I've seen some Fa Jin, but this?

[Old Man Contradiction]

There is no magic energy being expressed other than the sensitivity, coordination, timing, and proper posture that is the foundation of good taiji and fajin. Those qualities in and of themselves are quite magical in my mind but that is different than the imagined invisible Qi force that opportunists pretend exists and that people who aren't satisfied with honest, hard work over time imagine.

 

This is very true.

 

I'd like to mention that I've been on the receiving end of the type of "fa jin" that michael phillips is doing, but it was from a fellow student of mine that's only been training for 6 yrs. So it's not that impressive for somebody that's been teaching since the 70's.

[WhiteTiger]

If there's nothing special about it - did you develop any Fajin yet ?

 

Also I am looking for one of these experts that can Fajin his neck out of a real choke not one of these "loving hands" type of approach where the "master" has to explain for half an hour how are you supposed to hold your hands before he can demonstrate his secret skill.....

 

Am I a Master?

Absolutely not.

Am I a practicing Student?

Absolutely not.

Am I an expert at Fajin?

Absolutely not.

Am I good at using Fajin?

Absolutely not.

Have I developed all forms of Fajin?

Absolutely not.

Have I developed some form of Fajin?

sure. Doesn't mean much? trust me it doesn't.

Do I think the Fajin I developed is any good?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

 

I've been whooped by a few teachers demonstrating and so forth.

 

Anyway you have to stay practicing to keep an ability and I do not practice any longer.

 

Is their anything special about it?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

[Taomeow]

Just out of curiosity, why can't fajin be used on a punching bag?

 

I've seen it used on a TKD kicking dummy. A guy I didn't know came in one day, spoke briefly with our master, and left. On the way out, he passed the dummy and punched it. Nothing happened for a minute. Then the dummy started vibrating. Greater and greater amplitude. Whoosh! -- all the way to the floor and back.

[orb]

I've seen it used on a TKD kicking dummy. A guy I didn't know came in one day, spoke briefly with our master, and left. On the way out, he passed the dummy and punched it. Nothing happened for a minute. Then the dummy started vibrating. Greater and greater amplitude. Whoosh! -- all the way to the floor and back.

 

You see that's the biggest problem around here - the guy that can really do it always dissappears and never fully explains the technique and all we are left with a half-known method that will never work because we are missing the other half of the formula.

It's easy to say "keep practicing" - the problem that I see is that nobody really knows what to do. All we can do is keep talking about some vibrating dummy....

[tumoessence]

I was a student of Michael Phillips in the early eighties and I can attest that he was a sincere practioner and always passionate about learning new things to bring to his students. It was his full time mission to seek out the best teachers and practices to bring him and his students forwards. At that time he didn't have the skills that he has now, but he was very knowledgable and good with push hands and uncomprimising in tai chi principles in our martial play.

Bill

[dwai]

Now what the heck?

 

I have seen internal demos before, but this looks awesome. Very little physical movement, large shearing effect on the feet plus qi compression in the objects spine. Does not look like the fake examples with the student being the only participant. The first one has very large men looking very surprised. The second video has the participant looking scared to have it done to him again!

 

I want to hear experiences and opinions.

How is this happening?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CHCJjKjwMk

 

 

Found some interesting "fa jing" videos from the Southern Indian style of Varma/Marma Adi:

 

 

and

 

[Taomeow]

You see that's the biggest problem around here - the guy that can really do it always dissappears and never fully explains the technique and all we are left with a half-known method that will never work because we are missing the other half of the formula.

It's easy to say "keep practicing" - the problem that I see is that nobody really knows what to do. All we can do is keep talking about some vibrating dummy....

Um... I replied to a specific assertion with a specific example, is all. The only guy who disappeared, in my personal experience, was the guy who punched the dummy. The reason I was impressed at the time was, I didn't know any taiji then, hadn't seen nor experienced stuff like that in real life before, so I witnessed it but didn't know what to make of it.

