Tao Congress - Pearls Wisdom 2010 at Tao Garden, Thailand

TA
CONGRESS 2010
Pearls of Wisdom
Looking Back - Looking Forward
HONORING GRANDMASTER MANTAK CHIA
A Healing Celebration
WELCOME PEARLS OF WISDOM THE 2010 TAO CONGRESS

TO
September 5 - 14, 2010
A Celebration of Grandmaster Mantak Chias 30 Years of Teaching at Tao Garden - Doi Sakhet, Thailand
Editorial Concept Design Photos Copy Editors Webmaster Donated by Renu Li and Sharon Smith Renu Li Courtesy of Tao Garden / Universal Healing Tao or otherwise marked Sharon Smith and Rene Navarro Kim Knight - www.2010taocongress.com Universal Tao Publications
PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 2 -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 5 6 15 16 27 56 58 60 62
Message from Grandmaster Mantak Chia Welcome to the Tao Congress from the Organizing Team Schedule of the Congress The Tao Garden Map Presenters in Alpahbetical Order Letters to Master Chia: Memories & Stories Remembering Those Who Passed Away... Presenters Bios Worldwide Organizers Worldwide Publishers
Tao Garden - Welcome Center

MESSAGE FROM GRANDMASTER CHIA

Welcome to Tao Garden!
This is our big family gathering. I am happy that you have come from all corners of the earth to reunite and celebrate the last 30 years, I have had the honor to bring these teachings out to the world. Through you, they have spread farther than I ever imagined. Lets work together in unity, knowing that our teachings come from the one Supreme Creator and the Primordial Source. Each one of you has the freedom to create and use your own ideas. We need to keep a good connection as I can see that after these 30 years, you have all grown up now, and like family, everyone expands in their own way. We need to make an effort to remember our roots and be a good family. We work together within the structure of the teachings. You may put your own ideas into it, but we must all respect the structure, and we will grow together. This gathering is important as we can share with each other our real experience with the practices over the years, as well as how they have worked for us and our students as we have tested them in the real world. Thank you for coming. May the chi be with you,
FROM THE ORGANIZING TEAM

The Organizing Team welcomes you to Pearls of Wisdom, The 2010 Tao Congress, honoring Master Chias 30 years of teaching.
Master Chia has been an inspiration to us all. As a teacher, a creator, and a downto-earth human being, he has always given generously of his time and has been willing to evolve his teaching and understanding, allowing us the benefits of his new insights and innovations. His joyfulness and openness, his knowledge of the Tao, and his insatiable curiosity about modern advances in science and health have been an inspiration to us all. This event is a celebration, a milestone, a gathering of the Universal Healing Tao family, and an opportunity for all of us to further evolve our practice with the world community of Taoist practitioners. Our schedule was put together from submissions from the global community of Universal Healing Tao instructors and shows the breadth and depth of the Universal Healing Tao system. Master Chia will be leading daily morning meditations, doing some presentations, and appearing on some of the panels as well. There will be time for practice, fun, learning, connecting and free time to enjoy the Tao Garden and all it has to offer. We urge you to take advantage of all of these opportunities to nourish yourself on the high quality chi available here in this short time we have together. Pearls of Wisdom has been in the planning stages since early 2007. From the UHTInstructors to the Organizing Team to the Tao Garden staff, this has been a huge group effort spanning the globe. We appreciate your making the journey here to celebrate, and thank everyone who has played a part in creating this historic gathering!
SHARON SMITH
RENU LI
GILLES MARIN
TIFFINY FYANS
SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

DAY 1 SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 5
8:30 12:30 PM 12:30 2:00 PM 3:00 6:00 PM 6:30 8:00 PM 8:30 9:30 PM Morning - General Arrival and Registration Lunch Kwan Yin Dining Hall Art Project - Hands of Light with Renu Li Meeting Room ongoing throughout the Congress Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Welcome from the Organizing Team Opening Ceremony with Jutta Reichart & Christian Bollman Immortal Meditation Hall Healing Sounds with Master Chia
9:30 10:00 PM
DAY 2 MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 6

7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-ups Raven Cohan Lee Holden Tai Chi Field #1 Tai Chi Field #2
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen Hall, Lao Tzu and Immortal Fountain Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM The Basics of the Universal Healing Tao System White Clouds 9 Formulas for Inner Alchemy with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall 12:45 PM 4:00 PM 4:00 6:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break for socializing, spa treatments, etc. Healing Forum Meditation Forum Movement Session Lao Tzu Meditation Hall Immortal Meditation Hall Ba Shen Hall Tao Yin Master Chia Jampa Stewart with Raven Cohan Jutta Kellenberger Minke de Vos Gilles Marin Marie Favorito Renu Li Michael Winn Dinner Kwan Yin Dining Hall Evening Program - How It All Began - Film about the Origin of the Healing Tao in the USA followed by storytelling with filmmakers Karin Sorvik & Jamee Culbertson Ba Shen Hall Betthupferl* - Lung Sound with Karin Sorvik
*German, for something nice to have, just before going to sleep
6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:50 PM
9:50 10:00 PM
DAY 3 TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 7

7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-Ups Walter Kellenberger Tai Chi Field #1 Renu Li Tai Chi Field #2 Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall The Microcosmic Orbit: Innovations and Discoveries, Polishing the Basics with Jampa Stewart - Immortal Meditation Hall CNT Basics with Master Chia - Ba Shen Hall Harmonious Exchange with Minke de Vos Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Healing Sexuality
Movement The Magic of Qi Gong - Structure and Flow with Lee Holden Courtyard Condo #2 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Presentations Healing Forum Movement Forum Marie Favorito Walter Kellenberger Sharon Smith Lee Holden Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
Darkroom on Wall Master Chia Street with Daria Fain Jutta Kellenberger Immortal Meditation Hall Gilles Marin
Renu Li Tao of Nutrition with Shashi Solluna Karin Sorvik Kwan Yin Dining Hall Ba Shen Hall 6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
9:50 10:00 PM
Evening Program Dance Tango from the Heart with Maggie Cowan-Hughes Ba Shen Hall Betthupferl* - Kidney Sound with Michael Winn

DAY 4 WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 8
7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-Ups Michael Winn Tai Chi Field #1 Marie Favorito Tai Chi Field #2 Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation The Fusion of the 5 Elements Meditation: The Pa Kua and the SpaceTime Continuum with Gilles Marin Immortal Meditation Hall Sexuality YinTao for Women on the Way with Renu Li Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
The Posture of Consciousness Movement Iron Shirt and the Alexander Technique with Jamee Culbertson Courtyard Condo #2 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Womens Sexual Practice Forum Immortal Meditation Hall Minke De Vos Jutta Kellenberger Renu Li Marie Favorito 6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:50 PM Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Evening Program Coming Together - Open Forum on Sexual Energy moderated by Michael Winn - Ba Shen Hall Betthupferl* - Heart Sound with Minke De Vos
Mens Sexual Practice Forum Ba Shen Hall Master Chia Dirk Al, Lee Holden Michael Winn Masahiro Ouchi Jampa Stewart
9:50 10:00 PM
DAY 5 THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 9

7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-Ups Dirk Al - Tai Chi Field #1 Karin Sorvik Tai Chi Field #2
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Taoist Internal Alchemy Meditation in the West with Michael Winn - Immortal Meditation Hall Male Sexual Practice with Masahiro Ouchi Ba Shen Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Sexuality
Chi Kung and Meditation: A Gateway to Your True Nature Movement with Marie Favorito Courtyard Condo #2 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Movement Sessions Presentation of UT Teaching Materials The Tao of Bone Health with William Wu Wei with Sharon Smith Immortal Lao Tzu Meditation Hall Meditation Hall The Magic Tai Chi Circle How to Make A with Raven Cohan Professional DVD Courtyard Condo #2 with Lee Holden Home Theater Room Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Networking and Business Buisness Practice with Gilles Marin Kwan Yin Dining Hall
6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM
9:50 10:00 PM
Evening Program The Door Into Life - A Multi-Media Presentation with Renu Li Open discussion afterwards - Ba Shen Hall Betthupferl* - Liver Sound with Renu Li

DAY 6 FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 10
7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Healing Morning Warm-ups Jampa Stewart - Tai Chi Field #1 Jutta Reichardt - Tai Chi Field #2
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and Garden Dining Tent CNT and Trauma with Wilbert Wils Ba Shen Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Sexuality Teaching Male Sexual Alchemy with Dirk Al Immortal Meditation Hall Movement The Inner Structure of Tai Chi: Tai Chi Chi Kung I Revisited with Jampa Stewart Courtyard Condo # 2 - TREATMENTS - EXCURSIONS - SHOPPING - RESTING There will be lunch and dinner at the usual time for those who remain at TAO GARDEN 6:00 7:45 PM Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
AFTERNOON AND EVENING FREE - SEE THE WELCOME CENTER FOR IDEAS
photo courtesy of Tao Garden
photos Sharon Smith
DAY 7 SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 11

7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-ups Jutta Kellenberger - Tai Chi Field #1 Rene Navarro - Tai Chi Field #2
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall The Tao of Heart with Minke de Vos Immortal Meditation Hall The Tao of Couples and Family with Colin and Marina Drown Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
Tan Tien and Elixir Chi Kung with Walter Kellenberger
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Sexuality Movement
Courtyard Condo # 2 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Complementary Energetic Approaches with Judith Poole Immortal Meditation Hall
New Applications CNT and Coaching with Harald Xander Ba Shen Hall EMDR with Doug Hilton Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM
Movement Buddhist and Taoist Chi Kung with Rene Navarro - Courtyard Condo # 2 Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Evening Program 27 YEARS TEACHING AND LIVING TAO: A Senior Instructors Triumphs, Blunders, Lessons, Miraculous Gifts, and Hilarious Surprises with Dena Saxer - Ba Shen Hall Betthupferl - Spleen Sound with Dena Saxer
9:50 10:00 PM

DAY 8 SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 12
7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-Ups Sharon Smith - Tai Chi Field #1 Masahiro Ouchi - Tai Chi Field #2
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and Garden Dining Tent Direct Application of Universal Healing Tao Techniques in CNT Treatment with Gilles Marin Ba Shen Hall Sexuality in Taoism with Jutta Kellenberger Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Healing Sexuality
Movement Tai Chi Clinic with Sharon Smith Courtyard Condo #2 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Movement Sessions Lotus Light Chi Kung with Jutta Reichardt Tai Chi Field #1 The Tradition Taoist Astrology with Christine Harkness-Giles Lao Tzu Meditation Hall 6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM Dinner - Kwan Yin Dining Hall Evening Programm Forum on Professional Integration and the Future of the Universal Healing Tao with Master Chia and the Representatives from the World Community of UT Teachers moderated by Sharon Smith Betthupferl* - Triple Warmer Sound with Gilles Marin
Chi Nei Tsang Clinic Gilles Marin, CNT Senior Teachers and Practitioners Ba Shen Hall Teaching Skills Effective Use of Digital Media to Enhance Your Teaching with John Zielinski Courtyard,Condo #2
9:50 10:00 PM
DAY 9 MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 13

7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Healing Morning Warm-Ups Daria Fain - Tai Chi Field #1 William Wu Wei - Tai Chi Field #2 Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall The Magic Three with Linda Berry Ba Shen Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Buddha Palm and Chi Emission with Marie Favorito Movement Lao Tzu Meditation Hall The Tao of Sounds with Jutta Reichardt and Christian Bollman Meditation Immortal Meditation Hall 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall and afternoon break 4:00 6:00 PM Fruits of Tao Creativity Explodes! - Ba Shen Hall Michael Winn and Shashi Solluna prepare for the talent show Finishing Healing Hands Project
if you have not done your hands, now is the last chance! - Meeting Room
Photo Show - Data Exchange - Networking in the Dining Hall 6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 10:00 PM Farewell Banquet Dinner Kwan Yin Dining Hall Talent Show & Celebration Emceed and Organized by Shashi Solluna and Micheal Winn Ba Shen Hall

