New Interview With Kostas Danaos

[Oolong Rabbit]

Link to playlist:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/webbotforumcom#p/c/EB983EFC332C3220

[NeiChuan]

Link to playlist:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/webbotforumcom#p/c/EB983EFC332C3220

 

Thanks, when I saw this pop up in my notification. I was sure it was one of thetaobums "SECRET VIDEOS" he wanted to not sell lol.

 

Thanks Oolong =)

[Oolong Rabbit]

Your welcome brother Kostas really seems down to earth. Did you notice he denied knowing Sean Denty?

 

BTW, you can download the mp3 here:

 

http://webbotforum.com/mp3media/TMRN-2011-07-30-Danaos-64kbps.mp3

[orb]

Good stuff... Kosta sounds so smart, practical and down to earth and it's a great pleasure listening to him.

It was good to get a few first hand facts also.

My favorite: "...Sean ? which Sean? I don't know anyone name Sean ..." Lol

The interviewers sound lame and stoned as usual...

[Moonbar]

Yes i was pleasantly surprised too, he dosnt sound like he looks.

[Kali Yuga]

Kostas is a liar.

[Oolong Rabbit]

Good stuff... Kosta sounds so smart, practical and down to earth and it's a great pleasure listening to him.

It was good to get a few first hand facts also.

My favorite: "...Sean ? which Sean? I don't know anyone name Sean ..." Lol

The interviewers sound lame and stoned as usual...

 

The interviewers were members of the webbot discussion forum that follows Cliff High's work. They aren't overly knowledgeable about taoism, but they are well rounded people.

 

I was puzzled by the comment about Sean, since I think Sean was telling the truth about studying with him. I suspect Kostas was just trying to distance himself from the Verdesi crap.

[Oolong Rabbit]

Kostas is a liar.

 

Could you elaborate please?

[Kali Yuga]

He originally said it was JC whom told him it was his dan tien spinning that he hears while meditating on the beach; in this interview Kostas changes the story to some kind of meditation teacher who isn't JC. He lied about the colours of the chi charged ping pong ball in the first book. He lied about JC's levitation power in the first book. Gotta embellish to make that money. He also was obviously denying that he knew Sean Deanty.

[mjjbecker]

Sean was a student-but far removed from my recollection. That Kostas didn't immediately remember the name is simply indicitive of that. Sean effectively had very little (maybe no) direct contact with Kostas.

 

Kostas might have met Sean maybe once. May not even have been that. Sean was shown the initial training by one of Kostas American students-which suggests that maybe they didn't personally meet. I personally never met Sean in the times that I have been to Athens.

 

Further to that, the subject of Sean Denty, David Verdesi, etc didn't come up in conversation either. I can assure you Kostas wasn't following any of the saga involving the above, being more concerned with persuing a professional career and family life.

[orb]

I bet this thread is gonna be more then 100 posts!

[mjjbecker]

He originally said it was JC whom told him it was his dan tien spinning that he hears while meditating on the beach; in this interview Kostas changes the story to some kind of meditation teacher who isn't JC. He lied about the colours of the chi charged ping pong ball in the first book. He lied about JC's levitation power in the first book. Gotta embellish to make that money. He also was obviously denying that he knew Sean Deanty.

 

Regarding SD, see my previous post.

 

The issue of the ping pong ball was covered in the second book from what I remember. I sold mine second hand on Amazon years ago so I couldn't check even if I was inclined to-which I am not. I'm more interested in the here and now rather than what is past and finished.

 

Kostas was a student in the Tibetan methods (among others) and had access to these teachings also. I expect he sought and got the opinion of both John Chang and his other teacher. Possibly a few others as well. You perhaps missed the point Kostas made about knowing other remarkable teachers. He has been able to get information from some very well informed sources (grandmasters of other schools and of very high repute). In in answer to the question he was asked, he referenced his Tibetan teacher. That does not mean he did not ask John Chang or that he did not get the same or similar answer from John Chang.

