“For how many years have we dreamt about magic?”

By Philip Marunchak

Editor’s note: what follows is another letter written by one of David’s students after attending the same foundation training written about by Rene Navarro. We thought it would be interesting to include his perspective given the fact that he is from a much younger generation of western Taoist students.  He and this small group of students are the first western students to meet David’s Grandmaster Shi Gong, a 118 year old Buddhist master living in the mountains of eastern China.  

For how many years have we dreamt about magic? To have the honor of witnessing and experiencing things that many of us can only believe in is truly a blessing. Everyone on this journey has been honored so deeply that it is simply incredible. It is a great pleasure for me to share these experiences with any like-minded truth-seekers reading this. I hope from my heart that what I write here will inspire honorable seekers to never give up on their dreams.

My brother and I bade farewell to our parents from London Heathrow airport on a cold, clear night. Although my parents love my brother and me very much, they do not typically share my enthusiasm for ideas that may sometimes appear as insane. My parents were understandably concerned. Nonetheless, they had eventually come to accept our decision and were being supportive by the time we were ready to leave.

The desire to answer the greatest questions of our lives compelled me, as it does all of us on this journey, to take a small but critically important step into the unknown. Are human beings as truly limited as we appear? If not, how far can our potential reach? Questions such as these have probably been on all of our minds since a very young age. I had studied hypnosis for a couple of years in an attempt to answer these questions, and although I made some fascinating personal discoveries in this area, they paled in comparison to what I was about to experience in China. Although the power of human belief is an intriguing topic, the very energy that gives rise to our human existence is a topic worthy of multiple lifetimes of study. The rabbit hole, as David likes to say, is deeper than we might think.

Our group of 11 met David Verdesi for the first time on the night of October 13th for a late-night meal. He was accompanied by René Navarro, an old friend of his with an excellent sense of humor, a popular figure in the martial arts community.
“Are you guys waiting for something?” René said as we all stood nervously in the hotel lobby. Eventually, we were led into the restaurant. To join us later in the week would be Alex Yakhnis, A Russian physicist working with David and his teachers as part of an ongoing research effort into human energy.

After our meal we all bid one another good night. Tomorrow we were to check out of our hotel and meet David’s Shifu (teacher) for the first time, in the midst of Huangshan.

The next day our group of taxis arrived at our destination. None of us were exactly sure what to expect – where would our home be for the next two weeks? It was safe to say that we were all expecting a pristine location somewhere high in the yellow mountains. We were surprised, therefore, to have arrived in the middle of a loud and busy city! Even David it seems was not quite expecting this; little did we know at the time that Shifu Jiang (David’s teacher) had chosen this particular location for a very good reason indeed.

After checking into our new hotel, a hearty meal and a small break, it was time to meet Shifu for the first time. It was nighttime by now. David had been telling us all about how the body composition of a master would be transformed at a certain level, whereupon the bone marrow itself would never be the same again. A moment or two later, Shifu arrived. We all sat on the carpet looking expectantly as the man quietly entered and sat down upon a chair in front of us. He looked a very ordinary person, wearing trousers, a t-shirt and smart leather jacket. Keys clinked upon his waist as he had walked across the room. He was of medium build, well fed and quite young – perhaps in his late 20s or early 30s. “These are a group of brave Westerners that have traveled a long way,” David began. Our translator, a young pretty lady named Ms. Wong, translated the message. After some chatting and pleasantries had been exchanged, Shifu related that he himself had traveled a long way to be here too, a three day trip in fact. He had just arrived that night and was very tired.

Shifu was then to give us all both a demonstration and a blessing. We were asked to sit cross-legged with our palms faced upwards. Standing up and cracking his knuckles, Shifu then began a series of arm and hand movements. Grunting every now and again and breathing deeply, he moved his palms towards us. Then kneeling with his upper body straight, he continued his arm and hand gestures. He then suddenly sat back down as if he had finished.