DAY 10 TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 14
7:00 - 8:00 AM 8:00 8:20 AM 8:30 9:00 AM 9:00 10:15 AM Morning Warm-Up Master Chia - Tai Chi Field #1
Tea and Fruit at the Ba Shen and Lao Tzu Halls Final Morning Meditation with Master Chia Immortal Meditation Hall Breakfast - Kwan Yin Dining Hall
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Closing Ceremonies Remembering Those Who Have Passed On Thanks / Speeches Immortal Meditation Hall 12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch Check out by 2 PM Lanna Village Market of local crafts from the village and Tao Garden staff on the lawn near the dining tent
Lao Tzu Hall
Anyamanee Spa
MAP OF TAO GARDEN
The Presenters
Teaching Male Sexual Alchemy Dirk shares his fascinating experiences with sexual energy while living in a Thai cave and practicing Buddhist meditation after having learned seminal retention from Master Chia. During his Samadhi experiences, all sexual energy was transformed into spirit at once. When emerging, it returned with full power, resulting in fierce erections and readiness for love. Surrounded by beautiful red haired Apsaras (female spirits), the monks told him this was merely the threat of Mara, Lord of Illusion. But for him, it was the reason to return to the Taoist path, seeking to balance his male sexual alchemy with the female counterpart. This pertains to the Heart and constitutes an important step on the path of Tao.
Dirk Al
Day 6 Friday, 9/10 10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Immortal Meditation Hall
The Magic Three Want to learn body/energy work that wowed Master Chia? In just 2 hours, get easy-touse treatment pearls refined from Eastern and Western traditions to add to your healing cart - effective immediately! The techniques you will learn work with The Magic Three - Body, Mind, and Spirit. Recognize the structure of your client and what that means in terms of tension and weakness. Use Taoist skills to link-in with their resonance. And tap into their reptilian, emotional and conscious brain to transform distress into harmony and balance. Heres what Master Chia said when Dr. Berry worked on him using the same practices shell be sharing with you. Your technique is so refined. Are you teaching this? Join Dr. Berry to gain the essence of what Master Chia was so excited about!
Dr. Linda Berry
Day 9 - Monday, 9/13 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Ba Shen Hall
The Tao of Sounds In a Taoist, natural and simple way, Christian Bollmann and his partner Jutta Reichardt invite you to experience your breath and voice as an intimate instrument enhancing energy flow, inner balance, clarity, stillness and self-healing. While holding a continuous tone we open to the inner realms of contemplative listening and let the inherent scale of harmonic tones unfold naturally by shifting through the vocals. In this way overtone melodies unfold over us as a vivid expression of the harmonic laws of life itself. Entering this world of healing sounds is an exciting enrichment and complements the Universal Healing Tao practices. Christian & Jutta Reichardt will also be guiding the opening and closing ceremony!
Christian Bollmann
Day 9 Monday, 9/13 10:30 AM 12:30 PM Immortal Meditation Hall
Tango from the Heart Those who know tango know theres more to it than high heels and being sultry and theres vastly more than meets the eye in the close-up authentic tango danced at home in Argentina. It is meditation in other clothes: we find theres Tao in the Tango and Tango in the Tao - to have the capacity to be direct and yet still able to listen; to receive and yet maintain your structure, your integrity. In the three-minute charm of the tango song, the yin/yang wheel turns. For beginners, the left-footed, and the arrhythmic Tango from the Heart will be an unforgettable introduction to this magical dance; for all - an opportunity to open your heart and expand love energy in the world. Nada ms!
Maggie Cowan-Hughes Day 3 - Tuesday, 9/7
8 9:45 PM
Ba Shen Hall
Iron Shirt and The Posture of Consciousness Combining Alexander Technique principles with Iron Shirt Chi Kung postures provides deep insight that allows for exploration into the unexpected moment. Explore change within stillness while standing in relationship to the universe. Evolving consciousness is misunderstood as something one needs to do in order to progress. Yet, an awakened moment doesnt really involve doing anything for it to occur. Alexander Technique principles of non-interference teach us what we are up to that could be hindering the quest for a conscious life. Learn to get out of the way and take a conscious stand in your life!
Jamee Culbertson
Day 4 - Wednesday, 9/8
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
Tao Yin: Stretching Without Qvetching! Experience Ravens alternate stretches. A great many exercises offer alignment in varied positions to move while rocking and rolling rather than subtle isolations. All moves are done while being conscious of chi moving through the Macrocosmic Orbit guided by Raven aloud and followed by you in your inner voice. Most important, is training to notice stress, let it go and not orally or even unconsciously complain or Qvetch about it. All is done as we SMILE and internally LAUGH..
Day 2 - Monday, 9/6
4 6:00 PM
Lao Tzu Meditation Hall
Raven Cohan
Better Joints With The Magic Tai Chi Circle The common yin/yang pattern of energy flow in the universe can help bring nourishment to any joint in the body. It is far more powerful to use this pattern than simply rotating joints. You will see a return to a much more flexible structure in a relatively short time. You will receive handouts so that you remember what you learned including a 100 day Self-Pledge to Practice. All Levels of Students are accommodated!
Day 5 - Thursday, 9/9
4 - 6:00 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
The Presenters
The Tao of Couples and Family Tao practices enhance our health and happiness and encourage us to go deeper in sexual intimacy. This seminar shares these experiences with other couples who have children or want children. Mothers and fathers dont lose energy at the time of birth. The parents healthy sexual energy contributes to the good health of the children. We will be showing some videos of water births and healthy practices for parents, newborns and children. Our presentation is strongly influenced by our years of preparing couples for the birthing process, parenting using the Universal Healing Tao, Healing Love and Chi Kung, our years of life as a couple, as well as many years of working with couples as well as autistic children.
Marina & Colin Drown
Day 7 - Saturday, 9/11
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Daria Fain
The Perineum: Darkroom On Wall Street After experiencing the Darkroom with Master Chia and researching with poet-architect Robert Kocik on other darkroom and sensory deprivation practices, Fan and Kocik envisioned a darkroom that would occupy a symbolic location at the base of the spine of a building. As part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Councils Swing Space program in New York City, in February of 2008 they installed the Anechoic Darkroom in the basement vault of 14 Wall Street, a building that was once financial tycoon J.P. Morgans residence. During the course of this installation, visitors could reserve the darkroom for a period anywhere between half an hour and 24 hours in length. Fain and Kocik built an arched structure made out of wood, cotton, wool, and metal, roughly 9 feet square in size. It served as a place for the participant to sit or lie down according to their feeling. As with the darkrooms of all traditions, the broad purpose of the Anechoic Darkroom was to stimulate reflection, meditation, or epiphany. Experience a fifteen-minute performance based on this collaborative work of Daria Fain and Robert Kocik. Daria will explain the development of their collaborative research and how Master Chias system is integrated in their artistic process including its health and artistic benefit for professional performers, poets and lay people. A ten-minute video of the performance will also be presented followed by Q and A.
Day 3 - Tuesday, 9/7
4 6 PM
Previously scheduled presenters who unfortunately had to cancel their participation Ely Britto, Saumya Comer, Shanti Dechen, Saida Dsilets, Tiffiny Fyans, Frank Ostoff, Sol Sebstian, Stephanie Wilger, Angela Wu
Qi Kung and Meditation: A Gateway to your True Nature An Invitation to an experience designed to sharpen your skill in moving energy: Three Tan Tien Chi Kung, Ten Step Breathing, Buddhist Incense Chi Kung with an introduction to BaGua Chi Kung compliment and aid you in opening the Eight Extraordinary Channels. The BaGua Chi Kung awakens your tendon twisting power. Having opened the body and created the chi flow from the variety of movements, we will segue into sitting meditation. You will be guided through the Microcosmic and Fusion Meditation practice guaranteed to bring you to a state of peaceful bliss.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
Buddha Palm, Chi Emission
Marie Favorito
If Chi Kung healing inspires you, Buddha Palm Chi Kung is essential. As a form, it presents an elegant set of slow Tai Chi-like movements of the arms and hand that use major acupuncture points in your hands to activate, open and balance energy pathways throughout your body while harmonizing your internal energy. Open Lao Gung (P-8) in your palms and activate many of the Extraordinary Channels. Tap into Heaven, Earth and Cosmic Chi and direct this life force for healing and creativity. Perfect your form and experience a few Chi Kung Healing Techniques.
Day 9 Monday, 9/13
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
5 Element Chinese Astrology - A Great Working Tool for Instructors In a translating role, Christine regularly assists Master Chia with individual astrology readings. The readings have proven remarkable, life changing and a great inspiration for many. Here, Christine presents a how-to of the recent, free astrology calculation on the Universal-Tao website. It is accessible, very simplified and gives information on the 5-element makeup of the individual. Youll discover a highly practical way of applying this as a teaching aid. The 5-element tie-in to the practices can give significant results in health and also help productivity, wealth, and personal relationships, plus insights into Inner Alchemy Feng Shui. Non-astrologers are more than welcome.
Day 8 - Sunday, 9/12
4 - 6:00 PM
Christine Harkness-Giles
Doug Hilton
The Universal Healing Tao & Eye Movement Reprocessing (EMDR) An Integrated Powerful Way To Heal EMDR is currently being used worldwide to help people let go of unresolved emotional pain from their past experiences. Master Chia and Doug have used The Universal Healing Tao to simplify and enhance the EMDR process. In this seminar, Doug will provide a description of EMDR and then describe how Master Chia has helped to shed light on how it works, how it can work even better, and how it can be done on your own. He will explain how to modify specific Universal Healing Tao practices to include this type of emotional release.
4 - 6:00 PM
The Presenters
The Magic of QiGong Qi Gong is the art of effortless power. Like a river moving down the mountain, Qi Gong requires both structure and flow to cultivate internal power. This intensive will delve into the inner structure of Qi Gong as a path to moving meditation. You will learn five flowing movements for each element as well as 5 standing meditations.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
Lee Holden
How to Make a DVD Have you ever dreamed of having your own DVD? Learn how to create a high-end production without big costs. This workshop will focus on creativity, vision, production, and marketing. Lee Holden has produced 10 condition-specific Qigong DVDs that have aired nationwide on public television stations in the U.S.
4 6:00 PM
Home Theater Room
Sexuality in Taoism In the Universal Healing Tao System sexual energy refers to the energy produced in the sexual organs. It is a neutral force, neither good nor bad. Ching is the energy produced by the ovaries and testicles and it is the basis for self healing and spiritual practice. Our system teaches us how to transform this sexual energy (ching chi) into life force (chi) and spiritual energy (shen). Through the practice we learn to feel it and guide it up into our brain where all the hormone-producing glands are. Come experience these core practices anew.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Jutta Kellenberger
Tan Tien and Elixir Qi Gong Elixir Qi Gong gives you the ability to transform saliva, the Fountain of Youth into a Golden Elixir and can be a major factor in healing and revitalizing yourself, as well as being a major transformer for higher spiritual work This practice has the power to heal many diseases and raises your internal energy and strength. Come and see -- Elixir Chi Kung will soon become one of your favorite practices! Tan Tien Chi Kung is the basis of your physical/mental/spiritual balance. Practicing it is a must for a Universal Healing Tao Practitioner as it improves Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Tai Chi Chi Kung, the flow of energy in the Microcosmic Orbit as well as Healing Love by giving you a stronger ability to cultivate and condense Chi in the Tan Tien. Raise the pressure in your Tan Tien and create more space for Chi cultivation and storage to enhance your health and happiness.
Walter Kellenberger
Day 9 Monday, 9/13
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
YinTao - For Women on the Way Renu will share her personal experiences in practicing and teaching Healing Love to women of all ages. She will inspire you to establish a goal and life purpose; to acknowledge the inner teacher that resides in your heart-center; and to connect you with the truth of your lunar nature. With this affirmed, Renu will guide you to feel and integrate the TAO as part of your life instead of only practicing it. Breast massage and egg exercises become a ritual of self love. Find new words to describe what you feel and see and establish a loving relationship toward your body and your sexual organs as you access your deep-rooted vitality and creativity.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Renu Li
Door into Life - A Multi-Media Presentation Healing and moving pictures promote a natural, healthy, and nurturing sexuality, without violence and abuse. There is a lot of insecurity and myth about how a vulva should look. This is why Renu started taking pictures of vulvas. The photo session alone is already a deep and healing experience. Most women never dare to even look at themselves. Seeing the pictures and the relation to all kinds of objects in nature, like trees, flowers, stones and more will change your perspective. If we can look at a vulva the same way we would admire a beautiful flower a transformation happens. This is one step toward a more healthy, sensual and conscious sexuality. Well, have a look!
8 9:45 PM
Ba Shen Hall
The First Formula of the Fusion of the Five Elements Meditation: The Pa-Kua and the Exploration of the Space-Time Continuum In this class you will be directed into an exploration of your inner space-time to help you connect with specific events of your life, or of your ancestry, which marked turning points in your health. The connection to these events while practicing the Fusion, or applying the formula during CNT treatments has a deep and wide-reaching healing effect.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM Immortal Meditation Hall
Gilles Marin
Direct Application of the Universal Healing Tao System in Chi Nei Tsang Gilles will offer his insights on directly applying Healing Tao techniques while providing a Chi Nei Tsang treatment and how to progressively teach the Universal Healing Tao program to Chi Nei Tsang clients. The understanding of the teachings in this class will allow UHT practitioners to understand better the underlying principles which make healing happen and CNT practitioners how to attract clients and efficiently enhance their practice.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Ba Shen Hall
Buddhist and Taoist Chi Kung Two Techniques from 2 Traditions: Twin Dragons Chasing the Pearl (Shaolin Angka) and Play the Lute (Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan). Although the Universal Tao practices are clearly from the Taoist lineage, other spiritual paths also developed movement traditions. During this seminar, we will share, compare and contrast two movements from 2 different traditions, one Buddhist, the other Taoist. The movements come from forms Rene learned in the 1960s and 70s with esteemed masters in Manila and the U.S. We will practice footwork and movement patterns and inquire into the popular notion that Buddhist and Taoist martial arts are different and entirely opposed, i.e., the former is external and hard while the latter is internal and soft.
Rene Navarro
4 - 6:00 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
The Presenters
Healing Love for Men This workshop will focus on Healing Love practice and philosophy for men, to help experienced healing love practitioners deepen their practices and insights. Some new aspects of Healing Love will be introduced along with the opportunity to exchange experiences, questions and views. Masahiro believes these practices are not just for deepening our sexuality. They deepen all aspects of life. They influence us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually; they affect our communication and our social relationships. It is a very powerful practice and it needs to be deepened by personal insights.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Ba Shen Hall
Masahiro Ouchi
Judith Poole
A Taste of Complementary Energetic Approaches This mini-transformational-seminar provides an opportunity to integrate your Tao Congress experiences, employing material developed by frontline innovators in energy psychology and energy medicine. With a focus on testing, balancing and shifting energy, the groups collective chi determines content. Reclaim energy locked up in DNA, personal and ancestral traumas, and a universal self-protective strategy of blocking access to emotions. Increased awareness of energetic habits allows us to liberate more chi, making increased vitality available to apply to the Universal Tao practices that Master Chia has so generously made available to us.
4 - 6:00 PM
Opening & Closing Ceremony Jutta Reichardt & her partner Christian Bollmann will be leading the opening and closing ceremony.
Opening Ceremony Day 1 - Sunday, 9/5 Closing Ceremony Day 10 - Tuesday, 9/14
8:30 - 9:00 PM 10:30 -12:00 PM
Immortal Meditation Hall Immortal Meditation Hall
Jutta Reichardt
Lotus Light Qigong Jutta Reichardt will introduce her Lotus Light Qigong. This is an easy-to-learn sequence of healing movements, that refer to our bodys energy centers and come with an uplifting message and affirmation determined to focus the mind and intention. The affirmations are simple and have evolved from over twenty years of experience with the Universal Tao system and daily healing work as a holistic medical doctor and psychotherapist.
4 - 6:00 PM
Tai Chi Field #1
Dena Saxer
27 Years Teaching and Living Tao: A Senior Instructors Blessings, Blunders, Lessons, Miraculous Gifts and Hilarious Surprises BLESSINGS: Healing painful emotions and osteoporosis with UHT; The bigger O; Writing three books with Master Chia; Disciplined, grateful students; UHT buddies. MIRACULOUS GIFTS: Inner power; Clairaudience; Manifesting my house & car. BLUNDERS: Running from power: giving it over to a shaman; Arrogance about power and the penalty; Fearing poverty and loneliness. LESSONS: Tao is the source of my supply; Strict rules about students doing practices before progressing; Accepting the deaths of my mother & 3 friends; Gratitude; TE, the greatest O. HILARIOUS SURPRISES: surprise! Well end with my rap Those Nasty Emotions! and a healing visualization.
8 9:45 PM
Ba Shen Hall
The Tao of Bone Health The Universal Healing Tao techniques are essential components in keeping your bones healthy and strong. Diet alone wont do it. Weight bearing exercise is helpful but limited. But if you add the essential ingredients of bone hitting techniques and sexual energy work, you have a winning formula. With osteoporosis in her maternal lineage, Sharon began to more seriously practice the bone hitting techniques combined with qigong on a vibration machine, and supplements after a bone density test in 2007. Since doing so, year by year her bone density has increased. In 2009, it increased by 7.5%! This seminar will give you an easy routine to enliven, maintain and grow your bones, build electromagnetic conductivity, and increase density. Dont forget to bring your wire hitter.
4 6:00 PM
Sharon Smith
Tai Chi Clinic As we all know, Tai Chi is not something one learns and masters in a 6-week class or a one-week retreat. It is a lifelong discipline that takes diligent practice (and patience!) to master the movements and the structure that energizes the chi flow and creates the harmony and balance expressed by the yin/yang symbol. If your Tai Chi needs some loving attention, come to the Tai Chi Clinic and get some help with your form. We will work on all of the important Tai Chi principles of rooting, alignment, relaxation, and yin/yang balance within the movement sequence.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
How It All Began The Origins of the Healing Tao At a time in history when Yoga was practiced in basements and Martial Arts found only in the movies, Taoist Internal Alchemy was not accessible to the western world. This was the time Master Mantak Chia came to America with a dream to share Taoist wisdom. Early seekers of the Tao found him in a small office in Chinatown, New York City and the Healing Tao system was born and became the bridge between East and West. We traveled the world to interview Master Chia and those early seekers who reveal How it All Began. Come to the premier of this unique documentary film!
Karin Sorvik
Day 2 Monday, 9/ 6
8 9:50 PM
Ba Shen Hall
The Presenters
The Microcosmic Orbit Innovations and Discoveries, Polishing the Basics As the doorway to the entire Universal Healing Tao system, the Microcosmic Orbit Meditation encompasses the foundations for the entire path of Taoist inner alchemy, chi kung, martial arts and healing. Advanced practices rely on a continuous polishing, deepening, and perfection of the basic skills and principles. Jampa will present an in-depth exploration of the Lower Dan Tian from the Taoist, Zen and Tibetan Tantric Buddhist practice traditions; alternate pathways for Microcosmic Orbit circulation; perspectives of the inner meaning of energy meditation as a practice for true spiritual awakening and returning to the Source Wu Chi.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Jampa Mackenzie Stewart
The Inner Structure of Tai Chi: Tai Chi Chi Kung I Revisited Tai Chi Chi Kung is the dance of the Tao. Through our practice we discover a way of understanding and applying the Taoist core principles of Yin and Yang, Five Elements, and Eight Trigrams within the experiential laboratory of our own body. This simple form is the deepest and most profound of all moving Chi Kung styles. It is a vessel that we can fill with the wisdom and skills from all the other systems that we have learned, condensed into one easy daily practice. In this experiential presentation well explore these meanings and apply our Yi intention to bring them into the flow of our movement and our life.
Day 6 Friday, 9/10
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
The Tao of Heart In this workshop we will delve into the heart of our being - the wellspring of love, compassion and truth. We will practice Heart Chi Kung, Tao Yoga and Inner Alchemy Meditation to dynamically balance fire and water. Enhance your total wellness with tools to release stress, re-charge your batteries, and improve circulation, blood pressure, fitness and energy level. Heal and transform negative patterns that disturb your heart. Learn ways to keep our hearts open as we ride the waves of change. Explore our limitless capacity for peace, happiness and bliss. Connecting our consciousness and love with our sexual energy, we can create a new reality and spread healing chi into the world. Minke will also share the trailer of her documentary, Heart of a Dancer, about her healing journey and the power of the Inner Smile, starring Master Chia, followed by Q & A.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Minke de Vos
Harmonious Exchange Minke de Vos will share her experience with Healing Love for men and women. She has developed ways to explore, move and open pathways for sexual currents to flow through and between a couple. These energy pathways cultivate more harmony between the masculine and feminine energies, deepening intimacy and expanding multi-orgasmic potential. She will share how we can enhance our presence of our three Tan Tiens, thinking, feeling and willing, to create more sexual polarity and balance in our relationships.
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Shashi Solluna
The Tao of Nutrition In Taoist Nutrition, it is not just what you eat, but how you eat and what your relationship with food is like. In this talk Shashi will introduce the basic principles of Five Element Nutrition in the form of a medicine wheel or map, based on nature. This gives a very solid foundation for understanding energy flow between organs and meridians. It can be extremely helpful in diagnostics of chi blockages, and can be used to work out appropriate remedies. Participants will gain an understanding of how different foods move through different organs and produce different effects on the energy flow. One will also gain understanding of how to be intuitive with food energetics, as well as how to read the energy of the person to gain deeper understanding. This class is complimentary for anyone who practices Chi Nei Tsang, as it can give greater insight into diagnosis as well as nutritional advice to assist clients in the healing process.
4 6:00 PM
Kwan Yin Dining Hall
Universal Tao Publications Presentation Williams presentation will cover the history of the Universal Tao Publications and will discuss the evolution of the publishing of the books from the years of self-publishing to the current publishing arrangement with Inner Traditions. He will discuss how the books are written based on the formulas established by Master Chia with co-authors, editors, and ghostwriters as well as the Project Managers role. The Thai staff will be introduced and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.
4 6:00 PM
Bookstore
William Wu Wei
Chi Nei Tsang and Trauma Enrich your Chi Nei Tsang practice with the addition of simple techniques from two modalities that Wilbert has worked with extensively: 1) Focusing first formulated by Professor Gendlin, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago and leader in the field of subtle inner experience, and 2) Somatic Experiencing created by Dr. Peter Levine PhD, an expert on trauma. These techniques can enhance your CNT treatments by helping to guide your students into a deeper place of communication with the feelings that arise in the body. In this seminar, Wilbert will offer insights and effective ways to give CNT while guiding clients into an experience of this felt sense.
Wilbert Wils
Day 6 - Friday, 9/10
