gendao

standing on one leg w/ a hand held out as people pushed against it.

 

My instructor, John Eley 5th degree (then) really had IT. Instinctive deep rooting. Really phenomenal.

A real test for rooting would be if you could stand with your feet together (or maybe one slightly back) and resist getting pushed from the front at your shoulders. I've felt this before and it is really weird - and does not seem to make much sense physics-wise.

Sounds like Eley had some real rooting. "IT..."

And IT is what I'm desperately trying to get!

Rooting is a foundational skill in the Chinese energy arts. The ability to stand there and become an "immovable" object when pushed on. This is a good litmus test for your structural alignment and ability to energetically connect with the earth.

I've now felt this with 2 Taijiquan and a Yiquan player. One of the Taijiquan players having been largely self-taught for only 2 years..

And yet, I still can't figure it out yet! Their ability to withstand extreme force just standing there almost seems to defy physics...or at least common sense.

- Is it biomechanics? Perhaps some, but most appeared to hold a pretty casual, neutral posture without any noticeable contortions.

- Is it tendon strength? Maybe some, but again they often seemed fairly relaxed and not twisted up. I mean, I could feel some force being expended when they were holding "unbendable arms," but sometimes I was only pushing on their shoulders, not forearms.

- Is it qi? How much of this rooting is "simply" qi and yi?

Can anyone here really root? And I mean, actually possess the skill...not just move hot air about it? If so, could anyone post a vid demoing this?

I know this is not a "super high level" skill...but it is a significant and foundational one that I have nonetheless not seen very often and I am really trying to acquire. Help?!

Agreed with thelerner...

You won't find Taoists or Buddhists warmongering or abusing others...but most such abusers in China are not Taoist or Buddhist. The government is officially Marxist and atheist. Who actually cracked down on a lot of spiritual systems in the Cultural Revolution. So, the overblown abuses you are seeing now are due more to Marxism than Taoism or Buddhism. And plain realpolitikal Machiavellian powermongering (just like in many other countries).

I will be in Beijing for a whole month soon...

I've already been there before and have seen the major tourist sites. So this time, I'd like to check out some of the "lesser-known" sites, but with particular relevance to Taoism or martial arts. In particular, I'd like to maybe meet or watch some masters, find areas where intermediate or higher level students train and visit various historical sites...

I believe Wang Liping lives in Beijing...but is probably way out of my league. Not to mention, he went underground after the Falun Gong crackdown (it's rumored Li Hongzhi had studied with him), so is probably not too accessible. Although, I sure wouldn't mind running into him somehow!

One site that does look cool to visit would be Dong Haichuan's tomb:

Supposedly, this grave is only a mile away from the East Gate of Beijing.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to check out Pan Jia Yuan (潘家园) Folk Culture (Antiques/Flea/"Dirt") Market at least once too and browse all the goods.

So, does anyone have any other suggestions or info? Of people to see, things to do, etc?

I know Beijing is a martial arts mecca and probably also has a good number of Taoist spiritual alchemists, as well.

That`d be kind of hard, considering there`s over a billion of them, don`t you think?

South Africa had a huge Black majority...ruled by a tiny White minority.

So no, you don't necessarily need high numbers to become a powerful minority. It's more about how much socioeconomic and military power you have. And Machiavellian ethics and double-crossing don't hurt, either.

2. John Chang's master seems to harbor some prejudices againt western students.

In the 1800s, the Sassoon family and the British dumped opium into the country and started the Opium Wars. And then took over Hong Kong. Then the native Ming Dynasty was replaced by the "foreign" Manchu Qing Dynasty...which weakened China enough to allow increasing encroachment by Whites and Japanese. Everybody wanted to take over China at the time! Hence the grassroots Boxer Rebellion...which proved pretty useless without firearms. And all the while, Christian missionaries were trying to indoctrinate and convert the masses. Of course, this was then followed by the Japanese invasion.

Point being, the native Chinese have been put on the defensive against aggressive foreign invaders for the last 2 centuries or more. And they don't want to end up oppressed minorities in their own land like the Native Americans or Australian aborigines. So Chinese elders from the older generations are naturally going to have a higher level of suspicion and distrust for Whites (and even moreso - Japanese).

I think John Chang had been extremely open to ALL students, though. Not to mention, he didn't charge a red cent for any of his generous teachings.

Stephane got his techniques from Stephen Piccus's White Tiger Tantra. Stephen P's dvd is much more detailed and apparently Stephane's is incomplete.

 

I also thought that Stephane appeared emotionally imbalanced in the dvd, which is a perception reinforced in my personal dealing with him. I hate to be negative or gossipy, but his behavior and some of his statements in his newsletters call for a warning about this guy. He preaches compassion but then is rude, arrogant and puts other people down, including me in the context of a email communication problem, with no apology or rational response when i confronted him on it.

