Sahaj Nath

i think the mineral content of the mountains has a lot to do with the levels that cultivators can achieve in those mountains. natural healers in natural indigenous regions tend to live in mineral-rich environments. i find that to be true in africa and south america, anyway. there are other positive environmental influences as well, for sure, but that's a big one.

 

strip mining is a sin.

I don't know about the chinese meaning, but in japanese rei means: the thing you respect, what you put on your altar. If you stay with simple hands on healing, it's very nice, and there are no problems with it. In the last 15 years there was no problem with it. The only ones experienced problems are those who couldn't relax into it, and came up with horrible ideas.

Good spirit, bad spirit, you guys seem to be very superstitious bums. I don't want to deny the existence of spirits, maybe reptilians, ufos, black magic, etc. But what does it have to do with us? I have to let in everything to have effect on me. If I'm full there is no outside force to harm me.

I came here to learn, and I found some nice fellows with some wisdom. But sometimes all this makes me wonder. Is here anyone know basic principles of our mind? What is the goal? How to deal with our emotions, believes, stiff ideas?

I don't know the ultimate answer, but I'm not a beginner, and I have a good bsh detector to know what is important, and what is not. The only problem with reiki is not acting upon right information. If you are open and willing to experiment, not believe in fear based ideas, you are on a right track.

 

And forget about instant salvation by some initiation! No reiki teachers, no Lama Dorjes, no one can do it for you! No ultimate formulas, no ways, no superior practices!

 

Just pure seeing who you are, maybe by recognizing who you are not. This can be shown by someone, but it's you who must see. And not by energies, not by mantras, not by anything that puts enlightenment into the future!

 

don't take this the wrong way, but this sounds like the attitude of "if i can't see it, then it's not there."

 

you're on a forum that, for the most part, was created for people who radically disagree with that.

 

i would challenge you to search the web for the definition of Rei, because in my 12 years of knowledge of reiki i've NEVER come across your definition.

 

reiki wasn't originally designed to be a mere tool for hands-on healing; it was designed to be a path of enlightenment via direct experience the divine. healing was a wonderful side-effect, so usui capitalized on that part of it to garner support.

 

philosophically i believe resistance is the source of all illness and suffering, so i agree mostly with the idea that problems come when people don't relax into it. but what exactly does "not acting upon right information" mean? you came here to learn (as i'm sure we all did), and we're sharing information. words like "superstition" can be a roadblock to thinking. there are many who dismiss all of reiki as mere superstition.

 

and surely in 15 years you've heard of reiki guides. the spirits that follow you and assist you when you work. this isn't a new concept. Lin Sifu is just offering another perspective that, while i'm still not in full agreement, i think is well-worth considering.

 

and the fact that usui sensei died at 62 is a point that shouldn't be lost on anyone who practices reiki. he was unhealthy. he was the progenitor of the reiki lineage, and he was unhealthy. i still contend that it was a result of unrefined lifestyle habits & thought patterns that become magnefied by the induction of energy. but there's no reason that Lin Sifu's perspective can't also be happening at the same time, just on a more subtle level.

 

nourishing food (reiki) being served in a dirty garbage can (the unrefined practitioner) can be bad for one's health. i don't think that's fear mongering. most reiki practitioners are lazy, and their negative & toxic vibrations can taint the otherwise healing energy. good results can happen anyway, because it's a cooperative transaction, plus the affinities of the patient come into play.

 

there is still a lot for all of us to learn.

guess i'll be planning a trip to new york.

 

and i don't know what i'll have, but i definitely want to contribute to the cultivation center.

 

 

i'll be writing you.

The characters for Reiki in Chinese read; Ling Qi

Ling is part of the word for Ling Hun, meaning spirit, soul. Qi, we all know.

It can be translated as Spirit/Ghost/Soul Energy.

 

 

That means, its function is in communicating with spirits, ghosts, souls and utilizing their energy.

It is created karmic affinities with these beings which does not always result in good things for the cultivator and the one receiving "treatment".

 

 

Damnit, Lin Sifu! now i have to write another post!

 

 

japanese-to-chinese-to-english... i'm just sayin'.

 

but even that translation is a very vague one. it doesn't necessarily mean energy "borrowed from" a spirit/ghost/soul. it could be energy "of." besides, when mikao usui talked about it i personally believe that he was, himself, looking for a 'brand name' that could set it apart from qigong as something superior and more mysterious.

