There are many opportunities for personal transformation available to you in Cheng Hsin. Our approach is a bit like that of the “Renaissance” human – developing the whole person and not just one aspect. We work to transform mind as well as body, increasing consciousness as well as skill.

Mastering self, mind, body, and skill is done through studying the Art of Effortless Power, and though contemplation and ontological work. You are invited to begin or continue your own transformation in any or all of the following areas by participating in any of these means of study:

Mind and Consciousness

The core of Cheng Hsin is found in understanding our minds, and increasing our consciousness of self and life, and everything within these two domains. Our most active and engaging investigation of self, mind, perception, and our most fundamental experience of existence and reality is done in facilitated dialogues, exercises, and meditations such as found in our central workshop: Experiencing the Nature of Being. We pursue insight and clarity through contemplation as found in the week-long Contemplation Intensive, where we spend all day in diads and contemplation focusing on who we are, or what life is, and other primary matters.

Body-Being and Skillful Relationship

As powerful as it is, we don’t stop at simply creating clarity of mind or insight, we also use these abilities to investigate, develop and master both body and interactive skills. The opportunities that Cheng Hsin offers for transforming the body and body-mind into effortlessly effective movement, structure, and performance are unparalleled in their diversity, richness, clarity and depth. The Art of Being a Body is presented and investigated in depth in Peter’s recent book, Zen Body-Being, An Enlightened Approach to Physical Skill, Grace, and Power. The Art of Effortless Power, like all Cheng Hsin Arts, is founded on and works towards a real transformation in the practitioners. If this sounds interesting at all to you, the principal opportunity to work on it all together, is the Master’s favorite, the Cheng Hsin Spring Retreat, an annual, month-long series of workshops in both consciousness and martial arts.

The Apprentice Program

The strongest and most challenging avenue for personal transformation is clearly the Apprentice Program. For a well rounded development of both body and mind, and intense confrontation in personal growth, the seven-month, live-in residential Apprentice Program is unbeatable. In such a concentrated environment of continuous learning, the apprentices not only have the chance to investigate to a much greater depth, but also the effects of their study accumulate exponentially.

Other Avenues

Five eCourses offer at-home study that can be incorporated into your daily life for personal growth. Two of these focus on increasing Consciousness: the foundation eCourses: Transcending Self – A Course in the Nature of Mind, and The Power of Contemplation. Two more focus on improving relational skills, the Principles of Effective Interaction – about competitive skill, and Transforming Your Experience of Relationship – about partnership skill. And the last one, An Effortlessly Effective Body-Being, is a study of your body-being.

The Book of Not Knowing communicates the core and depth of all our consciousness work. The book Ancient Wisdom, New Spirit offers an intriguing look into people like yourself, working hard to understand themselves in live seminars or workshops. Reflections of Being provides a simple, thought-provoking look at life’s overlooked obvious.

To see Peter speak about some of his views on the Arts, look at the DVD of an Interview done for the Discovery Channel.