freeform

In general keep the heels up. Hand posture is less important once the energy is activated and your arms are moving about. If the arms don't start to move spontaneously, it's best to keep them in the ball posture. Enjoy.

good article, thanks.

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Yes! We tend to have natural emotion suppressing qualities. Sadness and anger are the most prevalent... It's especially because you're calm and patient that the anger comes up (I'm the same as you) - if you really pay attention throughout your day you'll notice how easily anger is triggered in you and how quickly you manage to suppress it. You might also start to notice (as I did) how many choices in life you made mostly to keep you from feeling anger... (you probably started qi gong to get away from anger!!) For me this revelation was an immense shock! (It made me very angry !!) It turned out that all my 'spiritual work' wasn't bringing more anger up, it was just making me very aware of how much anger I really feel - almost all the time, but manage to conceal in incredibly elaborate ways. This is hard to swallow - so I don't expect you to right now. Just become more aware of anger in general - stay in it, don't let it fade. You might discover a different side to anger (which is kind of like 'motivation') - but you really need to let anger completely envelop you, and then just sit with it. don't attempt to get rid of it... By the way - this means you're on the right track - and doing great... (from my experience)

BDI has recently seen its biggest monthly growth - ever. This has allowed it to recover, in part, the huge drop that happened last year. Economic bubbles have grown and burst and recovered for hundreds of years - this is a 'natural' cycle. Any paradigm shift will not be as a result of economic change, but would certainly be very very visible within the economy. This turbulence is certainly a sign of changes occurring at a more fundamental level - paying attention to the signs might be handy - but they are only signs and shouldn't be taken too literally...

What if you are a phony!!!? Muah hahahahahahahahaahahah The thing is - it's all phonyness - being nice is just as phony as being nasty - or - it's just as perfect... being phony is also perfect... trying not to be phony is also perfect... even if you are a phony and are trying not to be one - it's still all perfect... all this either oppresses you or it provides entertainment... Yoda is a master of re-framing oppression into entertainment... And you, rookie, I'm willing to bet, are a master of re-framing phoniness into perfection!... (but you might not know that yet)... Ian, Mal and I need to be able to find our anger funny rather than scary...

ddilulo - I completely agree... my over-riding philosophy in life is that everything is perfect as it is! Negativity and positivity is always in a continual state of balance - our limitedness allows us to see only the positive or only the negative - and this ofcourse is perfect - so is expanding you awareness to include both... The Bushman shamans always speak of two sides to everything - especially God.... there is the unchanging, constant side and there is the shifting, changing, cycling aspect which is known as the Trickster God... Kind of like pre-heaven and post-heaven in Taoist cosmology... Duality is always governed by the Trickster aspect... this is where positive and negative live... the Unchanging aspect is the 'mother' to the Trickster - it's also Perfect... So when I say I won't be negative - well it's basically a game - it's impossible to be only positive... but it's fun to say that you are What - you thought that any of this - and I mean ANY of this is not for fun?! The trickster aspect is nothing but fun or nothing but misery... I'll have fun for now...

This is the stupidest, most ridiculous idea ever. Who in their right mind would agree to something so demented? ~ count me in

hmmm... escaping with dignity intact... what would happen if you lost your dignity? what does having dignity stay intact give you that is more important than the dignity itself? (you don't have to answer these in the open of course - just some things that might have gone unnoticed) About getting in intimate contact with energetic/emotional pain... for me this works differently (although it does lead to the same 'intense sensing' state). Rather than moving in really close, I tend to treat the hurt as an individual entity - like a small part of me - kind of like a young child or a frightened animal. So rather than getting close to it, I invite it to come closer to me. I literally treat it like a child - being gentle, smiling, being patient, compassionate and inviting it to come out into the light of awareness. The thing is - when it does start coming out of its hiding place (where the pain can be thought of as the armour of protection) you need to give it as much time and space as it needs... this means going easy on yourself - not sticking to hard rules - holding postures, or keeping attention in one place... you kind of let it unravel by itself and for this to happen you have to be very yin and open to any spontaneous movements or memories or stories (or even songs or chants or noises). Any resolution - I've found - has always resulted in a kind of "AHA!!" experience - not wordy. Also profound stillness. If this doesn't happen and I need to end my session - I say thank you and that I will be back... This is all from my experience of course...

