Energy practices have been around in China since antiquity, and they have a profound history. The people of China are thus naturally well suited for these practices. Many methods of practice—which were once secret—from the two larger, established traditions, Buddhist and Daoist, have recently been made available to the public. The Daoist methods are quite unique, while the Buddhist ones likewise have rather particular approaches. Falun Gong is a Buddhist method of spiritual development, and quite advanced. In our instructional classes my first goal is to recalibrate your body and bring it to a state befitting advanced practice. After that, a falun1 will be placed in your body, as well as mechanisms that promote the flow of energy. I will also teach you how our practice is done. Along with this, you will be placed under the protection of my spiritual bodies. But all of this isn’t nearly enough to realize the goal of developing greater energy or achieving spiritual growth: you must also learn how advanced spiritual practice works. And that is what this book sets out to accomplish.
What I am teaching is of a higher order, and so I won’t be getting into the specifics of energy meridians, acupuncture points, or energy channels. I will instead be teaching about Dafa, the Great Way, which is something that truly fosters progress to higher spiritual realms. Some of what I teach might, at first, seem a bit of a stretch to you. But those who are sincere about developing spiritually through the practice will discover—if they really apply themselves attentively to gaining a deeper understanding—that hidden wonders await them.
The Deeper Origins of Energy Practice
What we call today “energy practices” (or “qigong”) went by other names in the past, as it turns out. These practices can be traced back to ancient China and the ascetic practices of hermits and religious initiates. You won’t find the term “energy practice” anywhere in the major texts of Chinese spiritual practice, such as alchemical manuals or the Daoist or Buddhist canons. In the course of this civilization, energy practices existed alongside religions when the latter were still in their infancy; yet these practices actually predate religion. What happened was that they assumed certain religious traits along the way, as thereligions matured. Their names back in those times were things like The Great Way of Buddhahood, The Grand Daoist Way, or other names like the Nine Cycle Method of the Golden Elixir, Practice of the Arhats, and Vajra Meditation. Nowadays they generally go by the phrase “energy practices” so as to conform to modern people’s ways of thinking and enjoy greater popularity. They are just methods of mind-body practice that we have in China, when it comes down to it.
Energy practices were not invented by this particular era of humanity. Their history traces back to a rather distant past. Then just when exactly did they come about? Some people argue that they date back three thousand years, and were popular during the Tang Dynasty.2 Others date them as far back as five thousand years, which would be as old as Chinese civilization itself. Still others, going by archaeological findings, put the date at seven thousand years ago. But as I see it, these practices predate recorded history, and are not something that the people of this era came up with. According to what some individuals with spiritual abilities, who looked into it, have seen, this universe that we inhabit has been through nine cycles of explosion and re-formation. The planet we are on has been destroyed numerous times. Each time, after it was re-formed, the human race would multiply anew. Many objects have been discovered around the world that far surpass the timeframe of our present civilization. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, man evolved from the ape, and civilization is less than ten millennia old. However, archaeological discoveries suggest otherwise. For example, cave paintings have been discovered in the Alps that are two hundred and fifty thousand years old. And yet their artistic quality surpasses what some people are capable of today. Another example is a large stone in the museum of a national university in Peru. Carved into it is the figure of a person holding a telescope, observing the stars. And yet the figure dates to over thirty thousand years ago. We are left to ask how that could possibly be, when it was just three hundred some years ago that the 30x telescope was invented by Galileo, in 1609. Another anomaly would be an ancient pillar made of iron that exists in India, which possesses a purity of around 99%. Purity of that degree is difficult to achieve even with current smelting techniques; it surpasses most modern technology. But what civilization would have produced it, then, back in the day—at a time when man was supposedly just a primitive creature? These anomalies have captured the interest of scientists around the world. The challenges in explaining them have led to the idea that there were earlier human civilizations that predate written history.
The level of scientific advancement is different in every era, with some eras having surpassed even the level at present, though those civilizations are no longer with us, since they came to ruin. So in my view, energy practices would not have been invented or created by the people of our day.Rather, they were re-discovered and optimized. They are the product of an era predating known history.
Energy practices are not unique to China, however. They are found elsewhere in the world as well. It’s only that in these places, they often go by other names, such as “magic,” in Western nations such as the United States and England. There is one magician in the U.S. who in fact has mastery of unique abilities and who performed the feat of passing through the Great Wall of China. Before he entered the Wall, he was shrouded from public view by a [three-sided] screen of white fabric, which was affixed to the Wall. Why did he use that approach? By doing so, most people who saw it would take his feat to be an illusion. He had to use that approach. That’s because he knew that there were many powerful masters in China, and was concerned that they would intervene. So he used the approach of the visual screen when he entered the Wall.Then, on the other side where he exited, there was again a sheet, which you could see his hand pressing out from, before he came out. As a Chinese saying has it, “Insiders see the skills, while outsiders watch for thrills.” The audience just took it to be an illusion. The reason these powers are referred to as “magic” is because they aren’t used for spiritual ends, but rather, for stage performances meant to amaze and entertain. And so, viewed from a lower vantage point, energy practices serve to change the state of one’s body, and allow one to achieve health and wellness.Viewed from a higher vantage point, energy practices are about the spiritual refinement of one’s innate body.
Higher Energy Versus Regular Energy
The contemporary Chinese term for energy, “qi,”3 was written differently in ancient times, though pronounced the same. The term has always referred to the same thing, essentially: the subtle energy that exists throughout the universe. It is something formless and invisible, though physically real. This is different from air (“kong-qi”), though the two terms are similar. The energy known as qi can be mobilized and directed in the body through certain spiritual disciplines, and used to foster health and vitality by changing the state of one’s body. But qi is nothing special, in fact, and is something common to everyone.And one person’s qi isn’t going to have any transformative effect on another’s. Some people believe that qi has healing powers. Some believe that it can be projected upon people to heal them. But there are no scientific grounds for thinking that, because qi alone has no capacity to heal. Anyone who does an energy practice and still has qi in his or her body has yet to achieve what is referred to as a “translucent white body,” and they themselves are subject to illness.
