Way, way back during my youth, organizations sometimes put together group trips to briefly study with the Shaolin.

I've held a slight sadness that I could never afford to join one of those trips and I see now that there is absolutely no way I could have risen to the challenges these monks embrace.

I'm, once again, made aware of the benefits of my early financial struggles and I'm grateful for all the masters who brought Qigong training to those of us here in the west who could not have endured devoting our all to such rigorous training.