 

 

I met many Reiki practitioners who looked pale, dried and or had ill health, hands cold, no true wisdom, but covered it up with a forced active attitude. Some had fine health, but their connection with Ghosts and such was too heavy. The energy this system works with isn't all pure and enlightened, but it is universal... as is everything else.

 

mikao usui, the founder of reiki, died at age 62 of a stroke complicated by illnesses he had cured a many times previous. lots of reiki practitioners are of ill health, and lots of them die young. but i can't make that jump with you to it being the result of interacting with spirits.

 

i think it's a very similar thing in qigong in that it's partly a matter of how the practitioner is relating to the world. they deplete themselves through unhealthy mindsets, like the paradigm of 'healer vs. healed.' they literally drain themselves into the person they're working on.

 

also, they poison themselves through unrefined lifestyle habits. when a person is immersed in magnitudes of perpetual energy flow, their karma is magnified. something like a negative attitude or motive can infuse this greater reservoir with toxicity that can be harmful to them as well as those they encounter.

 

this is another reason why i'm not a fan of reiki. too often it's taught that reiki can never cause harm. i say that's bull. people who receive the attunements tend to be lazy about refining themselves so that they can be appropriate vessels of healing energy. i think this is what took mikao usui down.

 

the current head of the japanese reiki gakkai, the order that never left japan, is a woman. last i checked (years ago) she was nearing her 100th birthday.

 

One can reach states through Reiki, but it is not ultimate, and will lead to confusion.

 

absolutely. i totally agree.

 

Most Reiki people also disregard Qigong, saying that Reiki is more powerful. A big false statement right there.

 

again, i agree. and i think learning the principles and practices of qigong could mend most of the problems with reiki as it currently exists.

 

the key is in living one's art.

 

 

yeah, we REALLY should try to start these kinds of discussions earlier in the day.

 

 

 

i need to go to bed, but i look forward to your reply.

thank you for the information.

 

why are you not a fan of reiki? what do you practice?

 

i personally am interested in it because it seems to clear up the channels and chakras quite well which seems great for kundalini awakening. i also am very interested in healing people.

 

but reiki alone i feel is definitely not enough but in combination with other systems it can prove to be quite valuable

 

http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showtopic=3829&st=20

 

scroll down the page a little bit. it's a very cliff's notes explanation of what i do. if you have any questions, just let me know.

 

i teach qigong and do healing work for a living. it frees up a lot of time for me to devote to my spiritual passion.

 

 

one of my biggest problems with reiki is the use of the word master. everywhere you tern on the internet you find all these masters, and in reiki there are a lot of explanations of how being a master only means that you received the final level attunement and doesn't mean that you're above anyone or that you're even competent to teach.

 

well, while those explanations are well and good, the ego has its own agenda.

 

much of the influx of "new and improved" reiki (non)systems in the 90's was a result of tons of new-age people trying to create something that others will follow as a means of validating some need they had to be special. (most of them were men. most of the women were too busy trying to embrace compassion and use the art to help others.) there is power and importance attached to the idea of being a master, and ugliness became readily apparent in the 'reiki boom' of the 90's. people who hadn't read so much as one book, but who had gotten their 'reiki master' certificate from a weekend seminar, presumed themselves to be authorities on all things spiritual. and sadly, it still goes on.

 

 

i feel that the new age community high-jacked what could have become an enlightening spiritual practice with daily prayer, meditation, exercise, and genuine compassionate service to others.

 

but the energy transmission, if you can find yourself a gifted teacher (i was lucky to have had one find me), can change your life. sadly, the way reiki is taught in the states, the attunement is largely the end of the road as far as internal development goes, when it should be taught as the beginning.

ah yes that Founder page definetely was quite interesting to read, haha. I agree with you, sounds really phony.

the International Center for Reiki Training would be legit? http://www.reiki.org/

 

read through the site. william rand's search is about as legit as it gets. most of the truth about the art that began to surface in the 90's came from him and his friends and students. he is almost the sole reason why a person doesn't have to pay $10,000 to become a reiki master. of course, that means also that his openness has led to the many crackpots out there, too.

 

he and his people have done tons of experiments and made many good innovations to the art, but it still remains a fragmented system. but the transmissions can be profound, and the teachings that they offer is as good as it gets in reiki.

