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China, the qigong[1]
have a long history that dates back to ancient times. Chinese people thus have a
natural advantage in practicing qigong. The two upright systems of qigong cultivation, the Buddhist system
and the Daoist system, have made public many great methods of cultivation that
before were taught in private. The Daoist ways of cultivation are unique, while
the Buddhist system has its cultivation methods. Falun Gong[2]
an advanced cultivation method of the Buddhist system. During this series of
teachings, I will first adjust your body to a state suitable for advanced
cultivation and then install a Law Wheel (fa-lun) and energy mechanisms
in your body, and I will teach you our exercises. Whats more, I have Law Bodies
(fa-shen) who will protect you. But your having only these things isnt
enough, as they cant achieve the goal of developing gong[3]you
also need to understand the principles for cultivation at high levels. That is
what this book will address.
am teaching the practice system at high levels, so I wont discuss cultivation
of this or that meridian,[4] acupuncture
point, or energy passage. I am teaching a great cultivation way, the Great Way
for true cultivation to high levels. At first it might sound somewhat
mysterious, but for dedicated qigong cultivators, if you can try to be
attentive and learn from what you experience, you will discover all the wonders
and intricacies it contains.
1. The Origins of Qigong
as we know it today was not, in fact, originally called qigong. It originated from the solitary
cultivation ways of the ancient Chinese people and from cultivation in
religions. The two-character term, qi
gong, is nowhere to be found in texts
such as The Book of Elixir, the Daoist Canon, or the Tripitaka. During the course of our
present human civilizations development, qigong went through the period when
religions were in their infancy; it existed before religions came into being.
After religions formed, qigong came
to have something of a religious flavor to it. Qigongs original
names were Great Cultivation Way of Buddha, and Great Cultivation Way of Dao. It
had other names too, such as Nine-Fold Internal Alchemy, Way of Arhat, Vajra
Meditation, etc. People now call it qigong so that it better suits our
modern thinking and can be more easily popularized. Its in fact a means
expressly for cultivating the human body that we have in China.
Qigong isnt something invented by this civilization. It has
quite a long history that dates back to ages ago. Then when did qigong come into being? Some say that qigong has a history of three thousand years, and
became quite popular during the Tang Dynasty. Some say it has a history of five thousand years and is as
old as Chinese civilization. Some say that, judging from archaeological
findings, it has a history of seven thousand years. I dont regard qigong as something
invented by modern manits from prehistoric culture. From what investigations
by people with supernatural abilities have found, the universe we live in is an
entity that was remade after being exploded nine times. The planet we dwell on
has been destroyed many times. Each time the planet was remade, the human race
again began to multiply. We have now discovered that there are many things on
the earth that surpass our present civilization. According to Darwins theory of
evolution, humans evolved from apes, and civilization is no more than ten
thousand years old. Yet archaeological findings have revealed that in the caves
of the European Alps there exist 250-thousand-year-old frescoes that exhibit a
very high level of artistryone far beyond the skills of modern people. In the
museum of the National University of Peru, there is a large rock on which a
human figure is engraved who holds a telescope and is observing the stars. The
engraving is more than thirty thousand years old. As we know, Galileo invented a
30X astronomical telescope in 1609, which was no more than three-hundred-some
years ago. But how could there have been a telescope thirty thousand years ago?
There is an iron pillar in India whose iron content is over ninety-nine percent.
Even modern smelting technology cant produce iron with such high purity; it had
surpassed the level of modern technology. Then who created those civilizations?
How could human beingswho would have been microorganisms in those timeshave
created these things? These discoveries have caught the attention of scientists
worldwide. They are considered prehistoric since they prove
The level of scientific achievement was different in each
past time period. In some time periods it was quite high, surpassing that of
modern man. But those civilizations were destroyed. So I would say that qigong wasnt
invented or created by modern people, but discovered and perfected by modern
people. Its part of prehistoric culture.
Qigong is not exclusively a product of our country. It exists in
foreign countries as well, but they dont call it qigong. Western countries, such as the United States,
Great Britain, and so on, call it magic. There is a magician in the U.S. who is
a master of supernatural abilities, and he once performed the feat of walking
through the Great Wall of China. When he was about to pass through the Wall, he
used a white cloth as a cover, pressed himself against the Wall, and then
proceeded to go through it. Why did he do that? Doing it that way would lead a
lot of people to think of it as a magic show. It had to be done like that since
he knew there are many people in China with great supernatural abilities. He was
afraid they would interfere with him, so he covered himself before he went in.
When coming out, he raised the cloth with one hand and walked out. As the saying
goes, Experts watch for tricks while laymen watch for excitement. Doing it as
he did the audience thought it was a show of magic. These abilities are called
magic because they arent used for cultivating the human body, but instead for
stage performances which showcase unusual things and entertain. From a low-level
perspective, qigong can change the condition of
the body, achieving the goals of healing and health. From a high-level
perspective, qigong refers to the cultivation of a
persons innate body (ben-ti).
2. Qi and Gong
The qi we talk about nowadays was called chee[5]
by ancient people. They are essentially the same, as both
refer to the qi
of the universea shapeless, invisible kind of matter that permeates the
universe. Qi
does not refer to air. The energy of this matter is activated in the human body
through cultivation. Its activation changes the bodys physical condition and
can have the effect of producing healing and health. Yet qi is merely qiyou have qi, he has qi, and one
persons qi
cant do much to dominate anothers qi. Some say that qi can fix health
problems, or that you can emit qi towards someone to heal him. Putting it that way
isnt very scientific, as qi cant heal people in the least. When a
practitioners body still contains qi, it means that his or her body is not yet a
Milk-White Body. That is, the person is still sick or injured.
A person who has reached a higher level through cultivation
does not emit qi. Instead, he or she emits a cluster of high energy.
Its a form of high-energy matter that manifests in the form of light, and its
particles are fine and its density high. That is what gong is. Only it has
the power to do things to an everyday person, and only with it can a person heal
others. Theres a saying, Broadly shines a Buddhas light, setting everything
right. It means that people who truly cultivate carry immense energy in their
bodies. Wherever those persons go, any abnormal condition within the area
covered by their energy can be corrected and restored to normal. For instance,
sickness in the body really is an abnormal bodily state, and the sickness will
disappear after that state is corrected. More simply put, gong is energy. Gong has physical
characteristics, and practitioners can experience and perceive its objective
existence through cultivation.
3. Gong Potency and Supernatural
(1) Gong Potency is Developed Through Character
The gong that truly determines the level of a persons gong potency (gong-li) isnt
developed through performing qigong exercises. It is developed through the
transformation of the form of matter called virtue (de), and through cultivation of character (xin-xing). The
transformation process isnt accomplished by setting up a crucible and furnace
to make an elixir (dan) from gathered
chemicals,[6] as ordinary people think. Gong as we mean it
is generated outside the body, and it begins in the lower half of the body. As
your character
it grows upward in a spiral shape, and all of this is formed outside of your
body. Upon reaching the crown of the head it then develops into a gong pillar. The
height of the gong pillar determines the level of your gong. The gong pillar exists
in a deeply hidden dimension, making it hard for the average person to see
Supernatural abilities are strengthened by gong potency. The
higher a persons gong potency and level, the greater his or her
abilities are and the easier to use. People with lower gong potency have
weaker abilities; they find it harder to use them, and some are completely
unusable. Supernatural abilities in and of themselves represent neither the
level of your gong
potency nor the level of your cultivation. What determines your level is gong potency,
rather than abilities. Some people cultivate in a locked mode, wherein their gong potency is rather high but they might have few
abilities. Gong
potency is the determining factor [when it comes to levels], it is developed
through character cultivation, and it is whats most important.
(2) Supernatural Abilities are Not What Cultivators
All practitioners are interested in abilities. Supernatural
abilities are attractive to the general public and lots of people want to get
some. Yet a person whose character is poor wont manage to.
Some abilities that everyday people might have include an
open Third Eye (tian-mu), clairaudience, telepathy,
precognition, etc. But not all of these abilities will appear during the stages
of Gradual Enlightenment, as they vary with each individual. Its not possible
for everyday people to have certain abilities, such as the ability to transmute
objects in this physical dimensionthat isnt something everyday people can
have. Great abilities are developed only through cultivating after birth. Falun
Gong was developed based on the laws of the universe, so all abilities that
exist in the universe exist in Falun Gong. [How many of them a practitioner
gets] depends on how well he does with his cultivation. The thought of gaining
some abilities isnt wrong, but, overly-intense pursuit is more than a normal
thought, and it will have negative results. Someone at a low level would have
little use for abilities, save for trying to use them to show them off to
everyday people or hoping to become more powerful than others. If that is the
case, it indicates precisely that the persons character is not high and that
its right not to give him or her abilities. Some abilities can be used to
commit wrongdoing if they are given to people with poor character. Since the
character of those people is not steady theres no guarantee they wont do
something bad.
