jim-mcmillan-seeking-the-master-of-mo-paipdf compress

Seeking the Master of
Mo Pai
Adventures with John Chang
by
SAILING LEAF PUBLISHING
LOUISVILLE, KY
Copyright © 2011 by Jim McMillan
All rights reserved, including the right
to reproduce this book or portions
thereof in any form whatsoever.
Forward by Derrick Arnold, author/nai gong practitioner
From his humble beginnings, mixed martial arts (MMA) trainer to the first ever Western student in the Mo
Pai school, Jim McMillan has built a bridge for all of us. His journey starts in Seattle, Washington and
takes him to Indonesia with interesting pit stops in Hong Kong, Bali, and Australia, and back to Utah
where he lives with his wife.
He has come full circle and has developed himself —mind, body, and soul. With a background in karate
and tae kwon do, he has adapted his life to nai gong, and not the other way around, making no
compromises and sparing no expense.
In this book, Jim manages to draw from many different resources while retaining the cultural value
involved. His presentation is empirical and his integrity which surrounds the practice that he continues to
this day is glaringly obvious.
Perhaps the most interesting element herein is the account of longtime head of the Mo Pai school, John
Chang. This enigmatic healer/businessman opens up his life in an attempt to restore ancient knowledge to
its rightful place: back to the society to which we all belong.
Mysterious circumstances led to John’s removal from his position, leaving a void that resonates
worldwide, especially for those of us who endeavor down the long and arduous path of chi cultivation
and selfdiscovery. The impression of Jim’s adventurous saga is deep and strikes a chord, and not only for
martial artists.
This story spans the globe both literally and metaphorically. It’s a trip we’ve all yearned to take. Follow
Jim as he peels away the secrecy and reveals the true power behind the two thousand year old school. As
a parent and a child, a student and teacher, and from a personal and professional perspective, Jim
introduces this philosophical science that composes the lineage that began with Mo Tzu, the school’s epic
founder.
Seeking the Master of Mo Pai lends itself well to any reader, whether familiar withor clueless about
internal martial arts. There’s a grassroots movement growing to find the remnants of this lost treasure and
to maintain its wealth for the sake of humanity and to the benefit of the individual who is willing to do the
work with the tools offered in this tradition.
Chapter 1
Rushing through a maze of unfamiliar foreign streets, I had just minutes before my plane left to finally
meet the man I had long been searching for.
The increasing anxiety clouded my mind so much so that I had forgotten all the difficulties of my two year
search. At last, my goal was about to be realized.
I arrived at a fortress-like white wall surrounding a very modern, two-story Asian home. It was obviously
the home of a wealthy family. A servant greeted me in a language I didn’t understand while motioning for
me to follow him. I was about to be in the presence of the man I had been searching for.
A few moments later I quickly recognized the small, aging Asian man the moment he walked in the room.
He looked very unassuming and tired. However, I couldn’t help feeling a pervasive power surrounding
him as we greeted one another for the first time. I could tell he was guarding himself somewhat.
Thoughts were raging through my mind. I wanted to discuss many questions I had with him. At the same
time, I kept wondering and wanting to ask right away if he would accept me as his student. I knew it
wouldn’t be prudent to be so impulsive, so I held off while stammering to think of how I should handle my
burning desire to ask if I could become a student. But given the little time I had left, I knew I had to rush
things. If he did accept me, I later learned, I would be the first Westerner ever allowed into this very
ancient nai gong school.
I tried to condense my questions into as few as I could. Then, I couldn’t remember which one I wanted to
ask first. Even if I had, there wasn’t enough time. At that moment his voice changed as he pushed aside the
congenialities and said, “What do you want with me?” I was now faced with what I hadwanted to ask,
“Do you accept students?” I said rather hesitatingly. “I want to learn how to do the things I had seen you
do.” How childish of me to put it that way I thought to myself, but I was reacting from the apprehensive
moment and so little time.
Without a word he stepped toward me and grabbed my arm. He then told me he needed to check my pulse
to see if it were strong enough. Then, he asked me to flex my forearm to check my muscle strength. He
seemed satisfied as he looked at me with a piercing expression. I could still sense a reserved emotion
within him as he said, “OK, I will accept you!” It would be years later that I would finally learn just what
his reserved expression actually meant.
Upon hearing his words of acceptance, a shower of joy immediately rained over me. For the first time in a
long time, I could allow my feelings to unwind. I wanted to jump and express my emotions, but as usual I
remained impassively mature through the whole event. This is what I had been hoping for. My dream for
the last two years became a reality at last!
With the remaining time I had left, my new teacher explained the first lesson to me. He had me sit on the
floor next to him showing me the correct posture and the proper breathing techniques. Then, he told me
that I would be getting a certain feeling in about eighty hours, and to let him know about it as soon as it
occurred. Then he stood up and acted as though he was finished. That’s it? I thought. This is all I have to
do?It just didn’t seem enough; I thought surely there was more than this! I was too elated and panicked at
the same time to think any deeper at this moment.
After we completed the beginning phase, what little time I had left, I managed to remember what I wanted
him to show me his electrical ability. I had seen him demonstrate this strange expertise in a documentary
before. He smiled willingly as he reached out touching me with only his finger. Just as he did, a powerful
electrical current shot through me instantaneously. It made me jump away leaving me dumbfounded and
thrilled at the same time. I was completely defenseless by the overwhelming power he demonstrated on
me. My sudden reaction amused him. The others who were standing around watching chuckled knowingly.
Just then, my taxi arrived finalizing my brief visit with my new teacher. My time with him had ended; I
regretfully had to leave for the airport. It was a distressing moment for me. I had just become a student
and wanted to have more, but there was none. I was given a lesson and then I had to go home and train.
Grabbing my luggage, I bid him farewell and hurried toward the taxi in a stressed daze. I was rushing and
had no time to think about all that had just happened. My teacher casually walked out to the street and was
several feet behind me. As I was taxied off, I could see him bidding me a waving good-bye.
As I glanced back, I tried to remain in the moment and savor my visit as long as I could and commit it to
memory, as I just didn’t want to leave yet. Plus, I felt there was more I needed to know. I was so stressed
from having to rush through everything just to get to the airport on timeI couldn’t focus on what had just
happened. It was too difficult, the whole experience with him probably would not settle in for a while.
Strangely, I looked forward to my long twenty-one hour flight home that included a six hour layover in
Japan. I knew my flight would give me time to settle down happened. As the experience remembered that
I had forgotten to ask when I was supposed to return to see my teacher again. How would I know what to
do next? There was just not enough time to go over everything.
My anxiety continued to rise as we met heavy traffic during the hurried trip to the airport. Now, my
attention was focused on my immediate ordeal. I was concerned that I might miss my plane. About a halfhour later after finally distancing ourselves from the city traffic, we were finally at the airport.
and recall everything that had just
was racing through my mind I
That was back in 1990, I’ll never for get the experience searching for my teacher the first time. I had all
the excitement and intrigue I could ask for while finding enormous pleasure in my adventures. Since then,
when I travel to see him, almost every year, it always turns out to be another entirely new adventure for
me.
Chapter 2
My first encounter with my teacher was based on a TV documentary I had been casually watching one
fateful evening. As usual, I came home from teaching my martial arts class and quickly grabbed something
to eat and sat down on the couch and turned on TV. Without realizing it, fate was about to unfold in front
of me. It was at this exact moment that I had sat down to eat and begin watching TV that a documentary
began showing a segment of my future teacher. It showed a man who possessed superhuman abilities. I
was absolutely and totally taken aback by it, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This man was able to
create fire from his hands and burned paper! And then he was somehow able to generate an electrical
charge within his body. He demonstrated this strange ability on two separate occasions in the segment on
the two brothers who produced the documentary, who were apparently willing victims. Both were visibly
surprised from their encounter, and so was I. This instantly projected me into the beginning of my destiny.
It captured my complete attention as I sat there completely spellbound. I instantly knew that I needed to
meet this extraordinary man and become a student. I didn’t understand why I had such a strong urge, as I
was totally taken by it! I didn’t know how I would do it, or if he even accepted students, but I felt a deep,
innate longing and knew I must go find him. From that time on, I continued to feel a beckoning that I would
not stop and which continues even to this day.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to find this surreal man or even if I could find him. All I knew was that my
life was instantly thrust in a new direction. What I had been doing for the last six years meant nothing any
longer.
As time passed, all this continued to weigh on my mind while trying to find ways to do research on this
man. Oddly, during that time I didn’t care what problems I might encounter and would overcome them. My
mind was fixated upon finding out if I could become a student of this extraordinary man. It was as though
my destiny had become my only goal in life.I knew I wouldn’t be content until I found him.
Some of the peculiar Asian customs I had previously read about crossed my mind as I contemplated what
things I might have to do in order to accomplish my goal. In some of the Asian cultures, students who had
chosen a master to train under would almost always be refused by them at first. The master would tell the
student to go away and leave him alone, and then ignore them while the student would wait for another
answer. However, if you are a true devotee, tradition demands that you sit and wait for the master to
recognize your sincerity by ignoring his first refusal, or the elements, or going without food while waiting
for his next answer. And that could be for days, even weeks! In most cases, once he finally accepts you,
you’re expected to stay at your master’s home and serve him as a lowly servant for an undetermined
period of time. This means you may not be given any training until years later, after you’ve spent a good
amount of time serving your master. So, you will become a servant before you become a student until the
master deems it is time to teach you. I am sure there is something of importance in all this, but it sure
doesn’t sit well with other culture’s concepts of training.
Since this was a part of Asia I would be going to, I wondered if I might have to become a servant. And
was I willing to go this far? I wanted to think so, but wasn’t sure since I had not experienced anything like
this before. While this was on my mind, I decided it didn’t matter what I might have to face. I found
myself somehow willing to accept whatever came my way.
Everything was ready for me to begin to move in a new direction. I had enough vacation time coming to
me, enough money, and my daughter was married and out of the house. I was single and had no
commitments to anyone. I was ready for my fate.
Earlier in my life, I had achieved some very satisfying goals in sports, but found it was never enough. It
was only later in my life that I became interested and learned three different styles of martial arts which
progressed later into mixed martial arts (MMA) training, and then went on to teach for many more years.
But alas, I had been growing tired of it and inwardly wanted something else and didn’t know what.
Anything physical just didn’t seem to interest me any longer. There just wasn’t too much more I wanted to
learn. I was tired of the entire existence of what I was involved in. Evenif I hadn’t felt this way, I had the
problem of my aging body. I had found that my strength was not balanced with my knowledge of
techniques. My prime had passed and was left with uncertainty about my strength and abilities; it was time
for me to find a new interest anyway.
This phase of my life cruelly kept me in the void I was inwardly trying to find despite my last ebbing
years. Unbeknown to me when all this started, I had grown into a somewhat indifferent feeling without
realizing it. Something definitely was missing in my life even though it hadn’t hit me yet. The symptoms
were there, but I wasn’t recognizing them.
After I saw the documentary with this strange man, I then realized that all this had slowly crept up on me
and unwittingly caused me to keep an eye for something to appease my desire for more than I was already
involved in. Maybe that is the reason why I was so eager to follow my new hidden desire.
At forty-three years of age, I realized I was becoming physically limited and struggled with the reality that
men age. Plus, various injuries that had incurred during teaching would take many months, and even up to
a year or longer to finally heal. It seemed as though just as one problem healed, then I would have another
one to attend to. And on top of that I had difficulty keeping up with my young, energetic black belt students
who were physically primed and wanted to finally “get-back” at their teacher for the many years of hard
training I imposed upon them.
Now, here was a way to continue my development with a new start and a new outlook that would
correspond to my age. This was the next logical step for someone my age—training mentally—which
would excel me beyond my physical limitations.
Everything seemed to fit. Here was a new direction I could work on no matter how old I became without
any limitations. It crossed my mind that it may not have any confines or restrictions, and also went beyond
human physical strength. I could develop superhuman abilities no matter what condition I was in or how
old I am. It was uncharted and mysterious, and I was hopeful, my enthusiasm returned after a long spell of
lethargy.
Nevertheless, I later learned it would take more time than I have left in my in life to develop all the levels
(seventy-two) in this discipline I was searching for. However, the development was permanent and
would last me the rest of my life. The older I get, the stronger I would become. This is so unlike what I
was so familiar with from all the physical training and injuries one receives from different sports and
martial arts. After forty years of age, every morning it seems like there are more ailments to deal with than
necessary. And when you subject yourself to intensive martial arts training it seems to exacerbate your
physical complaints and I was tired of that.
As elated as I was with this new direction, I didn’t have a clue as to what I would later encounter.
Everything was totally uncertain at the moment. However, I had no idea that it would take two years of
searching just to find this man. All I knew was that I had to undertake the calling. I had to locate this
mysterious man I had just found.
I thought the first thing I needed to do was contact the video company that produced the documentary.
When I did, they in turn gave me the address of the film production company in England that I needed to
contact. And that is where I ran into my first dead-end. I continued not to have any response even after I
wrote another letter of inquiry. After all that, I then tried finding a phone number to see if I could call
them, and when I did find a number, it was disconnected. What a waste of time.
Sometime later, it occurred to me that maybe the Indonesian Consulate could help me. I found that the only
Indonesian consulate was in San Francisco. How was I going to explain to them what I was looking for,
which might be difficult for them to help me. I was unsure, but needed to try this avenue anyway.
I reasoned that if I had pictures of a few of the big landmarks from the documentary, maybe they could
identify them for me. I took several different pictures of the places that had certain unique buildings and
landscapes they might recognize from the documentary on my TV. My hope was that someone at the
Consulate would be able to identify the city or at least the general location where this man lived. As it
turned out, the pictures didn't help whatsoever. So much had changed from the time the documentary had
been made which was well over a decade. No one at the consulate recognized anything from the photos I
sent them which I thought was really odd. The people in the Consulate had been living here for so long
that none were familiar with the newer building I sent them. So that was that, another dead end—I had to
think of another direction.
The people who made the documentary left no names or clues on which a search could be based. I found
out later, it was only on the condition of complete anonymity that my teacher had agreed to be interviewed
and filmed for the documentary. Despite all that, I was eventually able to extract one unnoticeably small
clue unwittingly left by the author who had also written a book as a supplement to the video series. It was
from the book that gave me what I needed.
Later, when I finally met the author I had searched for so long, he expressed surprise because he had tried
to leave no clues whatsoever. He also told me that he had lost some of the film in a fire where he was
living when he was editing his documentary for release. And because some of the film was destroyed in
the fire, he said he had to use other film segments of another city to replace the city I was looking for.
That’s the reason why the consulate wasn’t able to help me as I had hoped. What I had showed the
Consulate was another city six hundred miles away and told them it was a different location without ever
realizing it! No wonder they were confused.
The clue I discovered came when the author said in his book that he had been re-filming the destroyed
segments. He had to return to Indonesia for filming and decided to return once more and take a chance to
see the man who rejected him the first time.
He said he had a bunch of time in a layover at Jakarta airport and decided to use that extra time to fly six
hundred miles to a “bulging city” (to quote the author) to visit the man I was searching for, and that was
the clue! I quickly found a map of Java and measured the distance. There were exactly two cities at that
same distance. From the research I conducted I knew that one of the two cities was smaller than the other
one. One was known as a military base while the other was a very large populated city and the one I
believe where I would begin my search to find the man I was looking for. I reasoned if it had been the
smaller one, the author probably would have alluded to it in some manner as he did to the larger one by
calling it a bulging city, which really does not do it justice. The city is beyond bulging, it is “massive.”
To compound the difficulty of my search, the bulging city in which I chose to begin my search had around
three million people living there. And how would I find someone without having a name? Then, the idea
of obtaining a personal ad in the newspaper came to me. Maybe I could offer a monetary reward to
someone that might be able to identify this man if I sent a picture along with the personal ad. Surely, most
people read the daily paper and someone might recognize him.
I went to the local library, researched available newspapers in that region of the world and began writing
inquiry letters to them. And once again, another snag: the newspapers which responded wanted an
outrageous amount for a very small ad. It appeared that this third world country was taking advantage of
an obviously rich American. This actually hastened my trip. I thought, for that kind of money I could
almost pay for the plane fare. And that’s exactly what I did. Was this an act of a desperate man or what? I
tried to overcome any doubt of finding this man by justifying that it would be a great vacation, even if I
couldn’t find him. However, I didn’t want to think about that because I was too excited, and at the same
time, apprehensive and naively hopeful.
Then I made plane reservations. The ticket was over one thousand dollars, and to make it more
suspenseful, nonrefundable! Now, I was totally committed. It was a big chance I was taking, but I was
still compelled and it didn’t matter about the cost or anything else involved.
As the departure date was nearing, I shopped for what I thought I needed. I was also immunized for all the
problems the travel book said I needed to be safe (I found out later it wasn’t necessary). My mom held up
her tradition, as expected, always worrying about the worst case scenarios. My step-father told me to buy
lots of pencils to give to all the poor children that lived there. He said that in some parts of the world they
don’t have things like that, which they most certainly did and a lot more. Also my friends kept saying,
“Where you going again?” And, “Where the heck is that?” They hadn’t a clue. I realized just how
geographically ignorant people really are. I thought to myself how funny it is because everyone thinks a
vacation should be, like Hawaii or a trip to Disneyland. Anything other than that, most wouldn’t have a
clue where I was going and must have thought I was losing my mind!
After all the preparations, it was finally time to actually begin what had been surreal for a couple years.
From my home in the North Pacific where I used to live, I drove to the airport in late autumn while it was
rainy and cold. Because of that, I was looking forward being in a warm climate, but didn’t realize just
how exasperatingly hot it would be.
I dropped off my car at an airport parking lot and waited in the rain for the next transport bus to the airport
terminal. The boarding gates for the international flights are always in different parts of the airport and
takes extra time to get there. I finally arrived. Now, I was officially leaving and was excitedly nervous as
I waited to board my plane.
Thoughts were running amok about my mission. Was I going off on some wild goose chase? Would I find
what I was looking for? I was uneasy and totally perplexed as I left Washington State to see the other side
of the world for something I may not find. It was a chance I had to take.
The flight took around twenty hours to finally arrive in Indonesia. It turned out to be the most
uncomfortable plane trip I had ever experienced. I had mistakenly purchased a discounted ticket and sat in
the coach section. The seats were too close together and I felt something like a sardine all the while.
There were so many Asians traveling this flight that I really felt out of place. Apparently, no one seemed
to notice the NO SMOKING signs either. While not being used to a lot of their customs, it was, I have to
say, hard sitting next to people eating strange and smelly dried fish and other unknown items constantly
throughout the entire flight. The people on this flight seemed to have endless supplies of home prepared
food that would be pulled from many layers of crumpled paper bags despite all the food the airlines
served.
It wouldn’t have been too bad for a couple of hours of this, but twenty hours! The only redemption was the
food the plane served and the movies, not to mention the friendly and very attractive Asian stewardesses
—this really made the trip somewhat tolerable. I might mention that the Asian airlines seemed really
proud of their food. They even screened a short film of the chef who created all the special meals just for
this airline. It was really pretty terrific!
The stewardesses were patient with any and all requests, acting very professional when dealing with any
problems that occurred. They tried to accommodate everyone by going an extra step. Compared to airlines
from American that I’ve flown to Asia on, American stewardesses seem generally bored, tired, and not
all that friendly. And they especially didn’t seem concerned about their work or you much of the time.
They usually have an overall lackluster attitude and their performance seemed superficial. And the
American airline food on these long flights is just barely tolerable. It is no different from the food they
serve in the states. No pride! That one trip I took to Asia was the first and last time I’ll ever fly overseas
on an American airline. They just can’t match the Asian Airline’s attitude or desire to make your trip as
pleasant as possible.
Chapter 3
My first stop after landing on this intriguingly mysterious Javanese island was the capital city, Jakarta.
While this huge populated city isn’t readily known for any real great attractions or tourism, it still held a
great excitement for me just to be there. I was more than anxious to explore and feel the ambiance of its
culture. It didn’t matter to me whether there were attractions or not, I just wanted to experience everything
physically and mentally. I like to immerse myself into the culture to try and get a feeling that I can harbor
for the rest of my life.
I decided to explore this vast city for five days before traveling on to my final destination for another ten
days of searching. I was that confident. I hadn’t planned yet on how I was going to travel to my final
destination, Surabaya. I thought maybe I would like to try the train, but wasn’t sure yet, and put it aside for
a while because I was going to be here a week.
I was a little nervous arriving in Jakarta because I also had not made hotel reservations yet, and it was
after midnight when I finally arrived. A fleeting thought crossed my mind. What would I do if I couldn’t
get a room for the night? It didn’t matter. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. I reasoned that this city had
several million people, and the summer tourist season was officially over. Surely, there had to be empty
hotel rooms available. I pulled my travel book out of my suitcase and called one of the hotels listed
closest to the center of the city. Just as I thought, the hotel I called had plenty of rooms available.
It was late at night and very dark as I rode a taxi into the city. My driver tried to strike up a conversation
with the little unclear English he thought he knew. I didn’t really understand much at all. Rather than
saying “huh” to his unclear English, I thought it best just to say “yeah” whenever I couldn’t make out what
he was trying to say. It might be a little risky doing it this way, but I know that people get irritated if you
keep saying “what?” if you don’t understand them. Thankfully, he knew exactly where my hotel was
located despite traveling for such a long time with him and there were no mishaps along the way.
Arriving at the outskirts of the city, we drove past the poor neighborhoods where many shanties were
built reminding me of when my family came to live in California when I was a child. I remember my
mother wincing as she observed the older, outer sections of Los Angeles that we had to pass through
because of the direction we came from. Ordinarily, the main highways into the city were nicer than the
route we came. My mother didn’t like it and thought it would be like this the rest of the way and wanted to
turn back. However, on my trip into the capital city of Java, it didn’t matter what it was like, I wanted to
go no matter what.
As we drove by these sections of the city I wondered if the entire city was this dilapidated. However, as
we advanced deeper into the city, the shanties gradually improved to more affluent looking building until
there were beautifully designed buildings and structures all around. The outskirts of the city also
reminded me a little of the run down Mexicanside streets I’d seen before when I visited Tijuana, Mexico
many, many years ago. I didn’t know what to expect on this side of the world or what I would see for the
first time. It didn’t matter. It was all new to me and I was very excited just to be there despite the late hour
I arrived.
The city was great. It had beautiful, modern culture expressed in many grand monuments and buildings.
One statue especially stood out in the center of the city. It was a huge statue of a man holding a weapon
above his head in a victorious stance. It was a monument dedicated to the Indonesian people to celebrate
their victory and freedom from the Dutch occupation that held Indonesia captive for many years.
This ride into the city was becoming more like what I thought I might expect and hoped for. It was
delightful with culture everywhere. Finally arriving at my hotel, I was somewhat disappointed. it didn’t
have the atmosphere I was looking forward to seeing. It was like any other hotel you might expect in the
U.S. It was a tired looking old building that needed a face lift.
Just before my taxi left, I had a somewhat disjointed conversation with the cab driver. He wanted to
return the next day to take me on a tour of the city. I decided on the spot to go ahead and accept his offer.
After haggling in broken English with the front desk, I finally got my room. Once settled in, I felt better. I
could relax. I was finally here. Even though I hadn’t slept for thirty-six hours,I wasn’t sleepy! The room
was tired looking with no extras, save a TV that didn’t have but two stations available—all in Indonesian.
Many countries I found will usually carry some BBC or some kind of English speaking news, but not here.
From what the travel book had led me to believe, I was expecting a bathroom with only a hole in the
floorfor a toilet. It didn’t matter. I just wanted to stop moving. As it turned out it did have a modern toilet
AND A SHOWER! I knew I would be showering often and quickly jumped in. It was so desperately
humid and hot even at this late hour!
I wanted to see the city and experience everything and couldn’t wait until it was light out. Other than going
to Viet Nam and Hong Kong while I was in the army, this was the first time I had ever been this far from
home alone. I felt a real sense of loneliness, but the upside of this was that I could go and do what I
wanted without someone saying, “I don’t want to do that” when I want to. It has been my experience
traveling with women that they have to have three things: a hair dryer, a “clean” toilet and access to
stores, or they are not going anywhere! I’m glad I didn’t have that to contend with. You know how
traveling with someone can be at times. A real adventure is generally not in everyone’s blood, but I was
primed for it.
I was so tired, however, that I lay down and fell asleep quickly, but no sooner had I went to sleep that I
would be woken up shortly after. I never considered or thought about the huge Muslim population in the
city. I didn’t realize there would be speakers all over the city broadcasting Islamic, singing prayers being
played loudly. Despite that, it only lasted a few minutes. I didn’t mind being woken up early because I
was anxious to immerse myself in the culture and food. I also noticed in all the hotels here there is a little
“arrow” on the ceiling of every hotel room pointing in the direction of Mecca for Muslims to face for
their daily prayers. It is interesting to note the differences between America and Asia. Businesses in
America are not so accommodating to any of the largest religions, as it is about money.
It was still very early and I had a few hours before my taxi was to come and pick me up for my tour of the
city, so I decided to venture out and walk around the neighborhood. Nothing was opened yet, but that
didn’t matter as I was raring to go anyway. Even at this early hour it was very busy nonetheless with
people scurrying about their daily duties. Cars were jammed in the streets driving in a frantic,
disorganized manner—changing lanes seemingly without a concern for the other car. Nevertheless,
despite all these cars, they still behaved in a manner that allowed them to traverse lanes even though they
appeared doing it haphazardly and they do it without honking at each other! If this occurred in the U.S.,
“road rage” would be rampant.
I found a grocery store that was supposed to open early, according to a sign on the on the front door, but
hadn’t yet. And there, as about ten people standing outside waiting, several appeared to have made
themselves comfortable while waiting for a long time. They were lying down napping on the sidewalk. As
I walked up and stood there to wait, a young Caucasian woman walked up. I found that when you’re in a
foreign country you instinctively tend to feel a kind of kinship, or automatic drawing toward anyone that
looks Caucasian, at least I did. Evidently, this person was not of the same mind. Her behavior was
indicative of young women everywhere who think they are the center of life. Apparently, they don’t need
to extend themselves and be friendly to other Caucasians among the overwhelming, indigenous
population. I hoped the rest of the other people I encounter are not this way. Maybe it’s just me, but she
didn’t even blink an eye toward me and I was forced to remain as unfriendly as she was.
Finally, the store opened and I had a wonderful time walking the isles, checking out all the different food
items. I bought several snacks because I really enjoy trying new, exotic things to eat you wouldn’t
ordinarily have back home.
It was time to meet my taxi. After he arrived, we agreed upon a price and I was whisked off into a hectic
city full of culture, beauty and excitement. What was old-hat to the cab driver was nothing less than total
delight for me. I wanted to spend these several days sightseeing around this frantically busy, crowded,
mesmerizing city. I love experiencing the ambiance and unfamiliar smells I was not accustomed to. There
was wonderful ethnicity mixed with beautiful, contemporary, cultural architecture everywhere, and
despite having a tour-guide, the city was so large I would never see the entire city.
After returning to my hotel later in the day from sight-seeing exclusively in the city, I realized I would
have liked to have also visited more of the rural areas. Life is really traditional in those outer locations.
So the next day I decided to venture out early on foot to see what is down many alluring side streets. I
wound up walking great distances even though it was very hot. I realized a little too late that my
enthusiasm for immersing myselfin this culture wasn’t such a good idea. I found myself a long way from
my hotel, and getting hungry which wasn’t a good idea in this neck of the woods. The streets seemingly
were unending. It was bewildering how it went on and on. This really is a huge city!
There is quite a bit of Dutch and some German influence in most all building architecture throughout the
city. You might compare the design level with some of the best in America. Many were absolutely
beautiful. Alongside some of these cities modern buildings, or in back of them, would be endless shanty
built neighborhoods. It was quite a stark contrast of rich and poor so close to each other.
After almost a week of being a tourist and having several humorous situations occur, it was time for me to
leave for my final destination, Surabaya.
I finally decided on taking the train across the entire island instead of flying. I wanted to see the
countryside as much as I could, particularly the coast, as the train would travel fairly close to the North
edge of the island. It seemed more like the adventurous way to go than simply having a one hour flight.
Unfortunately, it left around 6:00 P.M. meaning there are just a few hours of sunlight, and the train would
travel all night arriving in the morning. Despite being as hot as it was, the time it took and not getting
much sleep, it was a memorable experience that I’m glad I had.
As I was standing in a crowded line to board the train, a man behind me asked in his best broken
English,”
“Where you going?”
“I’m going to Surabaya,” I said.
“By you self?”
“Yes.”
“You very brave.”
Brave or foolhardy, I thought. Time would tell. I couldn’t help but wonder why he said that to me and
what I was getting myself into if I was supposed to be very brave.
As I made my way into my assigned seat I found a very friendly, smiling grandmother sitting in the other
seat next to mine. It was at this exact moment I realized I didn’t have much to be brave about. She was
probably more fearful of me being an unfamiliar foreigner sitting next to her.
I was surprised to see that she nodded and smiled as I sat down next to her. After a few minutes of getting
settled we both tried to strike up a conversation with each other, but it proved to be awkward. Neither of
us could speak ineach other’s language. Later, I pulled out my English/Indonesian dictionary to help us
communicate. As time went on, both of us relaxed and she seemed as game as I was to get to know each
other. She seemed open to every effort I made to do this and appeared to listen with attentive delight.
Then, we would laugh together as I flipped through the pages of my dictionary as fast as I could to keep
our conversation from stalling.
At times, we would retreat into friendly silence waiting for something to cause some sort of
communication between us. She soon broke the silence by showing me pictures of her entire family and
other little things she had in her purse. She also would now and then nudge me when something interesting
went by the windows and grabbed my dictionary to find a word that would describe what she was
showing me. She was a very delightful woman. I appreciated her friendliness.
As the evening became more evident through the large train windows, dinner for our car was announced. I
then found myself again facing cultural as well as language differences as I walked into the dining car. It
was packed! I noticed there were six people tightly seated at each undersize table as I walked in. Each
table was already set with a completely prepared meal, so I thought. But something was very strange. No
one was eating yet. Not being familiar with the customs in this country, I wondered what everyone was
waiting for. I also noticed everyone looked as I probably did, hungry and uncomfortable in our
crampedquarters. It seemed so odd to me that everyone’s food was placed before them and no one was
eating. What were they all waiting for? I couldn’t figure it out.
I didn’t have any answers and instinctively felt I should probably also wait, to at least appear as though I
knew what I was waiting for like everyone else. So I sat there seemingly as bored as everyone else.
While doing so, I surveyed the unfamiliar food that was placed before me. What were these strange
looking balls floating in a dark broth? Other dishes were also questionable. But most of it looked edible
and I was hungry and excitedly game. Prior to coming on this trip, I decided I was going to taste every
different kind of food that I had a chance to try no matter what!
Finally, after about ten to fifteen minutes, a cart was wheeled in with a huge bowl of hot rice (panas
goring). Then, as everyone was served rice, they commenced to eat!
This left an impression on me. Everyone’s manners were quite courteous despite waiting so long to eat
and rubbing elbows with everyone at the table.
After everyone at my table finished eating, a voice suddenly appeared from among the crowd as we were
leaving. Strangely, it addressed me in English. A young man asked how I liked the dinner. My first thought
was, did my face express any trepidation as I was looking over my meal? I probably should have asked if
anyone spoke English during the meal. I wanted to inquire about some of my strange looking food, but
being a little surprised and everyone leaving. All I said was, “It was good. I enjoyed it.” With that, some
smiled and nothing more was said as everyone left the table to return to their regular seats.
I hesitatingly returned to my seat; I hoped I would not see another small, dark cockroach. They were
everywhere! I worried because if and when I would fall asleep, I didn’t want to be awakened with one
crawling on me. It wasn’t a fun thought.
It turned out pretty much as expected to be a horrible night. The old train was making so much noise
clanking in rhythmic sounds while people were constantly bumping me as they walked by. Not to mention
being way too sticky from the humidity, almost to a paranoid level. I thought, I need to get to Surabaya and
shower soon or I might die!
The train finally arrived at my final destination around 10:00 A.M. the following morning. As the train
slowly pulled into an old, worn-out station and seemed as though it would never stop. I was tired from not
sleeping very well, and way too sticky for human comfort. I just couldn’t take wearing the same clothes
after two days now. I couldn’t wait any longer to get to my hotel and shower.
As I walked outside the train depot, I found that I was “it” in a game of tourist tag. Throngs of taxi drivers
rushed toward all the disembarking passengers. Whoever grabbed your arm first was your driver.
The taxi driver that grabbed me was a small, dark leatheryskinned man with a front tooth missing. He
rushed me over to his taxi and threw my bag in the trunk. Just at that moment, the little grandmother I met
earlier, walked up to me with her son. He spoke decent English and asked if it would be OK if they could
take me to my hotel. Not waiting for my answer, the son pulled my suitcase from the trunk of the taxi and
carried it to his car. The taxi driver seemed bewildered at first, and then started waving his arms up and
down frantically speaking something in Indonesian to me. I didn’t understand a thing he was saying, but
knew this had made him upset. I quickly stuffed a couple thousand rupiahs (at that time, about two U.S.
dollars) into his hand hoping to quiet him down. It did. He immediately stopped in the middle of his tirade
with his mouth opened, then looked up at me, and back at his hand several times as I disappeared.
With all of us crammed into their tiny car, we were off to my hotel. It sure was a nice gesture and I really
appreciated the concern the little lady had for me. I knew the hotel wasn’t too far away, as I had studied
the map of the city and knew where I was going. They dropped me off and we said our final goodbyes. I
would have liked to have had the chance to know the family better.
Chapter 4
The hotel I reserved was called Majapahit at the time. It has since changed to the Grand Majapahit Hotel
and upgraded from a four to a five star level. I was trying to make it easier for myself by picking a hotel
that is smack in the middle of the busy city of Surabaya. I thought being in the center would be to my best
advantage being that I was totally dependent on taxis. If I wanted to walk or use any of the public
transportation it would be easier from that point. I also found that the taxi drivers always take advantage
of you if you don’t know where to go or specifically tell them the exact direction to go. They know you
don’t know your way around and will take a long route to wherever you’re going.
My hotel was a good choice as I learned upon my arrival. It was a grand old, historic Dutch fort from long
ago that had been converted into a hotel several decades ago. It excited me as I looked around at all the
old historical décor and architecture from a distant era.
Approaching the front desk I heard, “Mai hep-u?” “Uh?” I unthinkingly said out loud.
I had to listen more closely.
“Ma-I Hepu?”
“Oh yes, of course, I have a reservation.”
An eager looking, friendly bell boy came to carry my two bags
for me. I felt a little ashamed because he was frail and not very big, while I was much bigger and more
capable of carrying my bags than he was. However, I did manage to carry one.
It surprised me when he spoke to me on the way to our room. It was fairly good English. I asked him how
he came to speak English so well. He said that he had picked it up from the guests staying at the hotel.
That really impressed me that he had such a good command of the English language just from the guests at
the hotel. I don’t know how I would fair if it was me as I still have trouble using language courses.
When we got to my room, the bellboy couldn’t explain the functions of the room fast enough for me. I was
so sticky and uncomfortable from the humidity and heat. I needed a shower quick or my body would
disintegrate on the spot. Finally, I thought he would never finish. I tipped him and went straight to the
bathroom and showered. If I waited one more minute, I know I would have probably died from being
more sticky than I have ever been before in my life.
Afterward, I lay down on my bed thinking of the awesome task before me. Trying to find this man I knew
nothing about was not going to be easy. I had no idea how I was going start. Then, I considered what the
bellboy, Franky, said. He told me that if I needed anything he would be glad to help. I wondered if that
included helping me after he was off work.
A little later, I rang the front desk and asked for him. He seemed delightedly surprised that I called
specifically for him. When he arrived, I spoke to him about my mission in this city. He seemed cheery that
I had asked him, saying he had a day off in a couple of days and would be happy to accompany me in my
search. This was good news and picked my spirits up.
While waiting for the couple days to pass, I decided to make the most of my time and spent it exploring
this “bulging city” in relaxed contentment. I wandered off down dark narrow streets as well as heavy
traffic areas looking for something that I was unsure of finding. I simply wanted to see all I could and let
whatever dictate my direction.
It was really humorous at times when I would be waiting to cross a street with people in front of me, not
knowing I just walked up behind them. When they turned around and saw an unfamiliar invader lurking
alarming close behind them they seemed instantly stricken with trepidation, as they were no longer in their
comfort zone. In rural areas like this Caucasians are a real rarity.
I found aside from the indigenous population of Indonesians, many Dutch live here. However, they are on
a different caste level being more wealthy. Also, the Dutch aren’t known for mixing with the indigenous
people too much. There were some Australians here as well, but the majority of them are vacationing, and
mostly on the neighboring islands, with Bali being the main vacation destination. Only an occasional few
tourists ever come to this huge city. So any other Caucasians are somewhat rare here.
Constantly, during the time I was waiting for the couple days to pass, I tried to think of what else I would
do if my immediate plan didn’t work. Maybe I needed a backup. I did start to feel a quiet assuredness
creep in me as I waited for the time to pass despite knowing the clock was ticking away. But after waiting
for Franky, it seemed these past two days cut into what was left of my last week there, as I had planned to
spend a few extra days in Bali, another island East of this one. I didn’t expect the time to get away from
me as it had and felt a little stressed because of it. But as I pushed myself I did relax, I still felt it was
possible to accomplish what I came here for even though I didn’t know how I was going to do it.
I spoke to Franky the night before his day-off to reconfirm our search the next day. He said he was still
“on” and would arrive at 9:00 A.M.
That next morning started with the sun brightly shining, as it always does in this part of the world. It
seemed several hours later than it really was. I hurriedly dressed and went to breakfast at the hotel’s
restaurant. While eating, my waiter brought a phone over to me. Uh oh. It was Franky. At first, I thought he
was canceling out, but he said he would still meet me in the front lobby as agreed, only a little later than
we planned.
After finishing breakfast, I went to the lobby to wait. While sitting in there, a European looking couple
sitting at an adjacent bar inside the hotel motioned for me to come over. I was taken aback somewhat
because this was the first time any Caucasians had been friendly toward me. I was wondering what they
wanted, and to my surprise they invited me to join them for a beer and a chat. I accepted and explained to
them I was waiting to leave and didn’t want them to be offended if I abruptly left. They said no problem,
they just wanted to talk and visit with another “white person.” It seems they too felt consternation from
being ignored by unfriendly, foreign Caucasians as I have. I realized then it wasn’t personal or my breath.
About a half-hour later my late tour guide finally arrived. I gave my appreciative thanks and said bye to
my new acquaintances and met Franky as he was about midway in the lobby. He arrived later than when
he said he would arrive. I thought to myself, better late than never. Now, we could finally get started.
I remember reading in my guide book that in this country, as well as a few other Asian countries, they
have what is referred to as “Rubber Time.” It means I’ll be there when I get there! As it turns out no one
is ever on time when they say they will be. This is part of their culture, and I needed to accustom myself
accordingly whether I understand it or not. It would,however, never find a place in America’s culture. I
wondered how Indonesians manage to survive in America when they come to work and live there.
“Good morning, Miz-ta James. How are you? Sorry I am late.
I am have trouble to catch buses.”
“No problem Franky, I’m glad you can help me.” “Where we go first?”
“Well, I’m not sure where to start. We might be going all over
the city.”
“OK, I be your guide.”
Franky’s smiling face and positive manner helped me become
more confident in the task that was before me. He didn’t know how grateful I felt even if he was over an
hour late.
One of the things that amuse me is that Indonesians have such casualness about them. It reminds me of the
movies when an actor needs a taxi they seem to get one right away as soon as they reach the curb.
However, I seem to have a problem with trying to flag a taxi, at least not like in the movies. Taxis seem to
pass by without a second thought. So I acquiesced and let Franky do what he does better than I. He acted
like his taxi is the next one, and they usually stop.
He appeared as excited as I was as our taxi rushed us off into the busy traffic. Thank God for airconditioning! It would be almost unbearable if there wasn’t any. I felt confident now that I had someone
who could translate and guide me around the city. I could finally get started on my search with
reinforcement.
I really had such an enjoyable day driving around, seeing people and places I had only read about and had
seen in magazines. And to make it more enjoyable, my guide explained any questions I had. Everyday life
here is so much different than ours in America. For example, there are small children selling newspapers
from the middle islands on very busy streets. When the lights would turn red, these little children would
scurry about the cars waving the papers up to the car windows trying to get the attention of drivers. They
were not old enough to do this, I thought. Parents in America would be jailed for endangering the lives of
their kids if they let them dart in and out of busy traffic like this, and they were not in school.
The other thing that completely amazed me was the fact that school children were allowed to cross
extremely busy streets where there were no cross walks or lights! In fact, there were NO guards to stop
any traffic anywhere! And this elementary school I saw was located on a highly congested, busy main
street! When school was out, the children literally crossed the street just about anywhere they wanted as
cars zoomed by them. It was startling to see children advancing each lane when a break between the cars
would open until they were able to cross a six lane busy street, Whew! It was frightening to see hoards of
children getting out of school doing this!
I had put aside any concern of the time I had left before I was to return home because I was so involved
with my `search. And that day, Franky and I became close friends and still are to this day.
I remembered the man I was searching for was an acupuncturist. After mentioning this to Franky, he told
the taxi driver to take us to an acupuncturist he was familiar with. When we arrived, Franky jumped out
and went in the shop briefly. He returned saying his friend told him that all acupuncturists have to register
for their license at a military base. It was not far from where we were. He said we might find out about
the manI was looking for there, and that’s where we needed to start. What luck, I thought.
We were dropped off at the military base within a short time. As we arrived, I could see uniformed
soldiers through the main gate running around attending to all their duties. I don’t know why, but their
behavior appeared a little pretentious. I thought, why in the world are they so busy, doing what, and for
what? This is a tiny little country with absolutely no modern weaponry or military power and couldn’t do
much of anything.
Despite that we were authoritatively stopped and questioned at the front entry gate. We waited a moment
and another soldier came and took us to one of many impassive old buildings where there was little
activity occurring. Inside, we were led up some stairs lit only by outside sunlight coming through the large
row of windows. Most if not all of the cubicle offices inside were unused and empty. However, one
cubicle half way across the building was clearly designated with a title and name on the door. I also
noticed items appearing as shadows on opaque office windows—obviously the only office in use. I
couldn’t help noticing the floors were brightly polished and everything reminded me of when I was in the
military.
We were escorted into the office by the soldier where he, without a word, motioned where to sit down.
We waited a short time until a ranking officer came to his office to see what we wanted. Franky was
noticeably nervous while I was not impressed with all the pompous, military façade. Everyone in
uniform, it seemed, was trying to appear more significant than this obviously tall, important, American
that was among them. When the officer finally arrived, he said nothing as he walked in and sat down
busying himself momentarily before he spoke. He was very militaristic in his manner, not to mention how
stoically unconcerned he appeared at first. And then, he introduced himself as Colonel something. His
name escapes me. As he spoke, he seemed to warm up somewhat when he realized what I wanted wasn’t
that important. To my surprise, he started to expose a congenial side, but still wanted us to be impressed
by his obvious military importance. I’ll never forget how so many Asians are of the same ilk. They seem
to put so much attention upon their status and want everyone to know how important they are. It appears
that any kind of rank has great value in many Asian countries.
Once I had stayed at a five star hotel in Bali, one of the waiters that served me had to let me know that he
wasn’t a “regular” waiter; rather he was the manager of all the waiters. He also politely inquired what I
did for a living, to see if we were on the same level, I suppose. I almost had the feeling that if I hadn’t
been at least a manager of something, he would have brushed me off as unimportant. When I said I was
also a manager back home in the states, he seemed to let down his guard and became friendlier.
The colonel told us he knew of the man I sought, but had difficulty remembering his name, nor could he
find the man’s name in his registry right away. After a long search, he found an old address that might still
be good, he said. It was listed under a Chinese name and not his Indonesian name. I found out that many
Indonesians have a heritage from China. Many Indonesians are not full Javanese, but are part Chinese. It
also appears that if you are part Chinese, there is some pride in that as a result. Consequently, some
Indonesians have two separate names, one in Indonesian and another Chinese. Either it was something for
us to go on and I was excited to have what information I could get.
The address that was given to us, Franky said it was on the opposite side of the city and would take about
a half-hour to get there. Not because of the distance, but because of the traffic and the way the streets are
arranged. So it wasn’t a problem, hiring a taxi is very cheap. I probably could have gone all day and only
paid around five bucks including tips. We thanked the Colonel and hurried to the main gate of the Military
compound unescorted, probably because we were not a threat any longer. As we reached the street curb, I
was finally successful waving down a taxi as I walked almost out into traffic to flag one down. Now, I
was really in my adventure.
Crossing the bulging city again, Franky told me that many of the neighborhoods have a type of
mayor/judge who resides in authority over everyone for several blocks. Any and all issues, even
marriages, have to be OK’d by him. So, being a “foreigner,” I needed to get permission if we were to
enter the neighborhood. Franky would have had no problem entering without permission because he was a
local. But I, on the other hand, was a foreigner from another country and most certainly would have to be
checked out. After all, I may have been a terrorist or something like that. You never know nowadays who
is entering your neighborhoods.
There were several, average looking, uniformed security guys just standing around acting as though their
job was very important. As they noticed me, their expressions turned from casual to serious stares. None
seemed to be any too friendly and were all business. I wondered if they were not going to let us continue.
We waited about five minutes for one of them to finally return with word. Without the neighborhood
mayor meeting me, I was given permission to proceed. I must not have looked like a threat. I enjoyed the
little event and it made for a more adventurous experience.
My excitement grew with the anticipation that I was about to end my two year search, or so I thought. The
last couple of years seemed to drag for me because getting any kind of information for my trip was like
pulling teeth. But being here, I was quickly having results so much faster than I expected. Now, I was this
far along and my goal appeared to be just minutes away and could hardly contain myself.
I recalled the countless letters I had sent during my earlier two-year research to find this man I was about
to meet. Most letters were sent back with “Return to sender” or “No Forwarding Address” stamped on
them, and some were never returned at all—not to mention all the phone calls—most being long distant
dead ends. And some of the people I had talked to apparently wanted to help, but couldn’t offer any
supportive information. But now, all that was behind me, and there I was, ready to meet the man I have
been searching for.
As we arrived at the address we had been given, my heart was pounding with excited anticipation. And
just as we drove up, Franky very authoritatively jumped out of the taxi before it came to a complete stop
which surprised me. I was startled by his enthusiasm. It appeared as though he was into the adventure as
much as I was. He hurried up to the outside gate and rang the bell before I was out of the taxi. I waited
until it stopped and then walked up after him.
After a long wait, wondering if there was anyone alive in the home, a servant finally came out scuffing his
sandals to see what we wanted. He appeared to have an attitude like, “What now?” In Indonesian, he told
Franky the family we were looking for had moved and was no longer here, and this house was occupied
by new residents. No forwarding address was available that he knew of, he said. Even if he had it,I felt he
wouldn’t have given it to us. He then turned around and went back into the house just as he came out—
slow and lazy.
Uh oh. What I thought was going to be fairly easy just now had a monkey wrench thrown in the gears.
What was I going to do then? I turned around and walked back to the taxi in deep, unsure thoughts. I must
have looked disappointed as I stood there with my arms folded, leaning on top of the taxi. By his
expression, it appeared that my guide felt my ambiguity. We stood there looking at each other, saying
nothing for a minute or two as neither of us had another idea of what to do next. It appeared this lead had
ended like so many others. I had to re-think my next move. Hum.
Standing there looking around, I spotted a young girl selling cooked food at a small portable stand several
yards away. Food always seems to pick up my spirits so I casually made my way over to see what she
was peddling. I don’t know for sure why I went over, but somehow I felt this was something I was
supposed to do and simply followed my feelings. What was so ironic about this, most of the food stands
like this are not very appealing. Any meat they have sits around for most of the day without refrigeration.
Then, they fan the flies off and serve a meal to a hungry customer. Anyone for lunch? But something
overcame my aversion to food staples such as this and I went to check it out.
I found she spoke a tiny bit of English, which was unusual, this far out in a rural area. I’m not exactly sure
why, but I casually mentioned why I was here. Her eyes gleamed as she reached into her pocket and
handed me a piece of paper. There was an address and phone number on it! It, it was, the current address
and phone number of the man I was searching for. Wow! I couldn’t believe it! What a stroke of luck! I
can’t ever remember having such a sequence of fortunate events occur, especially after so many deadends and letdowns.
She told me that the man I was looking for had returned to his old home for something a while back. When
she saw him she asked for his new address. She thought it would be a good idea to have the address ready
because people still come on occasion looking for acupuncture treatments from him. When they learn he
had moved away, they would leave disappointed. And this troubled the little girl. What a thoughtful child!
I certainly don’t know any children with that level of consideration. This is really a different culture. I
gave her a few rupiahs as a reward which she seemed not to understand, and almost refused if it weren’t
for my insistence.
I was back on track! I turned around and called to Franky to come. When I showed him what I found, he
looked up at me with an open-mouthed smile. One eyebrow above the other and a look of disbelief
crossed his face. I thought to myself, it was only Wednesday and my plane didn’t leave until late Sunday
afternoon. I still had more than enough time left to meet this man I was searching for. Franky said he
would call the number we were given and ask if we could make an appointment to meet with him. And all
was good again!
I was feeling a high on our way back from our triumphant endeavor and decided to invite my friend to
dinner as a thank you for his help before he tried calling the new phone number. I needed a pleasant way
to finish the day from being so hot, sweaty, and tired from riding around town all day.
While we were having dinner, my hungry friend casually mentioned something about an English-speaking
club which met at the Garden Hotel—just a couple blocks from my hotel—later that evening. The idea of
being among English-speaking people, maybe some Americans, was a little appealing.
After we finished dinner, as we planned, Franky called the phone number with great anticipation. He told
me that the man I was hoping to see wasn’t home and would not be back until Friday, as he was out of
town on business. I thought,“That’s OK. I still have plenty of time.”
I was dropped off at the Garden hotel where the English club was located. I paid for the taxi to take my
friend home.
I was a little taken aback when I arrived. There wasn’t much of anything going on in the banquet room
where English club took place with about fifteen people attending. And all but one was Indonesian.
Everyone was sitting around as though they were waiting for something, maybe rice.
A few people were talking among themselves, but the others were just sitting there doing nothing.
Eventually, I did notice one person in the room who appeared to look Caucasian and surprisingly dressed
really frumpy. I wasn’t sure if he was American or what. He could have been an Australian or German
that occasionally visits this city by the way he dressed. I wasn’t sure because most of the young male
tourists from these countries dress in such a shabby, casual manner.
I also noticed a sign on the main table. The sign said, if anyone didn’t speak English, they had to put a
coin in the jar next to the sign. As I continued walking in, the hostess politely intercepted me and was
shown where to sit. When everyone saw me, they immediately thronged around me hoping I was a good
foil to practice their language skills. It wasn’t easy trying to listen to everyone wanting to talk to me at the
same time. They really seemed delighted that a real American was visiting. Very few Americans visited
this area apparently, leaving them little opportunity to learn correct English grammar and enunciation.
Sitting next to me, in a wheel chair was that insipid looking Caucasian guy. No one was around talking to
him. I wondered why. He didn’t seem involved. If he wanted to speak English why wasn’t he talking to
the others? I thought maybe he wasn’t American and was there to learn English. He was really odd
because he really looked out of place, being so sloppily attired in an old, discolored shabby tee-shirt with
the sleeves cut out. I was somewhat taken aback by him because everyone else was dressed
appropriately. I thought, maybe he wanted attention. Instead, he only got my disapproval.
He appeared to be an unwilling participant as I took the initiative and spoke to him.
“Are you American?”
“Yes, are you?”
I thought, what a winner. I spoke perfect “American” English and he still asked me if I was an American.
If I could instantly recognize what country he was by the way he spoke, you’d expect him to also have a
good idea where I came from.
In just the short time I’ve been here, I found it isn’t hard to recognize Caucasians who are Dutch,
Germans, or Australians. Generally speaking,most don’t look too different from Americans, but the main
difference is in their attire. It differentiates them quite clearly most of the time. But this guy didn’t dress
distinguishably enough to make a judgment. From the little English I heard from him, I knew right away he
was an American who had obviously been contracted to do road work for the city and this was the closest
place to take a break. I replied that I was American.
He then asked, “What are you doing here? Business?”
I thought to myself, since he speaks English and here in the English club, why this dirty appearance?
Americansdon’t normally dress like that.
I said,
“No, I am here to find someone.”
“Oh, who?”
“It’s a long story. You may not be interested.”
That seemed to divert the subject for a moment and I became buried with many of the hopeful language
students of all ages trying to talk to me. When things settled down later, the uncouth looking wheelchair
clown (his name turned out to be Dave) spoke to me again asking,
“What brings you here?”
It was as if he knew, but wanted to verify his hunch by being pointedly direct with me. I felt a little like I
was treading on his turf while confessing to something I was a little unwilling to talk to him about.
“I am looking for a certain man. Are you familiar with “Ring of Fire?”
Then,he opened up, “Oh yeah, you mean John. He’s giving me acupuncture therapy. I was paralyzed from
a car accident a few yearsago. I came here hoping he would help me.”
A feeling of relief instantly fell over me. My attitude toward him changed a little, as he may be able to
help me somehow to attain an appointment with the man I came to find. I thought to myself how lucky I
was to happen upon this clown? Even though this happened I still felt somewhat apprehensive about him.
I said,
“So, you know exactly where he lives?”
“Maybe you could…”
I was interrupted, and taken aback by his reply,
“I don’t let just anyone meet him. I need to protect his privacy. Why don’t you give me your phone number
and I’ll think about it.”
“Think about it?” I said to myself, “You’ll think about it! Who the hell are you to determine who sees him
or not, especially a besmirched character like you?” I was fuming. I’ve traveled eight thousand miles to
find this man and this clown is going to tell me I may not be able to see him at his discretion! He’s only a
patient, not the care taker!
This garbage collector seemed to temporarily hold most of the cards if I was going to rely on him to help
me meet this man. I cooled myself down enough to finish out the remaining evening. I felt better knowing I
had an ace up my sleeve as a backup.I already had John’s phone number and address. The problem with
this ace, however, is that I would run the risk that the man I am searching for may not want to meet a total
stranger.
The next day, Thursday, dawned very hot and humid as usual. While eating breakfast, I felt really calm
and confident in the moment despite that little incident last night with that scruffy character. I thought
hopefully tomorrow my goal was about to be realized anyway. I went back to my room after breakfast for
a few minutes before I headed off to explore more of the city, as I like to do in the morning when it isn’t
so hot.
The phone rang. Surprise! It was that insipid guy, Dave. What does he want? He called to invite me this
evening to a Hindu “Festival of Lights” event. It was a yearly celebration held at the International School
where he teaches English. His call really surprised me. However, after he invited me, it was a little
difficult to stay upset and I accepted. Despite that, while I still harbored an ill feeling toward him, I
secretly felt this would give me a better chance of getting an appointment with the man I was seeking. Just
goes to show how people can surprise the heck out of you. However, I felt this had the flavor of a cold
“business” meeting.
That evening, as I left the hotel to meet with Dave, I ran into Franky while he was still on duty. I told him
what had transpired last night and where I was off to. I also had been thinking about something else for a
while and decided to do it. I wanted to give Franky the fifty dollars I originally wanted to advertise in the
newspaper to whoever could help me find the man I was seeking. My gratitude for his time and help
seemed to have transformed into charity after I learned more about him. He, like so many other
Indonesians, literally makes very little to exist on.I didn’t want him to know how I felt.
When I held out the money, he was shocked! He acted almost as though it was illegal and hesitated taking
the money as he looked around to see if others were watching. I pressed the issue knowing he really
needed the money, and finally he timorously accepted it. Fifty dollars was almost a month’s wages for
him at the time.
I decided to use a diplomatic approach by inviting Dave to dinner before we would go to the festival. He
suggested we go to one of his favorite restaurants. It was a nice place and very crowded. We were shown
to a table next to a stage that was set up for entertainment. There was an Indonesian male singer with a
women keyboard player who accompanied his singing. They were singing American songs from the fifties
to the nineties. He asked the audience if there were any requests and seemed quite confident. So I thought I
would challenge him. I requested an old sixties favorite of mine which was a remake from the forties era
called “Blue Moon.” He didn’t hesitate and sang it just as I remembered which surprised me. This helped
me learn that Indonesians are not a backward country as one may think.
As dinner progressed, I could sense that any misgivings Dave had about me were quickly evaporating. I,
however, was still suspicious of him. He opened up a little and started talking about himself. He didn’t
seem to be such bad guy after all and dressed appropriately, by the way. However, this didn’t matter. I
sensed he wasn’t working with a full deck. I also felt he may have a Jeckal and Hyde personality, which
turned out later to be true. I tried to keep the conversation afloat by asking him about his interests and the
things he liked to do while living in this city for the past couple years. This turned out to be harder than
expected. He really didn’t do much of anything. With that in mind, I wondered what he does when he’s not
working at the International School. He had no TV and said he didn’t have any friends yet either. I could
understand why. He did say he goes to a group made up of American women that get together and play
cards once a week? How did this insipid guy wiggle into that? I thought. Wasn’t this only for women? I
really don’t think they would appreciate his grubby-ness among their group. Oh well, who knows or
cares? All I wanted from him was to make it easier for me to get to the man I was searching for.
About a year later, when I couldn’t get in touch with my new teacher, I tried calling Dave (who was still
living in Indonesia) to see if he could help me locate John. When I told him who I was, the jerk claimed
he didn’t remember me. He hadn’t changed a bit.
Just before we completed dinner, Dave finally said he would call to set up an appointment for me to meet
with John, just what I had hoped for! I wasn’t real confident calling him on my own to discuss my
intentions. With Dave knowing him as he did, I believe I had a better opportunity to meet him. However,
Friday and Saturday came and went, and still, this man had not returned yet! Now, panic was encroaching
as I tried to distract my attention with more sightseeing until I could personally meet him.
Then I started struggling with the thought that I might not connect with him after all. All this time and
money, was it all going to be wasted? And, would I try again?I didn’t know at the moment or care to think
any more about it. Worrying would only get in the way of my goal.
I was at a loss and didn’t know what to do next. In the meantime, an invitation to a Sunday brunch was
conveyed by a friend of Dave’s who heard that another American was in town. It seems that many
Indonesians like to rub elbows with Americans. I accepted with the understanding that I might have to
leave abruptly to make my appointment, as it was the last day of my visit.
I arrived at the brunch about 11:00 A.M. A huge assortment of food was spread out on a large, round table
as I entered the dining room. It was delightful. I sampled just about everything, even the frog legs for the
first time, keeping with my decision to try everything. I remembered my grandfather had raised frogs
solely for the purpose of eating the legs. I glanced up and said silently to my grandfather, “This one’s for
you,grandpa.”
After I tried them,I found they’re not so bad after all—a little like chicken—wouldn’t you know! I don’t
know why I thought about this after all these years. I also thought of an old school science project that
came to mind about the reaction from frog legs when electricity is applied. It’s funny how eating
something that isn’t normally what a person eats can cause certain thoughts to arise from the apprehension.