 

Now the guy who actually teaches me how to fajin don't disappear none. He's there every week, quite in the flesh and looking like nothing special after 45 years of 4 to 8 hours of taiji daily -- but you wouldn't know what that invisibly transformed flesh knows and can do from just looking, nor from talking "about" it, and the only way I can learn some of that is go to class and feel my own body learn it. Every week. For years. And then practice. Which is what I do. If there was no need for that, if someone could just explain it all to me in plain English upon asking around on a forum, I wouldn't go to class, nor practice. Why bother?..

[Dainin]

 

 

 

These guys are recognized by the Yang family as being legit. It doesn't look real to me...especially when the father does the "paralysis" thing...but that doesn't mean it isn't. What do you think?

[Andrei]

IMHO, there are different realms of cultivation, for different types of releasing of power.

Fa Li for muscle and tendon structural strength.

Fa Qi for internal pressure of thermodynamics and fluids.

Fa Shen for pure energy and spirit.

 

Michael Philips has Fa Li skills from what I see in the videos. He said it can emmit Qi too but what he teaches in the videos is Fa Li.

 

I have a friend who figured out how to do it by Song training and I felt on myself when he emmited. We did pushing hands, competitional style, so both of us wanted to gain, it was no cooperation, and for him was difficult to find the timing to release the force, and for me it was easy to neutralise because I was relaxed too. I felt the fluid wave passing through my body and disipating into the ground. He did it two times the second time catched me tensed and projected me but most of the time he could not do anything.

 

This is Fa Qi, when contact is involved, the Qi is felt like electricity, you no longer have control over your muscles because of the spasm, so it is not possible to "neutralise" the Qi blast:

nu99GRUUN6Y

 

o_WgTrFyFUc

 

I would say this is Fa Shen when no contact is involved:

M5Lfy8LPsVM

 

So in my opinion these demonstrations show that it is possible to train and use as a skill fighting but to me does not worth it to "learn" it. I mean there are other ways to fight more efficient than this.

[WhiteTiger]

You see that's the biggest problem around here - the guy that can really do it always dissappears and never fully explains the technique and all we are left with a half-known method that will never work because we are missing the other half of the formula.

It's easy to say "keep practicing" - the problem that I see is that nobody really knows what to do. All we can do is keep talking about some vibrating dummy....

 

I just couldn't disagree with this any more.

 

It may be some peoples experiencing that this is happening but it just obviously isn't always true.

 

peace,

wt

 

Um... I replied to a specific assertion with a specific example, is all. The only guy who disappeared, in my personal experience, was the guy who punched the dummy. The reason I was impressed at the time was, I didn't know any taiji then, hadn't seen nor experienced stuff like that in real life before, so I witnessed it but didn't know what to make of it.

 

Now the guy who actually teaches me how to fajin don't disappear none. He's there every week, quite in the flesh and looking like nothing special after 45 years of 4 to 8 hours of taiji daily -- but you wouldn't know what that invisibly transformed flesh knows and can do from just looking, nor from talking "about" it, and the only way I can learn some of that is go to class and feel my own body learn it. Every week. For years. And then practice. Which is what I do. If there was no need for that, if someone could just explain it all to me in plain English upon asking around on a forum, I wouldn't go to class, nor practice. Why bother?..

 

I'm not exactly sure what exactly your insinuating?

Are you saying that everyone should start going to class to meet a teacher in the flesh to learn such practices?

Are you saying this to Orb specifically? (which I think you are)

Are you saying this to me specifically?

 

I think I'm trying to be peaceful right now,

wt

[Taomeow]

I'm not exactly sure what exactly your insinuating?

Your use of the verb "to insinuate" is not in my dictionary, so I'm not sure what you mean.

Are you saying that everyone should start going to class to meet a teacher in the flesh to learn such practices?

No, I'm not saying that everyone should start going to class to meet a teacher in the flesh to learn such practices. I'm saying that my teacher is real rather than a disappearing made-up story.

Are you saying this to Orb specifically? (which I think you are)

Yes, I was saying this to Orb specifically, in response to his entry that was a response to mine. The one about the dummies and stuff.

Are you saying this to me specifically?

No, I wasn't aware you were part of the conversation, I didn't read the whole thread.

I think I'm trying to be peaceful right now,

More power to you.

