Clarification from Yuan Tze

Greetings, everyone! I am Yuan Tze; Liu Bin is my original name. I am very pleased to respond in this way for the first time in my life. This is also the first time I have communicated like this with people whom I know and whom I don’t know. Anyhow, throughout our lives we all experience ‘first times’ in all sorts of ways. Although sometimes we don’t seem to have a choice but to accept and go ahead, we can always choose how to deal with situations. No matter what, every ‘first time’ can be turned into an opportunity for the improvement of health and the development of life for ourselves and for other people and society. I sincerely hope this special way of communicating with you is an opportunity for all of us to learn and grow.

Firstly, I think at the beginning of this communication it is necessary to explain where I am and how I presently feel. I am currently in a very calm, relaxed, natural and joyous state. I have been working on maintaining, improving and deepening this state continuously as an important part of my life cultivation. (This is also Lesson One for all students who begin their Yuan Tze Ren Xue learning and training.) Externally, when facing and dealing with situations in life, including those I would rather not to be in, I try to face them with humility, openness, calmness, self-examination and self-reflection, discreetness, positivity, respect and gratitude. In the past and the present I have tried to maintain this attitude and will continue to do so even more in the future.

Some of you may be wondering, “what on earth do you want to tell us? Do you have anything serious to say?” My reply is, “be patient.” On some level, “a serious business may not be a serious business; a not-so-serious business may contain a serious business.” All in all, when it is the right time to say something, I will say it.

Let’s talk about ‘words’. Many ‘words’ have been said about me and more words are being said as time goes on. I believe every person has his/her own idea and perception when it comes to ‘words’. Generally, it is not that easy to categorize ‘words’. If I were to categorize words, I would put them into three categories: positive, neutral and negative.

What are ‘positive words’? They are used to convey and reflect objective truths and can have positive effects on educating or uplifting people and society.

What are ‘neutral words’? They are ‘words’ that largely respect and retain truths.

What are ’negative words’? The messages conveyed are twisted or seriously different from the truth. Untrue messages are made up to deceive or mislead people in order to manipulate the situation for certain purposes. These ‘words’ can often lead to extremely damaging consequences with many far-reaching and negative effects. The outcome can be likened to a tumour growing in society; something that can disrupt the harmony and development of society.

I have personally experienced the ‘words’ since a very young age. The circulation of ‘words’ seem to develop along with my commitment to cultivating life comprehensively and to helping others deal with problems. This is my ninth year in New Zealand and such situations have not fundamentally changed. I can fully understand such phenomenon from the perspective of culture and human nature. Actually I would be surprised if there was no such phenomenon. Human civilization is still at a relatively low level of development. There are still many breakthroughs and developments to be made. On this level, any ‘abnormal’ phenomenon would be ‘normal’.

My way of dealing with ‘words’ has always been the same and can be summarized in one phrase: ‘Facing thousands of changes by remaining unchanged’. The ‘unchanged’ should be understood in a relative term. It is an existence corresponding to ‘change’. Of course this simple phrase has many layers of meaning. Let’s look at the meaning of the principles I have been following.

A. Unchanged internal state

i. The afore-mentioned qualities are essential and should remain unchanged. They include humility, openness, calmness, self-examination and self-reflection, discreetness, positivity, respect and gratitude. Maintaining these qualities is of utmost importance.

ii. ‘Remaining unchanged’ is a dynamic process and is a principle. The application of this principle is actually ‘changing according to the changes’. I have committed my life to cultivating life and using what I have understood and achieved to help people deal with problems of all sorts. I have received a lot of feedback. Most of it has been positive or neutral. There has also been a lot of appreciation. I believe I am able to ‘remain unchanged’ towards such feedback by being relaxed and humble. For me, I am only doing what I love doing and what I should do. On the other hand, I am also telling myself that there is still a lot of room for improvement in my work of helping people. There is no room for complacency or even arrogance.

iii. Of course, while we are trying our best to do our jobs as well as we can, it is also possible to hear ‘words’ of a different nature, such as negative ‘words’. I usually treat such ‘words’ more discreetly, be they rumours, vilifications or bad-mouthing. I will treat them with respect and examine myself seriously to see if there is any element of truth in these ‘words’. If there is any truth, I will immediately make an effort to change. If not, I will see them as a warning bell or reminder. Interestingly, when facing the circulating ‘words’ in this approach, I feel light and relaxed. Sometimes I feel grateful from my heart for the opportunity other people have created for me to work on myself. Why not be grateful?

B. No responding, no fighting back

My approach to the negative ‘words’ has consistently been ‘no responding, no fighting back’. Many of my long-term students know this very well. Why not respond?

‘If your body is straight, your shadow will not be crooked’. When rumours are circulating, ‘if you know they are untrue, there is no need to prove yourself.’ Why not fight back? The reason is even simpler. We can see vilification as aggressive behaviour. When someone punches you physically, do you punch back immediately or do you actually calm down and wait? It is much easier to fight back but that will escalate the conflict and make the situation more complicated. More fights will probably follow once this pattern starts. Anything is possible when two people are engaged in such a pattern, even consequences that no-one wants to see. There is a Chinese saying, ‘hold yourself at the moment, then the wind will die and the waves will calm down; take a step back, then the sea is immense and the sky is clear.’

C. Remain unchanged

‘Remain unchanged’ doesn’t not mean doing nothing. Rather, it means taking actions or responding according to the law of the matter in discussion or the objective reality.

The above three points are the principles reflecting the strategy of ‘facing thousands of changes by remaining unchanged’ which I follow when there are ‘storms and thunder’. I find them very useful and beneficial to my life cultivation.

Now it is time for the ‘serious business’. This ‘serious business’ refers to the ‘words incidence’. ‘Words’ are ‘words’. How come they have become an incidence? ‘Words’ become an incidence when they have created substantial influence and consequences.

The ‘words’ about me have never stopped. They have changed in character since I came to New Zealand nine years ago and have been circulating now and then in a less obvious way. A little while ago this phenomenon quietly undertook some change. Recently, ‘words’ of all sorts have come like tsunami waves. Among them, the ‘words’ made on a forum run by a person based in Malaysia are particularly noticeable. I have been invited to play the lead-actor in this 3D movie. My character is a bad guy who has committed serious crimes of all sorts. Who knows, maybe I would be good material for such a role in a movie. Maybe there would be no need for make-up and costumes.

It took me a while to sort out the information those ‘words’ convey. I have roughly put them into five categories:

1. faking qualifications

2. plagiarizing theories

3. stealing stories

4. hulai zopian

5. Liu is a fraud

Now it is time to go through these ‘words’ item by item. I will explain everything by using the facts so the truths can be seen. I have no interest in making judgement on the intention or character of the person who created these ‘words’. I trust people’s ability to make their own judgements.

1. Faking Qualifications

A. Liu claims that he was a special member of the ‘Chinese Qigong Science Research Association’.

B. Liu has never been the head of any unit at Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute.

C. Liu claims that he holds the record for curing cancer at the Institute.

D. Liu said he is at the same level as Pang Laoshi.

A. Liu claims that he was a special member of the ‘Chinese Qigong Science Research Association’.

Facts:

Let’s have some background information first to help you see the whole picture more clearly. The ‘Chinese Qigong Science Research Association’ was the only professional governing and research organization on a national level among tens of thousands of Qigong associations which were active in China. It was a semi-government organization and its main functions were to:

· govern all the Qigong related organizations in China

· oversee, guide and support the development of all active Qigong systems

· educate and promote Qigong teaching and scientific research

· give special memberships to those who had achieved recognition in self-cultivation and made significant contributions to Qigong scientific research, education and promotion.

The head of this organization was appointed by the government. His name was Huang Jingbo (黄静波), a retired governor of one of the provinces in the west of China. The Managing Director was Qiu Yucai (邱玉才). He was the executive officer of all the affairs of the Association.

The above information was commonly known by most people who had an interest in Qigong back then in China.

I was invited to join the association as a special member of the Chinese Qigong Science Research Association on 3 March, 1997. My membership certificate was numbered 100060. When I was given the certificate, the head of the Association said to me, ‘Welcome to the Association, you are our sixtieth member. You are the third special member from the Zhineng Qigong school.’ Out of curiosity I asked who the other two were. He said it was Pang Ming and Zhai Yuan Zhen. (Note: I didn’t hear the second name very clearly and I didn’t remember that name well. I cannot be 100% sure about the name of this person.) Anyhow, not long after the Falungong incidence in 1998, for various reasons the Association was closed down by the government. Some of its functions were transferred to the Sports Bureau which established a new unit for the governing of Qigong activities in China.

