Ladies and Gentlemen!

This is the Age of Discreditation, when things once commonly accepted as fact have been proven to be untrue, or are simply no longer believed. Let’s face it, AAA stocks have been found to have worth only as toilet paper (and rough toilet paper at that), so why should men believe in icons? And why should the martial arts be an exception, when in fact they are not? We have discovered that the samurai did not in fact, back in the day, actually use their swords that much in combat, or even follow the honor system attributed to them by later authors. Filipino kali did not defeat Magellan – there was no such thing as Filipino kali when Magellan landed with his party of deckhands on Filipino shores. The origins of many a Chinese martial arts style are subject to question – did Yim Wing Chun and Ng Mui actually exist, or are they fable? How about Shinryuken Masamitsu Toda? How about Romulus and Remus, or Zhang Sanfeng? (There is actually more evidence for the existence of Robin Hood than there is for Zhang Sanfeng.)

In light of all the above, I feel the obligation to disclose the true origin story of Pammachon, passed down through my family for generations. The following will be posted on the pammachon.gr site and become a part of our “official” mythology:

I am the 88th Master of Pammachon, a lineage that began in the 6th century BC with Master Timasitheus, and has lasted for 2500 years. Really. No, it’s a true story, and I will outline it for you here. Of Timasitheus himself, Herodotus has stated in his book Terpsichore (Book E’ 72.4-73.1) that:

….And these men were condemned to death, among them Timasitheus the Delphian, of whose prowess and courage I have great things which I could tell.

The Founder Timasitheus was born in the Greek colony of Croton on Sicily. Growing up there as a boy, he was a great admirer of the wrestler Milo, who had won six Olympic crowns for wrestling at Olympia, and was famous for his great strength and stamina. When the mystic Pythagoras of Samos moved to Croton, both Milo and Timasitheus became his students, the former marrying Pythagoras’ daughter.

Pythagoras agreed to become Timasitheus’ teacher more to punish Milo for his immense ego than anything else. He bet the great wrestler that he could train the young student to defeat him in wrestling at the Olympiad, at which Milo laughed in his face.

Pythagoras taught the young Timasitheus the Principle of the Meander, or how the soft may be used to defeat the hard. He taught him about the gods and goddesses of the Earth and Sky, of Fire and Water, Lightning and Wind, Mountain and Sea, and the Primal Chaos from which all had sprung. He taught him of the binary nature of the universe; that, once the layers are peeled away, at the Core all things are simply 1/0.

Timasitheus’s family was originally from Delphi - they were immigrants to Croton who had paid the tax and become citizens. At Pythagoras’s insistence, Timasitheus participated in the 516 BC Olympics competing for his home city of Delphi, and easily defeated all comers in the pankration, winning the laurels. Over the next four years, our Founder trained rigorously to defeat Milo, oftentimes retreating into the wild in seclusion, fighting barehanded against lions and wolves.

During the 512 BC Olympics, Timasitheus competed in both the pankration and in wrestling. Not wanting to insult Milo, he entered the wrestling contest as a citizen of Croton and the pankration contest as a native of Delphi. He easily prevailed in the pankration, for no one could stand before him. Then it came time for the true contest, against a lifelong friend and mentor, a man who used to carry a bull on his shoulders to the slaughter, and then serve it up for his meal and eat it entirely.

Milo was old, already in his forties at the time, but Timasitheus knew that, if he came to grips with the man, Milo would crush him with his incredible strength. So our Founder Timasitheus used the art of akrocheirismos, continuously intercepting Milo’s grasping hands, deflecting them, locking him up and throwing him away. As Timasitheus refused to close with him, even after throwing Milo several times, the battle lasted for most of the day. After six consecutive victories at Olympia, Milo understood that he must lose. He bowed his head in defeat and prepared to withdraw the moment the herald proclaimed: “Timasitheus of Croton, winner of the wrestling”.

But at that very moment the crowd rushed into the arena, lifting Milon up and crowning him with wreaths and flowers and laurels, carrying him round the stadium. Amongst those who were carrying him and were cheering him on was his fellow countryman, Timasitheus the victor. That day Milo’s statue in Olympia was smothered with flowers and Timasitheus bowed at its feet.

But Milo did not die well - his ego was his downfall in the end, as the Sage Pythagoras had predicted. According to Strabo and Pausanias, Milo was walking in a forest when he came upon a tree-trunk split with wedges. In what was probably intended as a display of strength, Milo inserted his hands into the cleft to rend the tree apart. The wedges fell from the cleft, and the tree closed on his hands, trapping his fingers. Unable to free himself, the wrestler was devoured by wolves that evening.

