Pathgate Institute - Dr. Young (Yang Dashi)
Does anybody know anything about Dr. Young?
You can check out the newly formed [i:10bc1c872e]Pathgate Institute[/i:10bc1c872e] webpage for more information:
[
pathgate.org]
He runs this program with many students who take 3 year courses for thousands of pounds sterling. A good friend of mine (see below) went up to a retreat to meet this "guru" (they call him "Sifu" - master) guy. Once I got up there it became clear that these people think he has supernatural abilities. For instance check out his "healing" abilities:
[
pathgate.org]
Or check out his miraculous acts of truth:
[
pathgate.org]
I did an internet search on him and the only bad thing I could find was on the rec.martial-arts USENET group
Quote
From: "tobemori"
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: whereabouts of Peter Young
Celestiale wrote in message
news:2a68da13.0409220747.45096da@posting.google.com...
> Hello
>
> I am trying to locate Sifu Peter Young, also know as Yang Dashi (an
> honorary title).
Honorary from himself
> He is said to be a CMA teacher of exceptional ability.
He was certainly good at brainwashing his students. They worshipped the man.
He wore sunglasses all the time as he had "the eyes of a buddha" that would
be too much if people looked at them....
You have to scroll down a bit to find the text in this
link.The people who follow this guy seem to be in a state of trance and basically give up the rest of their life to follow and learn from him. When I went up to Newcastle for the retreat, we attended lectures and there were all sorts of rules imposed by the audience around me. For instance, we sat on the floor on cushions and I couldn't point my feet at him, that was considered rude. Also, there was food that he was eating and water that he was drinking and after he touched the stuff, it was considered holy and we would eat and drink after him to get holy powers too, or something like that.
When there was a Kung Fu picnic, the skies cleared up before the picnic and then got cloudy after the picnic. He did all sorts of Tai Chi and Kung Fu demonstrations. In one of his demonstrations which lasted for an hour he had his special students surround him and try to hold him and he would wiggle his hand and they would all be flung off of him, running away. He did this repeatedly. And with this one guy, he started moving his hand up and down and this was throwing this guy up and down next to him that was close to him. Apparently he can make students laugh uncontrollably for a half an hour.
Anyways, it just got too weird for me. All I was interested in (and the reason I came down in the first place) was the Buddhist philosophy, kindness, compassion, tolerance, etc. which he did treat, but I really didn't enjoy his lectures like the books I have read of HH the Dalai Lama. It all turned into unleashing your Chi to amazing results to obtain powers of control and ability that you never could reach by yourself.
Now a friend of mine (the one who originally went up with me to the retreat in Newcastle) has recently got back from a week long retreat in Greece with him. She just told me that she has decided to sell her van (which used to be a prized possesion of hers) for less than it's worth, and join a three year course with him. I'm just worried about her.
Does anybody know anything about programs like this? Are they cults?
edited to add: Ok. I just found a video depository at the website, so you can actually see the things I am describing. Check out:
[
pathgate.org]#
In fact the first video was of the picnic I attended in Newcastle. Weird stuff. You can see more demonstrations in the other videos.