Customer Reviews

The Magus of Java: Teachings of an Authentic Taoist Immortal

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kostas Danaos' story about THE MAGUS OF JAVA became possible when he started out on a quest to track down the man he saw in a documentary film called, "Ring of Fire", who could start fires by intently focusing yin and yang energy onto a small pile of papers. I also saw this spectacular film footage, and was quite impressed by it -- it was the most memorable and amazing part of the whole film.

Danaos was so moved by seeing the film of the mysterious man with the pyrokinetic powers that he set out from his homeland in Greece to find him, and ask if he would accept Danaos as a student. Fortunately for us, Danaos succeeded. His book tells the story of how the amazing Chinese-Javanese acupuncturist and martial artist John Chang came to be "The Magus of Java", and includes some highly personal accounts of his early training with his neikung master.

Many people will be skeptical that there are individuals who can train themselves to levitate, be telepathic, and have precise control over telekinetic abilities. If you cannot suspend your disbelief, this book might be unsettling to you. Since I have personally experienced a wide range of rather amazing incidents (including putting my hand through several layers of clothing I was wearing to touch my own bare skin underneath), overwhelming doubt is not an impediment to my keeping an open mind about the remarkable claims made by Kostas Danaos of John Chang's abilities.

What sets THE MAGUS OF JAVA apart is the way Danaos presents the concept of learning to work with yin and yang energy as being the key to mastering one's ability to extend the powers of one's mind beyond one's body. Only limited results are possible when we work with just yang energy -- while incredible things are possible with a combination of yin and yang. The yin and yang are much like polar opposites, and when energy is intentionally allowed to flow between the yin and yang designated areas, miraculous things can occur. I especially loved the many stories of the "Taoist Immortals" sprinkled liberally throughout this book, as they helped to point out that humans with god-like powers can sometimes cause as much damage as they can bring healing and good to the world.

While many martial arts and bioenergetic schools work exclusively with yang energy (and a few work with yin energy), there are precious few who appreciate and integrate a combination of the yin energy with the yang. The system of neikung that John Chang teaches contains 72 levels of mastery, and the reason that only the first four are rudimentarily covered in this book is that it is extremely dangerous to practice these meditations without a teacher's guidance. Several people died as this form of neikung was being developed by trial-and-error, since the two energies of yin and yang when compressed and placed side by side have tremendous power to destroy.

I give this book my highest recommendation to any serious student of spirituality, metaphysics, or the martial arts. Reading it with an open mind will show you a world of new possibilities, and might just change your life!

In the tradition of Carlos Castenada, Kosta Danaos introduces us to a totally human being who has transcended the "normal" laws of reality. With objective skepticism, Mr Danaos seeks out Chinese internal master John Chang and is accepted as his disciple. The resulting book reveals the lessons and experiences that challenges Mr Danaos beliefs and eventually changes his whole reality. This is a very good book that reveals the hidden abilities and teachings of the immortals. This is a must read book for anyone interested in the metaphysics, spirituality and healing of the Chinese art of Nei Kung. This book presents a tremendous model for expanding human potential. My students will definitely be seeing this book on their reading lists.

I also found it a very interesting coincidence that this book was published the same year as The Immortal's Gift: a Parable for the Soul. I think there is something that the Immortal's want us to know as we enter this new millennium.

I read this book twice. The second time with a highlighter. I found only about one page of actual teachings on how one can gain the abilities that he says his teacher has. His second book is even worse, it just repeats what is in this book.
Don't get me wrong I have studied the internal arts for years now and I truly believe that what he says his teacher can do can be done. But this is not the book to learn them from. He even says at one point that he does not give the instruction for fear of these powers falling into the wrong hand. Frankly the largest failing of this book is that it is very poorly written.
Honestly don't bother, read instead "The Magus of Strovolos" a much better book.

Perhaps Danaos' teacher is authentic... like Don Juan, you may never know... When someone writes with the non-critical enthusiasm of an Eric Hoffer "True Believer", it is hard to take it seriously. Danaos implies his own greatness with his association to the teacher, John Chang, despite the fact that on the surface he plays down his accomplishment. This book, for me, along with Nei Kung: Secret Teachings of the Warrior Sages, has little or nothing of useable value except for an interesting fantasy story about powers and abilities that apparently almost no one can attain. There is very little mentioned about moral or ethical development or subsequent ethical responsibility, in relation to the so-called levels in the Mo-Pai tradition of Nei Kung. I'm sorry to say that the scholastic research is dubious as well. Look at the references that Danaos gives and you will see that he is relying primarily on the work and research of other writers. As far as the meditation instruction goes, you will get more useful information studying the books of BK Franztis or Thomas Cleary. Sorry Danaos, nothing personal. I wish you the best.

Having studied nei kung and kung fu (Hsing I, Baqua, Taichi) for over a decade, and having just read this book, I can say that the author is well versed in Taoist traditions of alchemy.

I found in reading this book that I learned some things I didn't know; and other things made total sense from a Taoist alchemy point of view (about Yang and Yin balancing while training and emitting [fa jing]). I can't say for certain that I can believe the fantastic claims made in this book, but I can say it was very interesting, especially if it is true.

