Jon Miller is at present Director at Live Nation Inc. in the USA. He became a student of Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje in 1993 when he was the Managing Director of Nickelodeon International and CEO of Paramount Channel UK. He became an International Chinese Internal Arts Champion under the guidance of Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje while he was a student of the Classical Qigong Study.

"Once I was suffering from a nasty case of food poisoning that had held me bed-ridden and for that reason I informed Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje that I was unable to attend his class that evening. Sifu encouraged me to come to class indicating that he could be of assistance. During the treatment, Sifu never touched me but stayed about a foot away. As he said I would, I immediately felt even more nauseous. Then in a matter of minutes, my stomach began to feel better and I was soon well enough to finish class. By later that evening, I was clearly over the 'bug'.

My business responsibilities include a variety of ventures in different countries. I mentioned to Sifu that I had plans to travel to our German office the following week. I did not mention that there was a crisis brewing which would soon boil over. Though we had never discussed these affairs, Sifu commented on the difficulties of the situation I was facing in terms, which were quite relevant. What was particularly interesting about the comments were that the issues Sifu addressed were both specific and highly confidential. The specifics were only known to my boss and myself. Subsequently, I have, in fact, applied Sifu's recommendation to a very difficult situation resulting in a more positive direction in affairs than I had dared hope for.

On another occasion, Sifu spent a weekend with my family on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. A strong hurricane was coming up the coast, and all weather reports (which dominated the news) had the storm heading directly towards us. Needless to say, people in this area were evacuating fast for safer havens. Sifu, despite repeated weather reports of the unabated approach of the storm, reassured us: "Don't worry, it will veer off". For two days it continued heading straight at us. When asked, Sifu stuck by his statement. Finally, within less than two hours of making landfall at our town, it veered off out to sea. Not one weather report had anticipated this about turn.

Sifu once demonstrated his extraordinary ability of projecting energy during an outdoor teaching session by tossing to me a small twig he picked up from the ground. The twig was so instantly charged with energy that within a moment of catching the small twig, I was powerlessly overwhelmed by a force that practically hurled me back well over twenty feet. To demonstrate the consistency of his ability, Sifu tossed the same twig to another student, which ended with exactly the same result.

During a training session, we all took turns wearing Sifu's and one another's sweat shirts. The effect was dramatic. Wearing Sifu's sweat shirt, one could feel great energy, and in doing Taiji form, it felt not merely effortless, but effortlessly energised, and almost as if the sweat shirt was performing the form by itself. Further, there was a clear sense of great joy while doing the form. I couldn't stop smiling (beaming actually). In putting on another student's sweat shirt, the effect was very different - I could feel energy from the shirt, but its quality and magnitude were nowhere near, or remotely comparable, to that of Sifu's.

Sifu also demonstrated how emotions could be activated with energy as he once tapped our mid-sections with his finger resulting in all of us breaking out in repeated laughter for no apparent reason for an extensive period of time.

What these experiences have led me to appreciate is that the journey is both longer and more profound than I had ever imagined. Situational awareness can be seen to refer to understanding the interplay of all energies, from the great to the very small. Having an ability to perceive energy interactions in this manner alters our boundaries of time and space, and generates insight and intuition that must be considered miraculous.

Realising the immensity of the distance to be covered, in and of itself changes one's orientation. Luckily, each step along the way seems to impart immediate benefits that can be applied to both further development and training, as well as in daily life. Rather than being daunted by the road ahead, such practice, as taught by Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje, inspires the journey and gives one the tools for a safe and productive passage.