CLEANSING, BUILDING AND NOURISHING IN VARIOUS ARTS
Sifu Leonard performing Dancing Fairy from the Eighteen Jewels
Question 5
When practicing Sinew Metamorphosis, how does the process of cleansing, nourishing and building differ in comparison, when induced with such exercises as Dantien Breathing, Golden Bridge or 18 Lohan Art
In a past Q&A on the 18 lohan Art I believe you mentioned that the martial arts benefits of these exercises could be classified into three sections, namely internal force, fa jing and balance and agility. Can the benefits derived from the set of Sinew Metamorphosis exercises be classified in a similar manner in terms of martial benefits? If so could you perhaps elaborate? Also what might the classifications and developmental benefits be, in terms of enhancing health, vitality, longevity and spiritual cultivation?
Also as we have the outstanding chance to practice numerous once in a lifetime energy arts in Wahnam, would Sifu kindly expound on how practicing Sinew Metamorphosis contributes to the development of, and building the foundation for arts such as Bone Marrow Cleansing and the Small/Big Universal orbit?
Can Sifu share with us how cleansing, nourishing and building refine in Sinew Metamorphosis the five levels that chi can be directed to when practicing Bone Marrow Cleansing?
Jack
Answer
Irrespective of what chi kung exercise is used, the resultant cleansing, building and nourishing are the same processes. The difference in the process is not due to the different chi kung exercise used to induce the processes but due to the different amount of force generated by the exercise chosen.
As an analogy, the processes of paying off debt, saving in a bank and improving the quality of economic life are the same irrespective of the jobs you do. Any differences in these processes are not due to the difference of jobs but due to the amount of cash flow generated by the jobs.
The better the cash flow, the easier you can pay off debts, save in a bank and improve the quality of your economic life. Similarly the more powerful is the force generated, the easier you can cleanse, build or nourish.
Generally, if you work as a doctor, your cash flow is more that that of a clerk. Hence working as a doctor will enable you to pay off debts, save money in a bank, and improve your economic life more easily than if you work as a clerk. But, for some reasons, you get less cash flow working as a doctor than as a clerk, you will pay off debts, save money in a bank, and improve your economic life less easily working as a clerk.
Similarly, a Sinew Metamorphosis exercise like Flicking Fingers generates more internal force than an exercise like Lifting the Sky from the 18 Lohan Hands. Hence, you will be able to cleanse, build and nourish better performing Flicking Fingers than performing Lifting the Sky. But, if for any reason you can generate more internal force performing Lifting the Sky, than this will enable you to cleanse, build and nourish better.
It is worthy of note that even when one can produce more internal force performing Sinew Metamorphosis, thus is able to cleanse, build and nourish more effectively, it does not necessarily means that this is more beneficial than performing a less powerful exercise.
There may be occasions when a less powerful exercise is more beneficial. For example, if a practitioner is sick, performing Sinew Metamorphosis even correctly may generate too much internal force, and therefore become harmful. Or, if he is healthy, it is more likely that he over-trains performing Sinew Metamorphosis, even correctly, than performing a less powerful exercise like Lifting the Sky. In these two cases, performing Lifting the Sky will give him more benefits.
For convenience, exercises from the 18-Lohan Art may be classified into three categories. The first 6 exercises of the 18-Lohan Art focus on developing internal force. The next 6 focus on exploding internal force. And the last 6 focus on enhancing balance and agility.
This classification is for convenient. It does not mean, for example, that the second set of 6 exercises of the 18-Lohan Art do not develop internal force or enhance balance and agility. But it means that if all other things were equal, which is almost never true in real life, exercises from the first set will develop internal force more effectively than those of the second set, whereas exercises from the second set will explode force more effectively than those of the first set.
However, the 12 exercises from Sinew Metamorphosis are not classified in this way. In other words, if we divide the 12 exercises from Sinew Metamorphosis into 3 groups, none of the groups is more effective than another in developing internal force, exploding force, and enhancing balance and agility even when all other things were equal.
Holistically, all the Sinew Metamorphosis exercises develop tremendous internal force, though some may be more forceful than others if all other things were equal. Thematically, because of the ways they are performed, certain exercises may focus internal force at certain meridians.
Internal force is very beneficial for both martial purposes and for enhancing health, vitality, longevity and spiritual cultivation. A more detailed answer of their thematic benefits is given in Question-Answer 4.
Holistically, all chi kung exercises, ranging from elementary ones like 18 Jewels and 18 Lohan Hands to advanced ones like Sinew Metamorphosis, Bone Marrow Cleansing, and Small and Big Universe, cleanse, build and nourish energy, resulting in combat efficiency, good health, vitality, longevity, mental clarity and spiritual joys.
Thematically, the amount of cleansing, building and nourishing as well as resultant specific benefits are different. For example, the 18 Jewels focus on cleaning, and are therefore excellent for overcoming pain and illness. The 18 Lohan Hands focus on building, and are therefore effective for promoting good health, vitality and longevity. Sinew Metamorphosis focus on nourishing, and therefore is suitable for attaining the highest spiritual cultivation.
As Sinew Metamorphosis produces tremendous internal force, it contributes greatly to the development of and build the foundation for advanced arts like Bone Marrow Cleansing, and Small and Big Universe. One who has practiced Sinew Metamorphosis before will attain both faster and better results in these advanced arts.
For example a person who has practiced Sinew Metamorphosis before will have energy flowing at his meridian level in a shorter time, and have a more powerful Small Universal flow than those who have no prior Sinew Metamorphosis experience.
Sinew Metamorphosis will also contribute to and build foundation for less advanced arts like 18 Jewels and 18 Lohan Hands provided practitioners of these less advanced arts are able to absorb the tremendous amount of internal force produced by Sinew Metamorphosis. Most such practitioners are unable to absorb the internal force, and are also unable to appreciate the need to train Sinew Metamorphosis at a very low level. They over-train, with the result of over-cleansing, over-building or over-nourishing, which is uncomfortable and often harmful.
Before a practitioner can direct his chi to any of the five levels in Bone Marrow Cleansing, he must first of all have the chi to do so. Suppose he needs three months to refine his chi in cleansing, building and nourishing, and another two months to let his chi flow harmoniously so that eventually it flows at his skin level. So he needs five months to accomplish his task.
But if he has already refined his chi in cleaning, building and nourishing in his Sinew Metamorphosis practice, he does not need the initial three months. After two months of Bone Marrow Cleansing practice, his chi will flow at his skin level. So he needs a shorter time to accomplish his task, taking only two months instead of five.
Sinew Metamorphosis produces more internal force than Bone Marrow Cleansing. So as soon as he starts practicing Bone Marrow Cleansing, this practitioner who has practiced Sinew Metamorphosis has a more powerful chi flow other Bone Marrow Cleansing practitioners even after they have practiced for three months. Thus, in two months this practitioner will have better result in Bone Marrow Cleansing than others who need five months.
These examples apply to students in other schools who have the opportunity to practice genuine Bone Marrow Cleansing and Sinew Metamorphosis. But most students do not have this opportunity. They only practice the outward form of Bone Marrow Cleansing and Sinew Metamorphosis without the necessary skills. Hence, regardless of how long they may have practiced, they will still not attain the desired results.
Our students are unbelievably fortunate. They don’t need two months or five months. They need only a few hours if they attend my regional Bone Marrow Cleansing course or Sinew Metamorphosis course, because I transmit the skills to them.
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions on Sinew-Metamorphosis in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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