Feeling fat in the festive season? It’s all in your mind

24 November 2005

Feeling thin or fat is an illusion constructed in the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Public Library of Science Biology. The collaborative study led by UCL (University College London) used a trick called the Pinocchio illusion to scan people’s brains while they experienced the sensation that their waists were shrinking. The study reveals which parts of the brain are involved in body image and may shed some light on anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder, where sufferers are overly concerned by a small or imagined defect in their body, and frequently overestimate or underestimate their actual body size.

The study, led by Dr Henrik Ehrsson of the UCL Institute of Neurology, used the Pinocchio illusion in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging to study volunteers’ brains. For each volunteer, a vibrating device was placed on their wrist to stimulate the tendon and create the sensation that the joint was flexing, even though it remained stationary. With their hand touching their waist, volunteers felt their wrists bending into their body, creating the illusion that their waists were shrinking.

During the tendon exercise, all 17 participants felt that their waist had shrunk by up to 28 per cent. The researchers found high levels of activity in the posterior parietal cortex, an area of the brain that integrates sensory information from different parts of the body. Volunteers who reported the strongest shrinking sensation also showed the strongest activity in this area of the brain.

Dr Henrik Ehrsson, of the UCL Institute of Neurology, says: “We process information about our body size every day, such as feeling thin or fat when we put our clothes on in the morning, or when walking through a narrow doorway or ducking under a low ceiling. However, unlike more elementary bodily senses such as limb movement, touch and pain, there are no specialized receptors in the body that send information to the brain about the size and shape of body parts. Instead, the brain appears to create a map of the body by integrating signals from the relevant body parts such as skin, joints and muscles, along with visual cues.

“Other studies have shown that people with injuries in the parietal cortex area of the brain experience the feeling that the size and shape of their body parts have changed. People who suffer from migraine with aura can sometimes experience a phenomenon called the ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’, where they feel that various body parts are shrinking. This could also be linked to the same region of the brain. In addition, people with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder who have problems with judging the size of their body might similarily have a distorted representation of their body image in the parietal cortex. These are areas which would be worth exploring in future research, to establish whether this region of the brain is involved in anorexia and the rare but peculiar shrinking symptoms of some migraines.”

This extract is derived from the UCL (University College London) website.

Lesson Notes

Lesson 2
向：指宅向
朝：指门向

当宅向与门向相同叫“朝向”
“朝向”之宅忌冲、忌门对门。可放石狮如果命不够重。宜官员、兵或警察。如果命不够重会怕住不起。可极旺也可极衰。石狮并不用于挡煞。挡煞只用弯狮，但放了祖先和四重天以下之神进不来。所以就不拜祖先。

门对门如果只是朝而没有向就不成问题。
“朝向”之宅有门对门：放屏风。If staying on highest floor of the building, make the screen higher then the door is sufficient. For all other levels, make the screen / partition all the way up to the ceiling.

大门不可开向房门：有二房。It doesn’t matter what room it is or for what use.
化解：挂三个金属铃（金、银、铜）在doorknob. Do not tie with a dead knot. The mistress will leave the husband within 14 days.

Windchimes must never be hung near wood. It can only be used near metal (e.g. Metal window). It is an antenna to tap into the energy we want from the environment. It should sound like coins falling, light and pleasant. Not to sound heavy and noisy.

不要住地支宅因怕年支冲到不好。不利那些生年支或时支相冲的人。
化解：例如申宅，辰位放龙，子位放水。成三合局，可旺宅。
用三合局的月，日和时来安风水物。

安风水物：放时要有声音。右手结剑指，打在左掌心，写“敕令”。头不能摇，身不能动。 不可点人。

立向站于宅之中心点。

八运和九运用金罗盘。 黑罗盘用于阴宅或七运。罗盘至少要六寸。
最好用了九十九次就换新的罗盘。

Hold the luopan with both hands with the index fingers extended along both sides. If hands are shaky, wrap the index fingers around the outer two corners. Turn clockwise normally but counter clockwise when measuring dirty places e.g. toilet.

Unethical Luck Changing Method:
When extremely unlucky and about to move out to a new house, buy a new stove to cook three dishes and one soup and finish the food completely on the day of moving. Use bread to wipe the plates and eat all the food bits until the plates are spotless and dry. Then leave the stove behind in the old house or give it to someone else when you shift to your new place. Your ill luck will be transferred to the next owner of the stove.

When stricken with strange diseases, give away your clothes that you have worn on the first and fifteen day of the lunar month. Do not wash these clothes and give them away. The bad health luck will be passed on to the person you gave the clothes to.

Feng Shui practitioners who know about these methods will advise clients to avoid accepting clothes or stove from others.

青龙外旺（有高楼），白虎内旺（家人都睡此方）：宅旺，没有问题。青龙白虎要平衡。

Self Portrait

Occults tips for today

除恐惧感咒
　　咒文：军荼利
　　读音：kunturui
　　*作过程：在面临使自己有恐惧感的事情（例如打群架、见网友）之前先高声念诵（喊叫）三遍，然后再进行。
　　结果：有研究表明：普通人对恐惧的抵抗力如果是3的话，念这个东西可以达到5.5。因此可以想像你将会象野蛮人一样冲杀在前，抢着付帐，马革裹尸。
　　注意事项：别念太多，念太多会堕入邪道。


遁甲出行诀
　　　　此法至诚闭气吸东方生气一口，吹在手心，右手剑指，写在左手心上，握拳，书字即行，百步不可回头。
　　　　(1)见官书“天“字---见主管或主官
　　　　(2)求婚书’合’字---用於男女朋友交往时
　　　　(3)市贾书“利“字---用於生意买卖时
　　　　(4)出行书“通“字---用於外出,旅行时
　　　　(5)博戏书“乾“字---用於游戏时
　　　　(6)入众书“遁“字---用於在人群中不被发现
　　　　(7)入阵书“强“字---用於各类比赛
　　　　(8)看病书“鬼“字---用於探病求医时
　　　　(9)吃酒书“少“字---用於饮酒避免宿醉时

What to do when you visit people in the hospital?

