Podcasts about master li

A practitioner in the U.S. shares his thoughts on the current state of Fa Rectification in light of recent attacks on Master Li and Shen Yun. He views this as a test in the battle between good and evil, and the importance of practitioner's cultivation state, and depth of understanding of the Fa. This and […]

In several lectures to students in 2001 and 2002 Master Li taught how to send forth righteous thoughts to purify the environment and eliminate evil. Master Li asks Falun Dafa practitioners to do three things; study the teachings of Zhuan Falun, clarify the truth of what Falun Dafa is and how it is being persecuted, […]

A practitioner from Heilongjiang Province shares her experience with memorizing the teachings of Falun Dafa. She and others in her local study group began with memorizing Master Li's poems from the collection “Hong Yin,” and then moved on to reciting the text “Zhuan Falun” from memory. Here she shares the insights and improvements gained from […]

If you've finally finished reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, you're probably wondering what to do next. This epic fantasy saga by Steven Erikson has left you with a massive book hangover, and you're craving more of the same complexity, world-building, and intricate plotting. In this episode, we'll explore some amazing book recommendations that'll help you fill the void left by the Malazan series. From similar epic fantasies to books that explore similar themes and ideas, we'll dive into the best options to quench your thirst for more. Whether you're looking for a new series to obsess over or just want to discuss the Malazan series with fellow fans, this episode is for you. So, what are you waiting for? Let's dive in and discover what's next after Malazan Book of the Fallen! #FantasyForTheAges #readingrecommendations #Malazan #fantasy #epicfantasy #SFF #booktube #booktuber Want to purchase books mentioned in this episode? The Black Company: https://t.ly/QMwqB Book of the New Sun: https://t.ly/klihi The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox: https://t.ly/OWGKS The Dagger and the Coin: https://t.ly/nHvc8 Kharkanas Trilogy: https://t.ly/fZRV1 Novels of the Malazan Empire: https://t.ly/FulAx Prince of Nothing: https://t.ly/rRktq A Song of Ice and Fire: https://t.ly/fJAHf The Sun Eager Series: https://t.ly/nNRao The Traitor Son Cycle: https://t.ly/j4K65 The Wars of Light and Shadow: https://t.ly/Lse51 Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.social Follow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheages Jim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 ———————————————————————————— Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements: https://elements.envato.com/

Presented at the 2024 Australia Fa Conference. A practitioner from China, now living in Australia, had met Master Li in the early days of His Fa teaching, and became a cultivator more than 30 years ago. Here she shares her experience working at The Epoch Times in the debt collection department. At first she was […]

“Our Teacher” is a collection of essays written by students of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). This series is comprised of their personal experiences with the practice and their interactions with its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, when the practice was first taught to the public. The writings were originally published on the Minghui […]

“Our Teacher” is a collection of essays written by students of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). This series is comprised of their personal experiences with the practice and their interactions with its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, when the practice was first taught to the public. The writings were originally published on the Minghui […]

In celebration of World Falun Dafa Day, a practitioner in China shares how her mother, who was riddled with life threatening health conditions, became completely healthy after beginning to practice Falun Dafa. Her intestinal cancer, heart problems, and other illnesses vanished in a short time, her silver hair turned to black, and she, at nearly […]

In celebration of World Falun Dafa Day, a practitioner in Liaoning Province shares precious memories of attending Master Li's lectures in 1994, and the things he saw in other dimensions when Master opened his third eye. This and other stories from the Minghui website. Original Articles:1. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] The Scenes I Saw […]

A practitioner in Sweden had a premonition that she would one day follow a Master, and in 1995 when Master Li lectured in Sweden she attended, and became a Dafa cultivator. In this paper she shares the experience and honor of having assisted with Shen Yun and the Art of Zhen Shan Ren art exhibition. […]

“Our Teacher” is a collection of essays written by students of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). This series is comprised of their personal experiences with the practice and their interactions with its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, when the practice was first taught to the public. The writings were originally published on the Minghui […]

A practitioner in China shares experiences of memorizing Zhuan Falun and treating tribulations differently than in the past. They also recognized that they had an attachment of fear and the importance of cultivating every thought. This and other stories from the Minghui website. Original Articles:1. Having Complete Faith in Master Li2. [Taiwan Fahui] Cherishing the […]

In a realm where ancient wisdom whispers through the winds and spirituality is as palpable as the air itself, "The Seeker's Odyssey" unfolds the tale of Aarav, a young aspirant on a transformative quest. This is not just a story; it's an exploration of the soul's deepest yearnings. Aarav's journey begins in the mystical Village of Eternal Harmony, where his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding leads him to the wise Master Li. Under Master Li's enigmatic tutelage, Aarav embarks on a journey that challenges every fiber of his being. From braving the Edge of Whispers to confront his deepest fears, to embracing the profound wisdom found in the Garden of Dreams, his experiences are both enlightening and deeply human. Master Li's teachings guide Aarav through a series of trials that test his courage, wisdom, and resilience. He learns the sacred power of imagination and how to create his own reality. As Aarav evolves, transforming from a seeker into a sage, "The Seeker's Odyssey" invites you to ponder your own path. This  is a mirror reflecting your internal struggles and triumphs, urging you to explore deeper realms of self-awareness and spiritual connection. You are invited on the seeker's odyssey. 

