Prep Training for Sifu/Sigung's Visit - "3 Arrivals"

[Matt]

Hello Emiko,

Thank you for takign the time to share your thoughts with us in this post. I am attending my first Warrior Project with Sifu Kai in 24 days (i am counting!) in Edinburgh. I am looking forward to it a great deal, but must admit that a few of the thought patterns you have highlighted have been in my mind - e.g. will i get battered, have i sufficient stamina for the training. I feel sure that contemplating your writings will help me approach the training in a manner that will be most beneficial.

I followed your advice about hearing my inner wish. i was rewarded with a very clear voice telling me what it is. Inner Strength! It was quite remarkable, no mistaking what it said. I have written it down. Thank you.

I look back on my first course with Sigung last year and reflect that putting aside fears and concerns and focusing on enjoying the experience helped me get a lot out of it.

Thank you again. I look forward to reading you posts again.

Matt.

[Emiko H]

Dear Ray, Grimlock, Andrew, Maxime, Andrea, Niklas, Jordan and Matt,

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback. It is encouraging to read that what I'm writing is making some sense to people.

Okay, here is the next installment:
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The Hesitations - Part A


Believe it or not, whenever we hesitate, it is a sign from the Universe to “sit up and pay attention”. It is a gift.

Interestingly enough, most of us don’t see this as a gift. Often, the tendency is to get quite impatient or annoyed over the fact that we are hesitating over something, and then to overrule this hesitation by forcing ourselves to take some kind of action.

What ensues is a strong form of confirmation:
a) that the action we took obtained the results we were aiming for;
b) that the action we took did not obtain the results we were aiming for.

This is not only fine, but is a particularly good approach for people who tend to “freeze” or “get stuck” in intellectualization. Beware that one does not get tricked into thinking one’s way into paralysis or fear. When we hesitate, it is a physical sensation – not an intellectual one.

Underneath this physical “hesitation” is an important message: it is the loophole towards freedom!

What does this mean?

It means that every time we are able to identify the “hesitation” and “see” what the message is, we are given a chance to make a new choice, one that will set off a brand-new chain of events, allowing us to create a whole new way of interacting with the world.

Humans are fascinating creatures in that we have this option of “choice”. The power of choice is something that not many other forms of sentient beings have.

But what is a real choice? What is the difference between a choice that genuinely “creates a new you” versus a choice that is “just enhancing or repeating the old you”?

For example, if every time someone shouts at me, I sit there and make the choice to be quiet and let the moment pass “because I am practicing smiling from the heart”, maybe I’m not really going for the joy and the freedom. Maybe I’m actually going for the "Emiko" who needs to be seen and recognized as someone who smiles from the heart. In this way, I’ve tricked myself into the ego of spirituality.

On the other hand, what if someone were to shout at me and I were to shout back, “Don’t talk to me like that”? Maybe then I’ve made a choice that is different from the usual “Emiko”. Maybe then I’m allowing something new to happen – because I’m not attached to having “Emiko” seen a certain way by other people.

Okay, so there are these patterns that we live out everyday. They are perpetuated by our choices. In order to make new choices – ones that enable us to live a new life with new thoughts, new emotions and new “eyes”, we first need to catch the point at which we are making our choices.

[Emiko H]

The Hesitations - Part B


The choice happens right after The Hesitation.

It happens in one of two ways:

XYZ happens
-> we tense up and hesitate
-> we get annoyed by the hesitation and force ourselves to make a choice
-> we make the choice that we are familiar with
-> it brings the results we expect (because we’ve experienced it before)
-> it confirms our expectations
-> we perpetuate this reality
-> time passes
-> XYZ happens again in a different shape, different form
-> we repeat the cycle


And we have different patterns set up for different events. For PQR, we have one pattern. For ABC, we have another pattern. And we have patterns for DEF, GHI, and JKL etc.

When we meet our spiritual teachers (in this case Sifu/Sigung), they are often so generous as to shake us up so much that our patterns get looser than before. Hopefully they get so loose that a few patterns fall away forever (cleansing of karma). During this time, we may feel confused, unclear, unhappy, lacking in confidence, and we may ask ourselves, “Why did I come to take this course?”

The answer is simple: it is to fulfill your Single Wish.

Don’t worry if the Single Wish is not “enlightenment” or “to receive whatever Sifu/Sigung has to teach me”. In fact, if you are true to your Single Wish, it will be in alignment with “receiving whatever Sifu/Sigung has to teach” and the eventual “enlightenment”.

In order to fulfill the Single Wish, the process involves seeing all the points at which you make the choice to repeat actions that take you away from achieving your Single Wish.

How do you see these choice-points?

By noting every time you hesitate over something, and noting it with zero judgment. This will allow you to make a different choice from before:

XYZ happens
-> we tense up and hesitate
-> we watch with zero judgment and “see”/ “hear” the message
-> we make the choice to follow the message
-> it brings new and unexpected results (because we’ve never experienced it before)
-> it shakes up our past experience
-> our reality is shaken/broken up
-> time passes
-> XYZ happens again in a different shape, different form
-> we repeat the new cycle, growing ever more comfortable with the new choices and the new reality.