Lots of folks tell me they don't like visiting the hospital becausethey feel like it has lots of ghosts and other "etheric beings" aroundand they want to protect themselves. They always feel like they arebeing attacked.So what do you do if that's the way you feel, or if you have to crossa graveyard or some other scary palce and are scared of "ghosts" andother things--whether or not they really exist? What do you do to protectyourself, or at least settle your mind so you calm yourself (should it not work)?

Simple. The method comes from China, and is based on theobservation and cultivation work of Buddhism and Taoism and theEsoteric School of Buddhism. Did you ever notice that babies are always clutching their hands?Babies are defenseless, so the only thing they can do when threatened is cry andcluth their hands. When they clutch their fists, they usually wrap their fingers aroundtheir thumbs. If you are sensitive you'll notice that when you place your thumb at the base of your third finger and wrap your otherfingers around it and press, that pressure point stimulates all the chi in your body to rise upwards.

Hence, that's the method.That's what you do when you enter scary places-- place your thumb inyour hand and wrap your other fingers around it in a fist and SQUEEZEso that your chi goes up.With your yang chi rising upwards, nothing much can attack you successfully or attach to you... remember, a lot of cultivation science has to do with yin andyangchi rising or falling.

Rising is healthy/protective and falling is usuallyrelated to a state of weakness, illness, sickness or death. Manypeople who are dying can no longer hold their urine or feces, which isrelated to losing their downward chi, and that's another proof of this method.

So there you have it. A five minute lesson on something simple and unobtrusiveyou can do if you have to visit the hospital or someplace scary. Whetheror not it works, it certainly calms people's minds because then theyfeel they're doing SOMETHING and get on with the task at hand anyway.So there you have it -- skillful means that work.

Extracted from "Meditation Expert" newletter.

Yan Kropetch (One of a Few Greatest Thai Mantras)

There are hundreds of stanzas of Thai Mantras, but one among a few greatest is I-TI-PI-SO TON HONG or the first stanza of a Mantra specifically prasing for the Lord Buddha. How great is this Maha Mantra? It's very effective for self-protection from all formidable dangers. Even a near-to-die one who has a reminiscence on the Mantra will never go to abyss hell but a good place after his death.

The more amazing is that there is a top most Mantra emerged from the vertical reading of I-TI-PI-SO TON HONG. The great Mantra is called " Yan Kro Petch" or the Mantra of Diamond Shield. Luang Phor Parn of Wat Bang Nom Kho, Ayuthaya province, found the Mantra in B.E. 2458 while he was making a pilgrimage to Suphanburi province.

Shortly before he found this great Mantra, he was meditating and a Yana (supernatural sense)had emerged from his mind that there was a very important plate buried in the main stupa of Wat Phra Sri Ratana Maha Dhat, Suphanburi province, waiting for him to get. Not long after that he reached the stupa and found an ancient silver plate inscribed the Mantra text of Yan Kropetch. The plate describes that one who found this Mantra is so great because it's the heaven wish to specify the great one to get it. The plate also describes that one who recites this Mantra everyday his body will be covered with Diamond Shield and safe from all dangers, he will never be destroyed by the enemy. Moreover, the enemy will be destroyed by some strange phenomena because of the reflective result from the magic Diamond Shield !!
In any year that had the auspicious Sao Ha day (Saturday, the fifth day of waxing moon period, lunar month), Luang Phor Parn would perform a very special ritual, consecrating and embedding Yan Kropetch into his thousands disciples gathering in Wat Bang Nom Kho temple. Luang Phor Parn would write the Mantra on a blackboard and tell everybody to choose one letter of the script NA-MO-BUDH-DHA-YA (five Buddhas' names). Then he would stand behind the blackboard and recite a Mantra to push the script flashing on all disciples. If a recipient really has a good meditative property, a letter he chose will embed on his skull for life long. Amazingly, it always occurs when a recipient died and was brought to cremate, the script clearly appears on the forehead skull remnant.

My dear net-readers, this is one of a few greatest Mantras that deserves daily recitation. If this's done, you will be well-protected; all dangers even deadly ones will never come closer to you.

I-TI-PI-SO TON HONG:
I Ti Pi So Bha Kha Wa
A Ra Hang Sam Ma Sam Budh Dho
Wish Sha Ja Ra Na Sam Pan No
Su Kha To Lo Ka Wi Dhu A Nut Ta Lo
Pu Ris Sa Dham Ma Sa Ra Dhi
Sat Dha De Wa Ma Nus Sa Nang
Budh Dho Bha Kha Wa Ti

Translation
Lord Buddha is the Holy One, the Enlightened One, the Perfect One of all knowledge and conduct, the Well-Gone, the World Enlightener, the incomparable Supreme Teacher of gods and humans, and the Awakened and Blessed One.