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Ba Shen Meditation Hall
The Presenters
Taoist Internal Alchemy Cultivation in the West Taoist internal alchemy (neidangong) is perhaps Chinas most secretive art. It is secret within China, and doubly secret to foreign barbarians who historically would never be initiated into esoteric circles of alchemical knowledge. Pioneer Mantak Chia broke the code of secrecy beginning in 1981 when he began teaching these formulas to Western adepts. He began a revolution in the West that is still reverberating back to China, where he has perforce inspired the Chinese to be less secretive. As a result of the Universal Healing Tao (originally Taoist Esoteric Yoga) teaching out these secrets, there are probably many more people in the West studying internal alchemy today than in China. Participants will gain a more clear understanding of this Way and its relationship to Western spiritual archetypes and schools of alchemy. Topics will include Jungian psychological alchemy, bodily vs. laboratory alchemy, role of alchemy in energetic healing, and Eastern vs. Western notions of immortality, resurrection and eternal life.
Michael Winn
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Harald Xander
Chi Nei Tsang and the Coaching Process My workshop is dealing with a basic question -- How can Chi Nei Tsang practitioners benefit from experiences of professional coaching I want to follow the map Gilles is suggesting when he states There is no healing without confusion. How can we share confusion with our CNT partners without getting confused by our own issues? Easiness is a good point to start with. Easiness can be taken as the Yin side of the metal element. So it is very near to emotional intelligence and feeling. Participants will be provided with some insights and exercises that can promote easiness in the healing process. Some of them originate from theater training while others are basic verbal and nonverbal coaching tools. Breathing exercises and experiments with touching and being touched will be included to strengthen the metal element.
4 - 6:00 PM
Courtyard Condo #2
Effective Use of Digital Media to Enhance Your Teaching Instructors realize the great value and benefits of the Universal Tao system and are motivated to share and teach what they know. In fact, many instructors would be teaching fulltime if they knew that they could make a living at teaching. But instructors often dont understand marketing and the potential benefits of an effective internet strategy. Learn some strategies and options in the world of Digital Media available to you that will help you promote yourself and develop a community of students. Features will be presented that will aide you in the creation of your own web presence. Establishing yourself in the digital world will express itself in the physical world by new students showing up for your classes and by the formation of your student community.
John Zielinski
4 6:00 PM
Bookstore
photo Juan Li
1983 Kan & Li Retreat
photo Sharon Smith
LETTER...
from Michael Winn
I go tripping down Memory Lane. Rummaging through my files... hmmm...where is it...30 years ago....thats 1981....Chinatown, New York. I land in a rather tiny room. At one end of the room a character floats into focus. I recall him as Boy Genius. He is 36 years old, but is so boyish he could pass for 20.
broken. But, like a kid, he is totally innocent of the enormity of his abilities. So you feel comfortable with him, because like a kid, everything is pure play. Its all FUN. Everyone else in the room becomes a kid with him. Boy Genius is not hiding his kidness behind a big title or a podium or any kind of organized movement. He just got off the boat from Thailand, and nobody has even heard of him. Everyone has an odd story about how they got into that room, his first ever. Theres nothing advertising him, except his own big dreams about something he is calling Taoist Esoteric Yoga. I showed up at his first workshop because my weekly Tai Chi teacher, Sharon Smith, announced one day she was cancelling her entire 10-week course, and giving us our money back. Why? She felt it was a waste of everyones time to learn Tai Chi until they learned some strange Taoist practice called the Microcosmic Orbit. If we were interested we could show up in Chinatown next week..... A Kundalini Yoga friend, Donna Bubash, had already reported to me that his energy is off the charts! and told me he was
looking for a writer. This smelled like manna for my Inner Energy Junkie. I lived only 10 minutes away. So I walked over to Chinatown to talk to the guy. He was very friendly and humble. He made his living doing energy healing on the patients that a Chinese MD down the hall could not cure with conventional medicine. His plan, he told me, was to write ONE BOOK about his teacher One Clouds seven Inner Alchemy formulas. Boy Genius confided to me the real reason he left Thailand: the local AMA of Thai doctors ran him out of the country. Why? Because, like a typical Boy Genius, he devised a big 10x 15 foot platform and ran a current of negative ions (electrons) through a wired rug laid over the top. He charged street people a few pennies to sit on it, and the ion field detoxified and healed many of them. The doctors got angry because he was putting them out of business. They got on TV, denouncing him as an unlicensed charlatan. So he decided to cool his heels in the States, young wife and baby Max in tow. But its no problem, I left Thailand as a millionaire, he told me, with a hint of pride in his voice. Only much later did I grasp that he meant a million Thai baht,
photo Rob Cooper
Boy Genius is a kind of spiritual brainiac, a kid who somehow was born to know how to fix everything in the universe. In a different time, he would have been the smart kid next door who knew how to fix cars. This kid instead fixes people that are energetically
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worth only $40,000. But to a kid, it was a lot of money. Like a kid, Boy Genius was overflowing with a naive kind of ambition. Want to become an immortal? Sure, we can arrange that. Hundreds, maybe thousands of Chinese have already done that. Its in the old books. Why shouldnt a goofy bunch of Western seekers be able to do the same? It was shocking, and refreshing. But the spiritual brainiac was not the best part of Boy Genius. There was more to love. Back to his first workshop. The rest of the room slowly comes into focus. I see an odd assortment of characters. I notice that my belly begins to shake. With laughter. Why? Because everyone is the room is laughing. I am one of them. I am laughing so hard my stomach aches. Whats so funny? Boy Genius is so disarmingly outrageous. Sometimes we laugh at his Chinglish. Push your thumbs into the ground, he keeps insisting. Thumbs? We resist. It finally dawns on him: thumbs is the same word as toes in Chinese. He bursts into laughter, laughing at himself. Other times the laughter is because Boy Genius is so direct and unashamed in explaining sex, or at least the ins and out of the esoteric kind. Everybody has to energetically get naked. Its the seed of a beginning of the spiritual sex revolution that will hit the West a few years later with full force. Eventually, the laughter becomes more and more cosmic. Its like everybody got the Cosmic Joke, all of us at the same time. Just being with Boy Genius was FUN, and funny. And unfailingly, he comes up with fresh new Taoist punch lines to the
Cosmic Joke. I close my Memory Lane files. Back to the future, 30 years later, its 2010..... A few more million people have joined the party that started in that small room in Chinatown. As students, live or by book and video. The name changed from Taoist Esoteric Yoga to Healing Tao and Universal got added in. The first wife is gone, and four new potential boy or girl genius kids have been born. Ive grown up faster and gone further, thanks to Boy Genius jump-starting my car back in 1980. But Boy Genius hasnt changed. Still FUN, and funny. And still delivering fresh Taoist punch lines to the Cosmic Joke
I was very inspired by the teachings, especially as I was a young medical doctor and keenly interested in holistic medicine, energy work, acupuncture, psychosomatics, nutrition and everything, which could enhance self-healing.
Frankfurt ,1987
photo Juan Li
photo Sharon Smith
from Jutta Reichardt I remember my first acquaintance with Master Chia during the summer retreat in New York State 1985. We had come all the way from Germany and were welcomed as his first European students. Mantak Chia had a young appearance. He was very friendly and open and I immediately felt his great commitment. He lectured in the lively and enthusiastic manner he maintained all the years.
My former partner Harald Kutzke was teaching Taoist meditation and Tai Chi in Bonn at that time. The publisher of Chias first Tao Yoga book in German had asked to clarify some issues, which were difficult to translate. So Harald and M.Chia had a nice telephone correspondence and we then decided to join a retreat in the U.S.A. to know him personally. I had learned some Qi Gong and Tai Chi with Harald and several Chinese masters. But meeting M. Chia was different. I remember Master Chia laughing and explaining: Qi is joyful, playful, always moving, like a little child or animal. This was the vibration of the whole retreat and Master Chias presence was intense, his tempo speedy, as he tried to pass us as much as he could. I appreciated Chias well structured and pragmatic way of teaching and was deeply touched by his loving
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and generous manner of transmitting and sharing the energy. I remember how we soon felt the effects of the practice. Learning the basics, the Six Healing Sounds, the Inner Smile, the Microcosmic, Tai Chi, Healing Love and Iron Shirt made me feel energized and happy. I was fascinated by the Tao Yoga as an elaborate and at the same time practical universal healing system of highly refined techniques. It was complex and at the same time natural and simple, as it created awareness of the processes and laws of nature and life itself. I started to love the practices. The Inner Smile changed my life. And each other formula I learned from M. Chia was a great gift. We did a lot of Iron Shirt pulling up the energy through our spine, 1,2,3 pull up, hold it and doooown........., you got it? It felt like a big washing process. We were getting more sparkling from day to day. I started to feel very balanced, wide, peaceful, soft and more centered and grounded. Even our bodies began to smell sweeter. It was so delightful to open the inner
sense-fields of energy flow and wonderful to sink into inner spaces of serenity.
photo Marie Favorito
I was surprised at how the delicious five element food cooking supported us. I felt satisfied with small amounts, feeling nourished by the Qi field created in the classes. After the retreat I knew I had found a lifelong practice which would unfold more and more. I enjoyed the interesting and inspiring diversity of individual characters among Chias elder students in the U.S.A. and the nice connection between them. Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone were helping as instructors. They were lovely and took us to their wonderful remote home after the retreat.
I kept visiting Master Chias workshops in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland and later on in the Tao Garden. Each workshop was like opening another door. I thank my dear friends and wonderful instructors Renu Li and Gabrielle Euteneuer for their inspiring teachings nearby in Germany and our nice collaboration, Juan Li for transmitting profound and refined insights and Gilles Marin for sharing his remarkable Chi Nei Tsang healing work. Of course I am grateful for the enriching exchange within the many friends of the Tao and the beauty of sharing the techniques in my groups. The teachings and practices have accompanied me on my way and remained to be a reliable foundation, as I studied and experienced precious other ways of healing and spiritual development. As a holistic doctor and psychotherapist the Universal Healing Tao system proved to be of great practical help in my daily work and I managed to introduce many patients to it during the last 25 years. Even just practicing the shaking, the Inner Smile or a Healing Sound led to very fine results. The main message has been. You can help yourself and feel the results. I experienced that the Universal Healing Tao could enhance a healing process in almost any physical, psychic and psychosomatic illness. Many of my patients and clients experienced a deep shift in their lives through the wonderful practices. I feel a deep gratitude to Master Mantak Chia for the treasure and the support I received. I greatly acknowledge the gift he gives to the whole planet, as he generously shares and continues to inspire numberless people for over 30 years, helping them take responsibility for themselves, change their life, awaken
Frankfurt, 1987
Archive Juan & Renu Li
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their spiritual potentials and make them feel more happy, loving and fulfilled by transmitting his knowledge, experience, the ancient Taoist wisdom and the Inner Alchemy. The system keeps unfolding itself, connecting the ancient to the future, integrating and enhancing the global transitions of a worldwide awakening process. How wonderful to be part of it.
ration of Tantra with an energetic system that was so complete and that really worked. I spent a very happy year living at Tao Garden, assisting with all matters of the nutritional department. Absorbing the profound practices and teachings of Grandmaster Chia, living in a practicing Taoist Community, watching people transform during their visits to Tao Garden... I had the most fantastic time being a part of Tao Garden. Thank you, Grandmaster Chia, for passing on these precious pearls of wisdom. There are so many people throughout the world benefitting from your work. May the chi be with you forevermore! from Judith Poole Healing Tao Roots
a young adolescent daughter working in a high stress environment, knowing nothing of subtle energy. Id wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. Instead I had plunged into what I called lifus interuptus. A year earlier, when a colleague dragged me along to my first meditation and announced in the car: You are not your mind I couldnt fathom what she was talking about. My mind was the one thing Id found reliable. And while I had willingly if not deliberately taken on the task of raising a child on my own (far less popular an undertaking in the 70s), I hadnt done so with the awareness that I would also have a disabling illness to manage that could rob me of my vitality. A few things stick out in memory since that first class. We learned the Inner Smile and Six Healing Sounds. So well indoctrinated was I in a Western reductionist perspective that I could not imagine a benefit in making strange sounds on behalf of my lungs and kidneys. My problem, as I understood it, was located in my large and small intestines. And I had pain in my joints. Still, I liked the way I felt when our class practiced these sounds together. The next afternoon I lay in bed moving energy through the Microcosmic Orbit. When I moved the energy down to the dan tien, I felt acute pain. Unlike the frightening symptoms Id been experiencing with Crohns disease, this time I knew
courtesy of Tao Garden
from Shashi Solluna My personal journey led me to discover Taoism via my studies of nutrition. Once I found FiveElement Nutrition, I found my mode of healing. However, I was looking for more than just nutritional wisdom. Then someone told me about Chi Nei Tsang and Mantak Chias work, and my world took a turn for the better that has changed the course of my life! Studying at Tao Garden, I found the system that completely supported all that I was already doing! Taking my nutritional work into direct experience and practice, I dived straight into the practices, feeling that at last I had found what I was looking for! Not only did Grandmaster Chia bring me Chi Nei Tsang, but I also found that the Healing Love Practices completed my ten-year explo-
Iwas diagnosed with Crohns disease In the 70s shortly after my gall bladder was removed. I told my gastroenterologist that I didnt have many useful hours in a day. He gave me the prevailing medical opinion: You have a chronic illness. Youll just have to learn to live with it. Perhaps out of innate perversity, I wasnt inclined to believe him. I tried every type of yoga then available. Holding an awkward position while on the floor just didnt do much for me. Then, in 1983, a course description in Bostens Interface catalog caught my eye: Rylin Malone and Gunther Weil were teaching the Microcosmic Orbit followed by Tai Chi. Like most Westerners, I was familiar with Tai Chi; the meditation practices sounded strange. Following the directive in the catalog, I signed up for both classes. Here I was, a single parent with
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intuitively that the pain was a signal that healing was taking place. I persisted. The first time I came to Rylin and Gunthers class I had braces on both arms and heavy orthopedic shoes. I experienced pain in all my joints, a frequent accompaniment to many autoimmune conditions. By the end of the first 8-week course, I had shed the braces, and was rarely in pain. My thinking was still very left-brain oriented. After my first 8 week session, I was anxious to move ahead, and signed up for Iron Shirt. Id taken out the catalog of courses to study the sequence if classes, dreaming of a time when Id have mastered the system. I found it much easier to let my mind leap to a desired end-point than to imagine adopting a daily practice. Little did I realize then that I was embarking on a new way of life. Its hard now to even remember what my thoughts and feelings were at that time. It was immediately clear to me, however, that I was experiencing the benefits of this new understanding even before I managed to engage in a regular disciplined daily practice. Gradually my vitality improved, I had more useful hours in a day. This felt like something of a miracle compared to the lowered expectations Id been encouraged to adopt. For the first time in months I was able to feel hopeful again. I felt an immediate affinity for the philosophy of the Tao. Its focus on relationships rather than cause and effect appealed to me. I liked the optimism I was experiencing. I could begin to ignore the negative predictions Id heard from medical personnel.
In 1990 I attended my first retreat. In gratitude to Mantak and Maneewan for making this possible, I wrote an article called Pace and the Journey to Vitality that was published in an issue of the Tao Journal. At the conclusion of the piece I beseeched instructors to focus attention on people like myself who had disabilities, chronic illnesses,
to absorb an understanding that has already become second nature to me. When I compare this education to the Bachelors and Masters programs that I completed since encountering the Tao, I realize that what Master Chia has shared with us is so much more useful, more comprehensive, and more holistic than what academia can offer.
Firewalk at the Stupa - Big Indian 1986
photo Juan Li
and limiting impairments. Little did I realize that I was talking to myself. Nine months later I wrote to the Chias for permission to take instructor training, and in 1991, I became a Universal Healing Tao Instructor. Never in my life had I imagined such a path for myself. And yet, actually I did. For though in my vision I thought I wanted to be a physician, what I really wanted was to assist people to heal. In fact, thats what I have been doing since encountering the Healing Tao, and probably to a much greater extent than would have been possible had I actually gone to medical school! In the years since 1983 I have pursued many courses of study, deepening and enriching my understanding of subtle energy. With each class I take, my gratitude expands for the foundation that Mantak Chia has provided. I watch others of my classmates struggle
from Rene Navarro It was nothing much, just a crude wooden little sign with a buddha and the words Healing Tao Center and a 3rd floor Bowery walkup, a small room above a beauty salon. When you entered the street entrance and as you walked up, you got a whiff of the chemicals and singed hair. After I read the books Awaken Healing Energy through the Tao and Cultivating Male Sexual Energy, I called Mantak Chia and his secretary directed me to this place in New Yorks Chinatown for a weekend workshop. That was the beginning of my involvement in the Healing Tao. It was the early 80s. I had just come back from training in China and I was not happy with what I learned there -- Wu-Shu, which was largely competitive forms with impossible (to me) acrobatic maneuvers and fancy stances. When I saw the two books -
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now the classics of Taoist Yoga in the West - I knew immediately that they were the keys to the new area I wanted to learn, the energetics of the human body, the level of spirituality that I had only read about. I was not aware of any master teaching it, not in the west, nor in the Philippines where I had studied Shaolin Kung-Fu, Tai Chi Chuan and Pa-Kua Chang in the 60s. Microcosmic Orbit Meditation and Taoist Sexual Yoga were considered esoteric subjects not to be taught in public, not even in private, except to a few trusted in-door students. They were not in fact mentioned in the literature that I read in English. In his teachings, Mantak did not allude to any sources in the Taoist canon; apparently, his lessons were direct transmissions from his masters. I did not know much about this young teacher at the time, except that he had studied with a lot of masters whose names appeared in his brochures and books. Some of the teachers were not mentioned because there were too many of them. He boasted of having bought some techniques. This secret was bought with a house, he would say. What he meant was that it was worth a house. Much of what he was teaching was inaccessible at the time, rare knowledge that was being disseminated publicly for the first time in the west. He had a unique approach to teaching and learning. He spoke of the energetic centers in terms of their location in the physical body -- he was discussing anatomy and physiology, something that nobody perhaps had done
before. For the first time, a Chinese master was combining the knowledge of East and West in the area of meditation, chi-kung and spiritual practices. There were illustrations and graphics that clearly defined the anatomical locations of the meridian points he was talking about. It was a cozy organization with people doing volunteer work or getting study credits for working on the computer or the kitchen. There was a family atmosphere with Mantak and Maneewan the patriarch and matriarch of an extended clan. Early followers of the Healing Tao were: Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone, two Harvard graduates, who added their professionalism and credibility to the operation; Juan Li, a quiet scholar and practitioner, who with his art background, drew the remarkable illustrations of the Transmissions; Michael Winn, a journalist and explorer and scholar; Ron Diana, an extraordinary healer grounded in spirituality.
workshops; also often on the frequently chaotic notes of M. Chia. There were sleeping quarters adjacent to the office. Mantak himself answered the phone when he was around and answered questions from around the world. It was a surprise to many who did not expect the master to be accessible. He also did computer work, was proud of his knowhow and was quite happy to teach. Writers were hired to produce his manuals. There were likewise volunteers who did writing and editing. Manual after book, book after manual, were written and edited and published. A year later, Mantak asked me to join him in a weeklong retreat in North Andover, Massachusetts. From the basics, I proceeded to learn the three levels of Fusion of the Five Elements, Iron Shirt 2 and the Tai Chi Chi-Kung slow set. In 1985, in one of the workshops in Chinatown, NY he asked me to join the Teacher Training to be held in Big Indian in the Catskill mountains of upstate NY. The student usually started with Microcosmic Orbit meditation, a discipline opening and bridging the two primary meridian channels of the body, the Ren/Jen in the front and the Tu/Du in the back. In the Microcosmic Orbit
Mantak and Maneewan lived in Huntington, Long Island. Later, they moved to a big ranch house with a large basement annex for office space. Writers and instructors would come and visit, and do some work on the manuals and books. Sometimes, they would rely on information from
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meditation, these are deliberately bridged and linked. From the Microcosmic Orbit, the student may study Taoist Sex/ Healing Love or Iron Shirt Chi Kung or Tai Chi Chi Kung 1. The next step was usually Fusion of the 5 Elements (there are three levels of it). Further were the 3 Enlightenments of Kan and Li representing the two cauldrons in the Navel and the Solar Plexus and an intermediate Cauldron in the Heart Center, and Sealing of the 5 Senses. As its name implies the Healing Tao emphasized healing -- the practices of meditation, Qigong, Tai Chi, massage and nutrition are facets of traditional Chinese medicine. But at the same time, in the early 80s, it was slowly moving toward the immortality practices of internal alchemy. The opening of the different channels were just a preparation for the advanced practices of Kan & Li (Water and Fire, I Ching Hexagrams #63 and 64), Sealing of the 5 Senses, Congress of Heaven and Earth, and Reunion with God. These teachings were transmitted to Mantak Chia by Yi Eng, One Cloud Hermit, a breatharian and a refugee from the mountains of Central China who had to move to Hongkong to escape the Japanese bombing during World War II. Nonetheless, people had a choice of curriculum. For some, the hard chi kung training was a chance to toughen the physical body for martial arts. For others, there were healing techniques -massage and qigong -- and spiritual practices. Sometime in the late 90s, I asked Mantak what he considered his
Summer Retreat - Big Indian, NY - 1986
photo Juan Li with timer
most important contribution to healing and spiritual practices. When he did answer my letter, he did not say much. Neither about his teacher nor about his contribution to Taoism but he did emphasize that he wanted to write as many books as possible. His business agent, Jon Weston, did say that Mantaks greatest contribution is the transmission of Taoist techniques to the West and the training of instructors who were to disseminate the system. He has a multi-faceted life but it is as a teacher that Mantak stands out. His method of creating blocks of information and formulas in a systematic and progressive manner from the most basic to the most complicated, from the foundation knowledge to the high spiritual practices, has become a model in teaching Eastern knowledge. At the same time, it should be mentioned that as we look around us, we notice that many of the teachings that Mantak Chia started teaching almost 3 decades ago are now just being introduced to the West. In retrospect, I remember those early days with great fondness. I was one of the first 6 senior insPEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 33 -