[WhiteTiger]

Your use of the verb "to insinuate" is not in my dictionary, so I'm not sure what you mean.

 

No, I'm not saying that everyone should start going to class to meet a teacher in the flesh to learn such practices. I'm saying that my teacher is real rather than a disappearing made-up story.

 

Yes, I was saying this to Orb specifically, in response to his entry that was a response to mine. The one about the dummies and stuff.

 

No, I wasn't aware you were part of the conversation, I didn't read the whole thread.

 

More power to you.

 

I don't think I'll ever figure out a way to communicate with you respectfully nor do I think you want to be communicated with equal respect.

 

Sincerely,

wt

[Taomeow]

I don't think I'll ever figure out a way to communicate with you respectfully nor do I think you want to be communicated with equal respect.

 

Sincerely,

wt

I'm sorry you're having difficulty communicating with me. The problem might be that you're trying to communicate respectfully with someone you don't actually respect? Then again, you might just be a challenge to my own communication skills, a lesson in their inadequacy.

 

tsai yoshto yoshto...

tsai yoshto yoshto...

bumbaclaat, it's not working!

[goldisheavy]

I don't think so, I know so. You're seeing it with your own eyes in that video.

 

 

Watch very closely. There is easily enough tension. Light touch does not mean being flexible or having the ability to yield. I can touch someone very lightly and remain quite rigid, that's much easier than remaining song - song takes a lot of practice. The force comes quickly and without a relatively high degree of skill the opponent's natural reaction is tension. That tension can then be exploited. I'm not saying it's easy, it does take practice. And the yielding also takes considerable training. It's just not anything magical. There is no magic energy being expressed other than the sensitivity, coordination, timing, and proper posture that is the foundation of good taiji and fajin. Those qualities in and of themselves are quite magical in my mind but that is different than the imagined invisible Qi force that opportunists pretend exists and that people who aren't satisfied with honest, hard work over time imagine.

 

Steve,

 

I appreciate your explanation. Thank you. I was thinking it's possible that the problem was that even with the fingertip touch, people's minds had this commitment not to absorb anything, and this resulted in eventually having to jump back. At the same time, I don't understand why can't they just push the guy and remain planted. It doesn't seem like it should be hard. But without going up against this guy myself, I can't say.

 

My feeling is that if this guy is doing what you say he is doing, he will be able to make me jump like that maximum twice. By the third time I will understand what's going on and will no longer jump.

 

There is no magic in Taiji. We all have the same potential.

 

Does this mean you think that magic implies something inherently special? Like you have to be born with magic to do it? Without that assumption what you're saying there makes no sense.

[Wells]

 

These guys are recognized by the Yang family as being legit. It doesn't look real to me...especially when the father does the "paralysis" thing...but that doesn't mean it isn't. What do you think?

The attractions in both videos are more the acting skills of Tom Tetreault (yeah, it's the same guy) than the Jing of the "masters"...

Typical: so-called master demonstrating Fa Jin on his student...

[Wells]

Michael Philips has Fa Li skills from what I see in the videos. He said it can emmit Qi too but what he teaches in the videos is Fa Li.

 

I have a friend who figured out how to do it by Song training and I felt on myself when he emmited. We did pushing hands, competitional style, so both of us wanted to gain, it was no cooperation, and for him was difficult to find the timing to release the force, and for me it was easy to neutralise because I was relaxed too. I felt the fluid wave passing through my body and disipating into the ground. He did it two times the second time catched me tensed and projected me but most of the time he could not do anything.

 

This is Fa Qi, when contact is involved, the Qi is felt like electricity, you no longer have control over your muscles because of the spasm, so it is not possible to "neutralise" the Qi blast:

nu99GRUUN6Y

 

 

 

I would say this is Fa Shen when no contact is involved:

 

 

So in my opinion these demonstrations show that it is possible to train and use as a skill fighting but to me does not worth it to "learn" it. I mean there are other ways to fight more efficient than this.

Concerning the first video: If you watch and listen really carefully to that video and find a correlation to what you see if you watch John Chang using his Jing (especially when setting the newspaper on fire), then you are able to find a good clue if someone is legit or not (concerning his Jing).