On the other hand, any abilities that can be demonstrated
or performed cant change human society or alter the ways of everyday life. Real
high-level abilities are not allowed to be brought out for show, because the
impact and danger would be too great; for example, you could never perform the
pulling down of a large building. Great abilities arent allowed to be used
except by people with special missions, and those abilities cant be revealed;
this is within high-level masters control.
All the same, some everyday people insist on having qigong masters
perform, forcing them to display their abilities. People with abilities are
reluctant to use them for show, since revealing them is off limits; displaying
them would impact the way of society. People who really do have great virtue
arent allowed to use their abilities in public. Some qigong masters feel
awful during performances and want to cry afterward. Dont force them to
perform! Revealing those things is upsetting to them. A student brought a
magazine to me. I felt disgusted the moment I read it. It said that an
international qigong conference was to be held, and that people with
supernatural abilities could participate in a contest; the conference was open
to whoever had great abilities. After I read it I was upset for days. Abilities
are not something that can be publicly displayed for competition. Its a shame
when people demonstrate them in public. Everyday people focus on practical
things in the mundane world, but qigong masters need to maintain their
Whats the motive behind wanting abilities? Wanting them
reflects a practitioners realm of mind and pursuits. A person with impure
pursuits and an unsteady mind is unlikely to have great abilities. Thats
because before you are fully enlightened, what you perceive to be good or bad is
only based on the standards of this world. You can see neither the true nature
of things nor the karmic connections among them. Fighting, yelling, and
mistreatment among people are inherently caused by karmic connections. You can
only cause more trouble than help if you cant perceive these things. The laws
of this world govern the gratitude and resentment, along with the right and
wrong, of everyday people; practitioners shouldnt concern themselves with those
things. Before you achieve full Enlightenment, what you see with your eyes might
not necessarily be the truth. When one person punches another, it might be that
they are settling their karmic debts. Your involvement might hamper the
resolution of those debts. Karma is a type of black matter that surrounds the
human body. It has physical existence in another dimension and can transform
into sickness or misfortune.
Supernatural abilities exist in everyone, and the idea is
that they need to be developed and strengthened through continual cultivation.
You want to be a practitioner, but if you only pursue abilities, you are
shortsighted and your mind isnt pure. No matter what it is you want abilities
for, your pursuit of them has selfish things mixed in that will definitely
hinder your cultivation. The consequence is that you will never get
(3) Handling Gong Potency
Some practitioners havent practiced for very long, yet
they want to give people treatments to see how their skills are. When those of
you without high gong potency extend your hand and try, you absorb into
your own body a great deal of black, unhealthy, filthy qi that exists in
the patients body. Since you cant repel unhealthy qi and your body
lacks a protective shield, you form a joint field with the patient; you cant
defend against unhealthy qi without high gong potency. The result is that you experience a great
deal of discomfort. If no one looks after you, over the course of time you will
accumulate sickness throughout your body. So someone who lacks high gong potency
shouldnt try to heal others. Only a person who has developed supernatural
abilities and who has a certain level of gong potency can use qigong to treat
others. Even though some people have developed abilities and are able to do
healing, they are, when at a rather low level, in fact using their accumulated
potencytheir own energyto do the healing. Since gong is both energy
and an intelligent entity that isnt easily stored up, you are actually
depleting yourself of gong when you send it out. And with your release of gong, the gong pillar above
your head shortens and depletes. Its just not worth it. So I dont endorse
giving others treatments when your gong potency is not high. No matter how great the
methods you use, you will still consume your own energy.
All kinds of abilities will emerge when a persons gong potency
reaches a certain level. You need to be very cautious when using these
abilities. For instance, a person has to use his Third Eye once it has opened,
for it will close if he doesnt ever use it. Yet he shouldnt look through it
frequently. Too much energy will be discharged if he looks through it too often.
So does that mean you should never use it? Of course not. If we were never to
use it, then what would be the use of our cultivating [it]? The question is when
to use it. You can use it only when you have cultivated to a certain stage and
are able to replenish yourself. When a cultivator of Falun Gong reaches a
certain stage, the Law Wheel can automatically transform and replenish however
much gong he or
she releases. The Law Wheel automatically maintains a practitioners gong potency level,
and the gong
wont decrease for even a moment. This is a characteristic of Falun Gong. Not
until that point is reached may abilities be used.
4. The Third Eye
Opening the Third Eye
The Third Eyes main passage is located between the middle
of the forehead and the Shangen[7] acupuncture point. The way everyday people see things with
the naked eye works the same way as a camera does: The size of the lens, or
pupil, is adjusted according to the distance of an object and the intensity of
the light. Via the optic nerves, images then form on the pineal gland, which is
located at the back of the brain. The ability of Penetrative Vision is simply
the ability of the pineal gland to look directly out through the Third Eye. An
average persons Third Eye is closed, as his or her main passage is narrow and
dark. There is no essential qi inside, no illumination. Some people cannot see, for
their passages are blocked.
To open the Third Eye, in our cultivation we either depend
on outside force or on ourselves to unblock the passage. The shape of the
passage varies with each individual, ranging from oval to round, rhombic to
triangular. The better you cultivate, the rounder the passage will become.
Second, your shifu[8]
gives you an eye; if you cultivate on your own then you
have to cultivate it yourself. Third, you need to have essential qi at the location
of your Third Eye.
We usually see things with our pair of eyes, and it is
exactly this pair of eyes that blocks our channel to view other dimensions.
Since they function as a shield, we can only see objects that exist in our
physical dimension. Opening the Third Eye allows you to see without using this
pair of eyes. You can also cultivate to have a True Eye after you reach a very
high level. Then you can see with the True Eye of the Third Eye, or with the
True Eye at the Shangen acupoint. According to the Buddhist system, every pore
of the body is an eyethere are eyes all over the body. According to the Daoist
system, every acupuncture point is an eye. The main passage is nonetheless
located at the Third Eye, and it has to be opened first. In my classes, I plant
in everyone things that can open the Third Eye. The results vary owing to
differences in peoples physical qualities. Some people see a dark hole similar
to a deep well.That means his or her Third Eye passage is dark. Others see
a white tunnel. If objects can be seen in front of you, your Third Eye is about
to open. Some see objects revolving, which are placed there by your shifu to open the Third Eye. You will be able to see
once they drill the Third Eye open. Some people can see a large eye through
their Third Eye, and they think it is a Buddhas eye, but its actually their
own eye. Those are usually people with a pretty good underlying base.
According to our statistics, the Third Eye is opened for
more than half of the attendees each time we give classes. One problem that
might come up after the Third Eye is opened is that a person whose character
isnt high can easily use the Third Eye to do bad things. To prevent this
problem, I open your Third Eye directly to the level of Wisdom Eyesight. Or in
other words, to an advanced level that allows you to directly see scenes from
other dimensions and to see things that appear during cultivation, allowing you
to believe in them. That strengthens your confidence in cultivation. The character of
people who have just started practicing hasnt yet reached the level of
extraordinary people. They are inclined to do wrong once they have supernormal
things. Lets give a playful example: If you were to walk along the street and
come upon a lottery stand, you might be able to walk away with first prize. That
wont be allowed to happenits just to illustrate the point. Another reason is,
we are opening the Third Eye for a large number of people, so suppose every
persons Third Eye was opened at a lower level: Just imagine if everyone could
see through the human body or see objects behind wallscould we still call this
a human society? Human society would be badly disrupted, so its not allowed and
not achievable. Furthermore, it wouldnt do practitioners any good and would
only foster attachments. So we wont open the Third Eye for you at a low level.
We will instead open it directly at a high level.
The Third Eyes Levels
The Third Eye has many different levels; at different
levels it sees different dimensions. According to Buddhism there are five
levels: Flesh Eyesight, Celestial Eyesight, Wisdom Eyesight, Law Eyesight, and
Buddha Eyesight. Each level is subdivided into upper, middle, and lower levels.
When someone is at or below the level of Celestial Eyesight he can observe only
our material world. Only when someone is at or above the level of Wisdom
Eyesight will other dimensions be observable. Those who have the ability of
Penetrative Vision can see things accurately, with clarity better than that of a
CAT scan. But what they can see is just in this physical world and doesnt go
beyond the dimension in which we exist; it doesnt count as having reached an
advanced level of Third Eye.
