5 rites peter kelder biography

Five Tibetan Rites

Sequence of yoga exercises

The Five Tibetan Rites is a system of exercises first publicized by Peter Kelder in a booklet titled The Eye of Revelation.

The system is also referred to as "The Five Rites", "The Five Tibetans" and "The Five Rites of Rejuvenation". Kelder described the rites as having the potential to heal youthfulness through changing one's internal "vortexes". There is no evidence of the rites' being genuine Tibetan practices.

The rites possess been reprinted in multiple expanded editions and translations, and own been popular among New Age practitioners.

Origins and publications

Origins

Kelder claimed that the rites were more than 2, years old, but this is apocryphal.[1] Some of the movements have similarities to Tibetan trul khor (yantra yoga), but they do not integrate breath with the movement, which is fundamental to yantra yoga.[2] Tibetans have not recognized the rites as being authentic Tibetan practices.[3][4]John Michael Greer, a penner on occult topics, described the rites as inspired by Indian spiritual practices but of American origin.[5] Greer writes that the dietary advice in the manual is similar to the contemporary Hay diet,[6] and that the second, third, fourth, and fifth rites seem similar to hatha yoga as described by American books published in the prior s as part of the physical culture movement, which was influenced by German-American gymnastics clubs.[7] Greer also draws a connection between the first rite and the American spiritualist movement.[8]

Historical context

Kelder published the first version of The Eye of Revelation in and an expanded edition in , using a small publishing company in Los Angeles that published booklets related to occult topics.[5] This followed a period of Western interest in Tibet as a source of ancient wisdom.[9][10] In , William Montgomery McGovern, billed as the first American in Tibet, published To Lhasa in Disguise, a Confidential Expedition through Mysterious Tibet.[11] Three years later, American anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz published an English translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead.[1]

The English translation of French explorer Alexandra David-Néel's memoir With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet was published in In it, she describes learning a Tibetan yoga practice from a lama.[1] Evans-Wentz published Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines in [1] Starting in , the American "White Lama" Theos Casimir Bernard's lectures and publications "established a firm link between the physical culture of Indian hatha yoga and the spiritual mysticism related in the minds of many with the ritual practices of Tibetan Buddhism."[1]

The novel Lost Horizon and its film adaptation featured a fictional remote Tibetan monastery, Shangri-La, where people stay youthful into old age.[1][12] In The Eye of Revelation, Kelder claimed to have met a retired British army colonel who common with him stories of commute to a remote Tibetan monastery and subsequent discovery of the rites and their youthful effect.[1]

Revival

The original version of The Eye of Revelation was reprinted by the Borderland Sciences Research Foundation in ,[5] and the novel was republished in an expanded edition in as Ancient Classified of the Fountain of Youth.[13] The bestseller Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig included a description of the rites.[5] By the early s, versions of Kelder's book were sold in stores alongside other New Age topics.[14]

Chris Kilham, whose book The Five Tibetans contributed to the popularity of the exercises, is an example of practitioners who do not insist on a literal interpretation of Kelder's story.[2] He wrote: "Whether or not the Five Tibetans are in fact Tibetan in origin is something we may never ascertain[t]he issue at hand, though, is not the lineage of the Five Tibetans.

The point is their immense potential value for those who will clear 10 minutes a day to practice."[2]

Kelder's work has been republished and expanded several more times. It has been translated into more than a dozen languages.[13] The first German edition was published in , and it was on a bestseller list there for years.[15]

Story

In The Eye of Revelation, Kelder claims that, while stationed in India, British army officer Colonel Bradford (a pseudonym) heard a story about a group of lamas who had apparently discovered a "Fountain of Youth".[13] Local people told him about old men who became healthy, strong, and full of "vigor and virility" after entering a particular lamasery.[16]:&#;4&#; After retiring, Kelder's Colonel Bradford went on to discover the lamasery and lived there with the lamas, who taught him five exercises, which they called "rites".