tructors: Gunther Weil, Rylin Malone, Juan Li, Michael Winn, Ron Diana and I the most junior. I miss my friends and colleagues. Gunther is somewhere in Colorado with a successful practice. I havent seen him since the late 80s when we last talked in Pathwork Phoenicia, Catskills. Rylin has passed away, so has Ron: they were a great influence in my life. The last time I saw Juan Li was in Upper Egypt, among the temples (Luxor, Karnak, Dendera, Abydos) and the Valley of the Kings. Michael Winn has progressed far indeed, with his practices and life, in Asheville, North Caroli-
photo courtesy of Rene Navarro
na where he has his home and center. I am living in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in relative rustication, spending my time teaching every now and then, writing and studying, and cultivating my inner garden. from Lilli Just Simon Universal Healing Tao Instructor Imagine life without the Inner Smile? Looking back at all these wonderful smiles we have shared with Mantak Chia and each other: There are a lot of them and more are still coming! Mantak Chia has been my teacher since 1986. I had just recently come to the U.S. from Europe to continue my Shiatsu studies. I had learned about chi, the 5 Elements and how the emotions are related to the organs etc. I had all that knowledge but I was looking for how I could enhance my own chi. Then I started to study with Mantak Chia in Chinatown in New York and I literally was able to feel chi for the first time and all that I had learned as theory regarding Asian medicine came alive. It blew my mind experiencing chi
Summer Retreat Big Indian 1987
photo Lili Just Simon
in the Microcosmic Orbit, in the Conception and Governing vessels, and the emotions directly in the organs. I remember studying Fusion in a small class. We were all sitting serene in meditation and Mantak Chia whispered directions in a participants ear and all of a sudden we heard an angry roar from this guy and it went straight to my liver. Amazing! Just as I had learned theoretically that anger is stored in the liver. Experiencing chi in all its variations and formulas has been and still is a life long journey.
Mantak Chia as a teacher has this wonderful ability to convey his teachings in a very accessible and practical way, making the Eastern principles understandable to our Western way of thinking. The Healing Tao system has been such an integral part of my life for so many years and it is hard to think of a life without it. It is my spiritual practice in how I commune with natures chi daily, in my work as a healer and teacher and how I take care of myself on all levels. I am honored to teach the Healing Tao. It always helps me grow. I thank you Mantak Chia for this great gift and a gift I can give to others in making this world a better place. With honor, respect, love and chi. from Jampa Mackenzie Stewart I remember when I first met Master Chia in Ithaca, New York in 1982. We were both guests of sponsor Maurice Haltom. After Master Chias Friday evening public talk at Cornell University, we returned to Maurices house, and Master Chia went to bed early. Maurice and I stayed up late, telling stories, laughing, and eating
Stupa at Big Indian
photo Lili Just Simon
donuts, stopping every so often to feel the immense waves of Qi emanating from Master Chias bedroom. It was then that I knew he was the real deal. I attended Teacher Training at Big Indian in 1986, along with Marie Favorito, Rene Navarro, John Loupos, and Susan McMackin. Gunther Weil, Rylin Malone, and John Zielinski helped train us, along with Master Chia. Ive been teaching Healing Tao ever since, and have been able to benefit
had openly revealed the Taoist teachings previously held so extremely secret. Its hard to overstate the impact this has had on the world; since Master Chia came on the scene, other teachers have had to put up or shut up. The ready availability of profound and open Qigong teachings around the world today is without question a direct result of Master Chia; he opened the door first. No wonder his name is recognized around the world!
into relevance for us 21st century citizens. He can also be hilariously funny, and is never short of stories to keep us entertained while learning. He works on his students, too. I remember being in retreat at Big Indian in the late 80s. Master Chia would usually have his instructors lead the morning exercises. He would watch us out the window from his 3rd story room, and I knew that he was working energetically on various people, helping them break through energetic and emotional blockages. One morning when he came down the stairs for breakfast, I could actually see multicolored lights emanating from his form, and I could see right through his body. The real deal. Master Chia is always learning from his thousands of students as well, absorbing and synthesizing new knowledge and techniques to keep improving the system.
thousands of people through this precious and rare transmission Master Chia has given us. Before studying with Master Chia, I had studied Tai Chi and Zen meditation for over a decade. Even though I worked hard at it, my level of skill was still mediocre. Through Master Chias teachings, the many isolated islands of knowledge I had previously learned were joined together into a cohesive whole; his vast and profound insights filled in the gaps and helped organize, shape, and deepen my skills. Suddenly the masters and teachers I had looked up to in the past were now calling ME master! This was all because Master Chia
He was definitely inspired by his Baptist missionary mother, who he spoke of many times. He, too, is a man with a mission, a mission that he is fulfilling. Master Chias success is no accident. Aside from his focus and determination, he works as hard as three ordinary people. As a teacher, Master Chia has really set a great example for us to follow. He has always been state of the art in his use of teaching aids: PowerPoint, books, audio, video, charts and illustrations all make it easier to access these subtle teachings. His knowledge of the Western sciences of anatomy, physiology, and astronomy all help to bring these ancient esoteric teachings
Mostly I want to thank Master Chia for his great generosity and kindness towards me personally. From 1987-1994, he invited me every summer to help teach at his summer retreats. He knew that I was struggling to support a wife and two children through my Tai Chi center in Rochester, New York, and he respected that, and wanted to help me. So, in 1989, he called me and gave me the opportunity to help edit several of his new books that were then in progress. He paid me a respectable wage, always more on the generous side of fairness. I felt unbelievably honored to be able to live at his house on Long Island in 1990 and help work on Awaken Healing Light of the Tao and The Inner Structure of Tai Chi.
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Of course, in writing a tribute to someone, its easy to lionize your subject and set them up on a lofty pedestal (always a precarious place to live). Those of us who have had the good fortune to work closely over time with Master Chia know that he has his share of flaws. His innocent trust of others and his childlike enthusiasm have gotten him into trouble more than once. Yet these very qualities are also part of his charm and his amazing creativity and sincerity. His flaws make him all the more approachable; they inspire us to think, Hey, hes human, just like me. Maybe I could do great things, too. Its hard to put into words how much Master Mantak Chia has influenced my life. Many of my deepest and most meaningful friendships (including Shanti, my partner) have sprung from my connection with Master Chia. They have been a great joy and support, and have added profoundly to the quality of my life. I feel a daily debt of gratitude to him, for hardly a day goes by that I dont use the practices he taught me to enhance my health and well being. Unrepayable kindness. Its a great joy to be part of this system, this family, this legacy. from Dena Saxer Dear Master Chia, I am forever grateful to you for teaching me your modern synthesis of ancient Taoist wisdom, for certifying and inspiring me to teach these treasures, and for inviting me to cowrite books with you. Thank you for these privileges and honors. I love you! Your student and friend, Dena Saxer
from Wilbert Wils Dear Master Chia, Congratulations on your 30 year celebration and all you have achieved in this lifetime. When I first met you in the Healing Tao in the early nineties I knew that this was what I wanted something spiritual and yet anchored in the body and in nature. When I heard about the plans for Tao Garden I thought I would want to live there the rest of my life. So I was one of the earliest investors and for a while even the biggest investor. I remember the enthusiasm for you and your teaching of all who helped make Tao Garden happen. You were everywhere at once, leading meditations and being
Thank you for bringing the Universal Tao into the world. What an immense work you did! Congratulations. from Saida Dsilets TAO practice: A Lasting Gift As a young woman on her path, I was open to many different practices, lineages, and styles of meditation. It was not until I came across the Universal Tao system, however, that I felt concrete results. In fact, the results not only were tangible, they were lasting! I also loved the Taoist philosophy that we are our own Master/Teacher/Gur and that the truth could be found within. For over a decade I have continued my dedicated practice and have had MANY amazing
photo Sharon Smith
the motivator and moving force behind all the activities as well as the designer. I remember the inspiring meditations in what later was the dining hall and especially those at the dam with the invocation of all the forces of nature. I remember all the plans to make Tao Garden an ecological paradise. Some ideas were crazy but many were realized. Think of the brick factory, the sewage system, the water purification, the ingenious mosquito and fish feeding system, the water heating and so on. Tao Garden has been very fruitful.
experiences with all levels of the practice (both personal and teaching) and for simplicity, I will share only a few poignant ones: Microcosmic Orbit. I learned this in a short, 2-hour private session and then left to practice. I practiced every morning and every night for at least 1-2 hours. After 2 weeks of diligent practice, I went to bed one night to experience something amazing! Every cell in my body felt like it was being bathed in a gentle, tingling mist. It was an exceptional feeling and it was the start of my orbit opening.
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6 Healing Sounds. I didnt believe that making weird sounds would heal anything, but then again, I was open to at least giving things a chance. There was a really horrible flu that went around that would wake people in the middle of night with severe gut pain and then it would last for about 2 weeks! One night, I woke with severe gut pain and instead of lying there in pain, I sat up and did the healing sounds while pressing into my belly. Within a hour there was no more pain and I never got the flu. I have repeatedly used this technique to avoid getting flus that seem to impact the people around me. Jade Egg. Very quickly after starting this practice, I noticed a substantial change in my menstrual blood and cycle (for the better). I also noticed that my once enthusiastic-but-scattered energy started to align itself and led me to living the life of my dreams. I attribute this to my sexual practice. Many hidden mysteries have made themselves known through this profound practice. Through a change of lifestyle and qi gong practice, I have healed myself of two incurable imbalances: rosacea & an unidentified sexual issue as well as long-term digestive issues. I only teach what I can do myself, so I continue, to this day, with my daily qi gong practice. It substantially has enhanced my life for the better and must admit it is a primary source of high quality energy! another from Judith Poole My first retreat I started taking classes from Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone at Interface in 1983. Finally, in 1990, I
was able to attend my first retreat held at the Pathwork Center in the New York Catskills. I first encountered the Healing Tao when I was recovering from Crohns disease and what are called extra-intestinal symptoms. A friend who wrote a newsletter for the local chapter of the Crohns and Colitis Foundation and I used to joke, calling such symptoms extra-terrestrial. At any rate, I had joint involvement, a common accompaniment to many autoimmune conditions. Id complained to my gastroenterologist that I had so little vitality that I was spending half of each day in bed. Further I was in significant pain making even routine movement difficult. My doctors response was What do you expect. You have a chronic illness! That was enough to inspire me to find a way to feel better on my own. I tried many types of yoga, but I was miserable trying to assume and hold positions while lying on the floor, and I didnt notice any improvement. In fact, I felt much worse after participating in a class, especially when I looked around and the others didnt seem to be challenged at all. When I took my first class with Gunther and Rylin, both my arms were in splints. Seven years later
Id had significant improvement, but my joints were still vulnerable to inflammation, so when I chose what retreat to attend, I carefully chose one with a meditation focus. I was familiar with Fusion from listening to the audiotapes, and I loved it. I chose to attend a Fusion Retreat, looking forward to spending the week mastering meditation. What a shock to discover that first day that we were to start the morning gathered on the tennis courts before breakfast to do Iron Shirt exercises! After a few basic qigong moves, Master Chia called out: Alright. Turtle. 15 minutes! I knew the posture, as Id taken Iron Shirt at Interface. Getting into the position and holding it was another matter. If Id been anonymous and didnt think anyone would notice, Id have slithered away, out of sight. Instead, subject to peer pressure, I did my best to bend at the hips, flatten my back, and appear to be a turtle. No self-respecting turtle would have recognized me for kin. I found even trying to approximate the correct position extremely painful. But there was nowhere to hide. Instead, I imagined myself back in bed in the cottage I was assigned to, way up a hill overlooking the
photo Lili Just Simons
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meditation hall and tennis courts. The second that I had that impulse, I heard Master Chias voice call out, No. Stay here! I knew he was addressing me. The game was up. Still, I was amazed. How did he know Id taken off? I suppose Id gone traveling away from my body all my life, never aware that I could be observed in the process. For goodness sake. Until that moment I didnt know there was actually such a thing as an energy body. It seemed innocent enough to habitually imagine myself elsewhere in a more pleasant environment, rather than face conflict, worry, or shame. Now someone I barely knew had let me know hed caught me in the act. It turns out my trick is not so original. It seems most of the clients I work with have never learned how to ground their energy, and space travel most of the time. Some years later I came to understand that imagining oneself anywhere but the present is a form of dissociation. Its so common that its unfortunate to think it as often framed as a psychiatric condition. The difference though is when dissociation is an involuntary reaction to difficult circumstances or intruding memories, leaving a person feeling out of control. At any rate time pursuing Healing Tao practices soon helped me understand that dissociation is a stress response; its antidote is grounding. Someday I hope that mental health professionals will receive training to understand the energetic patterns that underlie common psychiatric diagnoses. Most such conditions can be addressed by changing these energy habits. I frequently relate the story of being caught by Mantak Chia fleeing from the tennis courts to
my students. It both amuses and informs them, and creates a bond as they come to realize that I too was a beginner, new to the concept of subtle energy. Its fun to reflect on the changes that accrue after twenty-five years of practice. its so easy to take much of the philosophy and energetic experience of studying Healing Tao practices with Mantak Chia for granted, forgetting what a shift this required. I had been, after all, a science major. As a youngster, I wanted to be a physician. Instead my path apparently involves getting an experiential education. These days it is much easier for me to demonstrate the turtle to my students. Even though Im a little stiff, I dont experience the seering pain that I did at that first retreat. Remembering what it was like as a beginner helps me focus on how far Ive come in this amazing journey. I feel much gratitude to Mantak Chia for coming to the States to share his knowledge. Im very lucky to have been guided to his teachings at just the right moment in my life.
realms of the unknown, giving me a real understanding of it. Because of his presence, I have expanded my own research, teaching and writing with over 30 published works in prose and poetry about the Tao. I first met Master Chia in Toronto at a Healing Tao workshop in 1984. In 1993 I assisted him with raising the funds to build Tao Garden, and since 1999 Ive been working as Project Manager with the Universal Tao Publications. He has always been a great joy to me personally, always showing kindness, tolerance, fairness and generosity and has always supported me in my quest to assist him in whatever way I could. To my amazement he has always had great ideas in any given situation. He only wants to know how to get it done. I often scratch my head and ask myself, Why didnt I think of that? Hes got to be the most determined person I have ever met in my life (and I am pretty determined myself!), but he never takes no for an answer. Master Chia is an amazing person and an inspiration for me to be
Tao Garden - Tai Chi Field
photo Sharon Smith
from William W.U. Wei I will be forever indebted to Master Chia for the way in which he has opened my understandings of the Way of the Tao. Through his efforts in years of research and teaching all over the world, he enabled me to explore the
present for my ascension (Immortality). It is a real honor for me to celebrate with him this September on his magnificent journey into the Tao. Your friend and eternal supporter, The Professor - W.U.Wei (Wei Tzu) Master of Nothingness
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from Raven Cohan Ones spiritual journey requires experimentation with teachers and various philosophies. What I have found on my path is that I want to be independent. It took me, from the age of 15 in 1961 when I began the journey, 20 years to find Mantak Chia who very much wants his students to be spiritually independent. Master Chia is a man who has come to depart from the traditional belief that has a teacher impose his EXACT formulas onto his students. He allows them room to share what comes from their own cultural adjustments and creative understanding when they begin hoping to teach what they have learned. Its not easy to adjust when one has come from a traditional background, but Chia, over a course of only his first six years teaching Western students, was able to see the nature of people who were raised as free, creative thinkers. So many of us were taking what he was teaching - adding and subtracting various emphases. He will admit that at first, this ruffled him. He suggested to us in 1986 at a teachers retreat, that the Healing Tao should offer a product that is as recognizable and consistently tasty in one city or part of the world as a fast food hamburger such as MacDonalds is in another part of the world (Not that he is recommending the fast food aspect only its consistent quality and standards!) In the very next year, he revised his analogy because he knew many of us were a little nervous upon hearing that expectation of us. The analogy changed to one in which he told us that as Healing Tao teachers, we can all have our own office in an office building that goes clearly under the auspices of Healing Tao,
photo Sharon Smith
but that we each can decorate the office in our own style. That relieved my creative soul greatly and is the reason that no other teacher, for me, can live up to his honest, caring qualities. No wonder I have remained his student since 1981! from Marina DadshevaDrown + family Dear Master Chia, Thank you very much for helping many people to find a way to work with their physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. Universal Tao practices support people to find a balance in any profession in their life. Tao practices, especially Healing Love, helped Colin and me to make a family and to
share this way with our children who help us on our way. Thank you, Master Chia for our beautiful Tao wedding ritual that stays with us all the time. Thank you for opening your heart and giving space in the Tao Garden for living and working with children. We accept like a beautiful gift the space that allowed waterbabies to be born in the Tao Garden. Thank you for trusting our way with Baby Yoga, Dynamic Gymnastics for Baby and Swimming the Baby. Thank you for the opportunity to work with your beautiful daughter. Many people who practice the Tao agree with home water birth and working with babies from the start because of your support. Our work with couples is greatly rooted in Healing Tao practices. With gratitude. from Colin Drown Im grateful for Master Mantak Chias bringing the Tao practices into the world and into my life. Whenever I am teaching I let the people know where the teachings originate and I say Thank you, Master Chia. Personally, I want to thank him for the support he has shown to me and my family.
Baby Yoga with Marina
photos Sharon Smith
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from Dorothy Ramien Senior Chi Nei Tsang Instructor Victoria, BC and Toronto, ON I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the teachings that Master Chia has brought to the West. I first met Master Chia and Maneewan at Vassar College in upstate New York. I was then in search of an answer for my own physical pain in the form of endometriosis. Actually I met Master Chia through the Chi Nei Tsang book 20 some years ago. I found the book in a bookstore and it spoke to me. I seemed to instantly have been downloaded with the information in it. So I bought it and read it cover to cover and realized my suffering was a result of unprocessed/undigested emotions. It took a couple of years before I actually got to Vassar and here I was immersed in THE WAY, THE TAO. My life has never again been the same. I learned skills, knowledge and art to cultivate a practice that honors my OWN Energy Body and nurtures my SOUL giving it sustenance, support and compassion to be MY BEST every moment. This in itself is the MAGIC of the
MIRACLES of everyday life. I rejoice in my aliveness and take pleasure in the things that I am provided with every moment. I have learned that everything shall pass and change. This includes both the peak and low moments. I have learned to be with and embrace these experiences as they help me to grow moment by moment. I bring the same understanding that I learned from attending teachings with Master Chia on the lessons of the Tao and I feel that as a result, my own practice as a Senior Trainer and Practitioner thrives and grows as I live in the TAO and I am happy to say that I
from Minke de Vos Reflections of the Tao The chi surged through me like an active volcano, flowing into the steamy ocean. A world of energy was spontaneously awakening within me. This was one of many astonishing entries in the journal of my 9 month awakening. When I subsequently read Awaken Healing Energy through the Tao and then met Mantak Chia in 1983, I was delighted and reassured in the universality of my experiences. It was not something Chinese with which I was manipulating my body and mind. It was perfectly
photo Minke de Vos
transmit the same message to my own students as I meet them. So I send my DEEPEST GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION to Master Chia on this very auspicious occasion for the years of dedication and the continued support and love that he bestows on students both new and old alike. I also would like to wish for him LONG LIFE and MAGNIFICENT HEALTH so that he may continue to do his MAGNIFICENT WORK OF EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS. www.khadro.com
natural to feel the channels circulating and the elements fusing and balancing. I could finally put a name on what I described in my journals. I felt the ancient roots of the inner research of Taoist adepts before me. Who was this Taoist Master, this pioneer who was bringing these powerful teachings to the West? My partner then, Christer Ekstrom, also had a dramatic Kundalini Awakening that exploded his normal reality. After he began to shake wildly and felt his presence far out of his body, we decided to fly to San Francisco
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to meet Mantak Chia (MC), who gave him a clear map of the subtle worlds that were pushing him to the edge. This knowledge calmed Christers fear and allowed him to accept the profound process he was rebirthing. In fact, he says MC saved his life. We were very grateful that he acknowledged the authenticity of our experiences and appreciated our dedication to the meditative path and healing arts. We left our isolated retreat center, Silent Ground on Read Island, British Columbia, several times to study with Mantak Chia and his senior instructors in the United States. We were honoured by his visit to our island with Maneewan and Max. We had a great time fishing and eating the bounty of nature! He warmly encouraged us to become Universal Healing Tao Instructors so we went to Big Indian to tell our meditative adventures and meet the growing Healing Tao Family. Since MC moved to Thailand I have had the pleasure of visiting him there. When I first arrived at Tao Garden, MC took my brother and me on a tour of his garden. He was like a proud father showing off his magnificent manifested vision! The food was absolutely fantastic, especially in the Dark Room, when the first bite was a sensual surprise to my fingers and mouth! The Darkness Retreat is a brilliant space he created for people to hatch their beingness in a deep womb. I particularly enjoyed his humour and laughter. Imagine fifty bubbling people shaking upside down with Laughing Baby in complete darkness together! Mantak Chia continually integra-
ted fresh elements into the practice with openness, enthusiasm and creativity. My partner, David Gyurkovics and I were asked to play huge gongs, Moon, Sun and Ohm, which resonated into the dark hall and into our cells. It was magical! I managed to lure globe-touring MC to come to Vancouver, BC. People were excited to meet the teacher who they had read
