The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak [Hardcover]

Rick Bauer (Author), Flane Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

Contrary to popular myth, the original purpose of dim mak was not the training of assassins. It was an intensive study of the medical arts that incorporated the martial arts, and its ultimate goal was to heal, not to destroy. True to the intent of the ancient Chinese masters, here is an undiluted, holistic study of dim mak as both a martial and a healing art. Included are a historical overview of dim mak and Traditional Chinese Medicine, discussions of the physiological mechanism and medical risks of acupoint strikes, an indepth introduction to the classical 36 Chamber training program traditionally used to teach dim mak; detailed analyses of the medical and martial applications of each of the acupoints on the 12 main meridians, complete with detailed diagrams outlining each meridian system and its acupoint locations; and an introduction to herbal pharmacology, which was an integral part of traditional dim mak training. Appendices serve as quick reference guides to the activation method and results of selected point strikes. For academic study only.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A martial artist and longtime student of A. Flane Walker, Richard C. Bauer is the author of numerous professional journal articles on military history and martial arts subjects. He is a highly decorated civilian contractor with the DOD, serving with distinction during the Persian Gulf War, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

A. Flane Walker is a traditional taoist martial artist, acupuncturist, herbalist and student of Asiduedro Adlawana, Walker Pinkett, and Mastuetsu Kushubi. He was the last of Master Kushubi’s students to be taught the complete 36-Chamber training sequence. Among his other accomplishments, Mr. Walker has served as vice president of Tiger Yangs Moo Ye Do International, and taught at West Coast Hotokan headquarters, where he and the late Edwin Hamile “compared and exchanged concepts.” Mr. Walker is now considered the Grand Master of the Won Hop Loong Chuan system of martial arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581603703
• ISBN-13: 978-1581603705
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,375,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside the 36 Chambers of Dim-Mak, December 6, 2002

By 

Rick Bauer (Bahrain, Gulf of Arabia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak (Hardcover)

First off, let me preface this review and recuse myself to a degree. I am the co-author of this particular book. After much consideration, I decided to post something to Amazon.com, to help give the reader a general idea of the scope and content of this book, since none is currently included with this listing. The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak, took a considerable amount of time to write. Conservatively, Mr. Walker and I spent almost four years writing the text; roughly equating to 15,000 man-hours of highly specialized research, review, and work. As part of the review process, we submitted large portions of the text to a number of Doctors in the medical community. The intent of this project was to provide the advanced martial arts reader with a host of important facts and information, concerning the effects of martial applications to the acupoint centers of the human body. The major chapter areas of the book include:

1. Historical Overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2. The development of Dim-Mak, Dim Hsueh and Dim Ching
3. The Mechanism of Acupoint Strikes
4. The Medical Risks Associated with Acupoint Strikes
5. The Three Ways of Dim-Mak
6. Introduction to the 36-Chamber Training Sequence
7. Overview of the Classical Acupoint System
8. An Introduction to Herbalism
9. Herbal Formula Preparation and Pharmacology

The section covering the classical acupoint system covers all the points on the 12 major meridians, including both medical and martial information, and health and restoration information. This information is derived from Mr. Walker's extensive martial arts training and professional background, under the direct study of Matsuetsu Kushubi. The coverage of the points will hopefully serve to augment / complement the high quality information previously published on this subject: most notably, the extensive catalog of material of Mr. Erle Montaigue, as well as Dr. Michael Kelly. The book also includes general anatomical drawings and TCM charts of the main meridian acupoints.

As a notation: the two midline collaterals are NOT covered in this book. There are some specific reasons for this. Most importantly, the physiological processes of striking the midline channels (the Governing Vessel and the Conception Vessel) are different than the triggering mechanisms of the main meridian points. The centerline points will be covered in the follow-up book, which Mr. Walker and I are currently in the process of writing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative!, November 23, 2004

By 

S. White (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak (Hardcover)

I am proud to call Rick Bauer a friend and his prescence in my martial art life has always been positive, informative and influential. His long tireless work to bring this superlative book to fruition, on a deeply intricate and little known art, Dim Mak, is commendable. This collaborative effort with Master Flane Walker has long been needed and I am now able to clearly state that this is the book the internal martial arts community has been missing.

The subject matter, contents and layout of this work have been given keen attention which benefits the overall aesthetic. It is both easy on the readers eye and informative without alienating the layman. It does not play down the depth of these arts for those who frequent it's heights but rather strikes a perfect balance which comfortably caters to all; no mean feat!

In refering to my University manuals on Chinese Accupuncture Point Locations, I made a comparison with this book which did not leave me wanting. My University manuals were a largely dry affair which
catered to the medical TCM fraternity while the Book of Dim Mak covers all bases and then some. Among some of the most delightful aspects of the book is the martial applications of the points as an adjunct to the medical; very important in my view.

The subject of Dim Mak has been given lavish treatment in a most concise fashion, would it were that all books were so accessable when dealing with obscure subjects such as these. I have already found this to be the number one go-to book when requiring detailed information on Dim Mak, and while Erle Montaigue has had his own excellent works out for some years now, I can safely say that this work is an important addition to the study.

I couldn't recommend this work more highly for those with a vested interest in truly understanding the intracies of Dim Mak from tip to toe.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good insight into real Martial Art, June 21, 2006

By 

Dr. Helmut Kogel "helmutkogel" (Lippstadt) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak (Hardcover)

The book of Walker and Bauer is a welcome futher information besides the works of Erle Montaigue. The authors have deep insights into the art of acupuncture. For this reason it was easier for them to go into the secrets of DIM Mac. Nevertheless without medical knowledge it remains difficult to understand all details of this theme. There are some mistakes in the book, but it not so important. For example the paintings and the text of the bladder meridian use different systems. Therefore some acupuncture points do not correspond between figures and text. A lot of fighting combinations in Dim Mac remain hypotheses, because a scintific analysis is not possible or mandatory. Such combinations may result in damage of individual health, experiments have to be forbidden. Nevertheless this book is an exellent work of ancient chinese martial art.
Helmut Kogel M.D. Professor of surgery
regional director IMAF ( international Martial Art Kokusai Budoin)
5.DAN Karate Renshi, 5.Dan Kobudo, 2.Dan Nihon Jujutsu, 1.Antas Arnis