High Level Monk - Tse Qigong Centre

Their endurance is amazing.
They are able to migrate over 1000
miles in one day at over 50 miles per
hour even though they weigh less than
five pounds and are no taller than two
feet when standing on the ground.
Think about travelling that far by
driving and how exhausted you would be. But
here they fly, in both night and day, wind, snow
and rain, without fail every year. If they have a
tail wind, these speeds can be up increased up
to 100 miles per hour.
Another anomaly is that the Bar-
Headed Goose has special sacs in its lungs
which temporarily store the inhaled oxygen
and which is then re-circulated back through
the lungs so that every last drop of oxygen
possible can be captured and used. Daoists
will use similar breathing techniques in order
to use all the Qi essence to nourish the body
for longevity and health.
Generations of Daoists who once lived
in the Kunlun Mountains would have observed
the migration of the Bar-Headed Geese and
being familiar with the severity of living in such
mountains themselves, they would have found these
geese’s endurance a model for cultivation methods.
What is more, the Bar-Headed Goose lives up to
twice as long as other geese living in the wild…up to
30 years or more.
Thus, these geese became symbols of
longevity for the Kunlun monks, a precious skill that
a Daoist sought through living apart from society and, instead,
living in harmony with nature while practising breathing
techniques and meditation.
The Bar-Headed Geese are very patient and gentle
birds. They do not fight with others and are very companionable.
In Laozi’s treatise, the Dao de Jing, it says, “Soft overcomes
the hard, like water wearing away stone. Water benefits ten
thousand creatures yet it does not hurry, it does not worry. It
does not fight with anybody and is content with places others
reject. The highest good is to be like water.”
In difficulties we can experience growth, through testing
ourselves we can develop our potential, just like the Bar-Headed
Goose. Their difficult journey which has been repeated through
many centuries has helped to evolve them into what scientists
call “Super Birds”. Their bodies are not only strong but they
can withstand difficulties that human beings, with all their
technological advances cannot.
The geese’s steadfastness in not losing their direction
would also have been a lesson in
keeping to The Way,
“These geese
became symbols
of longevity for
the Kunlun
monks”
Bar-Headed Goose
Photo curtesy of Yeshi Dorji
(Dao), and not straying from the path. The Bar-
Headed Goose’s body strength is such that they can even fly
in cross winds without moving off course.
The Bar-Headed Geese may well be the geese on which
the Kunlun Dayan Qigong system was founded. Their distinctive
markings of two black bars across the back of their head against
their snowy white neck feathers would have been striking
against the dun coloured mountain ranges. The monks might
well have seen it as a symbol of Yin and Yang and this was
living in a time when all signs of nature were read as an omen.
Daoists of this time would also have been steeped in
the classics of Rujia (Teachings of Confucius). As they observed
the geese parenting their young, they would have seen how
both male and female shared the tasks of feeding and nurturing
of the goslings equally. They also would have observed how
the young learned to follow their parents, copying their survival
lessons. This would have been an example of the Rujia principle
of family piety.
If asked whether I believe that a Qigong system could
be developed from living with and watching these amazing
geese, I would sincerely say, “Yes”. In learning more about
these beautiful and gentle creatures, I truly believe that they
were the models for our Dayan Qigong skill and that, even
today, they are still our teachers, acting as role models for a
society that moves too fast and no longer treasures loyalty
and tradition
by Jessica Tse
Photographs used with kind permission of Alister Benn -
www.availablelightimages.com and Yeshi Dorji
Qi Magazine Apr/May/June 2007 page 33