(see below for images 1 & 2 for the Special Membership Certificate; image 3 for Qiu Yucai)

(photo of Liu Bin) No.: 100060 Name: Liu Bin Sex: Male Employer: Position: Valid till December 1997

Qualifying Requirements for Special Members: Any citizen who recognizes the objectives of our association, observes the laws, has a good character, and meets one of the following criteria: 1. having made substantial contributions to Qigong research 2. having a deep understanding of Qigong theories and methods and having demonstrated the ability to apply them in self-cultivation, scientific work and education 3. having played a leading role and made substantial contributions in Qigong promotion and education (red seal of the Association) Date issued: 6 March, 1997

(above: translation of the certificate)

(above: Image 1 Certificate of the Special Membership of Chinese Qigong Science Research Association)

(below: Image 2: cover of the certificate)

Special Membership

Certificate

Chinese Qigong Science Research Association

Beijing

(above: Image 3: Liu Bin and Qiu Yucai, the Managing Director of the Chinese Qigong Science Research Association)

B. Liu has never been the head of any unit at Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute.

Facts:

1) At the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute I was the head of Group 2, the teachers training Class 1 for two years (1993-1995). There were 15 trainees in my group.

2) At the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute I was the head of the First Unit of the Recovery Centre Department 3 from July to November 1996 when I left the Institute. Usually there were more than ten teachers working under me and approximately 400 patients. The different levels of the organizations may have been translated in different ways by different people. My description of my work at Huaxia has always been consistent. For example, in Voyage to the Shore, Part 1, on page 106 I said:

My job at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute was to take charge of the unit dealing with all the severe and incurable diseases such as cancer. I had over ten Qigong teachers assisting me with healing work. How did it work? On average, there were 400 patients on the 24 or 50 day live-in programmes. Our work was not just healing. We also had to look after their day-to-day living routine, their learning and practice, basically everything. (Note: The page number could vary slightly in different prints of the book.)

During this period, the Institute had a fund-raising event. The photo (Image 4) below was taken with some of the teachers and donors from my Unit.

(below: Image 4: inscription on the photo: Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Recovery Centre, Department 3, Unit 1, some of the teachers and student who donated money for the project of Qigong Town. 12th Oct, 1995. Liu Bin is sitting next to Pang Laoshi.)

C. Liu claims that he holds the records for curing cancer at the Institute.

Facts:

After graduating from the Teachers Training class in 1995, I was assigned to Class 11 of Unit 3, Department 4 of the Recovery Centre. I was in charge of the healing, teaching and management of the class. Most of the patients had middle or late stage cancer and some other serious illnesses (which is why this class was often called ‘the cancer class’). Each course lasted 24 days (See Image 5). In my first class, the cancer cure rate was 44%. ‘Cure’ was determined by medical examinations comparing the results before and after the 24-day course. Previously, the cancer cure rate of each course at the Recovery Centre was in the range of 2% - 5%. The overall cancer cure rate of the Unit was increased to 13% while I was at the centre which was the highest rate recorded thus far. Pang Laoshi was very pleased with this result. A meeting was convened to announce the good news to all the staff and patients of the Recovery Centre (over 3000 people). At the same time a photo of all the teachers of the Unit was taken with Pang Laoshi in commemoration of the record. The reason for taking this photo was inscribed on it. Pang Laoshi also announced that any unit breaking this record would be given the same photo opportunity. You might be wondering, ‘if you created the 44% record, why did Pang Laoshi not take a photo with you alone?’ I do not have the answer to this question. However, something all the staff at the Institute would know might help explain. This was that, in principle, Pang Laoshi did not promote or draw attention to any individuals. (See Image 6)

(Image 5: Inscription: Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Recovery Centre, Department 3, 7^th course, Class 11: 22 Oct, 1995. Liu Bin sitting next to Pang Laoshi)

(Image 6: inscription: Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Recovery Centre, Department 3, Unit 4, 7^th course, highest recorded cancer cure rate, 6 November, 1995. Liu Bin standing behind Pang Laoshi)

D. Liu said he is at the same level as Pang Laoshi.

Facts:

I do not know where this remark could have come from. It has never appeared in any written, audio or video records of mine. I don’t think a similar remark has been made by me in any formal or informal speeches.

What I have always told people, including students, on whatever occasions, is that I have neither Gongfu, nor special abilities, nor am I on any level. I am just an ordinary person. The only small difference between me and some other people is probably that I started cultivating life earlier. If you think I am a bit higher than you and I can help you, it is only by the thickness of a hair. You should work hard and make fast progress. I am also ready to learn from you anytime.

I have always seen every person I come across in life, as my teacher. There is a lot I can learn from a word they say, a movement they make or even just a thought they have. All this has been a rich source for my learning and development. Of course it is more than people that inspire me. Everything can be a source of inspiration or learning material. If you really want to compare me to other people, I will always be the one at the bottom.

2. Plagiarizing Theories

A. Ren Xue is Zhineng Qigong with a different name

B. Liu said the methods belong to Zhineng Qigong and the theories belong to Ren Xue.

C. The emblem of Ren Xue is very similar to that of Zhineng Qigong.

A. Ren Xue is Zhineng Qigong with a different name

Facts:

This comment shows:

i. a lack of understanding of the basic framework and core content of Zhineng Qigong, and

ii. little understanding of the framework, content and applications of Ren Xue.

We all know that Zhineng Qigong is a relatively independent system created by Pang Laoshi. At the initial stage of the creation of Ren Xue, it was also a relatively independent system. As it developed, under the influence of many factors, Zhineng Qigong and Ren Xue were organically combined, forming a new Ren Xue system. This is the current Ren Xue framework. Zhineng Qigong is an integral part of the Ren Xue system and an important component of the foundation of Ren Xue.

During the year 2000 the idea of making Zhineng Qigong part of Ren Xue became more and more prominent. During that year, the Qigong situation in China underwent dramatic changes due to the incidence of Falungong. Every Qigong practitioner who went through that period knows what it was like. Zhineng Qigong could not escape the impact of this change either. Basically almost all the Qigong related activities came to a halt or a semi-halt. I knew very well what that meant to the future of Qigong in China, including Zhineng Qigong.

On a mid-summers day that year (I don’t remember the exact time), I caught a train to visit Pang Laoshi at the Centre in Qinhuangdao. On the way from the train station to the Centre, my taxi was stopped and I was checked and interrogated for about an hour. It was already late at night by the time I arrived. The next morning I went with about ten former workers from the Centre to visit Pang Laoshi at his court yard accommodation. Pang Laoshi met us in his study room. At the end of the meeting Pang Laoshi had a photo taken with us all.

After the photo was taken, we bid farewell to Pang Laoshi. I had a personal question to ask Pang Laoshi. After learning that it was not possible to contact him by telephone, email or mail, I thought I had to ask this question in the short time before I left and I knew I had to very brief. I asked, “Laoshi, I have been working on establishing a system which is based on the traditional Chinese wisdom culture and can be used to help people understand, change and elevate life and to know nature better so that there will be more harmony between humans and nature. This system can provide a path for society and human civilization to move forward. (The system didn’t have the name ‘Ren Xue’ then). More importantly, I would like to incorporate Zhineng Qigong in this system as an important component and part of its foundation.” I went on to say, “I have decided to go overseas to promote this system and develop it in depth. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.” Pang Laoshi replied, “As long as what you do can help people and society deal with problems, it is a good thing. As long as you can promote and spread Zhineng Qigong, it is a good thing. If they are what you do, I will strongly support you.” I said, “Thank you Teacher for your understanding and support. Now I am even more confident and determined to dedicate my whole life to this good thing.”

This is why you can see Zhineng Qigong as part of the foundation of Ren Xue, especially at the elementary level. In our formal Teachers’ Training the elementary level is focussed on training Zhineng Qigong teachers. The purpose of this two-and-a-half-year training course is to acquire the theories and methods of Zhineng Qigong in depth with the core and fundamental teachings of Ren Xue incorporated into the training course. Qualified teachers will be able to apply Zhineng Qigong theories and methods properly. This training course also provides the opportunity for trainees to acquire some basic general Qigong theories and methods and to learn and practise the basic teachings of Ren Xue. With the participation and hard work of the trainees we now have a team of excellent, qualified teachers and the team is getting stronger. They are able to do a reasonably good job of teaching Zhineng Qigong in depth and in a professional manner. Many of them are also able to perform effective group and individual Qi therapies. Some of them have even started to use Ren Xue theories and methods to help other people heal life as a whole. They try to help people deal with all sorts of problems by c fundamental level in a way which is not only effective but also safe. The results and the feedback they receive certainly look promising.

What exactly is the difference between Zhineng Qigong and Ren Xue? This might be something many people are interested to find out. It is probably about time to put it in writing for people to see it clearly. People have suggested that I write about the relationship between Ren Xue and Zhineng Qigong and their differences. Yes, that can be easily done. To date I haven’t felt like doing it because of the possibility of leading people to compare the two in an inappropriate way. Now the two have integrated and become one there should be no reason for making a comparison. The Ten Features of Ren Xue will be summarized later in this article. Of course, I hope students will continue to learn and deepen their understanding of the Nine Features of Zhineng Qigong.

