The Ancient 4-Step Method That Clears Your Mind and Unlocks Manifestation | Shi Heng Yi

Learn how to deal with failure. Learn how to not be successful. There is a different agenda going on in the 21st century. It's not even an idea that comes from you. People are repeating the same mistakes over and over again because they haven't failed enough yet in order to make the next step.

A 35th generation Shaolin master

who's been practicing kung fu since the age of 4 founded the Shaolin Temple in Europe. Shi Heng Yi. You

come to this world as a Empty cup. The parents put their drop, teachers put their knowledge inside of you, the government, the schools, your friends, all of that stuff inside there. It's not coming from you. Learn to empty the cup. Then you will realize who you really are, what your essence is.

Why do you think most people fail to manifest what they want? Is it because they don't have the discipline, the willpower, the consistency?

Because

you have this 4-step method you call RAIN to help you clear your mind and overcome these hindrances. Uh, can you share what this 4-step method is?

So for example, once you are— once you know or have understood about yourself what type of mental states these hindrances, for example, represent. Yeah, the way how we just try to explain to them. Every time one of these mental states pops up into your mind, which means positive emotion, negative emotion, ill will, you feel depressed, you feel weak, you feel that lack of power, you have this restlessness inside of you. Or you have— what was the last one?

The skeptical doubt.

Or the skeptical doubt coming up. So most important is you need to realize it. Realize that it is just there. Sometimes you realize it. Sometimes you recognize it. This is the idea why it's a very, very nice simile to remember those 4 methods later on, what we regard as RAIN, R-A-I-N. And we are at the moment with the R, meaning you recognize and you realize that apparently at this moment in time, Mm-hmm. you are finding yourself in one of these mental states which are representing hindrances. Mm-hmm. Okay. Now the next step, what are you doing after you have recognized that you are in it? Now starts the point where it becomes very helpful if we start to analyze. And analyzing meaning you do everything that is in your possibilities to just ask questions about why did it come up? Mm-hmm. What did it trigger? When did it exactly come up? How actually did this feeling in the first place get into yourself? When was, for example, the first time that you realized that you are having this type of mental state. So what analyzing means is you try to look into your past also. Yeah, is it something related to the education of your parents? Is it something related to an idea that you caught up from, I don't know from where? So analyzing means that you make an investigation. Mm-hmm. Investigation means this time you go deeper. This is where we are at the I already.

Yeah, the third one. Yeah,

I is investigation. A, I'm sorry, I said, uh,

analyze.

Analyze? No, it's accept. It's accept. Sorry,

you're good. Accept it.

Accept it. Accept it. Acknowledge it. The difference is when you acknowledge something and accept something It is that you're not pushing it away.

You're not resisting it.

You're not resisting it. And the reason for that is, as long as something is not accepted or not acknowledged, it can't be changed. Because it is still outside of you. See? So if I have like a mental state, anything like this, and I say, yes, it's there, but I want to have it gone. Mm-hmm. Then what you're trying to do in this approach is you're separating. You're trying to separate it. But this is not the way this method is expressing. This method tells you it is there. Why is it there? It's because something inside of you already is resonating with it. So it's a matter of you. It's your business. So now what you're doing is I accept the business. I take it, I understand, okay, it's my business. That is the acknowledgement, the acceptance that you are saying, okay, I'm going to take care of it. This is like that A part, why it is important. If you reject it, if you don't embrace it, it can't be changed. And then now in the 3rd step, now comes the investigation. Mm-hmm. This is where you ask the questions. So that means where you try to find out more. You want to become familiar. You want to take that feeling into your family. Make him become part of you and make him become friend of you. Hmm. Understanding it is a part of you. But maybe it's just a misunderstanding of the way how you saw it before. This is like the idea, the investigation of asking questions. Yeah. Finding out more about it. Where does it come from? Who implemented it into your way of seeing the world? Yeah. And ultimately, the last step after this type of process is what we call Non-identification. Now, non-identification is quite similar to what I tried to express before, that you sometimes need to stand above you and see from that perspective, how can you support yourself? How can you support that person to get into, um, Mm-hmm. the next development stage. Yeah. For example, yeah. This is one type of non-identification, but at the same time also means nothing stays as it is. Nothing stays as it is. Just as sometimes things are so overwhelming, entering into your life. It can happen the other way around as well. Mm-hmm. And I mean, you just need to— everybody just look back into your personal life. How many bad moments did you have in the past? How many times did you suffer in the past? How often we were already thinking like, this is the end of the world. Girlfriend left you, boyfriend left you, you know, different. different occasions, yeah, but none of them stayed.

Yeah.

That is like also the other, the other truth behind it, you know, and the great part, like I also said already in our conversation, is the way how you are able to use either the imagination or just like the abilities of the mind.

Yeah.

Because you can turn it both ways. Either you see it as, why did it come so suddenly? Or you see the opposite.

Yeah.

It's going to leave.

Right, right.

I mean, that's the other side. Of course, in this world we are living that we humans, we We humans and this society, I think, is more easily being torn towards the positive or towards a very certain side, let's say. But this is because of, I think, the developments of our 21st century, where there are certain values being propagated. Mm-hmm. There is no propaganda in learn how to be poor, learn how to deal with failure, learn how to not be successful, learn how to accept the way how you are, not how to make yourself more beautiful and try to stay beautiful. Hmm. There is a different agenda. going on in the 21st century. And based on that, I do think that the mindset also has shifted, therefore, in trying to fulfill the expectations what is present in our nowadays world. But it's your personal decision. It's really important for me to really say this again and again. I'm not here to judge whether something is good or whether something is bad. But I'm just saying that if you have placed something upon your mind, that right now you are trying with your lifetime to make it become real, but this is what you're trying to put into this life, it's not even an idea that comes from you. Hmm. I just, uh, want to express that I think it can go very wrong to one day find out that you have lived a life and invested your lifetime following up on a vision, on an expectation, or anything like this, which first of all was never something initially coming from yourself. And afterwards, even if you followed up on it and achieved it, afterwards realize it doesn't give you what you were looking for in this lifetime. Yeah. And that's just how it is.

Yeah. This has been about the, the 5 hindrances that hold people back from mastering their inner selves and really feeling more abundance, peace, love, and joy. I'm loving everything we're talking about. And I want to ask you now, I want to transition into a new topic about how to manifest your dream future and how you think we can step into this. If someone has a vision, a dream that they want to manifest something, where do you think we should begin in this process of Dreaming and manifesting the future. And I know you've talked about heaven, man, earth concept that has helped you manifest a vision. Is this something that we should think about? And if so, what's this concept? Can you explain it?

So this sentence, heaven, man, earth. Heaven above us, man in the center. Earth below us. It is just expressing from the same, let us say, family of teaching, the same that also we find in the area of the Yin and Yang symbol. It is just a little bit more detailed. Meaning, there is something inside of us humans which we say has some heavenly connection. At the same time, there is something about us humans, which has a very strong foundation rooted in the earth. So let's start with the earthly aspects about ourselves. So earth means for me, first of all, I can see it. If I fly on the plane, no matter where, if I look down, I know where to look to see the earth.

Right.

So what does it mean? It means there is something to see. Our whole world is based on seeing. What is it that you can see? You can only see something that has a shape. Something without a shape, you can't see. But talking about you can see it, talking about it has a shape, What is the nature of a shape? The nature of a shape is separating. It's separating what is inside the shape and what is outside of the shape. It's separating. Mm-hmm. So one quality of the earth is it's based already from the, let's say, from the natural side, based upon separation, based upon this is life and this is death, this is growth and this is decay. And now our body, our physical body, how come when we were born, we maybe had our like 3 kilograms, 4 kilograms baby, and now look at how huge we have become? Not me, you. Look how much like we have we have grown.

Yes.

So where all of this comes from, right, very easily said, from the food, from the nutrition, from everything that we have taken and give our body to eat or to drink. Even if it is meanwhile some products are created in a laboratory, but even the resources for that, ultimately everything comes just from the earth. So if you now just follow up on that thought, our body is created upon, let's say, individual aspects from this earth that by nature already are limited in a way, limiting inside and outside. So limiting, that means our body automatically is limited. It is what we call nowadays lifetime. So simply said, sorry for the long explanation. Sure. But that is what it means for me. It is no doubt about that. I don't need to philosophize around it. I can see it. This is out of question. It's gonna go. That is the earth part about ourselves. At the same time, giving me insights, you want to change something about that, what is it to take care of? Everything that comes from the earth very easily, which means food, drinks, the breath. Yeah.

Yeah.

So that is like how I would use now this concept to— in my daily life to just understand, okay, this body comes from there. So the better the quality of the ingredients I put into this, The more quality this can generate. That is the earth aspect. And in comparison now to that earth, we have that heaven aspect. Heaven aspect called like this because looking up into the sky, it's really difficult to tell where does the sky end. Meaning? Heaven. Stands for something which is borderless. There are no borders in the sky. And so what is it inside of us humans that I think we have something similar like this? That is for me the way of how you are able to use your mind. Mm-hmm. Because sometimes you can use the mind and create something you have never seen in this world. You are creating something in the mind. You have never seen it in person. Why? Because it's not existing yet. Yet you can see it here. This can mean a fear. also. A fear what's going to happen tomorrow. A fear what will happen to my children if I will not be able to take care of them anymore. So there is something you're projecting already that is not here yet.

It's not real.

You are projecting it inside of you, and the feelings based upon that way of thinking still makes it real to you.

Even though it's not in the world yet.