of the Healing Tao transform their lives with loving acceptance and compassion. Thanks to MC for believing in himself and all the other instructors creativity and trusting in the flow of the Tao. His faith in the inherent goodness of the Tao has helped to grow a system that has sustainable roots and a shining future, basking in the radiance of the Inner Smile. From my grateful heart resounds the sound of love, HAAAA. Heart of the Tao Everything is perfect Living in the Now Everything is energy Living in the Tao Every life is precious Living from the Heart Heart of the Tao Living in the Now
photo Sharon Smith
about for decades. His books have been very popular in Banyen Books, a vast New Age Bookstore, stimulating the leading edge of self development and evolving consciousness in our community. He also went with me to Hollyhock, a retreat center on Cortes Island that features many New Age Stars. He made an unforgettable impression on the islanders, as they were guided to bounce their boobs and balls! The energy in the large tent was definitely lifted! Mantak Chia plays a very important role in providing easy access to Taoist tools to cultivate our sexual energy, the power with which we can create a new reality. We urgently need these effective tools in order to heal from inside ourselves, all the accelerating stress in the world. These tools have helped me through an intense life crisis and continue to help me center when the road gets rocky. Over two decades I have watched so many students
from Ted Doras Co-President of the Universal Healing Tao Instructors Association of the Americas (HTIA) The 2010 Tao Congress will celebrate 30 years of teaching for Taoist Master Mantak Chia. I would personally like to congratulate him on the years of hard work he has put into his program and his excellent teaching materials. I would also like to thank him for the benefits that his practices have had on my body and spirit. As a child I had many physical and emotional challenges including continuous abdominal cramping and discomfort, chronic tension and pain in my neck and shoulders, and a sluggish immune system that left me vulnerable to cold and flu bugs. From an early age I had an interest
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in comparative mysticism and spirituality. I had a close friend whose older brother was studying Buddhism and Taoism in college. I talked for many hours with his brother and he shared pictures and texts of Taoist practices which mentioned things like the Lesser Heavenly Cycle and talked about internal work like organ massage and alchemy. But this was the late 1960s, so there was little or no detail or method to practice these topics. My father, an experimental psychologist, recommended that I read some books by Freuds renegade student, Wilhelm Reich. This began to open some doors for me as I learned that our psychological defense structure was encoded in our body as chronic muscular tension. Reich claimed there was a bio-energy that permeated the body and that it was supposed to circulate naturally through the spine and torso (a process he called vegetative streaming). However as we matured into adults our character armor which manifests as transverse bands of chronic muscular tension, would choke off this flow within the body. During this period I started doing some Buddhist meditation, which was helpful with looking deeply into the present moment, but my body was still in revolt. I realized that the key to well-being was to resolve these body issues and reestablish this flow which was now only a faint trickle. The search to free my body went on for another ten years as I learned yoga, modern dance, massage therapy and Rolfing. All these disciplines helped but there was still no real sense of well being.
Then in the early 1980s I was browsing through Samuel Weisers bookstore in NYC and I came across a book by Mantak Chia which clearly and systematically described how to practice the Microcosmic Orbit. To my knowledge (and believe me when I say I searched constantly) this was the first time these practices were revealed with this level of detail. The teaching was very thorough and included safety practices to insure that while opening up the channels you didnt collect ex-
tice was a concept called Yi which Master Chia translated as mind, eye, and heart. This was a directed form of concentrated intention in which you use the mind like a laser, to direct the inner eye to a point in the body and the heart or desire moves the chi to this point. Second, the Yi was guided by certain training procedures like touching, rubbing, or poking an area so that the Yi had a surface of sensation to attach to. Third, there were definite feed-
photo Sharon Smith
cess energy in the head or heart area. The practice ended with gathering and storing the energy in the abdominal area which again was an invaluable safety procedure. I must admit that at first my progress was very slow and at times I became discouraged. I spent long hours spiraling the points along the orbit and had many whiplash effects as my armor tenaciously fought back. But nevertheless I saw the techniques were like nothing I had ever attempted. First off, the key to the pracPEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 42 -
back mechanisms within the body, to allow you to gauge your progress. When an area between several points began to open up, you could physically feel the sensation of warmth and tingling. Finally, after about a year of hard work this tingling sensation began to move like waves up and down my body. At the same time Master Chia began publishing more and more material. I went to many week-end workshops to experience Master Chias teaching first hand. His attention to detail and his
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broad knowledge of anatomy worked well and reinforced his comprehensive knowledge of Taoist practices. As I learned more and more practices I finally began to really heal my body from the inside out. His Inner Smile work allowed me to create a communication with my internal organs for the first time, exercising my Yi to a new level. With the Iron Shirt practices, I began to not only connect deeper with my body, but also with the Earth as I felt the sense of rooting and connection with our mother planet. This balancing and harmonization with my internal and external environment continued as I explored the Fusion practice. I began to observe the links between my body and emotions. This was something that Reich had only theorized about. Of course the Healing Love practices were at the heart of the Taoist method. As I began to conserve my seed the practices moved to a new energetic level. And I wont even begin to describe the blissful beauty of dual cultivation. But most profound for me was Master Chias deep massage practices, especially his Chi Nei Tsang procedures. As I said earlier, I have always had chronic abdominal pains and discomfort. After taking some workshops in Chi Nei Tsang I began to work deeply on my abdominal region. I will never forget the first time I made a breakthrough in this area. I had been working on my abdomen for about an hour and I went out and sat on the back porch. A profound sense of well being began to radiate out from my Tan Tien and swept over my whole body. Tears of happiness came and went and if someone had said Hey Ted, the
sky is falling I would have said Great, no problem. After about a year of practicing Chi Nei Tsang on myself, my abdominal problems left for good. Meanwhile my immune system became so strong that I had to literally fake sick days to get a little time off from work, because I never saw many colds again. Am I always in a state of pro-
to happen, like the gentle purring of cat. And by re-establishing the primal flow of energy within the main pathways of the body, we can again balance and harmonize with the natural environment around us. Thank you Master Chia, these are priceless gifts. And I am excited to see where your teaching will take us in the next 30 years.
photo courtesy Daria Fain
found well being? Of course not, but I have the secret of self maintenance. I have a bit of a stressful position as an electrical engineer, but several times a day I close my door, massage my internal organs for a few minutes, do an Inner Smile and run the Orbit and the sense of well being is back stronger than ever. I teach regular classes in Chi Kung (Qigong) and Tai Chi and I try to pass on these amazing healing practices to my students. I have found that many people look for happiness and well-being in money, relationships, careers, and religious practices. But through Master Mantak Chia I realized that happiness and well being are rooted in the body. By starting deep within the core and dissolving the bodys tensions and energetic blocks from the inside out, a beautiful resonance begins
from Daria Fain I am a French dancer and choreographer living in New York City, and I became a Universal Tao instructor in 1998. I met Master Chia in 1996 after a bout of chicken pox. I was exhausted at the time, but I took three workshops in a row -The Basics, Tao Yin, and Cultivation of Sexual Energy. In three days my body changed completely and the vitality I found at that time has stayed with me as a continuous source of inspiration. After the last workshop of that first series, as I was walking down the street, I could feel that all matter around me was alive in a continuum. It was as if a door had opened to me where time, space and matter became energy and I had become part of a complete ongoing transformative wholeness.
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After the workshop, I continued my personal practice and regularly studied with Sharon Smith. I did yearly retreats in upstate New York with Master Chia and in 2006 went for the first time to Thailand for the Darkroom Retreat. After coming back from the Darkroom experience I began, with architect/ poet Robert Kocik, to research Darkness practices. This research led us as we created a project in 2008, as part of a residency sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in New York City. In general, the work that Kocik and I create emphasizes art as a way to face oneself and is deeply
breakdown of the nervous system, and perceptions of inner light in such short amount of time with no instruction. My work as a dancer and choreographer is based on deep research into how body/mind works in relation to movement. I am very interested in how we proceed from our intention to move and the way we initiate and manifest movement. By cultivating energy through the teachings of Master Chia and developing my internal understanding of the Five Element Theory I can help performers to sustain, clarify and implement the quality of their performance and help them to deepen the expression of their creativity. I can guide them to cultivate their inner structure and help them to trace how movement finds expression from within. The Universal Tao system allowed me to synthesize the years of research on the body/mind symbiosis that I had accumulated through my studies of the nervous system, psychology, cognition and architecture. It also allowed me to apprehend and develop a language in which energy manifests and apply it in my creative process. I use this language to collaborate with other media such as music, stage design, costumes, film and also architecture. This language allowed me to say what I want
to say, how I want to say it, more profoundly and efficiently than other modes of expression. Through Master Chias practice I realized that cultivating our energy makes us better people by connecting us with the energy of everyone as well as the universal forces leading the way toward more freedom. It can be painful and pure delight but it is always real.
from Jutta & Walter Kellenberger We have been living in Tao Garden since 1997. Both of us have been practicing Master Chias teaching for more then 10 years. We had attended numerous courses with him in Europe and USA and we really wanted to deepen this practice. To move (temporarily we thought in 1997) to Thailand, assist in building up Tao Garden and to learn and deepen our
Darkroom in Wallstreet - photo Daria Fain
concerned with inner visions and well being. For this residency we imagined an art piece that would offer the opposite of stimulation; we thought that offering nothing was probably the best gift of all in Manhattans Wall Street area. We built a darkroom on Wall Street in the basement of the JP Morgan building. It became a signature piece of our collaboration. It was an incredible experience; participants were invited to stay a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of three hours in the Darkroom. After the Darkroom experience I would interview each participant. All of the participants had very deep experiences. This was quite surprising to me as I never thought that one could experience such radical perceptions of time and space,
photo Sharon Smith
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personal practice in the Universal Healing Tao system seemed to be an important step towards this. A great journey began which we surely didnt anticipate. It cannot be written down with words, as it was so intense and transforming. We deeply appreciate Grandmaster Chia and his teachings. He is a living example, constantly improving his teachings, tirelessly helping and assisting everybody who comes along his way. His knowledge is profound and there is sooo much more to learn. Our deepest gratitude to him.
1995, Sedona, AZ - USA Instructor meeting
photo Renu Li
ling Tao. My life, my livelihood and the livelihood of many of my Healing Tao colleagues worldwide, would not exist in this unique way without your monumental efforts. You were a young energetic Tiger who would not be tamed and not be denied. My first impressions of you back in the 1980s were of someone on an honorable mission to spread the Tao with Heart. I witnessed your determination, your sincerity, your integrity and strong will of character through year after year of teaching. I have often wondered with the intense traveling schedule and wide array of hurdles, how you sustained your goal with heart, joy and humor. In my late 20s I was searching for healing and guidance, let us say, grasping for a path. I was active in learning about conscious
community through workshops and numerous weekend circles with friends (wild gatherings!) exploring ways of living and being. We did sweat lodges and fire-walking; we were young and seeking our common humanity. This was the beginning of my soul growth. Acupuncture was my choice of healing at the time as I was suffering from a lot of allergies. What I felt and learned through my journey with acupuncture lead me to the Tao. I began to feel my life force return. I felt my Chi gathering and affecting my thinking and asked myself, how can I have more and learn to do this myself? Also surfacing from the inner unconscious, I began asking those heavy questions, i.e., What is life and death? What is spirituality? What does
from Marie Favorito Congratulations Grandmaster Chia on your 30th Year Anniversary! Your journey has been a long one and I hope satisfying along the way. I, for one, am grateful for the dream you created. First Taoist teacher to spread the word of Microcosmic Orbit and Chinese Chi Kung and Meditation techniques in such a ground-breaking way. I certainly have benefited from your journey to America and the inception of the Hea-
Boston Healing Tao
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spirituality mean to me? How can I harness my energy? This was the point, 1984, when I went to Interface (an evening alternative school that interfaced many traditions) and began my study with Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone, (my first Senior Healing Tao teachers). They introduced me to you, Master Mantak Chia. For the first time in my life, I was inspired and wanted something. I wanted to be a teacher in the Healing Tao community. My circle of friends encouraged and supported me in my goal. My friend and Fire Walking instructor, Michael Sky, would say, It takes a community, and it takes islands of them all over the world to make real change. I was fortunate to be in a community searching for Higher Consciousness. Healing Tao Summer Retreats for me began here in Massachusetts and the next year moved to Big Indian. In 1986, I would journey to the Catskill Mountains of New York for my first teacher training. I was fortunate, Master Chia, that you allowed me to barter my photographic skills for my instructor training. It became an annual pilgrimage to the mountains. I would devote one to four weeks every year to summer camp training, assisting and then instructing with wonderful people from all over the world. The atmosphere of learning the Tao, being in nature and finding new Tao brothers and sisters who I still work and play with today makes me a fortunate woman. Back in the 80s, Summer Retreats would attract well over one hundred people from all over the world. So many exciting experiences we had, thanks to you, Master Chia: The External -- making friends, training and explo-
ring; The Internal -- incredible discoveries of self-knowledge, spirit and growth. A new community of like-minded conscious people on a path. Wow! And allergies gone! My story is only one among many about how lucky we were to cross paths with you, Master Chia. What a wonderful way to be with people. My only regret was that I had not started younger. The Tao is the path that turns into more paths to climb. Another Stairway to Heaven Thank You, Master Chia, for bringing the Tao to America, for all the books and DVDs and for creating a world Healing Tao Community.
meditating I felt a tingling, golden, warm sparkling rain come over me. I had never experienced this ever before. That one occasion lifted me into a new lifestyle of spiritual possibility and my life has never been the same as before that transformative evening. One of my favorite memories of Master Chias teaching was on one occasion when we, of the Boston Healing Tao run by Marie Favorito, hosted him while on his World Tour. I was sitting in the back of the room this time so I could be more accessible to the bookstore and the people attending the workshop. We all started meditating together. After some time had gone by I noticed that I started to turn while lifting my left arm out to the side as if to receive something being given to me. What I saw with my third eye, as clear as could be, was Master Chia sitting next to me smiling ear to ear and handing me an old and well-worn screwdriver! I brought my arm back down to my lap and opened my eyes to see Master Chia sitting in his chair at the front of the room leading us in meditation as he had been doing the whole time. The message was loud and clear to me - he was handing me an ancient tool for me to use for my life, handing it to me with great joy and delight. It was up to me to choose to use it. How incredibly fortunate we all
from Jamee Culbertson Master Mantak Chia, a brave and adventurous traveling Taoist is an inspiration to me. My life changed when I was introduced to the Healing Tao System. My first teachers back in the 1980s were Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone. Then, when Master Chia came to town to teach here in Boston I went to meet him. I have seen him nearly ever year since then. The first time I meditated with Master Chia I sat in the front of the room about 12 feet from him in a crowd of over 100 people. While
Boston Healing Tao
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are for Master Chia to have chosen to say yes to the West and make his journey to New York back in the 1970s. How incredibly fortunate that a few young Americans who were seeking knowledge back then crossed paths with Master Chia who was so willing to share this knowledge. And, how incredibly fortunate that the Healing Tao system with all these ancient tools has been made available to the people all over our beautiful planet Earth. All this, thanks to Master Chia and his courage to walk his talk with all the joys and challenges of living a human life. Now in 2010, science is catching up with much of the information held within these ancient tools, information that holds much of the knowledge in practice, of the universe we live in. Every week I read about some scientific discovery that directs me to what I understand about the world we live in due to the Healing Tao system. I am ever grateful and appreciative for Master Chia and all the Healing Tao teachers who have crossed my path. I look forward to seeing you all at the Tao Garden this September, 2010! Peace!
What a big gift this is! Now in turn, I am grateful to share the ancient Taoist teachings you have worked so hard to make available to all. Thank you so much for continuing on through all these years. The many seeds you have planted are multiplying and transforming into beautiful beings around the world. Much love
from Rentao Ravasio Senior Instructor, WUHTIF Coordinator Dear Grandmaster Chia, The Universal Healing Tao and your kindness, patience and willingness to leave a legacy behind as well as your service to humanity has inspired me over my entire journey to become who I am today. I thank you for all you have given and shared with me in this process and I look forward to many more years of collaboration and deepening of our relationship. from Norman Krug ASSOCIATE INSTRUCTOR
from Shanti Dechen THANK YOU MASTER CHIA! With deep gratitude and respect I say a BIG thank you and hugs to Master Chia for sharing these profound teachings. They have influenced my daily life in a most amazing way. I first heard about Master Chia in 1983 when I was studying with Lar Short, who was very excited about the Healing Tao and recommended that his students go study with Master Chia. I took the next available workshop which happened to be the Chi Nei Tsang eminar in the spring of 1984in Tucson, AZ. Since I was a massage therapist for many years, this was the perfect introduction to the Healing Tao. Before that time I always felt that the internal organs held a mystery to which only an MD internist knew the answers. The Chi Nei Tsang training changed the course of my life. I have always felt like Chi Nei Tsang is one of my children because I have assisted in its growth and nurturing. I have gone on to become a Senior Instructor of the Chi Nei Tsang program and have taught it many places around the world. I am so deeply appreciative of all the gifts of inner alchemy. Fragrant blessings.
For many years I have been looking to find the Teacher. The Teacher who would teach me integrity of mind, spirit and body and how to live in harmony with myself and the world. Finally after many years of searching I realized that no one can be the Teacher to myself. Except myself. Then I realized that to become the Teacher to myself I need a very special man who would pass that ultimate wisdom and knowledge I need to become the Teacher. This man is Mantak Chia. His teaching is the ultimate wisdom we all need. I wish him 120 years of prosperity, patience and energy. I wish myself to live long enough to comprehend all the wisdom of his teaching and to enjoy the love he so graciously gives to all of us.
photo Michael Winn
from Saumya Comer Dear Master Chia, Everyday I send you a heart full of gratitude. You opened doors for me that I didnt even know were closed... and gave me tools to keep discovering and opening new doors.
photo Renu Li
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from Sharon Smith We all have our special stories about how we first encountered the Tao. Gratitude is one thing but serendipity and good fortune also play a role in guiding us on our paths. So heres to my good fortune in meeting Mantak Chia in 1981 through my Tai Chi teacher, Don Ahn, who had been studying with him in New York Citys Chinatown! Don organized Mantak Chias first workshop for non-Asians at his studio and on that historic weekend, I learned the Inner Smile, the Microcosmic Orbit, and the 6 Healing Sounds. It was a pivotal moment in my life. Chi had remained a mystery to me even though I had been a serious Tai Chi practitioner for three years. After every practice, I would sometimes experience a fragrant flavor in my mouth that would disappear quickly but that was the extent of it. I didnt believe it existed and thought that it was somebodys idea of a practical joke designed to make Americans feel gross and inadequate. But after one weekend of intense sitting with Master Chia, the floodgates opened and my life was illuminated from the inside out. I felt for the first time, the aliveness of every cell in my body. The only time I had ever experienced anything remotely like it was on mind-altering drugs. This was qualitatively different. The Door to All Wonders had opened and my life began to unfold guided by the Tao. Everything previous to that day -- B.C. (Before Chi); everything afterwards, A.C (After Chi) . And the Chi keeps flowing!
1988, Master Chia teaching in Munich - Germany Photo Archive Juan & Renu Li
photo Rob Cooper
My good fortune has transformed into gratitude for my radiant health, access to the forces of nature, inspiration, friends and colleagues, and this beautiful place, Tao Garden, that serves as a power spot on our green planet. Thank you, Master Chia, for all you have done to make our universe a better place. I wish you all the best. from Renu Li Looking Back Looking Forward Its been 25 years since I first met Master Chia at a workshop in Frankfurt. I was 23 years old, had learned some Tai Chi and Qigong with Jia Fu Feng, Master Chu and from my first boyfriend who also introduced me to Master Chia. I was completely fascinated by this younglooking Chinese Master who tapped people on the forehead
making them faint and would make us touch our breasts and testicles in public. I left this initial workshop full of enthusiasm and initiated my first exercise group in Bonn. In 1986, the death and loss of my spiritual mother (a wise woman who guided me on my path since I was 12 years old) pushed me to sign up for the summer retreat at Big Indian in upstate New York. I calculated the numbers on paper and saw it was impossible to do. But my strong determination, lots of work, and the help of my dear friends and family helped me pull the money together and travel to the USA. A great life teaching I received right there: You can do whatever you want to do and money is never the obstacle. A network of friends and family is the greatest asset you can have!
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Touring Europe with Master Chia and Juan Li through Germany, Switzerland and Austria every Spring and Fall for many years was a privilege. Sometimes for 3-4 weeks at a time, driving an old car, carrying cooking pots and workshop supplies, while Master Chia mostly took the plane or on rare occasions joined us in the car. This great opportunity to translate for and assist Master Chia in his workshops immersed me in the teachings in a very profound way. Being with Juan was and is another incredible support.
Zrich, May 1991
photo Martin Hug
Frankfurt 2008
photo Renu Li
Learning - I dont know how many times I did the Tao Basics class with Master Chia. The sequence changing every time opened my mind and ability to simply go with the flow of the life force. Often I was challenged by the demand of the Master to teach something to the workshop participants which I had just heard for the first time myself! But somehow there was always a deep understanding that resonated through my being. I learned a lot and I am deeply grateful to have been able to receive such valuable teachings. And even though Ive been teaching for many years, I remain a student and seeker with the clear purpose in mind to grow and share my knowledge and to be of benefit.
