Lama Tantrapa

You must be referring to Qi Dao, also known as Tibetan Shamanic Qigong. It is very similar to what you call "Systema" because the latter was developed by many masters in Russia over a period of time. Some of those masters were trained in Qi Dao, for example my grandfather, who was the last lineage holder of Qi Dao. Of course, the KGB had no interest in his Dream Yoga, meditation and healing abilities; they just wanted the fighting skills. He taught that type of skills to a number of top-notch operatives, including a few spies and Stalin's bodyguards. As his grandson, I received a very different training that was more spiritually oriented. Later I became a Tibetan lama in the Bon tradition, so my focus is a bit different from that of Mikhail Ryabko or Vladimir Vasiliev, bot of whom I happen to know. In fact, both of them are spiritually inclined toward the Russian Orthodox Church, which probably makes a difference in their approach to fighting and other applications of the art. If you are interested in Qi Dao, feel free to check out my book Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong: The Art of Being in the Flow on Amazon.com. It is the first in a series of books on this system, but it will give you some idea about the most basic level of training in Qi Dao. There is also a companion DVD that demonstrates the first steps in learning how to be in the flow, which may not look very spectacular, but help develop a very strong foundation for any further training in Qi Dao or any other discipline.

Dear Tao Bums, I have known Max Christensen, aka Lama Dorje, since 1996, when we both lived in Hawaii. He impressed me with his stories and demonstrated a decent level of skill at that time. Some of his stories seemed rather far-fetched, but many other Qigong masters have far-fetched stories to tell, so he is not an exception. A few years later, he moved to Portland, Oregon for a while, where we met again and he taught at the same place I used to teach Tibetan Shamanic Qigong. Moving around a lot, he disappeared from my sight for quite a while (well, I spent two years living overseas during that time too) just to reappear again, this time as a teacher of Kunlun Qigong. I enjoyed each meeting with Max and did not get an impression that he would be into running a cult. I have yet to read his book, which I am looking forward to. Perhaps, I will invite him as a guest on my Radio talk show The Secrets of Qigong Masters, so you can ask him questions by phone during the live interview. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] for more information about the show and the potential time of the interview with Max Christensen.

One of the lamas who ordained me was Jigme Padmayev Rinpoche. He is not the same person as Piotr Badmayev, another well-known lama from Russia. Now, on another note, I have a question for you, my dear Tao Bums. Do you think we need a TV show dedicated to Tai Chi, Qigong and the Taoist philosophy underlying the Energy Arts? I personally believe it is time to create a popular media presence that will boost people's awareness of these arts and transform their lives. That is why I am auditioning for an opportunity to host The Flow Show on Oprah Winfrey's Network. Please go to http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=search&q=Lama%20Tantrapa to watch the introductory video and cast your vote today! Who would you like to see on that show, once it started? Would appearing on that show boost your standing as a Taoist expert?

I appreciate your inquisitive mind and wish to assure that I am for real. I am, indeed, half-Russian, half-Ukrainian, born and raised in the former Soviet Union. Trained under my grandfather, who was forced by the KGB to work as a trainer of Stalin's bodyguards and other spooks. I also studied with a number of other teachers, including several fine martial artists, Qigong masters, healers and Tibetan lamas. The reason I studied with the lamas was because Lama Padmayev had actually singled me out through the process of divination as a reincarnation of another lama, hence the title Tulku. For almost five years, I was a member of a secret society called White Lotus, which I left after the head teacher Vladimir Skubaev blinded me. I received official ordinations after the collapse of the Communist regime and spent several years apprenticing to a well-known Japanese monk Junsei Terasawa, who ordained me in his Buddhist order. I also received an ordination in the Thai tradition of Buddhism, but decided to stay outside of the organized religion for the time being. Nevertheless, the United States Department of Homeland Security has conducted a thorough investigation and granted me religious asylum on the basis of persecution that I had experienced in my country (I got kidnapped, arrested for my statements against the war in Chechnya, the temple we had built got blown up with grenades, etc.). If this is not enough information to help you understand better who I am, feel free to email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to share more. Namaste, Lama Tantrapa

I appreciate your curiocity, @apepch7. As you aptly pointed out, having real ancient knowledge may be more than enough to keep some people from "bothering" with any modern practices. However, from the point of view of the current lineage holder, I have to say that, as far as I am concerned, every previous holder of the lineage contributed to our art in one way or another. My contribution may be in the way I manage to translate and explain the art of Qi Dao in the terms understandable to educated contemporaries. My choice of NLP and Hypnosis was based on the numerous similarities between some aspects of these disciplines and the practice of Dream Yoga that form the spiritual foundation of Tibetan Shamanic Qigong. Both NLP and Hypnosis offer some practical approaches that are very effective and free of religious undertones. As you may have read in my book, Once I received religious asylum in the United States, I found myself in a relative spiritual vacuum in this country, so I decided to explore the fields where my knowledge would be appreciated and helpful to the extent I manage to refrain from converting people into Bon Shamanism, which is not within my interests at all. Anyone thinking that a Shaman possessing ancient knowledge should do nothing else but shamanize would be giving the Shaman too little room for growth and development. I cannot say for other Shamans, but the knowledge I possess is alive today exactly because it was not frozen into an unchangeable dogma but continuously evolved and adopted to the needs of the people practicing this living art. Namaste, Lama Tantrapa

