Earl Grey

This still reinforces the point of self-aggrandizing....

Eric Isen came from TM. Sure, the organization now is quite corporate in feel, but that doesn't mean there aren't any good people in it. So while I don't mind if someone came from it or came to an awareness from it, I generally don't say much if someone wants to pursue TM as I have my own methods of mantra chanting practice from a different lineage--driving in my own lane and staying there while they remain in theirs as well.

Freedom has a price, but remember that when using the gun analogy, you're not the only one paying for it if something happens. Likewise, when working with energy, a good practice can heal your family as a splash effect or can cause more headaches if psychoses manifest for example.

The trap of self-aggrandizing is equally dangerous in both what he describes and what you attempt to differentiate.

Chang is dead and the group with instructions from Kostas and Jim have specific parameters for the kind of person they give instructions to, but you’re better off with another system altogether.

RidiculousDragon, I hate to say this, but the last master I showed your “Zhan Zhuang” to and your saber form said that you were so terrible that even David Carradine Tai Chi is better than yours. That’s how low you set the bar.

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I always wonder what makes people do such things, not just injecting themselves with oil, but the mixing and matching of things for results rather than systematic progress. This Vice article on saline injections into one's own testicles, a part of a small subculture that actually exists, is what comes to mind when I see that image of someone injecting oil to make his muscles look big...

As someone who has had patients and students with mental health problems, find a credible teacher. Doing your practices on your own can actually imbalance your energy, which in turn will fuel your paranoid schizophrenia. For your own safety, do so, please. Don't stop your meds for your energetic practice either--this is where major psychotic episodes begin.

Now you're misconstruing my words. We cited textual sources for Feng Shui. I do read books and learn from them. I didn't say a teacher replaces books, as teachers assign readings. You however, learned Taijiquan exclusively from books. That is what I criticized: learning from books and thinking a teacher is not necessary, then thinking you know more than actual teachers from a lineage. Way to look dumber every time you post.

Lineages are meant to protect the student. Sticking within the system allows them to address potential problems that arise which they have experience dealing with inside their practice and history. This is one reason they don't recommend mixing and matching. This is only partially true as people focus on sensations rather than the endgame, and oftentimes, they have very different ideas and expectations. Sensations are deceptive, but the human mind likes to make conclusions fast. What works depends on many things--are you familiar with Bruce Tegner? He died of complications related to tensing himself up all the time when inhaling and forcing it to his head. This was later revealed to be what led to his early death. It worked--until it was proven that it didn't. You are free to lead your own path, but it's pretty obvious you don't understand Eastern cultures. Hi, I'm Earl Grey: an Asian American who can separate martial arts films and anime from the practice of lineage and masters contrary to your bold allegation. And your "too old for that" reads more as "I'm too good for that" honestly. The human body is complex and every body is unique, so it's not something that can be hacked. Lineages recognize this and the variations and deviations. Hacking from mixing and matching causes damage that to someone like you, would be difficult to find noticeable damage that someone with the appropriate qualifications would see. However, you're not taking into account the meditations of the west were in caves, deserts, and monasteries, within Christianity and pre-Christianity in Judaism, then after Christianity with Islam, and still more even in pagan traditions. I am taking a Jungian approach. What I am referring to is simply put totally different than what you're writing here, which comes off to me as more conjecture unfortunately.

Five-year old kid (FraudDragon): Makes bold statements about his authority, does not cite sources when asked, assumes others won't understand Chinese. Adult and professional (everyone else): Allows for discussion and can be challenged, cites references, gives others the benefit of being able to use their skills or friends to actually understand Chinese. I posted above Benebell Wen, Wang Liping, and other members who may have something to chime in. You however made a vague statement, and when challenged, refused to cite sources, then said others won't understand Chinese or that the sources are not going to have a good translation. Then when pressed to prove yourself, as usual, you result to ad hominem attacks, then you run away when you can no longer prove anything. You're a two year-old, FraudDragon.