Yes. So this is what— how You need to be careful what you're creating on the mind. This is the reason why it's so important to know what are you placing inside the mind, because it's so powerful.

Yes.

But now assuming that we all do not want to create our own descent or decay, anything like this. Let's say this is not what we want, but we want to have something that we would like to create.

Yeah.

Let's say. So the question right now is, how do I get something from what at the moment is only in my mind into something that it becomes what we would call real? When is something real? It's real when it's here, when also other people can see it, not just you in the mind. Then it's real. Because like you can imagine, you have like some beautiful woman as a girlfriend, yeah?

But no one else sees it.

Nobody else sees it, yeah? It's only real if there's another witness who sees you and that girl walking together. Then it's real. So, and how do we make this now happen? It is on the one side, of course, you need a plan. Mm-hmm. You need a small step-by-step plan. And I really think that meanwhile, especially like in modern businesses, it's very similar like when you make project management. You break your ideas, of course, down into walkable steps. So that's why I think I don't need to say so much to it. But along this plan, along this way of, let's say, trying to make it become real, this can also mean you need to find more and more ways. How does something so fine like your thoughts start to shape into a form? So it is about find ways to give it expression.

Can you explain?

Yes, write it down on paper is one way of giving thoughts an expression.

Speaking about it.

Speaking it out to your friends, more people know about it. Writing it onto your fridge, something where the thought starts to enter into your visible world. This is the small steps that just support you on this mission. These are small things. The next step would be whatever you would like to achieve there. What skills are necessary? Mm-hmm. Do you have the skills? Now a little bit more, a little bit more nicely drawn. It means you want to go on a mission, but at the moment you don't know yet in which direction you have to move. So that means the first thing in order for you to answer this question, which direction to move, is You need to know your location. And this now translated into, so what is it I'm supposed to do? Who are you at the moment? What are your abilities at this very moment? What do you have available time-wise? financial-wise, it doesn't matter what, in which situation are you right now. So we need to see where is our actual location. So, and from there now it starts, at least now you have a hint. If you want to go there, but at the moment you don't know yet where are you located. If you're located here, you know, You need to walk here, east. If you are located here, it's not east, because then you're gonna make a long way. Yeah. So that it really depends on where are you located, and this is why it's from person to person, it's different, and I cannot always tell to the same person, so you want to go there, go east. You want to go there too, you also go east. No, because they are not starting from the same position.

Yeah.

Some people have already some education and some experience previously that will immensely help them to already like start from a different point. So, but where have we been? Skills. And now this is the part We are also jumping back into what is Shaolin also known for, known for abilities of the practitioners which are normally above average human abilities. Yeah, and this doesn't come because we bought it somewhere.

You practice it.

Yes, but there is a very specific type now of practice. And this is maybe also interesting. What actually is that original meaning of David Carradine, kung fu? Kung fu. This kung fu. Kung fu meaning it's attaining a skill through hard work. Mm-hmm. That is important. Attaining a skill through hard work. Why is only this one what we call kung fu? Because this kung fu is not about fighting at the moment. It is about something that you have, for example, also developed. You also have kung fu. It is something that you have, you can do, you got. And if somebody else in this room would like to have the same ability like you, he cannot buy it. He cannot just like wish to have it. There's only one way how a person would ever get to the same skill set like you have. He needs to go through the same training effort. Sweating, suffering.

Consistently, yeah.

Like you. And this is what we regard as these are the skills we are looking for. I'm not looking for a skill that I can outsource. I'm looking for skills I have done and nobody else in this world can copy. If you want to copy, well, then you need to train. You need to do the same.

Right.

And so that means along this way, you also realize in developing those skills right now, actually, this is a way to make something unique about you. Mm. And this uniqueness goes hand in hand with the unbroken willpower that you put into it. And with that vision of yourself that this is what you want and this is what you're gonna do. And so it is a combination, it is a combination of you need to work for it, but also at the same time have the mindset also that backs up your battle plan.

Yeah. And why do you think most people fail to manifest what they want? Is it because they don't have the discipline, the willpower, the consistency? Is it because they're not strong enough or willing to develop the strength? Why do they fail at manifesting?

I think it is a question of time. In my world, people are repeating the same mistakes over and over again because they haven't overcome them yet.

They're still at level 1. They keep failing at level 1. They haven't beaten that level yet.

Yes.

Mastered the level.

Yes. But it's out of question for me that they will. Why is that? Because you can touch 3 times on the hot heat plate and it hurts 3 times. You touch the 4th time, it still hurts. 5th time, still hurts. There will come the day—

They say, ah, no more.

Now no more.

No more. Yeah, it might take a while.

I mean, I expressed it maybe like in a funny way, but

It is true though.

It is even said like this in the teachings, yeah? You cannot teach someone who is not willing to be taught. Don't waste your time on people or to teach people that are not having the willingness to learn. Don't waste. This is also the reason why this, what I try to present right now, We don't have missionaries going out like saying, look, we have the answers to your problems. We don't do that stuff.