Living the Tao Part of my being is very rebellious with a strong sense of right and wrong. I was not what you would call a regular translator but one that simply could not hide her own personality, humour and opinion. Fortunately mostly tolerated by the great Master! It was quite early when I discovered that my energy would move in a different direction or I simply needed more time to be in what I call the Yin phase, the nondoing stage after having circled, spiralled all over the body and pulling up my pelvic floor in what seemed to be almost acrobatic moves. There was an old video around that showed me doing
the egg exercise hanging heavy iron disks. Fortunately more insight and development has happened since then. Good Memories - Many Tao teachers, practitioners and students I met on my way became part of my Tao-Family and the Tao became my way of life. Zrich, Switzerland carries the most intimate memories. There was Juan Li supporting Master Chia in his workshops guiding the meditations while Master Chia pulled the energy down. During the first Kan and Li workshop taught in Europe, over 100 people were steaming along in that musky room in the old Hotel Zrichberg overlooking the lake and mountain silhouette in the distance. What a power spot we had right there. In those years the classes were big and regular meetings of the European teachers were organized in Zrich. There was a strong desire to keep connected as a family but without the constricting frame of an organisation. The teachers wanted to network but not get strangled by rules, regulations and administration. Freedom & Liberty - Something I always valued more then anything was the real Taoist approach of openness and non-restrictive
Zrich, May 1991
photo Martin Hug
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ways Master Chia handled the organization for all those years. There was enough freedom for all individuals to evolve. The way that let the Taoist teachings survive for millennia and created many different styles and approaches. Call for Help - It was in Nov. 07 during a CNT-Retreat I had organized for Gilles Marin in Germany where we both received a call from Master Chia asking for help. Gilles and I sat together talking and Gilles mentioned his idea of wanting to organize a CNT Convention. That night we brainstormed and we carried the idea further not to do only a CNT Congress but an event that would attract all of our Taoist brothers and sisters from all over the world. And here we are! Looking Forward - A celebration, a meeting of old timers and newcomers, as well as those who moved away, to come together and share our common joy and profound desire for growth and development. Uniting to refine and further the wellbeing of all. And what better place to do it but in the wonderful surroundings of the TAO Garden!
Tiffiny with young monks
photo Sharon Smith
Thank you Master Chia, for creating this space and passing on these most valuable teachings from our Taoist ancestor. from Tiffiny Fyans Every day I find an opportunity to use something I learned through Master Chias Universal Tao System. I had been lucky enough to stumble upon The Healing Tao in my youth at 19, through books I perused at the Golden Braid Bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was interested in spirituality and in maintaining the health of the physical and emotional body. In his plethora of books, I saw the glimmering of a system that could fulfill my quest for knowledge and
experience in these areas. I read from the books, and practiced to the guidance of my own voice. Some friends advised me to study with Gilles Marin in 1992, to learn more of the system. I moved from Salt Lake to San Francisco to study Chi Nei Tsang and the Basic Practices with Gilles. I thought I could learn with him for 6 months, then return to Utah and go on with my life and sports massage practice there. Little did I know what I was getting myself into! A world opened up to me. I was amazed at the power of the Microcosmic Orbit and of Bone Breathing to focus my attention and energy on the here and now, to get into and feel my body. I wasnt always happy with what I found inside myself. I met Marcia Kerwit, who introduced me to Fusion and Bone Marrow Nei Kung in classes she held in her home. She taught us how to make our own hitters out of material obtained from the local hardware store! Dennis Lewis guided me in breathing, spinal awareness and postural integrity. I found myself being pulled into a purification and transformative process that compelled me to put my plans, and what I knew to be my life, on hold.
When I finally met Master Chia, it was at SFU, at a workshop Marcia organized. Master Chia had the class standing, rooted in the Earth force and opened to the force of Heaven, and running the Microcosmic Orbit as he energetically opened our mid-eyebrow points, one by one. I felt touched by something I had not known before. I peeked and could see him seeing our energy. The class was very enthusiastic, and quite off our guard. He had had everyone in stitches earlier in the day, speaking of sexuality and the church in such unorthodox ways, yet with no malice. The study of Chi Nei Tsang and the Healing Tao practices became my focus. Gilles hired me, allowing me to maintain my presence in the Bay Area. In 1996, we brought Master Chia to teach a few weeks at SF State. He was teaching Chi Nei Tsang one, two and three. It was a full class, with people from all around the States as well as other countries. There was a practitioner from Scotland who described how Chi Nei Tsang was being used in the socialized medical system as an application for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He demonstrated the protocol he used. Master Chias reaction was one of satisfaction, as if he expected that the world would come to know the value of what he was teaching. He showed us pictures of his dream development Tao Garden. I decided to go to Thailand to get the Instructor Certification later that summer. His vision of and belief in his system was inspiring. I couldnt quite grasp the scope of it. It was only over the next decade, as Tao Garden continued evolving toward his intention, the grounds maturing, the staff growing, the patrons returning, that I was able to fully appreciate his power of
years could have gone so many different ways. I can hardly imagine what my life, health, and wellbeing would have been had I not had the guidance and support Ive received from Gilles, Marcia, Dr. Wu, and others who preceded me in the Universal Tao System. It is exciting to be part of a dynamic international community who are using our knowledge to help people all over adults and children, men and women, in the East and in the West. We are carrying the torch of awareness and of taking responsibility for what is inside of us. I like to think about how many people are out there practicing the Inner Smile every day! Thanks for being out there, doing the work. Blessed be! from Gilles Marin My Life Long Adventure with Master Chias Healing Tao and Chi Nei Tsang It all started on a beautiful fall afternoon in 1982 in San Francisco as I walked from my last class of Classical Chinese Medicine at Dr Stephen T. Changs Tao Foundation. I was a proud Aikido Black Belt, a student of Tai Chi Chuan with Martin Inn and Ben Lo, and I had just finished a two year pro-
actualization. The mantra he repeated in classes, visualize actualize! started to have more meaning to me. His example of channeling and focusing creative energy is absolutely priceless. To have witnessed him in action during this period has dramatically affected me and the way I understand the right use of will. Whenever I go to Tao Garden I feel I am standing in Master Chias dream, made real. What a gift. I am grateful for Master Chia. The way he dedicated his life to bringing the teachings forward. I dont know how I would have found them had he not built the bridge. I am humbled by the endless depth and simplicity of understanding that comes through the Tao. The past 20
photo Renu Li
Tao Yoga Bonn - Germany , 2001 CNT-Class
photo Chong Mi Mller
gram of study with Dr. Chang covering Classical Chinese Medicine with basic acupuncture, the use of traditional Chinese herbs formulas, Chi-Kung (Qigong) - then called Internal Exercises, Feng-Shui - then called Taoist Geomancy and Directionology, and his wonderful class on the IChing. I was making a living as a chef in a popular San Franciscan restaurant while building a professional practice as a Shiatsu practitioner and teacher. I was twenty-six years old and riding a motorcycle, which I had parked on the sidewalk by a telephone pole. On this memorable telephone pole was a thumb tacked flyer advertising a young Taoist and Chi-Kung master, Master Mantak Chia, who was going to give a free lecture preceding a weekend workshop on the fundamentals of Taoist practices. It was my first encounter with Master Chia and it was, from the start, very ominous. First I was struck by the fact that Master Chia looked like a younger and more robust version of Dr. Changs younger brother: same charismatic way of talking, a very similar laugh and a great sense of humor, which made him laugh from his own jokes even when no one else did. I was immediately captiva-
ted and, even though I didnt take that first workshop, I left that evening with all the information and schedules of classes offered nationally, graciously offered by Clare Young and Marcia Kerwit, hosting the event, with whom I had a nice long talk. A few months later I was visiting some friends in New York City and I was carrying with me Master Chias schedule of classes just in case I had the opportunity to be there at the right time. And there at the right time I was, in China Town New York, in Confucius Plaza by Bowery Street, for a class called the Fusion of the Five Elements level 1. At the same time exalted and anxious, I
climbed the steep staircase to the second floor of an old building that also housed and advertised other Chi-Kung masters. Master Mantak Chia and his wife Maneewan were there. I told them that I was a Taoist and martial art student, that I had studied with Dr. Chang, that I was travelling, visiting some friends in NY City, and that I would like to take the opportunity to join their Fusion class this beautiful spring morning. They looked at me with very sympathetic eyes but refused categorically because I hadnt taken the fundamental and preparatory class for it. I was so disappointed! I was about to very reluctantly turn around and leave when I read on the schedule that
the fundamental class was going to be offered in the San Francisco Bay Area in a few weeks. Moved by a bargaining talent stirred from the depth of my mixed Mediterranean and French-Vietnamese blood, I boldly asked them if I could join the Fusion class now if I committed to take the upcoming fundamental class in Berkeley, California. I must have looked very comical because they both burst out laughing, and, to my surprise and delight, they finally accepted
was that mysterious Taoist Iron Church he kept talking about! That Fusion class was a revelation and everything that I previously learned from Dr. Chang, especially the use of the Five Elements, suddenly fell into place and started to make a lot of sense. That very first day I got hooked on the teachings of Master Chia and I never let go of it ever since. I evidently took my next class in Berkeley and I continued the next summer with my first retreat at Big
Chi Nei Tsang, I immediately registered. I will always remember that first Chi Nei Tsang class, the elegant simplicity of the techniques! It made so much sense to me that I couldnt really believe it! If I hadnt had that previous working experience with my clients abdomens I wouldnt have been able to appreciate or comprehend all that information. Two years later I organized and taught my first Chi Nei Tsang workshop in San Francisco where I invited the founders of Massage Magazine to experience first hand this revolutionary modality. A few months later Master Chia was on the front cover of Massage Magazine featuring Chi Nei Tsang and the workshop. I am deeply grateful to Master Chia for his generous teachings in general, and of the Fusion of the Five Elements and of Chi Nei Tsang in particular, from which I made a professional career as a practitioner and a teacher, and from which I benefited greatly at a personal level for my own health and for the thousands of clients I was able to help who were able to heal from terrible pains and diseases. From the material I principally learned from Master Chia I was
after I answered satisfactorily to a few questions on what I learned about Dr Changs teaching on the Microcosmic Orbit and the Taoist sexual practice. I only had been living in United States for barely a couple of years and my English was still not too good. I always carried a little French-English dictionary in my jeans rear pocket and I often had to bother my next seat neighbours for help in translation during classes, but to my great surprise, this time it was reversed: people were asking me if I understood what Master Chia was saying and I helped them the best I could... Master Chias English was then not much better than mine so we could understand each other very well, even though I wondered for a long time what
Indian in the Catskills mountains upstate New York. I participated since then in all the upstate New York retreats until the moving of Master Chia and his building of the Tao Garden in Thailand near Chiang Mai. I was a professional Shiatsu massage therapist with a fairly successful private practice in San Francisco. I was already working with my clients abdomens because I thought that a lot of health problems originated there. However, working on abdomens is not easy. It is quite intimidating: placing ones fingers within the complexity of internal organs usually doesnt feel comfortable to either practitioners or their clients. So, when I learned that Master Chia was offering a weeklong seminar on a mysterious abdominal massage modality called
photo Michael Winn
not only able to understand but also to manifest the principles of healing unfolded into each of these Taoist disciplines and I strictly followed Master Chias model of teaching which carries a charisma of a tremendous force passed down from a long lineage of unbroken practice and knowledge. I am deeply appreciative of this charisma and its connection to a long lineage of masters. I have the deepest respect for the wisdom of that lineage of teaching. I am wishing a long and happy life of continuous success and recognition in Master Chias tremendous endeavor for the propagation of his universal message of peace, gentleness and happiness and the uplifting toward a true humanity through these simple ageless principles learned from a nearly vanished body of knowledge.
the early days when the Healing Tao system started. These were the actual stories that you cant find in any of the books. Karin had asked Ron questions like What got you involved in the TAO? What were you looking for? Could you share some funny anecdotes? What were some of your breakthroughs in the practice? What was your personal experience as one of the bunch of hippies that went to Chinatown to meet Master Chia for the first time and found this guy with a vision who had all this knowledge about ancient Taoist practices and a willingness to share it with them? Ron had shared so much about those early days with Karin. All about how much fun Ron and his buddies had in the beginning and the amount of energy and enthusiasm they had to support the development of a system and that has since made history. With Rons passing it became so clear that future generations would not be able to do that - to talk to the people who were actually there in the beginning, to learn how this knowledge came to the West and how the Healing Tao system was created. There was a pause in the conversation. Then Karin and Jamee
photo Juan Li
ring afternoon breaks, and even while gazing at the moon and stars. With so many gifted instructors in the Healing Tao system, one of the best ways to connect and really get to know each other is to spend time exchanging work. Dear friends, Karin Sorvik and Jamee Culbertson came together to exchange new breakthroughs in healing, CNT and the Alexander technique. Their conversation drifted to their teachers and the gratitude they felt in learning and practicing these ancient tools that have been around for centuries. While reflecting back, Karin began to share the gift that she received by being able to ask Senior Instructor, Ron Diana, about
from Karin Sorvik and Jamee Culbertson The making of How it all began... It was another sunny day at Dao Mountain in Pine Bush, NY back in 2006. People were arriving to attend another Healing Tao summer retreat where not only are there opportunities for in-depth study and intense practice, but also the possibilities to connect with our brothers and sisters in the Tao. At retreats, wonderful conversations occur over meals, while walking to class, taking a sauna, swimming in the pool du-
looked at each other with a kind of recognition, We need to record these stories! Lets get them on video! Karin got busy and created the Healing Tao Society, a non-profit charity to support Taoist values. After a few gatherings of the Healing Tao Society, there was money to offer a grant to Jamee to help get the film done and we were off and running!
We are grateful to so many Healing Tao instructors for contributing their time, old video footage, and photographs from past decades of classes and grateful to Master Mantak Chia for taking his courageous journey to the West. Our gratitude also to Ron Diana, Sharon Smith, Raven Cohan and Gunther Weil for their curiosity and quest for more knowledge at a time in history when Taoist inner alchemy was not widely available. This was the time when another bridge was formed between East and West. We thank the future generations for the inspiration to make this film a reality.
PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 55 photos on page 54-55 Marie Favorito
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO PASSED....
Ron Diana
Joyce Gayheart
Celebrating the Life of Marcia Wexler Kerwit
What: Chinese Lunch and Sharing Memories When: Sunday, December 6, 2009 Where: Strawberry Creek Lodge 1320 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA Time: Noon until whenever
Other: Share your memories, stories and photos. (And if you know a few Balkan dance steps, that would be wonderful!)
B.J. Santerre Marcia Kerwit
Celebrating Marcia
3/11/38 - 12/4/09
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Rylin Malone
Felix Morrow
Hans De Boer
Barbara Peter
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Daniel Pignotti (no picture)
Presenters Bios
Master Mantak Chia is the founder of the Universal Healing Tao, author of over 40 books and 60 DVDs on Qi Gong and Taoist Meditation. Our beloved teacher, he was voted Qi Gong Master of the year in1990 by the International Congress of Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong. www.universal-tao.com
Marina and Colin Drown help couples prepare for birth, teach new parents the dynamic exercises and swimming for babies, and teach couples seminars. They divide their time between New Hampshire, Russia, and Thailand. Daria Fain is an acclaimed choreographer and Universal Healing Tao Instructor living in New York City. www.prosodicbody.org Marie Favorito directs the Boston Healing Tao Center. A Senior Universal Tao Instructor, she was named Instructor of the Year in 1991 and has produced numerous DVDs on the Tao practices. www.bostonhealingtao.com Tiffiny Fyans is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and the Founder and Director of Quintessence Healing Arts in Californias Bay Area. She is co-authoring Master Chias forthcoming book, Chi Nei Tsang III. Tiffiny Fyans gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Sophia Modesta Rose Duncan, on July 19 and was unable to join us. She is with us in spirit and we wish her and her family all the best! Christine Giles is a Universal Healing Tao Instructor and International Feng Shui Consultant and Feng Shui coach based in Belgium. Doug Hilton is a Universal Healing Tao Instructor, Chi Nei Tsang practitioner, psychotherapist and certified EMDR therapist based in British Columbia. www.fullcirclehealing.ca Lee Holden is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor living in Santa Cruz, California. Lees popular library of Qi Gong DVDs have made him a regular fixture on over 105 PBS stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. www.pacifichealingarts.com Jutta Kellenberger is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Senior-CNT-Instructor living and teaching at Tao Garden and around the world. www.taoyoga.info Walter Kellenberger is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor at Tao Garden. www.taoyoga.info Renu Li is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Senior-CNT-Instructor. She created YinTao for Women on the way. She directsTao Yoga Bonn and I Ching Dao Germany. www.tao-yoga.com Gilles Marin is a Senior Instructor, Director and Founder of the Chi Nei Tsang Institute in the Californias Bay Area. He is the author of Chi Nei Tsang: Healing from Within and Five Elements, Six Conditions. www.chineitsang.com
Dirk Al is a Universal Tao Instructor spezializing in Healing Love practices. Originally from Holland, Dirk is a Sanskrit expert and has studied a variety of spiritual disciplines including Templarism, Kabbalah, Yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism. Dr Linda Berry is a Universal Tao Instructor, Chiropractor and Applied Kinesiologist living in the California Bay Area. www.drlindaberry.com Christian Bollmann is a composer, musician and multiinstrumentalist from Germany. He is known for his work as a Sound Healer and founder of the Peace Pool Project. www.lichthaus-musik.de Saumya Comer is a Somatic Therapist, Senior UHT Instructor and Senior Chi Nei Tsang Instructor. In 2003, she co-authored the Karsai Nei Tsang book with Khun Ni and Master Chia. Maggie Cowan-Hughes is a Certified Instructor of the Universal Healing Tao who runs workshops in Europe and South America combining tango and Taoist practices. www.taofocus.com Jamee Culbertson is a filmmaker, Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Alexander Technique practitioner living in Boston. www.wayofthearrow.com Raven Cohan is a Universal Healing Tao Instructor living in Florida. A former professional dancer and contortionist, she is one of Mantak Chias original students. www.taotlc.com
Rene Navarro is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Chi Nei Tsang practioner. An acupuncturist and herbalist, he was named Instructor of the Year 1989. He has written 3 poetry books, including Du-Fus Cottage and Other Poems. www.renenavarro.org Masahiro Ouchi is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor, Founder and Director of the Healing Tao Center of New York and TaoZen Association in the USA. www.taozenlife.info Judith Poole, MA is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor with a private healing practice in the Boston area. She is the author of The Well-Being Switch and The Little Grounding Book among others. www.gis.net/~penjudith/ Jutta Reichardt is a medical physician, holistic therapist, homeopath, naturopath, acupuncturist and psychotherapist, and Universal Healing Tao Instructor. Dena Saxer is the Director of Universal Healing Tao of Los Angeles and co-authored with Master Chia the new book EMOTIONAL WISDOM: Daily Tools for Transforming Anger, Depression and Fear. www.universaltaola.com Sharon Smith is a Senior Universal Healing Instructor and CNT Practitioner.. She has received numerous foundation grants for her work with senior citizens and in community mental health programs. www.taosharon.com Shashi Solluna worked as the Taoist Nutritionist at Tao Gardens Integrative Medical clinic and co-authored The Tao of Delicious with Master Chia. She currently lives on the island of Koh Phangan in South Thailand. www. taospiral.com Karin Sorvik is a Senior Instructor and Senior Chi Nei Tsang Teacher. She is the Founder and Director of The Healing Tao Society, a public charity in New York City. www.taohealing.com Jampa Stewart is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor, Certified Medical Qigong therapist and licensed acupuncturist. He is the Director of the Healing Tao Institute in Austin, Texas. www.healingtaoinstitute.com Minke de Vos is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Director of Silent Ground Retreats in Vancouver, BC. www.silentground.com William Wu Wei (The Professor - Master of Nothingness) is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and the Project Manager for Universal Tao publications. Currently living in Southern Oregon, he co-created the Universal Healing Tao formula cards, Chi Cards, Taoists Poems & Living in the Tao
Wilbert Wils is a Senior Instructor of the Universal Healing Tao and a teacher of Chi Nei Tsang. A native of the Netherlands, he is also trained in Focusing, Somatic Experiencing (Trauma Release), and cranial-sacral therapy. Michael Winn is a Senior Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Director of the Healing Tao USA Retreat Program in North Carolina. He is co-author of one and editor of several of Mantak Chias books. www. healingdao.com Harald Xander is a Universal Healing Tao Associate Instructor, Chi Nei Tsang practitioner and teacher, a coach, and actor living in Germany. www.chineitsang.de. John Zielinski is the founder and director of PacificTao. com, the distributor of the Universal Healing Taos DVDs. www.pacifictao.com
picture Michael Winn
WORLDWIDE ORGANIZERS
EUROPE
Country & City Belgium Brussel Bucharest Romania France Paris Germany Berlin Germany Frankfurt Netherlands Amsterdam Poland Warsaw Russia Moscow Russia Moscow Spain Barcelona Switzerland Basel Switzerland Zrich UK London Name Christine Harkness Giles Adrian &Carmen Cranta Maurice BenhamoWolfgang Heuhsen Frankfurter Ring Brita Dahlberg Inge Maassen Rafal Modlinski Sergey Oreshkin Andrey Shakov COSMOBIOTICAL INSTITUTE (Imma) Lucius Werthmuller Chivital (Yvonne Huptli) Kris Deva North 7495 5062939 8 499 748 9806 (0034) 93 2021523 Telephone 0032 4760 37818 004 0723 671 045 (0033)(86)320-733 (0049)(30)772-3200 (0049)(69)511-555 (0031)(0)703515194 Internet christine@ridethewind.org adrian_cranta@yahoo.com BenhamouMaurice@aol.com heuhsen@knuut.de info@frankfurter-ring.de www.frankfurter-ring.de imaassen@hetnet.nl rafal@toneindustria.com daosrus@yahoo.com irij@bk.ru info@cosmobiotical.com
(0041) (61) 383 9720 Lucius.werthmueller@psi-tage.ch (0041) (44) 307 7000 yvonne.haeuptli@chivital.ch (44)(0)20-7739-9916 healingtao@btinternet.com
Frankfurt - Germany 2006
photos Renu Li
WORLDWIDE ORGANIZERS
NORTH AMERICA
State & City California Santa Cruz Illionois Chicago Massachusets Boston New York New York North Carolina Bowing Rock Oregon Portland Name Lee Holden Walter Beckley Marie Favorito Sharon Smith Michael Winn William Wu Wei 1 (781) 369-1908 1 (212) 243 6771 1 (888) 750 1773 1 (828) 450 8521 1 (503) 794 2717 Telephone 1 (831) 465 9088 Internet lee@santacruzchicenter.com walter@walterbeckley.com mcftao@verizon.net taosharon@earthlink.com retreats@HealingDao.com wuwei@tpmon.com
CANADA
Vancouver Minke De Vos (604) 669-2505 minke@silentground.com
MEXICO
Mexico City Rita Raquel Martinez 53 601522 rrmslegal@aol.com
NEW ZEALAND
Auckland Kim Knight 64 9833 6553 / 64 21 410 633 rells@xnet.co.nz
UNIVERSAL HEALING TAO PUBLISHERES