Dave tried again to call John around noon with no luck, then again at 2:00 P.M.and still John wasn’t home
yet. I was panicked. I had to be at the airport by 4:00 P.M. for my 6:00 P.M. international flight. I was
trying not to think that all I accomplished on my trip was eating frog legs.
Then, Dave called again at 3:00 P.M. Whew. Finally! John had just arrived home. Talk about close! He
told Dave he was very tired, but would see me anyway. I thought that if I had tried on my own to see this
man, he more than likely would not have been as agreeable to see a perfect stranger. It was fate.
I jumped into a taxi and gave directions saying, “Cepat. Cepat (meaning very fast). We literally flew
through the crowded streets. Time was running out. There was so little left before I had to return to the
airport. Then, the traffic came to an agonizingly slow pace. I wasn’t sure if we could get there in time at
that rate. Fortunately, I arrived with the time I needed to meet with this man I had come so far to find.
I jumped out of the taxi and ran up to the outer gate. As I rang the bell, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the
surroundings, but still noticed the house that I could see through the gate. His home was a huge, beautiful
two-story house with a fortress wall surrounding the entire property. A servant casually scuffed his
sandals as he slowly approached the gate, not realizing how hurried I was. I almost ran over him as he
opened the gate and led me into the house. There were several men already sitting around the room staring
at me as I entered. I just assumed they were friends.
Just then, another man walked in wearing a strained, tired and hesitant smile. He walked directly to me. I
knew instantly he was the man I was seeking. He looked a little older than what I had remembered from
the documentary. Now, I was finally face-to-face with the man I had come so far to meet.
He was much smaller than I expected. I didn’t know what to anticipate, or what kind of person he was. He
reached out with his hand and greeted me saying he had a few problems with the harvest of prawns at his
seaside factory and had to stay longer than expected.
I found it difficult to think about what I wanted to say next. I’m sure I was confusing to him as I fumbled
for clarity, probably because of the panicked anxiety I was feeling from the little time I had left before I
had to leave. Fearing rejection, I hesitated to ask him if he would consider me to become a student. I had
no idea if he would or not. In fact,I wasn’t sure if he had other students. It was a shot in the dark that I had
to take as time was not on my side. But it was he that cut to the chase.
He then pushed aside everything to directly ask what it is I wanted. If I hadn’t heard it before, I could hear
it now. There was complete silence in the room. Everyone seemed focused upon me, waiting to hear what
this foreign American traveler wanted. I was stymied from all the rushing and feared rejection at the same
time. I thought if I told him about my efforts to find him he would be a little more favorable toward me.
Then, I said what I was hoping to do,“I want to learn how to do the things I had seen you do.”
There were no words from him in reply to my question. Instead, he just reached out and grabbed my arm
to check my pulse to see if my bodily constitution was strong enough for this training. He nodded
favorably saying, “Yes, it is OK,” and then continued, “I will accept you.”
I was shocked and overjoyed at the same time. Now, not only had I found the man I was looking for, I was
also a student of his! The only other time I ever felt this kind of joy was when my daughter was born. I
was indescribably thrilled at his words. This event was almost as if my life was at stake. It was that
important to me. I wanted to react, but kept my composure as I usually do.
Then, the thought of the proper etiquette of addressing this type of teacher crossed my mind. In martial
arts, it’s necessary to speak to your instructor with a respectful title. I said to him,
“I am not sure how I should address you?”
And all he said was,
“John is fine.”
I realized then I was dealing with a humble man. It is not often you come across a master instructor with
such a high level background in martial arts (kung fu), who would allow you to call him by his first name.
I later learned that the polite title of “Pak” (shortened version of “Bapak) is used in their cultural language
when respectfully addressing an older man or father. I began using this title when I addressed him.
Pak John was aware of my limited time and began to explain my first lesson to me. He had me follow him
as he went through the correct procedures. Just a couple of steps were all he demonstrated; I had expected
more and wondered why so little. Another thought instantly crossed my mind. Many Asian stories tell
about how a student is always given a little training before he is given more, to see if he is serious enough
to follow through. If he is dedicated and demonstrates his perseverance through time, then his teacher will
award him with more training. I found out later this wasn’t the case. However, it is difficult training
because of the absolute dedication involved. What little I was shown was to last me for ten years, until I
finally was capable of passing and allowed to go on to the next level. Then I was given more to
accomplish for working on my next level.
It was at that point I recalled the documentary I had seen where he demonstrated his electrical ability. I
asked him to show it to me, and if this was something I would be able to develop. He said yes, it would
come at my fourth level. Momentarily, I naively thought this wouldn’t take me too long if I only had four
levels to work through.
When I received my Black Belt in martial arts, it had taken me around four years, maybe this would be
similar. At that time I didn’t realize how wrong I was.
I wasn’t sure if I saw a grin as he reached out and touched me. A powerful electrical current shot threw
my arm instantly. There was no way I could protect myself against it. How could this be? I thought. What
would cause his body to generate this kind of power?
A few moments later, I was going over a few things he said while we were sitting next to one another. My
hand accidentally brushed against his leg, and once again I received another jolt as his electrical current
unintentionally shocked my hand. I reacted instantly by jerking it away. He as well as the others in the
room all laughed a second time. I was eager to find out what happened. He said that your inner chi
instantly protects you from others if you’re not familiar with them or if you are angry. But Wow, this was
absolutely amazing. I wanted to learn it as fast as I could. This little demonstration on me seemed to
completely validate his authenticity. Being shocked unexpectedly proved to me he was not ready if he was
using some trick. This illustration of what he can do set the stage for more wonderful events that would
occur whenever I visited Pak John.
He seemed to always have a contingency of men around him who, I think, believe some of his abilities
might rub off on them if they are around him long enough. They all appeared to want to be around all the
strange and wonderful things he could do. They would also sometimes reiterate what he said with
authoritative gusto, acting as though they are his spokesman. A few times they interrupted his broken
English and finished what he would have said. I know if I lived near him I would probably want to be
around him as much as I could as well. He is really a strange and wonderful man and one that you
instinctively want to be around.
The last few minutes with him were difficult that late Sunday afternoon to say the least. I wanted to stay
longer to talk with him about so many other things that were running through my mind, but the time had run
out. Plus, the conditions with so many people around made this somewhat difficult to talk. I would have
liked for it to have been a little more personal. Despite that, I regretted having to leave and wished I had
more time.
While flying home, I couldn’t stop thinking that I finally achieved my goal. I sat there in my seat basking in
my elation that I had finally completed what I set out to do and daydreamed about my journey over and
over all the way until I returned home.
Today, it’s still hard to believe that I was as fortunate as I had been. I had accomplished what I had
worked so hard for and hoped to do. Not often have I ever achieved one of my goals this well and felt this
good about it. Even when I received my first black belt in martial arts, it was never this exciting or
gratifying.
Everything seemed to have opened up for me as if it were meant to be, despite meeting Pak John for a
short time. It didn’t matter. The prize was mine. It didn’t make any difference how much time I had with
him. The prize was mine. It felt as if it was supposed to happen.
Chapter 5
For a week or so after returning home, the high from the adventure began to fade. Reality was replacing
the coveted event I had experienced. Soon, I found myself being reabsorbed back into the life I had
wanted to escape.
Today, I am plagued by my past from all the physical training of the various sports in which I
participated. I am too taut from developing the wrong muscles for my new training. And the injuries from
past sports also made it difficult and started taking their toll. However, I have found ways to overcome
my obstacles in order to continue my training uninterrupted.
I am still not able to sit in a full lotus position as my teacher first instructed me to do. Because I am unable
to sit in a full lotus, I was shown how to sit in a half lotus position that would more than suffice in place
of the other. Concerning the effectiveness of either, there is no difference in the results, both are equal.
However, my desire and enthusiasm pushes me to continue despite my physical limitations.
When I first started, I kept a daily journal logging the amount of time I spent, and other aspects of training
I thought may be pertinent for analysis at a later time. I liked to graph my progress with the information I’d
accumulated, then I could check if there were any recognizable patterns or information I could derive,
hopefully for improvement.
My teacher had told me on my first meeting with him that after eighty hours training I would experience a
“special” feeling in my dan tien (lower stomach). So, by charting my progress I thought I would see some
kind of model. He said this would be vital that I develop the dan tien before going on to the next level. He
wouldn’t tell me what the feeling was. If he had, he said he feared I might psychologically make-up
something that was not real and get the wrong results. I was supposed to let him know when and what the
feeling felt like as soon as it happens. And then from my description, he would know if I was correctly
developing from my training.
Sure enough, around the end of my eighty hours of meditation I began to feel what I thought Pak John was
expecting. The sensation I had in my lower abdomen was strangely exhilarating and very exciting. This
sensation felt like heat, and it was developing in my dan tien. It began as a very small feeling of warmth
which I didn’t think too much of it at first, but was well aware of it nonetheless. Then, it started to grow
larger in size and intensity. It continued to the point that it became alarming because I wasn’t sure if it was
going to stop increasing in size or temperature. “This must be what my teacher wanted to hear,” I thought.
I tried to call to let him know what I was feeling. But he wasn’t around for me to talk to him. I was really
disappointed when I couldn’t get a hold of him. It was only later that I learned this feeling was not what
he was expecting. However, it is the prerequisite to what I am supposed to feel after this first sensation.
There is actually a second sensation the first one turns into. To my dismay, my teacher hadn’t mentioned
this in our first, short meeting. This was hard for me to understand because the first sensation of heat is
profound and most unique,something I’ve never experienced before. And I cherished it because this was
something I had never known to exist before, not to mention how long it took to develop from a rare type
of training.
Most students practicing defensive chi gong (somewhat similar to nai gong) know about the heat because
it is an integral sign of their development in chi gong system as well, but they do something different with
it. Pak John told me later that the heat was from the chi coming together building substance in the dan tien
while at the same time moving very fast, and all this causes friction.
He went on to say the chi comes from all around us. It is pulled from its natural, undisciplined state from
both the earth (yin) and the sky (yang). This is only able to happen from using our school’s exacting
method to accomplish this. However, there is some chi in our body already, as we’re all born with a
certain amount that I simply call natural chi. However, we need a lot more if we’re to develop nai gong to
any degree.
In the first level of training, which is slightly different from all other schools/systems, we cause our chi to
accumulate from an unruly state which harbors around the dan tien. It is this increase of chi which will
produce the heat you will first notice. This is the first of the two significant signs you will definitely
become very aware of in the development of your dan tien.
The second sign comes directly from the development of the first sensation. Then, it is necessary for the
student to let their teacher know when this sensation comes and exactly what they are feeling. You are not
told what these feelings are because some students have been known to fake it. However, I have read in
another book that deals specifically with a “certain” method of chi gong and reveals both of the signs you
would be having.
After fifteen long months of practice it felt good to finally experience some kind of results. However, I
had to wait almost three years for my teacher to return from his self-imposed retreat in Borneo for his
own personal development/training to learn that it wasn’t the eighty hours of meditation I thought I needed
to achieve the first results I was working for. As it turned out, this training would take as much or more
than five hundred hours of meditation just to accumulate the eightyhour of what would be termed “focused
concentration.” I hadn’t ever known this before, and from that I found there was a distinct difference
between meditation and concentration. I came to understand that meditation is the vehicle or process in
which to train in nai gong. But before all this I thought meditation was the single aspect of development.
Had I known the Indonesian language maybe I wouldn’t have misunderstood.
As it turned out, the graph I was keeping was not of any help, so I bagged it because this strange reality
isn’t graphable as I learned. I also found from my own research that everyone attains these two sensations
at different times in their training. It isn’t something you can count on in a given time period.
This new sensation was so frustrating to have happen and yet not know anything about it. And to make
matters worse, I couldn’t correspond with my teacher to share my excitement, questions or fears about it.
He literally had mysteriously left without telling anyone. Even his family didn’t know where he was
exactly or when he was to return.
This was one of the regrets I have always had with him. He seems preoccupied only with what he is
doing, leaving students alone as if we had little importance. Once, I made arrangements to come see him
(preparing to go halfway around the world is no small matter). I always call and ask him when it is best to
come. When I arrived he wasn’t there and didn’t return until four days later with no apology!
Nevertheless, this is a small matter when you consider what I was doing and developing, and for this I am
truly grateful for my teacher. To understand and get along with thisbehavior I wasn’t used to, I tried to
assume this is the traditional Indonesian relationship between teacher and student. Nevertheless, this is
probably why he has allowed his school to diminish over the years to just a mere handful of uncommitted
students. I learned that he had two higher level students actually living in his home at different times in the
past, either grooming them to take his place or cared enough to help them out for a while. I am unsure
what the answer is. And for whatever reason, both decided to leave. I have never found out their reasons
for mysteriously leaving.
At one time he told me he had a very large school during the eighties, but never seemed to have developed
any standouts except those two that mysteriously left. Since the eighties, his school has dwindled to just a
few students today. Whenever I encountered them on my visits, strangely, they acted as if they are true,
dedicated students especially when they were around Pak John. When they were not around him, they did
very little training if any that I had seen.
As I continued to visit my teacher during the nineties, I had met several newer so-called Mo Pai students.
Even though they acted like they were “dedicated” students, they were not taking it as seriously as you
might expect. I soon realized that I am his only real, dedicated student who consistently trains on a daily
basis. Actually, during this time, there was one other Western student from Europe, but his intentions for
learning were suspect, and a short time later Pak John told me he wasn’t able to trust this guy. He said he
wished he would stop trying to visit him. I was curious why he would let him continually come after he
confided in me about this. After being around my teacher, I learned he has a somewhat difficult time
saying no to people face-toface. However, he doesn’t seem to have a problem when he is not and can be
unsympathetic and even cold. This was difficult to accept because when you are around him he is very
sincere, or gives the impression he is.
In all the time I’ve known my teacher he has had only one high level student gathering where all the
students come together for a demonstration of their development. In the first and last one (1999), I was not
allowed to participate because I hadn’t yet passed onto the third level (2b) which I happened to pass a
year later in 2000. The demonstration was,I believe, for John’s acknowledgment of their competence
collectively. Some of you may have seen this in one of the documentaries by Lawrence Blair that is still
shown on YouTube. John is seen bending slightly over a white bench holding a chop stick in one hand,
and then pushing it through a one-inch wooden bench.
It was very disappointing for Pak John because none of the students were capable of doing this as was
expected. This was the whole reason for the demonstration and none could perform what they should have
been capable of doing. I remember talking to John about the demonstration later. He said he was very
disappointed that none of his students were capable of performing what he was expecting. It’s no wonder
with all the lackluster students that seemed to never train.
I think it ’s necessary to distinguish the levels I have been referring to up to this point. There are two such
descriptions of the levels: firstly, is the Indonesian level system where they use 1, 2a, 2b and 3 and so on.
Then, there is a simple English version, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. I have been using the English version because that
was what I first was given by my teacher. However, since then, as a few other Westerners have become
students of the school, a few changes have taken place. Now, most everyone use the Indonesian version of
the levels as well as referring to our teacher as “Sifu.” I found out later that my teacher used the English
version of the levels because I think he wasn’t sure if I would understand what he meant by the 2a or 2b
level system.
I am perplexed at the failure of all these Indonesian students, not so much at why all of them were unable
to perform properly at the demonstration, but why our teacher didn’t do something to correct this issue
when he found no one capable. As a martial arts instructor, I would be greatly disheartened at myself if
all of my students were unable to perform up to level I had been training them. On the first sign of
collective disappointment of my students, I would have begun a different direction to correct this.
However, nothing was done in the Mo Pai to correct this obvious issue.
When I was teaching, I learned what responsibility toward students was supposed to be about, especially
while training in the Korean tae kwon do system. “Respect” is probably one of the most ingrained aspects
of the style. Koreans are historically addicted to the concept of “respect,” along with very hard training.
Korean instructors are not known for letting their hopeful students down. They know what it takes to attain
rank because as they were there once themselves.
With all these “pseudo” students around our teacher, one would think someone would recognize the
immediate impact it had on the validity of the Mo Pai as a school. On the other hand, I probably should
assume this is a cultural thing and just ignore it. But as I came to know Indonesians over the years this
aspect became more and more evident. Most are talkers and not doers.
When Pak John disappeared for three years, I was sorely disappointed with my teacher’s inconsideration,
leaving without any kind of notification. This type of behavior always leaves people in a great quandary,
not to mention great disappointment. I again had to remember the cultural thing, trying to pushmyself into
thinking “It’s OK. Just give it some time.” This was especially difficult when you realize that our teacher
knows exactly what we would eventually be experiencing, while we do not know what we’re supposed to
do next when we obtain the first and second “sensations” in the dan tien. After all, isn’t that why you need
a teacher and one that is responsible?
Originally, Pak John had planned to be gone for five years on a personal retreat without so much as a
peep to any of his students. I can understand him doing this to some of his lethargic students, but certainly
not for students that are serious.
Not accepting this all too kindly, I begrudgingly dived into research to see if I could find another source
of nai gong training. In all my research there wasn’t anything to be found. I did find later there are a few
chi gong schools that have something similar, but still nothing close enough. I went all over searching
many book stores and different libraries and doing a library searches with no satisfactory results. I did
find two books that did help me learn some new insight, but nothing that would help me continue my own
training.
There are, however, chi gong schools abundantly available in most major cities around America. It just
takes some slow research to find them. Chi gong is similar to nai gong, but still not on the same level until
the much higher levels.
Most chi gong training is designed for improving your health. However, there are a few chi gong schools
that develop specific abilities, which I was searching for, and they are few. I’ve found that many
Westerners who are in these schools talk a good story and make grandiose claims about their teacher that
they can’t support; and you should see some of the websites on the Internet. But when you ask them
specific questionsthey will “always” seem to have an answer that exposes their inability to back up those
claims. Some have learned tricks to lead you to think they have special abilities, but never seem to get
around demonstrating them. Consequently, I’ve found whenever an alleged master is a fast talker, similar
to a car-salesman; I have to weigh them carefully and be very straight-forward with my questions.
A word to the wise, if an “alleged” master seems to have “all” the answers: beware! They do this to make
up for their lack of genuineness.
Despite this, many people fall for these clowns. I’ve actually talked to some of the students that actually
fell for some of these phony teachers. And all eventually became very upset, especially for all the time
and money they’ve spent after they found their instructor’s claims were not forth coming. Sadly, this is
something we all have to deal with in our efforts to find the real thing. I would hate to have spent all this
time with a teacher and found he wasn’t authentic. But fortunately my teacher is as authentic as you could
get. He’s the real thing! And I really feel fortunate that Pak John allowed me to be a student of the Mo Pai
School.
Nevertheless, some of these chi gong schools can and do develop power eventually, but it is of little
value when placed alongside a system that develops both yin and yang. Only after decades of dedicated
training will you see real power. One of the differences between nai gong and chi gong is that nai gong
stays at each level longer and pushes the development to a higher level of power.
If I were to train in chi gong I would actually be taking steps backwards. Not only does it use only yang,
but when you change schools/styles you must actually start all over from the beginning, and I wasn’t too
keen on having to do that after all this time I’ve put in nai gong. According to my teacher, chi gong
exclusively develops only the yang. He said by doing this it is less powerful than nai gong.
In all my research I found some information about a remote chi development that has some similarity to
nai gong. This system is in Tibet and taught by Tibetan Buddhist monks that live and practice their
esoteric religion in some of the most remote areas of the world.
Also, after I’ve written this book, I’ve since come across some privileged information that there may be a
good chance that there is an “off-shoot” from the Mo Pai lineage still surviving that came from Pak John’s
teacher’s teacher, Pau Luk Nen. However, it isn’t possible to do any research on the Internet because this
“off-shoot” more than likely are not known to anyone outside the mountainous area in which one or more
of these unknown masters allegedly live. Only a few people who live in this particular Chinese city near
the area where they live have knowledge of them. It will take a huge effort to do an investigative journey
into these remote areas to find out if this is really true or not. And which I am more than willing to do.
It would be very hard to venture off into any of the distant isolated areas of Tibet. This is a worn-torn
country, seemingly teetering on the verge of war with China at any time. So, that wasn’t a viable option
for me either. So, I would have to wait for who knows how long it would take for China to totally take
over Tibet before I could ever consider traveling there (Things have since died down).
From my continuing research I also found that almost ten million Chinese practice chi gong on a daily
basis. This however is practiced for health purposes and not for power or self-defense. There are other
directions one may choose, if they can find a powerful master, which there are not but a rare few.
It d idn’t matter what else I tried to find, there just wasn’t anything out there that might help me continue
with own nai gong training. Hard as it was, I had to conclude that nai gong is a “stand- alone” system.
And as a result I became disheartenedand didn’t know what to think or what else to do. For a teacher to
act in this manner and just leave without letting his students know what is going on, clearly sends a
message they are not important enough. No matter what culture he is from, it was very upsetting.
A nagging thought continued to crossed my mind that maybe he didn’t contact me because he may have
thought I wasn’t a serious student (I found out later that wasn’t the case). I just didn’t have any answers
for anything and struggled on as best as I could, and the more I did the more I was feeling totally lost.
I couldn’t believe what I thought had been fate when I found my teacher, was now a total dead end. And I
didn’t want to admit I was on my own. Was all that time and effort wasted? Would it take several more
years to find another teacher? I considered maybe I ought to take a chance and fly to Indonesia to see if I
could find him on my own. Since I found him before, maybe I could find him again. But the trip is not a
casual one to consider and takes an enormous effort, especially now that he has disappeared. I really
wanted to contact him first before I committed to another trip. While still researching, I inwardly still
hadn’t given up on him. I still had hope.
I eventually came across a book written by a Medical Director from Harvard University who wrote about
his research into chi gong abilities while in China. He had come in contact with several alleged masters
who were willing to demonstrate their very limited abilities. This did, however, prove in a small way the
authenticity of chi.
Unlike his book, I found that the “real” masters of chi gong don’t normally like to be known. Because of
that, only those close to authentic masters know who they are and usually never divulge their identity or
whereabouts, thus, enabling them to remain anonymous. However, there are some I have found, for
monetary reasons, have gone public.
Other than that, it would be rare for anyone to ever meet a true master, much less see them perform. You
will however, see either students who have been training off and on, but still haven’t attained substantial
powers/abilities, or other students who have discontinued their chi training with little or nothing to show,
but talk or act like they are masters. If these people went back to China, they would be on a student’s
level. It is these people that actually hurt the authenticity of chi development in terms of doing any
scientific research. Usually, it is always these students who will perform modest parlor trick
demonstrations which obviously would leave doubt in the minds of the scientific world. But unfortunately
this causes people like the Medical Director to think there is nothing more to it than just a few, slightly
interesting tricks.
I also learned many older students of chi gong like to be referred as masters since they have moved out of
China where no one knows their actual level. They seem to have found that there is good money to be
made from hopeful people who don’t have any way of going to China to know if they are authentic or not.
In contrast, real Masters rarely perform or demonstrate their abilities, and if they do it is usually only for
the sake of his students or religious rituals that are associated to the school.
It is important to understand that all true masters do not consider superpowers as their final objective.
Rather, superhuman abilities to them are only a way to judge their path to alleged nirvana. So, they seek
their next stage without considering what abilities they attained could be used for humanity. Therefore,
most true masters, by virtue of their own path, begin their training with a pure selfish desire for their own
life. And from there they don’t seem to ever reach the mature state that life isn’t about spending your
entire time working only for your personal gain. God created us to do just the opposite: to help others.
These men have no real meaning in life, but what to seek for themselves. And this is hardly the mindset I
would hope these masters should have.
So if you are lucky enough to ever meet a high level master, for most of them, demonstrating their beneath
them because they are trying enlightenment instead.
Having superhuman abilities is actually considered nothing more than levels of stairs. The lower level of
stairs is viewed with disdain because it shows “where” they once were in their progress.
powers/abilities to attain greater is actually
levels of Because Westerners are focused and marvel at the lower levels, is one reason why some these
masters are not willing to help us. One of the other problems is the fact that masters are in a closed
society. Chinese are very prejudice toward other cultures. Many see non-Asians as “foreigners,” and this
term in a negative since. After all, what right do foreigners have with their historical and treasured
ancient knowledge? Like all cultures, it is always a problem when another culture tries to enter another.
I not only found that pride and/or prejudice isn’t confined only to the Asian masters. After reading the
book by the Medical Director from Harvard, I had some questions I wanted to ask him. So I went to the
library and found a phone book for the vicinity I thought he might reside. Surprisingly, he was openly
listed in the white pages which allowed me to feel as though I was not intruding upon his academic
privacy. When he answered the phone, I found this wasn’t the case at all. Despite his number being
available, he wasn’t, in terms of hospitality! His demeanor was just short of a hungry ally cat.
I introduced myself and explained my plight. I also asked him if he knew any contacts in China I might get
in touch with. I had hoped he might help me in my research to find a replacement. By chance, he may
know of a nai gong teacher that he didn’t write about in his book. I also inquired if he knew the difference
between nai gong and chi gong. I went on naively as if he was a friendly person hoping he would help me.
Hisvoice was arrogant, telling me he didn’t care to help me. I immediately switch gears and changed the
subject asking him if he had considered doing a follow-up from his first book. He pointedly said no, and
he said he didn’t care to dwell on it.
It seemed I couldn’t get to first-base on anything with this arrogant jerk. The guy just wasn’t willing to
work with me. And it was at that point I didn’t care to put up with any of his nonsense anymore and
quickly hung up without saying anything.
I sure hope this arrogance isn’t an indication of what today’s colleges produce. He really was an
egotistical meathead! What could have been a pleasant conversation and maybe some help turned out to
be a waste of my time. Dealing with people like that pushes the limits of patience when they have the
opportunity of doing something considerate for someone else. It would appear that some of these socalled
academics sophisticates view the world as if they are the only ones whose shitdoesn’t stink!
The Chinese have been engaged in many different types of chi gong training for several thousand years.
During this time it has grown and moved all over Asia while transforming into other schools and systems
and has migrated into other countries. Even while nai gong was developed in the remote past it remained
in small, secluded schools with a few teachers venturing out beyond their homeland. And because nai
gong is more powerful, it takes longer to develop, and probably why it has disappeared for the most part.
As to date, I have found only one authentic nai gong school of which I am lucky enough to be a student.
That isn’t to say there are not other nai gong schools in China. In fact, there are. However, these other nai
gong schools are actually categorized as chi gong and do not train in the same manner to accumulate both
yin and yang energy.
However, aside from the Mo Pai School, there are rare lineages still in existence that are connected to my
school in one way or another. However, most have different training systems that peeled-off many, many
years ago.
I believe there may be another lineage that came from the last two headmasters of the Mo Pai School
before John’s teacher, Liao Che Tung. This has been the process with all schools since time immemorial.
So there would obviously have to be some direct descendantsfrom the Mo Pai’s school. And the training
from one school to another might cross over without a problem. Just how much those similarities would
be is uncertain, and it is of vital interest to me and must be researched. But gaining access to any of these
nai gong lineages systems would be nearly impossible because of their rareness, and it would take a lot of
time and money. So, this was my next step if my teacher never returned.
I remember my teacher saying he had a friend when he was a youth who was the one who introduced him
to their teacher, Liao. But finding this friend today is something that may also be totally impossible. My
teacher has no idea where his friend is and hadn’t seen him in many decades. For whatever reason,
people move into many different areas around the world and this includes students as well. Hum, let’s
see, Indonesia has some ninety-five million people while China has around a billion! That would make
things really fun trying to search in Asia for someone.
After all these years, I still believe strongly there has to be another nai gong school or teacher around
somewhere, or at least a close descendent of the school still in existence. Someone has to know
something.Pak John can’t be the last one.
Buddhism, Taoism and other religions are entirely different religious beliefs. And while they exist next to
one another in different countries, it is because of this closeness that causes them to have similar aspects
different ways assimilated into other cultures and then returned to its original location and combined
again. This is the reason why a religion can have different beliefs in different areas at the same time. And
this would obviously apply to nai gong’s lineage.
When a school or religion originally existed in a location for a long time, and there were “offshoots” that
left and quite possibly returned with some changes to be a separate school. And some of these schools
more than likely re-assimilated back into one another by virtue of their closeness. History and time has
always played an important role in changing chi development schools (like any other school or religion)
throughout their entire existence. In fact, by virtue of each head master and his different personality,
always adds or subtracts something in any school. And after a couple thousand years you can imagine how
much can change with literally hundreds of teacher’s differing personalities. Not to mention those that left
the school to venture out on their own to other locations.
Whether Buddhists train with Mo Pai’s nai gong or not I am uncertain, but there is some evidence of this
that needs to be researched to see if this were true. But a prevailing factor of secrecy is going to make this
very difficult to simply walk in and discuss long time, hidden systems with masters. Many schools will
most likely not allow Westerners to know for certain chi development’s true authentic origins, let alone
learn anything about their training system. While we do know many things about ancient Chinese history it
still isn’t enough to help me find the things I need to know unless of course I venture out in China.
Pak John said that our lineage actually began well over two thousand years ago by a man named Mo-Tzu.
It was later that Chang San Feng became an “off-shoot” from our original lineage to eventually become
our Mo Pai School.
Pak John’s immediate teacher, Liao Che Tung was a rather simple man, apparently existing on his values
that were clearly not consistent with society. According to John, Liao had a violent temper that resemble
one another. Buddhism has several in which to believe because it has migrated and problem. He was a
maverick, a Lone Ranger that seemed out of place because of his behavior. In my opinion,he didn’t have
the qualities as a human being and proved that by killing an entire village. And, he clearly was not
responsible for the continuation for the Mo Pai School. He was lucky to have had Pak John as a student
because his other student decided not to continue for reasons I am not clear about.
In the lineage of Mo Pai, there were two prior teachers that allegedly reached the highest levels of the nai
gong system. They had completed all seventy-two levels and accomplished allegedly nirvana. The Mo
Pai’s ultimate and final goal is the same as several of the other Asian religions that also seek nirvana.
This clearly illustrates there is a connection between the different religion systems of chi development.
But when they were fused together originally, I don’t know.
My teacher said there are two methods to gain nirvana that allow you to pass from the process of
continual reincarnation. And this is his goal. I don’t know how he can achieve this because he is in his
seventies now and there are too many levels yet to achieve. So it doesn’t look good.
I don’t hold much in reincarnation because this is an endless journey that encompasses human effort for
perfection, and we know how stupid mankind can be no matter how superficially impressive these
socalled living “immortals” are. Rather, I prefer to believe in a God that forgives my humanness. And
because of that, this allows me the grace he offers to live with him for eternity. In other words, it is by
relying upon God instead of trying to do it on my own that allows me to be acceptable to God. If my
afterlife depended on my good works here on earth, I wouldn’t get very far. In fact, no one can. Plus, I am
not too keen on becoming one of many small gods as many religions believe they can become. And if
John’s teacher, Liao, is working on reincarnation or working on his way up the ladder to nirvana, I don’t
think he will make it with his continual ever impulsive anger issue.
Contrariwise, the bible teaches quite clearly that God emphatically statesthere are no god’s beside Him.
He knows of none! And since He created the entire universe He ought to know.
I was very concerned when I first sought to find Pak John, I wanted to see if there was some other
religious dogma I had to become a part of. Thankfully, he said that you can train in nai gong without any
affiliation to anything. But strangely, in my teacher’s school, he is governed by a yearly, reappearing
prevailing, oppressive spirit who decides over all matters, as well as who goes to what levels, and who
is to be removed from the school. Plus, to make matters worse my teacher is bound to him without
question, as if he was totally controlled.
After being involved with my teacher, I came to recognize he was questioning his relationship with his
ancestor spirit. I am not quite sure, but there may be something to give us a clue as to why he asks people.
He has on occasion asked people the question more often than one would expect, “Who do you think God
is?” I was with him when he did this once.
This clearly illustrates his desire to know God. Based on that, I feel I can safely say he is most likely at a
point in his life where he is questioning questioning. immensely powerful, malevolent spirits, John
wouldn’t exhibit any visible sign of fear. But afterhis confrontation with them he’d follow their commands
with extraordinary foreboding, as if he made a mistake he would be in great danger. It is the fearful,
pointed expression that I think betrays what he tries to hide.
It was in 2003 that I was banned by this spiteful, uncompromising spirit from the Mo Pai School because
of all things, I am a Westerner. However, I believe there is another extenuating issue that plays in this as
well: I follow the Word of God instead of this spirit. It is my opinion that spirits are demons and they hate
God with a passion. This is why they have isolated the nai gong knowledge so that the world is unable to
benefit from it by those that seek after God.
As it als o turned out, this spirit “removed” my teacher as head of the school because he ignored the
warnings that were made to him for over a decade. For whatever reason, Pak John chose to ignore them
isn’t too easy to speculate on, mainly because he never confided in me about this. However, there are
some clues.
And then, what was originally told to me by Pak John actually changed somewhat later.Westerners can
learn Mo Pai’s nai gong, but only up to the second level and no more. But the reason why my teacher
would violate his promise to his teacher and keep me on despite all the treats he had has really left me
bewildered.
So, rather than allowing me to continue in the Mo Pai, this spirit revealed his true personality and
Godlessness by illustrating prejudice toward nonAsians. And therefore wouldn’t allow me to continue. It
may not have much to do with the fact that I choose to follow God and not spirit. Although this has to have
some credibility and not finding any answers, hence his continual Oddly, while Pak John stood before
some of these because if this spirit had been a benevolent spirit, he would have perpetrated one of the
foundational behaviors of God, forgiveness!
While God forgives, this vile spirit has no intentions of acting in the same manner, and this categorically
places him in an unparalleled class of racism. And since he has shown himself to be a racist, then he
certainly cannot be on God’s side. And therefore, he is not supporting or correctly doing what was
instituted by God. Anything that violates what God instituted is consequently an opposing force to God,
and therefore this spirit is a demon.
Arriving at this conclusion may be alarming to many people who believe or tend to believe in Buddhism
with all their demigods and all sorts of spirits running around. But what most people don’t seem to
consider is the fact that an omnipotent God would never allow someone or something rise to his level.
And in fact the God of all creation clearly states that he is a jealous God. So, if a demon claims to be
supporting God and yet doesn’t sustain it with his behavior, we then are forced into only one conclusion:
they are acting on their own behalf and not God’s. And in this case my teacher’s ancestor spirit claims to
be upholding the promise John made to his immediate teacher, which clearly can’t be defended any
longer. Why? The reason is, when a person dies, no longer can a promise be upheld, and the
promise/contract ends with the person it was obligated to.
So then who are you beholden to, the dead? Most certainly not! Their time is gone. Time is for the living.
Life, and the decisions we make are strictly for the living because the dead had their chance to do what
they thought necessary. Now, life is up to the living to decide our destiny. And besides, how can the dead
decide for the living when they “now” have a totally different reason to exist, which has nothing to do
with you or me? Spirits operate on a totally different plane of existence; there is no more opportunity to
experience all the human senses which is part of our ability to make decisions.
I have had enough “encounters” with spirits to know from their behavior that it isn’t familiar with our
humanness whatsoever. What they do to show us their existence is often times nonsensical. My teacher
also confirmed this as well when he said, “You should never, never believe any spirit, no matter what
they do orsay.” He said, “They will always try and fool you to get something from you.”
Throughout my association with Pak John , I’ve wondered about this. Sinceit’s a given that spirits always
try to fool you to obtain something, why would you want anything to do with them, knowing theycan’t be
trusted?
Chapter 6
Everyone has natural chi in them, and we need this to exist. If we don’t have enough of it we will either
get sick or die depending on the amount that is removed. So it always needs to be within each and every
one of us no matter what so that we exist. I might add it doesn’t have to be exclusively used or connected
to any religion because it is our life force that keeps us alive. And the Chinese have had this knowledge
for thousands of years, not to mention the fact that is has sustained their health for as long as well.
Now, “chi development” comes in only two different methods: nai gong and chi gong. Despite their
differences, both methods are designed to accumulate energy and then manipulate it within our bodies in
order to develop abilities beyond our normal human capacity. And when we join a school or train on our
own it will add to our natural chi. Our natural chi energy we are born with keeps us normally healthy, but
when we addthe “accumulated” chi energy our health can increase. However, this isn’t a panacea by any
means. Our energy cannot fix all our health problems, but does a few and it isn’t the same for everyone.
Normally, when one learns about chi development, it normally applies to chi gong, as this is probably
about ninety-eight percent practiced throughout the world. And they usually can do it with little instruction
from a teacher. Most chi gong systems are very basic. In fact, there have been instances where people
have accumulated chi and never knew what they were doing. And this account for some of the strange
“things” people do inadvertently that no one can explain.
Surprisingly, in many chi gong schools, students actually go out on their own to begin another school only
after a few short years of training. I found this out from a master living in China. He said that when his
students reach a certain level they are encouraged to go out and begin their own “system.” And this would
explain why there are so many chi gong schools throughout the world. This is especially the case with
Asians when they leave China and migrate to other countries. Most are not experienced masters, but
hopeful students seeking a better life in America. So they bring their student level knowledge here and
make it out as if they are masters.
However, this doesn’t parallel Mo Pai’s nai gong, and it nee ds an instructor for the first four levels. But
then after this level you only need the lessons from then on, because you’ve completed all the fundamental
yin and yang fusion work to develop afterward on your own.
I had read in Chinese history that ancient Chinese emperors were frightened of the power developed by
chi practitioners, and banned chi schools during their respective reigns.
So most of those practitioners that wanted to continue their training would have to go “underground” for
fear of what might happen if the wrong people found out who they are. If they were ever caught, death
would most certainly be their fate!
While some very high level master had the power to fight an army, it would have to be a small one
because their energy will be depleted rather quickly.
Normally, masters only teach to pass on this knowledge while never using their power to change history
intentionally. Practitioners were normally taught not to use their power to kill another human and to only
use it for helping people stay healthy.
More recently, Tibet, which is religiously entwined with everything they do, was ransacked by the
Chinese military and reduced to a shred of what they used to be. Most of the Buddhists monasteries were
plundered and destroyed and most of the monks left for refuge in close, neighboring countries.
Tibet has always been a rather peaceful country and is not known for being an aggressor, except to defend
itself. Unfortunately, in the case with China, Tibet isn’t big enough to counter their usurpers from the
North.
Aside from all this I was researching, I found that the ancient legends of the “Death Touch” are actually
true. I was even fortunate enough to witness a lesser level of this ability. I personally saw several victims
literally being knocked out with a rather hard “tap” on selected pressure points on their body! They were
instantaneously overcome by their senses and would fall to the floor unconscious.
I learned that depending on how many pressure points you hit depends on what will happen to your
victim. You can either knock a person out, cause immediate problems with a certain organ in the body or
have it occur at a later time, and even cause death to occur.
The person giving the demonstration had also used a special technique to revive his volunteer victims as
well. Otherwise, if they were left to themselves, they would remain unconscious about thirty to forty
minutes. The effects from the pressure point knock-out diminish slowly. Plus, everyone revives at
different times if left on their own and appear to have a bad hang-over.
I had found that the historical Japanese Ninja used more deadly techniques for “assigned” government
assassinations. These men spent many years of their lives in intense training to learn how to be stealthy,
elusive assassins. A vast knowledge of all the vital organs and pressure points (over three-hundred) were
needed to be known for an overall understanding for their ability to kill someone simply by touch instead
of the hard tap done by those I had witnessed.
These skilled ninjas had to be highly trained in chi development in order to exact their deadly work. Just
touching a person’s pressure points wouldn’t injure or kill them outright. It was only by their added chi
that would enable their “touch” to become a greater weapon.
Many of these alleged modern-day ninjas who think they are training after the authentic ninjas are unable
to do the “light” death touch. Consequently, their confidence. An MMA/BJJ moment.
Many times a ninja would have to disguise himself for his mission and “accidentally” bump into his
intended victim. Without bringing any attention to the masquerading assassin, while bumping into the
victim he would innocently “tap” his victim and thereby seal the fate of his target.
Ninja’s were also especially stealthy at entering a room while their victims slept, then expertly tapped his
target and then escape without the person waking or anyone else knowing he was there.
This “tapping” on specific points with an “exact” amount of pressure causes a type of fibrillation usually
intended for the heart. But other organs were also targeted by a stealthily perpetrators for whatever
reason.
I found that there is a martial art in the U.S. which trains and develops this skill to a much lesser degree
than their historical predecessors. It is a watered-down version with little of the ancient knowledge or
skill involved or the intense training that is needed to be really dangerous and are not masters in any sense
of the word. training gives them a false sense of practitioner could take them out in a
Rather, these modern day practitioners have to “hit” their victim with quite a bit of pressure in order to
exact any results. We don’t live in an era where this is needed as it once was, so obviously, this is why
today’s practitioners are not highly trained emissaries of death. Plus, we all have jobs to survive whereas
ninjas were paid for doing their work.
Still, this present day training can be somewhat dangerous nevertheless, but only if the intended victim is
standing still, otherwise it would be impossible.
There is one particular self-proclaimed master in the martial arts world that has allegedly found an
ancient fighting system and some other tidbits of rare knowledge that he has put up for sale, making it out
that he knows all about it. At one time, he eagerly advertised he had the “secret knowledge” in a few of
the well-known martial arts magazines.
This obviously was for monetary reasons, despite the fact that he is just a beginner in an ambiguous,
esoteric art. Just because he has the information, he somehow has quickly transformed himself into an
opportunistic endeavor. Consequently, he has become “the” authority and goes around teaching this stuff
to gullible people that are willing to waste their time and money trying to develop these skills that he does
not have.
This has always been a sore spot of mine with martial arts. Way too many instructors seem to develop a
“know-itall” attitude, as if they are experts on any of the other martial art systems, much less have any
knowledge of what chi energy actually is.
For several hundred dollars you can buy this guy’s tapes to learn about the hidden moves in martial arts
katas (forms) and see a couple “special” knock-out demonstrations. While he can clearly do this you can
undoubtedly see that he uses very hard “hits” on specific pressure point to affect a knock out, and all for a
very hefty price.
He recently, and once again up to his old tricks, has been “promoting” something new, how to knock out
people from a distance, which is actually a new-fangled sales scheme for him, and completely fake by the
way.
It seems rather convenient that only his “special” students are selected for doing any demonstrations.
Strangely, whenever an unfamiliar person volunteers to be a victim, guess what, it never works on them
but does on his students. How convenient.
During the taping of one of his training seminars, a TV interviewer who was doing a documentary on
people like this asked them to demonstrate on him. He wanted to personally see if he could be knocked
out. The instructor accepted the challenged enthusiastically without realizing the results, and tried and
tired, and totally failed expectedly.
What was especially revealing about this martial arts, carsalesman, he made a really bizarre excuse as to
why he was unable to perform. He had the audacity to say, and to my disbelief, that if the person who is
having this done to them, if they lift just a single toe, the attempt of being knocked-out would be
unsuccessful. I was shocked after hearing him say all this. I also didn’t understand why the people in the
room didn’t walk out of his seminar. This, in my eyes, really made him out to look like a fool. Even if
there was any truth to his ridiculous excuse, his level of expertise is so incompetent it wouldn’t matter
because he couldn’t do anything when the time to back what he was trying to do, and this is
unconscionable! But then again, car-salesmen have answers for everything, they can sell a rundown car
and make it out it is new. I think this alleged instructor has lost something in the process of trying to be
something he really isn’t. His credibility is gone, and he isn’t aware of it.
Even if what he is trying to sell was used in an actual case of self-defense, what good would it be if the
attacker lifted any of his toes while attacking you? And then you’re trying to spook him with your threats
of trying to knock him over? What a joke and waste of time. This really couldn’t be used for self-defense,
but maybe a circus act.
Just because he was able to convince others to take his bogus course, he failed miserably to convince me.
I know in fact that to exact specific results and authenticate your claim, it literally takes years of intensive
training to do what this guy was trying to pass off.
In contrast, Pak John can “factually” knock someone over from a distance, andeven kill without the
victim’s toes up or down. It doesn’t matter. This “toe thing” can only be from a weaker system like chi
gong because of the level of power the practitioner has not developed.
Contrariwise, the energy developed in nai gong isn’t based upon the time of day or the flow of energy.
Also, chi gong has many charts illustrating when it is best to work with the energy, and thereby clearly
demonstrates the need for knowing the up and down times during the day. This would obviously be a
weaker system if it is based upon certain “conditions” before it is any good to use.
Nai gong’s power comes from the accumulation of the two energies tightly packed and fused into one
another. There are literally no special conditions in order to use your developed power. Nai gong was
developed to be used anytime it is needed. And the power of nai gong isn’t determined by energy flows or
someone’s toes.
Whenever this car-salesman learns about something new, it is a sure bet that we will see him selling it
right away for a hefty price, claiming to be an expert! Not my idea of a wise, authentic teacher!
To his discredit, some of his “pre-conditioned,” volunteer students may look like they really are being
knocked out to the casual observer, but obviously, if you know what to look for, the victim has to make the
teacher look good. After all, you can’t sell your product if it doesn’t get your audience’s attention and
who better to use than your own cohorts.
I have seen real knockouts, and maybe you have too. And when you do you will see a person go
completely limp and fall uncontrollably to the ground. In this guy’s demonstration you don’t see this. In
reality, when a person gets knocked out their mind instantly quits working as well as the functioning of the
muscles and they will fall like a blob while hitting the ground fast and very hard! Usually, the head is one
of the more scary aspects when someone falls, and many times head injuries occur, but not with this
clown’s students. You don’t see a limp body falling or the head ever being in danger like you would as in
a real fall. If you know what to look for, the student will subtly go down on one side of his knee to
inconspicuously cushion the fall and then roll on his hip and then continue rolling backward while curving
his back to overcome a fast, flat fall. That would by the way, surely cause the head to hit the ground with
great damage.
In this phony scenario, several other students are places round the victim to make it look more authentic,
as if they are helping the person fall correctly, but it is just an added effect to dramatize the event.
If ancient ninjas relied upon this level of skill (or fakery), they would be a dead ninjas and/or removed
from their school. So we can’t arrive at any other conclusion with this car-salesman master. Any ancient
knowledge he is purporting to have isn’t supported by what I’ve seen.
Whatever comes down the pike, this guy will most likely latch onto it. It is just a matter of time before he
finds something else to promote for a buck. And I believe this is his third scam.
Beforethis guys “no touch” knockout techniques were for sale, he was doing the pressure point system,
which had “some” credibility despite the fact that he learned it overnight and began selling it the next day.
And then before that he was selling tapes of himself breaking big blocks of ice.Now, isn’t that special.
How in the world can someone do all this in the amount of time he's had when it takes much longer than
he’s had to train in them?
Compare this to my teacher who said, when I asked him how much does his training cost, his replywas,
“How can I charge for this?” Any authentic, credible teacher isn’t teaching strictly for monetary gain, but
only to pass on the privileged, ancient knowledge to keep it alive. This is the honorable legacy left by the
ancients.
Today as well, there has been a contingent of Chinese masters, of varying degrees who have brought chi
gong to American cities like San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles and other major cities where
Chinese have migrated and established big communities.
Most people in the U.S. are unfamiliar with chi development, but lately chi gong has gained more
popularity and is growing. That is not to say all are genuine, however.
Many Asians are taking advantage of this popularity in the U.S. and other parts of the world by cashing in
on chi gong training. While some rare Americans travel to China to find a teacher, a few chi gong teachers
(authentic and frauds) are moving to the U.S. to widen their opportunities. This could be a good thing
because many perspective students living here can’t afford a trip to China unless of course they get one of
the frauds.
While I was still doing my research in 1992, I found out about an alleged powerful chi gong master living
in San Jose, California. He was supposed to be able to knock people over from a distance without
touching them! This got my attention real quick because I was looking for help as my teacher had
disappeared. I was hoping maybe I wouldn’t have to find another teacher by going to China, I just may
find one here.
I finally located the man and called. He was very polite, soft spoken and very friendly. He said he was
available the following weekend and if I wanted to meet with him I should come at that time. I was hoping
he would be able to help me through the next phase of my practice and answer some of the things I was
wondering about. I wasn’t sure if this was possible and at the same time kept wondering if I would ever
hear from my teacher again.
Finding the man was a delightful experience, as I journeyed into the heart of San Jose’s old China town
despite having some minor trouble finding my way to his apartment building. Most of the streets were
going every which way, and it seemed I was also. It appeared as though whoever planned the streets were
from Asia. You would know what I mean if you’ve ever been there.
Despite that, I finally found his place. It was a tired, but an immaculate, tall, old structure. I would guess
the apartment may have been built around the nineteen twenties. Now that I was there, trying to find a
parking space was a whole new ball game. There was nothing to be had! I wondered what people did
who lived there.
I circled the area several times while continuing questioning whether I would ever find a place to park or
not. Finally, a car pulled out and the space was mine, not to mention there were other cars right behind me
ready to take it if I made a mistake.
I could feel a change in the environment as I walked to the front of the building. It was as though I had left
my present time and entered some kind of “time zone,” finding myself somewhere in old, rural China. At
just that moment, a Chinese family was just leaving the building as I was standing in front of the main
entrance. I was sort of mesmerized at the moment with thoughts going through my mind without focusing
on the Asian family. They looked at me strangely as I was trying to adjust to the environment. Ignoring
their obvious stares, I went in the building.
At first the pungent orders of Asian cooking overwhelmed me as I entered, noticing the beauty of this rare
old building at the same time. All the woodwork and beams were old and exposed. It had the look and
smell of another era. It was very well kept, unlike some of the other old, low rent apartment building I’d
seen before. Everything was stained a very dark brown which made the experience more intriguing as I
entered a mysterious, unfamiliar darkness. Plus, I could hear a distinct creaking noise as I walked across
the wooden floor. It reminded me of something I read about what old Japanese rulers used to do. Because
of the stealthy ninja’s ability of killing and not be seen or heard, rulers purposely had walkways and
floors made to squeak in order to detect silent intruders. This would alert anyone to a trespasser’s
presence. That is one reason why ninja were specially trained to walk on rice paper without disturbance.
I wondered if there were any ex-Chinese emperors living here.
The apartment of the man I was about to meet was at the end of a dark, shadowy hallway. I knocked on a
heavily used, solid wooden door expecting some guards to jump out at any moment.
Then a youthful looking, old Chinese man opened the door. He greeted me with a smile as though I was an
old friend. Instantly, he put me at ease. He led me into a very small crowded living room filled with
household items that were foreign to me. Removing an accumulation of them from the couch, he invited me
to sit down.
He spoke English well enough that I had no difficulty understanding him. We conversed several hours on
many subjects common to both of us. He was eager to talk about his methods of training more than I was
able to explain my plight to him. I would have to interject my predicament at times trying to let him know
what I was trying to accomplish. However, he had his own agenda well-rehearsed and it was difficult to
present my case. So when I stopped talking to get an answer or some input, he would pick up where he
last stopped without the slightest indication that he heard me.
He was eager to show me a video of himself demonstrating the powers of his chi development. However,
after seeing the video, I felt his demonstrations were not, in my opinion, what I was really looking for.
Nevertheless, I was still a little curious and wanted to see more, hoping it would get better. I felt he had
some power, but he was most certainly nowhere close to what my teacher is capable of doing. I also felt
he is more at a student’s level than the alleged master’s level he claimed to be. Maybe he was a master
here in the U.S., but in China he most certainly would be a student. I didn’t want to burst his bubble as he
was very proud of what he had accomplished after just ten years of training. It was because of his age and
enthusiasm that I granted him his due respect.
Nevertheless, I was disappointed and felt I was wasting my time after what I had seen. Despite that, I
knew this could be developed to a greater degree. It was obvious that this wasn’t the right direction for
me. Then, the thought occurred: what else would I doif I can’t find my teacher? This was the closest chi
development practice I could find up to that time. Plus, this chi gong teacher had connections to his
teacher in China who was more powerful than he. It was something to think about.
When he showed me his tape, he had students run directly at him as though to attack him, one at a time of
course. As they were running toward him and about 10 feet or so in front of him, he allegedly caused his
attackers to veer off to the side of him. From a somewhat squatted position holding his hand flat toward
his attacker, it would appear that he would shoot his chi directly at them from his palm as they ran at him
and pushed them off course. I knew it was one of those cases that students have to be working in cahoots
with their teacher— just another demonstration of prearranged, “helpful” victims to make their teacher
appear greater than he really is. The more I watched, the more I recognized that this demonstration was
actually not of any consequence or proof that I would consider being authentic. And because of that I
really wanted to personally test what power he had. Because of a few phony, scam martial artists, I
required a more objective demonstration to see if there was anything of value. So I wanted to see
something more believable so I could compare it with what I knew to be probably the most powerful man
I would ever meet.
I told him I had brought a video of my teacher and asked if he would like to see it. He seemed a little
disinterested, as if I was only thereto discuss becoming his new student. I didn’t think I had given him that
impression, but he seemed intent on pushing me toward his “obvious” superior system.
After we watched the video together, he surprisingly commented that he didn’t think my teacher was very
strong. “Not Strong?” I thought. I was taken aback somewhat by his obvious concealed envy.He didn’t
think he was strong enough! Either he was totally blind or was blindly jealous. It was unbelievable. The
video illustrated how my teacher had powers beyond this alleged master’s ability or his teachers. In the
video, my teacher used his chi to ignite a crumpled wad of newspaper into fire just from expelling his chi
from his hand. There was no way this alleged master had the capacity to do this and made me wonder
what he was thinking. Had he ever seen this type of power before? My teacher also demonstrated how he
could generate within himself an electrical charge, and touched two of the people in the video. Both were
lightly electrocuted and reacted instantly. Upon seeing this, the alleged chi gong master acted as though he
wasn’t impressed. This made me wonder what would impress him. And that day, I learned a little more
about people’s pride.
After viewing the tape, I acquiesced and talked on many areas of chi gong to see what his master was
capable of doing or knew. The more we talked, the more I was convinced this was nothing I needed to be
involved with.
During this time, he also showed me a couple of books he personally authored and had published (since
then he has published a couple more). One was about all the chi gong masters he had come in contact from
his research in China through the years. This was somewhat impressive stuff despite being a less
powerful system and I wanted to buy one for my own library. And maybe I can do some research with
some of these masters he discusses in his books.
As we were still talking, his wife and young son returned home. I was amazed that his wife was so much
younger than he. I couldn’t help think that maybe his chi gong practice may have benefited him in some
way we hadn’t discussed! Then he showed me another book he had also written. It was about five strange
phenomena in China.
It was getting late in the afternoon and I was hungry. I needed to leave so he and his family could resume
their daily home life routines and I could get something to eat. Before I arrived at his home, he had
thoughtfully called a nearby hotel and made arrangements for me to stay the night. He said I would like
this one.
As we walked outside to my car he said he would come to my hotel room tomorrow morning at 10am to
teach me his special chi training. I knew it was nothing I really wanted to get involved with, but the idea
of learning this knowledge was attractive to me. Besides, how many people can say they know several chi
development systems?
The evening was still early and I thought I would enjoy spending time walking around this city’s China
town to soak up some of the atmosphere and dine at one of the local Chinese restaurants.
I later chanced onto a class of chi gong training at a local recreation center another teacher was
instructing. There were about ten students total. Although mostly non-Chinese, a few of the Caucasian
students made efforts to look oriental, braiding their hair and wearing oriental attire. They were a little
comical looking to me because in contrast, the Chinese students that were there wore ordinary clothes.
After observing this for a while, I realized what little significance this had for me and left to continue my
ethnic, evening venture.
I was up early the next morning and went to get something to eat from a small, outdoor Chinese food stall
that was nearby my hotel. A short while later the chi gong master arrived on time just as he said. I
couldn’t help but appreciate his humble and sincere attitude. I really liked him despite building up his
system to be more than it actually was. Nevertheless, I wished my teacher could be more like him—
professional, on time and concerned about his students. As he was the day before, he was most gracious
despite being closed-minded, but completely prepared to teach.
We began by me paying him one-hundred and twenty five dollars for this “special” first level chi gong
training as agreed the day before. The price was, I thought, pretty steep for such a common system. But
then again, where else can I readily get this information personally with one-on-one training? So, from
this perspective it was very cheap. Besides, going to China would cost a lot more to maybe find this same
training. After all, he learned it from his teacher in China.
From the research I’ve done I have found there are literally many different types of chi gong schools all
over the world. From this particular school I was going to learn is called Standing on Stake. I also found
out this school is several hundred years old, and, it has been revamped over the years to what it is today
which diminished my enthusiasm somewhat.
We went over all the training steps together. I struggled trying to write everything downas fast as I could
while he spoke. I’m not sure exactly why, but I felt something was lost from the whole experience. It just
didn’t feel right. I don’t know exactly what I was feeling. Maybe this was because I considered this going
backward instead of forward.
Then I thought that I have to consider the fact that we live in a world that is so much different from long
ago. Somehow we have been influenced by idealistic movies while superimposing our desire for teachers
to be as they once were. When this happens it seems to cause us to never consider the fact that these men
also have responsibilities like, mortgages, insurances, rising cost of living, etc. More than likely this
pseudo master was trying to make extra money during his retirement,and I can’t fault him for that and
gladly paid him. I had to remember that despite my aversion to this lower level training, this man still
should be revered for his time and the effort he’s put in to be where he is. Whatever I was feeling, I
decided to overlook it and just appreciate the experience with this man.
After completing all the steps, he said he would like to demonstrate the power of his chi by knocking me
backward. I was looking forward to this. He had me stand roughly two yards away from him, held his
right palm toward my chest and began exerting his chi (energy) at me. My chest seemed to feel a little
strange at first, then it became warm, then very warm, and finally I began to feel nauseous, but it didn’t
knock me over! He appeared somewhat dismayed that he didn’t knock me over, maybe because I wasn’t
one of his students. He said he would try again, only more determined to try harder this time. Still, I didn’t
feel as though I would be knocked over as he tried and tried to exert a greater effort. After a minute more
of him exerting his chi at me, I abruptly decided to stop. I knew I was not going to be pushed back or
knocked over. And I realized that his effort was taking too much time to be effective against me or anyone
else. I wondered what made him thinkif he couldn’t do it the first time, why would he try a second time,as
if there were more in his reserves he hadn’t used the first time. Plus, I was only getting nauseous from the
chi he exerted at me and needed to stop.
From this demonstration, it clearly illustrated there was little power at this man’s current level. I could
have attacked him before he would have known what hit him. But this “live” demonstration would also
clearly prove chi energy was authentic. And also from this demonstration, the tape of him pushing his
students aside as they ran at him was proven to be totally “contrived” to help him look like he is more
than he really is, similar to the students helping the car-salesman guy I mentioned earlier. Because of the
students helping him, this obviously had given him the false impression he had developed stronger chi
than he actually had.
There was definitely something there, but it was not what I was hoping for. This event only made me want
to find a more advanced teacher of chi gong, and not a student, to really see if it was something I wanted
to invest my time in.
Then to make matters worse, he then explained to me that I was not in sync with his chi and therefore was
unable to knock me over. I thought why would you have to be in sync? What good is it for defense? If you
ever needed to use your chi for protection and the person was impervious to your energy,then it wouldn’t
work and not what I wanted. My teacher didn’t have to be in sync with anyone. He is able to knock over
anyone at any time and under any condition (and no toes were lifted). I knew this was simply a
justification on his part for his low level. But my question is now:what could a real “chi gong” master
really be capable of doing? This is what I wanted to know. I know what a student can do, so where was I
going next?
