Curtis: Did you ever read Jasper Becker's "Hungry Ghosts; Mao's Secret Famine"?
http://tinyurl.com/2esomb --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Angela, > > First of all I am fascinated with China. What an interesting life you > must have had there! I know it only through Chinese friends and > reading. I went through a rather obsessive period of reading stories > of people who lived through the Cultural Revolution and the life of > Mao. It kind of blew all my previous "worries" about how the TM > organization operates out the window. Not because there aren't > parallels, there are. But the scale and magnitude of what went down > in China dwarfed the movement's influence so much I stopped caring > about it so much. > > Now to your interesting story... > > When I used to practice martial arts I used to get paired with blue > collar workers who had spent the day loading flats of plants as > landscapers. The first time one of them grabbed me it seemed like a > supernatural force. Their hands were so hardened from their years of > labor that, compared to my lily whites,their grip was monstrous. As > much as I train and weight lift, I never have achieved the natural > strength of guys who earn a living with their bodies. So my first > thought is that this guy may have worked physically hard all his life. > If this guy did massage for a living, he had arms and grip that could > easily control, not only these young girls, but almost anyone who > didn't spend all day, every day working physically. Even at his > advanced age those girls were no match. > > People who work outside can look much older than they are. My > Shanghaiese buddy is only 10 years older than I am but he looks like > he could be my dad. He spent the Cultural Revolution on a farm and it > aged him terribly. > > The first time my Judo teacher shoved me with his whole body, it was > like a truck hit me. Same with when he would pull me with his whole > body engaged. It seemed supernatural to me until I learned to do it > myself. > > Next these girls were probably not willing to really take on an elder > after having committed a crime right? The implication of really > decking the old guy would probably bring some consequences. So they > may have been playing a bit rather then really going all out to resist > him. This guy would have had a different experience with some of the > homegirls in my neighborhood who wouldn't have given him any respect. > > The different levels of blindness can account for an ability to > recognize shapes enough to grab a thing as big as a human. > > Finally, due to the fact that it was almost as if it was a show for > your benefit, I can't rule out that it was not a bit of street hustle. > Although you sent someone over to him, if you hadn't, he might have > approached you. The chances that you would be a higher paying > customer than a Chinese person makes such a display very worthwhile. > I have had a team of street hustlers in DC approach me in a > choreographed sequence, contrived spontaneity. It is quite convincing > and dangerous. One lady in the group was pushing a baby in a baby > carriage, how disarming is that! > > None of my speculations makes your story less interesting Angela. I am > not attempting to "explain" what happened, just some possibilities > that come to my mind. Thanks for asking for our POVs on this personal > experience. > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > I saw a pretty amazing guy in China do some things I'd have thought > good work on the part of the special effects people in a movie. I'll > describe briefly what he did and then I'd like your thoughts on what > that was all about. > > > > I was sitting on a bench with a student in downtown Zhenjiang, a > crowded place, when I noticed a guy starting to cross the square. He > was very very old. No telling how old, but eighties at least if not > nineties. And there was something strange about the way he > walked--like he was in a different movie from the rest of us in which > time moved more slowly or like he was walking on the moon where > there's less gravity or under water. > > > > When he got opposite us, he was suddenly involved with three > strong young girls, late teens, early twenties. He was juggling > them--it's the only way I can put it. They tried to get away. He'd > hold two of them, one in each hand, and the third one would try to > run. Then he'd grab her, letting another one loose, who tried to run, > but he'd grab her, letting another one loose, and so on. He made it > look effortless. > > > > Finally the girls dropped to their knees and begged him to let them > go. And he gave a little speech, which my student translated for me. > Apparently, he'd caught those girls picking someone's pocket, and he > was giving them a lecture about the social contract, and how you > couldn't run a society with their attitude, and what would happen to > them if they kept it up. Then he let them go. > > > > I sent my student to capture this guy and ask him if he'd be willing > to talk for a while with this big nosed ghost, and he came over and > sat down. He was blind! > > > > In China, they train blind men to do massage, so I became his weekly > client. But he never would talk to me about his martial arts > background. He was clearly a Daoist, though---that informed all his > conversations with me, as he sat on a low stool and massaged my feet. > > > > > > > > TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <drpetersutphen@> > wrote: > > > > > > --- curtisdeltablues <curtisdeltablues@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > I have never seen any evidence for the "one strike > > > > one kill" myth in > > > > karate anywhere in any fighting system I have seen. > > > > I think it is a > > > > story like yogis flying in the air. Well I probably > > > > give it a higher > > > > probability than flying, but you get my point. > > > > > > I really would like to belief that such a thing is > > > possible, but like you say, its like yogis flying > > > through the air. I'd luv to see it, but I doubt it. > > > For so many centuries these karate and kung-fu guys > > > have been believing their own press releases. As you > > > have noted, UFC and MMA competition put all this > > > killer striking ability to rest pretty quickly. > > > > Yep. The parallels between belief in magical > > abilities through siddhis and the belief in > > magical abilities through the martial arts > > is a strong one. As is the posturing we see > > in those who still "believe the PR" despite > > decades in the study without ever seeing even > > one demonstration of the myths. > > > > As a general rule in the martial arts, anyone > > who talks about how well they can kick ass can't. :-) > > > > Pretty much the same phenomenon as those who > > talk a lot about their "darshan" and how power- > > fully they can affect others' spiritual progress. > > The more talk, the less effect IMO. > > > > The few teachers I've encountered who seemed to > > really have some extraordinary abilities going > > for them -- either in the martial arts or in the > > realm of consciousness -- were pretty quiet about > > it. It was about action, not talk. And *after* > > the action, they never mentioned it again or > > tried to "milk it" for any PR or "credit." They > > just did their jobs. > > > > > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > >
