Nice question.
First, I'll share a couples of statements that summary of an idea stated by someone else. Para-phrasing T. Harv Ekker he said, You don't know anything until you've experience it. Arnold Patent said that everything you see is a reflection of your own beliefs.
Here's my take on the beleif and knowledge questions. Belief is not a binary concept. It's not an I believe or I don't believe situation. Ideas gain greater and greater acceptance or loose acceptance. It not just dependent on your experiences; it's also dependent your other beliefs and power they have. The power in a belief is partially a result of your experience and partially derived by the importance of the belief to you.
When a belief has attained the level of knowing, it has travelled to the extreme of acceptance. Somethings seem to come into our knowing, and bypassing the journey along the belief spectrum. This is only a sign of you're giving the idea your maximal level of acceptance.
Of course something that was once consider part of the known can be move down that spectrum of belief.
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For you practice adopting an openness to see what happens enable's the idea to gain some acceptance. Where it goes from there is anyones guess, since we are each have a different set of belief and have had and will have different experiences.
The idea that if you adopt at least an openess and practice SFQ as Master Lin instructs then you will have experiences that will support the belief in qi and your ability to heal.
The idea that you ability to work with, to shape, to direct, qi is dependent on your confidence in your ability is not unique to SFQ. Or is it. Since everything is qi, just in different states, then believing you can can ride a bike well and safely makes it easier to do so. Having confidence that you can swim makes it easier for you to relax and to actually swim. Believing you can understand something makes it easier to learn it. Having confidence in your abilities increases your chances of success in everything, not just SFQ. Um, but everything is qi.
Okay, I'm rambling a bit, and my ideas may be a bit scattered but you'll get a taste of what I feel, or is that believe.
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The objectiveness of the universe, or the idea that you have to believe in SFQ for it to work.
That isn't quite the way it works. My beliefs are not the only ones in the universe. My beliefs are more powerful within myself than outside of myself (or is that a limiting belief I'm trapped within). So the ability of SFQ to achieve a desire results says that the results are in the direction of the sum of all beliefs and the qi directed by those beliefs. SFQ teaches how to direct more qi and more effective healling qi.
Now to wander a little more away from SFQ, my apologies in advance. If I release a ball it falls. Why?
If "I" believe it would rise instead, but it doesn't. Does that mean belief doesn't affect the physical world? Or does it say that I could not cause the ball to rise by believing it would, in the manner I did?
If everyone believed the ball would rise, would it? Does non-living matter have beliefs?
Qi is energy. Qi is information. Everything is energy. Everything is qi. How is it I am living when all of my parts are just an inanimate as the ball? Do I have any stronger beliefs than the ball? My beliefs can change; can the balls beliefs? Qi can be transfrom from one form to another. Qi is information. I can direct the change of qi from one form to another. Can I change the information of a ball into a form where it will rise?
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Sorry, for opening the can of worms. This forum is to help you with your work with SFQ. I just want to share some of my thoughts, or daydreams, or is that qi.
If you do not believe now, keep an open mind and see how you develop. If you close your mind it will not change.
In sports what separates a good performer from a very good performer isn't the ability to do something, it's the ability to consistently do something. Master Lin has said the difference between a beginner and a Master is the confidence in the results they will bring about. NLP studies have shown that modelling can improve an athletes performance. Is it process, is it confidence or is it qi.
You are perfection.
Iam2