 

one of his friends uncovered the fact that there remains an unbroken line of reiki that never left japan; until then, everyone thought that hawayo takata (the one who brought reiki to the west) was the last of the line.

 

personally, i'm not a big fan of reiki. but i am a fan of sincere cultivators saving themselves many years by receiving transmissions.

When Hui Neng was in the monastary, he worked more than sat with the other monks.He prepared the food, and pounded the rice. He couldn't read, and so people thought him a barbarian. He actually wasn't an ordainded monk during his early yrs in the monestary.

One day the 5th Patriarch began looking for his successor. He gathered the monks together and told them all that he wants them to write a stanza(4 line) which will consist of their Prajna Wisdon, understanding, and awakening, and thus he can transmit Shakyamuni Buddha's robe and bowl to them, and they will be the 6th Patriarch...

 

*******************************************************

 

P.S.- Even Daoists study this sutra, because cultivation is simply cultivation. Anything that is good results in good outcomes haha so don't think that by reading a Buddhist text you are dis honoring Daoist teachings.. haha I know some people feel that way actually.

 

 

dude,

 

could you, like..... STOP being so awesome?!

 

 

Sifu Lin.

 

some day...

read the page about the founder. the "grandmaster." that's enough for me to look elsewhere.

 

 

but maybe that's just me.

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

in case people are unaware, THERE ARE NO WANDERING TIBETAN PRIESTS WHO BROUGHT REIKI HERE!

 

this was a lie that was pushed in the 90's when people began to discover that the founder of reiki, mikao usui, didn't just receive the system from the heavens. much of is rooted in old and largely discarded tibetan practice.

 

"wandering tibetan" is just something that sounds deep. orientalism at it's finest.

what do you guys think of Reiki Tummo?

i randomly happened upon it, and it seems great, but i'd really like to hear opinions and experiences.

 

http://www.padmacahaya.com/Rktummo/rktm1.html

 

http://www.padmacahaya.com/Rktummo/rktm6.html

 

they say that its the best and fastest way to awakening. all the chakras are opened and the main emphasis is on the heart

 

it seems to be very situated on "attunements" that you ahve to receive from other people via workshops.

 

 

in a nutshell,

 

no.

 

i could be wrong and this particular branch might provide some actual worthwhile teaching, but not likely.

 

reiki tummo is one of over two dozen 'brand name' reiki (non)systems that grew out of the fact that "traditional" reiki was fragmented and incomplete when it arrived here.

 

if you were going to consider doing it:

 

1.) find someone who can attune you in-person.

 

2.) ask for that person's lineage, and make sure it traces back to hawayo takata. and make sure that each person in that line was initiated in-person by the previous master. if they can't provide this for you, you're gambling with both your money and your energy field.

 

3.) study the chakra system on your own, as none of these workshops have thorough teaching modules.

 

 

the attunement is an actual transmission of energy, and if the person leading the workshop is legit, the attunment process can change you. you will be openned to the energy in a real way, and you won't be the same again.

 

however,

 

where are all of these 'awakened' people? reiki tummo has been around for years now. it just hasn't happened.

 

 

my first teacher was a ninjitsu instructor and a reiki master, back before the flood of self-initiated masters and masters who received their initiations via email correspondence. he was naturally gifted. very powerful. but not even close to awakened. in fact, i'd say he was extremely ego-maniacal and power-hungry.

 

he did the whole chakra-to-chakra transmission long before there was a brand name attached to the method. one of the most powerful people i ever met. and now he's in his late 30's, no students, no relationship, still living with his parents.

 

 

i would just go for the traditional reiki method, or find someone who was trained (in-person) through the international center for reiki training. they won't try to tell you you're awakened at the end of a workshop. they tend to be new-agey, but the transmission is very real and it can change you. after that it's up to you to find a system or practice that can take you further.

AHHHH!

 

You said mythical being.. hahaha

 

Maybe. It depends if the mythical being is still a high cultivated one. Some immortals fall of the immortality state..big discussion on that one I am sure...and then become human again to ..not start over, but be human again because of their karma. Immortals are still subject to cause and effect.

 

 

Peace,

Lin

 

yeah, i thought it might come across that way.

 

that wasn't my intention, thought. it's all interconnected for me.