Those who reach advanced levels of practice no longer radiate qi,but rather, a type of higher energy known as gong. It manifests as an aura of high-energy matter. Its particles are finely grained and dense, and it can positively affect others’ health. It has the power to heal. There is a saying that, “Bathed in divine light, conduct and thought become right.” This means that there is great energy in the bodies of those who do true spiritual practice. Wherever they go, their energy might set right and return to normal anything that is not as it should be, as long as it’s within the range of their energy. And this would hold true for illness, which is not the human body’s normal condition.So illness will disappear once things are corrected. Put simply, gong is energy. It is material in nature, and those who engage in spiritual practice can perceive that it really exists.
Spiritual Strength and Special Powers
Spiritual Strength Comes from Character Development
A person’s spiritual strength (gong-li) is not in fact the product of doing energy exercises. Rather, it is derived from the transformation of a type of matter, called virtue, which itself comes from character development. The way that spiritual strength comes about is nothing like how people in the East normally imagine it, such as through the practice of intricate internal alchemy exercises involving setting up crucibles and furnaces in the body, and making energy clusters from assembled materials. What weare interested inis higher energy, which is produced on the outside of the body. It begins to develop on the body’s lower half and grows upward in a spiraling manner,entirely outside of the body, as one’s state of mind and character elevate. And eventually it forms into a pillar on top of the head. The pillar’s height exactly parallels the degree of one’s energy. But this pillar exists in a well-hidden dimension, and is not something the average person can perceive.
Spiritual strength is what sustains and fosters a person’s special powers (gong-neng). Someone who is advanced in practice and who has great spiritual strength will typically have strong powers, which can be used effortlessly. Conversely, someone who has little spiritual strength will have weak powers, and they will be hard, if not impossible, to use. Gaining special powers does not necessarily say anything about a person’s spiritual strength or achievement, however. One’s level of achievement, rather, reflects one’s degree of spiritual strength, not special powers. Some people’s powers are blocked from them during their spiritual development, and they might not have any powers that are evident, even though their spiritual strength is great. But spiritual strength is what really matters. It comes from refining one’s character and mind, and is what we really value.
Supernatural Powers and Experiences Are Not What the Spiritual Seek
Special, or supernatural, powers and experiences are a topic of interest to almost all who do energy practices, and they generate a lot of attention from the general public as well. They are something many people wish to have. But it should be known that powers like these will not come to people of poor character.
It is possible that people who don’t do spiritual or energy practices may have certain powers, such as visions, clairaudience, telepathy, and foretelling. But these abilities vary from person to person, and not all of them will come to those who are on the path to enlightenment. Some powers, however, aren’t possible for those not leading lives of spiritual discipline to have. An example would be the ability to change a physical object in this dimension into something else. That’s not possible for them. Greater powers like those are not something people are born with, and they can only be gained through spiritual practice. Falun Gong is based on principles that underlie the universe, so all powers known to the universe are possible in Falun Gong. Their availability is limited only by one’s spiritual progress. It’s not considered wrong to wish to gain some powers. But if a person is obsessed with them, that’s a problem, and things are sure to go wrong. Any powers gained at the early stages of practice are not that useful; at most they can be showcased in front of the uninitiated, and used to impress others. But anyone who does that is not very far along spiritually, and it’s only fitting that they not be granted such powers. Certain powers might be used for bad ends if granted to people of poor character or little spiritual development, since there’s no assurance they won’t abuse them in the absence of strong moral restraint.
Another thing is, any powers that can be displayed before a large audience are forbidden from having any impact upon this world; the way of the world is not allowed to be altered. The true higher powers that exist are not something that can be performed before a crowd, for doing so would have too great of an effect and bring with it too great of a risk. For example, the ability to topple a building. Powers that are especially great are not allowed to be used, or shown in pubic, unless the person is someone with a special mission. How they use them is under their master’s control.
And yet often ordinary folk try to get masters of the energy arts or those who are spiritually gifted to demonstrate their powers, and push them to do so. But those who have such powers will be reluctant to comply, since that’s not allowed, as doing so could impact this world more broadly. Those who truly possess great integrity and are endowed with great powers are forbidden from revealing their abilities to the public. In cases where some masters have done so, they feel terrible during the performance, and afterwards are extremely sad. So don’t push them like that! It’s painful for them to reveal their powers. A student of mine once showed me a magazine with something in it that really put me off. It was an announcement inviting anyone with strong powers to partake in an international qigong meeting, where there would be a contest of powers. Seeing that upset me for days. Those are not something to bring out for competition, and doing so will lead to regrets. Masters or those gifted with such powers should keep their dignity, and not get mixed up with regular folk who are so fixated on tangible and worldly things.
If you want to gain exceptional abilities like those, it’s important to ask yourself why. Your purpose will be a reflection of how far along you are, spiritually, in your practice; it bespeaks of what motivates you. Greater powers will not come to those whose thoughts or motives are impure, orare not sound. There is a reason for this. Before you have experienced spiritual enlightenment, whatever you see in this world and judge to be right or wrong will be based on the standards common to the human realm; you will not be able to perceive things for what they truly are, nor the causal reasons behind them. There are sure to be deeper, karmic reasons behind the things that take place, such as when someone is abusive to someone else, and anything you might do, to try to help, is apt to only make things worse, since you can’t see the root cause of things. There are the laws of the human realm in place to deal with all the conflicts and feuds between people that are out there. People’s conflicts are not for those leading spiritual lives to get involved in. There is much more to this world than you normally behold, prior to your enlightenment. When someone strikes another person, it could be that the pair is working out past karma that they have between them. So if you were to step in and intervene, it would only hamper that process. Karma is a dark material that enshrouds the body, and that exists materially in another dimension. It can turn into sickness or spell tragedy for a person.
