July of 2026 would be the 40th anniversary of my certification as a Healing Tao (now Universal Healing Tao) instructor. I was authorized to teach the 4 basic courses: Microcosmic Orbit (with Inner Smile and 6 Healing Sounds), Iron Shirt Chikung 1 (Zhan Zhuang), Healing Love and Tai Chi Chi Kung 1. The training was held at Rudi’s in Big Indian, Catskills, New York. There were, if I remember, about 10 of us who took the Instructor Training but I remember only a few: aside from me, there were Marie Favorito, John Loupos, Mackenzie Stewart. There were at the time 5 Senior instructors: Juan Li, Ron Diana, Rylin Malone, Michael Winn and Gunther Weill. I do not know how they were trained and selected as senior instructors. Juan Li, Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone were there to assist in the seminar and testing but the trainees were taught directly by Mantak Chia. If anyone remembers more details, please tell me.
Among other things, what the training covered, aside from the actual materials, was HOW TO TEACH the subjects. We covered the basic anatomy: the spine, especially, the alignment of the legs and arms and the scapulae. There was special attention to the details of postures and movement, the different “stations” of the Microcosmic Orbit, the “empowerment” method of opening the MCO, the rooting in Zhan Zhuang and Tai chi chi kung 1 (the slow and short Tai chi form) and the breathing. It was a very comprehensive seminar. We started early at 6 AM with limbering exercises and ended at 8 or 9 PM going through the intensive curriculum. In the 6 Healing Sounds, there was particular attention paid to the accuracy of the posture and the sound. You learned to perform the different methods in front of the master and your fellow trainees. I learned a lot in that training, much more than I could suggest here.
One of my vivid memories was the test on Tai chi Chi Kung 1 and Iron Shirt 1 I took with Mantak Chia and Juan Li. Mantak put me through a very rigorous and exhausting examination, with corrections and repetitions of the Tai chi movements, for at least an hour. Juan Li literally crushed my Embracing the Tree posture. I have a video of these tests in my files and I am too embarrassed to look at it even now, almost 40 years later. Two or 3 days later, after a nervous anticipation, I was told I passed both courses. I did pass Healing Love and Microcosmic Orbit, too. So it was 4 passes out of 4.
In Microcosmic Orbit, you had to be examined by a panel of senior instructors about the stations of the meditation. As important you had to demonstrate your ability to “open” the orbit of the student model with your hands. You needed to have strong Qi to be able to project it. It was a special technique that at the time was taught only at instructors’ training. Healing Love, or its euphemistic name The Tao of Relationships, was basically a question-and-answer routine about techniques and different levels of orgasm. Iron Shirt Chikung 1 (Zhan Zhuang) required pushing the candidate from different directions: he or she should be able to hold the posture.
The following year, I was asked to assist in the summer retreat, leading meditations, and teaching and training instructors. I was promoted to senior instructor (and with Maria Favorito chosen as Instructors of the Year) in 1989.
The Instructor’s Training was the most intense/intensive period in my Taoist experience. I learned a lot, much more than I remember. It was more than a test of one’s knowledge and ability, it was also a test of one’s determination and character. You did the techniques right in front of the master and your peers! I learned to swallow my ego and pride and understood what it meant to “empty the cup.” For several more years thereafter I assisted Mantak Chia in different courses, including neidan/inner alchemy. He was there beside me, leading me and making corrections in front of the class when I needed it. I am thankful I went through it. I do not know how many students can and are willing to go through that kind of training. It was, to me, a life-changing experience. I do not know if the same method of getting certified is still in use.
Over the years, aside from the first 4 basic courses, I earned more senior instructor certifications, including:
Iron Shirt 2 (tendon)
Iron Shirt 3 (bone marrow)
Tai chi chi kung 2 (fast tai chi)
Fusion of the 5 Elements 1, 2 and 3
Lesser Kan and Li
Greater Kan and Li
Greatest Kan and Li
Chi Nei Tsang 1 and 2
This might have been in 1989.