Translation: "I know better, so listen to my interpretation instead." Keep digging yourself into a hole instead of showing your sources to scrutinize by people who actually know what they're talking about.

You're making no sense...as usual. Get specific, don't get vague. And stick to the topic by actually providing the sources you cite for Feng Shui.

Unfortunately for you, everyone here does a better job than what you've been translating so far...everything from TTC to Zhan Zhuang to Confucius.

Translation of what ReturnDragon is saying: "I'm too lazy to post it, and I know better than others, but secretly I am afraid someone will find holes in my reasoning (everything I say is right because I'm Chinese and you're not) and sources (the first five hits of a Baidu/Google search)."

Best line I've heard all week.

Thailand has a couple of practitioners I know who do a version of Wing Chun that was internal before it became externalized with Ip Man moving forward to be more mass appealing, and they can Fa Jin. The senior student is in Bangkok, but he isn't teaching, and the master is living in Canada but still goes there around September. Indonesia has a ton of practices depending on where you go, but I've found central Java around Yogyakarta and in the isle of Bali itself you'll find many practices that are both martial and theurgic.

Be careful as there are people who can gift you with something, but they aren't even allowed to give it to you to begin with, and sometimes those lies go back in their lineage. Here's an example of institutionalized lies: someone leaves a lineage without finishing more than 40% of their training, let's say it's Liuhebafa. They suddenly post pictures of themselves with the master and say they are the new masters of the lineage, file proper papers and copyrights, then start a business and have a web presence, create formal accreditation through their group. They take students and have 2 generations succeeding them believing that they have ties to someone, let's call him "Lee". Lee's actual designated successors have no formal business titles or organizations, as it is passed down from teacher to student only, and the third generation of successors meets the bastard lineage with formal establishment and sees pictures of late grandmaster Lee. The legitimate lineage sees this fake history and compares it to their own notes and teachings, and sees that this is no longer the same lineage, but they are making money off of the name of Lee. Now, this is a riddle for you: even if you pay the bastard lineage, are you karmically protected for not knowing? Or if someone from the bastard lineage gifted you something that was a hidden technique stolen from the legitimate successors, would you be protected? The answers to this riddle are actually in the book Tibetan Yoga and The Secret Doctrines, which Sifu Terry Dunn has people read as requirements for graduating.

Those are more for what we are consciously aware of--the fact is, working with the internal arts will bring out the shadows and the subconsciousness--which is what we are often not prepared for most of the time. So it doesn't help as much as you think it does.

Doesn’t actually work that way according to Taoist cultivation framework, which is decidedly NOT mythical. The secret smile if it’s anything like inner smile might make you feel good, but sensations deceive and what is actually worthwhile or good may not feel like anything at all.

I don’t know spinal breathing, but there are many variations of MCO and it’s a controversial practice to say the least as it can cause damage to beginners, which is why I take issue with Chia and Winn. KAP I still have no context. Freeform might be a better person to comment. As for clearing, there are far more affordable ways to deal qi deviation, but that won’t undo the damage to the psyche so easily, so prevention is key.

Except you contradict yourself by saying martial qigong is not qi, given that you yourself stated many times all over the place with bizarre certainty qi is oxygen, and so Goju-ryu breathing by your criteria is qigong because it's breath work in a martial context! But yes: your case is put to rest because you've dug yourself into a hole with your poor logic and atrocious understanding...again.

Just so you know, fire and water path is a made-up term--it's not from any formal Taoist lineage, even though someone like Frantzis uses it for his own material. This sounds more like an anecdotal comparison, as I do not know which techniques you are calling water or fire, and the names alone do not necessarily reflect their nature accurately. Nope--it's way more complicated than that because magical practices like the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram is for magic not qi. Qi and magic work a lot differently, and qi works with one's natural energy, whereas a lot of magic tends to work with spirits. Granted, some people who are advanced know how to make these things work, but you're risking qi deviation from what little I see so far short of having more details on what you actually do, since just calling something fire or water isn't enough to help analyze adequately.