 

In regards to the levitation, I remember it being mentioned in the first book. Beyond that I can't recall anything, nor again do I care. I personally witnessed enough during my visit to Indonesia not to be concerned about such. I prefer to only consider what I witness in person, not what I read in a book, online or hear in an interview.

 

On these things I have the direct experience of having met John Chang and of being a friend of Kostas. That is me at the top of the acknowledgements page in his new-free as an ebook-book. I also read 'Neikung' before it was published. My point being this. I've discussed personally and via email these things with Kostas a considerable amount. I likely don't know a lot of what Kostas knows, but I certainly know a great deal more than anyone basing their opinions solely from what they read in the books or what has otherwise been written on the internet.

 

As for the money comment, Kostas is a sales manager for a multinational concern, dealing at the top end of international contracts. The kind of money earned from books relating to neigong, qigong, etc is peanuts. It certainly would not pay the bills. If he was about the money, do you seriously think he would have offered his latest book as a free ebook?

 

Further to that, for teaching students Kostas never took payment from myself or other students. Students contributed towards the cost of running the school and that was it. The fact is that Kostas has spent huge sums of money to learn and then pass on-without charge-what he learned to his students. The time, effort and money he personally spent learning from all his teachers would be a lot more than anything recovered from the various books and articles he has written over the years.

 

If there is one thing I would like to make clear it is this. Reading a couple of books, internet forums, listening to interviews, etc. does not make someone knowledgeable in a subject. Direct experience and study over a long period of time do. There are only a handful of people on this forum that have directly met John Chang and/or Kostas, but you would never think it to see the various opinions expressed.

[Aaron]

I really enjoyed this interview, though some of the questions seemed a bit "out there" his answers always seemed very grounded. Definitely a person worth listening to.

 

Aaron

[yiannis]

He originally said it was JC whom told him it was his dan tien spinning that he hears while meditating on the beach; in this interview Kostas changes the story to some kind of meditation teacher who isn't JC. He lied about the colours of the chi charged ping pong ball in the first book. He lied about JC's levitation power in the first book. Gotta embellish to make that money. He also was obviously denying that he knew Sean Deanty.

 

I believe you have all these facts wrong.

 

In the book it says that JC told him that the noise he heard was his awareness that has been transfered to his DanTian. It also refers to the Tibetan master that told him that according to Tibetan tradition it was the DanTian spinning. So the interview is an accurate reference to the book.

 

In his second book explains why he got the colour of chi as explained in the first book wrong.

 

How do you know that the fact about JC's levitation ability is false, as is referenced in the book?

 

About Sean Deanty, mjjbecker covered that.

[Oolong Rabbit]

In the book it says that JC told him that the noise he heard was his awareness that has been transfered to his DanTian. It also refers to the Tibetan master that told him that according to Tibetan tradition it was the DanTian spinning.

 

I have activated this myself after rapid deep breathing in half lotus for 20 minutes. Waysun Liao describes it as your chi turbine. It literally felt like a propeller spinning at the front of the abdomen, and sounded like a fan spinning. I stopped activating it, since I wasn't exactly sure if forcing it could be detrimental. So regardless of who told Kostas what, I can confirm that the phenomena is real.

[templetao]

Makes me wonder if Kosta and others practicing the taoist arts are trying to reach out to society as a whole?

 

As if the this whole mo pai thing was to build up the respect.

 

So that if a student of John Chang said to you that the world is about to be screwed that you would listen.

 

If that is the case then the actions of Pak John was very wise.

 

And the risk and the actions of Pak John make sense.

 

Even more wise that the message came from a westerner.

 

Maybe just maybe Pak John was playing chess while we were all playing checkers.

 

Just a thought.

[dawei]

I have activated this myself after rapid deep breathing in half lotus for 20 minutes. Waysun Liao describes it as your chi turbine. It literally felt like a propeller spinning at the front of the abdomen, and sounded like a fan spinning. I stopped activating it, since I wasn't exactly sure if forcing it could be detrimental. So regardless of who told Kostas what, I can confirm that the phenomena is real.