Because if people aren't receptive to it, it's not going to work.

Exactly. If people are becoming ready, how, how do they know they become ready? It's because they start to ask different questions,

right?

And once you start to ask the questions, sooner or later in this lifetime, Let's just say, what happens after death? Let's just assume this one. This question only we can ask. People that are right now starving in the world, they are not asking what happens after death. People that are feeling too good, they are also not coming up with this type of question. So that means Whoever is asking this question already is at a certain level in his life, in his development of the mind. Yeah? And this is like why I appreciate this type of teaching so much, because for every person, there is the right time. There is nothing to hurry. Hmm. There is nothing to worry. It's in each individual hands. So why do they fail at the moment? I could say because they haven't failed enough yet in order to make the next step. Or because they were— didn't take— they didn't see the lesson yet from that failure. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. There are so many different reasons why people then do not continue. But it's just a question of time until they will.

Right. I've made many mistakes over and over and over again until finally I said, oh wait, it's not what I want anymore. Let me really take a step back and reevaluate why this keeps happening, why I'm at the source of all these mistakes happening over and over again for 15, 20 years. And let me start to look at it differently and approach it differently. And it wasn't until I experienced so much pain and suffering where I was like, okay, no more. I'm done with this way of acting, being, experiencing relationships, whatever it might be, and I'm going to redefine what I want and step and act accordingly. And it took a lot of pain to get there. I was the one that touched the hot pan 100 times probably until I finally said, okay, this doesn't work. But I think that's what we get. Each one of us gets to be on our own timing and learn the lesson the way we need to. Whereas other things in my life I learned very quickly. I make one mistake and okay, I don't want to do that. Let me learn it. Let me improve. I'm curious, in your life Where's the lesson that you feel like you haven't fully learned yet? You keep touching the hot plate just a little bit. Is there any area that still causes pain or that still you haven't—

Something I, let's say, observed about myself also in the way how I grew up and also like afterwards now watching what type of, let's say, hobbies I spent my time in, there is something I witnessed about myself, which is always, I cannot leave the things as they are. I always have the urge to optimize. So that means optimize the bike, optimize the car, optimize the engine, optimize myself, optimize the body, optimize the mind, optimize the life. So at the moment, my biggest journey, I still have to say, is really— Yeah. Yeah, at the end, these are all just like optimized. This life itself is for me the area to just discover. So the thing is, I don't know where this journey is going. Uh, yeah, and this is maybe something also.

So you don't have to always optimize is what you're saying?

Yes, maybe.

Just let it be and just experience it and just sit with it.

Yes.

Inefficient, inefficient sometimes. Yeah,

to find that balance.

Yeah, okay.

You know, many years now already I have spent in optimizing, striving for goals, also like, also like training-wise. Yeah. So people always maybe misconfuse a little bit. So how could I have reached all these graduations, for example, or reach any type of position in the field of martial arts? Because there is a difference inside the field of martial arts. You are not being measured by how much you can talk. In the field of martial arts, you are being measured by does it work or doesn't it work?

Is it effective or ineffective?

For example. Yeah, and so that means, of course, there is some fire inside of me in order to push through a lot of these hardships when it comes to the training. So that means it is still related to I want something. But now to purely taking the Buddhist teaching, Buddhist teaching is not about what you want. Buddhist teaching is about what can we take away from you until it is uncovered again, what you really are, you know. So we have this world nowadays on the one side where it is about, in the picture speaking, you're feeling not complete. That's why first of all you go to the school. until you get your college degree. But even with that college degree, you are not complete yet. So that means you make a further education. Even with that university degree, you are not complete because you need a job. One job is not complete, second job. Okay, second job, there's still something missing in your life. You need a family now. Now you need a car, but actually the second car wouldn't be so bad. So Mm-hmm. You get the point. There is something about you're never enough, wherever, in which position you are located in your lifetime. Apparently, you are never enough. There's always something more to add. That is the one direction. And what we nowadays know as the Buddhist teachings doesn't have this approach. The Buddhist teaching says, You come to this world as an empty cup. Mm-hmm. Then your parents put their drop inside of you. The teachers put their knowledge inside of you. The advertising, the government, the schools, your friends, the parents of your friends. So a lot of different influences, ideas, concepts, What you're supposed to do in this life is starting to fill up your cup. Now, really simply said, what Buddhist teaching now is, is to say, look, all of that stuff inside there, it's not coming from you. Hmm. So that means spend some time and learn to empty the cup. Hmm. Make that cup empty. Then you will realize who you really are, what your essence is, the way how you came to this earth. And previous to the question, when you ask, when was life, let's say, easier, as a child or as an adult? Like I said, I think as a child, because that cup as a child is not so full yet.

