In the 1990’s I saw a documentary by two brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair’s who were exploring Indonesia. The documentary left me in an odd mixture of disbelief and awe. It was my first introduction to the esoteric world of Chi or Ki. They managed to get a very private and mysterious man who they called “Dynamo Jack” on tape showing some rather strange abilities.
A Greek Martial Artist by the name of Kosta Danos tracked Dynamo Jack down and proceed to be his apprentice for many years, until they had a falling out. However during his apprenticeship he wrote two wonderful books on the MoPai methods - The Magus of Java and NeiKung: The Secret Teachings of the Warrior Sages.
I recently reread them after many years, this time with a fresh set of eyes and more experience into the esoteric practices of Internal Alchemy.
These two books are a rare treat. They read like an adventure novel - fast paced with many twists. Like a good guide on this adventure the books zips through to an Indonesia that is an amalgamation between Daoist, Muslim and Buddhist ways of life. And like a good teache
r, it inspires you down a new adventure into the outer reaches of inner space. Welcome to the exciting world of MoPai traditions, and the esoteric practices of NeiKung. In short this is the Don Jaun/Carlos Castaneda of the martial arts world.
The books have some wonderful stories of a world that is forgotten. They serve to teach a way of being seldom if at all seen in the west. Whether or not you choose to believe in it, the books both entertain and educate the reader.
As a reader you will get a glance behind this secretive into
- The foundations of Internal Alchemy, to generate that mysterious power called Chi/Ki. For those studying the “soft” or “internal” arts this is paramount to understand the nature of yin-yang
- Introduces the first 4 levels on this development path but does not share the exercises or mudras. However with deligence you can find them if you look hard enough
- Gripping stories that will challenge your perception of reality - whether you believe in or not, it will still change how your view the universe around you
This is a GREAT INTRODUCTION into esoteric Daoist and Indonesian practices. I highly recommend these books to anyone who is new to internal arts or those seeking a better understanding of Yin-Yang, and how it can be used. WORTH STUDYING!
