Oolong Rabbit

Hi Yoda, This DVD has nothing to do with Max. It's a Chinese Chi Kung and Tai Chi master in Australia (I think he is also a Doctor of TCM) Can't remember his name, and can't find a link to the video online anywhere. I will have to dig it out.

Hi Luke, I have a DVD on standing 5 elements. I don't think it's all that exotic as far as chi kung goes. Not sure if Max's would be any different. In some of the postures (metal in particular) there is a distinctly "magnetic" feel to the energy. I noticed this even before I heard of Kunlun and it's "magnetic" energy. If I can find it, I will send a copy to Sean for the lending library. Brgds!

Just found this on youtube: An African Shaman levitating tW6pVFOpE6Q Looks more like some kind of spirit invocation, than chi though.

Haha I asked if they ever taught the form on the opposite side once and everyone in the class looked at me like I had 3 heads (we were all having a hard enough time on the normal side). My instructor said she has known people to do it, but that there really was no need as the set is "designed" to balance out both sides of the body. Still, from a martial point of view I think there would be definite benefits. If I remember correctly, BKF advised doing it on the opposite side once one becomes adept in one of his books.

I just stumbled upon this Japanese group called Fujiyama-Geisha. They have a very unique sound: kind of like a sythesis of western piano and asian strings. Very moving stuff. The sound just resonates with me for some reason. Anyhow, their songs are online free, so just thought I would post the link in case anyone is interested: http://music.download.com/3600-5-100389779...MDL_Player_More Check out the track "11th Bell"

I am by no means an expert, but in the internal martial arts it's really hard to say where boundaries between chikung and the forms are drawn, if at all. In the Master Moy's style of taichi we always begin with foundational chi kung exercises. These are the basic body mechanics/breathing found throughout the set. I think the main reason we practice them individually is that it is easier to perfect these principles when broken down into their basic parts. Kind of like throwing a basketball at the net over and over again so it comes effortlessly/without thought during the game. Haha maybe, but a good teacher never hurts either

I don't know Drew. He is pretty adamant that Kunlun is NOT Kundalini energy. They keep saying that Kundalini rises upward whereas Kunlun flows downward. That having been said, it still FEELS like upward flowing energy to me.

The reason I ask is because I am wondering if her diet could ameliorate or speed up the Kunlun process. My understanding is that it may ramp up the body's jing production. Mantra said that Kunlun redirects the sexual energy to the deficient areas of the body. Maybe one could hypothetically do the 100 days in 75. Or if one released their jing, perhaps they could get back on the wagon easier. Just theories really. I will have to buy her book. The downside I guess is that it will probably make you more horny, thereby making the 100 days celibacy even more trying. I am past day 60, but had a few slips

Yoda, I am curious, are you still experimenting with Marena's orgasmic diet?

Very Ahrimanic answer Darin . Actually you are probably at least partially correct. Man is a microcosm after all. The thing that I find interesting about this is that it is a duality of opposing evil forces.

There have been a few heated debates recently. http://www.thetaobums.com/a-student-of-Joh...ang--t4259.html http://www.thetaobums.com/David-Shen-Verde...ease-t2943.html Personally, it all sounds way too money driven to me. It's something like 5000 Euros to meet the masters and train with David for a couple weeks. That doesn't cover flights, hotels etc... Then they sell additional healings and dan elixers etc... which are also very expensive. Then on top of that there's the bull incident where they allegedly suck the lifeforce out of a bull and transmit it to the students. The charge is around 2000$ per bull and some people were told they needed 5 bulls etc... More important than the monetary issue of course, is the moral issue of stealing the life force from an unwilling creature for your own development. All in all, way too many red flags for me.

Looks like my energy is all stuck in the upper chakras which sounds just about right. Root: under-active (0%) Sacral: under-active (6%) Navel: open (13%) Heart: under-active (-19%) Throat: open (25%) Third Eye: over-active (69%) Crown: open (38%)

Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance somehow seems irresponsible to me. It's as if you don't know about some problem, then you don't have to worry about and hopefully someone else will come along and fix it. What kind of a world would it be if we all had that attitude? Let's face it though, there is no real news in the United States anymore. It's little more than state mandated propaganda and pop culture nonsense to distract society from thinking about the real issues. I have totally switched to alternative news and information like rense.com and antiwar.com. I might not be able to do much about most of the evils in this world, but being aware at least helps me to feel compassion and empathy. We at least owe the suffering that much.

Thanks for sharing these gems Sifu Lin. I prefer the non-flashy stuff personally . I am trying hard to let go of the thoughts, sensations etc.... The worst thing is when I get these "brilliant" epiphanies during meditation. I have to really force myself to let go of them. It's like the ego is trying hard to lead me off the path. P.S. Your stepping gong reminds me a lot of 'part wild horse's mane'. What style/styles of tai chi do you teach? I just recently realized I was not sitting deep enough during my steps and loading all of my weight into the knees.

Same experience here. Look back through some of my posts. I was actually surprised at how easily and how long I was able to retain my jing. Normally I would have been bouncing off the walls. The energy is still there, but it's more manageable. When I miss a day or 2 of practice, the libido starts to ramp up again. My only guess is that Kunlun is somehow using/refining the Jing, but that's just a total guess.

Just my personal experience (so take it with a grain of salt), but I find the longer my jing has built up, the faster and easier the legs start pumping. Sometimes after maybe 30 seconds. After a release, I seem to have to work a little harder. Also try playing with your heel positions a bit. Raise them pretty high and lightly but firmly push them into the ground. When they start to get really tired lower them a bit and see if it jumpstarts the pumping. Sometimes the energy flow in my legs feels more internal, and although there is less external movement, the energy feels much stronger. P.S. FWIW, doesn't Max recommend an MCO movement of Jing for those who can't stay celibate for the 100 days?