It's empty.

Not completely empty, but more empty than now as an adult. Now you have the burden to cover. the expectations to fulfill, the role you have to play. This is why I think it is more difficult now. Yeah. And so that means you have these 2 approaches. Learning to get rid, learning to let go is one area. Learning to attain is the second. And the balance of this, I think this is the biggest challenge. Wow.

I love your, I love your, your thoughts around mindset and your thoughts around how we can think in a certain way that can either impact us and be useful or hurt us and be ineffective and pull us backwards from manifesting the future that we really envision, the dream future. I'm curious, what are the daily thoughts that people should, should generate to keep focused on their vision and not fall back into pains or problems of the past?

Now, that word came flying before when I said you need, you need a commitment. I didn't mean commitment. You need an affirmation. Affirmation is the word. For your goal that you set into your life, for whatever you want to develop yourself in, you need to connect it with a personal affirmation. That is something that, that fuels it. This is what fuels actions. Yeah, just similar like I say before in the kung fu training, for example. You are learning techniques, you are learning body mechanics. Yeah, but that is something you learn on the outside. It's the form, it's the shape that you are supposed to take in while you make, let's say, this movement. You need it, yes, but there's something more that you need. You need something that is going to fuel that. movement. Hmm. You need something that fills up that form. So, and now just to explain to you, you have no real drive to fight. You don't want to win, you don't care, you know how to do it against somebody who needs to do it because it is about an existential question, no matter what type, okay? There is a different spirit behind it if you meet those 2 people. Hmm. Somebody who has nothing to lose and puts everything on one card because you have no choice. Either you make it now or, yeah, or your family suffers. you fight differently. Mm-hmm. So that means it's not always the technique, the form that you see on the outside that is so impactful. What is it that fuels your actions, your daily actions? What fuels when you walk to the office prepared to do the work? What fuels you to invite other people, waking up every day, even if it's hard, even sometimes you're sick, you still go to the office and do the work. And that fuel, I think, is very, very essential. And yes. And I can only imagine, even if maybe you don't call it like this, or people are not officially expressing it like this. I cannot imagine there is one person existing in this world who in some way has achieved something without an affirmation. I think it doesn't exist.

Wow. What's your affirmation?

I think we are all connected. On the one side, I really love this life. So As long as I can, I would like to experience the variety of everything that is existing here. But at the same time, I also see it as part of my obligation that if I have a possibility to do something that supports other people along the way, this is what I do.

Yeah.

I just think this is, this is what you do in a family.

I'm curious about your thoughts on the actions people should take in order to manifest. And it seems to me like they're— that the world— there's a lot of weakness in the world. People don't have— in general, a lot of people don't have the discipline, the actions that create good habits that support them in being consistent Having the right thoughts, the right actions, all those things. And I wanted to ask you about how can we— you train the body, right? You're training the limbs, the weaknesses. You're callusing the bones and all these things to take on more force, more stress. How do we harden certain things in us while also keeping our hearts open? Loving, compassionate, giving. How do we do both in this process?

Always, when there is something consisting of 2 aspects, at least, or both, like you mentioned, the answer is always balance. So now, the practical ways what I would suggest, okay? You need a healthy body. You need a healthy body. That means choose any type of physical activity. It really doesn't matter. Mm-hmm. It only matters that you understand all your wishes, all your dreams, all the goals that you are putting to yourself what you want to achieve in this lifetime, they all are not going to matter anymore if your body is not going to be on the earth to witness these things.

Right. You got to take care of it.

Simply said. But what we're talking about right now, greatness means you want to bring something out of yourself which is not average. This is not what the mass is able to do. If it is something that the masses are not able to do, which means your body, yourself, the way how you're thinking, the way how you're training can't be average. Hmm. So in our field, keep the body not just healthy, But watch out for methods to make your body really performant. Performant for that specific area where you maybe later want to find yourself in. Hmm. Because let's just say, yeah, if I want to become a truck driver, I could never do it. Because my mind and my body probably is just not made. for so long distances and this type of concentration which is needed.

Right.

Yeah, so I have definitely a lot of respect for all the truck drivers, but I can feel it is something I couldn't do. There is a performance necessary in these type of areas that I have not developed in myself. It's like I can also watch back in my past, I I had a lot of ill will when it came to running around the track. Sprinting, never a problem. I enjoyed it.

Yeah, but long distances. Yes.

So that means short bursts of energy, a lot of energy in a short period. This is what I really feel like what that body is made for. But long distance, which is draining, this is draining me.

Yeah.

Yeah. So, but we were at the body, which means just physicality, activity, vitality, yoga, many things you can do. But there should be something.

Yeah. And when, when we lack confidence, when we lack the belief in ourselves, the esteem, the self-esteem, How do we learn to overcome the things that we, that we doubt about ourselves and gain more confidence, not just in the material skill acquiring world, but in the spiritual world? How do we gain more confidence?

