Pangu Shengong 2013 Advanced Retreat, Rhode Island — by Jason Davis

The 2013 Advanced retreat was a very profound and powerful experience. The course has grown so large it had to be held at a new venue this year. We had 78 Pangu Shengong practitioners attending this event, with ages ranging from 3 to 80 years old, coming from 6 different countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, New Zealand, and United States. Fortunately, the Zen center in Rhode Island turned out to be an idyllic setting. Many thanks go out to Abby Greiner who did an amazing job finding a new home for the course and for handling many of the details and logistics.

It is always wonderful to have our big Pangu Shengong family get together and to experience the warmth that such a reunion provides. I always feel at ease and comfortable when I am surrounded by Master Ou’s students. I really appreciate learning new things from them and connecting on a deep level.

As for the event I personally recall watching Vincent Chu and Robert Anderson teaching students how to do Pangu Tai Chi on the lawns of the center. I was amazed at the power and skill that Vincent demonstrated when he showed the group the form. I heard great things about the Pangu Yoga courses and marveled at the smiling faces that would leave one of the classes taught by Anisha Desai Fraser. Also the chef and other Pangu students did an amazing job making the food offered at the course most enjoyable.

Of course the most profound aspects of the course involved learning from Master Ou. The transmission of qi was extremely strong but at the same time lovingly balanced. In the lectures he really emphasized the need to transform ones heart and soul. He went much deeper into the Path of Life and spoke at an extremely high level. Master Ou is able to communicate with the audience on many levels. I always find that I not only receive a mental understanding of what he is talking about but also that my heart and soul is deeply impacted at the same time. I have always felt that an event like this changes the course of one’s life profoundly. It is always fascinating to watch how Master Ou conducts himself. For example during a calligraphy demonstration the way he gracefully and precisely utilizes the brush. Just by watching his hand movements you can learn what it means to have a truly calm and peaceful mindset. His teachings resonated strongly with the group and were demonstrated beautifully at the final concert. The performances that Master Ou and his students gave during the concert were sincerely heartfelt and deep. I could not believe how talented everyone was.

I personally am still integrating all the teaching and learning that occurred during that weekend and I am eternally grateful to have Master Ou as my teacher. He has helped me out in so many ways that I cannot really thank him enough. As I write this I can say that I am already looking forward to attending the advanced retreat next year.

Please read more about other participants’ remarks and pictures on our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/23552436696/.