B. Liu said the methods belong to Zhineng Qigong and the theories belong to Ren Xue.

Facts:

I don’t know where this statement comes from. I believe I will never say this even in my wildest dream. The first two books of the Ren Xue series have been published. It says very clearly in those books that they are the translation of our Qigong Teachers Training Programme. You can see that 70% of the programme is about Zhineng Qigong, including at least half of that being based on Zhineng Qigong theories. Of course, Ren Xue ideas and were taught throughout the programme. They are mixed and mingled. It is not that easy to tell which sentence is Zhineng Qigong and which is Ren Xue. It is almost impossible to make such a distinction when all the teachings are done verbally. I think it is not necessary to either.

C. The emblem of Ren Xue is very similar to that of Zhineng Qigong.

Facts:

You can compare the Zhineng Qigong emblems with Ren Xue emblem below.

Emblems of Zhineng Qigong in the early days

Emblem of Zhineng Qigong (restored image, the dark lines are shadows caused by creating the collage)

Emblem of Yuan Tze Ren Xue

Please see our website for an explanation of the emblem. http://www.yuantzecentre.com/Logo.html

Obviously both of them are round.

3. Stealing Stories and Experiences

Facts:

In my long career of teaching I have developed the style of using analogies or stories to help students understand theories or ideas that can be difficult to grasp. This can be seen in the first two books that have been published and the third book (to be published this year) will be the same. The sources of the majority of the stories are my personal experiences, including some experiences I obtained at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Institute and stories Pang Laoshi told while I was there. People who are fluent in both English and Chinese can see that, and there will be more such people as time goes on. There is no need for more explanation.

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about how our books are prepared. As most of you will know the first two books are a translation of the theoretical part of the 8-level Teachers Training. The training course was recorded on video and then translated into English. The drafts were worked through many times before publishing to make sure the translation was accurate. This sounds like a very simple process but is actually a huge amount of work. Turning spoken language into written language is often not that straight-forward. The fundamental differences between the Chinese and English languages and the two cultures also add to the challenge. Every sentence has to be constructed and every word selected carefully. As I don’t speak English myself, I am not able to do a final check on the meaning of the text. It is almost unavoidable that there will be minor mistakes or misinterpretations. That’s why we ask readers to let us know of any mistakes or possible misinterpretations they spot so we can make the corrections immediately. The same applies to the content of our website.

One of the ‘words’ was about the story of a man having a conversation with a fox while practising Qigong. In the book (Voyage to the Shore, Part 1), it indicates the experience was mine. However, after checking the DVD from which the story was translated, Melissa found that there was a mistake in her translation. I didn’t say or imply that it was my own experience on the original DVD. Melissa is very sorry about this mistake and has expressed her intention to apologize publicly. I told her that she didn’t need to feel guilty. Mistakes like that are understandable. I should be the person who apologizes to readers. (Many people have this DVD. If you do and would like to verify, please go to Level 2, Disc 16, Day 7 Session 2, 19:08-20:54.)

Here I would like to give my apology to all readers. Due to the less-than-perfect work, mistakes in our publications and possibly on our website may have caused misunderstandings. We would be very grateful if you could let us know of any mistakes you have spotted so we can make due corrections.

As to the similar stories told by me and Pang Laoshi, it is likely just coincidence. Take the story of jumping over the river as an example. Pang Laoshi has told this story. My father fought in the WWII and the Liberation War (civil war) for over ten years. I also heard the same story from my father many times during my childhood. Likewise, people could also have very similar experiences when using their gongfu or ‘special abilities’. There is nothing too surprising about that.

No matter whether it is a story or an experience, it only represents a part of the past and has become a kind of memory or symbol. We can use it to say something but not everything.

4. Hulai zopian - Being irresponsible and wayward

Facts:

‘Words’ of all sorts have never ceased to circulate over the years. Every time I hear them, I examine myself carefully and review what I have done. I take it as an opportunity to caution myself about any wrongdoing. I won’t allow any ‘words’ to cause disturbance or affect my normal life, the learning and the work I do.

My understanding of hulai zoupian is:

hulai: doing things in an irresponsible way; doing things without taking responsibility or considering the consequences

zoupian: a person or thing getting off the right track or heading in the wrong direction so they are not following the objective law of life or the law of the matter in question; often resulting in negative consequences

I have tried to use the above definition of hulai zoupian to carry out a comprehensive review on my own life and work over the last few years, using a relatively high Ren Xue standard. I don’t think I have been (hulai zoupian) irresponsible and off the right track. Here I think it is necessary to assess the direction of the development of Ren Xue over the last few years to see if it is following a healthy course. Again, I think it is better to adopt a high standard as the criterion for this assessment. That standard is also the highest standard of Ren Xue, the one mission of Ren Xue.

The mission of Ren Xue is ‘zi du, du ren’ (uplifting ourselves and helping other people). I believe the practitioners of Ren Xue are most qualified to speak about it. They represent a large group of people who have made consistent effort in learning and applying Ren Xue for a considerable period of time. They use Ren Xue to seriously work on themselves in order to deal with their problems on the root level. Their problems range from physical illness to non-physical problems, including emotional, personality and mental problems. Their family, work and social relationships have been affected by their problems, and issues in these areas needed to be dealt with too. Beyond that, they also continually adjust their goals of life and establish good ones, ones that can reflect the true meaning and value of life, so they can work towards realizing these important goals. When following this path of life cultivation, life is constantly in the process of development, growth, realization and elevation. This can be seen as ‘zi du’ (uplifting themselves).

In the process of realizing ‘zi du’, many of the Ren Xue practitioners have acquired the knowledge, experiences, skills and abilities to help those who come seeking help and those who are in need. In turn, many of the people they help have also made enough progress to become helpers themselves. This is how the cycle goes, “I help people; people I help will help more people. More people will help society. Society will push humanity and human civilization forward.” This is how ‘du ren’ (helping other people) is realized.

From the above assessment, using the one mission of Ren Xue to examine the course in which it has been developing, Ren Xue is on the path to realizing its purpose.

If we wish to be objective, reasonable and fair when we comment on or judge a person or a thing, especially when making a conclusive judgement, certain standards have to be followed. These standards don’t need to be high. I remembered some useful ones I learned as a child. One of them was: “If you have not done any homework or have no experience in something, you don’t have the right to comment on it.” Another one says: “Practice (applying) is the only way to prove the validity of the truth.”

These sayings may not be absolutely true and may have their limitations. Nevertheless, at least they can serve as basic standards to use as a reference before passing judgement on someone or something.

I would like to share a story with you here. I went back to China at the end of last year. It had been four years since I last visited. Life had been busy in New Zealand. I was due to visit my 90-year-old father. Some of my Qigong friends heard about my return and decided to come and see me. I really appreciated it because it was a long trip for some of them. The time with them was very enjoyable. One of them shared with me something that happened not long ago. He went to a gathering of some old Qigong friends and acquaintances. People were chatting away. At some point, my name was mentioned and there were some casual comments made. A little while into the discussion, someone said, ‘Liu Bin is on the wrong track.’ My friend asked, ‘Do you know Liu Bin?’ He answered, ‘I have seen him a few times.’ My friend asked, ‘Do you know him well? Do you know what he is doing?’ He answered, ‘I don’t know him that well, but I have heard what people say about him.’ My friend asked, ‘Do you understand English?’ He said, ‘No.’ My friend then told him in a stern tone with discontent showing on his face, ‘You don’t know Liu Bin well. You are not able to read his books and you don’t know what he does. You know almost nothing about him. How did you come up with such a judgement?’ That man’s face went red and he was speechless for a little while. Then he replied, ‘I heard it from other people.’ My friend said to him in anger, ‘Unbelievable!’ He was still upset when he told me this story. He lamented on how Qigong practitioners have become so unreasonable and do not have their own brains.

After listening to that, I smiled and said to him, ‘You don’t need to feel so upset. When you hear something like that, just let it go as though you haven’t heard anything.’ I said to him, ‘This is something that has been part of human history and will continue to be part of human life for a very long time.’ As to his comment on people not having their own brains, I said to him that every human being has a brain that has enormous potential. It is a matter of how they use their brains to train themselves to obtain a healthy state of mind and to have freedom, full-awareness and total control of life. More importantly, our brains should be used to develop wisdom. This is the end of the story. I hope your work on developing your life using your brain will never end.

5. Liu is a fraud.

A. Liu has no market in China and is not well-known.

B. Liu’s books are only in English, not in Chinese. He is not active in Chinese speaking countries/areas outside China. His activities are mainly in NZ, Australia and the US.