Here, I think we're entering into an area that for me personally matters a lot. why I think. Look, it seems like at the moment, 21st century, everything is about everybody can do what he wants. We are free to express. There's no hierarchy because we are all humans. There's no hierarchy between all of us. Seeing as a human being, there is no hierarchy. I agree. But if you want to learn something, There is a hierarchy. And the hierarchy is, there are people who already possess what you want to learn. Mm-hmm. And there are people who don't possess what is possible to be learned. So if I want to develop myself, and I want to learn something, attain a skill, at the moment, I would just look out in the world, first of all, to see who possesses that skill. Because it might be that you think about something, but there's nobody else in the world who at the moment possesses it. So it maybe is a little bit unrealistic that it even exists. But if you want to have something, first of all, look for the places or the persons that have it. Mm-hmm. Very easily. And very often that means you are meeting in our tradition now, you are meeting masters. You are meeting a person who has already mastered a certain ability because you see it and then you say, yes, he has it. And then the next question is, how does now Either the knowledge or the skill is being transmitted. How does it come to you now? And like I said, from my tradition, there's only one way. You need to get into a student-master relationship, a master-student relationship. And a master-student relationship, there is no democracy.

Right. It's what the master says, you do.

And I do think that in the field of where we are talking right now as well, sometimes you need a mentor. Mm-hmm. Sometimes you need to surround yourself with people that are already standing at a certain point where you maybe would like to go to. These are the people with experience. These are the people that walked the path already that you right now would like to walk. Right. So, I think there is a difference in a way of how then you talk to these people, how then you also see yourself in regards to these people. And this is what opens up doors, which means you are regarding yourself as a student. This is what it means in our tradition. If you think you are equal to the rest of the world, you are equal, this is a type of wrong pride, I have to say. Because it absolutely stops you from further development. Right. And learning. really what you would like to learn. So getting surrounded, searching for people that are already in that area where you would like to move to is also one of the next steps, for example, I would look for.

Yeah.

So it is about with what type of people are you surrounded, one side. How are you taking care of your body? Other side. So now, taking care of the mind. How do you do this? In order to know what is important to you, it's necessary to also know unimportant things.

Unimportant things?

Unimportant things. It's not necessary from 7 days a week to only do important things. Because ultimately importance is a question which is also very subjective. Yeah. Importance for this life, nothing is too important. Yeah. What I mean is, you need balance. You consciously sometimes need to do something where you really feel this is really unimportant.

Yeah, just doing whatever.

Yeah, because it keeps something inside of you open. If you only do the important things, only be focused, you can only be focused because there's another state inside of you, which is, boom, you're open-minded. You are open-minded, you are able to receive. Focus, there is no receiving anymore. There is already that guided intention of yours. So switching the states of mind, putting yourself consciously into different states of mind, I think this belongs to the category of mind development. And there are different ways how you can put this into practice. And I can now maybe share the way what we use in the monastery.

Please.

I think it is super helpful if you are learning to work in cycles.

Cycles.

Cycles. So for example, when it comes to you need a new skill, you want to develop something, you need to learn how to program, you need to learn how to use a new software program, you need to learn accounting, I don't know, you need to learn to do the webpage, something about you need to, you want to develop something new about you. I think the most effective way is to cut off yourself for a certain period of time and do nothing else in between for that period, for that cycle.

Can you give me an example?

Yes. Now, this is a really simple example, but it involve something more. If you want to change something about the appearance of your skin, you're not satisfied with your skin. So the good message is it probably is the quickest to do something about it. The quickest, why? Because it lies right on the surface. Mm-hmm. Because it's right on the outside of the body. So it's easily treatable. So which means do a 7-day treatment where you take care of the body. 7 days long, go into the sauna, cream yourself. Mm-hmm. What? 7 days. After 7 days, I'm sure if you do it, it looks different. Now we go a layer deeper. You want to change something about your muscles. The muscles are lying underneath the skin. Meaning not so easy accessible anymore, which automatically means the cycle needs to become longer. 7 days muscle training, no, it's not gonna be enough. So let's say 30 days. Yes, maybe not visibly, but feelable, definitely. Yeah. Go even more deeper into the area of your tendons, your sinews, your fascia, 30 days is not enough. Because this is changing a very— this is going even deeper into your system, trying to change something there. So the cycles become longer.

Right.

So the deeper within the field of martial arts we get into our body until the bone, the longer these cycles become that you need to dedicate your time in practicing it. Mm-hmm. And similar, I would say, it is like now when it comes to the training of skills that modern people nowadays want to develop, you need to ask yourself how much of a Of a software hack is it that you're trying to put upon yourself? How deep is it embedded? The deeper it is, the more time those cycles need, the more often you need to repeat those cycles. But the main point is that I don't think it is a senseful and a good method. within a 30-day month to like spread it apart, to have too many things at the same time. Here you make that skill, here you make that, here you make another one. I think it's not effective.