He said to me prior to our meeting he had been practicing about ten years. I knew if he were to continue
developing his chi, it would certainly become stronger, but I was uncertain how much stronger. I thought it
would be interesting to visit him again in five or ten year to see how much more he had developed. Later,
when the Internet took off and YouTube became a place for everyone to exhibit their “whatever,” this man
had a new(er) video demonstrating his chi energy during a teaching/lecture with a room full of people.
During the time he exhibited his chi skills I found it wasn’t any different from the time I spent with him
years before. Apparently, he just stayed at the same level living off his past laurels. I didn’t know if he
had stopped his training or whether this was the extent of his system. I believe this was a sign that he
hadn’t continued his training because his master was able to demonstrate greater power.
Another issue I was concerned about wasn’t that he would become stronger, but that he wasn’t able to
develop any other abilities as I was also looking for. He did say he was able to cure “certain” cancers
and some other things, but this remains questionable just like his alleged power. So I didn’t want to invest
anymore time based upon his claims and what I saw, unless of course I went to visit his teacher in China.
Because I was still nauseous from my chi being displaced during his demonstration to knock me over, he
had me immediately lie down on the edge of the bed. Then he began running his hands over me about ten
to twelve inches above my body from head to foot. He did this several times going back and forth. It is
very typical of how chi gong doctors work on patients.
Just as I had begun to feel nauseous, I now began to feel better as the ill feeling dissipated rather quickly
and totally went away after a couple minutes of doing this. Even though feeling like I was going to
“throw-up,” it was still something in and of itself and pleased me that I experienced this! I actually felt
how chi can be used for the benefit or harm of a person’s health condition.
He said his chi, which is foreign to me, was now being forced out through the bottom of my feet (the
bottoms of the feet also have an energy point where by chi enters or exits).
Just then, as he was still waving his hands over me, a cleaning lady abruptly barged in to clean our room.
I had forgotten to place the “Don’t Disturb” sign on the outside door. She stopped in her tracks as she
looked at us with an incredulous look on her face, then, whirled around without saying a word and
hurriedly closed the door after her. I wonder what went through her mind at that moment. We looked at
each other as we both realized the humor in the situation.
Then he sat down across from me and began telling me a little more. He said that there is a couple of
younger masters living not too far from him that were more powerful than he. He said that both of them
were not teaching and explained they could really knock people over from a distance. I asked if it was
possible for me to meet them. He said it was possible and could find them at a particular restaurant where
they like to eat. I wanted to meet them right away, but had no time left on this trip to appease my desires. It
was Sunday and I really had a long way to drive back to Washington State—about a twelve hour trip
ahead of me.
After I had arrived home from my meeting with the alleged master, I ignorantly tried to work on both
practices at the same time thinking doing things this way might help my nai gong training. I don’t know
what I was thinking, probably because I was totally new to all this. Actually, doing both for a very short
time hastened my decision to stop. I abruptly terminated this chi gong training all together. I eventually
found out that this is the type of careless thinking can cause severe health issues. A person utilizing a
powerful chi development system must always rely upon an experienced instructor or there will be
problems if done incorrectly. I am glad I didn’t continue very long with mixing the two entirely different
systems, or who knows what could have developed?
The feeling of heat I had developed earlier in my dan tien from my original training in nai gong began to
disappear. This was unacceptable. The heat is such a prized sensation that I had become dependent on it.
It is confirmation of my nai gong development and losing it was like going backward. It was then that I
realized one cannot follow two styles of chi development at the same time. They are obviously not attuned
to each other and vastly different in purpose.
In nai gong, you train to keep your energy strictly in the dan tien, whereas in chi gong you circulate your
energy around your body. Anyway, the new training was not really the direction in which I felt compelled
to continue and dropped it with the hope that I would eventually hear from my missing teacher. Maybe if I
never heard from him, at least I had this other school in reserve, but wasn’t thrilled about the fact that I
had only one option. I remembered once someone had said to me, “When you eat steak all the time it’s
hard to eat hamburger.” This was how I felt about the two different systems. Having been with a true
master who had power beyond this alleged master’s imagination, I would be stepping backward if I were
to continue following another direction.
As quickly as I decided to stop, it was still somewhat difficult to ignore the man I just met. He really was
a very nice man, and willing to go an extra mile for his students. He even wrote me several times
afterward. The last letter he sent included some information he didn’t tell me prior. He even asked if there
was anything I wanted to contribute for his next book. This really affected me by his concern and
cooperative nature to work with others. It was so unlike my teacher who was off somewhere—seemingly
unconcerned about his own students. I wanted to switch the two men and work with this new one who
appeared to be so much more like what a teacher would be expected to be like, but beggars can’t be
choosy.
Chapter 7
The sensation of heat in my dan tien had finally returned and continued to grow and intensify. In fact, it
was intensifying so much that it started to alarm me. With my teacher still gone, I really felt alone and had
no one to answer any questions about what was going on with this heat.
Was this something I was supposed to feel? Was it supposed to get this hot? How much hotter will it get?
Day by day it seemed to be getting stronger. Different thoughts raged through my mind. Does this have
anything to do with spontaneous human combustion? The feeling was beyond anything I was familiar with,
but more to the point, it was real and not something I was imagining, and it was consistently happening as
I practiced.
As if the heat feeling wasn’t enough for me to wonder about, it then all of a sudden jumped to my lower
back! What in the heck is going on? I thought. The heat was now located at the base of my spine. I also
found that I could flip the hot sensation back and forth at will. I had control of it. This caused me to be at a
complete loss. I just didn’t know what to think.
As I continued my training I continued hoping maybe my teacher would return soon. I thought maybe by
writing a letter to him now, it would be waiting for him when he returned home. This might cut the time a
little in trying to get answers for my immediate questions.
I had found that the Indonesian postal system was agonizingly slow (It has since been improved). I
originally found that what used to take about four or five weeks to send a letter to Indonesia took about the
same to receive one in return. Typically, when I wrote a letter asking my teacher any questions, it took
around two months to receive an answer from him.
It was at this time I remembered that my teacher said in the “Ring of Fire” documentary (produced by
Lawrence Blair), that he had been taught by Taoist people. I started reading everything I could find on
Taoism, eventually finding a book from the library that contained some helpful information. The book
didn’t teach what I was looking for, but it explained what was happening to me!
The book had several chapters on different Taoist methods of thought. It was at the last chapter that
explained the different aspects of chi from the stand point of chi gong, but it was exactly what I was
experiencing. I learned that developing one’s chi is the basis for all ancient, legendary feats of great
power and abilities—the stuff legends are made of. The book explained how your chi moves within and
around your body at will. It also described some of the phenomena I had been experiencing. The author
was long gone and in its umpteenth edition (It was originally printed around sixty years ago). So I
couldn’t write to him as I usually like to do with authors when specific questions I have arise.
The book also went into great detail about the feeling of heat I had been experiencing. It mentioned that
the heat first develops from the accumulation of chi. I also found that this is where my training in nai gong
and chi gong stopped being similar. According to this book, after the chi becomes organized and
accumulated sufficiently, it then starts on a circling path in your upper torso, which the Chinese call the
“small orbit” (In other countries it is call the “microcosmic orbit”). Next, through your continued practice
it moves on to circulate in what they call the “large orbit” which now includes your legs.
The orbiting of your chi isn’t as straight forward as it soun ds. There are seven chakra points it must pass
through before moving onto each successive point thereafter; some are easy to do while others can be
extremely difficult. When the chi reaches one of these points it can sometimes come to an abrupt stop.
This energy now has the task of breaking through each chakra point if it is blocked. The individual’s
physiology, health, mental state and some other unknown factors will determine how long it would take
the chi to break through each point. On some points it takes a great deal of effort and a long time for it to
open up to allow the chi to pass through. Conversely, on some of the points the chi takes less time and
effort and can pass through rather easily.
In my case, I mistakenly thought this was what I was supposed to do in my training. So like everything
else I do, I began very determined to bust through any blockages.
So when the chi jumped to my lower back I continued to work on it to facilitate its orbit around my body.
When the chi came to my first charkapoint it didn’t take too long for it to break through. And then further
up my spine my chi also hit another abrupt blockage. The energy didn’t stay there long either to pass. But
when my chi reached the top of my head it became stuck for a long time! And it was during this time I
finally had some great news: my teacher finally returned!
Everyone is different and will not have the same results regarding how long it takes to accomplish the
passing of one’s chi through each point through their body’s “orbits.” However, to off-set the drudgery of
all the time and training involved, there can be a “few” extremely unique experiences, according to the
book, that will occur as you continue your training. It has nothing to do with your nai gong or chi gong
training, but rather comes from the meditation.
I mentioned before that meditation is the process in which to train in nai gong as well as chi gong. Without
utilizing meditation you will not be able to acquire either yin or yang. In the first level of nai gong there
will be two sensations you will acquire, but if you train solely in meditation you will not have these
sensations. However, in “some” chi gong systems you will, but it is only the yang energy. You will not
attain the necessary yin for nai gong. And from meditation only you will have one or two of the eight
sensations it can produce. So during nai gong training you will experience these “other” sensations along
the way as well, but they are not vital to your development. Nevertheless, these other eight sensations are
a sign of “effective” meditation. It is sort of like signs on the road letting you know you are going the right
way.
One of the experiences mentioned from the book was about a man who was finally able to pass his chi
through his chakra point at the top of his head which, as it turns out, is the most difficult to break through.
Then, as he brought it down through his “middle eye,” he experienced a rare eyesight phenomenon. This
momentarily passing chi allows him to temporarily see in a completely darkened room. (The development
of the middle eye chakra is associated with visual and psychic abilities). His eyes were like a flashlight
which, from his perspective, illuminated everything he looked at in the dark. However, this doesn’t last
long as it disappears when his chi continues on its path leading down and away from that point. After
many long hours of meditation, you will also encounter some very personal and unique experiences as I
have had, which I discuss in a later chapter.
My particular nai gong training does not allow my chi to flow in an orbit around the body. Mistakenly,
some chi gong teachers claim that if the chi stays in your dan tien, it can cause death and frown on this
method. Chi gong teachers claim the chi must circulate through orbits passing by the charkas in order for
you to develop. However, this clearly exposes their ignorance and intolerance for other systems. Plus,
this obviously proves that they do not know anything about developing both the yin and yang. And
therefore, they are unknowledgeable of the nai gong system.
This is somewhat perplexing because nai gong actually came from the roots of chi gong. Why would the
more powerful of the two become less known? I would theorize it became this way from the fact that chi
gong takes less time to develop and people naturally migrate to an easier training system.
By developing both the yin and yang, it will enable a practitioner to go beyond chi gong and into the
stronger nai gong development, all because chi gong only develops yang. Despite this, there are chi gong
proponents that will argue this point while never knowing anything about nai gong. Chi gong advocates
literally don’t know anything about nai gong because there are only seven Westerners that were ever
admitted, a few Chinese, and the rest of the students is Indonesian. Prior to this, John’s teacher allegedly
didn’t have any other students when he was in China. And to underline the fact that most Chinese would
not know, the Mo Pai has been a closed school for a long time. So how could chi gong proponents
legitimately argue that their system is more powerful when they have no idea of what’s involved in nai
gong?
There are some similarities between some systems of chi gong and nai gong, especially in the first couple
levels. Then from there, nai gong it changes dramatically as it continues up the levels.
There are four stages or levels in nai gong in which the chi must go through in order for practitioners to
“fuse both the yin and yang” (which is the main goal) in order to produce the abilities they seek.
For the first of the four levels of nai gong: a practitioner must do meditation to “accumulate” yang chi in
his dan tien. While this is occurring there is also accumulating an equal amount of yin in the perineum as
well; the second level: this is a continuation of the first level still doing meditation, as there is still not
enough yang energy accumulated, and at this level there is added physical, sort of muscle
tension/isometric exercise. And when this is completed, you will be at the highest level of yang
development.
At this time the yang will become entirely compressed into the dan tien; the third level: the chi then has to
be untwined, and the dan tien needs to be cut from the cords that hold it in place to be readied for the next
level; and lastly the fourth level: the two energies need to be combined. And this is most certainly not an
easy task. It is supposed to take a “monumental effort” to accomplish the fourth level, and most who try
are unable to accomplish this on their first try or even their second try. However, try as some have, many
will never attain this level because of the enormous effort it allegedly takes, and some are not up to it.
These are the four basic, development stages in the Mo Pai system to begin developing superhuman
abilities.
The knowledge of how to train is best kept in secrecy because while many people think they can handle
the training, actually it can be very dangerous if done improperly. And this has played out with “certain”
Westerners that were Mo Pai students who thought they knew better than my teacher.
Many rumors have circulated about how people can become sick or die if they train incorrectly, and this
is true, but it would take a long effort doing so while ignoring the negative symptoms that occur; it just
doesn’t immediately hit you. And you would more than likely stop your training if and when you notice
some abnormal health issues beginning to occur. Therefore, any health problems that pop up can be
reversed once you stop doing the training incorrectly. And in addition, those that do train incorrectly will
not have the same health issues as someone else. It will be some health issue that they are susceptible to.
There was one Westerner, who decided to “add” a new level to his Mo Pai training, and then of course
paid the price for doing so. But he stopped in time and didn’t die, as people like to exaggerate on the
Internet.
I’ve been training in nai gong since 1990 and have “never” had a health problem from my training. All the
Indonesian Mo Pai students as well, have never had health problems from this training. Plus, my teacher
has been training and the headmaster of the Mo Pai School maybe some fortyplus years and hasn’t had a
problem. Clearly, none of us died nor experienced any ill effects! However, for those few Western
students that did have some serious health issues, everyone knew they were the type that thinks they know
better than anyone else. Plus, we could see they had self-serving, opportunistic motives. While I could see
this early on, it took Pak John a long time to finally recognize their intentions.
I don’t know exactly what their intentions were, but their behavior lacked real passion and devotion.
Instead, what really stood out was their inability to illustrate humility. And to be a good student in
anything, this is of the utmost importance. This isn’t something to take lightly or you simply won’t go very
far in anything. So if one is willing to be a humble, dedicated student and follow directions, then there
shouldn’t be any problems whatsoever.
In adjunct to this, there have been a few other Westerners from Europe that were accepted as students and
have since quit training, but none of them had any health problems.
I have thought about this for some time and have tentatively ascertained just why only these three people
had health issues or developed incorrectly. I came to realize that there was a common factor for these
guys, unlike the other Westerners. It appeared to me they had “covert” motives, which underscores
opportunistic desires, trying to parlay nai gong as a vehicle to achieve fame, power or money. Nai gong is
and should be considered humanitarian in purpose and never for selfish reasons. It wasn’t designed for an
exclusive few to be under their control which these guys seemed so intent on. And somehow nai gong has
a “backfire” mechanism built in which it appears that they experienced. What these three guys never
seemed to realize is that this training/knowledge was created by God and given to mankind for everyone’s
benefit, not for anyone to become more “special” than anyone else. One of the guys proved this ever so
clearly by sending a manuscript of his experiences with Pak John to Steven Spielberg hoping to get a
movie deal. Yeah, real humility!
There are respective differences between chi gong and nai gong. While they are alike in some ways, it is
the power level that really distinguishes them from one another. And as I mentioned prior, they clearly
illustrate just how different they are as the levels increase. And even this is different based on the
different types of chi gong schools.
The abilities in the higher stages of chi gong can appear similar to some of nai gongs’, but by virtue of
being based in an internal development system specifically designed “originally” for a different purpose:
health. So by virtue of this, chi gong isn’t in the same category as an internal development system
designed specifically for “defensive” purposes. Therefore, chi gong is unable to reach the same powerful
levels as nai gong. Besides, chi gong wasn’t created to be a fighting system. Plus, it isn’t balanced with
yin.
And yet, chi gong does have an external development for defensive means. It would stand to reason that
there would be some people throughout chi gong’s history that felt they wanted more from their system,
and found ways to expand their method of development. We can compare nai gong to chi gong this way: it
is like having a small four-cylinder engine (chi gong) in a car and then building it up (chi gong/yang
development) to go faster. It would then probably beat a stock V8 engine (nai gong), unless of course you
build up the V8 (nai gong, yin and yang development). There’s no contest! Nai gong is fundamentally more
powerful because of these reasons: it is balanced with two energies instead of one, and they are
developed more fully at each level than chi gong.
With chi gong, there is only a single ability that can be developed in the early levels. While in nai gong, a
student isn’t able to demonstrate anything on his own unless he is in the close vicinity of a nai gong
teacher whose powerful yin emanates beyond his body.
Unexpectedly, once I found out about something I hadn’t planned on. I was doing a demonstration once for
Pak John when we were trying to see how much I had developed over a period of a year. After I had
demonstrated knocking boxes over from a distance I needed to leave the room for a few minutes to go to
the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom I tried to move an item on the counter and was unable to. But
when I returned to continue the demonstration, I was able to do it again while he wasn’t paying attention
while I was testing myself, maybe ten to twelve feet away. So, I came to understand that his yin emanates
quite a few feet beyond his body.
In the first three levels of nai gong, we might consider nai gong as being in a “building” mode thatisn’t
ready to be used. We know people can’t develop overnight into an “Arnold Schwarzenegger.” So if you
started weight lifting today, you wouldn’t be able to lift much until after you’ve spent some time in
training. Nai gong training is similar; it is structured to continue building a power base on each level. Chi
gong is not exactly designed do that, and moves onto the level rather quickly. This is why some chi gong
masters are able to demonstrate their abilities very early in their training.
And I believe this is why chi gong can be developed so early, because you are not staying very long to
develop each level. After all, it wasn’t designed for power; rather, it was designed for helping others
with their health issues. And this can be felt in varying degrees depending upon the practitioner. They are
able to externally emit a little energy that other people can actually feel. However, it isn’t very powerful
and couldn’t possibly be used for self-defense, even though some people wish to think otherwise.
Conversely, once nai gong has been developed to level four, it is the equivalent to somewhere around chi
gong’s approximate level of twentyor so. And then after nai gong’s level four, the student grows
“exponentially” at every level from then on which chi gong isn’t capable of doing. This literallymeans that
at nai gong’s level four you are ten times stronger than a human being. Yeah, I know. Amazing!
I will admit there are some very strong chi gong masters still living that I wouldn’t want to offend. But
according to my teacher, Pak John, there is a limit to chi gong’s development. I wouldn’t know as I have
had no experience with a highly developed, authentic chi gong master. Despite chi gong being able to only
develop yang, these chi gong masters still have shown a high degree of power that I would really like to
witness.
One of the more strange examples of this, and which illustrates a high level of power, there are two chi
gong, hermit grandmasters living in China who are able to remove the life energy from big, powerfully
strong animals and then append that energy into a person! This allows the recipient to display some
immediate abilities. However, this will dissipate within a very short time, and even faster if they tap into
it to demonstrate a temporary ability.
I also found that within chi gong, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of different schools) with each
using basically the same training methods. What makes most of them different is all the tradition that has
been added. And to develop, it does not matter what system is used in chi gong, all roads lead to
development. Something else, I learned from a high level master from China, he said that when students
have reached the level where they can go out on their own, they are encouraged to create a new system.
This would illustrate clearly why chi development systems are so adaptable with so many cultures.
One thing that is common with all chi development systems, including nai gong. They begin with two
primary and essential elements: meditation and breathing.
In direct contrast, nai gong not only uses meditation and breath, but also utilizes an additional “aspect”
(which I am unable to reveal) during the first level training. And by doing the training this way will cause
a person to accumulate yin as well.
Then, once the meditation and breathing take effect in the body, the first of two signs/sensations will
arrive (Normally, this will take about a year or more as long as you’re training daily) to let you know
you’re accumulating the necessary yang you need. As you continue your first level training, eventually the
second sign/sensation will arrive. And when that happens, then you’re ready for level 2. However, just
because you are ready for level 2 doesn’t mean you’re ready to discontinue the first level meditation. In
level 2, you have two parts: you continue meditation to accumulate more yang; the second part is an
exercise, sort of like isometrics in a way, and you will be doing this for a long time. It is difficult to say
exactly how long because everyone is different. Plus, Pak John is usually reluctant when answering my
questions about when “things” will happen. And when you’ve completed level 2 you are at the highest
level of yang development! And then after this, meditation is not necessary for the next two levels because
you’ve accumulated enough yang to make your dan tien completely full. This isn’t to say that you can’t do
any more meditation; Pak John said that if I wanted to continue meditation (any meditation) it would be
fine, but has nothing to do with nai gong.
Both the third and fourth levels consist of two more muscle tension, isometric exercises (I am unable to
divulge any specifics). And the third level exercise is designed to cuts the cords to the dan tien to prepare
for the next level. And then the fourth level is designed to combine both the two energies. This is the
foundation for developing all the superhuman abilities we’ve seen and heard about as you continue
working through all the levels.
While Pak John doesn’t allow his students to know anything about their next level, I believe there is
meditation involved in all the levels beyond the fourth, fifth and so on, but I am not sure about more
isometrics movements being involved. I am a little apprehensive to mention this; although, from my
discussions with my teacher, he has mentioned some things that would cause me to arrive at this
conclusion.
For other Asian religions that train with chi development, “meditation” is always a foundational
component. Many of these religions also use repetitive verbal sounds for their development as well.
However, the down side of using verbal sounds actually “attracts” spirits. A constant verbal sound
attracts spirits because it is one of the signs of yin energy being accumulated by a practitioner. This one of
the things people are not aware of when meditating. Spirits are also attracted to people just doing
meditation, but it isn’t as obvious as someone repeating sounds over and over for long periods of time.
During my own practice, I always say a prayer for protection.I don’t want any spirits bothering or
distracting me.
Having anything to do with spirits for any reason isn’t something one should take lightly or, for that
matter, try doing. It can be deadly if you do not have a teacher to help you learn about them. Spirits can be
very crafty to the point that they can and will lead you to believe they are doing you a favor, but that’s
their ruse. They will eventually change and your relationship with them will become one of horror. Once
they have your attention and/or captivated you, you are now under their control. And I don’t think you
want that.
Primarily, they are after your yin. Yin is like an elixir to them, a vitamin B-12 shot if you will. And they
will do just about anything to obtain this from an unaware or weak person.
Another mistake we commit with them, we don’t realize that spirits also want to obtain bodies (usually
dead ones, however) because they are spirits, they are unable to have the things humans experience, so by
possessing a dead person’s body, it is the closest they can come to experiencing what human’s
experience. This is why people are fooled into thinking they saw one of their relatives after they had
already died.
Spirits are totally devoid of human attributes and want to obtain what they are not capable of having, even
if it is just an image of a deceased human. So we must avoid any contact with them. And you must have
guidance to keep them at bay should they come or they will turn the tables and use you for their desires.
I’ve found that many people from a wide range of different backgrounds ignorantly defend what they
believe are spirit guides; they consider them something other than what they really are demonic entities in
disguise setting up things to eventually get what they want and at your expense! When this happens it is
usually too late for you to do much of anything.
My teacher said that spirits (demons) are “never” to be trusted no matter what! And he ought to know,
he’s been dealing with them for decades! Even if you’re able to have them do favors for you, you need to
understand it is just to gain your dependence on them so they can get closer to you to turn things around
later. Pak John told me that you never want them close to you. It always turns out to be big trouble.
However, I’ve never seen this happen yet, and I don’t want to. So naturally I carefully listen to his advice.
What events I have experienced with a spirit, thankfully, haven’t been very many or very personal. Still,
what occurrences I have experienced have still been too close for comfort.
Pak John has many stories of his own experiences that leave one totally mystified. He told me, at first,
spirits will oftentimes act on your behalf for various periods of time, but then they will eventually turn on
you if you don’t get rid of them before they turn the tables on you. Nevertheless, just because you train to
develop your abilities from esoteric, ancient knowledge, it actually has nothing to do with spirits at all. It
is only by your willingness and/or desires to have access to them that theywill make themselves known to
you. So don’t get involved. This is a warning!
Spirits also come as a result of any kind of worship not intended for God or not caring who will answer
when doing meditative “chanting.” Summoning them is as simple as repeating the same words over and
over for long periods. I am unsure how this works, but as I said it readily attracts them.
Once you attain the fourth nai gong level, you’ve accumulated more than enough yin to call them directly
for whatever reason you have. However, there are a few reasons why they may not respond to you: you
have a relationship with Jesus Christ or are a very confident person. But normally, it is only on rare
occasions they will interact with you whether you like it or not. I have no idea what causes them to pick
and choose when they do. Nevertheless, you can train for many years and never have the unfortunate
experience of having an encounter with one.
What people are not aware of is the fact that spirits are in reality demons. And being demons would
account for their sometimes vile and fierce behavior toward humans. Strange as it may seem, spirits also
have diverse personalities. Not all act the same. Consequently, you never know what to expect from them.
And some are just plain mean spirited while others have different levels of personalities with some even
being jokesters.
In the fourth level, when you finally unite both yin and yang you will be at full capacity and ready for all
the higher level training regimens in nai gong. As I said before, it is at this point you don’t need a teacher.
You do however need the knowledge (of the lessons). I might also mention that not only a teacher of nai
gong is capable of confirming whether you are at full capacity with your dan tien, but there are very
specific “signs” that allow you to know “exactly” where you are in your development. A student could
train and know exactly where he is in his levels just by the “sensations” that occur. But, one thing is for
sure: nothing will happen to you if you don’t train. You must devote part of your life as if it is part of your
daily life, or you will never develop anything.
I had found it puzzling why a couple of the Western Mo Pai students didn’t train, but they sure made it out
as if they had been. Their poor results exposed their slothful behavior. You just never know about people
or the reasons why they sought out this school when devoted, daily training is the only way to achieve
your levels. It would seem some people think they can develop from just knowing about this stuff.
As with many chi gong schools, the Mo Pai also has “forms,” but they are only for the third and fourth
levels. Forms are physical, choreographed series of martial arts techniques/movements meant for
practicing against an imaginary opponent. But instead of being of any use to actual chi development, forms
are traditional and distinguish the system or school’s individuality rather than developing any chi, and
such is the case with our school. Our “forms” are not designed to improve or gain any more energy, but
they do improve your fighting skills to some degree.
Since the Mo Pai’s lineage was born out of China, it is als o based in the “soft” style of kung fu. In fact, as
Asia becomes more affluent much has changed from the “old ways,” forms seem to be less important and
are disappearing. We have also seen this with advanced masters coming out of the closet, so to speak, and
have begun to make serious money teaching while watering down what they learned.
Other cultures beside the Chinese also have similar chi practices in their societies as well. The Tibetans
are especially known for their unbelievable supernormal powers. One of the abilities they’ve attained is
called “Lagompa”. Before Tibet was occupied by the Chinese, there were two schools teaching different
training methods of developing Lagompa. One school develops their ability using physical training while
the other is more of a sedate training using meditation with no physical exercise at all. Both systems give
the person the ability to run at swift speeds for weeks or longer, without ever stopping or eating.
Lagompa runners are known to have traveled over a thousand miles in very short period to reach their
destination without ever stopping. This may not sound all that impressive to some people unless you see
the type of terrain Lagompa runners travel over, which can be some of the most difficult mountainous
topography one could venture on. The greatest Olympian would never be able to approach the running
capacity that these Tibetan Monks have developed.
“Tummo” is another supernormal power that is somewha t more known and practiced widely in Tibet and
a few other cultures. It is usually the newer students who demonstrate this unusual ability. This is required
for all students to sit next to a mountain stream and have someone place a very cold towel on their back in
almost freezing or freezing weather and they have to dry it out from the tummo training. The towels can be
literally dried out in a few minutes. One of the other aspects of their training is to see how many towels
can be dried out in several hours.
And for the advanced tummo practitioners, they will stand literally naked in the Himalayas for years and
never freeze to death. Even to this day, there are rare sightings of these strange men living high in the
Himalayas with little or no clothes while existing in deep meditation. Several of these men were sighted
and reported by Sir Edmond Hillary, the famous mountain climber. He made a few references of these
strange men in high remote areas on some of his climbing expeditions on several mountains in and around
Tibet.
Another ability I should mention is simply called “Talking on the Wind.” Tibetan masters have the ability
to communicate to other trained counterparts at great distances without using their voice or phones! They
quite literally communicate with their minds for thousands of miles if not all the way around the world.
My teacher mentioned this to me, saying that when I finally reach the forth level I will also be able to
communicate with him as well while he is on the other side of the world (In another chapter, I discuss
how I already have an early form of this).
True yogis of India integrate the development of their chi (they call it prana) into their religion so tightly
that you cannot tell where their religion ends and their abilities begin. India has a deeply embedded
history that involves their wondrous yogi’s phenomena. Most people (scientists) who have ventured off to
India to study these people usually return disappointed because they can’t seem to find the real ones. So
then of course, they can personally confirm that they don’t exist. However, India’s “authentic” yogis are
rare and seldom if ever reveal themselves, much less their abilities. Most of them remain in seclusion
while training themselves to attain (what I term pseudo knowledge) higher levels of knowledge that
allegedly goes beyond man’s normal capacity. I found that developing astounding, superhuman feats has
nothing to do with knowledge or intellect.
I learned this some years ago when I was doing research on the matter. I called the Yogananda Ashram in
California, located in a remote area of the coast near San Francisco. It is a meditation center
allegedlydesigned to achieve “higher” connection to the great infinity, which actually turns out to be
nothing more than “you,” in my opinion.
I called the Ashram and spoke to a few alleged higher levels of human existence. While talking with them
I found there is a common denominator, they all seem to have adopted a manner that appears as if they are
trying to be intellectually superior and let me know about it. Rather than being impressed with these
isolated, higher existing human beings, I felt they were more egocentric and rude than anything else. It was
as if they were having to climb down from their lofty living quarters to speak to me.
The problem with all this is that when you attain higher “knowledge” it should lead to wisdom, but I
didn’t hear anything of the like during our long conversations. So it would appear in all their selfcentered
efforts to make me think they have obtained knowledge from the cosmos. To the contrary, Ididn’t get the
impression they were anywhere close. And, with all these yogis running around, none seemed all too
concerned about humanity. They were all too involved in attaining their own “knowledge” to be worried
about anyone else. More than anything, narcissism comes to mind.
In fact, when I spoke to several people there, they expressed a lack of any wisdom. Their answers to my
questions were agonizingly empty with a lot of fluff that had no reality and failed to impress me, hard as
they tried. To cover up their lack of wisdom they learn a conscious command of pseudo-intellectual
terminology to give the appearance of being on a higher level than everyone else. I became sick of this
and ended my conversation. I thought how fitting that these guys lived in their remote ashram away from
reality of life. They have nothing to offer mankind.
As strange as it may seem to us, authentic yogis actually look down on supernormal powers, and only use
them as markers for the levels they have already completed. Being that yogis exist in a continually
progressive mode throughout their lives, they don’t like to look back and see their old level which would
remind them of their undeveloped state of mind.
Sadly, it’s the fake yogis that will readily perform their tricks hoping for some kind of monetary gain. Not
surprisingly, there have been a number of frauds that have become enormously wealthy. This is very
unfortunate that these tricksters are always readily available and the scientific researchers find first, thus
giving Westerners ample reason for doubting that chi development exists. And because of this we’re right
back to legends.
So it isn’t hard to understand why authentic yogis intentionally remain hidden while researchers usually
never venture very far to find them. But to find a “real” one can take years, and not to mention a great deal
of money to support your search.
I also found that authentic yogis don’t understand a very important ingredient and live in a contradictive
dichotomy: while wanting to seek higher attainment, they do it in isolation. And after a lifetime of this
many become incapable of functioning in society and return to their isolation. Therefore, many yogis are
unable to help mankind as God intended. So what’s the good of striving for higher knowledge when you
don’t make yourself available? Consequently, many yogis become hermits and misfits as a result of
“leaving” humanity for their selfish attainment.
As time continued to advance, many ancient cultures have found modern civilization taking over their old
ways of life. This is ever so evident with China today. In many respects, “modernization” has become a
disease turning the world into a common culture that extinguishes the “old way” of each civilization’s
respective customs and knowledge. I attribute greed and a lack of wisdom as two of the common
denominators for each countries insatiable desire for what they believe is a better life. And this is
understandable, as most people want things to be better for themselves and their family. I can appreciate
this, but at the same time we’ve lost touch with a great deal of integrity and tradition.
Most all countries are working toward modernization. This automatically has caused many to find
themselves with a mindset that is based on power and greed as a way of life. This modern disease
destroyed a considerable amount of the ancient, mysterious ways from the past and is lost forever.
Recognizing the symptoms, what remaining true ascetics will likely never surface again, continuing to
keep everything they know a secret. Certainly, the direction the world is going will cause any remaining
ancient knowledge to fade into obscurity leaving little for us to nibble on. One other problem for us that
seek true chi masters: there are many self-seeking, opportunistic students who are not masters yet and
have gone out on their own with the façade of being true teachers, and I have met a few.
Fortunately, recognition of them has drifted off into fairy tale status, thus, enabling those still living to
remain unhindered by civilization. This enables them to continue their isolated training, which is
unfortunate for those of us that wish to find them and learn.
However, chi gong is still around and growing again in popularity despite being less than ideal to have
any idea of how things used to be. On the other hand, the ancient practice of Mo Pai’s nai gong has all but
disappeared today because thereis only one “nai gong” lineage, at least that we know of. There is the
possibility, but like all other martial arts and chi development schools for one reason or another decided
to leave their lineage and are still out there somewhere, it will take a great effort to find them, if they
indeed exist. I have to believe that there would be something still out there based upon how schools
proliferate, migrate and split up.
The last few years I have had the opportunity to be in a good position. I get emails and phone calls from
people all over the world. But instead of having inquires about Mo Pai training, there are a rare few
people from China who, for whatever their reasons are, want to tell me about what they know. And there
is one person from Taiwan that contacted me and told me he knew of two schools still in existence that
train very similar to how the Mo Pai trains. And because of that, myself and a number of people are going
to China to do research, as well as go to the Jiangxi Province to investigate our Mo Pai lineage’s origins.
Our school’s history lies unawakened, mainly because the knowledge of the Mo Pai has only been really
made known for less than a decade. And the Mo Pai’s grandmasters were not unknown, they were in fact
well known, and it wasn’t that long ago. People are still living that remember my grandfather. He was
born in 1896 and died in 1968. So there is a very good possibility that people remember my teacher’s
teacher, Liao, and possibly those before him.
It has been throughout history that human nature has consistently shown there will always be people who
become upset with the status quo/environment and want to change things and/or move. And with them
goes their knowledge, family and anything else they have (including chi knowledge). This would be very
similar with Brazilian Jujitsu coming into the U.S. Now, a large part of the martial for the old mysterious
true ascetics, the arts world has been transformed into what is called, “mixed martial arts” (MMA).
As it stands today, the Mo Pai school has but a few students left. And, what makes this worse, only Asians
are allowed into the school. This wasn’t always the case. There was a window open allowing Westerners
to be admitted only for about 15 years.
And I was fortunate enough to have been the first Westerner to find, meet and become a student of the Mo
Pai way back in November 1989 which apparently opened up the way for others to follow.
As all this was taking its course, no one realized that another course unexpectedly began that exacerbated
the closure of the Mo Pai to Westerners. There is, however, and I probably should mention this, but there
is another type of “nai gong” available, but it is directly related to chi gong system and has nothing to do
with Mo Pai’s nai gong.
Despite having a few extremely rare ascetic masters that have “come out of the closet,” as of late, these
few have given up their time- honored past for a more modern attitude like making some big money! It
appears they’ve learned that people will pay a lot of money for their knowledge. Sadly, this attitude,
seems to have become the contemporary legacy that was never considered prior to China’s recent rush
into modernization.
Aiding to this rush, there is good reason to believe that one of the “Western” students that dropped out of
the Mo Pai that went to China to find another master could actually be instrumental with why the
“Almighty Buck” has helped contribute to replace the ancient way of doing things. Now, these two
famous, authentic Chinese masters are faced with monetary opportunities they never had known before.
Being that these masters are “still” human beings despite their status means that they are most certainly
going to be tempted to sidestep the cherished, ancient ways for some opportunistic monetary gains. And
by this they clearly illustrate they are more than willing to take advantage of the opportunities that lay in
front of them, and therefore, not the men we have idealistically placed on pedestals. Now, we can clearly
recognize the fact they are after all human beings. This, coupled along with the Mo Pai dropout’s
opportunistic salesmanship skills, could have been the turning point that has changed the timehonored past
forever. This is why I have a desire to carry Pak John’s attitude and try to reestablish what others have
unwittingly denigrated.
However, out of the rare few masters that have come out of the closet today, there are even more rare men
like Pak John that teach for the sake of the “traditional way,” and finding them will take a concentrated
effort.
At the present time however, it is my opinion there just isn’t that many authentic master still around
anymore, which makes it even more problematic for people to find genuine, masters. Pak John mentioned
that he felt there were maybe ten authentic masters still living today. And, most likely half are at an age
where they are in their fading years of life. This means there are fewer and fewer true masters around to
continue teaching. Then we have the other problem with people, they are not interested as they once were
dedicating themselves to years of isolated training because modernization has captured them with
“immediate” results and greater opportunities. And consequently, everything appears to be disappearing
for those who seek those authentic masters. I hope that despite the few money-hungry masters around
today, some of their students will want to return to the traditional manner in which true teaching was
meant for. Pak John was not one to combine wealth with ancient tradition. He was very much a
traditionalist and kept the Mo Pai under his wing.
Based on my association with the Mo Pai School, I would have to estimate that out of 50 students maybe
three or four are dedicated enough to continue training. And from these, one or two might be capable of
passing the sought-after fourth level.
There is one particularly well-known Chinese master who has been doing seminars on a grand scale
lately, but the problem with this is, he has “watered-down” his lessons so that it will take years before a
student actually begins the “first” level. It is obviously done this way so he can make more money. This
seems to be the common denominator for many people involved with teaching chi development today.
Even more problematic, there doesn’t seem to be very many Indonesian students who care to continue the
legacy of the Mo Pai School by truly committing themselves to the training. While most are Mo Pai
students, they are not dedicated students. However, there may be more today than when Pak John was the
head-instructor. It has been my experience with some of them to learn they are big on talk, but very lazy
with it comes to training.
And the other problem I have with Indonesian students is when I get a chance to talk to them, they are
some of the most impolite, secretive and deceptive people I’ve met. None seem to realize Pak John
allowed me to rise to the third level, and none are even close. What really upsets me is they don’t
recognize me as a brother student, they see me only as some foreigner. After all the years I’ve dedicated
to Pak John and the fact that I am one of the two highest ranking students in the Mo Pai, these people
harbor unadulterated racism toward me. Forget the fact that I have been dedicated and given Pak John a
big part of my life; loyalty means nothing to Indonesians, unless of course family is involved. There is no
question that I would have supported all the other students without cultural bigotry! Sadly, I have to
accept that this is just the way it is.
I wouldn’t be so troubled by this if it were not for the fact that not only Pak John, but some of the students
are Christians! “We” are not supposed to show prejudice toward anyone, but love no matter who or
where they are from. God sees mankind as a whole and loves without prejudice, yet Christian Indonesians
who are students of the Mo Pai do not follow God’s second greatest commandment—to love thy neighbor
as thyself—and therefore biblically defined hypocrites!
When I first met my teacher there may have been around ten people still claiming to be students, and of
those I met none appeared to be dedicated whatsoever despite talking as if they were. This is why Pak
John had, I believe, originally accepted me, none were committed whatsoever and he wanted someone
who would be dedicated. I found it hard to understand for some years why I was the only one who was
totally devoted and still am after all these years. Today, there may be some devoted students, but none are
willing to follow Mo Pai’s protocol toward an upper rank student.
Besides the second and third Western students that came after me (one in 1994, and another in 1996),
there were about four other Westerners that became students after 2000. Sadly, out of the entire bunch,
only two Westerners besides myself were legitimate seekers, however, they have since quit.
I personally met one of them and he was truly a humble practitioner. He sought this training for the right
reasons. The other two I met through the Internet. One sought me out because he wanted to continue his
training hoping I would work with him. The other one I later learned found his way to the car-salesman I
talked about earlier, who by the way had an embarrassing physical problem as a result of his incorrect
Mo Pai training. Despite his carefully crafted ruse, his hidden agenda was finally recognized by many
people. He gave the false impression that he was trying to help people, but used the opportunity to extract
great sums of money from them to further his selfish gain.
One of the people that contacted me explained how he became disenchanted with the car-salesman after
the reality hit him between the eyes: he spent seventeen-thousand dollars just for the beginning pseudo
training and nothing for the first level training! I was floored when I heard this, not to mention how this
unsuspecting student was taken aback when he realized his had been duped! It cost him around
fivethousand dollars for just the foundation training, and then had to pay an additional twelve-thousand
bucks for, now get this,a “special cure” by this alleged master to make sure they were healthy enough to
begin training. I found this out inadvertently by the carsalesman’s teacher. He told me that his student
didn’t tell him how much he was charging all these students, and gave him a pittance of what he grossed.
In comparison, Pak John never did that and he always started his students in the first level.
Actually, Pak John can be the “standard” by which we can readily see what the purpose of ancient
tradition and training is supposed to be all about.
During all the time I’ve had with my teacher, this anci ent knowledge I’ve learned, there was a growing
feeling of being connected to the past in such a way I had never felt before. It had begun to turn into a
sense of privilege to be involved in this rare, ancient training. I am just an ordinary Westerner, practicing
a discipline that has ties to a prehistoric world. If that doesn’t humble a person I don’t know what would.
Where did this ancient knowledge come from? When did it originate? Who discovered it? These
questions are of great interest to me. There is nothing that would give us a clear cut answers. However, I
can make a conjecture based upon a pretty good source, God, because he created all existence, as well as
all the laws of life. God obviously had to instill an energy in us to exist as a human. This life energy can
be developed or manipulated in different ways to help mankind to overcome illnesses and injury. This is
why chi gong was developed first. Chi gong was and still is used for illnesses and injuries.
My teacher told me his lineage can be traced back to a man that allegedly originated chi development
thousands of years ago, Chang San Fung. Apparently,he didn’t develop superhuman skills for himself, but
rather experimented with others to develop chi in them. From there, it was advanced by a succession of
men who experimented with this knowledge and improved upon it as the years went by.
After all these years, since chi development’s inception, this knowledge had migrated into hundreds of
different directions and cultures. With each school since, they’ve acclimatized the knowledge to their
culture, which explains why there are so many different ways of developing your inner energy.
Eventually, chi gong reached its zenith of seventy-two levels which, according to Pak John, only two men
achieved in the history of Mo Pai. There are other chi gong schools that also have seventy-two levels,
with some men achieving all levels as well.
From the inception of chi development, it has found itself in many directions throughout much of Asia.
Despite the fact the knowledge of chi development grew widely, it has all but died out as technology has
increased. Today, chi knowledge remains basically in two locations since time immemorial: China, India.
Some people claim it has all but disappeared from India, and for the most part it has, however, despite
their claims there are still some pure ascetics still existing in remote areas where they are extremely
difficult to find. And of course their existence is denied because researchers don’t seem capable of being
very adventurous and explore in those remote areas.
All the past Mo Pai masters, excluding Pak John, have long since died. There are no other Mo Pai masters
living that we know about at this time. As disappointing as this may be, there is actually another Mo Pai
master that continues to this day and visits my teacher as a spirit! Strange as this may sound, this spirit is
summoned by Pak John on the day of the Chinese New Year, from an underground meditation center that
he had built on his property! And it is on the day of the Chinese New Year Pak John opens himself up for
what he believes is counsel from his alleged ancestor spirit. While I have not yet been to the underground
meditation center I am familiar with some things that have taken place there (I finally was able to see the
center in 2010). This spirit actually wasn’t the first to come when Pak John’s beckoned him. His
immediate teacher (Liao) used to come until he finally disappeared for good sometime during 1993. And
then after that, apparently therewas a silent period until Liao’s teacher, the spirit of May Yung Chen
finally showed up,and when he did he wasn’t happy! It seems he had a new agenda for the school and
John, one that emphasized total isolation of the Mo Pai School from the Western world, as if it wasn’t
already hidden from the world. He was not happy that Pak John had allegedly violated his promise to his
teacher, Liao.
During the filming of the Ring of Fire video (circa 1985), Pak John said that it was time for the world to
know about nai gong and apparently wanted to open up the school outside of Indonesia. But he said this
over a decade prior to May Yung Chen’s arrival which is really strange. He claimed he was fearful the
school would disappear, but this would indicate that he did not depend on God; rather, Pak John didn’t do
anything, and this must have hastened the arrival of the vile spirit of May Yong Chen on the scene.
And whenever May returns to the center he always makes a grand entrance. There is a great wind that
accompanies him along with very loud thundering which frightens everyone. However, no one is able to
see the spirit, but they can hear all the ruckus he makes. I had discussed a similar subject with Pak John
some years ago. He said that in order for people to see this spirit, they need to be at the fourth level.
That’s odd since one of the Western students who had been in the underground center during one of these
entrances said he could see a mist floating around. I asked John about this and he simply laughed and
shook his head. It was just another way for the student to elevate himself in my opinion as he is so
infamously known for.
With all the people I’ve talked to about this event, they seem to be thoroughly frightened with some saying
they don’t want to experience the event again. I would have to go along with that. Anything to do with
spirits I really don’t want any part of. Spirits are just a way of softening the fact that they are in reality
demons.
Chapter 8
The history of chi development is very deep with many, many names and titles for every direction you
could ever imagine, too many in fact for anyone to be an authority. While we first think of the Chinese
when it comes to this subject, there were in fact other civilizations around the world that also had full or
partial knowledge of chi development.
So rather than putting emphasis on all this dizzying, headknowledge information about my school, I prefer
to put my time in committed training. Sure, knowing about the depth of the history of the Mo Pai is great.
It still doesn’t make you a better practitioner. Plus, when you let people know how knowledgeable you
are, it is in my opinion, trying to make yourself look better. However, helping others with what you’ve
developed is far greater than talking a good story. And it seems a couple of the old Western students
didn’t understand this andit’s a good bet why they were never dedicated to training.
While there are a lot of chi gong schools around today, there aren’t very many “true” followers attending.
Most people begin with the intentions of wanting to gain superhuman abilities, but don’t realize they don’t
have the intestinal fortitude to finish what they start. Their goal is actually beyond their eye sight. But of
those who last longer than fiveyears, there is a good chance they’ll keep going.
For most, however, once these students gain the knowledge and begin training, they find out then how hard
it is dedicating themselves to longtime training. Then, they are off onto the some other interestthat fancies
them. It appears as if they don’t want to lose touch with Pak John and play along as if they are dedicated
students.
I wonder why chi teachers in general don’t recognize this attitude and then try to increase the success rate
of dedicated students. I also know from personal experience that many masters are focusing on acquiring
not only a living, but a wealthy living. One of China’s most well-known living masters has clearly
changed from the way he was taught to seek wealth instead of continuing tradition.
This is probably because of the onslaught of the modern world of technology and all it has to offer along
with greed going hand in hand.
The decline of my school’s attendance wasn’t b ecause of greed or technology. The decline came from
two other directions: severe animosity toward Westerners and a lack of dedicated leadership.
Consequently, in 2003, my school had dwindled to three Indonesian students, which was according to an
email message I received from one of my teacher’s closest friends, Henky, who is intimately aware of the
things going on with John. As it stands at this very moment, it appears that the Western world is more
willing to take up the legacy than our Indonesian counterparts and do a much better job. After all, the Mo
Pai is isolated on an island out of reach from the world. In this condition it is unable to benefit mankind in
any way.
According to Pak John, the reason why the Chinese have the exclusive rights to the secret knowledge of
chi development is because originally the Western world had used this knowledge for the wrong
purposes. And because of this, it was allegedly taken away by God and given exclusively to the Chinese.
And if this were so, why are the Asians in general so determined not to carry the flag into the next
century? They’ve really dropped the ball, not to mention all the greed that is going on. If the Western
world lost it for misusing this knowledge, the Chinese have clearly done nothing with it to benefit the
world with their gift. And according to the Word of God, complacency is just as bad as misusing it. So it
would appear that either China or anyone else having the knowledge of nai gong is dangerously close to
having it removed and given to some other culture. Or this ridiculous story of the Western world losing
this knowledge of nai gong is pure fantasy. God does not work this way. That which He removes is only
for discipline and restores everything upon repentance. And those that allegedly were guilty are dead and
there is a totally new generation that has good intentions, by virtue of the fact we have not had the
knowledge long enough to take advantage of it.
With the willingness of a few authentic Chinese chi gong masters today who have started allowing
Westerners into their schools, maybe this is a sign that Asians have “forgotten” their alleged gift from
God. But this may not be correct. Greed has always caused mankind to forget what gifts God has
bestowed upon us.
If China is an indication of things to come, it appears as if they are losing their grip for the want of the
almighty buck! This would most certainly illustrate a clear sign overall that what was once in place is
now gone. I hope this can be turned around before too long so that the Western world can be included and
it appears as if is the case to some degree. However, the knowledge of nai gong seems to be tagging along
way behind.
Nevertheless, we live in a totally different world with more diverse distractions than ever before in the
history of mankind. And having special abilities that take a long time to develop are actually out of place
in today’s world when there is so much of technology around enticing us away for the “ancient way.” No
wonder all these ancient abilities are now replaced with desires for power, wealth and the need for
attention. So when an individual’s “desires” becomes all too important in today’s instant gratification
society, we know for certain that decline is eminent for the “old way” of doing things. I am not saying that
technology is all bad, no, not at all, but the need for it has caused the loss of many of the good qualities of
mankind.
And no one seems the wiser to all this. No one seems to recognize this is a clear sign that many of these
alleged, modern masters are really nothing more than mere-humans, and not deserving of the “immortals”
title they have been credited with. Because of that, I want to put things in its proper perspective by
quoting what someone once said to me a long time ago about someone else, and I apply it to this situation:
“They’re only special if they shit gold bricks.” While this is rather crude way of putting things, it
nonetheless causes us to recognize what we venerate are really nothing more than mere humans that train
like anyone else. The Western world is still living in a romantic, myopic mindset from too many movie
fantasies, in my opinion. While my teacher is a true magic man he is certainly human with many negative
human traits like the rest of us. And in all the time he’s been training, he is still the same man he was when
he started. And in some cases he may have digressed, because in my opinion, he should be standing up for
God’s work, rather than allowing a demon spirit remove what can benefit mankind.
I find all this very disheartening. Maybe I am being too idealistic, thinking my teacher would have a
change of heart and become a stronger person. However, I have to accept the fact that he is nothing more
than who he is, and will be judged by his works and how it did or didn’t help others. Perhaps we can’t
continue the ancient way as it used to be. Maybe the only way ancient knowledge can be imparted today is
based on man’s greed.
In ancient times highly skilled masters were supported from the offerings by the families of students and
other local patrons from their particular religions. This was how it used to be done in ancient times. This
allowed teachers to continue their simple way of life while imparting their knowledge to their students.
There was not too much else that either student or teacher had to do but study and train. So money wasn’t
a real issue because it wasn’t needed as it is today.
Today, our way of life isn’t as simple as it once was. We live in a very austere world where money has
been made one of the most important aspects in our lives. So maybe itisn’t entirely out of the question to
support oneself by teaching this ancient knowledge for a price. With that being said, I feel it is necessary
to look at the reasons why people should want to make money, and more importantly, how much do they
need tomake? This would unmistakably illustrate one’s level of integrity. I have found that “ancient
integrity” has fallen from its pedestal to a more contaminated condition we see today, and the Internet
isn’t helping matters.
And at the very center of vast amounts of money and a lack of integrity are a few ancient, secret
organizations still in existence today, such as the Masons, Knights Templars, Rosicrucians and several
other lesser known fraternal/religious organizations that may have originally employed some level chi
development as a part of their existence because of some strange stories that surrounded their existences.
Along with this, these groups were always involved in controversy and also were reputed to have vast
amounts of money.
In their beginning, these organizations at one time or another were rumored to be involved in some
unusual events they were able to perform, but not very well documented. All were known for some
mystical practices and were greatly feared by outsiders because of those strange things they were
allegedly capable of doing. It was their lack of integrity that basically caused people to fear them.
All of these groups were deeply involved in strange rituals that oddly had some familiarity to chi training.
Whether this was of any real value to them remains undetermined, despite these organizations have all but
forgotten or lost their mysterious past. But there are legends they’ve left us of their mysterious events that
can only be explained by the inclusion of chi abilities. Just where their respective chi knowledge came
from is in fact totally impossible to research because of two reasons: their “closed” mentality and it is too
far in the past to research. It is my opinion that some of the people in these fraternal/religious
organizations I’ve talked to said they haven’t a clue as to what I am talking about, yet they have stories
about their history that has telltale descriptions of what may be considered developed chi! So it would
appear that all their ancient knowledge they once held has been entirely lost and totally forgotten.
Adding to much of the deterioration of all these organizations, many of them have had disgruntled men, for
one reason or another, who splintered off and organized new secret groups with a greater desire for
opportunistic, selfish gratification. And some of these men started infamous cults that sadly still exist
today.
One such example, the sanctimonious, deceiving Mormon church is a classic case in point. Their first
spurious leader was nothing more than an opportunistic, derelict fraud that saw possibilities for personal
aggrandizement by developing a private organization just for his lecherous endeavors. He had been a
Mason for a short period of time which gave him the knowledge he needed to begin his own selfserving,
tribute to himself. Thank goodness he was unable to attain knowledge of the deeper aspects of the
Masonic organization because he wasn’t high enough. And while he was doing all this, he was deeply
involved in corruption which got him kicked out of the Masonic Order. While he already had an infamous
reputation for being a thief, he lived only to fulfill his reprehensible lascivious desires. He was highly
skilled in how to take advantage of people’s ignorance. So after he was kicked out from the Masonic
organization for horse stealing and an accumulation of other criminal offenses, which included
embezzlement, he also absconded their secret rites and rituals and transformed it all into an opportunistic
endeavor called religion. This was strictly for his own selfish gratification which has continued to fool
people from the very onset to this very day.
Today, this cult is alive and well with the same vile intentions it has always had and has not spared any
expense to hide it. Unfortunately, its perseverance, hypocritical endeavors, lies and vast wealth have
softened their presence in today’s world.
All cults like this are more interested in personal gain and satisfying their immoral desires so they would
have never made the time to isolate themselves in long hours of quite meditation to achieve supernormal,
nai gong abilities, and thank God for that!
Speaking of God, the Mormon church is still under their historic, first leader’s influence to this very day.
They continue his legacy existing in an unequaled psychopathic and megalomaniacal reality. They actually
have the narcissistic audacity to challenge the very nature of the creator God of the entire universe,
believing they can become like him!
Normally, evil people are usually unable to delve into ancient chi training because it requires spending
long periods of isolated training and their minds are not attuned for such self-introspection. This is one of
the innate aspects of meditation. It generally causes a practitioner to come closer to God by transforming
him to a higher level of understanding. However, on the other hand, by using chi training for selfish
purposes the number of those who have been known to attain high levels are few. Fortunately,
opportunistic derelicts looking for quick results are unable to achieve much of anything.
In the beginning, most of these organizations I mentioned originally used, or tried to use, some level of chi
development to attain powers for various intentions. Usually, all started out with good intentions which
were to meet the needs of the organization. But sadly, all these organizations degenerated later into the
need for power and greed with the organization only as means to achieve their personal ambitions. And
this is always the result in all cultures throughout history. Everything always degenerates to less than what
it was intended for.
The loss of the knowledge of chi development came about actually from greed in my opinion. While these
groups started out with the usual enthusiastic idealism which usually lasts for a short time, their original
efforts transformed into more personal desires. And this would be evident through the accumulation of
wealth which would give them strength and power; hence, the more wealth, the more power.
As their prosperity grew, it began to transform into focusing on how to overcome any authority that makes
life harder for their existence. So like clockwork, as expected with mankind, these groups automatically
reconfigured their idealistic goals into power mongering for strength and wealth. With money and power
there would be much less outside interference for their existence to do what they wished. We can see this
today with many of these organizations and cults (specifically Mormonism) trying to get involved in our
government and ownership of many news medias so they can control our information.
Greed does not have the patience to endure the years of isolated chi training necessary for development.
Fundamentally, it was and still is man’s sinful nature that literally ended what could have made this a
better world in which to live.
It is troubling when you think that many of the current chi teachers were given their knowledge and
training merely for their desire to learn. This should have continued the traditional process of passing
ancient knowledge to the next generation. This was the time honored way of doing things that most likely
we will never see again.
Many of these fraternal organizations that are still in existence today are not the same that they were in
their beginning. Any secret chi knowledge they may have had has been totally forgotten and long since
disappeared. This is easy to understand because it takes too much time to develop abilities especially
when money has more immediate results.
Many already know that most of these secret organizations were/are deeply involved in “secret
ceremonies.” They’ve grown so much over the years that the ceremonies took the place of authentic
mystical rituals, simply because it is easier. Even though these groups lost most all of their past, they’ve
learned to use more speedy methods to attain their goals, and the world reads about them through the
years. Many of the mysterious murders during the 1940s and‘50s that took place around the U.S. were
clandestinely accomplished by a few renegade fraternal/cult organizations. One that was usually at the
center of it all was the Masonic Order. A few factions of their membership went in a completely different
direction than where the Masonic Order wanted to go, so they claim. However, this was quickly
overcome and forgotten because many of the Masons were/are government officials. In fact, several
organizations besides the Masonic Order, especially Mormonism, were always associated with a number
of mysterious murders, corruption and other foul events throughout their history.
Most people reading about this will most likely not remember the headlines from past newspapers about
the bloody murders around the U.S., as many people were born well after most of this occurred. During
those scary times people were very fearful and stayed away from these groups until it had finally died
down. I can still remember the newspapers stories and pictures from when I was a child of the mysterious
murders that had taken place.
Sadly, most of these organizations have continued their secret agendas into modern times, but constant
denials of any wrongdoing has softened their infamous past to allowed them to be reborn into another
deceptive exterior of false integrity. Most all still have a deep core of corrupt motives waiting for the
opportunity to move into action. Plus, they’ve accumulated great wealth to facilitate their secret
intentions.
As big as most of these well-known organizations are today, their past secret ceremonies and rituals are
nothing more than faded, empty pageantry—nothing like the mystical past they used to have. So we can’t
use any of them as a source of help for knowledge. All have faded into modern-day opportunists.
Chapter 9
The time agonizingly dragged on, but the anticipation to see my teacher keep me enthusiastically alive.
This was despite my repeated efforts to contact him and was met with silence time after time. Finally,
after continual phone calls to his home, I got a hold of someone that could speak English. For a long time,I
hadn’t been able to talk to anyone at my teacher’s home because his servants usually always answer his
phone. They couldn’t speak English and what little they did they wouldn’t try to help. For whatever
reason, they seemed to have an agenda of inconsideration when I would deliberately say the name of my
teacher. Nor would they get anyone around the house who knew English to come to the phone.I kept
wondering what’s wrong with these people? Pak John had at least two grown children who speak very
good English still living in his home.
Eventually, I was finally able to speak to someone that knew English; it was myteacher’s daughter. She
kindly let me know a little of what happened to her father and basically where he was.
Her father had left on a retreat for his personal training someplace in Borneo for five years. If anyone
isn’t familiar with Borneo, it is simply a vast jungle. This is where my teacher chose to spend his time in
extreme, isolated training for his personal development.