In Medical Qigong, they taught to develop its use (called "drumming and beating") prior to doing the MCO.

[NeiChuan]

Anyone explain why/how he got the colors wrong in magus here?

 

I never bought nei kung lol

[Informer]

Anyone explain why/how he got the colors wrong in magus here?

 

I never bought nei kung lol

 

John Chang's Master taught him to never keep things anyone would want, and he has like a 5 million dollar + house.

 

If anything it shows what he thinks about tradition.

Edited August 4, 2011 by Informer

[Kali Yuga]

I believe you have all these facts wrong.

 

In his second book explains why he got the colour of chi as explained in the first book wrong.

 

How do you know that the fact about JC's levitation ability is false, as is referenced in the book?

 

 

I question his authority and knowledge because it doesn't add up. It this color - oh wait it's another! you can explain it away, but what is the purpose of backtracking like that in the first place if he knew exactly what he experienced in the first place? All of a sudden firsthand experience is wrong?

 

In 3rdlevelmopai's interview, he explicitly states that the full out levitation is a flat lie. He states that John is only capable of considerably lightening the weight of his body, but is NOT able to flat out levitate in the air as stated in Magus. I think that this man would know ,considering that his level was higher than Kosta's, and was the first westerner to be accepted under mopai, before both Kosta and Andreas. Question is, why would Kosta state something like this if he was not telling the truth? In a fit of "posterity" and "solidarity"? Probably not. This is where I start questioning things.

 

And Neikung? Neikung is not a book made for any real purpose. It's nothing but complete fluff material , uses fuzzy logic and conjecture to try and convince the reader that what he says there is de facto. Look at the abysmal reviews at amazon. "Teachings of the warrior sages"? there were NO teachings there whatsoever, just Kosta pulling at straws to try and make a meaningless new book, get a ride off the readers of Magus, and gain reputation for himself off of mopai. I believe there was a reason he'd go out and let a book be published like that with such a misleading title. If it's not about money or prestige, then what?

 

To tell the truth, I actually liked Kosta's interview; he gave off a nice energy there. But I don't think that he should be considered a complete authority for these things the way that people give it to him. The story of that lineage is probably a little bit deeper than what people give it for. John probably had good reason for kicking out foreigners, could be something to do with the potential for abuse, coupled with the way a western mind generally thinks.

[mjjbecker]

[gendao]

Regarding SD, see my previous post.

 

The issue of the ping pong ball was covered in the second book from what I remember. I sold mine second hand on Amazon years ago so I couldn't check even if I was inclined to-which I am not. I'm more interested in the here and now rather than what is past and finished.

 

Kostas was a student in the Tibetan methods (among others) and had access to these teachings also. I expect he sought and got the opinion of both John Chang and his other teacher. Possibly a few others as well. You perhaps missed the point Kostas made about knowing other remarkable teachers. He has been able to get information from some very well informed sources (grandmasters of other schools and of very high repute). In in answer to the question he was asked, he referenced his Tibetan teacher. That does not mean he did not ask John Chang or that he did not get the same or similar answer from John Chang.

 

In regards to the levitation, I remember it being mentioned in the first book. Beyond that I can't recall anything, nor again do I care. I personally witnessed enough during my visit to Indonesia not to be concerned about such. I prefer to only consider what I witness in person, not what I read in a book, online or hear in an interview.

 

On these things I have the direct experience of having met John Chang and of being a friend of Kostas. That is me at the top of the acknowledgements page in his new-free as an ebook-book. I also read 'Neikung' before it was published. My point being this. I've discussed personally and via email these things with Kostas a considerable amount. I likely don't know a lot of what Kostas knows, but I certainly know a great deal more than anyone basing their opinions solely from what they read in the books or what has otherwise been written on the internet.

 

As for the money comment, Kostas is a sales manager for a multinational concern, dealing at the top end of international contracts. The kind of money earned from books relating to neigong, qigong, etc is peanuts. It certainly would not pay the bills. If he was about the money, do you seriously think he would have offered his latest book as a free ebook?

