Another So-Called "Chi Master" Pretends to Have Powers
This video was shot in 1987. It features a teacher in Chicago who is claiming to have chi powers that he does not have.
I would give him $5,000 to make me move around with his chi like the guy in the video.
I have seen this teacher on Facebook several years ago and he was combative and insulting. That is hardly what you would expect from someone who has tapped into secret universal energy.
Judge for yourselves.Ā Ā
What Happens When You Believe Chi Will Protect You?
Here's a video that shows what happens when "chi" is put to the reality test. Apparently, the Yellow Bamboo folks -- the guys in the yellow shirts -- believe that when an attacker comes near, they can use their chi to stop them.
It's hard to believe that anyone still buys this fraud, but people being people, they still do. Check it out, and at one point you can hear someone connected to Yellow Bamboo (I assume) sounding amazed that the attacker could touch the chi guy.
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I Wish I Hadn't Seen This Video of Ma Yu Liang
Well, color me disappointed. Perhaps a shade of disillusionment, too. I've always enjoyed reading about the famous tai chi master Ma Yu Liang. He passed away back in the 1990s at more than 90 years of age. He still practiced push hands even past the age of 90.
So I always had the impression of someone with great skill. I'm sure he had great skill. It's unfortunate and sad that some video clips on YouTube show him doing push hands with partners who either have no skill whatsoever or who are playing along to pretend the master is using great power.
I'm actually sorry that I saw this. Why does this type of demo have to happen?
The Further Dumbing Down of America
On Wednesday, Oct. 24, a new show will debut on NBC involving Uri Geller, who claims to be able to bend things (like spoons) with his mind. He's teaming up with magician Criss Angel for a new show calledĀ Phenomenon.
Geller became famous in the Sixties and Seventies with his famous bending trick, and everyone assumed he could actually bend spoons with his mind, because Americans can be easily fooled (ummm, like when they believe in chi masters and chi "healing"). Johnny Carson was a magician and with the help of James Randi, heĀ exposed Geller to be a fraud on national TV.
Geller has survived because there are a lot of people who believe this type of garbage no matter what the facts show (ummm, see the above comment about chi masters), and in this new show, he and Angel will be searching for people who possess miraculous and supernatural powers.
This will be very interesting.
James Randi is still around. He exposes frauds all the time (like chi masters who claim to knock people down ...
The Power of Belief in Chi
Dr. Tom Morris received his Ph.D. in both Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. For more than 15 years, he was a Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame.
In one of his books, he writes about the power of belief and tells the story of when he bought a gas grill. The delivery men from Sears wouldn't hook up the propane tank because of the dangers. So Tom hooked it up, holding his breath while he worked so he wouldn't breathe any fumes. After a minute he would walk away and breathe clean air, then go back to the grill. He accidentally took a few breaths while at the grill and could smell the propane. The fumes began making him light-headed and he began feeling sick, and even when he hooked the tank up, he could still smell the gas.
He called Sears to report the problem. They asked, "Where did you fill up the tank?" He hadn't filled up the tank, and didn't realize that Sears delivers a new grill with an empty propane tank.
Tom's family got a big kick out if this, and as ...
A Major Chi Fail
Last year, a student joined our tai chi class who has been involved in the art for decades. He even teaches now, even though he really shouldn't, based on his knowledge of body mechanics.
One night in class we had a discussion of chi, and I explained my views. I said that no one could use chi to make a person move without touching them.
"I can," he said.
"Really? You can make me move without touching me?" I asked.
"Yes, I've done it many times."
"Well, all I can tell you is one, no you haven't, and two, you certainly can't make me move without touching me," I said.
So, with several students watching, he walked up close to me. Very close. His face was inches away from mine, and he held his hands up just a centimeter or two from my face.
Now, the natural human reaction when someone moves so close is to back away, but that's what he expected me to do. Instead, I relaxed and decided that I wasn't going to let the fact that he had violated my space bother me. He kept his hands in fro...
Author - Instructor
Ken Gullette
I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.
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