 

In his newsletter on how to be a pick up artist, he said that if you see some guys not getting anywhere with girls go up to the group and say. ' isn't it cute that these guys are like little puppies humping your leg.' Then the guys are supposed to go away and you can stand there like the big man, according to his advice.

So, I believe he's simply become as hard as he NEEDS to be to deal with today's spoiled granddaughters of 2nd-wave feminism out in the REAL WORLD. Although, I wouldn't doubt if he also overcompensates some as a revolt from his AFC youth - and sometimes misdirects this towards harmless men.

I also would find it somewhat questionable businesswise if he is simply remarketing Steve Piccus's material...unless it's with Steve's consent.

These are not meant as rhetorical questions. The reason i'm asking is that i know of one simple but potentially very powerful technique (for which i can supply you with contacts).

And have you tried it yourself and experienced some of those symptomatic results?

Vortex, I was giving the Jewish interpretation. And they were montheists. Sorry.

I mean frankly, Jewish monotheism was just one man's belief to begin with, anyways.

Abraham's father, Terach, had a shop for selling idols. He once departed, entrusting Abraham with minding the store. Abraham, who already had concluded that idols were false and had no power, took a big stick and smashed all the idols except one, the largest of all. Then he placed the big stick in the hands of the remaining idol. When his father returned and found the destruction in his shop, he was incensed. Abraham, though, related that the large idol had gotten into an argument with the other idols and had smashed them all in its fury. Terach did not believe Abraham's story. Abraham retorted that if Terach did not believe the idols had power, he should not worship them. Here we see another dimension of Abraham's monotheism.

Fact is, we don't exactly know what these idols represented. Maybe they represented various aliens like in some cargo cult. Maybe they were personifications of stars and planets. Maybe they symbolized various spirits or ascended masters. Maybe they are all varied manifestations of the same "God" like in Hinduism. Or "ten thousand" diverse things from the Tao. Either way, I don't think any of these would have necessarily been contradictory to an overall "God" or "source."

But by viewing them as mutually-exclusive, Abraham created a false conflict and a very divisive meme.

God is male and female, God created a male/female being and then extracted the male from the female and thus they were separate beings. At least, that's the Jewish take on it.

Elohim is Eloah (see Allah) in plural form. "The most likely derivation comes from the word Elohim ('lhm) found in the Ugarit archives, meaning the family or pantheon associated with the Canaanite father God El." Therefore, Elohim probably referred to a race or council of beings...that probably included both males and females. As opposed to Elohim being a singlular hermaphroditic being.

I mean, the very concept of a monotheistic Elohim is self-contradicted by its own plural nature. Now, there may have been a head honcho amongst the Elohim that many bowed down to...or some amorophous, organic source that many now may define as a "monotheistic God," but I don't think the "Elohim" specifically was either of these. Although, polytheism and monotheism can be rather subjective distinctions anyways - as you could have ten thousand expressions and aspects of the same one thing. So, the same thing could be seen as both polytheistic or monotheistic - depending upon your POV.

Hence, PRECiSION of meaning is EVERYTHING in deciphering ancient knowledge. Etymology, semantics, logic & intuition are KEYS to unlocking the true intent and original meanings.

Another good example of this is the Anglo word sin...which was a translation of a Greek word:

The Greek word hamartia (ἁμαρτία) is usually translated as sin in the New Testament; it means "to miss the mark" or "to miss the target" which was also used in Old English archery

And another relevant example here is the Holy Ghost/Spirit.

Holy is derived from the Indo-European root hailo- or kailo- "free from injury, whole" - or what we might term "holistic" today.

Ghost/spirit were translations for the Greek word pneuma (breath, spirit) and Hebrew word ruah (wind). Gee, pretty close to the Chinese word qi - which also means air, bioenergy, etc.

Therefore, "Holy Ghost/Spirit" would be better translated as "holistic qi" in today's language.

Another theory is, that the reason it`s "our" is that there were many, and they were aliens... So they created us in their image....

Same thing with the way iron shirt packing used to be taught; some few people would show up on the boards and describe getting great stuff out of it, but also enough people were getting hurt that the percentages weren't good - and there are safer ways to do it anyway. "Individual cases may vary."

Cool, this guy became a huge influence on Bruce Lee...great to actually hear him.

Sounds interesting...although a qigong doctor told me not to drink urine since it contains waste products when I asked once.

OTOH, I have heard anecdotal reports of people avoiding sickness "from it" too.

Although, I would trust the doctor more. And I would guess that includes "sniffing" vs drinking pee, as well.

Two: I believe relatively recent research has suggested that the egg plays an active role in selecting the sperm which will fertilise it, rather than just waiting passively for the fastest swimmer.

How so and on what basis?

Which one has the longest tail or the cheapest cologne on?

The big trick I learned from Master John Chang is that the yin energy of the Earth can be sucked up through the pericardium -- the point at the bottom of the torso.

Anyhow, sounds like some very interesting skills and experiences! Would love to hear more (and in more detail)!

