:30pm: go to bed

Day 5, total chanting: 173,303, full prostrations 132. Running total of chanting: 803,745.

Notes:

After dinner, my lips wer very dry. After bath, I slept so well.

2011/12/23 - Day 6

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120. Today, I feel heaviness on my shoulders, as if there are many beings all doing prostrations with me behind. I felt like I am an old ox pulling a cart with heavy steps, but it is sturdy and stable.

3:55-5:00am: walking chanting: 10,567.

5:00-5:08am: had a drink of black beans with matcha.

5:08-6:00am: half walking and half sitting chanting: 10,693. During sitting felt sleepy.

6:00-7:00am: mostly walking chanting: 10,299.

7:00-8:00am: rest.

8:00-8:15am: Breakfast: reheat eight-treasure congee, 2 minutes in microwave. A small cup of self-made grape juice.

8:15-9:00am: walking chanting: 9,153.

9:00-10:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,547. Had soybean milk drink at 9:00-9:05.

10:00-11:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 11,167.

11:00-12:00noon: walking chanting: 10,712. Wasted 8 minutes on checking numbers.

12:00-12:20pm: Lunch: reheat Quinoa, microwave for 2 minutes.

12:20-1:20pm: rest and drink a cup of green tea.

1:20-2:00pm: sitting chanting: 7,852.

2:00-3:00pm: sitting chanting: 13,169.

3:00-3:30pm: sitting chanting: 4,096. The counter had problem again and I waste ten minutes on taking care of the numbers. Changed to a new counter. Fortunately, I have just brought back 10 new counters from China. Otherwise I would struggle with the counting issues.

3:30-4:00pm: walking chanting: 6,463.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 11,304.

5:00-6:00pm: mostly sitting chanting: 11,638.

6:00-6:30pm: Dinner: reheat Miso soup with 2 minutes in microwave, steam broccoli, a small cup of self-made grape juice.

6:30-7:30pm: 10,987.

7:30-8:30pm: 10,918.

8:30-9:45pm: 15,501.

10:00pm: go to bed

Day 6, total chanting: 165,066, full prostrations 120. Running total of chanting: 968,811.

Notes:

20 minutes after I went to bed, there is strong energy charging my body from the center of my head going down my body for 5-6 minutes.

12/24/2011 - Day 7

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120. Felt very light again, not like yesterday.

3:55-5:00am: walking chanting: 11,147.
During this time I notice my counter has repeated the same issue, on certain numbers it does not change correctly.

5:00-5:05am: drink a cup of almond tea with hazelnut.

5:05-6:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,106.

6:00-7:00am: sitting chanting: 11,939. (Running total: 1,002,003)
Same counter issue happens again.
In this hour I am really sleepy. I should be more excited because it is the time for sprinting to achieve one million chants. On the contrary, my hand does not cooperate, fingers a tired and slow. No excitement, but steady persistence and relentlessly to chant to the end at 7:00am. I accomplished 1,000,000. With a running total of 1,002,003.
I opened my basement door and go to share my news. I heard little steps running into the entrance of the stairway. When I got up, my dog Lucy cannot wait to congratulate me. She keeps kissing me and licking my face. It is unbelievable, as if she knows that I have accomplished my goal. I then went to my husbands office to give him a hug without say anything. He asked me "what for?" I said "one million". He said "congratulations!" And said to Lucy, who is standing next to us, come over to give mommy a hug. I said she already did and didn't even need to ask what for. She knows. Such a wonderful dog. My celestial master told me she is my dharma protector. I know it is not only her to congratulate me but all my Bodhisattvas and Celestial masters who are here with me and support me all this time are also through her to congratulate me.

7:00-8:00am: rest.
After I reached my one million, I went to take a nap straight away. When I wake up and look at clock and stare at 8:00am for a moment, not sure what that means. Oh, chanting. Oh, I have accomplished one million chants. Oh, time for breakfast.

8:00-8:40am: Breakfast: reheat eight-treasure congee for 2 minutes in microwave, a small cup of self-made grape juice.

8:40-9:00am: walking chanting: 3,706.

9:00-10:00am: walking chanting: 10,626. Had a cup of soybean milk at 9:00-9:05am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 11,440.

11:00-12:00noon: sitting chanting: 9,875. Had a cup of green tea with honey at 11:00-11:05am.

12:00-12:30pm: Lunch: reheat Quinoa, microwave for 2 minutes. Plus one piece of cake.
To congratulate my accomplishment, my husband bought a cake and flowers for me. He said: whatever you want this for, whether for celebrate our anniversary (the day before yesterday) or your accomplishment for one million chants, take your pick. Congratulations! I changed the flowers on my altar with new fresh ones he just bought.

12:30-1:00pm: walking chanting: 6,104.

1:00-2:00pm: sitting chanting: 10,127.

2:00-3:00pm: walking chanting: 11,730.

3:00-3:30pm: rest.

3:30-4:00pm: sitting chanting: 5,717.

4:00-5:00pm: sitting chanting: 10,389.

5:00-6:00pm: sitting chanting: 9,390.

6:00-6:45pm: Dinner: make Miso Soup for another two days. Eat half and save half for tomorrow, and have a tea egg, a small cup of self-made grape juice. Take shower. Counting.

6:45-7:30pm: walking chanting: 9,896.
I noticed so far that I did not do enough today by looking at numbers wrong. This is what my master use to tell me about the toxin of eyes. Seeing things that are not true. I light up an incense to request strength.

7:30-8:30pm: walking chanting: 13,336.

8:30-9:36pm: walking chanting: 13,664. Did extra time to catch up some numbers.

9:45pm: go to bed

Day 7, total chanting: 159,192, plus full prostrations 120. Running total of chanting: 1,128,003.

Notes:

At night I did not fall asleep right away, but after falling asleep I started to become aware that I am actually chanting while I was asleep and not only that, my hand was pushing the buttons as well. When I got up in the morning, my right arm and especially my elbow feel sore. My clock does not ring any more, but I still get up at 3:00am

2011/12/25 - Day 8

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120.

3:55-5:00am: walking chanting: 12,580.

5:00-6:00am: sitting chanting: 10,991, had a drink of black beans with matcha at 5:00-5:05am.

6:00-7:00am: sitting chanting: 10,828.

7:00-7:30am: Breakfast: reheat the eight-treasure congee, 2 minutes in microwave. One piece of cake. Taking a shower.

7:30-8:00am: rest.

8:00-9:00am: walking chanting: 12,370.

9:00-10:00am: sitting chanting: 9002. Had a drink of soybean milk at 9:00-9:06am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 12,286.

11:00-12:00noon: mostly walking chanting: 11,245.

12:00-12:30pm: Lunch: making an Avocado Sandwich.

12:30-1:00pm: walking chanting: 4,878.

1:00-2:00pm: sitting chanting: 11,145.

2:00-2:35pm: rest, drank a cup of green tea with honey.

2:35-3:00pm: sitting chanting: 5,100.

3:00-4:00pm: sitting chanting: 12,575.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,685.

5:00-6:10pm: mostly walking chanting: 15,017. Counter stopped. Change to a new counter again.

6:10-6:35pm: Dinner: reheat Miso soup for 2 minutes in microwave, steam lettuce.

6:35-7:30pm: walking chanting: 11,803. My fingers feel tired.

7:30-8:30pm: sitting chanting: 12,428.

8:30-9:00pm: sitting chanting: 6,276.

9:00-9:45pm: Making some vegetable for next two days. Finished the last tea egg.

10:00pm: go to bed

Day 8, total chanting: 171,209, full prostrations 120. Running total of chanting: 1,299,212.

Notes:

Same as yesterday, I was chanting in my sleep and pushed counter button as well, even though I do not have a counter on my hand.

12/26/2011 - Day 9

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120.

3:55-5:00am: walking chanting: 11,757.

5:00-5:08am: drink a cup of almond tea with hazelnut.

5:08-6:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 9,742.

6:00-7:00am: mostly walking chanting: 10,408.

7:00-8:00am: rest

8:00-8:30am: Breakfast: one piece of cake.

8:30-9:00am: walking chanting: 4,224.

9:00-10:00am: sitting chanting: 10,842, Had a drink of soybean milk 9:00-9:05am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly walking chanting: 11,925.

11:00-12:00noon: sitting chanting: 10,775.

12:00-12:30pm: sitting chanting: 5,821.

12:30-12:50pm: rest, drank a cup of green tea with honey.

12:50-2:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 14,897.

2:00-3:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 11,718.

3:00-4:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,459.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,110.

5:00-5:30pm: mostly walking chanting: 6,266.

5:30-6:00pm: Dinner: vegetable, rice, and a small cup of self-made grape juice.

6:00-7:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 9,979.

7:00-8:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,092.

8:00-9:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 12,289.

9:30pm: go to bed

Day 9, total chanting: 167,394, full prostrations 120. Running total of chanting: 1,466,606.

Notes:

I felt very sleepy this morning, after an hour nap feel much better. I did not eat lunch, whole afternoon felt very relaxed in chanting and most of the time am walking. Only come to sit 10 to 15 minutes before hourly recording time, as if to prepare for 24 hours chanting on the twelfth day. My mind was extremely clear and awake this afternoon. I felt like I'd never need sleep again and no problem to do another million chants. If I only need to do one million in ten days, it would be so easy to accomplish it.

I was still chanting in my sleep.

