Green Tiger

I also went to the Terre Haute seminar last weekend and I second Rene's sentiments. As Michael says, it is hard to write about, but my experiences there were incredible and at times even transformational. It was not what I had expected, though. I expected to be taught a new method of qigong, and on one level, I was. But the more incredible experience for me was not what I was taught, but what I was given. When we did the sitting and standing meditations, at first it didn't feel any different physically from any other sitting or standing I'd ever done before. The difference, I think, was truly a gift from the Tao. I felt like, before the seminar, I had been sipping from a stream, and while I was there I was bathing in the river. It surprised me because, I had gone there expecting to learn something and do something and discovered that, as Michael said (paraphrasing) "We don't do, we allow." The most extraordinary part of the seminar, for me, was discovering how simple qigong can (and perhaps should) be. What I was given in Terre Haute, I've brought back with me to Iowa. In the next 100 days, I think I will let it grow. It was wonderful meeting Michael and everyone there and I look forward to seeing you folks again. Thank you all for adding to the energy we shared. May your practice thrive. Yours, Andrew

Hey, I mentioned this issue to a friend who is into shamanism as well as internal martial arts and he suggested someone invent a ritual or sort of 'feel out' a method for sealing the LDT, if one does not exist. He thought it should be performed by the guy's master, but, from what I've read, he probably doesn't have one. If he does, God/the Universe might just guide that person in the proper method, even if they don't know how to do it. Maybe a long shot, but I thought it sounded like a decent suggestion. He should also see a doctor, IMO, but I know that's no fun. GT

Have you consulted a mainstream medical doctor? Even if they can't help you, they might be able to give you a clearer picture of what is occurring on the physical level. Also, you say you are practicing Mo Pai but you aren't learning it from John Chang? Do you have an instructor you consult with regularly? Did you tell them about this? What did they say? If it makes you feel any better, I have learned from you. I have learned: 1. Mo Pai has rules about meditation and ejaculation similar to gremlins and eating after midnight. 2. Nei gung practitioners who have a closer relationship to online forums than real-life masters are in great peril. 3. The water quality in India must be TERRIBLE! Seriously though, I hope you get this issue resolved and can resume your quest to become a taoist immortal spirit!

Well, if that's the case, I can cross "become a Taoist immortal spirit" off my list of things I'd like to do in this lifetime. EDIT: not because I want to zap people, mind! Because I enjoy ejaculation and dislike LDT detonation.

Hey, I have no affiliation with Clear's Tai Chi, but I receive their newsletter and I'm a big fan of his free online videos. This morning I got a good email from them and thought I would share. _____________________________________________________________________________ How many Tai Chi Players... ...does it take to screw in light bulb? 99... One to screw in the light bulb and 98 to say "We don't do it that way." I know... old joke. But it's true. One little secret to mastering Tai Chi is: Don't be one of the 98. But don't be the 99th Tai Chi Player either. Be the 100th guy. That's the guy going up to each person in the room and asking "So how would you screw in the light bulb?" That's what Sifu Clear has done. That's why our beginners only learn an 8 move set. So they can focus on HOW to do the set. The internal. Each method changes the application. Each method provides different health benefits. So how many jings & expressions do you know? Would you like to learn more? That's what we do over at http://clearstaichi.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7b20979d8fe98e114f705d450&id=810c3d89fb&e=6ca4bf1108 Take Care, Ben Sterling EDIT: removed Ben's contact info.

Is that what he teaches in The Great Stillness? I own it but haven't read it yet. Still working on the practices from Relaxing. You're saying that after you get all the parts moving, then let them go and be still, or should this 'letting go' be part of the process from the start?