YAN KROPETCH:
I Ra Sha Kha Ta Ra Sa
Ti Hang Ja To Lo Dhi Nang
Pi Sam Ra Lo Pu Sat Budh
So Ma Na Ka Ris Dha Dho
Bha Sam Sam Wi Sa Dhe Bha
Kha Budh Pan Dhu Dham Wa Kha
Wa Dho No A Ma Ma Wa
A Wish Su Nus Sa Nut Ti

The Limitations of Ba Zhi Xue

From local statistics, a baby is born in Singapore every 15 minutes on average (Based on the figure of 35,000 babies being born in year 2004; this information was taken from the Singapore Statistic Dept website). Thus, based on the fact that a Shi Chen (the Chinese equivalent of an hour) is actually made up of two conventional hours, we can calculate that around 8 newborns arrive into this world every Shi Chen. This implies that there is an average of 8 persons who share the same Bazhi (a form of Chinese horoscope) in Singapore. Using the President of Singapore as a medium of illustration, we can deduce that there are 7 individuals out there that have the same Bazhi as he does. But why is it that only him alone became the President? According to the study of Bazhi, whether a person takes on a high official post is already decided at birth, in other words, predestined. In our case here on the other hand, the accuracy is only one out of eight or 12.5% since only one of the eight can become our President. We can apply the mathematics to other renowned individuals like billionaires, celebrities, etc. but the result will be the same. With a low accuracy of only 12.5%, can the study of Bazhi really be taken seriously? And what can we say about the other 87.5%?

Also, based on the logical deduction above, can we say that the 12.5% accuracy will be greatly reduced if the country we talking about has a higher birthrate? Which actually in turn will mean more people are born in the country on the same day and time and thus sharing the same Bazhi.

In conclusion, we have to realize that any form of astrology has its limitations. They can only be used as a guide and not of an absolute nature. There are many other factors at play here.

Regards
Kinryu (aka Alvin Chua)

Written by Kinryu. All rights reserved. Copyright @. Not for commercial use of any kind.

Curse of the Kris

Watched Incredible Tales on Channel 5 last night. It was about a guy whose family has a tradition of passing down a kris (a snake-like dagger) as heirloom. His ancestor was a Javanese warrior who was given the kris and it in turn gave him supernatural powers. During the Dutch invasion of Java, this warrior was shot at many times but whenever his blood touches the ground, he will be resurrected again. The Dutch only managed to kill him by burying him alive. The kris must be fed blood from one of the family members everyday. If it is not appeased, it will take away the lives of the family members one at a time. The kris cannot be destroyed or discarded, or else the whole family will die. The tradition must go on. But from what I know, Daoist magic can be used to end the turmoil. In Daoist occult practices, there are many rituals that can be done to remove the spirit residing in the kris. However, the adept must be powerful enough in his spiritual power to battle the kris’ spirit since such tradition stretches over centuries, which means the kris, being fed blood for such a long time, has grown to be a rather powerful entity. In the show, incense was being offered to the kris also, which is a de facto practice. Krises are known to like the smell of incense.

Facing Direction Of A Home by Cecil Lee

1. If you are doing a Feng Shui assessment of an Apartment in the Building / Flat (Low floors ie. level 2 to level 7)
Take from the direction of your Main Door. This will be the facing of your home. For example, if from the center of the house to the main door it falls in the North-East. This house is a North-East facing house. However, if you have the habit of keeping your main door close most of the time, then use the frontage of the living room / balcony instead.
2. If you are doing a Feng Shui assessment of an Apartment in the Building / Flat (High floors ie. level 8 and onwards) Facing most likely is not where the main entrance is when this main entrance is inside the building.The Facing side is usually where most of the windows and the balcony are located because this is where most of the Qi is activated into the home. Also, when you share a building with other people, with you living on one of the floors, it may very well be that different floors have different Facings. Take from the frontage of the living room / balcony.
3. If you are doing a Feng Shui assessment of a Landed Property
Depending on your interior layout plan, you can choose the frontage of the house (usually by the living room view), or the main door which you enter.

We have to understand concepts like:
1.Facing and Sitting directions
2.The "Mouth-of-the-house".
These two are related.
For a landed property, often, the main door is assumed as the "mouth-of-the-house". Since quite-alot-of landed properties have their main entrance door facing the frontage. This is common because, often we drive-up to the front of the home. And we enter through this door. However, there are some landed properties that have their main entrance at the side of the home. For example, we drive in (deeper into the home). And after parking, the main door is at the side. The "mouth-of-the-house". Under Feng Shui, the mouth of the house is considered very important, because this is where qi comes into the home. And this qi is said to have an influence on the home. In a landed property, again, often, the main door is considered the "mouth-of-the-house". But often it is this collective main door and the frontage e.g. windows at this frontage, that is known as the facing direction. Therefore, we can understand that the facing direction is where air or majority of air is said to flow into the home. This is like when we drive an-open-top car, air literally flows at our face. And it is this majority of qi or air flow that we want to determine. And this is where, we consider the facing or mouth-of-the-house. Once we find this facing direction, the sitting direction is easy. Since it is directly opposite the facing direction.