12/27/2011 - Day 10 (To prevent counter's issues and make it easy to correct if things happen. I finally changed counting method from continuous counting to individual hourly counting, which I should have done from the beginning.)

3:00am: get up, morning ablution, ritual routine and drink warm water.

3:30-3:50am: full prostrations 120.

3:55-5:00am: walking chanting: 12,007.

5:00-5:05am: had a drink of black beans with matcha

5:05-6:00am: mostly sitting chanting: 10,076.

6:00-7:00am: mostly walking chanting: 11,017.

7:00-7:15am: Breakfast: one piece of cake.

7:15-8:00am: rest.

8:00-9:00am: walking chanting: 11,005.

9:00-10:00am: sitting chanting: 10,201. Had a drink of soybean milk at 9:00-9:05am.

10:00-11:00am: mostly walking chanting: 12,829.

11:00-12:00noon: sitting chanting: 12,005.

12:00-12:40pm: sitting chanting: 7,739.

12:40-1:40pm: rest.

1:40-2:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 4,032.

2:00-2:20pm: Lunch: reheat vegetable for 2 minutes in microwave, rice, a cup of green tea with honey. I light up an incense to request the power from Buddhas for strength and uphold them.

2:20-3:00pm: walking chanting: 9,132.

3:00-4:00pm: sitting chanting: 12,006.

4:00-5:00pm: mostly walking chanting: 13,366.

5:00-5:30pm: mostly walking chanting: 6,007.

5:30-5:40pm: Dinner: made a dragon eye and egg soup.

5:40-6:00pm: 4,002.

6:00-7:00pm: walking chanting: 12,885.

7:00-8:00pm: walking chanting: 12,704.

8:00-8:46pm: walking chanting: 10,000.

8:46-9:20pm: conduct a ceremony: Verse for transferring merit.

End the retreat.

Day 10 total chanting: 171,013, full prostrations 120.

Total chanting for 10 days: 1,637,619 and full prostrations: 1,212.

12/29/2011 - Day 12 - 24 hours walking chanting

Chanting 24 hours on the twelfth day is to give people who cannot finish one million in ten days an opportunity to continue work on the eleventh day. If on the eleventh day they still cannot finish, then they will take the twelfth day for a twenty four hour walk to finish it with the group, according to tradition.

My experience is that it is not difficult to accomplish one million chants in ten days. The most difficult thing to do is on the twelfth day, doing 24 hours walking chanting. In these 24 hours you can only have one meal and water or maybe you can drink one time soy bean milk, but no tea or coffee. Eating is not a big issue, but with the full intensity and the maximum concentration, chanting and walking without rest is the most difficult task. I did 252,484 chants and 120 full prostrations in these 24 hours. It showed me my true face and reflects every word that my master said to me about being human.

I encourage everyone to try it yourself, since it is only one day. If your excuse is that you don't have time, or if you cannot even take a one day off for yourself, you have no life. Because you will not know yourself, you can forget about your longing for self-realization. It is just your empty words dissolving in the empty space. In fact, it really doesn't matter how far you can go, but you can really test your strength and know how much your words, or your self-righteousness or your beliefs have any value when you cannot conquer 24 hours. I leave this experience for you to discover by yourself.

Part III - Issues

Inexperience:

I did not know that during this ten days retreat I need to hold "Uposatha Sila -The Eight-Precepts Observance 受持八关斋戒", eating one meal a day, no drinking tea or coffee. Therefore, during my retreat I kept to a vegetarian diet but didn't keep to the rest of the precepts.

I did not have experience preparing for the practice. I did not know the fastest way to chant, the counting method, how to keep up speed, etc.

Counting method:

The counting method at the beginning was continuous, adding up without a plan. That was the biggest mistake. The same with chanting, no particular way of doing it. After struggling in the morning of the first day about being sure the button presses matches my chant, my mind has to be able to see it. I started to be aware that the fast and best way of chanting is with a breath, because the breath is regular and stable. I began to focus my chanting as a set in each breath whether it is five times or more go with a breath and keep it steady. It becomes easy to count, to match, and to concentrate, and it is fast. I also began to rely on recording the numbers hourly so that I can compare my hourly effort. What is my maximum numbers in each hour? When the current hour is slower than the last one, what was the cause and how can I improve it. How much can I do each day or at least remain close to that amount? Can I push the limit?

Counting device:

The counting device gave me a lot of trouble. For the ten days I used four devices. The first device I used the numbers often did not change when I pushed faster or changed one time when I pushed five. The first day I didn't pay much attention to it, though it only happened occasionally. The second day when I watched my numbers while I am chanting, I found out if I did not press the button in the center, it does not change. From then on, I paid more attention to pushing buttons. The numbers rose from the second day. The first day total chant is 140,000, all the other days it went up to between 160,000 - 170,000 per day. I think that the first day I actually did more chants, because I got up an hour earlier and did not do 120 full prostrations, which take about 20 minutes, and my number is 20,000 - 30,000 less than other days.

Part IV - Advice to others:

  1. If one wants to do such a retreat, prepare yourself first to be sure that you can leave everything behind without concern. No phone calls, no internet, and no worries.
  2. Start at 3:00pm, not early morning.
  3. Prepare food, drink, room and practice space or place without distractions.
  4. Prepare several counting devices in case some go bad.
  5. Practice both hands with counting device.
  6. Set up a goal how much you want to chant each day. Make sure you will finish your task every day. Not less but more.
  7. Count hourly and write down the record of each hour's counting. Adding up at end of the day. Don't count continuously.
  8. A lip balm is very useful. Your lips might be dry.
  9. Have a clock to keep your schedule.
  10. Practice with walking and sitting alternately.
  11. After meals or feeling sleepy is a good time to do the walking.
  12. Keep your mind on the chanting, hear your word and let go all thoughts, no matter how important, how brilliant, how wonderful or how much entanglement in your mind.
  13. If you have trouble to take your mind off the thoughts, then watch the numbers changing when you push the button while you are chanting.

Part V - Thoughts to Share

Tradition and Priorities

I'd like to share some thoughts on this topic that popped up in my mind during my 10 day retreat. At the time, I didn't allow myself to be dragged into any further thinking but kept returning my mind to my chanting.

Now it is good time to share my thoughts about this topic with those true spiritual seekers who have a goal for their path.

In Chinese tradition, the great teaching is to study individual cases. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine is all about individual case study. In Buddhism, all sutras but one, the Amitabha Sutra, were taught by the Buddha to answer people's questions. I grew up with such a tradition and know how valuable it is, so what I am sharing with you will always be involved with individual cases. Therefore, please don't take anything personally if some case is yours or related with yours or similar to yours. I don't take anything personally. I hope you all, whoever is listening, do so as well. It is all phenomena to me. In fact, a good student can really change their Karma and turn things around by right thinking. For instance, without your case, I probably will not mention something that would benefit a lot of people including yourself. So consider your case is a contribution or generosity to the world. That merit we call Yin merit or virtue. The Yin in here is not negative or darkness, but not under "sunlight" (Yang) so not everyone knows about it. That is considered the highest merit or virtue.

Recently, someone asked me about my online consultation. When I told him about my fees, it became not so pleasant to him. "It seems to me that there is no way I can find a daoist teacher in the traditional sense," he responded. I said, "You are asking to find a daoist teacher in the traditional sense. Which traditional sense do you mean? Free teaching? I have so many teachings on my website in the Q & A section that is free to access. I haven't seen any ready student that knows the value of teaching and is willing to follow. Today, in our time it is not a good teacher that is difficult to find, but a ready student is rare to see."

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you all about the tradition. Every culture has a tradition. Have you ever thought that a tradition comes with the territory? Why does each country have its own tradition? It is like each person has their own Karma, you get what you give. In the same way, each culture provides the fundamental ground for that tradition to arise.

Chinese culture is based on the five basic virtues (kindness, justice, good manners, wisdom and honesty), five cardinal human relationships (relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, between brothers and between friends) and filial piety. Traditionally (not today), no teacher would ask for money in exchange for their teachings, whether it is kung fu or Taoism or anything else, because no one would try to take advantage of the kindness of their teacher or anyone else, because it is opposite from the five basic virtue as a human being and it is not the right thing to do.

Starting with the word Sifu (Shi Fu). It is composed of two words, teacher and father. It means to be your teacher one day shall be for a lifetime treated as your father. That is the meaning of Sifu in the sense of respect.

In the West, what I have experienced, not that I care (when in Rome, do as the Romans do), but to share my experience of the difference, people, who want to study with you, call you by name. Jenny Lamb or Jenny is pretty respectful of you. Often you don't even have a name when people write to you and don't even sign who the writer is.

I never called any of my teachers' names directly. Not only me. Any students in China will not do so because of the cultural manner and education. Respect is like a secret it can decode the knowledge you have learned. Without that, no matter how good a spiritual shopper you are, how well you look, you will be empty handed from one life to another. It is not your teacher that wants to keep the secret from you. It is that the knowledge itself will not convey to you or you will not understand what the knowledge contains because you do not respect it. Attitude, attitude, attitude!

Did I have to pay my teachers for my study? Here is my life story to share with you.

I started study with my Kungfu Sifu when I was twelve and left him at age 17 when I left home. My teacher never asked me for money. Did I pay for his kindness? At a young age, I was very good at hand crafts such as crocheting and knitting. My Sifu's wife always asked me to crochet this or that she wanted for her home or to knit sweaters for their kids. I did everything that she asked me to do with honor that they liked my work and I could repay my gratitude to my Sifu. My parents always prepared gifts for me to take to Sifu for every big Chinese holiday. Not the gifts like here people give, but the best that we could afford. At the time, we didn't have a Martial arts school. We just went to a park to practice on our own after my Sifu showed us a form.