So, as ridiculous as that video seems to be, I think that this guy very likely a true master.

 

"Fa Chi" is what's happening during Reiki and pranic healing. No way to affect people as seen in this videos.

 

"Fa Shen" is bullshit.

 

"Fa Jin" in fact is "Fa Chi" + "Fa Yi" together.

Edited December 5, 2009 by Dorian Black

[steve]

 

I would say this is Fa Shen when no contact is involved:

M5Lfy8LPsVM

 

With all due respect, I would say this video is bullshit.

 

 

Steve,

 

I appreciate your explanation. Thank you. I was thinking it's possible that the problem was that even with the fingertip touch, people's minds had this commitment not to absorb anything, and this resulted in eventually having to jump back. At the same time, I don't understand why can't they just push the guy and remain planted. It doesn't seem like it should be hard. But without going up against this guy myself, I can't say.

 

My feeling is that if this guy is doing what you say he is doing, he will be able to make me jump like that maximum twice. By the third time I will understand what's going on and will no longer jump.

If he is skillful, it might take quite a bit more than two times to figure out how to resolve a good fajin strike. Your timing has to be excellent and that takes a lot of work to develop. Our tendency is to stiffen and "go against" and this has been conditioned your whole life. One of the most important principles in Taijiquan is - Zhan Nian Lian Sui Bu Diu Bu Ding. Bu Ding means "do not go against".

 

Does this mean you think that magic implies something inherently special? Like you have to be born with magic to do it? Without that assumption what you're saying there makes no sense.

What I mean is that there is certainly is magic in the fact that we are able to practice a martial art like Taijiquan and develop a high level of martial skill in it, but that is accessible to anyone with the time, determination, and a good teacher. Just like our very existence is magic, the smell of grilling meat is magic, and a wink from an attractive stranger is magic. Life is the magic - the things you can actually sense and experience. But we're always looking for that something more that we haven't experienced. Something special, as if everything at our fingertips isn't special enough.

 

So I guess there is a fine line between "special powers" which represent the masterful application of the principles of physics in Taijiquan vs "magical powers" which represents having developed a power that transcends the laws of physics. That's the best way I can express my point. In my experience, the latter category is bullshit. But I don't know and haven't seen everything so hopefully one day I'll learn some "real" magic and eat my own words!

 

 

"Fa Shen" is bullshit.

 

I'll respectfully disagree. Fa Shen is real. You can develop your spirit to the point of completely intimidating an opponent and make them fall all over themselves, make them slip up, flinch, and exploit that. That's Fa Shen in a crude way. That's what we're seeing when an old master twists his students around barely touching them like in these videos. It's kind of like hypnosis. A lot of people, however, imagine that magic bolt of invisible force and call that Fa Shen, and I'll agree that is bullshit.

Edited December 5, 2009 by steve f

[goldisheavy]

With all due respect, I would say this video is bullshit.

If he is skillful, it might take quite a bit more than two times to figure out how to resolve a good fajin strike.

 

I'll believe it when I see it. You might be right, but I get a feeling there is a little bit of hypnosis involved as well. In other words, the people he's testing against are put in a certain frame of mind before the test. For example, the cameraman has heard this guy talk and demonstrate for a while, and so has a certain level of "buy-in", and that's important. If someone like Mike tries to demonstrate this skill to someone who is:

 

a) not buying into Mike's authority

intent on dominating Mike

c) accepts all consequences of doing so: embarrassment to Mike and possible to oneself, hostile feelings, breakdown of trust, not being invited to another demo, etc.

d) is not hindered by gentlemanly consideration (older man, hurting the weak, etc.)

e) due to lack of buy-in, honestly regards Mike as a wimp and fraud

 

Then I think we'll have something close to a fair demo. Unfortunately, due to the hostile nature of combat arts, we almost never get fair demos, because to get one, someone has to be injured or killed. As a side-effect, we get lots of wrong information.

 

Remember the anecdote of a Japanese swordsman who could kill 5 people in a row with a real samurai sword in a real attack situation, but who would lose repeatedly to a low-level kendo practitioner with a kendo sword in a kendo environment? In the first case, he felt free to kill, and in the second, intention was confused -- on one hand you perform what should be killing motions, on the other hand, you must not kill or hurt -- and to top this off, all kinds of rules and regulations of kendo must be followed, further confusing the master swordsman.