No one knew, even his family, exactly when he would return or how to get in touch with him while he was
gone. As events would have it, and fortunate for me, he hastily returned after just three years despite
planning for five. If it hadn’t been for his son being gravely ill, I very well would have been immersed in
chi gong training for sure. And during Pak John’s meditation he actually “saw” that his son was very sick,
and was forced to return at once, as he was the only person who could heal him.
Later that year, when I ca lled again, Pak John’s daughter said her father would be returning in a few
months? I thought the last time I called she said in a few months?! Without speaking Bahasa Indonesian
(Indonesian language), I knew it would be hard to understand what she was trying to tell me.
I continued calling about once every two to three months to see if my teacher had returned. For whatever
reason, I was finally able to crack the barrier of always talking to the non-English speaking servants first.
I finally came to realize that no one really knew when he would return home. I also found that Indonesians
are very accommodating. If they don’t know an answer, they will simply give you a positive reply to make
you feel good (This is a common custom in their culture).
After a fe w more phone calls I still didn’t learn anything more. All I got was that he was at “the
mountain” in Borneo, practicing his meditation and would return in a few months. Well, at least I knew
where he was, but when he returns was another matter.
Finally in March of 1993, he finally arrived home. I had such overwhelming emotions when I actually got
to speak to him. All I could say was,“Do you remember me?” I was afraid he might have forgotten who I
am.
“Yes, I remember.”
“I need to come and see you!”
“Yes, when you come?”
“As soon as I can, maybe in a couple weeks.I’ll call to let you
know exactly when after I’ve arranged my trip.”
After I hung up I was absolutely enthralled. I was on another high. However, the excitement quickly
dissipated as I struggled with arrangements to leave in a couple weeks. It wasn’t easy because I had to
jump hoops to get time off from work. And then I could only get one weekwhich wasn’t really enough time
I needed for such a long trip. It didn’t matter. I was going and I was excited!
Then, I contacted the Indonesian hotel to make arrangements for my stay. The only English they understood
was “Jeem. America?” I tried to convey my need for a reservation, but it turned out to be more difficult
than understand it!
I kept trying, hoping I would be lucky enough to get someone who spoke English the next time I called. It
seemed none of the receptionists knew English or knew anyone working there who could speak English.
Luckily, or maybe fatefully, my friend Franky, the bell boy I met on my first trip, somehow was at the right
place at the right time intercepted the message and finally straightened it out for me. That was a relief!
Then, there were the plane reservations. T hat’s always fun. It really stresses me out. I’m not sure why,
but it nonetheless does. It most likely does because I really dread long flights, and this flight to Indonesia
is the granddaddy of them all. It’s around twenty hours of I expected. They just didn’t speak any English
or flying with one stop. This stopover may be around a couple hours or an “over-nighter” depending on
which airline you take. This flight I booked had a twenty-six hour overnight layover in Hong Kong, which
was another problem I had to put up with.
While waiting for my departure on this particular flight in Seattle, I inadvertently met a thirty-ish, bald,
Chinese fellow. He was flying to Hong Kong to visit his mother for her birthday. He mentioned that he
would like to sit together so we could chat, but our assigned seats were in different areas of the plane.
Did I say talk? He was a nonstop chatter box. After boarding the plane and unbeknownst to me, he had
arranged for the person sitting next to him to move to another seat so I could have that one. He came over
and told me the seat was vacant, I naively accepted not realizing what I was getting myself into. He talked
and talked almost the entire distance without stopping.
Anyway, he invited me to have dinner at his parents’ home, once we got there, and promised to show me a
little of the city because of my layover in Hong Kong. He was supposed to pick me up after I got my hotel
room, and that is where it ended.
When I called the number he gave me, it wouldn’t work. I called the operator to see if they could help.
But they also didn’t “speaky da Englis” of course, and I was on my own. I had looked forward to visiting
an authentic countryside Chinese home. I guess another time.
I was really excited to be there nonetheless, because the first time I visited Hong Kong was way back in
the mid‘60s while serving a one year tour in Viet Nam. The army gave us a choice of several countries to
choose from when we were able to take our one week R & R (Rest and Recuperation). Only the military
would change the title of “vacation” to a more militaristic term like R & R. The word “vacation” has no
place in military vernacular.
I was anxious to reacquaint myself with what I could remember of the city. To my disappointment, Hong
Kong had changed a great deal. It had grown and changed even more than I expected. What used to be a
friendly crowded city before was now an unfriendly and even more tightly crammed existence.
It was more modern, and it had been upgraded, with McDonald’s restaurants all over the place (Can’t
seem to get away from them). I was really very disappointed because of this, as I appreciate foreign
culture! To be here and see what is so common back home just wasn’t expected.
Hong Kong had other stores and restaurants I was also familiar with from America which made it even
more disappointing. I wondered where the real Hong Kong had gone that I was hoping to reacquaint
myself with. This took some of the fun out of exploring with what little time I had. What was also really
different and very disappointing as well was the attitudes people had. It had become very apathetic and
rude, probably because the city had become much more affluent than when I first visited. Now, the people
appeared to have little regard for Americans, and were very impatient in general. It was very different
from the treatment I received back in the early‘60s.
When I first visited Hong Kong, it was a wonderful experience. I was young and so eager to see this side
of the world. Most countries around the world, at that time, had not integrated much Western influence
into their culture and yet were in awe of Americans. We were especially novel over other countries and
were treated with attentive admiration. I remember well a particular event: I had gone to a dinner club for
the evening and met a very attractive, young Chinese woman. She appeared very anxious to dance with me
when I asked her. I could tell she was obviously nervous from not being around Americans also. When
we started dancing everyone on the dance floor moved off to watch the way an American danced. It was
slightly embarrassing, but I enjoyed the experience and still remember the experience well. Today, if I
were there doing it again, they would probably ignore or push me off the dance floor without a second
thought.
And if anyone on the street had eye contact with you, they would greet you by nodding their head up and
down with a friendly smile. This trip wasn’t the same. The city people were insolent in general, and
became very impatient if you didn’t understand their heavy, accented English. And no one cared to have
eye contact.
The next day when I returned to the airport, I found that I had somehow slipped through the cracks of
customs. Oops! You need a visa to go out and about while in Hong Kong, but you only need a passport to
visit Indonesia. I only had a passport. No one told me this at the airport! I had naively walked out of the
airport, got a taxi and went to the nearest hotel,and no one stopped me! This wouldn’t work in today’s
world.
Chapter 10
I had decided because of the conditions on long flights to never fly in the coach section ever again! The
densely packed coach section had terribly cramped seats. It was difficult to move around and find any
comfort on such long trips. I suffered with messy, overused toilets, children running wild and way too
many crying babies. The upgraded flights I changed to were well worth the extra three hundred dollars.
All but one of my trips flying to the other side of the world had been on Asian airlines. For the most part,
Asian airlines put all American Airlines to shame. The food they serve on Asian airlines is absolutely
unforgettable! And to top that, the stewardesses are very courteous, attractive and very friendly. They
especially seem personally attentive to the passenger’s comforts. Anytime you need something, they
cheerfully respond to your requests in a prompt manner, occasionally they even respond before you ask
anything.
When there is nothing to do and all is quiet, I like to walk around to stretch my legs and visit with the
stewardesses. During these quiet times, usually the stewardesses can be found huddled together talking in
certain sections of the plane. I would go during these times and ask for something to drink, then talk and
tease them for a while. They always seem delighted and laugh at just about anything I say while poking fun
at me as well. They always seem eager to make friends especially if you’re a single guy.
I might add, one of the more unusual aspects always comes at the end of the flight. All the stewardesses
would place themselves in different points on the plane. Before the passengers were allowed to leave the
plane, they would bow in unison after someone on the loud speaker thanked everyone for the privilege of
serving all the passengers. I don’t think American airlines would ever consider adopting this unusual,
humble custom even if it meant gaining more passengers. American airlines are only about profit.
On the last leg of my flight, I tried to absorb myself in the movies that are always running on the little
screens each person has on the back of the seat in front of you. But after a while, my eyes get dreary and I
get bored with them.
It was such a relief when we finally landed. The turbulence we were experiencing on this flight lasted
almost four hours straight. My nerves were shot, and my stomach felt as if it had been on an “agitate”
cycle in the washer.
We finally landed, and it wasn’t soon enough. It was good to finally arrive and feel the ground under me.
As I stepped out of the plane, my glasses instantly fogged up. The humidity and heat blasted my face as the
smell I remembered instantly affected my olfactory once again. It’s overwhelming at first, but very
exhilarating at the same time. I was glad to be back!
Grabbing my bag quickly off the antiquated baggage system, I headed toward a throng of bodies. With
arms waving, and voices yelling, it’s always a frantic ordeal getting a taxi driver. You don’t pick them.
They pick you.
I was sped to my downtown hotel that took about thirty minutes. It maybe cost about three dollars which
included a tip. The hotel I picked is surprisingly quiet considering it is in the center of a city with three
million people living there. I felt at home. I always experience a feeling of great joy and excitement
despite the overwhelming crowds of people. I just love to be there.
The time change usually doesn’t affect me on my arrival, but does on my return in a big way. I felt as
though all worries had been removed from my shoulders, and strangely I could finally relax.
When I finally got to my room I immediately called my teacher to let him know I had arrived, and to find
out when it would be a good time to go to his home. He wasn’t there, but one of his children said he
would be available to see me later that afternoon.
Then, with some time to kill, I headed to a familiar shop run by an Indian gentleman I had met on my first
trip and was looking forward to renewing our acquaintance. On my first meeting with him we had chatted
for hours about many subjects I’m interested in and surprisingly him too. He seemed genuinely interested
in many of the same things I was. And I love to listen to their Indian accent, and we would talk for hours.
When I got to the shop on this trip, however, I found a woman trying to run the place. I asked where the
man was who owned the store. She said her husband had died almost a year ago and she had taken over.
Surprised and saddened, I meandered around the shop with her closely following me trying to sell
anything I looked at. Sensing her plight, I bought a few items I would not have ordinarily wanted, hoping
they would fit into my suitcase. And a year later on another subsequent trip, I noticed the shop was
boarded up and deserted.
When the time arrived, I caught a taxi to my teacher’s home. I found myself enjoying every aspect of the
scenery on the way. It was delightful to see all the facets of the city: its people, the busy crowed streets
and even the hair-raising traffic. I sat relaxed, smiling and feeling content in the moment. I reflected how
fortunate I had been, being able to travel here as I have, to experience all that I want to do. It’s a very
gratifying feeling with the temperature over one hundred degrees outside the taxi. Despite that, I was cool,
calm and very happy.
When I arrived at my teacher’s home, one of his s ervants greeted me at his front gate and led me into a
small front room. Many of the homes have a small anteroom that you enter first before, if invited, to go
into any other part of the house. It is what you might call a greeting room. It keeps the privacy of the home
intact and undisturbed. In the greeting room, you can sit, chat and are normally served tea.
My teacher was in another room working on a patient with acupuncture when I arrived. He came out,
greeted me and asked if I would help him with the treatment. I knowingly accepted. While the patient lay
on the table, I was reminded to remove my shoes and socks and stand barefooted on the marble floor, and
then hold the patient’s ankles. My teacher’s electrical ability is felt not only by the patient, but also the
person holding onto the patient, as it needs to be grounded. He said the chi shouldn’t stay in a person for
but a brief moment or it would make them sick. The electrical charge he uses is generated from within his
body and used in conjunction with his acupuncture treatment. Most of the time, he inserts needles on
specific areas on his patient. Then he would lightly pinch the needles and add his own electrical energy.
This strange method greatly assists in the healing process. And in fact, he is quite famous all over the
island of Java for his healing skills, and is sought by many people, including political dignitaries and high
ranking military officers.
As I held the patient’s ankles, the electrical current would first pass through the patient’s body, then into
me. What I felt was not the sixty cycle current (electrical shock) that I am used to from my careless
electronic experiments as a youth. This had a kind of human element to it. It felt as if this electrical current
was alive, almost emotional in nature, as if there was life involved. It most certainly seemed familiar, but
I can’t exactly describe it. It is really a strange experience that I was happy to have to say the least!
My teacher told me that he uses less than one percent of his power when healing people; however, he can
control the dosages up to lethal levels. Another strange aspect about this: by holding the patients ankles he
not only can even feel the patient, but also the resistance of the person holding on to the patient’s ankles
and know what level you are in your chi development as well as the health level of the patient! Ordinary
people, he said, have a very little or no resistance at all. It is those who train in energy development that
he can tell many things by just touching them.
After he was finished, we went into the living room and sat down. He told me that sometime during the
eighties he was invited by a scientific European group to study and test his nai gong energy. These
scientists had paid for his trip to fly over to Europe for their study. They wanted to investigate what it was
that caused him to produce electricity within his body. He laughingly recalls how they had wired him up
to several electronic machines. And for whatever reason, he decided to have fun with them. He exerted
more energy than what they had expected. This caused the system to record very high levels of energy
while the scientists became frightened. The gauges had gone beyond their capacity and began to overload,
emitting strange noises. Panic ensued as the scientists scrambled over equipment trying to turn everything
off quickly. And then, my teacher was on his way back home. They had enough of him, wanting to keep
their expensive system in working order!
Recently, I was listening to a radio program. By chance, a woman scientist was being interviewed who
had once visited my teacher that I hadn’t ever known about. She had heard about him and wanted to
investigate his strange powers as well. She filmed a couple minor “little” things he routinely does for
lookyloo’s (He never demonstrates the extent of his abilities or power, unless it is for his students).
In her most authoritative, superior, scientific verbiage, claimed he had “telekinesis” because he had
moved an item without touching it. She ranted on and on as though she had all the answers about this
strange man while never knowing his limits, testing him, or anything else. She was, in her mind, a
complete authority on everything about him. And this is science for ya!
Telekinesis is having the ability to move things allegedly from using only the mind. She claimed this was
his method. It is not, nor does telekinesis really exist! This is not how the living energy (chi) we all
possess works. The Western world has no idea what chi really is, or know if it really exists. They talk as
if they know, but there is nothing to back it up. Telekinesis is an alleged scientific word “pseudo”
scientists use to describe something they know nothing about.
These clowns discuss the subject as though they know all about it when in fact they actually know nothing
about its true nature. Most people will never have the opportunity to ever see the real power that chi
possesses. It seems that since people, like this know-it-all woman, doesn’t know anything about the
reality of chi, they feel they have to use authoritative lingo in order to cover-up their vast ignorance about
it.
Sometimes, that’s the way science is, because they are supposed to have all the answers even if they
don’t, but they feel they have to appear as if they do. This process causes them to feel they have to be
authorities on subjects they have never ever seen.
What most people don’t realize is that most all scientists are blinded evolutionists, and everything is
viewed from that very biased and narrow-minded education. Most all scientist study previous opinions
that in many cases has no substantiation, yet they make it sound as if there is, and only they know it.
Consequently, they probably will never understand the mystery of chi with the way they the approach it.
And to add to this inanity, there are a number of “chi machines” that have been invented and supposed to
replicate God’s life sustaining chi energy, which is actually impossible. If these machines produced the
real, life giving energy, we could return life to the dead.
“Chi” is another word for a force that allows life to exist. And by virtue of this, it has to come from God.
He alone created life and sustains it with this eternal energy that he imbues in us so that we exist as life.
And what science does not know is that not only can we develop this force, but we also can manipulate in
many ways for many different applications. So many ways in fact that I am not even close to learning
about all the facets of chi energy. And since Asia has been the “possessor” of this knowledge for
thousands of years, how in the world can modern man ever think he would understand chi? Besides, God
and science are so far apart it isn’t funny.
So never having a background or knowledge with the reality of chi development would most certainly be
impossible for science to be the final authority on the subject.
My teacher, Pak John, in his most humble fashion, lets these people come to their own conclusions at
which he appreciates having a good laugh at their intellectual ignorance, and thus the mystery of chi
remains obscure to scientific know-it-alls.
This ignorance isn’t confined to science and strangely it applies to something that many thought was
authentic. In the world of martial arts, I found that many alleged martial arts masters think they also know
what chi is. They throw the word around as if they had some knowledge of it. They mistakenly believe it
can be mustered up without any prior development. Then they demonstrate their ignorance by erroneously
claiming that chi comes from one of the following: the yell, the out-breath or a few minutes of quiet
meditation. It would be extremely rare in martial arts to find anyone who knew what they were talking
about, or how to develop their own chi.
Actually, what these ignoramuses (no offense of course) are trying to equate chi as nothing more than
“intestinal fortitude.” It isn’t too difficult to prove this. Courage comes from a yell and guess who yells.
Yes, martial artists. Also, proper deep breathing also builds courage in a person. How many times do you
see a fighter or any athlete take a deep breath just before he acts? Mental imagery is also a factor in doing
better than normal. Chi does not produce courage, and we can develop it to a point of great power. What
you see martial artists do are time honored tricks. And to perform them, the mistakenly claim it is chi
when it is nothing more than years of repetitive training to learn how to break things and make it look
authentic. Actually, chi is the life force that allows people to live so they can train in martial arts.
However, they won’t tell you about all the pain and trouble they had to go through to accomplish the tricks
that fool people. Had you been around when they were in their early training you would have seen just
how much preparation they had to go through in order to develop their clever, alleged skills.
Also, what they don’t understand is that pain has no place in chi development. Chi can and actually
prevents any pain when you are at certain levels. In fact, when you are at a specific high level you are
impervious to any pain. Nothing can hurt you. When you ask these pseudo martial artists, they may tell you
about all the aches and pains they had to go through in order to be where they are. And they call that
“chi!”
Breaking bricks, rocks, bending spears with the point directly on one’s neck, or even whacking a
watermelon in half on someone’s stomach with a sharp katana are totally contrived and well-practiced
tricks, and has nothing to do with your chi! You see, if you have developed your chi to any extent, it
comes from an entirely different type of training than what martial arts is known for. You can’t compare
“apples and oranges” when it comes to chi development and physical martial arts.
True chi practitioners never perform well-practiced tricks like breaking things, as many martial artists are
known for. On the other hand, students of chi develop gain a level of sophistication from their training by
not performing, and breaking objects in front of crowds. My teacher’s meditation to develop his chi
energy has given him a maturity that keeps him from the need to demonstrate in front of other for attention.
After my teacher’s waiting room had emptied of patients, we walked into his spacious living room and sat
down to discuss some of the problems his patients had. Then he shared with me that his son was born with
a rare arthritic condition. About a year later, through Pak John’s constant acupuncture and electrical
ability therapy, his son had been cured.
I’ll never forget the first time I was exposed to the acupuncturist’s arsenal. I asked my teacher if there was
anything he might do for the problem I have, “ringing of the ear.” This originally occurred from my Viet
Nam tour from being so close to the constant blasting Howitzers. He said the ringing occurs from various
reasons; if it was damaged from sound, it may never be corrected. But whatever it was, he would do what
he could.
As I was lying down, I saw a case of assorted needles of varying lengths. There were sizes I had never
seen before which surprised me. Since he was going to be working on the side of my head, I cringed at the
thought of those long needles he had inserted around my ear. As it turned out, I was worried over nothing.
He knew exactly what he was doing, and it wasn’t painful either.
Afterward he demonstrated how he used the longest needles on his son (Needles vary from less than one
sixteenth of an inch to over twelve inches in length). It was one of these long needles that he used on his
son. It was inserted at the base of the neck and sent down directly parallel to the spine. It is really difficult
to imagine how anyone could control such a long flimsy, thin needle for that distance.
I once read that Chinese acupuncturists must be able to penetrate a thick pad of paper with a needle using
only the twirling motion of two finger tips. I tried it and found it wasn’t something a beginner was capable
of doing. When I mentioned this to my teacher, he pulled out a pad of paper and picked up a needle. It
surprised me as he twirled the needle between his fingers and penetrated the entire pad of paper!
I told him of my interest in learning acupuncture and would like to study under him. He left the room,
returning with a black case and handed it to me. Opening it, I found an assortment of needles and other
acupuncture tools I was not familiar with. I was nonplussed and stammered my thanks.
He then took my arm and had me bend it at the elbow. Pointing to a spot, he proceeded to demonstrate
how to use the needles. He placed a needle on a specific spot on my arm. It penetrated easily as he
twirled it between his fingers. I found that many acupuncturists in America use a different, less articulated
method: they place a small narrow tube on an intended acupuncture point; then, insert a needle in the tube
with the top of the needle slightly above the end of the tube, then they tap the top of the needle with a
finger which then penetrates into the skin. Apparently, the old method of twirling the needle is nearly lost
and all that is associated with the training, especially the time it takes to develop the finesse of the
twirling technique. It is another sign of replacing proven, old methods by using newer, less skillful, and
easy techniques that are quicker to learn.
I was a little hesitant at first, but it didn’t hurt when he demonstrated on me. Then he showed me how you
find other points on the body by using your fingers as a measuring device.
He said that I would need to practice on friends when I returned home. I thought to myself that this would
certainly wipe out my list of friends fast.
Later that evening, I had a pleasant surprise. A servant came into the room and said something to my
teacher. He then looked over at me and said, “Come, dinner is ready.” I had forgotten the time and didn’t
realize how hungry I had become.
On the dining table was a huge assortment of exquisite, home prepared, Indonesian food. I thought I had
died and gone to heaven; I ate to my stomach’s contentment. If I didn’t try something or take enough, my
beloved teacher would make me feel like a son and place it on my plate. I really felt privileged to receive
such father-like attention because I’ve never had a father act that way to me, as I grew up without one. I’m
sure he didn’t give it much thought because it’s exactly how he would treat his own children. However, it
meant a great deal to me.
I finally finished and had to pry myself away from the table. As I was leaving, I noticed I was the last one.
Oh great, they must think I’m a real pig. I hoped they wouldn’t notice me as I joined him and a group of his
men-friends already outside. They were sitting on the steps of the front porch already in deep
conversation.
We talked late into the night. When I say we talked, that’s not quite accurate. Pak John did most of the
talking and it often had to be laboriously translated for me. Fortunately, all his sons speak better English
than he.
This must be a favorite time for my teacher. He gets to talk about his adventures and the things most dear
to his heart with eager listeners. It has become one of my favorite times too. We all sat around him
listening to what he had to say, captivated by his many strange experiences. When I couldn’t understand
something, I would simply turn my head toward his son and he would automatically translate.
Chapter 11
In September of 1999, Dr. Lawrence Blair was in L.A. on business and called me to let me know he had
completed the pilot for a documentary that he had been working on and asked me if I wanted to view it. I
did, and immediately made arrangements and flew down to L.A. to see his new pilot.
This was especially important to me as I was in a short segment of the documentary, not to mention how
excited I was. However, when the actual documentary was eventually released, it was supposed to
highlight the fact that I was the first Westerner to be admitted in this ancient school.
I was surprised to find this segment was not present when the documentary finally was released. Why? I
haven’t found out yet. Lawrence never mentioned anything, but I have my suspicions as to the reasons
why. And it has to do with one of the two Westerners that came after me, the jealous one.
Lawrence did, however, leave one very brief segment of me doing a silly parlor trick where I blow out
the bottom of a soft-drink bottle. Yeah, big deal! It was so brief that if you blinked you would miss it. I
was more surprised than disappointed by this revelation. And, when I heard that this certain person was
involved it was then I knew exactly what took place. This guy manipulated Lawrence into his favor. If you
know this guy you would know this is so typical of what he does best. He is the type of guy that can sell
ice to Eskimos.
I really don’t mind though. I know he must be proud of himself for being they type of student that has little
dedication, integrity and also having worked so hard to achieve something that isn’t going to get him
anything but self-serving attention. By manipulating Lawrence he got him to remove everything he planned
to originally use about the first Western student that was admitted in the documentary so that the “third”
Western student would became more important. How he finagled Lawrence to do this I haven’t the
foggiest idea.
Since then, I have been after Lawrence to send me the segment of the tape of my demonstration, which he
keeps promising me and still hasn’t responded for ten years. But to be fair, he told me he mainly isn’t able
to because his projects have kept him from going back to England. I went back in 2010 to see Pak John
again, and I specifically made a side trip to Bali, where Lawrence lives, to see if a face-to-face meeting
would make my plea more substantial than my emails. We’ll see.
In the very first documentary of the Ring of Fire that was made by Lawrence and his brother, there was a
short account of Pak John (who was never mentioned by name) in one of three videos they produced. The
one video presented Pak John to the world for the very first time and stunned the world. And without it, I
and everyone else would have never learned about Pak John. And because of that I am extremely grateful
to Lawrence. So I really can’t be upset about the exclusion that took place.
In the short cameo of the documentary Pak John is shown demonstrating a couple of his extraordinary nai
gong abilities. However, in the new documentary from Lawrence, Pak John is seen in a different format
demonstrating a few different abilities.
Aside from all that, the evening “fireside” visit with Pak John turned, unfortunately, into morning before
we knew it. We were completely spellbound listening to this extraordinary man.
It was during one of several late night chats that my teacher finally told me/us about his trip to “the
mountain,” as he and others around him refer to the trip.
When he had earlier visited Borneo (1991-1993) he had found an extremely isolated location where a
few of his bizarre stories had taken place.
This was important to me as I wanted to find out firsthand what takes place when an ascetic goes off on
his own to devote himself to his secluded training. All this intrigues me because one day I imagine myself
going off and doing the same thing.
Also during one of these night time chats, he told us again that if we had sex during our training and not
wait three days (72 hours) afterward for the dan tien to recover, it would permanently damage our dan
tien. And if that happens, you will never be able to hold any more chi and therefore you can’t develop nai
gong power. All is not lost, however, chi gong works in a totally different manner which would enable
you to train in this system despite your dan tien being permanently damaged.
I don’t quite understand the working or the effects all this has, but I will nevertheless go along with it, no
matter how hard it may be. It is this attitude however, that caused me to understand how strong one
becomes when you focus upon a specific aspiration, even if it has to do with overcoming one of man’s
innate, basic desires.
And up to then, I never thought just how basic I had been living. I found out that life isn’t just about
satisfying our sexual desires. Despite my discovery, I could easily recognize at the same time that our
world is shamefully involved way too much in egocentric desires, trying to attain any type of gratification
whenever possible. I thought this was just what men do, but how wrong I was! Yes, sex is important, but
in our training it will become less important, while learning how to control all our desires.
All the adjustme nts I’ve had to make in order to continue my training have not been an act of futility. I’ve
learned that sex isn’t as important as my urges have led me to believe which would be contrary to most
men’s opinion. It is simply a matter of controlling the mind because there are greater aspects in life than
temporary gratification.
And because of that there have been a few unusual experiences that I would have never seen if I had not
endeavored in my training. It must be a good feeling for my instructor to see one of his students “work”
through the levels and continue to return for further instructions year after year.
He told me that he was very disappointed he hadn’t had a student pass the forth level yet as this is the
extraordinary level students hope to attain. This level is where your first of several powerful abilities
actually begin to appear, and you are able to do them without being in the presence of your teacher.
My teacher does have another student who allegedly was close to the fourth level, but had separated
himself from Pak John many years ago. I never found out what happened, but did learn that he left because
he was disgruntled with something about my teacher. According to my teacher this student moved near a
popular mountain area called Mt. Bromo, and started taking on his own students. This was the equivalent
of a slap in the face, and troubled my teacher for years because of it. (I have since learned this was also
the case for another student who left the school because they were also disturbed with Pak John).
Attaining the fourth level in Mo Pai’s nai gong school is something like attaining a Black Belt in martial
arts; however, this is only to give you an idea of the difficulty attaining nai gong chi, it is much more
difficult than any martial arts school and takes many more years, if you can imagine. This is one reason
why it goes beyond martial arts, not to mention the great power one is able to develop.
One of the revealing aspects I found after I attained my third degree black belt: I had become aware of
other fighting systems and was able to compare them. After one reaches the alleged coveted Black Belt,
one begins to realize it isn’t as special as you first thought as a beginner. It is very limited and each
system can be defeated simply by a person’s style. However, just because a person has a black belt
doesn’t mean they are someone to fear. There are many black belts that couldn’t find their way out of a
paper bag. (This is true with any martial art school).
However, with chi development there are no limitations. There is nothing an opponent could do to harm
you in any way. When you attain the coveted fourth level in nai gong, you are actually capable of more
power than you or anyone else could ever imagine. In fact, the levels are exponential. Each one is ten
times more powerful than the previous. So if you are of normal size and strength, your strength is ten times
more powerful than the average man once you reach the 4th level and so forth.
A close friend of my teachers told me that Pak John hoped I was not a passing student when I first began.
He hoped that I would continue my practice and not be a waste of his time, as I’m his first and only
Western student (at the time). I’m sure he had some trepidation about teaching a foreigner. For some time I
don’t think he was very secure with a nonAsian in this school. I believe I’ve proved to be a worthy
student over the years and finally won over his trust.
I am unsure exactly when my teacher accepted his second Westerner who came from Greece. I do know
that he found Pak John sometime after 1993 because it was early in that year my teacher had returned from
his mountain retreat in Borneo and I went to see him just a few weeks after his return in March. So this
student could only have come after that. Also, Pak John had never mentioned anything to me about having
another non-Chinese student until sometime later. I remember this because the only other non-Asian that
came to visit Pak John was an older gentleman from New York in 1993.
His eyesight was degenerating and sought Pak John to see if there was anything to do to correct the
problem. And later, in 1994, when Pak John’s daughter was married in California, the New York
gentleman and I were invited to the wedding. I believe this was when my teacher mentioned something
about a guy from Greece that came looking to become a student.
The following year (1995) Pak John returned once again to the U.S. to see his new born grandson. And
again I flew down to see him and celebrate the arrival of his new grandson, as well as check my progress.
It was then I learned more about the guy from Greece. He told me this new guy was collaborating with
him to write a book and was looking forward to it.
However, this didn’t last very long after. It was the follow ing year 1996 when I went to visit my teacher
again that he expressed great trepidation about this entire matter with this Greek guy. He said he didn’t
trust him and was visibly upset with him for not abiding in what they had agreed upon. He said he
wouldn’t teach him anymore and didn’t care to have him around. I didn’t want to intrude or involve
myself in the matter and left it at that.
It turns out that what this Greek guy said about the book was not what he originally led Pak John to
believe, which severely disappointed him. Since I didn’t inquire about it,I couldn’t understand what
happened until I found out more facts which inadvertently came years later.
I never met this Greek guy, but knew that John didn’t want to have him around any longer. Basedon Pak
John’s usual cultural behavior he was polite enough to talk to him on several occasions after that and even
flew to Greece to see him. However, this was very surprising to me, and made it very difficult to
understand Indonesian culture.
Then, I heard this Greek guy was posing as a nai gong teacher and started his own school. I wondered
where he got the idea he was a qualified teacher when he no longer was considered by Pak John to be a
student of the Mo Pai School. I figured he is the type to ignore the obvious because he had a hidden
agenda going on. Or maybe this guy didn’t recognize my teacher’s contempt enough toward him.
I just didn’t understand all this and was especially curious when my teacher flew over to see him! I later
learned that this guy had paid for John to fly over to Greece. But John wouldn’t go unless he took his wife
and two other people as well, which also had to be paid for. In addition, I found this guy made his
students fork out money to pay for all these people.
I haven’t read the Greek guy’s book he had published, but heard he had a second one published as well.
This is really strange as he was only shown the training for the first level and possibly the second, but
from that, somehow he had enough to write two books? Many people who contacted me said how
disappointed they were because he tried to make it out as if the books would teach them nai gong, but
didn’t!
When many people started coming to me asking if I could teach them, some told me they had first
contacted the Greek guy and were greatly disappointed by his behavior. It seems he isn’t too keen on
people asking for help unless there was something in it for him. From what they say he was fixated on
making money and just plain rude to them.
With this situation in the back of my mind I ventured off to see Pak John again in 1996. It had only been a
year since my last visit with him at his daughter’s home in California. This time it wasn’t a short trip. I
had a long ways to go see him on this trip to Indonesian again.
I was looking forward to it because I had made it a habit to also visit my most favorite place on earth.
Actually, there was really no reason for this visit to see my teacher. I had plenty of work to do in my nai
gong training. Even though I didn’t need to, I was addicted to the adventure and visiting the island next to
Java, Bali. And along with this visit I had no idea it was going to turn out to be a lengthy predicament for
me and everyone else.
Just minutes before I arrived, an Australian guy and his father arrived at Pak John’s home wanting to find
out if it was possible to become a student. He was to become the third Westerner admitted into our
school. When I said student, I didn’t mean to give the impression that he was a true, dedicated student.
As I later came to understand, he sought out the Mo Pai School for the wrong reasons. He was here purely
for self-serving and narcissistic reasons. He actually thought he could do the training with quick results. I
was leery of him at first and noticed another side, a side he wasn’t intending to expose to anyone, and
immature enough not to realize it.
During my two weeks with him and his father around he seemed preoccupied with ulterior motives,
unknown to both Pak John and I until later. However, he gave hintsthat I did recognize, but didn’t put the
whole picture together until later.
However, it wasn’t all too obvious at first, but from the necessity of his visit he and I maintained a
slightly strained relationship after the fact. When I say that, again, I don’t mean to give the wrong
impression. It was I who maintained a relationship because he had little interest in friendship or training,
other than keeping tabs on my progress and running around chasing “skirts.”
After seeing his true nature when he wasn’t around Pak John, his integrity became suspect immediately. I
also later learned he was very jealous of the fact I found our teacher first and was credited with being the
first Westerner to be admitted into our school.
I got the feeling that his dream was destroyed because he wanted to be first. And he also illustrated a
great deal of aversion toward the Greek because he also came before him as well. You couldn’t help but
view him as a child because he wasn’t able to be first.
As ridiculous as this sounds for a grown man, there will always be people with contemptible agendas
who do everything they can to get what they want, and then hide it without realizing they unknowingly
reveal their intentions. And here was one of these guys on this trip.
As time went on, I found he went to great lengths to try and achieve a dominate position over me and the
Greek, and I wondered what for. I found this all so strange because I must have been really unaware or
just plain naive. Or maybe I was too inexperienced to recognize a selfish opportunist digging in.
Even when I was in the Army, I had never met such a selfcentered, conniving person, and there were many
jerks in the Army. And to think I was trying to be a serious student willing to help him. I must have been
out of my mind.
It was later I learned just how scheming and ruthless he really was. And all my apprehensions about him
turned out to be true. I couldn’t believe this. Is being in my school supposed to be this cutthroat? I’d done
nothing to him to deserve this behavior. You have to know the guy in order to understand what he is
capable of doing. He’s the type of person you really want to stay away from.
I later learned the guy from Greece wanted to write a second book and needed to contact me because I
held the knowledge of the next level, so he naturally wanted to get in touch with me. Dicky boy knew this
and most likely felt that if the Greek guy met me, together we might develop an alliance against him, and
this he couldn’t tolerate. This is why he did all he could to keep us from meeting each other (not that I
really wanted to). The guy just didn’t understand or have the wisdom that we are Mo Pai brothers and
supposed to be helping each other.
I received only one phone call from Dick in all the time I’ve known him. And he said the guy from Greece
wasn’t to be trusted under any circumstances (He was setting me up). He said that my life was in danger
and I had better keep quiet if anyone contacted me or they would, now get this, “get me.” He tried to make
it out as if he was the good guy! Boy, does this clown live in a fantasy! He went on to say some pretty bad
things about this Greek guy, making him out to be some kind of gangster. I didn’t know the Greek well
enough to pass any judgment, but whether he was a bad guy or not, I still have to honor Pak John’s desire
to keep a distance from him.
The other strange thing about this event, after several years of Dick saying extremely disparaging things
about the Greek guy, he all of a sudden made an“about-face” and wrote on the Internet in a chat forum
what a good guy he is and acted as though they were friends!
I was totally taken aback by all this. How could all this be happening when we all could benefit from
helping one another? I guess that’s life we have to put up with. But both these guys actually caused way
too much trouble for the school from their respective hidden agendas. I just can’t imagine why they had to
behave in this manner. It actually, in my opinion, helped facilitate the demise of the Western students.
They ruined everything because of their desire to control the school and try to be number one. All I want
is to have a school to train in with other students who can support one another, not try and defeat
everyone. That isn’t what the Mo Pai legacy stands for.
According to Pak John, the third level that I’m hoping to attain is so strenuous that it takes half a day to
complete, about eleven hours total. However, you don’t have to do that much per day and you are sure to
develop, but it will take longer. Time and money seem to be the major problems in trying to continue this
training. This makes it more difficult for most people. We live in a totally different world than what chi
development was born from. As demanding as daily training can be, I will find a way to continue my
training no matter how troubling or complicated it may become. Many of Pak John’s students try, but most
all are forced to “fall short” for these reasons: they don’t have the money to support themselves while
training or they have to work, or they are not true students. It was the last aspect that appears to be the
greatest reason why most all Indonesian students are not anywhere close to attaining the levels they
allegedly say they want or have. This was clearly illustrated in an exhibition that took place in 1999 (I
will explain more about it later).
That’s why most all of his students never make it past the second level. If they didn’t fizzle out during the
first level they will eventually drop out after the second. What so many people don’t understand is that
your life has to change to facilitate your desire to achieve this goal. Most people are too comfortable
where they are and don’t realize what they want to do isn’t something they have the capacity to do. I found
that most people would rather change the training to suit their needs, rather than the other way around.
However, it was much easier many years ago for students to dedicate themselves to training because the
world was less complicated and demanding (Plus, there were no video games to play).
Unlike today’s modern world, the old Asian environment was perfectly designed for a life style of
training. Parents would send their child off to a remote monastery for schooling/training. The only
responsibility parents had was to occasionally send food and money they could afford,if there was any to
spare. It wasn’t mandatory however, and many families were unable to send anything, yet everything was
in balance.
There were also times when a student would be taught at his master’s home and literally become a servant
to pay for his upkeep and training, but mostly they would be taught in monasteries. Under these conditions,
students had the opportunity to spend enormous amounts of time in dedicated training for practically much
of their life. Talk about a lost childhood! Most students would be away from their home for years and in
many cases the rest of their life.
In Tibet, only one-fourth of the male population continues to keep their cultural history in tact by
becoming a monk, and even that is slowly dissipating to levels as never before. Of those that become a
monk, there are a greater percentage of them that quit and return to an austere life.
Times have really changed in the world, especially in Tibet, now that China has completely taken it over,
and no longer is a Tibetan country. Despite that, there is still a few rare monasteries that somehow were
bypassed and not completely destroyed (Around ninety percent of all the old monasteries are destroyed).
And most all of the monks left for neighboring countries and set up new monasteries and schools.
If anyone today wants to train in the Tibetan chi development system, you would have to venture off into
the extreme remote areas near the boarders of Tibet and into Nepal. However, it is unsafe to do this
unless you have guides because there are bandits still roaming the country. And if you did it would be
impractical, unless you’re part mountain goat and willing to give up everything for at least five to ten
years of complete isolated training, I mean like training in caves and remote mud huts.
Of those remotely isolated monasteries, I am unsure if there are any that would actually teach nai gong. Of
the few monasteries that still exist in Tibet, most all are structured in philosophical schooling and not the
“chi” training that was present prior the Chinese invasion.
Any chi development teaching is now considered to be illegal in Tibet. Any chi teaching is now
headquartered in both Nepal and Bhutan, but this is also diminishing making it somewhat difficult to find a
monastery still teaching it.
My involvement with Pak John on this trip ended as it usually does. Don’t misunderstand. It’s an
important part of my life, but not my whole life, just a part of it. It is important to be aware that life isn’t
all about gaining these abilities or seeking your interests, but rather who you become. If you make any
interest your total focus in life you will miss out on important aspects that help you become a complete
person.
The two Western students I mentioned before seem to be completely self-absorbed with themselves, and
have hurt people while doing so. This is not what our school had intended to do or what it’s about. I’ve
learned that “balance” is one of the key aspects in life!
One of the my Indonesian friends, Frankie, who lives in Surabaya, sent a newspaper clipping to me in
1996, several months before I went to visit my teacher again. The article he sent me told about many of
the “chi gong” schools that are mostly located in a Southern city of Java called Yogajakarta. The schools,
according to the article, are like a melting pot for this kind of training. I hadn’t known of this before and
wanted to visit this area for my personal research.
However, one of the schools I came across was located right here in the city I was currently visiting,
Surabaya, where my teacher lives. The school is called “Kalimasada.” I wanted to visit the school to find
out what they were all about, as I was not familiar with Indonesian chi gong. Franky went with me as I
ventured off to locate this local school. He too is interested, but not enough to become a student.
When I found the school it was in a tired looking building. You had to climb upstairs to get to the school.
Sometimes when I venture off into isolated areas, people are not used to seeing unfamiliar, foreign
looking human beings and they behave somewhat nervously. When I opened the door and entered, it was
as if I was robbing the place. Everyone stopped in a frozenstare. The instructor didn’t move as well and
took longer than normal to muster up enough nerve to walk over and see what this potential criminal
wanted to rob from them.
I also experienced just the opposite reaction at various times around the city as well. Once I was on one
of my long walks venturing through areas off the beaten path when I was approached by a young man. He
came up from behind me apparently finding the strength to approach an unknown foreigner. I could tell by
his slightly quivering voice that he was nervous, but his desire to meet a Westerner exceeded his fears. So
I stopped to greet him. He didn’t realize that I was also eager to get to know him as well. I really enjoy
immersing myself into the culture, and the only way you can truly do that is by getting to know the people
personally and visit them in their homes. This is exactly what happened. He wanted to meet an American
and take me to his parent’s home so they could meet me. It was sort of like, “Mom, look what I found on
the street.”
Once I arrived at his home, not only did his parents come out, but whoa, the whole neighborhood came out
to see this unusual event—a Westerner in their neighborhood! It was then I realized that Westerners are
really a novelty in rural areas of Indonesia, at least it was when this took place. And a lot has changed
since then.
Inside the chi gong school it appeared similar to other martial arts schools, but the inside was bleaker
than what I’m used to. We stood few moments and waited before the instructor approached us. His
expression appeared as if why this big Westerner would be coming to this place. I had to chuckle to
myself as then he walked up hesitatingly. His eyes were relatively wide as if not knowing what to expect
or do, as all his senses were on alert!
As the instructor became more accustomed to me being there, he now had a hard time answering some of
my questions, mainly because he spoke very little English and didn’t understand what I was saying all too
well. Then he didsomething I hadn’t thought of. He called his head instructor, who is also the owner of the
school. However, the headinstructor wasn’t home, but his wife was and invited us over to answer our
questions. This little journey was getting more interesting and fun.
When we arrived, we were met at the front gate by a servant and shown into their “greeting” room. The
wife promptly entered and actually startled me by her appearance. She was tall, slim and I was instantly
struck dumb in my tracks with her exotic beauty. She moved about the room with such feminine grace it
was hard to take my eyes off her. I was totally mesmerized by her every move. It was hard to remain
normal and attend to my mission. She impressed me how she was so organized as she talked. She was
absolutely breathtaking and it took some time for by breath to return so I could make sense to her!
During our two hour visit, she showed Franky and I a video that had been taped from a TV special about
their family’s Kalimasada School. A few students had developed a few small abilities that were shown
but didn’t impress me very much, but nonetheless were still somewhat unusual and entertaining. Later, my
teacher said that all the other schools in Java develop only the yang. He said most of the current chi
schools are also a fad and only teaching for the money, as I later learned firsthand for myself.
In the video, her husband was shown doing a few of his abilities. Several other men with their shirts off
demonstrated fighting with each other while using only their alleged developed chi. It really looked
contrived as they threw their chi at each other and supposedly knocking each other over. It reminded me
of the San Francisco Chinese man I met a few years earlier when he had students run at him and allegedly
knocked them off to the side. This demonstration alone would surely cause no further interest for me.
Then, this exotic, stunning beauty showed us a video demonstration of her “strength” ability she had
developed by breaking an iron rod over her thigh. The first demonstration did in fact look impressive, but
it wouldn’t have mattered even if it looked contrived, I still would believe just about anything she did or
said. Then, in the video she asked for two more rods, and promptly broke them as well! I had never seen
this before and my admiration for her grew even more. I was“taken” by her so much that she could have
farted and I would have only heard music. That reminds me: I remember a guy I was in the Army with
who said once after he saw an attractive woman, “I’d eat a mile of her ‘shit’ just to see where it came
from.” What some guys will say! I wouldn’t do that, but I would follow her just about anywhere. She was
that extraordinary!
She later explained that their school does not teach the higher levels of training to students. They are
strictly for the family. I thought, what good is that then? It did, however, cause me to start thinking how
was I going to find a way for her to divorce her husband and marry me so I could learn the higher levels
and also have the most beautiful women I had ever seen—a total win-win situation. Nothing came to mind
and that was that.
She also mentioned there was a new Kalimasada school in Arizona that just opened, and gave me the
phone number of an Indonesian woman living there who is teaching it. She also said her brother would be
going there in a few months to demonstrate his abilities to help support the school, and I should go there to
see him. For her, I would do anything she asked.
Several months after I returned home, I called the new Kalimasada School’s student/teacher. Micky was
her name. She indicated that she was currently trying to start the school and only had a few Indonesian
students from the local college attending her evening classes. She said she would be delighted if I came to
see her and even invited me to stay at their home. I was able to make arrangements quickly after that and
flew down to Arizona to meet with this woman. I had hoped to see if there was anything substantial about
this particular training.
I was taken aback by her trustworthy nature because I was a total stranger staying in her home. She
especially seemed concerned about me not knowing where to go and saving money which I appreciated
because of my recent trip to Indonesia. On my last day visiting, she even went out of her way to prepare
for me one of my favorite Indonesian specialties, Satay Ayam. She really was a very thoughtful woman,
which made me more concerned about the school taking advantage of her as you’ll see.
The brother that was coming to demonstrate his alleged abilities had already arrived the day before I
came. The night I arrived, he and I sat at the kitchen table very late into the night talking about his school.
He emphasized how much money I could make if I started a Kalimasada school in Washington. Hmm,
sounds like what my teacher had warned me about. He explained how I could start my own school, gain
students and make a lot of money. I asked him, “Wouldn’t I have to have some abilities in order to gain
attention? And wouldn’t I also needto learn all the lessons first?” He said, “No problem. I’ll give you a
little ‘umph-chi’ so you can impress people with it.” This really began to sound like an experience I’ve
had with a fishy smelling car salesmen-like martial artist I once came across.
From our conversation, I surmised he hadn’t been practicing and had not developed supernormal abilities.
I knew he was in it solely for the money.
The next day, a demonstration at a country club was prearranged. There were maybe twenty people who
came to watch. I didn’t have a clue as to what this clown was about to do. Had I known, I would have not
come. He turned out to be an embarrassing fraud.
He tried to demonstrate what turned out to be nothing more than silly, cheap magic tricks and failed. He
started out by eating a light bulb! Oh yeah, that really impressed me! Then he guessed numbers that were
hidden in a sealed envelope while failing in all his attempts. Yeah! Now that really got me ready to sign
up!
I felt stupid for sitting through all this and embarrassed at the same time for Micky. However, she acted as
though some technical glitch occurred and remained undaunted throughout the entire demonstration! I
admired her dedication, but felt she was suffering from some myopic disorder. She was helping him fail
in the demonstrations and didn’t recognize what everyone else was seeing?
About half of the people in attendance got up and walked out. I would have gone with them, but my things
were at Micky’s home. I had to painfully wait until it was all over. I was shocked at what this pretentious
charlatan was trying to pass off. No wonder people don’t believe in this stuff. Later, when it was
agonizingly over, we left and went back to Micky’s home for the dinner party she had prepared. When we
arrived, there was a house full of Indonesian college students who had been invited over for dinner and
were waiting for us to return. The place was crowded, with several other Indonesian families there as
well.
Needless to say, I was very irritable toward this two-bit idiot. Because I knew I was going to leave in a
few hours for the airport, I took advantage of the situation. I put a little pressure on the fraud. I asked him
when he would give me the “umph” he mentioned earlier, as I knew there wasn’t any to give. He managed
to ward me off each time saying, “I’ll do it before you leave. I’m busy now.”
Just before I left to fly home I found him in the bedroom with a family. He was deeply involved in the
process of making this gullible family think he could heal some malady one of the grandparents was
suffering with, and probably for a price. I thought, too bad no one sees this guy for what he is. I was
disturbed at his obvious disregard for truth and I left for good. I was upset with myself that I had wasted
my time and money with this venture.
Chapter 14
It was time to leave my teacher and this wondrous island of Java. What I came for was completed and I
wanted to get out of Pak John’s way so he could resume his normal routine. I just didn’t like being one of
those “hangers-on” who always seem to be hanging around his home. They probably don’t bother Pak
John, but I don’t feel right just “hanging-around” his home waiting for him to return home. Two of the old
Western students did this, and one was so bold to answerPak John’s phone when he was not home…and
guess who? I thought this was way too ostentatious for a student. After all, he had servants for all this.
I was in a pensive mood as usual when I bid farewell to Pak John. I knew I would be returning in another
year to see him again, but I nonetheless had to leave something that captivated all my energy and focus.
Yeah, I was excited to see Bali, but I still would like there to be more I could do with my teacher.
Over time, Pak John has become somewhat of a surrogate father figure to me. I will miss him and the
excitement of all that befalls me while I am here with him. All the magic and wondrous abilities I
encountered will be put aside for a while as I return home to the mundane reality of everyday life and
train in lonely seclusion.
Hey, did I forget something? Oh yes, I still had some time reserved for Bali before I went home! While I
love going to see my teacher, going to Bali is an experience I do not and would not care to miss. It’s like
icing on the cake.
Bali most definitely has a mesmerizing beauty that pulls at every sense of my entire being. It’s beyond my
ability to express the effect that the island has on me. I can’t adequately describe the feeling it has, but it
captures all my desires to be there; you have to be there to feel it. The whole island is truly an enchanted
place to visit.
I’ll never forget the fi rst time I arrived at Kuta Beach in Bali. This cramped, huge, busy city is the main
tourist stomping ground and close to the airport where most all tourists visit and don’t go any further.
There is so much going on and so much to see in this city. I was completely taken by it even though it is a
very busy tourist trap.
The city of Kuta is on the lower West coast of Bali. It is littered with lavish, breathtaking hotels sitting
along the beach facing the open sea, and the business district in and around city is teeming with people
shopping all day long. It is really crowed and extremely busy, but fun.
After dropping off my luggage in my hotel room, I headed straight for the beach. It wasn’t very crowded
so I decided to take a relaxing stroll along the beach. People are usually going to all the shopping districts
during the day so the beaches are really never crowded. The heat is also a factor for keeping people
staying off the beach as well. Being out in this heat isn’t something most of the tourist wants to deal with.
Most try to find relief by spending the day in stores, restaurants or by a pool under shade.
As I walked along, basking in the moment, I thought, here I am on the other side of the world investing this
prized time in myself. I will always remember the experience—all this beauty before me. How fortunate
could I be?
Sitting around the beach were many Balinese groupie surfers with unnaturally bleached hair and very
tanned bodies, waiting for the surf to improve. Here, at this location, it just wasn’t going to happen. But,
they still had their boards ready just in case. Actually, there is so little surf here that those spurious
surfers must be practicing their “hanging-out” look.
Actually, the great surfing is supposed to be on the East side of the island. I was puzzled why these
clowns were here. Many of them were very young, doing nothing, hanging out alongside older boys. I
thought, don’t they go to school or have jobs? Many seemed too young not be in school.
These alleged surfers reminded me of one of my flights I had taken directly to Bali from L.A. Hoards of
American surfers, male and female, were on the plane going to Bali for a week of surfing. I assume it was
some kind of club because they all knew each other. While trying to carry on a conversation with a few
who were sitting around me, I was surprised to find many still have that “brain-dead” manner of talking
just as I remembered way back in the sixties when surfing really took off and became so popular. They
acted like they had been smoking marijuana. They appeared that their only concern in life was whether the
surf’s up or not, just like the sixties when surfing was really the cool thing to do.
I wanted to have some fun so I tested these surfers to see if they were any different from what I
remembered. While some were familiar with current events I brought up, I wanted to see if they were the
“brain-dead” ignoramuses they used to be. The few I had talked to acted superficially knowledgeable,
but, for the most part, didn’t seem to care about anything that was going on in the world, which would be
normal for surfers.I had to laugh when one said, “the President dude.” Really, nothing had changed from
what I remembered!
I had been walking down the beach for a while and saw something in the distance that was really out of
the ordinary. I couldn’t make it out too clearly at first, but still could to a degree. I had to get closer to be
sure. Could it be? I thought. My curiosity kept me on course as I continued getting closer. I was right.I
couldn’t believe what was in front of me lying on the sand. It turned out to be towel after towel of topless
women sunbathers basking shamelessly in the sun. Had I died and gone to heaven or what? Not wanting to
appear voyeuristic, I strained every eye muscle looking while stiffening my neck so my head would not be
jerking around looking at this wondrous sight.
After this occurred, I caught myself, and prudently turned around and walked back the way I came. I
managed to make my way back to the hotel, remembering what my teacher had told me. I didn’t need
topless women to grab my attention and cause me to lose focus or I might have had whiplash.
Nighttime on the beaches in Bali is most magical. It is a real favorite time for me. The Balinese hawkers
are still busy selling different items to tourists. Colorful lights from restaurants, hotels and all the stores
are turned on, and people are more relaxed. The hot sun begrudgingly disappears as the evening’s hot air
slowly leaves around 10:00 P.M.—a welcomed relief. There are quite a few street vendors all over the
streets selling food from their carts well late into the night. Their lanterns paved the walkways along the
beach making it kind of romantic. Also I noticed, if you look out to the ocean off in the distance, you can
occasionally see mysterious lights appear in the water. While that may not amuse some, it always leaves
me to wonder.
It’s fun to walk at night and explore this busy city. I always like to see what is just beyond the next corner
that seems to never end. When I do this I often find myself further than I intended and have to remember
my way back.
One evening while walking, I found a wonderful little tropical restaurant late one night that looked
particularly inviting. When I entered, I was immediately seated. You almost get the feeling they want to
get you in as soon as they can because you might change your mind and go elsewhere. My table was next
to a small pond with a pleasant sounding waterfall. Inside and outside the small establishment was
surrounded with beautifully painted paper hanging lanterns, as well as ethnic décor giving it such a
beautiful atmosphere.
Usually by this hour, the bulk of the tourists are gone either to many of the bar clubs or to bed, so I had the
restaurant mostly to myself. There was just one couple almost finished when I arrived and left just after I
ordered.
Entire families own and operate most of the small restaurants around the city. Mothers or fathers do all
the cooking while the children tend to all the waiting on customers as well as cleanup. It’s really
delightful sometimes because many of the small children are raised in these small establishments. They
keep themselves busy by wondering around,staring at customers as if we’re some kind of strange creature.
Many seem unafraid walking up to you out of curiosity.
I gave my order to a young, little waitress girl who spoke a few English words. She couldn’t be too much
older than ten years old. I was familiar with a few of the items on the menu, so I was able to order without
having to ask, “What’s this?” As I have already said, I enjoy a dish called Satay Ayam and ordered it
again. It is made of marinated, cut up chicken pieces skewered on sticks and placed over coals to cook. A
delicious peanut sauce is served with it and of course the expected bowl of rice—simple, but a favorite
of mine. I also enjoy a drink which is something like a milkshake, but it is made with an avocado; it’s
surprisingly delicious. The first time I heard of it, it didn’t appeal to me either. But when you try it, you’ll
change your mind as I did. Many stores in Asia also have Avocado ice cream, so there must be something
to it.
After dinner, I wandered further down the sidewalks along the beach. And when you do, you have to be
careful. Occasionally, a voice strangely emerges from the dark empty stretches between the food stands
and hotels with a “Hello Mizter.” What appears to be a woman, but sounds a little too masculine is
actually a transvestite trying to make a few Rupiahs as a hooker. Some of them appear very feminine
looking and could probably fool you if you were drunk, but the thought sickens me and I quickly rebuff
their approaches while laughing at some of them who put on too much make-up. All you have to say is
“Teduk” which means “no” and they fade back into the darkness.
Sometimes, I like to stop and visit with a few of the friendly hawkers who operate little food stands along
the sidewalks. You can see them all over the city moving their big wheeled carts from place to place.
Many seemingly pop up at night from nowhere. Even at this very late hour, they’re still trying to eke out a
sale from the straggling tourists. I’ll sometimes sit for a while and order a soft drink and start a
conversation. They seem eager to make friends and always have welcoming smiles, not just because they
want to sell something, but that’s their nature, whether they sell you something or not. It appears that this
is a social time for them as well.
The main reason I wanted to visit Bali the first time is that I had heard about the alleged magical men on
the West side of the island. I wanted to investigate the stories I heard about to see how real they might be
and what these men are capable of. It seems just about everyone you talk to (the islanders) knows what
“Tanaga Dalam” is (it means deep, inner power). If I ever mentioned these words to any Balinese they
always reply with “Ohhh, how you know?” as they look at me with a puzzled expression. Most people in
Bali are familiar with this and have a story or two about Tanaga Dalam, but generally that’s it. Most seem
to be not involved beyond that. Some people would say, “Ohhh, Black Magic is very bad! Why you want
to go there?” This area isn’t known just for Black Magic however, but also White Magic as well and what
I would like to research.
Some appear to have a little fear when you mention Tanaga Dalam, anddon’t say much more than, “On
West side of island.” This usually is all the response I get from most of the islanders when bringing up
this subject. Maybe they have a cultural fear, or it could be something that conflicts with their religion, I
don’t know. But there are a few I’ve come across that were actually students.
At this point, I should probably mention that the Indonesian definition for “magic” is not the same as ours.
Their meaning of magic is actually the real thing; not a stage performer with a bag of tricks to fool you.
It was very curious to me, I don’t know why both white and black magic are located in the same location
on the island. It seems kind of odd to me. But like everything else in life, there always seems to be a
balance of good and bad. I hope the next time I go I will investigate the West side of the island. I was
never able to get a good fix on any exact location and didn’t have enough time to spend searching. Maybe
my next trip… I want to find out for what purposes both are used and how it integrates in their culture.
And in addition to this, in one of the hotels I was staying at, I met a former student of one of the white,
Tanaga Dalam schools. He impressed me with some stories he was personally involved in. But still I was
skeptical and wanted to verify his claims by talking to a teacher. He said that he had developed an ability
to protect himself against severe blows to his body. He went on to say that he had been attacked by a
several boys swinging baseball bats, and was able to withstand their assault without harm to himself. This
young man said that he had been training for about five years. It was a little difficult accepting this, but
whether this was true or not, I wanted substantiation before I believed or rejected anything.
Australians vacation in Bali like Americans visit Hawaii. I found most of them to be convivial
characters,especially when they’re drinking, and they really like to drink. One evening I passed through a
section of town that was littered with little bars (actually, they are scattered throughout the city). It’s quite
amusing listening to drunken Aussies talking and singing loudly as you walk past these little nightclub
bars. They love to party, usually in big groups, and if not big enough they like to add to it.
One Aussie who was standing outside one particular bar, for whatever reason, started talking to me as I
walked by. When he found that I was an American he asked me if I wanted to have a beer. I really didn’t
care to, but he insisted by placing his arm around me to force my answer his way. I thought, what the heck.