The term ‘fraud’ is not used in the ‘words’. However, people can easily associate what has been said and the tone/way these things were said with fraud. I am not prepared to respond to that directly. What I would like to do here is to mention a few related things in as objective way as I can be.

A. Liu has no market in China and is not well-known.

Facts:

Looking back to the first forty years of my life, I feel immensely fortunate and grateful that I grew up in a country with a solid foundation of profound wisdom culture. As long as one is sincere and willing, he or she can be immersed in this culture all the time. Not only that, for a true seeker, there is always the opportunity to learn and acquire all sorts of knowledge and techniques on different levels of life cultivation which is an essential part of this wisdom culture. (Of course things have changed a bit since the year 2000.)

In the first forty years of my life, I made learning and receiving the traditional wisdom culture, especially the teachings of life-cultivation, my first and foremost priority. I was also a very keen teacher in this area, endeavouring to pass on what I had learned and understood. In those years I used both traditional Qigong and Zhineng Qigong for my own practice and for helping other people. Over this long period of time my understanding and application of qigong had reached a certain depth and breadth and I had helped tens of thousands of people deal with their problems on all levels, including all sorts of illnesses. In the field of Qigong medicine I had created some ‘miraculous’ special cases and new records in curing certain health conditions. But I don’t think that these can prove anything. At most, they tell you a certain person has done certain things.

Regarding the issue of ‘market’, this is my understanding of ‘market’: a ‘market’ is a place for sellers and buyers to carry out their business deals. It signifies a degree of influence or the existence of a territory within which the buyer and the seller can exercise power. ‘Markets’ are also an important vehicle through which profit is made.

I have never needed such a ‘market’, hence there is no need to explore or build one. The principle I follow for being a human and knowing what to do is very simple. It is to cultivate life internally with utmost sincerity and diligence and to do what I think is meaningful and to the best of my ability. In the special environment of China, it is advisable to be a person of high standards and principles and keep a low profile in what you do.

As to being well-known (ming), like fortune (money), it is something I neither regard as important nor pursue. Being well-known or not doesn’t mean much to me. What I value and seek is a different ‘ming’ – clarity. It is clarity in knowing ourselves and clarity that helps dispel ignorance. Developing clarity for me, is to become a person who sees clearly and to be a true human being.

B. Liu’s books are only in English, not in Chinese. He is not active in Chinese speaking countries/areas outside China. His activities are mainly in NZ, Australia and the US.

Facts:

To get some clarity on this issue, I think it is necessary to let you know roughly the development plan of Ren Xue and the focuses and tasks at different stages. Some of you might worry if making this public could affect my business confidentiality. I would like to make something very clear here:

i. Ren Xue will never be commercialized,

ii. Ren Xue is becoming a charity operation step-by-step. When there is no profit or gain to be made by anyone, there is no so-called business confidentiality.

Most of our senior students know that I have been working on the establishment of Ren Xue for the last nine years. There are two points of focus in doing this.

i. One is to train people to become high quality, qualified teachers.

ii. The other is to complete the three books planned so they can be used to introduce the basic framework and core teachings of Ren Xue so students may understand and apply Ren Xue. The third book should be available by the end of this year (2011).

As you know, we have been working in an English speaking environment and our students are mainly English speaking people. Hence English has become the language in which we communicate. It is only natural that our books are written in English. In the meantime, we expect as Ren Xue reaches a wider community, more people with the appropriate language skills will volunteer to translate our books into other languages, especially those who have learned and applied Ren Xue on themselves and hence have a reasonably good understanding. When the books are available in other languages, more people will have the opportunity to use Ren Xue to change and develop life, and to use it to help other people. However, at the moment we only have time to complete the original English version. For now this is our priority.

The first ten year phase of Ren Xue is the foundation laying (or preparatory) stage. From 2012, the second ten year phase of development will begin and then we will formally promote Ren Xue. This will be the developmental (or growing) stage of Ren Xue. We will start with the US and from there promote Ren Xue to other parts of the world to help those who are genuinely seeking to improve their life and well-being.

I know very well what it means for me to choose this path and the challenges and hardship that lie ahead. I am mentally well-prepared to face everything in a relaxed and natural manner and I am fully-determined to develop and promote Ren Xue for as long as I live.

I firmly believe this Chinese saying: “If you follow Dao, you will be helped and well-supported.” I also believe :“There is upright Dao between earth and heaven.”

The development of Ren Xue will follow Dao and will flourish because it unifies with Dao. It will carry the mission endowed by human history and keep moving forward.

As the development and spread of Ren Xue proceeds, its influence will increase and grow deeper. The ‘fruit of Ren Xue’ will be seen in every part of the world when it has its roots in every piece of land. This will happen naturally as time goes on. When the time is right I will go to any country and any area, to do what I can to support and help the people there.

A transition in the way Ren Xue operates will start from 2012. I would like to introduce that briefly here in case some of you are interested. Our US students have begun the process of setting up the Yuan Tze Ren Xue Centre in the US. Thanks to the good work of these volunteers, this new organization will be up and running in the first half of this year (2011). As a non-profit organization the management and operation is performed by a Board of Directors. The resources that come from society will be returned to society through its activities which aim to benefit people’s lives. Even when this organization is dissolved, all the assets will be transferred to another non-profit organization rather than to any individuals. The purpose of having this organization is that any person who wants help from Ren Xue can get it. Ren Xue is also a project of compassion. This organization provides a platform for people who are compassionate about offering their love and care and helping other people. With this organization, Ren Xue can gradually become a truly charitable project.

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the principle I have always followed: I will continue to take the approach of not responding to the ‘words’ circulated about me unless special circumstances arise. I do not have the time and energy to spend on this. I still need to put all my time and energy into my self-cultivation and on the all-important job of developing and promoting Ren Xue in order to benefit society.

We all want to be objective and clear about people or things we want to know. Apart from what has already been mentioned, I believe a simple way of achieving that is ‘listening to his words and observing his actions’. ‘Listening to his words’ refers to listening properly to what a person says with a calm and peaceful mind. ‘Observing his actions’ means looking at what he does, how he does it, the motive for it, and more importantly, what consequences his actions bring to himself, other people and society as a whole. Is there more benefit than damage? Is there more good than bad? Do ‘his actions’ bring more positive effects than negative? Do they manifest more darkness than brightness? Do ‘his actions’ provide an uplifting example or a negative one?

This is the first time I have spoken to everyone this way. I have said many things which I don’t normally get a chance to say. This is not just to have a quick ‘scrub and rinse’ for myself. I believe if my body is clean, there is no need for the ‘scrub and rinse’. Now that I have taken this action to respond and this opportunity to let you know me and Ren Xue better, I sincerely hope the truth can be seen. In addition, I am using this real life opportunity to demonstrate to everyone, especially my students, how to deal with such a matter. Thank you for taking the time to read this long piece of writing. Thank you for your understanding. Thank you for your unwavering support. Moreover, thank you for making a genuine and consistent effort to keep elevating your life. Because of your hard work and progress, many people in pain can get help from you, get out of their suffering and have a new life. I will always be your stronghold on your path for realizing ‘zi du, du ren’. I will always be there, keeping you company, growing with you and helping humanity together.

Yuan Tze, 28 February 2011

Postscript: This text is a translation based on the original Chinese version which is posted on the same Forum/Website. Should there be any difference between these two versions due to translation, the Chinese version is the original and gives the accurate meaning.

A Message to Students

Greetings, everyone!

It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to talk to you. This is the first time I have ‘spoken’ to you this way. No matter how we talk to each other, you know that as Ren Xue students, we always try to use real life situations as opportunities to learn to treat them seriously, understand them and react to and deal with them in the right way. This is how we can continue to grow.

You may be aware that some people have been using public forums on the Internet and other outlets to make false remarks or comments about me and Ren Xue. This behaviour has recently been taken to another level and has stirred things up a bit. Not only that, some negative consequences have resulted. After long and hard consideration, I have decided to deal with and respond to this situation in my own way. Many of you have probably seen my response.

I am mentioning this again, not for the purpose of trying to explain myself to you or to release my personal feelings but to use this opportunity as a real life learning for all of us. After all, you have been very used to the Ren Xue teaching style of using real life experiences and situations to learn about life on a deeper level. We don’t just talk about ideas and theories. Truly useful teachings are given using real life situations or events and the questions/problems you have as examples. By looking at the phenomena superficially and getting down to the true nature, we discover the fundamental laws of the matter in discussion. This process can improve your ability to clearly see the true reality and to react and deal with the given situation properly. This is how we are able to follow the laws of the matter in the due process.

