Dorje Yeshe works as a technical support programmer. He graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in English Literature, Linguistics, and Philosophy. He is an International Hsing-I, Pa Kua Champion.

"One day we had an outdoor session of Taiji practice, Sifu was explaining to us how to settle the mind and ground the energy before even beginning the Taiji form. He asked us to sink and root our energy and as I did so, I felt as though my feet were sinking into the earth, all my energy, tension, emotions and the constant thoughts of the mind felt literally as though they were draining into the ground. After a few minutes, my mind had stopped moving and I felt as though I was part of the air and surroundings, rather than separate. I looked at a tree two or three hundred yards away, and realised I could see individual leaves moving in the slight breeze. It was easy to pick one, observe it and then move the attention to another. I am short- sighted and wear glasses, and have never seen anything so sharply before. It turned out that other students had been having the same experience, of deep rooting, mental tranquillity, and this preternaturally sharp vision and hearing. We came to realise all this came about through the presence of Sifu, not our own efforts as we were unable to replicate the same afterward.

Sifu likes to encourage us to practice outdoors among trees and greenery. As time went on, we became aware that regardless of what the weather was like, or what the forecast suggested, it was almost always dry when we practiced. The weather would usually clear up as we started, if it had been raining, and would often start again when we finished. On one occasion, it was raining as we practiced in Newcastle. We took shelter under a tree. After a few minutes, Sifu stepped out from under the tree and stood motionless for a short time. The rain stopped, not gradually as it does when a shower passes on, but in just a few seconds. Sifu often said to us that we should practice properly, or it would rain. Years later, having read up on teaching of Buddhist Dharma and listening to further commentaries by Sifu, it became clear that he was a person in harmony with the elements. When one truly follows Dharma, everything around supports you. Again this goes right back to the basic precept that one should learn to harmonise, not struggle to control. I personally saw this phenomenon of the weather changing so often I just regarded it as normal.

A number of years ago, I was attending a weekend class with Sifu. I was in great discomfort, because I had grazed the cornea in my right eye the day before. Blinking was extremely painful, and I could barely see. The condition worsened over the weekend, and the tissue around the eye became very swollen and inflamed, Sifu took me aside and told me to just stand. I immediately felt a gentle warm tingling sensation in the affected area, quite different from the heat and pain before. The sensation moved around the orbit of the eye and the eyelid, in a very clear defined path. As it did so, the pain dissipated. When Sifu finished after a few minutes, I was astonished to discover the swelling and heat were completely gone and that I could open the eye. The pain was also much diminished. Sifu then advised me to go to hospital immediately when I returned home. I had read about the effects of healing Qigong and knew other students had experienced it, but this was undeniable evidence of the efficacy and surgically precise nature of this kind of healing.

In 1994, some of us accompanied Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje to the US National/Invitational Chinese Martial Arts Competitions in Orlando. One morning, another international competitor who offered to demonstrate a mantra he had been taught joined us at breakfast. As this individual recited his mantra next to Sifu, his whole expression and character changed. His voice was barely recognisable, going from rational discussion to appearing to be possessed, and talking and gesticulating wildly. Apart from Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje, we all stopped eating. My personal feeling was initially one of great mental discomfort; the kind of energy being generated felt definitely unclean. Still worse, I noticed after a short time that there was a seductive quality to this energy, as if something was trying to persuade me to let it in, and that there was a temptation to respond to it. This was much more disturbing than the initial feelings of unease. Sifu however remained completely unaffected, calmly carrying on eating his breakfast while this person became more and more agitated as he recited his mantra in a very animated manner - as if 'speaking in tongues'. When he had stopped, Sifu said nothing and finished his breakfast. I and the other students present were in various degrees of discomfort and felt deeply disturbed by what had just happened.

On leaving the dining room, Sifu offered to clean up our energy for us. Though my sensations were not as strong as they had been during the mantra, I still felt as though something unclean had been left behind. We found a quiet corner in the hotel lobby where we stood facing Sifu. Immediately, a feeling of calm and equanimity washed through me, replacing the previous built up mental and emotional confusion; the mind settled down, and the seductive character of the mantra evaporated. This was not a figment of our imaginations; all of us were profoundly affected. One student, who had apparently been influenced much more deeply by what had happened, sank to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably for several minutes. Afterwards, he was unable to explain what had happened. Sifu put it down to his laxity of self-work, which caused negativity of energy to be built up in his energy system. Only a master who is authentic and sincere, with pure conduct can do something like this. Experiences such as this at first hand, greatly strengthened my confidence and faith in Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje as someone who never brings harm but only guidance and support to those who wish to take the path of a student.

Some may have heard of masters in the past, effortlessly striding across difficult terrain leaving others behind, or moving through crowds without apparent physical effort. Similarly when Sifu decides to move quickly, he does not break into a run or fast walk, Sifu seems to glide along the ground, his body remaining relaxed, his head staying level, his feet like suction pads gripping the ground. When I have been with Sifu on these occasions, I have had to run flat out just to keep up. Sifu can travel just as fast through a crowd of people; gaps appear to open up just as he seems to step into the thick of things. Instead of reacting to people's movement and treating them as obstacles, Sifu turns and steps, harmonising with the constantly shifting flow progressing through as if there were nobody there at all. I can personally testify that it is completely impossible to keep up with Sifu in this situation.

During a Qigong seminar, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje said to us that he would demonstrate the opening of the Sky Eye. He sat on a chair. After a few seconds, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje's appearance started to change. His face appeared as one of ancient wisdom. The quality of the light around his body became much clearer and more penetrating. At the same time, I noticed that nearly everything in the room, apart from Sifu, was no longer visible. I could no longer see the person standing next to me, instead I was aware of an all-pervading white light. Though this experience was utterly unlike anything I have known, it was in no way disturbing, only awe-inspiring. It is almost impossible to describe to some-one who has not experienced something similar. However, I now have some appreciation of why, in representations of many great spiritual figures of the past, they are depicted as having haloes or auras about them. This remains an experience which continues to challenge and extend my perception and understanding, as I continue to reflect upon it.