 

the confusion of bliss with enlightenment is what brought me to the notion of 'kill the buddha.' to kill the buddha (and correct me if i'm mistaken) is to remain with the stillness, no matter what else arises, even if the buddha himself descends upon you. yet early on, the buddha as a figure can serve as a means of getting around the limitations of the mind. it seems to me like any tool that can get around the limitations of the mind will do, even if the cultivator was able to put sincere faith in a cartoon character.

 

 

so yeah, why not any object of faith?

 

maybe the 'mythical being' thing was a freudian slip on my part.

thank you.

 

=)

 

i've been thinking about this the past few days, as my mind has been revisiting the concept of "kill the buddha."

 

the hordes of people currently chasing the bliss practice, and the possible (seemingly apparent) confusion of bliss with enlightenment.

 

if you don't mind, i'd like to get your thoughts on these things.

always a joy reading your words, brother.

 

and you're SO right about the articles section.

 

 

i posted an article there a while ago, and even i seldom visit that section.

 

 

 

 

i have a question: what if the cultivator sincerely believed in a mythical being? would the method not work just the same? i.e., isn't it the affinity and mental framework that facilitates the outcome of the practice, and not beings of focus themselves? it seems implicit in what you've written.

when i first looked it was counter-clockwise (no!). played with my thoughts and focus for a minute until it became clockwise. it takes a minute or two for me to shift it, but i can shift it. not really sure the specific mechanics of it or anything.

 

i left it spinning clockwise, which is how i prefer to interpret the world.

 

 

maybe a simple tool like this can help someone actually shift their mindset.

Hundun, I am greatly appreciative of your bringing another perspective to all this, and for doing it with such incisiveness and candor. I was curious: What is the exact nature of Max's connection(s) to the Masons?

 

thank you, friend.

 

max never said what the nature of his connection was, only that he spent time with them and they were impressed with his kunlun method. again, very surface.

 

one of the younger people at the seminar was dubious of max for even mentioning the masons because he believed that they were an evil secret society. he asked max about it. max attempted to dissuade him of his fears, saying that they are just people like any other group. i chimed in and told the kid that my grandfather was a master mason and that the fear mongering was actually political in nature. petty power struggles between powerful groups. max agreed.

 

this made me feel a little better about him. he didn't say anything particularly profound, but he didn't just make up something, either.

Hello All

 

This is my first day looking and knowing about this site.

 

I'm a practioner from the universal tao system since the year 2000. The reason I started to do the exercises was a serious illness that I still today am fighting against. A burned out condition and a body that I couldn't keep warm except any method to try to warm myself. This was wery painful indeed.

 

Mantak Chias breathing into the tan tien was for me wery difficult at first and after a few mounths the navel did explode and that was the start of a period of recovery. Have been training the system since then. Even though not yet fully recovered today my life is on it's way to get better in many ways. And working and reading about all kind of spiritual or physical work with energy has been my greatest interest that I believe I will continue with the rest of my life.

 

I am interested in natural science and mathematics and psychology mostly Jungian psychology also.

 

Have been exercising from some other systems also

 

Hatha yoga and kundalini yoga

Some basic practises from the white tigress system

 

I have also since two years ago started a yoga/qigong group that regularily meet and do exercises togheter. For the moment we are following Eric Steven Yudeloves book "100 days to better health, good sex and long life".

 

Most of my work from the universal tao system is still on a quite basic level. I believe that my illness have sloved things down a bit. Progress is increasing for the moment though and I'm do exercises in betwean 1 to 2 hours on a daily basis, mostly.

 

Have been living as a celibate since the year 2000 in the sence not being with a woman. With one exception one summer some years ago.

 

I am still looking for a treatment for my illness and the next steps will be to try some treatment with natural thyroxin and a vitamin and herb treatment for the adrenal fatigue dissorder. This two I belive will help me. Will be meating a new MD abroud next year.

 

Much of my focus is on finding a good method for my treatment. All help with this is mostly welcome!

Look forward for interesting talks about qigong and taoist yoga.

 

Am also on my way to learn the white tigress teaching more deeply and to end my celibacy period. Have read your comments on earlier posts on this and did see that most of you are not believing in this system. I'm much curious about but also have some doupts. Have been in contact with Hsi Lai and Amara from California and they have been much helpful in my questioning about the system.

With regards Fire Dragon

Sincerely Fire Dragon

 

welcome.

 

this can also be a good place to talk about medical conditions should you care to share more about yourself in the discussion forum.