Every person has exceptional powers within them, only these are seldom realized, since they must be developed and strengthened through steady spiritual refinement. If someone who takes up energy exercises or meditation is fixated on getting powers like these, he is shortsighted, and his intentions are not pure. Whatever he might intend to use them for, there is a selfish element to it and it is bound to hinder his progress. He might end up with no powers at all.
The Judicious Use of One’s Powers
Some people get interested in healing others not long after beginning their practice, and want to see if it’s something they can do. But for someone whose spiritual strength is not that advanced, what happens as soon as he tries to heal, is that massive amounts of dark, pathogenic, and impure energy are siphoned into his own body from that of the ailing person. That happens because he hasn’t the strength to defend against it, and his body hasn’t a protective shield.So his energy merges into one field with that of the other party; his spiritual strength doesn’t suffice to prevent that from happening. And so he will feel unwell from it. And if no one is preventing him from doing healing, and he continues on like that, over time he will fall ill and have problems all throughout his body. This is why those who haven’t great spiritual strength have no business trying to heal others. Only those who have developed special powers and who have a certain, requisite degree of spiritual strength have any business using energy to heal. But even then, in cases where the individual does have the powers needed to heal, if his spiritual development is not truly advanced, he will in fact be using the spiritual strength—his very own energy—that he has built up over time, to heal. That kind of strength is indeed a form of energy, and a conscious entity, and really not something easily amassed over time. And yet that is what’s being sent forth, and used up, anytime someone does healings. The pillar of energy on top of one’s head will shrink down, and be consumed, each time one sends out energy to heal. It’s really not worth it. So this is why I don’t advocate the use of energy to heal in cases where one’s spiritual strength is limited. No matter how fancy someone’s healing techniques may be, the person is inevitably draining his or her energy to heal.
A number of special powers will develop when one’s spiritual strength reaches a certain point. One has to be very careful about how these powers are used, however. Take, for example, having visions due to the third eye being open. It’s not good if the person never utilizes the third eye, as it will likely close. But neither is it good to use it too often. The more one uses it, the more energy leaks out. But that doesn’t of course mean that people should avoid using it altogether. What would be the point of developing it if that were the case? It’s a matter of when to use it. You can use it often once your spiritual development has progressed to the point where you have the ability to replenish your energy. When you have progressed to a certain point in Falun Gong practice, any energy that you use will be replenished by energy automatically generated by the falun. This ensures that one’s powers and energy are never depleted, or reduced at any point in time. This is a unique feature of Falun Gong. So powers can only be usedregularly when one has reached this point spiritually.
The Third Eye
Opening the Third Eye
The primary passageway of the third eye is located at the area in between the middle of the forehead and the Mountain Root acupuncture point, which is at the bridge of the nose. When a regular person uses his or her physical eyes to look at something, the mechanisms at work are similar to those of a camera. The size of the pupil and shape of the vitreous body will adjust according to the distance and brightness of what one is looking at. And then the image is sent by the optic nerve to the pineal gland, in the posterior of the brain. Yet those who are able to see things invisible to others are making use of the pineal gland to observe things straight through the third eye. The average person’s third eye is not open, however, and the slit where the main passageway is located will be very narrow and dark if one hasn’t any spiritual energy or light. Still others have their passageways blocked up, and they cannot see anything with the third eye.
One key factor for opening the third eye is that the passageway be unblocked, whether through an outside force or through one’s own spiritual practice. People’s passageways vary in shape, with some being oval, some circular, some diamond shaped, and others triangular, for instance. The better one progresses in practice, the more round it becomes. A second factor is that another eye must come into being, whether it be given to you by your master or obtained through your own spiritual efforts if you do not have a master. A third factor is that there must be essential energy present at the location of the third eye.
We usually look at things by using our physical eyes. But it is precisely these eyes that block our passageway to other dimensions. They act as a barrier that limits our perception to this material dimension. Opening the third eye is thus a matter of viewing things without using these eyes. At advanced stages of spiritual development, one can develop and see via what is known as a “true eye.” It will be located where the third eye isor at the Mountain Root point. The Buddhist school of thought believes that there is an eye located at every pore of one’s skin, and thus there are eyes all over the body; while Daoist thought holds that there is an eye located at each acupuncture point. But either way, the primary passageway is that of the third eye, and it must be opened first. During my classes I give those in attendance what is needed for opening the third eye. But the outcome will vary according to each person’s physical makeup. Some people will perceive a dim and deep, well-like tunnel, which means that the third eye’s passageway is dark. Others might perceive a bright passageway, and if they see something before them, it means that the third eye is about to open. Still others might see something rotating or turning. They are seeing the apparatus that their master gave them for opening the third eye, and once it drills through, the third eye will be open and ready to use. Some people might have the ability to see a large eye through their third eye, and they mistake it for the Eye of Buddha. But truth be told, it is none other than their own eye. Usually this only occurs for those who are born with excellent qualities.
We have found that the third eye opens for more than half of those who attend our classes. There is one risk that comes with having an open third eye, however: that people are apt to use it for the wrong ends if their moral character is lacking. So, to solve this problem, what we do is open your third eye right to the level of Wisdom Eye; that is, to a very high plane. This will allow you to see directly into other dimensions of existence as well as see the things you develop through spiritual practice. This will make them more believable, and help build your confidence in the practice you’re doing. If people who have only just begun to practice were to have the eye opened otherwise, they would be likely to abuse it, since their moral character or frame of mind wouldn’t have elevated muchyet. Just imagine if someone could go and pick the winning ticket for the next prize drawing that he happened upon. So it’s out of the question. Things like that aren’t allowed to happen. There is another reason we open the third eye to a higher plane. It’s because we are doing this for a broad audience. Can you imagine what would happen if we were to open it to a lower plane? Many people would be able to see into other people’s bodies, and many would be able to see through walls. Would it still be a human world, in that case? It would significantly upset how things are here. So that’s not allowed, and we cannot do that. And besides, that would be of no benefit to your spiritual development. It would only lead to attachments. So we don’t open your eye to a lower plane, but rather, directly to a higher one.