There are 12 of them. Pretty simple stuff, ostensibly. Just sit in a quiet place, relax, and listen to your breath. Watch the breath and FEEL the breath. Feel it in your nose, then in your nasal cavity, then in the back of your throat, going down your throat, ect., all the way to the lower dantien. Feel the expansion and contraction of your belly, starting with the lower belly and working outward from there. Eventually you want to be able to feel an even expansion and contraction of the entire midsection: belly, solar plexus, floating ribs, kidneys, and finally (if you get this one to move, you're doing better than me) the middle and upper back. Bruce's stuff is really great. When I first watched the longevity breathing DVD my reaction was something like, "Really? That's it!?!?" But after practicing it for a little while, you start to see how profound this very simple method can be. Seems to be pretty safe, too. I don't have enough experience with other breathing methods to compare, but this one has worked wonders for me. I would say in the past year my breath capacity has probably tripled, although I have no hard data to back this up (kicking myself for that too, as I had a diagnostic tool and didn't use it). Anywho, PM me your mailing address and you might get a surprise.

And what about the people who are interested in defaming kunlun? Aren't they still interested in kunlun? I MIGHT have been interested in kunlun prior to reading this thread. If the website were my only exposure, I MIGHT have been persuaded to pay for a skype lesson. After reading what you've said about kunlun, Scotty, I have lost interest. You've made bombastic claims about your experiences with kunlun, and the teacher. Whatever the truth may be, your representation of kunlun here has made it suspect, in my mind. Not unlike Jesus, Max's only fault may be his followers. EDIT: Green Tiger is TOTALLY in this thread for the drama.

Saw this on Cook Ding's Kitchen. The Dokkodo (独行道 Dokkōdō; "The Path of Aloneness" or "The Way to be Followed Alone" or "The Way of Walking Alone") was a work written by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) a week before he died in 1645. It is a short work, consisting of either nineteen or twenty-one precepts; precepts 4 and 20 are omitted from the former version. It was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite disciple, Terao Magonojo (to whom the earlier Go rin no sho had also been dedicated), who took them to heart. It expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic view of life. The precepts 1. Accept everything just the way it is. 2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake. 3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling. 4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world. 5. Be detached from desire your whole life long. 6. Do not regret what you have done. 7. Never be jealous. 8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation. 9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others. 10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love. 11. In all things have no preferences. 12. Be indifferent to where you live. 13. Do not pursue the taste of good food. 14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need. 15. Do not act following customary beliefs. 16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful. 17. Do not fear death. 18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age. 19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.[1] 20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour. 21. Never stray from the Way.

Are Max's brain crystals relevant to the topic at hand? You said the "crystallizations I saw in his skull were totally abnormal. They are apparently like Tibetan Buddhist relics, which formed in him as a result of the practices. But who cares?" I care, because that is a really incredible claim. If he has x-ray proof of this, that is huge, IMO. A bold claim. And it sounds like he may be making other bold claims, such as a lightning strike that fused his third eye open. Really amazing. Also pretty dubious. You also made, what I consider to be a pretty bold claim, "I love the instant results from this practice. To me, it is the most powerful one I've learned. Instant enlightenment experiences. It's like you bypass all of your blockages...but maybe that brings some repercussions with it. " If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. The original poster was interested in this "red phoenix" practice, probably because they wanted to learn it and gain these awesome benefits. I think it's our job as forum members to not only discuss what we know about this practice, but also the person who teaches it, in order to give the original poster and other interested parties an idea of what they might be getting into if they pursue the red phoenix path.

Maybe. But. Empty stance trumps horse stance every time. I wanted to use an awesome image of Ray Park's empty stance, but it was the copyrighted. You can view it here Also a good empty stance

Maybe there should be a pinned topic "My School/Method/Teacher is better than yours!" Get it all out of our systems. I didn't know anything about Max or Kunlun until this morning, but I'm pretty sure he is probably AT WORST a knowledgeable fellow. I was especially intrigued by some of the information he has on his site concerning Egyptian practices. It looks like he does teach via Skype, as well. Not going to link, but you can find info under the Events tab on his web site. Kind of expensive, but they say you get what you pay for. Lately, I'm becoming more and more convinced that truly BAD systems are rare. There are a lot of bad students though, who give up quickly or have one bad (or simply disappointing) experience and then run around bashing the system or teacher like they're an expert. I don't know who said that Max has crystals in his skull, or a crystal skull, or whatever they're saying but . . . really? True or untrue, what do you suppose statements like that are doing for his credibility? I wouldn't talk about my teacher's claims about his skull crystals on this forum for the same reasons I don't run around telling the hoi polloi about my dantien. It invites disbelief and ridicule.