Sorry...I was just joking there.

 

Will probably need to preface future posts by saying *joke to follow* or *serious comment*

 

namaste

 

 

 

 

 

not that you care what i think,

 

but the trappings of unquestioning faith is still well-worth considering.

Looking for something new to discuss....

 

Lately, the main thrust of my cultivation has been through developing real-time awareness on an ongoing basis, minute to minute, day to day... It ain't easy, obviously. I still practice seated and standing meditation, xingyiquan, and taijiquan. One thing I've noticed is the great value of the taijiquan form in helping me to achieve this real time awareness. So far, I have not found a better technique to practice this. This seems to be, at least partly, linked to the experience of not only three dimensional awareness of the body in space but the fourth dimensional awareness in time. I wonder if much of the health and well being benefits in practicing the taijiquan form are linked to strengthening the awareness - linking the "I am" with the physical experience, without the intervening fog of mind and thought. Obviously, there are physical benefits of the isometric and isokinetic movements, but there is something that goes beyond. This is something I really emphasize to my students. Any comments?

 

absolutely.

 

energy follows thought. real-time awareness allows for a thorough saturation of fresh life force into every cell of the body. nothing of the self is being ignored (ostensibly). so just by having one's mind present with every ache, throb, and area of tension (not focusing or acting, just present), you facilitate a magnitude of healing that could not be achieved otherwise.

 

few things are more healing and more liberating than the quality of surrender to the whole of each moment.

 

"there is no place but here; there is no time but now."

 

i repeat this many times in the morning at the start of my practice. i repeat this many times throughout my day.

 

radical presence. nothing is left undone.

Hundun,

I appreciate the honesty and candor of your post. I don't know you but you don't come across as someone with an axe to grind or of a vindictive nature. I didn't get the feeling that you were getting pleasure out of your criticism. Your experience is not surprising nor is the reaction of Max's supporters. Enlightenment is big business and gurus are a dime a dozen. Some are in it for the money, some for the gratification of helping others, self agrandissment, political stature, or all of the above. Either way it is a form of self-gratification and continues to reinforce their "I", their image of who they think they are or should be, based on their programming. The ones who are truly there are just there - no teaching, no selling, no seminars, no secrets, no methods or techniques, no transmissions. For them it is all the same and none of the snake oil has any meaning. The tricky and beautiful thing about enlightenment is that you can't buy or receive it, it's already there. It's just buried under the social/cultural programming. If Max was all he claims to be, he would know that, and wouldn't need to make movies of himself in archaic Chinese costume demonstrating superhuman powers.

 

thank you for that.

 

truly.

oh, and just for a little more clarification:

 

in talking about qi versus magnetism, saying that magnetism is more connected to divine will is kind of non-responsive to me. that doesn't make it non-qi. all of my experiences with spirits as well as divine pan-consciousness (the only words i can think of to describe it) has been when immersed in the YIN field. so why would a taoist adept make a distinction by saying this indescribably magnetic presence isn't qi? electricity isn't the only expression of qi, and no taoist has would claim that. but he does. i wasn't looking to level a challenge at him. i genuinely wanted to know what this completely new level of magnetic presence was.

 

mantra, your response was better than his was. i did get it. but that answer didn't make it non-yin.

 

dubious distinctions like that are gonna be questioned by a lot of people as your workshops gain momentum.

This is inaccurate. I was there. The parts you failed to include are the parts you failed to hear.

What I told you was that chi is electric and the magnetic energy is harder to explain. It is harder to explain because it is an extension of divine will; your own. When that didn't really register with you I said "ok maybe Max can explain it better to you, so I pulled him from another conversation and he basically told you the same thing.

 

You claimed to understand, but apparently you didn't.

As to Cameron, Max knew exactly what he was going through. He prescribed a remedy.

Hundun, the arrogance in this paragraph perfectly supports my impression of you. The spirit you approach these things with is just a bit skewed, friend.

 

This is: "He failed to see my brilliance, so he must be an incompetent fool."

Nope. You are getting a full refund. We don't want your money if you are that unhappy with things. This not about money for us.

 

We have to cover our costs so money is in the equation and we need to charge something so that we can continue to try to reach the people who resonate with this practice. So, we have had to become somewhat organized to handle the amount of people we get. So what if we're not experts at it. We are doing our best.

 

 

okay, i just woke up.

