Nathan Brine

[Vajra Fist]

Looked into Nathan Brine. I read his book with interest. Seems like a decent chap.

 

Sadly his course fees amount to $2,750, which is a bit of a punt for an old miser like me.

[Taoist Texts]

32 minutes ago, Vajra Fist said:

Sadly his course fees amount to $2,750,

ah  how the mighty have fallen. When the neidan market was in full swing they claimed that you have to make a pilgrimage, swear a blood oath, get a magical lineage oral secret heart transmission through personal touch face to face...but when the market dried up suddenly a boiler-plate video  is just fine  makes you wonder

[liminal_luke]

3 hours ago, Taomeow said:

  I wish I knew what it means.  I have several theories, but no definitive proof of anything...  

 

I can´t say what an abundance of synchronicities mean either but it strikes me as a very good sign.  An alignment of inner and outer realities such that fluctuations are perceived as a smooth unified force, an edgeless flowing between the conventional you that lives inside your skin and the you that is as big as the universe?

 

Seems to me that synchronicities are a prerequisite for creating positive change in the world.  Most people try to change things by focusing on something outside of themselves.  This method lacks oomph.  It´s like a beginner at tai chi waving her arms around without an integrous connection through the body.  Another sneakier way is to make the change on the inside and let it ripple out into the world synchronicity style.  This is obviously an advanced method but I reckon it works better, especially for stopping hurricanes. 

Edited April 23, 2024 by liminal_luke

[silent thunder]

7 hours ago, snowymountains said:

 

As it's something that's impossible to prove and at the same time impossible disprove, it's like the universe is trolling us...

 

I ignore them because what is one to make out of them, fry their brain if it was a synchrinicity? Impossible to answer.

 

And let's say, for the sake of the argument, there even was a way to tell in retrospect.

Then what? What is one supposed to do with their next dream, assume it has predictive value and act on it? They're bound to be disappointed after 1-2-3 dreams.

Hence I ignore the cosmic trolling

[Forestgreen]

On 2024-04-22 at 8:45 PM, Taomeow said:

 

and then how to increase mobility of the organs themselves.  He asserted it's a modern, and abnormal, thing for internal organs to be "stuck" and "glued," 

Bruce Frantzis teaches how to do this as well.

[Neirong]

On 24.04.2024 at 6:42 AM, Forestgreen said:

Bruce Frantzis teaches how to do this as well.

We had one student come from Frantzis, it was a truly horrific experience.

Frantzis is not only a scammer, who made himself on fake fajin demonstrations, and teaching bullshido. He looks to be a victim of modern american diet.
 

Spoiler

 

 

[Taomeow]

6 hours ago, Neirong said:

 He looks to be a victim of modern american diet.
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually he doesn't.  American diet belly hangs low and flabby.  Frantzis's belly sits high and tight, balloon style.  It's a different kind of belly altogether.  

 

 

[oak]

As much as we don't like what Frantzis became only hypocrites will deny the debt they have towards him.

Just my assertive humble opinion.

[Nintendao]

Anyone know a source for this term "mouse moving under skin" that Nathan describes here with regards to the pill moving along the orbit?

 

i noticed TT mention something possibly related:

On 4/22/2024 at 1:34 PM, Taoist Texts said:

interestingly 'hitting with the liver' is mentioned in my authoritative sources on Xingyiquan, so what you related is doable, I have no doubts about that. My take it that the lump travelling under the skin was not the liver itself, but a lump  of the liver qi travelling along the liver meridian.

 

[silent thunder]

Several of Master Wang's students describe this experience.

[Taoist Texts]

9 hours ago, Nintendao said:

Anyone know a source for this term "mouse moving under skin"

muscle
Origin

late Middle English: from French, from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus ‘mouse’ (some muscles being thought to be mouse-like in form).

48 minutes ago, silent thunder said:

Several of Master Wang's students describe this experience.

If only the scientists invented a small popular handheld device with the ability to capture and disseminate moving pictures. .. well maybe someday...

[Taomeow]

4 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

 

If only the scientists invented a small popular handheld device with the ability to capture and disseminate moving pictures. .. well maybe someday...

 

Why would a smart person -- scientists are smart, right? -- invest time and effort into studying live bodies when all of their training and expertise has been obtained via studying dead bodies?..  No one is that foolish.  They didn't spend countless dedicated hours dissecting corpses, looking at slides of dead tissues under the microscope, learning everything there is to learn about dead blood in a test tube, electrostimulating pieces of dead muscles to find out how they work, etc., toward forgetting all of that hard work and all of their expertise gained thereby.  Their expertise in the functioning of live bodies is gained by extrapolating everything they learned from dead bodies.  If they were to observe something unusual about a body that is actually alive yet does something dead bodies don't do -- something their curriculum doesn't include -- where would they go from there?  Into peer sneer territory, in the best case scenario.  Don't underestimate scientists, they know what's good for them.          

