February, 2019
Stories of my training:
On Clarity
Reported to me: One of my student’s young daughter was being harassed by an older person who claimed himself as “Wu Ming “ (无名） no name ).
So you could not name him or his actions or track him (spiritually). My father on hearing the story immediately said “Wu Ming – 无明- no clarity”.
[same sound, but different character in writing and in meaning. The man was never heard of again.
On Ritual and Ceremony
I traveled with my father back in the 1970s to Hong Kong to study traditional Chinese medicine. My father reconnected with his old teacher and we had lunch together.
Throughout the lunch and evening, I listened carefully to what they had to say with interest and and enthusiasm. It was at the end of the evening that I realized this whole time my father was pouring tea for his teacher ….and for me.
Nothing was ever said, but I learned that it has to come from within.
On feelings
Why is it that my father in my whole life never said to me, “I love you“.
And yet why do I feel so much love from him and to him
On yi yi 義 Conduct
I saw my father for the first time with a shaky , trembling voice speaking in public for the legitimacy of Traditional Chinese medicine in California, but I saw him continue to speak.
On Religion
The god in your heart is your God
💞
On Guam (观） Perspective
When you are clear, all is clear.
November, 2018
Spiritual awakening:
A student said: ehhh!
When asked about the celestial experience she had with meditation. She has had so many of these transcendental experiences.
Chant
A group of students were siting under a mango tree and listening to a marvelous and beautiful ancient chant of peace and serenity. After some time a student asked When is this beautiful chant going to end I want to hear something else that may be just as wonderful.
Spiritual
Student: I can’t drag my parents to Temple or church; they just won’t go. I’m such a devoted and religious person, I have to go to the temple/church.
Teacher: they raised you to be spiritual.
Clouds
Two clouds were speaking to each other in the sky. One cloud is a cloud of lightness and transparency; the other is a cloud of darkness and deep abyss.
Light cloud said: I give light and shine to the world. You only cover it with not knowingness.
The dark cloud replied: it is because of you that shadows are born.
Light cloud: I offer generosity and kindness .
Dark cloud: you also promise this for a return-There is a price for “goodness”.
Light cloud: you create confusion.
Dark cloud: it offers possibilities for solutions.
Dark cloud: you are too proud !
Light cloud: ahh you too.
Light cloud: are we so different ?
Dark cloud: shine the light and tell me
From a Child
I asked a 4 year old: what is the best thing in your life ? He replied: “imagination.”
Why?
I asked my father long ago: why was I born into a bi-cultural and bi- racial family ? Why do I have so many unexplained experiences? What is my purpose in life? He replied: to ask questions.🤔
Teachings
An elder hit a gong and asked me: where did the sound go ?
My tai ji teacher Master Kuo Lien Yin said to me: “Fast can conquer slow; slow can conquer fast “. It took me 30 years to understand the second sentence.
Years ago I was treating a patient, a woman who has lost her child recently and she was profoundly depressed. As she was being treated, a child around the age of 5 came in to the Center, looked at me and said: “not you “,
Then he proceeded to the room where the woman patient was resting. I asked permission for the child to go in . The child snuggled up to the woman and said nothing . 3-4 minutes later, he left.
Years ago I was upset with somebody. I keep wanting to call him up and tell him how upset I was. My German Shepherd “black Jade” lay next to me and gave me a glance. From that glance, I understood forever a great lesson: no one can feel your upset ! Your own anger and frustration only hurt yourself .
Nature
We are in nature at all times aren’t we?
The distance between earth and space ( sky) is just that.
Lose Your Self
One should get lost at least once a day, so you can then find yourself.
In martial art practice, we say, “don’t look up to pray and don’t look down to beg, just have a panoramic forward gaze. “
You can learn by teaching -everything you know or don’t know is revealed.
October, 2018
The theme I selected for this year’s Taoist Gathering is Perspectives of the Dao.
By perspective I mean understanding.