It’s just another part of the adventure. We joined his group of friends already somewhere on their fifth or
sixth round of beers. After buying me a beer and much ado about nothing, he and the others signaled the
waitress for yet more beer all around! One was enough for me and started looking for a way to sneak out.
As I started to quietly leave in the middle of some loud laughing, my drunk new Aussie friend pleaded
with me not to go yet. It seems these guys wanted me to stay around until the next afternoon. I eventually
escaped by telling them I was going to the bathroom. It was somewhat amusing for the little time I spent
with them, but I tire of mindless drunks very quickly. Singing silly songs I wasn’t familiar with and being
sober makes it difficult to spend much time with these guys. The next day, I recognized one of the Aussies
from last night who was out and about, but of course, they didn’t recognize me.
I had heard about and decided to visit one of Bali’s most celebrated cultural and tropical towns called
Ubub (pronounced “Oobood”). It is a most magnificent art center with much to see. The town was also a
crowded tourist trap, but still it was an exciting, worthwhile visit. To get there takes a few hours
becauseit’s really out in the mountainous boonies.
Fortunately for me, I arrived in the slow season. The hotel I had made reservations with was about halffull during this time. My room was on a sloping mountain side which overlooked a lush green valley and
about five minutes by car from the town of Ubud. All the rooms were cottages and separated with
unfamiliar, stunning tropical plants and brilliant colored flowers. There were ascending and descending
pathways throughout the hotel’s premises connecting the rooms. You feel as though you are on a jungle
safari each time you leave your room. Each suite is resplendently designed with marble floors throughout.
The bathrooms were especially exquisite. They are entirely made of rose marble. Being there makes you
feel like a king.
One evening after I had gone to dinner in town, I decided to see one of Bali’s historical temple shows.
The temple was an actual old one, located at the beginning of the main road called Monkey Forest Road.
It was named that because of the famous monkeys that were originally there and still are all over the
place!
I had a hard time finding someplace to stand and watch the show because it was already crowded when I
arrived. People were sitting anywhere they could, even in the trees, as there were no chairs to be had.
Bali’s traditional, ceremonial dancing was accompanied with their customary Gamelan music. It’s not
something you would want to listen to for very long, but was still unique to see and hear for a little while
though.I wouldn’t have missed it.
After it was over, I returned to my hotel around 10:30pm. I wasn’t quite ready to hit the sack and decided
to go swimming. No one was there to intrude upon my privacy when I arrived at the hotel’s secluded
pool. The pool was also set on the side of a hill bordering the hotel property with lush, thick jungle all
around and overlooking the entire valley. To add to the fantasy, you could see fireflies dancing to their
own rhythms of life all around. There were also lonely lights off in the distant, neighboring hills that
caused me to again wonder about them.
There were so many glorious stars sparkling above me that it made me feel secure in this distant land. It
was clearly one of the most poignant moments I ever experienced while relaxing in the pool, one that I
will never forget. Had I had company, I’m sure I would have been distracted and not have experienced the
distinct emotion that came over me. Sometimes being alone has its extraordinary moments in one’s life.
Walking back to my room, I passed one of the cottages with large windows as all do, but this particular
one, the curtains were wide open. A rather attractive woman was walking around her room in all her
“natural” glory. It was as if she wanted the world to notice. I felt a little embarrassed as I quickly walked
by, and felt as if I had inadvertently invaded her privacy. However, it didn’t seem to matter to her and
continued doing what she was doing without a second thought. It struck me that Europeans, in general,
have little regard for their modesty which is something I am not used to or familiar with being from
America. Following my discipline, I went straight to my room and off to slumber, thinking about what a
magical night I had just experienced.
I looked forward to eating breakfast at the hotel the next morning. The hotel’s restaurant hangs over the
side of the mountain and is completely open on all sides. You can view the entire flourishing surroundings
and dazzling green hills with a deep blue sky as a back drop. A light tropical breeze buffeted my face as
the aroma of the air intoxicated me while waiting for my meal. If I had waited any longer, they would
have had to pick me up off the floor—fainting from the sheer exhilaration of the moment. Early risers for
breakfast are also rewarded with colorful exotic birds flying by. Some would perch close by in the
nearby trees while serenading their courting calls. In case you’re wondering, no I never saw last night’s
shameless, window parading woman again, but I would have liked to.
The town of Ubud is a beautiful and really fun place to visit and shop for family and friends. Some of the
things we import from Indonesia are incidentally from the town of Ubud. It is widely known as one of the
more important art centers in all Indonesia and the world.
I wanted to walk the short distance to the town from my hotel, but there are no sidewalks and I would be
risking my life if I had. The local traffic drives surprisingly fast threw the very narrow hazardous roads.
It’s best to take a taxi, even if it is just a short distance.
Traveling back and forth from my hotel and town I had noticed a museum nestled back from the road and
decided to visit. One morning, I had my taxi drop me off at the cultural art museum before I was going to
town. There, quietly placed just off the main road and nestled back into the jungle is a most captivating
little museum. I saw many unbelievable beautiful Balinese styles of artwork. All the artwork throughout
the museum has basically three styles: one is from the old traditional method, the second is an
embellishment of the old style, and the third is a multiplicity of new techniques—all excitingly beautiful
to see. I wished I could have purchased one.
The entire town of Ubud is spread out and is surprisingly large. It is set on a slight incline with an
occasional rice paddy between buildings. As time goes by, the rice paddies seem to disappear as another
small building or hotel replaces them. The forest surrounding the town is slowly being pushed back to
make room for the increasing size of this growing town. But it is small and easy to walk everywhere.
There are many restaurants and shops of all kinds to make a delightful day of causal exploration. You
can’t help but notice many of the hotels that are narrowly squeezed between shops and other attractions. I
even found a small meditation house among everything, with a Caucasian looking woman sitting in a lotus
position in deep meditating in the front window which was kind of odd to me. At first, I thought she was a
mannequin.
And, there were plenty of money changers, and all kinds of adventuresome activities to do like White
Water Rafting and walking tours.
I found behind Monkey Forest Road there is another small shopping world. Villages of families have
started opening more tourist shops out of their homes mainly because they were unable to pay the rent in
the main part of town.
As I walked among these little structures, I noticed unusual fruit trees all around with unfamiliar looking
flowering plants that I had never seen before. I tried to find out what some of them were without any luck.
However, one man did come over to me and pointed to one of the trees. It produced small edible fruit
which he plucked a couple and offered one to me and ate the other. He couldn’t speak English, but
instinctively knew what I was thinking and reacted.
At the bottom of town’s main descending, long street of shops, is the entrance to a mysterious looking
forest park. It was so intriguing that it played with my senses. It reminded me of jungle scenes from old
1940s Tarzan movies I had seen when I was little. I felt I might see him in a moment swinging on some of
the hanging vines.
Just to the side of the park’s trail head was a little ticket booth which was closed. It was after 5:00 P.M.
and dusk was going to appear soon. I looked around and wondered if it would be OK to enter the park on
my own even if it was closed. I stuffed some Rupiahs into a crack under the booth’s window and
wandered in.
Just as I started out on the trail, someone yelled to me, “You like guide?” I turned around and saw a young
man running toward me. I said sure, knowing that he was hoping for a few Rupiahs for his efforts. The boy
was quite sincere and seemed educated speaking some English.
As we walked, he warned me that the monkeys in the park will sneak up and steal your bags if you are not
careful. Some are rather large and can be quite dangerous, he said.
Seeing the faces of these monkeys up close was humorous because they have such human like expressions.
They sometimes remind you of people you know.I won’t mention any names. Some look strangely arrogant
while some look real sneaky, waiting for illicit opportunities. I realized I was on their turf and unfamiliar
with how things are done here. But being a martial artist, I thought to myself, they’re just monkeys. How
could they get my bag? Oops, there went my bag! I didn’t see the little scoundrel coming. He snuck up
from behind me, and I never got the bag back either. It was gone for good!
Nevertheless, we continued our meandering journey down one of the forest trails finally arriving at the
main attraction of the park. It was a very old, picturesque historic temple. In order to enter the temple,
however, you have to rent a wraparound sarong for a few cents at a booth next to the entrance, which
obviously wasn’t open. But you are required to show reverence for walking on sacred ground by wearing
one. No one was there and the gate to enter the temple ground was locked. So I just looked over the low
walls and viewed the inside grounds.
Later in our journey, we came to a very narrow spot in the trail. I was still mildly fuming and
embarrassed by the earlier thieving monkey ordeal. Directly in front of us, sitting in the middle of the
trail, was a fat, obviously from stealing too much food from tourists, arrogant, nonchalant looking monkey
burglar. I thought to myself, I was not going to let this lazy, jungle, thieving slob get in my way, especially,
after being one of his cousin’s targets. I continued down the path, determined that this creature was either
going to move out of my way or get a big surprise. The expression on his face was a combination of shock
and disbelief as I wound up and wham! I literally kicked that defiant monkey off the trail. He was too big
to go very far, but he moved out of my way quickly.
Then my guide reacted with immediate shock. He hit me with a torrent of admonishing words, “These
animals are spirits of our ancestors, we must respect…” He was trying to be polite, but at the same time
very upset with what I had just done. I thought to myself, we must respect lazy, thieving spirits? Hmmm, I
don’t think so. Afterward, I felt bad and probably wouldn’t do it again. But, spirits or not, I hope this
monkey learned something about retribution. I’ve returned a few times since then, each time wondering if
any of the monkeys remembered me. None seem to.
On one of my direct flights to Bali, I had met a college professor who was returning on one of his regular
vacations to my beloved island, and apparently his. In our conversations, he mentioned he knew where
Dr. Blair lived in Bali and would help me find him. This was a pleasant surprise for me. I had wanted to
meet Dr. Blair for some time. Dr. Blair and his brother were the two chaps whose video I first saw that
started me on my search for the man that had me spellbound with his strange abilities.
However, this character didn’t look much like a professor, as he was really rather slobish looking and fat
to boot—nothing like one would expect. In fact, I was taken aback when he said he was a professor. And
to make it even more difficult to believe him, he wore oversized Levi’s with big cuffs and a huge worn
out belt! Needless to say, he looked like a farmer. I was not at all impressed and wanted to ask him what
he really did for a living, or how much do you get nowadays for a bale of hay. And to top it off, he also
wore a long white scarf around his neck. Can you imagine that in this heat? Maybe he knew he looked
silly and tried to overcome it with a scarf thinking it would make him look more distinguished since he
was a professor! How do I meet these odd-balls?
Despite his affected speech and being a fat arrogant slob, he knew where Dr. Blair lived. I thought he
would make things a lot easier if he could help me. Itwasn’t easy putting up with this farmer’s lofty
attitude of himself. Despite that, we made plans to meet the next day at a well-known popular restaurant in
Ubud to discuss the whereabouts of Dr. Blair. I pushed aside my reservations about him and planned on
busying myself until I met up with him the next day.
I should have known better. People who are this eccentric I have found, can never been trusted, and this
farmer brought back things I should have remembered. I hesitantly arrived on time, and as expected he
never showed up. I thought as much and was relieved not to have seen this blowhard again. I’ll just have
to wait a little longer to meet Dr. Blair, which I did sometime later anyway. I did, however, have a great
lunch in this unique, tropical restaurant and didn’t have to be concerned with spending any more time with
a pompous slob.
Bali has become a real enchantment to me. I love the island and like to explore different areas of the
island each time I go. I like to travel around the island going further each time. It seems to get more
beautiful as I venture about the island.
As you go up around the island there are fewer and fewer hotels, but as time goes by, this is changing as
more hotels spring up. A good part of the island is still unvisited by tourists. However, you will see a few
adventurous, wandering backpackers along the roads about the island. The tourists mainly confine
themselves to close sightseeing attractions around two densely populated cities of Denpasar, Kuta Beach
and the town of Ubud.
There’s an old saying, “Once you visit Bali, you will return.” I remember this from my youth. Strange I
would remember it as it turned out to be true for me. I love exploring; always wanting to know what is
beyond the next bend in the road.
Someday, I hope to explore Lombok, a neighboring island next to Bali. It is supposed to be even more
beautiful and still very primitive. Recently, however, I read that businessmen had found the island primed
for development and a few new hotels have been built as a result which won’t keep me from going.
Chapter 15
In 1994, my teacher told me that he would be coming to the U.S. He was going to be visiting his three
children who live near Santa Clara, California. Another one of his daughters was getting married and he
asked if I would come for the wedding.
He didn’t say anything about a test, but I knew I would be doing one. And this was to be my first, actual
test! After four years I was finally going to be tested. And I was hoping I would see some kind of results.
In martial arts I had achieved my Black Belt in just less than four years. However, you can’t compare
these discipline to one another, as there are no comparisons between them whatsoever.
The nai gong training I do now seems to continue on and on doing the same thing over and over with little
to show for it until the fourth level. However, there are certain and very specific sensations one will have
at each level. There are some other unusual things that happen during training. And when it does,it’s
exciting and renews your interest, unlike martial arts where you can observe your progress as you train.
My thoughts of testing had given me a much needed surge of fresh enthusiasm which was sorely needed.
My training is very sedentary and reclusive. I had to motivate myself a lot for the first several years. Plus,
the sitting for long periods having my legs crossed without moving still becomes painful, so my training
isn’t something that comes easily. Learning to cut TV out was also an adjustment. However, sitting lately
has become somewhat more tolerable. After so many years I practice without hesitation—even in the rain
or snow. I did my training in a tent however. In fact, I feel guilty if I miss practice no matter what the
temperature is. That wasn’t always so early on. But now that I live in a much warmer state, I don’t have to
be concerned about it being too cold.
I arranged to fly down to Santa Clara to meet with my teacher. As usual upon arriving, I called to let him
know I arrived. His daughter answered and said he had a stomach problem and I should call back later.
When I called later, he answered the phone asking me with his usual, “Where are you?” I told him and
shortly thereafter, he picked me up in his rented van. Surprisingly, his driving skills were very good. He
had adapted quickly, coming from where Indonesians drive on the opposite side of the street while
ignoring any and all marked lanes! Now, he was driving on the freeways and through the city as though he
knew where he was going and what he was doing. The van was full of his usual entourage of men, many I
wasn’t familiar with. These guys are forever around him no matter where he is or goes.I can’t figure it
out.
His visit this trip included many tourist destinations: Disneyland, gambling in Vegas, renting a plane and
buzzing the Grand Canyon, as he would be staying several months. I still can’t imagine how he could have
taken so much time off from all his businesses. But when he’s at work, he often sleeps overnight and stays
sometimes up to a week before going home.
It is usually difficult to have any private discussions when I am with him, even on this trip. There were
probably ten people staying in his daughters three bedroom home. All of them were from Indonesia with
many more staying at nearby hotels to help celebrate his daughter’s wedding.
There were quite a few older women also staying at the house. They would apparently spend almost
every day preparing for the huge daily meals for everyone. Late in the afternoon following my first day of
arrival, a lavish dinner was served. Everything that was on the table seemed to beckon me to taste them,
as usual. When my teacher noticed I hadn’t picked up something to try, he would spoon it onto my plate as
though I needed it. This made me feel like part of the family and was able to relax more around all these
unfamiliar people. I don’t know if he was trying to make me feel comfortable or was just acting like a
concerned father. It didn’t matter. I was delighted to have him act this way toward me.
As everyone was just finishing dinner, Pak John abruptly left the group. He went into the garage without
notice to set things up for my test without saying a word to me. He had lined three empty VCR boxes next
to each other on top of a tool box, standing them up on their end. While this may have had no significance
to anyone else there, it did have a great deal of significance to me.
Then, his son told me I was needed in the garage as I was still eating. Pak John was standing next to the
boxes waiting for me as I walked up to him. He reached for my hand without saying a word, and measured
the distance from the crease at the middle of my arm down to the crease of my wrist. Then, he multiplied
that by ten which was a little over nine feet. This is the distance I have to demonstrate my development if I
am to move on to my next level. This demonstration, however, was only to see how much I had developed
since I had first started a few years ago. I knew I hadn’t developed enough, but was curious to see just
how much I had improved. He placed his fingers on one of my energy points in my palms checking to see
if my chi energy was sufficient. What I felt is very difficult to describe. It can’t be compared to anything
I’ve ever experienced. The only thing I could say it might be a kind of electrical feeling, like something
that is alive yet is electrical. I became a little nauseous, but that was vanishing as I was becoming more
focused.
He moved me about eight feet away from the boxes. I extended my arm with my right palm facing them.
Then, I slightly dropped to a horse stance. I compressed my chi in my dan tien and tried emitting it from
my palm to move the boxes.
Nothing happened! He came over and took my hand and adjusted it so the palm was more exactly facing
the boxes. I tried again, and nothing happened again. I was getting frustrated not knowing quite what to
think or know what to expect.
He came over again and adjusted my hand and told me to focus more. He checked my chi level. It was
still sufficient. Then, he had me move closer to the boxes, somewhere about seven feet, and said try again.
Ah-ha! This time one box turned a little; I was just too far away before for my development. It surprised
me as I said to myself, “I did that?” But what makes this so difficult is that I can’t feel it, or at least I can’t
seem to feel it despite my teacher saying I should feel a sensation going through my arm, but I just didn’t.
Anyway, I was elated at what happened. My thoughts were temporarily interrupted from the chattering
behind me as people were watching. I had not realized they had come in to watch. It made me become a
little nervous, as it was all new to me. Pak John told me to try again. This time, one of the boxes flew
completely off the table with great force. This was thrilling and encouraged me. I was starting to get the
hang of it. My teacher told me to move back a little farther. I aimed my palm perfectly and let it go. And
Wham! One of the boxes on the side again flew off the table. I didn’t have time to think about what really
was going on. The elation from achieving what I had worked so long for was almost beyond words.
Trying to knock over the other boxes, I found that I was not very accurate. So what can I say?
I was having trouble and couldn’t bend my hand back far enough to be as accurate as I wanted. To achieve
greater accuracy, more practice was necessary. I wished I could practice this every day. When I finally
reached a distance of almost eight feet, I found I couldn’t effectively knock the boxes over anymore. Pak
John explained that the distance is directly related to the amount of training I had accomplished, and I had
much more training to do.
My teacher also wanted to check the strength of my chi level again. Placing his fingers on both my palms,
I felt his electrical energy shoot through my hands and up my forearms. This was different than the other
time and felt more like an electrical current! However, the current stopped suddenly just before it reached
the bend of my arms. And, if that wasn’t strange enough, I could feel it shoot back out instantly retreating
in the direction it came from. It surprised me at what had happened. Then he said, “Hmmm, you about
eighty-two percent.” Such was my first testing.
Later that evening, he explained what had happened. His electrical chi energy tried to enter my body via
my palms, but depending upon how much developed chi I’ve had would stop his electrical energy at a
certain point and push it back out. By the amount of force that pushed his out, he was able to determine
how strong I was percentage wise; therefore, he knew how much training I had been doing since the last
time.
I wasn’t tired after this experience. It was so wonderful to think about what I just accomplished. It was a
great feeling to be truly magical, even if it was only for a few minutes.
The rest of the weekend was devoted to all the preparation for his daughter’s wedding. Pak John had
asked me to come along with his son-in-law, and his entourage of friends for the fitting of tuxes and other
last minute preparations he was responsible for, like paying for everything!
At times, I would stand off from the group observing this small, magnificent man as he went about his
business. Here, and to the world, he appeared to be nothing more of an ordinary little, Asian man than the
truly rare individual he actually is.
I recalled a story he told me once. He had gone to a military base to meet with some high ranking officers
for some kind of meeting. He happened to walk by an area where hand-to-hand combat training was going
on. One of the training officers recognized him and pressured him to have a friendly sparing match. His
reputation as a skilled martial artist was well-known from his earlier championship days. Pak John knew
how deadly his inner power is for self-defense and naturally begged off, only to be badgered by the
ignorant challenger more forcefully. He obviously didn’t know to what extent Pak John was actually
capable of doing. The trainer started moving around taunting him with a few aggressive fighting
techniques. He then released a barrage of attacks which caught Pak John off guard. He didn’t expect this
to happen and was stunned by the event. At first, my teacher didn’t think the guy wanted to hurt him, but
his attacks were powerful and alarming. He quickly realized what was happening and dodged the
onslaught of techniques being lodged at him. And then, without thinking, his years of trained reflexes
reacted and unintentionally countered with a controlled, single back fist to the attacker’s chest. Pak John
didn’t realize that his inadvertent trained reaction was going to be so powerful. He hoped it would just
smart him enough to make him stop. Despite that, Pak John’s chi had done something unbeknownst to
himself, or anyone else. The guy was stunned from the back fist, staggered back, and then collapsed. No
one thought that a single back-fist to the chest was capable of knocking the man to the ground, especially
from this demure man. When he arrived at the hospital the doctors had no idea what was wrong with him.
They couldn’t help, and he never recovered.
Pak John admitted that this really affected him. At the time, no one realized it was his inner power that
automatically protected him. He said the attack caught him off guard and surprised him and this set off his
defensive nai gong power.
When you’re angry or scared your chi acts defensively to protect you and it can become deadly. I could
see there was still regret in his voice and pain expressed in his eyes when he mentioned this to me, even
years after the incident.
As the group was being fitted with tuxes, a very tall, huge young man with a massive neck and athlete’s
hair cut was helping Pak John and his group fit their tuxes. He had to have stood about six-foot four or
five and weighed about two hundred and seventy and obviously a football player, but the contrast was
apparent. He towered well above this five-foot four inch man while never realizing this little, demure
Asian man could single handedly stop him, or an entire army with hardly an effort, and they would never
know what hit them. It was an amazing revelation when comparing the two different men. However, here
at this moment, this loving father was only concerned about wedding preparations for his family.
The entire wedding went off as planned. The ceremony took place in a beautiful garden setting within a
five-star hotel in Santa Clara, California. The wedding was rather small with maybe about forty people in
attendance. But there had to be at least five hundred people present for the reception. I wasn’t close to his
daughter, but for whatever reason Pak John still wanted me to attend the wedding.
After the wedding took place, everyone was ushered into a massive banquet room for the entertainment
while dinner was being served. It was the most spectacular wedding I’d ever been to. Two large
televisions screens were placed on either side of the stage enabling everyone to clearly view the whole
affair, not that they needed it. A live band played and dancers performed a traditional Indonesian dance in
beautiful costumes, and gifts were given to everyone. I shudder at the thought of what this would cost my
teacher. I couldn’t help thinking that Pak John still has two more unmarried daughters at home. Gads!
As I was leaving to return home, my teacher told me he was returning at the same time the following year
to see his new grandchild. I assumed he mentioned this so I would be able to see him again. I wouldn’t
miss the chance.
Chapter 16
The following year, my teacher returned again just as he said. I again flew down and stayed at the same
hotel I had previously. Only this time, I rented a car. I thought it was too much for him to pick me up and
drop me off all the time.
My arrival found his daughter with a new child. All the family and friends from the U.S. were there, plus
a lot of people from Indonesia. It was really a big deal.
During one of our many long discussions I had with my teacher (with a bunch of men sitting around), he
explained how the chi is sent out from the palm of his hand.“It is like a laser beam, very powerful.”
I asked him if he would be able to demonstrate this somehow. He said he would, and all of us followed
him into the kitchen. Pak John began searching for some suitable fruit to demonstrate, finding a banana. He
said, “This energy is extremely forceful. It can cut through solid matter. It is very dangerous.” He gripped
the bottom half of the banana with one hand and forced his chi out through the palm of the other hand
passing his palm by the middle of the fruit rapidly. You could clearly see that his instantaneous, exerted
energy was extremely powerful as he did this.
We held our breath to see what had just happened. Nothing, or so it seemed at the moment until he peeled
back the banana, the top half of the banana fell from a cut through the middle exactly where he had passed
his palm. I immediately glanced at this hand to see if there was anything to cut with. Picking up the fruit I
studied the razor cut, it was incredible! He explained the reason that the chi didn’t cut the outer peal was
because of the porous skin of the banana. It was not as solid as the inner fruit. He also went on to burn a
hole in a plastic cup several feet away to illustrate the size of the emitted beam of chi. This left no doubt
he was for real.
Little did I know, last year in 1994, (I learned about this later in ‘98 when I was talking to one of my
teacher’s closest friends who said that Pak John had visited Las Vegas because he likes to gamble) he had
a VIP membership at the MGM Grand and stayed for free on account he wasconsidered a “high roller.” It
was privately said to me by one of his other close friends that last year he lost somewhere around
$50,000 on his Vegas visits. It was during this visit that he had another unusual event happen.
One of John’s closest friends, Henky, told me about on event that took place during this visit. Pak John’s
has a nephew that lives in Las Vegas. Without his knowledge, Pak John’s nephew had made arrangements
with a certainhotel promoter to show off his uncle’s abilities. While the promoter was anxious to meet
this modern day miracle man, my teacher wasn’t so easily persuaded. However, I believe he acquiesced
out of embarrassment from the pressure of being on the spot, and has a hard time saying no.
He demonstrated some simple, but extraordinary feats as he usually does. He crumpled some paper into a
wad, placing it on his outstretched hand. Within moments smoke appeared. Then the whole thing burst into
a ball of fire. He demonstrated a few other easy abilities, each one more impressive than the last.
As fate would have it, Mike Tyson (one of the more infamous boxers during the nineties) was in Vegas at
the same time. For whatever reason he was also present at this meeting/demonstration. Somehow during
this gathering, both he and my teacher were talked into demonstrating their different physical combative
styles of expertise against each other. This probably occurred because of his bragging nephew who knew
of his uncle’s great power.
Within moments, Mike was out and on the floor. Pak John hadn’t done much of anything, yet, whatever he
did, his inner power literally took Mike out without anyone present knowing what had happened. They
were astonished. Rather than allowing his chi to act on its own, he controlled it in this friendly exhibition,
and he didn’t want to be defeated.
It was at that moment the promoter wanted to hire Pak John on the spot, offering him a million dollar
contract if he performed for two weeks at one of the hotels. He refused! He had enough and wanted to
leave, and that was the end of that! “And now you know the rest of the story!”
I don’t know if it is coincidental, but Tyson began to go downhillaround this time. I can’t help but wonder
if this meeting had anything to do with it.
I recalled at my very first meeting with my teacher, he impressed me with what he said after I asked him a
question that I’ll never forget. I said, “How much do you charge to be in your school.” He looked puzzled
and said to me, “How can I charge you? It is not something to make money from! I am restricted from
monetary gain for teaching.”
His reply caused me a little embarrassment for asking, even though I felt it proper to ask. I suppose I
should have realized, but it has taken some time to learn the customs and attitudes of a different culture.
Dinner was announced and I was treated to yet another wonderful Indonesian, home cooked meal. And
yes, a repeat of my gluttonous side. This time however, I tried not to be the last one to leave the table.
After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we retired to the living room leaving the women toclean up. It’s a
cultural thing, really!
During this time we posed many question to Pak John. As usual, he was willing to discuss anything we
brought up. So much was revealed from these long sessions, and I enjoy them with great anticipation.
During one of these times he told us about his ability to do partial levitation. He can demonstrate his
current level of levitation by standing a scale while we were able to watch his weight decrease about
80%. And, I made sure there was nothing around for him to grab onto. It was, as with all his other
distinctive abilities, really impressive and unforgettable.
He also wanted to show us his ability to jump well over three meters. But, he said in order to demonstrate
this it would take a week of meditation in order to demonstrate this for us. I was stunned and said,
“You can jump over three meters?!”
“Yes, it takes about two weeks for preparation. Next time you come to my home, I will show you.”
“That’s around ten feet. You could have gone to the Olympics and been the greatest Olympian ever. You
could have set records that would never be broken!”
“No, I did not develop to bring attention to myself. My teacher would not allow me such rewards. I only
demonstrate to show my students what they can do from their training.”
There was a long pause as we all sat there enthralled, considering what we had just heard and saw with
our own eyes.
Later, I asked him about his teacher, and what kind of man he was. He said his teacher was a very
powerful man who had been like a father to him. When his teacher eventually died, it left Pak John with a
deeply grieving heart. I could tell he loved him deeply. He had spent a lot of time under his care and
training and developed a love toward him as a father figure. Even after all these years he still has a look
of loneliness and deep respect for his old teacher.
Once, after the death of his teacher, Pak John told me he was instructing a room full of students. Right in
front of the entire class, Wham! Pak John went flying across the room. It scared everyone. Dazed and
confused, Pak John saw his old teacher appear in a spirit form in front of everyone, scolding him for
having many students and none advancing as they should. And still to this day, his highest ranking
Indonesian student still isn’t ready for the fourth level yet, despite all the time since he left Pak John over
twenty years earlier.
I would imagine this is a great disappointment to him, especially losing his highest ranking student. I
learned in 2003 that this same student was called back by the ancestor spirit, who still rules over the Mo
Pai School, to become the leader of the Mo Pai School and replaced Pak John.
As we continued our long talks we also learned that for many years after Pak John’s teacher’s death, that
he could still converse and ask questions with him. His teacher would manifest himself to John when he
requested his presence. According to him most of his questions were about how to heal patients.
After asking about how to deal with a specific patient illness, his teacher would dictate the correct
therapy and/or sometimes leave small folded sheets of paper with an unknown substance in them. This
substance was to be given to the patient and they would be cured of whatever ailed them. This is a most
strange reality I am unable to comprehend yet.
Once, one of the patients Pak John was treating would not respond to any of his acupunctures therapy. He
summoned his teacher to see what could be done. His spirit teacher said, “Nothing can be done. It is time
for him to pass on to the next life.” My teacher told me this was the first time he was faced with telling
someone that he was going to die. I could tell it troubled him as he told me. It troubled me also, but in a
different sense. I thought, does this mean there is some other reality we are unaware of?
In 2000, my daughter had to have heart surgery and I was beside myself. From her drug abuse, she had
caused a problem with a valve in her heart and it had to be replaced. I called Pak John to see if there was
anything he could do. I was grasping at anything I could to help her. His voice lowered and spoke very
softly saying, “There was nothing I can do.” He sounded so sympathetic that I knew he felt the pain I had
for having a child that was near death and was unable to call his spirit teacher for help, as he had left for
good and no longer available to help John.
He said he never realized how much he came to rely on his teacher, who died in 1983, and then eventually
ascended from this earth for good around 1992-3. However, during the time his spirit teacher was here
and readily available, Pak John was able to do some unusual things to cure people of their many
maladies. Again, what a strange reality!
All this really confounds me, especially being Christian. The bible does not mention a thing concerning
any of these subjects except for vile, demon spirits. And, we are not to have anything with them. I find it
ironic that Pak John also said never to trust them. This would correlate with the problems that always
accompany any relationship with a spirit, including my teacher, and he is supposed to be a Christian!
In the book, “Magic and Mystery in Tibet” the author mentions an experience she had with a spirit relating
how it became out of control and the trouble she had trying to get rid of it. This would be a good example
of the problems that can occur when people become involved with them.
The bible teaches that spirits are nothing more than malevolent, demonic creatures, but when you consider
John departed teacher, it appears that he is a benevolent spirit who helps people! Don’t figure.
However, I have learned that demons are not the same. There have multitudes of different personalities.
Some spirits/demons don’t have enough power to bother humans, others are playful while others can be
mean and some are very, very powerful. And these powerful demons appear to have something like a
pride factor involved. They won’t reveal themselves to just anyone. They only reveal themselves to
people like Pak John or very powerful shaman.
Today, Christianity has no concept of what a real healer is supposed to be like or how they should behave
because there are virtually none. With all the TV evangelist frauds around you would think otherwise. But
when a true healing does happen along, it is very rare, spontaneous and doesn’t always happen on queue.
There is no individual, in fact, who can heal anyone at any given moment, and especially do it on TV!
There are a lot of scam artists running around trying to grab attention for one reason and one reason only,
to make money anyway then can. Many become very wealthy as a result of their shenanigans. And they
pose as Christians (really charlatans) to get away with this which gives Christianity a bad name. These
phony criminals are so crafty that much of Christendom is undermined, and because of that, many people
consider Christianity a joke. People just don’t understand criminals prey on the innocent and Christians
are always the target because they want to believe everyone is honest which allows criminals to walk all
over them.
These corrupt frauds play upon the vulnerability of those by using deception for their opportunistic,
illegal endeavors. Unfortunately, these clowns are believed and followed from their phony religious
behavior because of people’s innate need to believe in God. But this fact is never considered by those
who oppose Christianity; they just see these phony TV Evangelists healing people and taking their money.
There have been many investigations into these fraudulent healers. It seems these guys are nothing short of
good magicians willing to take a chance. Some are big time, popular TV personalities too. However, how
to tell the difference between those that are truly authentic and who are frauds is difficult to do.
They not only use tricks to fool people, but they use religion as a vehicle by which they can get even
closer to the people’s money. In the excitement of an alleged “healing” allows emotional euphoria to
emerge which initiates only a temporary appearance of healing in the person. When any type of
investigations are conducted after an alleged healing, the people researched always find themselves right
back where they started and no healing actually took place, but this is never revealed for obvious reasons.
This isn’t only confined to Christianity. There are many other areas of life where conniving people find
loopholes to take advantage of the unsuspecting. Many people are looking to believe in something which
makes them easy prey. All you need is a good communicator that is able to act the part and exact his
determined response from those listening. And there are a lot of them around.
The last authentic healer was Jesus Christ himself, along with his Apostles and some of their immediate
disciples. But after that there were no real healers on demand. Anyone after them who allegedly healed
people has always had great controversy associated with them.
Quite a few corrupt preachers have had very embarrassing consequences as a result of being caught “dead
in their tracks.” All of these charlatans are too stupid to realize their awesome responsibilities and have
failed the Christian faith because their greed blinds their illegal, opportunistic endeavors.
Then, we have another issue to deal with. Most ministers today would probably say I’m playing around
with the devil because of my involvement in this mysterious, ancient Asian chi development that allegedly
“has” ties with the occult. One of the things these people don’t understand is this training can be entirely
separate from the occult. You don’t have to “include” demons/spirits in your training as my teacher does,
nor does he push this aspect. Whatever you do you have the choice to glorify God. You have the choice,
no matter, whatever it is.
And there are myopic people everywhere, not just in Christianity. And all seem intent on supporting their
ignorance by judging others and not knowing all the facts. They simply do not understand or know enough
to speak intelligently about our dormant ability that God had given us originally. Our life energy that
keeps us alive is called by many names: God’s spirit, chi, prana, etc., etc. They do not know we are all
born with this latent power in us. And everyone has this life force that some of us are trying to develop,
and which was given to us by none other than God himself. This life force is passed from mother to child.
Our distant families from the beginning of time to our children today have this power within them, waiting
to be developed. We’ve just lost the knowledge as we have lost so much of our past already. In fact,
God’s “chosen” race, the Jews, have always known about chi and used it in their Kaballah practices for
many reasons. So I suppose this isn’t good enough for judgmental, know-italls.
To further support my point, these powers do seep out unexpectedly at very rare times in some people
who has never trained. When this does happen, I believe it is from some accidental quirk in our
physiology that we don’t understand. And, when a human being does have something mysterious happen to
them, no one relates these incidents with demonic connections; people just accept it as a miracle. But
these rare “events” can be seen regularly in some men who have developed their energy like Pak John and
few others in China where it is still going on and yet they are regarded by many as being possessed.
While a certain level of chi development is known among millions of Chinese who trainin chi gong daily,
they’re familiar with it because of their teachers occasionally demonstrate what little they’ve developed.
Plus, it is deeply ingrained in their history.
Recently on TV, a very well-known man of the cloth and his wife publicly admitted she had a near death
experience when she almost died from an auto wreck. She told about all the details how she floated above
her body and saw close family members before she returned back to her body. This is unheard of in
Christianity, but she experienced it and went public with it. No one ever talks of such matters in
Christianity! It is foolishly considered Satanic because the majority of the people, Christian or not, don’t
understand it. And this has gone on from the beginning of time. It is human nature to denigrate what you
don’t understand. I think because people believe if it isn’t in the bible, then it cannot be true. The bible is
painfully silent on all this and other subjects as well. And if we deal with anything we don’t understand,
or in question, the answer is: we must find a way to glorify God no matter what happens.
There are a few rare times some of us had an event where our inner energy popped up without realizing
what happened. Sometimes, people demonstrate abilities occasionally that completely confound us with
how they do it.
It is as a result of our inner energy that activates areas of our human potential that we don’t understand and
simply call them “special” gifts. Normally, people have no idea how to develop these “special gifts” or
keep it going. Any illustration of rare abilities that few people seldom exhibit correlates directly to three
aspects: the higher amount of innate inner energy they have unknowingly developed, or a natural,
physiological breach of nature that somehow manifests itself, or it develops without realizing it. But we
all are born with a certain amount of natural inner energy just waiting to be developed. And most people
don’t know this energy can be removed or manipulated for various results by highly trained practitioners.
Normally, those who have developed their inner energy without knowing it have actually been practicing
chi gong. People do all sorts of things they are not aware of. For example, some people naturally breathe
in a slow rhythmic manner while in a deep concentrated focus which is just one common method of chi
gong training. And who would know?
The first level in the Mo Pai system is nothing more than concentrated meditation and a special method of
breathing, plus one other factor I am unable to mention. But it is pretty much the same in the first level as
all the other chi gong development systems.
All chi development systems always begin with meditation. But from there chi gong and nai gong begin to
separate and go off into their different directions.
Most chi gong systems can be fairly similar to one another, but there are two things all chi gong systems
must do: they accumulate only yang energy; and then send it in a microcosmic orbit around their body
(some chi gong schools used two orbits).
But the system in which the Mo Pai’s training is accomplished actually causes the yin and yang energy that
is accumulated go to their respective locations in our bodies: the yin goes to the perineum area and the
yang goes to the dan tien area
Since we all are born with a given amount of natural inner energy, yin and yang, you still need a great deal
more to accumulate in your body from the environment in order to develop.
When your meditation and breathing is done in a specific manner, you will attain a“precise” physical sign
that will let you know for certain you are doing it correctly.
Actually, in the Mo Pai system there are two signs that will arrive within your body and validate your
development letting you know you are doing everything correct.
And once your body is full of enough yang energy, it then has to be manipulated by other methods to
develop the dan tien up to the second level. And the second level is where Mo Pai’s system begins to
deviate from chi gong.
People who have had inadvertent exposures of their chi abilities have no idea where it came from and
they don’t know what to do next with it. They usually find themselves at an impasse or deadend.
Consequently, they can’t develop beyond that level. In all cases, this temporary manifestation of chi either
fades away because of the lack of knowledge for further developing or it was a quirk of nature and never
happens again.
A few of those people that experienced inadvertently a single manifestation of a psychic ability, they
usually drift off into the phony “psychic world” quackery trying to prolong what they experienced, but it
never comes back. While most all psychics are fakes, the rare few authentic psychics are unfortunately
thrown into the same cauldron as the fakes.
But one of the problems with authentic psychics is, because they have not developed their inner energy,
they remain at an infant level and what they psychically see is bits and pieces and speak in vague
descriptions of their target. However, once in a while they can be very close on the target, but that usually
doesn’t happen very often.
You may have heard about some of the strange stories of what Tibetan priests, or what rare, true Indian
yogi’s can do. This is a whole different category. They have developed their chi abilities to extraordinary
levels and are never vague or sporadic. They know the true secrets of how to develop these latent
abilities we all have in us, and have been doing so for thousands of years. These men, and some women,
have trained in specific levels that develop these skills to such a degree that they can be one hundred
percent with any given event. It is like these trained ascetics combine their developed psychic skill with
their OBE (Out of Body Experience) skill to view an event that they were not present, and talk as if they
were.
Unfortunately, all this has been noticed by opportunists. They conjure up tricks to make themselves appear
as if they are a “magic” man and “reel” people in and take their money. And they come in all makes and
sizes, even some chi masters are becoming aware of the wealth they can make from people and are taking
advantage of it. Just because a chi master has great skills, does not mean they are above immorality. No,
they have to use a toilet like everyone else. It is because of that single aspect that illustrates they are still
very susceptible to human desires and frailties as we have seen in the last few years with a couple high
level masters in China. These few highly developed masters have started not only to charge students, but
charge them enormous fees. And when they do, they malign the legacy of chi schools and the integrity of
their own position.
Chi development all through history has always been passed from teacher to student(s) with no money
involved. However, there was money given to them for their services and upkeep from the student’s
families, if they could afford it. In many cases, rather than money given, support was also given in food
and it usually would be meager. But skilled, true teachers/masters were known for their benevolence, not
wealth, as a few are today. And since there is money involved, as never before, it opens up the
opportunities for frauds.
There are a few simple signs of knowing if an alleged master is a fraud or not. True masters, if they are
wealthy, play down their wealth by doing gratisdeeds for mankind. And they don’t allow others to
worship them in one way or another. Plus, they don’t allow crowds to follow them. But most importantly,
they follow an unspoken rule. They remain humble and accept whatever is given them so they can continue
training students and helping the sick. Many times when out and about populated areas, masters have been
known to do something good for people without anyone knowing it was done by them.
These behaviors are not readily seen in today’s world; modern day teachers of chi development schools
find themselves inadvertently in a position they should not be. Also, there is an added new problem—
they have to make a living. We live in a different world today than when many of yesteryear masters were
roaming about taking “hand- outs” from their supporters. Despite their meager existence, their life was
full. There was balance and integrity.
Today, once people find out about any kind of master, the news quickly finds its way on the Internet. Then,
we have the problem with these people from all over the world jumping at the chance to become a
student. And thus begins the opportunity for these money hungry masters to immediately raise their prices.
Every modern master/teacher has the potential to fail with their integrity and ignore their time-honored
legacy, because being human, they are susceptible to sin like everyone else.
Since we are all human and in today’s world there are some things that some people justcan’t seem to be
able to overcome, especially when it comes to opportunities they’ve never had before. And China is a
good example. People don’t normally equate the Chinese with being greedy, but when you have the
potential of making lots of money, we, no matter who you are, usually take it.
I am specifically talking about one very high level teacher in China today who was given his training
gratis from his three nomadic, high level teachers, according to a book that was written by two of his
personal students. The book told about how the three teachers went on a journey around China and took on
a single student to teach him all the knowledge of their chi system in order that it might be preserved. In
fact, this was not that long ago, sometime after the fifties.
One would think that this student’s experience would have taken place further back in time, as the fifties
and sixties are rather recent, because the story is more akin to the olden days than modern day. It is very
much like the old romantic journeys about heroes and their journeys. However, this period was just
before China had reached new heights of enormous growth and prosperity, when such an adventurous
undertaking could yet still take place.
This man who spent much of his youth learning from his teachers, I have heard he now is charging
enormous amounts of money. This is very upsetting news. What he was given freely to him, strictly for the
preservation of lost knowledge, he now charges not only money, but huge sums of money.
This particular master is said to be, mentioned by the carsalesman student, to be on a higher levels than
my teacher Pak John. However, this remains to be seen. And if he is, he is in a totally different system and
it doesn’t have the levels to develop power that Mo Pai develops because it is still only based upon the
development of yang energy. This system probably has a much different chronological levels system
where its power comes much later than nai gong. I know that this Chinese master is highly developed in
some abilities Pak John isn’t capable of doing. But then again, I am not fully aware of all the abilities Pak
John is capable of doing either. He has always shown me something different every time I’ve been with
him. I’ve never asked him to show me everything he can do.
And we have to remember, you can’t trust this car-salesman guy because his focus is totally on himself.
So of course everything he does for others has a price tag and stealthily reroutes everything to appear as a
good guy, and all for his benefit. I have found that one of his greatest assets is his lip service. He has the
ability to sell ice to Eskimos. So, what he says can’t be trusted because he mixes it with some truth. And
that is enough for some to be convinced he’s authentic.
No one knows exactly how the secrets of developing chi started or where it came from. I believe there
might be a clue however, Adam, the first man, was designed with articulate perfection by God, as well as
his perfect environment in which he lived. All this allowed him to live nine hundred and twenty years.
Think about it. For all those years your genetics would have had to be so pure in order for you to exist for
that period of time. There would not be any of the DNA accidents to go astray like evolutionists
mistakenly say that happens.
From Adam all the way to Noah, the earth had an ice canopy surrounding it, thus preventing rain and
ultraviolet light form entering the earth which allowed man the ability to continue aging. The earth could
hold moister without the process of rain, which also is substantiated in the bible. This perfect
“biospheric” condition allowed plants and animals to continue growing to enormous sized because the
harmful sunlight wouldn’t destroy our body’s skin cells causing us to age more quickly. And once the
canopy was broken, mankind was exposed to sunlight and immediately the aging process dropped to what
it is today.
This is why we see giant fossils of plants and animals. The sunlight was refracted and defused causing
perfect conditions for life to continue growing. It’s theorized that Adam’s mind was superior to ours
because of his raw pureness allowing him to do many things we can’t do today, like communicate with
animals. Then, there was Noah still in his pure state. Apparently he had the ability to call all the animals
from around the world to board his ark for sustaining each of the species. And how else could he have
done that? Adam also was made capable for literally naming all the animals in the world. And who could
do that today?
Also associated with that, twins have been researched to find out how they communicate between
themselves from miles apart. However, science is looking in the wrong direction. The connection
between twins is caused by their similar chi (inner energy) on an unknowngenetic level that hasn’t been
discovered yet by science. And this would also allow for a natural connection between other people,
once they learn how to tap into this ability.
Despite this unusual aspect in twins, man has lost their genetic purity because of several earth changing
events by God. For one, the flood caused the earth’s canopy to fall apart allowing the sun’s radiation to
directly hit the earth and man started his degenerating processes from then on. Our age illustrates this by
only being able to live a little over a hundred years.
Mongoloidism is an example which also clearly demonstrates that our genetics have degenerated, and, at
the same time proves it wasn’t always this way. We know today that thousands of years ago people
propagated from within their own families without the fear or results of any human defects. Back then the
genetics were so pure in mankind that families could intermingle without any results of mongoloidism.
Through eons of time man’s genetic purity became saturated with so much genetic contamination from
intermingling with family members that things changed. However, just as mongoloidism occurred, so does
a fraction of genetic purity also carry over in some people who are able to display that occur on rare
occasions.
All our ancient ancestors came from a common family and grew from that genetic pool. Then, when this
grew into bigger families and migrated to various locations. Now, all these new people were made up of
earlier related families. Their pureness lasted long enough to allow human beings to populate the globe
before the genetic pool began to dissipate. It was at this point our genetics deteriorated from intermixing
so much that our genes are no longer pure, thus causing mongoloidism and other defects to occur as a
result. Despite that, there has been scientific proof that sometimes there is a small genetic carry over that
continues from all our past ancestors. We can see this today because people still carry their ancestor’s
genes. This will oftentimes show up visibly like the color of eyes and hair as well as genetic defects.
What health issues you have today has been established that there is a good chance it may have come from
your ancestors.
Another abnormal aspect of man is the fact that he uses only a small portion of his brain. The brain has the
capacity to do a lot more than what we understand at this time. There obviously was a good reason for the
unlimited use of the brain, but science has yet to find it. We have only touched a small portion of the
brain, and look at what incredible inventions we have created already from using just a small amount of
our brain. If and when we are able to utilize the full capacity of our brain, there would be an enormous
leap of technology.
We have the genetic capacity for incredible abilities with our chi. It actually proves that not only we once
could do marvelous things, but also supports the fact that it is a carryover from our human origin.
We still have legends which have been passed down with hints of what ancient man was capable of. In
some cases, we have blatant proof that man in fact had extraordinary capacities most of which are
unknown to the general population today. Fortunately, this proof is here and available for those that have
done their research in either chi gong or the more enigmatic nai gong training.
Despite the fact that both nai gong and chi gong take years to develop, chi gong is more quickly developed
because it develops only the yang. Fortunately, most people are not interested in taking the time to achieve
some of the extraordinary abilities one may obtain from either chi gong or nai gong or we would have a
huge mess.
Out of the hundreds of students my teacher has had through the years, only two have stayed committed to
their training for over 10 years straight. Oddly enough, one is me and the one was selected by Pak John’s
ancestor spirit to assume the leadership of the school.
I might touch on something many don’t consider. When Pak John first began nai gong training, like
everyone else, his goals were not anywhere near benevolent by any means. His desire for attaining
superhuman abilities came from man’s natural propensity to be bigger and better than everyone else.
Most all people will cover their hidden attitude/agenda rather than admitting to things like this. People
usually want to give a more kindly explanation for why they want to learn chi development, like helping
others. How do I know this? Because of my own experience; plus, most seekers come directly from
martial arts. And, Pak John was a rather famous kung fu fighting champion who happens to be a very small
man. So of course men want to be capable of overcoming any issues that is bigger than they are. Why else
do people really get involved in martial arts, just because it’s a wonderful thing to do, or because they
feel a need to be able to defend themselves?
Anyway, this is the basic reason why men gravitate to this inner energy development. But these alleged
chi authorities who usually have never trained in chi development seem to think they know best for others
when they took up martial arts themselves which is a fighting skill. And these clowns will criticize me
and others like me as to why we want to develop these powers! And, what they alsodon’t realize is the
fact that after many years, the original desire to learn loses its value and eventually turns into a more
humanitarian desire. But you won’t be able to tell these “know-italls” this. They are already the
authorities on everything. Just ask them any question and they will always give you a ready answer. Sadly,
they will never humbly say,“I am unfamiliar and can’t give you an answer.” These pseudo-authorities like
to hear themselves talk and usually try to sway you over to their thinking. This is what you would call a
limited mind. I remember when I first mentioned what I saw in the Ring of Fire to my head-martial arts
instructor. He said to me I was living in fantasy and should not believe everything I see. And if I followed
him I would have never experienced my adventure with Pak John or any of the other things that occurred
along the way in a country on the other side of the world.
Just because someone is an authority in “one” area somehow gives them the idea they know everything
else in the world. And by virtue of them being our authority in one area, we’re supposed to listen to them
in everything else, as they know best.
I believe many people eventually come to a very critical point in their lives and discover that martial arts
skills are just not enough to fulfill themselves so they either act as if they are authorities on everything,
including chi systems, to overcome this, or they venture out and discover what else is in the world they
have no idea about.
Besides, who wants to admit they are not good enough or that theyspent a lot of time training and it still
doesn’t make them feel confident about themselves?
Inner energy is the answer, and this is what happened for Pak John. Yet these pseudo authorities don’t
address the reasons why they wanted to train. They seem to ignore this fact and discourage prospective
students who have exactly the same desire as Pak John. These ignoramuses only wish they had the
opportunity to train in the end-all greatest systems for self-protection while obtaining their end. I think
they are envious and extremely lazy as they continue telling prospective students to seek other more
equitable things instead of the direction they wish to learn.
No, this isn’t anyone’s destiny—following lazy, opinionated, tired, martial art clowns who have turned
into couch potatoes. I’ve heard on some occasions that we simpletons have something missing and need to
reevaluate going in this direction. I think they need to get off their butts and get a life and look after
themselves instead of pushing their values on people who don’t want to sit on couches the rest of their
lives. And to make matters worse, there are just too many guys like this on different Internet talk forums.
And what really makes me upset, there are quite a few people visiting these forums who seek to learn the
esoteric art of nai gong and even chi gong. Yet the couch potatoes know what is best for everyone while
doing nothing to improve themselves.
When I first met Pak John he had about three or four very lackadaisical Indonesian students and about the
same ten years later (2000). There were more who would show up when something was required, but
none were dedicated. Apparently, none have the right qualities it takes to endure all the dedication one
needs to develop in this discipline. And this is one of the reasons why Westerners were admitted by Pak
John. I also found that these students were know-it-alls as well. And they are in every country. You can’t
get away from them. I would suppose they become that way because they know they don’t have what it
takes, but still want to be involved with this profound mystical and very powerful master.
It is really a privilege to not only become a student of Pak John, but also I’ve seen and talked to a man that
legends are made from. And these lethargic Indonesian students don’t seem to appreciate him as we
Westerners do. Unfortunately for us Westerners, Pak John doesn’t recognize this.
For those who want to have these legendary abilities, I have to tell you it doesn’t come from wishing, or
talking about it, or faking it as many do. It only comes from long, dedicated, daily practice.
One of the main reasons the Chinese have been using chi gong abilities is for their health. They’ve been
doing it for well over a few thousand years with astounding results I might add.
Recently, it has had some public attention and been nonchalantly looked at by some American doctors, but
that’s about it. Nothing has really come of it. Not because it isn’t real, but rather it’s because doctors in
American have a totally different agenda as well as the desire for immediate results, i.e. it takes too many
years to develop the skills when drugs seem to be their answer for everything. Plus, they can’t seem to
find a way to make money from it yet.
It is mainly chi gong practitioners who have taken things into their own hands. Their therapy has sprung up
in various parts of the U.S. as well as the rest of the world. Up against them is the mighty, monetary
hungry, God-like A.M.A. (American Medical Association) who will have nothing to do with chi gong.
No, they are too sophisticated and intellectual for this hocus-pocus sort of stuff. They will probably stall
any legitimacy it has gained in the U.S., and because it isn’t technical or refined enough for them. So we
may never see the rightful place it should have in our health system. But if and when chi gong therapy
finds any legitimacy, you can bet the A.M.A. will get involved, despite the thousands of years it has cured
and saved the lives of most of the Chinese population.
Without concern from most American health institutions, one doctor has privately verified the authenticity
of energy being emanated from the hands of chi gong doctors. Based on his study, he found that cancer
cells are affected and die as a result of being exposed to several of the frequencies that make up the chi
energy within us.
There are several other unusual therapies gaining popularity around the world, as well as in America. I
believe they are nothing more than systems that utilize some of our inner energy. And this would be the
reason why it can’t go much further. They are considered a weak approach so they can’t utilize the full
potential. And this is because they don’t know higher levels of development. Maybe after a thousand
years of practice they’ll develop like chi gong in China.
While some have tried these newfangled systems and benefited from them, some people aren’t quite as
successful. Either you have some results or you don’t. There is no middle ground. This is the reason why
they haven’t been widely accepted despite their slow growth. I guess it appeals to certain people.
This is by no means to say that people haven’t been healed, but it is nothing more than a hit or miss. And
some of these new age therapies work better than others depending upon certain physiological factors
involved too. The problem I see, if it doesn’t work, people are out all that money. Then, the question is:
are they willing to try another new age therapy that costs a lot of money to see if they can be healed with
that one? These new therapies are becoming almost as expensive as going to a regular doctor.
I once went to a local, alleged “healer” to see if he could help me with a few of my menacing problems
I’ve had to contend with nearly all my life. In my introduction with him he told me about himself and what
he has done to help people, and who he has helped, like that was supposed to convince me he was
legitimate. I thought this was odd because doctors don’t brag about the same things. When someone does
this it tells me they have to validate themselves to convince me into believing it will heal me, therefore
these therapies are “subjective.” I am of the mind that healing should not be subjective. Either it works or
it doesn’t. It is like the clown that said the reason he was unable to knock over a guy was because he
raised his little toe!
Many of these frauds use psychological methods to convince you into “believing” that you will be healed.
And in many cases people are psychotically sick and cured by psychological means. However, I am too
pragmatic to be manipulated like that. I believe if it is a worthy method of healing, then it should prove
itself objectively. The only true method of healing is when something can help you without your thinking
or hoping it will work. I reason, if all of it is that we help ourselves in believing, then we don’t need
these pseudo “healers.” We can do it ourselves! The problem lies in the fact that people want others to
take care of them. People will spend tons of money for someone to tell themwhat they already know, but
don’t want to do it.
Much of the time these new therapies are pretty much unknown and untested because they’ve only been
around a decade or so. Plus, most people that are sick have no idea these new therapies exist. Many will
try just about anything because they are so desperate. So when a friend tells them about a new therapy,
people will try it.
What is so strange about all these new therapies? All the therapists act as if they know-it-alls also,
despite the fact that their particular modality has NOT been around for very long, and there isn’t much in
the way to prove “their” specialty actually does anything! It’s strange how these beginners have taken
their infant knowledge and stretched it out to sound like an authentic, established healing therapy!
Personally, I’ve used acupuncture several times and had no success, but that’s not to say something
wouldn’t work on some other malady I may have. I’ve tried another new age therapy called “Cranial
Sacral.” Strange as it was, it kicked in after three treatments, however. I would have thought it a scam had
I not been pushed into going two more times. And, I didn’t have to contribute my hope to make it work. It
really helped me with some pain issues I’ve had to deal with. But later, when the woman who treated me
was injured in a car accident and unable to do therapy any longer, I found another woman who also did
Cranial Sacral and found that she had no effect on me.
If all these new age therapists would visit Indian or Tibetan monasteries or even Chinese medicine
schools, they may find some connections between their weak system and the ancient, authentic methods
that consistently work. If they would do this they wouldn’t have the infrequent results or have to reinvent
the wheel, and they would be consistent in their healthcare results. We will continually see these new age
therapies grow in popularity while people are willing to try them despite their inability to exhibit a better
cure rate.
Chi, on the other hand, has been used for thousands of years primarily to help people regain their health
with tremendous results from well-trained practitioners; otherwise, it would have been junked. None of
these new therapies understand that it is chi they are working with. However, it is only a very, very small
amount. The Chinese have found that if they manipulate our inner energy, they can cure just about anyone
of anything.
With all the many different ancient modalities that use chi, practitioners know only too well this wellgrounded fact: if a person’s chi is removed, they’ll die; if it is manipulated using certain methods they can
be cured of their illness.
I fully understand this aspect because of several occasions when I personally had my chi displaced in a
small dose. It was also at this time I realized from my experience how it might kill someone as well, as
the sensation is extremely overpowering leaving one totally helpless.
What exactly is chi, and the reasons why we have it? Several Asian cultures are well-versed in this and
are familiar with part of the answer. In America, it isn’t quite so straightforward. It seems that for most of
us it is beyond our ability to accept or even understand it, as we don’t have any history with it to really
know anything. But what makes it so difficult is that the people seem to “always” take the attitude almost
to the level of being antagonistically authoritative on everything despite knowing very little or nothing
about many subjects. And America is full of them. It is this attitude that helps prevent our development of
our inner energy. We’re just too smart to know better. Yet, on the other hand, onebillion Chinese “know”
it works and have been using it for several thousand years.
Chi has an aspect about it that is a little like electricity; we know how to manipulate it and use it, but we
don’t quite understand what it is exactly. Chi, however, is the very source of what our bodies exist on for
life. You can live a short time without food, but like air, if your chi is removed abruptly from you, you
will instantaneously die.
God designed our life on this life sustaining energy, it causes all life to continue functioning. It is
interconnected with eternity and our soul. Without it all life will cease to exist. It is connected to God by
way of his breath. It ignites life to begin and continue. It is part of our spirituality, and has been with us
from the very beginning of time. God breathed in man to give life, and to develop our inner energy we
develop it by our breath as well. We can’t create it, but only accumulate, develop and manipulate it.
Unfortunately, man in all his glory has reached a point in his pride where he has developed a completely
different scenario other than what God originally intended. This new direction caused man to develop
new religions to support his prideful power of developed inner energy, and ignore the reality of God’s
total balance of his creation.