As soon as I became a champion in Wushu (Chinese martial arts) in my province, I started to teach my Sifu's students and his children for nothing but honor. I never thought that they should give gifts or anything. Later on, when my knowledge went beyond my teacher, I shared everything that I learned from school or other teachers. After I started to work as a teacher and have an income, it became my duty (not my parents) to continue to make offers to my Sifu. No matter where I was, whenever I returned to my parents' home, the first thing I did is put down my luggage and visit my Sifu with gifts. After I left the country, my parents continued to bring gifts to my Sifu every big Chinese holiday for me until my Sifu passed away. When I heard my Sifu passed away, I asked one of my Buddhist teachers to do a liberation ritual for my Sifu with the best monetary offer I could afford. My Rinpoche did not ask me for anything, but I offered anyway, not in the sense of how much his work was worth, but how much my Sifu meant to me.

With one of my Qigong teachers I studied with, I began by sending him all my life savings, which was 6 months of my salary as a college teacher and left me only 15 yuan (US$2) and some food coupons with half a month to go till my next pay check. I invited him to come to my home to teach me. I didn't even know what he knew and how much he knew, whether it is something that I wanted or not. I just had a good intuition that he had a lot of knowledge and that I wanted to study with him. Offering him all I had was not to buy his secret teaching, because dharma cannot be bought, but to pay for his acceptance and his time from the depth of my heart. The Chinese used to say, it takes ten years to grow a tree and a hundred years to bring up a generation of good men. I believe that my teacher's training me is much more effort. Not like here where people expect you to prove your ability before they'll consider paying you for your teaching or healing.

One of my Taoist teachers lived in Hong Kong. I moved to Hong Kong for three years in order to be close to him for my studies. During this time, when my teacher was sick and dying in a hospital intensive care room, he asked for my help. I had no second thoughts but directly transferred my life force to him. About 13 years later, when I was living in Australia studying, he passed away. I did 49 days liberation ritual for him. I did not even do that many days for my father when he passed away.

For my Yigong teacher, after I had the ceremony and empowerment from him, I was completely broke. Everything I possessed was dumped into the ocean by his request, detaching myself from any worldly possession.

In Chinese tradition, if you go out to eat with your teacher, you will volunteer to pay for the whole bill no matter how many of his friends are at the table, unless your teacher stops you to let somebody else pay for it. Here, when we go out I commonly pay for my students out of generosity, if I don't just pay for myself. Of course there are some great students not allowing me to do that. In China, no one will ever think about making money from their teacher. It not only disrespects their teacher, it is a disgrace.

Here, students constantly remind you, if they are not asking you directly, how much percentage you should offer them if they help you to set up a teaching. They do not see the value of your teaching changing their life and the access they have when they need your help. Everything is in exchange for something. Not only do they want to wheel and deal, but they expect to get benefits for their friends as well. They want to bring others to the teaching or healing for free so that in future they can have a return favor from them. No wonder they are shopping through all the teachers that one possibly can but still getting nowhere. They have the wrong mindset. If you are silent and not keeping in touch, or not praising your students but pointing out their faults, when they asked for it, they hate your guts or simply no longer wish to study with you anymore, as if a teacher should long for having more students for income. It will never be my case. You can never buy me and I am not easily pleased. I don't care about your money and I won't waste my time on those who do not deserve it.

The world is upside down, human's relationships are upside down and spirituality is upside down. People are blind. If a student is acting with a pure heart, the benefits that he or she receives are immeasurable. The globe will turn around just for him or her. The higher source will be open for him or her to access. Every word I've said from my response to student's questions about readiness are the result of my life experience, not from what I've read. When you are ready everything goes your way, even things that you never asked for. This does not mean when you are not ready, you should not make an effort to get yourself there. Everyone has got to start somewhere.

My relationship with my teachers and my contributions to help them to fulfill their wishes is not something that you have a heart for. Every achievement comes with a price. Letting go of your self concern, self centeredness and making a diligent effort to change your life is the price. Frankly speaking, if you understand and truly long for those kinds of traditions, you would be born there. Even if that is not the case, you will still go there to find your roots.

A friend of mine, a Caucasian American in his twenties, went to Nepal to search for spirituality and found a great teacher he wanted to study with, but the teacher was not interested in him. He was still hanging around the monastery year after a year for many years until one day he was sent to a hospital emergency room for Hepatitis B issues. He was dying. On the hospital bed, he told himself, if I survive of this, I will return home. However, unexpectedly his teacher came to visit and told him to get well and come to see him after his recovery. After coming back from the brink of death, his teacher took him to a cave and began to teach him. After spending about twenty years in Nepal, he returned to America and lives ten thousand feet up on a mountain in Colorado doing a solitary retreat year after a year. It is over twenty years now. I think that he is still there. He lives by donations from those who respect him. He saves his money from donations to go to Nepal to visit his old teacher every two years, not for teachings but to be with him in the manner of respect and appreciation. That is a tradition in the path of spirituality. That is the quality and priority for a true spiritual seeker. Complaining about things not going your way will not help to change the fact. Everything comes for a reason.

Priorities:

I will never trade my tradition for money. Someone said to me that he sees why great teachers do not succeed in Business. He respects my dignity. This is a total misunderstanding. It is not because of dignity that I don't make more money than others. It is because we have a different priority. My priority is to end this cyclic existence and to reach full enlightenment. That is my business with every breath I have to strive for it. Will I succeed? I know for certain when my life ends where I am going. Does everyone? The entire world's wealth in money cannot buy what I have. I choose to teach to help those who have a common interest with me and drop who do not. I heal to help those who are making an effort to help themselves as a priority and drop who are not. Why should I make it my priority to help those who do not have a priority to help themselves? Life is making a choice. I respect other's choices and respect karma.

The correct priority is the basic element for any success. We all have an equal opportunity to be successful. Why do some succeed and some not? Check your priorities. Look at your life. People have a budget for everything, food, clothing, education, house, car, vacation, travel, hobbies, entertainment, clubs, communication equipment, retirement, health insurance, life insurance, house insurance, etc. Who has a budget for their spiritual path? Maybe it is just what you have leftover in your last reserves, if you even had a budget for it. How can you then expect, when all your other priorities are filled, that you want spirituality to be on the top list of your successes? There is nothing wrong with putting your priorities on something that you care most about, but don't complain that you don't have money to find the right teacher, or to take a class, or a seminar, or a retreat, or to help yourself to heal your problems. It is not your priority. Accept your choice.

An action is worth a thousand words. I often have people who contact me to help with their emergency health issues or a lifetime illness or a life changing decision and need advice, acting like it cannot wait, and they have to be helped immediately. But when I tell them I charge for my service, they disappear as fast as they come. You have a chance to meet a great teacher or great healer, but you are not ready to grab it to change your life for good. How many lifetimes have you been at the same spot, making the same choice and still cannot wake up or have the courage to try something different? People comment that the Buddha leaving his wife, son and family to search for enlightenment was selfish. Who recognizes that his wife, son, step-mother and countless people achieved enlightenment because of him. Of course, he was an extraordinary human being, but why do we have to be a weak one?

The other day I watched a show about Edward Cayce. One authority gave a comment about him, saying that when he was not in that mind state where he gave his prophecies, he was illiterate. How does he know he was illiterate? Because he does not have a so called authority degree or he is beyond his knowledge and his consciousness?

People can access a higher source. Human knowledge becomes minimized. Through my healing work, I have seen so many people's health issues that cannot be treated by our medical science. Is it because of misdiagnosis or cannot to be diagnosed or because they are only treating the symptoms and not correcting the cause? The cause cannot be detected by our modern machines which we rely on. People suffer with entities, with energy leaking, with karmic issues, etc. and are still willing to hold on to their traditional methods because they have health insurance. That is ones choice and choice comes with a price that we have to live with it. Take responsibility for your choice and make the best out of this life.

Put your priorities straight and strive for it. You will succeed! My best wishes for you all!

4/6/2013 Sifu Jenny Lamb

I would like to share my experience of 24 hours walking, chanting practice with those dedicated students who are going to try their 24 hours practice. This practice was undergone on December, 29th-30th 2011, on the 12th day after a retreat of Great Perfection Chanting - One Million in ten days.

2:40pm: Veneration of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Offerings, and preparation for the practice.

Number of hourly chants:

3:00-4:00pm: 13,222
4:00-5:00pm: 13,035
5:00-6:00pm: 13,200
6:00-7:00pm: 13,256
7:00-8:00pm: 13,005
8:00-9:00pm: 13,051
9:00-10:00pm: 12,470
10:00-11:00pm: 12,471
11:00-12:00pm: 12,033
12:00-1:00am: 12,186
1:00-2:00am: 12,110
2:00-3:00am: 10,715
3:00-4:00am: 10,175
4:00-5:00am: 9,735
5:00-5:50am: 7,011
5:50-5:55am: Drink a cup of soymilk
5:55-6:50am: 7,022
6:50-7:20am: First nap
7:20-7:30am: Chanting
7:30-8:20am: nap again
8:20-9:15am: 8,735
9:15-10:00am: 8,144
10:00-11:00am: 12,799
11:00-11:25am: Lunch: vegetables and rice.
11:25-12:00noon: 7,340
12:00-1:00pm: 12,172
1:00-2:00pm: 12,475
2:00-2:30pm: 6,122
2:30-3:07pm: 120 full prostrations and grand Parinamana (dedication) for transferring merit.

