Bruce Kumar Frantzis

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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 9/12/10 7:14 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 9/12/10 7:14 AM

Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Hello everybody,

anyone studying taichi and chigung around? If so, you probably know B.K. Frantzis, what are your opinions on his stuff?

People don't stop recommending him in the tao bums community.


Cheers,
Andy
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 13 Years ago at 9/27/10 12:06 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 9/27/10 12:06 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Actually, his Opening the Energy Gates of your Body is among the books sitting on my bathroom reading shelf and I have gotten about 1/2 way through it. I haven't done any of the practices, so no real ability to comment on it beyond that, except this thread seemed lonely, so I thought I would add that small bit of commentary.
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S Pro, modified 13 Years ago at 9/27/10 10:35 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 9/27/10 10:35 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 86 Join Date: 2/7/10 Recent Posts
I´ve got the audio book "The Tao of Letting Go" by Bruce Frantzis.
Listened to it a while ago. I only remember I liked it a lot.
I don´t practice this stuff though.
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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 10/1/10 2:26 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 10/1/10 2:26 PM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
thanks for your answers

-Daniel:

and does it look like a potential insight practice to you?

-S.Pro:

I will look around see if I find it!

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Andy
Scott Newhall, modified 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 7:33 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 7:33 PM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 8 Join Date: 9/2/10 Recent Posts
I have nothing but praise for "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body." It is one of the regularly recommended books on the cultivation of internal energy. Frantzis is a master of chi kung and martial arts as well as being a fine writer who connects with a western audience.

Frantzis teaches the "Water Method" of internal alchemy, as opposed to the many "Fire Methods" that many folks find appealing in their quest for greater empowerment. The water methods are very safe and practitioners needn't worry about succumbing to the many symptoms of overheating that typically afflict westerners (especially with the way we eat).

Chi kung is essentially about acquiring the ability to fine tune your nervous system to the point where you can manipulate bioelectomagnetism at will. The "gates" that Frantzis talks about are regions of your body through which energy passes. By "dissolving" the blockages in these gates your energy really begins to move. I am at the three year point and can manipulate energy at will. I am just beginning to zero in on specific organs, the kidneys, for starters. I haven't experienced real "magic" yet, but it is an extraordinary stress obliterator; chi kung moves you out of your "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system, with its cocktail of stress hormones, into the parasympathetic "rest and digest" mode. Your entire blood chemistry begins to change for the better and the nervous system - the intersection of body and mind - becomes extremely efficient at transmitting info between the two.

I do use this technique for my mindfulness practice. Instead of my former Soto zen wall-gazing, breath-counting, I now "run my energy" from the crown down to my feet, and back to my tantien. When thoughts come, I go back to whatever gate or meridian I'm dissolving. This is an extremely pleasant sensation, and I have probably done more for my own healing/recovery/evolution in the last three years than in the previous 25 years of exploration (meditation, TM, yoga, running,etc).

That all being said, I do practice nei kung for 90 minutes every morning, which incorporates the standing meditation called "zhan zhuang," under which fall many different terms like "Embrace Horse", Standing Like a Tree, and many others. http://fliiby.com/file/41431/g4ovum0721.html This technique is the basis of all Chinese health and martial art regimens. I hope this helps.
Regards,
XXX
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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 7:44 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 7:44 PM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Wow Scott, thanks!

I'm following the book step by step. I'm starting the last step of longevity breathing soon. And I practice some standing meditation as he teaches before starting dissolving.

One quick question about the method: should I do standing with dissolving for a few months before I go into the next moving exercises (cloud hands I think is the first one)? or am I meant to do some dissolving and some of moving exercices each session?

Thank you!