A young practitioner with hopes to play violin in the Shen Yun Orchestra looks within and realizes they must follow the course of nature, and the cultivation path set out by Master Li. This and other stories from the Minghui website. Experience sharing articles on the Minghui website:1. Music Student Looks Inward and Stops Being […]

To honor Master Li and celebrate World Falun Dafa Day, a senior practitioner in China looks back on the miracles experienced in her cultivation since hearing Master teach the Fa in 1994; including pulling her back from suicidal thoughts, and saving her from several serious accidents. This and other stories from the Minghui website Articles: 1. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Falun Dafa Lifted Me Out of a Life of Misery 2. A Reckless Man Gets a Second Life After Practicing Falun Dafa

A practitioner in Singapore who has cultivated for 21 years details her experience of clarifying the Truth to Chinese people during the COVID pandemic. This and other stories from the Minghui website. Articles: 1. [Singapore Fa Conference] Never-ending Journey of Clarifying the Truth 2. Master Li's Article "How Humankind Came To Be" Is a Heaven Sent Treasure

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming (楊俊敏博士) has a M.S. in Physics from Tamkang College in Taipei Xian and a  Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He started his Gongfu (Kung Fu) training at the age of fifteen under the Shaolin White Crane (Bai He) Master Cheng, Gin Gsao (曾金灶). In thirteen years of study (1961-1974) under Master Cheng, Dr. Yang became an expert in the White Crane style of Chinese martial arts. With the same master he also studied White Crane Qin Na (or Chin Na), Tui Na and Dian Xue massages, and herbal treatment.At the age of sixteen, Dr. Yang began the study of Taijiquan (Yang Style) under Master Kao, Tao (高濤). Dr. Yang's tai chi can be traced back to the Yang family through Master Kao's teacher Yue, Huanzhi (樂奐之), an indoor disciple of Yang, Chengfu (楊澄甫). After learning from Master Kao, Dr. Yang continued his study and research of Taijiquan with Master Li, Mao-Ching (李茂 清) and training partner Mr. Wilson Chen in Taipei. Master Li learned his Taijiquan from the well-known Master Han, Ching-Tang, and Mr. Chen learned his Taijiquan from Master Chang, Xiang-San. In 1982, he established Yang's Martial Arts Association (YMAA) in Boston, MA. YMAA has since grown into a network of 30 schools in over 15 countries. Dr. Yang has traveled the world teaching at seminars and training camps.Since 2005, Dr. Yang has resided in northern California where he trained a group of disciples in a multi-year comprehensive training program. Today, he continues to author books and teach seminars online and around the world.https://yangjwingming.comhttp://somaticprimer.comSupport the show

A practitioner in China neglects her cultivation for many years and suffers illness karma in the form of a skin rash. After enlightening to hints from Master Li, and improving her Fa study, the condition improves. Original Article from Minghui.org: “Looking for the Root Cause of Sickness Karma”

"I Am the Wealthiest Person for Having Master Li and Dafa" by a Falun Dafa practitioner in China. An experience sharing article on the Minghui website.

Master Healer Li has a new book out called Whole Body Prayer.  It's a fascinating story of Master Li, born and raised in China and discovered this inner light that can heal anybody of illness.  Master Li's Book "Whole Body Prayer" is available for purchase (Amazon).  Great insight.  Master Li now resides in Atlanta, Georgia.  Read the article in May Issue of Law of Attraction Magazine with Master Li on the cover.  Everyone has this inner light and Master Li shares how we can allow our inner light to shine and heal as well.   Read the latest Law of Attraction Magazine at https://lawofattractionmagazine.com    

It's a fascinating story of Master Li, born and raised in China and discovered this inner light that can heal anybody of illness.  Master Li's Book "Whole Body Prayer" is available for purchase (Amazon).

-Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Winter Olympics Host City Near Beijing -Chinese New Year Greetings to Master Li from 63 Countries and Regions -Taiwan: Positive Changes and Wisdom Inspired at Minghui Winter Camp -Hong Kong: Accomplice Sentenced for Involvement in Attacking Falun Gong Practitioner -Seoul, South Korea: Tianti Bookstore Holds 100th Falun Gong Nine-Day Introductory Class -Dunedin, New Zealand: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Extremely Important

-Connecticut, California, and Florida Theatergoers Enjoy Shen Yun After Christmas: “A Message of Hope for All Cultures” -Voices of Practitioners in 60 Countries: Happy New Year, Master Li! -An Amazing Book Turns a Swedish Young Man's Life Around -Mexico: Major Public Television Station Showcases Falun Dafa During a Christmas Special -Having Been Incarcerated for Seven Years, Former Teacher Gets Another Five Years -Indonesia: Tian Guo Marching Band Performs on Bali Island and Welcomes in the New Year

