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Is it too much to ask - YES Is it possible - NO There you go, I answered your question. Now then Mr Genuine Article - Are you serious? Why don't you just ask - "what is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" It would be almost as easy to answer. Craig PS - It's nice to see that others took your question and answered it sincerely. I could not bring myself to do so.

If hands move from the starting position, just let them do what they want. Max said the starting position is like turning the key in the ignition of the car. Wherever you go from there is OK. Just don't forget to close down and spend plenty of time collecting energy at the end. Always a good practice for any Qigong. PS - Time to take up Taiji and leave Karate alone. PPS- Just kidding, no don't hurt me I mean it... I was kidding..... Craig - Kunlun newbie

Oh, man! See what you miss when you decide not to come? This is like the first local seminar in almost two years that I didn't go to Oh well, family was missin me, cant spend all my time going to hang out with my Shen Family. Sounds like a good time was had by all. Thanks for the report. See you Friday? And Saturday? Craig

The information about the 24 segments of the lunar year calendar is not available in writing or on DVD from Master Wu. We learned it in a seminar "advanced Shamanic Tiger". To summarize; The 24 movements of the Tiger form are linked to the 24 segments of the lunar year. Master Wu went in depth into the meaning/essence of the 24 segments of the year. The form begins and ends "in the cave" and in the course of the form you move through a journey. Each name of the 24 moves indicates the steps of the journey, e.g. 1. Return to the great primordial Qi. 4. Tiger emerges from the cave. 6. Spiritual sword kills the demon. 8. connect with heaven and penetrate earth. 10. Tiger climbs the mountain. 11. Ride the wind down the mountain. 22. Maintain peace in the 8 directions. 23. Sacrifice everything to the heavenly cave. 24. Remain in the Dao Qi. Master Wu's book seems simple at first reading, and some reviews I have read indicate dissappointment at this. The descriptions of the moves and their meaning(s) are very helpful in developing this form and your cultivation more deeply. The first half of the book seems like it brushes the surface, but there are gems hidden within and I have found myself mining there with success many times. Spirit Ape. To answer the question I think you asked, there are certainly places to find discussion about the 24 segments of the Lunar year. Or perhaps you were asking about the heavenly stems or earthly branches? This information is available too, but I cannot make you a good recommendation about that. Craig Sounds like the Wu I know. What great advice for people participating on a discussion board. I am glad he answered you. I have almost never written to him, but I know some of his students do from time to time. Sometimes I think he spends as much time on the web as I do. accckkk. Thanks for Sharing this. Craig

Question for Starjumper, Buddy and anyone else who would care to answer from experience. Hi Starjumper With all respect due. I don't know you, you don't know me. Can you define for me what is a REAL NEI GUNG system? What are the goals of Real Nei Gung practice? What is the difference between Qi gong practice and Nei gong? What are the results of having achieved the "mountaintop" People have bandied about the term Nei Gung quite frequently of late. I think I have an idea of what it means although I always assume my knowledge is incomplete, but perhaps you can tell me what it means to you. I also get the idea that many folks who use the term could not answer my questions. Anyone else care to answer the above? Definitions gleaned from searching the internet are not sought here. Answers from Experience are sought. Thank you. Humbly. Craig

I see no reason why a begginer shouldn't practice this form. Go slow and do your best to match the movements. Look to understand the proportions of your body. Many of the stances are really quite deep. One of the first things I noticed about practicing Wu's forms was that they had very challenging stance work. You get a good work out of the phyical body. So Qigong is not just about Qi. My earlier experiences had led me to think that all Qigong was soft and unchallenging to the body. This form is almost martial arts and Qigong. In fact Master Wu teaches applications for a great many of the moves contained in this form. So on the physical level it can be challenging and help you build a stronger foundation. A very important thing, especially if you have no movement or martial arts background. Just go for it. One of my good friends and fellow students got this video first and studied it for several months before becoming a dedicated student of Wu. He had already got a lot out of the DVD, but then decided to carry on learning from Master Wu. Good Luck Craig

OMAR FAROUK TEKBILEK I had the great good fortune to attend a weeklong camp filled with instructors teaching middle eastern music and dance. Mendocino Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp. Omar was one of the top music teachers there. He is a wonderful man. His music is also incredible. To see him play live...even better. There are several teachers there who are not only musicians but also teachers in the sense we talk about here. True Mystics. ahh...I need to listen to him play...right now. Craig

You are a gentleman and a scholar. And I said I am TOTALLY biased - get it right man Craig