What is your understanding of Dao? To me, the answer to this question is like watching a
Movie with a screenplay, plot, and theme. You must understand all three – your understanding is what you gain from it or xin de .新的 heart mind – the heart as the center of cognition.
Each minute interaction has clues to many behavioral patterns, emotions, and thinking. Each clue can change your perspective if you learn to seek other views and observe and recognize.
To cultivate Self, I say “Collect all understandings.” Catch what is most resonant to you, what is important to affect your behavior – that is our unique path, our Dao.
There are all types of knowing. We “know” through logic, experience, prediction, intuition, and direct knowledge. Sometimes there is knowing with no idea why you know – you just know. I call this spontaneous knowing that is beyond the conventional pathway of knowledge. It is experiential and enhanced by exposing yourself to many perspectives or views and then to catch and discern what is most important for your Path.
I close with the Tale of the Blind Men and the Elephant – an illustration of how different perspectives lead to distinct points of view.
Long ago six old men lived in a village in India. Each was born blind. The other villagers loved the old men and kept them away from harm. Since the blind men could not see the world for themselves, they had to imagine many of its wonders. They listened carefully to the stories told by travelers to learn what they could about life outside the village.
The men were curious about many of the stories they heard, but they were most curious about elephants. They were told that elephants could trample forests, carry huge burdens, and frighten young and old with their loud trumpet calls. But they also knew that the Rajah’s daughter rode an elephant when she traveled in her father’s kingdom. Would the Rajah let his daughter get near such a dangerous creature?
The old men argued day and night about elephants. “An elephant must be a powerful giant,” claimed the first blind man. He had heard stories about elephants being used to clear forests and build roads.
“No, you must be wrong,” argued the second blind man. “An elephant must be graceful and gentle if a princess is to ride on its back.”
“You’re wrong! I have heard that an elephant can pierce a man’s heart with its terrible horn,” said the third blind man.
“Please,” said the fourth blind man. “You are all mistaken. An elephant is nothing more than a large sort of cow. You know how people exaggerate.”
“I am sure that an elephant is something magical,” said the fifth blind man. “That would explain why the Rajah’s daughter can travel safely throughout the kingdom.”
“I don’t believe elephants exist at all,” declared the sixth blind man. “I think we are the victims of a cruel joke.”
Finally, the villagers grew tired of all the arguments, and they arranged for the curious men to visit the palace of the Rajah to learn the truth about elephants. A young boy from their village was selected to guide the blind men on their journey.
When the blind men reached the palace, they were greeted by an old friend from their village who worked as a gardener on the palace grounds. Their friend led them to the courtyard. There stood an elephant. The blind men stepped forward to touch the creature that was the subject of so many arguments.
The first blind man reached out and touched the side of the huge animal. “An elephant is smooth and solid like a wall!” he declared. “It must be very powerful.”
The second blind man put his hand on the elephant’s limber trunk. “An elephant is like a giant snake,” he announced.
The third blind man felt the elephant’s pointed tusk. “I was right,” he decided. “This creature is as sharp and deadly as a spear.”
The fourth blind man touched one of the elephant’s four legs. “What we have here,” he said, “is an extremely large cow.”
The fifth blind man felt the elephant’s giant ear. “I believe an elephant is like a huge fan or maybe a magic carpet that can fly over mountains and treetops,” he said.
The sixth blind man gave a tug on the elephant’s coarse tail. “Why, this is nothing more than a piece of old rope. Dangerous, indeed,” he scoffed.
The gardener led his friends to the shade of a tree. “Sit here and rest for the long journey home,” he said. “I will bring you some water to drink.”
While they waited, the six blind men talked about the elephant.
“An elephant is like a wall,” said the first blind man. “Surely we can finally agree on that.”
“A wall? An elephant is a giant snake!” answered the second blind man.
“It’s a spear, I tell you,” insisted the third blind man.
“I’m certain it’s a giant cow,” said the fourth blind man.
“Magic carpet. There’s no doubt,” said the fifth blind man.