Publisher
EL-Tobgy Akmal Shambhala book Ltd. ARATRON Publishing House Shi Se Books
Address
tobgy@hotmail.com shambhalabooks@abr.bg, Web: shambhalabg.com aratron@techno-link.com Xindian City, Taipei Country 23143, Taiwan
Language
Arabic Bulgarian Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Dutch Dutch English English English English English Finnish French French German German German German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Indonesian Italian
Prol International Publishing House + Stoganovic-Popin Publishing , Croatia Cad Press, cadpress@inecnet.sk Forlaget Hovedland Ankh-Hermes Publisher Gottmer-Becht-Aramith Stichting Healing Tao Holland + Nakladatelstvi FONTANA, misubrt@post.cz, www.fontana-esotera.cz sp@hovedland.dk info@ankh-hermes.nl, Web: ankh-hermes.nl post@gottmer.nl, Web: altamira-becht.nl healingtao@xs4all.nl
Asia Publication & Book Distributors 35 Kallang Pudding Road # 06-02, Singapore 349314 Delapratasa Publishing Institute for Inner Studies Inc. Inner Traditions* Bear & Company Sanford Greenburger Assoc. Kustannus Oy Taivaankaari Guy Tredaniel Editions Edition Jouvence Ullstein Heyne + Scherz Verlag Verlagsgruppe Droemer Knaur EDIS GmBH, info@edisonline.de Arkana, Goldmann Verlag tidar@peter.petra.ac.id , Jarkarta, 13150, Indonesia Manila, Philippines andy@innertraditions.com, cynthiaf@innertraditions.com www.greenburger.com, hlange@siga.com juha@taivaankaari., taivaankaari@taivaankaari. tredaniel@courrie.com + Edition Dangles, danger@wanadoo.fr jouvence@mail.dotcom.fr e.graf@ullstein-heyne-list.de, k.jensen@econ-ullstein-list.de heike.rader@droemer-knaur.de + Verlagsgruppe Random Bertelsmann, rhc@randomhouse.de www. goldmann-verlag.de + Heyne Verlag, www. heyne.de
Aldebaran + Editions Pantos Kairou + Kyveli Editions + Trito Mati + Medical/Scientic Publishing Greece Oram Publishing House, Ltd. Lunarimpex Publishing Company Binarup Aksara, Delapratasa Edizioni Mediterranee Roma orishatz@shani.net + Inbar Publishing, inbar@inbar.il, www.Tao.co.il lunar@globenet.hu, lunar@mail.digitel2002.hu darulyndon@cbn.net.id, ceo@centrin.net.id redazione@ediz-mediterranee.com, infoedime@ailhub.9netaveave.it PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 62 -
Publisher
Sperling & Kupfer Editori S.P.A. M.I.R. Edizioni, mirediz@logo.it Enterprise (Sakai Agency) English Agency (Japan) Ltd. Tuttle-Mori Agency Inc.,Tokyo Kodansha International Ltd. VOICE Inc. Spiritual Culture Publishing Co. PENS, klasika@del.lv A.S.Narbuto Leidykla Albaz Publishing Bertelsmann Media Spolka + Editora Objectiva Ltda. www.dquixote.pt Asociatia Romana de Tai Chi si Sapientia Sophia Publishing Group INC. Serguei Orchkine Esotheria Doblanovic/ Dusan Ucila International Editorial Sirio, S.A. Editorial Mirach, S.L. Ediciones Martinez Roca, S.A. Alfaomega, S.A. Arbol Editorial Egmont Richter Dharma Press
Address
speroni@mondadori.it - sdepas@mondadori.it + CDE-Gruppo Mondadori S.p.a., info.printing@mondadori.it e-p@mre.biglobe.ne.jp Sakuragi Bldg. 4F 6-7-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107 satoko-harada@tuttlemori.com sales@kodansha-intl.co.jp, www.kodansha-intl.co.jp Hirose Bldg. 2F Nishi-Azabu 3-24-17, Minato-ku 106-0031, Tokyo www.healinglove.co.kr + Hanam Publishing, hanamp@chollian.net + Atena Publishers Ltd., atena@atena.lv, www. atena.lv amalijus@siauliai.aiva.lt 123, Taman Jasa Tiga, Ellsan, Malaysia, 68100 Batu Caves Ocyna Wydawnica ABA Sp. Z.o.o. + Dariusz Mynarczyk Publishing marisebarros@ibm.net, 22241-090 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil + Editoria Pensamento-Cultrix Ltda. pensamento-cultrix.com.br adrian_cranta@yahoo.com, www.tao.ro + Aurelia Haiu, info@armonita.ro, www.armonita.com kostenko@sophia.kiev.ua, sophya@carrier.kiev.ua daosrus@yahoo.com, www.daos.ru Aleksinackih rudara 83/38, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia Streliska 6, Ljubljana 61000, Slovenia Zalozba, d.o.o., Trzic, C. Kokrskega, Odreda 18, 4294 Krize, Slovenia edisirio@vnet.es, sirio@editorialsirio.com, www.editorialsirio.com equipodifusor@terra.es Grupo Editorial Planeta, Enric Granados, 84, Bajos 08008 Barcelona www.alfaomega.es S.A. de C.V., Av.Cuauhtemoc 1430, Mexico City, Mexico, D.F. 03310 Sallerupsvagen 9, 20575 Malmo, Sweden, www.egmont.com cemsen@intcafe .com
Language
Italian Italian Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Malaysian Polish Portuguese Portuguese Romanian Romanian Russian Russian Serbian Slovenian Slovenian Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Swedish Turkish
Holistic Medical Spa & Universal Tao Center