Hello fellow Tao Bums! I am glad to see so many of you having listened to my radio talk show The Secrets of Qigong Masters. For whatever reason, only one episode was mentioned on this forum - my interview with Damaris Jarboux. My high regard for her expertise notwithstanding, I would like to invite you to listen to other fine Qigong masters and authors at www.blogtalkradio.com/qigongmasters. Please enjoy the interviews with Mantak Chia, Ken Cohen, Roger Jahnke, Yang Jwing-Ming, Jerry Alan Johnson, Effie Chow, Michael Winn, Bruce Kumar Frantzis, Chunyi Lin, and dozens of other Qigong experts. If you have some interest in my own work, you are welcome to read my book free of charge at http://books.google.com/books?id=n5uwVkQqJOoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false or order it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Qi-Dao-Tibetan-Shamanic-Qigong/dp/1434320278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269042200&sr=8-1. I hope that this helps dismiss any misunderstandings about my teachings and titles. Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] or call 503-501-8116. Speak to you soon. Namaste, Lama Tantrapa

Thank you, Nilo, for your comment. By the way, did you read my book on Google for free or buy it on Amazon.com or elsewhere? I appreciate your feedback and would love to know more about your own explorations. In particular, I am not familiar with YCYOR. I am also glad you enjoy my Radio talk show The Secrets of Qigong Masters. Next Monday, November 16, I am interviewing one of the best known American Qigong teachers Roger Jahnke. So, please feel free to listen to the show at www.blogtalkradio.com/qigongmasters or call in with any questions at (347) 327-9635 between 6:00 and 7:00 pm PST. Speak to you soon, Lama Tantrapa

Sheng Zhen, I appreciate your pointing out that somebody else practices Dream Yoga in a way similar to mine. Although I am not familiar with Dr. Dillard and his work, it sounds as though he follows Carl Jung's methods to some extent. I believe you are quite right about the most interesting aspect of the practice of Dream Yoga being identifying with the source of the dreaming consciousness, or Dream Being. Indeed, once you are awake enough in the dream to recognize it as a creation of the dreamer's mind, it presents an opportunity to unify the creator and the creation, or simply recognizing that the creator is one with the entire world of dreaming. Such dissolution of the dichotomy between the seeming subject and object of the dream is very much akin to enlightenment, or becoming one with the Dao. There is definitely no need for playing with the symbolism of the dream images or their assumed meanings, because the dreamer unconsciously knows what they mean and what lessons they offer; however, those lessons are still to be learned consciously. That is how the Dream Being, or the Dao if you will, is constantly being enlightened by us learning the lessons it keeps dreaming up. As far as I am concerned, it is the greatest game in the universe! Aloha

Dear Tao Bums, I appreciate your interest in Qi Dao and the lively discussion unfolding on these pages. I actually have to agree with Patrick that most attempts to initiate anyone via an audio recording prove to be ludicrous at best. That is why my album mostly consists of preliminary practices including a spontaneous meditation, standing meditation, dynamic meditation, as well as a guided Shamanic Journey. The latter can also serve as the first stage of the Qi Dao initiation that usually consists of two stages: the guided meditation that can and should be practiced for as long as it takes you to establish a reasonably strong sense of connection with the Tao, or Dream Being, as I often refer to it. The second stage of the initiation has to be experienced in person, usually at the conclusion of the basic level of Qi Dao training (this CD is a part of the Basic Qi Dao Home Study Course), which normally takes at least three months filled with doing the preliminary practices. In this way, my students living across the globe from me still can develop a decent level of basic knowledge and experience all the preliminary practices before attending a live event, where they may receive the complete initiation. Perhaps, entitling my album Qi Dao Initiation created some confusion, because it is designed to provide only the initial impetus for embarking on this incredible journey of self-realization. If you are familiar with such site as rhapsody.com, I believe you can listen to the tracks on my album, quite literally, for pennies. Give yourself an opportunity to experience something before judging it. I am glad you found a way to peruse my book for free using Google book search. Unlike most of the contemporary authors, who tend to tease you by giving access to just a few pages, I made the entire text available for those of you who are sincerely interested in Qi Dao. I have nothing to hide, at least, at the basic level, which my book covers quite thoroughly. As to the question from apepch7, I believe I shared enough information about my lineage in this book. I really do not like dragging my personal history around, that is probably why I never felt inspired to memorize the names of my predecessors. Besides, there is a great difference between me and my Grandfather: while I talk and even write a lot, he was not a talkative man at all, probably due to his involvement with the KGB during the Soviet regime. He did not like to talk about himself or other people at all. I am sure he had a great many stories to tell, which I can only guess about. I continue learning from him in my dreams, so some of his stories may eventually be revealed through my practice of Dream Yoga. By the way, if you are interested in Dream Yoga, you may find some basic practices in the Qi Dao Initiation album too, so have fun experimenting with them. Let me know if you need any help. Aloha P.S. Please do not sniff any glue or take any ketone (whatever it is) Patrick is talking about. There are much safer and more effective ways to explore the bardo states associated with near-death experiences and beyond death.

