Dear Moderator,
My son brought up a very good point. Regardless of qualifications, some doctors kill people, or do untold harm. Lawyers equally can do great harm and Vaidya pointed out the Enron mess with CA's.

My son was not swayed by CH's qualifications. He observed whether or not he helped people. Once CH demonstrated this to his satisfaction, he decided to trust him.

I don't think regular qualifications apply here. A practitioner of Tibetan Medicine could not be certified in many countries. Too few of us are in a position to measure this. Hence, in my view, the importance of finding out whether CH's teacher existed or not and if someone was witness to his training.

I just want to be clear whether or not Hansard has lied about his background. I want to know if my trust and that of others was betrayed.

Nikky- I assume it wasn't for free and out of the goodness of his heart, and that either at the time or since then you have given him money or bought some of his products.

Ted, thanks for clearing that up.

So can we assume that the book by Doctor Asshauer does not exist in English even though Zig read it? Come on Zig are you really a patient or a PR?

I'd be curious to know what German word mistranslates into Christopher Hansard?

Ted, that is a pretty amazing piece of misquoting don't you think? Doesn't it raise even the teeniest bit of suspicion in you?

It appears that CH is rallying the troops to defend his cause here. It is difficult for me to present a true picture of the horror stories I have about him in my files, because in most cases I was asked not to make public information which might lead to the individuals concerned being identified. One or two correpondents have diverged into the message board cliche of nit picking minor points - and manipulating them as a basis for challenges. We should not allow this -- or the present CH PR campaign -- to cloud the issues:
*There is no proof whatsoever that CH trained with Tibetan medical experts. His application to join the Acupuncturist's professional organisation in the UK was refused
*CH has been accused in the UK and Canada of inappropriate behaviour (some of a sexual nature) with clients
*An atmosphere of fear and mistrust is generated by his activities
*People who knew him prior to his emergence as a healer are deeply sceptical about his integrity, qualifications and mental state. Some have stated openly that they are convinced he is profoundly mentally disturbed
*CH is known to exploit his capacity to play psychic tricks in order to satisfy his appetite for power and control
* Some of CH's business dealings appear to be of a highly dubious nature
* The Tibetan lama in Courtney, Canada has disassociated himself from CH and asked for a photo of them together (taken several years ago) to be removed from the internet
*Anyone with knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and culture can see that all CH's Tibetan output (inc: his alleged Bon Ter) could be assembled from existing literature and the internet.
Pema

Pema,
It has occurred to me as well, that CH is rallying support. But anyone would! In a court room, people bring their witnesses. Having witnessed the good he can do, it's not by any means all black. I am not part of any campaign; I am as interested as anyone in finding out if he has abused the public trust.

Nor is my son part of a campaign, if there is one. He's pretty impartial: he felt he was helped, so regardless of qualifications, he feels his experience was useful.

I am disturbed however by the whiff of a kangaroo court or lynching mentality on this site. In our system of justice, a person is innocent until PROVEN guilty. If you have heard horror stories, without meeting the man and seeing the good, you will have a slanted view. I've seen a lot more good than "bad". And yes, I do know of people who have walked out of workshops because they didn't like his approach. No one I know was bothered though.

What ended things for me, personally, was the lying that I know about. And this is what makes me suspicious about the whole story. I have also heard that the apprentices appear to be afraid of him and this is disturbing.

Have you contacted schools in Wellington and Auckland to see where he was registered and for what years? Are his teachers available to talk?
Who were his school friends? Did they meet or see his teacher? These inquiries surely will tell us whether or not he had the teacher he claims. This will furnish hard proof, either way.

Quote
pema
It appears that CH is rallying the troops to defend his cause here. It is difficult for me to present a true picture of the horror stories I have about him in my files, because in most cases I was asked not to make public information which might lead to the individuals concerned being identified. One or two correpondents have diverged into the message board cliche of nit picking minor points - and manipulating them as a basis for challenges. We should not allow this -- or the present CH PR campaign -- to cloud the issues:
*There is no proof whatsoever that CH trained with Tibetan medical experts. His application to join the Acupuncturist's professional organisation in the UK was refused
*CH has been accused in the UK and Canada of inappropriate behaviour (some of a sexual nature) with clients
*An atmosphere of fear and mistrust is generated by his activities
*People who knew him prior to his emergence as a healer are deeply sceptical about his integrity, qualifications and mental state. Some have stated openly that they are convinced he is profoundly mentally disturbed
*CH is known to exploit his capacity to play psychic tricks in order to satisfy his appetite for power and control
* Some of CH's business dealings appear to be of a highly dubious nature
* The Tibetan lama in Courtney, Canada has disassociated himself from CH and asked for a photo of them together (taken several years ago) to be removed from the internet
*Anyone with knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and culture can see that all CH's Tibetan output (inc: his alleged Bon Ter) could be assembled from existing literature and the internet.
Pema

with all due respect Pema, you have come onto a cult forum asking for experiences and these are what you have - sorry if its not all lining up the way you might like - what i don't understand is how someone who hasn't met CH and challenged him directly can have such a decided opinion

in particular, i find your list above is inadequate to fully judge the situation; for example, you say