She's on a quest to empower and heal.  Years ago, Jessica Van Antwerp was a typical college student searching for answers to life's conundrums.  Still figuring out what to do with her future, Jessica changed her major from business to philosophy (dad was not happy.) This one decision tells us so much about her - Jessica is a thinker. A critical thinker. A big thinker. Finding business school to be a bore, she fell in love with philosophy, which fit her like a glove, and those thinking skills she picked up would serve her well as an adult. She never stopped asking big questions and seeking truth.  Jessica was an athlete in high school, and she was always interested in health and fitness. Over the years, she has lived on a vegetarian diet, but some severe health results (that she shares with Wade) brought her back to eating meat.  If you struggle with addiction, be sure to tune in as Jessica talks about her seven-year daily addiction to weed. She has also leaned on alcohol and even nicotine at times during stressful periods. Today, those substances are far behind her. Still relatively young (late 30s), Jessica has overcome addictions, stress, and childhood trauma through two powerful physical and emotional therapy modes: traveling and massage.  Today, Jessica is an entrepreneur whose business focuses on both travel and Asian massage therapy. She is the owner and CEO of Integral Travel - a wellness retreat company that educates people on how to unlock the natural healing capacity of their bodies while connecting people around the globe.  She draws on over a decade of experience in the health and wellness industry. Her experiences with anxiety, weight, low self-esteem, and addiction are also huge contributors to her knowledge base today.  Jessica is also a licensed massage therapist trained in several eastern schools of massage, including Shiatsu, Qigong, Thai Yoga Massage, and other energy modalities.  Her story will grab you by the qi. Don't miss this fantastic conversation between Jessica and our host, Wade Lightheart. You'll learn a whole lot during this 80-minute journey.   In this podcast, we cover: Jessica and Wade geek out over the topic of philosophy The childhood wounds Jessica discovered that were holding her back and how she overcame those traumatic memories The various modes of massage Jessica practices and how they help people Jessica's profound spiritual moment  Jessica's transition from staunch atheist to belief in a “higher power”  How Jessica overcame weed addiction From low self-worth to self-love What are Qigong and its ancient medicinal practices Jessica's nervous breakdown and how she found restoration   The answers lie within, not outside of you. During the show, Jessica talks about when she first discovered a particular form of Qi gong called Sheng Zhen Gong, which means unconditional love. Here's an excerpt: “I immediately felt its power. I went from feeling qi in the palms of my hands to feeling it in my entire body. And I felt my heart. It was like that scene from the Grinch, where his heart grows three times and busts out.” “I felt this in my whole body, and I knew this was my medicine. I dove into the practice. Within a month, I was at a five-day meditation retreat with Master Li, the founder of Sheng Zhen. In China, he trained with a women's martial arts team for over a decade. He's a Kung Fu movie star. This guy knows what he's doing in relation to energy. And so I practiced every day for six months before I felt normal. Meanwhile, very little had changed about my external circumstances.”  “I think this is the key I want anyone listening to understand - sometimes there's not a lot you can do about the stressors in your life. They are your responsibilities, your obligations. What you can do is change your relationship with them.”  Gaining New Perspectives You may already have a taste of the impact a retreat can provide - particularly a focused, organized retreat. As the CEO of Integral Travel, Jessica offers powerful wellness retreats. She says: “That's sort of the pinnacle of what we offer during a multi-day experience, just immersing or exploring one's inner terrain while the attendee is exploring an outer terrain that is unfamiliar.” “The newness sheds new light and gives perspective on what you're confronting and learning about yourself through the internal practices that we do - yoga, qi gong, meditation - how it takes you out of your day-to-day routine so you can look back and ask yourself, “Okay, what aspects of this are working for me, supporting my health, my vitality, making me feel good? What aspects of my daily life are not so good?”  “What do I want to change? That's the magic of going on a retreat - giving conscious attention to your life and yourself, as opposed to just going on vacation, feeding on activities.” “A retreat is different. It's about inner reflection for long-term change in your life.”  Don't feel ashamed if life seems overwhelming. Jessica has been there. She worked 90 hours per week at one point and had a nervous breakdown. With refreshing honesty and compassion, she shares the high and low points of her life. Dealing with addictions, emotional hurts, workaholism, and then the spiritual turning point that led to healing travels and life-altering rejuvenation through eastern meditation, yoga, and qi gong.  Check out this episode - love is energy, and it can turn your life around.    Episode Resources: Check out more about Jessica Van Antwerp & Integral Travel Integral Travel YouTube Channel Integral Travel on Instagram Integral Travel on Facebook

This month we’re focusing on the benefits of cleaning out — from physical clutter to organizing your lives, eliminating obligations that are no longer serving you to slowing down enough to focus on what matters most, in your art business and in your life. Kelly Milukas has been through more in the last 10 years than anyone should have to endure, and yet she never lost hope and determination. Kelly and I scheduled our conversation to discuss her "life edit," which involved getting rid of what no longer served her. It quickly became apparent that ridding herself of stuff when she had to downsize her studio is something she had been preparing herself for in the many years leading up to that moment. This conversation is about coming out on the other side of a long struggle stronger than you were previously. Join us as we celebrate the triumph of one artist's positive spirit, discover the tools she used to facilitate the process, and hear about the people she relied on along the way. Highlights Kelly Milukas reflects on her journey from athletics to music and to art. (1:57) Kelly works with scientists and starts researching stem cells for a commission for a biopharmaceutical company. (8:30) A shift in health can create a shift in focus for any artist. (12:15) Embracing the tools that are available to you can help you get through anything. (16:52) Forging through the messy middle to come out stronger on the other side. (21:26) Can 17 seconds or a deeper breath change your mindset? (25:23) How to know when to power through and when to pull back. (28:55) The power of giving yourself permission to feel your biggest emotions. (32:48) Cleaning out physical objects to move your art business forward. (34:50) Creating an organized studio that works for you on any budget. (41:10) A look inside all that is keeping Kelly busy in her new studio. (45:00)   Mentioned Kelly Milukas on Instagram Sheng Zhen with Master Li (free virtual meditations every Wednesday) Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine “Keys to Cures” installation at Intarcia Therapeutics Albert Clayton Gaulden’s Sedona Intensive Libby Caldwell, Artist, Therapeutic/artistic journaling   Resources Full show notes including photos and listener comments How to Price Your Art Art Career Success System Art Biz Success Planning Sessions Art Biz Success Community Intro and outro music by Wildermiss First posted: https://artbizsuccess.com/stronger-milukas-podcast Let’s do this together: https://artbizsuccess.com/community Music by https://wildermiss.com