The level of a persons Third Eye is determined by the
amount of his or her essential qi, as well as the width, brightness, and degree of
blockage of the main passage. The internal, essential qi is critical in
determining how thoroughly the Third Eye will open. It is particularly easy to
open the Third Eye for children under the age of six. I neednt even bother
using my hand, as it opens once I start talking. Thats because children have
not been influenced much by our physical world and they havent done many bad
things in their lives. Their essential qi is well preserved. The Third Eye of a child over the
age of six becomes increasingly difficult to open, owing to the increase of
outside influences as they grow up. Specifically, unsound education, being
spoiled, and turning immoral can make the essential qi dissipate. And
all of it will disappear if a person reaches a certain point. A person whose
essential qi is
completely lost can recover it gradually through cultivation, but it takes a
long period of time and arduous effort. So essential qi is extremely
I dont recommend that a persons Third Eye be opened at
the level of Celestial Eyesight, because a practitioner with low gong potency will
lose more energy looking at objects than he has accumulated through cultivation.
The Third Eye might close again if too much of the essential energy is lost.
Once it closes it wont be easy to open again. So I usually open peoples Third
Eye at the level of Wisdom Eyesight. No matter how clear or unclear a
cultivators vision is, he or she will be able to see objects in other
dimensions. Since people are affected by their innate qualities, some see
clearly, some see things intermittently, and others see unclearly. But at a
minimum, you will be able to see light. That helps a cultivator progress toward
high levels. Those who cant see clearly can remedy it through
People who have less essential qi see only images
in black and white through the Third Eye. The Third Eye of a person who has more
essential qi can
see scenes in color and in clearer form. The more the essential qi, the better the
clarity. But every individual is different. Some people are born with the Third
Eye open, while for others it might be tightly clogged. When the Third Eye is
opening, the image is similar to the blooming of a flower, opening layer after
layer. During your meditation you will first discover that there is illumination
in the area of your Third Eye. At the beginning the illumination isnt so
bright, while later it turns red. The Third Eye of some people is tightly
closed, so their initial physical sensations might be quite strong. Those people
will feel the muscles around the primary passage and the Shangen acupoint
tightening, as if they were being pressed and squeezed inward. Their temples and
foreheads will start to feel like they are swelling and aching. Those are
symptoms of the Third Eye opening. A person whose Third Eye opens easily can
occasionally see certain things. During my classes some people unwittingly see
my Law Bodies. The image disappears though when they try to look, for those
people are then in fact using their physical eyes. When you see some things with
your eyes closed, try to remain in that state of seeing, and you will gradually
see things more clearly. If you want to look more closely, you will actually
switch to your own eyes and use the optic nerves. Then you wont see
The dimensions the Third Eye sees differ depending on the
level of a persons Third Eye. Some scientific research agencies fail to
understand this principle, and it prevents some qigong experiments
from reaching their expected outcomes. And from time to time experiments even
yield the opposite results. For example, an institute designed a method to test
supernatural abilities. They asked qigong masters to view the contents inside a sealed
box. Because those masters Third Eye levels were different, their answers were
different. The research staff then considered the Third Eye to be false and a
bogus concept. Someone with a lower-level Third Eye usually achieves better
results in that kind of experiment, because his Third Eye is opened at the level
of Celestial Eyesighta level suitable only for observing objects in this
physical dimension. So people who dont understand the Third Eye think that
those people have the greatest abilities. All objects, organic and inorganic,
appear in different shapes and forms in different dimensions. For example, as
soon as a drinking glass is manufactured, in a different dimension an
intelligent entity comes into existence. Moreover, prior to existing as that
entity, it may well have been something else. When the Third Eye is at its
lowest level, the person will see the glass. At a high level he or she will see
the entity that exists in the other dimension. At an even higher level the
person will see the material form that it had prior to the existence of that
intelligent entity.
Remote Viewing
After their Third Eye is opened, some peoples ability of
Remote Viewing emerges, and they can see objects thousands of miles away. Each
individual occupies dimensions of his own. In those dimensions he is as big as a
universe. Within a certain particular dimension, he has a mirror in front of his
forehead, though its invisible in our dimension. Everyone has a mirror, but the
mirror of a non-practitioner faces inward. For practitioners the mirror flips
slowly. Once it flips, the mirror can capture what the practitioner wants to
see. In his particular dimension he is rather large. Since his body is fairly
large, so too is his mirror. Whatever the cultivator wants to see can be
reflected onto the mirror. Once the image has been captured, he still cant see
it, though, as the image needs to stay on the mirror for a second, and then the
mirror turns over and allows him to see the objects it captured. Then it turns
back, flipping back over quickly, and it flips back and forth nonstop. Cinematic
film moves at twenty-four frames per second to produce fluid movement. The speed
at which the mirror flips is much faster than that, and so the images appear
continuous and clear. This is Remote Viewing, and the principle of Remote
Viewing is that simple. This used to be very secret, but Ive revealed it in
just a few lines.
(4) Dimensions
From our perspective, dimensions are quite complicated.
Humankind knows only the dimension in which human beings currently exist, while
other dimensions havent yet been found or explored. When it comes to other
dimensions, we qigong masters have seen dozens of levels of
dimensions. They can be explained theoretically, though they remain unproven by
science. Even though some people dont admit the existence of certain things,
they have actually manifested in our dimension. For example, there is a place
called the Bermuda Triangle (or Devils Triangle). Some ships and planes have
disappeared in that area, only to reemerge years later. No one can explain why,
as no one has gone beyond the confines of human thinking and theories. In fact,
the Triangle is a gateway to another dimension. Unlike our regular doors that
have definite positions, its status is always unpredictable. A ship can easily
enter another dimension if it passes through when the door there happens to be
open. Human beings cannot sense the differences between the dimensions, and they
enter into the other dimension instantly. The differences in time and space
between that dimension and our dimension cant be expressed in milesa distance
of thousands of miles there might be contained in one point here. That is, they
might exist in the same place and at the same time. The ship swings in for a
moment and comes back out again by accident. Yet decades have passed in this
world, since time is different in the two dimensions. There are also unitary
worlds existing in each dimension. Its similar to our models of atomic
structures wherein one ball is connected to another by a string, involving many
balls and strings. It is very complex.
A British pilot was carrying out a mission four years prior
to World War II. In the middle of his flight he ran into a heavy thunderstorm.
By drawing on past experience, he was able to find an abandoned airport. The
moment the airport appeared before his eyes, a completely different picture came
into view: All of a sudden it was sunny and cloudless, as if he had just emerged
from another world. The airplanes at the airport were painted yellow, and people
were busy doing things on the ground. He thought it was so odd! No one
acknowledged him after he touched down; even the control tower didnt contact
him. The pilot then decided to leave since the sky had cleared up. He flew
again, and when he was at the same distance at which he had seen the airport
moments ago, he again found himself in a thunderstorm. He eventually managed to
get back to his base. He reported the affair and even wrote it down in the
flight record. But his superiors didnt believe him. Four years later World War
II broke out, and he was transferred to that same abandoned airport. He
immediately recalled that it was exactly the same scene he had seen four years
earlier. We qigong masters know how to explain it. He did in
advance what he would do four years later. Before the event had begun, he had
gone there and played his role in advance. Things then returned to the correct
5. Qigong Treatments and Hospital
On a theoretical level, qigong treatments
are completely different from the treatments given at hospitals. Western
treatments utilize methods of ordinary peoples society. Despite having means
such as laboratory tests and X-ray examinations, they can only observe the
source of illness in this dimension, not the fundamental cause that exists in
other dimensions. So they fail to understand the cause of illness. Medication
can remove or drive away the origin of a patients ailment (which is considered
a pathogen by Western doctors, and karma in qigong) if he or
she isnt seriously ill. Medicine will be ineffective in the event that the
illness is serious, for its possible the patient could not bear increased
dosages. Not all illnesses are confined to the Triple World, for some are quite
serious and go beyond the domain of the Triple-World, and thats why hospitals
are not able to cure them.