According to the booklet, the lamas described seven spinning "psychic vortexes" within the body: "twoin the brain; one at the anchor of the throat, another in the right side of the body in the region of the liver; one in the sexual center; and one in each knee."[16]:&#;7&#; The booklet says that as a person grows older, the spin rate of the "vortexes" diminishes, resulting in "ill-health", but the spin rate of these "vortexes" can be restored by performing the Five Rites daily, resulting in improved health.[16]:&#;7&#;

Performing the rites

In the authentic The Eye of Revelation manual, Kelder suggests to "stand erect with hands on hips between the Five Rites and accept one or two deep breaths".[16]:&#;20&#; He neither implies nor suggests that specific breathing patterns should be adopted while performing the movements.

Expanded publications from Five Tibetans teachers recommend and detail specific instructions for breathing while performing the exercises.

Account Options Connexion. Version papier du livre. Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth. Peter Kelder.

Practitioners also recommend taking caution before performing the rites due to the possibility of their causing dizziness, aggravating certain health conditions, or overstraining the body.[2][17] For example, one teacher suggested warming up first, going slowly, and keeping the head and neck in alignment,[18] while another suggested consulting a yoga instructor before trying the rites.[19]

In The Eye of Revelation, Kelder claims that Mevlevi Orderdervishes spin clockwise – hence the direction of the first rite – but they actually spin counter-clockwise.[13]

Five Tibetan Rites as described in original booklet[20]

Effects

Kelder wrote that Bradford became dramatically younger in appearance after spending time at the lamasery and engaging in the rites.[16]:&#;5&#; A edition of Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, published by Doubleday, presents testimonials about improved eyesight, restoration of hue to gray hair, and anti-aging.[21] However, that edition begins with a disclaimer that includes, "The exercises, dietary measures, and other advice regarding health matters outlined in this book are not suitable for everyone, and under certain circumstances they could command to injury."[22] In the prior s, the rites were referenced by fraudulent mailings that claimed to offer secrets of youth to seniors.[23]

Some teachers and practitioners consider the rites' benefits to be similar to other yoga practices, such as reducing accentuate and improving well-being.[18]

References

  1. ^ abcdefgBaker, Ian (February ).

    "Embodying Enlightenment: Tibet's "Secret Yogas" and their Transmission to the West". Middle Way. 90 (4): – &#; via EBSCO Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson).

  2. ^ abcdLipson, Elaine ().

    "Unraveling the Mystery of Tibetan Yoga Practices". Yoga Journal. Retrieved

  3. ^Schwager, Susanna ().

    September 12, The last record we have of Kelder was in when he updated and renewed the on his book before disappearing from traceable history. Kelder was younger than Colonel Bradford the main character in his book — but how much younger? Friendships between older and younger men are more common when they have interests in common.

    "Suche nach dem Buch aus dem Nichts - Teil 2". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved

  4. ^"KULTBUCH: Die falschen Tibeter". Focus. Retrieved
  5. ^ abcdGreer, John Michael ().

    "Introduction". The Secret of the Five Rites: In Search of a Lost Western Tradition of Inner Alchemy. Aeon Books. ISBN&#;.

  6. ^Greer, John Michael (). "Chapter 1: The Teacher". The Secret of the Five Rites: In Hunt of a Lost Western Tradition of Inner Alchemy.

    Aeon Books. ISBN&#;.

  7. ^Greer, John Michael (). "Chapter 2: The Exercises". The Classified of the Five Rites: In Search of a Lost Western Tradition of Inner Alchemy. Aeon Books. ISBN&#;.
  8. ^Greer, John Michael ().

    "Chapter 3: The Currents". The Secret of the Five Rites: In Search of a Confused Western Tradition of Inner Alchemy. Aeon Books. ISBN&#;.

  9. ^Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (). Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West.

    Chicago: University of Chicago Compress . ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

  10. ^Neuhaus, Tom ().

    Is it possible that Peter Kelder, the author of The Eye of Revelation, which introduced The Five Tibetan Rites to the West still alive? The last record we have of Kelder was in when he updated and renewed the copyright on his book before disappearing from traceable history.

    Tibet in the Western Imagination. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi/ ISBN&#;.

  11. ^Dingman, Jacob Smigrod (May ). "The Unknown Country": Tibet in the Western Imagination, – (PhD). Washington, DC: Georgetown University.
  12. ^Tong, Q.S.