Thanks for the quality of your response. I have no clue who "Grandmaster" Zhang is. We may be getting into the realm of Chinese politics here if you take my meaning. Master Wu has himself indicated there are probably hundreds of Tiger Qigong forms. LaoHu is Tiger in Chinese, but I was giving a little more information about what the name means. I have no reason to believe that Master Wu's form is not as directly taught to him by his Emei zhengong master. This is one of several from this school which I have learned from him. I wonder if "Grandmaster" Zhang would like to take credit for all of these as well? Master Wu has strong credentials in China where he has published far more than he has in English. In my opinion he is already an accomplished sage and at the age of 41 at that. I am TOTALLY Biased, but he is an authentic seeker of the Tao with accomplishments in Qigong, Taiji, Calligraphy, Qin, Chinese Medicine, Healing, I Ching, Divination and probably some things I don't know about. The "Shamanic" aspect has been perceived by a others as a gimmick. I assure you from my experience of his body of teaching that this aspect is at the root of his Emei lineage. The problem here may be one of language. Shamanism means something in the west, especially in the New Agey world, and it also has a meaning in China, but the differences may be hard to see and the cause of confusion from both perspectives. I would be hesitant to relay a second hand opinion of Grand Trinity who came on this forum and basically Trashed Master Wu and his Tiger Qigong. I well remember his post and his allegation which seems a stretch at best. I am surprised you would relay such a second hand slander from someone you don't even know. I think your experience of the form speaks the highest truth in this. I appreciate your clarity and directness. Craig

"I have nothing against Max or Mantra, just wanted to point out that Mantra's mission in the forum is MARKETING! A good salesman will not take no for an answer, will not be discouraged by any obstacles, a salesman's job is to sell you ideas and products. Mantra is a good salesman, he is just doing what a salesman supposed to do" I don't know why but I was picturing Chris the master marketer in a sharp shiny grey sharkskin armani suit with elegant loafers. He is sitting in a plush chair gleefully stroking his elegant goatee as more Kunlun followers are reeled in daily, helping him make his BMW payments. hahahahahahaha... Seriously dude you look like you need to go do the laundry a little more often. With affection Craig

Hundun You are right I am currently a student of Master Wu, whenever I can connect. I travelled with him in China for three weeks this year. LaoHu Gong means Respected Old Tiger Gong Emei shengong has it origins at Mt Emei, originally a Taoist mountain, but now much more widely known as a buddhist holy place. Like Wudang many arts claim the name of a mountain in their practice. Therefore many styles which claim Wudang in their title may only refer to the region, or someone who had been practicing in the Wudang Mtn area, but not necessarily a direct connection to Wudang Temple. The same applies to Emei. From studying with him and learning more about his knowledge and emphasis in his Tao practice I would have to say without reservation that his style is Shamanic. To say "Shaman is just another word for sage" is to take a shallow interpretation of his attempt to convey a complex Chinese concept. Chinese words are often not simple and not amenable to simple translation. Therefore a Wu is a sage and is a Shaman, and is other things as well. Master Wu is a master not only of Emei sage style Qigong, therefore I am confident in saying he calls this Shamanic because that is the emphasis of this school. Can you explain what you mean when you say that " 'shamanic tiger' is master wu's innovation. it's not an ancient, original form." Do you know something I don't? I am open to hear it. Also the performance of this form is I believe enhanced by the shamanic approach of embodying the tiger. Various parts of the form encourage this embodiment in ways which are not made explicit on the DVD or in the Book. The form is a journey through the 24 stages of the chinese calendar year also. It is also 24 individual qigong's too. Each piece of the form can be explored individually and each piece has certain health benefits specifically that it can be helpful with. It is definitely not just a Metal element form, which one might misinterpret from the Tiger being connected with the Metal element. It IS connected to the element in that promotion of Zheng Qi, or Upright - righteous Qi is intended in the practice, but Zheng Qi should always be the starting point or foundation of any practice. I agree with the rest of your review. If you have any movement training at all you should be able to somewhat duplicate the movements and learn it. Nothing worth doing well is too easy, but this form is worth exploring. My only complaint about the DVD is you don't get to hear Master Wu's voice. He has a pretty thick accent, but not too bad, and I much prefer hearing his voice. But it's probably the best for everyone else. very high quality DVD. This form is a complete cultivation practice in itself, if you explore it deeply it can take you a long way. Get the DVD and do it every day for 49 days without fail. This is the method Master Wu promotes as the traditional way to really OWN a practice, really integrate it. I highly recomend it. Craig

Thank you so much for this gift Taomeow. I met Max and Chris yesterday at a pre seminar talk. For a long time I have been vascillating between the two poles of should I , why should I. I was already on my way to Phoenix to participate when you started posting about your experiences and so I have been eagerly anticipating more from you before my own "experiment" will begin tomorrow. I had been undecided for several months but had missed the last cycle of classes. This time when new class schedule was posted for august/september I was still vascillating and the locations which made the most sense didn't make sense with my personal, business and family schedule. Then a night or two before leaving for a 10 day vacation in Northern california woodlands about three weeks ago I had a very significant dream. Unmistakably some form of connection or communication to/from or about Max which made it very clear to me that I would go. So here I sit in Phoenix waiting for tomorrow and what will come. I promise to report back. I also promise my prose will not reach Taomeows poetic heights. Meanwhile I will be awaiting the next installment more than eagerly. Craig

Hello all. At the risk of exposing myself as credulous and fickle I hereby announce my planned attendance at the Kunlun Seminar in Phoenix next week. I do have what I consider a primary teacher, but I am drawn to learn from other sources still. Any other Taobums going to be there? Any other Taobums not going to be there but in the Phoenix area who would like to connect? Please PM me or respond here on this thread. I will be in PHX from Thursday afternoon til Sunday afternoon. Qi Blessings to all.