The development of the ability to learn about life is essential for our students. Human beings are social beings, which mean we have social contact with other people all the time, whether we like it or not. Such social interactions and relationships can be extremely complex. Living in this reality, how do we not only maintain a calm, relaxed, natural and joyous state which is beneficial to our bodies and minds, but continue to improve this state of being when constantly faced with situations that could potentially cause disturbance to life? A person’s ability to see themselves and the objective reality clearly so they can relate and deal with life situations properly, to a large degree signifies how well or how much they live in a healthy or normal state.

This discussion also reveals another layer of meaning. Many of you have been working as teachers to help people deal with all sorts of problems and more and more people are joining you on this broad path. As Ren Xue reaches more people at the developmental stage you, as teachers, will also face more challenges and difficulties of all sorts. They will be tests of your ability to ‘zi du’ and ‘du ren’. It is therefore imperative that you set higher standards and expectations and take an active role in using challenges as opportunity to train yourself. It is only when you have passed these tests through hard training that you can truly learn, grow, and ‘stand up’. Now let’s look at the laws involved in some of the related situations we have had to deal with, using what you have learned before to see the fundamental truths and deepen the understanding of what you have learned.

Topic One

At this point of your training, I would like to ask a question of all our teachers and everyone who intends to become a teacher: how do you understand the title ‘teacher’ from the perspective of Ren Xue? How should a qualified Qigong ‘teacher’ manifest this role?

If you have done our Teachers Training you must remember at the beginning of the course you were taught the role and expectations of a Ren Xue teacher. This was to help trainees to clearly see how a teacher should live and develop his life from there on. When you are trained to be a teacher in Ren Xue, you have actually put yourself on the path of ‘zi du, du ren’. However, ‘wanting to du ren’ and ‘being able to du ren’ are actually two different concepts. ‘Wanting’ represents an intention, whereas ‘being able to’ is the manifestation of the ability to do so. Why do we have to make such a distinction? There is a very simple but often overlooked reason. The principle states that when we wish to ‘du ren’ effectively, first we have to be able to ‘zi du’ successfully. This is almost a self-evident principle. Imagine a person has many problems. He hasn’t managed to truly understand his problems and doesn’t know how to deal with them on the root level. As a result, no matter what he has done to try to clear them, nothing has fundamentally changed. Now he is, wishing to or is, in a position to help other people with similar problems or problems of a similar nature. Can you expect him to suddenly be equipped with the ability to ‘du ren’ safely and effectively? Of course not. That could probably only happen in a fiction story. This is why in Ren Xue, it is greatly emphasized that if you wish to ‘du ren’, you must ‘zi du’ first. This is the ‘secret’ to how most of our teachers who are trained and who are growing in an environment with this emphasis, have to various degrees demonstrated the ability to ‘zi du’ and ‘du ren’. They have worked very hard on themselves through continuous learning and have changed themselves in order to make true progress in their own lives. So most of our working teachers are now able to help other people in a safe and effective way.

What is the meaning of ‘teacher’? In Chinese, teacher is ‘lao shi’ or ‘jiao shi’. ‘Jiao’ refers to ‘teach’, ‘educate’, ‘guide’ and ‘help to transform’. ‘Shi’ refers to ‘model’ and ‘good example’. Teachers play an important role in all sorts of training activities. We would like to have more clarity around the meaning of teacher in the area of helping people deal with problems in life, in a safe and effective way. For example, a Qigong teacher. Here our discussion is not restricted to any particular system of Qigong and is not about individual teachers’ ability or gift.

Let’s look at the basic requirements for a Qigong teacher.

1. A strong sense of responsibility to society; law-abiding with a positive motive and intention for being a Qigong teacher

2. Caring for other people; enthusiastic about helping people; having respect for people; generous in offering help; doing things in a discreet, courteous and ethical manner

3. Having received formal Qigong teachers’ training/education, being certified and qualified

4. Having a good understanding of the methods and theories of the Qigong being taught and being able to convey them effectively

5. If Qi therapy is part of the system, being able to carry out basic diagnosis and effective and safe therapy

6. Being able to deal with situations either common to or unexpectedly arising in a teaching/practice/therapy situation

These requirements are just some of the basics. However, a Qigong teacher should at least meet these requirements. Being a Qigong teacher is a serious matter. It is not a fun game children play. Too often we see a different reality where training teachers is done in a ‘cooking dumplings’ way, throwing all the dumplings into a pot and they will be done in no time. Some people even train themselves to become teachers within a relatively short time and then before long they begin to produce more teachers. Many Qigong ‘teachers’ and ‘masters’ are busy running classes to train teachers. I personally don’t think this is ‘normal’. No-one can interfere or stop that. We could only hope no serious negative consequences will be seen.

Satisfying the above basic requirements may be sufficient for the title of ‘Qigong teacher’. However, on this level, a Qigong teacher is fundamentally similar to a PE teacher or a fitness instructor. There is more required for a ‘Qigong teacher’ to become a ‘true teacher’. For example, elevating life through self-cultivation.

Let’s look at this from the perspective of the value and meaning of being a ‘Qigong teacher’ and hopefully the picture will become clearer. Say, a Qigong teacher who meets all the above basic requirements works very hard doing his ‘job’. However, after doing this job professionally for many years, his own problems have not really changed fundamentally and his own life and destiny (individual’s law of life) have not changed much. In other words, they still have the problems ordinary people have, for example, unhealthy habits and behavioural patterns, and especially patterns of the consciousness. When this is the case, what is the true value and meaning of the existence of a ‘Qigong teacher’?

We should recognize that every legitimate profession and job in society has their value and meaning. A qualified ‘Qigong teacher’ definitely has a positive impact on people and society. However, what we are trying to do here is to explore the fundamental truth. I have always asked you to explore the fundamental truth through superficial phenomena. Let’s use this topic as an example to do that.

Phenomena

1. ‘Qigong teachers’ are doing their job persistently and professionally.

2. Qigong students are learning the theories and methods and practising diligently.

3. ‘Qigong teachers’ are ‘teaching’ Qigong theories and methods and basic level Qi therapy but unable to ‘teach’ theories that reflect fundamental truth.

4. ‘Qigong teachers’ are able to ‘jiao’ but unable to ‘shi’ whereas ‘shi’ is more important and meaningful than ‘jiao’.

5. ‘Teachers’ lives are not fundamentally different from other people.

6. Students, with the help and guidance of the ‘teachers’, do not seem to make fast enough progress after doing Qigong for a period of six months or a year even when they are making a good effort in their practice. Many people seem to come to a standstill at some stage and find it difficult to make more progress.

There could be more phenomena if you are observant enough. From what is explained and listed above, you should be able to see some of the laws in this area. The value and meaning of a ‘Qigong teacher’ should be clearer now.

The problems involved are not just individual or isolated. In both China and outside China, they are common. I truly hope our discussion here can serve as a reminder for our teachers and trainees. As a teacher, you need to know clearly what it means to be a ‘teacher’ and the obligation and responsibility it carries. As a teacher you also need to know how to manifest its true meaning and value on yourself, other people and society as a whole.

Topic Two:

After the discussion about the meaning of ‘teacher’, let’s talk about ‘gongli’ or ‘the right view on gongli’.

My understanding of ‘gongli’ refers to the ability obtained from using certain methods to practise or train. It can manifest in many different ways.

Let me refresh your memory of the ‘view on gongli’ in Ren Xue. It can serve as a standard for judging a person’s gongli. There are two aspects to it.

· One is the internal: the ability to change one’s own life and improve one’s health of body and mind, and to continually develop.

· The other is external: the ability to help other people deal with illness and problems of all kinds safely, efficiently and effectively. I believe you have been working hard to maintain this standard.

You might be wondering if there is a higher standard in gongli? Yes, in Ren Xue a higher standard of gongli can be pursued.

· Internally, it is the ability to continuously change any factors that can affect the development of life, to constantly improve one’s understanding of life, to take control of the course of one’s destiny, to continue to come to new realizations and to understand and follow the law of life and the law of the universe so there is more and more true wisdom in life.

· Externally, it is the ability to help other people deal with problems on all levels of life, and to help them improve their understanding of life and change their lives on the level of destiny (individual’s law of life).

Is there a standard even higher than that in Ren Xue? Yes, there is. However, there is no point looking at that now. It is more realistic for most of you to continue to work on the problems you have.

A few similar concepts are often related to gongli, such as gongfu, ‘special ability’, state, and level. Speaking of these, I would like to stress again that I don’t have any of them. I am an ordinary person like everyone else. Out of interest, here we can look at a few stories to understand gongli. It is an opportunity to learn more and to lighten up.

Because I am not good at using a computer, I do not read information on the Internet, including Qigong related information. Only occasionally I will be told or will come across some information. Not long ago, I came across some discussions about gongli and level. Some of them were quite interesting.

Story 1: Someone was able to build a qifield for group healing and do individual healing with good results. This shows the high level of gongfu of this person.

