Tao-Newbie

Thanks Shawn! That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I'll start working on it and post once I see what effect they have. I have the early books, bought them around 1988/1989. Gotta go re-read them and start the practice. I also believe I have the Healing Sounds VHS tape somewhere, in which Chia demonstrates the sounds, so that'll be helpful if I can dig it out.

Since there are so many replies, I won't write a novel addressing each one. Thanks again to everyone who gave advice. There are a few points I need to address though, apparently. Dawei wrote: I'm moving out of that area, as you put it, because I didn't inquire about breaking up blockages. I was specifically looking to expel heat. I thought it would be a good idea to do both the inner smile and the healing sounds. Chia talks about using them together, so that's good. Now this brings up a new question - if there are different sounds for chronic stagnation, how do they apply to expelling heat, or will the sounds he presents in the books work for that? I thought I made that clear in my very first post, when I wrote: "The reason I'm asking is because I have a lot of heat in the liver, gall bladder, and lungs. Acupuncture is bringing it out, along with herbs, and I just did a 30 day raw milk fast as well. This helps (did it last year), but it seems most of the heat is emotional. I was hoping that the healing sounds presented by Mantak Chia in his books works, because I need to find a way to cool those organs." I don't think the issue is heat, I know the issue is heat. I have a strong background in Ayurvedic medicine, and I diagnosed it as heat. Three different acupuncturists have confirmed it using TCM diagnosis (pulse, tongue analysis, etc). I've been taking several different herbs for heat - chrysanthemum, bhumyamalaki (an Ayurvedic herb), some Chinese formulas such as Lily Preserve Metal and Rehmannia Cool Blood Formula (both from Golden Flower Chinese Herbs) the latter two prescribed by the acupuncturist. I've had plenty of acupuncture, and the practitioner I see is very good. Once she inserts and stimulates the needles, I can feel the heat draining down my legs and arms and my palms and soles of my feet get red and sweat like crazy. I can feel the heat draining out. But I can't afford 3 acupuncture treatments a week in this economy. So I thought that if I could cool the organs using the healing sounds, I could do that as often as possible and it wouldn't bankrupt me. I have 3 jobs and am in school full time (so I can get rid of the 3 jobs and start a better career! ) and there is a lot of stress coming from family and other issues. In Ayurvedic Medicine I am a predominant pitta type, meaning I inherently have a lot of heat and so I'm prone to heat conditions, just as a predominant vata type is prone to cold conditions. Combine my constitution with summer weather and stress, and you have 3 forces converging on causing heat and reinforcing one another. This is why I just did a 30 day raw milk cleanse. Raw milk is very cold in its energy, and in Ayurveda it would be considered sweet and cooling. It helps a lot, but I don't want to live on nothing but milk for the rest of summer! LOL! It's too boring. When I go back to food, I keep it to cooling stuff...lettuce, cucumber, bitter veggies, etc. But for some reason the heat is just very hard to dislodge. I was going to ask Gary Clyman about taking it out similar to how he does his emotional liposuction, but he seems to believe heat is not a problem. Try telling that to the rash on my arm and the constant heat headaches! So my basic question is simply: Do the sounds Mantak Chia gives expel heat and are they a legitimate practice? So far the consensus here is that they are legitimate, but no verification about the cooling effect. Perhaps VCraigP would be the best suited to answer that, since he has a lot of experience in the system. Would the sounds expel heat? Chia seems to focus on the idea that they expel heat, I don't recall reading anything in his books about it breaking up stagnation. Also, I really like the idea Craig came up with, of having the acupuncturist test me before and after doing the healing sounds. I'm going to ask her next time I see her if she can check my pulse and then I can go do the healing sounds (assuming I get verification they do expel heat) while she works on another patient, then when she gets back to me we can see if there's a change. I might as well be a guinea pig and use my suffering to help add to the knowledge base.

Thanks for the replies! Those books and links look interesting, although I'm specifically looking for ways to cool the organs. Have any of you used Mantak's healing sounds and been able to verify they cool the organs? Is that a legitimate practice? I didn't want to start doing something until I know it works, given all the controversy. It's very hard to find regular time to practice as it is, given my crazy schedule, so I'm really looking to first verify whether it's an actual, true practice and not something Mantak Chia made up. If it's legit, I'll make time for it. I just didn't want to start devoting time to something only to discover it's not even a legitimate thing and therefore end up wasting time I don't have when it doesn't work.

Hi everyone! I had a question about the healing sounds presented in Mantak Chia's books. I've heard a lot of bad stuff about Mantak Chia, and Gary Clyman insists that Mantak is a fraud and said he has no idea where Mantak got the healing sounds stuff. The reason I'm asking is because I have a lot of heat in the liver, gall bladder, and lungs. Acupuncture is bringing it out, along with herbs, and I just did a 30 day raw milk fast as well. This helps (did it last year), but it seems most of the heat is emotional. I was hoping that the healing sounds presented by Mantak Chia in his books works, because I need to find a way to cool those organs. Can't afford constant acupuncture treatments at this point. Any insights?

Final post edited due to confidential information being posted.

Desert Eagle, I gotta disagree completely on the Clyman issue. He definitely proved his stuff to me. Unlike a conman named Walter Beckley (who's been caught molesting clients and students, confirmed by my best friend's sister) who would not demonstrate his supposed "mastery" of iron shirt. In fact, Beckley hemmed and hawed at showing me anything to prove he was real. Clyman didn't flinch at all, he immediately stood up and let me hit him on a moment's notice without hesitation. And it was like trying to punch steel. Crumpled my hand as if all the energy had been sucked out of it. A friend also tried and his hand ricocheted off as if it had been blasted back. When Clyman hit me in the stomach, it felt like he had lit an M-80 in my abdomen. It just spread everywhere and stunned me. I felt it all the way into my arms and legs! So I can't see calling him a con man. He backs it up. If I had the cash, I'd definitely train with him. Although several people have expressed concerns that I'd pick up his "craziness", because he is a little...well, not sure what you'd call it. Intense? Zany? Unbalanced?