24 hours chanting, walking practice. Total chants is 252,484.

Summary:

In the first eight hours, I did not drink, nor go to the bathroom.

The first six hours, my energy was very high and my mind was very concentrated, almost no discursive thoughts at all. I actually experienced what it means to recite a mantra with one mind without disturbance. Mahasthamaprapta says the method of recitation is by "Regulating six sensory faculties through a pure mindfulness in succession to obtain Samadhi." I reached over 13,000 chants every hour. The next five hours, I still felt pretty good, and did not feel the need for food or sleep and reached over 12,000 chants per hour. My mind was still pretty clear without many thoughts, but I felt a little sore in my hips, perhaps because of walking slowly and each leg holding my body weight too long before shifting.

In the 12th and 13th hours, I started to feel energy decreasing, but I could still chant over 10,000 per hour.

In the 14th hour, as time went by, it brought a gradual diminution both in energy and strength. I could still chant close to 10,000, but wandering mind started. I attempted to use drinking water to regulate my body and mind. Drinking water implies I will need to go to the bathroom and that would reduce my chanting numbers. At this moment, I cannot take this into account.

In the 15th hour, between 5:00am to 6:00am, sleepiness starts attacking. I started to long for soymilk drink at 6:00 a.m. As a matter of fact, I did not feel hungry. I eat one meal a day sometimes. I know this is discursive mind looking for distraction. Body and mind are connected. The weakness of the body affects the mind. Prior to my 24 hour chanting practice, I consulted a nun who had just finished her one million chanting in Dong Lin monastery of China. I was told "24 hours nonstop chanting has to follow 'Uposatha Sila' -The Eight-Precepts Observance 受持八关斋戒", eating one meal a day, no tea or coffee or any colored soft drink. Practice starts at 3:00pm. One can have a cup of soybean milk drink at 6:00am the next day if you want and a lunch at 11:00am. Practice finishes around 3:00pm. For the Eight precepts observations, one can drink water any time you wish. But commonly, people will try not to drink too much water to avoid going to the bathroom very often."

I never did the practice with holding eight precepts of observation and did not know one cannot even drink tea or coffee. In fact I seldom drink tea or coffee because of my sensitive body. If I drink tea or coffee past noon, I would not be able to sleep all night. During the retreat of one million chants in 10 days, I had a drink of green tea with honey every morning to prevent body fire through long hours chanting practice. Now I'm really longing for the wonderful refreshing effect from tea or coffee.

Nevertheless, that I can have a soymilk drink is great. I made arrangements to have my husband make soymilk for me by 6:00am. I will take care of my lunch by simply reheating my leftover food from the retreat (this 24 hours chanting practice is on the 12th day, after my 10 days one million chanting retreat). At this point, to have a soymilk drink becomes the focal point in my mind. I hope it can bring my energy up and diminish my sleepiness. However, after a cup of soymilk drink the effect is almost nothing. Sleepiness continues.

In the 16th hour, I only did 7000 chants within 50 minutes. Compared to the beginning it is reduced substantially. Sleepiness becomes the main obstacle. In this hour, I have tried everything that I could to fight with it, stretching the body while I am walking, doing a few martial arts kicks, faster walking, turning on all the 14 lights of the meditation walking hall to attempt to stimulate my senses from lethargy to exhilaration. I even turned my chanting box of "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo" to the highest volume and during the retreat the chanting box was off. Nothing helped. I was still facing drowsiness. At this moment, how much I wished I wasn't practicing alone in my basement, but instead in the Dong Ling Temple practicing with hundreds of great people together and with heads up walking into Amitabha's pure land. Practicing as a group together becomes so vital.

I lit up incense and felt an irresistible impulse to kneel down with humbleness to pray in the front of a picture of Avalokitesvara for a blessing from Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Dharma protectors and all my celestial masters. I bowed my head down to the floor. It shocked me as soon as my head touched the floor, I instantly fell asleep. It is like being hypnotized by magic, so quick and so uncontrollable. I am a person with a strong will, determination and perseverance. I can handle any stress, toughness, heavy loads and am not easy to give up. Facing the reality, I questioned myself, if I cannot even handle 24 hours nonstop walking and chanting practice, how can I walk out from life-and-death. I began to think that what I thought previously, that I am capable of controlling my life and death and my mind, will not be disorientated at the moment of my life end, was just wishful thinking. It was no more than a fantasy out of ignorance. If one's mind cannot be in control for 24 hours (if you can, what about 24 days?), how can one be in control while your life is painfully dissolving? Suffering will channel your mind irresistibly, following the trend of your karma. Wishful thinking does not change the fact that our future relies on our present production and the future life depends on our karmic accumulations. The pluses and minuses of virtue create the shape of our next life to be. At this point, I acknowledged that if I want to attain Buddhahood, it will take me endless eons. Universally speaking, each life end will wipe out all the memory of the past. It is hard to make irrevocable progress in a spiritual sense. Many patriarchs talked about two paths, self-power and other's power. My life flows in between.

I got up instantly to avoid going to sleep. I continued chanting while walking and praying for bodhi light support, yet my prayer dissolves into the silence of the space. I learned the limitation of my human body. It can beat me in less than 24 hours. Then what is the true value of this body? The past words from my master now ringing loud in my ears: "You have been elevated. You have more power than you ever know. You need to give up your human knowledge. You have too much human knowledge. It becomes your obstacle. Human knowledge is by memory. Without memory you know nothing. Only when you are able to empty yourself, the inner knowing and your capability can be manifested. Truth will be visible by itself without your interference. You have to know, human knowledge does not have much value. No matter how much your science tries to help humans to live longer, your life span is nothing but a hundred years. You are enjoying the grace of the Buddhas. You should rely on the power of the Buddhas."

I'm getting close to the edge of control, as if my brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen and blood. The weakness of the body exposed completely in front of me. The suffering of impermanence comes with birth. Without sleep, we suffer. Without eating, we suffer. Without balance of what comes in and what goes out, we suffer. Without memory, we cannot take care of ourselves. Birth, old age, illness, and death are intrinsically suffering. The suffering of suffering, suffering of change, and all-pervasive suffering of conditioning is like a shadow following us since birth. I was deeply aware of myself as being poor of merit and virtue. My master once said to me the luckiest human beings are those who come when the Buddha comes, and who leave when the Buddha leaves. My existence today demonstrates I don't have that fortune. In the moment of struggling to stay awake, I really don't care about my weak body or suffering. I am not afraid of dying. Death is no more than the beginning of a new life. But I don't want to be stuck in this cycle of endless birth and death. It has been said, "It is so extremely rare to receive a human body, yet now I have one. It is extremely rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma, yet now I have heard it. If this body, in facing this life, does not cross over, then in facing what life will this body cross over?" If I die, I want to transcend the cycle of birth and death and be reborn into the pure land of Amitabha. That makes it worthwhile to me to have this human body in this life.

I know from my experience through my healing work, if Masters don't want me to sleep there's no way I can fall into sleep, no matter how tired I am. Is this their way to tell me that I am human or to prove that I have a weak and worthless body? Or I should take care of my body for better use? A rigid mind is because of attachment of self-existence. Liberation is flowing accordingly with conditions. I decided to let go of my struggle to keep a clear head and fell into a couch for a rest. The light switches are two steps away from my couch, the room was very bright with 14 lights on, but I didn't care to turn them off. Instead I pulled a blanket on the couch, covered my face and went into a deep sleep instantly.

In the 17th hour, the majority of this hour was passed in sleep. The first nap was about 30 minutes. The 24 hours chanting mission alerted me to wake up. I got up and continued to walk while chanting. After about 10 minutes walking in three circles, I noticed my brain cells are still flat out like a balloon lacking air. I returned to the couch and did another 45-50 minutes or so nap again. I awoke up with a fresh charged body and mind, and continued for the rest of my chanting journey.

In the 18th and 19th hours, both my energy and strength were rejuvenating fast after the short nap. In this hour and 40 minutes, I did nearly 17,000 chants.

In the 20th hour, I did close to 13,000 chants.

The 21st hour, 11:00am-12:00noon, I spent 25 minutes for lunch and 35 minutes chanting of over 7,000.

In the 22nd and 23rd hours, I did over 12,000 chants per hour.

In the 24th, the last hour, I did over 6,000 chants in the first 30 minutes, followed by 120 full prostrations for 20 minutes and spent 17 minutes for grand Parinamana (dedication). The 24 hours chanting practice ended at 3:07 PM with the accomplishing of 252,484 chants and 120 full prostrations.

During my prostrations, touched by the grace from Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Bodhi Light, I burst into tears… Tissues with my tears and nasal discharge in a color of pink like lotus flowers on the floor everywhere (two days later, I went down stairs to clean up the floor. All the tissues with tears were back to white color again). It is inconceivable. During my prostrations and grand Parinamana, I also experienced my chanting hall full of awakened masters. They are standing at both sides of my prostration rug with palms together congratulating me in Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo!!!