Go all in on one thing for a cycle.

Yes. Now maybe, of course, people say, yeah, but I can't concentrate on one. Well, concentrate on 3. Better on 3 than on 10.

Right.

Yeah. This is the main point what I mean.

Sure.

Because it's not just physically that we are transforming. It is mental changes, it is emotional changes, it is physical changes. And they just don't go so quickly if you jump too much.

Right, right.

And also, they don't penetrate deep enough. They don't penetrate deep enough for you to have a lasting impression of what it is that you are trying to develop there.

Yeah.

Which means also, before, when we said mind training, or how do I react to ill will towards other people, I talked about the heart qualities. Heart qualities, you make one a week, which means, let us just say we take the heart quality of gratefulness, just as an example. Gratefulness means you go to your closed room, you close your eyes. If you want, you put some music on, but normally you better try without music. And then you recall all the moments in your lifetime where you think gratefulness was apparent in those, these moments. The gratefulness that you felt Because, you know, like, yeah, Lewis, so thank you very much for this interview and for that cup of water. You know, this is like talking. Gratefulness has never been about talking. Either you have it or you don't have it.

It's feeling it, experiencing gratitude.

Yes. So this is why in order to get to that feeling again, Every human had it in his lifetime. Just sometimes it has been too much in the past and it has been forgotten. Yeah. That's why we need to dig it out. And therefore recall the moments where you think, yes, towards that person, I really felt that gratefulness. Then, then it's like a small flame pops up and you— there it is. It's not clearly defined yet, but you feel there is something. And now, for example, what we use is you breathe into the feeling and try use also like your mind to make that grow.

Right.

Okay, maybe it's a little bit more feelable. It feels maybe strange to many people, but since you are asking me how do the ancient traditions look like, what are the methods, this is the way how we do it. Okay? You realize there's something, you want it to grow, means you need to put energy into it. How do you put energy into it? By using your intention in going there. And so like this, on day 1, it becomes like a small pellet of gratefulness that you feel. But now you stay 1 week long. On the second day, it's already easier to identify, there it is already. And you stay one week long cultivating it, cultivating it, until it's very easy for you now to identify, especially to identify if people who apparently seem to be grateful towards you, if they really are. Mm-hmm. Because the good part is, that now that you know how it feels, you just, you don't only know it how it feels inside of you, but you can detect it in other people.

Yeah.

This is that special part. Why, why all this development always starts with yourself. Because I know how my body is aligned. I know how your body is aligned. Because I know the weak points of my body, I know the weak points of your body. Hmm. And this is that idea that sometimes you can't change people around you. You can't look into the heads of other people. But what you can do at all times every day is to do something about what is in your own hands, yourself. This is why this idea of turn the finger around, do something about yourself, develop yourself, invest in yourself. Hmm. You grow as a human being, you grow in skills, all of these things, they will naturally just follow. Because in the moment where you are starting to express something that people nowadays are not seeing often anymore, you just become the magnet. This is how it is. Why? Because people are, are used already to average. Every day they see average. Yeah. Yeah, but now they start to see something different. They start to see somebody, another attitude towards life. And so this feels, I think, very like a magnet. And so all of this, you don't even need to probably go there. It's going to come to you.

Everything you want to create starts to come to you.

Only if you work on yourself.

Yeah. How often do you embody gratitude and practice it on a daily basis? Are you—

We have therefore our ceremonies, for example. Yes, our ceremonies in the monastery, which always evening time, 9 o'clock. And there we have parts of this type of cultivation integrated in the ceremony.

Really? Yes. Do you think we can manifest a beautiful life without gratitude?

No. No. It might feel like it. It might seem like it. But ultimately, no way.

Gratitude is the key to abundance. It's the key to being a magnet to drawing in the things you truly want. They create a beautiful life. I've got a few final questions for you. This has been fascinating. Before I ask those questions, I want to make sure people follow you online because your content is amazing. You also have a 12-month course, a program that people can follow if they want more of this mental training, the philosophies that you've provided, the things that you've learned and that you teach to others. It'll help people in their life improve their life.

But also physical a lot. Yeah.

Physical stuff as well in there. So they can get this 12-month course at shaolin.online for all the information there, plus information about the temple, the practices, the teaching, your work, speaking, and other things, as you do some speaking. I'm not sure how much you'll be doing in the future, but every now and then you'll be doing some. Also, people need to follow you on social media, Instagram. @Shaolin.online for that. And if you look up ShaolinTemple.Europe on Facebook, you'll see it there as well. And if they look up your name, they'll see lots of great content, lots of great TED Talks you've done, videos. We'll have a lot of this linked up in the show notes. But I just wanted to say I'm grateful for you for being here. And I've got a couple of final questions. I have so many more things I want to ask you, but you'll have to come back on another time. save your voice for the next time. But this is a question I ask everyone towards the end of my conversations. It's a hypothetical question. So imagine you live as long as you want to live in this physical 3-dimensional space-time reality. I think I heard you say 108. Is that 100?