Modern day historians will try to convince you that Timasitheus of Croton and Timasitheus of Delphi were two separate athletes, but pay those fools no heed. We of the Pammachon lineage know for a fact that they were one and the same.

As a result of Pythagoras’s bet, all of Milo’s secrets passed on to Timasitheus, who also inherited the teachings of Pythagoras. From the fusion of the two, Pammachon was born. Timasitheus moved back to Delphi, at the command of the god Apollo. He married a young Delphian girl and settled down (something about a sudden pregnancy), serving as a special agent in the service of the Oracle of Delphi. Over the next few years, Timasitheus went on to win several many athletic contests while competing for Delphi, while at the same time his military exploits were astounding. It is safe to say that what normal soldiers experienced over a lifetime, Timasitheus endured and triumphed over during his brief three year service to the Oracle. 

A depiction of Timasitheus survives from a later date. Note that the artist has sculpted a thin and unassuming man of no apparent muscular development, polite and courteous. This then was the terrible warrior Timasitheus:  

http://images.perseus.tufts.edu/images/1992.03.1/1992.03.0045

Timasitheus’s death took the form of a heroic sacrifice. Knowing that within the next few decades the Persians were going to invade Greece, the Oracle of Delphi ordered Timasitheus in 508 BC to become the bodyguard of Isagoras, an Athenian aristocrat and ally of the Spartans. Timasitheus disliked and distrusted the elitist, pudgy, bisexual and ruthless Isagoras, but followed the command of the Oracle of Apollo as a true warrior and knight. There was also a practical reason behind his decision – Timasitheus distrusted Isagoras’s rival Cleisthenes even more than he disliked Isagoras. Cleisthenes is touted today as the founder of democracy, but in fact he was a fraud and a rabble-rouser, a true politician of our modern day; the man had no integrity. Timasitheus knew that the Oracle had foreseen that, should Cleisthenes prevail, the “Persians would invade Greece at the Athenian’s call.”

Sadly, in the civil war that followed, Cleisthenes prevailed, promising the Athenian public full democracy. Isagoras and a small group of Spartans took shelter on the rock of the Acropolis – along with Timasitheus as his bodyguard. For two days, Timasitheus and the Spartans held back the Athenian crowd, fighting thousands of Athenian hoplites at close quarters. On the third day, Isagoras and the Spartans accepted terms of surrender, under which they were allowed to leave - if they delivered Timasitheus and Isagoras’s Athenian allies to their enemies. Timasitheus surrendered willingly, following the commands of the Oracle of Delphi. As we have seen, the father of modern history, Herodotus himself, honored Timasitheus by mentioning him in his works, as did Pausanias at a later date.  And sadly, the prediction of the Oracle of Delphi came true. After the death of our Founder, and following Cleisthenes assuming control of Athens, the Athenians, afraid of the military might of the Spartans, sent emissaries to King Darius of Persia, surrendering onto him earth and water. This act of submission became the causus belli for the Persian invasion of Greece 16 years later.

For two centuries following Timasitheus’s death, Pammachon was passed on from father to son within Delphian families descended from Timasitheus, as commanded by the Oracle. At some point in the 4th century BC, my distant ancestor Pantazis the 1st the Tymfaian married Eleni of Delphi and inherited the lineage of Pammachon. Pantazis was an Epirot warrior, a bodyguard of Queen Olympias, and some say the father of Alexander the Great as well (ahem, we know it wasn’t Zeus, right, and she claimed it wasn’t Phillip?). Pantazis followed Alexander on his conquests at Olympias’s command, saving his life on more than one occasion. When Alexander died on the 11th of June 323 BC, Pantazis moved to Alexandria, where he studied at the famous Library and became a bodyguard for Ptolemy A’ Soter (some day that Ptolemy’s victories over Perdikkas in 321 at Memphis, and against Demetrius the Besieger in 312 BC, were due to Pantazis and his use of Pammachon tactics).

Throughout the millennia, a scroll attributed to Pantazis the Tymfaian has been passed down in my family, dated to 321 BC (he must have written it just before the battle with Perdikkas). Today, only a fragment remains of this papyrus scroll, and it is kept in a sealed environmental chamber so that it may be preserved, in a private museum whose owners are wealthy acolytes of Pammachon:

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3145/pammachon7bj.gif

To tell the story of Pammachon over the next 2200 years would require a whole series of books (and perhaps one day I will write them), but the gist of the matter is that, in 1984 I inherited the system from my grandfather, since my father Pantazis hated Pammachon and didn’t want the hassle.  For those who might be inclined to scoff, bear in mind that the portrayal above has far more traceable historical facts than most of the histories of most of the martial arts schools taught today…..  and who knows what I can and can’t prove? The martial arts world isn’t exactly a pristine academic forum – I’ve seen claims by very accredited scholars become trash over the decades.
 