Parting is such sweet sorrow. This week we wrap up our Jade Empire season with Khee Hoon Chan and Andrew King is here to help ups tie it off with a neat bow. It's time to take down Master Li, although there are a few decisions to make along the way. We also talk about our romantic conclusions, the final decision, and whether or not Jade Empire succeeds at painting greys in its red and blue morality. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us on Twitter: Normandy FM: @normandyfmshow Eric: @seamoosi Kenneth: @shepardcdr Khee Hoon: @crapstacular Andrew: @funnelchest94

Tien's Landing is a dysfunctional town, so we're spending an unexpectedly long time here as we solve everyone's problems. As well as our own. This week we set out to get a new flyer and wind map, but leave with a huge group of weirdos helping us find Master Li. But the main topic of the week is the weirdness of Jade Empire's morality system, which seems to get more rigid and binary as the game goes on. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us on Twitter: Normandy FM: @normandyfmshow Eric: @seamoosi Kenneth: @shepardcdr Khee Hoon: @crapstacular

I have inside experience with people involved with The Epoch Times, Shen. Yun and the practical, beautiful wisdom of Master Li. The people who publish The Epoch Times are the same people who produce Shen Yun. I don't know why they don't disclose that they are followers of Master Li, I don't know how it all works. I think they should, but they don't. I do know this: Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) is not a cult. Not even close. I also know that any society run by Falun Dafa would be infinitely better that whatever you call this we have now. CNN, Fox News,climb downfromyour polarity.