Our teachers, especially those who have started doing Qi therapy, will probably not come to such a conclusion. You have demonstrated the ability to perform effective Qi therapy, including group therapy. I believe you will not interpret that as you having a high level of gongfu even when the healing results are regarded as amazing. Building a qifield for group Qi therapy is a basic skill that a consistent Qigong practitioner should be able to perform by applying the appropriate techniques and so creating healing effects. Of course, the healing effects will vary according to;

· the therapist’s ability to apply the techniques and

· the foundation he has built through his own practice.

Good results do not necessarily mean a high level of gongfu. I know of some very well-known Qi therapists back in China. Some of them were Qigong professionals; some were people with natural special abilities. They had particular skills and strengths in the way they did therapy. Their therapies produced strong healing effects when treating certain conditions. However, on the other hand, if you looked at their lives as a whole, you would feel it is a shame their lives are not going as well as they could. Despite their healing abilities, their lives were plagued by the same problems that everyone else had. Their overall state of life was on a similar level as other people. They shared similar unhealthy habits and patterns as ordinary people, in some cases, even worse. The health of their body and mind and even their life-span, were no better than average. Gongli, especially a high level of gongfu, should manifest as a comprehensive ability to ‘zi du’ and ‘du ren’. This ability is attained by life-cultivation.

Story 2: On a video clip, someone demonstrates Bow Body by standing on a few bricks while touching the ground and rotating the spine. The reporter said this means the person’s lower back is open or loose. This video clip shows what the demonstrator was capable of doing physically. Let’s look at people’s comments on that.

After viewing the video, some people thought this demonstrated a high level of gongfu. Let’s leave that aside for now as we are discussing something on a different level. Before that, let’s look at a few phenomena to help us develop more clarity in this area.

Phenomenon 1: A persistent and consistent Qigong practitioner can strengthen the functions of a certain part of the body by using techniques that work on that particular part and by practising intensively. As a result the body can do certain movements better than before. For example, when practising Bow Body intensively and persistently, most people can bend down more than before. For a person who is naturally more supple, it is possible to place the hands on the ground even when standing on a few bricks.

Phenomenon 2: In acrobatic shows, the ones often seen in China, performers can do highly difficult movements such as bending the body backward to touch the feet. These movements are much more difficult than the above-mentioned Bow Body video. The performers have undergone very strict training from a very young age. However, this ability has nothing to do with Qigong or gongli.

Phenomenon 3: On various occasions I have seen people who are born with incredible suppleness. These people could bend their bodies and limbs in a way that is beyond our imagination. For example, bending the head down to touch the crotch and forming a loop with the body. This would be much more difficult than standing on bricks and touching the ground with the hands.

There was another similar story which was quite funny. I remember years ago on New Zealand TV, I happened to see a programme of sex workers talking about their work. (I don’t usually watch NZ TV programmes unless someone is around to translate for me because I cannot understand English.) They were asked to talk about their best experience. One sex worker said one of her clients was incredible. After she had oral sex with this client, the client was not particularly happy with the outcome so he demonstrated to her how to do it better. This man bent his body and used his own mouth to do it. This sex worker couldn’t believe what she saw. When she told the story, she was still excited. This movement is apparently extremely difficult.

Looking at the above phenomena, I find it difficult to associate them with gongli and a high level of gongfu. I hope you can become better at using phenomena to explore the fundamental laws behind them so you can see what they are more clearly.

Topic Three

In some discussions on the Internet, not all phenomena are ascribed to be high level or gongfu. Someone raised the question of a particular case. If a person is on a high level, there shouldn’t be a ‘bump’ on the back of his head on the right side. I happen to have a ‘bump’ on the back of my head on the right side. I must say this particular comment was correct. I do not have any level or gongfu. I am not just saying that. This is the truth. Somehow I have to tell people this repeatedly.

This ‘bump’ on my head has a long ‘history’. For as long as I can remember, I have heard my mother say that the bone there is higher than the left side. She asked the doctor the reason but he couldn’t give a definite answer. The doctor told her that it shouldn’t affect the child’s health and when his hair grows longer, it won’t be visible. According to the doctor, it was not a problem and there was no need to pay much attention to it. I vaguely remember it was bigger when I was a child. Somehow it has diminished as time goes on. I have never paid much attention to it. Strictly speaking it is a bigger bone, not a ‘growth’ or a tumour’ which are normally regarded as abnormal or unhealthy. The existence of this protruding bone has never caused any discomfort or problem. I don’t even think it has ever affected my appearance. That’s why I don’t mind showing it by having my head shaved. If anyone is interested, you can come and look at my extra bone. I will even let you touch it when it is convenient, even though I normally do not let people touch my head.

There is a good Chinese saying, ‘Do not judge people by their appearance; do not measure the water in the ocean by a small container.’ This saying roughly means that we shouldn’t judge a person and draw conclusions about someone or something by just looking at part of what is showing outside. It is as though we shouldn’t use a small measuring cup to try to work out how much water is in the ocean. Take Pang Ming Laoshi as an example. He is a respectful person with gongli and has reached his level of life cultivation. However, in his thirties and forties, he gradually lost all his teeth due to various causes. We cannot make a judgement or jump to conclusions and say ‘He is not even as high as ordinary people.’ I hope you will keep learning to recognise what are superficial phenomena and use them to see the fundamental laws and truth. You also need to continue to learn to look at everything from a holistic and developmental perspective so the law also reflects the change and development.

This is the very first time I have communicated with you through writing. For me this is not a direct way of communicating so at times it is not that easy to express my thoughts smoothly. However, I am glad I have met you this way. If necessary, I will try to use this way to ‘talk’ to you in future.

We have taken the necessary action and done what is called for given the situation. We have also used this opportunity as a real life lesson for learning. When something happens, it isn’t necessarily either good or bad. Sometimes good or bad is just our perception. What is more important is what we can learn from the experience and use the opportunity to develop and grow. If we can learn and grow through every thing and every situation in life, every thing and every situation becomes good. There is no need to be afraid or to try to resist anything. Running away will not stop things from happening. On some level, whatever is meant to happen will happen. The most important thing is to have clarity around the situation and deal with it properly.

From what I know about you, I believe you are becoming more and more interested in hearing about how to deal with specific situations properly. This is a huge topic to look at. Things are happening all the time. As I have said, they are not necessarily good or bad and they are not always problems. Something becomes a problem when we are disturbed or when we think it is difficult. Of course, there are also many problems we are not quite aware of yet. Sometimes even what we think is a good thing can actually be a problem. It is about what criteria we use to make the judgement and how deep we dig into the matter. This is not what we are discussing here. I would like to just give you one more example for you to think about.

I have heard from people that some teachers have made changes to their teaching after reading our books. Their students welcome the change as they feel they have learned more. However, as they take on what they get from our books to augment their teaching, some of these ‘teachers’ are also making and spreading negative comments about me and the books. Most people would probably see this as contradictory behaviour. This way of behaving is hard to understand, especially when we don’t know each other and we haven’t met each other. Nevertheless things still happen as they do, no matter whether you like it or not. Everyone will probably have a different way of seeing this when they try to analyse the situation and work out what is going on. Why is it that there is only one objective truth and yet everyone is seeing something different? Again, this is about how we see it and in what depth. This will in turn determine how we react or deal with the situation.

Some of you might think that I care a lot about this matter. I would be lying if I said I don’t care at all. What other people think of me doesn’t normally bother me much. What I do care about is whether something is more beneficial than harmful when I look at its development. From what I can see, there is more benefit than harm in this matter. I just hope that they can be serious about their self-cultivation and make genuine effort in working on their own lives so they will become ‘Qigong teachers’ who can truly help themselves, help other people and help society.

You have been working hard on yourself. Some of you are working truly hard. Many of you have also been doing your best to help people and your work has become more effective. When I see the achievement you have made through your genuine and consistent effort, I am so happy for you from the bottom of my heart. It is a rewarding moment for me. I want to thank you on behalf of the people you help, for your hard work and your growth. I also want to thank all of you, my students. Because of your persistent effort, the core value of Ren Xue – ‘zi du, du ren’ is gradually being realized. I hope you will continue this work and embrace a better tomorrow everyday. Thank you.

Yuan Tze 2 March, 2011

The Origin and Meaning of the name ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’

Let’s first look at the meaning of ‘Yuan Tze’ and ‘Ren Xue’ separately.

‘Yuan’ has been explained on several occasions, including The Voyage to the Shore Part 1. Here we will just give a brief description. ‘Yuan’ can be described as a relatively independent system or entity. It also has the connotation of ‘encompassing’ and ‘connecting’. ‘Yuan’ can therefore mean a totality that contains and connects the whole universe and everything in the universe. ‘Tze’ means ‘small’. It is the ‘seed’ or ‘core’. It can be so small that it cannot be smaller. However, in the ‘small’, there is ‘information’, ‘intention’ and ‘powerful and lively potential’.