"people who knew him prior to his emergence as a healer are deeply sceptical about his integrity, qualifications and mental state. Some have stated openly that they are convinced he is profoundly mentally disturbed"

but so far only one "person" has said this, "dorje", and i'm sorry but his/her posts were of low quality and contained no verifiable information and were mostly just name-calling - and that when alternative perspectives were provided both the best you and dorje seem to manage are phrases lke "he's a got a hook into you" or "you are grasping at straws"

so, i am a little disappointed in both you and dorje, for not providing more information - in particular, WHY won't dorje be more forthcoming? it seems suspicious, like he/she has an axe to grind...

please clear these doubts with something more concrete

Pema. What you state as facts are incorrect.

1. Regarding CH training. He has practised in London for 15 years, run a successful practice, and helped and healed many patients. He is fully insured, and has had articles published about him. Do you think he would be insured by a reputable company, and be able to practice like this for all this time, if people doubted his credentials?

2. “CH has been accused of inappropriate behaviour” – inappropriate is a very subjective term. Unless someone actually comes forward with some concrete evidence, this is beginning to amount to slander.

3. “An atmosphere of fear and mistrust is generated by his activities.” This is also purely subjective – how many people are we talking about here? I know many people who would find this to be totally erroneous. The healing and teaching that he gives people helps them to find out about themselves, and transform their lives.

4. “People who knew him prior to his emergence as a healer are deeply sceptical about his integrity...” So far only one person on this forum has said this, in an rather negative, attacking way. This does not amount to a fact.

5. “CH is known to exploit his capacity to play psychic tricks in order to satisfy his appetite for power and control.” This is subjective and slanderous. Who is saying this? In my experience, he does not play “psychic tricks” nor does he have an “appetite for power and control”. People have noted his psychic abilities, which he only ever uses in a gentle way to help people with their self empowerment.

6.Regarding business dealings – again, surely this is a personal matter, and no evidence has been presented to back this up.

7. The Tibetan Lama in Courtney, Canada, who seems to have assumed such importance, actually distanced himself from CH because he comes from a Bonpo monastic tradition, which is very different from the Dur Bon path of living in the world. He did spend some time with CH, but felt in the end that his monastic path was too different to take CH as a teacher. This does not amount to discreditation.

8. “Anyone with knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and culture can see that all CH's Tibetan output (inc: his alleged Bon Ter) could be assembled from existing literature and the internet.” I am sorry but this is ignorance. Anyone with a deeper knowledge of the Dur Bon teachings would know this not to be the case. The Dur Bon teachings contain things which are not found elsewhere, and anyone with spiritual sensitivities would know that they are directly empowered.

Please accept the fact that there do not actually appear to be any facts here.

Let us suppose that we are able to find evidence of Christopher’s teacher having lived in New Zealand. Let us suppose that we find out there was a Tibetan Ngagpa from India (NOT Bonpo Lama) who came to New Zealand and taught CH all he knows. How would we then know, where he got his training? How would we know, where he got his ‘qualifications’? Would we then have to trace his lineage all the way back to India and Tibet? How would we know the lineage was authentic? How would we know, that this Tibetan teacher was not just some charlatan Tibetan pretending to be a master?

These are questions that cannot be answered, and this is the way with oral traditions, and oral lineage. The very nature of oral tradition is that you take people’s word for it. Why do the students trust the word of a master? What is it about the master’s word that they trust? How do they know the master is not lying, misleading them? It is all very well to read Buddhist literature about the glories of Milarepa studying with Marpa, and the wondrous teachings of Padmasambhava. In his day, Padmasambhava was considered to be a rogue by many, who did not understand his wild ways. He is now the greatest saint in Tibetan history. If any one of us was alive in those days, would we have been able to know the authentic master? If we were alive in the time of Jesus, would we have known him for the teacher that he was? Would we have trusted, or would we have been swayed by the adverse public opinions of the masses?

I believe these to be important questions for those who seek to analyse Christopher’s lineage. Instead of just questioning intellectually, question deeper inside yourself. It is up to each individual what they choose to believe. No one is forced to go for medical treatment, or attend workshops, or take these things on faith. It is a matter of free choice for the individual. I believe the real issue is what CH embodies, not his history or his past. In my direct experience I have seen him embody vast and profound teachings, based on intelligent and complex structures of knowledge. He holds incredible amounts of historical knowledge, which is living and not dead, in the manner of a true Gnostic. I see him as someone who has devoted his life to other people, as evidenced in all his healing and teaching work, and the profound and positive effects that is has on people. The basis of the teaching is self-empowerment, so people are encouraged to claim their own power and transform their own lives. This is why he is not a guru (semantics allowed).