    (). "'Lost Horizon': Orientalism and the Question of Tibet". In Kitson, Peter J.; Markley, Robert (eds.). Writing China: Essays on the Amherst Embassy () and Sino-British Cultural Relations. Boydell & Brewer. pp.&#;– doi/ ISBN&#;.

  13. ^ abcdTsuei, Judy ().

    The Little Book of Tibetan Rites and Rituals: simple practices for rejuvenating the mind, body, and spirit(PDF). Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Push. pp.&#;7–10, 13– ISBN&#;.

  14. ^Wilson, Caroline (). "Oh what a feeling, but what is it?".

    The Age. Melbourne, Australia. p.&#; Retrieved &#; via

  15. ^Schwager, Susanna (). "Suche nach dem Buch aus dem Nichts - Teil 1". Die Welt (in German).

    Blog - Women of Grace - rcam.womenofgrace.com: The Five Tibetan Rites is a system of exercises first publicized by Peter Kelder in a booklet titled The Eye of Revelation. The system is also referred to as "The Five Rites", "The Five Tibetans" and "The Five Rites of Rejuvenation".

    Retrieved

  16. ^ abcdeKelder, Peter (). The Eye of Revelation. Bayside, California: Borderlands Science Analyze Foundation (published ).

    ISBN&#;.

  17. ^Saleeby, J.P. (January ).

    The five Tibetan rites are an ancient yoga exercise routine. Unlike Indian based yoga practices, the five Tibetan rites require the participant to be in a state perpetual movement. Some doubt has been expressed as to the correctness of the rites, as no Tibetans have confirmed their validity. At an unspecified time in the early s, Colonel Bradford, the pseudonym given to this anonymous traveler by Mr.

    "The Five Tibetan rites". American Fitness. 32 (1): 50–52 &#; via EBSCO.

  18. ^ abOlmstead, Donna (). "Bending Reality: Five Tibetan Rites' life-changing promises may be too nice to be true".

    Albuquerque Journal. p.&#; Retrieved &#; via

  19. ^Cooke, Lisa (). "Rites of Youth". The Daily Breeze. pp.&#;49– Retrieved &#; via
  20. ^ abcdefKelder, Peter ().

    Ancient secret of the "Fountain of Youth" (New rev. of a book by Peter Kelder&#;ed.). Gig Harbor, Wash: Harbor Press. pp.&#;11, 14, 18, 19, ISBN&#;.

  21. ^Preston, Marilynn (). "Can these ancient rites be wrong?

    Take a spin and see". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tribune Media Services. p.&#; Retrieved &#; via

  22. ^Kelder, Peter (). Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth. Doubleday.

    Kelder described the rites as having the potential to restore youthfulness through changing one's internal "vortexes". There is no evidence of the rites' being authentic Tibetan practices. The rites have been reprinted in multiple expanded editions and translations, and have been well-liked among New Age practitioners. Kelder claimed that the rites were more than 2, years antique, but this is apocryphal.

    pp.&#;ii. ISBN&#;.

  23. ^Cotterell, Bill (). "Attorney general goes after mail scams". Tallahassee Democrat. pp.&#;1A, 4A. Retrieved &#; via

Further reading

  • Kilham, Christopher S.

    (). Inner Power: Secrets from Tibet and the Orient.

    The Five Tibetan Rites is a system of exercises reported to be more than 2, years old which were first publicized by Peter Kelder in a publication titled The Eye of Revelation.

    Tokyo: Japan Publications. ISBN&#;.

  • Witt, Carolinda (). T5T: The Five Tibetan Exercise Rites. Penguin Books. ISBN&#;.
  • Witt, Carolinda (). The Minute Rejuvenation Plan: T5T: The Revolutionary Exercise Program That Restores Your Body and Mind.

    Crown Publishing Group. ISBN&#;.

  • Kilham, Christopher S. (). The Five Tibetans: Five Dynamic Exercises for Health, Energy, and Personal Power (2nd&#;ed.). Inner Traditions. ISBN&#;.