So what did I read this year? Well, I'm all over the place. But I thought I'd take a moment to hit some of the highlights. These are in no particular order. A Gentleman in Moscow By Amor TowlesThe best book I read this year is A Gentlemen in Moscow by Amor Towles. It's just a wonderful and wonderfully crafted book. I can't say enough great things about it. It has one of the most beautiful and perfect metaphors involving a wine cellar. I literally put the book down and cursed out loud. I couldn't believe how good it was. I thought about it for weeks. But really that's a technical thing. The story is set in 1922. It's about Count Alexander Rostov, an Aristocrat who survives the Russian Revolution because he wrote a poem. Instead of being put against the wall and shot, is sentenced to house arrest, and ultimately labor, in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. This book does what great art should always do, expand your experience of being alive. I don't think I've read a better book in the last five years and I don't expect I will in the next five. For after all, if attentiveness should be measured in minutes and discipline measured in hours, then indomitability must be measured in years.But as they came to the bend in the road where the Count would normally give a snap of the reins to speed the horses home, Helena would place a hand on his arm to signal that he should slow the team—for midnight had just arrived, and a mile behind them the bells of Ascension had begun to swing, their chimes cascading over the frozen land in holy canticle. And in the pause between hymns, if one listened with care, above the pant of the horses, above the whistle of the wind, one could hear the bells of St. Michael’s ten miles away—and then the bells of St. Sofia’s even farther afield—calling one to another like flocks of geese across a pond at dusk. The bells of Ascension . . .“I’ll tell you what is convenient,” he said after a moment. “To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party so that on a moment’s notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka—and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.” Anna Urbanova took the cigarette from the Count’s fingers, dropped it in a water glass, and kissed him on the nose.Since the day I was born, Sofia, there was only one time when Life needed me to be in a particular place at a particular time, and that was when your mother brought you to the lobby of the Metropol. And I would not accept the Tsarship of all the Russias in exchange for being in this hotel at that hour.”The Last Good Kiss By James CrumleyTo whipsaw things another great novel that I read was The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley. Here's the beginning:When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon. I would say that Crumley is a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel guilty in the slightest. He's like Hunter S. Thompson and Raymond Chandler had a baby. After I finished that one, I plowed through two more of Crumley's books. No guilt. No regrets. The Story of the Stone by Barry HughartI read The Story of the Stone by Barry Hughart. It's the middle book of the Chronicles of Master Li and Number 10 Ox. These books aren't really like anything else. I have all three and didn't want to guzzle them. They're set in a mythical China that never was. They're wonderfully fantastic, very funny and surprisingly poignant in places. They are also something of a cautionary tale, the book struggled to get traction because it's in a genre of its own. It is fantasy, but Ancient Imperial China as a setting rather than the Middle Ages. Master Li is ancient and the smartest man in China. Number 10 Ox is the narrator and is played as the big, dumb strong guy, but there's a fair amount of unreliable narrator jazz.Big fun and great writing. Here's a couple of sloppily random snags“My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character,” he said matter-of-factly. “You got a problem?”Fable has strong shoulders that carry far more truth than fact can.Master Li turned bright red while he scorched the air with the Sixty Sequential Sacrileges with which he had won the all-China Freestyle Blasphemy Competition in Hangchow three years in a row.The abbot used to say that the emotional health of a village depended upon having a man whom everyone loved to hate, and Heaven had blessed us with two of them.The Immortality Key: the Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian C. MurareskuReading this now. The book is an investigation into what is likely the oldest and most widespread religion -- centered around a funerary rite with hallucinogenic beer and later wine. I pounced on this after listening to an author interview with Andrew Sullivan. It's an intellectual detective story, and quite good. The first thing that hooked me was that this was an explanation for the Eleusinian Mysteries, which was a ceremony that was a well-kept secret in the Greco-Roman world. People made a pilgrimage to Eleusis, fasted, drank the beer, had unbelievable visions, and raved about the experience. Saying things like it's what made civilization possible. And say it removed the fear of death. Which was described as "If you die before you die you will not die."Best guess is the beer was brewed with ergotized wheat. But nobody knows for sure. But two things are interesting about this. One, we can actually test old vessels and figure out what was in these beverages right now. And modern medical research is showing that a single dose, if you will, of psychedelic mushrooms, cures depression and PTSD and takes away the fear of death in hospice patients. Essentially inducing a religious experience with chemicals. Johns Hopkins is doing this research, not some unwashed hippy with a YouTube channel.There are real questions about the early Christian Eucharist: was hallucinogenic? Was it an extension of the Eleusian and Dionysian mysteries. But for me, the craziest thing in the book to wrap my head around has been Goebleki Tepe the oldest known temple, dated from 10,000 B.C. Which appears to have been a sacred brewery for hallucinogenic beer. And, honestly, the hallucinogenic part is the least crazy part of that last statement. The 10,000 b.c. is nuts. That's 6000 years before settled agriculture. And the temple is constructed from gigantic slabs of stone, in a way that we didn't think people could build back then. Insert Ancient Aliens nonsense if you must, but the crazy part is that it reverses what I thought the causality of civilization. It was always thought that first came agriculture, then came beer. But it seems that beer -- as a sacrament -- predates civilization by thousands of years. The other crazy thing about his book is that the brewing of sacred potions was exclusively the realm of women. Old women. Which appears to be the origin of our archetype of witches. Boil toil and trouble anyone? And that this was stamped out as the underground Christ cult grew into the state religion of Rome. There's a lot going on in this book. And if anything I've just mentioned pique your curiosity, you should definitely check it out. Hamilton by Ron ChernowAfter watching the musical on Disney +, which scarcely needs praise from me, but is unbelievably fantastic. And amazing accomplishment on many levels -- I dipped into Ron Chernow's biography, it's also great. Here's a gem that seems uniquely appropriate to the current moment.> “This misfortune affects me less than others,” he told Eliza Schuyler, “because it is not in my temper to repine at evils that are past but to endeavor to draw good out of them, and because I think our safety depends on a total change of system. And this change of system will only be produced by misfortune.”The Bobiverse Series -- Dennis E. TaylorThis series starts with "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" I listened to a bunch of these, so I don't have a bunch of quotes. Just read them all. They are just lovely, humane, funny speculative fiction. A guy is turned into a Von Neumann probe, A self-replicating device to explore the universe. And as he goes, he replicates himself, fights off aliens, struggles help save humanity -- it's tremendously positive without being trite or stupid. Really, really great. And the audiobooks are some of the best I've heard. In fact, if I had to rank the best audiobooks I've ever heard this currently comes in third Best performance is Stephen Fry reading the complete works of Sherlock Holmes. Of course, the stories are great, but Fry is a great actor who loves Holmes and puts everything he's got into the performance. I can't overstate how good this audio is. Number 2 and Best ensemble performance is 'World War Z'And third place is Ray Porter reading Dennis Taylor's Bobiverse books. Richard Stark, The JuggerI dipped back into this one. Westlake -- Stark was Donald Westlake's pen name -- always said this was the worst book of the series, but there's a moment in this one that's just shockingly powerful. I won't ruin it, but Westlake is master for a host of reasons. Here's a bit of his description Freedman led the way to his office. He was short and barrel-shaped and