Chinese Medicine is the traditional medical science in our
country. It is inseparable from the supernatural abilities developed through
cultivation of the human body. Ancient people paid special attention to
cultivation of the human body. Confucians, Daoists, Buddhistsand even the
students of Confucianismhave all attached importance to meditation. Meditation
used to be considered a skill. Over the course of time they developed their gong and their
abilities without even doing movements. Why was Chinese acupuncture able to
detect so accurately the human bodys meridians? Why arent the acupuncture
points connected horizontally? Why dont they cross, and why are they connected
vertically? How could they be mapped out with such accuracy? Modern people with
supernatural abilities can see with their own eyes the same things those Chinese
doctors portrayed. Thats because the famous doctors of ancient China generally
had supernatural abilities. In Chinese history, medical doctors Li Shizhen, Sun
Simiao, Bian Que, and Hua Tuo were all in fact great qigong masters with
supernatural abilities. In being passed down to today, Chinese Medicine has lost
its supernatural ability component and has only retained the treatment
techniques. In the past, Chinese doctors used their eyes (with supernatural
abilities) to diagnose illnesses. Later they also developed the special method
of taking pulses. If abilities were added back into the Chinese methods of
treatment, one could say that Western Medicine wouldnt be able to catch up with
Chinese Medicine for many years to come.
healing eliminates the root cause of illness. I regard
illness as one type of karma, and to treat an illness is to help diminish that
karma. Some qigong masters heal people by using
the method of discharging and replenishing qi to
help patients eliminate black qi. The masters who
are at a rather low level discharge black qi, yet
they dont know the root cause of the black qi. So
the black qi will return and the illness will
relapse. The truth is that the black qi is not the
cause of the illnessthe existence of black qi
only makes the patient feel discomfort. The root cause of the patients illness
is an intelligent entity that exists in another dimension. Many qigong masters dont know that. Since the intelligent
entity is powerful, average people are not able touch it, nor would they dare
to. Falun Gongs way of healing focuses on and starts with that intelligent
entity, removing the root cause of the illness. Moreover, a shield is placed in
that area so that the illness wont be able to invade again.
can heal, but it cant disrupt the conditions of human
society. It would disrupt the conditions of everyday peoples society if it were
applied on a large scale, and thats not allowed; its healing effects wouldnt
be good. As you may know, some people have opened qigong diagnostic clinics, qigong hospitals, and qigong
rehabilitation centers. Their treatments might have been quite effective
before they opened those businesses. Once they open a business to do healing,
the effectiveness drops sharply. This means that people are prohibited from
using supernatural methods to fulfill the functions of everyday peoples
society. Doing so will definitely reduce their effectiveness to a level as low
as the methods of everyday peoples society.
A person can use abilities to observe the inside of a human
body layer by layer, similar to how medical cross-sectioning is done. Soft
tissue and any other part of the body can be seen. Though the current CAT scan
is able to see clearly, the use of a machine is required; it is time consuming,
uses a great deal of film, and is quite slow and costly. Its not as convenient
or as accurate as human supernatural abilities. By closing their eyes to do a
quick scan, qigong masters can see any part of the patient directly
and clearly. Isnt that high tech? Its even more advanced than what is
considered high tech these days. Yet that kind of skill existed back in ancient
China it was
ancient-style high tech. The physician Hua Tuo discovered a tumor in [the
military ruler] Cao Caos brain and wanted to perform surgery on him. Cao Cao
had Hua Tuo arrested, because he couldnt believe it and mistook it as a plot to
harm him. Cao Cao eventually died as a result of the brain tumor. Many great
Chinese doctors in history really did have supernatural abilities. Its just
that people in this modern society zealously pursue practical things and have
forgotten ancient ways.
Our high-level qigong cultivation should re-examine traditional
things, carry them on and develop them through our practice, and use them to
benefit society.
6. Buddhist Qigong and the Religion of
Theres something many people think of as soon as we
mention Buddhist qigong: Since the goal of the Buddhist system is to
cultivate Buddhahood, they start to relate it to the things of Buddhism the
religion. I would like to formally clarify that Falun Gong is Buddhist qigong. It is an
upright, great cultivation way, and it has nothing to do with the religion of
Buddhism. Buddhist qigong is Buddhist qigong, while
Buddhism is Buddhism. They take different paths, even though they have the same
goal in cultivation. They are different disciplines with different requirements.
I mentioned the word Buddha, and I will mention it again later when I teach
the practice at higher levels. There is nothing backward about the term. Some
people cant tolerate hearing the word Buddha, and claim that we propagate blind
belief. But thats not true. Buddha began as a Sanskrit term that originated
in India. It was
translated into Chinese based on pronunciation as Fo Tuo. People later omitted
the word Tuo and kept the Fo. Translated into Chinese it means Enlightened
Onea person who is enlightened. (To check [the Chinese term], look in the Ci Hai Dictionary.)
(1) Buddhist Qigong
At present there are two types of Buddhist qigong that have
been taught. One of them branched off from Buddhism. Many highly accomplished
monks emerged during the thousands of years over which it developed. In the
process of their cultivation, when they reached an advanced level, high-level
masters taught the monks certain things, so they received true instruction from
even higher levels. Those things were passed down in lineage fashion within
Buddhism the religion. Only when a highly accomplished monk was near the end of
his life would he pass those things down to a disciple, who would cultivate
himself according to Buddhisms doctrines and improve himself holistically. That
qigong very much had the markings of Buddhism. Its
monks were driven out of the temples later on, such as during the Cultural
Revolution. At that time those exercises spread to the general public and
started to proliferate there.
Theres one other type of Buddhist qigong. This type
has never in all its years been part of Buddhism. It has always been practiced
quietly, either among the populace or deep in the mountains. These kinds of
practices are unique in their own way. They need to choose a good
disciplesomeone with tremendous virtue who is truly capable of cultivating to
an advanced level. That kind of person appears in this world only once in many,
many years. These practices cannot be made public, as they require rather high
character and their gong develops rapidly; there are quite a number of
these sorts of practices. The same holds true for the Daoist system. Daoist qigong, while all
belonging to the Daoist system, are further divided into Kunlun, Emei, Wudang, etc. There are
different subdivisions within each group, and the subdivisions are quite
different from one another. They cannot be mixed or practiced
(2) Buddhism
Buddhism is a system of cultivation that Shakyamuni
awakened to more than two thousand years ago when he cultivated in
India. It can be summarized in three words: precept, meditation,
wisdom. Precepts are for the purpose of meditation.
Buddhism does in fact have exercises, though it doesnt explicitly talk about
them. Buddhists are actually performing exercises when they sit in meditation
and center their minds. Thats because energy from the universe will start to
gather around a persons body when he calms down and settles his mind, and that
achieves the same effect as performing qigong exercises. The precepts in Buddhism are for
abandoning all human desires and discarding everything to which an everyday
person is attached so that the monk can reach a state of peacefulness and
stillness, enabling him to enter into meditation. A person constantly improves himself in
meditation, until he eventually becomes enlightened,
with his wisdom emerging. He will then know the universe and see its
Shakyamuni did only three things daily when he was
teaching: He taught Law (fa) (primarily Arhat Law)
to his disciples, carried a bowl to collect alms (beg for food), and cultivated
through sitting in meditation. After Shakyamuni left this world, Brahmanism and
Buddhism battled. The two religions later merged into one, called Hinduism.
Buddhism no longer exists in India today as a result of that.
Mahayana Buddhism emerged through later developments and changes, and spread to
inner China, where it
has become todays Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism doesnt worship Shakyamuni as its
sole founderit is a multi-Buddha faith. It believes in many Tathagatas, such as
Buddha Amitabha, Medicine Buddha, etc., and there are more precepts now, while
the goal of cultivation has become higher. Back in his time, Shakyamuni taught
Bodhisattva Law to a few disciples. Those teachings were later reorganized and
developed into todays Mahayana Buddhism, which is for cultivating to the realm
of Bodhisattva. The tradition of Theravada Buddhism has been retained to this
day in Southeast Asia, and
ceremonies are performed using supernatural abilities. In Buddhisms course of
evolution, one cultivation way branched off to our Tibet region and is called Tibetan
Tantrism. Another cultivation way spread to the Han area via Xinjiang and was
called Tang Tantrism (it disappeared after Buddhism was suppressed during the
Huichang period). Another branch in India evolved into yoga.
Buddhism doesnt speak explicitly about doing exercises,
and they dont practice qigong. That is to preserve the traditional method of
Buddhist cultivation. Its also an important reason Buddhism has lasted more
than two thousand years without waning. It has naturally maintained its own
tradition precisely because it hasnt admitted into it anything foreign. In
Buddhism there are different ways to cultivate. Theravada Buddhism focuses on
self-salvation and self-cultivation; Mahayana Buddhism has evolved to offer
salvation to both self and others, salvation of all sentient beings.
7. Upright Cultivation Ways and Crooked
(1) The Side-Door Awkward Ways
The Side-Door Awkward Ways
are also called the Unconventional Cultivation
Ways. Various qigong cultivation ways existed prior to the
establishment of religions. There are many practices outside of religions that
have spread among the populace. Most of them lack systematic doctrines, and so
they havent developed into complete cultivation systems. But the Unconventional
Cultivation Ways, however, do have their own systematic, complete, and unusually
intense cultivation methods, and they too have been spread among the populace.