If ‘Yuan’ can be described as: ‘‘It is so big that there is no room further out.’

‘Tze’ can then be described as: ‘It is so small that there is no room further in’ and at the same time contains information, intention and infinite potential. Traditionally, this is called ‘Dao’. ‘Dao’ can be interpreted as a kind of law, or manifestation of that law.

I have adopted ‘Yuan Tze’ as my personal goal and principle. I also use it as my name for life cultivation, in which I aim to seek truth and cultivate truthfulness.

‘Ren Xue’ is only a name or a symbol. It is a name of a system or body of information that embraces every aspect of human life, including human cultures of all forms and the new systems of knowledge that are yet to be established. Ren Xue is a system for individual human beings and humanity to understand, change and elevate their lives. A system of this kind should have been established long ago in the history of human civilization. It is a system about human life and for human life itself.

Whether such a system can be established is important to the development of humanity. This is crucial because it can have a significant influence on the direction in which human civilization develops and how the future of humanity manifests. Creating this system is not something one person or one organization can do alone. The establishment of ‘Ren Xue’ requires:

· the application of the achievements of human culture, including science and technology, and

· the understanding and use of wisdom culture in life exploration and development.

Through this process, the laws of human life on every level can be established. Not only that, the laws of the relationship between human beings and society and between human beings and nature can also be understood. This system will probably be the biggest system of knowledge that humans have created and the most relevant to their collective and individual wellbeing. This system is able to help humanity improve its quality of life. The scale of it is so large that it could even take a few generations to complete.

In China, someone has set up a website named ‘Ren Xue’. This website mainly promotes some religious teachings, especially Buddhism. Please note that this ‘Ren Xue’ does not have anything to do with the ‘Ren Xue’ and ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’ we have been discussing.

The initial construction of the framework of ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’ is based on my understanding of existing achievements in human civilization and especially the wisdom culture of traditional Chinese culture. I have been receiving, learning and practising what has been passed on to me with the intention of seeking the truth. I am also collecting evidence and information in order to further understand the fundamental laws and how the laws work. I will continue to apply and prove the validity of the fundamental laws I have come to understand. Through this process, the framework of ‘Ren Xue’ has been and will continue to be built bit by bit. As you can see, ‘Ren Xue’ (at this stage of its development) is very much based on the knowledge gained from my own understanding and life cultivation. This is why the full name of the system is ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’.

Because ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’ (at this stage of its development) consists only of knowledge gained from my own life cultivation and interpretation of human knowledge, it is bound to be limited. Like the establishment of any system of knowledge, it consists of work of its foundation builders and will be added to by the collaborative work of many people in the future. It is even so for ’Ren Xue’, a system to encompass everything about life. I believe you, as the students of ‘Ren Xue’, are happy and honoured to be the pioneers, learners, practitioners, explorers and contributors of ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’. I believe you would like to see the ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’ system continue to develop as it reaches more people, and continues to improve as it develops. This way more and more people will learn and use ‘Ren Xue’ to grow and to contribute to society in the process. I truly hope that ‘Yuan Tze Ren Xue’ will start to make true contributions to the benefit of humanity and the progress of human civilization. With your genuine and persistent effort, Yuan Tze Ren Xue will become more and more established. I hope one day ‘Yuan Tze’ can be taken out and the system will truly become ‘Ren Xue’. After which Ren Xue will continue to make contributions to the development of humanity.

Yuan Tze, 1 March, 2011

Yuan Tze Ren Xue 12345

One Mission

Zi Du, Du Ren

Two Aspects of Cultivation

Xing and Ming

Three Guidelines (internal & external)

Internal - Be calm; Be relaxed; Be natural

External - Teach with Authentic understanding

Touch People with Virtue

Earn Trust with True Abilities

Four Pillars

Theories, Methods, Abilities, Virtues

Five Elements with which to Learn

Openness, Respect, Harmony,

Joy, SeekingTruth

Ten Features of Yuan Tze Ren Xue

- brief introduction -

1. The establishment and development of Yuan Tze Ren Xue has a clear goal and direction. It also has a mission and guiding principles which are to be strictly adhered to under all circumstances. They are in place to direct and ensure that Yuan Tze Ren Xue will follow a healthy and bright path for its steady development in the long term.

2. It has a profound and sound theoretical base with holism as its core. The holism theories can be gradually established by:

· following the principle of ‘exploring and using the objective laws’,

· following the methodology of ‘applying theories’,

· examining the effects, then

· adjusting and enriching the theories.

These theories are unique and they form interdependent, complementary, cause-effect relationships with one another and constitute an organic whole, encompassing theories and ideas such as ‘universal holism’, ‘human and universe holism’, ‘holism of an objective reality’, and ‘micro holism’.

3. It has a series of safe and effective methods for practice. The principal methods are Zhineng Qigong methods with supplementary methods based on traditional Qigong techniques. By using different methods with different intensities and different focuses such as Jing, Qi and Shen, the practice is mainly to work on Qi and to make Qi more abundant and flow better in specific parts of the body or the whole body. This way of practice aims to improve health, clear health problems, prolong life and improve the power of the mind.

Incorporating Qigong practice in everyday life is equally emphasized. Methods and theories are applied to unify every activity of life with Qigong. They are applied in depth, at any place and any time in order to maintain a Qigong state in everyday life.

4. ‘Qi’ is used as a measure for assessing ones’ activities on the consciousness level and on the behavioural level in order to know whether the activities are beneficial or detrimental, right or wrong, positive or negative. ‘Qi’, as a complex element and profound concept is explained in a way that is easy to understand. The role of Qi in life and in health, how Qi can be affected by habits, behavioural patterns or every behaviour, and the relationship between Qi and emotions are all illustrated. The role of the patterns of the consciousness and the effect on Qi, including how a thought can affect Qi, is even more stressed.

Not only is Qi used as a measure, it is also an important element to work on and bring change to. All this is to achieve the purpose of initially reducing the loss of Qi and disturbance to Qi, then gradually developing an excellent, stable and strong Qi condition which is an important component of the foundation for health and further development of life.

5. Following the law of life, Yuan Tze Ren Xue adopts the approach of ‘healing a person’s life as primary and healing the illness as complementary’ in helping people deal with their problems. Problems will be treated according to the law of the problem in order for the causes on different levels to be seen clearly. This way they can be dealt with on the root or fundamental level and the work can be effective. Following the same approach, life can continue to develop beyond the clearing of the problems. Let’s use the following example to illustrate this approach.

In reality we can use the comparison of how humans should be when they follow the law of life, to see that almost every person has lost a lot of precious things in life and at the same time has developed problems of all sorts. When we are plagued by problems, we usually try our best to deal with them. However, a very common reality is that no matter how many things we try, how much time we spend or how much effort we make, the results are not that satisfactory. It is not saying that what we have done is totally useless or valueless. But it doesn’t bring about change on the fundamental level of life.

The problems that we have and desperately want to deal with can manifest in many different forms and can be very complicated. Let’s focus on one that is relatively simple and yet relevant to almost every person – health. The current reality of health is that despite the development of human civilization and the effort people have made, most people do not have good health, nor are they able to clear their health problems effectively. In other words, health problems are still very common in human life. Is this not a phenomenon that makes you wonder? Of course, every person has different criteria for judging their health condition. The meaning of health in our discussion follows a new set of criteria, which are also the criteria for health adopted in Yuan Tze Ren Xue. These criteria are based on the law of life. (Here we are not going to elaborate on that. Please refer to our books if you are interested.)

We can all attempt these questions: if we intend to deal with health problems on the fundamental level, what approach should be taken, what levels should be worked on and how?

These are questions that requires a lot of work and explanations to be answered properly. Let’s just use Yuan Tze Ren Xue to briefly highlight the main components involved and make connections between them.

To maintain health or deal with health problems properly,

Qi has to be dealt with properly (including Qi condition as a whole and Qi on different levels).

To deal with Qi problems effectively, life has to be worked on because every activity of life will impact on Qi. Identifying activities that can have a negative impact on Qi and dealing with them effectively are essential for dealing with Qi problems. Such activities can be seen as problems in life.

To deal with problems in life effectively, it is necessary to deal with the consciousness properly as it is the main determinant or source of everything we do.

To deal with the problems on the consciousness level properly, the key is to look at the patterns on this level.

In Yuan Tze Ren Xue the patterns of the consciousness are closely connected with a person’s ‘destiny’, or ‘the individual’s law of life’. Hence working on destiny is an important part of dealing with the patterns of the consciousness.

To work on destiny, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the law of life and identify all the problems and deal with them accordingly in order to elevate life.