Levels of the Third Eye
There are many levels to the third eye. Each level is different, as are the dimensions of reality that one perceives. Buddhism has taught that there are five levels of mastery in this regard, namely: mastery of the Physical Eye, the Celestial Eye, the Wisdom Eye, the Dharma Eye, and the Divine Eye. And each is further divided into a lower, middle, and upper sub-level. At the level of the Celestial Eye and below, one can only see this material world. Whereas at the level of the Wisdom Eye and above, one can see other dimensions. Some people have highly accurate powers of seeing, even surpassing CT scans in clarity. But what they perceive is limited to this material world; their vision hasn’t surpassed this dimension of existence. So it doesn’t count as a very advanced level of third eye.
The level of one’s third eye is determined by how much essential energy is present, as well as by the width of one’s main passageway, its brightness, and its degree of blockage. It is the essential energy, though, that ultimately decides how well opened the eye is. It is easy to open the eye for children six and under. I don’t even need to lift a finger; it opens at my command. Their innate essential energy is quite well preserved at that age, thanks to their having been largelyunaffected by this materialistic world, as well as their not having done many bad things. But after the age of six the third eye becomes progressively harder to open, for the outside world increasingly affects children as the years roll by. What really takes a toll on their essential energy are the poor rearing and education that they receivein this lifetime, along with learning to not exercise self-control, and changing for the worse. And it could even be to the extent that the energy is lost altogether. When that’s the case, it can be gradually recuperated through spiritual practice later on. But it will be a long and grueling process. All of this is to say that one’s essential energy is something truly precious.
I don’t support opening people’s third eyes at the level of Celestial Eye. The reason is, for those who haven’t yet developed significant spiritual strength, using the third eye to see through objects will consume more energy than one has accumulated. And if too much spiritual energy is lost in this manner, it’s possible that one’s third eye will close again, and then it would be difficult to re-open. So I generally prefer to open the third eye at the level of Wisdom Eye. This makes it possible for you to see things in other dimensions of existence, even if not clearly. Owing to variations in people’s spiritual makeups, some individuals have visions that are quite clear, while what others see is flickering, or for still others, hazy. But at a minimum you should be able to see light. The approach that we take benefits your spiritual development. If you can’t see very clearly, you can always remedy this through spiritual practice in the time ahead.
If your essential energy is insufficient, you will see through your third eye in black and white. But if you have relatively more of it you will see in color, and what you see will be at a higher resolution. The more essential energy one has, the more clear one’s visions. But that said, each person is different. Some people are born with an open third eye, while with others it’s severely blocked. When the third eye first opens, one may have a vision of a blooming flower with petals opening layer by layer. Or while meditating one might notice a ball-shaped halo of light at the third eye area, which is faint at first, and turns red later. For those whose third eyes are tightly sealed, the experience can be a bit intense at first. It will feel as if your muscles around the area of the main passageway and Mountain Root point are becoming tight, as if your muscles were bunching together and burrowing into your head; the temples and forehead will feel swollen, and ache. All of these are normal responses to the third eyebeing opened. Those whose third eyes are easily opened might occasionally perceive things without intending to. During one of our workshops, someone saw one of my spiritual bodies without meaning to. But when he tried to look deliberately, the image disappeared. That’s because at that moment he was using his physical eyes. If you can see objects with your eyes closed, then maintain that way of viewing; over time you will gain better clarity. But if you consciously try to take a closer look, you will actually be utilizing your physical eyes and optical nerves, and won’t see anything.
People with different levels of third eyes will behold different dimensions, accordingly. This is a concept that some researchers have failed to grasp, and it has led to disappointing results in some qigong experiments—or even contradictory outcomes. For example, one research unit devised an experiment for measuring supernatural abilities, where they asked qigong masters to view the inside of a sealed box and name its contents. But the masters’ answers as to the contents differed, since the levels that their third eyes were open to were different. This led the investigators to conclude that the third eye isn’t real, that it’s bogus. With this type of experiment, it is often those with a third eye at lower levels who manage to achieve better results. It’s because their third eye is open at the level of Celestial Eye, which is most suitable for viewing things in this immediate dimension. And for this reason people who don’t really understand the third eye think that those individuals have the greatest powers. Any physical thing, be it organic or inorganic, will appear in different ways in different dimensions. Take a cup, for example. At the time when it is made, a corresponding spirit comes into existence in another dimension; and before that instance, perhaps the spirit assumed the form of another object. Yet someone whose third eye is open at the most basic level will perceive it to be just a cup. Someone who has their third eye open one level higher will instead see the spirit in another dimension. And someone whose eye is open even higher will see the prior object that the spirit assumed the form of.
Remote Viewing
Some people develop the ability of remote viewing after their third eyes open, and are able to see things even hundreds of miles away. Each person occupies a certain amount of space in a certain dimension. And his body in that particular dimensionisalmost as enormous as the universe. There is a mirror in front of his forehead, which cannot be seen in ourdimension. Each person has a mirror like this, only for those who don’t do energy or spiritual practices it faces inward. For those who do engage in such practices, the mirror will gradually start to turn over. And as it turns, it begins to capture images of what the person wishes to see. In the special dimension he occupies, he is very large. His body is very big there, and so is the size of the mirror. Therefore it can capture images of whatever he wants to see. But he won’t see the images just because they’re captured by the mirror. The images need to stay on the mirror for a short moment. The mirror then turns over for him to observe the images briefly, before quickly turning again to capture new images. It turns again and again, continuously. Movies need to be filmed at a rate of twenty-four frames per second for the motion to look smooth and continuous. The rate at which the mirror turns is even faster than that, so what one sees is fluid and clear. That’s how remote viewing works. Its workings are that simple. It has long been a closelyguarded secret, but I’ve spelled it out for you in just a few sentences.