I know for a fact that most human beings can develop internal power with long hard work, but even the great Sun Lu Tang did not achieve the level of power as John Chang; being able to ignite newspaper by touch. If the depictions in this book are all true and the next book describes how to do them, then we all will have to take our awareness and training up a notch. Just think, we won't need knives anymore to cut vegetables for our salad, we could use our fingers. just kidding!

All and all, a great book and well written. I highly anticipate "Nei Kung" in February, 2002 on how to achieve level 1 in Chang's method. The book is a must have for all that practice Nei Gung, and the Nei Chia (internal family kung fu styles).

Five Stars!

This book blew me away. It's the incredible tale of John Chang, a internal arts master, as told by one his students. As the author is a former scientist, everything is presented in an objective, responsible, almost skeptical manner. Too often we forget what we're capable of and what the universe can offer us, with the right intent and commitment. This book is a great reminder.

I notice a lot of sceptical reviews herein. In this context, sceptics are those who have not had training (or proper training) in the internal arts (nei gong). If you have, you have experienced at least some level of the "supernatural" occurrances described in this book. With more training, the human starts to flower and what people should realize is that people like John Chang (the 'Magus of Java') is a certain flowering of human potential. The point is, that unless you have done the work (or unless you have a fortunate karma in this direction), you must remain sceptical. However, the book is written by a sceptic, or former sceptic, and I found this aspect of it a bit annoying as it is a waste of time.
Training of this sort is given by a live teacher to a student: it is not imparted in how-to books. The author makes the point that it is karma that brings you to a teacher.
Do the work: taiji, qigong, meditation, internal work (which taps the yin) and you will realize that there is no supernatural: IT'S ALL NATURAL.
Scientific truth is a temporary constuct: remember when there were no genes and no relativity and no electricity and when the earth was flat with the sun revolving around it? It's the same today(!) except updated.
I found the book enjoyable and inspiring and would like to thank Mr. Danaos for his contribution and his refernces to Greek myth and folk beliefs.

Danaos' story of "John Chang" is very similar to Deng Ming Dao's "Wandering Taoist" trilogy only in an updated fashion. Danaos takes the reader through his search for Chang (after seeing him apparently light paper on fire with Qi in a video) through Bali and then into some of the details of his apprenticeship to Chang.

Chang apparently practices Nei Kung, what he describes as an internal form of Qi circulation that is different than Qigong. Chang had sworn to his master that he would never pass on his knowledge for money or to someone not a full apprentice. What does this mean? Well, Danaos uses this as his explanation for the lack of any concrete exercises in the book.

In other words, this is a story with even less information than that put forth by Castaneda's famous Don Juan series. I also found Danaos' constant "I'm an engineer who worked for a big American company" proclamation's to be very irritating - one just feels that the question "so what?" is appropriate. There is an interesting short section by Danaos outlining some of his views of personal philosophy; this saved the book for me.

I think if anyone who has read extensively about Taoism will find Chang's views rather humourous (he didn't get any background from his master other than the lessons) particularly those on the differences between Qigong and Nei Kung. However, he does provide some good information regarding Qi and the dantien.

All in all, a fun read for a rainy afternoon. Just don't hope to get "enlightenment" from this one...

I sought out Kostas Danaos' book about THE MAGUS OF JAVA and have read it more than once. Having met John Chang personally after being a skeptic I can only attest to his powers, which I have felt pass through my flesh. Although only using 5 percent of this power he treats dozens of individuals daily at his home using a combination of acupuncture and a type of physical electricity generated from below his chest. Being a disbeliever I had asked him to take his shirt off expecting to see wires, there were none. My wife was one of his patients and I was asked to take my shoes off and hold her ankles. John then touched her and she started screaming. The current passed through me as I felt my heals fluttered with the current he generates. I have heard of many other stories and have personally watched him testing iron knives brought to him be the towns people for spiritual powers they may contain. John has changed my outlook of how I see the world and religion. This book and "Nei Kung: The Secret Teachings of the Warrior Sages" are both fascinating reads, however without a personal belief I can see a skeptic not getting more than an interesting story line out of them. Again, I personally know this man, he is real.

This book is a must for anyone who is interested in Qi-Gong, Nei Kung, or Taoism and is also highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good story. Each chapter is split up into a narrative section(s), and an educational section(s).

This is a true story about the author's (Kosta Danaos) first couple of years under the tutelage of John Chang, an authentic taoist master. John has gained amazing powers through meditation and an art called Nei Kung. Some of these powers (healing, telekenesis, levitation, etc.) are demonstrated and explained throughout the book. Also, because Nei Kung uses a level system, the first few levels are also explained (unfortunately, you are not instructed on how to obtain said levels and any instruction mentioned is very vague).

The educational section(s) of each chapter simply explains and gives background on what's being discussed in the narrative section, making this an easier read for people who don't have extensive knowledge on Qi Gong or Taoism. Also, there are two appendices. One contains more explanation, background, and history on Taoism, Qi, Qi Gong, and Nei Kung, while the other, entitled "Observations and Speculation", contains, well, observations and speculation.

The only downfall to this book is that in two of the final chapters, "Epilogue" and "Appendix Two: Observations and Speculation", the author (Kosta Danaos) gets a little too "all over the place". It's as if he just wrote down every thought that came to mind (though I'm sure that's not what happened). This made these chapters feel more like a journal entry than a chapter in a book, they weren't really consistent with the rest of the book. However, this is a small price to pay for such a good read.

Definitely pick this one up.