To the people who bandy around the word “fake” I would say to you: Compassion cannot be faked. Kindness cannot be faked. Wisdom cannot be faked. It is only the heart that can know these things. This is the manner of the spiritual path; to know ones own heart and to trust those people and things that resonate with the truth.

As there is clearly no evidence of anything with which to attack CH, I would suggest that people call off this harassment which has definitely been libellous and slanderous, and at times ignorant and malicious, and find something better to do with their lives. As has been said before, CH will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and some people will not like or understand him. This is inevitable. Someone who awakens people to themselves is like a mirror, and this mirroring process can be profoundly uncomfortable for the person learning about themselves. It is not uncommon for people to get to a point where they are confronted with an aspect of themselves that they find difficult to take, and at this point they can then choose to blame their teacher or healer, rather than confront their own issues. This is one of the factors of being a teacher or healer – receiving aggression and blame from those you are seeking to help. Amongst all the many, many people who have received truly beneficial treatments and teachings, this would seem to be a small minority. Lets get things in perspective here. CH is doing good work in the world, touching many people who touch many others with compassion and awakening.

According to www.bonmedicine.co.uk

'The Bön Community predicted Christopher’s birth and when he was 4 years old his teacher, Urgen Namchuk, found him in New Zealand.

Urgen Namchuk was a member of the Nam tribe who came from the remote province of Amdo in Tibet. The tribe is known for their mystics, physicians, adepts and shamans. He had been watching Christopher and recognized him as a gifted child. Christopher says of this meeting: "He arrived late one afternoon as I was playing on the beach with my parents. I had been expecting him, and hadn't wanted to leave too soon. We recognized each other immediately and my training began that day."

After 4 years of initial tutoring in the pre-Buddhist and Bön spiritual teachings of Tibet, Christopher was deemed an appropriate student for complete medical training. He began a nineteen-year study of Tibetan Dur Bön Medicine in the Bön Northern Treasure School.

His education was vast, spanning major surgery, 27 forms of acupuncture, 27 physiotherapies, 11 thousand herb combinations, 11 forms of psychological therapy and 108 psychiatric practices. “I was taught a system of medicine whereby I could look at a plant substance and, based on instinct and extensive botanical training, would know how to use it, no matter where I was in the world”. Study of the Ancient Tibetan Dur Bön culture, herbs and acupuncture went side by side with a modern western education. By 13 he was preparing herbal remedies and observing treatments and at 18 he was eligible to practice medicine unattended. His training was considered "complete" at the age of 27 and he was then encouraged to travel the world. He lectured extensively in the USA and came to set up a practice in the UK in the early 90's.


According to the Bön (pre-Buddhist) Tibetan tradition in which Christopher was trained, a person of his quality comes along only once every 700 years and is known as a “Lha-Khu” - a Thunder Being, an incarnation of the energy of medicine. Described as a bolt of lightning because he possesses a powerful energy, he is considered an awakener of consciousness. He chooses and designs his life before being born, then creates the right processes to fulfill his purpose. Coming at a time of great world-wide upheaval and dissatisfaction, the Lha-Khu shows people how consciousness manifests itself in illness and helps awaken them to their innate healing potential.

By reading 300 pulses on each wrist and looking at the eyes, skin and tongue, he can immediately interpret illness and essential life problems. A Lha-khu sees beyond the medical, interpreting energy levels and instantly knowing a person’s state of consciousness, past, present and future.

Christopher’s teachings include the 17,000 year-old history, the modern relevance and roots of Tibetan Dür Bön Medicine and psychology as well as the Dür Bön spiritual and lifestyle teachings. He presents the background to these ancient teachings in a modern context with humour, gentleness, compassion, insight and power.'



Can't anyone out there provide evidence of this extraordinary story - perhaps a photograph or two? Maybe someone attended one of his lectures in the USA before he set up shop in London. Perhaps a chum from school remembers the cheeky little thunder being?

This is true:

"It is not uncommon for people to get to a point where they are confronted with an aspect of themselves that they find difficult to take, and at this point they can then choose to blame their teacher or healer, rather than confront their own issues. This is one of the factors of being a teacher or healer – receiving aggression and blame from those you are seeking to help."

This is transference. If anyone feels that is happening to them in respect to a particular teacher or healer, here is a good resource: whyagain.com

Download the "reality management" tool and go through it. It helps you take responsibility for what is going on in your own mind in respect to someone else.

As for me, I have now satisfied my inquiry concerning Mr. Hansard and I thank everyone who has participated. If I have offended anyone, or misled anyone I apologize.

I have conclued that Mr. Hansard is an authentic shaman and I no longer care where he did or did not get his training.

All the best to you.