Dimensions of Existence
The dimensions of existence are something very complex, in our view. Humankind only knows of the dimension in which it now exists. Other dimensions have yet to be discovered. But qigong masters have seen dozens of planes of other dimensions of existence. They can be explained theoretically, even if there is no scientific way to verify them. Some things that people don’t believe to be possible have, beyond a shadow of a doubt, manifested in this dimension. The Bermuda Triangle, or “Devil’s Triangle,” is a good example. Ships have simply disappeared there, and planes too, only to surface years later in some cases. Nobody has been able to explain it. That’s because nobody has escaped the limits of the logic and theories of humankind today. The truth is that the Triangle is a portal to another dimension of existence. But this portal does not open like any normal doorway. Its opening is dynamic, and always requires some strange combination of circumstances. So if a ship happens to pass by this portal when it is open with the right combination of circumstances, it is likely to enter into the portal. Those on board will not notice any difference around them, as the ship swiftly enters another dimension. The difference in space-time between that dimension and our dimension cannot be simply expressed using a distance measurement like miles. What may be considered a great distance in another dimensioncould amount to a tiny point here in this dimension. That is, the two dimensions coexist at the very same place and time. The ship might cruise for just a short while in the other dimension before it inadvertently returns through the same portal; but decades might have passed in this dimension. And so decades might pass in this world in the brief span of time that a ship spends in that unusual space. Time is different in the two dimensions. Another thing is that each dimension has its own timeless uni-worlds. It’s extremely complex, similar to a diagram of atomic structure—with connecting lines off of each sphere, and spheres spanning out in all directions, each with connections.
Four years prior to the outbreak of World War II, there was a pilot from the British Royal Air Force who was out flying on a mission. He ran into a major storm en route. Going by experience, he was able to locate what he believed to be an abandoned airfield. Just as the airfield was coming into his field of vision, the scene around him suddenly changed, as if he had just emerged from a whole different world, and there wasn’t so much as a cloud in sight. The planes on the landing strip below were painted in yellow, and there were people bustling about. It was awfully bizarre. Nobody paid him any heed after he landed, and the control tower didn’t even try to make contact with him. Seeing that the sky was now clear, he decided he had better head off, and flew away. When he had flown to about the same distance away from the airfield as where he had first spotted it from, he suddenly found himself plunged back into a fierce storm. Eventually he managed to return to his base. Afterwards he reported the incident, and even filed a pilot’s flight report, but his superiors didn’t believe it. Four years later, World WarII broke out, and he was deployed to the very same airfield he had visited before. When he arrived, lo and behold, the scene before him was exactly what he had witnessed four years earlier. Masters of the energy arts would know what happened. He simply did what he was supposed to four years in advance. That is, he was transported to the future and played his part in advance. It was like a stage performance, where someone rehearses the last act before the first begins. Then he came back to perform things in the normal sequence.
Modern Medicine Versus Energy Healing
The philosophy of treating disease in modern medicine is altogether different from that of energy healing. Its methods are those of this ordinary world. And even when equipped with diagnostic methods like laboratory tests and X-rays, modern medicine can only be used to look at conditions in this immediate dimension, not at how they manifest in other dimensions; nor what led to them in the first place. If one’s illness or ailment isn’t serious, medications can kill or purge the pathogen involved (what in Western medicine may be regarded as a virus, or sometimes in energy healing as karma). If one’s problem is severe, however, medications won’t have the potency needed to fix things. There’s a limit to what dosage the body can handle. That’s because certain illnesses or ailments are not confined to this mortal realm. Some are so severe that domains beyond this realm are involved, and they are not treatable with modern medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine is the medical heritage of China, and it is closely tied to the spiritual development of the body as well as extrasensory powers. The ancients took the spiritual development of the body very seriously, regardless of whether they were Confucians, Daoists, or Buddhists. Even pupils of Confucianism had to learn meditation. Meditation is one form of spiritual practice, and though there are generally no movements in it, one can, over time, still develop higher energy and abilities through it. Just consider how amazing it is that Chinese medicine arrived at such a detailed map of the body’s energy channels for acupuncture. How did they determine that the acupuncture points should be linked vertically, rather than horizontally or in a crisscross pattern? How did they come up with such an accurate depiction? What is observed by those with extrasensory powers today is the same as what Chinese medicine depicts. The congruity owes to the fact that the accomplished doctors of the past often had extrasensory abilities. The most celebrated doctors in Chinese history, such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, Bian Que, and Hua Tuo were all accomplished masters of the energy arts who had special powers. These aspects of traditional Chinese medicine have been discarded over the centuries in favor of its more accessible techniques. But the classical physicians of China’s past would use their very own eyes (combined with extrasensory powers) to examine what was ailing people, and they distilled their insights into the technique of feeling the pulses. Were the techniques of Chinese medicine to once again be combined with the use of extrasensory powers, you would have something so advanced that Western medicine wouldn’t be able to catch up with it for quite some time.
Energy healing methods like qigong try to uproot people’s ailments at the source. In my view, illness is just one type of karma. So healing is a matter of helping to remove people’s karma. Some qigong masters focus on “dispelling dark energy” or “purging and supplementing energy” when treating people.And on a very shallow level, they do manage to purge dark energy from their patients’ bodies. But they are not aware of the deeper, root causes of the dark energy. And so, since those aren’t dealt with, the dark energy will return and their patients’ conditions will relapse. The truth is that it’s not dark energy that causes a person’s condition; that energy merely causes discomfort. What is really at the root of it, in another dimension of existence, is the presence of a spirit entity. This is something few energy healers are aware of. Spirits like those are formidable, and not something just anyone can, or should, try to take on. Falun Gong’s way of healing goes right after that spirit in order to remove the cause at the root. We also install a protective shield over the affected area of the body, which will prevent the illness from encroaching on the same area again.
Energy healing is effective, only it’s not allowed to disrupt the workings of this world. If that kind of healing were to occur on a large scale, it would change the face of this world. But that’s not allowed to happen, and it wouldn’t go well. There is a phenomenon you might be aware of. There have been masters of qigong who were originally quite effective at healing people. But, after they opened up a professional clinic, hospital, or therapy center specifically for energy healing, their efficacy plummeted. That’s because higher means are not allowed to serve the function of normal medicine in this ordinary world. And if someone tries to do that, it’s surely going to be just as limited as normal means of treatment.