Dear Tao Bums, It is getting pretty late here, but I will try to answer some of your questions briefly. My meditation CD entitled Qi Dao Initiation is available for download on Amazon.com. The physical CDs will be available very soon. They are also going to be included into the Basic Qi Dao Home Study Course, which will also include my hard cover book, audiobook, workbook and DVD. Additionally, everyone who purchases this course will have free access to my teleseminars and online tutorials for one month. To get some more information about Qi Dao, please visit Qidao.org. As far as I know, nobody else from our clan has a website yet, but you are welcome to do some Google search or visit Wikipedia.org. I have given numerous interviews online to the media, some of which may be found online. As to my personal experience with Qi Dao, I started practicing quite early, at a tender age of six. My Grandpa was an awesome Qigong master and Russian Martial Arts paragon, so I aspired to become like him. Thirty plus years later, I just dream about doing some of the feats he was capable of. Finally, I have to admit that I do not like sitting in lotus position, although I am flexible enough to twist my legs into a pretzel. Alas, I have not found any way to maintain a vertical alignment of the spine without tensing up my hip flexors when sitting like that. My favorite meditative position is savasana, but I often use Zen-style seiza, as you may see on my blog. Please feel free to ask more questions or come to Portland, where I am teaching a workshop at Portland Subud Center on August 23, 2008. Drop me a line if you are interested in the Initiation CD or the Home Study Course and I will be happy to get them to you as soon as they are available. Aloha P.S. I finally got around to taking a look at the Qi Dao video clip on YouTube. Although it is very basic and incomplete in terms of mentioning only three alignments and leaving out the most important one, you may actually tell that these principles can be quite applicable in various sports as well as healing and other martial arts. I am actually going to present a workshop on the use of Qi Dao for peak performance in healing and martial arts at the World Qigong Congress in San Fran on September 22, 2008. I would love to see you guys there.

Hi Cat, I am glad you are interested in my work. I hope you had a chance to visit my website www.qidao.org to get more acquainted with the teachings of Qi Dao. I would also like to help you and other fellow Tao Bums to sift through some misguided comments on this forum as to where I reside and why. Indeed, I moved to Guam two years ago in an attempt to support my wife's career advancement (she got a job as an Assistant Attorney General of Guam) as well as to finish my book and get it published. I used to be so busy teaching at Academy of Qi Dao and seeing clients at Portland Qigong Clinic that I just had no time to write the books many of my students requested for years. In the last couple of years, I managed to write two books, one audiobook, as well as to produce a DVD and a meditation CD entitled Qi Dao Initiation. Now my wife's contract is over and we may move back to the States later this year. In fact, I am flying to Washington, DC area next month to present a workshop at the National Qigong Conference and launch the Basic Qi Dao Home Study Course that includes all of the materials mentioned above. I am actually supposed to be there also because I am on the Board of Directors of the NQA. As to my involvement with various other teachers, associations, Subud (please not the spelling), etc, I have to say that unlike some Qigong masters jealously guarding the purity of their traditions, I am much more relaxed about this issue. I know that most of the lineage holders of Qi Dao (as probably many other styles) gleaned from various disciplines and experienced many influences that only enriched the art and contributed to its evolution. Even its name that originally was likely Tsa Lung Trul Khor changed to much shorter Qi Dao under the Chinese influence. I am certainly not opposed to the continuing evolution and enrichment of our art, which I even aspire to contribute by creating Qi Dao Coaching - the methodology integrating the best of the ancient energy arts and the most empowering modern approach to personal development. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to ask. Aloha

Hello fellow Tao Bums, I was invited to visit this forum by one of my students who found some discussion pertaining to my work. I found the discussion rather uninformed and decided to share a bit more about myself and my teachings. If you have any questions or comments about Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong - please feel free to post them here and I will do my best to answer, given I have enough time and motivation. Aloha