Please see below to see the two ways in which we deal with our Hesitations.

[Emiko H]

Please click on these links to see the diagrams I've prepared to illustrate the above post.

Hesitation - Ignored

http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/3Arrivals/Sixth%20Article%20diag1.html



Hesitation - Acknowledged

http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/3...e%20diag2.html

[Emiko H]

The Hesitations - Part C


Okay, now let's take everything and put it into an example.



In my early 20’s, this used to happen to me a lot of the time:

XYZ: I go to eat at a Chinese restaurant with my friends. It is peak time and there are many people lined up waiting to sit down. I am seated in such a way that I can see these people out of the corner of my eye. We enjoy our food. Then, my friends start to talk about whether or not they should order dessert there. They ask me what I want to do.
-> I tense up and hesitate.
-> I get annoyed by my lack of clarity, push on and say, “Why don’t we go somewhere else? There’s a dessert house just next door with lots of options.”
-> Everyone thinks this is a good idea.
-> We pay the bill. For some reason, I’m relieved as we leave the restaurant.
-> XYZ: Once we move on to the dessert house, everything is fine until it gets crowded with people waiting to sit down. (Probably some of them have come over from the very same Chinese restaurant!) One of my friends complains that he’s thirsty and wants another drink. Some of the others start to debate about whether or not they want to have another drink too. One of them asks me, “Are you going to have another drink too, Emiko?”
-> I tense up and hesitate.
-> I don’t like this feeling, so I push on and say, “Well, it’s getting late, so I’m not going to have anything to drink. It’s not good to drink so much so late at night.” The others murmur that this is a good point, that maybe they shouldn’t drink so much either. We end up getting the bill.
-> For some reason, I’m relieved as we leave the restaurant… until the next time XYZ happens, when I end up reenacting the same pattern as before.



Through noting the Hesitation, I was able to see in a new way and to make a new choice:

XYZ: I go to eat at a Chinese restaurant with my friends. It is peak time and there are many people lined up waiting to sit down. I am seated in such a way that I can see these people out of the corner of my eye. We enjoy our food. Then, my friends start to talk about whether or not they should order dessert there. They ask me what I want to do.
-> I tense up and hesitate.
-> I notice the hesitation and slow down to “see” what the message is.
-> Slowing down: sense the intent of the people waiting (how long till we get a seat?); sense the attitude of the wait staff, (stay if you’re eating, leave if you’re not).
-> Message/discovery: it’s okay to stay as long as you want as long as you’re not sitting there just chatting.
-> “Oh!” I think to myself, and feel relieved immediately.
-> I say to my friends, “It doesn’t matter to me whether we stay here or whether we go somewhere else. But if we’re staying here, we should go ahead and order dessert now instead of delaying and just chatting.”
-> time passes
-> When XYZ happens, I can behave either in the old way, or in the new way. Over time, I can reinforce the new way until it becomes second-nature to me.





.

[Emiko H]

You're probably wondering when this segment is going to end. Well, this is the last part of the section on "The Hesitations".

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The Hesitations - Part D


So, how can we apply noting the Hesitations to getting ready for that course with Sifu/Sigung?


Step One: We can simply “see” ourselves in the future course and note down the areas where we know we will experience physical hesitation/tension.


Step Two: Then we can “hear”/ “see” the message behind the hesitation.


Step Three: In hearing/seeing the message, our eyes will change and we will be able to identify a new choice that wasn’t there before (it is actually there but when we can’t see it, it is the same as not being there).


Step Four: We can make the new choice.


Step Five: Write it down.


When we go to the course, we can take that piece of paper containing the Single Wish, the Hesitations, along with the new choices.


During the course, we may be surprised to discover that the Hesitations either don’t arise, or if they do, we are well-equipped to implement our new choices.


Other things to keep in mind are that you can implement these steps not only before the course, but also during the course itself.

(If you have trouble applying these steps to the course prep, you can try practising them out on another habit/pattern in your daily life first.)

Do remember, as always, that these steps should be carried out in a spirit of “fun and play”!






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[Guest]

Thank you for these magnificant posts, dear Emiko.
I will be going back to this topic for a long while!

Tim

[Ray]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I wanted to comment on Sifu Emiko's "Hesitation" posts. I have found much to my great joy that the method mentioned is not only effective for preparing to visit Sifu but also can be applied universally to deal with all sorts of circumstances. For instance I have found it to be extremely useful in dealing with anger, seeing anger as not something I have to fight but an opportunity to make a choice, I relax, and I listen and I am able to respond much more clearly and effectively than before. Furthermore I find our daily training including standing meditation and shaolin qigong to have a strong basis in this technique.
As my training improves my ability to implement this becomes stronger and vice versa.

[Fidji]

Dear Emiko,


I write this message with great joy to thank you from my heart for the beautiful articles you have shared with us.

Today I have put into practice the Single Wish, being aware of The Hesitations and the making of new choices, in preparation for the Sigung courses that begin this weekend in Barcelona. I have considered the group training today as if it were a course with Sigung.

