Customer Reviews

Mysteries of the Life Force: My Apprenticeship with a Chi Kung Master

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1985, the author encountered the world of Chi Kung, an eastern discipline which supposedly involves tapping into a mysterious and immensely powerful "Life Force".

In MYSTERIES OF THE LIFE FORCE, the author is not trying to convince us that Chi Kung exists nor is he attempting to proselytize us with a "Why You Must" tract nor is he offering us an illustrated "How You Can" manual.

The book is more of a "Let me tell you a story about some strange things that happened to me." In the end, it is up to the reader to make of the account what he or she will.

The story relates the author's experiences as he enters a rather weird and magical landscape filled with things that Western science can not contemplate, let alone explain.

Because of the author's intelligent, articulate, engaging, non-judgmental and very witty approach, we gladly accompany him along on a journey which traverses a landscape somewhere between GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE DANCING WU-LI MASTERS.

The slender book is populated with quirky, humorous characters who are presented with grace and generosity. As we accompany him on his narrative journey, the author draws on excellent background in literature, lore, philosophy, Eastern traditions and shares with us a delicious treat full of whimsical insights and little known facts.

The story itself is highly readable, wise and witty.

Whether one believe in the Chi or not, one can not help but be enchanted by this charming, well-written book.

Most books about qigong try to demonstrate a movement or breathing style that folks can't actually learn from a book. Peter Meech's experiences reveal what is REALLY required to learn qigong. The traditional teaching method utilizing the art of energy projection, combined with student dedication, is THE way to learn qigong.

Way to go, Peter! I am making this book required reading for all my qigong students. This is the best book about qigong I have read in a long time.

Michael Lomax, author of A Light Warrior's Guide To High Level Energy Healing: Medical Qigong & A Shaman's Healing Vision

Just finished this book, which took longer than expected because I found I was enjoying it so much that I decided to sip it rather than chug it down. It's truly a wonderful book: unpretentious yet artful, touching yet substantial, informative yet humorous. Peter Meech manages to maintain the same light touch throughout his very memorable tale -- offering readers a uniquely personal look at his experiences with Dr. Chow and the mysteries of Chi Kung. Certainly not a how-to book, unless the subjects are how to be a mindful student and write a charming book.

I thought I would really enjoy this book and so it proved. Qi Gong can be a bit of a dry subject. Studying Qi Gong is a lot of still postures, and lot of patience cultivating your Qi. One needs a really good reason to do it and some inspiration. Stories like Peter Meech's apprenticeship with his Qi Gong Master is inspiring and motivating. Above all this is very readable. As I said in the beginning I find Qi Gong books quite dry and difficult to bring about self-motivation. Nearly all of them I've been unable to finish. This book for me was a personal account that made it very interesting.

There is no Qi Gong program in here but a lot about Qi Gong, the benefits and the mysterious. If you've read any Carlos Castaneda's books then you'll enjoy this one as well.

I found Meech's Master to be presented as very modest and Peter is also this way. This is a true transmission of knowledge and energy I highly recommend it.

This is a great little book. Well written, concise and the author did a great job of making you feel like you were observing and interacting with the characters yourself. This book was hard to put down and one I didn't want to end. Wish it was the first in a series! Definitely would make a good movie.

Regarding Medical Qigong apprenticeships; this is one of two books that openly discuss the practice of receiving qi emission directly from their teachers as a means of raising the bodies energy and transmitting knowledge. The other book is Michaels Lomax's, A Light Warrior's Guide to High Level Energy Healing. In my opinion both are worth having on your shelf.

This small book by Peter Meech holds one of the most amazing tales I've read of personal development, the story of learning to harness the elusive force called by the Chinese "chi" (sometimes spelled "qi"). The author served an apprenticeship with Dr. Chow, a Chi Kung master, who taught him to feel the chi within him, to send the chi to different parts of his body and ultimately to "throw chi" to other people.