Those practice systems are usually called the Side-Door Awkward
Ways. Why are they called that? Well, the first part
[of the Chinese term] literally means a door on the side; and the second part
means a clumsy way. People consider both the Buddhist and Daoist cultivation
ways to be straight ways, with all others being side-door awkward ways or
crooked cultivation ways. But that isnt so. The Side-Door Awkward Ways have been practiced
secretly throughout history, being taught to one disciple at a time. They
werent allowed to be revealed to the public. Once made known, people would not
understand them very well. Even their practitioners hold that they are neither
Buddhist nor Daoist. The cultivation principles of the Unconventional Ways have strict character
criteria. They cultivate according to the nature of the universe, advocating
doing good and minding ones character. The highly accomplished masters in those
practices have unique skills, and some of their unique techniques are powerful.
I came across three highly accomplished masters from the Unconventional Cultivation Ways who taught
me some things that cant be found in either the Buddhist or Daoist system.
Those things were each fairly hard to practice in the process of cultivation, so
the gong
obtained was unique. In contrast, strict character criteria are lacking among
some so-called Buddhist and Daoist cultivation methods, and as a result their
practitioners cant cultivate to an advanced level. So we should look at each
cultivation method objectively.
(2) Martial Arts Qigong
Martial arts qigong comes out of a long history. Having its own
complete system of theories and cultivation methods, it has formed an
independent system. Yet strictly speaking, it only manifests supernatural
abilities that are generated by internal cultivation at the lowest level. All of
the abilities that appear in martial arts cultivation also appear in internal
cultivation. Martial arts cultivation likewise begins with doing qi exercises. For
instance, when striking a piece of rock, in the beginning the martial arts
practitioner needs to swing his arms to move qi. Over time, his
qi will change
in nature and become an energy mass that appears in the form of light. At that
point his gong
will start to function. Gong has intelligence because it is an evolved matter.
It exists in another dimension and is controlled by the thoughts coming from
ones brain. When attacked, the martial arts practitioner doesnt need to move
qi; gong will come
merely with a thought. Over the course of cultivation his gong will
continually be strengthened, with its particles becoming finer and its energy
growing greater. The skills of Iron Palm and Cinnabar Palm will appear. As we
can see from movies, magazines, and television shows, the skills of Golden Bell
Cover and Iron Shirt have emerged in recent years. They stem from the
simultaneous practice of internal cultivation and martial arts cultivation; they
come from cultivating internally and externally at the same time. To cultivate
internally, a person needs to value virtue and cultivate his or her character.
Explained from a theoretical angle, when a person reaches a certain level, gong will emit from
the bodys interior to its exterior. It will become a protective shield because
of its high density. In terms of principles, the biggest difference between the
martial arts and our internal cultivation lies in the fact that the martial arts
are performed with vigorous movements and practitioners cant still the mind.
Not having a quiet, centered mind makes qi flow underneath the skin and pass through the
muscles instead of flowing into a persons elixir field (dan-tian).[9]
So they dont cultivate longevitythey havent the ability
to do so.
(3) Reverse Cultivation and Gong Borrowing
Some people have never practiced qigong. Then
suddenly they acquire gong overnight and have quite strong energy, and they
can even heal other people. People call them qigong masters and
they go around teaching others. Some of them, even though they have never
learned qigong
or have only learned a few of its movements, are modifying things and teaching
them to people. This kind of person isnt qualified to be a qigong master. He
or she doesnt have anything to pass on to others. What he or she teaches
certainly cant be used to cultivate to a high level; the most it can do is help
get rid of sickness and improve health. How does this kind of gong come about?
Lets first talk about the commonly-known reverse cultivation. Reverse
cultivation happens to good people who have extremely high character, and who are
usually older, such as over fifty years of age. There isnt enough time for them
to cultivate from the beginning, as its not easy to meet excellent masters who
teach qigong
exercises that cultivate both mind and body. The moment this type of person
wants to cultivate, high-level masters will place a great amount of gong onto the
person according to his or her character foundation. That enables cultivation in
reverse, from the top down, and that way it is much faster. From another
dimension, high-level masters perform the transformation and continually add gong to the person
from the outside of his or her body; this is particularly the case when the
person is giving treatments and forming an energy field. The gong given by the
masters flows as if through a pipeline. Some people dont know themselves where
the gong comes
from. That is reverse cultivation.
Another type is called gong borrowing,
and it isnt restricted in terms of age. A human being has an assistant
consciousness along with a main consciousness, and it is generally at a higher
level than the main consciousness. The assistant consciousnesses of some people
have reached such high levels that they can communicate with enlightened beings.
When these kinds of people want to cultivate, their assistant consciousnesses
have a similar thought of wanting to climb in levels, and they will immediately
get in touch with the enlightened beings to borrow gong from them.
After the gong
is loaned the person will get it overnight. After obtaining the gong, he or she
will be able to treat people to ease their pain. The person will usually adopt
the method of forming an energy field. He or she will be able to give energy to
people individually and to teach some techniques.
People like this usually start out being pretty good.
Because they have gong, they become well known and gain both fame and
wealth. Attachments to fame and wealth come to occupy much of their
thinkingmore than cultivation does. From that point on their gong starts to
diminish, becoming smaller and smaller, until finally it is all gone.
(4) Cosmic Language
Some people are suddenly able to speak a certain type of
language. It sounds fairly fluent when its uttered, yet it is not the language
of any human society. Whats it called? It is referred to as cosmic language.
This thing called cosmic language is in fact merely the language of entities
that are not so high. This phenomenon is happening right now to quite a few qigong
practitioners around China; some of them can even speak
several different languages. Of course, the languages of our human race are
sophisticated too and there are more than a thousand varieties. Is cosmic
language considered a supernatural ability? I would say not. It isnt an ability
that comes from you, and neither is it the kind of ability thats given to you
from the outside. Rather, it occurs when someone is being controlled by foreign
entities. The entities originate at a somewhat higher levelor at least, higher
than that of humankind. It is one of them that is doing the talking, for the
person who is speaking the cosmic language only serves as a medium. Most people
dont even know themselves what they are saying. Only those who have
mind-reading abilities can get a general sense of what the words mean. Its not
an ability, but many people who have spoken these languages feel superior and
get elated since they think it is. In fact, someone with a high-level Third Eye
can definitely observe that a living entity is speaking from diagonally above
the person, through the persons mouth.
That entity teaches the person to speak a cosmic language
while passing on to him or her some of its energy. Yet thereafter, the person
will be under its control, so this is not an upright cultivation way. Even
though that entity is in a slightly higher dimension it is not cultivating an
upright way, so it doesnt know how to teach cultivators a way to stay healthy
or to heal. For this reason it uses the method of sending out energy through
speech. Because it is dispersed, the energy has little power. It is effective in
treating minor sicknesses and ailments but it fails with serious diseases.
Buddhism speaks of how those above cannot cultivate since they lack suffering
and discord; moreover, they cant temper themselves and are unable to raise
their levels. So they look for ways to help people gain better health and in
turn elevate themselves. And that is what speaking cosmic language is about.
Its neither a supernatural ability nor qigong.
(5) Spirit Possession
The most harmful type of spirit possession is that by a
low-level entity. Spirit possession is caused by cultivating in a crooked way.
It is really harmful to people, and the consequences of being possessed are
frightening. Not long after beginning to practice, some people become obsessed
with giving treatments and becoming rich; they think about these things all the
time. These people might have originally been pretty decent or had a master
already looking after them. But things turn sour when they start to contemplate
giving treatments and getting rich. They then attract these types of entities.
Even though they arent in our physical dimension they really do
This kind of practitioner suddenly feels that the Third Eye
has opened and that he or she now has gong, but actually the possessing spirit has control of
the persons brain. It projects into the persons brain the images that it sees,
making him or her think that the Third Eye has opened. But the persons Third
Eye has not in fact opened at all. Why does the possessing spirit or animal want
to give this person gong? Why does it want to help him or her? Its because
in our universe animals are forbidden to cultivate. Animals are not allowed to
gain an upright cultivation way since they know nothing about character and
cant improve themselves. As a result, they want to attach themselves to human
bodies and get the human essence. Theres another rule in this universe, namely:
no loss, no gain. So they want to satisfy your desire for fame and wealth. They
will make you rich and famous, but they dont help you for nothing. They want to
gain something: your essence. You will have nothing left by the time they leave
you and you will have turned weak or become a vegetable! This is caused by poor
character. One right thought will subdue a hundred evils, its said. When you
are upright you wont attract evil. In other words, be a noble practitioner,
turn away from all nonsense, and practice only an upright cultivation
(6) Even When a Cultivation
Way is Upright, a Person Could be Practicing in a
Crooked Manner
Although the practice systems some people learn come from
upright cultivation ways, people can actually practice in a crooked manner
inadvertently due to their not being strict with themselves, to their failing to
cultivate their character, and to their entertaining negative thoughts while
performing their exercises. For example, when a person is performing the
exercises, be it the standing stance or the meditation, his thoughts might
actually be on money, becoming well known and well off, or He wronged me, and
Ill fix him after I get supernatural abilities. Or hes thinking of this or
that ability, thereby adding something bad to his practice and actually
practicing in a crooked manner. This is dangerous since it might attract some
negative things, like low-level entities. And maybe the person doesnt realize
what he has brought on. His attachments are so strongit doesnt work to seek
the Way out of a desire to get certain thingsand his intentions arent right,
so his shifu cant protect him. Thats why
practitioners have to guard their character, keep right-minded, and desire
nothing, lest they bring about problems.
