Self-Awareness
by Master Lee Feng San Shifu
Translated by Sophia Lui
Edited by Ric Meyers
Many people often find themselves saying or doing the wrong thing as they get older. Why is that? Do they not want to see themselves getting better with age? Of course, but what often happens is that the heart is wiling but they lack the energy to carry out their intentions. So how do we get more energy to carry out our will? It all comes down to our practice.
We all make mistakes and lapses in our judgements, and our body gets weary, but most important is how we recover from them. Regardless of how we train ourselves, it is a waste of energy if we do not have the ability to recover. While our body is like a machine and can recover more easily, it is more difficult for our heart and soul to recover.
We can also ask ourselves: “Are my internal organs healthy?” Most probably, ten out of ten will not be able to give a definitive answer and need to think it over. However, those who practice Qi Gong regularly can often answer right away: Yes, I feel fine or; my liver does not feel well recently and I tire easily or; my stomach bothers me, etc. This is an intuitive sense which develops as a result of dedicated training, and which the ordinary person does not possess.
Even doctors may not be able to give a diagnosis to that degree of precision. This is only possible with a certain level of self-awareness. Those who practice consistently are more in touch with their own bodies. Is their body sick? Repairing itself? Or are chronic conditions acting up again? Seasoned practitioners know what is going on with their bodies. They even know how to repair them and regain their health. They are clear about what is to be done which the ordinary person has no idea about. So this is what I am trying to teach everyone – a Qi Gong exercise which can cultivate such an ability.
The training of the body is closely related to the training of the mind. When we have found an effective method of training, we should practice it diligently. Through transforming our bodies, we also transform our minds. If we do not have this end in mind, it will be useless to undertake any sort of training for it will only be a feeble effort, a waste of energy and finally, we will only be deceiving ourselves.
“Through transforming our bodies, we transform our minds.” — Lee Feng San Shifu