Andrés
Scott Newhall, modified 13 Years ago at 11/3/10 10:27 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/3/10 10:27 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 8 Join Date: 9/2/10 Recent Posts
The answer to your question almost always boils down to how much time you can devote to your practice. The standing meditation is the most important part; if you did that daily and nothing else for several months you'd make progress. If you're taking advantage of this economic downturn by squeezing out 3-4 hours of daily chi kung practice/meditation, you'll be vibrating in months. It depends on how relaxed and how sensitive you are. A person fresh out of a 120-day yoga routine will feel energy sooner than someone who is out of shape.

This may also be informative. www.neikungla.com and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aANVaI9jI7A&NR=1

The subject matter is vast but the youtube clip really is accurate - (this is not me).

The Buddhists lost something when they abandoned the Taoist body-centered techniques. These practices will bring it back.
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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 11/3/10 11:27 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/3/10 11:27 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Thanks for all the information and links! emoticon I'll keep practicing and, if anything interesting happens I will write it here!

Cheers,
Andy
Bruce Scanlon, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 5:24 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 1:26 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 3 Join Date: 1/8/11 Recent Posts
Andres Coca Lopez:


anyone studying taichi and chigung around? If so, you probably know B.K. Frantzis, what are your opinions on his stuff?



Hello Andres and everyone, as this is my first post here to this wonderful site (thank you all so much esp. Dan Ingram) and I am an insight newbie, I will try to muster as much equanimity as I can but please forgive me if I fall short.

I studied with Bernard Langan http://www.stillnessinmotion.com/ for 3 years. You will see from his website that he also teaches water method and was a student of BK Frantzis.

I was studying Energy Gates with another instructor who was a jerk, though I found value with the practice. Fortunately he moved elsewhere and gave us (his students) Bernie's name.

I was very fortunate. Though I never heard Bernie claim this himself as he was a paragon of humility, I am inclined to believe he is one of the best, certainly top 10 teachers in the USA.

After studying with Bernie for a good amount of time, Bernie told me that Energy Gates was a good practice, but not a complete practice, and by itself it would deplete one of energy without replenishing it. I notice here in this thread that Scott brings the energy back up to the tantien after dissolving down to the feet, which might well remedy this. As I was taught Energy Gates, and as far as I can recall in the book, it does not bring energy up after dissolving through the feet.

My current practice consists of An Mo Gong set (pressing rubbing work) as taught by Bernie, which is also meant to clear energy blockages in the body. After this I follow with standing meditation, energy circulation, and the well known "36 times one way and then the other in the stomach whose proper name I do not know" exercise. I share with Scott the experience of amazing energetic, health, and emotional benefits.

I would not, however, describe this practice as leading to insight, nor do I think Bernie had achieved stream entry, though I do want to talk to him about all this stuff that I have now luckily chanced upon.

I look forward very much to integrating my chi gung (Bernie preferred Nei Gung) practice with insight. Thanks to all of you again :-)
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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 1/13/11 6:28 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/13/11 6:20 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Very interesting, thanks for your answer.

Do you know why would Bruce Frantzis not teach to bring it upwards? I read somewhere that it is "dangerous" for some reason, but you don't want to go giving away your energy do you?

After doing some reasearch in qi gong schools, it seems to me that with every school there is always a "but", they are incomplete, or are not that beneficial etc. And I thought, with Burce's material, I had found a complete school to work with!

Thank you,
Andy

Edit: spelling
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Julius P0pp, modified 13 Years ago at 1/16/11 10:45 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/16/11 10:45 AM

RE: Bruce Kumar Frantzis

Posts: 50 Join Date: 8/17/09 Recent Posts
Bruce Scanlon:

I would not, however, describe this practice as leading to insight, nor do I think Bernie had achieved stream entry, though I do want to talk to him about all this stuff that I have now luckily chanced upon.

Sure? Only because it doesn't feel hardcore? Keep enjoying yourself. How you do something makes the difference (attitude!), not what you do. Check out shinzen.org and his instructions for focus on change for an energy-vipassana technique. And read his article on "Flow" before you talk to Bernie, it's really really good.
And read this one if you haven't done so yet: What is going on here (from our Energy Practices Portal

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