Further to what I had mentioned, sometimes, it may be easier to determine the sitting position. Especially if there is a distinct hill or slope e.g. behind the property. We could "safely" say that the facing is directly opposite this. In Singapore, especially for the 3 room Housing and Development Board flats (HDB), we often find that we enter the apartment from the front. And it is easy to say that this is often the facing direction or the "mouth-of-the-house". However, nowadays, many apartments are squeezed so tight and clustered in a snake like formation, the main door can nearly be at any direction. For a condo or apartment, it is best to check on one's life-style habit. Does one often leave the main door open? Or close it most of the time? For many who live in a condo, I have seen majority of the residents close the main door (unless they fixed a grille at the main door). Yet, many do close this door. If we do close this door, then, it does not make much sense to say that this is the "mouth-of-the-house". Furthermore, many condos and even new HDB apartments have main doors at "odd" placement. And often, if we have to negotiate a turn into the home from the main door, most likely, this may not be the natural "facing direction". This is similiar to what I had mentioned for a landed property earlier, where if the main door is at the side. And if there are other landed properties where this main door faces the side of the neighbour's apartment, most likely this should not be the main door.
Look at it this way, countries like Singapore and Hong Kong have majority of their residents staying in an apartment (condo or HDB) and Feng Shui for apartments is quite modern. And as mentioned above, the main door can be located at very odd locations and it should not be construde as the main door. I believe, many of such practitioners either live in the stone age or most likely wear spectacles but if one peers closely at their spectacles, these spectacles have "tunnel vision lens". Therefore, check to see where is most likely the "mouth-of-the-house". And in many of the common approaches are:
1. If the home has four sides of windows, try to figure out, firstly which side has more light. The idea of more light is more practical than the amount of wind coming into a home.
2. More light would often suggest, that there are more floor area of window or the mouth-of-the house.
3. To use the amount of wind blowing into the windows etc.. may not be an exact science, since, high /low pressures within a day can differ. Therefore, wind can blow from any side of the home at any given time. This is particuarly true for an island like Singapore, which is surrounded by water. And it is said that in a high pressure days, air circulate either clock-wise or anti-clockwise for low pressure days.

The idea that the higher one's apartment is, we should take the reading from the balcony or the location where most light comes in makes more sense also. Many people feel that when our apartment goes as high as 6, 7 or 8th storeys, and if we do see much light coming thru, here, then this should be the mouth-of-the house. However, if one lives in a highrise, and if our views are blocked by an immediate neigbhouring block and if we have the habit to open the main door (leaving it open most of the time), then, even if at a higher storey, we could then perhaps, use this as the main door. Given, the above examples, one can therefore see that there is no right or wrong answers. More importantly, if you do check on a practitioner, check to see if the practitioner use the term "IT DEPENDS". If so, the practitioner is most likely a better practitioner - who does not go for only one method. If the practitioner - says that every other method is WRONG! It must be the main door, please steer clear of this "dead-wood", myopic practitioner! Unfortunately, there are many of these in Singapore. It shows how inflexible, such people are.

Feng Shui was developed at the time where there were few if any highrise. And, it is very sad to say that many of such schools, feel that only their method is RIGHT and sometimes, these practitioners will quote some famous practitioners dead or alive. Who cares, do remember the fundamentals and we are better off.

Change Your Luck Part 1

乔迁好运到

将新房子打扫乾净後，宣纸摊开放在地上，选一颗黄色扁平的石头（或将石头染黄）放在纸中央，上头摆一些米，纸的四个角落摆上其它四谷（麦、豆、稗、粟後两者可用小鸟饲料代替），诚心地希望伟大的黄帝护佑居家繁荣，然後将纸上的所有东西连同宣纸包好，收入一小空盒内，放置神坛上，五谷之神自会带来意想不到的好运！


求姻缘
　　在农历十五晚上子时，取三小片杨柳枝的皮（用刀片削成薄片）、和桃花瓣六片放置於清水中，面对窗外的月光，点一小根红蜡烛，一边用清水洗脸，心中一边默念求赐姻缘，然後将水泼向家里周围的任一植物，等红蜡烛烧完之後，姻缘将会随之而来!


求健康长寿法
　　健康法红包袋一只，内装绿豆、红豆各三颗，将袋口封死後，随身携带卅六天，然後丢到床底下。这样身上有任何不好的秽气，都会转移到红包袋上，自然可以心情开朗、健康长寿！


事业顺利法
　　在满月的夜里，把自己的名字写在一张黄纸上，然後向月亮祈求让自己事业顺利，之後照东南西北的顺序各走七步，回到原处挖个洞将这张纸埋起来，（没回到原处则无效）快则七天，慢则一个月，自己的事业就会一帆风顺！


去霉运法
　　选定一天的子时（晚上十一点到清晨一点，最好是生日。除夕，或任何季节的时候，如：春至．秋分），拿一颗煮熟的鸡蛋，蛋过手後就不要给其他人看到，随後在手心中放一点朱砂，和九十九滴新开的米酒和匀之後，抹在蛋壳上，然後找一个露天地方把蛋吃掉，最後朝家相反的方向走一百步，把蛋壳高高的抛掉，就可以将坏运抛到脑後，烟消云散！！！


去病法
　　在自己农历生日的那天，选个吉时，将七朵大红的玫瑰花，七颗白色的小石头，还有少许的米和盐，全部放在浴缸内泡澡约十分钟，如此便可包你一整年身强体壮，百病不侵！泡澡的水及里面的东西丢弃即可，最重要的是不能被人踩到，否则就会失效。此法最适用那些小病不断的人，而且年纪越小效果越强！


去病转运法
　　中秋节即到，生病或运气不顺时可用，每年农历八月十四日，中秋节前夕晚上九点以前，把自己的头发分成三部份，象徵性地剪下少许，先剪中间，右边完再换左边，然後连同手和脚的指甲一起放进红包袋中，再放入一百元，密封後从家中出发，拿到外面丢弃，途中不可和其他人说话，丢完後也不能回头，回家後就不要再出门，直到隔天早上，如此噩运就会离你远去！！（见红大吉，即使捡到的人也不会缠上坏事）


屋内驱魔法
　　在碗内先倒入冷水，再加入滚水（顺序不可弄反），调温约四十度左右，随後放入白米七粒和盐一小匙及榕树叶七片，稍微和一下，待融解之後，将水洒在屋内所有墙面上，嘴里还要念著自己的姓名和地址，剩的水端出屋外倒掉即可，但在来回的路途中，听到有人叫自己的名字时，决不可回头！此法可以驱逐屋内霉气和邪魔，让住在屋内的人每天都神清气爽精神百倍！