(pronounced chee-gong) Explanation of the term follows in text.
Note: This and all subsequent footnotes are the translators
(fah-lun gong) Falun translates loosely as Law Wheel, and Gong as practice,
qigong, or energy.
A special type of energy.
Meridians form a network of energy channels in the body
said to be conduits of qi energy; they have an important place in Traditional
Chinese Medicine and Chinese thought.
(shahn-gun) Located at the root of the nose.
A common Chinese term for a meditation or martial arts teacher,
similar to sensei in Japanese. The word is
composed of two parts, one meaning teacher and the other
In Chinese thought, this usually refers to the region of
the lower abdomen in which an energy elixir is formed through meditative


text:
From Volume 4, Number 2 (Winter, 1997) · Downloadable PDF Issues
Table of Contents: Volume 4, Number 2 (Winter, 1997)
- Coordinator/Editor's Corner
- Steering Committee Meeting Results
- Family Finder News
- Rzeszow Synagogue to be Restored
- Holocaust Museum to Receive Red Cross Records
- Correction: Contacting Lviv Researcher
- Records from Ivano-Frankovsk (Stanislawow)
- Corrections & Additions to Lviv Metrical Records Inventory
- Documents in the Ukraine Central State Historical Archives: Lviv
- Computer Corner: JewishGen; Polish Genealogical Society Web Site
- Books & Other Materials: Vital Records in Poland; HaMagid on CD-ROM ; Postcards from Ukraine
- 1830 Account of Travelers in Galicia
- Travel Notes: Recent Travel in Ukraine; Ivano-Frankovsk; Podhaytse
- JewishGen Yizkor Book SIG
- Volunteer for Data Entry of Tyczyn Records
- Resources: Translator Available; Volunteer in Kansas City; Index to Book about Famous Galician-born Jews
- Update on Request for Notary Records
- Gologory Revisited
- Gesher Galicia SIG Steering Committee
Gesher Galicia members, log in to download a PDF of this Galitzianer issue.
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subset: commoncrawl


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For Lackland trials, fear factor crucial in quest for justice
By Karisa King, Sig Christenson : September 16, 2012 : Updated: September 17, 2012 2:28am
Photo By John L. Mone/ASSOCIATED PRESSTIMELINE: The sex abuse scandal centered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has become the worst in Air Force history with 33 basic training instructors under investigation for allegations of misconduct with 63 recruits and technical training students. The following photos depict the still-unfolding investigation.
Photo By William Luther/San Antonio Express-NewsMarch 2, 2012: Air Force trainees at Lackland Air Force Base listen as officials explain to them about sexual misconduct and their responsibilities to report it.
Photo By Lisa Krantz/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWSApril, 2012: Staff Sgt. Peter Vega-Maldonado, 32, pleaded guilty to two charges stemming from his relationship with a 21-year-old airman he supervised in basic training. In exchange for a reduced sentence, he agreed to testify against two other trainers he said had illicit relationships with women. The judge gave Maldonado 90 days in jail, 30 days hard labor while restricted to the base, reduction from staff sergeant to airman and forfeiture of $500 a month pay for four months. Read more: Two more Lackland AFB instructors implicated in sex scandal
Photo By COURTESY PHOTOJune 20, 2012: Lt. Col. Mike Paquette lost his job as commander of the 331st Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where most of the accused instructors had worked. He had led the 331st Training Squadron for two years. Read more: Training boss ousted in Lackland sex scandal
Photo By Billy Calzada/Associated PressJuly 20, 2012: Air Force Staff Sgt. Luis Walker arrives for the fourth day of his trial at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Walker was accused of sexually assaulting 10 basic trainees, with charges ranging from rape and aggravated sexual assault to obstructing justice and violating rules of professional conduct. Read more: Staff Sgt. Walker found guilty on all charges of sexual misconduct
Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-NewsJuly 21, 2012: Staff Sgt. Luis A. Walker is taken away in chains from the 37th Training Wing Headquarters after sentencing. Walker, called a "sexual predator" by Air Force prosecutors, was given 20 years in prison. Read more: 'Sexual predator' gets 20 years at Lackland trial
August 1, 2012: Tech Sgt. Christopher Smith, 33, was convicted on two of four counts of misconduct with basic trainees and sentenced to 30 days in jail and a reduction in rank to airman first class, a penalty that will permit him to remain in the Air Force. Read more: AF trainer given 30 days behind bars, loss of rank
Photo By William Luther/William email@example.com 10, 2012: Col. Glenn Palmer lost command of the 737th Training Group, which trains more than 35,000 airmen a year at Lackland. Read more: Lackland training chief is ousted
August 22, 2012: Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward submitted the Command Directed Investigation, which took a deeper and wider look at basic military training, to AETC Commander Gen. Edward Rice. Her recommendations will become an important blueprint for actions that will be implemented throughout basic training as well as technical training. Read more: Major general to investigate 'systemic issues'
Photo By COURTESY/USAFSept. 4, 2012: After a little more than a year on the job, Air Force Col. Eric Axelbank stepped down as head of a training wing here that has been rocked by a growing sex scandal. The command change occurred one day before another instructor, Master Sgt. Jamey Crawford, goes on trial on charges of having sex with a trainee. Read more: Col. Axelbank exits Lackland for the Pentagon
Photo By Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsSept. 10, 2012: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kwinton Estacio arrives for the start of his court marshal at Lackland Air Force Base. Estacio was initially tried on charges that he sexually assaulted a female basic training student, violated a no-contact order and asked several trainees to lie about his contact with them. Read more: Lackland sergeant pleads guilty to less serious charges
Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-NewsSept. 12, 2012: Staff Sgt. Kwinton Estacio is led away from the 37th Training Wing Headquarters after sentencing in his trial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. He was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of obstruction and having sex with a trainee in violation of Air Force conduct rules. Read more: Former Lackland trainer receives 1-year sentence
Photo By Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsSept. 21, 2012: Col. Deborah Liddick marches with military drill instructors during her change-of-command ceremony at JBSA-Lackland. The fourth woman to oversee the Air Force's boot camp since 1996, she takes over amid an investigation that is scrutinizing 33 basic training instructors for misconduct. Read more: Woman now heads AF training at Lackland
Photo By Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsSept. 21, 2012: Col. Deborah Liddick, left, salutes new military training instructor Staff Sgt. Abigail Rodriguez, after taking command of the Air Force basic training program at JBSA-Lackland.
Photo By Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsSept. 21, 2012: Col. Deborah Liddick, new commander of Air Force basic training at JBSA-Lackland, is applauded by by presiding officer and commander of the 37th Training Wing Col. Mark Camerer during a change-of-command ceremony.
