Eight Extraordinary Channels: David Twicken's new book

[cheya]

David Twicken's new book, Eight Extraordinary Channels: Qi Jing Ba Mai, arrived more than two weeks ago, but I've been waiting to report on it until my opinions settled. It is an excellent book, but, since it's aimed at acupuncturists, the first sections of the book are not immediately useful to me. However, I actually got the book more because of the section on Nei Dan inner meditation, so that was where I looked first.

 

The methods Twicken offers are deceptively simple, and I was initially disappointed: "Is that all?" I guess I was kind of expecting the secrets of the universe. However, I've started working with his nei dan, and I am truly impressed! And grateful! Just in a week or so, this has brought startling advances in my inner energy work. As always, reading about the method does not reveal the secrets. DOING IT is the ticket, Rumi's ring in the door!

 

Twicken includes a 10-page section on the Nei Jing Tu. His brief discussion of 40 elements of that illustration (seen on the front of the book) has inspired me to look further into other commentaries on this well-known Taoist map.

 

Twicken's practices will very accessible to those who have worked with Robert Bruce's methods, although I don't think it came from there at all. I don't know if my success with this is mostly a readiness factor, or if others will be similarly impressed, and I'm looking forward to reports from others who've read the book and tried the practices.

[寒月 Hanyue]

I have this too. I liked it overall.

 

I am not a fan of the attempts at acupuncture protocols using the qijing bamai in this book. They are way too wildly esoteric and rely on a TCM model of point selection that I find simply odd in comparison to the more pragmatic classical medicine I've been taught. But that is me, others may love them.

 

I found that much of the information was available elsehwere but usually dotted around, so having it all in one place was nice. Of course there are little bits that are rare or new. I have however previously taken the time to personally translate Zhang's 'bamai jing' (it aint all that long) so as to better understand these qimai, so I am quite familar with much of the available material. The diagrams are (credited, and with permission) from JAJ's medical qigong textbooks.

 

The neidan surprised me too, I haven't tried it, but I did like his take on it. It reminded me a lot of MacRitchie's "Eight Extraordinary Meridians Qigong" ( I haven't bothered doing a side by side) but they both originally studied under Mantak Chia so that might be why.