「运财盘」吸财大法
　　每一位做生意的人，谁不想财源滚滚，马上飞黄腾达？上班族也想职位与薪水步步高升，但总是天不从人愿，没关系，这里教你一招「吸财大法」，只要照以下方法做两个「运财盘」，包管你日日见财，赚得「嘴笑目笑」。「运财盘」的做法可不简单哦，首先你要准备两个圆形盘子，最好是瓷盘；买一张黄色或粉红色、咖啡色的纸，剪出二张垫纸，在上面画个太极图；再剪两张小红纸，上面写「为我生财」四个字，落款写出你的生辰八字；接著准备 184 枚十元铜板（因为 要分放成两盘，下同）；32 枚五十铜板；铜板要先放在阳台外「冻露水」（让它接触露水），再用盐米洗过，即可分开放入盘中。先把垫纸放在盘底，中央放「为我生财」小红纸，把 16 枚五十元铜板按正反相对方式，一组一组放在中央（成八组，寓含八卦意思），再用 92 枚十元铜板也是用正反相 合方式 放进盘中，最後会把五十元铜板全盖住。拿来 12 颗五色豆（红豆、黑豆、黄豆、绿豆、花豆），每盘各 6 颗五色豆，以罗盘在房子中间的中心点，量出房子的艮方（东北方）和巽方（东南方），在那里做个 2.9 尺的木柜，把「运财盘」放进柜内，即算大功告成。企业老板可放在办公室，上班族则放在自己家里。


招引桃花秘法

现代工商社会，大家忙於工作或事业，常把终身大事荒废了，以至结婚率下降，孤男寡女满街都是，能四目交接迸出爱的火花的真是少之又少，别急，试一试这招「招引桃花秘法」。先去找来一个裸女或裸男，陶瓷的、木雕的、石雕的、水晶的都可以，越像越好，如果真的找不到，把芭比娃娃的衣服脱下来也成，男性要用裸女；女性要用裸男，脚要放开开，不可交叉或盘坐。接著拿个小浴缸或床，只要形状很像就可以，把小娃娃平放躺在床上或浴缸中，放在一个圆盘上，中间夹一张小红纸，写：「为我造姻缘」；床的右边（龙边）平放一个 1.5 寸的小罗盘，指针必须指著卯酉方，在小娃娃的私处放一朵花，愈艳丽愈好，如红玫瑰，叶子如有刺要把它修齐整。一切就绪之後，用罗盘量出房子的子、午、卯、酉或中央的位置，任择一处放好，最好别让外人看到，如床下、桌下、橱下都行，在酉时（下午五点到七点间）放入，口念「为 我造姻缘」咒语，每天检视一遍，花若枯了就换新的，若已有人来求婚，花必须改换黄色或紫色，才不会遭其他桃花来干扰。大约十天之後即可见效。目的达到之後就不要再用，但担任公关职务人员则可天天使用，因人可催助人缘。


血光之灾破解法
血光之灾在八字中一般是指太岁冲克日主或用神，对人所造成的车祸，刀伤，枪伤，外伤，开刀，及一切流血的人身事故。此法是用鸡蛋滚身的破解将灾厄消除，以保平安。

一：用具：新毛巾一条，红皮鸡蛋一个，新缝一衣针一根。

二：方法：
（1）：用新毛巾擦拂全身各个部位（从头到脚直接擦拂皮肤）。
（2）：再用手轻握鸡蛋从头到脚滚遍全身各个部位（接触皮肤）。
（3）：然后用手拿针再在中指上滚动， 男滚左手，女滚右手，滚毕将针刺向中指尖，刺出血后，用中指上的血在鸡蛋的大头中心划个十字，再将针从十字交叉点扎入鸡蛋内，使针外露三分之一 。
（4）：将鸡蛋放在开水中煮七个开，水开了，用凉水点一下，再烧开，共煮七个开，
煮熟后将鸡蛋取出，将鸡蛋清吃掉不吃蛋黄。
（5）：最后用新毛巾将针，鸡蛋黄，蛋壳包在一起，晚上扔到马路上，经车碾人踩，然后埋入房前或屋后，也可扔到河或沟中。

三：注意事项：
（1）：用此法破解要在阴历的每月29日戌时进行。如急需可随意择日破解。
（2）：运用此法要保密，不能对别人讲。
（3）：破解后一年内忌食血肠。一年内不可杀生。
此法是我师门非本门不传，今将之公诸与众，愧对师门，但如能造福众生，也能将功赎罪，我愿足矣。望各位珍之。


求　财　法
在子时（自晚上11点至零晨 1点），将面粉加水揉成面团，然後用瓶盖压出一个圆形，上方用小铁钉钻一小孔，一面刻上＂金＂字，另一面刻上姓名和出生年月日，然後在刻字的部份撒上金粉。待完成乾後，穿过红绳，挂在自己常出入的通道上方。但此法只可维持一年，一年之後必须重制。

家中聚财法
将家中的门窗全部打开，让秽气全都散出去，然後拿一个新的茶壶，里面摆上十二个正面朝上的硬币，放在客厅用烘炉煮沸（如果没有用电磁炉也可以），再用电扇将蒸气吹散全屋，大约在水沸後进行20－30分钟，如此家中的财运就能旺起，可以聚集钱财，让你风生水起好运来！

聚财避邪法
把桃枝切成七小支像火柴棒大小的长度，然後用五色线（黑白黄红蓝）捆在一起，然後随身携带，听说可以聚财，最主要的是把它泡在水里洗澡，据说这样可避免被一些灵异的朋友冒犯！