With a certain type of extrasensory power one can see into the body layer by layer, one cross-section at a time, as if it were sliced. Layer by layer one can survey the soft tissue or any part of the body. Today’s CT scans can produce detailed images. But heavy equipment is required. It’s time-consuming and many images are needed to get the full picture. So it is rather slow and costly. It’s not nearly as convenient or accurate as using extrasensory powers. A master with such powers only has to close his eyes and start scanning. Then he can directly view, in fine detail, any part of the ailing person’s body. Now that’s high-tech, isn’t it? It’s even more advanced than today’s technology. And yet this level of ability already existed back in ancient China—it was the high-tech of ancient times. One example would be when the doctor named Hua Tuo saw that a minister, named Cao Cao, had a brain tumor. So Hua wanted to perform surgery on him. Tsao took the news the wrong way, however. He thought that Hua was trying to murder him. So he had Hua imprisoned. In the end, it was a brain tumor that in fact took Tsao’s life. There were many accomplished doctors in Chinese history who had extrasensory powers. But nowadays people are obsessed with material things, and have become oblivious to their ancient heritage.
We who do spiritual practice, on the other hand, hope to renew our understanding of our heritage, and build on and carry forward its legacies by living out our practice—all to the betterment of humanity.
Buddhist Energy Practices Versus the Buddhist Religion
When people hear of Buddhist energy practices, or Buddhist qigong, they often associate them with the Buddhist religion, which is about Buddhahood. But I want to clarify with all due earnestness that while Falun Gong is a form of Buddhist energy practice, and a great practice with a bona fide lineage, it has no connection to the Buddhist religion. Buddhist energy practice and the Buddhist religion are not the same thing, even if the ultimate goal of practice is the same. Their approaches are different, and they are not part of the same discipline. Nor are the expectations for the practices the same. Now a note about the word “Buddha,” which I just used. Since I am teaching practice of a higher order, it is a term I will be using repeatedly. There is nothing far-fetched about the term per se. Some people get triggered by anything said about Buddhas or the divine, and dismiss it asnaive. But it’s not. “Buddha” is a Sanskrit term from India, which was originally transliterated in Chinese as “foah-toah.” The latter part, the “toah,” was eventually dropped, and so the Chinese term for “Buddha”just became “foah” (fo). The term, going by the dictionary definition, simply means “an awakened one”—someone who has attained spiritual enlightenment.
Buddhist Energy Practices
Currently two types of Buddhist energy practices are taught in the world. One type was originally part of the Buddhist religion and then splintered off. Over the centuries many monks achieved great spiritual heights through this type of practice. As they went about practicing, a higher master would, upon their reaching an advanced stage, teach them something special, so as to guide them to an even higher stage. Those special things could only be passed down from one master to one student at a time. Just shortly before the accomplished master was to pass away, he would transmit those things to his one chosen disciple, who would then practice according to the Buddhist doctrines and make progress on all fronts. One can tell from the features of energy practices like these that they are very much relatedto religious Buddhism. In recent times, such as during the Cultural Revolution, many monks were forced out of their monasteries, and so those practices became available to secular society, and have since grown in popularity among the general public.
Then there is another type of Buddhist energy practice.This one has never been affiliated with religious Buddhism at any point in time. These practices are generally done in solitude, either while part of secular society or while off in secluded mountain locations. They have certain traits in common. For example, they make a point of selecting just one, outstanding person to become their disciple; this has to be someone of exceptional virtues and who has what it takes to reach great spiritual heights. A candidate like this appears only once in a great many years. Their practices cannot be disclosed to the general public, as they demand a very high level of spiritual discipline. Their adherents usually make very fast spiritual progress as a result. There are numerous practices in this category. Daoist practice also features many different schools, such as the Kunlun School, E’mei School, and Wudang School. Within each school there are distinct lineages.Each has its own unique approaches to practice—none of which can be combined.
The Buddhist Religion
Buddhism is the system of spiritual practice that the Buddha, Shakyamuni, developed. Even though it was built on a foundation of previous spiritual practices that existed in India, it is largely what he himself awakened to through his own spiritual development. It can be summarized in three words: precepts, meditation, and wisdom. Precepts were necessary for meditative concentration. Although energy exercises aren’t mentioned in Buddhism, its adherents do in fact do them, unknowingly. When they sit down to meditate and enter into deep concentration, they can be considered to be practicing qigong. That’s because when one becomes centered and enters into stillness, energy from the universe starts to gather in the body—allowing one to achieve the same effect as doing qigong exercises.So the goal of having precepts in Buddhism is to sever all of one’s wants and desires for secular things, and to forgo all human attachments. Doing so allows one to achieve a state of serenity and non-attachment. And this is conducive to entering into concentration when meditating; then one can steadily make spiritual progress. Ultimately one can achieve spiritual enlightenment and the awakening of wisdom, and come to know and see the universe as it truly is.
From the time the Buddha began teaching, he and his disciples focused on just three things daily: Dharma4 talks (primarily the Way of the Arhat), which his disciples listened to; begging for alms; and meditating as a means of spiritual development. After he passed away, Buddhism had many conflicts with Brahmanism, though eventually the two religions merged, and Hinduism was thus born. And this is why the original Buddhism no longer exists in India today. As Buddhism grew and evolved over the years, Mahayana Buddhism emerged and spread to China proper. It is what people usually have in mind when they speak of “Chinese Buddhism” nowadays. Mahayana no longer views Shakyamuni as its sole progenitor or believes in him alone. It’s now a polytheistic faith that worships many Buddhas, such as Amitabha and Medicine Buddha. The precepts have multiplied in Mahayana, and the goal of spiritual practice is now higher than before. Shakyamuni only taught the lofty “Way of the Bodhisattva” to a few select disciples, whereas Mahayana reworked those teachings into the system that now exists for attaining Bodhisattvahood. By contrast, in Southeast Asia they have preserved the traditions of what has become known as “Theravada” Buddhism, such as using special powers in a ritual context. In the course of Buddhism’s evolution, one branch spread to Tibet and is known as Tibetan Tantrism. A second branch was transmitted through Xinjiang before reaching inner China, and was called Tang Esoteric Buddhism. This lineage disappeared as a result of the Buddhist purges during the Hui Chang period (841-846 CE). A third branch remained in India, and evolved into what today is known as Yoga.