TAO GARDEN is a unique and internationally renowned Green Hotel, Smoke Free Spa & Healing Resort located in the peaceful land of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Our guests like to enjoy our rejuvenation programs and alternative therapy combined with the principle of healthy Taoist cuisine using the concept of the 5 Elements and the balance of Yin & Yang. The main food served is from our own organic gardens and guests are guided in exploring wholesome and balanced food programs that are specific to their personal needs. The Tao Garden has a world menu of therapies and integrates Chinese and Thai Herbal Medicine as well as Holistic Western Medicine. Especially famous and unique are the Chi Nei Tsang and Kar Sai Nei Tsang treatments. Tao Garden is the global headquarters for all the training therapies developed by Master Mantak Chia with ongoing retreat programs and seminars with certified teachers.

Tao Congress - Pearls Wisdom 2010 at Tao Garden, Thailand

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Tao Congress - Pearls Wisdom 2010 at Tao Garden, Thailand

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TA

HONORING GRANDMASTER MANTAK CHIA

WELCOME PEARLS OF WISDOM THE 2010 TAO CONGRESS

September 5 - 14, 2010

PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 2 -

Tao Garden - Welcome Center

MESSAGE FROM GRANDMASTER CHIA

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FROM THE ORGANIZING TEAM

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SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

DAY 2 MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 6

6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:50 PM

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DAY 3 TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 7

10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Healing Sexuality

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SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

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DAY 5 THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 9

10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Sexuality

6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM

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SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

12:45 PM 4:00 PM Lunch - Kwan Yin Dining Hall

photo courtesy of Tao Garden

photos Sharon Smith

PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 10 -

DAY 7 SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 11

10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Meditation Sexuality Movement

6:00 7:45 PM 8:00 9:45 PM

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SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

10:30 AM 12:30 PM Presentations Healing Sexuality

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DAY 9 MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 13

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SCHEDULE FOR THE TAO CONGRESS

Lao Tzu Hall

MAP OF TAO GARDEN

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Day 6 Friday, 9/10 10:30 AM 12:30 PM

Immortal Meditation Hall

Dr. Linda Berry

Day 9 - Monday, 9/13 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Day 9 Monday, 9/13 10:30 AM 12:30 PM Immortal Meditation Hall

PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 16 -

Maggie Cowan-Hughes Day 3 - Tuesday, 9/7

Day 4 - Wednesday, 9/8

Day 2 - Monday, 9/6

Lao Tzu Meditation Hall

Day 5 - Thursday, 9/9

PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 17 -

Marina & Colin Drown

Day 7 - Saturday, 9/11

Lao Tzu Meditation Hall

Day 3 - Tuesday, 9/7

Immortal Meditation Hall

PEARLS OF WISDOM MAGAZINE - 18 -

Day 5 - Thursday, 9/9

Buddha Palm, Chi Emission

Day 9 Monday, 9/13

Lao Tzu Meditation Hall

Day 8 - Sunday, 9/12