求姻缘
在农历十五晚上子时，取三小片杨柳枝的皮（用刀片削成薄片）、和桃花瓣六片放置於清水中，面对窗外的月光，点一小根红蜡烛，一边用清水洗脸，心中一边默念求赐姻缘，然後将水泼向家里周围的任一植物，等红蜡烛烧完之後，姻缘将会随之而来！

相信每一个研究命理的人,他的目的都是希望能够改变命运,趋吉避凶。生命掌握在自己的手中是没错的，病可医，命亦可医。现收集医命改运的方法简述如下：
1.行善积德可逢凶化吉。
2.养生与放生可挡煞解灾。
3.念大悲咒、心经、六字大明咒、观音经等可解灾。
4.修桥修路，增福延寿。
5.方位趋避，到有利的方位走动。
6.献血救人可解灾。
7.佩戴金银珠宝灵光物品。
8.画符念咒。
9.药物解灾。
10.宗教信仰。
11.意念决定命运。
12.改名转运。
13.捨得、捨得，有捨弃才会有得到。
14.风水祖荫。
15.择吉而行，择善而从。
16.读书学习。
17.江湖秘术。

任何方式方法都须经过验证,请勿盲目相信!


应灾的表象：
1.疾病
2.破财
3.官非
4.牢狱
5.伤残
6.生离死别
7.手掌脱皮
8.脱发、多头皮屑
9.鼻毛出孔
10.印堂发黑
11.命门灰暗
12.诸事不顺


去　霉　运　法
选定一天的子时（晚上十一点到清晨一点，最好是生日　除夕，或任何季节的时候，如：春至　秋分），拿一颗煮熟的鸡蛋，蛋过手後就不要给其他人看到，随後在手心中放一点朱砂，和九十九滴新开的米酒和匀之後，抹在蛋壳上，然後找一个露天地方把蛋吃掉，最後朝家相反的方向走一百步，把蛋壳高高的抛掉，就可以将坏运抛到脑後，烟消云散！


去楣运法（也称金蚕脱壳法）
拿一颗生蛋，先把里面的蛋黄和蛋白通通清掉，蛋口不要太大，再把蛋染红，然後将自己的几根头发及少许的指甲，通通放在蛋壳里，拿一块小红纸将蛋口封住，心里祈祷楣运快快离去，之後将蛋壳拿到河流或溪边去放，最好是最急流的地方，代表楣运越快离我们而去！

My visit to Master Chew Part 1

I went to visit Master Chew at Katong with my wife yesterday. Waited for more than an hour because there was someone who came before us. Apparently the guy was a difficult client, as he was not convinced of Master Chew’s power. Later I discovered from Master Chew that the guy was just curious and also a staunch Buddhist. He wanted to find out what is so great about this master and possibly debunk him. Master Chew did the luck changing ritual for him but he is not convinced that it will work. He wanted more prove. So Master Chew proceeded to use his clairvoyance power to see the guy’s house and described it in details. This time the guy was taken aback and could only utter the word: "Amazing!" repeatedly. Finally, it was our turn and Master Chew foretold my future first. Everything he said about how crappy my life has been is all true. He asked me whether I have seen before the two L-shaped metal rods he is holding. It was actually a dowsing tool and he has learned about its use from a Caucasian when he went to Sydney to do exorcism. The Caucasian man used it to test Master Chew’s power and now he is testing my energy with it. The rods are held parallel to each other. If your energy is negative (yin), the rods will crossed each other. If positive, they will drift apart. For me, the rods were crossed due to my bad luck (negative energy). I stood up and walked away, the rods responded by drifting back to their original parallel position. The moment I sat down in front of them again, the rods crossed themselves much to my expectations. I was skeptical since it can be mere illusion used to mislead people. But Albert Einstein, the great scientist was convinced of dowsing's authenticity. He said, "I know very well that many scientists consider dowsing as they do astrology -- as a type of ancient superstition. According to my conviction this is, however, unjustified. The dowsing rod is a simple instrument which shows the reaction of the human nervous system to certain factors which are unknown to us at this time." To be continued...

Hyflux and Education

A little girl from a kampong in Malaysia asked her teacher one day why there are poor people as well as rich ones and what is the difference between them. The teacher told her that difference lies in education. Education is probably the most directly way to abundance. From then on this orphan girl worked very hard in her studies as she wanted to give her adoptive grandmother a good life and be freed from their poverty-stricken days. This little girl's effort paid off and she is now the CEO of Hyflux, a big company in Singapore dealing with water cleaning. The Daoists believe that our life is made up of ten main aspects and our life can be improved through manipulation of some of them. The first five of the ten are fate, luck, fengshui (geomancy), good karma accumulation and education. While the first two are not within our control, the rest definitely are. And in the example above, we see the importance of education in improving our's life.

Saw Lilian Too

I was walking past Hyatt Hotel yesterday evening when I noticed two Tibetan monks standing outside the hotel lobby. So naturally I tried to check out who is showing these monks around. And lo, behold! It's Lilian Too, the world's best selling author on Feng Shui! Pity I didn't muster enough courage to walk up and say hi. Later I went back to Hyatt Hotel's lobby to wait for my wife but didn't see Lilian Too again. Probably because I don't know how to introduce myself to her and also the monks. How do you greet someone in Tibetan language? Or maybe they understand Mandarin? Hmm...I've been studying Feng Shui intensely for the past few months. And have read all the Lilian Too's books I can get my hands on. I think I am at the intermediate level and good enough to give advice to people on Feng Shui already. Hehehe... Learned Feng Shui many years ago from my Daoist teacher but I didn't take it seriously since I was very young back then. So, in a way I am not new to Feng Shui, thus making my recent study very much a breeze...