24 Hours Walking & Chanting Practice by Tom

This past weekend I attempted a practice at the suggestion of my teacher to walk and continuously chant a mantra for 24 hours straight. My teacher recently completed a ten day retreat in which she chanted for 10 days with the goal of 1,000,000 repetitions (it is worth noting she completed 1.6 million repetitions in the 10 days). Then on the twelfth day (I am not sure what constitutes the 11th day) she did the 24 hour walking and chanting practice. She described the practice:

"The most difficult thing to do is on the twelfth day, doing 24 hours walking chanting. In these 24 hours you can only have one meal and water or maybe you can drink one time soy bean milk, but no tea or coffee. Eating is not a big issue, but with the full intensity and the maximum concentration, chanting and walking without rest is the most difficult task."

About chanting she writes:

"Chanting is a meditation. You should pay attention to every word that you chant, and to hear every word that you chant. In that way, it brings your mind to one pointed concentration, using one chant (a pure thought) to replace all thoughts that pop up constantly in our mind. When you can keep your mind in the pure thought one after another continuously, you create a possibility to enter Samadhi, which leads you to wisdom."

The Mantra itself is "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo" and means "Infinite Light, Infinite Life." She has also described it so: "It is a great purification, great karma reduction, great healing, great self-awakening , great achievement."

My teacher first gave me the Mantra practice 7 months ago and suggested that I practice 6,000 repetitions per day. At the time I began practicing it took me approximately 1.5 hours to complete 6,000 repetitions and I began practicing daily. I experimented with different modes of practice, some days I would sit on my cushion and do the repetitions, other days I would chant while walking, driving, showering, and when possible and appropriate, while working. I did not make an effort to count repetitions, but used the rough guideline that I should chant 90 minutes. Some days I chanted much more than others, some days as many as 10,000, and other days not even coming close to 6,000.

I feel like this practice was a tremendous gift, in part because of the immediate challenges it brought me. The first bid dilemma was the realization that I had to choose to let go of some, and really most, of the practices I have learned over the years. This was a great challenge for me. I gave up my daily practice of the tai chi form I spent a year learning, and the practice of all of the qigong forms I had learned. It was strange to see how attached I had become to these practices, and to expectations I had placed on the practices.

After being given this practice last June, I made several resolves - 1. To chant every day, even if only 20 or 30 minutes, but to chant ever day. 2. To continue to practice the yoga and breathing meditation practice I have been doing every morning. 3. To practice seated meditation (Vipassana) as much as possible, daily if I can. 4. To make every moment of every day practice, to be always watchful of my thoughts and reactions.

I have had to learn to balance dedication with life's other demands (employment, raising a child) to meet these resolves, and I have not been fully successful to this point. I have chanted some almost every day, but have not done so seated and in full concentration - when quiet seated practice time was available I opted for Vipassana style meditation. I have kept up with the morning yoga and breathing meditation practice and have found this to be most beneficial is helping me develop the strength and energy to stay focus every moment of every day a to ensure that I make time for dedicated practice every day, even if it means getting up at 4 in the morning.

While I have felt confident that I have been putting in the effort and remaining focused on my path, the winter season as I fell into a more quiet and reflective space it became clear to me that my practice needed some kind of boost or change…or to put it another way their was a definite feeling that something was missing or needed sharper focus despite reaching the point where I have been practicing at least 2 hours daily, every day. I was still unable to settle on one meditative practice, sometimes opting for Vipassana, sometimes mantra practice. Each practice has clear benefits and helps bring focus and clarity. But going from one practice to the other seemed to dilute my efforts, or was this me being too impatient and critical of my practice? How to move past this doubt?

And so it was as I contemplated how to proceed with my practice that I read several accounts from my teacher of her recent retreat and felt immediately as I was being given a chance to find focus for myself again. As she wrote:

"I encourage everyone to try it yourself, since it is only one day. If your excuse is that you don't have time, or if you cannot even take a one day off for yourself, you have no life. Because you will not know yourself, you can forget about your longing for self-realization. It is just your empty word dissolving in the empty space. In fact, it really doesn't matter how far you can go, but you can really test your strength and know how much your words, or your self-righteousness or your beliefs have any value when you cannot conquer 24 hours. I leave this experience for you to discover by yourself."

So I resolved to try the practice and see where I was. Because of the limitations of my home space I did not think my 4 year old son would respect my request to be left alone for 24 hours while I walked in a slow circle and chanted, so I had the idea to do the practice outside on a relatively flat old logging road that winds 15 miles or so through the forest near my house. I was sure that the walking part would be easy for my out-doorsy legs - heck I climbed Dog Mountain and back down this summer with my 4-1/2 year old son on my back. I figured if I packed a small snack, a few liters of water, and wore my raingear I would have no problems with the walk, the challenge would be maintaining focus for 24 hours chanting.

So everything came into perfect alignment rather quickly and at 3:30 Saturday afternoon I set out for my practice under the auspices of the coming new moon and new year. I was even gifted a small hand held tally counter by a coworker to help keep track of my repetitions! I left word where I would be going, and carrying a small bag of dried fruit and nuts and 2-1/2 liters of water in my waist pack I began my practice.

It took about 1 hour to get in full rhythm and get past any thoughts that arose when I passed someone on the road. During this first hour I called to mind an image I had seen recently of Amitabha Buddha to help keep my mind focused and get past any thoughts or feelings I had of self consciousness as I passed a few other hikers on the trail. I kept my eyes lightly focused on the ground about 5 feet in front of me and held the image of Amitabha near my heart as I walked and chanted. This first hour was also challenging to keep focus because I had to follow a more popular hiking trail from my house for about 2 miles to get to the old road through the forest.

It did not take much time to move past the thoughts and feelings of discomfort of being judged by the few people I passed. I was soon in a deep state of focus and noticed that I was chanting much faster than I had ever chanted before - the walking and I think the goal I set before me helped bring full energy and focus to the practice. I no longer needed to use the image of Amitabha to help maintain focus.

Soon I noticed night had fallen and I cannot recount much of anything except the occasional errant thought that drifted into my awareness. The darkness and solitude really helped keep focus in the practice. I did notice that the thoughts that drifted into my focus were not as random as they may have seemed…each thought was actually a memory, and each memory was tied to an event in my life that had some element of emotional importance to me. For example I had several thoughts that related to a painful experience of parting ways with a previous spiritual teacher. I had a thought relating to the challenge of raising a child in this world. And I had a few thoughts that elicited my own feeling of self judgment relating to my own personal path and practice, in particular a decision to not attend an upcoming retreat with my teacher.

I viewed these thoughts as gifts rather than a hindrance to the practice. The thoughts that pierced the stillness were clearly afflicted thoughts, thoughts colored with emotion, attachment, or aversion. In my understanding as we work attain Samadhi, we must clear our mind of all thoughts and fluctuations. At first this can be challenging, but we can do our best to keep the thoughts that we do have, and the mental activity necessary for survival, free of afflictions, what the yoga sutras call klesas, or attachments and aversions. In the moment I find this easier and easier to do, and this is what has come to form the primary aspect of my practice, which can be done all the time, even in the dream state.

What is a lot more challenging for me is the task or clearing our the storehouse (karma) of past afflictions (samskaras) which have become lodged somewhere in the mind and which seem to provide the impetus for all of the seemingly random thoughts that pop up from the subconscious mind and which likely have a sometimes unseen effect of my every thought and action.

What I seemed to experience while doing the practice was the re-emergence of past afflicted thoughts coming to the surface, and I felt I was being given the opportunity to clear them by simply witnessing them without following the thought or re-experiencing the emotion that was attached to it. In most cases it seems like this experience has to happen several times to clear the negative imprint of the past experience in consciousness, but of this I am not sure. I remember my teacher telling me 7 months ago that Karma can be cleared very quickly, and in some instances I have experienced this, but often I find I must slog through the process repeatedly to make any progress.

What I noticed doing the mantra practice was that it was much easier to simply allow these old stale thoughts to emerge and disappear than during Vipassana style meditation. The mantra really helped maintain focus and dispassion and I felt like I was able to clear Karma more effectively through this method. I also noticed that this effect did not really 'kick in' until I was a few hours into the practice. It was not until that point that I experienced more prolonged and pronounced stillness of mind and at the same time experienced the re-emergence of deeper and more subtle afflicted thoughts. Taking the process to this level really helped me get at some deep stuff (not all of which I am willing to share here!).

What I also came to realize was that despite the level of daily dedication I have brought to my practice, I am still just scratching the surface, that this rabbit hole in fact goes very deep. What I experienced during the first hours of this practice was truly humbling, and that doesn't even get to how my attempt at 24 hours ended…which brings me to…

Time really had no meaning during the practice, there was really only the darkness, the light rain, and the sound of my voice reciting endless repetitions of the Mantra. I feel like my body was just doing the walking and I paid no mental effort to monitoring pace. My first real attention to the process of walking came at what turned out to be about 7 hours into the practice, when I reached the end of the logging road. I experienced a little concern because I set timer for 12 hours so that I could turn around at that point. I planned on walking very slowly to conserve mental and physical energy and in planning the practice did not anticipate walking fast enough to reach the end of the logging road in 12 hours, yet I got there about 7 hours.

As I checked my clock I also had the realization that the walk took a lot more out of me physically than I had anticipated. My feet were blistered due to my ill-fitting rain boots, which were the only footwear option beside my sandals (that's all I own for footwear!). Additionally I had some leg pain from adjusting my walking posture to ease the pain of the blisters, and my low back felt like it was on fire from where I had my waist pack strapped on.