All spiritual things have a power that most of us can’t seem to appreciate or understand, let alone ever
think about it. But by tapping into our life energy, which is spiritual, it allows us to use this powerful
force to some degree and experience just a fraction of the eternal power God created. Where else could
this life energy have come from if not from our creator God? Evolution alone isn’t capable of explaining
such objectivity in life as God has in his design.
However, we can only come to understand a small part of this by relating how to develop our own inner
energy through God’s plan. If you follow what man has created, you’ll spend your life, and afterlife, in a
state of confusion and continual work for perfection, never knowing when it will end or where it will take
you. Life after death is actually all about uncertainty based upon the decision you make now.
And “uncertainty” is not a good scenario to live by because there is no security. Life is about security,
knowing who we are and where we are going. And this comes from God.
He is the same today as He was in the beginning of time and will remain to the end of time. And therefore,
by virtue of the security He has given us, we don’t have to worry about the future.
Man instinctively knows he isn’t capable of perfection in this “life” or any other they think exists. Only
egotists will say this isn’t true, but what do they have to support what they say? And how does a puny man
usurp what an eternal creator God of all existence has produced? There is no comparison! Yet mankind in
all his continual failing glory thinks he knows best and relies upon himself for his future. And in some
cases, man will seek not God for wisdom, but will seek answers from other sources that didn’t create all
existence. I find this troubling that people innately go after spirits for their answers when spirits had
nothing to do with God’s creative works. In fact, spirits are created by God and it would be impossible
for them to have all the knowledge he has and would be a poor choice for help.
Yet we have my teacher who for a long time I thought was not a Christian because of his involvement with
spirits. And since he is a Christian, this not only makes things worse for him, but causes everyone else to
question his credibility: is he a hypocrite for saying he believes in God and yet ignores what He tells him
to do? God, under no uncertain circumstances, keeps His laws for those that believe him, so there are no
excuses. I’ve found that each culture that has embraced not only Christianity, but other ones as well, will
always, always keep their cultural peculiarities intact as they twist God’s Word around to keep things
comfortable. And I have a feeling this may be the case with my teacher. And this, according to God, is not
acceptable.
We who are living have not only a responsibility to God. But even if there were no God, we still have the
“need” to help mankind. This is an innate need of life. There will always be the less fortunate, sick and
the aged. Everyone at one time or another needs help, and whose responsibility is that? Yes, it’s ours. We
all must help one another.
For many years, I’ve struggled trying to understand my teacher’s association with spirit-demons and his
relationship with God. God is the only one we are supposed to have anything to do with. Following a
spirit unequivocally means you aren’t following God. I just don’t get how my teacher can justify his life
by doing this.
Like my teacher, for thousands of years the Chinese seem to have thought this knowledge of God’s is
supposed to be kept secret by them. They don’t seem to account for the fact that it is innately in each one
of us waitingto be utilized for the sake of overcoming man’s ills in the world.
What the Chinese and my teacher don’t realize is that “charity” (love) is what God used to establish the
existence of man in the world. He never caused us to hide what he has given to all mankind. And because
this knowledge originated by God it “must” be imparted to those who seek it to help those in the world, or
it is a waste of time to have created it. And nothing God created should ever be wasted.
My teacher should know that his vile spirit/demon is responsible for keeping this knowledge from the
world (isolated), and therefore must be considered a malevolent act.
How can anyone be so adverse to the idea of not perpetuating the development of our inner energy to help
the sick? How can one person like my teacher help all the sick in the world? He can’t! This is why God
gave us knowledge so we can impart it though many people. Even if John could teach one hundred
students how to work with our inner energy to help others, it is still not enough to help the world. You
need thousands and thousands! And yet this vile demon-spirit continues to keep this knowledge isolated in
a tiny country where most people have no idea it exists.
It must be freely given, as it wasn’t meant to be a franchise or privately owned. And in addition to this,
God said there were no secrets to be held from us which would include the knowledge of developing
inner energy. But trying to convince a Mo Pai, Indonesian Christian of this appears to be impossible.
My teacher’s family “is” almost entirely Christian, and they have told me on numerous occasions that it
pains them their father delves into the demonic world on every Chinese New Year! I wish I could
understand his justification.
Chapter 17
The new student from Australia turned out to be the type of person you don’t want anything to do with. If
this guy could have put as much energy into his training instead of trying to achieve total control of the Mo
Pai, he could have been a good student. It’s sad because I would have liked to have been friends. He does
have some good points. But the way he treats people makes it hard to get along with him.
Like the Chinese, he seems to think he is the sole purveyor of this knowledge, harboring the idea that it is
supposed to be literally “kept” secret from the world and disseminated at his discretion.
I remember how he used to tell me that I shouldn’t talk to anyone about this knowledge, and to keep it
within our immediate circles, as it might get into the wrong hands. And it did. His!
I also found he has some egomaniacal issues with a powerful craving for attention. If you cross him he
will do all he can to make you pay severely.
For a long time, I was completely unaware of his growing egocentric behavior and the things he was
trying to make himself out to be. For a long time, I did not have access to the Internet. I found he was
running around several talk forums spending a lot of time on them. This was rather perplexing because at
first I didn’t understand his secret agendas. I wondered why he never answered my calls or emails, yet
spent time “talking” about the Mo Pai with strangers and never helping them learn anything.
I realized this pseudo student literally tried to become “the” authority representing our school on the
Internet, and anywhere else he can dig his heels in while being nothing more than a fraud. In fact, his
behavior has reached such a peak of envy of my status and dedication that he began to avoid me. When I
tried to find out what his problem was he became worse and threatened “to get” me, but apparently holds
himself back because he knows what I might be able to do to him with my inner energy. It is so difficult to
deal with egocentricity, angered jealousy and lies all at the same time.
It was my teacher who told me to teach this guy how to do the first two levels because he said I was, and I
quote, his “superior.” Up to that time, I had no idea John had any ranking, but apparently he does. But after
this, this guy began little behaviors that exposed his disdain toward rank and me. And to offset this, he
went so far as to tell people that I taught him incorrectly when it turns out to be nothing short of his
inability to follow instructions and dedicate himself.
When I first taught this guy his first level instructions, he seemed to have forgotten that every aspect of my
instructions was done in front of his father. Both asked questions all the way through the training. And if
that wasn’t enough, the training was repeated by him in front of and verifiedby our teacher. It isn’t in our
teacher’s capacity to allow for error, so he would naturally catch any and all incorrect teaching. So
checking is part of his leadership requirements, but this clown seems not to remember or mention this
when he tries to discredit me by telling people I didn’t show him correctly.
Our teacher is a perfectionist when it comes to the proper techniques and correct training. Pak John also
checks us periodically as well as intuitively makes sure nothing is wrong. After all these years, he can
check you without you realizing it.
He is unusually good at catching problems and knowing what to do about them before they get too far.
And our training is really simplistic with very few aspects to remember, so it isn’t difficult to followthe
training regimen we’ve been given. And if anyone messes up, it is actually their fault.
The first level in the Mo Pai School is simply meditation done in a certain way. It is also very much the
same as many, many other schools have as their first level, and there just isn’t any mystery or difficulty
once you learn it. The mystery only comes from the fact that it is not taught unless you are a Mo Pai
student.
The second level is nothing more than more meditation plus a type of exercise. It also has some
familiarity with a few other chi gong schools, so no big deal there.
But for whatever reason his guy had, he decided later it was in his best interest to discredit me in front of
our teacher when I was not there to defend myself. He tried to blame me for things I had nothing to do
with and wasn’t even there. He also said things on the talk forums that I was so incompetent that I
purposely tried to teach him something entirely different than what he was supposed to learn. Anything he
could use against me, even if it is a lie, he was clearly doing it.
Because this guy is the type of person he is, rather than blame himself for his error and then correct it as
most mature people would do, he seems to want to take others down with him.
Even from the very beginning of my association with this guy I’ve felt resentment from him. Through the
years,I’ve learned he is incapable of friendship because of his unwarranted jealousy toward me and many
other people, including the Greek guy.
I also found he has manipulated even our teacher to believe his lies. For example, Pak John told me to tell
him to make a copy of a tape that had the next form I was supposed to learn. After I contacted him he
stalled and stalled for over three years! I finally called Pak John and told him I was having trouble getting
a copy of the tape, and would he send me the tape instead. He became irritated and said I was supposed to
be this guy superior and he should send it.
And later, our teacher seemed to be quelled by the way this guy makes things up. And somehow, I found
myself being the bad guy and this didn’t make sense.
It hasn’t always been flowers with my teacher either. I might mention that even he creates problems. One
of the problems I’ve had to deal with is his procrastination. He passes the buck all too often. Pak John
originally told me he had sent a tape to me, only later I found that he hadn’t. It seems he left it up to one of
his unconcerned and“couldn’t care less” grown sons. It seems they are not interested in helping
foreigners, even if you are a student of his fathers. And then there is the problem about not being able to
rely on some of the things my teacher said. More than I would like to remember, he was not around when
he said he would, despite making arrangements in advance and traveling thousands of miles to see him.
Just after our visit in 1996 with our teacher as I was ready to leave, Pak John encouraged us (his father
also) to go to Bali together. I was in agreement because I really got along with his dad and thought we
would have fun.
After we arrived in Bali I remember having a conversation with this guy (Dicky) about martial arts. He
said that he was learning a little of a certain style periodically from some guy in a distant city. I remember
him saying that this other guy was very good and wished he could go more often but could only go maybe
once a month.
Surprisingly, not too long after this he somehow manipulated his unranked, non-tested, non-belted status
into an alleged master, and to top that off he started a school! I was shocked when I found out. And of
course he didn’t want to let me find out.
You can’t help wonder where all this come s from? However, if you knew him, it is consistent with the
behavior of this guy. He desires to be above everyone else and will do whatever it takes to achieve this
status. And to make matter worse, he also knows how to use his mouth to make things go his way. He is a
bonafide opportunistpersuader.
And whenever I would talk to him about certain issues I felt were important, he would become silent or
change the subject. It was impossible to find out anything from him. And when I did get anything out of
him I always wanted to run it by our teacher to see if it was true or not. And Pak John’s answers were
never consistent with what this guy ever said! Not that it really mattered anymore. I just became aware
and understood his personality type and wanted nothing more to do with him.
About five years ago I got an email from another person from Australia wanting to talk to me (I’ll call him
George). Surprisingly, he wanted to talk to me about Dicky. He said he had been one of his students and
wanted to let me know what had happened. I was taken aback by this anddidn’t understand at the moment
why me!
He said that he was interested in going to visit Pak John to become a student, and when he tried to talk to
Dicky he became enraged and threatened him if he did.
George said that he felt it wasn’t up to Dicky whether Pak John would see him or not. He did some
research on his own and found our teacher’s address and made arrangements to meet him.
When he arrived, Pak John was willing to accept him and he learned the first level. He went back to
Australia and casually mentioned what he did to some other students. But when Dicky heard about this he
went ballistic and struck him in the chest with such force he suffered a lot of pain for a long time
afterward. Ya, a sign of a healthy instructor! Then my friend was ravaged with expletives and humiliated
in front of the class and kicked out on the spot. Not surprising, the next day he had mysterious threatening
phone calls saying he should not ever go back to see John and stay in his home. And Dicky represents the
Mo Pai in Australia.
The second Westerner (the Greek) that was admitted to the school (around‘94) was not considered a
student by 1996. I know this may come as a surprise to some people, but I am reporting what Pak John
said to me. After all, I never met the Greek to pass judgment.
Something happened that caused Pak John to come to this conclusion. He actually told me the first time
(1995) that he wasn’t happy with the Greek guy, but was more adamant about it in ’96. He told me that he
didn’t want the guy to come around any longer.
One of Pak John’s close friends (Henky) told me it was because of the guy’s abrupt temper when I asked
about the guy. And then about a year later, Pak John was again terribly disappointment about the book this
guy published. And apparently this was the last nail in the coffin. Despite that, my teacher and the Greek
had remained somewhat on a sociable basis, which was really difficult for me to understand.
It’s a shame. T here should have been a great camaraderie between the three of us Westerners. I was
willing and went out of my way to try and facilitate whatever I could to help this happen.
I got one of the rare calls from Dicky early in 1998, before I went to see Pak John. He whined about how
he was unable to train and wanted to know how I was so dedicated. He was also discouraged because his
father didn’t understand why he wasn’t using his time for a steady job and didn’t want him to spend his
money going over to see our teacher all the time.
I decided that I would make an extra trip to visit him after I finish visiting with my teacher to see if I could
encourage and lift his spirits. I didn’t care about the money because I was hoping I could help him (Round
trip was over five hundred dollars). But alas, while I was there for a week, he only gave me two hours of
his time and never showed up again.
But all my efforts to try and have a bond just w eren’t meant to be. And you really can’t when both of
these guys had different agendas wanting to keep all they know all to themselves.
I found this really bizarre because the other few Westerners never had secret agendas, or wanted to screw
anyone. They simply wanted to be humble students.
I thought it was some kind of reality disconnect with Dicky because he seemed to want his own students to
think he was training under some secret, mysterious system that only he is able to know and the rightful
inheritor of the knowledge. It is amazing how people can get so carried away with themselves.
When I read in a few of the Internet forums, several people apparently became disenchanted with him
(Dicky) despite his clever efforts to fool people. Many figured out his egocentric scheme without me ever
having to get involved. It appeared that he wanted everyone to think he is the “main man” and the highest
ranking student. Why else would he never mention to anyone about the other Western students? That
literally speaks for itself as to what he is trying to accomplish for himself.
In all the time I’ve known him , he never once said anything remotely about his plans for opening his own
school or his desire to live in Indonesia or anything. I find that really, really odd because being brother
students, shouldn’t there be some kind of camaraderie going on? But then again, this world is full of
people like him.
Even when I tried to email him while he was living in Indonesia and didn’t want me to know he was
there. He sent only one email in all the time he was there, and it was always a one sentence reply that
never addressed anything I asked about.
I soon realized that while he’s been going to visit Pak John as much as he could afford, it had nothing to
do with our training; rather, he had some other ulterior motive, and it had nothing to do with nai gong
training. But the fact that he goes often and actually moved there (sixteenmonths) made him appear as
though he was getting “secret” training to his students which would be my guess knowing him.
What is more shameful about his behavior is the fact that he had a hard time training in nai gong and
because he replaced his lack of dedication with a scheme to cause others to think he has great power.
George told me of some of the most outrageous stories you could ever imagine.
One of the more difficult things that really cause much consternation is that on several occasions Dicky
would ask me how I was able to practice so much. This was unbelievable and so simple. If you truly want
to learn, you “make” time for training. Duh! Of all people to ask this question… It screams ofapathy and
disloyalty. Don’t true hopeful practitioners wanting to develop their inner energies prove their dedication
by instinctively finding the time they need to train. Dicky may have wanted to be a student of the Mo Pai,
but seemed to want it his way, and training wasn’t included.
I remember trying to encourage him to take a certain time of the day and set it aside for his training. His
reply strangely would be a groan at the thought. Apparently, he had more important things to do. It was
like trying to force someone to do something when their heart wasn’t in it.
Anyway, by hiding his true motives and trying to omit me from the equation, I guess it was the only way he
could feel better about himself in front of his students. What this guy didn’t “get” was that Pak John was
aware of his lack of devotion.
I only mention all this to set the stage why our school has degenerated to the point that it has now
disallowed Westerners, and the demise of our teacher who was permanently removed as head of our
school. Had the Australian and Greek been more sincere, it may have been a completely different
situation today.
I received a letter from my teacher (2005). He finally admitted to me that he was finished with teaching
and was no longer able to help anyone. He bid me farewell with no direction, no help in finding someone
to replace him, or anything! He suddenly dropped me after fifteen years of my dedication to him. What
really hurt was the fact that I loved him like a father, and now I was abandoned for nothing more than
being a loving, faithful and dedicated student.
The letter had a severe aftereffect. I was so distressed by the whole matter that I quit for about a year. I
was emotionally beside myself and unable to train (more of this later).
My teacher mention to me on a few rare occasions that for a long time he wanted to know who God is.
The idea of this was so far from our reality because if he literally meant it, he would be included with a
few biblical people. I really hadn’t considered his inference, despite obviously being a profound desire
of his.
He told me he had once focused and endeavored for an extended period of time by meditating to achieve
this particular aspiration. He described to me how he knew he was close because of the blinding light that
was becoming more and more apparent and very difficult for him to approach. Then, one day during deep
meditation, all of a sudden, Bam! He said he was literally knocked violently over and distinctly heard the
words, “It is not yet time!”
As he told me this, he chuckled knowingly, remembering this sore event and I knew how serious he was
about it. It seemed he was shaken by the incident and recognized that there was a superior energy he
encountered that he wasn’t expecting. He knows there is a God, but apparently doesn’t accept all he has to
say. It is strange to me that one of Pak John highest aspirations in life was to see God and yet not do as
God teaches. However, as I mentioned before, while his whole family is mostly Christian, he is no closer
to comprehending the ramifications of not following God’s design for his life.
I was astounded to hear about this very strange event. It was absolutely bewildering—leaving me
completely dumbfounded! My mind was flying around in a blank, looking for an answer, as the
implications of this event are astounding.
I know him to be very honest, and he wouldn’t lead me astray with imaginary stories. He’s not the type.
But where do you go from here after hearing this very baffling event? Today, I still don’t have much to go
on after mulling over it for many years. I have some ideas, but there is nothing I can support it with, so I
will remain silent.
Having many conversations with my teacher’s sons and daughters about Christianity, all of them talk about
their concern for their father because he has given himself over to a spirit world. This world is based on
the presupposition that he has to work toward nirvana to eventually become a god himself one day. And
he appears to be dependent upon the guidance of an ignorant and dominating, vile spiritdemonwhich he
isn’t able to recognize.
It is interesting to note that seeing him in recent years, he doesn’t appear as I once knew him. He has an
empty, old hollow appearance. One that makes me think he is becoming lifeless and not necessarily older.
His family wouldn’t ordinarily see this because they see him every day. But when you see someone just
about every year, you can see physical changes.
It is simply impossible to work toward nirvana and believe in Jesus Christ at the same time. Therefore,
one must be fully committed to one or the other.
Because Pak John is not familiar with his own religion, this would be either as a result of ignoring or not
be interested and what God has to say about the spirit world. And since his mind is fixated on what he
thinks is true, he thereby surrenders himself to it.
Despite this, strangely, Pak John says that “all” spirits are never to be trusted, which in my mind should
tell him something. So my question is why follow his ancestor spirit-demon if he falls into this category?
And Pak John wouldn’t say this unless it was for a good reason?
As you know, God created chi to function in every facet of our existence so it will harmonize with
everything else in his creation. Once we gain control or develop ourselves with this energy, we can use it
as a tool. Actually, it is more than a tool, it is his gift to us that would allow us to be a little closer to him
if we use it for his purpose. So you can see how far Pak John is from God because he isn’t using it for
God, but for his own use to gain his own nirvana.
Those that are traditional Taoists, Buddhists or Hindus seem to have a much better grasp of chi’s
existence than anyone else despite the fact that they don’t know God’s true design for mankind. Each of
these respective beliefs have many differences between them, yet each believes they are true. All of them
really fail from their myopic, alleged wisdom in every respect, believing they can eventually attain
godhood.
In my mind, when you have to work for your next level for your “continual” existence, it becomes an
unworthy effort because it is based onyour ineffective efforts. And we know we don’t really do a very
good job. If you listen to what God intended and follow what he said instead of what you do, you would
please him more, especially when we can’t seem to please ourselves all too often.
But this is what Pak John is trying to do on his own: to eventually become a god based upon his efforts
that have included hurting many people which he seems unaware of. And this isn’t my idea of developing
good “karma.” If this is how one becomes a demigod, then they should start learning what consideration
for others means. But how do you change the mind of a person who is “captivated” by a spirit?
All this has caused me to understand human nature a little more. Recognizing people’s self-appointed
authority over God gave me an indication of man’s inherent weaknesses. And while understanding this, it
is best for me to do all I can to better myself and live the life Christ intended for me, which is to help
others, even when it becomes difficult.
Chapter 18
It was during my second trip (1995) to Santa Clara, California that I finally got to question Pak John about
the strange “occurrences” I had been encountering.
There was one occurrence that happened when I opened the door of my home to walk outside to begin my
meditation. About fifteen feet in front of me a face suddenly appeared before me. I was immediately
startled, but forced myself not to be alarmed by it as I continued walking toward it. I wasn’t sure if I was
hallucinating or what and wanted to see this close up. I knew it was totally different from anything else I
had experienced. Some years prior to my involvement with my teacher and training, I was sitting outside
just after a divorce I was going through. I was really stressed and didn’t realize just how much. As I was
sitting, what appeared to be like the sun emerged from my right side vision, then it slowly crossed my
entire view, and then disappeared as it reached my left side. I was so startled by it that I sought the advice
of my doctor as to what this was. He explained that this was a very unusual visual phenomenon that
sometimes occurs when overly stressed.
So I knew that seeing this face was something entirely different! It was totally separate from stress or any
other problems I was having because it was out beyond me.
It glowed with a kind of a neon light effect as it outlined every facet of the face. I closed my eyes several
time and shook my head thinking it might disappear. However, the vision remained stationary in front of
me, so I knew there was something more to it.
As I got closer it seemed to move away, but as I walked past it, it seemed to follow me as I sat down
where I normally meditate. And strangely, the face came to within a foot or so without any change except
it became smaller. It somehow reminded me of a rainbow as it always stays at a certain distance from you
where ever you were. But this still wasn’t like a rainbow. It was close enough that I decided to reached
out to touch it, but my hand only passed through the image without any results.
While I was sitting trying to understand what the meaning of this manifestation was it then began to
decrease in size and didn’t fade as you might expect. I thought my meditation might cause it go away, but it
still remained for some time while continually decreasing in size and losing its visual intensity. Then
finally, as it slowly shrank it began to dissipate to a vague, almost invisible image. I blinked my eyes
several time but it didn’t make any difference or go away any faster. I was a very dumbfounded by the
experience. This was the first of several visual phenomena I have encountered.
My meditation also seems to have heightened my senses to be more psychic; however, this ability seems
to come and go on its own. I have no control when it might happen.
An example of this was in early March of ’94. Pak John was supposed to come to the States for a visit.
What would have ordinarily thrilled me had just the opposite effect. I couldn’t understand this deep
oppressive feeling Ihad. I didn’t know what to make of it. It was as though I had no control over my
feelings and it was getting more and more depressive and dark. It wasn’t the kind I had experienced from
my other depressive things that occurred in my life. No matter what I tried to do to shake this compelling
gloominess it continued. The only way I could describe it was that it was kind of like a consuming,
depressive black blanket that completely enveloped me. And then, all of a sudden I became intuitively
aware that Pak John was not going to be here! I don’t know how I knew it, but I knew beyond a doubt that
he wasn’t coming. I then called his daughter in Santa Clara. Strangely, she said her father had just called
her and said he would be delayed for a few more months. Wow, was I shocked! I knew what was going to
happen before it happened!
And then after a few months I called her again to see what was happening. However, it still hadn’t
occurred to me this was some psychic ability. And by calling I was actually relying on my conscious mind
and didn’t realize it yet.
I continued having the same feeling and still couldn’t shake it and it was draining me. Inwardly, I still
knew he was not coming. When it was time for Pak John to arrive the second time I still knew he was not
coming and still had the awful, ominous feeling. I still called Pak John’s daughter and she confirmed once
more that his trip had been canceled yet again!
The feeling continued to remain and I was getting more and more weary because of it. It was a very heavy
feeling that I couldn’t get rid of no matter what I did. I wanted to remove myself from it, but was unable to
do so.
When June arrived, the suppressive feeling finally had begun to disappear and I became surprisingly
cheerful. I hadn’t done anything different and yet I was having an unusually strong sensation of joy. This
new feeling had completely replaced the other one I desperately wanted to get rid of. It was good to be
out from under that oppressive state, whatever it was. The only thing I can compare all this to is
something that encapsulates your entire being which you have no power to get out of it.
Now, I somehow I began to develop the “feeling” my teacher was actually here. It was that
straightforward. I instinctively knew he was coming. And it was powerful, not one of our normal feelings.
This had some intuitive power involved I hadn’t known before.
Then I knew I must call his daughter again to verify my feeling. Just as I got in contact with her she told
me her father had arrived just before I called. She said he told her to tell me I could fly down that coming
weekend. After I hung up, I could swear I heard Twilight Zone music in the background.
Another unusual incident occurred once when I was meditating. After I had just closed my eyes to
meditate, everything was black except for those strange, patterned lights you normally see. Get this: a
black image appeared and then passed in front of those little lights crossing my entire view. Mentioning
this to Pak John, he turned to speak to one ofhis constant companions and said, “Hmmm, maybe a spirit.”
This was definitely not what I expected or wanted to hear.
Another time when I was beginning my meditation, just after I had closed my eyes, I noticed that it seemed
blacker than normal, I didn’t see the lights and remembered what Pak John said about spirits and was
readying myself when everything seemed to be enveloped in a very dark blackness as everything totally
disappeared. It was as though a giant black blanket had been draped over me. It became so dark and
ominous from anything I had experienced and was somewhat alarming. Never had I experienced anything
like this before. It caused me to open my eyes to return to any light I could find. Blinking several times,
my eyesight started to return to normal.
Later, when I had a chance to speak to Pak John, he told me not to worry at such times. He said to me,
“Just let it happen. Then, you will experience just the opposite effect. Everything will eventually turn
completely white if you let it run itscourse.” Oh, darn! If only I had known this before so I could have
experienced this in its entirety.
Another time, I told Pak John I was experiencing a sensation of something crawling on me. As strange as
this sounded, he confirmed this by “knowingly” laughing.
Occasionally, during my meditation, something would appear out of nowhere and felt like a bug was
crawling on my head. When I would touch that area to quickly whack it away, there would be nothing
there. This sensation consistently lasted for several months. My teacher told me not to touch those areas
when it does happen. He said it is your energy, and is quite normal at your level of development. He said
that I must not interrupt the flow of my developing chi. I wondered what other unnerving things lay in store
for me.
Translating Indonesian into English has been a big problem at times. Sometimes when I think I understand
something my teacher is saying it isn’t what he meant. I found this out agonizingly the first time 1993 just
after he returned home from his Borneo meditation retreat. We were once again reviewing the steps that I
was supposed to be training with. It was then that I learned part of my meditation training—what he
assumed I would be doing, but neglected to mention it to me (though he claims he did)—was incorrect. He
told me I needed to be sitting on the ground; he could tell because I didn’t have enough “yin” in me when
he checked me out.
I had been practicing inside a mobile home I was living in temporarily next to the house I was building. It
was about three feet above the ground. He explained to me, “Your yin comes from the earth and you need
to be connected to it.” He said I have to sit outside on the ground. This was somewhat troubling because
where I live it snows about twice a year and rains a lot, so while he was telling me this I was trying to
figure how I was going to be able to do it.
He also told me yang comes from the air and enters the energy point on the top of your head. And it needs
to be equally balanced with my yin which enters another energy point at the area of your perineum.
Along with this, I also had a problem with my legs and could not sit in a full lotus position. It doesn’t
matter if this is all you’re capable of doing as a half lotus with a specific finger position allows you to get
the same benefit of a full lotus. In fact, by training with the half lotus was enough to cause Pak John to
think I had developed more quickly than other students which was a surprise to learn. And sometime later
I was finally rewarded with an entirely new sensation I was unprepared to acquire to enable me to go to
the next level. This entirely new sensation started growing in my dan tien just as the heat I had
experienced before. This was entirely new and vastly different from the heat!
The accumulation of the developing chi in my dan tien began to increase to the point that it started to
vibrate at a fast frequency. I instinctively knew this is what my teacher wanted to hear about from me
when it happened. I called him as soon as I could so I could make arrangements to learn my next level.
I had read about this new sensation from the earlier research I had conducted in of all places, from a chi
gong book! However, reading and experiencing it are two entirely different things. Because you are not
familiar with it, it can be alarming at first, but it becomes very reassuring and comfortable as you get used
to it. However, it lasts a very short time and disappears forever. But the heat comes back and lasts until
the end of the second level.
It is interesting to note in contrast of my development that while in all the years I was in contact with the
Australian guy, Dicky, he never mentioned once that he had experienced any of these sensations. And
when I would talk to him about the “sensations” he was supposed to be having he would quickly become
quiet. So based on that I knew he wasn’t training as he tried to make me believe.
I have to admit I enjoy this vibrating sensation even though it only lasted several weeks. I actually looked
forward to the comforting feeling it gives me during my daily training. It is most encouraging because this
sensation substantiates my development after all these years.
I learned that this vibration is an accumulation of your yang energy around your dan tien. As it builds up, it
begins to move faster and faster and then instantly jumps out from the dan tien area and bounces around
different parts of your body, if you can imagine. I could feel it in my ankles, and then it bounced up to my
shoulders, then down to my calves, then arms, on and on. Later, I was able to, at times, control it
somewhat. Sometimes I was able to make it stay in just my dan tien or even cause it start up, but that is
just about it. And it was over after a few weeks before it finally calmed and went back to the dan tien
area. When this sensation eventually disappeared altogether it left me somewhat disappointed, but that is
just part of the training journey we go through.
I recall something strange that occurred just after I first began my Mo Pai training, maybe less than a year.
One day at work, I accidentally turned and bumped into a protruding metal rod that was at the same level
as my dan tien. What I was totally unaware of started to resonate into a vibration from the accidental
bump. It was similar to hitting a tuning fork to give you some idea. It was so strange and exciting that I
actually went back to try and recreate it again, and it happened again.
At that time, I had no idea what was happening, but figured it may have been something from my training. I
did this several times and it finally faded and I have never had it again until it occurred again a years later
from the buildup of my energy.
I discussed this with Pak John and he had no explanation for it. I guess it is just one of those strange things
that happen with something we are not all that familiar with.
After I finally received the second level training, it was extremely difficult adjusting to do the breathing
and physical demands of the exercise technique. Shortly after I first started training with this exercise, the
heat I was familiar with from my dan tien was now occurring in the center of my palms. However, it only
lasted a short time and fade away totally after a month. This, my teacher said, was normal saying it will
only last a short time as the chi opens the energy point. This will let you know that the chi is becoming
more disciplined and show that you are clearing your energy channels. Still, all those feelings I had were
spectacular and didn’t want any of them to ever stop.
When I tell my teacher any of the sensations I experience, he seems to react with pointed interest and takes
them quite serious, but usually says, “Hmm, good, everything good. More practice, maybe another six
months.” He always tells me another six month, even though it always turns out to be years.
My defensive chi has surfaced unexpectedly on a few occasions as well. The first time it happened was
when I was teaching a martial arts class. At the end of class, several parents were asking me questions
about their children. A rather impatient mother barged in and actually tapped several times on my chest to
get my attention over the others, which was unexpected.“Excuse me,” she said impatiently, “I wanted
to…” And then just as abruptly, she quickly turned around and literally ran out of the class without
finishing her sentence. I was really taken aback and couldn’t help wondering what the heck that was all
about. Then I didn’t see her or her child for a couple of weeks after that and didn’t know what to think. I
was surprised when they returned. I thought I would never see them again. But this time she was more
determined to talk to me again, only this time, she was accusatory. “What did you do to me?” I looked at
her as though she was crazy. I couldn’t think fast enough from the shock of her point blank question.
“I, I don’t know what you mean. What are you talking about?” Looking at me intently she said,“You did
something strange to me a couple weeks ago. I have not been the same since! Something has been wrong
and I have felt out of sorts. What did you do to me?”
What was she talking about? Then, it hit me. Maybe it was my chi that threw her off. That’s the only thing
that I could think of that could have happened, as I have had no other encounter with her prior. Uh-oh, is it
going to be like this from now on I wondered?
I had discussed this event with my teacher and his reply is his usual, “Ahhh yeah” with a slight hint of a
“knowing” expression and then offered no explanation.
Another odd experience I had was when a friend of mine asked me to walk her unruly and untrained dog.
As soon as we got outside the dog would just go wild. My feet would get tangled up in his leash and
would make me upset. In frustration, I whacked its rear with the palm of my hand. The dog yelped and
instantly stopped and began walking strangely, but I ignored it at the time. The next day, I found out that
the dog was taken to the vet. By now, the dog was completely dragging its back legs. The vet said it was
some hereditary joint disorder and would progressive get worse. He asked if my friend wanted to have
the dog put to sleep. She couldn’t think of doing that and said no. Nevertheless, a few days later the
animal was surprisingly back to normally as if nothing had ever happened. I felt a little guilty, and knew
my anger had initiated my defensive chi.
Another strange experience I had was with a different dog that belonged to a friend of mine. Suddenly, as
I was petting a dog’s stomach, the dog tried to bite my hand. As I felt a slight nip I pulled my hand away,
but before I could, a feeling of electricity jumped out of my fingers into the animal. The dog yelped and
then froze momentarily and appeared to be in shock. It also took me by surprised me as well!
Pak John told me that my chi will do some strange things on occasion. “You don’t have control
whenyou’re frightened or startled. Your chi will protect you.” He said, “Never hold your breath and hit
anyone either. Very dangerous! You could kill!”
Because I tea ch martial arts classes, I’m naturally concerned about some of these strange occurrences
happening with my students. In the arts you learn to breathe naturally and not hold your breath when you
strike at your opponent. This enables you to relax your muscles and move faster. You actually have full
speed and more power than if you hold your breath. You’re not supposed to strain while performing any
martial arts techniques. Hopefully, this facet will prevent any accidental occurrences from happening.
After all that I have seen, studied and discussed with different chi masters, I have arrived at this
conclusion: this inner energy (chi) is the very cause of our mysterious superhuman abilities. It is also our
very life force that keeps us alive. It has unimaginable potential when developed. It gives you the capacity
for doing great feats. There are specific and different exercises/movements you need to know in order to
develop it for each of the abilities you want to gain. If it is ever displaced or blocked in your body, you
can become very ill, and if it is ever totally removed from you, you will die!
On the other hand, it can be used to heal and do wonderful things for people if used correctly. The
Chinese are well-aware of this aspect and have been utilizing it for thousands of years to heal people.
They know how to manipulate the energy flow in our bodies by using various ancient protocols. Herbs are
used as well, and in many cases, in conjunction with other healing practices like acupuncture.
Because of weather changes, improper eating habits or lack of exercise, etc., people’s chi can become
stagnant or it can completely block your body’s meridians. When this happens, it can and will cause
illness. Your chi needs to move through the meridians unobstructed in order to ward off illness and keep
you healthy.
When any of the methods of treatment are applied, your chi becomes unblocked and allowed to circulate
freely again. This is the goal of every Chinese doctor:to allow a person’s chi to circulate throughout the
body unobstructed and cure all health issues.
I don’t think people have a clue just how powerful developed inner energy can be. I have read about some
yogis who have the ability to revive small, dead animals, but only temporarily. These yogis perform this
strange feat by placing some of their chi (life force) into the animal. The creature will wake up and try to
continue about its normal routine, only to have this effect diminish quickly and the animal falls and returns
to its prior deceased state.
For thousands of years, Chinese doctors have known how to manipulate a patient’s inner energy to restore
their health. The Westerner world’s medical system has been severely plagued with prideful medical
traditions, which in some instances cannot match the Chinese in results. However, the Chinese have
wisely extended their medical practice by adopting some of our high tech tools and modern surgical
methods. In return, the A.M.A. has scoffed at the two thousand years of time-tested traditional Chinese
healing methods. What a shame to miss out on all that knowledge. In fact, to demonstrate the current
percentage of success of American doctor’s correct diagnosis is no better than thirty-three percent! Plus,
the fourth cause of death in American is from doctors giving the wrong medicine prescription. And this
gives them the attitude of being superior than the Chinese who has much higher rate of diagnose and cure
rate. And their prescriptions are made up of hundreds of different kinds of herbs and ointments that never
kill anyone because they are natural.
Isn’t t hat something? Our Western doctors are in the top five causes of death in America, when Chinese
doctors are the reason for keeping their entire populous country healthy! And using chi is part of their
therapy.
This reminds me when my mother had been diagnosed with an incurable liver cancer some years ago. It
seems that doctors don’t have a cure or therapy for this alleged life-ending crisis. All they do is give test
after test which costs lots of money, and then as a result of all this have nothing to say but good luck! This
is what my mother went through!
She had gone to many doctors in hope of someone who might be capable of helping her, but all had put her
through endless tests, eventually saying it was hopeless. Determined, she sought out other “alternative”
medicine practitioners. And by doing this, she has been in remission for years, which completely defied
our American medical system!
I read that less than two hundred years ago, early American doctors practiced reading the condition of the
tongue. By doing this, they were able to tell what type of illness you have contacted before any symptoms
appear. The Chinese have always done this and still practice this, while Western medicine has
completely stopped.
I saw a chart that had over thirty pictures of the tongue’s different conditions for each illness. Each picture
is related to specific problems of the body. The Chinese also read the pulse. In order for them to do this it
takes many, many years to develop and perfect something that modern doctors don’t seem interested in or
have time for. If this was included in their schooling, the expense of so much testing wouldn’t be such a
problem as it is today.
When Chinese doctors read the pulse, they’re able to discern what level the disease has taken effect, even
when there are no outward sign or symptoms. They can tell months before a certain illness will take effect
and then treat it before it manifest into a health problem. Also from the strength of the pulse, they’re even
able to tell if a woman is pregnant, what month she is in and whether it is going to be a boy or girl.
Today, doctors in the West have lost all knowledge of timetested personal doctoring as was once
practiced many years ago. They will never return to any of the old knowledge because of the great desire
to be wealthy and lord over people with their authority.
There was, some years ago, a boy that had I believe brain cancer. His father was told there was no hope
and decided to try a therapy done in Mexico. The doctors were outraged and filed a lawsuit against the
father. When I heard this I was absolutely astonished to find how much we have given up our freedom to
people who think they know better but don’t have anything to prove it.
Today, there are all sorts of horror stories about doctors resorting to unnecessary surgery, testing and
over prescribing useless prescription drugs to make more money. Not to mention that over seventy-five
percentof all the hysterectomy’s performed in the U.S. on women are totally “unnecessary,” and yet the
A.M.A. allows for this tragic incongruity to continue. These guys need some jail time!
Most Americans are rather ignorant and think doctors have all the answers for all ailments. People have
been “conditioned” to think that drugs are the answer to everything, despite the extremely high percentage
of side-effects that have done more harm than good. It is standard procedure that if doctors are not able to
find out what is the problem they will perform exploratory surgery. However, to illustrate medicine’s
sheer laziness, exploratory surgery increases ten-fold each year. Why? Because it is a very lucrative for
the surgeon to do so.
It has also been validated from physician’s schedules that many unnecessary operations occur just before
their vacations, and what does that tell you?
It was just in the late 1800s that a rebel doctor found that if he washed his hands, his patients had
significantly less infection problems. Trying to pass on his research to the world of medicine, he found
himself ostracized for many years thereafter. Imagine that! Only after many decades did it finally start to
become the norm.
The medical world would be surprised to find what my teacher has done for humanity and donefor free.
He’s treated and cured many people and did it all for the sake of being nothing more than being a
humanitarian while the American medical arena is looking for new ways to become even more wealthy!
Does anyone remember when doctors made house calls? I do. They don’t do that anymore because they
can’t get as many people in their office. If they leave during the day to make a house call that directly
means a loss of income. And with the average salary of well over a quarter million a year, apparently this
isn’t enough and finds more ways to make more money. It is no longer about the patient, but rather how
much money the profession will yield?
Chapter 19
One very warm, late evening at Pak John’s home, he and several of us went outside after dinner as we had
done several times in the past and sat down on a beautiful marbled grand porch under huge white columns
towering over us that supports a large covered entrance to his home. We listened to him as he began to
tell us of his retreat on “the mountain” in Borneo. I was eager because I had been wondering about the
logistics of his journey, his self-imposed exile and what went on during that time when I couldn’t find
him. It was something I wanted to know because if he was to do it again, I wanted to go with him.
He said he had taken six months’ supply of rice and seeds to grow vegetables. Water wasn’t a problem as
he had water next to his encampment. A lean-to was erected, but he said he rarely used it.
He explained that before he went on his secluded retreat, he had learned of this location quite by accident.
While spending a vacation hiking through the jungle with friends in the Southern area of Borneo, they
stopped for a rest. Spotting a pond of water, he walked over to refill his water bottle. He noticed
something glimmering from the bottom of the pool. Thinking this strange because he knew the sun was on
the other side of a hill. He thought there must be an opening under the water to the other side in order for
this to happen. He wanted to see if his hunch was correct so he dove into the water and swam down and
followed a short, natural cave under the hill. On the other side, he found a totally isolated area. Not
knowing if he would ever return to this place, he kept it in the back of his mind. It would be years later
when he reached a point in his life that he felt he needed time to devote to his advanced training, and only
a place like this would offer total isolation would do.
When he left civilization for his retreat in Borneo, he had originally planned on spending five years in the
jungle training (This was the time when I couldn’t find him and thought all was lost). However, his
planned five-year training was cut short and lasted almost three years. His son had a recurring health
problem and his life was in jeopardy.
I thought to myself that if he had stayed the five years he had originally intended, I would have probably
taken up chi gong to replace my training, and more than likely it would have been very difficult to change
back to my old training.
While hiking to his isolated destination for his five year ordeal, he realized he was being followed. He
wasn’t followed by any animals, but rather indigenous Indians who were curious about why a single man
was in their land and followed him. Fearing some type of confrontation with them, he decided to take
extraordinary action. Using his powerful chi force emanating from his hands only, he literally broke a tree
in half!
Don’t be surprised. T his is done rather easily with nai gong development. Pak John told me when I test to
pass my third level, part of it requires me to break a tree about 6-8 inches thick in half using only the
expelling chi from my palms without touching it and from a distance (Remember when I inadvertently
broke a 1 inch thick, heavy glass table top from a distance over two meters, using only my expelling chi
force).
Anyway, after breaking the tree he acted as though he was eating the inside of it. This had a significant
effect on the jungle people watching him. Apparently, either it frightened them away or caused them to
revere him. Either way, it was as he calculated, and they left and never bothered him again all the while
he was there.
During his stay, he said he lost a lot of weight while existing on a meager diet of rice and vegetables as he
would meditate for long periods of time without sleeping, and eating became secondary. When he would
stop after several days of continuous deep meditation, he would find his food a little moldy!
Planting seeds for food had mixed success, but he survived nonetheless. For the few years he was there,
his daily routine consisted of some physical exercises, work on his garden, and spending more endless
hours in meditation. It was during his meditation that he would see strange things that occurred in real
time with some things being prophetic.
At this point in time, while he was gone, he also was having his house painted. It was planned this way so
when he got back it would be completed. While the painters were working on the house, there were two
large iron gates and a wall around their home that was supposed to be painted white.
He laughingly recalls that he had obtained a vision of some of the things that were being done at his home.
He said he became upset because he had left specific instructions that the gates were to be painted white
to match everything else. Unbeknownst to him, the painters had to prime the metal gates with a special
protective red coating because of the weather conditions which plays havoc with metal when they’re
exposed to hot, humid air. For whatever reason, the gate was left red for a period of time,and this was
when he “visioned” it. It was only after he returned home to find the gates painted white as he had wished.
After he returned home, he asked his family why the gates had been painted red and none of them could
remember because it had been quite a while ago and was of no significance to them to pay attention. In an
encounter with the contractor, the mystery of the red gates was finally revealed. The painters had some
problems with the red primer as a protective barrier and they had to allow it to dry for longer periods and
did other things while waiting. Then, the painters found that they had to repaint the gates several times
which took even more time. It was at this time that he had his vision of the gates being red.
Also during our nighttime, porch discussions, he told us about a world event that he saw in a vision. When
he was in one of his meditative states the breakup of the Soviet Union was revealed to him. He said it was
represented with symbolic images that he was able to understand. So when he returned home he already
knew about several things that occurred around the world.
He would have stayed at the mountain for several more years had it not been for his son’s life-threatening
health problem as I mentioned before. This, he also saw while meditating, and chose to return home early
to continue his treatments on his son. The local doctors had been unable to adequately help the boy while
he progressively became worse.
He also told me about a few of the long discussions he had with certain spirits. There were good ones and
crafty ones he said. He said all will try to fool you into doing deeds for them and then play tricks on you.
He said never trust anything they say or do, as you should always know they will lie. No problem for me.
If one ever spoke to me, he would be talking to my dust, as I would be several miles away.
He said there are also some spirits who will give you answers to life’s problems. On every mountain top
there exists a wise old spirit that you can go to. You are able, once you reach certain levels of chi
development, to seek their advice. However, in order to communicate with this normally invisible sage,
you have to be in a deep meditative state.
I asked him to come with me to Mount Rainier in Washington State, where I lived at the time, to talk with
the old spirit for me. I had some problematic questions I needed answered.
Then he told me, “If you want God to hear you better, go up to a mountain and talk to Him.” These words
left a lasting impression on me and I have gone many times up to a certain mountain to be closer to God
and talk with him, hoping he might hear me better.
I could listen to Pak John for hours. There was so much to hear, so many strange stories and realities I
was unfamiliar with. He has done many strange things and experienced real life phenomena beyond our
imagination. He’s accomplished in his life what we ordinary people only read about. He is truly a reallife wonder.
Chapter 20
Only one of my trips to see Pak John in ‘96 was a disappointment. I was experiencing some depressive
bouts in my life at that time. Now that I look back on it, everything seemed to have been blown out of
proportion. But also during this time, I had gained about twenty-five extra pounds which also contributed
to my depression. My clothes were getting uncomfortably tight because I wasn’t spending my time in
physical training as I should. Also, when I looked in the mirror, I found everything was sagging from age.
It was hard to admit I’m getting older. I felt like an old blob. Plus, I had isolated myself in my training so I
wouldn’t get involved in any more relationships. However, in my dedication to my training I didn’t
recognize my loneliness; it made life harder while I was struggling with it. I knew my training would
suffer greatly if I had someone in my life, which I wanted, but my training was more important to me at
that time and ignorantly forged on. I knew what I wanted, but couldn’t get my entire self behind it. It was
the underlying emotional desires that seemed to uncontrollably boil up. I was denying and suppressing my
innate needs and didn’t realize it.
I thought if I went to see Pak John, it would pick me up as it always does. I also wanted to see if I was
ready to pass my next level. It seemed that everything was just not ready for me to do anything. I guess I
pushed the negative signs aside, believing that if a wall would fall on me, that I might get the message. No
wall fell and I continued my plans to go to Indonesia.
After arriving at the Surabaya airport, I immediately called Pak John to let him know I had arrived and I
would be at his home shortly. I was looking forward to my encounter with him and the adventure I would
take on after my visit with him.
When I arrived at his home, he was surprised to see me. Uhoh. It started! I was perplexed. I thought I had
told him weeks ago exactly when I was coming as I always do. I even called him several days ago to
confirm my arrival time. Why would he not be expecting me, I wondered?
After arriving at my teacher’s home , I entered the front “greeting room.” Already sitting there were two
men. At first,I didn’t know who they were or why they were there. Pak John introduced me to them and
learned they were father and son from Australia. The son had been allegedly searching for my teacher and
also wanted to become a student. He said he had been looking for the past nine years, allegedly, to find
him. This, I thought, was very strange, as I found him after two years of searching. But living just a few
hours away by plane from Australia, nine years seems pretty farfetched. I thought that it might be an
exaggeration somewhat because I lived eight thousand miles away and still found him.
Anyway, most Indonesian tourism is made up of mostly Australians, Dutch and Germans. Our teacher
didn’t seem hesitant accepting this potential student. As he had originally done to me, he too was asked a
few questions and then checked out. He seemed fit enough to meet his qualifications, and John said OK.
He would accept him as well. This was the third Westerner to be accepted in the Mo Pai School.
Both the Australians (father and son) and I immediately began discussing the many trials, endless phone
calls and all the dead ends we encountered trying to find this special man. The son said he had seen the
same documentary I had. He also said he had a background in marital arts, which I later found out wasn’t
necessarily the complete truth. Neither I nor the son and his father, had made hotel reservations yet, as we
all had just arrived within a few minutes of each other.
I never pay much attention to making reservations because there are hoards of hotels around the city that
are always available during this time of year. Pak John suggested we all stay at a very beautiful hotel near
his home. It turned out to be a real favorite of mine.
Every morning at the hotel, I would meet with them for breakfast. Then, we were off together to see our
teacher or go sightseeing in this big city. But when we were at our teacher’s home, it’s always very hot
inside. They don’t use air-conditioning as they are accustomed to the heavy heat, and we were not. This
makes it pretty sweaty sitting on his leather couches with servants serving hot tea. Whew!
The father and I became friends and spent a lot of time talking and laughing as his son seemed to have
ulterior motives. Dicky showed clear signs of his ambiguity which I seemed to have ignored at the time.
His father told me a little about himself: he was from Austria and moved to Australia some years ago,
built a home and is now retired. As I got to know him he was really quite a delightful person. I found him
to be very dedicated to his family and very apprehensive toward his son’s involvement in nai gong and
martial arts; he confided in me that he hopes his son will get a real life, settle down and be more
responsible.
His strong Austrian accent is intermingled with his Australian accent which made it pretty funny to listen
to when he would say certain phrases or words. He would always pick up my spirits whenever he found
disfavor with anything he didn’t like. Actually, there were several, but one of the humorous things he
would always say was, “Aawh, sheeet!” in his mixed-up English, Austrian, Australian accent and made
me laugh on many occasions.
I was surprised by our teacher. He asked me to start Dicky on his lessons, saying I was his senior student.
Being shocked at his casualness in trusting me to do this, I thought, since both of them came all this way,
they would be disappointed if I taught Dicky instead of Pak John. I felt unqualified for the task. However,
I thought if that’s what he wanted me to do, OK, I’d do it.
Even though I went ahead and taught Dicky, I was puzzled and couldn’t shake an ill feeling that I couldn’t
put my finger on. Unable to form an opinion, but after knowing my teacher for some time, I realized he
was either acting out his cultural caste system, or he just didn’t want to spend the time teaching him. It
bewildered me why he wanted me to teach this guy despite the fact that he came all this way to find him.
This, I thought, was very insensitive. While our teacher would feel this way, it may have been that he had
an ulterior motive fordoing so, one that I wasn’t able to recognize.
While there were no direct outward signs of seniority in our Mo Pai school, there were, however, some
indications of it by Pak John’s requests and references to his ex-highest ranking student. But this new
student seemed as if he had been waiting to learn. And just like clockwork, he overcame the concept of
respect and acted as if he were the authority. I had never thought about any rank as being important
because when I visited, there were usually no other students around.
However, I have to admit I wasn’t inte rested in recognition of rank. All I wanted was to train. I really
didn’t need a school or other students to be around me in order to do this. But being a martial arts
instructor for many years coupled with the new student knowing about ranking from what little martial arts
background he allegedly had, I would have expected more from him. But this was of no consequence to
him. I just ignored any misgivings,knowing I wouldn’t be around him very long or often.
I’ve seen many instances where Indonesian cultural nobles push off the menial tasks on a lower caste, as
well as seeing servants in many homes. As I got to know Pak John more through the years, I started to see
him harbor a very real caste system attitude as well. It didn’t seem prevalent at the time I noticed, but
when you are aware of it, it will show up clearly.
It also became evident that his children had grown up with this same attitude as well. They seemed not to
be interested in getting their hands dirty with anything and always had servants do any and all work
around the house. But hey, that’s wealth. It didn’t matter. This was a totally different cultural system that I
was not used to, and I would do as he asked as I am grateful for his willingness to take me on as a student.
Especially in the way he has shown a difference between teaching me and the way he teaches this new
guy, there is definitely a difference.
A few hours later, we went back to our hotel to get started on Dicky’s first lesson. When both the father
and son came to my room, we went through the few steps that Pak John had originally taught me.
The next day, the son showed our teacher all that he had learned. He nodded to say it was good and we
relaxed sitting down and asked questions.
The next morning, about 11:00 A.M.., it was hot and humid as we returned to Pak John’s home again. He
greeted us with a friendly, “Slamat Pagi yeaaa” (Good Morning, yes!). He was wearing a V-neck t-shirt
and slacks while making a flapping sound with his house slippers as he walked in. His hair was combed
and still wet as he had just showered. His eldest son casually wandered in and sat down to listen as we
all sat down and started talking.
After a while, Pak John announced he wanted to see how far I had developed. We followed him into his
garage. He had set up three VCR boxes on a table and spent ten minutes looking for a tape measure. After
he found one he measured the distance on my arm as he had before, then looked up to the ceiling and
calculated the distance in his mind. He measured out that distance on the floor from the boxes, placing a
mark at the desired point for me to stand behind. He put his hand on the base of my spine to check my
energy level. Then I stretched out my arm with my palm facing the boxes exactly from behind the mark on
the floor. Having worked very hard this past year, I felt somewhat confident. Taking in a deep breath I
dropped my energy down to my dan tien, and turned my palm. Nothing happened! Oh brother, this again, it
seems to always happen. He moved me slightly closer to the targets. I made adjustments, turned my palm
and instantly knocked one of the boxes over. Then, he moved me back to the original mark. I still could
not knock any boxes over at this distance. Afterward he calculated that I was about six inches short of
finally passing.
I didn’t realize at that time that six inches could take four more years to complete. I found that it is easy to
develop during the first stages, but when you get down to the last few inches it seems the training time
increases exponentially to the distance for the last few inches. It almost feels like it would take me as
much time as I had already put in for the last couple inches!
As it was already hot in the garage it didn’t make it any better while exerting my chi for this
demonstration which used enormous amounts of energy and caused me to overheat and sweat profusely.
My shirt and shorts were literally soaked. I have never perspired like this where I was totally drenched
from my own sweat.
I was not only drenched, but very disappointed. I was hoping to do better. It was difficult trying to set
aside my displeasure. I was just six inches short after eight years! Gads. What’s it going to take? I thought.
I tried to make myself feel better by reasoning that a person’s physiology plays a part in how soon one
develops. From my past athletic training, I know that if athletes continue to train very hard for years, they
may find success. On the other hand, if they hadn’t trained, they would never know just how far they may
have gone. Maybe it will come a little later for me. Not only did I leave my teacher’s home disappointed
that day, I left literally soaking wet as if I had just gotten out of the shower.
The next morning, at our hotel’s din ing room, I met Dicky and his father once again for breakfast. We had
talked about it the night before and planned to do some sightseeing together.
Usually when I leave the hotel, I like to chat with a special receptionist for a few minutes. Some of them
are really very attractive and especially friendly. These island beauties, generally speaking, have a unique
quality about them. They look ten years younger than they really are. And they always seem to clamor
around Dicky whenever he shows up. This irked me because I was somewhat attracted to one of the
receptionists. It seemed that I just couldn’t get my engine running. When Dicky would wander over, it
seemed to make it even more difficult to talk to her. And to make it worse, he had taken a fancy to her as
well.
Then, he started seeing her after she got off work. I tried to rationalize the situation: I was overweight, she
was much younger than I, and besides I was here for one thing, training and not socializing. It didn’t work.
I was losing my focus and letting my emotions run loose.
Later that morning, the father and son duo and I were off to visit the city zoo. I especially like to visit
foreign zoos because they are especially unique to visit. They don’t have the familiar animals we’re
normally used to seeing. You are always surprised with weird and strange creatures you’ve never seen
before.
There is one section of the zoo I walked by that was devoted to bears. As I was walking by one of the
barred enclosure, there was a bear that actually startled me even from behind the bars. It was absolutely
enormous! I have never in my life seen such a monstrous animal. Even at thirty feet from you, this creature
was twice the size of a Kodiak. It was almost as tall as a horse! I had never seen or heard of a species
like this before.
Also, not only did they have an albino tiger, but they had two! Even though the zoo had so many unusual
animals, it was outdated and rundown. Despite that, it was still beautiful to see all the animals and roam
around its grounds.
W e chanced upon the zoo’s director who had taken on a very special personal project. He was standing
next to a shopping cart size cage of baby Komodo dragons. There were six newly hatched babies dragons,
each about a foot long. They were being shown to some of the other zoo caretakers.
As usual, I ventured up to listen and watch what they were doing. The director seemed delighted and then
actually handed one of the small dragons to me to-to-hold. I was startled and not ready. Based on some of
the research I’ve done, these dragons are known to have a vicious bite, not to mention very toxic saliva
that infects its prey and kills them similar to a poisonous snake bit. I hesitated momentarily and hoped it
wasn’t noticeable. It isn’t everyday one is simply handed a Komodo dragon. I wanted to appear as bold
as the director, trying to believe that if he handed it to me then it would be safe.
This was really thrilling! Like most people, I had only seen pictures of the flesh eating creatures that stalk
their prey for miles. And here in my hands was a real dragon!
Komodo dragons are found only in one place on the earth. The dragons are named after the tiny island that
is located in a chain of islands just above Australia and fairly close to the island of Java. In order to go to
the island of Komodo you have to fly to a neighboring island, and then take a boat the rest of the way.
There are no hotels or any modern conveniences on the island whatsoever. So you have to take everything
you need for the day.
The only existence living there is a small contingent of about two hundred islanders living in “above
ground” stilt shacks. Other than that, it is an empty island with enough wildlife to support the Komodo
dragon population and reportedly an occasional negligent tourist.
At the zoo they have a huge Komodo dragon compound that holds about ten dragons. The walls
surrounding the exhibit are only about three feet high where you stand to view the dragons, but about five
feet deep on the inside down to the ground on the inside. So you really get a feel that you’re in there with
them.
However, in the wild, the only way you can see them is if the tour guide provides a goat and you have to
wait for the dragons to catch the scent and come for a free lunch which can take a long time.
The zoo director said he believed he could train them to some degree while they’re still young, so people
would be able to handle them when they grow somewhat larger. He wanted them to become a special
attraction for the zoo, hoping to gain more notoriety.
He was quite a friendly chap and personally took us “behind” the scenes into the incubation facilities for
the little creatures. And then showed us the future plans and drawing for the new Komodo dragon exhibit
that was going to be built in the near future. It was quite a treat!
As amusing as all that was, it only had a temporary effect. I still needed something more. I was still
wrestling with my disappointment from not passing my test. All that time training, all the money I spent
and didn’t pass. I was short just a few inches! And, I couldn’t get to first base with this young woman that
strangely had my attention.
I was really down. It was time to be in another environment. I needed to leave this place and see new
sights now that my testing was over.
As things would have it, a couple years later I returned to visit John in 1998. I stayed at the same hotel as
before. The front desk receptionist I had taken a fancy to was not working there any longer. After visiting
with my teacher for a full week, early one evening, when I returned to my hotel room from having dinner,
the phone rang. I was quite surprised, it was the gal I had taken a fancy to two years earlier. Somehow she
found out I was staying at the hotel and shocked me with a call. We talked several times and went out the
next night for dinner and sightseeing.
In one of our conversations, she told me that when I was there two years ago I appeared to her as all the
problems I was struggling with. She said she could sense that I was not feeling good about something and
she wondered why I didn’t talk to her if I had wanted to get to know her. Just goes to show you how you
can perceive something incorrectly. But during this trip she said she could tell I wasn’t the same person
and wanted to get to know me. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. I was already in a good mood.