 

What I mean is that there is certainly is magic in the fact that we are able to practice a martial art like Taijiquan and develop a high level of martial skill in it, but that is accessible to anyone with the time, determination, and a good teacher. Just like our very existence is magic, the smell of grilling meat is magic, and a wink from an attractive stranger is magic. Life is the magic - the things you can actually sense and experience. But we're always looking for that something more that we haven't experienced. Something special, as if everything at our fingertips isn't special enough.

 

So I guess there is a fine line between "special powers" which represent the masterful application of the principles of physics in Taijiquan vs "magical powers" which represents having developed a power that transcends the laws of physics. That's the best way I can express my point. In my experience, the latter category is bullshit. But I don't know and haven't seen everything so hopefully one day I'll learn some "real" magic and eat my own words!

 

Steve, try to understand what people like me are saying. What you observe is your condition. Now, in your current condition, there is no such thing as "magic". Only physics is real. Unless you change this condition, you'll never observe magic. In other words, magic is not something that can be impinged upon you to "make you see".

 

The same is true in reverse as well. If someone has a mind that's conditioned to perceive magic, physical perceptions cannot be impinged on that person, no matter what.

 

So, if magic is real, it doesn't mean you'll ever encounter it, because it still depends on your willingness to live that [magical] way. And I don't think many people are willing to trash their entire worldview just to see some magic for the purpose of idle entertainment or to satisfy passing curiosity.

Edited December 6, 2009 by goldisheavy

[Taomeow]

I'll respectfully disagree. Fa Shen is real. You can develop your spirit to the point of completely intimidating an opponent and make them fall all over themselves, make them slip up, flinch, and exploit that. That's Fa Shen in a crude way. That's what we're seeing when an old master twists his students around barely touching them like in these videos. It's kind of like hypnosis. A lot of people, however, imagine that magic bolt of invisible force and call that Fa Shen, and I'll agree that is bullshit.

True. Fa Shen is part of classical training. A very good explanation of how to work on the method is written up in Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings." Musashi is considered to be the greatest swordsman Japan ever had. His "fa shen" tactics center on the eyes, the way you look, the kind of intent you put into your gaze... Example: you don't look at the opponent, he is transparent to you, you look through him as though he's less than insignificant -- he's actually invisible to you, because what you're already looking at as you look through him is your future where he simply doesn't exist -- because he's dead. THAT kind of a look.

 

From my own humble experience, fa shen can be easily projected in a verbal conflict simply by entering the latter in a subtle, mostly inner, taiji stance. A body language that spells relaxed un-intimidateable confidence is picked up by the opponent's unconscious, this is how most animal fights are resolved -- there's not much fighting in real animal world (unlike on Discovery Channel portraying nature as vicious and selecting a rare occurrence of a fight to masquerade as business as usual. Business as usual is, instead, a stand-off with subtle, or not-so-subtle, exchange of spiritual intent.) Anyone who lived for a length of time close to lots of feral cats (the way I did) knows that two cats who hate each other's guts will stand and look at each other for an hour, meowing the shivers down each other's spine, stepping half an inch forward, half an inch back, mixing their whiskers while looking each other square in the eye, display fa shen every which way -- and in 9 cases out of 10, the fight itself will never happen, one cat will be victorious and the other one defeated without any fur off either one's nose. The cat with the stronger shen and/or a better skill of projecting it will win every time. My grandmother had a cat like that, a female, who terrorized all competition for 18 years without ever once fighting an actual tooth-and-claw fight. That's a fa shen warrior for you.

 

"Study the cat, Saihung. Everything you need to learn, she knows already." -- Deng Ming-dao

Edited December 6, 2009 by Taomeow

[steve]

[steve]

Steve, try to understand what people like me are saying. What you observe is your condition. Now, in your current condition, there is no such thing as "magic". Only physics is real. Unless you change this condition, you'll never observe magic. In other words, magic is not something that can be impinged upon you to "make you see".