In every step, step as though you are one meter into the ground or more, but you step as though there are clouds under your feet. That means your feet are soft ..there would be no heaviness present during the step, no abrupt shaking in the body and eyes from stepping. You gracefully glide...builds up speed, root and enhances the movement of energy in the body. Rememeber to keep the head pulling up and tail bone pulling down..

BTW, I'm interested in the exact origin and function of the zhan zhuang form. Everybody vaguely knows what to do...but why? What are the specific design intents to all its aspects? Can anyone provide a really detailed breakdown of the actual what, how & why of this practice?

I was pretty surprised to hear that Kadour Ziani's "secret" to his AMAZING 56" vertical...is STRETCHING! In fact, this dunking madman stretches 4 HOURS per day and I don't think does any conventional "strength" training.

Actually I know kadour ziani personally and have dunked with him. Flying 101 is actually based in Bloomington, IN and I go to college there. And plus Kadour is staying there, and has been there since october. He's kinda hard to understand, but you can tell he's really passionate. I most got the info from the guy who he's living with who told me he's crazy and like goes on walks to stretch on natural objects and like playgrounds for like a few hours a day.

But point is, I'm not sure stretching CAN'T increase explosive power. There may just be a very specific way you have to do it properly to get such results? Similar to how Bob Cooley realized you have try contracting the muscles you are stretching to stretch them more.

Thanks, interesting analyses!

But, why would I be reliving my birth now?

I think perhaps it may simply sympbolize a new journey I am on. One where I am starting out in the dark but seeking the light. That would seem more contextual to my life at the moment.

this dream, vortex, tell me,

where is it now?

Last night I had a dream combining "John Chang" and the LOA, lol. As best as I could recollect:

We were riding in my vehicle again...this time just down a regular highway. The sky became a beautiful yellow ochre color and I tried to snap a pic...but it quickly changed back to blue and started lightly raining. So, we continued driving as the rain got harder. We finally pulled over as it poured down so hard we could barely see.

After a bit it stopped and we (there was also a big White dude in the back) all got out. I took some loose change out of my pocket and laid it on the roof of my car. There were a few dimes and pennies. John pointed to the dimes and told me the secret was to imagine those were $10,000 each instead and to suck energy up through my feet. Then as I was slumped up against the side of the car, he started pressing on my back starting from my tailbone all the way up to my crown. Sometimes he was using slight circular movements as if working on my chakras, other times he'd jab a finger in my side.

After he was done, he asked me if I had felt anything. I said I had felt a little.

And then we continued on down the road...

(I wouldn't take this dream too seriously though, seemed to be more a mish-mash of regular waking thoughts.)

yin Deficiency is a common pattern among North Americans

 

the majority of people in Western cultures need yin tonics that nourish, calm and restore.

It is important to emphasize that the Ming Men will be strengthened naturally by guiding the qi to the Dan Tien or Yong Quan points. This process should not be focused on, but simply allowed to happen. Too much attention can inhibit the flow of qi and slow progress.

there is also the connection between Ying energy and mass reduction. Many japanese scientist refer to Ying energy as "Spirit Energy" or Rei-ki. The energy that is emitted from ghost and spirits. I'm not surprised that Sifu Chang said that mastering Ying chi is the key to the spirit world. It is commonly believed in japan that when one dies, the mass/weight of one's body actually increases. This is caused by the absence of the spirit energy which leaves the body at death. The spirit energy while in the body subtracts the body's actual weight cause it's literally anti-mass/weight.

I'm also not sure if your corpse gains or loses weight at death. I had only heard that it loses weight (~21 g), prior to this. However, I'm not sure there's been an accurate measurement either way..

So, I am more inclined to believe that Yin is gravitational and Yang anti-gravitational. Although perhaps you might need some Yin qi to act as a container to create a bubble of Yang qi to sit on?

I like your overall ideas here though. The real Tao has real answers and real science. It's not just a bunch of flippant bad fortune cooky nonsense.

Thank you!

 

OK, let's see... in no particular order:

Taijiquan (Chen style)

Qigong

Female internal alchemy

External alchemy

TCM

Classical feng shui (Xuan Kong, form/compass, Flying Stars, etc.)

Chinese astrology

Calligraphy and Rapid Ink painting

Talismanic sorcery

I Ching divination

Assorted odds and end towards cultivation of the Triple Treasure of perfection, nondecay, immortality

And what are the differences between "female internal alchemy," "external alchemy" and "regular ole' male" internal alchemy?"

Has anyone seen Steve Pavlina's blog? I have only discovered it today and it does have some interesting ideas about LoA. It seems Steve is a believer but he also discusses things that can affect LoA which are (briefly) polarity and subjective reality (which he may have pilfered from other writers/thinkers).

So maybe Yin energy is this so called "negative energy" And those yogins who can fly simply created a field of Yin energy around them making them lighter than the weight of air.