Photo By Marvin Pfeiffer/ Express-NewsSept. 24, 2012: Staff Sgt. Jason Manko (right) is led from the courthouse to a waiting pickup on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland after being sentenced to 45 days in jail and another 30 days of hard labor on the base for having an illicit relationship with a female trainee. Read more: Lackland trainer gets 45 days in jail in sex case
Photo By Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsOct. 2, 2012: U.S. Congresswomen from California, members of the House Armed Services Committee, Loretta Sanchez (from left), Jackie Speier and Susan Davis hold a press conference outside Lackland Air Forc e Base. The committee members met with personnel at the base to investigate the ongoing sex scandal. Read more: Lackland's 'culture' blamed for scandal
Photo By Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-NewsOct. 23, 2012: Air Force Secretary Michael Donley gives comments on the Lackland AFB sex scandal now involving 33 instructors having inappropriate contact with 60 women and three men. Read more: AF training likely won't see sex segregation
Photo By Sig Christenson/San Antonio Express-NewsNov. 14, 2012: Gen. Edward Rice Jr. and Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward met with the media at a press conference in the Pentagon as Col. Steve Clutter stands nearby to field questions. The commanders met with reporters to outline the results of an investigation into sexual misconduct among basic training instructors at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Read more: Lackland leaders cited in scandal
Photo By BOB OWEN/San Antonio Express-NewsNov. 24, 2012: Former Air Force instructor Staff Sgt. Craig LeBlanc, center, who was facing 52 years in prison on charges of misconduct with three trainees, threatened to jump from a local overpass after becoming overwhelmed by his legal problems and travel restrictions. Read more: Lackland instructor's legal woes cited in apparent suicide tries. He remained in the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland lockup after a hearing Dec. 4 in which the Air Force said he committed four new violations. Read more: Lackland trainer jailed after release
Photo By Courtesy photoJan. 3, 2013: A military judge found Staff Sgt. Christopher Jackson guilty of having sex with two women trainees and telling one to lie if investigators asked about them. He received a 100-day jail sentence but will stay in the Air Force. Read more: AF instructor is sentenced to 100 days in jail | Sex case witnesses depict Lackland trainer as a true friend
Photo By Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsJan. 8, 2013: Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez, middle, who is accused of rape, forcible sodomy and adultery while assigned to the Lake Jackson recruiting office from August 2008 to November 2011, arrives for an evidentiary hearing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Read more: Air Force recruiter pursued girl for sex
Photo By Susan BiddleJan. 23, 2013: House members sharply criticized two Air Force generals for a culture that allowed pervasive sexual abuse of recruits at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, and for "significant" delays in reporting the crimes. Lawmakers from both parties took turns at a congressional hearing voicing their displeasure and pressed the generals about steps the Air Force is taking to stop sexual abuse. Technical Sergeant Jennifer Norris wipes a tear as she testifies during the hearing. Read more: Panel criticizes handling of Lackland abuse
Photo By Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsJan. 31, 2013: A day after jurors cleared Staff Sgt. Donald Davis of the most serious charges against him, he was sentenced to three months of hard labor and a bad conduct discharge for having sex with a trainee in technical school. Read more: Air Force instructor sentenced to hard labor
Photo By Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsFeb. 14, 2013: Air Force Staff Sgt. Craig LeBlanc, in chains, is led from a JBSA Lackland courtroom after being sentenced to 2 1/2 years after he was found guilty on all but one of nine charges that included a 2011 tryst with a recruit. Facing a battery of allegations that included sexually assaulting a woman, he was at risk of going to prison for 52 years. Read more: Lackland trainer gets prison for sexual misconduct
Photo By Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-NewsFeb. 20, 2013: A judge threw out a case against Tech. Sgt. Samuel Wicks, who was charged with pursing illicit liaisons with three women, saying prosecutors relied on evidence taken from a stolen cellphone. Read more: Judge tosses case against Lackland trainer
March 4, 2013: Former Air Force trainer Ryan Deraas was sentenced to three months in jail and given a bad-conduct discharge for assaulting a pair of recruits and pursuing five illicit relationships. Read more: Former Lackland trainer sentenced to 3 months in jail
March 16, 2013: Air Force Staff Sgt. Eddy Soto got four years in prison and a dishonorable discharge after being found guilty of raping an airman he'd led in basic training. Soto, 30, is only the second trainer at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to be convicted of rape since trials began last spring in the growing instructor misconduct scandal. Staff Sgt. Luis Walker was given 20 years in July. Read more: Lackland trainer handed 4 years in rape
March 21, 2013: Former Air Force basic training instructor Master Sgt. Jamey Crawford was given seven months in jail, two months' hard labor and a bad-conduct discharge for having sex with two women and later lying to investigators about it. Read more: Trainer gets 7 months in Lackland scandal
Photo By MAX WHITTAKER/New York TimesApril 1, 2013: Virginia Messick is the first victim of a still-unfolding sexual assault scandal at Lackland Air Force Base to speak publicly about what she has endured. Read more: Lackland instructor's victim speaks of trauma, fear
Photo By JERRY LARA/San Antonio Express-NewsApril 2, 2013: Staff Sgt. William Romero was given 30 days' hard labor, restricted to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland another 30 days and reduced to airman after pleading guilty to charges that he had illicit relationships with four women and committed adultery. Read more: Lackland trainer, an Iraq vet, gets 60-day sentence
April 24, 2013: Tech. Sgt. Bobby Bass, who faced up to 33 years in prison, was convicted on multiple counts of misconduct with recruits four years ago at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and sentenced to six months in jail and a reduction in rank by a single stripe. He was acquitted by the jury of two officers and four NCOs of a rape charge involving an airman while in Kyrgyzstan. Read more: NCO gets 6 months in abuses at Lackland
Photo By JOHN DAVENPORT/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWSApril 25, 2013: Staff Sgt. Robert Hudson pleaded guilty to having sex with a recruit in basic training and also sickening airmen in a boot camp flight he led after pouring two gallons of bleach in a latrine. Read more: Lackland instructor poured bleach on floor, sickened recruits
Photo By SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWSMay 2, 2013: Staff Sgt. Emily Allen, who pleaded guilty to having sex with a recruit, was sentenced to three months in jail, 30 days' hard labor and reduced to airman first class. The Air Force could move to discharge her after she is released from jail. Read more: Female Lackland trainer gets jail sentence
Photo By JOHN DAVENPORT/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWSMay 22, 2013: The Air Force says basic training instructor Michael Wladischkin had improper relationships with seven women in technical training on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. He faces an Article 32 evidentiary hearing Wednesday, May 22 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph on allegations of indecent acts, assault, adultery and unprofessional relationships with technical training students.
Photo By Scott M. Ash/U.S. Air ForceJune 7, 2013: Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward takes over as the head of the Air Force's sexual response. She replaces Jeffrey Krusinski, a lieutenant colonel who was arrested and charged with sexual battery. Read more: Lackland critic to target AF sex abuse
Photo By SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWSApril 21, 2014: Military judge Col. Donald Eller Jr. found Airman 1st Class Nathan Wilson-Crow, a photographer, guilty of four charges and five specifications of misconduct, one of which carried a possible 15-year prison sentence. Wilson-Crow was tried making sexual contact and exposing himself to at least two girls from O'Connor High School at a youth camp in April 2013. Read more: Airman guilty of some charges in Lackland sex case
Photo By San Antonio Express-News / File photoSeptember 1, 2014: Former Staff Sgt. Luis Walker, given 20 years in the Air Force's worst sex scandal, dies in a Kansas City, Mo., hospital. He hanged himself in a prison cell at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks.
Photo By Express-News file photoSeptember 9, 2014: Following an analysis of instructor misconduct at Lackland, the Government Accountability Office reports that six recommendations have not been implemented, including one to increase the number of training instructors to 528. Read more: Changes driven by Lackland scandal not complete
Photo By JERRY LARA/San Antonio Express-NewsJanuary 29, 2015: A jury finds veteran Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Silva guilty of raping a recruit he was charged with training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lacklandin 1995. He was found guilty of twice raping the recruit, and also raping a third woman, a member of the military, in Wyoming during February 2007.
More Information
Woman to lead Air Force training after sex scandal
Former Lackland trainer receives 1-year sentence
House committee to hold hearings on Lackland
Col. Axelbank exits Lackland for the Pentagon
Problems existed at Lackland long before sex scandal broke
A young Air Force recruit who said her basic training instructor sexually assaulted her testified last week that, after two months of obeying his orders, she was too frightened to protest his advances in a dark supply room.
Exactly what the 19-year-old feared Staff Sgt. Kwinton Estacio might do if she resisted she could not say — and that single answer began to unravel the government's case.
"You're in the worst position that you could think of. He's your instructor," she said. "When you're in a position like that, you don't know what to think."
The judge, Lt. Col. Matthew Van Dalen, acquitted Estacio of aggravated sexual assault because military law requires that in the absence of direct threats, the woman must have feared harm to her career. His decision left jurors to decide only one lesser charge of wrongful sexual contact that hinged on the question of whether the recruit consented to his advances.
After defense attorneys argued Estacio could have mistaken her compliance for consent, jurors found him not guilty. He was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of obstruction and having sex with a trainee in violation of Air Force conduct rules.
The arguments invoked by Estacio's military lawyers proved to be a powerful defense that cut his maximum prison sentence from 43 to 14 years. The outcome of his trial also cast a shadow over a virtually identical case, and possibly prosecution of other trainers, in a sex scandal that so far has turned up 42 victims.
How the cases play out in the courtroom is under close public scrutiny. Critics of the military justice system contend that the handling of sexual assault cases must be reformed. As with previous military sex scandals, advocates are displeased that commanders frequently divert sexual misconduct cases from the courtroom as a way to shield the accused, and they view the investigation and prosecution of such cases as often inadequate.