[OK, so the people who know me better are now thinking wtf? I liked the story and wanted to copyright it in English, and I saw historical conjecture on something else that was completely ridiculous on the internet about an hour ago, producing the rant. I didn't have time to sit down and repudiate the aforementioned at the moment, but this text was available from a couple years ago (in Greek) and, with a little tailoring, readily postable. Expect more to come in the future, regarding the Spartans and their Nepalese kukris…]

Despite my best efforts, I keep getting letters inquiring about John Djiang’s contact details. The usual request is for me to make arrangements for the petitioner to become an immortal in his/her (usually his) spare time, via a web-based video correspondence course posted on Youtube following the individual’s initial visit to Indonesia (a trip which is only necessary so that he can take photos with Master Djiang to post on Facebook, and videos to post on youtube). Given that this website is dedicated to Pammachon, not the Magus of Java, it would appear that few people are reading my posts and directions very carefully (perhaps the youth of today has lost the capacity to read after all), so let me summarize my standpoint and reiterate my position for one final time:

The Magus of Java is, as Bruno would say, sooooooo 1999. It is outdated. It was a plan that did not work.  You’re too late – all the immortals have already made the cut, graduated, and taken the last plane out.  You missed out. Sorry about that.

To my surprise, several people who wish to portray themselves as scientists have stated on various fora that, were the theories presented in the Magus of Java found to be true, physics would be revolutionized. In fact, this is an erroneous statement, as there is nothing in the book that is not old hat. There are innovative viewpoints in the book, but nothing in there is really “mine” – all I did was connect the dots and draw pretty pictures.

Herbert Benson (et al) proved in 1981 that the use of tantric yoga techniques by advanced practitioners could circumvent the biophysical model as we know it; the publication of same was made in Nature, a prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal, and has never been disproven.  gTummo yoga is considered by the Tibetans as a path to Enlightenment and its practitioners as well on their way to becoming Buddhas (immortals). We already know that human beings can generate incredible amounts of energy through these practices – so go bother the Tibetan Buddhists, they are is set up to deal with you, I am not.

The binary nature of the Universe was theorized by Einstein back in the day, and by the ancients way back in the day; that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light, as Einstein predicted, was finally experimentally proven a few years ago, confirming once and for all that weird hair styles have something going for them. Many cosmologists are now saying that the amount of dark matter in the universe must be equal to the amount of “light” matter so dear to us – gee, what a surprise. The Mass Unconscious was first postulated by Carl Gustav Jung, not Kostas Danaos – I just used his model.  So go bother a Jungian – he will charge you for your trouble.  I am not the first to comment on the similarity of ancient thought with modern physics; there are many other authors who have stated the same, and who routinely attend their own book signings – Fritjof Capra is still active, for example.  And no – I am not interested in anyone’s chi machine.

I understand there are so-called teachers out there charging 5 to 6 thousand dollars a pop for teaching basic Mo Pai meditation - I am not one of them. Good luck with that, and feel free to consider yourself an idiot if you coughed up such funds. Did you really think that a life-altering journey could be initiated because of an advertisement posted through a medium such as the Internet?  Christ on a Harley! I have never charged a student of mine one penny, not for martial arts training nor for meditation, nor do I have any plans to do so, though it would appear I could have made a fortune if I had. But making money was never the point behind the project.

I’ve had people call my book “life altering” and “groundbreaking” and all sorts of good stuff, and for that I must thank them (there were a bunch of others who thought it was crap, too, and I’ll have to thank them as well). I am very happy that the Magus of Java affected your life the way that it did, and I hope you can pass the same positive feeling onto others in the future. But let me make this clear: your choices in life are your responsibility, not mine.

All of you have to understand the following: The Magus of Java was essentially an Enacted Plan with a specific implementation timeframe, and nothing more. I was seeking a fulcrum to stave off the inevitable, but it would seem that the Universe cannot be dissuaded once it makes up its Mind. I pretty much stated my purpose behind writing the book in its final chapter, the chapter that few people liked and most people skimmed through, and dropped references to same throughout the text. I guess no one was paying attention. No one cared what I personally thought back then; it would appear that this has changed these days.