Funny how these topics bubble up at just the right time. I was going to start a topic on spinal health, exercises and specifically if anyone has used tools such as gravity boots, inversion boards or the Lynx Back Stretcher: http://www.inversion-table-direct.com/cata..._Back_Stretcher In general my back is pretty healthy but I often feel like there's a tension 'crick' in my back. I can usually snap it myself, or even better get someone to walk on it. This primarily started about 3 years ago. My son ran at me and I lifted him up really fast. I felt an insane pain in my back and dropped like a stone. My back felt like hell for a couple of days until I half jokingly asked one of my co-workers (6th degree jujitsu black belt under Micheal Despasqualis Jr.) if he could fix it like Mr. Myiagi. He said sure and had me lay on the floor. He then ran his fingers up my spine and felt where it was out of allignement. He had me take a deep breath, placed his hands on either side of my spine and pushed down and pulled laterally firmly. My back made a huge pop and the pain was instantly gone. Great, but it seems like ever since then my back has never been quite the same. In any case I am really considering buying the Lynx to test it it out? Anyone have any thoughts on it? I am also open to specific gong that target the back (my tai chi bow is one actually). P.S. Man this Big Red Robe Ooolong is to die for. On my third infusion

Hi Yue, Perhaps it might help if you give your body a few cues. Maybe some fragrant flowers near by etc... I tried incense, but it almost becomes overpowering. Same here. I also do the close down sitting cross legged.

No spin doctoring please Harry. The question at hand isn't about the morality of eating meat. We can bring that up in a seperate thread if you like. In my humble opinion, our higher self always knows what is "right" and "wrong", but the ego clouds the truth. When I find myself trying to rationalize and justify a given action, then it is usually a sure sign that the ego is at play for it's own self serving desires. I wasn't at the Nazi holocaust or in Cambodia during the reign of Pol Pot, but I can certainly form an opinion based on the facts and accounts provided by those that were there. My agenda is simply that I feel these practices may be improper, and also that some of the characters and actions around these practices seem dubious. At best some of the practices are fraudulent, at worst... well I will leave that one alone for the time being. The whole Matrix idea is a very slippery slope, and I believe ultimately leads one to the terrible "isms" of despair: skepticism, relativism, nihilism, solipsim etc... You might find the Spanish existential philosopher Miguel de Unamuno interesting in this regard. Here is the gist of his magnum opus Tragic Sense of Life: The thing that man fears most is death. The thought that our ego eventually dissolves into nothingness terrfies us on the most basic level. On the other hand, the thing that man cherishes the most is his ability to reason. But the concepts of the soul, eternal life and other metaphysical beliefs that guaranty our survival after death run contrary to reason. Unamuno views Reason is the universal dissolvent. We can use it to doubt anything: God, religion, truth, morality, cause and effect. When followed through to it's logical conclusion however, reason ultimately turns on itself like the ouroboros devouring its own tail. Reason can be used to doubt itself. Where does one go from there? You can basically collapse into the despair of the "isms": skepticism, relativism, nihilism, solipsim etc.... or you can cling onto the life raft of faith. Of course Unamuno believes faith is the best option. Why? Because faith is the only way we can come to terms with that most terrible fear of complete obiteration after death. This philosophy had a profound influence on me. I have faith that there is an ordered principle to the universe. Call it what you like, the Tao, God, the Jade Emperor etc... I also have faith that I have a higher self which is intimately connected to this ordering principle. When someone presents me with reason-based rhetorical arguments that run contrary to what my higher self tell me, I always opt for the latter. You wanna know what I think? I think you overthink things brother. I sincerely hope you find truth Harry. It may not be as far away as you seem to think. Brgds O.R.

Cool. Speaking of transitions, is there any type of transitional movements to flow from one posture to the next? Thanks for sharing!

Let's be honest here, the reason David vampirised the energy from 8 bulls was because he squandered the chi he had cultivated doing silly deomnstrations and giving mild electric shocks to the curious. Then again, maybe that's what his customers expected for five grand. Isn't this a bit of a whitewash sunshine? I believe the group was pretty small, and there was at least 1 person who refused the treatment, so it was offered to what 25% of the group? Maybe I am alone on this, but violently sucking the life force from another being just intuitively feels wrong. I will be the first to admit that David Verdesi is certainly a very intelligent person, but his arguements and sophistry justifying these actions ring hollow to me. It's the same process the ego uses whenever one tries to rationalize and justify something we inherantly know is wrong or immoral. For all David's intellectual prowess, I see neither wisdom nor compassion in his words and actions. Lastly I will admit I don't really know a great deal about how one would free the spirit of an animal, but the fact that the beasts were reacting with a great amount of fear and anxiety to the point of defecating themselves would lead me to believe the shen was still there. In any event, I hope my intuitions on David and his practice are wrong for the sake of you guys following this path Harry. Brgds!

Haha yeah I have been thinking the same thing. It's become quite hard to follow. Hi AugustLeo, Quite a few folks have started threads in the personal practice forum. You might be better off posting a log there and then posting questions, concerns etc... on one of the main threads. Not trying to tell you what to do, but I kind of wish I had done this myself. I hope the practice benefits you!

"The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill. There can be no true goodness, nor true love, without the utmost clear-sightedness. " Albert Camus - The Plague