Nothing seemed to happen. I continued sitting quietly for a few moments when a peculiar thing started to occur. A light, sweet taste began forming on the inside of my throat. I looked around the room and noticed some people were now licking their lips. In but a few moments, it was as if nectar was streaming down my throat. Licking our hands, the sweet honey-like taste was also present. A couple of people nearer to the sides of the room stated that they tasted nothing. Shifu asked them to come forward and sit in front of him, whereupon he directed his palms towards them only. Laughing, they then expressed that they could now taste it clearly. David then recommended that we also lick their fingers, since they had received a particularly strong individual dose of the energy that it would be good for us. I did so at once; “Oh man!” I exclaimed. With only one lick it tasted as if Andrew’s fingers were encased in honey. “I could lick on that all day!” I said, laughing. But at the risk of making Andrew feel uncomfortable and estranging myself from the entire group, I refrained from doing so. That night, some of us noticed that even after washing our hands thoroughly in soap the sweet taste on our palms would remain. René and I even tasted our own urine and could still detect its taste.

Since I had studied hypnosis and qualified as a hypnotist myself, it was clear to me that this phenomenon was definitely not an example of it. Typically when hypnosis is delivered on group of people, there are always those in the group who will be resistant and report no effect (for a number of reasons). Although it can vary widely, this resistance can range up to 70%, sometimes more. That night however, we had all experienced the phenomena. The only exception to the approximate range of resistance when delivering group hypnosis is if the group are effectively raised into a frenzied state of excitement and expectation, or if more forceful suggestions and commands are given over a long period of time – however this had clearly not occurred. The only other possible way this particular demonstration could have been faked is if a chemical of some sort had been injected into the room. However, this is an illogical possibility when the taste still occurs after washing the hands thoroughly in soap and is present in urine – no such chemical exists. This is further proven from the fact that a sample of water Shifu has affected has undergone chemical testing, and still the compound that has been discovered in the affected water cannot be identified or reproduced. It had been an interesting day to say the least, yet our trip had only just begun.

Today we were to discover why Shifu had chosen this location, in the middle of the noisy Huangshan city, for our accommodation. The hotel we were lodging at was convenient to access the mountain, where Shifu Jiang’s master resided at this particular season – Grandmaster Shi Gong, 118 years of age. Today we were given the honor of meeting him. Our congregation of taxis carried us out of the city, further into rural China. Locals stared and smiled at our file of taxis bearing Westerners higher and higher into the mountain. Rivers, streams and farms led the way until we came onto a solitude dust-track, our taxis moving upward and onward no longer with the assistance of tarmac. It was here that I witnessed the most peculiar thing of all that forever changed my life: a man in a spotless business suit riding down from the mountain on a bicycle. (I’m joking about it changing my life, but this did actually happen).

Eventually we came to a hill rich with foliage. We climbed out from our taxis and followed a stone stairway, until we could hear the sound of a waterfall. Then we saw it; an entrance to a beautiful cave. I was surprised to see many local people moving in and out from its darkness, as if we were attending a popular attraction. They too had come to pay their respects. When stepping inside the cave, it was as if one had slipped into a dream. Hundreds upon hundreds of candles lit the path towards Grandmaster Shi Gong, and his younger Grandmaster brother, both facing a cave wall meditating intently upon raised pieces of stone. Their yellow Buddhist robes gave them the appearance of two small beacons of light amidst the darkness. Upon the wall was a large scroll with an inscription in Chinese which they were both facing, its meaning I forget. Shifu Jiang had us bow to the Grandmasters upon some pillows laid neatly on the cave floor.

After we had all paid our respects, we left their presence and eventually arrived at a nearby house, where a group of empty benches were laid-out. Hearing some commotion behind us, we turned around only to see two yellow figures making their way towards us. Incredibly, both Grandmasters had emerged from the cave followed by a group of interested locals and Shi Gong’s faithful attendants. We then all sat down on the bench, with the two Grandmasters at the front. We had been given the pleasure of having our photograph taken together with them. A further honor was then bestowed, even more incredible than the last. Grandmaster Shi Gong expressed a desire to come to our hotel in Huangshan city and stay with us for a time. We were all shocked. A Grandmaster who lives his life in nature’s embrace amidst the caves was to accompany us back to the city. After a time, they left us to our meal that had been prepared for us; pork wrapped in tofu sprinkled with herbs, served with a helping of rice. We were all also offered some food that the Grandmasters would typically eat; we were given a tree-like plant that had been well cooked, yet was very bland and hard to chew. Some of us found it difficult to eat yet I found that it was achievable if one chewed the bloody thing as fiercely as possible for a number of minutes. At any rate, we were all grateful for the tofu and pork.