Buddhism does not make use of energy exercises like qigong. That bespeaks of an effort to preserve Buddhism’s traditional way of practice, which is a big part of why Buddhism has continued to grow for over two millennia without decline. What has allowed it to successfully preserve its traditions has been precisely its rejection of other approaches and ideas. The different lineages within Buddhism don’t always share the same exact spiritual approaches. Hinayana values self-liberation and one’s own spiritual refinement; while Mahayana has come to value liberation of both self and other, or the salvation of all lives.
Virtuous and Wicked Practices
The Alternative and Unorthodox Ways
There is another variety of spiritual practice, which often gets called “alternative” or “unorthodox.” This type is known as the Mystical Ways. Recall that many types of energy practice existed before religions came into being. Many have stayed independent from any religions, and have been spread in the secular world. The majority of these never became a complete system for spiritual development, with a comprehensive philosophy. But the Mystical Ways are complete systems for spiritual development, and include some approaches that are quite unique and demanding. And they have been passed down in the secular world. These practices have often been referred to in Chinese as “alternative” (pang-men) or “unorthodox” (zuo-dao). The reason for that is as follows. Theterms’ most basic,literal meaning is “side entrance” and “clumsy.” Buddhist and Daoist practices are well established in the Chinese mind, and so other forms of practice tend to be thought of as alternative and unorthodox. Or even worse, they are scorned as evil. But that certainly isn’t true in these cases. These practices have historically been taught in secret, to a single student at a time, and are not something that can be fully revealed to the public. Were their methods to be exposed, people wouldn’t know what to make of them.They themselves describe their approaches as “neither Buddhist nor Daoist.” Their disciplines have strict expectations in terms of moral development, for their approaches are aligned with the qualities of the universe, and advocate doing good and holding fast to strict morals. Those who are accomplished in these practices have amazing abilities, and some of their special skills are very powerful. I previously encountered three such individuals. They imparted to me certain things that you wouldn’t find in either Buddhist or Daoist disciplines. Those things are very challenging to practice, and the powers they bring about are rather unique. By contrast, some supposedly Buddhist or Daoist practices that are now being promoted don’t have a very rigorous moral component, and one can’t progress very far spiritually in themas a result. So you need to look beyond the stereotypes when judging spiritual practices.
Martial Arts Qigong
Some martial arts practices have a qigong component to them. These practices came to be that way over the course of many years of history. They are complete methods, with a well-developed philosophical basis and robust means of practice, and have evolved into an independent system in their own right. But strictly speaking, martial arts qigong can only allow a person to develop the kinds of powers others gain in spiritual practice at the most basic stages. All of the powers developed in these martial qigong practices are naturally obtainedthrough spiritual practice. The martial kinds begin by working on the body’s qi energy, as others do. This might take the form of, for example, swinging one’s arm around, to mobilize qi, before striking a rock. Over time, the person’s qi will undergo a substantive change and evolve into a cluster of energy, which might appear as a kind of light. And when it has developed to that stage, the higher energy known as gong will come into play. Gong is a higher form of matter, with its own spirit. It is under the control of one’s mind, however, and exists in another dimension of reality.So when a person strikes, he won’t need to mobilize his qi anymore; his gong will come forth as soon as he intends to strike. And as he grows spiritually, his gong will steadily grow stronger, its particles will grow finer, and its power will grow greater. At some point he might even develop special powers, such as “Iron Palm” or “Cinnabar Palm.” And when martial arts are combined with spiritual practice, other powers might develop, too, such as those seen in movies, television, and magazines of late, like the “Golden Bell Shield” and “Iron Shirt.” If one wants to engage in spiritual practice, one has to focus on virtue and take the development of one’s character seriously. Generally speaking, when one’s practice has matured and reached a certain point, gong can be released from inside the body and directed to the outside, where it can form a protective shield due to its high density. The biggest difference between martial energy practices and the sort of spiritual practice that we do, in general, is that the martial ones train with vigorous movements. There is no meditative stillness. In the absence of such stillness, one’s qi energy will course just beneath the skin and ricochet its way through the muscles. It doesn’t enter the body’s energy center, at the lower abdomen. This means that these practices do not, and cannot, extend one’s lifespan.
Reverse Practice and the Borrowing of Energy
There are people who have never done energy practice before, and yet overnight they get energy out of the blue. The energy might be strong, in fact, and they might even have the power to heal. Others might refer to them as “masters,” and they may even start giving teachings. These individuals often have had no experience with energy practices whatsoever, or at most, they might have learned just a smattering of things.They just put a new twist on them and teach them to people. In either case they aren’t qualified to be called “masters,” and they don’t have anything legitimate to impart to others. Whatever they teach could not guide people to greater spiritual heights; at most it couldmerely foster better health. So where did their energy come from, then? Let’s first explore reverse practice. When we talk about “reverse practice,” we are referring to excellent people who have terrific character. They are typically getting on in years, and at least fifty. They wouldn’t have enough years left in life to begin the spiritual journey from scratch, and it would be hard to find an accomplished master who could teach them a practicecapable of extending their life. But when an individual like this wanted to do spiritual practice, higher masters would see it and may have responded by providing powerful energy based on the person’s character. And by practicing this way, in reverse—from a higher stage backwards toward more basic ones—they could progress faster than normal. Their higher masters would constantly generate energy for them in other dimensions and deliver it into the body from outside. This would be especially apparent when these individuals did group healings during their talks. The higher masters would provide them with energy via a tube-like conduit, though they might not know where the energy came from. So now you know what reverse practice involves.