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Sloppy, I respect that you've had a bad time with sham martial artists and so have a need for clear marketing and information before you commit yourself again. I think I should've been a little more sensitive to this in you. It's been mentioned many many times that Kunlun is unlike most available Taoist practices. It's really much more akin to entertainment than to computer programming. I'm not trying to be controversial - or just disagreeing with you for the sake of it. In Kunlun practice you're far more likely to laugh like a maniac than have clever philosophical thoughts. Most practitioners would agree. The thing is - trying to gather all this information does take a lot of work, a lot of time and effort. I suspect there is a part of you that enjoys this process. It's good to acknowledge that. You could make it easier for yourself too - if you have any interest just go to the free lecture, ask the questions that you want answered and then see if you'd like to go to the workshop. I'm sure you've spent far longer trawling through these posts, than it would take to just go and see the man directly. It's your choice man! I agree the marketing isn't great, but I prefer a great practice to great marketing! I think you just hit the nail on the head, cat!!

It's only work if you're trying to work it all out. Live and experience the story and it's effortless. Sounds cheesy maybe, but it applies. Confusing marketing may actually be the most appropriate in this case. 'Beginner's mind' by its very nature must be unsure, confused, uncertain. I really wasn't sure myself when I started. Really - I was kinda in the same camp as you. But because of my prior history and practices, uncertainty and confusion were actually welcomed. Kunlun itself shakes all pre-conceptions out of you. maybe the marketing does the same. I think Chris has done a huge service to all of us that practice this art. You can't drink the word 'water'. and you can't experience the practice from its description. And again - exact wording, historical accuracies and scholarly explanations is the polar opposite of what Kunlun (for me) is about. Ever heard a good story-teller transmit a fascinating story? Ever read a computer manual? The story-teller and the author of the computer manual would experience Kunlun very differently. The logical reason-focused person would have a harder time of letting go. I much rather have a drink with the story teller.

I liked your post! some comments: You dont have to read it at all. It's actually probably better if you don't. The fact is Kunlun is (or at least started as) a very small, quiet family. Chris discovered Max and was very excited to bring what Max has to offer to all of us. It's very hard to explain what it's all about, because has nothing to do with logic, reason, thinking or planning. In putting together the marketing, Chris wasn't expecting to have so many critical eyes examining every tiny detail of every word - because firstly words and 'knowledge' has very little importance compared to the experience and secondly there is only so much time for him to be organising workshops and marketing, looking after the website, answering our never-ending questions and actually leading a normal life... There aren't a dozen writers, chroniclers and scholars researching the theoretical underpinnings or following careful lineage information and then presenting this to us. this is not what it's all about. The way Chris organises the marketing is to give you a taster of the mystery and magic of the practice - not a scholarly document. You are then invited to go to a free introductory talk - where you will either be drawn to the work or not! It's so simple. But we all make it so much more difficult. If you read Bradford Keeney's accounts of meeting high-level shamans, you'll discover how other-worldly this stuff gets - he would get exact names, premonitions specific places - all appeared to him in dreams and visions... he was taught by many high-level shamans that asked him to teach their ways. He has their blessings, and carries their lineage - but there are no certificates, websites, books detailing who did what - who taught who what. Relationships are more important than words and assurances.

YM, I also find it slightly offensive. I'm very happy that you have your opinions - and I wouldn't want it any other way. But what I find offensive is that you bring nothing of you to the table. All you tell us is how we are - you constantly tell us about us. On a subtle level, of course, this tells me a lot about you! but I don't bother telling you how you are - I'm open to whatever you've got to offer. But unfortunately you don't seem to offer much (yet?).

The point is - unlike some arts, Kunlun has a very immediate, palpable effect for most people - it's very very obvious... that's what I mean by 'unsubtle'. Rather than years spent on correct form and movement and theory to reach some desired end in the far future, the 'desired end' is tasted very quickly - within a few weeks. The practice of K1 is formless - there is no 'correct' way of doing it. Of course there are pointers, hints and tips and so on, but there isn't any one correct way. The posture you learn in the book is used as a kind of telephone number to dial into your body and its ability to move spontaneously. When one meets Max there is another metaphorical phone number that is given. Nothing to do with theory or 'correct practice' or following some set-out formula. I wouldn't trust a teacher that proves their credentials with a 'certificate' - if it's not immediately observable then I, personally, would tread carefully. And this is what it comes down to - if you meet Max, he will happily show you his 'credentials' - none of it is cloaked in pomp and tradition - it's right there, you can feel it and taste it. Like Cameron I really don't care what people think or do. I'm happy for them as they are. I do however care when me and my friends are painted as working in some elaborate plot to further some money-making scheme - and especially when it comes from someone new to the 'scene' and the debate, with very little real information or experience in what they're talking about. This I consider actively disrespectful. I really enjoy when people approach this subject with curiosity and questions - whether they're erring on the side of Kunlun or not. Farmerjoe is a good example - he's quite hesitant and asks great questions because he is actually curious. Then there are others who jump in with their profound 'wisdom' and tell us 'how it is' - and when they're met with any criticism they go back to "what's wrong with people questioning this" - when in fact there are no real, actual questions asked - just assertions and little straw-man questions designed to prove their assertions...

