Movements in my body. Let it go.
I arrived at the temple with a huge smile on my face, as I was walking up the stairs, I could feel the excitement building up.
For the last couple of years, I have been putting in the work, waking up before 05:00 every morning not to lose my routine, also not to get shocked when arriving at the temple. I have been practicing qigong, tai chi and meditation.
The scenery of this Mountain is breathtaking. I am feeling like a small child looking out over the Green mountains, calm valleys and deep forests. Surrounded by mystery and awe we eventually arrived at the temple. The next day the other students arrived. Such beautiful souls! All destined to study with the abbot.
The content of the course has been mind boggling, but so precious. I could really feel how molecules in my body searched for new places to be at.
We had a ceremony during meditation, in which the master called for our energy centers and our gates to open up. To my disappointment, not many gates did light up for me. But then, shifu called for our lower Dantian, and a bright, clear blue light shined through the right hemisphere of my brain, and a feeling of joy was present. Shifu later explained this was very good, an issue with my body was about to move.
The next day, while sitting in class – something happened in my back and I was about to cry, such pain! The whole day I stretched and complained. I have had a back issue before coming here. Right at the point of JiaJiGuan (the second gate passing up our back). As I am writing this, I feel so present, so loved and grateful (even for my pain) and my back is almost good.
I have always jokingly said to friends that when my back is healed, I will be an immortal. When asking Shifu about my back, he said that if I could let go of the issue easily I would already have grown my wings and ascended.
The meaning of my Chinese name is grace or gratefulness. And this is what I am.
Testimony from our student known by his Daoist name – Cheng En.