Over the course of the week Grandmaster Shi Gong was to give four manifest demonstrations of his abilities. Three of these would occur at our hotel and one in a rural location. One demonstration was telekinesis. Standing approximately two to four meters away, he was able to move a small matchbox simply by extending his arm and making a small noise, “Hoi!” – we all gave a round of applause. Another demonstration was pyrokinesis. Hoi! One by one we would be beckoned by Shifu Jiang to sit three meters or so away from the Grandmaster, resting one hand sideways on a table, our palm facing the old gentleman. It felt as if one’s hand had been pressed against a hot stove – we each had to pull our palms away due to the intense heat. The Grandmaster would use his index finger to point at the centre of our palms directly when emitting the energy from the other side of the room. We held a piece of paper to him too, which he was also able to burn a hole clean through. David asked why Shifu Jiang wouldn’t demonstrate instead since he is young and strong, but Shifu replied he would be embarrassed to do so in front of his master. In another demonstration Grandmaster Shi Gong was able to make a plant wither by directing his energy towards it. We were told to stand back and move our electrical equipment out of the room since this particular energy would adversely affect us. David inquired that if the Grandmaster was too tired to continue that he could feel free to stop since we had all seen enough. What was his reply? “Hoi!” – we all smiled at how accommodating and incredibly kind Shi Gong was being to go out of his way to demonstrate these manifestations to us all. Interestingly, Shifu Jiang had commented that despite everything he had learnt from his master, he had only ventured amongst the surface of his vast knowledge.

Before I can relate the last of the Grandmaster’s manifest abilities that we had witnessed, I have to first relate our healing session with Shifu Jiang. We were invited to meet with Shifu Jiang in groups of three for our diagnosis. Shifu would check if the flow of Qi in our body was clear by very lightly holding the palms of our hands with his fingers and sending his own Qi through channels in our arms. For some, arms would stutter and jerk slightly if a block had been identified. The coagulated blood would then have to be removed from the body using an extraordinary method. Shifu would have us lie down on a bed, with the shirt removed. He would then slap the skin on the back a few times until blood began seeping out of pores of the skin. A transparent suction cup would then be placed over the skin. After about seven minutes or so, the flesh would swell into the suction cup and it would be full of blood, whereupon the jar would eventually be removed and tipped into a tray. The removed blood would have gooey jelly-like consistency, so that if an object were dipped into the tray, the blood would stick to it. After removing the blood Shifu would then check the flow of Qi once more by holding the hands, to test if its flow were constant. Luckily, I myself had a clean bill of health so no treatment was necessary for me. It was incredible to feel Shifu’s Qi flowing through my arms – it is one sensation I will never forget. It felt as if one had touched an electric fence, yet there was no pain. My arms were stationary, yet it felt as if they were vibrating at high speed. The arms felt quite ticklish and a light numbness would cover them completely, at which point the sensation would immediately cease as soon as Shifu let go of my hands which were held only very gently.

For some of us, energy deficiencies had been detected, whereupon Shifu would recommend that we be replenished with the energy of another creature. Unfortunately some that were recommended this particular treatment could not afford it, since one had to purchase the required number of bulls that had to be used on their behalf. Shifu explained that for some members of our group the deficiencies were such that the energy could not be obtained through training. The only way to replenish the energy absence would be to draw the life from another creature. We were told that bulls have a particularly strong energy that makes them very suitable for restoration – the only other exceptions being tigers and elephants which are impractical, obviously because they are a protected species and would be almost impossible to find anyway.

Once everyone had received their treatment and had made their decisions as to whether or not they wanted some bulls, the next day we left the hotel and made our way towards a farm in the mountains. David had cautioned us that if anyone were particularly sensitive about the killing of animals, that it would be advisable to remain at the hotel. Perhaps I should caution the reader here also, since I will now describe what occurred. Grandmaster Shi Gong and his Grandmaster brother had both been brought to the farm to carry out the energy transfer. It is truly incredible how much they had done for us. We were all told to stand back and watch from behind Shi Gong. A couple of curious wild dogs would wander up towards our group, whereupon Shifu Jiang would throw a stone at them to scare them away, the purpose being of course to save their lives since they would be hurt or killed if they were caught in the energy transfer. One by one, a bull was brought forth. Shifu Jiang’s students would put one end of a rope through their nasal passage, with the other end tied around a very heavy boulder so that the bull would not be able to escape. Once the bull had been secured and the attendant had moved well away, Grandmaster Shi Gong began the energy transfer. He stepped one leg forward and gently extended his arm. The bull would be unaware of what was about to occur when within a few seconds of the Grandmaster extending his arm, the bull would then bellow loudly and fall to the ground shivering - three bulls in fact tore their nasal passages attempting to escape (one bull escaped successfully). The energy was taken from approximately 14 bulls in total if I remember correctly. Grandmaster Shi Gong dealt with 8 bulls or so, while the younger Grandmaster dealt with the rest.