[silent thunder]

@Taomeow

[Nintendao]

On 6/12/2024 at 9:42 AM, Taoist Texts said:

muscle
Origin

late Middle English: from French, from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus ‘mouse’ (some muscles being thought to be mouse-like in form).

If only the scientists invented a small popular handheld device with the ability to capture and disseminate moving pictures. .. well maybe someday...

 

Only one video comes to mind where I have seen something at least resembling this elusive mouse. Much as i hesitate to post this gem yet again. The few seconds of interest at the moment are at 4:17.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Looks more vascular than muscular. It's not traveling around though. Pretty neat.

 

[tommyprotramp]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:57 PM, Taoist Texts said:

of course you did , and you were. Thank you very much. Who can forget the curious case of the travelling liver? Not me.

or this. Or the senior citizen who on this forum claimed to deflect a hurricane with magic. If an eyewitness says it happened then it happened. No argument there, i am totally convinced that it did happen for you good folk. Unfortuntely, it did not not happen in my reality which is my loss;)

 

Going back to the OP, what WLP and Brine purport to teach is immortality (neidan in western parlance) . Its a weird way to make a living but hey, not the weirdest one. Now when a teacher teaches immortality, is either he is  an immortal already - then he knows what he teaches. Or he is not immortal yet - then he is  a fraud. And being immortal or not starts from having a little thing called neidan, or the elixir. So per the OP whoever is interested in Brine  just gotta ask him: "Sifu with all due respect, you teach neidan, so....do you have the neidan? " Then watch the shuffle dance begin.

 

It is not about physical immortality but about spiritual immortality and physical health and longevity.

Unless you are someone like Jesus Christ or other Avatars that incarnate in this world, who can literally materialize their thoughts instantly, and who can be true or purely fantastical... 

 

The only way to verify anything is to test it yourself.

 

Qi is real.

Manipulating Qi through Yi Gong is real.

The real question is how much is possible, how much you can, or should, do with it... 

Ultimately this is ancient psychosomatics.

[silent thunder]

[Neirong]

On 16.02.2025 at 12:26 AM, tommyprotramp said:

It is not about physical immortality but about spiritual immortality and physical health and longevity.

 

On 25.04.2024 at 11:25 AM, Neirong said:

Frantzis is not only a scammer, who made himself on fake fajin demonstrations, and teaching bullshido. He looks to be a victim of modern american diet.

The problem with their talk is that it does not align with reality. It is a classic case of pulling the wool over someone's eyes or engaging in scamgong manipulation. Do I need to point out that Nathan Brine looks extremely unhealthy and frail? Is this the result of secret lineage 20+ years of personal training under grand master wang liping?
 

Daoists make bold claims about health, longevity, and immortality, yet all we see are sickening footages of individuals suffering from the effects of a modern American diet. They are frequently found in worse health than the average person who does not practice any Daoist arts and has never heard of the "wonderful health benefits and immortality practices."

 

On 25.04.2024 at 5:47 PM, Taomeow said:

Actually he doesn't.  American diet belly hangs low and flabby.  Frantzis's belly sits high and tight, balloon style.  It's a different kind of belly altogether.  

I don't think you should advertise or endorse morbid obesity.

Yes, it is a different kind of belly. Different kind of fat as well, usual fat is bad, but this one must be a holy one. And no, they are not dying like all other mortals, they simply enter mahasamadhi and ascend to divine realms.
 

It reminds me of the copium statements made by some people defending "Gurus" who smoke cigars and drink whiskey (and take God knows what substances behind the scenes), as if this is an external show to humble their followers' egos.
 

Certainly, it is not a dreadful, harmful addiction or a lack of self control.
 

The truth is, addictions stem from a weak mind incapable of controlling the body. They also arise when there is no leverage between the mind and the body, and when there is no adequate spiritual development to begin with. Such a human would truly be an animal without an active spiritual component.