walked as though he’d do better if he rolled instead. His face was made of Silly Putty, plus hornrimmed glasses.The Road to Character, by David Brooks This book is really a compilation of short biographies of people of great character and how they developed themselves. It is quite good. I dug into it as research on virtues. And the book paid for itself in the introduction here's an excerpt:I wrote this book not sure I could follow the road to character, but I wanted at least to know what the road looks like and how other people have trodden it. The Plan The plan of this book is simple. In the next chapter I will describe an older moral ecology. It was a cultural and intellectual tradition, the “crooked timber” tradition, that emphasized our own brokenness. It was a tradition that demanded humility in the face of our own limitations. But it was also a tradition that held that each of us has the power to confront our own weaknesses, tackle our own sins, and that in the course of this confrontation with ourselves we build character.My general belief is that we’ve accidentally left this moral tradition behind. Over the last several decades, we’ve lost this language, this way of organizing life. We’re not bad. But we are morally inarticulate. We’re not more selfish or venal than people in other times, but we’ve lost the understanding of how character is built.But it did occur to me that there was perhaps a strain of humility that was more common then than now, that there was a moral ecology, stretching back centuries but less prominent now, encouraging people to be more skeptical of their desires, more aware of their own weaknesses, more intent on combatting the flaws in their own natures and turning weakness into strength. People in this tradition, I thought, are less likely to feel that every thought, feeling, and achievement should be immediately shared with the world at large.This is the way humility leads to wisdom. Montaigne once wrote, “We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we can’t be wise with other men’s wisdom.” That’s because wisdom isn’t a body of information. It’s the moral quality of knowing what you don’t know and figuring out a way to handle your ignorance, uncertainty, and limitation.And in it I found this great quote from St. Augustine“How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws and kings can cause or cure.”Aristotle's Politics and EthicsI first read Aristotle's Ethics in college for a class on Classical Political Philosophy. And I jumped back in, as research for thinking about virtueThere is an idea that reading old books is pretentious or stuffy or dull. And that's not been my experience at all. The reason to read books like this, even when they get a little hard is because they are incredibly useful. The Greeks and Aristotle, in particular, laid the foundation stones of civilization -- or drew up the attack plan for what G.K. Chesterton calls "the whole courageous raid which we call civilization." I like that metaphor, because it suggests heroism, fragility and glory in what reveals itself to the not-so-simple work of civilizing one's self and others. This gem came from the commentary to Aristotle's Politics. Aristotle's attention is here directed chiefly towards the phenomena of "Incontinence," weakness of will or imperfect self-control. This condition was to the Greeks a matter of only too frequent experience, but it appeared to them peculiarly difficult to understand. How can a man know what is good or best for him, and yet chronically fail to act upon his knowledge? Socrates was driven to the paradox of denying the possibility, but the facts are too strong for him. Knowledge of the right rule may be present, nay the rightfulness of its authority may be acknowledged, and yet time after time it may be disobeyed; the will may be good and yet overmastered by the force of desire, so that the act done is contrary to the agent's will.It underscores a naïveté of classical political thought -- and this is not to say that the ancients were generally naive -- this is just a mistake. Because, I think I could make a really good case that wrestling with yourself about doing what you know to be good is the defining human problem here at the beginning of the 21st century. The Good Shepherd by C.S. ForesterI have loved the Horatio Hornblower novels since I was, maybe 12. When I saw a preview of the movie Greyhound, I became aware that C.S. Forester had written this book about a commander of a convoy to Britain in the early days of WWII. Tom Hanks got this movie made, wrote the screenplay, starred in it. And that's a clue for you. Not that the movie -- it might be, I haven't seen it -- is good, but that the source material is excellent. Because somebody expended career capital to get it made. This is a tremendous book. The psychological tension and strain of command in combat is represented here in a way that I've never read before. I don't know how you could render this in film. And by that, I'm saying this book does what only books can do, very, very well. It's well-crafted and relentless in a way that doesn't lend itself to punchy quotes, but it made a huge impression on me. Fathers and Sons by Ivan TurgenevI just finished this one and I need more time to think about it. I read it primarily because another writer I greatly admire is giving a lecture on it, so I wanted to be adequately armed for the lecture. A lot of the book is concerned with what happens when you don't believe anything -- if it's even possible not to believe anything. For me, Russian novels manage to be profoundly psychological and spiritual and I can't ingest them quickly. But in it, I found this gem of a line. "Death's an old joke, but it comes fresh to every one."Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt VonnegutI have read embarrassingly little Vonnegut. I read Harrison Bergeron in school -- and it's prescience has terrified me ever since. Vonnegut is amazing. And I'm going to work my way through many more of his books. This was my start. Here's a taste.Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.And so it goes…Inventing the Individual: the Origins of Western Liberalism By Larry SiedentopThe biggest problem with not reading and not being familiar with history is that you can be easily fooled into thinking that the way things are now is the way that they have always been. Even highly educated and intelligent people can fall into this trap and become provincial in time. The book is a study of how the individual became the unit of social organization in the West. It's fascinating. For in the eyes of Islamic fundamentalists, and indeed in the eyes of not a few in the West, liberalism has come to stand for ‘non-belief’ – for indifference and permissiveness, if not for decadence. Why is that? And is the charge justified? This book is an attempt to find out. Its argument rests on two assumptions. The first is that if we are to understand the relationship between beliefs and social institutions – that is, to understand ourselves – then we have to take a very long view. Deep moral changes, changes in belief, can take centuries to begin to modify social institutions. It is folly to expect popular habits and attitudes to change overnight. The second assumption is that beliefs are nonetheless of primary importance, an assumption once far more widely held than it is today. In the nineteenth century there was a prolonged contest between ‘idealist’ and ‘materialist’ views of historical change, with the latter holding that social order rests not so much on shared beliefs but on technology, economic interdependence and an advanced social division of labour. Even the declining appeal of Marxism in the later twentieth century did not discredit that view. Rather, in a strange afterlife, Marxism infiltrated liberal thinking, creating a further temptation to downgrade the role of beliefs. That temptation became all the greater because of the unprecedented prosperity enjoyed by the West after the Second World War. We have come to worship at the shrine of economic growth.The Peloponnesian War by Robert Kagan and Thucydides Commentary Okay, every time I say Peloponnesian War - I've got this stupid line in my head. "Pelop's Ponesian War" Like a guy name Pelops decided to put on a war for entertainment. No idea why this is the case. But this seems to happen with Greek words. I have a joke about Sophocles as well. Big Guido -- "Mikey, why you always writing like that? You should be out playing ball."Micheal -- "I've got a paper due on Sophocles."Big Guido -- "Sophocles? How about you try Sophocles" (Grabs crotch)I've read Thucydides before. Hard, but worth it. Kagan wrote a four-volume masterwork on the history of the War for scholars then distilled it down into this book. I read these, partially because Thucydides is great. And partially as research for a project for something I can't really talk about while it's in the works. The Peloponnesian War was effectively the first “World War” Athenians v Spartans, all the other Greek city states picked a team. It’s got Vietnam baked in (the disastrous Athenian campaign in Syracuse), earthquakes, plagues and some of the defining speeches of Western Culture. Piranesi by Suzzanna ClarkeI liked it. It's gorgeously written, but it didn't have the impact on me that Dr. Strange and Mr. Norell did. I loved that book. Which is a kind of alternate history presupposing disused magic existed in the Napoleonic era. This is is my favorite part“Can a magician kill a man by magic?” Lord Wellington asked Strange.Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. “I suppose a magician might,” he admitted, “but a gentleman never could.” The Toymakers by Robert DinsdaleI've only read half of this book. It's a Christmas book about a magical toystore in the Heart of London before WWI. In the spring, I started reading it on the recommendation of a friend and I decided to save it for the week of Christmas. It's marvelous magical realism. If you want a Christmas book -- this is the one. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. ParkerThis is the blurb for the book: "A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all.To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge-building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job."What nothing on the outside of the book will tell you is that this is a book about the tensions of civilization, racism, oppression and ideology. Orhan is part of a downtrodden minority in the book. Yet it falls to him to save the city and the empire -- the same empire that crushes everybody who's not the empire beneath it's cruel sandaled heel. There's a lot in this book.Orhan is also a magnificent narrator. And this book is funny, insightful, profound, here's a few clips. “A wise man once said, the difference between luck and a wheelbarrow is, luck doesn’t work if you push it.” “Beautiful people, though, I struggle with. Unless you keep your eyes shut or look the other way, you can’t help but have the awful fact ground into you, like the wheel of a heavy wagon running over your neck, that here is someone divided from you by a vast, unbridgeable gap, and they’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve it. Ogus’s wife – her name was Sichelgaita – was that level of beauty. I won’t even try to describe her, because they don’t make words that could take the strain. You felt ashamed to look at her.” “The way I see it, the truth is just barren moorland, all useless bog and heather. It’s only when you break it up and turn it over with the ploughshare of the Good Lie that you can screw a livelihood out of it. Isn’t that what humans do? They take a dead landscape and reshape it into what they need, and want, and can use. I’ve never hesitated to adapt the world to suit me, when I can get away with it.” “That’s how the world changes. It’s either so quick that we never know what hit us, or so gradual that we don’t notice. It’s only later, when books are written and scholars decide what mattered and what didn’t, that red lines are drawn – before this point, the world was this way, after this point, everything was different. You could be there and not have a clue. You could be asleep, or looking the other way, having a quiet s**t or screwing in an alley, and an unseen pen draws a line. Here the Empire ended. Here the Dark Ages began.” A lot of Conn IgguldenConn Iggulden is one of the authors of the Dangerous Book for Boys. But he also writes historical fiction. And, for my money, he makes Bernard Cornwall look like a chump. And Cornwall is excellent. This year I read the Emperor Series about Julius Ceasar. Last year I read his Genghis Khan series. Both excellent. Both in a page-turning, thrilling, gore and violence, arrrgh adventure! Way and as writing. Especially the first two books of the Ceasar series. Some very powerful human moments. And he write women very well. He's tremendously talented. And very diligent with this history. I also read The Falcon of Sparta which is his retelling to Xenophon's Anabasis. The story is one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. Xenophon goes with a 10,000 Hoplite Mercenaries to fight for Cyrus the Younger who attempted to steal the Throne of Persia, but gets killed and his army is defeated.All except the 10,000 greek mercenaries. See they were on the other side of the hill from Cyrus's army, so they are busy routing the rest of the Persian army. And when they find out Cyrus is dead, they have a huge problem. It's the story about how they fought their way back home to Greece. Or Coney Island. Because, not only is this a true story, but it's also the inspiration and plot of Walter Hill's classic 1977 film The Warriors. If you need some historical fiction, pick up some Iggulden. He's a master. And it's seriously fun to say his last name. Boswell's Life of JohnsonI'm reading this bit by bit. My sense is the biography has lasted better than anything Johnson wrote when he was alive. Which is a bit crazy because, except for his Biography of Johnson, it seems that Boswell might have been an annoying drunken hanger-on of a jackass who never did anything else right in his life. Samuel Johnson came from crushing poverty and hardship -- and pretty much single-handedly compiled the first Dictionary of the English Language. In the preface of which he wrote: It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life, to be rather driven by the fear of evil, than attracted by the prospect of good; to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise; to be disgraced by miscarriage, or punished for neglect, where success would have been without applause, and diligence without reward.Among these unhappy mortals is the writer of dictionaries; whom mankind have considered, not as the pupil, but the slave of science, the pioneer of literature, doomed only to remove rubbish and clear obstructions from the paths of Learning and Genius, who press forward to conquest and glory, without bestowing a smile on the humble drudge that facilitates their progress. Every other authour may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few.He was also a prodigiously fast writer and reader. Boswell says this of him. 'Johnson knew more books than any man alive.' He had a peculiar facility in seizing at once what was valuable in any book, without submitting to the labour of perusing it from beginning to end. He had, from the irritability of his constitution, at all times, an impatience and hurry when he either read or wrote.Which makes me feel better about the way I sometimes raid nonfiction books rather than read them. Or maybe the way I render them, like one boils scraps of meat to render the useful fats out of them. I'm not going to take the time to find the precise metaphor. Whatever it is, it isn't pretty -- it's messy and nothing I'd want my children to watch. I just try to rip the guts right out of the book. And that fact that Johnson did it too makes me feel a little better. The Border by Don WinslowGood, but honestly, not his best. I would suggest The Power of the Dog -- the first book in the trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but reading The Power of the Dog and The Cartel was an experience like I've never had before. Winslow knows the sordid ins and outs of the Drug War like few others and he gets so much out of it as an author. I am personally against the prohibition of drugs on moral grounds. In addition to being electrifying thrillers, these books help make the human cost of our price supports for drugs real. If cocaine wasn't expensive in the U.S. people wouldn't kill themselves for it in Juarez and Colombia. Pablo Escobar blew up an airliner and bombed the Colombian Supreme Court. That's on him. But it's also on us. But don't let my speechifying put you off. The books are great thrillers. If you liked Narcos, you'll love these. The Three Body Problem, by Liu CixinHere's the Amazon blurb: Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.This is a triple winner of a great book. 1) It's great hard sci-fi. 2) It's is great psychological fiction. Not only is the science good, but the insights into people and society are great as well. 3) It's Chinese science fiction, so you get a glimpse into another culture. Having been to a few conventions and having met a number of sci fi and fantasy authors, it is a little dismal how conventional many of them are. There is a groupthink in what they call "The Field" of writing speculative fiction. And, of course, a lot of internal strife. Who's the good guys, who's the bad guys? I don't pretend to know, but you can get a lot of sameness in fiction when they have the same worldview and they've spend a lot of the same time in the same rooms talking about the same things in the same way. This book wasn't like that at all for me. It was brilliant and refreshing.Plus Others, but...That's for this post. Throw in some scattered reading in the Bible, Shakespeare, Economics and Poetry and it's a year well-spent. Of course, I wish I had a chance to read more, but, you know there was real life to be lived as well. If anybody has a suggestion of something I should read next year, put it in the comments. I have a bit of an addiction with buying books, so please enable me. Get full access to How It's Written by Patrick E. McLean at patrickemclean.substack.com/subscribe