With heat on the military to prosecute abusive drill sergeants and do more to protect female recruits, Air Force brass has replaced several unit commanders and appointed a general to investigate the training wing.
On Saturday, the Air Force appointed Col. Deborah Liddick as commander of Lackland's 737th Training Group, replacing Col. Glenn Palmer, who was ousted in August. The Air Force made no specific reference to her gender, but advocates have called for a woman commander to oversee basic training.
Liddick is the fourth woman to head the training command.
"Placing women in positions of authority in the military improves the general climate towards women, so for the culture to change at Lackland, we will need to see more women placed in leadership and instructor roles," said Anu Bhagwati, head of the Service Women's Action Network, which recently asked Lackland to install a woman to lead the unit.
Meanwhile, observers who have followed the scandal differ on what Estacio's case portends. An advocate and victim said the ruling raised the bar unfairly high for proving that victims were in fear. Military lawyers have a more nuanced view.
"It's a disturbing decision. So long as the case law remains that prosecutors must prove a specific fear as opposed to a generalized fear, victims will continue to have a very difficult time getting to a jury," said Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders, an advocate group.
"I think that the military justice system did fail another sexual assault victim," said retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Norris, a military sexual trauma victim and advocate.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Addicott, who heads St. Mary's Center for Terrorism Law, called the sentence an obvious setback for the government. Still, he said, "The military justice system is not designed to convict, but to ensure that justice is done."
Just how the verdict bears on a companion case isn't clear. Staff Sgt. Craig LeBlanc is accused of having sex with another basic training graduate in the same supply room at the time of the incident involving Estacio. He faces an Oct. 9 trial on the same charges — aggravated sexual assault, obstruction and violating rules forbidding such relationships.
Lt. Col. Mark Hoover, an attorney for the Air Force's training command, cautioned against reading too much into the Estacio case. The ruling on the question of what constitutes sufficient fear in the mind of a victim, he explained, comes down to specific language in the law.
If the woman had testified that she complied because she feared Estacio would hurt her career or force her to repeat some part of basic training, the sexual assault charge might have gone to the jury. "It's like a razor-thin issue," he said.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Geoffrey Corn, a professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston, said no two cases are identical.
"A more decisive victim, a different judge, maybe different questioning during testimony, any of those variables could have altered the outcome," he said.
The judge's ruling was partly based on two earlier cases decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. One, involving a former Army drill instructor convicted of raping a student in his platoon, bore similarities to Estacio's case.
Although the charge was rape, not sexual assault as alleged against Estacio, prosecutors said the victim did not resist him because he abused his authority, using threats and intimidation to make it seem as if resistance was futile.
After the instructor threatened to revoke her privileges to leave the Army post, she met him at hotel rooms on several occasions and had mechanical sex with him.
She testified that in one instance when she did not meet him at a hotel as requested, he "smoked the platoon," forcing them to do push-ups as a consequence. She also testified that "if I really wanted to run, and he really wanted to stop me, I don't think I'd make it very far."
Even so, the court ruled that prosecutors could not overcome the fact that he was not nearby when she agreed to meet him for sex on three occasions. The court ruled that without any direct threats to harm her physically, prosecutors failed to show a lack of consent, and the rape charges were thrown out.
A one-time Lackland trainee, Norris contends that recruits are in a general state of fear in boot camp, sometimes seeing others fail to graduate on time or be booted out.
"Even if (the) encounters were considered consensual, the victim didn't realize that she was one of many," said Norris.
In a pattern replicated in other cases, Estacio selected the woman, identified as Airman 1, as a leader of her flight. The role allowed him to spend more time with her than other trainees.
While Norris sees him and other instructors as highly manipulative, often causing confusion in the minds of their victims, the jury deciding Estacio's fate found that prosecutors failed to prove a lack of consent.
What happened after the encounter also posed murky issues. The trainee testified that before leaving Lackland, just a few hours after the incident, she left a thank-you note on Estacio's desk for being a good instructor. She later called him and sent two cellphone pictures of herself wearing Victoria's Secret lingerie.
"Certainly in the post-incident behavior, I think a reasonable person could look at that and view it as inconsistent with having been victimized," said retired Air Force Col. Morris Davis, who investigated a 2003 Air Force Academy sex scandal. "But my experience has been different victims react differently."
Observers of the scandal differ over whether the trials at Lackland are sending the right message. Of the four former instructors to face trial, only Staff Sgt. Luis A. Walker received a long sentence. Convicted of misconduct and sex crimes against 10 trainees, by far the most severe of Lackland's cases, he was given 20 years.
"Deterrence is produced by risk and uncertainty. The fact that these cases are going to trial in and of itself produces deterrence. The fact that some of these training NCOs are going to jail produces more deterrence," Corn said.
But, Parrish, said, "The only way to reach these men who would assault another is to send a clear message — this behavior is a crime, and it should be severely punished."
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text:
Submitted by Brendan Fischer on
CNN Online has published a story titled an "angry electorate helps sustain tea party," ignoring the clear evidence the "movement" is only sustained by thinly-veiled religious zeal and wealthy funders like the Koch brothers.
Perhaps in an effort to avoid accusations of liberal bias, CNN Online parrots Tea Party spin, concluding the article by quoting a GOP strategist who states "The tea party is an organic movement that was largely created by people who were frustrated by Washington. ... There's not much you can do about something that's genuine, something that grew organically." On the contrary, the tea party has been funded since its inception by the billionaire Koch brothers and other wealthy ideologues, and its events and gatherings have been orchestrated by corporate lobbyists.
Koch-funded Christian Right
Studies show that most people who now identify with the Tea Party were already highly partisan Republicans and identified with the religious right before the "movement" began. In the August 2010 New Yorker article lifting the veil on Tea Party funding, conservative economist Bruce Bartlett explained that "the problem for the Kochs has been trying to create a movement," and that they are "trying to shape and control and channel the populist uprising into their own policies." Tea Party handlers, then, harness the religious zeal of its members, allege they are motivated by Ayn Rand-inspired economic populism, and run candidates like Michele Bachmann who play down their extreme social conservatism in favor of an economic platform. And news outlets like CNN apparently continue to take the "grassroots movement" at face value.
Clearly Partisan Agenda
Matt Kibbe, longtime Republican operative and president of tea party group FreedomWorks, told CNN "we're not a protest movement anymore; we've morphed into something else. We're a get-out-the-vote machine. We're organizing at the community level."
Recently released recordings from the Koch brothers' donor retreat in June, though, demonstrate that Tea Party events have always been aimed at electing Republicans. As Think Progress notes, Koch Industries executive and lobbyist Kevin Gentry described being "on the road" in 2010 for the Koch-funded "Americans for Prosperity's last minute kind of get out the vote tours," which he said was "a Tea Party AFP event designed to help in the Congressional races." The specific "get out the vote" event Gentry referenced was in Congressman Paul Ryan's district.
CNN is co-sponsoring a GOP presidential debate with the Tea Party Express tonight (which Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting discusses here).
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Tea Party
And how exactly are the Kock brothers more bothersome than say Warren Buffet? I guess it's because Buffet backs Obama that he's ok?
The hypocrisy displayed in posts like yours is astounding!
Brendan Fischer replied on Permalink
to the best of my knowledge,
to the best of my knowledge, Warren Buffet is not funding and orchestrating astroturf groups and calling them "grassroots," and the media is not parroting the message.
Lisa Graves replied on Permalink
First of all, I have no idea who Warrant Buffett "backs" or has backed over the years, and his views on President Obama whatever they may be are really beside the point.
Second, Buffett's actual views that are germane are those on the unfairness of a tax code that allows him to pay less as a percentage of his income than his salaried secretary. One would think that this would concern any thinking person, regardless of party. And, it would be rational to think that tea party folk--were they not poisoned with calculated disinformation--would be eager to embrace a billionaire's request to pay his fair share, rather than receive a note like yours that imagines a hypocrisy that is not evident in this article.
Third, so count me suprised that you'd rather take pot shots at the president and a billionaire who has spoken out about the shameful truth about the way the tax code helps him and other billionaires rather than you expressing any concern for the billionaire bankrolling expensive tea party motor coaches, like Koch Industries' David Koch who chairs and funds "Americans for Prosperity" with its campaign events in Wisconsin and elsewhere....
Fiona Mackenzie replied on Permalink
Remarks like this one by
Remarks like this one by Anonymous are disturbing because they characterize the extreme lack of voter comprehension that facilitates ALEC is achieving its goals.
Anonymous, please tell your friends it DOES matter how they vote this time, and suggest they and you learn a little more about the issues and the people.