 

Further to that, for teaching students Kostas never took payment from myself or other students. Students contributed towards the cost of running the school and that was it. The fact is that Kostas has spent huge sums of money to learn and then pass on-without charge-what he learned to his students. The time, effort and money he personally spent learning from all his teachers would be a lot more than anything recovered from the various books and articles he has written over the years.

 

If there is one thing I would like to make clear it is this. Reading a couple of books, internet forums, listening to interviews, etc. does not make someone knowledgeable in a subject. Direct experience and study over a long period of time do. There are only a handful of people on this forum that have directly met John Chang and/or Kostas, but you would never think it to see the various opinions expressed.

Could you or someone please link me to his free e-book?

 

Also, I'm curious if he either did or did not witness Sifu John Djiang clearly levitate up off of a carpeted hotel room floor like he described in "The Magus of Java?" Seems a pretty simple, straightforward question?

 

I'd also like to know if the rumors about him and certain other students suffering serious health problems from the training are true - and if so, what was the exact cause of that?? Like if so, was he trying for Level 4 & failed? Was it detoxing? Was it due to an impure heart or improper training?? Etc?

 

As well as how important exactly is jing conservation in MoPai?

 

I did like the neigong-specific questions posed at the beginning of the interview, but lost some interest as it soon veered off into political and apocalyptic talk...although he does at least sound like an erudite and sensible guy.

[dawei]

Chang did seem a bit put off (in the book) when asked to do the Levitation. My sense was that he feels those who ask are too enamored with such 'tricks'. If one seriously wants to read about that then the Tibetans were probably the masters of it.

[mjjbecker]

There is a link to the new book-on Pammachon-in another thread I started.

 

As for anything else regarding the Mo Pai, as stated in the past I have nothing more to say.

[yiannis]

I question his authority and knowledge because it doesn't add up. It this color - oh wait it's another! you can explain it away, but what is the purpose of backtracking like that in the first place if he knew exactly what he experienced in the first place? All of a sudden firsthand experience is wrong?

 

In 3rdlevelmopai's interview, he explicitly states that the full out levitation is a flat lie. He states that John is only capable of considerably lightening the weight of his body, but is NOT able to flat out levitate in the air as stated in Magus. I think that this man would know ,considering that his level was higher than Kosta's, and was the first westerner to be accepted under mopai, before both Kosta and Andreas. Question is, why would Kosta state something like this if he was not telling the truth? In a fit of "posterity" and "solidarity"? Probably not. This is where I start questioning things.

 

And Neikung? Neikung is not a book made for any real purpose. It's nothing but complete fluff material , uses fuzzy logic and conjecture to try and convince the reader that what he says there is de facto. Look at the abysmal reviews at amazon. "Teachings of the warrior sages"? there were NO teachings there whatsoever, just Kosta pulling at straws to try and make a meaningless new book, get a ride off the readers of Magus, and gain reputation for himself off of mopai. I believe there was a reason he'd go out and let a book be published like that with such a misleading title. If it's not about money or prestige, then what?

 

To tell the truth, I actually liked Kosta's interview; he gave off a nice energy there. But I don't think that he should be considered a complete authority for these things the way that people give it to him. The story of that lineage is probably a little bit deeper than what people give it for. John probably had good reason for kicking out foreigners, could be something to do with the potential for abuse, coupled with the way a western mind generally thinks.

 

Kali Yuga, Kostas was an accomplished martial artist with a world wide reputation long before he met John Chang. He's been a writer even a longer time and he has produced such an exceptional work, that it is used as a reference from Oxford historians. No need for prestige or money then.

 

His books about neikung invariably made him a kind of an "expert" in the field, because he is the only one that has exposed to the west a real and great tradition such as MoPai. He has walked the path and he knows what he is talking about.

 

In his books he offers a wonderful approach to internal energy from a scientific western mind's perspective. It is refreshing to say the least and makes a lot more sense than the mistranslated nonsense that you find all over the place about chi. But, he himself does not claim any authority about the subject.