What is the date of the first class? two weeks from now is SEPT 10th. Your website puts start date as Sept 3rd which is one week away. Actually Sept 10th would work better for me. Craig

Scarier still revelation of plan to release Avian Flu on world population. Check out this important organization. These are not crackpots. http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=755 Spirituality should be grounded in the physical reality. If we see, truly see what is happening in this drama we call our physical world then perhaps our spirituality calls us to reach out to our brothers and sisters when the times call for it. Ignorance is bliss. The question I ask myself often is how can I still pursue blissful cultivation and digest the knowledge of what is going down in this world. It is a challenge. But there is no other way to be CONSCIOUS, awake and aware. Outraged and engaged. Craig

Dude. You just put into words what I had been feeling unconsciously about the Qlink. I believed that there was a technology here and that it was doing something. My concern became centered around the question of "where did this technology come from?" Techno, heartless Alien you say?? Maybe you are right. Ok, this will be another great piece of my all encompassing spiritual journey novel which will include alien devices sold as cure alls which are actually meant to control and shut down peoples subtle body development. Soon I will go to see Mad Max himself to further my research into djinn possession and the powers derived therefrom. But seriously, what you put into words is right in alignment with why I took the thing off years ago and haven't used it since, despite having my interest piqued a couple of times since. Thanks for the wisdom. Gee clear clairvoyance must be useful Craig

Cat You crack me up. Aber sagen Sie mir bitte was ist ein schnurrbatten? Not being from the UK and not having the transmission yet I can still speak in German and English. Vielen dank. Herr Craig PS - konnen wir nicht alle nur zurecht?

Thanks all for the various versions of this verse. I think it is very true that for the non-english speaker a valuable approach is to review several different interpretations. This is perhaps a way to approach the multi layered meanings of the chinese symbols. In the end this does seem like contention for no reason, as suggested in the verse in the first place. Regardless of the quality of the original translation the real issue is that the essence of what was trying to be said was there to see. It came through with clarity. There is substantial variation between the verses posted but one can either pick at them to discover their flaws and biases, or one can compile them together to more deeply understand the essence. Craig

Okey dokey. Step up... Post the same verse from a source you like better. Will the essense of the message be different?

xienkula. Do you have any of the "peripheral" devices they sell along with the Tachyon capsule? Radial Amplifier Deflector for example? Are you a fan of the Matrix books? Val Valerian. care to comment further on any of this? I know you have some interesting things to say. thanks Craig PS - I think VAjrasattva may have better things to do then settle these kinds of arguments...but I could be wrong.

Dude, you crack me up. In this thread you diss something you have not tried and then suggest something you have not tried. Subsequently (20 minutes later) you start a thread soliciting opinions on this nerotrek which you just got done recommending. I guess you are recommending it because it sounds cool? I am all for soliciting opinions based on someones actual experience. regurgitation of marketing and how you responded to their marketing is somewhat LESS valuable. Craig Xienkula OK, thanks for the reccomend. Have you tried this yourself? If so what has your experience been? If not, why do you reccomend? thanks Craig

That's some slick marketing there boy... Umm, you do realize that anyone can take a lighter and pass it over the body quickly without burning. Lets see him hold that in one place steadily for more that 2 seconds and see how much protection he gets. The problem with this stuff is it is subtle. It's quite possible this pendant does something, and equally possible it does nothing at all. Can I get one without the spaceranger design on it? Craig

I actually encountered the Qlink maybe 8 years ago. When I first began wearing it I definitely felt something going on. It really seemed to energize me in a certain way. I became much more talkative and verbally energetic at work. Initially I had the interest to be shielded from the effects of electro magnetic fields. After wearing it for weeks, or maybe months I decided to stop wearing it. One of the things that troubled me was my concern that it was artificially amping up my heart energy. In TCM excess heart energy symptoms include talking a lot or in excess of normal. Also, I was never satisfied to understand the actual nature of this technology I was putting on my body, into the space directly over my heart center. How had this technology been invented? Were the effects on the subtle body REALLY understood? What was the actual origin of the technology? Why and how was it that they recommended that one person use one Q link because they "tune" themselves to the wearer?? How was that possible? As to whether the Q link works I would ask you to further define what "works" means and how can that objectively be measured? By my measure it definitely had an effect on my subtle body and physical, especially mental energy. Therefore I would have to say it definitely does something, though I am hard pressed to say what exactly that something is. In the end I opt for cultivation through natural means. But for $100 you might find that this is a cool tool for you. Only experience can tell. Often experience must be paid for in one form or another. Good luck Craig