My Single Wish was that every movement, sequence and force training was meant to bring me Joy and Freedom. What a marvelous formula! After a few minutes I started feeling more free and joyous than I had been in a long time, with chi flows that had me completely rolling on the floor, groaning like a tiger (a small one), playing like a monkey and laughing so hard and free that even three beautiful women that passed by started laughing as uncontrollably as me!

Colors so sharp and sound so vivid that it was as if I were reborn in a paradise.

After this incredibly fun and rewarding session, I have to thank you again for sharing your wisdom.

Thank you Sigung and Sifu for transmitting to me the Shaolin Arts.


Alex.

[Dave]

very good-carry on

I´d just like to add that I was one of a few other people training with Alex today and it was truly a joy for me to witness also! To see your fellow brothers and sisters display such happy, carefree abandon due to our training is truly inspiring. I guess this would qualify as a ´very good-carry on´ moment, and I have to agree with Alex that today he was more of a baby tiger, unlike many other times in class during chi flow when we wonder who let the lion at the back in!
Well done Siheng, I´m really happy for you, and without wanting to embarrass you too much-you continue to be a shining example of the benefits of the arts we practice and an inspiration to your juniors such as us. Keep up the good work
Dave.

[Daniel]

Muy bien chicos!

Well done!
Enjoy the practise, this is the most important thing.

Greetings

[Grimlock]

Hi Sifu Emiko,

I have found your advice on the Hesitations valuable in my personal life recently. I find that I am able to observe, say, an emotion I feel, get to the root cause of it, and let it go. It is a testament to the arts we train and the clarity of your words that I have been able to implement it so easily. Thank you!

[Emiko H]

Tim, Ray, Alex, Dave, Daniel, Grimlock,

Thank you each for your feedback and sharing of your personal experiences. It is lovely to read of how you are successfully implementing the points covered in this series on "prep training for Sifu/Sigung's courses". The fact that you are able to make use of these tools so easily is a testament to the power and efficacy of the Shaolin arts, as well as the dedication and commitment each of you have exhibited.

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Body = Mind

How is the idea that 'Body = Mind' relevant to one's preparation for a course with Sifu/Sigung?

When we have the understanding that our bodies are our minds, the results of our training will differ vastly (in a good way) from when we see our bodies as objects to be subjugated and controlled by our minds.

I recall the phrase "no pain, no gain", which I used to hear very often when training in other dojos or kwoons. In fact, even now, I catch myself wondering if I've trained hard enough when at the end of a training session I feel refreshed and energised. There is still a memory in my body that says 'good training = tired, aching, injured body'.

This is a form of deviated thinking which brings about self-dissatisfaction and increases the split between one's body and one's mind.

So whenever we train, it is ideal to aim for a training session where the mind and body are unified, not where the mind is more powerful than the body, and not where the body is more powerful than the mind.

Example 1:
Here is an example where the emphasis of the training is on the mind rather than on the body, thereby increasing the split between the mind and body:

Mary engages in 8 hours of sitting meditation every day. After a few days, she notices a pain in her knees and her lower back, but she is told by her meditation teacher that these are just blockages in the body, and that if she wants to progress, she'll have to learn to ignore these pains and go beyond them into 'emptiness'.

Example 2:
Here is an example of where the emphasis of the training is on the body rather than on the mind, thereby increasing the split between the mind and body:

Carl engages in 2 - 3 hours of boxing, 1 hour of jogging, as well as 30 mins of calisthenics each day. After a few days, he notices a pain in his left shoulder, as well as the fact that, after injuring his right thumb, he can't seem to clench his fist as tightly as before. He mentions this to his coach and his coach says that this is just par for the course. If Carl wants to progress, he'll have to learn to ignore these pains and go beyond them into the 'zone'.

Example 3:
Here is an example of a training session where the emphasis is on mind = body, and body = mind:

Grant engages in just one hour of stance training, chi flow, sequence and set training everyday. With every move, he is 'smiling from the heart'. He thinks of nothing else. He is not hungry to achieve anything. All he focuses on is being present. In this way, every move becomes a "masterpiece". After a few days, he notices that his shoulders are looser and that the stiffness in his lower back is gone. The ache in his knees is gone and, for some reason, he has fewer thoughts too. He mentions this to his Shaolin master and the master says, "Very good, carry on." And indeed, all Grant has to do is "carry on": as the body and mind become a more accurate reflection of one another, he will one day achieve enlightenment with the big "E".

In terms of preparing for Sifu/Sigung's courses, if we train in this modality of "body = mind", when we finally attend Sifu/Sigung's course, we will find it much easier to receive his teachings at the multi-levels of jing, chi and shen. We will be less inclined to resist the priceless teachings being offered by him.

[Andrew]

Wonderful, Emiko. Thank you.

[Daniel]

Dear Emiko,


You´ve explained very well and clearly. Example 3 is just what I understand as high level internal art and good and intelligent preparation.
This are two parts thet 99% of internal practiciopners around the world miss today.

Greetings to all,