The cost of not practising meditation

Terrible terrible. I just stopped practicing meditation for a week only and my ability to calm my mind has deteriorated drastically when I tried meditating last night. This will serve as a reminder on the nature of cultivation, which is put nicely in a Chinese idiom, "Rowing against the flow of the river, one will recede if one fails to move forth constantly".

Finished 42738 of Lakshmi bija mantra.

Desperate Quotient

How fast and well you achieve something is dependent on your DQ or Desperate Quotient. The more desperate your are, the faster you achieve the thing. The fact that if you have not achieve your goal yet is because you fail to realize the urgency of it.

Ulcers and spirits

To this day, Western science is still unable to explain ulcer or what causes it. Nevertheless, everyone has had experienced it before. Despite it has no scientific explanation, we know that ulcer is a real biological phenomena. It is a situation where technology and research is not advanced enough to give us a clue. Using the same logical reasoning, modern science is unable to give a satisfactory explanation to the existence of spirits. Therefore we cannot deny the possibility of it being factual since it is highly probable that, like the case above, it can also be attributed to the lack of breakthrough in science.


While the so-called sciences of yesteryears had became the superstitions of today. So too may our modern sciences become the superstitions of tomorrow.

Laksmi Mantra

The word ''Lakshmi'' is derived from the Sanskrit word Laksme, meaning "goal." Lakshmi, therefore, represents the goal of life, which includes worldly as well as spiritual prosperity.
There's three methods of chanting mantra:

1. Mansika- Chanting of mantra in mind.
2. Upansu-Whispering of mantra so softly that no one can hear you. Only lips move in this kind of chanting.
3. Vachika-Chanting of Mantra loudly.

I chanted 41670 times of the Lakshmi bija mantra.

What is Fate?

Fate can be changed since it is simply our karma. Karma is the latent potential of something happening in a particular way. It is a seed brought forth to this present existence. It will grow and manifest itself when the time and conditions allow. Our luck, which is our energy level (whether high or low) interacting with the cosmos energy, provides the conditions for these karmic seeds to sprout along our lifetime. Thus, to change fate, we must know our karmic tendencies (the seeds) that are innate and make conscious effort to create (good tendencies) or prevent (bad tendencies) the conditions in our life that allow their manifestations.

Dreamt of the Gayatri mantra

Had a bad dream a few days ago. Dreamt that I was in a shopping mall and someone handed to me a baby. Mysteriously, I came to realize that the baby is possessed by some malignant spirit. I began reciting the Gayatri mantra to exorcise the spirit as the baby writhes in pain in my arms. The Gayatri mantra did not seem to work well for exorcism purpose and I was contemplating to use the Lakshmi bija mantra or Durga bija mantra. Then suddenly I was awaked before I can change to another mantra. I read somewhere before that if one is able to recite a mantra in dreams, especially nightmares for protection, it means one has achieved some level of siddhi with the mantra. The imageries in the dream will also reveal the specific level of mantra siddhi one has reached. Hope this is true. The Tibetan Buddhist monks believe that dreams are creations and effects of our Karma.

Stop my meditation class

i stopped going for my Qi-meditation class already coz there's nothing much to learn. In fact, with the yoga fad around recently, meditation classes are blooming like mushrooms and all the leotards-claded poseurs are rushing to attend them. But what do these people really know about yoga? They think that Yoga is a mere exercise and people of different religions can join without any conflict with their original faith. Wrong! In sanskrit, yoga means union with God, so if you are atheist, forget about yoga. For the poseurs, they only come in contact with the basics and knew nothing about the spiritual aspects. As for Christians and Muslims, the Vedic concept of God may be too different for them to assimilate. Asanas (the physical postures in yoga) are designed to strengthen the body so as to enable it to handle the energy involved during advanced training. It is a mere prerequisite. Most of the poseurs don't even know what kind of yoga they are learning, whether it is Bhakti yoga, Kriya Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Tantric Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Mantra Yoga, or even Swara Yoga. The highest form of yoga is not the physical sorts but yoga of the mind, which is meditation. But can these pseudo practitioners sit down and meditate? No way, they will be too busy shopping around in their modern yoga gear and gym bag with a embroidered Om symbol on it, hah.

Back to the issue of meditation classes, the schools that conduct these classes are highly commercialised and are mere leeches out to suck your bank account dry. And they hardly teach any real stuffs. They play a tape or you follow the instructor's verbal instructions: "Breathe in, and chant So..........Breathe out and chant Ham...........". Bloody hell, the verbal instructions is in itself an obstacle for you to dive deep into the abyss depths of your mind. Serenity and sharpness of the mind cannot be bought with the money in your hand. Maybe that's why the commercial yoga schools come into the picture. To help get rid of yor money and put it in their safe hands.

Teachings of Harish Johari

Harish Johari is a painter, sculptor, composer, gemologist, chef, educator, author, and Renaissance man of ayurveda:

“Ayurveda says the universe is made of five elements. In the beginning, there was one absolute God, from whom came akasha, or ether, then air, fire, water, and earth. The whole world and the whole body are made of these elements, which we call tattvas. Because these elements are everywhere, we have them in our body as the three temperaments, or humors, which ayurveda calls doshas.”

Like most Yankee dairy farmers in the vicinity, Johari gets up very early, about 4:00 a.m. The predawn hour of morning is traditionally called amrit-bela, which means "time of nectar" and refers to a surfeit of rejuvenating atmospheric prana, says Johari.
"The prana available at 4:00 a.m. is completely detoxified and pure. Ayurveda says the divine energy descends on us before dawn. The gods come and give energy to whatever is needed, then leave. I learned about dawn from the saints who came to my house in my childhood. No spiritual life is possible, they said, without waking up before dawn."