108 years. 108 sounds good, right?

Yeah. So imagine you're 108, right? And you get to live the life You envision everything you want to do, it happens. You create it, you overcome, you learn, you master all these different areas of life, and you serve and impact the world through your teachings. But for whatever reason, in this hypothetical scenario, at 108 years old, you have to take all of your content and message with you. So this conversation Goes to the next place. All the TED Talks, all the interviews you've ever done, for whatever reason, they're not here in this physical world anymore. Hypothetical scenario. But you get to leave behind 3 lessons with the world, 3 lessons from all of your teachings and all your learnings. And this is, for whatever reason, all you could share, these truths that I like to say. What would be those 3 truths for you if you could only share 3?

You know that this is a really super hard question.

I know. I got to get you to think a little harder, you know?

Okay. Sounds super funny, especially if I'm not going to talk about it. But one message is just a flower. If you want a flower in a pot, doesn't matter. The first message, one I don't even need to speak about it. It's just a flower in the pot. This number one.

What does that mean, flower in a pot?

It means everything. There is a history behind it. The future of that flower in a way is in your hand. The care is integrated. The nature is integrated. No words to be spoken. Sometimes you don't need to speak about it. It's feelable what needs to be done.

Okay.

So this is one message, let's say.

Okay, that's number one. Number 2?

Keep community. It's not necessary to always be right. It's more important to also have backup if you're not right. That feels better.

And the third? Sorry. I gotta challenge you, you know? I gotta— Yeah, I

know. I gotta challenge you. I know already. You do already. Number 3 is, it's repeating.

It's repeating.

It's repeating.

Everything?

Just as I said it.

It's repeating.

This was now kind of Matrix style.

Yes, it's Inception. I love it. Master Shou-Heng Yee, I want to acknowledge you for the gift you are in this world, for being a symbol of inspiration for a lot of people, and for dedicating decades of your life to mastering certain skills and philosophies, practicing them, and teaching them to others. I want to acknowledge you for, for showing up here. Present, open, loving, giving, vulnerable, wise, and giving us this time and this energy from, again, your near 40 years of existence and lessons. I really appreciate how you show up and your level of discipline, your level of commitment to your message, to your community that you have, and to the world. So I really appreciate your time here. Again, I want people to go and follow you. I want them to get your course, shaolin.online, shaolin.online on social media. We'll link up a lot of the TED Talks and all the other information that you guys can learn more about the temple in Europe. And I recommend people seeing if they can get to your temple too. I know you guys host certain retreats there for people to study. to practice for shorter periods of time so they can see and experience smaller groups. So you can go to the website, learn more about that. If you feel called to learning more, then go to the website for that. Is there any other way that we can support and serve you right now besides sending people there and following your message online?

Not really. The only thing that since I started sharing out all of these methods, what gave me super much confidence also of why I also came here, now I can tell you. I also did some search, okay, where actually is Lewis Howes come from? And it makes me so happy. to meanwhile have that chance that I met so many people who from nothing built up so huge things. Hmm. And what does it show me? It means there is something that you can get. But you also need to give something back. You need to develop something about yourself in order to be able to receive these gifts from the world. And if you are selfish, you're not going to get it, this affirmation. Hmm. For your mission. I really think this is something to keep in the mind. And at the end, no one in this world is like your master. I appreciate it very much if people call me master. But what is it that I am trying to spread to the world? I am spreading self-mastery. Hmm. You are your master. You take your life into the hands and decide in which direction you want to take it. It is just that you need the right methods and the right tools sometimes to go in the right direction. And that is what it is about. learning from different people, learning from people that already had experience before you. But ultimately, you are the one who needs to put it into practice. And this is that greatness of this whole path, that if you are open to it, things gonna come.

Yeah.

And so therefore, I think everything that you have said. Thank you also very much, Lewis. Really greatly appreciate it.

Yeah, I appreciate it, man. I've got one final question for you then.

Okay.

What is your definition of greatness?

To impact, to be able to impact on the one side something beyond yourself in all different types of areas, which means this is not about your own wealth anymore. It has become the wealth of the world. It is not just about your own personal peace. Your metta are the peace of the world. This is not about— you are beyond yourself. You're greater than yourself. Oh, that is very closely related, I think, to what greatness means.

Research says your nervous system can manufacture a pharmaceutical We can do it so well that you can do it with your eyes open.

How? Dr. Joe Dispenza. He is a New York Times bestselling author, a researcher, and one of the most pioneering minds in the science of manifestation and human transformation.

I am an expert in the science of manifestation.