Chapter 21
Not all of my trips to Indonesia were the same. Depending on the airlines I took, I would fly different
directions. But once I decided to fly first to Bali. And going Bali is a much anticipated trip for me. It is
like going to a dreamland where I can finally relax and forget the stresses of life. The entire tropical
island is nothing short of the greatest place I have ever visited—exotic, profound beauty!
The first evening in Bali with Dicky and his father, all of us went to dinner at an enchanting popular
restaurant. The front half of the restaurant was outside under a canopy of tropical vines and flowers that
extended out onto the sidewalk, while the other half was under a ceiling set back into the restaurant. One
of the waitresses that served a table next to us was an exceptionally beautiful young woman. Her exotic,
graceful loveliness probably caught looks from every male in the establishment. She had long, striking
black hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was wearing a wraparound floral sarong that accentuated her
stunning figure as she gracefully moved about. Actually, she appeared as though she didn’t walk, but
floated as she moved about. It’s only a few times in one’s life that you have a chance to see such exotic
beauty such as this. Her loveliness was extremely mesmerizing. I couldn’t make up my mind whether the
Kalimasada woman I met earlier was more beautiful. It would have to be a toss-up between the two.
The three of us sat there speechless for a time as all of us were stunned for a few moments until Dicky’s
father piped up with his hilarious accent and broke our “gawking” silence.
Later, after dinner, the son had his “call of the wild,” and left for parts unknown saying he would see us
later at our hotel room. While he didn’t say where he was going, his father and I knew what he was
leaving for. And then our waitress also left and we were left alone with another waitress who was short,
plump, plain looking gal, but very congenial as she attentively served us.
The longer I sat there enjoying the moment, my companion continued ordering more beer. He would not
listen to me when I held up my hand trying to protest. It’s true. Australians love their beer and he was in
the mood for gallons.
For whatever reason, things were funnier than normal that evening. I guess it was the beer. Whether it was
the fact I finally felt that all my personal problems were somewhere else or I was buzzing from the beer, I
didn’t know or care. I was trying to hang in there until my “Mate” said something that caught me totally off
guard. He made up a word to describe what his son went looking for, calling it “Chigy- chigy.” While it
may not strike you funny, at that moment it seemed to hit a nerve and started me laughing really hard and I
couldn’t stop. His hilarious accent made it all the more funny and I couldn’t stay on my chair any longer. I
literally fell off my chair laughing so hard my stomach hurt and tears were streaming down my face. To
this day, I still chuckle whenever I think about what he said.
The next morning after we ate breakfast, the three of us ran into two young, Balinese girls as we were
leaving the hotel restaurant. They wanted to talk to Dicky. It seems he had met them during his late night
“roundup” last night. He pulled us aside so the girls wouldn’t hear and asked us to entertain them for a
few hours so he could rendezvous with yet another young girl he also had met last night. However, this
would upset our plans we had just made. Both of us looked at each other with some contempt for being
put into this situation. It was like how a parent isn’t ready for a surprise their teenagers didn’t tell them
until the last minute. And together we decided against it, letting Dicky deal with his awkward situation.
The poor kid, he was having difficulty organizing his time to fit all the girls he met last night. He was like
a little boy in a candy store.
Indonesian women “in general” seem delighted to meet ta ll, Caucasian men. In contrast, Indonesian men
are generally smaller, scrawny and have little hope for a good living in their depressed country. So when
foreigners show up and pay attention to eligible women, many welcome the opportunity. But on the
otherhand, I’ve seen a few Indonesian women who seem fearful of bigger men and shy away as they are
not used to being around large, foreign men they’ve had little or nothing do with all their lives.
The following day, I thought the father and son duo might like to visit Ubud, a small, but very beautiful,
exotic town located many miles up in the mountains. After a two hour plus trip, I found the town and all
the shops and restaurants were pretty much as I remembered, with the only exception, the main dirt road
had been tarred over, a real improvement.
We walked through the Monkey Forest without being accosted from any of the local monkeys. There were
the usual people following you, trying to sell their hand crafted works. I wanted to buy a beautifully
carved whistle for one of my assistant martial arts instructors back home. I bargained the price down from
twelve to about five thousand Rupiahs (about two dollars). I felt that I got a good deal without being too
offensive to the youthful peddler. Many times they will sell very few items for the entire day and you can
see disappointment in their expression if they are forced to let items go for less than they had hoped for. I
feel bad for them as they try and eke out a meager existence while trying to help support their families.
There is something good to say about this, however, when an entire family works together to meet their
needs, it makes for a stronger bond, something we in America don’t seem all that familiar with. To see the
closeness of families and how they work and interact should set standards for the rest of the world. I
personally feel it isn’t good to gouge them as we can afford to spend a little extra for their wares without
them knowing we are aware of their paltry predicament.
Dicky came walking over with another whistle, surprisingly with one similar to mine. He proudly
announced he got his for three thousand Rupiahs. Figures. His insensitivity for other people’s plight seems
to be non-existent!
At the end of the day, we were back at our hotel in Kuta Beach. We decided to walk around the crowded
streets for a while. Everything was still open. Everyone seemed to stay out late wanting to absorb
everything they could before they returned home from their vacation. Dicky also wanted to experience all
he possibly could as well. He even suggested we need to find some call girls. His father had a Cheshire
cat grin and seemed game. I was not, however, I was shocked to see a father and son wanting to check out
hookers when the father was married and the son was already engaged! I didn’t really want to go along,
but we were having a good time together so I relented and went at their insistence, as the son flagged
down a taxi.
Universally speaking, almost all taxi drivers are well-aware where there is sex for sale. We rode about
twenty minutes out of town before we finally came to a long driveway. It was lined with tall hedges that
opened up into a court yard. In the middle of the court were two small buildings that had huge windows
with curtains pulled open. It was strangely like a downtown store in the driveway! Through them, you
could see six to eight women sitting on beds waiting to be selected. Dicky immediately jumped out, not
waiting for his father or me to follow. Then, we got out just as the driver left and went to talk with one of
the men standing near one of the buildings. Then, a few men seemed to appear from nowhere, and then a
few more emerged. I started getting a little anxious, not knowing what might happen next. Then, Dicky
came walking back nonchalantly saying, “Nothing was interesting,” and said let’s go.
On the way back to town, I could tell the taxi driver was put out. He wasn’t as friendly as before as he
wasted all that time and had no extra commission for his “side” job.
It wasn’t all th at late when we returned to the city. The heat had already relinquished its torturous grip for
the day and was a little more tolerable around 10pm. None of us wanted to go back to our hotel yet as the
father and son appeared to be getting a little dry, and of course they wanted beer! As we walked around
the town they found a crowded, noisy bar not too far from our hotel that seemed to suit their drinking
needs. While not knowing what particular needs beer drinkers are looking for, I followed them in. The
building had an open façade with a quaint little bar inside and loud music blaring into the street.
The band consisted of three guys with their speakers and other equipment crammed onto a dinky four by
six foot stage. The only place we could find to sit was three feet away from the stage! Needless to say, we
couldn’t engage in a conversation very well and had to scream intoeach other’s ears. Once again beer
started flowing another round. I don’t like beer all that much and had difficulty drinking what I had while
waving off other attempts to offer “another round” from my thirsty, beer consuming friends who seemed
not to care. Nothing seemed to matter to either of them. It was drinking time and they were ready while
continuing to signal the bartender for more.
I remember seeing a pathetic, lecherous, old-looking drunk draped over a really cute native bar-girl.
Despite what it looked like, he was trying to dance with her, if you could call it that. It was an ugly sight
as she had to put up with it because it was her job to encourage people to buy drinks.
Later, several women came over and tried to interest us in something else. The father and I looked at each
other and laughed while ignoring them, however, the son left with two. A little later I had had enoughand
couldn’t take it any longer. I told my friend I was leaving. He too was tired and weary from the long day
and followed me without saying anything.
Just before we left us, Dicky was up to his tricks again. He asked me if his dad could sleep in the extra
bed in my room so he could spend time with the girls in his hotel room. My friend and I took our time
going back to the hotel and sat in the hotel’s lounge for a while talking. Sometime later my friend’s son
walked in and told us he was done and sent the bar girls back, fortunately. I was glad because now I had
my room back to myself.I didn’t want to spend the night listening to a beer drinking snorer in my room.
The next morning, the father was scheduled to return home. I went with both of them to the airport to see
him off. It was sad because we became fast friends, and I thought I might never have an opportunity to see
him again. The following day, the son and I went to breakfast together before he was to leave for home.
He told me that last night he went to a wellknown “Red Light” district and met a beautiful prostitute
dressed in a beautiful white dress. He was fixated on her and it seemed he couldn’t talk about anything
else. I realized just where his priorities were,and knew he wouldn’t ever be a true student.
His main concern didn’t seem to be in nai gong at all, yet I couldn’t help notice he tried so hard to make it
out as if it were. He justified his actions,saying he isn’t like this back home,but it’s OK when you’renot. It
just doesn’t make sense for him to justify his behavior since he was engaged! And I felt bad for his
finance and knew their relationship wouldn’t last. And guess what. I was right. From my other
acquaintances in Australia, I heard they parted ways.
The next day, he left to go home. I still had a few more days scheduled before my plane left. Even though
it was nice to have some company, I was glad to be by myself again. It was time for me to venture off and
explore as I love to do.
I decided to venture off and visit the town of Sanur. It is located up the coast going toward the North-East
side of the island. As I traveled further away from Kuta I found it got more tropical and peaceful traveling
further up and around either side of the island. Even though Kuta Beach is a must see and lots of fun. It is a
relief to get away from the cramped, crowded city.
While there is a lot to be offered in the city, it is still a city and a haven for tourists and way too busy to
stay for long. I much prefer a slower pace where it is not so crowded. And besides, it is nice not to be
hounded with as many street “hawkers” as you leave Kuta. You can actually walk a good distance without
them constantly following you around trying to sell hats, fake watches and paintings. Many of these boys
carry large fold-out, wooden cases with assorted brand name watches, and allfakes of course. It didn’t
matter. I bought two brand new “Rolex” watches for a couple bucks that fell apart shortly afterward.
These street hawkers recently started wearing bright orange Tshirts with their company name on it. You
can see them all over the city as the color really makes them stand out. Despite the company’s efforts to
be identified, it inadvertently back fired as they are easier to see and a little easier to avoid.
Fortunately in the small town of Sanur, there were hardly any hawkers to pester you. However, there was
another type you have to contend with, but isn’t such a nuisance.
Along the beach there is a paved sidewalk that runs for several miles and lies between the hotels and the
water. Palms trees, hotels and all kinds of tropical plants and flowers bursting with vibrant colors line the
curving walkway.
You don’t have to go very far to find quaint, friendly little restaurants along the way. These little places
offer shaded comfort from the sweltering heat for the thirsty or hungry passerby. I would walk for long
periods taking in everything and loving every minute, stopping whenever I wanted something to eat or
drink.
Also along the way there were small, open shops that dot the sidewalk along the way in clusters, every
quarter mile or so. The sellers are almost always women. They huddle together, grooming and talking
with each other until a potential customer comes walking by. Then, they scuttle to their respective shops
and start beckoning the perspective buyers to come look at their merchandise. As you pass each open shop
they spread out items to be better seen,even if you don’t want them. There isn’t much quality for much of
what they sell, but there is so much color that it attracts your attention.
One of the shops I chanced upon was operated by an attractive young woman about twenty-eight years old
I would guess. Especially Asian women in general appear about five to ten years younger than they
actually are. In order to guess their age I just add about ten years to the age they look. I was close. She
was twenty-seven.
She seemed interested in talking to me, apparently because I was a Westerner and spoke some decent
English. She asked me many questions about America and some other things she was interested in. Being
unable to ever hope that she might see anything beyond her small island, she expressed her fascination
with America.
I was already hot and a little hungry and suggested she accompany me for something to eat. She acted
delighted at the prospect of going to lunch with me to continue our discussion. However, it was a
religious holiday the next day. She needed to go home soon to get ready for the two day festivity and had
to decline. She told me she and her family were traveling to another part of the island to stay at her
grandparents for the celebration. Apparently, it is a rather big event and all of the island people that can
go make it to this celebration. In parting, she gave me her business card and asked me to write to her.
Further down the walkway, one of the more insistent little shop owners followed me at least a half mile!
It seemed her sales approach tactic was to “wear him down.” And I have no idea why she picked me out
among the other tourists.
She caught up to me and said, “What one you like?” “Tiduk, tiduk trima kasih!” (No, no thank you!)
Ignoring me she continued, “You like this one? I give you
good deal.”
“Tiduk, Trima kasih.”
“You want pants? What color you want?”
“Tiduk, Trima kasih!”
“Maybe you want paper bird? I have very nice.”
“Tiduk, Trima kasih.”
“Tell me. How much you pay for nice shirts?”
“Tiduk!”
And it goes on and on.
I was finally able to lose her by turning into any empty alley.
No telling how far she would have followed me. She showed the necessary skills of salesman. She
ignored the word, “Tiduk” (NO!). I had wished I knew how to say in Indonesian, “What part of tiduk do
you not understand?” I’ll have to do some research.
With so many foreign tourists also around me I thought it would be fun to meet a few and maybe learn
what they thought of America. I decided if anyone looked at me, and I caught them, I would start a
conversation with them; however, this only occurred a couple of times.
It seems that the main tourists visiting these islands are mostly Australians, Dutch and Germans, in that
order. I found most all are generally very aloof and unwilling to converse with another foreigner. It
appeared that they would rather turn away than have eye contact. I also found the more affluent people
are, the more distant they would be. But there are always exceptions. I did talk with an old German lady
who actually spoke to me first. In her little English, I could tell she wasn’t all that interested in having an
in-depth conversation. She just wanted to be friendly and it ended almost as soon as it started.
Generally speaking, I found that most of these foreigners act as though you have the plague and actually go
out of their way to avoid you. On the other hand, Indonesians are very friendly and eager to carry on a
conversation. Many times, after they get to know you, they will invite you into their homes.
Whenever I run into a fellow American, which is rare, they’re usually friendly, but they seem to only want
to talk about themselves, what they did, what they’re going to do, what they found, bought, and how much
it cost. It seems pretty shallow. I wonder if this is how people from other countries see us.
One of the hotels I stayed at in Bali was the grandest I had ever visited. My visit at this hotel was
arranged while I was back in Kuta. I decided to try using a travel agent instead of just going on my own.
The office was the size of a small closet and conspicuously set on the outside of a hotel with two people
sitting in it. He turned out to be a really funny guy and the most accommodating agent I have ever met. He
made me laugh when he got my room rate lowered, had breakfast thrown in, and then teased his female
co-worker about being thrown in with my hotel package as well. You should have seen her face. He was
really a funny guy!
When I arrived at the hotel, I was greeted at this amazing place with a magnificent waterfall that was
majestically placed in the front of the towering entrance of the hotel. It took my breath away. It was huge!
The lobby was no less beautiful: it had a massive black marble polished floor that seemed to never end,
and a three-story entry that was completely open to the elements; the front desk had an unfamiliar type of
polished, beautifully stained wood, curving back and forth for about thirty feet or more; in the middle of
the lobby was an exotic, lush tropical garden that had more brilliant colors than you could imagine. One
could easily have mistaken it for Eden.
Out past the lobby, when you go to your room, almost seems as if you are on an adventure. Out in the
middle of the hotel was a long, narrow, river-like, meandering swimming pool. The upper half of the
river-pool was several feet above the lower half. In the middle was a gorgeous water fall which spilled
into the lower half of the river-pool. Unfamiliar, exotic plants and flowers lavishly filled the entire area
from beginning to end. As if that wasn’t enough, there was a topless, sunbathing young European women
unconcerned where she was. It made you feel like you were in a tropical fairy tale island.
One of the several restaurants at the hotel was tucked among the plants and overlooked the meandering
river. The lights at night accentuated its beautiful appearance, making it more of a fantasy than reality. The
restaurant was completely open on each side for all the tropical weather to pass through. If it hadn’t been
for the ceiling, you would have thought you were outside. I was looking forward to going there for dinner
that evening.
I purposely arrived late. Only one other table was being served. Soon they left and I was there all by
myself with the constant attention of the waiters. Usually, most of the people staying at hotels normally go
out to dinner elsewhere to see the sights. But for breakfast they normally always eat at their hotel. It didn’t
matter to me what people do. This place could easily become my favorite place to eat. Oh well. Their
loss.
Waiting for my indulgence was a huge colorful assortment of undisturbed, unfamiliar, divine and lavishly
displayed cuisine. I sat at my table eating while overlooking the river-pool, listening to the sound of the
waterfall and Balinese music in the background. I felt a tropical breeze blowing through my hair. It
whispered in my ear, beckoning to me to stay. The silent voice said, “Give up everything. Stay forever.” I
wanted to surrender and tried to think how I would make it happen.
As all good things must end, my time in Bali was over. I tried to commit it all to memory, knowing this
too shall fade, but at least I had experienced the thrill of it and hadn’t just read about it instead.
I returned home saddened, only to be quickly reabsorbed back into the stressful, frantic pace of life,
traffic and bad attitudes. However, I can temporarily leave this decaying reality to meditate on my
memory of Bali. It helps make life a little more tolerable. Then, I can return again to normal life
somewhat temporarily refreshed.
I find that during my practice now that I have grown accustomed to the unique and comfortable feeling
from the sensation I have in my dan tien area. I always look forward to having it occur daily. It is a way of
confirming the uniqueness of what I’m doing and all the time I’ve put into it. It is sort of like having a
friend with me.
Chapter 22
Throughout all the years of my training, it has been isolated and lonely. And during that time, I was
desperately hoping for some kind of results to finally occur because it can be difficult to remain alone in
yourisolated training. It’s as though the sensations you finally attain become a life preserver. It is at this
time I also had found that no man is an island.
My practice became more difficult as my desire to have some companionship grew until it was at the
point that I found myself suffering from some depression. Hard as I tried to remain singleminded, focused
only upon my goal for over a decade, I found it just isn’t practical for an aging guy to force himself into
such isolation. Hard as I tried to keep my thoughts only upon my goal, I found my heart and entire being
was aching, and I couldn’t change or make it go away. I finally went to the doctor to see what I could do
for my depression so I could get back to training. After a month, the pills I had been given had such side
effects that I bagged them and felt a little better despite the fact that they say you have to take them for long
periods in order to affect any improvement.
I decided to contact that Indonesian gal (Winda) I had taken a fancy to on my earlier trips because there
was a part of my mind that hadn’t really forgotten about her.
It was really thrilling when I received a letter back from her even though there was a lot of innocent small
talk. As we started to communicate back and forth, I found out more about her, her past, who she is and
her desires in life. I found it strange, but she said she had a short-lived drug problem. This was almost
inconceivable to me. I would have never guessed. The average wage in Indonesia is barely enough to live
on. And drugs are costly and very dangerous. Plus, one can receive a life sentence if caught. So I don’t
know how she could have done it. It didn’t matter. It was in the past.
In many foreign countries, drugs are not tolerated in any manner. In Singapore, you can literally lose your
life if caught with any kind of drugs. I remember hearing on the plane, during a short layover, the
regulations about bringing drugs into the country. It’s not a good idea! However, I had to laugh. One of the
regulations they mentioned was so contritely humorous. We were told not to spit or drop gum on the
ground, as you will go to jail for it! Minor infractions are actually major crimes there!
As Winda and I communicated for about eight months, I found that she was actually too immature for me. I
had been contemplating taking another trip to Surabaya to see her again and not my teacher, which would
have been a first. Based on several factors, I decided it wasn’t in my best interest to continue this
direction. Despite the fact I was in my fifties,she was in her twenties which didn’t seem to be a problem
for her at all. She said she didn’t care how old I was and it is rather common for young women in her
culture to marry older men. So it was no big deal, but it was to me.
One night when I lived in Washington State, I was walking back to my house after my meditation and
noticed something strange in the sky. It turned out to be the Aura Borealis dancing above me for the first
time.I had never seen it before. There wasn’t much color, but it was thrilling nonetheless to see it with my
own eyes. Living way out in a rural mountainous town in the North-West, there are no city lights to
interfere with the night sky. You could see endless stars, and see satellites moving across the heavens.
I’ll never forget one evening I experienced when I lived way out in the boonies that had an unexpected
surprise. I was walking back to my house from meditating when I noticed a wooden stick, about three feet
in length, standing on its end in the center of my driveway! It wasn’t there when I walked passed to begin
my meditation about an hour ago. Yet there it was, standing all by itself and there were no limbs on it to
hold it up. It was as if someone broke off the branches and stuck it in the ground to stand up. The nearest
neighbors lived about a quarter mile away. Most of the people living out this way were retired and had no
kids. So what was this stick doing in the middle of my driveway standing straight up all by itself?
It was a little unnerving as I walked around it trying to figure out how it got there. I wanted to grab it, but
something kept me from doing so. Even though I could see it clearly it still had something that made it
look different or maybe it was a feeling I got from it. I then sat down next to the house and watched this
thing standing up on one end. Whatever it was, it seemed as if it wasn’t real, but looked real.
It lasted about fifteen minutes before it finally dissipated out of sight, leaving me in a state of disbelief. I
knew itwasn’t real. I pondered on it,but just couldn’t think of what it was meant for or if I was supposed
to get something out of it. I left it at that because I couldn’t find any meaning for it and still can’t.
I did find out later that things like this are actually done by spirits. This one was a playful one Pak John
told me, and not to worry. He said they do things that don’t make sense.
On every occasion when my teacher comes to America to visit his children living here,I know about it.
No, he doesn’t call or get in contact with me to let me know he’s coming. I get a “feeling.” I sense it
somehow and know he is here and every time I am correct. I don’t go out of my way or think about it. It is
just a feeling I can’t describe, and I know my teacher is here. It has happened four times that he has come
to America through the years. And when I get the feeling I call his daughter, and she always says he has
just arrived!
When I was moving to St. George, Utah, we decided to stay in Chico, California for a little while (one
year). One night, there was a knock at the door. I answered it in a normal, timely manner. But when I
opened the door, no one was there. I thought it odd and looked around. Maybe someone was playing a
trick. However, as I looked around I noticed about eight small, colorful sea shells on the door step!
This was totally unexpected. Where did they come from? I believed there must be someone playing a joke
and left it at that. However, the next night was a repeat of the night before, only this time when I heard a
knock on the door I was ready. I literally flew over to the door and opened it hoping to catch whoever
red-handed before they had a chance to run away. But again, there was no one in sight. There was no
noise of anyone running away or anything. It was dead silent!
I lived off the beaten track from the city, so I could hear pretty darn well if there was movement around
my place. Also, at this late hour there is less noise anyway. There was a very long walkway between the
long apartments. With my quick reaction, it wouldn’t have given anyone time to run down without me
seeing them trying to make a getaway.
Again, the same type of shells was again placed on my door step! The only thing I could think of was that I
used to take my daughter to the beach on my visitation weekends (I was divorced) when she was a little
girl. She loved to search for sea shells. Sometimes we would spend the night camping on the beach. They
were wonderful memories. I don’t know if these shells had anything to do with that, but I still have the
shells to this day as they cause me to think about my daughter. Who knows what this really could have
meant or if it had any meaning at all.
I remember my teacher telling me that many spirits do things to fool people, and maybe what I
experienced was an example. But it hardly seems like it as it caused me to think of wonderful moments
and I am thankful for that.
Pak John also told me that if your yang was low it would inadvertently allow you to see spirits, but this
never happened to me. However, if your yang is full you are unable to see them. If you’ve ever heard of
someone seeing a spirit, this is a sure sign that that person’s yang is insufficient. My yang is totally full, so
if there was a trickster spirit running amok I wouldn’t be able to see it, just the results.
My teacher told me that when you eventually sever all the connections to your dan tien you are actually
able to move it around, strange as it sounds. So if you move it to the back of you, he said, this makes it so
that spirits won’t be able to see you and you can hide from them; otherwise, they can mess around with
you. I don’t fully understand this yet, but it is a strange reality.
While I have enough yang, it is your yin that has to become a type of a storage battery, according to Pak
John, in order to fully become capable of supernormal powers. Both energies have to be developed,
balanced and combined before you can do anything. One of the particular aspects of nai gong is the fact
that it takes longer in order to develop than chi gong.
When comparing the two systems you’ll find that you can illustrate some abilities rather early in chi gong.
In contrast, nai gong will take longer because rather than advancing up the levels so quickly, nai gong
develops each level to its max. And thereby has a much greater foundation to build power at each level.
This was illustrated with one of the ex-Mo Pai, Western students who developed a health issue from not
following the instructions he was taught. Because of this and the fact he didn’t want to take all the time, he
quit the school and then went to China and found two Chinese chi gong teachers and began to train. He
wasn’t but just a beginner with some past experience prior when he began with nai gong. After he changed
systems and a couple years later he claimed he accomplished the fourth level. However, what he
neglected to say was that his fusion of the two energies actually didn’t combine, but used the energy from
several bulls that were transferred into him which only has a “temporary” effect and shortly dissipates
within a few hours. He also neglected to mention that the dan tien has to be completely developed in order
to permanently “hold” the full amount of yang when you need to combine the two energies in our system.
Before you combine the two you have to be at the highest level of yang development; whereas in chi gong,
it appears as if this isn’t required to be at this high level of development,and why it isn’t as powerful.
There may be a chi gong system somewhere that will allow you to combine the two early on, but there is
clearly no way to develop the same power nai gong does. Plus, he couldn’t accomplish what he claimed
he had in the time he said he had.
Granted, there are people who probably can develop faster than others, but you still couldn’t develop in
the time this guy claims he had.
But after a “power transfer” of energy you automatically return back to your prior condition because your
body can’t hold what it hasn’t been prepared or developed for. This is why people can’t immediately
become a master. You’ve got to develop your body to house the energy.
There is another factor that was missed in his pseudo claim. He didn’t have to go through the work that
combines the two energies. And this can be a real bagga-boo. The student who is now in charge of the Mo
Pai school is still unable to fuse his two energies. Why? Because it takes a monumental effort and a lot of
pain to endure. It would be highly unusual to fuse the two energies on the first effort because of this. And
the student has tried multiple times without success. On the other hand, Pak John I believe said it took him
around two or three times to finally fuse the two energies. If you knew him, you would know he is the type
to just about go through anything. He is that tough mentally.
Pak John said that I had finally filled my dan tien with enough yang. It was a day I will never forget and
what a relief after all this time! Now, I can legitimately say I am completely full and balanced with both
yin and yang to so I can advance to the next level. Now, once you attain the new level it is designed to do
a couple of different things. First, the dan tien must be detached from all the connections to it; and
secondly, it will move on its own a few inches across my stomach after it is detached (you are able to
visually see this). Then, when all this takes place the dan tien is ready for the next level training. And then
the fourth level is designed to force the yang downward while forcing at the same time the yin upward.
And fusing them together takes an enormous effort that separates the men from the boys. Doing this is no
easy matter.
Nevertheless, it is only when I am in the presence of my teacher that I am able to temporarily “borrow”
some of his emitting energy from his batteries to make up for the lack of mine. This allows me to
demonstrate my development by knocking over obstacles from a “given” distance with a certain amount of
effort and force of my own.
While trying to develop during the third level that severs the cords, there are early “signs” that your
development is being accomplished. It comes from a sensation that occurs on your right palm. There is
one on the left, but it isn’t nearly as pronounced as the right hand.
On the physical movement during the exercise there is a sensation that can only be described like an
electrical “prick” that occurs on your right palm. It doesn’t happen each and every time, but it will occur.
And to pass the third level, this sensation is supposed to happen on each movement of the right hand. It is
surprising because you don’t know what special “sign” will pop up or when. I might add that I knew
something else was askew when I suddenly received a very “huge” electrical shock instead of the
common variety I had been used to. This one was really an eye-opener to say the least, and it occurred
twice! I might say it was about ten times the electrical sensations as the others. As I have said before, this
is a very strange reality.
My teacher never tells me what to expect while meditating, only that something will happen during my nai
gong training. He believes that it is important for me to tell him what happened so he can be sure that I am
developing honestly. He never told me of the differences between meditation and our specific nai gong
training.
You see, meditation is actually the process in which we are able to train in our nai gong system. And in
the first level of nai gong you will achieve two signs/sensation. However, meditation by itself will not
give you these same sensations, but will cause other sensations to occur.
All systems of chi development use meditation as a base from which to build any of their systems. You
need to accumulate energy in order to develop your future abilities. From there, each school/system has
there “own” direction to develop from.
While Pak John didn’t think it is prudent to tell me what those certain “feeling” manifestations I would be
having when I first began my training, I did, however, read about them from a book written by a Chinese
master. Evidently, other teachers don’t mind talking about them even in detail.
One book in particular, “The Secrets of Chinese Meditation,” by Lu K’uan Yu (Charles Luk) was
especially interesting. It is only in the fifth through the seventh chapter that had the information which
helped me greatly, especially, when I started to get the “heat” while my teacher was away doing his thing
in Borneo for three years.
The book explained that the dan tien has five connections to it: four of them point to the middle (dan tien)
from the top, bottom and both sides and one more connection that is directly behind it. If you were
wondering, I do not know what the ends of these connections are attached to.
I am unsure how authentic it was, but Pak John showed me two x-rays, one of his dan tien and the other
was an xray of someone’s undeveloped dan tien. To me, it was a little suspicious because in both xrays
the dan tien was something that really stood out, you couldn’t miss it either in its undeveloped or
developed stage. X-rays always have a transparent see-through effect even with the dense bones. I thought
to myself, had it showed up like that when doctors study them it surely would be research and something
that would cause great curiosity. More than likely they would have already done something to find out
what it is, as it was so obvious. I have a suspicion, however, that Pak John “doctored” the x-ray to prove
his point.
Anyway, the dan tien isn’t something doctors are at all familiar with and have no idea there is such a
thing. It may be well known in China, but here in the U.S. doctors would not have any appreciable
concern for it, mainly because there is no way to make money from it. Plus, if I’ve never seen my dan tien
on any x-rays,I’m sure doctors have never seen it before either.
Nevertheless, the dan tien is no bigger than the tip of your “pinky” finger all shriveled up when you first
begin training. The other x-ray was more dramatic. It showed the dan tien in a fully developed condition.
It was about the size of a fifty-cent piece and solid.
When the dan tien reaches this size, according to Pak John, it then can be developed to its fullest potential
and manipulated to perform certain functions for various methods of training.
And, whether the x-rays were authentic or not is really inconsequential, it was more for the visual aspect
to understand the two conditions of the dan tien that Pak John wanted to emphasize.
Pak John also told me what building stages the dan tien must go through in order to develop in each level:
1) build substance, accumulate yang energy; 2) compress yang energy; 3) untwine the yang and cut cords
to the dan tien; 4) and then combine the two energies.
And according to our teacher, there are no other schools that utilize our system for chi development. This
is hard for me to believe. Anytime a school is over one hundred years old, by that time a number of
people have split off, migrated to other countries or reestablished a new school. No one is ever
completely satisfied with their training and will always find different ways to improve it. And nai gong
would be no different. Especially after the length of time the Mo Pai has been in existence (over 2000
years). Somewhere along the way there “is” another system or school that splintered off from the Mo Pai
and is still in existence.
I have been doing research (and still investigating) for these schools. So far I’ve found a source who
knows of two schools in China that trains in similar methods to the Mo Pai (they develop the dan tien the
same way). And I will be going to China to explore the feasibility of this later this year.
Each chi gong school has different methods and results based on their system. However, this one aspect is
common of each system. All are capable at some levelof “expelling” their energy outside their body,
normally using the hands.
And this is probably at the heart of most chi gong schools because they are designed for healing people
using their energy. And many Chinese doctors are trained in this manner and are able to project their
energy in order to heal people.
My teacher does not believe students need to know anything beyond our current level. However, I am
somewhat familiar with the next level (fourth) because he inadvertently revealed a few little things that
slipped out during our long conversations. And then when all the students get together and put two and
two together we’ve been able to understand probably more than our teacher intended. So when you add up
all those “inadvertent” bits and pieces you can get some kind of idea what the next training level will be
like.
From the accumulation of information, I now believe I have about fifty percent or more of what my next
level consists of. It may take more time to find out the rest of my next level. And hopefully, there are
people “out there” who will contribute to what we know up to this point.
And the good thing about my next level is that you don’t need your teacher to check you or anything other
than support you through the process. You’re really on your own in the fourth level of training, according
to Pak John.
After going through all the training up to this time it hasn’t been any problem, whether it was trying to get
used to the dedication or trying to adjust to the meditation. Usually those that complain are not true,
dedicated students. If you desire something bad enough you’ll find ways to endure whatever it is that can
be a problem. A winner never complains about his challenges, but rather looks forward to them.
It has always troubled me why it was so difficult for some people to dedicate themselves to this training.
I’ve found that many desireto learn, but don’t have the dedication to back up their dream. Some people
want to learn, and after a while of training they realize it doesn’t hold their attention any longer. Then you
have those that really want to learn, but it isn’t their destiny and for one reason or another will quit.
There are many reasons why people want to learn and why they stop. In all this time I have found there
are a certain “breed” of people who are “innately” cut out for learning Mo Pai’s nai gong. Just like there
are some people suited for certain jobs that would be hard for me to do. However, there are a few signs
that people should be cognoscente of beforehand as to whether they are suited or not for this training. And
one of those signs is an insatiable passion to learn, not caring what it will take.
For a long time, all I was doing was training at my second level. It is extremely taxing physically and
seemed to never end, but very, very necessary for developing the power by compacting as much yang
energy into the dan tien. I persevered through all the difficulties that came my way in order to do all this.
And this is the type of attitude that a true practitioner should have.
As I mentioned earlier about how hard it was to gain the last few inches in order to knock over the boxes.
This level isn’t fun and takes strenuous daily training that can’t be avoided. And when you do a daily
exercise that exerts as much energy as you can, it taxes both the mind and body. It is harder than anything
else physical I have ever been involved in. But it is the only way to achieve this level.
But when you first begin doing level two you can only do just a few repetitions at a time. It is that
strenuous! There isn’t anything you can relate to, and make it any easier either. It is something that you
have to get used to and it takes time to do this.
After I had been doing this for a while trying to do as many repetitions as I could during each session, it
occurred to me that I was not being very smart. I realized that this was going to take a long time so I
needed to find a way to work on it so I could build up and not continue getting discouraged from not being
able to do very many of the repetitious exercise. So I began to simply do five a day until my body was
capable of doing more and then added more repetitions as I was able to.
Sometimes I made a goal of reaching a certain amount of repetitions in a certain amount of time, but it was
always within my capacity to achieve it. And doing things this way made the level much more tolerable to
work with, especially since it was taking such a long time to improve. I eventually worked up to fifty
reps. per session, which is pretty good. AndI didn’t get after myself if I didn’t have the energy to do this
every session. I was tolerant with myself and just did what my mind and body allowed me to do.
There are only three levels prior to prepare you for the allimportant“fusion” of the two energies in the
fourth level. It sounds easier than it actually is, mainly because a lot of time is needed to develop the first
three levels which are the building blocks for your final level. The first level is the fastest to accomplish,
but from there it goes downhill, in terms of time.
I found that the first level of meditation is somewhat a breeze because it is very relaxing and beneficial
for your health and peace of mind, except for one very difficult factor: it takes a very long time for your
legs to adjust to the lotus or half lotus position you’re sitting in. For most of us, this can be the only
problematic issue for the first level.
Later, when I finally attained level three , I found it also wasn’t all that difficult, but it is still taking a long
time. I am getting very anxious to finally pass this level because it is taking me so long to do. However, it
isn’t all my fault. My teacher has made things extremely difficult since he has been ousted from his
leadership position. However, I’m getting close because I’ve already had a few signs to illustrate the fact
that I am developing correctly. But still, there is the “unknown” factor involved that you just don’t know
about.
I can’t sit in a “full” lotus position, nor can I sit upright for long periods unless I use a back rest to lean
against, but I have still achieved what was necessary through all the years of my training. And because of
that I was surprised with what my teacher said: I was developing more quickly than what he was
expecting. He seemed very happy with my progress.
I learned from all this and staunch advocates of Chinese tradition that you don’t have to go to such
extremes as many schools teach. I found that tradition is emphasized to the point that it can be as important
as the respective system of the school. And to underline this, there are many, many different ways in chi
gong to achieve the same thing.
These staunch advocates of tradition actually blind themselves from understanding what is truly important
from what is useless tradition that does not contribute to an individual’s development. These advocates
also don’t seem to understand that training is the main issue.
Why do we have this knowledge, to just talk about it? But as with all things when man gets his hands on
anything, it always seems to attract a bureaucratic overload of self-righteous, know-it-alls. I hate being
around them, andthat’s one of the reasons whyI don’t like to frequent talk forums.
I have not found any chi gong system that utilizes any method for obtaining yin energy like Mo Pai’s nai
gong. So far, I have not found any other chi development school that incorporates yin energy. All I’ve
found are so far has only been chi gong schools, but hopefully I’ll find some long lost schools that train by
accumulating yin along with yang and keep the yang strictly in the dan tien.
But many systems of chi gong will receive some level of the heat in the body. When the heat is built-up,
usually all chi gong systems circulate this heat in an orbit around the body which then returns back to the
dan tien. Once you finish this first chi gong level, it really gets sporadic with so many different systems
going off in their respective directions for specific results.
I’ve found that some of the higher levels in many chi gong systems/schools are closely related, or at least
a very close facsimile to one another. This is really respective histories, leaving development systems
were not just popping up on their own. There always was a person who migrated to another location for
one reason or another to start all over again.
I learned from one chi gong teacher that his first level is a sitting meditation, conveniently in a chair.
Then, the next level is what iscalled “Standing on Stake.” It consists of standing upright with one (the
right) foot in front of the other, knees slightly bent. The hands are attributed to people throughout their one
system to start another. All chi directly in front of you with your palms facing down and arms also slightly
bent in a comfortable position. Then, you begin by rotating the hands in small circles with your mind
focused on the palms, trying to sense the energy coming up from the ground. Once you complete a certain
amount of repetitions, you change feet and do the same amount on the other side, rotating the hands in the
opposite direction. And later in the levels,you incorporate a standing “horse stance” position with your
arms bent in front of you and palms facing downward pointing at each other. Then, you move them up and
down. There are other exercises in this system that is very similar, but it is intended to heighten your
sensitivity to yang energy in your palms. This particular system of development is more along the lines of
consistent training of doing pretty much the same thing over and over without condensing energy for the
power nai gong has. The energy just accumulates in the body and eventually your energy points on your
palms open up and you can expel your chi energy to heal others.
I might include that I was also told that to “enhance” your development, you can if you want (not
required), but was strongly urged, to train next to big trees.
There are many, many others chi schools out there and it seems you never see an end to them all. When
you think you’ve heard about all of them, someone will pop upwith one you haven’t heard yet. It is
endless! I don’t think we will ever find out about all of them because some are very remote as well. And
some have only a few or just one person left before it totally disappears. But this is of no consequence
because in chi gong, it is rather easy to switch between schools, since each does the same meditation and
then orbits their yang energy.
Recently, I met a guy studying chi gong from a somewhat famous teacher who is known for many
astounding feats, allegedly. This person said that both nai gong and chi gong are actually the same, just
different approaches to developing your inner energy and actually makes no sense.
Because nai gong keeps the yang energy solely in the dan tien and chi gong circulates the yang energy in
orbits, this is about as far from one another as you can get. Plus, I have not heard of any other chi gong
system that specifically obtains yin energy or builds their yin to powerful levels like Mo Pai’s nai gong
system. However, there can be some similarity in the higher levels later on.
Again, there “may” be some other chi gong system that incorporates some similarities to the Mo Pai’s nai
gong levels, but nothing has been found yet that would be a good crossover from nai gong to chi gong. In
fact, Pak John once said that if you change systems you must begin at the very beginning of the new
system. Otherwise,you will develop some serious health issues. He didn’t explain what would happen
and I left it at that because I have no intentions of changing schools.
But after achieving the fourth level, you begin to develop particular abilities as you work upward through
each level until you reach the end of the system. In the Mo Pai, there has been only two men to have
achieved all seventy-two levels in the two thousand years history. In contrast to some of the chi gong
schools that have seventytwo levels there have been many people who have attained all their levels. And
there are many chi gong schools that do not have seventytwo levels.
After seeing several chi gong schools and comparing them, I found that most have similarities in their
training methods. I also found that many schools adhere to some things that are not designed for
developing, but is actually just tradition that’s been added on through the years.
When I first began my training, Pak John neglected to tell me exactly how to do Mo Pai’s breathing
correctly because of the little time I had with him. He didn’t tell me about the “reverse” breathing (Years
later he claims he did). Despite not training with this “traditional” part for over three years, I found my
development was more than adequate. And my teacher also confirmed this without knowing I had been
training with just regular breathing. And there were absolutely “no” adverse issues or problems
whatsoever. Everything was good!
I can’t help thinking about how he might have reacted if he knew I was using “regular breathing” before he
gave me his OK. But thank goodness he was unaware and gave me the thumbs up first, before he found
out.
So inadvertently I realized that probably in many schools their “traditional” ways of doing things are not
always the “only way,” as so many teachers like to staunchly advocate. From all this, I can surmise that
tradition, prejudice, experience, time and training systems are what basically forms every school’s
direction and purpose.
One of the more “strange” things that is supposed to occur at the end of my current level: when the dan
tien becomes totally disconnected it would be illustrated by a small bulging appearance just under the
skin on my right side. Pak John said that you will actually see it move a couple of inches under the skin
toward your dan tien and stop there. He then demonstrated this for me by placing his finger under his shirt,
pushing it outward slightly and moving it across a short distance.
This hasn’t happened for me yet, but I have been experiencing a bumping sensation occasionally that feels
like a bubble just under my skin on my right side. Along with that, as I go through the exercise in level
three, I actually experience a sort of an electrical popping or pricking sensation on the palm of my hand
during the physical movement exercise. I know this sounds ambiguous, but I can’t relate it to anything else
I’ve ever experienced before. This is supposed to be another sign that one of the links to the dan tien is
being disconnected.
There are no books available that describe any of these particular events so it would be impossible for
people to try to train on their own, as no one would know what to do with them when they occur.
However, the book I mentioned earlier by Charles Luk describes eight sensations one may experience
when meditating (I had three).
Of the other sensations, according to Luk, I felt a “roughness” on my skin, and then another feeling I had
was weightlessness. What you will experience will be determined upon whatever esoteric conditions you
have that are not readily apparent. But you most likely would have one or more of the sensations.
If you are interested in some of the deeper aspects of chi development, reading the book I mentioned by
Charles Luk is a wealth of information as to what one can do. I found it pretty exciting because it
discusses some other things that I would not have ever known. However, there are no clues as to how to
attain them, and this is good because you really need a teacher. All these things are achieved from using
chi gong and are derived from a Taoist school system.
Of the eight physical sensations (chapter six) you may experience, one or more of are: pain, itching,
coldness, warmth, weightlessness, heaviness, roughness and smoothness as stated in the book. What they
don’t tell you is that everyone is different and will have different results. The book also has a question
and answer section that I found very helpful for learning about some of the things you are not aware of that
will happen.
I find it interesting that my teacher didn’t want to tell me wha t I would be eventually feeling. Tradition!
But in chi gong, there is quite a bit of information readily available and discussed openly.
Oddly enough, none of these sensations, except one, was ever achieved by any of the other nonAsianstudents of Pak John’s that I know of. More than likely the heat was, but I hadn’t heard anything
about the other students attaining the second sensation. I am almost convinced that none of the other
Western students in Mo Pai (approximately five) ever had the second sensation of vibrations.
When I had the opportunity of talking to Dicky-boy, the kid from Australia, I would always make it a point
to ask him about this, but he was never able to tell me he had the second sensation. He would try,
however, to make it out as if he had, but his description was never close. And it is precisely because of
this that our teacher knows exactly who his true students really are. So there is good reason why Pak John
doesn’t tell us anything beforehand. It has really amazed me that the second and third Western students,
both would actually take this training so lightly using it only for recognition and/or personal gain which is
really disappointing.
We had the opportunity to not only help one another, but delve into ancient and privileged nai gong
training. This was privileged stuff! Yet it seems no one wants to benefit others as it is supposed to be!
How could you not want to immerse yourself in this ancient knowledge and do your best keeping the
tradition of passing the knowledge onto others and helping them? I eventually realized that being involved
in this training takes something more than either of them had. This is illustrated by both of them
completely stopping their nai gong training. Just because Pak John isn’t allowed to teach any longer does
not mean Mo Pai’s knowledge is lost forever.
Apparently, th ey don’t seem to understand that God is in control of everything. He is omniscient and
omnipotent. And has validated this by him giving his prophets correct prophesy of the future. And God’s
prophesies have never, ever been wrong since the beginning of time. And based on that, since God
allowed me to come all this way and be the first Westerner in the Mo Pai, there is a reason he allowed
that to happen. Just because we hit a road block with Pak John’s ancestor spirit-demons does not mean it
is the end. No, this is only temporary. It would be unprecedented for God to allow something to happen
and then pull the rug out from under those that put him first in their lives. This is not how he works.
Something else has to have taken place, and it will pass. We just have to have patience and continue with
our dedication. Besides, how does it look when you get involved with something and at the first sign of a
problem you stop?
The first four chapters of “The Secrets of Chinese Meditation,” deal exclusively with the philosophic
concepts of the Taoists. After that, it is on “selfcultivation” according to the Taoist school. It is the fifth
chapter of the book that will open your eyes to some of the ancient Chinese chi gong knowledge. As I said
before, it doesn’t have any training methods, and the author passed away some time ago making it
impossible to talk with him or become a student. But on the brighter side, there are still teachers around
still teaching this and similar methods. Lately,I’ve found several new ones in China and will be going to
meet them to see how they compare to nai gong.
Those that are already practitioners of a chi gong system will most likely know that one “must not” keep
chi in the dan tien as they train. It is said (warned) that it is very dangerous if you do this, but this just isn’t
true because nai gong has been around for over two thousand years.
This would also imply that many chi gong systems have no idea that nai gong exists. More than likely, this
has been perpetuated through the years from pride and ignorance.
I’ve found that many people will believe any authority that comes along no matter if it is true or not. I
found this to be true with martial arts. You wouldn’t believe how many guys train in what they perceive is
an ultimate, end-all style of styles.
Usually this bias is perpetrated by each school’s instructor. They confidently think their style is the best,
just because they are involved while never testing their style against other styles. That is until the UFC
started up.
Now, many of the schools who thought they were invincible, have since adopted Jujitsu into their training
regime for obvious reasons.
This reminds me of the one “inch” punch that supposedly would kill someone. This silly trick was made
popular by Bruce Lee, and the concept still lingers today. If you ever study his demonstrations of his “one
inch” punch you’ll see that it is well above the center of gravity. He also doesn’t just punch forward. It is
more of a fast pushing movement with his wrist twisting upward. He does it so fast it looks like a punch.
When you go through the entire sequence in slow motion you can clearly see he pushes and twists his fist
upward. His demonstrations were really just for show, and he was a showman.
I remember reading about a time when Bruce was making one of his movies. In his movies, Bruce likes to
pit himself against known champions so he can fantasize beating them up on the screen. He had hired a guy
by the name of Gene Labell, a rather famous Judo champion who later became a popular TV wrestler and
later became a “heavy” in a number of TV shows.
During one of the breaks, Gene had taunted Bruce to mess around with him. Bruce unwisely decided to
participate, and instantly found himself flat on the ground, and then Gene actually sat on him! This not only
surprised Bruce, but he actually decided to use this event by reenacting it in his next movie against one of
his movie enemies.
One of the things that marked Bruce as such a unique marital artist was the fact that he was progressive.
He realized his single style was deficient and from there developed a new style of martial arts that
included around twenty different fighting styles from different systems around the world. He was actually
the original person who created the world first “mixed martial arts” (MMA) system, but he called it “Jeet
kune do.”
Unlike chi gong, nai gong is a rare and secretive system that is clearly, once you are familiar with it, the
more powerful of the two systems. Of course, this would be argued by many people mainly because
they’ve never seen Pak John perform his feats of power. And then of course, you have the always everpresent“authorities” claiming they know of something more powerful than nai gong.
Only a few selected people through the many centuries have been given the responsibility to carry on its
knowledge with one man still living. I can’t help believe that there is something else out there we haven’t
seen yet, andthat’s the reason why I am still doing research.
In all these years, there has to be offshoots from M o Pai’s lineage. Since there were two students that
deserted John years ago to go out on their own, surely proves there would be others in the remote past that
became disenchanted for one reason or another and left also. I haven’t talked to either of them yet, and
probably won’t ever. But I found that one lives in the capital of Java (Jakarta) and the other just outside of
Surabaya.
I have talked to someone who has not only talked to the one living in Jakarta, but is a student of his. He
said that his master teaches a mixture of nai gong and some other systems I am not familiar with yet.
At the present, I have found some very old Chinese masters who actually used to live in the exact town
(Long Hu Shan) Pak John’s teacher had. They had to have known Pak John’s teacher or known of him
because of his superhuman feats of power that he was reported to possess. Pak John told me his teacher
held the thirtieth level and was very powerful beyond our comprehension. There was another factor that
would also make Pak John’s teacher stand out as well. He allegedly ruined an entire town in one of his
infamous encounters with an opponent he was battling with.
Most of us as an “older” adult starting in nai gong training will not have enough time to reach all the
levels, but if young enough you might be able to. However, we have another issue; we are just not able to
accomplish all the training living under the conditions we have facing us, even if you are young enough.
Because Pak John is currently at the twentieth level and is seventy years old, it is pretty likely he will
never make it too far beyond that. He did, however, start as a young man, but somewhere along the way
got married, became a businessman and made a lot of money which slowed him down tremendously.
He told me that all the past nai gong teachers came from the Longhu Shan area in China. He said there is
no school there as it was passed down on an individual basis and those that learned it migrated to
different locations. I find this somewhat difficult to believe. Pak John couldn’t know this as fact because
he hasn’t done any research on this. And plus, he only knows fragments of the history of our school, much
less know very much of what his teachers did. Plus, masters have the responsibility to pass on their
knowledge. What kind of master in our Mo Pai lineage would allow the knowledge to totally disappear?
Aren’t teachers supposed to teach? It does not make sense that a master would be so irresponsible to
allow his responsibility to a two thousand year old lineage to be lost! It just does not make sense.
Also, how can a school exist just for the sake of existing if it has no purpose? What I mean is, when
knowledge is gained and/or given to mankind, it is specifically for the sake of mankind. A school that
remains closed to the outside and only allows one person to know its knowledge at a time means there is
really no purpose for it. So who benefits from it? No one can benefit from this! It is a lose-lose situation.
No one wins!
When Pa k John’s teacher came to Indonesia, he reportedly taught only two students, but before Pak John
was able to gain the fourth level, his teacher died and the other student had already quit. Yet he was
passed the secrets of the school and became the head of the Mo Pai even before he achieved the fourth
level.
Ironically, Pak John was removed from his leadership and one of the two long lost students was
summoned back to take over the school. And since he has been unable to pass the third level, Pak John is
acting in a supporting role. And if this represents our Mo Pai legacy, it is really a mess.
Pak John told me that only one student at a time was able to attain the fourth level. However, this doesn’t
make sense either. Most likely some of the Mo Pai history Pak John said he knew may have been
misunderstood, misremembered or in fact never learned.
According to the Mo Pai history, one of the grandmasters, Pau Luk Nen,taught students and supposedly
had seminars. I’d say there is a pretty good chance our school still has some connection back in China.
And I have to account for the fact that my teacher’s teacher, Liao, splintered off, being the maverick he
was, and migrated to Indonesia.
Pak John said he has no idea if there are others practicing this system. He has said that he believes there
are around ten others in the world that are around his level or higher. Does this mean there are more than
the ten he knows about that are under his level, say around the tenth level? I have been communicating
with one master who is around the tenth level and pretty powerful, and Pak John has no idea he exists!
When you reason through all this, t hings just don’t seem to add up, andthat’s why I feel it is necessary to
continue doing research. As much as I care about Pak John, I have to admit he is still human, and if human,
there is room for error!
One of the more bizarre aspects about our school and history: Pak John said to me once that I shouldn’t
need to worry about his safety because his welfare and the fate of the school has some special force that
protects him until another student attains the fourth level. Then when he retires, another fourth level
student will be allowed to advance to replace him.
This again seems out of balance. It appears that this nai gong knowledge is self-serving because if only
one can attain the fourth level, then all the other students are useless and have wasted decades of hopeful
development! So this isn’t rational. However, it does make sense if our school was controlled by a spiritdemonwho doesn’t make sense in our reality.
This is difficult to understand because what are the other students supposed to do when they are close to
passing the fourth level? I reasoned that if Pak John was disciplined by his spirit teacher for not having a
fourth level student a long time ago, then how could there be only one at a time now? His stories don’t
seem to be very consistent, and I don’t know if I can rely on them.
Pak John said at one point there were well over a hundred students in his school, which was back in the
eighties. For whatever reason or another, all have since left the Mo Pai School (today it is growing, but
under the guidance of someone else).
I have to admit that it crossed my mind several times and hoped I could become the head of the Mo Pai.
But all that was, was just a pipe dream. Pak John had to know that by allowing Westerners into the Mo
Pai he was violating his promise to his teacher, and because of that single issue,alludes to the idea that
either Pak John didn’t trust God and he would have taken care of the school, or he wasn’t all that willing
to keep his promise to his teacher. In all the time I was a hopeful student of his, he “never” let me or
anyone else know there could be reprisals for his decisions.
He knew only too well my desire. We spoke often of what it was going to take for me to attain the fourth
level. And even then he never said or alluded to the fact that he was acting under the violation of his
promise to his teacher. I just don’t understand why he would do this to his Western students, especially
me. I was his highest ranking student (and still am except for the new head of the school).
I’ve tried to accept this, but it is very difficult to do so. This is especially so when you consider I am
supposed to be dealing with a grown man who should be aware of the ramifications of his decisions.
Pak John told me a very interesting incident about one of his students who was in his seventies and at the
third level. He said that when this “older” student was crossing an intersection, a car came too close and
inadvertently bumped into him—not enough to do any real harm. Nevertheless, this student was known for
having a temper, so when this happened his anger flared up and hit the hood of the car with his fist and left
a deep impression of his fist in the metal, and then walked away. I am unsure just where or how far he
was in level three, but my teacher keeps telling me to be careful of your anger. He keeps saying, “It can
kill.”
I remember Pak John telling me a long time ago that when the fourth level student takes over the school, he
is given the Mo Pai Book of all the training knowledge. This really had my attention and in my desire
grew more to become his successor. As I had trained year after year and continually went to see him, I
eventually realized I was the only one seriously training. He even mentioned that I was knocking boxes
over further than anyone else. The two other Westerners I mentioned were nowhere near my development.
They not only came well after me, but they seemed to have an agenda that exceeded their desire to be true,
dedicated students. However, from what Pak John said, I surmised that the Greek was more of one than
Dicky.
Pak John also told me that whoever is the head of the Mo Pai School, no harm would come to him.
However, he will be susceptible to problems only after he is no longer the leader of the school. He said it
didn’t matter what he does in life as he is always protected no matter what happens. So in my opinion,
this directly means the involvement of spirits! How would I know? God has never done this. It would be
unprecedented if he did.
Chapter 23
Pak John’s teacher, spirit Liao, for whatever reason finally left this earth around 1992-3, and for good,
but to where? I have no idea; probably wherever spirits go when their time is up on earth. I have not been
given much if anything from my teacher on this subject, but just enough to keep me on edge.
For years, Pak John would try to contact his departed teacher on the Chinese New Year. I have no idea as
to the significance of this particular day or why his teacher would be or should be contacted. But after the
final “exiting” of his spirit teacher to realms of the unknown, Pak John said he continued trying to make
contact for a while with no success and finally realized his spirit teacher was now gone forever. Finally,
instead, one of the earlier more powerful spirit grandmasters responded to his beckoning. It turned out to
be the third grandmaster of Pak John, by the name of May Yung Chen. And it is he who continues to this
day to respond to Pak John on every Chinese New Year.
I haven’t experienced it yet, but when this spirit -demon arrives it is done with a lot of fanfare, heavy
wind and loud thundering occurring just below the ground in Pak John’s underground meditation center in
his back yard.
The other people accompanying him during this event are unable to see or hear this spirit-demon, but it is
mixed with people saying they hear it and others say they don’t. According to Pak John, only when you
have reached the forth level will you be able to hear and see what’s going on.
I was thinking, and it struck me very odd that grandmaster May Yung Chen is much, much older than Pak
John’s teacher Liao. And Liao already disappeared. So why hadn’t May left the earth long ago? Why is he
still around?
I learned from my teacher some time ago that if someone kills another person they must remain on the
earth after they’ve died for a certain period of time rather than immediately ascend on to their “concept”
of the afterlife. And while on Earth as a spirit, they have to make up for their crime(s) during this time,
performing acts of redemption to make up for the evils they had done prior. Whether Chen is still serving
a sentence forcrimes he committed, I don’t know. But since he is still here and much older than Pak John’s
teacher who died and “passed on” is probably a good indicator of his villainous past.
From everything I’ve seen, my teacher is “controlled” by May, which causes me to question whether or
not Pak John is a Christian. I also think this spiritdemon may never leave for this reason; he is “still”
doing nasty things he did before that keeps him around, maybe not killing, but nonetheless still hurting
people. So that can’t get him too far up the ladder if he ever wants to make it to a higher realm.
Another thing Pak John told me was about a time he had a lengthy conversation with an ancient spirit-
demons who allegedly was some mighty warrior-king who lived during ancient times.
This warrior spirit told my teacher he had taken many lives during his reign and was regretful for his
behavior. He told Pak John that because he was so vile he was unable to leave the earth, but had been
trying to make up for his wickedness for a thousand years.
This underground building was constructed in Pak John’s back yard. It was constructed solely for the
purpose of communicating with his spiritdemon grandmaster and other spirits. I haven’t been there yet,
and don’t think I want to. But Dicky said he had been there and told me about an experience he had. While
I don’t trust anything he says, he told me he vaguely saw something “like a mist” appear, adding even that
was difficult to see, and he wasn’t able to hear anything either. Well of course he couldn’t see anything.
He wasn’t developed enough. Rather thanadmitting he couldn’t, he had to appear more special than he is,
which clearly exposes his narcissistic personality. What he was doing was talking “fluff.” He was trying
to appear as if he was more than he was. And being there and not being able to see or hear anything, well
how would it look for an instructor of his stature not to be able to see anything? If he tells me this, I
wonder what he would tell his eager students.
I too can’t see anything, but I am not afraid to admit it. Pak John said that only a student who attains a high
third level would be able to see and hear a spirit and Ihaven’t achieved that level yet, so how could this
guy?
I had tried on many occasions to continue some kind of relationship. Whatever his reasons were, he has
always been elusive, vague and very secretive despite being a fellow student. It was just too hard to work
with the guy. So I bagged it. I don’t mind burning bridges with guys like this.
When I went to Australia to try and encourage him, he really showed his colors. Strangely, during those
couple hours he made time for me, he wanted to show how he could move items from a distance. When
hesuggested this I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. It was not only hilarious as he strained trying to make
a small pencil roll on the table, but it also revealed that he was delusional. No wonder the Mo Pai’s spirit
grandmaster wanted to kick out Westerners.