 

The same is true in reverse as well. If someone has a mind that's conditioned to perceive magic, physical perceptions cannot be impinged on that person, no matter what.

 

So, if magic is real, it doesn't mean you'll ever encounter it, because it still depends on your willingness to live that [magical] way. And I don't think many people are willing to trash their entire worldview just to see some magic for the purpose of idle entertainment or to satisfy passing curiosity.

I believe I understand your point, Gold.

Each of us creates our reality based on our conditioning, I agree with that.

My conditioning is primarily within the scientific paradigm so the images I create of reality fall within that realm mostly.

 

Much of my own work has been to drop as many of the preconceptions and images as possible and to experience directly, without that veil. This means letting go of explanations rather than accepting new ones. This probably is part of my resistance to ideas outside of my present paradigm.

[orb]

True. Fa Shen is part of classical training. A very good explanation of how to work on the method is written up in Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings." Musashi is considered to be the greatest swordsman Japan ever had. His "fa shen" tactics center on the eyes, the way you look, the kind of intent you put into your gaze... Example: you don't look at the opponent, he is transparent to you, you look through him as though he's less than insignificant -- he's actually invisible to you, because what you're already looking at as you look through him is your future where he simply doesn't exist -- because he's dead. THAT kind of a look.

 

From my own humble experience, fa shen can be easily projected in a verbal conflict simply by entering the latter in a subtle, mostly inner, taiji stance. A body language that spells relaxed un-intimidateable confidence is picked up by the opponent's unconscious, this is how most animal fights are resolved -- there's not much fighting in real animal world (unlike on Discovery Channel portraying nature as vicious and selecting a rare occurrence of a fight to masquerade as business as usual. Business as usual is, instead, a stand-off with subtle, or not-so-subtle, exchange of spiritual intent.) Anyone who lived for a length of time close to lots of feral cats (the way I did) knows that two cats who hate each other's guts will stand and look at each other for an hour, meowing the shivers down each other's spine, stepping half an inch forward, half an inch back, mixing their whiskers while looking each other square in the eye, display fa shen every which way -- and in 9 cases out of 10, the fight itself will never happen, one cat will be victorious and the other one defeated without any fur off either one's nose. The cat with the stronger shen and/or a better skill of projecting it will win every time. My grandmother had a cat like that, a female, who terrorized all competition for 18 years without ever once fighting an actual tooth-and-claw fight. That's a fa shen warrior for you.

 

"Study the cat, Saihung. Everything you need to learn, she knows already." -- Deng Ming-dao

 

That explains your avatar.... Here's a kitty for you

4x12ahZ5vh0

[Prince...]

This is a good conversation, but let's get down to business. Does this guy have the goods? I do yang taiji. My teacher is good, but he cannot teach me this stuff. I get what y'all are saying about a good person will relax and may not fall for the same thing twice--my rebuttal to this is that how likely is it that the average ass clown on the street wanting to knock your head off will be able to completely relax?

 

I know the thing to say is "well, I hope I never have to use this in real life." If you're good to a point where you can actually harm someone, then I hope so. In my case, I am not very large and come into contact with shady people on a consistent basis.

 

Last year a girl rear-ended my car due to her road rage. I was not hurt, but I thought I would teach her a lesson by calling the cops. Within 10 minutes her dad and her uncle showed up on the scene wanting to fight me. The cops showed up pretty quick, but had they not, I could have gotten jumped by those two guys.

 

Right now I'm working on my foundation with my teacher. When I graduate, I'm looking for someone with the goods to study with...and if they can't or won't deliver, then I'll find someone who will.

[Creation]

True. Fa Shen is part of classical training. A very good explanation of how to work on the method is written up in Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings." Musashi is considered to be the greatest swordsman Japan ever had. His "fa shen" tactics center on the eyes, the way you look, the kind of intent you put into your gaze... Example: you don't look at the opponent, he is transparent to you, you look through him as though he's less than insignificant -- he's actually invisible to you, because what you're already looking at as you look through him is your future where he simply doesn't exist -- because he's dead. THAT kind of a look.

