Testimonial: Opening the Tao and Windlock System
Lujan’s voice was calm and kind. I had been nervous the week before the trip, but in Lujan’s cheerful presence I instantly found what he called my “safe harbor”: a peaceful and calm mind, no tricks, no traps, enjoying life, myself and the present situation. An innocence presence, no feelings of guilt, no judgement, agenda, sorrows. To find this peace is what it is all about, Lujan said.
Using Your Illusion
I stayed two joyful weeks in which we discussed a lot of topics. Usually Lujan would just react to what I said or to what was present, without knowing where it would lead us. His teachings do not follow a plan or road-map, it develops spontaneously. The insights he gave me during our conversations touched me deeply. On the first day alone Lujan talked about a subject he had never really touched before and he instantly decided to write a book about it. The information for me was multilayered and evolved throughout the 2 weeks. I noticed a peaceful detachment as a result, instead of giving in to the illusion every one of us is living and passing on.
Opening the Tao
We did Opening the Tao in the first week, and this series of movements or exercises is a game changer for all the Lo Ban Pai movements and forms I have done before. This is where you really get an idea of and understand more and more what you are doing. Although the rotation of the lower dantien has been examined before, the tick-tocking and elliptic movements of Opening the Tao add new dimensions to it. Your external movements become your internal movements, and the lower dantien moves as you move and circles the energy outside your body. With Opening the Tao the experience of the dantien is unmistakably recognizable from the start and yet increasing. It instantly allows the energy to circle up from the lower to the middle dantien. “Find the pleasure” Lujan advised me in order to get a better sense of the energy moving up. To me it felt vacuum like, a sucking feeling that lifted something into my upper torso.
With Windlock I already started to change my upper body and gain muscles, but Opening the Tao put this to a new level. You have several pillars and girdles of energy within your field. Now I more and more experience and understand how the girdles work together, how to use them and what a strong body really should feel like.
Burying the Bones
The exercises teach you to “bury the bones”, enabling a rooted stance that cannot be compromised. It is amazing how fast you get a hang of this. Opening the Tao nails you into the ground while energy moves up along your spine, or central channel. My posture when walking or interacting with others will change along with the practice, Lujan said.
Beginner Consolidation
The second week we consolidated all the beginner forms I learned before. I marveled at how everything interacts and how my previous forms prepared me for Opening the Tao and how they now changed, taking along the new principles. To me, the Golden Lotus has changed the most. It has a whole new flavor now, adding the Opening the Tao principles with whole new movements and vortexes. I totally loved it. My grin on the face got wider and wider as we practised.
“Less of you” Lujan said when showing me the delicate gestures of cascading butterflies once more. His devotion is phenomenal to witness, again and again. You cannot just copy or mirror those gestures, they would be empty. But when you are empty, your gestures become full.
Windlock and Awakening the Energy Body also changed a lot and adjusted to Opening the Tao. These two are based on single movements and not a coherent form like Golden Lotus. Windlock works the upper girdles while Awakening the Energy Body is more concentrated on the lower body. Now, after consolidation, Lujan made both even more challenging. He said that you need to physically exhaust yourself and then go even further in order to access energy and power that is not used usually.
The signature of Dragon’s Tears changed also, but the form as a whole almost stayed the same, except for the end which is completely different. I enjoy the “Opening the Tao touch” it received a lot. Even slightly hand movements now are connected to the lower dantien. As you nourish energy with your hands, something inside of you responds. Something that belongs to you and is not yours at the same time – at least that is how I feel it.
Kung Fu
Along with the internal Kung Fu aspects the movements of Lo Ban Pai inherit a martial art that is highly effective and devastating. Lujan demonstrated here and then how Lo Ban Pai applies in various fighting situations and I totally enjoyed this. You do not apply Lo Ban Pai, it applies itself when needed and then evolves without you forcing anything. At one point I was up in the air, Lujan holding me, without me understanding how I got there. In a real fight I would have been smashed head first into the ground, but Lujan stopped me in mid air. Later he revealed that he was amazed at how he was able to hold me up there without effort, because he is “not that strong”. The empty force was involved, a force that can only be experienced, not trained or called. You do not long for it, and you do not wish to control it either. Forgetting yourself is the key.
Riding the wild horse
We talked a lot about sexual energy and Lujan made me aware of feelings of guilt I still inherited and also self disgust that lingered inside of me. Lujan only needed to shine a light at my gestures and from that point on I knew exactly what I had been doing and how I can realize and stop it. At some point Lujan asked me if I wanted to learn techniques to cultivate sexual energy, because he had spotted respective interest inside of me. I said yes, not really knowing what to expect. The techniques did not come without a serious warning though. Lujan made it very clear that I had to be aware of and avoid any emotion like anger, envy, lust, hate etc. Otherwise, in combination with the cultivation of the sexual energy, this would do irrevocable harm. I got a little irritated when listening to this introduction but at the same time was totally at ease. This was what I was working on throughout the last years and I have become more and more aware of emotions, feelings, programs and tactics. So let’s do this.
Although you are cultivating sexual energy, the techniques do not have a sexual context whatsoever. Quite the opposite, you dislodge the sexual context from the sexual center. As a result you are “switched on” and highly energetic, without the sexual habit. Lujan told me to be very aware of any harsh voices coming out of me without intent or any other unintended aggression or comparable behavior. If anything like that comes up, then you are not sealed. When there is no control of the wild horse, one should let go of the energy, otherwise it turns against you. You will be fine Lujan had stated. And I am.
A drop in the sea
The two weeks were amazing. I had a great time and the conversations with Lujan propelled me in many ways on many levels. I can go to my safe harbor any time now. The illusions of our existence and the necessity to deal with it lead to the ultimate question: Who am I? I discover more and more, who I am not.
Thank you Lujan!
Arne
Germany
Thank you for sharing and for having advanced so far.
Beautiful,Arne! Thank you.
Your experiences were so amazing, thank you for sharing them.
I can’t wait to see what unfolds for me.
Shalom x
Thanks for this clear summery of your encounter with Lujan and the practice! Feels great to read it and remind oneself to train it with even more devotion!