- Intense but worthwhile…
At first, we were introduced to the background fundamentals of trigrams and hexagrams- the 5 Elements, the 6 Relations, the 6 Spirits, about the conflicts and unification plus much more. With all this information, we were able to later to cast the hexagram and to define the 6 lines. In the second part of the course we went from the Yi Jing to the branch of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is about landscapes, the surrounding environment, the interior of buildings and how we can separate rooms and space into the 8 Mansions and much more.
In the beginning, it was very difficult for me to get into the world of Yi Jing because everything was new to me and I naturally am a slow learner so keeping up with the speed of the teachings was difficult. With the abundance of information delivered within such a short time, my brain felt overfilled and I lost concentration. It was difficult to follow the style of thinking to understand the deeper meaning of the message of Yi Jing. But during the second week, things improved and the whole information came together to form a whole picture. The Feng Shui part was even more comprehensive.
The student group was amazing. I really liked staying at the temple and all the kind support I received I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it. Xie xie.
- Opening to natures forces…
“The only constant in life is change…” This is what the heart of the Yi Jing describes and teaches us. And change is definitely something which describes the process I underwent during my time spent at Bai Ma Shan Temple. It is something that naturally occurs, cannot be forced or striven for, and we have no choice other than to surrender to the forces of nature sooner or later.
The course about Yi Jing and Feng Shui exceeded my high expectations, yet now I am starting to realize how endless and far reaching working with the Yi Jing can be. At the same time, this process showed me how small we are, like particles in this universe, or a drop of water in the ocean. Nevertheless, if we are able to communicate and open to the forces of nature, heaven and the earth, we can perceive all the power and wisdom on offer.
I could not think of a better place to cultivate, progress and grow along my personal path. Especially being under the guidance of Li Shi Fu, who makes this place not only unique but also like a second home. The gratitude I hold in my heart cannot be expressed with words.
- A supportive yet challenging experience…
At Bai Ma Shan, the Yi Jing and Feng Shui courses are based on the teachings of the 8 Palaces and the 6 Line Method for casting hexagrams. This method allows for a deep analysis of the 25 categories of each of the trigrams.
From the beginning, the course content was very intense and required much thought and concentration. Having never studied the Yi Jing before, the basics were well described such as the Chinese calendar, symbols of the Heavenly Stems, the Earthly Branches and the 5 Elements principles.
Sometimes it was difficult to follow the lesson, not yet recognising all the symbols and because of the large amounts of information being presented.
It was quickly obvious that the deeper level content of Yi Jing is not something readily available in books.
As all the students tried their best, gave their best effort and helped each other this created a good atmosphere for learning.
During the break times, Shi Fu dedicated his time to speaking with the students about life issues or health problems. I was grateful to get some medicine for my headaches and some other students who knew massage, gave me a healing message. I really felt supported and that everyone was looking after each other at the temple.
I am very grateful to Shi Fu for his teachings, to all the people who work at the temple, the translators and the other students I met during my two weeks.
- Learning to benefit all…
Another wonderful experience at Bai Ma Shan, where I felt very comfortable at the temple and co-existing with all the other people who were sharing this experience.
The topics studies were completely new to me and in the beginning, sometimes a little hard to understand. But by providing each other help and support along with after class studies, we could further our understanding and learn how to do a casting, how to interpret it according to Yin Yang and the 5 Elements.
Personally, I have not done any Yi Jing casting before and also did not know that it could serve as a tool to help people with their diseases.
I am so glad and happy to know that all the thing we learnt here are beneficial to helping not only myself but others also.
My only observation regarding the content is the amount of time allocated between the Yi Jing and Feng Shui courses. Perhaps more time could have been spent on Feng Shui studies, as it is such a fascinating subject.
- Transformation is not always easy…
To learn the 6 Line Method was worth all the struggle. For me, it was a totally new way to look at the Yi Jing and its possibilities of casting. I am very thankful to Li ShiFu for taking the effort to teach us this method and his patience to repeat the examples again and again when we could not follow due to language issues or not being able to recall all the basics in the short time. The teaching of Feng Shui feel short in time so we could not go deeper into the theory but Li ShiFu still passed on some very rare knowledge you could not find in any books. Altogether, it was very worthwhile coming here to learn about the Yi Jing and Feng Shui, but also to be in this family like atmosphere in the temple with the energy that has helped me make a big step in my personal development. Thanks to the kind hearted and caring Cheng Feng who taught us a lot about temple life, meditation and qi going, always trying to help when asked.
The time in the temple is not always easy but very transformative if you let it happen.
Thanks to heaven and earth, everyone in the temple and the fellow students for creating this field in time and space so we could meet and learn together and open our hearts.
- Everything is connected…
To be part of this experience was one of the best experiences yet. Meet people and make new friends with those who share similar beliefs was amazing.
My feeling is that this course was more than a course, but a life experience that involves new spiritual understanding and how to balance life.
The course was interesting as we learnt about the elements and how the elements effect everything in our lives, even our relationships.
Before coming to Bai Shan Ma, I thought it would be a traditional style course, but it was more than that. New understandings formed around the incorporation of Qigong and meditation into our lives in order to be connected.
My personal experience is such that I will keep with me my new understanding. I know I have a long way to go.