Not only does Johari get up before the sun, he doesn't spend a lot of time in bed either. He says he sleeps about three hours maximum. "People who sleep seven to nine hours aren't sleeping. They dream and waste energy. When you start dreaming, it means the rest period is over and the mind starts its flirtations." One way to sleep less, says Johari, is to eat a more sattvic diet and do less "fantasizing" before going to sleep.
“We are made of sound. The first thing that came out in Creation was sound, then from sound came akasha. There is a sound essence, or tanmatra, behind each of the five elements. But inappropriate music can cause all kinds of problems, can even make people go crazy. Good and bad music directly and profoundly affects the body's seven subtle psychic energy centers, called chakras, which are spinning energy wheels arranged vertically up the spine from sacrum to crown.”

"Yantra is a visual tool of tantra that serves either as a centering device or as a symbolic composition of the energy pattern of a deity such as Lakshmi, Durga, or Kamla, as seen by tantric seers in their visions. A yantra is a geometrical pattern made of universal abstract symbols that both preserves or contains the essence of a thought or object and liberates us from bondage. As a tool, yantra is used to withdraw consciousness from the outer world and direct it to the inner world.

"Durga, for example, is the invincible wife of Shiva, with all manner of weapons and decorations - the unified symbol of all divine force. Meditation on the saffron color of Durga's yantra produces a calming complementary blue color, which fills the aspirant with serenity and purity."
"Usually people don't know what they want. If you want 200 things at the same time, your energy goes off in 200 directions and you can't do anything. You have to want just one thing. When they know their single desire, then we can work with that energy, then the bodymind is free to attain it."

"Whether you write, sing, cook, or paint, the breath is always there. Your breath will not be taken care of by any of the other tools of tantra. You must work on breath directly. The nostril breathing patterns serve as indicators of cerebral dominance and may help you anticipate your response to given circumstances. Swara yoga clearly states that certain activities are best performed when a particular nostril is operating. The nostrils should be checked around dawn before getting out of bed. In the event of wrong nostril dominance, one should not leave bed until the correct nostril starts operating. You can change nostrils by forced breathing on your side through the congested nostril."

Benefits of the Gayatri Mantra

There are seventy million supreme mantras contained in the Gayatri Mantra, thus chanting it will:

1. Protect you from harm wherever you are.
2. Reduce the effects of the wrong acts one does every day. There is no accumulation of karmic (result of action) debt, since each day's karma (action) is atoned for that day itself by reciting the Gayatri mantra.
3. Wards off all misery.
4. Relieves from all diseases.
5. Various kinds of powers will emerge in one.
6. Recited before taking one's meal, the food will get sanctified and become an offering to the deity.
7. Brings luster to the aura and promotes the accumulation of spiritual light at the cellular level.
8. Builds a cumulative quality of protection referred to as "spiritual armor." It gives protection to those who have become prey of black magic, and antieffects of demons instigated by black magic
9. Assures you a long life.
10. Gives immediate relief from bites of poisonous insects and creatures (scorpion, snakes etc.).
11. It is believed that for any one frightened in the dark, immediate chanting of the Gayatri Mantra is advised to get over the nervousness of the fright.
12. It is also believed that on starting any important and great work if a person detects some bad omen, that person must immediately sit down and chant eleven times the Gayatri. If on starting again, he meets with a new set of bad omens then he is to sit down again and chant the Gayatri for sixteen times, to remove the effects of the bad omen encountered.

Qi-meditation class

Currently I’m attending a qi-meditation class at Bukit Ho Swee Community Centre. The guy is around 40 years old and has a moustache. The classes are very informal. Most people come to meditate only. The teacher did not mention the name of their method and he said that he was not able to find the method in any books also. He asked me if I practice Dantien meditation but I told him no even though that is what I have been experimenting. The three instructors walked around to help students in meditation guide their qi up the spine. The pose is not important, but relaxation is the rule of the thumb. A straight back is not emphasized at all. Basically, we just interlock our fingers, sit in the Egyptian pose. Interlocking the fingers is said to have the ability to absorb any shock if there is a thunder or other forms of distraction. I meditated for 45 minutes. During the meditation, the instructors took turns to use their qi to guide mine. The first time they did it, I felt a gush of energy coming down from the top of my head, all the way down my torso and a lot of it going to my interlocked hands. I can feel my hands getting extremely warm and packed with a lot of tension. It is like tensing the muscles in your hands, the only difference is that my hands were totally relaxed. When you feel this kind of tension even though your hands are relaxed, you are actually feeling the qi. After the session, the teacher mentioned that my qi is very strong, thus I must not waste my potential. By the way, he mentioned that he could sense the qi intensity of other individuals when they are within a few meters and such ability can be achieved naturally with prolonged meditation. It is like a magnet’s sensitivity to the magnetic fields around it. Meditation increases such energy sensitivity in people. I guess that why my Daoist teacher can detect other masters even when strolling on the streets. These experts are sensitive to each other’s qi.

My problem with Dantien meditation

Whenever I concentrate on my Dantien or practice Vijja Dhammakaya, my focus will always shift to the left side of my abdomen instead of the centralized position. Maybe because of some previous experiences that left a deep imprint in my mind, creating the unconscious tendency to shift my focus to the left of my torso. In the end, my qi always goes to the wrong spot. Through months of experimenting, I discovered that concentrating on the navel is the best method to prevent the shifting.