Both Grandmasters had chosen to allow all the animals to live that day, although most of the bulls’ life energy had been drained – the bulls would therefore die about a week later we were told, before being taken to market and sold for their meat. After the bulls had their life energy drained and were released, the bulls were very eager to leave, and so they quickly trotted away returning to their pasture. I personally felt that there was huge honor in what took place before us that day. So that members of our group may live longer, healthier and happier lives a sacrifice was made on our behalf. For us to see this sacrifice actually occur right before our eyes was a privilege, simply because most of us are unaware of the sacrifices that occur continually around us everyday for our survival. For the two Grandmasters to take the time to do this for a group of people he had only known for a few days was truly a blessing.

Lastly, I shall now relate to the readership what I feel is the most important thing that occurred during this journey. We were informed that some years ago, it was Grandmaster Shi Gong who had told his student (Shifu Jiang) that he would meet a westerner (David) and that he should accept him as a student. Therefore, it would seem logical to say that it is largely thanks to Grandmaster Shi Gong that any of us were able to come on this journey in the first place. This is because if Shifu Jiang had not accepted David as a student under the direction of the Grandmaster, none of us would have been able to meet him or Shi Gong, or receive the correct training. Nor would David have been able to achieve the foundation level of the practice, which to all of our surprise he was able to achieve during our time with him.

Shifu Jiang had told us that the Grandmaster had previously made another recent prediction: that the next time David came to see his Shifu, he would achieve "the level 4" or "yin yang joining in the tai ji" foundation level. Although David himself appeared doubtful of this, Shifu Jiang insisted that since his master had said it, it was time. "If I die, it has been a pleasure meeting all of you!" David said laughing. Therefore under the guidance of Shifu, David completed the necessary internal procedures before all of us. “Oh Shit!” David shouted and laughed once more, but was instructed by Shifu to stop this or his energy would disperse. One by one, Shifu would then beckon us to each come forward and touch David’s hand. David would pull the energy up from his lower abdomen and into his arm, whereupon we would feel our arm suddenly turn numb as David‘s qi surged like a strong electric current into our bodies. We then all gave a round of applause for David, as he and René gave each other a hug.

At this time therefore, it would appear that David is the first westerner to have achieved the level 4, Yin Yang Gong, foundation level of the practice, since all those before him have been Chinese. Somehow, somewhere, there may yet be other westerners who have achieved the foundation level of the practice, but if there are they have not revealed themselves and have kept well out of public knowledge. At any rate, David achieving the Yin Yang Gong foundation level is extremely important for us all, and yet also dangerous. It is important because more research opportunities will now present themselves since an English speaking westerner is able to demonstrate the principles behind ancient Daoist science. However from what David has told us, the masters are keeping a close eye on him to ensure that the power is used competently and wisely. Furthermore, some of the other masters do not appear very keen on westerners obtaining the secrets of this internal science, simply because they are rightly cautious that it will be misused and misrepresented. Nevertheless, this is certainly an exciting time. My belief is that the truth will inevitably surface to the wider public at some point, but as with all good things this will take some time and it should be done in the correct manner, as I’m sure we all appreciate.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Sean Denty for relating to us all your experiences, for convincing David to set up the foundation forum where we have been able to congregate and discuss, and also your initial invitation on the Tao Bums forum, without which many of us would not have known about this wonderful opportunity, thank you Sean. I would also like to thank Cristy Elmendorp for her forum post relating her experience with John Chang, and her work producing the short DVD with Shifu Jiang that allowed us to see a little of the man and get a better idea of some of his abilities prior to meeting him, thank you Cristy. My thanks also go to Kosta Danaos. Were it not for you writing the book 'The Magus of Java', we probably would never have been informed about the secrets of Daoism, thank you Kosta. Thanks to everyone in our group for being so kind and friendly towards my brother and I. I feel we’ve all become good friends and I’m sure we will all keep in touch. And finally, my deep thanks go to David Verdesi for training us, allowing us to meet your teachers, having spent so many years trying to find them, and for opening this door for us. Thank you David, we’ll all do our best.