Dahn Yoga & Tai Chi Centers

**serious harm** · Posted On: 11/21/2004 3:24pm

The diagram in the background of this page, shows spiral energy paths, and is associated with the Taiji classics. I think it could have to do with spiral shaped muscles. But it also has to do with energy flowing in a path. The change of directions, and opening and closing, and expanding and contracting of Taiji flows in a pth, but has been explained as a light switch being turned on and off, changing from Yin to Yang, by current Taiji masters.

http://home.uchicago.edu/~aloria/chansigong.html

It also appears to show either the solar plexus or heart chakra. Heart, mind, and body combined is important in all IMA. IMA should make one fell happy, as well as energised with energy.

**Jekyll** · Posted On: 11/21/2004 3:26pm

If I could -rep you again I would.

**serious harm** · Posted On: 11/21/2004 3:28pm

Yeah, I think I'm at the limit. Why negative rep me now though?

**serious harm** · Posted On: 11/21/2004 3:29pm

One reason to beleive the Chen Wanting story is-

Shuai Chiao is a huge part of Taiji. SHua Chiao is a military art.

A reason to beleive a Wudang or Shaolin connection-

Taijiquan skill is based on meditation. Meditation based on Taiji theory, and buddhist theory.

**serious harm** · Posted On: 11/21/2004 6:59pm

Many martial arts claim to be spiritual when in fact thaey are negative martial arts, that concentrate on hurting people, and are gang affiliated. Taijiquan however, has righteous origins and noble purposes, it is the real shaolin. Created by a general who retreated to the shaolin area when his army lost, or else at retirement. Or else it is totally family lineage martial arts combined with meditation and internal practices, I think maybe.

**Thaiboxerken** · Posted On: 11/23/2004 9:31am

Some info about Dahn Centers and it's founder.

http://www.randi.org/jr/111904the.html

"Well, there's a new Moon on the horizon, with an organization boasting centers in Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Northern California, Texas, and Virginia. His name is Ilchi Lee, aka Seung Heun Lee, founder of Dahn Centers and many other organizations. And he espouses "Brain Respiration," whatever that may be.

His "spiritual name" Ilchi literally means "a finger pointing to the truth," we're told. I have to wonder which finger is being referred to....

Lee's group claims that it's here to "save the world" through "energy" and "healing." This is supposedly done by "sharing love with the world." Lee, not about to ignore one of the tired old favorite canards of the mystics — that humans only use 10% of their brains — says:

I say "find the 90%!" I mean take control of the 90% of your brain that you are still not using. The aim of the development of our brain lies in the installation of Peace. Enlightenment has no meaning if it does not contribute to peace, health and happiness. So where does enlightenment occur? It occurs in our brain. I was struggling to find that answer for twenty years, and the result is Brain Respiration and HSP.

("HSP" is "Heightened Somato-Sensory Perception," in case you're not up on the latest claptrap.)

The "Ilchi Center for Brain Research" sells products such as necklaces and bracelets that they say "help energy flow," a $90 "power brain," and a "portable brain energizer" in the form of a spongy, yellow lump that vibrates and fits in one's palm. Lee preaches that at first, he just "transfers cosmic energy to people." New students have "aura pictures" taken, and they get an "energy checkup" before their "individualized training plan" is created for them. And, Lee has established "Peaceology for Earth Humans," all a part of the huggy, lovey, vague, dreamy, and juvenile atmosphere in which the na�ve and desperate become so easily trapped and submerged.

Lee claims that his center studies the brain, "Brain Respiration," and HSP "in conjunction with the Korea Brain Research Institute, University of California, Harvard Medical Department, and Cornell Medical Department." Frankly, I doubt that claim. Perhaps some readers may care to ask Harvard and Cornell if they are associated with Lee? It appears that he did lecture for the Harvard school of Divinity, but that does not indicate any "association" of Harvard with his eccentric notions. On his website, we read that the University of California at Irvine's Center for Brain Aging and Dementia is specifically studying his methodology. Not so, says the director there, Dr. Carl Cotman: "We do not endorse him. At all."