Good recommendations all. I would add Master Zhongxian Wu. He has a lifelong training program that looks cool, but don't really have the funds or flexability. I will be attending Mr. Lomax's seminar at the end of the month. I'm pretty excited to have that opportunity.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to use ear plugs and just close my eyes. I would like to get a mindfold though, for moving practices where the temptation to open my eyes is greater. The cool thing about ear plugs, I've noticed, is that I can hear my breath better when I have them in. That way I can tell if how smooth, regular, ect. Never been so deep that I could see the spirit world though.

Hey, I'm not familiar with this specific exercise, but from what I can tell, you've understood it correctly. I'm not sure what exactly is meant by 'draw' or 'pull' in this instance. It could be a muscular contraction or more of a postural adjustment or a little of both. It could also mean that you should feel like your breath is entering your body from the Hui-Yin. When I come across instructions like that I usually try to 'play' with it until it feels right. Not always the most effective approach though. If you have a taiji or qigong instructor, you might want to ask them. One suggestion I will make is for you to skip step 3. Go ahead and 'draw' in from the hui-yin and all that, but don't hold your breath. BK Frantzis and several people on TTB have discouraged breath holding of any sort, especially for beginners. And holding the breath for 2 minutes!?!? That sounds like a bad idea to me. Also, I'm a native English speaker, professional writer, and editor and your English is pretty good by most standards. Good luck with your practice.

Hey, I've posted this video a couple of times, on a couple of different threads. It's both fascinating and amusing. I'm wondering: Is anyone familiar with this method of treatment? It looks like this guy is causing more pain than he is curing, but maybe that's just on the surface.

OH GOOD . . . this is your first topic. That is a relief. Thought you were putting the cart before the horse with that semen retention thread. As to your question about an unpleasant feeling: I agree that a good closing practice is important for smoothing the qi before going back to daily life. One of my favorites is a posture that Lee Holden uses at the end of many of his qigong routines: "Bamboo sways in the breeze" You simply stand with your feet together and your hands over the lower dantien, right over left. He hooks the thumbs, but that is probably optional. Just stand in a way that is comfortable, concentrate on the lower dantien, and breathe deeply for 3-10 breaths.

EDIT: just read this thread My link

This may be a bit off topic, but I posted this video in another thread and I was curious what those reading this thread might think of it. Does it look like Mr. Clyman is curing or causing pain? Does anyone have any experience with this method of healing or something similar?

I experienced some healing just watching this video.

Why does he have a reason to act like an asshole or insecure child? I'm not making the connection. If Clyman is even near John Chang's level, that makes him even scarier. Chang reportedly killed someone while attempting to heal them of cancer. His teacher, who could have performed such a feat, was long gone and John wasn't capable of generating the sort of power required. To me, that says that this power not only requires one to spend a long time developing its strength, but it also requires one to refine its quality as you increase the amplitude. In my opinion, from second-hand accounts, Clyman's energy is almost certainly less refined than John Chang's. I have no clue about the strength of his power. edit: grammar

I concur. I have also had some major breakthrough healing sessions, only to wake up the next morning feeling approximately the same as I did before. Healing seems to be two steps forward--one step back. I've heard of Clyman, never met him. From what I've heard, I suspect he may be capable of doing what he claims, but I still wouldn't let him touch me.

I kissed a boy once . . . as he and I tag-teamed his ex-girlfriend. I'm not sure where that puts me on the spectrum of human sexuality, but I enjoyed every second of it.

The most powerful Chi sensations I've had with exercises learned via DVD were from the Flying Phoenix DVDs. Actually, one of the first recognizable chi sensations I've ever had occurred the VERY FIRST TIME I practiced Monk Holds Peach, Flying Phoenix - Volume 1.