What is Sum Faht Meditation?

Sum Faht® Meditation.* When we meditate we are seeking purification through the blending of our personal energy with the energy of the Universe and through the circulation of spiritual energy through our physical bodies. The spiritual energy cannot communicate directly with our physical bodies, nor can it communicate with our egos, our intellects or our rational minds. It must communicate with our Inner Selves — our own spiritual aspects — our hearts.

Sum Faht® is a form of meditation through which we activate the divine energies of the heart. The name comes from the Cantonese phrase “soi sum peen fah faht,” which loosely translated means whatever the heart desires will manifest. It combines traditional seated meditation in stillness with standing, walking and guided movements through which we integrate mind, body and spirit. Our Sum Faht® cultivation allows us to awaken and connect with our Higher Self while refining our lower nature.

Sum Faht® meditation with the Teacher and Leong Tan basically begins with sitting quietly. We start this process by always paying respect — to ourselves as well as the unknown — in the form of a bow. Then we close our eyes, ‘let go’ and allow ourselves to just be. When we surrender in this way, we begin to feel who we are inside. Sometimes we find sadness, anger, frustration and unresolved conflicts. Meditation can allow these feelings to surface. Facing these feelings and embracing them frees our energy. We may experience the manifestation of vocalizations, mudras and other spontaneous movements. These experiences are all part of the process of healing and refinement.

Just as important as seated meditation is the practice of Guided Movements®. We start these movements by standing and bowing to each of the four corners of the universe, then internally requesting Guided Movements®. We remain standing and wait for our energies to shift and move our limbs and our bodies. As we sense the movement, we follow it slowly, never rushing ahead of it or anticipating it with our minds. Again, letting go in this way — following not leading — allows us to confront the self, and thereby bring in more healing, integration and refinement.

As we continue to cultivate, we go deeper within ourselves to find more stillness and more hidden parts of us. We must strive not to become attached to any particular sensation or action, but rather trust that our heart knows what we need and that whatever manifests is addressing that need. Again, this is not a process that we will be able to ‘figure out’ intellectually.

The Teacher tells us that spiritual growth is, indeed, a process – not a goal. By learning to sense and feel the energy we have inside, we become stronger and better able to cope with the challenges of life. Opening the heart and then learning to function from there allows us to live a truly spiritual life.

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