 

 

i'm probably not going to respond to everything that's been said in one shot, so i'll just respond to what's striking me at this time.

 

 

first, i want to apologize. there IS a sort of aggressive negativity in my criticism. if i had waited a day to respond i'm sure i wouldn't have come across that way. i meant to be every bit as critical as i was, but i honestly didn't mean to be so disrespectful about it. so on that point, cam, mantra, dakini, i think you're right.

 

 

mantra, i think it's fairly obvious from how i presented it that i actually *recorded the lecture.* you can question my egotism and all of that, but you can't really challenge the accuracy of what said. what i said is true. you know it's true. you recorded the lecture yourself. you had to have gone back and watched it by now.

 

i don't have any plans of making the recording public. that's not what i recorded it. i recorded it simply because i didn't want to lose or forget even one insight that he was going to share. so even though you and i are not exactly friends at this point, as a show of good faith i won't share the recording with anyone unless you say it's alright to do so.

 

 

the little talk i had with you and max after the lecture was NOT recorded, however, so i can't prove that you're not being straight about that part. but i stand by what i said took place. i only wish i hadn't taken the cheap shot with the "taoist master my ass" comment.

 

but really, that's how i felt. i felt duped. not at the time, but upon reflection. at the time i really was in "feeling" mode and willingly gave myself to the whole thing as much as i could. most of my criticism didn't start bubbling up until i was driving home. and moreso as i listened in the car to what i had recorded.

 

you are thoroughly invested in this venture, mantra. you are the one who is making the movie. you are the one who wrote the book. i can neither expect nor trust that you will come clean about everything.

 

and i know how my PM sounded to you. but i stand by it. you're welcome to make it public if you think it proves your point. i only sent it privately cause you were responding to so much criticism at the time (and gracefully, for which i commended you in person) that i didn't want to add another layer for others to see.

 

BUT,

 

it was you who said in another thread that max will look into your energy in a private session and be able to tell you your lineage. i wasn't looking for my greatness to be recognized, man. i was just looking for the truth of that claim. and i said in my PM to you that i wasn't really even interested in the kunlun workshop, but i WAS interested in meeting with him privately. i wanted his counsel. i wanted his wisdom. i wanted to have the guidance of a true master, which you claimed him to be.

 

it's not accurate to say that i got NO response from the kunlun practice. i'll have to explain that one when i'm feeling a little more up to it. i never said that the practice was bogus. in fact, i said it was effective. but moreso than anything else out there? no. it's not. you don't know enough about my journey, but now i feel like telling more of my stuff is just going to come across like more egotism. what i CAN say is that it's hard to qualify a practice as 'the best there is' when at the same time 'it's not for everybody.'

 

on the reptilian races thing:

 

as i said, i am crazy enough to buy into it. (again, you don't know where i've been.) it was how he presented it that destroyed all credibility of what he was saying. nourishing food being served in a garbage can isn't very appealing, even when you're hungry. by not presenting the information in a credible manner, he presented himself like a thousand other new-age quacks out there. perhaps if i were lost in bliss at the time, i wouldn't have been so critical about it. but i can't help but feel like maybe that's partly how the bliss practice was being used: to make people more impressionable.

 

maybe that begs the question: what would have been credible? hmm... more depth, i think. he simply named over a half-dozen orders and clans and tribes that agree with this, but he said nothing about the relationships, the significance, the history, or anything else. he just said that when your wisdom eye starts openning, you'll start to see this stuff. there's this part in the brain that's reptilian. there are other races in the galaxy. there are snake and dragon clans... blah, blah, blah. he said nothing of substance. nothing. he could have broken down how the snake clan(s) was derived from or connected to these races. he could broken down some of the masonic symbolism and how it shed light on this stuff (my grandfather was a master mason), he could have done a lot more than just spit it out with no warrants or analysis. i'm open-minded. more than you seem to believe. but there's a difference between open-mindedness and gullibility.

 

 

i wasn't there to get blissed out. i was there to seek the guidance of a true master. someone who could look right into me and know where i've been, and know what i need to reach the highest levels. someone who could share wisdom or tools to help me with some of the issues that arise with my patients. someone who could make me a better servant to others.

 

i didn't find that.

 

 

i wasn't going to ask for a refund, but i appreciate that you're willing to give it to me.

 

i will do my best to not be so attacking in the way i communicate in the rest of this. it doesn't serve anyone.