I looked at my counter and had reached 35,000 repetitions of the Mantra. I scanned my body and without much thought decided the only thing to do was turn back. It was clear that I would not likely be able to continue walking for 24 hours or even reach 100,000 repetitions, which I thought I could do easily even if not making it for 24 hours. I felt some disappointment at this stage and resolved to simply acknowledge the feelings but move on with the practice of Mantra and not fuel any further afflicted thoughts.

The return walk I had to stop several times to squat and stretch my legs. I was unable to reach the same level of clarity of mind as I had earlier in the practice. I noticed the thought, which I have had before, of feeling held back by the limitations of the physical body. Thoughts of disappointment appeared with some regularity.

But I also noticed that this struggle with the physical aspect tapped into a deeper well of strength and concentration. I noticed that I could not repeat the Mantra at the same pace I had on the first part of the practice, but the physical pain, which was getting extreme, was serving a real purpose. I have felt pain like this before, pain from pushing myself too hard in competitive athletics, and also pain from years of hard physical labor in the elements (tree planting and construction jobs mainly) and pain to which I have always had some sort of repressed emotional reaction to. And just like the past experiences brought to the surface earlier, this came to me as an opportunity to transcend past negative experience by continuing on with the practice with some degree of grace and dispassion.

Ultimately it took me 8 hours to return home, during which I only managed 25,000 Mantra, a significantly slower pace than the first half of the journey. I also noticed more difficulty in not jumbling the words of each repetition, at least at times. On the way back home I saw the residue of many past painful emotional experiences come to the surface, experiences that have left traces of frustration, shame, and feelings of failure. I am sure that I have more work to do to clear these experiences from my Karma, but I am grateful for the opportunity to experience them with some degree of dispassion.

Upon reaching my home I had walked 26 miles in just under 15 hours, while repeating the Mantra approximately 60,000 times. Not exactly the goal I had set for myself but not a failure either, just an experience. I am grateful for the clarity this practice brought to me, and for it revealing where I am, and where I am not.

I have not been able to walk properly for the past two days, but the blisters are healing and the pain in my legs has greatly subsided. I take a little humor from how much I under-estimated the difficulty of walking on the old logging road, which as it turns out was in rather poor condition due to some recent storms, and also had more elevation gain that I had anticipated from the map I looked at while planning the practice. I am also left to wonder about the experience of losing the ability to manage my walking pace. Had I gone slower, at the pace I had planned, perhaps I could have persisted through the whole practice. Was it a lack of awareness that led to my inability to maintain the proper pace, or was it the deep focus of the practice that kept me from more actively managing the walking aspect of the practice? I am not sure.

What I am sure of is my renewed commitment to daily chanting practice. I have supreme respect for the practice and for my teacher for sharing and encouraging its practice. I am deeply humbled by the experience and at the same time feel transformed and re-invigorated from the experience. I am committed to creating trying the 24 hour walking and chanting practice again, next time in a more suitable and conducive setting.

sifu: Congratulations! Tom. I am very proud of you. I expected you to be the first one that would try it. I know that I am not an easy teacher and I don't give you or any of my students an easy pass, but I want to be a good one. Toughness trains people and allows you to rise to the top and to achieve your goals.

24 Hours of Chanting; A BirthdayPractice

April 7, 2013 byrasthomas23

Last weekend I made My second attempt at the 24 hour walking and chanting practice. I previously attempted this practice last winter after reading my teacher talk about the practice. My write up of that first attempt, with some quotes from my teacher about the practice, can be foundhere:

My first attempt was a most successful failure. Looking back it was funny how I rushed into it, and even funnier how the practice gave me such a vivid reality check. It was also an incredibly helpful, insightful, and motivating experience.

A few weeks ago I spent 10 days with my teacher (Sifu Jenny Lamb, see her websitehere)on retreat, and while there I was asked by another of Sifu's students if I was thinking about trying the practice again. I hadn't thought about it, but immediately knew it was time to try it again. I made a vague verbal commitment on the spot to find a time to try it this spring, maybe rent a place for the weekend and give it another go. I think it was in the time we were still sitting at the dinner table talking that it occurred to me that a few days after returning home I would have the house to myself for two full weeks. I already had the intention to use this time to re-invigorate my daily practice and treat it as another retreat. I also realized that my 38th birthday occurred on Saturday March 30, halfway through this two weeks of solitude at home. What better way to celebrate this rare and most fortunate human birth than to try another 24 hour practice? Why wait? Why waste time?

Towards the end of my retreat with Sifu I began to read a book that she pointed out to me from her shelf, "Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand" by Pabongka Rinpoche. The book opens with a quote from Tsongkapa, founder of the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism that gives a good sense of the motivation I had to complete, or at least try, the 24 hour practice once again:

This opportune physical form
Is worth more than a wish granting gem.
You only gain its like the once.
So hard to get, so easily destroyed,
It's like a lightning bolt in the sky.
Contemplate this, and you will realize
All worldly actions are but winnowed chaff,
And night and day you must
Extract some essence from your life.
I, the yogi, practiced this way;
You, wanting liberation, do the same!

While I had a bit of apprehension leading up to the 24 hour practice, it was nothing I paid much mind to. The was nothing that could come of thinking to much about an experience I had not yet even had. But still, there was anticipation and excitement. I had so much energy since returning from the retreat with my Sifu, and more clarity and surety than I have ever had this is the path for me. This is what I am to be doing. I did a lot of chanting the week leading to my birthday, and was excited to see what would come of the experience. It did not escape me that my mind became fixated on this experience, and it was hard to focus on the day to day tasks and be fully present in the moment. The night before I was to start I learned form a friend that this year my birthday also marked the traditional celebration of the the "birthday" of Quan Yin Bodhisattva. I did not know the was such an annual celebration but I took it as an auspicious sign, as Quan Yin is one of the two primary students of Amitabha Buddha and very central to the lineage of my Sifu.

I had planned to begin my practice at 9AM on Saturday, but because of an unplanned day of incredible busy-ness at work on Friday, and a brief work responsibility Saturday morning at 9, I pushed my start time back to 10AM. I slept in until 7, showered, did my daily ritual of 120 prostrations and did an additional offering at my altar, and then had a leisurely breakfast. I ran across the street at 9 to open the buildings up, and came back home and prepared to begin by doing one more offering of incense and prayer at my altar. Then it was 10AM.
10 AM: Start
11 AM: 8,044 Chants
12 Noon: 8,422 (16,466 total)
1PM: 9,814 (26,280)
2PM: 10,696 (36,976)
3PM: 8,906 (45,882)
4PM: 8,272 (54,154)
5PM: 8,729 (62,883)
6PM: 8,226 (71,109)
7PM: 9,058 (80,167)
8PM: 8,563 (88,730)
9PM: 8,820 (97,550)
10PM: 9,632 (107,182)
11PM: 120 prostrations; quick meal; 3,171 (110,353)
12 Midnight: 8,924 (119,277)
1AM: 7,732 (127,009)
2AM: 7,795 (134,804)
3AM: 8,356 (143,160)
4AM: 8,472 (151,632)
5AM: 8,652 (160,284)
6AM: 8,457 (168,741)
7AM: 6,491 (175,232)
8AM: 8,693 (183,925)
9AM: 8,393 (192,318)
10AM: 120 prostrations + 5,831 (198,149)

Looking back I feel this was a good effort but it is very difficult to come out the experience with anything but humility. While I feel some little bit of satisfaction that I was able to complete 24 hours, this experience definitely put me in my place.

My method for counting was simple: I had a small digital handheld tally counter and I set a timer for 1 hour. Then I walked in a big slow circle around my house chanting Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo (homage to Amitabha Buddha, Buddha of infinite light) as fast and with as much single pointed focus as I could. When the time went off I wrote down the total number on my counter in my notebook, having previously wrote down a slot for the total at each hour. I then reset the timer and went back to walking and chanting. I also set a schedule at the beginning - halfway through the practice I would do set of 120 full prostrations then take a quick meal of granola and yogurt. I would allow myself a piece of fruit at the 6 hour point and the 18 hour point. I would drink soy a glass of soy milk when needed; I didn't set a schedule for that.

Some observations:

It took at least an hour for me to get started and get to any degree of real focus of the mind. In the first hour I moved a few pieces of furniture to facilitate a better circle to walk, and fidgeted with a few other things that my mind kept telling me would be better for the practice. I took my sweater on and off twice. I looked at my counter a lot in the first hour. I was restless. I also struggle a bit with the pace of the chanting. Sifu says to chant so it is audible, but barely, so that you can focus on the sound and really focus all the six senses on the chanting. She also says that the effort to keep a fast steady pace going helps focus the mind and cut down on discursive thought. I take this advice on faith yet still find myself wanting to chant louder than I need to, and focusing to much on perfect annunciation of every syllable.

While this continues to be a bit of an issue with me, it is clear from just doing the practice that a slower chanting allows the mind more room to entertain those discursive thoughts. This practice made that very clear. I the week since doing the practice I have had a 1 hour dedicated chanting session almost every day and chanting around 11,000 per hour and experienced the best focus i have ever had with this practice, or any practice. It was the experience I had during the 3rd and 4th hours of this practice that really made me experience this practice in a new way, chanting over 10,000 per hour and really, honestly hearing every sound as it should be.

I got more glimpses of this throughout the 24 hours of practice. It came and went. Because of the method I chose for setting a timer each hour was it's own experience. At one point I had the thought how wonderful it would be to not break the practice up like this, to just chant for hours without any sense of time. But since there were only a few of the 24 hours in which I could actually make it an entire hour without distraction, this is kind of a silly thought, though still a good goal to set for the future.