I have felt the Decline breathing down our necks for a long period of time, since the early 80s to be precise, and it has come to stay.  The Decline is as unavoidable as a steamroller, and for some reason there is no slowing it down either. The times that are coming will not be particularly pleasant, but they will not be the End that some people envision. Nope, no end of the world folks, you will have to continue dealing with reality on a daily basis, but things will be much, much harder. Nevertheless, when I wrote the Magus of Java, I was orchestrating a sequence of actions whose purpose was to stave off an inevitable turn of events; I am actually fairly good at that and have been trained to do so. But the Universe did not want this, and no man can stop a hurricane: death, disease, insurrection, religious fanaticism, stupidity and terrorism all stood in my way, and the plans I made failed spectacularly. The desperate shot that I took with the Magus of Java did not reach its mark. So I gave up; every man only gets so many chances to do the right thing in his life. 

9/11 and the events that followed the publication of the Magus of Java, and other events that will follow in the future, have changed and will change the world for the worse, now and forever.  No one can move back in time: if a domino fails to tumble, then the stack it lies in is forfeit; if it does tumble, it initiates a chain of events. So forget about John Djiang – concentrate on preparing for your future. Forget about 1999 – concentrate on 2010 and beyond.

The Decline that is coming will be a time of Enclaves and Inequality, a time when the Fire of Prometheus will burn low in humanity or not at all. There have been many such periods in human history; sadly, one lies ahead. Science will advance, indeed, but it will not be available to everyone. The citizen’s rights you grew up with and have come to take for granted will simply cease to exist; millions of people will die of starvation and thirst. You should do your best to prepare for the coming times, and forget about Youtube videos.  Concentrate on day-to-day necessities and empower yourself to be a strong and vital member of an independent community. Each one of you is a link in the chain – each one of you can become an asset or a liability. So become strong in your heart and mind and become an asset to civilization and to your loved on. Let honor and virtue rule your hearts, and strength and integrity rule your mind. Do not be afraid of expressing defiance to corrupt authority and understand that this is not a time to avoid confrontation. Do not be afraid to tell an idiot that he is an idiot, assuming that you can prove he is. Become independent – stand on your own two feet, so that you can help others stand on theirs. If you do not understand these words, then you have no business at my doorstep in any case, so go complain elsewhere.

In any case, now you know what to do. Interested parties with half a brain, please purchase and read The Limits to Growth to better understand what is ahead. Martial artists interested in Pammachon will be able to download my latest book for free within a few weeks, so stay tuned - there is a lot of good advice on personal and martial development in that book. And it’s free, too, if you’ll take it as electrons rather than paper.

Individuals interested in immortality, please change radio stations. The immortals have all gone back to Mount Olympus.

Trying to finish up a book, but will be back soon.

I received a tough one last week:

Hi, my name is C,
I’m 24, and live in … England. I was wondering if you could help me, or can offer advice.
At the age of about 14 one night I had a sudden realisation about death.
I was lying there thinking and suddenly I understood the whole concept of my life ending. Most nights this realisation comes back and I have to fight to mentally come to terms with it. Most nights (and it only happens between 9-11pm) it creeps into my thoughts despite no provoking, it makes me experience fear on an overwhelming level and my breathing increases, my spine runs cold, and I feel thrown into darkness.
More recently I reached a point where I became increasingly calm and confident but still frightened. I believe the fear got so strong for so long my fight or flight response was triggered.
I am generally a very strong minded and happy person. Either way, I’m trying to find a way to overcome it. It has led me to question everything, I have become fascinated with philosophy and theology, but none of it has helped.
I’m trying to find out if there’s any way to sort myself out.

Mr. C., I’m not a professional psychologist, most certainly not a clinical therapist. I am not qualified to offer you any help or advice regarding trauma, anxiety, or mental illness. I’m not a healer in any context or by any means, and that should be obvious since my personality is somewhat contrary rather than accepting.  I would have to advise you, or anyone in similar straits, to seek professional help for any concern of this nature.

That having been said, I’m entitled to a citizen’s opinion. If you want to know what that opinion is, you should read on, but the caveat here is, it’s an opinion, not advice.

So let me start by asking you a question:

When you were born, were you afraid? Most babies are; that’s why they cry. It’s very natural.  What makes you think that death should be any different? Both birth and death are like roller coasters; once you’re in the cart for the ride, you’re going to have ups and downs, lulls and rapidity, excitements and thrills… and fear.

The great Nikos Kazantzakis describes life as follows:

We emerge from one dark abyss only to pass-away into another dark abyss. The period of light that lies in between we call Life.

Our birth marks the beginning of the end. The setting-out and the return journey together. We are sentenced to death with the passing of each moment. That is why some have declared that the goal of life is death.

Yet, with our birth also begins our struggle to create and to build … to transform matter into life. We are born with each passing moment. That is why others have declared that the goal of an ephemeral life is immortality.