Hundun,

You little stinker.

 

One song keeps rolling through my head as I read your ka-ka: "smile in your face, all the time they want to take your place, backstabbers, backstabbers..."

 

Wow. You know after your first email in which you "announced your presence" to me I thought "oh great, another egotistical healer-syndrome-chump." Then when I met you, you seemed like a really nice guy. Now we are seeing the first guy again.

 

Here is the problem with Mr. Hundun: ego.

 

When you do Kunlun it is always the people who have the air of pride about them that get NO results. The problem becomes compounded when they look around and see everyone else is opening up. The ego cannot deal with this and the reaction is not good. In this case it was a quick exit on day two right before the dreaded Kunlun failure was about to be faced again.

 

Honestly man, you don't actually have much ability at this point. The ego makes it very hard to develop the real thing, because the real thing is all about feel. When you feel your way, you have to FEEL all of the shortcomings that cause the creation of a imbalanced ego in the first place.

 

After you left (mumbling about parlor tricks and how you could do all this stuff yourself) the group really opened up. It was awesome.

 

The Tibetan Lamas that were in attendance had amazing breakthroughs and they understood the fullness of what Max has to offer. They know who he is and how very rare it is to find someone at his level.

 

Again, from the outside, this stuff looks like a different bird. If you are sensitive or have had some experience with these types of energies, then you see the value.

 

 

i'm sorry to disappoint you. and if i were you, i'd feel the same way. it wasn't my intention for it to go down that way. i did smile in your face. and i meant it. and i really did stay open to see it through. and i wanted to believe. i really did.

 

i personally think that you could have led a better seminar than max did. your clarity and straightforwardness was something i really wanted to get from him. but i didn't. i smiled. i was open. i was respectful. and i suspended as much disbelief as much as i could for as long as i could.

 

i can make no apology for that.

 

 

you're welcome to say i'm ego-tripping. all i can really say is "no, i'm not." i was sorely disappointed.

 

his lack of knowledge wasn't my fault. is fraudulent claims weren't my fault. his lack of coherence wasn't my fault. his haphazard organization wasn't my fault.

 

and those guys i was "mumbling to" about parlor tricks? those were the same guys i encouraged to stick around for the weekend and give it a shot. they were ready to walk after the free lecture. maybe you think it would have been better if they weren't there. i don't know. but i meant well. and that's all i can do.

 

i'm not a novice. i'm not going to pretend to be for the sake of modesty. but i willingly admit that i'm not very far in my journey. i don't think that's unreasonable.

 

 

i really need to get to bed.

 

 

 

 

The practice stands the test of time. Opinions are as vast as the universe. Everyone is entitled to their own.

 

Kunlun is not for everyone. That is OK.

 

The two people who had no response gave bad reviews. That is unfortunate but very understandable.

 

Had they blasted open into the absurdity of the Tao, they might have a different review. In time I hope they experience the things the rest of the group did.

 

 

you misjudge what i experienced and where i have been.

 

perhaps i'll get into this with you tomorrow.

I for one am totally fine with Hundun and Todd's negative responses to the workshop.

 

Just maybe have this one little thing to say...

 

Perhaps the transmission wasn't right for you rather than the entire human race.

 

Ok..that's all.

 

 

i absolutely agree with you, cam.

 

but if you noticed, i haven't really taken issue with the effectiveness of his transmission, other than to say it wasn't all that for me. my issue is primarily with his claim to mastery and his irresponsible teaching approach.

 

i often have to tell people that i'm not a master because they experience something so powerful and they make the mistake of believing that i directed the whole of it. i dissuade them of that notion, whereas max seems to capitalize on it.

Did you learn the Shamanic tiger chi kung from dvd or book or from the teacher himself>?

 

Can you explain the wuji hundun system?

 

i learned shamanic tiger from the dvd. i memorized in about an hour and a half, and could perform it with accuracy before the day was over. what took time was listening to my body and learning what the moves were doing to me so i could teach it from experience rather than someone's authorization.

 

i wrote to master wu about the form, and that wasn't very pleasing. there's a move called "double dragon plays with the pearl" where he performs it in one direction during the complete demo, and in the opposite direction in the instructional part. he never acknowledges this anywhere in the video or the book. so i asked him to explain it, and she just wrote back and said

 

"it can be done either way."

 

that's all he said.

