Basher

A tragic case, this dog was "believed" to have Mauled its owner.... does that mean we should put down ALL dogs of that particular breed, or just not keep them as pets, set them all free and treat them like they're Wild Animals ? Far more people are bitten by Poodles, Labradors, etc than by Bull Terriers. Mainly because people are wary of them and feel safe around some of the more cuddly or cute looking ones. Here in the UK "Pit-Bulls", Mastiffs etc are ALL banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Mainly because of people using them as Attack Dogs, although there were also some reports of un-provocked maulings. Far more animals are killed by Humans, than Humans by Animals. Remember Wolves were hunted to near extinction in many parts of Europe. Simply because of superstition, fear and mis-trust. Wolves are scavengers and actually (rightfully) fear Humans. Dogs can be used in lots of positive ways, but if you are only interested in looking for the Bad in them, you'll always be able to find something in the Media to satisfy yourself.

I own two Staffordshire Bull Terriers. The Bitch is a little plump & bow legged, timid, needy & hates being left on her own. Probably due to mis-treatment by her previous owners. (We got her from a rescue home) She runs up to complete strangers in the Park, sits at their feet, looking up, wagging her tail, waiting for a stroke or a cuddle. Very few people are ever scared of her due to her placid nature & her pink diamond* encrusted collar. * We haven't told her they're not real Diamonds ! The Dog is slim, energetic, boisterous, runs everywhere, loves a tug of war, or chasing after a ball. He tries to jump up to lick your face when you come home from work, as he gets over-excited. The only time he tends to growl is if he sees / smells Foxes outside in our garden. Or if two of the Family are arguing or "play fighting". They give their love to us unconditionally and we love them back. They are like our "extra" kids, although smaller, not so messy or smelly. We got these dogs because the kids wanted them & unfortunately the vast majority of the "abandoned" Dogs in the UK are Staffies or Staffy cross. Because of their BAD Reputation, plus the fact that their jaws can lock, they attract the self styled Gangsta type idiots who think it makes them look Hard/Bad/Cool. Or worse, the Slime that are into Dog-Fighting. Any Dog will turn and Bite if you Beat or mistreat it long enough... 99% of the time it's not the Dog, it's the stupid or insecure Owner you should worry about. Humans wage War, commit Terrorist Acts, Kill & Hate one another simply because of where they happened to be born, which Religeon they were brought up as, the Colour of their skin or even which Football Team we support !!!! From Orbit, the Earth looks like One Beautiful, Peaceful, Clean & Hospitable Planet. It's only us Humans that are putting up all of these imaginary barriers / reasons that make us feel different to others. I'm not a Christian but "Do as you would be done by" springs to mind. If you always treat others as you would like them to treat you, you cannot go far wrong IMHO.

Whilst I will certainly bear in mind Astralc's warnings about taking things slowly and making sure that you're ready to do these Chakra Opening Techniques..... All in all, I think I prefer Stevepster's laid back : Beer, Bacon, Relaxation & Visualisation route. LOL (Will give it a couple of hours practise tomorrow night, down the Pub with some additional Pork Scratchings). Basher

Lurking's Good but IMHO.... Posting's Better Because that way you can interact with others and learn from and about them. Welcome Basher

Hi LaDankSkunk, I claim no deep or specialised knowledge about the Tao, Taoism, Internal Arts, Qi etc. But I'm just curious... do you (or anyone else on this Forum) think that your "abilities" are helped or hindered by your use of Marijuana ? For Instance: Does it make you relax more, or be more sensitive to energies ? As I believe that I would have difficulty seperating Reality from Illusion...whilst under the influence Also, I might be extremely naive here, but I don't believe I've read about any of the current T'ai Chi Ch'uan Grandmasters / Senior Instructors doing drugs. Not judging you btw, just interested in you and your abilities. Basher

Hi Stevepster, as another "Newbie" on this Forum I found your anecdote both interesting and perplexing. If, as you relate, you've done no Nei Gong you seem to know more about Qi than the average person. Or have you done some research since that incident last week ? Will leave any (possible) explanations to those with the most knowledge... (i.e. not me) Basher

There are several instances of (so called) Grandmasters of Internal Arts, who proclaim to all that they are full of ""Empty Force" and to demonstrate this, they strike and throw their loyal / believing pupils around like rag dolls.... when the only thing they're actually FULL OF is (IMHO) "B.S." (er Bovine excrament for the non-Initiated). Remember seeing a couple of videos a while back, showing the "Invincible" Untoucable Master getting the **** punched out of him, by a 20 year old kick boxer that hasn't heard about Empty Force and who (even if he had) wouldn't believe it anyway !!! These "Gentlemen" aren't to be confused with the very very few that can (or have been able to) demonstrate their abilities to a high graded Student or Master of a different system. PEACE

Hi All, I'm looking forward to reading / learning about your views and experiences. But first, just a few words about my Background. I'm a Fifty "something" British chap, currently living in a small Village, in the Glorious County of Surrey, south of London, England. After flirting with the (usual)Karate/Judo/Aikido in my Teens, I "discovered" a Taoist School of Lee Style Kung Fu / Tai Chi when I was about 20. Spent a few years learning the basics, then (for various boring reasons) had to move. Couldn't find any classes teaching the same style within travelling distance, so (eventually) gave up looking and training. B I G G A P O F A B O U T 2 0 Y E A R S !!!!!! Then around 8 months ago (having moved back to Surrey) I decided to look around again. Am currently Training in (Taoist) Li Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan under the extremely impressive, humourous (and patient) Chief Instructor Tony Swanson. :D Hoping to gain some insight into all of the various Lee/Li Arts and more especially The Tao via any and all means possible (including you guys). Basher (The Basher that can be Named, is not the real Basher)

Many Thanks for the welcome guys. Chang, nice to hear from another T.A.O. member on this Forum. Not sure if we've ever met, unless you ever attend the Bexley Class taught by the Technical Director himself. Not many wild Jaguars in my bit of Surrey, but plenty of the cars as "Romans" is just down the road with supercars aplenty for those with the money for the Insurance, the Car & some Petrol to go in it. Hate Gin though, as used to live near a "Gordon's" Distillery in Essex and the smell was atrocious ! PEACE Basher

Couldn't have said it better myself ! Like several others, the TAO OF POOH and the slightly later TE OF PIGLET were my Introduction to Taoist thought. Having re-read them several times since 1982 when my copies were first printed, I still enjoy them immensely. Perhaps not Deep enough for some, but thought provoking nevertheless (IMHO). Whilst discussing Pooh Bear recently, one of my Step Daughters mentioned this to me: http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/3997 Not sure I believe that AA Milnes "intention" was to categorise the different Mental Disorders for his young son Christopher Robin, or anybody else for that matter. But I'm seriously thinking of re-reading Winnie the Pooh out of curiosity, if nothing else. Basher