Wuji - without boundary 无极

During deep qigong meditation one achieves the state of wuji 无极 - without boundary. Without limits like the infinite universe. As the ancient sages in China say, the Universe is "so big that it has no end, and it's so small that it has no inner [matter]". The matter and the energy in the cosmos can transform and expand without limits and shrink and divide without end.

其 大 无 外, 其 小 无 内

qi da wu wai, qi xiao wu nei

The mountain of White Clouds

   A few years ago, when I was visiting the Buddhist monk d-r He Xiaorong in Hunan Province in China, together with her we made a trip to the Mountain of White Clouds Bai Yun Shan 白云山.
   On the top of the mountain there is an abandoned Taoist monastery. The air there is very unusual - saturated with pure energy and lots of negative ions. Even if you don't do meditation, the feeling is as if you are in meditation - it's full of energy there!

As John Muir says: 

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. 

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. 

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, 

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

a qigong poem that appeared to me one night

     Several years ago, after some intense qigong meditation, one night while sleeping, some Chinese characters of a poem appeared in my mind. I woke up and wrote them down:

识 为 君 好 地
玄 胎 洞 照 开
妙 中 轻 卷 气
动 起 三 百 河

    The text of this poem is related to the energy phenomena that occur within the body during qigong meditation. This poem tells about the opening of the deep "embryo cave" [here symbolically it means dantian - the energy center of the body], and during this wonderful process the energy unveils gently and activates three hundred rivers [the energy meridians and paths in the body].

The Summer (June) Solstice and the Energy

   On June 21st is the Summer Solstice.  It represents an important time of the year, when Yang transforms into Yin. The energy in Nature is very powerful during the 3-4 days before and after this date. It is exceptionally valuable period for more meditation and relaxation. No wonder why in the past in China the people didn't work for 3 days duing the Summer Solstice.

   The Yi Jing hexagram that is linked to the Summer Solstice is Gou 姤 "Encounters" (hexagram #44).

    In this hexagram there are 5 Yang and 1 Yin. The Yang energy starts to decrease, while the Yin energy (represented by the broken line) - to increase.

    Different energy points of the body correspond to the different periods of the year. The Summer Solstice relates to baihui acupoint 百会 on the top of the head. At this time of the year, bai hui naturally opens up and the energy at this place is very sensitive and intense.

   From the Winter Solstice till now the energy climbs up through dumai 督脉 (the Governing Vessel) channel on the back of the body. Now, at the Summer Solstice, the energy is at the highest peak - bai hui point. Similarly, now we are at the longest days of the year. After the Summer Solstice the days become shorter and the Yang gives way to the Yin.

   Happy Summer (June) Solstice to all!

A banquet held once in 60 years

   In Xiaolan town, Guangzhou province, China, there is a very special tradition - to host a  Chrysanthemum Banquet only in the year of the Wood Dog. The Wood Dog Year (Jia Xu 甲戌) happens once in 60 years, so you can imagine what a rare event it is!
  
   The tradition of the Chrysanthemum Banquet started in 1814 (year of Wood Dog), during the reign of emperor Jia Qing. Xiaolan town is famous for the cultivation of chrysanthemum flowers. In 1814 several local chrysanthemum societies joined together and in order to celebrate the event they organized a big chrysanthemum festival with a banquet of various chrysanthemum dishes. The Chrysanthemum Banquet was held again in 1874, 1934 and 1994  -  four times altogether.

The Eight Trigram Field in Hangzhou

   The Eight Trigram Field is located in the beautiful Chinese city of Hangzhou. It is maintained since Song dynasty, which means already about 1000 years.

     In this field, different crops (soy, mung beans, aubergines...) are planted at the corresponding directions of the eight trigrams.

The illusionary mind of a young boy in Beijing

Few years ago in Beijing there was a young boy (in his 20s), who after reading too many martial arts novels, his mind entered into an illusionary world 走火入魔. He gave up everything else in life - study, work, personal life, family, friends... I was there with some Chinese friends and the old Daoist priest Xue Zhicheng 薛之程道长.  The mother of this boy asked Daoist Xue to check the feng shui of their home, in hope to find out what is the root of her son's problem. Daoist Xue made some feng shui calculations and said: "No problem with the feng shui here". But, after we left, he told us that actually there is a problem with the feng shui, but as this family is not very rich, they cannot make the needed changes to improve the feng shui in the house. And this was not the major factor influencing the boy. The core of the problem was in the mother who had over-spoiled her son...