All transient living things are torn between these two great streams:

a) the ascending path that leads towards creation, life and immortality;
b) the descending path that leads towards matter, decay and death.

Both streams gush forth from the depths of our primordial origins. From its outset life seems remarkable, even spurious and unnatural; a short-lived reaction to those dark ceaseless fountain-heads. Yet, deeper still within ourselves, we feel that Life is nothing less than the chaotic and indestructible impulse of the Universe itself.

Consider this: whence comes that greater than human strength which slings us forth from the unborn to the born and compels us all … plants, animals and man … to struggle in our daily existence?

Though contradictory in nature, these two streams are truly sacred.

Death is inevitable, and to spend life in fear of it is truly a waste. Were you afraid before being born? Can’t remember? And yet, ‘tis true indeed, that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles the will. It is good that each person spend some period in his life contemplating this mystery, if for no other reason than to clear their own mind as to what a blessing life is, and what duties we incur in having been blessed with such a privilege. I myself devoted eight years to this.

Is there something beyond death? I am convinced there is; I base this conviction on personal experiences I’ve had. Do I know for sure? Nope, because I’ve never died.  Do I know what lies in that undiscovered country? Not a clue. For all the searching and sacrifice I’ve done, for all the exploration and dedication, no clear idea. Moreover, I can state with a great deal of certainty that in all likelihood no one truly has a clue, despite whatever they may claim.

The problem with religion is that it attempts to express Ultimate Truth rather than admitting to communicating a simple opinion or an experience. Religions exist to ensure the greatness of their followers and the prosperity of their leaders, not to implement the wishes of their originators. Let’s face it: most people don’t belong to xyz belief for altruistic reasons. They belong because they think they are getting something back in return. Follow me, Chosen One, and you shall be of the Blessed (that is to say, higher up on the totem pole), while those who oppose you shall be cast into the fires below. Yea verily I say unto thee, do as I tell you, and in the next Act, you shall be among the bosses rather than the serfs.

Sigh. The math is wrong - it can’t happen. What religions are expressing is an opinion based on the experiences of a third party or third parties regarding a specific circumstance or set of circumstances. If religious leaders admitted to expressing the Opinion of their Originators, then we wouldn’t have religious wars. Since all religions are adamant that they express Ultimate Truth, and Divine Truth at that, well then, violence is required to support that estimation. At the end of the day, though, “who’s the boss” is the name of the game. This has been the case for the past ten thousand years. There are evident cases where (even today) whole peoples think they are the Chosen Ones based on racial or ethnic criteria; seems they doctored their test scores in the evolutionary game.

I have faced the Grim Reaper myself a number of times now, once from serious disease and several times from conflict or accident. None of these is an experience I would wish to repeat. Of all of these, illness was the most frightening, because it exposed me to the possibility of degradation as well as that of cessation, and it was a long drawn out affair. I am currently experiencing middle age, and illness is reminiscent of this, in that I can see old age looming ahead, and fear it, as well as contending with the loss of youth in my present moment.

But do I wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night worrying about these things? No. That would be pointless. I may as well worry about the sun rising tomorrow morning. The sun will rise tomorrow. Kostas will die – it is simply a matter of when. So I accept this; I try to be prepared for death specifically regarding my responsibilities. I insure myself financially and emotionally against an end before the fulfillment of any obligations I may assume or have assumed; in short, I behave as a responsible adult whenever I can rather than as a spoiled child, so that the time I spend on earth will be positive.

Do I worry about the undiscovered country and its laws? No, I do not. The majority of world religions center around the same principles, and these are, basically, “be nice to each other, guys.” I figure that if I live a life with integrity and humanity, then I am pretty much in the ballpark regardless of doctrine. If there is an undiscovered country, then, based on the principles of common ground and universalness, I should be OK. If there is no undiscovered country, then human beings are creatures of the highest order and the highest consciousness within the space that we occupy.  This imposes a tremendous obligation upon us. We should consider it our duty to live our lives with integrity and humanity and compassion and consequence. So I do.

Far greater men than I have reached this same conclusion, so I am at peace with it. Some base it on dogma; some base it on experience; some base it on logic; some base it on hope. I would counsel a more Stoic approach myself: consider dogma irrelevant. Live a fearless and truthful life for its own sake, because anything else will make you a lesser man.

My opinion then (not advice) is to live a full and passionate life with integrity as its base, and let your fears go their own way. Your death is inevitable; what will happen, will happen, no matter how much you sweat and dread. If you live a life of integrity, you should have no regrets, regardless, when the time does come for you to depart. And let that fear come and go as it wills, and dread the fear not: remember, it’s natural; you cried when you were born, too.