“Don’t you see?” pleaded the sixth blind man. “Someone used a rope to trick us.”
Their argument continued and their shouts grew louder and louder.
“Wall!” “Snake!” “Spear!” “Cow!” “Carpet!” “Rope!”
“Stop shouting!” called a very angry voice.
It was the Rajah, awakened from his nap by the noisy argument.
“How can each of you be so certain you are right?” asked the ruler.
The six blind men considered the question. And then, knowing the Rajah to be a very wise man, they decided to say nothing at all.
“The elephant is a very large animal,” said the Rajah kindly. “Each man touched only one part. Perhaps if you put the parts together, you will see the truth. Now, let me finish my nap in peace.”
When their friend returned to the garden with the cool water, the six men rested quietly in the shade, thinking about the Rajah’s advice.
“He is right,” said the first blind man. “To learn the truth, we must put all the parts together. Let’s discuss this on the journey home.”
The first blind man put his hand on the shoulder of the young boy who would guide them home. The second blind man put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, and so on until all six men were ready to travel together.
September, 2018
May
I was delighted to speak at the graduation ceremony for ACCHS (Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences School of Acupuncture) this month. One of the oldest acupuncture schools in the country, ACCHS was established in 1982 by a friend of my father’s, Master Wei Tsuei, who passed this last December. The ceremony was a sweet reminder that our dreams and vision will out last our physical presence – what gifts do we want to be remembered by?
As I prepare for my presentation at the 28th Annual Conference on Shamanism, Healing and Transformation, I am reminded of this Daoist Master, Tsuei, who was a magical mixture of science, art, and shamanism.
One of the Chinese characters for spirit is “ling” 靈
The radical is written as rainfall called by two people connecting between heaven and earth. This character of two people connecting is an ancient character representing shamanic understanding. This understanding of connectivity between humans and humans with heaven and earth is an important Daoist concept. The human is viewed as a conduit of heaven and earth – meaning all natural or universal forces. Being a conduit is the ability to be in one with a natural force, forces of nature, like rain. Shamanism is this understanding which leads to connectedness.
Connectedness with oneself is connectedness with others. Connectedness with oneself and connectedness with others is connectedness with the Universe. This then represents total immersion in the understanding of Oneness.
Oneness is really who we are – we ARE as One with All. When we open our eyes all we see is representation of our Self or consciousness. When we close our eyes, that great void, that nothingness, is also who we are. We are also all that happens in between the void and the manifestation of everything or All.
This understanding gives us a different relationship with ourself as well as with all that is around us. We are able to tap into the forces ordinarily not available nor experiential to us. It is similar to how you have to be in a certain state, sleep, in order to dream. Dreaming is available to you only in this certain state of being.
There is much that comes to you – an understanding of what and who you are through this state of immersion with the Self. Through one’s intent the pathway of life can be carved. I use the analogy of lighting an incense stick. The intent of lighting and the act of lighting. The act creates the light, the burning. The smoke on the other hand is a manifestation of one’s intent – not always controllable – nor do you want to control it. This is also part of manifestation of your intent. Through sound (like the lit incense) and intent one can create changes. It is this connectivity and these changes that we invite.
In many spiritual practices, it is understood that the voice is part of manifestation of everything. In the Biblical account of the creation of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). In Hindu, the sound of “Om” created the universe. Om represents both the unmanifest (nirguna) and manifest (saguna) aspects of God. That is why it is called pranava, to mean that it pervades life and runs through our prana or breath.
The spoken word then is an extension of intent (action). The combination of intent and action (sound) creates manifestation of your world. In some cultures it is the sound that creates the creation of the universe. Sound, not thought, creates the universe. Recogntion of intent and action creates a manifested universe. A shaman is one who understands that and plays with it. One who can light the incense and take the smoke and wave it around
My father, Grandmaster Wei Ren Feng, said, “When you are pure, All is pure.” Intent, connectivity are your voice – what is the intent of your voice?