“Master Li Has Taken Me on the Path to Heaven,” by Qing Lian, a practitioner from Shanxi Province, China. An experience sharing article from the Minghui website.

-Germany: Western Practitioners Express Gratitude for Master Li and Talk about the Positive Changes Brought by Falun Dafa's Teachings -Research Concludes CCP Forcibly Removes Organs For Illegal Transplantation -Ukrainians Support Falun Gong Signature Collection -Queensland, Australia: Chinese Continue to Renounce Communist Organizations at Popular Tourist Sites -Ailing 83-year-old Woman Forced to Stand Trial for Her Faith -How I Regained Mobility After Eight Years of Paralysis

27/04/2019: Mohammed N. Al Khan joined us in the studio today for his fiction round-up. Man Booker Winner Marlon James is famous for A Brief History of Seven Killings - how does his latest book Black Leopard, Red Wolf, compare? The author mentioned that it’s an African Game of Thrones but is this actually true? If you’re looking for something different Mo also thinks you might like The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughhart and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig.

In this penultimate episode of Listener Request Summer Mk II, the boys delve into the forgotten Bioware classic, Jade Empire. Jade Empire is a story set in a fantastical version of ancient China. Following a prodigy student of the martial artist Master Li, the plot quickly spins into a journey across the nation for justice and vengeance. Seeking to rescue their master, the Prodigy encounters pirates and assassins and even deadly ghosts, and must face them all with only the power of Kung Fu. That's right, this game is about successfully punching ghosts!

A special blessing from Master Li on the Summer Solstice. 

Today’s show is about a young Tao Master whose home is a temple in the beautiful mountains of China. We are honored today to have Master Li on our program. Sarina will find out what life is like for a kind hearted, humble monk who frequently ventures out to teach Taoist Tai Chi around the world.

You deserve a short break while the podcast loads.Our Guest+Tim CallahanShow Notes after the jumpDrinkingOddside Ales Red Eye PAArnold Palmer, not the golferTour de Franzia (Franzia Chianti)SpinningClint MansellDrive soundtrackSolaris soundtrackNels Cline SingersSoggy Bog of Doom (Adam might have gotten a detail or two wrong here)CandlemassReadingTOR.com Appendix N seriesThe Witcher (the "Lord of the Rings of Poland") Andrzej Sapkowski, the Last WishTim & Adam agree: the Dresden Files really fucking sucksKothar & The Wizard Slayer, Gardner FoxAdam earns hate mail over DuneDesigners & Dragons 1970's by Shannon AppleclinePlaying At The World by Jon PetersonBridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - Chronicles of Master Li & Number Ten OxRunningAstonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea and mad props to +Jeff TalanianAdventurer Conqueror King System Iron CoastDungeon Crawl ClassicsDwimmermount - Labyrinth Lord - and mad props to +James MaliszewskiTraveller'd By The ApocalypseMetal Gods of Ur-HadadDelving Deeper HyperbarbariaOther NotesRest in peace, Tom Magliozzi of Car TalkAs always, thanks to Blue Snaggletooth for the badass theme. Their new album "Beyond Thule" is out now and rocks!Thanks for joining us for this episode of Drink Spin Run. We'd love to read your comments on the show, suggestions, where exactly we can stick what and other thinly-veiled threats. Send us your thoughts at dsr@kickassistan.net. Once again, thanks for listening.

0:00-3:00 - Introduction; Bayer has had a lot of caffeine (as usual)3:00-13:10 - "The Words" review13:10-21:50 - "For a Good Time, Call" review21:50-30:10 - "The Inbetweeners Movie" review (with a "Downton Abbey" tangent)30:10-35:00 - "Samsara" review35:00-43:35 - QOTW (what movie character's voice do you wish you had)43:35-46:20 - "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is on the big screen; so are some movies they didn't screen for critics46:20-54:50 - A chat with Jon Kroupa, Kickstarter supporter and author of the book "52 Diets" 54:50-1:02:00 - Character Casserole (Rusty Ryan, Master Li, Lt. Dunbar)1:02:00-1:08:30 - A tangent about the words "butt" and "nuh-uh"; a lunch sponsor; why Snider uses his middle initial; it gets better; a premature wrap-up1:08:30-1:11:50 - Snider went to Telluride and talked to Bill MurrayQOTW: What's your favorite action sequence in a movie?