This is another of those Moonie-like schemes in which "students'" are encouraged to leave their families and work for only room and board, proselytizing others constantly and worshipping their guru. Many of the victims awaken before they drown in this syrup of nonsense-and-hype, but those who don't either drop out or suicide, grow older and poorer by the day — both financially and emotionally. But it's safe from government interference; that veteran of scam Reverend Moon is living proof of this country's protection and support of such quackery. "

**Freddy** · Posted On: 11/23/2004 10:43am

In my opinion I believe Dahn is basically a cult in the modern sense of the word.

**serious harm** · Posted On: 11/23/2004 6:09pm

Falun gong is good.

Here is a post I found on Shaolinwolf, with an article with Master Li Hongzhi

"I would like to post an article from Li Honghi, short time before persecution started:

quote:

Some Thoughts of Mine

Recently it was reported in the news that Mainland China seeks my extradition back to China
in exchange for a reduction of USD$500 million worth of their trade surplus [with the U.S.]. I
would like to say a few words about this. I only teach people to be good. At the same time, I
unconditionally help people get rid of their diseases and health problems, and I enable them to
reach higher realms of mind. I don’t charge any money or ask for material things as reward.
All of this has had a positive impact on the society and its people, and it has, on a large scale,
turned people’s hearts towards goodness and made their moral level high. I wonder if that is
why they seek to extradite me. Do they want me to return to China so that more people can
obtain the Fa and cultivate their hearts? If that’s the case, please don’t let the country lose
USD$500 million to strike a deal—I can go back myself.
I have heard, however, that normally people who are extradited are war criminals,
public enemies, or criminal offenders. If so, I wonder which of the above categories I would
fit into.
In fact, I keep teaching people to conduct themselves with Truthfulness, Benevolence,
and Forbearance as their guiding principles. So naturally, I have also been setting an example.
When Falun Gong disciples and I have been criticized for no reason and treated unfairly, we
have always displayed breadth of mind with great benevolence and great forbearance, and
have silently endured everything in order to give the government sufficient time to find out
what we are about. But this forbearance is absolutely not because the students of Falun Gong
and I fear anything. You should know that once a person learns the truth and the real meaning
of life, he will not regret giving up his life for it. Don’t mistake our mercy or our great
tolerance as fear and thereby intensify your reckless actions. These are actually people who
have awakened, they are cultivators who have learned the true meaning of life. And don’t
label Falun Gong cultivators as engaging in “superstition,” either. There are so many things
that human beings and science have yet to understand. Don’t religions also exist because of a
belief in higher beings? Actually, the true religions and ancient beliefs in Gods, which have
made it possible for the morality of human society to endure for several thousand years, are
what has allowed for the existence of today’s mankind—which includes you, me, the next
person, and so on. If it weren’t for these, mankind would have committed sins long ago that
led to catastrophes, people’s ancestral lines probably would have died out long ago, and there
wouldn’t be what there is today. The truth is, morality is extremely important for mankind. If
man does not value virtue, he is capable of doing all kinds of bad things, which is terribly
dangerous for mankind. This much I can tell people. Actually, my intention isn’t to do
something for society, and by no means do I want to get involved in ordinary human affairs,
much less do I desire someone’s political power. Not everyone considers power that
important. Don’t people have a saying, “Everybody aspires to something different”? I merely
wish to let those who can do cultivation obtain the Fa, and to teach them how to truly improve
their xinxing, that is, to improve their moral standard. Besides, not everyone will come to
learn Falun Gong, and furthermore, what I’m doing is bound to have no connection with
politics. Regardless, cultivators whose hearts have turned toward goodness and whose morals
have improved are good for any country or nationality. How could something that helps
people to get well and stay healthy, and that raises people’s moral level, be labeled an “evil