A related phenomenon involves people borrowing energy. In this case age isn’t a factor. People have not only a conscious mind but also a secondary consciousness. Often the latter is on a higher spiritual plane. In some cases it has reached such a high plane that it has gained access to divine beings. When someone’s conscious mind decides to take up energy practice, his secondary consciousness will want to elevate spiritually at the same time. So the secondary consciousness will promptly make the most of its access to higher beings, and borrow energy from them. And so once energy is lent to the person, his conscious mind will find that energy suddenly comes to him out of the blue. With this energy, he or she will be able to do healings and alleviate pain. Typically this takes the form of group healings while giving a talk. Or they might impart energy to an individual one-on-one, and teach the person techniques for healing.
The people in this category usually are quite good at first. But with their newfound energy, they might gain renown and benefitfrom it materially. Fame and fortune often come to occupy a large part of their thinking—becoming more important than spiritual development. Their energy will only decline from then on, shrinkinguntil eventually none is left at all.
Speaking in Cosmic Tongues
There are people who suddenly find that they are able to speak in a foreign tongue, and quite fluently, at that. But it will not be a human language they are speaking. This is referred to as “speaking in cosmic tongues.” But these cosmic tongues are nothing more than the language of a lesser being. Quite a few of those who do qigong in China have experienced this of late. And some folks are even able to speak multiple languages. Human languages are quite intricate, and there are over a thousand varieties. So why should speaking in cosmic tongues be seen as a special ability or gift? I wouldn’t say it’s anything special. It is not an innate ability, nor a special power bestowed upon a person. Rather, what’s happening is that a foreign entity is taking control of the person. Those entities are from slightly higher planes of existence—or at least, somewhat higher than that of man—and it is they that are speaking. Whoever speaks in cosmic tongues is just acting as a mouthpiece for them. Most of the time the speaker will have no idea what he or she is saying. One needs to have telepathic abilities to make out the gist of what’s said. Speaking in cosmic tongues is nothing special. Yet many people who speak them become proud of themselves, and think it’s amazing, that it’s a special power or gift. But in reality, those whose third eyes are open at a higher plane will surely see an entity there, up above the person, speaking slightly to the side. It is speaking through the person’s mouth.
The entity gives the person the ability to speak in cosmic tongues, and with this, provides a certain amount of energy. But the person involved will be under that entity’s control thereafter. That’s why this is not something virtuous to do. Even though the entity comes from a slightly higher plane than man, it will not have gone through legitimate spiritual practice, and so it won’t have the knowledge needed to teach the person how to heal. That’s why it adopts this approach, releasing energy through the person’s speech. It can provide healing for minor ailments, but not major ones, since the energy sent out is diffuse and weak. According to Buddhist teachings, higher beings experience no suffering, no discomfort, and no interpersonal conflicts, and so one cannot do spiritual practice in higher realms. Without tribulations, one cannot progress spiritually. And so those entities came up with a way to elevate somewhat, which was to help people out by providing healing. So that is where speaking in cosmic tongues comes from. It’s not a special ability, and it is not part of energy practice.
Entity Attachment
There are different ways in which one’s body can be possessed, and one way that’s particularly dangerous is attachment by entities from lower planes of existence. Whatusually brings this about is one’s engagement with sinister practices or the dark arts. The damage that’s done is grave and the future is bleak for the person. Some individuals get their hearts set on healing and making money when they are still young in their practice; they constantly dwell on the idea. In the beginning they might have been great candidates for spiritual practice, or have been taken under a master’s wing. But things go downhill once they become infatuated with doing healings and making moneyfrom it. And in this manner they bring entity attachment upon themselves. Though the entities I’m describing can’t be seen in this physical dimension, they do, for sure, exist.
This kind of person might find that his third eye unexpectedly opens, or that higher energy comes to him. But what is in fact happening is that the attached entity is controlling his brain and projecting into it the things that it sees. So this gives the illusion that the person’s third eye is open. But that’s really not the case. You might ask what motivates those entities to provide energy and further theperson’s goals. The universe forbids entities such as animals from attaining the ultimate goal of spiritual practice, since they aren’t able to take character development seriously and, as such, cannot progress far spiritually. So they are not allowed to learn any established or true practices. That being the case, they seek to attach to human bodies and take from them their most essential energy. There is yet another rule in this universe, which is that everything comes at a cost. So, with that being the case, while the entity will quenchyour thirst for fame and fortune—making you rich and famous—it will not help you for nothing. It wants to gain from this. It wants to take your body’s essential energy. And once that is done, and it detaches from your body, you will be left with no essential energy and become very weak, or even fall into a deep coma! All of this traces back to failings of character. But good is a far greater force than evil, as it’s said. And so none of this will transpire if your mind is in the right place. This means that you should practice with moral rectitude. Simply set your mind on virtuous spiritual practice and say no to other, unvirtuous things—which can only land you in a mess.
Even Virtuous Practice May Go Wrong
A person who takes up a virtuous practice may not be strict with himself in terms of character development, and may entertain deviant thoughts while practicing. If that is the case, his practice will have gone awry, though he doesn’t realize it. For example, someone might be doing a standing or sitting meditation, but their mind could be all over the place. They might be thinking about money, about prestige or material things, or about using supernormal powers to take revenge on someone who mistreated them. Or they might be fantasizing about this or that special ability, and be incorporating bad things into their energy practice. And by doing so, they have in fact deviated from their practice. This is extremely dangerous. They might even attract bad things like possessing entities from lower planes of existence. Yet they might not realize what they have brought upon themselves. It is all because of their intense attachments. One cannot do spiritual practice while holding onto attachments. When someone has such poor character, his master will have no way to protect him. It is for these reasons that those who lead lives of spiritual discipline make a point of preserving their integrity and keeping their motivations pure and free of attachment. Problems are possible when that’s not the case.
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