[Master Logray]

Finding an acceptable teacher is difficult,  for in and out of China, from old days to now.    Yet there is a simple way to see part of the teacher's level i.e. by external appearance.   It is not unlikely audition for a model, we look at their body shape, face, voice and details.   For philosophical Taoist, they can be any shape.   But cultivating Taoist, especially Neidan type, the body matters, because the system claims to be creating immortals.   So if a teacher cannot demonstrate any successful result on his own body, we have to wonder he got the real stuff or not,  or his own teacher did not how to impart knowledge, or commonly, he is better in talking than doing.   In the case such a teacher keeps on increasing weight to obesity level,  we must be cautious.  After all Taoists are known to be thin and agile, while Buddhists are known to be fat.

 

There is however a catch.  If the teacher only starts at mid-age or even older, his body shape and general condition could be difficult to reverse.   When a teacher started off at younger ages as some of them being discussed are, they become rather fat, clumsy or even frail over the years.   Then something is not right.

 

 

 

 

[Neirong]

4 hours ago, Master Logray said:

So if a teacher cannot demonstrate any successful result on his own body, we have to wonder he got the real stuff or not,  or his own teacher did not how to impart knowledge, or commonly, he is better in talking than doing.   In the case such a teacher keeps on increasing weight to obesity level,  we must be cautious.  After all Taoists are known to be thin and agile, while Buddhists are known to be fat.

It is the case with Damo Mitchell and Adam Mizner as well. It is a well-known fact that excess fat can prevent or impede energy circulation.
 

It boggles my mind how blind, deaf, and willing to be deceived some are.

It’s understandable not to have third-eye vision, not to be able to assess someone’s spiritual development, or not to see how much energy a teacher possesses.

However, ignoring the physical condition of someone who claims to teach :

• martial arts, 
• longevity and health, 
• immortality, and youthfulness

is astonishing.

 

4 hours ago, Master Logray said:

while Buddhists are known to be fat.

People who only meditate often neglect their physical body and develop a weak physique. However, they should eventually realize that having a frail body will become a significant chokepoint or bottleneck on the path of cultivation.

The story of Bodhidharma comes to mind that has created Shaolin, because he faced that very problem after prolonged sitting.

[Taomeow]

I guess this leaves some of the most famous teachers who were also formidable undefeated fighters out in the cold...  

but thanks for correcting their ignorant ways.

 

Cheng Manching (the first master to bring taiji to the West and establish a school here) stands corrected:

 

 

 

Yang Chengfu stands corrected:

 

 

And as for the spiritual types, sheesh, even the Buddha stands corrected:

 

 

(By the way, just so you don't suspect ulterior personal motives -- I am, and have always been, thin with no special effort.)  

[Keith108]

Comment removed

Edited May 22 by Keith108
To remove comment

[Master Logray]

11 hours ago, Taomeow said:

I guess this leaves some of the most famous teachers who were also formidable undefeated fighters out in the cold...  

but thanks for correcting their ignorant ways.

 

Cheng Manching (the first master to bring taiji to the West and establish a school here) stands corrected:

 

 

TaiChi teachers may not be cultivators.  One of my teacher was quite fat.  Being fat doesn't affect their knowledge and skill in using the force, but on endurance and having other health problems.  While every kid can outrun them, their power has little usage.

 

There was a survey on lifespan of more famous Taichi teachers.  They don't live that long.  But it is hard to say, because last 200 years China had been in deep turmoil.   XingYi masters seem slightly better.

 

 

11 hours ago, Taomeow said:

(By the way, just so you don't suspect ulterior personal motives -- I am, and have always been, thin with no special effort.)  

 

Then you would look younger than your peers.   Recently I learn of a new term, Obesity Paradox.   It means slight underweight would do immense benefits to avoid many current days sicknesses.   But when this kind of person is seriously ill, they have a slimmer chance than overweight people.   So the ability to put on weight in a short time is useful.

[Cobie]

13 hours ago, Keith108 said:

Comment removed

Ha, ha, I do that a lot. Let rip, then think better of it.   

 

Edited May 23 by Cobie

[Keith108]

5 hours ago, Cobie said:

Ha, ha, I do that a lot. Let rip, then think better of it.   

 

Yeah, 9 times out of 10, noble silence is the better path! 

 

 

[doc benway]

On 5/21/2025 at 9:59 AM, Neirong said:

The truth is, addictions stem from a weak mind incapable of controlling the body. They also arise when there is no leverage between the mind and the body, and when there is no adequate spiritual development to begin with. Such a human would truly be an animal without an active spiritual component.

 

Any human can be subject to addiction, even those with deep spiritual insights and strong minds.

Truth is, addictions stem from (lack of) genetic adaptation, from isolation, and loss of community.

Labeling it as simply weak is a parochial and elitist view that treats addiction as criminal rather than the public health problem that it is.

It's a very dysfunctional and counter-productive paradigm.