religion”? Every Falun Gong practitioner is a member of society, and each has his own job or
3
career. It’s only that they go to the park to do Falun Gong exercises for half an hour or an
hour every morning, and then they go to work. We don’t have various provisions that people
have to follow, as religions do, nor do we have any temples, churches, or religious rituals.
People can come to learn or leave as they please, and we have no membership rosters. How is
it a religion? As to “evil,” could teaching people to be good, not charging people money, and
doing things to heal people and help them stay healthy be categorized as “evil”? Or, is
something “evil” simply because it’s outside the scope of the Communist Party’s theories?
Besides, I know that evil religion is evil religion, and it’s not something a government
determines. Should an evil religion be labeled “upright” if it’s in keeping with the notions of
certain people in the government? And should an upright one be labeled “evil” if it doesn’t
conform to their personal notions?
Actually, I know perfectly well why some people are bent on opposing Falun Gong.
Just as reported by the media, there are too many people practicing Falun Gong. One hundred
million people is indeed no small number. Yet why should having a large number of good
people be feared? Isn’t it true that the more good people there are, the better, and that the
fewer the bad people, the better? I, Li Hongzhi, unconditionally help cultivators improve their
morals and gain health, which brings about social stability and allows people to better serve
the society with their able bodies. Isn’t this benefiting the people in power? These things
have, in fact, truly been achieved. Why is it that instead of thanking me, they want to set as
many as 100 million people against the government? What government could be so
unfathomable? Furthermore, who among these 100 million people doesn’t have family,
children, relatives, and friends? Is it a question of only 100 million people? So the number of
people they are going against might be even more. What on earth has happened to “the leaders
of my beloved land”? If with my, Li Hongzhi’s, life I can dispel their fears of these good
people, I will immediately go back and let them do what they will. Why “risk universal
condemnation,” waste manpower and capital, and use politics and money to pursue a deal that
violates human rights? The United States, on the other hand, has been a leader in respecting
human rights. So would the U.S. government betray human rights to make such a deal?
Besides, I’m a U.S. permanent resident, a permanent resident who lives under the jurisdiction
of U.S. law.
I don’t mean to point fingers at anyone in particular. It’s just that what they are doing
makes too little sense to me. Why forgo a good opportunity to win public opinion, and instead
set some 100 million people against the government?
It’s said that many people went to Zhongnanhai,1 and that certain people were shocked
and furious about it. In fact, the number of people who went wasn’t large at all. Think about
it: there are 100 million people practicing Falun Gong, and only ten thousand plus went—
could you say that’s a lot? There was no need to mobilize people: with 100 million some
people, if one person wanted to go and so did the next, in no time there would be over ten
thousand people. They had no slogans or banners, they didn’t act out of line, and much less
were they against the government. They merely wanted to report our situation to the
government. What’s wrong with doing that? Let me ask this: would any “protestors” behave
as well as this? Aren’t you moved even one bit when you see this? Yet you insist on trying to
1 Zhongnanhai (jong-nahn-high)—the Chinese leadership compound, located in Beijing; it is located next to the
Appeals Office of the State Council. This reference is about the April 25, 1999 appeal.
* Note: This and all other footnotes have been inserted by the translator and are not part of the original text.
find some fault with Falun Gong. But the approach of trying to eradicate Falun Gong while
disregarding all of its merits is really backward. Falun Gong isn’t terrible, like certain people
have imagined. Rather, it brings numerous benefits and doesn’t do harm to any society.
Losing the favor of the people, meanwhile, is what’s most frightening. To be honest, the
students of Falun Gong are also human beings who are in the process of cultivating
themselves, and they still have human minds. In this situation where they are being treated
unjustly, I’m not sure how much longer they can forbear it, and this is what I am most
concerned about.
Li Hongzhi
June 2, 1999 [/QB]