On December 12th in 1985 the 101st Airborne Company that I was assigned to was wiped out in a plane crash returning from a mission in the middle-east. I missed this flight because my father died and I left the mission early. The guilt from surviving left me very disillusioned with life. I sought a spiritual meaning to my pain. A chaplain taught me how to meditate and I began to practice this for several hours a day.

 

Towards the end of 1988 when I tried to go to sleep, I would find myself floating above my bed in another body! After the chaplain revealed he had no idea what was happening to me I confided in a Chinese friend. This friend, who was also the Taiwanese National Taiji champion, taught me the basics of Taiji to balance my inner energies. I studied with him for five years.

 

He taught me that Taiji uses the breath synchronized with movement to put us in a meditative state of mind. We can then make contact with the living energy field that surrounds and fills us called Qi. Practicing Taiji gives us greater control with using both inner and outer Qi. The purpose of Taiji then becomes to unite our limited inner Qi with the infinite universal Qi. He taught that there is no limit to how far you can develop physically, mentally or spiritually with Taiji.

 

He said, “Traditional Taiji has only thirteen physical skills to master. With these thirteen simple techniques one may redirect an attack from any direction without harming the attacker. Taiji has no hard strikes or kicks. It has no grinding chokes or holds. It uses soft to overcome hard, yielding to overcome force and calmness to overcome aggression. Taiji is the most advanced martial art on earth.

 

In the beginning you will learn the movements and stronger/faster equals better. The second mental level is where your techniques become effortless, instinctual and arise spontaneously in need. At the third spiritual level your combat ability becomes so advanced that it seems unbelievable, almost magical. Paradoxically, masters at this level begin to promote peace everywhere they go.”

 

This was made clear to me during the first Gulf War when I experienced a few dangerous encounters. Instead of feeling fear I was swept into a super-calm state where my perception of time slowed and I used Taiji with great effect. It felt amazingly simple to do things that, prior to the war I would have thought impossible.

 

In 1994 I intensified my Taiji practice to end my out-of-body-experiences once and for all. By June I was up to eight to ten hours a day which included Taoist Immortality exercises. On weekends it would even extend into the twelve to sixteen hour range.

 

Then in July on a walk in the woods, my mind exploded into the universe. Looking at the trees did not reveal leaves and bark. I saw explosions of fiery, living, golden light. This fiery, living light seemed to flow from the source of all life itself. It began where the seeds sprouted originally. The explosions then flowed upwards and downwards forming the tree. The dark gravel trail became a stream of glowing gemstones. It was like I woke up and was seeing reality for the first time. I knew, loved and was all things.

 

The out-of-body-experiences ended, but for years after this I sought to recapture this experience of unity with the uncreated light. In 1998 I began an all or nothing fast. For twenty one days I ate nothing and drank only water. On the twenty first day I had an epiphany. The true method of return to Spirit is by increasing our sensitivity to Spirit’s still small voice through loving service to all living beings.

 

At once I knew that bringing others to the knowledge of their own unlimited potential was the only way I could find the peace and fulfillment I was seeking. Since then I have striven hard to live the truth that humble, loving service can transform the world by improving the individuals in it.