He began his training with the Chi Kung master by receiving chi from Dr. Chow and this built up his store of chi with which he could work. The book takes us through Peter's time with Dr. Chow in his Toronto clinic where he practices Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr. Chow is a healer, using his considerable skills to help others. But Peter is more interested in learning to build and control chi, and does not wish to become a doctor like his mentor. Instead, Peter is a writer building a portfolio of work in the movie industry. Which makes me wonder if his movie work influenced this book just a little too much.

Peter does not tell us exactly how he actually controlled the chi or what exercises Dr. Chow gave him to practice. He does tell us Dr. Chow also taught Tai Chi to students and Peter was a participant, but there is no explication of the connection between Tai Chi and being able to "feel the chi" and direct it. I have been learning the Tai Chi movements and am aware that these are designed to facilitate movement of chi, and long-time practitioners say they can feel their chi. It is also said that the build-up of chi is what lets martial arts practitioners strike with tremendous force with minimum effort. But the author does not discuss these matters.

I found some of the concepts involving amazing feats familiar from other books I've read. For instance, the references to Chi Kung masters doing without food and to being in two places at once mirror stories in one of my favorite books, "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda. In the book, Yogananda, in his travels, visits with two people who had given up food and drew their energy directly from the air (these people are called "Breathetarians"). He also talks about his guru being able to be in two places at once (called "bilocation"). I had assumed that one of these would be the astral body, but Dr. Chow claims they are both physical bodies. There are many similarities between Indian yogis and Chinese Chi Kung masters, but yogis like Yogananda seek to help others advance spiritually while Chi Kung masters attain their skills without being saints, and some "show off" their skills.

Much of the incidents described in the book concern the passing of chi from one person to another, usually deliberately, but the books makes it clear that it is possible for a person to steal chi from others, and that chi can be obtained from plants, if you know how how to do it. This sounds like the concept of being a "psychic vampire," people who drain others of their energy. Giving too much energy, or having your energy stolen, can result in illness. In the end of the book when Peter rejects Dr. Chow's suggestion that he continue studying and one day open his own clinic, Dr. Chow warns that doing healing work without further study on how to build and maintain chi could be harmful. Peter opts instead to teach Chi Kung (and perhaps also Tai Chi).

This is a valuable book for its inside look at the skills of a Chi Kung master like Dr. Chow, but it does not provide enough information for the reader to make any judgment about how truthful or complete is this admittedly interesting story. Some of Dr. Chow's skill's seemed overly theatrical, like his saving Peter from a hassle at the US border by waving his fingers in the air in front of the border guards and saying "Maybe just let go with warning..." after which the guard said "This time I'll let you go with a warning..." A performance reminiscent of an even more powerful and legendary Jedi Knight. But Star Wars was, of course, fiction.

The most delightful and unexpectedly witty tale about the study of chi kung I've yet read. Spare, engaging style gets you in the first sentence. Totally enjoyable, thoughtful, subtle, and unique. No "woo woo". It's just fresh.

I have ordered this book, and have not yet received it. However, after reading the intro pages here on Amazon, with all the beautifully detailed imagery and articulate language, I got many visuals in my head and even experienced a couple subliminal scents while reading these first few pages. I believe it could easily be a bio-pic! Not to mention the fact that it would get the basic concept of chi-kung out into the public, where it needs to be. And that concludes my 2 cents.. :)

This book reads well, but may not be what you were looking for. It was not at all what I expected, at any rate.

What was I expecting? Well, some insight into the way people train when they do Chi Kung. What one needs to pay attention to. Maybe something useful for my own training.

I got none of that.

Instead the book is a half credible story about the encounter between the author and a Chi Kung master who can throw Chi at people and takes him under his wing. When I say half credible I'm probably being charitable, but then again, I'm trying to be open minded these days.

What would such a book be good for and why would one want to read anything like this? The author is actually pretty good a setting up the various scenes and this reads a bit like a movie script in a way that's far from being unpleasant. Seen as a light fiction work, and accepting that's it's not really going anywhere in particular, one can surprisingly enough find oneself enjoying the ride.

it takes years to develop chi, the authors instant development and the cliqued sensations were not believable, it took all my chi to finish this tale, would not recommend.