From the above, we can see something both complex and simple: the problems we often see are not the real problems. What we see are often just the superficial manifestations of the real problems. The causes behind them can be numerous and can are deeply intertwined. In the list above, the levels further down get closer to the root causes of problems and so are more important for working out problems at a fundamental level.

This above example is to illustrate the different levels involved when we try to deal with health problems. It is put in a linear way and that is just because of the limitation of using a language to describe it. It is far from the true reality which is a total (holistic) existence. A ball would be closer to this true reality and reflect the fundamental law of health better. All these different levels of life are integral parts of life. They depend on one another, work with one another, control one another, and generate one another. The key is to understand the whole and follow its law in order to bring about positive transformation and development.

6. Yuan Tze Ren Xue emphasizes the importance of being the master of one’s own destiny and the work on changing one’s destiny according to the law of life. Here is the brief explanation.

Everything in the universe and nature has its law of development and change;

As a part of the universe and nature, human life has its law of development and change;

As a member of the human race, each individual human being also has his/her own law of development and change. Every person follows his/her individual law which is to a substantial degree pre-determined throughout the course of life.

‘Destiny’ can be likened to a pre-written ‘programme’. Life seems to be the execution of this ‘programme’ with no choice. However, the main ‘programmer’ is actually each individual. Over many life times before the present one, this programme has been written continuously. The programme for this life was the continuation of the programming from the previous life with some ‘sorting’ work done.

‘Destiny’ can be understood. It is actually one’s individual law of life.

‘Destiny’ can be changed. However, it cannot be changed by using the ‘usual things’ we do. It has to be done by following the law of life and working on the fundamental levels of life. We truly need to work on the key area of life cultivation, if we want to make any meaningful change to life.

Through learning and gaining understanding of ‘destiny’ and the law of life, one can work to change his/her ‘destiny’. This is the beginning of having control of one’s ‘destiny’.

Changing ‘destiny’ is done by working on the present, by being the master of one’s own life in every present moment. This is the way to change the future and to have the future in one’s own hands. The future doesn’t end at the end of this life. If one works to change his/her ‘destiny’, he will more and more become the master of his/her own life.

7. Identifying and changing/clearing habits and patterns that can affect health and the development of our lives is essential in Ren Xue practice. This has to be done with utmost effort by following the standards and principles set in Ren Xue . These patterns include the ones on the behavioural as well as the consciousness level. Work in this area is on-going and requires consistent effort. The aim of this work is to ensure that all the patterns we follow are beneficial for our health and life development. This leads to not only better health, but also more happiness, freedom, wisdom, and ultimately, being a better master of one’s own life.

8. All this work is done ‘in the present’.

‘In the present’ refers to every minute, every second, every moment and every present time-space frame. In Ren Xue, being ‘in the present’ refers to using every present moment to cultivate life. It is done by being constantly aware of one’s state of body, Qi, and mind and any external changes, including people and situations and the interaction between them. With this constant awareness, when anything that can have a negative impact on life arises, it can be detected, adjusted and changed immediately. Through constant adjustment and change, life can gradually become elevated. When life is in this process of continuous change, it is moving forward in a ‘virtuous cycle’. Life is constantly developing. Life also becomes a process of benefiting other people, society and nature.

9. Harmony will always be a goal Yuan Tze Ren Xue will endeavour to realize.

Harmony is one of the core values and qualities to be realized in the life-cultivation culture and is an important part of the traditional Chinese culture which has developed throughout Chinese civilization for thousands of years. Yuan Tze Ren Xue fully embraces this traditional value and the essential teachings related to it. Not only that, it has also approached this value from the perspective of the law of life and of the development of human civilization, incorporating the achievement of modern science and culture. This approach has brought the meaning and realization of harmony to a new level and helped form a systematic and comprehensive approach to ‘harmony’ in Yuan Tze Ren Xue, encompassing human beings, society and nature and their relationships with each other. Yuan Tze Ren Xue will actively promote this value to the world in the hope of realizing the ultimate goal of a harmonious world as soon as possible.

Harmony in Chinese consists of two characters: ‘和’ (he) and ‘谐’ (xie). ‘He’ means ‘integration’, ‘no fighting’, ‘no struggling’, ‘no killing’, ‘peace’, ‘not extreme’. ‘Xie’ means ‘balance’, ‘coordination’, ‘unison’. ‘He xie’ (harmony) refers to ‘unification’, ‘oneness’ and signifies health and normality. There can be opposite forces in everything. They will be uplifted and unified on a higher level to achieve harmony. The manifestation of harmony is a calm, peaceful, natural, balanced and uplifting state.

In Yuan Tze Ren Xue, the realization of harmony should manifest on three levels:

A. Harmony within an individual life: It manifests as the high level of unification of Jing, Qi and Shen and hence life is in a harmonious state.

B. Harmony between individual human beings and between humans and society: It manifests as peace, equality, justice, freedom, care and love, helping each other, respect and giving.

C. Harmony between humans and nature: it manifests as a good understanding of the law of life, the law of the development of human society, and the law of nature and its development. This understanding is the foundation of an equal, mutually sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship between humans and nature. Achieving harmony between humans and nature is a huge area to learn about and explore. In traditional Chinese culture, the knowledge and practice of Fengshui has been used to realize harmony on this level. Yuan Tze Ren Xue has taken the essence of Fengshui and lifted its knowledge and practice to the level of Qi and information which are the fundamental elements of Fengshui. Understanding the relationship between humans and their environment from this perspective can help humans create a harmonious relationship with nature and follow the law in this area.

All this is to realize a high level of harmony within human society and between humanity and nature. This is to support a sustainable approach for human development which is a core value of Yuan Tze Ren Xue.

10. ‘Help yourself as if help other people; help other people as if help yourself’ is an important way to realize and fulfil the true purpose of life. It is also an important vehicle for re-establishing the view of world, the view of life and the value system for Yuan Tze Ren Xue practitioners. This is why making the Yuan Tze Ren Xue operation non-profitable and charitable is the only way to go.

Yuan Tze Ren Xue - Ownership and Related Statement

Although a lot of work needs to be done to make Yuan Tze Ren Xue a more complete system, more and more people are using it to work on life in depth. The positive changes these learners and users of Yuan Tze Ren Xue demonstrate on all aspects of life are definitely powerful proof of the value of Yuan Tze Ren Xue.

Yuan Tze Ren Xue was not created out of nowhere and Yuan Tze is not someone who just ‘descended from the sky’. Yuan Tze Ren Xue is built upon the achievements of human culture and has its roots deep in the soil of traditional Chinese culture, especially its wisdom culture and life-cultivation culture. Yuan Tze Ren Xue is the result of my understanding and use of what I have learned in these cultures to search and discover fundamental truths and laws. The establishment of its basic framework and its core contents are a creative and innovative process.

As commonly known, culture is a continual phenomenon. It is constantly evolving from what has previously been achieved. No cultures or cultural activities have just appeared by themselves without the influence of anything else. Yuan Tze Ren Xue, being a cultural phenomenon, has to go through the same process. Its development originates in, and draws on, what has been achieved collectively by human beings. Human culture, especially wisdom culture, is the product of the interactions between human beings in a society. Human beings have always been at the centre of the constant developmental and renewing process of human culture. In this process, people’s lives also benefit from its development. It only makes sense that this common asset should be shared by all human beings and should be used to serve the whole of humanity.

I am very grateful that Yuan Tze Ren Xue can be established, develop and exist as a meaningful and valuable cultural phenomenon. I would like to thank all the ‘sages and saints’ for their contribution to the wisdom culture on which Yuan Tze Ren Xue is founded. I especially would like to thank my teachers. They gave me unconditional help, teachings, support and did everything they could to care for, encourage and uplift me. I would like to pay my utmost respect and gratitude to them. Here I would like to especially express my heart-felt gratitude to the founder of Zhineng Qigong, Pang Ming Laoshi for creating the safe and effective Zhineng Qigong system, and his selfless support of my Ren Xue work. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who have helped me in the development and promotion of Yuan Tze Ren Xue.

Hence I would like to make this statement on behalf of myself and the Yuan Tze Centre, according to the Mission and Guiding Principles of Yuan Tze Ren Xue (Yuan Tze Ren Xue 12345):

Yuan Tze Ren Xue has come from humanity and therefore should be returned to humanity. Yuan Tze Ren Xue in principle does not belong to Yuan Tze, nor does it belong to any organization or individual person. It will always belong to humanity and society.

Yuan Tze Ren Xue will gradually transition to operating as a non-profit and charitable organization. The organizational structure and the management of the organization will then be abiding by the law of the nation and the articles and by-laws of the organization. Exercising the rights and fulfilling the obligations of the organization will be executed by the Board of Directors collectively and democratically.

Yuan Tze

Wellington, New Zealand

3 March, 2011