This letter - and any that follow at no particular frequency - is to keep students informed of my intentions. I spend more time in Europe than I do in any other part of the world. The intention is to continue teaching here for at least the next 14 or 15 years, although the structure of the seminars always evolves.

There is a group of about 100 students in Europe, loosely referred to as Euro-seminar students. I concentrate on them in return for their commitment rather than go for wealth and fame with thousands of students. This provides space to really help each one. Also, my personal inner evolution is the base from which I teach and that would be blocked if the feeling of power arises in me. From weekend workshops and longer trainings in Paris and Zurich, new people are drawn each year according to what they can contribute. Spiritual ideals, psychological balance, social development, and technical skill are taken into account (in that order). Without the spiritual aspect, technical skill just makes the ego bigger.

Euro-seminar students are taken care of by myself, (or one of my senior students if that person introduced them). One Euro-seminar along with either two weekend workshops or a Paris or Zurich training, is the minimum for close contact. If time and money are not a problem then come to more. Fees are reduced over time for those who come more often. As well, find a few other Euro-seminar students in your area and practice with them during the year. That should give satisfactory progress, but if more instruction is desired (and this often only brings more confusion), I advise learning from my older students who are closely following the teaching I am giving out.

The introducing of new people to what I teach is now left mostly to my experienced students in Europe. When I first came to Europe a problem arose when people left their previous teachers to learn from myself. This was not exactly what I was looking for and was a delicate situation, especially when their teachers were also learning from me. It is best to maintain gratitude and respect for those who have taught you in the past. The overlapping of teachers and transferring of students is something to watch very closely.

I recently visited Master Ni Hua Ching. I have great respect for him. He is over 96 years old and has practised Taiji and meditation since a young age. I have been in contact with him for the past 15 years and a few years ago he visited the school in NZ. He lives more in the inner world than in the outer. I needed advice on my own inner evolution and wished to invite him to Europe again for the benefit of the Taiji people.

I began Taiji with a student of Master Huang in 1973. In 1974 I began learning from Abdullah Dougan whose main teacher was a Naqshibandi Sufi, Sheikh Abdul al Khyum. The Sufi teaching comes from the Gnostics who were centred in Greece and the Middle East 2000 to 3000 years ago. The essential teaching of the Gnostics is that all knowledge and contact with the Infinite, occurs inside yourself. Since beginning with these two teachers I have worked equally on the two lines of inner refinement, one emphasising the Energy field and the other the Spirit. These are two sides of the Way. Energy field refined by the Deep Mind / Deep Mind reaches towards the Spirit. My work now is to unite these two in my teaching.

People from Europe are invited to visit and train at the Taiji school, 40 St Benedicts St, Auckland. I teach there the first 2 weeks of January each year and at other unpredictable times.