Fagong Practice: Assisted Faqi, Practice Moving Non-living Materials
The skill of electric-like qi emission (fagong 发功) is not something you encounter every day. It is a level of skill that typically takes years to attain and is often aided by various “boosts” and adjustments from a master as the student gradually develops. Practicing fagong “with assistance” is sort of like a way for a student to begin to practice this skill with “training wheels,” so that they can start to develop the necessary control and mind-body coordination needed for this never-before-used function of their body.
In light of the above, the majority of western students who are practicing this skill (as taught, for example, within the Gengmenpai and other similar lineages) are practicing fagong with the assistance of a master who assists them to various degrees. This has led certain figures in the internal arts scene to speculate that the practitioners in these groups have themselves made no real development and merely practice with qi given to them by a master. This not only disagrees with my own experience practicing this skill, it also conflicts with the understanding that has been passed down and taught in these lineages. So I thought it would be useful to explore the topic along with some helpful anecdotes.