Needless to say, it wasn’t working for him but he cont inued trying even harder to move the pencil. I
thought to myself, what in the world would give him the idea he could do this when he clearly isn’t a good
student?
Next, he then rolled up his sleeves, as if that was going to help matters, and tried even harder. After a few
minutes of exerting a great deal of energy he would walk up and look closely at the unmovable object to
see if it had moved. It hadn’t and kept asking me if I had seen it move. Then, he would move back and try
it all over again. The only thing I could do was give him credit for being so persistent. What could have
ever given him the idea this might happen? I was getting tired watching this clown make a fool of himself.
Since I hadn’t seen anything move, he would say he thought it moved a little and had an expression on his
face as though I might be lying to him! Boy, has he gone over the edge.
Sadly today, he has refined his ability to move things by using stage tricks. Even more pathetic, he has
some blind students believing he can do these things.
Any amount of effort on his part to move something was useless at his level. That day, he lost a very
important aspect in his life: his integrity!
I knew that from my own testing that the last few inches actually takes longer to achieve, but only if you
spend dedicated hours in training which he obviously isn’t able to do and therefore will never do because
he is now using tricks.
Whenever I tried to encourage him to practice, he would say in effectthat he couldn’t find the time, as he
was toobusy with “other” things. I knew that this type of dedicated discipline was not suited for him, but
still tried to encourage him. With one full-time job and a part time job I was able to find at least three
hours a day to train. However, he told me before he had his martial arts school he was making a meager
living by tutoring math a few times a week, and he still could not find the time to train. He turned out to be
a real disappointment.
I was supposed to learn a ku ng fu form called “Pa Lua Chien.” It is part of the Mo Pai Schools tradition,
but this never happened. As I mentioned before,it was because of Dicky’s need to sabotage me. And thank
goodness, it turned out that it didn’t matter. As I said before, each school has “their” particular traditional
nuances that distinguish them from other schools and forms are just that. They don’t affect your chi
development whatsoever.
And it didn’t seem to make any difference to Pak John th at I didn’t learn them either. He must have known
what I eventually realized that they are only for the schools individuality and nothing more, similar to
martial art schools that also train with “forms.”
However, I still wanted to learn the forms. It was part of the school’s tradition and I always have some
extra time to kill. But trying to get access to the tapes was like pulling teeth and still didn’t get any results
after several years of trying. Unfortunately, Pak John isn’t too keen on being responsible to his students.
For example, when Dicky first became a student he asked Pak John what he should do when he was ready
for his first testing. In a surprising reply, Pak John told him that he would come to Australia just to test
him. Uh-huh, right! I was shocked because he never said this to me. In all the years since, he has yet to
visit Australia.
Another time, Pak John told me he would send a tape of the form I was supposed to learn, but it never
came, even after I notified him three times that I hadn’t received it. Then, he finally told me to get in touch
with the Dicky. He said to tell him to make a copy and send it to me, since he already had one. Yeah.
Easier said than done. And talk about passing the buck. Of course Dicky stalled and stalled about two
years until my emails became too insistent I suppose, and only then did he finally do something. I felt bad
because I called Pak John and told him it appeared that the Dicky wasn’t going to oblige. He seemed
troubled, but didn’t do a thing about it and let it drop again.
I did finally get a tape from Dicky, but it didn’t work, wouldn’t you know! The guy knew it but just made
up some story why it wouldn’t work, just to get me off his back. He then claimed how much it cost him to
have it copied while conveniently forgetting what it cost me to fly over to try and encourage him.
It was then that my relationship with him fell apart. I just couldn’t deal with such a character anymore. I
was done! Plus, I was glad to hear Pak John sayhe didn’t care to work with him anymore. But you know
how that goes. I’m glad he was able to see through him as well,even if he wasn’t going to do much about
it.
I must have been woefully blind and/or ignorant to take so long in finally ending any relationship with
Dicky.
I don’t know why I had locked my mind into thinking that just because he and I were the only three nonAsians students in this ancient school, that there was some basis for a kind of kinship, but boy was I
wrong.
To make matters worse, whenever I had the opportunity to talk to him he wouldn’t tell me anything about
his experiences with our teacher when he went to visit him. And if hesaid anything it wasn’t much. It was
like pulling teeth and I was tired of trying.
Once I had wanted to know the names of our grandmasters of our Mo Pai School. He told me that he
would give me the names and of course it took over a year and me asking him over and over. How hard
could this be? There were only three. He finally emailed them to me, but later when Pak John told me the
names of the grandmasters, the names Dicky gave me were not the same. Someone was lying!
Once he asked me what type of training I was doing at my current level, as he wasn’t real sure of what the
training consisted of at my higher level, as Pak John wouldn’t tell us anything in advance. Because I knew
he wasn’t going to train, and I thought we were Mo Pai brothers I made the mistake and told him.
Fortunately however, I didn’t tell him everything. After I told him, he immediately stated that it wasn’t
correct! Where did that come from I thought? I told him this is exactly what Pak John taught me. And why
would he deliberately teach me incorrectly and then let you know the correct one when you don’t even
train, not to mention the fact that our teacher prefers not to let us know ahead of time? He had no answer,
but remained steadfast anyway that I was wrong.
Even today, he tells others I am doing all the Mo Pai training incorrectly? Whatever he thought he knew
obviously illustrates his lack of maturity. He is playing on the fact that others are not going to know what I
know because I can’t reveal it, so everything is not available for people to know. So now he can say
whatever he wants and get away with it. I am sick of the guy, and tired of our teacher allowing him to get
away with his childish behavior.
And all this time knowing Dicky, he never once told me about his martial arts school. It had been almost
nine years that he never mentioned this to me. I only learned about it inadvertently when I typed in
“Longhu Shan” on the Internet. He knew I was an instructor in martial arts so there should have been a
good reason for us to have something in common.
I also found out that Dicky didn’t want me to know that he spent a little over a year trying to learn an
Indonesian fighting system. And prior to this he had been calling himselfa “master.” He may have some
skill, but the only master he was is a master of deception.
When I first met him, he never indicated he had attained any belt level or even a black belt when asked, as
one would naturally from many proud years of strenuous work and achievement. Then, I found that he was
using our teacher as the master of his school which was unknown to our teacher. He was presenting a
complete hoax!
Because of his failed achievement in nai gong, all he had was his desire to be what he isn’t capable of
doing, along with no certification of any martial arts mastery which, I guess, is enough for some people to
think they are a master, and all of which was unknown to our teacher. I never hid the fact from my teacher
that I was also a tae kwon do instructor, certified by Kookie-Won in Korea and crosstrained in three other
disciplines, nor did I ever think it necessary to hid this from Dicky whenever we talked.
I had spent an intense four years of difficult daily training to get my first black belt.And yet found it wasn’t
enough, and then took Brazilian Jujitsu, boxing, plus two another martial art styles to become a complete
fighter. Because I know what a martial artist goes through, I was sorely disappointed with Dicky. He
wanted to be something he wasn’t capable of.
He used the mysterious Mo Pai nai gong school and its history to appear as though his school is derived
from it. No wonder he won’t tell anyone about anything he’s doing.
I found a strange quote he used in his school’s martial art we b site that was allegedly told to him by our
teacher, “Never disappoint another person’s heart.” While my teacher can be a sensitive man, he has
never alluded to or verbalized this level of sensitivity to non-family members in over a decade that I
knew him. He just isn’t that type of man to say such things. Plus, he has disappointed me many times, yet
Dicky used the quote to legitimize his “credibility.”
When I was at level two, a demonstration for level three students took place in 1999. I wasn’t aware of
this and called Pak John after I learned of this, whereupon he told me what it was for. I learned I wasn’t
allowed to participate in the group demonstration because it was specifically for a higher level. Despite
the fact it was for upper ranking students, it turned out to be a demonstration in futility. None of the
alleged students were capable of performing the demonstration our teacher intended.
At the demonstration, instead of what they were supposed to execute, they confirmed their lack of training.
It also exposed the fact that my teacher may not have been as responsible toward his students as he ought
to have been. You can’t develop good students when you’re not willing to make sure they are training on a
consistent basis. But then again, I am not familiar with the Indonesian culture, and apparently this seems to
be the way things are.
At the demonstration they were supposed to plunge a chopstick through a one inch board and demonstrate
some other abilities to validate their developed skill. They were supposed to perform this, but they all
failed. Why? I wondered.In anyone’s book it would clearly illustrate the obvious. This is obviously a lack
of Pak John’s “time and effort” that is necessary for his students, which I thought was peculiar since he
was disappointed in them. Rather than realizing his inconsistent presence to teach, he was saddened by
his student’s inability to perform! AndI was finally getting a picture of my teacher’s true nature. While he
is a very powerful superhuman, he is, unfortunately, not the best teacher for hopeful students like myself.
If it wasn’t evident of the condition of the school when I was accepted, it seemed that the Mo Pai School
still continued to go downhill when the two Westerners arrived. And then later, when the “car-salesman”
from Italy became a student the school literally fell apart. The spirit-demon grandmaster of Pak John
literally came to besieged him with retribution.
However in contrast, the other few Western students appeared to be serious about training without any
ulterior motives. I have a feeling that if these few self-serving, opportunists were not involved in the Mo
Pai, the few true students would not be in the predicament we are today.
In one of my last conversations with Dicky, he acted as if he was doing me a favor. He “dramatically”
told me someone was “after” me because of what I knew and the level I was at! And he left it at that and
wouldn’t say anymore. He said it was too dangerous to talk about it over the phone. What a loony!
The guy knew exactly what information he was holding back from me, but I had to wait a long time to find
out what he was talking about. He justwouldn’t tell me the full story. Didn’t matter if I pressed him to tell
me more, but this is a typical maneuver he seems to like using with people. Make it mysterious and leave
people wondering, and make them depend on you seems to be his intentions. As it turned out, it was the
Greek guy who wanted to find me so he could continue furthering his own training. It turned out that Dicky
was playing the Greek against me using lies to keep us apart so he could accomplish his goal.
In order for Dicky to accomplish his goals he’d drop bombshells to throw people off by surprising them
with unsettling news. He said that Lawrence Blair, the author of the documentary (Ring of Fire), was
actually a “secret” agent from England and supposed to be investigating Pak John for the English secret
service! Can you imagine what kind of mind does that? I am not sure if the kid has finally fallenoff the
deep end, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know it isn’t true. What is this guy thinking?
I did learn from Lawrence later that he did do some work for the government. However, he was given the
task of writing some reports that had nothing to do with what the Dicky was trying to make us believe.
Lawrence was also trying to create other residual income from other sources because his main income
comes from his documentaries he creates as well as from the few other books he wrote. All this allows
him to continue doing freelance work.
Lawrence told me he was doing research for one of his new documentaries. He was involved in doing a
documentary about the elusive giant squid. He had to rent a deep sea sub and also pay for a ship and crew
to take him out into the Pacific Ocean for his research. I reasoned that if any secret British government
was paying him to investigate Pak John, Lawrence wouldn’t be spending a lot of time ignoring his alleged
secret task.
If he was doing a documentary about John why would he be doing other documentaries that kept him from
what he was supposed to do for his own benefit? This is clearly a conflict of interests, and usually, this
doesn’t make any government happy. Plus, why would Lawrence be so negative toward Pak John’s
abilities? After all the time he spent with Pak John, he still doesn’t believe he could do the things he does.
How do I know that, he expressed his sentiments to me on several occasions asking, “Do you really
believe that John can do this stuff?” I thought to myself, didn’t he tape me when I was doing my own
demonstrations? How could I fake them? Shouldn’t that have given some credibility to the reality of what
Pak John can do? Didn’t he see me knock over glasses while I was nine feet away without anyone around
the objects? So now two people are faking it?
So why an agent would be investigating something with such a disbelieving mind or have such a
predetermined opinion that is trying to make a living that takes him away from his paid task? If this were
all true, you would think that a secret agent would be more objective and deal with the facts in a different
manner?
Also, he is engaged and living with an American woman who he finally married. Together, they tend to
garden duties partly for their subsistence—hardly the scenario of a secret agent—especially after he lost
almost his entire first documentary in a fire that he neglectfully started and had to redo much of his
documentary.
If the British government was really paying him to spy on Pak John, I don’t think they would have been too
happy having to “re-fund” their investigation because he was so incompetent losing much of his research
in a fire; scarcely the kind of elite buffoonery the British Empire wants working for them.
I had lost touch with Lawrence for a number of years and been trying to find him. I almost gave up after
trying for several years. He is not an easy man to find because he is busy and travels a lot.
I needed to contact him because I wanted to get the portion of a demonstration I did that he had previously
recorded back in 1998 for one of his new documentaries. While looking for him, I also found out that he
was making extra money as a tour guide on a passenger yacht that traveled through the Archipelagos. So I
knew for certain what Dicky said couldn’t be feasible, for the final nail in his coffin.
It was because of all this that I finally emailed Dicky and said I didn’t appreciate the kind of friendship he
offered and was ending our pseudo Mo Pai camaraderie. I felt bad to do this because I wished he would
have made a turnaround and learned what “honesty” meant. Nevertheless, you do what you have to do,
even if sometimes you have to burn bridges.
Chapter 24
I found it difficult to find any support to facilitate my passion from my isolated training. Also, no one is
familiar with my arcane chi development training so that I could discuss anything. My training is not like a
popular sport that others like to talk about to keep things enthusiastic. And because of that I quickly
learned it wasn’t a good idea to idly talk about my interest to others because there is nothing they could
ever contribute. Plus, it becomes irritating listening to people give their ignorant views about it anyway.
Either no one believes it, or they know all about it, despite the fact that they know nothing about it!
Consequently, it has caused me to become more isolated! And this makes it hard. I have found from my
experiences, no man is an island. The only time I can enjoy myself is once a year when I go see my
teacher.
My feelings of isolation reminded me when I returned from Viet Nam. No one cared or wanted to talk to
me about my experiences. I however, had far too much within me to keep to myself and needed to talk
about my horrific experiences as a very young, naïve man thrown into a life of lifethreatening combat.
And because of that I didn’t realize how much it would affect me later and suffered to some degree
because of it.
So when anything significant happens directly from my training, there isn’t anyone I can go to discuss
matters except for my teacher who is very hard to get a hold of.
As I look back and reflect on my past experiences with my teacher, I realizehe isn’t the type of man who
commits to others, other than his family. He spends a lot of time focused on his own intentions only and
has a tendency to not recognize others around him that are depending on him.
Thus, it was in 2003 when my teacher was told he was not able to lead the Mo Pai School any longer. He
had been warned to stop teaching non-Chinese for a long time, but ignored it all along.
When I received the bad news finally, instead of telling me personally, he copped out and had an
Indonesian student who lives in California give me the news.
It seems that during the last Chinese New Year Pak John not only was told to stop teaching me, but his
spirit grandmaster finally had enough of his behavior and removed him as the head of the Mo Pai School
for good.
I remember many years ago that while I was being tested, John’s close friend, Henky, casually told me
that because I was the first Westerner ever to be admitted into the School it was very controversial for
John. He didn’t say anymore and I didn’t think I should pursue it. I thought whatever it was it would be
worked out because, in effect, I was after the fact. And, at the time, I had no idea who was setting the
rules. I was under the impression Pak John was the only leader. I just took what he said without any idea
of what was involved, as my only concern was training.
It was much later when I found out what Henky meant about the controversy. It was the result of a vile
spirit still lingering here on Earth. And this spirit is in charge of the Mo Pai School and continues to
decide its direction without any input from Pak John. Unfortunately, what he says is incontrovertible and
accepted without question. My teacher is controlled by the spirit.
I never thought anymore about what Henky told me because my teacher surely would rectify the problem.
But at that time I didn’t know the controversy was started by a spirit. I thought why would a mature man
like Pak John allow me into the school if it was a problem, isn’t he the leader, doesn’t he lead? I also
thought if it were of concern, he would surely make it known to me, which he never did until it was too
late. As I look back on this today, I recognize those are not the characteristics of a good leader.
This news really fell on me like a ton of bricks. I held out hope that he would fix the problem. Not only
did he not, but he didn’t even try, from what I have gathered. As upset as I was, I tried for months to
continue training with hope that it would eventually turn out OK. But the reality slowly replaced the hope
to the point that it finally just took its toll. And then, I just stopped. I really became angry. I couldn’t
accept all the time that I had invested was now over—just like that. I kept thinking that I could make it
right somehow, but it wasn’t to be. Pak John was totally finished as the Mo Pai leader, and relieved of his
responsibility as well. Why else had he allowed the school to deteriorate to less than a dismal handful of
students? All of which had as much interest in training as dating a fat woman. And that is not the result of
a good leader.
I did learn after this, and not from my teacher, that there were a couple other Westerners who actually
found Pak John after 2003, where he readily accepted them as students. I was totally baffled by how all
this unfolded in the next few years. Without being told by Pak John, I found out that the spirit-demon
grandmaster acquiesced to allow Westerners to “only” learn up to the 2nd level and no more. And these
few Westerners seemed not to worry about it.
I believe the reason why Pak John allowed those few Westerners into the school is from somethingI don’t
think anyone recognizes: when Pak John is confronted face-to-face with someone else, for whatever
reason he doesn’t appear to have the personal strength to say “no” to a person’s face. Apparently, when
my teacher is face-to-face with non-family he is a non-confrontational. I also found after many phone
conversations that he is somewhat more willing to say what he feels, but to your face, it appears to be a
different matter.
There were some rumors floating around that he had tried to ask his ancestor spirit to rescind his
decision, but nothing has ever came of it and nothing was ever said to me. Plus, since his confrontational
skills are not the greatest, more than likely he wouldn’t push it, especially with a spirit
What some people don’t seem to understand about Pak John is the fact that he is just an ordinary man and
not the “immortal” many people would like to believe. In fact, he is susceptible to all the same problems
everyone else is,and apparently doesn’t like to abide by his promises just like so many other people
which is why he was removed from the Mo Pai leadership.
Once you get by the idealistic pedestal people have placed Pak John on, you can actually understand who
he is and what he is about. And all the problems I had with him prior to all this becomes clear why they
happened. He is just an ordinary man with all the same weaknesses as everyone else. Don’t
misunderstand, I love the man deeply, but it is very difficult for me to deal with his behavior.
I’m not cer tain how much of it is cultural or whether it is from his own personality, but this I do know:
everything that has happened, he made all the decisions, and all of which seems to clearly point to
selfcenteredness. I don’t mean to be negative because he has had much to overcome from his past and has
earned his way to be the man he is today.
However, I am still very much bewildered from all this. I can’t count how many times I’ve sat down and
tried to figure out how I could overcome all this. I thought maybe I could use certain approaches and then
realized I was grasping at straws with most of the ideas I came up with.
One of the more silly things I thought of was my greatgrandmother was Indian, and Indians have
Mongolian blood in them, and Mongols are from China. Sothat makes me part Chinese. This isn’t much,
but still considered a “part” even if I don’t look Chinese. Since my teacher’s children are Indonesian, it
means they too are not full Chinese, and therefore it should disqualify them as students, that is if they
wanted to train. I only know of one who did some training, but he only lasted a short time like so many of
the other Indonesians.
I know that Pak John makes a big deal about his Chinese heritage, but he as well isn’t full Chinese either.
He’s only half according to him, but you’d never know by looking at him. I have a feeling there is some
wishful thinking on his part. And any of his children would be even less than he. So where is the line that
finally separates the Chinese in them? You see where I’m going with this?
I reasoned that if an Indonesian had little or no Chinese in them, why eliminate me when I have some
Chinese in me? Just because I don’t look Chinese shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, Indonesians don’t
look Chinese either. So then I am “unaccepted” because I “look” Caucasian. What if an Indonesian
doesn’t look Asian, what happens then? Silly, eh? But I was desperate.
I knew this was a long shot, but I was fraught with anxiety and looked for anything to help me, but it was
to no avail.
I wrote to Pak John asking him about my little Chinese blood in me. As expected, he never replied. I tried
several other avenues, but they also found a dead-end.
I did, however, finally receive a letter from him telling me in effect that he was unable to teach me
anymore because of his ancestor spirit’s insistence and long standing rule. There were some other things
he said, but ended with saying “Your Teacher” and wished me luck finding a new path. This really hurt
because not only did I consider him as a beloved teacher, but also a father figure. And now, for loving
him and being devoted to him as I was for over a decade, all I get is his rejection.
I became very angry after this. And I focused all my attention on this prejudiced, vile spirit-demon Pak
John was visiting every Chinese New Year. I wanted to find a way of somehow getting rid of him, but
how? If it were not for him,all this wouldn’t be a problem. Had my teacher not called upon him to appear
every Chinese New Year, all this would not have happened. Yet Pak John still visits with this spirit every
year despite my teacher being removed as the head of the Mo Pai School. I don’t believe it ever occurred
to him to ever consider trying to remove this vile spirit so the world would benefit.
After knowing him as long as I have, I truly believe deep down that he was actually looking forward to
being relieved of his responsibilities from the leadership of the school. I could be way off base, but the
signs are there and clearly illustrated by allowing his alleged beloved school to dwindle to just a few
apathetic students. And because of those lethargic students, I think this may have hastened him not to care
anymore.
I sincerely felt when I met Pak John in November 1989, he was at a desperate point finding himself
without anyone to take over the school. He had literally no Indonesian students that were dedicated
enough to eventually take over the school. And that is exactly when I came along and he accepted me on
the spot, seemingly without hesitation.
Several of the Indonesians students I talked to that knows about the ancestor spirit grandmaster told me
that he was very powerful and thatI shouldn’t berate him in any manner. They said it could be dangerous
for me. I thought this was even more contradictory since the spirit was supposed to be doing kind acts in
order to, allegedly, gain better karma so he could pass onto his next station. So wouldn’t you think he
should be on his best behavior? I do, but we don’t see that whatsoever! Any spirit that purposely causes
great noises to scare the “you know what” out of people, clearly isn’t worthy of respect. A scary entity
should always be treated like any other vile demon.
Andhe’s not done anything worthy of creating good karma for himself. In fact, this spirit has done nothing
but hurt people and create great disappointment.
I also considered the fact that Pak John told me spirits “desire” our yin energy because theydon’t have
any. They’re dead. They have no life force in them anymore. Life is over for them. Yin is like a drug “fix”
for them. They seek to experience what they can’t have on their own. And who has more than enough to go
around? Yeah, Pak John! He said that they will do just about whatever it takes to acquire yin from
humans! Therefore, my teacher’s spirit becomes a clear-cut, one hundred percent demon! I think it is
pretty obvious.
I can remember seeing my teacher about two years after the last time I saw him in November of 2000, he
looked as though he really aged a lot and it surprised me to see such a drastic change in such a short time
and of course, losing your life energy would do this. It’s a no “brainer” to figure this out. And to make
matters worse, Pak John also told me to never believe “any” spirit no matter what! He went on to tell me
spirits will “always” either fool you and/or use you for solely for the purpose of obtaining life energy.
Well, since my teacher’s ancestor spirit is most definitely a demon it would stand to reason that Pak John
is being "used" for the purposes of being a “yin bank” for his alleged ancestor spirit.
What transpired originally to get us to where we are today? Pak John had to make a promise to his teacher
that he would never teach non-Chinese. The reason for this was allegedly because in the beginning the
“Western” world originally had exclusive possession of the nai gong knowledge. For whatever reason,
they wound up misusing it and allegedly God took it away and gave it to the Chinese exclusively,but this
doesn’t make since whatsoever.
I later realized that this had to be contradictory because Pak John’s and his highest level student are only
part Indonesian. He may be a Chinese descendant (like me and look a lot more Asian than I), but he is still
not one hundred percentChinese. Pak John’s teacher came to Indonesia knowing he was going to a nonChinese country and would pass on the nai gong knowledge to students who were not Chinese! Don’t
figure! If he was supposed to pass on the this training to only Chinese, then he violated his promise as
well. Yet here he was in a foreign country and taught John anyway.
However, if God took the ancient nai gong knowledge away from the Western world, it would be
unprecedented in the history of mankind. And if it were true that Western man did misuse this knowledge,
God always allows people to eventually return to their senses, which then in turn allows sin to strengthen
us.
Sin or violation of his laws is a way to illustrate your devotion to God or a lack of it. Taking away
something that is for the benefit of mankind doesn’t corroborate with this. God is a God of forgiveness
and always restores what we lost.
Also, if man misused this knowledge, God isn’t known for punishing those that came after the offenders.
Man’s sin(s) always fall on the shoulders of those that committed the sin, not on the innocent. The
innocent may feel some of the results of their forefathers, but they are not guilty!
And this is the case with Pak John’s alleged story. God always restores everything when we abide by His
Word no matter who ruined it before us. God provided knowledge to do His work on this earth and nai
gong is just such a gift. So how could this be removed when it was meant for the entire world? God only
punishes those that misuse the gifts He give us, not a whole civilization that came thousands of years
afterward.
Think about it. Man, no matter what country he’s from, has “always” misused literally all of God’s gifts
and never once has he removed them. Yes, he punished people, but the gifts are still there waiting to be
restored when they turn around.
The fact that Pak John ignored his direct promise would indicate he misused his responsibility. And God
didn’t take his leadership from Pak John because he would restore it when he turns around. So this has to
be totally on the shoulders of the ancestor spiritdemon grandmaster. Therefore, it wasn’t God’s decision.
Anyway, God allows for a person to make up for his mistakes. We can make them over and over for many
years before we finally pay for it. The ancestor spirit has clearly violated God’s laws, and my teacher
seems apathetic about it.
Pak John’s promise could not be made to the spirit because the spirit didn’t initiate the need for the
promise, since it was allegedly God who initiated it. Therefore, the ancestor spirit isn’t the keeper of
anything,and John’s promise is made completely void.
Consequently, we can know for certain that John’s vile spirit- demon is supporting another agenda from
what God intended. The spirit-demons clearly illustrates his intentions by keeping the knowledge of nai
gong out of the hands of those that can and will help mankind. And this would violate God’s intentions.
Anyway, this is what demons do. They work to thwart God’s plan and “isolate” anything good from it,
and then make it look like God did it. This is a clear sign Pak John’s ancestor is not who he thinks he is. I
also think that since I was getting close to advancing to the fourth level, the ancestor spirit probably knew
I would take this knowledge out of his isolated control to help mankind. And because of that I believe he
wanted to stop me. All of the other Western students are inconsequential because they were still in the
beginning stages and nothing to worry about. They have a long way to go still. So this spirit isn’t going to
be troubled by them. Besides, he’s allowed Westerners to know the first two levels.
Spirits only have real power over you when you let them. They don’t have the power to change history.
We do. Since my teacher obeys the spirit-demons, this gives power to the spirit. God says that we must
“ignore” them and not to have anything to do with them and they will eventually go away.
Because my teacher isn’t willing to stay away from the spirit, obviously God can’t trust him. So this could
mean that it was God who removed Pak John and not the spirit. However, God will restore his position
when he stands up against the spirit.
Until then, the spiritdemon stepped in and “called” an ex- student of Pak John’s to take over the school,
despite the fact he left him over twenty years ago. And, to make matters worse, this student literally
“hates” Westerners. In other words, the spirit really dug in deep, making it even harder for the Western
world to attain this knowledge when it is in reality our right to have it!
I am very upset that my teacher never mentioned the possibilities of his demise as head of the Mo Pai
should I be accepted as a student. He should have told me he had originally promised his teacher that he
was only supposed to teach strictly Chinese. This single issue is very upsetting, not to mention something I
could never do to someone else. Now, because he accepted me as a student, he was in trouble and never
said a thing to me.
The implications of all this are enormous. The entire situation is full of illogical and lousy behavior. I
keep asking myself why a man would ignore his beloved teacher (Liao), especially when he looked at him
as a father figure, make a promise to him, and then break it for some stranger (me). It just does not make
since. What does make since, maybe God intended for me to arrive at his doorstep to be a part of the
process of reestablishing nai gong to the world. Also, John didn’t realize that since God is in control of
all things, then obviously it was God who allowed John to accept me.
What kind of person ignores all this and then promises to teach people knowing there is a chance that
everything might come falling down on himself? Who in their right mind would take such a chance of
hurting their life and the lives of others? Every direction you go, things just don’t favor the spirit.
The ancestor spirit not only removed Pak John as the head of the school, but also banished him from
teaching anyone! Now, the Mo Pai School has been placed in the hands of a man of questionable character
and a man who turned his back on his teacher. And this was the best choice of the ancestor spirit?
Putting all this together, both my teacher and his spirit are clearly not the best choice for the direction of
the Mo Pai School. Look at all the disappointment and pain everyone has suffered. Mind you, pain and
suffering has been historically associated with demons, and not from God.
No matter what I did or reasoned, it really set me back for a long time. After thirteen years of dedicated
training and traveling umpteen thousands of miles for my training, I was now finished? I wish I could say I
was glad to be finished with the whole thing, but my dream is still very strong within me. I am unable to
just walk away, and I am “not” going to walk away like the other Western students! I am going to fight!
And while I am fighting I have to consider the enormous battle ahead of me. I am facing a demonic,
dominating spirit with vast power. However, I have God on my side and this will protect me.
Now that this is all out in the open, it may be a good thing to have happened, because maybe I can find a
new teacher without his allegiance to a demonic spirit. And if I can’t find one then I must somehow find a
way to cancel my teacher’s vile, ancestor spirit.
I tried calling Pak John on numerous occasions, but always had trouble catching him, which never seemed
to be a huge problem before. I found he was suffering with a kidney health problems and was traveling
back and forth to China for medical attention. His voice sounded weak, unhealthy and very distant to me.
And then it occurred to me that he was either harboring guilt and/or resentment. I have a tendency to think
along the lines it may have been mostly guilt. How so? He knew only too well how important my training
was to me.
Through all this, you can’t help but consider the fact that all this is just another affirmation that my teacher
isn’t the immortal so many people have claimed and realize he isn’t the man for the job.
He is just an ordinary man with all the frailties of any human demonstrating it by not always doing the
“right” thing, and not having the courage to face me. And this is unacceptable as a teacher and human
being. I won’t allow myself to suffer because of someone’s poor ethics. This makes me more determined
to accomplish what is rightfully mine or for that matter, anyone else’s. The chance to learn what God has
given to us for the benefit of mankind cannot be thwarted by people who hate another race, cowards or a
vile spirit! I must prevail against such adversity because it is the right thing to do!
I know it isn’t going to be easy getting my teacher to stand up for what is right. In fact, I know it will be an
uphill battle. He has a cadre of people protecting him while being blind to many things around him.
I can’t help but feel those that support my teacher especially target me because I am close to the “magical”
fourth level, which apparently makes them look bad. Anyway, people usually act this way when envious.
And to make matters worse, people don’t consider or recognize their prejudice position. To think that a
two thousand year old school still produces jealous students seems all too modern. I guess life never
changes.
Chapter 25
My last trip to Indonesia to visit my teacher was in April of ‘98 (However, I found myself going back
again in 2010). It turned out to be the most surprising and supernatural trip I’ve ever experienced. It did,
however, get started on a bad note, maybe an indication of things to come later.
I called Pak John before I booked my flight and tried to arrange a meeting with him. He said it was a bad
time to come because of the student riots in the cities as of late. He said to call again the following month.
When I did, he indicated it was probably safe for me to come.
My plane left the Seattle-Tacoma Airport at 3:45 in the morning! This was the first time my flight left this
early and it was no fun. I had just a couple hours sleep prior and was dragging myself along. When the
plane finally took off, I let out a tired, frustrated breath and then dissolved into my seat as I had so many
other times. I knew I was in for yet another very long arduous flight. However, after evaluating several
different Asian airlines on earlier trips, I found this one airline, Cathy Pacific, to be the most comfortable
and agreeable with me.
As I was trying to relax, the plane ’s altitude crossed my mind. I don’t know why I do that. I really try not
to dwell on it, but try as I do, the anxiety started up from the fact that we would be flying over thirty-five
thousand feet in the air and traveling seven thousand miles over water without a break! As usual, I got
stuck in a childish “what if” mode with good reason I must say.
On one of my previous flights I had taken to Indonesia, the stewardess came over to our section of the
plane just before takeoff. She asked us to move to another location on the plane. Then, after taking off, we
were allowed to return to our assigned seats. I wondered why and reticently wanted off the plane. I forced
myself to reason that it must be all right or the plane wouldn’t move if there was a problem.
After we were well on our way I found myself dozing a little, which was a first. It seems to help me when
I convince myself of the fact that I have never heard of a plane crashing from turbulence. Flying this
distance to the other side of the world, you’re going to hit varying degrees of turbulence. I can’t help
remember I would later encounter more horrific flying experiences on smaller shuttle planes that I had
taken flying back and forth between the Indonesian islands. Those planes I swear, are kept flying with
super-glue and duct tape. However, they seem to make it without drastic problems!
After several forgettable full-length movies on the plane, we finally touched down ten hours later at a
dark, rainy airport in Taiwan; we had an overnight layover. Everyone was tired as we left the plane.
Security was tight. Immigration officers got those of us that had an overnight layover into a manageable
group. There was about twenty altogether. We were led through the airport like a cattle drive to waiting
buses. We were watched ominously through the entire ordeal. I wasn’t sure if the security officers were
tired or just conditioned to look that way. I realized later, after many experiences with security, that they
are conditioned to look that way. When they are on duty, I found there isn’t anything I could do to be on
friendly terms with them, not that I needed to. I just thought it was amusing. They all seem to be from the
same mold performing their duties as though you are a potential threat, and this was before 9/11.
Then, we were taken to a well-kept government owned, highrise hotel for the night. After finally making it
to my room, I then found that my bed was similar to those display beds in stores, the kind that are made of
a wooden box in the shape of a bed and covered with a decorative blanket. However, I was too tired to
care, it was very late. And then,I noticed that my room’s internal fan system would not turn off. There was
a constant draft and I was cold the rest of the night. Calling the front desk, they said there were no other
rooms available for me to switch and someone would come up to fix the problem. They never came! I
was too weary to make a big deal about it. I thought, this is only temporary and I would make the best of
it.
I walked over to the window to view the city from my fourteenth floor room, it was too dark and rainy.
Despite how late and drained as I was, I still wanted to see something I wouldn’t ordinarily. So I
wandered down to the huge lobby to look around. I always like to stroll about as much as I can to get a
feeling of the ambiance whenever I am in another country. However, I was acting on brain dead autopilot
to get much of anything. Plus, they wouldn’t let me step outside to see the grounds of the hotel because I
didn’t have a visa for entering Taiwan. We’re supposed to remain inside the hotel under strict visa laws.
It probably was a good thing. I might have been carrying a bomb.
Security officers were still wide awake while standing by all the doors even at this very early hour in the
morning, and would remain guarding at their respective positions for the entire time we were there. It
certainly was a strange feeling.
The next morning brought a feeling of exhilaration as we were notified by phone to come down to the
dining room for breakfast. Upon arriving, there was an enormous display of unfamiliar Chinese breakfast
treats waiting for everyone. It was really the only nice thing that happened at the hotel. Shortly afterward,
we were called to board the buses at 9:00 A.M. to return to the airport. I was thrilled to be finally leaving
on my next flight; I still had another long trip to the island of Bali. Despite that, I was refreshed and
looked forward to being in my teacher’s presence once again. I knew this visit would include a testto see
how far I’ve progressed, but more importantly, I hoped there would be “more” training. I was really
hopeful and focused on this aspect.
Having practiced diligently for the last year, I was confident and felt ready. I knew I would do better than
my last testing, but I wasn’t sure how much better?
About four hours remained on my flight, I closed my eyes and kept trying to get some sleep with luck. So I
sat back and reflected on my past experiences with my teacher and felt the excitement I always get from
the anticipation.
When I finally landed at the ever familiar small, Indonesian airport, I felt surprisingly good despite the
lengthy flight. For some reason the flight had not been as bad as it usually had been in the past. Maybe I
am getting used to it. And one of the things I’ve finally achieved is gettingmy luggage down to a science.
My little “carry-on” is all I take with me. I just get off the plane and go straightaway to my taxi. No
waiting around for luggage.
My heart was pumping with excitement as I got closer to a favorite hotel of mine. Checking in, I found
most of the staff still working there from my last trip a couple years prior, and they remembered me. It
was like revisiting some old friends.
Once in my room, I called my teacher, and guess what, he wasn’t there! His son said he would be
returning tomorrow. I should have reckoned for this to happen. After all, my teacher has a history of taking
off without notice, and you never know when he will return. I hoped this would not be a repeat of having
to wait a several days as I have in the past.
The next morning I called again, he still had not returned. Yep, it turned out to be a repeat. I waited four
more days! I was disturbed, but knew this was to be expected. My original schedule was to stay only five
days with him. Then, I planned another week in Bali. Yeah! From there, I would go onto Australia for
another five days to visit Dicky and his father (this was before I knew better). Then, I would finally return
to Bali for another couple days before finally returning home. That’s what I had planned, but it didn’t
work out as usual!
When Pak John finally returned home he wanted me to stay for hisyoungest daughter’s wedding. I didn’t
want to say no because I felt it was very important to him so I went through the trouble of changing my
entire schedule. I am somewhat glad I did. It was a special time I could share with him and made me feel
as if I was part of his family. But later on,I was troubled because I don’t like when people make you jump
hoops for them and never consider your feelings.
While waiting in Surabaya, I was able to reacquaint myself with my old friend Franky. After I had
returned home in 1996, Franky had met a woman, rather, it was one of those cultural “arranged” meetings
set up by the two families; and they hit it off and married in 1997. When I arrived on this trip, she was
pregnant, but I didn’t realize she was ready to give birth. So when I got a call from my friend telling me to
meet him at the hospital, I was really excited. I can’t help but remember his quivering voice as he
excitedly told me and then rushed off. I took a taxi to the hospital and was really surprised to see such a
modern“less” condition of the hospital (I was expecting something different). It didn’t matter. It was part
of the ambience of the city and I relished this.
I found Franky nervously standing outside the delivery room as I walked down a long corridor. When I
met him we hugged, and I could tell he was really beside himself. It was at this moment I began to really
get excited because I was part of this event. In a way it reminded me when my daughter was born.
After we stood there a while, they wheeled her out and took her into another room where we were able to
visit with her. I felt fortunate to have been there to share this time with my friend when he had one of the
greatest moments in his life. I didn’t have a lot of money to spare for this unexpected event, but gave him
fifty bucks as a baby gift which is about the equivalent of a couple weeks’ wages for him. He was grateful
and expressed his appreciation while trying to control his excitement for his new child. It was kind of
humorous.
After Pak John “finally” returned home and I went to see him, he asked me to stay longer than I planned in
Surabaya because Dr. Lawrence Blair was coming to see him and wanted me to meet him; and then,he
wanted me to come to his daughter’s wedding party as well. This trip had a full slate I wasn’t prepared
for. Nevertheless, I had the chance to meet Dr. Blair. This was great because I had wanted to meet him for
several years, but things hadn’t worked out as I had hoped, but always felt it was inevitable.
Lawrence was coming to interview Pak John for another documentary and a book project exclusively
about my teacher’s life and his incredible abilities (this was what was planned, but didn’t turn out this
way). I was excited at this opportunity, but there went my week in Bali, but maybe on my way back from
Australia I could find some time for Bali.
Several of us went with Henky to the airport to pick up Dr. Blair. Then, Henky took us all out to a very
nice restaurant for lunch. I sat next to the doctor and expected him, being British, to be a little arrogant and
stuffy. I soon learned he was none of that. He was actually a very congenial and friendly bloke.
We talked for a long time. And in our conversation he surprised me when he said, I was the very first
Westerner ever to be admitted into Pak John’s school. All these years, and I had never realized this. This
made me feel very special because foreigners had not been allowed to enter the school prior to me! Then
Dr. Blair said because of this he wanted to get an interview with me on tape for his up-coming
documentary. Now, I was really blown away.
The next morning, Dr. Blair and several others arrived at my hotel room. The Doctor thought my room’s
tropical patio would make a beautiful backdrop for the interview. It was enjoyable and made me feel kind
of special being included in his documentary. He also wanted to tape my test at Pak John’s home the next
day.
After the interview, we all sat in the patio for a while discussing some of the projects Dr. Blair was
currently working on. He told me he received his doctorate in anthropology, but has interests in several
other areas of science. His work had literally taken him around the world several times. He’s written
several books and has a successful series of documentary videos about his ten year adventure discovering
some of the arcane aspect of lost knowledge and other unusual things throughout Indonesia. He’s a real
globetrotting adventurer doing exactly what he enjoys, which I really envy! I really appreciated meeting
him and had wanted to for a long time; he is such a fascinating person.
One of Lawrence’s current projects (at that time) was a documentary on the giant squid. He said they are
extremely rare, and science doesn’t know much about them. He obtained the use of a deep sea diving sub
that had the capacity to search some of the lowest depths in the Pacific Ocean. When he completed that
project, he said he would be returning to finish his documentary about my teacher’s life.
The next morning, I received a call from Henky. He invited me and Lawrence to his house for lunch. His
lovely wife, Hilda, had prepared a terrific Indonesian lunch. There were several Indonesian dishes that I
had never experienced, and I was eager to taste them.
We were served coconut juice in the shell, with sweet syrup to flavor the coconut juice; it was quite a
treat. I figured if Hilda had gone to all that trouble preparing the food, far be it that I should eat just a little
bit! So if she kept passing food to me, it is my duty to keep eating. Everyone continued talking after they
were sufficiently full. They probably knew from my prior visits I would continue eating.
As we sat at the table, the discussion of my test came up and I found out it was going to take place later
that evening. Prior to our discussion, I had little knowledge or input of what I was going to do for the
demonstration, which I unexpectedly found out.
Henky dropped a bomb! He told me I was going to be shot. What? Get shot? I was stunned. What the heck
were they talking about? I knew about it, but I didn’t think I was ready for it yet. Am I supposed to be
ready now? I was told by someone that it was necessary to demonstrate my level of my development by
being shot!
This was something I struggled with for the rest of the day. In fact, I was getting a headache from
wrestling with the idea. I tried to convince myself that my teacher would not do anything that would be
injurious to me. Didn’t matter, I continued to fret about it. Finally, when I got back to the hotel after lunch,
I took some extra strength headache pills and finally got rid of my pounding headache.
I recalled a conversation with Pak John several years ago about some of this shooting business. He told
me about his students who had to go through the same things I am about to experience. It was no problem
according to him and acted very nonchalant about it. Not being able to relate, I felt it was a little too
surreal for me. I had always felt being shot was quite a few years away, and I sort of put it out of my
mind.
I remember a funny situation Pak John told me once. He had allowed his students to take their best shot
hitting him in the face. I know, it sounds pretty odd, but this is one way to convincingly illustrate your
chi’s protective power. He wanted to demonstrate to his students how your inner energy can protect you.
He said he normally used a certain percentage of his chi to do this. The chi causes a barrier of protection
so you won’t get hurt.
Up to that point in the demonstration, everything was just as he calculated. However, one of his rather
large students wound up and blasted him with a very heavy shot he wasn’t expecting. He said he was
shaken a little bit and didn’t want his students to recognize what had happened. He miscalculated and
used a lesser percentage of his protective energy that was insufficient for this student’s level of strength.
He thought what he was using would be enough, but learned quickly of his miscalculation. What little he
did use still protected him quite a bit. He said he hated to think what would have happened if had used
less power.
Henky called again, he said he was going to take everyone out again to another restaurant for dinner later
that evening before my demonstration. I tried to reciprocate the offer, but he wouldn’t have it.
After picking me up, we drove back to Henky’s house to wait for Lawrence to get ready. While waiting in
his living room, Henky left and quickly returned with a rifle. At first, I had no idea why Henky was
carrying a rifle. Then, he walked toward me with it and stop directly in front of me extending his arms.
There was no misunderstanding about this, he was handing the rifle to me! Why? I wondered almost out
loud? He said, “For the demonstration.” If I were going to be using it for my test, why was he giving it to
me now? Why not just put it in the trunk of the car and give it to me later? I was perplexed and couldn’t
relate to his reasoning.
It reminded me of some World War II stories I had read about. When Nazi’s transported Jews on trains to
different death camps in Germany, without realizing it, the Jews traveled with items for their
extermination. After arriving at the phony concentration camps, they were fed their last meal. My scenario
seemed suspiciously familiar. Nah, everyone likes me, I kept telling myself.
We all packed into Henky’s car and drove off to the death camp, I mean restaurant. Despite its appeal and
exotic food I had difficulty trying to enjoy eating or absorb myself in the conversation. What would have
normally been exciting, now, I was instead using it to cover my apprehension while wrestling with my
emotions with what was about to happen.
Chapter 26
We finally arrived a t my teacher’s home about 8:30 P.M. after a big dinner (I usually eat a lot when I
have emotional issues going on). Feeling stuffeddidn’t help matters. I always like to let things settle down
before going on to do other things after eating big meals. But I couldn’t! The temperature was still warm
outside and my hands were sweaty as I carried the rifle into the house. I felt really strange with all these
things going on.
We were seated and served hot tea, as if I needed it. Many of Pak John’s usual groupies and close friends
were there waiting to witness the demo/death.I couldn’t bring myself to say much and remained passive.
Wide-eyed, I followed along as my teacher dictated the course of conversation and events. It seemed as
though time was dragging as I waited for the conversations to die down so we could get this over and
move onto something more exciting.
After a while, the conversations began to ebb. Then, my teacher reached over and picked up the rifle that
was next to me. Without saying a word, as everyone began to take notice, he started pumping up the air
rifle, and then loaded it with a pellet and the conversations died down. He spoke in Indonesian to one of
the people standing next to him. He left and came back with a large coffee can and placed it on a table
several feet away in front of us. Pak John took aim, telling those who were directly in back of the can to
move out of the way. Some of these guys were a little slow as if they were unconcerned. No sooner had
they moved to the side when we all heard, Wham! The shot blew a hole totally through both sides of the
large coffee can! Two of the men scrambled to pick it up to examine the holes that went through both
sides. Not me, I waited quietly. I already knew the power of this type of air rifle from when I was a
teenager, and knew how dangerous they can be.
Then, Pak John motioned for me to stand next to him. He began demonstrating what he wanted me to do.
He wanted me to cup my hand while holding the end of the rifle barrel. I’m supposed to catch the pellet as
it was fired from the end of the barrel into my unprotected palm! And then, he started pumping the rifle
again. But this time when he reached the point where he had stopped pumping prior to blowing a hole
through the can, he continued pumping up the pressure even more. And during this time I couldn’t stop
thinking how easily it went through both sides of the “metal” can. And now my naked palm was the next
target! He continued. Finally, he stopped. Putting the rifle down, he came over to check my chi level at the
lower base of my spine. Then, he had me place my cupped hand over the exiting end of the barrel with my
extremely hesitant intention of supposedly catching the pellet in my palm. I naively condensed my breath
and forced it to my lower stomach. Just at that moment, Blam! The rifle fired. Everyone was silent waiting
for me to react so they could breathe. When I did finally move, everyone seemed to exhale a loud
“Whew!” Then, they began to talk excitedly about what they had just witnessed.
I stood there wondering why I hadn’t felt anything. Being unfamiliar with this, I looked at my palm and
then turned my hand over and check the other side. I didn’t see anything, maybe the rifle malfunctioned I
thought. What happened? Did it miss me, but how could it? I was holding my hand over the end of the
barrel. I stood there completely bewildered.
Then, Pak John asked me to give him the pellet, he wanted to examine it. However, I didn’t have it, and
the reason why I didn’t have it was because I didn’t feel it, or see any mark on my palm. It was difficult to
believe a pellet was actually fired. He knew different and came over and examined the floor directly in
front of me. As he was looking I saw an odd shaped pellet by my feet. He picked it up and held so I could
see it. It was smashed! I couldn’t believe it. And I felt absolutely nothing! How could this be? I thought. I
stood there mystified, studying my palm trying to look more closely and still found no indication of a
mark.
As I was examining all this, I didn’t notice that Pak John once again began pumping up the rifle. And when
I did notice, I thought who was he going to shoot now and looked around? And to my surprise no one
stepped forward. Uh-oh, he motioned for me to turn toward him and pull up my shirt to expose my
stomach. Yikes, what I was afraid of, it was me again!
Just as I forced my chi down again, Blam! The rifle fired. I was almost not ready. Maybe it was a good
thing. This time, I did feel something, but ever so slightly like a puff of air. It happened so fast I was not
able to ready myself mentally.
I found out that if your chi is adequately developed it automatically protects you if you are scared or angry
whether you are conscious of protecting yourself. But when not in danger you have to summon it on your
own in order to protect you. I was nervous enough to qualify for being scared. So my inner chi knew I had
to be protected and then performed its natural purpose.
Ever yone cheered in a chorus of “oohs and aahs,” remarking how they could see my skin bounce from the
high powered pellet rifle. And once again, the pellet was found by my feet and examined by several
people. It was smashed as well. My teacher also examined my stomach. A very small, pin point, red spot
appeared. However, I still had not felt a thing. At this rate, I could have been shot all night, as long as the
chi protected me, and Pak John didn’t become tired pumping the rifle.
It sure was a strange feeling standing in front of a loaded rifle with people watching. I won’t ever forget
that “Kodak” moment!
After this event everyone moved to one of the two camcorders that had recorded the entire event. Heads
were jammed around each tiny replay screen, reliving the moment over and over on tape. They were
commenting excitedly about what had just happened. Much of what they were saying was in Indonesian
and I couldn’t understand.
Later, my teacher pulled a tape measure from his pocket and motioned for me to come over to him so he
could measure my arm. I knew what I was about to do now. It was all too familiar. He used a calculator
to figure out the exact distance I was to stand from my target, it was about eight feet. A chair was brought
and the back part was placed in front of me at the precise end of the tape measured distanced that Pak
John calculated. I now stood behind the chair about two feet with my right palm directly above the back of
the chair. Someone was placed just to the side of the chair to make sure I would not lean forward past the
back of the chair. An empty drinking glass was placed on top of a long table. It had a heavy, one-inch
thick, glass top. He wanted me to “move” the drinking glass to see how much I had developed since the
last time I did this. I remember wondering why he would use a glass.
That night I felt really positive and knew I was going to knock it off the table and break it easily. It was
only later that I realized just how confident I really felt because I was truly on an emotional high after
being invincible from flying bullets.
I did all my necessary preparations, followed by a deep breath and pushed my chi down into my dan tien,
and then quickly thrust my palm toward the glass. By doing it in this fashion, it literally “shoots” the chi
out from your palm. You can also pull things toward you by changing your hand movement. (This can be
seen in a “YouTube” clip from a demonstration I did some years ago). The method of pulling objects
toward you is to leave your arm in front of you with your palm directly facing your intended target, and
then take a deep breath, and again push your energy down into your dan tien. Then, as you let out your
breath, you simultaneously twist your palm forcing your energy out your palm.
When I thrust my energy at the glass it flew off to the side rather than directly backward, indicating I was
off center. Checking the position of my palm, I then performed a few practice movements. When I thought
I was properly centered I let it go. This time, I was a little low, but still knocked the glass backward
crashing it against the wall, breaking it. Then it fell to the floor and broke into more pieces. Pak John ran
up to the table. He was not looking at the broken pieces of glass on the floor behind the counter. He was
looking at the thick glass table top. What was that all about? I thought. Then, he was motioning for me and
the others to come take a look. While I wasn’t aware exactly what else happened, evidently he saw
something else occur. The power of the chi hitting the drinking glass too low inadvertently broke the inchthick glass table top! He had expected my chi only to move the glass a little, but never considered what
might happen to the glass top. However, he was amazed and acted very excited, not to mention how good
I felt, but at the same time embarrassed for breaking an obviously expensive glass top. Again, the clamor
ensued with the replay on the small video camera screens to relive the experience one more time. And
Lawrence had taped the entire event as well.
The second recording on video showed something rather strange that the first one hadn’t recorded. There
is a single frame that clearly shows what looks like a bolt of lightning extending from my hand to the glass
cup. My teacher wanted me to see the impressive power of the chi in action. He explained that the chi is
so fast that your eyes can’t detect its flash, only a camera can when it is in a single frame of the video.
After all was calming down, I noticed Pak John withdrawing from the group to sit next to a large coffee
table in the living room. He sat down on the floor with his legs folded under the table. Without a word,
my teacher’s friend, Henky, walked over producing two very old, historical looking knives; the larger one
was placed on the table in front of Pak John, and then Henky backed away. My teacher pulled the knife
from its wooden sheath and balanced it on top of it. He then glared intently at it and began moving his lips
saying something I couldn’t hear, much less understand. Ididn’t want to move any closer. I feared I would
interrupt his concentration. All eyes were frozen on the knife on the table not knowing what to expect.
Suddenly, the knife whirled in a circular motion all by itself! I was looking closely to see if a breath had
moved it or just what might have moved it. I reasoned that if it were a breath, it would have wobbled a
little at first before gaining speed to turn all the way around and then slow down. It didn’t do any of that.
What made it authentic was the fact that it turned several times turning at the same speed without slowing
down whatsoever and didn’t fall off the narrow, arched sheath and then it instantly stopped.
I looked at his hands. They were neatly folded in his lap. No movement there. No detected strings or
magnets either. I saw no inhaled or exhaled breath because he was saying a quiet prayer. There were no
visible signs of trickery. We were left with one conclusion. It had turned on its own accord as it was
summoned to do. I was stunned after what I had just seen and realized the magnitude of the event. He let
out a slight breath of air as he relaxed and said, “Yessss.” A slight smile of satisfaction crossed his
mouth.
The knives are known as “Keris.” When they are created, they are imbued with the energy from its highly
skilled creator. These knife creators, like my teacher, must have great chi power in order to imbue an
object with their chi energy. It was said to me there were only two men in all of Indonesia that have the
ability to control this energy by speaking to it, and my teacher is one of them.
During special times of the year there is great fervor as hoards of people gather to be a part of a
ceremonial washing of these knives at certain temples throughout Indonesia. The attendants that do this
wash these knives in water which is made up of arsenic and flower petals. Stories abound about how the
water can impart a protective factor to those who wash themselves in the water. There are also many
stories of owners who are directly protected from accidents and dangerous encounters from just owning a
knife. These knives are famous for their mysterious powers of protection not only here in Indonesia, but
throughout many parts of Asia. And because of that they are highly sought after by many people who will
spend vast amounts of money to personally own one. On the more odious side as well, these knives have
been used by owners for killing people as well, according to legends. And I’ve read of accounts from
other parts of Asia that described some of these deliberate assassinations by their owners while no one
was aware of who did it.
This power is not only confined to knives. Chi energy can also be imparted into paintings, and the more
well-known in China, calligraphy. We in the West are totally unfamiliar with what is wellknown in many
areas of Asia. And this is an extremely esoteric subject to understand, let alone know about its existence. I
was talking to one of my wife’s friends who is Malaysian. She related to us that she is also familiar with
the “Keris” in her country as well. So the knowledge of these knives appears to be pervasive over all
Asia.
Sometimes you’ll see on occasion calligraphy letters painted on long scrolls of paper draped about
doorways on Asian homes or draped on big entrance gateways. Normally, these signs are not for the
average citizen to read, they are specifically made up for unlawful people. They are signs of warning with
“imbued” energy that would cause others to be unable to enter through the doorway.
All of these signs nowadays are nothing more than distant memories representing a time passed. Today,
they are simply ceremonial tradition without the purpose they were first used for. We just don’t have
enough of these highly developed men around who can do this any longer. And those few who are still
around seem to have other more important things going on. People can readily get these banners almost
anywhere today from any calligraphy artist.
Many people throughout Asia know about these knives and are called by different names in their
respective countries. I know that Indonesia, Malaysia, Tibet and China all have these special, highly
soughtafter knives.
During these yearly celebrations when the Kerises are washed, the huge jugs of water they were washed
in isn’t thrown away, but rather is placed before awaiting anxious crowds who literally fight off one
another to wash their faces, and any other part of their body they can. Many sick people will try and come
to this yearly event in hopes to help heal their maladies. Some will also lap up any remaining residue with
their tongues as well. To see this event, the word chaotic comes to mind.
With all the history behind these special knives, still only a few people actually own them, as they are
extremely rare. My teacher has been called upon to use his highly developed energy skills to determine if
alleged “Kerises” are genuine or not. He somehow calls upon their imbued energy spirit to demonstrate
its power.
Then, Henky removed the knife from the table and replaced it with a smaller knife. This time, Pak John
left the knife within its old wooden scabbard. Whether this was done to dismiss any doubt by leaving it in
the scabbard is uncertain. Again he repeated what appeared to be similar whispering commands. But this
time I stood closer to try and hear his actual words. No luck. Not only was I not able to hear his words
exactly, but they were spoken in Indonesian, so it wouldn’t matter even if I did hear clearly.
Unexpectedly, without anyone close, the knife quickly came out several inches exposing the entire blade
and then abruptly stopped! Seeing this left me awestruck for a few moments. I thought to myself, this
probably could have been easily faked by a magician. They use illusions to make people think they have
magical powers. However, Pak John does not use stage prepared props. He is able to demonstrate his
abilities any place and at any time, using real abstruse powers we are totally unfamiliar with.
This wasn’t intended as the finale, but that was it. My demonstration had ended earlier, and my teacher
always demonstrates a few things for his students. What a night! Knives moving on their own, rifle pellets
bouncing off me, knocking things around without touching them! It was almost too much to imagine, I was
really on a high.
I shall never forget this special evening! Being with this wonderworker, having all this happen before me
had left me in a state of bewilderment, and it’s not over yet! There will be many more exciting and strange
events to witness in the years to come as I continue on my journey into this strange reality.
It was late by this time. Everyone was leaving, talking as they walked out to their cars. While waiting for
a ride back to my hotel, I was forced into superficial conversation with people who had already seen
enough of for the night. They had by now returned to their own reality, and talked about what was
important to them. I, on the other hand, wanted to continue talking about what had just happened, as I was
still quite unsettled. I did reconcile my mind somewhat, thinking I would be back in my room where I was
free from distraction. Then, I could ruminate on these mind boggling, esoteric experiences.
Even today, it’s still hard for me to believe how fortunate I am, knowing that I have experienced what few
men will ever know or even witness. I remain in awe of what has happened during my visits to this
strange, far off land with this most unusual superhuman. I continue my training with feelings of
accomplishment and amazement. Even as a grown man, I have not lost the feeling of wonderment. As far
back as I can remember, when I was a child, I have always wanted to fly. Maybe I just might experience
my childhood dream…
Epilogue
It has always been my belief that the knowledge of chi gong and nai gong is from God. And despite
people’s bias, God has given to us gifts to help mankind. And both nai gong and chi gong are among the
many gifts we are responsible for.
No knowledge can benefit mankind when it is hoarded or isolated by anyone. This is a crime against our
fellow man and God. And when people hide God’s knowledge, they do a great disservice to him or any of
the plethora of the gods people follow. But all roads in any religion lead to “charity” toward others. This
is the greatest law of God.
Therefore, mankind’s greatest obligation to one another is to help each other while achieving a closer
relationship with our God. And this can only be accomplished through the knowledge and having God’s
gifts available to everyone.
It is my desire to find master’s throughout China and the rest of the world in order to do the will of God
and/or create good karma for those that never looked at chi development from the perspective I’ve
presented.
I am supplying my email address in order to try and facilitate my goal:
[email protected]
If you can help, please contact me.