Meet Our Speakers

Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson is an 80th-generation Shangqing Daoist priest of the Maoshan lineage and a 65th-generation Tianshi Daoist priest of Longhu Shan. Ordained in China in 2005 and subsequently ordained as a Daoist Abbot in 2008, he currently serves as Senior Abbot (Zhu Chi) of Bian Hua Gong, the Temple of Change & Transformation, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. With more than 50 years of experience studying Daoist alchemy, Qigong, energetic healing, and spiritual cultivation, Dr. Johnson is an internationally recognized teacher, clinician, and author. His career includes extensive clinical training in China, leadership positions at Medical Qigong educational institutions in…

Kenneth Cohen 大海居士 (www.qigonghealing.com), renowned Qigong Master and Daoist scholar, has been practicing Chinese healing, martial, and contemplative arts since 1968. He was the only apprentice to Huang Gengshi (1910-1999), a Longmen Sect Daoist Abbot and acupuncturist from the Daoist holy mountain, Xiqiao Shan. Academically his teachers have included such luminaries in Daoist and classical Chinese studies as Michel Strickmann, Edward Schaefer, and Wolfram Eberhard. Ken is passionate about ithe dialogue between cultural and scientific traditions and was the first person to teach Daoist healing arts in US medical schools. His lectures have been hosted by the International Conference on…

Bernard Shannon is a husband, father, teacher, and healer, as well as a Doctor of Medical Qigong and Daoist Abbot. With nearly four decades of experience, he is an internationally recognized teacher of Medical Qigong, martial concepts, and Daoist alchemical and mystical practices. He is the founder of the International Medical Qigong College and serves as Abbot of the Temple of Peace and Virtue. It is said that the highest medicine helped humans fulfill their destiny, the middle helped nourish original nature, and the lowest treated physical illness. In my clinical work and teaching, I share the same. I want…

Dr. William Welch Jr. began his introduction to Daoism through the path of Chinese Martial Arts. Training in Mizongquan in 1981 under the tutelage of then Sifu Jerry Alan Johnson, he completed his training in 1986 becoming a Sifu in this ancient art. He was then introduced to the healing aspects of Martial Arts through Medical Qigong training and continued on until becoming a Doctor of Medical Qigong in 2012. He also continued and completed his studies of other Martial and Energetic Trainings in Yang Family Taijiquan as well as Baguazhang, Yiquan, Neigong, and Daoist Alchemy. As he was completing…

Sifu Diego Sanmiquel (Sān Dí, 三迪) is a Daoist priest and abbot who holds ordinations in two lineages. He is an 81st-generation priest of the Shangqing sect of the Maoshan tradition (Daoist name Mào Língshén, 懋靈神), where he received his first register (籙, lù) in 2010 and his second in 2015. He was ordained a Daoist abbot in 2015 by the Temple of Celestial Clouds, under the authority of the Shangqing sect. He is also a 65th-generation priest of the Tianshi Zhengyi sect. At the Celestial Master Mansion on Longhu Shan, he received his first Zhengyi register in 2015 and…

*Taoist Priest | Internal Martial Arts Master | Doctor of Chinese Energetic Medicine | Nei Gong Teacher | Author & Professional Speaker* Sifu Harinder Singh is a lifelong martial artist, Taoist internal arts practitioner, researcher, and teacher dedicated to bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and direct embodied experience. A closed-door senior disciple of Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, Sifu Singh is a 21st-generation Chen Style Taiji lineage holder and Shifu (Master Instructor) of Chen and Yang Taiji, Bagua Zhang, Yiquan (Dachengquan), and Taiji Ruler, transmitted through Dr. Johnson's lineage, where he received the lineage name Lei Dien. He holds a…

Dr. Christine Sanmiquel, L.Ac., DAOM, DMQ Daoist Priest | Doctor of Medical Qigong | Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine | University Professor Dr. Christine Sanmiquel is an ordained Daoist priest, 65th-generation priest of the Tianshi Zhengyi tradition, Doctor of Medical Qigong, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, licensed acupuncturist, and university professor. With nearly three decades devoted to the study and practice of Qigong, Daoist cultivation, and Chinese medicine, her work brings together traditional teachings, clinical experience, academic scholarship, and a deep commitment to helping others cultivate meaningful and fulfilling lives. Her journey began at the age of 19,…

84th-generation successor of the Chinese Incense Tradition; 20th-generation disciple of the Wudang Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) lineage. Practitioner of *Dan Dao* (Alchemical) wellness for 10 years. Quantum healing practitioner in the field of life sciences for 13 years. Co-founder of "Si Qi Xin Xiang Tang" (思齐心香堂); lead curator at both Wudang Xiaoyao Valley and the "Xiang She" (Incense Pavilion) at Wanda Yihua. Creator of the "Qi Xiang Xuan" (奇香煊) brand, which integrates *Yi Jing* (Book of Changes) philosophy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and the art of incense. Serves as a researcher at the Big Health Industry Development Research Center of Xi'an…

Shifu Michael Rinaldini (Lichangdao) is a high-level Qigong Teacher and a 22nd-generation Longmen Daoist priest. He was ordained by Priest Ji Zhi Tong, a Longmen Daoist of White Cloud Temple, Beijing, China in 2003. Shifu Michael received a second ordination on December 4, 2016, by Abbot Bernard Shannon of the Temple of Peace and Virtue as a 22nd-generation Daoshi Priest of the Longmen lineage. He founded the American Dragon Gate Lineage in 2006 and has been training and ordaining priests since. The ADGL is a non-monastic order of Daoist practitioner-priests whose mission is to promote self-cultivation and to the spreading…

Sifu Dawn Sanchez is a California-licensed acupuncturist, Sifu in Taijiquan, and 68th generation Zhengyi Daoist priest whose path brings together traditional Chinese medicine, spiritual cultivation, and a deep appreciation for the wisdom of the Dao. Following her ordination at Longhu Shan, the historic center of Zhengyi Daoism in China, she continues to explore how ancient teachings can inform contemporary life and practice. Through her work in acupuncture, medical qigong, and Taijiquan, Dawn experiences the interconnectedness of body, breath, spirit, and the natural rhythms of Yin and Yang. Her approach to healing and cultivation is grounded in the understanding that harmony…

Dr. Jack Schaefer (解理玄, Xie Li Xuan) is a 22nd-generation Daoist priest in the Quanzhen Longmen Dantai Bidong Zong lineage of Sichuan, a 25th-generation priest in the Quanzhen Longmen Qingyun Dao lineage of Zhejiang, and a 31st-generation lineage holder in a Maoshan tradition. His contributions to Daoist teaching, scholarship, and cultural exchange have been recognized by the Chinese Daoist Association. A Chinese medicine practitioner for over 27 years, Jack is a teacher and translator whose work bridges Daoist cultivation, classical literature, Chinese martial arts, qigong, and nourishing life (yangsheng 養生). With Josh Paynter he has co-translated and published six books,…

Josh Paynter (裴理文 Pei Liwen) is a 22nd-generation Daoist priest in the Quanzhen Longmen Dantai Bidong Zong lineage of Sichuan, a 25th-generation priest in the Quanzhen Longmen Qingyun Dao lineage of Zhejiang, and a 31st-generation lineage holder in a Maoshan tradition. His contributions to Daoist teaching, scholarship, and cultural exchange have been recognized by the Chinese Daoist Association. A Chinese medicine practitioner for over 27 years, Josh is a teacher and translator whose work bridges Daoist cultivation, classical literature, jade carving, Chinese calligraphy, qigong, and nourishing life (yangsheng 養生). He has co-translated and published six books, including the Zaowan Gongke…