I do not think an full hour went by without my looking at either the counter or the clock on the stove that I walked past every loop through the house. In a funny way the universe tried to help me out as the power went out at around 3PM and was out for probably close to 12 hours, I am not sure exactly how long. Fortunately I had lit the candle on my altar in the morning before starting and also lit a candle on the kitchen table, which was in the middle of my walking circle. So I had light through the night without disruption.

Somewhere around 8 hours into the practice hunger hit me, and I will say that even with my allowed meal, fruit snacks, and soymilk, I felt the lack of food was the hardest part for me. I eat a lot of food every day. I never miss a meal, and generally have a snack or two as well every day. So around the 8th hour the hunger hit and became an occasional distraction. Not major, but it was one of the things that kept me from being able to go a full hour at any point without a distracted thought. The chanting also made my mouth both dry yet full of drool. Kind of a frothy thing. I kept a glass of water on the table and sipped on occasion. Water with no food for me means bathroom breaks. This need to attend to the body brought my attention to it's limitations pretty quickly. It is pretty comical how weak our bodies can be.

And also so obvious how connected the body is to the mind. Looking back at the numbers I can see how around the 8th hour, with the hunger and distracted thoughts, the chanting slowed down, and the body hurt. But after an hour or so the mind looked foward to the 12 hour meal, and found a second wind. The comfort of knowing that break lay not to far ahead made it so much easier to focus, walk, and chant, and chant fast. The few hours after the meal seamed the most hopeless, and even though my body felt quite good at that point, the mind got hold of the idea that there were so many hours left. I felt hopeless, and with the exception of 1 hour close to the end of the practice this was my slowest, sloggiest, hardest part of the practice. And it was all my mind and its contrived effort to intellectualize and calculate the experience that made that part so hard. As the practice wore on and the body started to fail in so many ways, the practice actually seemed easier, if only because I wasn't focusing on anything but chanting and pain. Thinking was worse than pure physical pain.

But thought in itself is not all bad. Thought can be our downfall but it can also be our savior. Just as one idea behind this specific chanting practice is using the one pure thought to purify all of the discursive thoughts that come with our heavy karma, we can use good thought to get us through the heavy times of life and help move us closer to the place of wisdom where all dualistic thought ceases. I have long appreciated the wisdom of saints such as Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and their deep experience of the yogic state of no thought, no conception. But for most people, that is not possible, at least not yet, not with this karmic burden. I feel like I've gotten a few sneak peaks of what that experience might be like, but really I am not close to that. Not by a long shot.

There was a two hour period, roughly, maybe the 14th and 15th hour, where I thought of quitting. The thought came that that this practice alone cannot save me, that even finishing the 24 hours means nothing, even less than nothing if I try to hold on to it as some sort of accomplishment. There was a brief but intense rush of these kind of thoughts, and I had to rely on the thought of Quan Yin Bodhisattva to lift me up. I thought how perfect this moment that I chose to also be the day to honor Quan Yin, I and determined to honor Quan Yin my my effort, my complete effort, no matter how ragged. I did not want to waste this fortunate coincidence of my Birthday and this practice and Quan Yin day, just as I do not want to give up on this fortunate opportunity to be born in human form and make something of this life.

By the 18th hour the physical experience of the practice was silly. I had a snack of grapefruit and then a cup of soy milk and it made absolutely no difference. I could barely move my legs. My hips were tight and sore and my thighs each had two terrific knots. The bottoms of my feet started to hurt. But yet there was some comfort, as my mental resolve had returned. There was no doubt I would finish the 24 hours at this point, regardless of what mess my body was in. With the exception of the 21st hour, I kept a steady rate of chanting and surprisingly good focus through the end of the practice.

It was in the 21st hour when I crashed into the wall a few times from sleepiness, and experienced a short lived inability to chant coherently at all for about 10 minutes or so. There was the sound of the the words but my brain had no ability to know what I was saying. I determined to continue but wondered if I would just spend the last 3 or 4 hours a blabbering mess. I stretched my body for a few minutes while keeping a slow, slow, loud chant going and managed to arrive back at that place of focus.

In the last 3 hours I had to sit down, or kneel down, for about 1-2 minutes about every half of an hour or so. I continued to chant while doing so but within a minute found my head bobbing and sleep so close to taking over, so I would get up immediately. The minute rest did help the pain in my lower extremities enough to push through another half hour or so.

The last hour I did 120 prostrations and it felt so good to move in a different was and utter a few different syllables for 20 minutes. I also felt an immense gratitude and respect for my teacher and for all the teachers who have kept the wisdom of the Buddha alive for the benefit of all. I felt an awe feeling for the depth of wisdom I see in this lineage, a wisdom I can barely see or fathom, but really just know with faith that it is there.

And then it was over after one last flurry of chanting. As soon as the timer went off that last time, the experience changed. I felt some relief of pressure, felt like I could almost keep going another hour or two. But I did not. I made a giant smoothie and went to sleep.

There is a lot more to write about. The experience the day or two following the practice is worthy of account. In some ways it was like the practice didn't even start until the 24 hours was over. But I will save this for when I have a little more time and a little more rested. I will once again utilize that secret teaching of my Sifu and make the promise to write up that account by the end of next weekend. Now I have another promise to keep

I hope this account is useful for anyone wishing to try this practice.

Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo

April 22, 2013 byrasthomas23

Some More Thoughts on the 24 Hour Chanting Practice: Humility andGratitude

It has now been just over three weeks since my 24 hour practice, though it seems like it was much longer than now. Time, or maybe more accurately my experience of time has changed a lot in the last few weeks.

During the practice I had a few experiences that hinted at this. There were some stretches of the practice where I experience a fairly deep level of concentration, and it was during these stretches that I experienced my fastest rate of chanting. But at a certain point, even though the chanting was getting faster and faster, time seemed to slow down. I could hear every syllable of the chant clearly in my mind (though I doubt if anyone were in the room they would describe being able to hear every syllable clearly!). At these times I also noticed that I was using my visual sense to keep focus as well, seeing the syllables of the chant as I chanted, and my sense of touch, feeling the movements of the lips and throat and the vibration in the chest as I chanted. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. This would go on for some time, usually until an errant thought would arise.

There was another strange experience from the practice that would occur in these moments when a thought would arise. As time slowed down the space or place from which a thought would arise seemed to spread wider, if that makes any sense. It is as if during those periods of time in the practice when I maintained a level of constant focus for some time, a level of the unconscious mind from which thought and action arise would be cleared. That level would then get stretched wider, as if it were a fabric, until there were spaces visible in that fabric, reveling another layer of unconscious fabric underneath. It would be at that point, when the deeper layer became visible, that thoughts would begin to arise.

I don't think this is anything profound, and there are probably many theories of the mind that use this kind of model to describe the unconscious. But what was most memorable for me was that at one point of particular stillness I had the experience as if as I saw through one layer, the one below it got stretched and I could see through it, and so on, to the point that there were so many layers it was beyond all comprehension. I saw glimpses of thoughts and memories form long ago, and from lifetimes ago, and still I saw that there were so many layers beyond that.

I think this very experience, more than other experience, was the one that was most humbling. In just a quick flash I could see just how heavy a load I was carrying, the karma from eons. I realized just how little of the surface I have scratched. I had so much awe for the accomplishment of the Buddha and of the other sages who have been able to transcend this heavy burden of so many lifetimes. I had some perspective of just how much of an accomplishment this was, the significance of this accomplishment being almost catastrophic to my entire conception of the world. There was definitely some shattering that happened in my mind at this moment, and at the same time I saw just how much I tend to hold on to some of this burden.

It was at this point in the practice that I had the thought that this effort at 24 hours practice was so tiny, so insignificant. Success meant nothing, it was overwhelming and there was the feeling of the impossibility of overcoming this burden. Fortunately some of my stubborn-ness comes from good seeds and there was the thought that I have to start somewhere and that I cannot be afraid of failure. As my teacher has recently said in a post, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." Even a baby step.

As I wrote about before I have sometimes struggled with the method of chanting very fast, and before this most recent retreat I had tended to chant whenever I could, but rarely used a counter or kept track of my daily count of chants, or of how fast I was chanting. I felt that as long as I was chanting I was doing the practice and numbers and rate didn't really matter. And in some sense they do not. But through the 24 hour practice and my daily practice over the last 3 weeks I can also see very clearly the benefit to counting your chants and keeping track of how fast you can chant.

On a daily practice level the counting really helps instill discipline and regularity to the practice. There is a practical benefit to setting goals and targets and working to meet those goals. It motivates me with the thought, "If I cannot reach my lowly daily goal of 10,000 chants, how can I meet my lofty goal of full, complete enlightenment?" Also the simple practice of using a counter while chanting adds another tactile dimension to the practice which I find helps keep me focused. And perhaps most significantly the experience of challenging myself to keep focus while chanting faster and faster has led me to the experiences I just described, the slowing of time and the seeing through the layers of consciousness and karmic residue.

When I completed the practice I had a smoothie and a bite to eat and then slept for 5 or 6 hours. It was an incredible restful sleep and when I awoke I was surprised at how much the soreness of the practice had dissipated. I was also incredible relaxed. Strangely so. I cannot ever remember feeling that relaxed. And as I lay in bed there was a strange awareness of a whole storehouse of physical memories. I lay there and experienced a whole host of sensations that I had experienced previously, and with each sensation I saw that there was an innate tendency for that sensation to trigger certain thoughts, cravings, and actions. I could see how much this process plays out in the background of my daily life. And when I could simply watch the sensation pass and passively resist the tendencies that it brought up, I felt both a wave of relaxation and an increase in energy. Subtle waves, yet big waves.