 

From my own humble experience, fa shen can be easily projected in a verbal conflict simply by entering the latter in a subtle, mostly inner, taiji stance. A body language that spells relaxed un-intimidateable confidence is picked up by the opponent's unconscious, this is how most animal fights are resolved -- there's not much fighting in real animal world (unlike on Discovery Channel portraying nature as vicious and selecting a rare occurrence of a fight to masquerade as business as usual. Business as usual is, instead, a stand-off with subtle, or not-so-subtle, exchange of spiritual intent.) Anyone who lived for a length of time close to lots of feral cats (the way I did) knows that two cats who hate each other's guts will stand and look at each other for an hour, meowing the shivers down each other's spine, stepping half an inch forward, half an inch back, mixing their whiskers while looking each other square in the eye, display fa shen every which way -- and in 9 cases out of 10, the fight itself will never happen, one cat will be victorious and the other one defeated without any fur off either one's nose. The cat with the stronger shen and/or a better skill of projecting it will win every time. My grandmother had a cat like that, a female, who terrorized all competition for 18 years without ever once fighting an actual tooth-and-claw fight. That's a fa shen warrior for you.

 

"Study the cat, Saihung. Everything you need to learn, she knows already." -- Deng Ming-dao

Absolutely fascinating! Thanks for posting this.

[goldisheavy]

I believe I understand your point, Gold.

Each of us creates our reality based on our conditioning, I agree with that.

My conditioning is primarily within the scientific paradigm so the images I create of reality fall within that realm mostly.

 

Much of my own work has been to drop as many of the preconceptions and images as possible and to experience directly, without that veil. This means letting go of explanations rather than accepting new ones. This probably is part of my resistance to ideas outside of my present paradigm.

 

Steve, our paradigms have some value to us. So changing our core worldview is like performing an open-heart surgery. Or it's like giving up your baby. At every level of our being there is intent. We hold to this view (whatever your current view is) purposefully, because there are some important upsides there, even if we also see some downsides.

 

So this is very important. For example, none of us would cut off our arm, right? Why not? Because our arm has value to us. We don't just cut it off. Even if the arm is stuck under a huge boulder, and our very life is on the line, it's not an easy or obvious decision to make, to chop off your hand at the wrist, for the sake of survival. This is because we value our hands, to say nothing about our arms. We wonder, "what is life without a hand?" And while many people would rather live with one hand missing than not, many others would rather die than to live with a missing hand. And one hand is important, but it's still at the periphery of the body. One arm gets closer to the core of the body, but it is still at the periphery.

 

So then what about our core beliefs? Those form the very center of our being! We would rather get cremated 100 times than to change even a fraction of our core beliefs about reality. That's how weighty those are.

 

I am not trying to say that our core beliefs are evil or bad or that they are obstacles. What I am saying is that we value them greatly. So, let's say you're moving toward a more open-minded approach to life. What happens is that the going is relatively easy as you relax on the tangential and largely inconsequential beliefs. However, when you get to substantial beliefs (heh, pun), the going is not that easy anymore, because it's you vs. you. And you are the toughest opponent that you have. Once you decide something is worth believing, it's damn near impossible to convince yourself otherwise, at least, not without some damn good reasons (which are then have to be applied 10,000 times, because going over a damn good reason once is not enough).

 

The good news is that anything is possible. It might be hard or tricky, but it's possible.

 

The "problem" (if you can call it a problem) is that a physicalist worldview has many advantages and good points. Another problem is that all competing worldviews are without basis. In other words, there is no worldview that represents reality as it truly is. This is a problem because if, say, a non-physicalist worldview was closer to the truth of reality, it would be compelling on that ground. However, a non-physicalist worldview is just as empty of substance as any other belief. This means that the motivation for switching from one belief system to another is wholly internal. There is nothing to compel you to change your belief, because there is no external truth.

 

So what I am trying to say is that if you think of different ways of looking at the world as different TV channels, then channel 12 does not disprove or invalidate channel 15, and channel 56 is not anymore "reality how it truly is" than channel 73 or any other channel. Non-physicalist worldview at the ultimate level is not a denunciation or refutation of the physicalist view. And vice versa. There are many possible worldviews that feature internal coherency and that have redeeming value.