Oh dear! I always miss birthdays! Happy Birthday Keith! I'm sure you already know how much this community loves and appreciates you! You've done a huge service for many seekers, and have helped so many of us! Thank you!

That's my own interpretation - and it's completely up for changing! (I'm also referring to a different 'level of subtlety' of the energy - it does indeed go everywhere, but it 'arises' from a kind of core channel interaction - which at the moment, for me, in K1 happens between belly and heart level - Red Phoenix practice that Max teaches only in person works in other areas...) Regarding changing the position - I would recommend staying in the position described in the book until you have at least a couple of months of practice under your belt, then see how feel. In any other position, Max told me that you should always keep your hips higher then your knees. Regarding guidance - I've only met Max once. My guidance comes from within.

You'd make great conspiracy theorist! Would you question the veracity of an artist without looking at their art?! or would you just read books and 'facts' about it? For me and most others, the practice brought immediate and very palpable results - it's pretty unsubtle sometimes. It's fine for you not to try Kunlun - but leave it at that, rather than accusing long-standing members of this forum of some laughable 'counter-offensive' conspiracy.

I have a slightly different approach to Scotty. I start with the posture - which is like a seed intention. For me the posture basically means 'keep it between the belly and the heart' - so to begin with I don't want the energy shooting up to the head, but I do want it to rise from the belly up to the heart and/or flow from the head down to the heart. Once the shaking starts I let go completely and whatever happens happens... sometimes my hands go into the posture, but mostly they do their own thing. I think I rememer Max saying that Hatha yoga is compatible. White crane might not be though the 8 brocades should be fine though. Just drop what is not essential. Your body should decide what is not essential.

Check out the Vera Birkenbihl method of 'naturally' learning a language. There is a free ebook floating around that explains the method. An aspect of it is listening to the language whilst you're doing other things - so if you're washing the dishes or concentrating on something else have like a radio show or film in Japanese playing in the background. Having it playing whilst you're sleeping might work or it might just ruin your sleep!

This thread's way cool - great idea, Stig! Lots of interesting opinions from everyone. To play with 'light' a bit more (and this will highlight my own bias ofcourse) - so... using the idea of becoming like light to play with the idea of power: Power is essentially separation - I want the wheat but not the chaff... I want more good than bad... when you set up a goal, you exclude everything but the object of the goal - so when your goal is money, then you focus your attention on money to the exclusion of everything else - ofcourse in reality people tend to have many goals - but I'm sure we all agree that the smaller and more precise the focus, the more likely you are to achieve your goal - so an olympic athlete puts his goal of getting gold above anything else - if he puts money or family or fun above that, he's less likely to get it, right? So relating this back to light - light falls on everything - it doesn't have preference on whether it falls on a gold medal, or the athlete's friends and family, or the fly buzzing around or the space in between all of that. Light doesn't make goals! Power fans might say - oh but you can focus the light towards a certain goal... well if enlightenment is becoming light then whatever you're using to focus the light with cannot be light. Light cannot focus itself. light only reveals - but it reveals everything - never something in particular. You cannot be light and make goals. That doesn't mean that making goals is bad or an unworthy thing to do. if you want enlightenment then goals and power wont get you there... in fact wanting enlightenment wont get you there - because you're wanting something in particular - rather than everything!

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Great debate! I joined a little late. let's play with it like this - enlightenment, to me, means becoming light. (none of these insights are 'true' - they're like dance moves - they're for fun) What's light like? Firstly - it reveals what's there! Revealing is its primary action. Secondly - light is fast! anything that is slower than light cannot be light! When we first start awakening we notice all the blockages - everything that is slower than light is revealed. You cannot accumulate or store light - because that would mean slowing it down/stopping it. Whatever you're collecting, storing, building is not light. You can become a brighter filament or source of light, but the temptation to grab it, hoard it, collect it means you slow down and the flow of light stops. you have to get out of the way of the light for it to shine. Any blockages you have get a shadow projected on the outside...

Yeah I saw that one on TV - quite funny. Although the premise is humorously cynical, I remember a scene where the presenter is asked to put his hands around one of these 'special power' guys' throat - the presenter was visibly overcome with panic/terror and could barely touch him...

I can't actually remember exactly how Winn and Chia teach it, but I seem to spend more time with the head - brain quadrants, 'crystal cave', 3rd eye etc - and yes, I the descend down the core channel. Also when the smile expands beyond my body I smile to family, friends, enemies and whoever else that comes to mind. I find that it mixes really well with kunlun - I don't circulate energy by force or will, I just bring a smiling awareness to each part of my body and this opens the area up gently and effectively without me 'trying' to open it.