As Westerners, we should follow the good and virtuous example of Master Zhao Bichen, and we should do this regardless of where we live, or how we live. Master Zhao Bichen abolished the traditional Daoist practice of one master teaching one disciple per generation, and instead opened his doors to all and sundry. This does not mean that everyone is suitable for the training, but it does grant everyone an equal chance to ‘try’. Rich or poor – everyone can train regardless of social status, gender or ethnicity. Master Zhao Ming Wang (b. 1966) tends to prefer ‘face to face’ training (at least in the beginning stages), and he does this because like a TCM doctor, Master Zhao Ming Wang will also ‘treat’ the student by stimulating the qi energy channels that flow throughout the body (and mind) as a means to release psycho-physical blockages (usually stored as ‘tension’ in the musculature surrounding the inner organs), build physical strength and clear the mind. He does this by examining the attitude and bodily movement of the student, the colour of the eyes and tongue, and the strength of the various pulses, etc. He also advises a vegetarian diet and no alcohol. Master Zhao Ming Wang massages the muscles, and uses a traditional Daoist acupressure stick which hits the ‘points’ of the qi energy channels exactly. A student may lie down to receive this treatment, or sit upright in a chair. Master Zhao Ming Wang also teaches people with disabilities and adjusts this treatment to their needs. (This is an important point as I have seen other Daoist schools ‘banning’ disabled people on the grounds that they are ‘bad luck’ - this is exactly the ignorance that Master Zhao Bichen abolished).
Western students of Qianfeng Daoism have to meaningfully make sense of all this in a manner that fully respects the cultural view of China (as expressed through the Qianfeng School), understands what Master Zhao Ming Wang a) expects, and b) is talking about, and do all this whilst carefully navigating a course through the choppy seas of cultural adaptations and potential misunderstandings. My own view is that all this must be achieved through a sense of spiritual self-sufficiency. Spiritual self-sufficiency has nothing to do with social status or economic situation – but is rather a reliance upon the realization of the empty mind ground (shen), and how this understanding permeates through the entirety of the body (automatically ‘clearing’ all the qi blockages and building ‘jing’). The mind must be ‘stilled’ to realize this reality which does not require any other stimulus – although this is a rare state to achieve. Stilling the mind is the first crucial stage of Qianfeng Daoist training and can be performed exactly where you are right now. Without the mind being ‘stilled’ the Qianfeng training will be only moderately successful. Whilst training to ‘still’ the mind, a Qianfeng student should train in a traditional Chinese martial art that suits their character (whilst ignoring the pettiness of sport). Regular qigong exercise builds a robust body and ensure a fluid mind. All this can be pursued around a central practice of ‘nei dan’ - or meditation which ‘stills’ the mind (whilst also guiding the breath and the circulation of qi and jing etc). If this is established, then the machinations of the external world will fall into place, ensuring that all paradox and confusion falls away.
ACW - 釋大道 (12.9.2019) UK Qianfeng Sub-Branch of the 千峰先天派 (Qian Feng Xian Tian Pai) - Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (Beijing)