 

so i wrote him again, saying that i understood that, but what attracted me to his form was his vast knowledge and understanding of the nuanced significance of the motions. i told him the differences i noticed in the energy flow with each directions, and i asked directly if the change-up was intentional. i said it was okay if it wasn't; i get that these things happen. but if it WAS intentional, i'd like to know the theoretical underpinnings or significance in changing direction from his more masterful perspective. and believe it or not, i wasn't condescending about it.

 

"the significance is the changeability of the dragon."

 

again, that's all he said.

 

 

there was another inconsistency in another movement, but after that exchange i just left it alone.

 

 

i really tried not to pose my question in a challenging manner. i genuinely wanted to know more and maybe even build a dialog with him.

 

whatevs.

 

i still love the form.

 

 

wuji hundun is what gary garripoli teaches (very badly) in his book. (i actually love his book, but the instructional part sucks) i learned it in-person when i was in kauai a few years back. again, i memorized it in about an hour and a half. then i sat on it for a year or so without practicing because i was lazy and felt like i "got it." now it teaches me.

 

he actually has a video out that teaches it, but i would recommend really watching how master duan does it (they show a few bits of duan's approach on the documentary, which comes with the video) because then you can get a sense of the free form nature of it.

 

i got to learn it in person, but it wouldn't have made a difference. seriously. i have the foundational basics. i can take something from an amateur on a bad video and run with it.

 

it doesn't take a master to teach qigong forms, just like it doesn't take an olympic gold medalist to teach a P.E class.

 

the basics take time. a teacher helps with that. transmission takes a master. claim to a lineage takes a master. but none of that is necessary for authentic cultivation.

 

i'll do a separate post about the wuji hundun system. probably tomorrow. maybe in the articles section.

 

 

**EDIT**

 

 

i just realized that i wrote "transmission takes a master." that's not true, as i'm not a master. but full transmission of a particular lineage should take a master. some say it makes one a master. but i disagree.

 

just wanted to clarify.

Thanks.

Did he demonstrate his empty force - someone attacking him and being reoelled.

 

yes, he did. and no, i wasn't impressed.

 

 

i hope everyone reads this.

 

actually, this was the nature of the challenge that was made to him on friday night. the man asked if he would demonstrate on someone other than his students. he offered himself, but would have been satisfied with anyone who didn't know max beforehand. at first max said that if he did that, it would cause internal bleeding because the body of an uninitiated person can't handle the magnitude of energy.

 

they guy basically called bullshit and said that he flat-out didn't buy it, said that the movie trailer was deliberately misleading, openly challenged him, and said that he would accept the consequence of internal bleeding if it were real.

 

then max's story changed a little bit.

 

then, it was "you have to meet us half-way" for ethical reasons,

 

"i'm not a martial artist." --wait a minute! i thought he could teach a ton of different martial systems?

 

"it doesn't work if someone's swinging at you."

 

he said that in the "old days" it worked because people's meridians were more open.

 

THEN he said:

 

"it works with kunlun people. but it may not work with other people. most of the time it doesn't."

 

that's a direct quote.

 

then he listed a number of other masters who also had this ability, but, like him, it only works on their students.

 

"it's a new video, and we still have to work a lot of bugs out of it, but it's not meant to be misleading. our art is real. for enlightenment, it is." --hmm... but not for the empty force, apparently.

 

i still went through the workshop in good faith and with an open mind after this. again, i could accept that he was lacking in knowledge and was compensating with sensationalism, so long as he could produce real ability in the area that *I* cared about! i could scrap all the rest of it.

 

but there was nothing there. nothing substantial.

 

 

i have patients and students who go into involuntary movements and spasms when i run my energy; i know that it happens for real. i have a student that i've taken to deep blissful states through meditation and a patient that has decided to sponsor my work because of the blissful and "out-of-body" states that she experiences when i work on her without touch.

 

but i'm no master. mastery is in the details. in the subtleties. i don't have that.

 

but neither does max. he uses jargon that makes it sound as if he's in complete control, but it's not there. and he unknowingly confessed all of that on friday as well as saturday.

 

i remained forgiving and open until sunday morning. i stayed for maybe half an hour during the stance practice which he led so badly and haphazardly that i wanted to step in and lead the class.

 

it's okay to make up what you're gonna say as you go along (though it sucks when you're bad at it); it's NOT okay to make up the concepts as you go along!