Also editing this post to delete confidential information.

When I originally posted this message, I didn't realize that I had given out certain information from my friend that was supposed to be confidential, so I am deleting my post. Sorry for any confusion.

Wow! What a friendly forum! It took me half an hour to read all the replies! First, a big thank you to everyone for all the advice. Lots to look into now. Well, onto my specific replies (I'll combine them in one post). Hundun wrote: On a general level, opening the energy channels and generating more chi, as Sykkelpump mentions. But more specifically, the reason I want to do that is twofold. First, to generate better health. I have issues that I believe could benefit from the practice and overall just want more energy to do all the things I want to do. And secondly, for use in martial arts. I'd like to be able to generate much more power in my techniques and also eventually develop Iron Shirt. I understand all that, but at the same time I don't want to spend months or even years only to then discover that I've been wasting my time (ie not achieving the results I could/should), or worse, finding out that the practice was taught wrong and then having worse health issues to deal with due to the practice. Don't get me wrong. I'm not afraid of hard work, dedication, and lots of practice. And I'm usually pretty good at picking out good teachers from frauds (now I am...have gotten very wary after initial bad incidents). But with people like Mantak Chia, the information is there and easy to access, but when I met him he refused to demonstrate any proof of his ability, which is absolutely essential in my eyes. I think if someone can claim an ability, he should be able (and willing) to demonstrate it. On the other hand, I've heard that all of Mantak's material in his books is basically ripped off other teachers. Which is his own karma if true. My only concern is whether the info in his books is both effective and safe. Agreed. No one teacher is likely to have all the answers. I do want to find one that can give me a really good foundation though, that won't get my started down the wrong path so to speak. I've always been a big believer in that old adage about emulating your teachers strong points while avoiding his weak points or something along those lines. From having had a session of his emotional liposuction, I have to say it definitely does work. I was highly skeptical at the time, but I really can't argue with the results. After what felt like an exorcism done with a red hot poker, he removed energy from what he called my "rage" point. For weeks afterwards I actually tried getting outraged and angry, but I simply could not. The rage and anger that had me ranting like a maniac for months before the treatment was just somehow gone. I also had Clyman punch me in the abs. I can take a good punch, and he only punched from a few inches away, but it felt like a hand grenade had gone off in my abdomen. The energy just exploded inside me and I thought "Whoa. That's different!". Never been hit like that before. He said it was a light hit, so I can't even imagine what a really powerful one would have been like. Don't think I'd want to feel that! And again, he demonstrated his Iron Shirt, so that impressed me. He does seem to have a great ego, but otherwise he seems really friendly and helpful, so I'm not feeling too many bells going off. It's just a bit unnerving being around anyone so bursting with energy. Right now with family issues and a new business, money is a tad too tight (his training is pretty expensive...$750 to $2,000 depending on the course). Otherwise, I think I'd be working with him now. Hopefully by the end of the year. Which is why I was wondering about Chia's books, so I could start working on the microcosmic orbit and things like that until I can train in person. Just didn't want to start doing it all wrong. And there are some dangerous people out there. I've heard nothing but horror stories about one of Mantak's students dealing with molesting clients, which the guy did to the sister of a friend of mine. Another guy claims that everyone is doing the microcosmic orbit backwards and that for men it goes up the front and down the back, which is the reverse of anything I've ever heard. (Has anyone ever heard such a thing?) I'll do that. Thanks! Spectrum wrote: Yup. Like I said earlier, it just radiates off him. And he's the first person I've come across who was willing to demonstrate his Iron Shirt as well as hit me back! What's mindboggling is how painful it can be! I'm pretty resistant to pain, but this was like passing a kidney stone that was on fire! By the time we finished, I was soaked with sweat from the pain. Yikes! Trunk wrote: Precisely my concern! I'm trying to figure out if he at least has the basics (where I'll be starting) written correctly. For example, in his Microcosmic Orbit book, is the basic practice correct? Can I safely do it from his written instructions without worrying about screwing things up? I can't afford in-person instruction at the moment, so I want to find at least a good, well written book that can get me started on foundation practice. Finally, Sunshine wrote: Like I said earlier, mainly health benefits and being able to apply chi energy to my martial arts techniques. I'm not getting any younger and faster! Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to more conversation here.

I have a question about teachers. I've read some of Mantak Chia's books, but I've also heard (here and elsewhere) controversy about his system. I've been burned badly by several martial arts teachers in the past, so I'm even more wary now, considering the time involved and the potential for injury in Taoist practices. Put honestly, I simply do not have enough time or energy at this point in my life to be "taken" anymore. Can anyone clearly outline for me the concensus as to which parts of Mantak Chia's system work (if any), and which do not. Or at least which parts are verifiably true and not made up? Are there any more accurate or reliable books out there that anyone can point out, besides the various Mantak books? Finally, I ran into a guy named Gary Clyman, who does Emotional Liposuction in Chicago. I had a session with him some time ago, and he also demonstrated Iron Shirt (allowed me to strike him), but I'm wondering if he would be a reputable candidate to train with. He does seem a tad...well...unbalanced. I don't know how else to put it. Seems like a dedicated guy and quite friendly, but I just have nothing to really compare him to. Has anyone here ever worked with him? Any advice?

Greetings all! Jason here. Kinda new, though I've read many of Mantak Chia's books. I have some questions about studying and about authenticity, because I have been really burnt by teachers (martial arts) in the past. I figure this is a good place to get some answers, and it's also a nice crowd to hang with from what I've seen!