I have practiced a fair amount of Qigong, Yoga and sitting meditation, all of which have significant benefits of bringing relaxation and increased energy. But never have I had such a dramatic and pronounced effect from those practices as I have had form the past month and a half of chanting meditation, including the 24 hours practice. I'm entirely sure what it is, and I am resisting any effort to try and intellectualize it and figure it out. But without trying to make sense of it, it just makes sense.

This practice shows me the truth of the words of my teacher. It shows me the meaning of the words of the masters that I read in old texts. I am filled with gratitude for the all of the teachings and teachers who have been a part of my journey. I am indebted to their efforts to teach and codify this wisdom. And I realize more than I ever have how these teachings and this wisdom can only be hinted at with words, that the true wisdom comes from practice. Yet still there is so much value in the teachings and traditions that we must honor and respect and have faith in. I see how our practice is like a ritual offering to these teachers and teachings, and how these teachers and teachings continually make offerings that allow us to practice. It is an amazing relationship, they feed each other, they feed us, more nourishing than any meal.

1/22/2012 on Facebook

A testimonial demonstrating generosity assisting others on their path

Being a spiritual practitioner, a teacher and a healer, I find that the most difficult thing to do is to help others. Although, it is most rewarding because you can save and change people's lives, meanwhile, it is also the most complex duty for anyone who wants to commit one's life to it. It takes much more breath, strength, patience and compassion to help others than simply to practice by oneself.

Sometimes you are just tired of people's attitudes and ignorance and worn out by their whining and complaints or their taking advantage of you by any means, or they hate you if you don't satisfy them. They never look at their own faults. When you can see the future and see the cause and effect, you really don't want to bother to help those who do not deserve it. I fully tasted and understand why many great healers quit their job of helping others. But today, someone showed me differently how much my work has been appreciated and what it means to the world.

I remember a few months ago, when I told him that I am no longer telling people if they have entities in them, unless they ask for it, because some people just don't want to accept the truth, he begged me to please don't stop telling. You have to tell. In a few days, this person will realize how serious it is and will appreciate it, just like me at the beginning.

He sent me a testimonial about how I changed his life by removing an entity from him. In fact, he is not the only one that I helped with entity issues. There are many people I helped with their entities or spirit issues. When you see someone that not only appreciates your help but also tries to raise the awareness and assist others on their path, that is worth every effort to be a servant for humanity. The testimonial is on my website now.

1/26/2012 on Facebook

It is good that testimonial raised a lot of awareness regarding entity issues. It is serious if you have one as your health possibly very soon will decline, but I want you all know that entity issues are not common for everyone to have. In fact, it surprises me how many people I have helped removing them. It's supposed to be rare. I guess the world is changing and shifting from our collective karma.

It appears to me that entity issues are more seen in the West than in the East. Especially, it is among those so called practitioners. My presumption is that in the West, people have more tendencies toward being individual and independent. Everyone is on a journey to search for something in their own way. No one cares to listen to anybody else. No trust and no respect. In the East, when people are longing for a spiritual path, the first thing to look for is a right teacher for guidance. They follow the tradition and are protected by the tradition. It's hard to see anyone who has entities because of practice, unless you are extremely good and dedicated but went the wrong way because of ego and ignoring guidance.

In the past few days many people have contacted me about entity issues. Although I have an ability to know and remove it, I don't want everyone to send me a picture to check it out. If you have serious health issues and need my help, I'll be happy to do what I can. If there is an entity in you, I will let you know. But I am done with free readings and helping, which helps nothing, but evokes rejection or thinking that I come with a motive. I have been witnessing such effects and have been taught lessens by people over and over again. Cause and effect is the natural law that can never change. You cannot change anyone's karma. They can only changed by their own effort. There are only two kinds of people who might benefit from the free help. One is extraordinary people who can see the value and take proper action. Another is the despairing people who are willing to try anything that you tell them to do. Even those are still bound by Karma.

The first type possess a pure heart and will accept your offering to benefit all sentient beings, not just one's family, friends, or to gain a job that can provide a livelihood. The second type is because it is their time to change their karma. Therefore, they have a chance to meet you and are willing to do anything without doubts or judgment, but follow your instructions thoroughly. That pure effort does not commonly come from anyone who has a discursive mind.

The desperate time makes people do desperate things with desperate strength. For the average person, free help makes no difference. You help them to fix one thing and another thing comes up as a chain reaction. Why? It is because people did not make an effort or want to make an effort by themselves, so the root is still there. The roots can only be pulled out by one's own effort. That is true self healing. We need outer help sometime, because of our limited strength, especially when we are sick and weak. Sometimes, we may also need help from a higher source, because of the limitations of our body. Nevertheless, inner and outer effort has to work together in order to reach perfection.

People asked me if someone has an entity in them, would they be able to remove it through a practice. You can try but it is unlikely. If you were able to remove it, you would not have an entity in the first place. An entity drains your life force. You can only get weaker and weaker. After passing a certain level of supporting life vitality, you will experience your health decline rapidly. Ask yourself, where can you find extra strength for this battle?

Are other teachers able to remove it? I don't know. You should ask them. I don't want to comment on any other teachers or healers about their teaching or their healing abilities. It is your choice and your karma who you encounter and who you go to for help. A person who has a priority to find the right help, it is not possible they will not succeed. Heaven and earth will be moved by their effort. Remember, a pure heart changes everything and creates all opportunities.

To answer if the Bodhi Light retreat series will be repeated again after one cycle. I honestly don't know. My primary focus has been shifted from teaching to healing by my master's request starting this year. My ability to heal is beyond yours and my own knowledge. I was told that I can heal not only humans, but animals and beings from other realms. I healed my dog of her heart mummer. As for beings from other realms I don't know how it works in detail, but I know I can. It is not because of my accomplishment as a spiritual practitioner and as a human being, but because of a group of healers from a higher source that help me. The group is getting bigger and bigger.

Why do they come here to help human beings? With one purpose only, they want to teach humans to respect cause and effect, and find a way to live in harmony to sustain the human race and not cause our self destruction. They are not here to be human's servants. That is why they requested me from the beginning to charge for healing. People do not respect or appreciate your help but bow to their money. After I failed with my idiot human compassion, I came to accept what they said and to charge for my services, to help those who are willing to help themselves and deserve to be helped. My teaching in the future will be primarily through the work of healing.

1/29/2012 On Facebook

I want to offer a little advice for those who need others' help. Be honest, truthful, humble, and have faith, trust and respect in who you ask for help. Your attitude can save your life. Your arrogance and disrespect won't help. People who can help you can read more about you than you can. Only when you can bow your head down, you can be helped.

2/11/2012 On facebook

Lodged in a monastery

"I lodged for a night at Summit Temple, so high I can reach the stars at arm's reach. Yet I dare not raise up my voice in speech, afraid to disturb the heavenly beings." This is a very famous Chinese poem from Li Bai (AD 7O1 -762), the most outstanding poet at the height of the Tang Dynasty. This poem reflects the unembellished human attitude in ancient times and how it differs than our time today.

Recently, I have been contacted by many people with their health issues. Some are entity issues and some are the result of karmic issues. The karmic issues exposed have given me a great education on cause and effect and how serious it is. It is much worse than having entities. If you have an entity in your body, without moving it, it can only affect you for one lifetime. The karmic issues are not limited to one life. The consequences can impact many lifetimes, depending on how serious they are.

Yet, we are still self-righteousness. We still cannot bow to anyone or to anything. Be aware, no matter how arrogant you are, your health shows otherwise.

2/15/2012 On facebook

I said that only when you can bow your head down, you can be helped. To bow your head down is a metaphor for recognizing that you're wrong, admitting you're wrong, and being willing to correct you're mistake. It also meant that you will be humble enough to listen to advice and to accept help.

Only holy men who claim that they trust their God are speaking the truth, because their body, mind and speech are in unison. Self-deception is a sign of ignorance. I can see why Gurdjieff said to Aleister Crowley that you are beyond help now.

I like to do my 120 full prostrations to the awakened one as my daily practice because I recognize my heavy sins accumulated from countless lifetimes. I ask for blessings and pray for the strength to clean my negative karma and am willing to do whatever it takes and as long as it takes to eliminate this individual-self.

Practice

True practice should be focused on correcting our wrong thinking and doing. Mere physical practice without improving your mind state and purifying your heart, that practice is just superficial makeup. It cannot accomplish the ultimate change of our life for the better.

The more healing work I have done, the more awakened I become. It feels like the true learning is just beginning. I see people struggling with their suffering and mired in their karmic inertia, all because they have no courage to make a difference, or are too lazy to do so. I begin to realize that disease is easy to cure, ignorance is not.

Life is making choices. Wisdom lights up choice and effort takes it to a reality. We are living on the choices that we make. We become the choices that we make.

I begin to see that readiness and priorities are not just for practitioners but for everyone and everything. You cannot encourage anyone when they are not ready to listen. No change can be made when people are not willing to change. Therefore, I often tell people that when you have exhausted all your other options and desperately want to be helped, then you come to me with trust and effort. Otherwise, wondering "what if" is of no use.

Be well, be peaceful, be happy!