Reposted, as requested

Found a copy after all. 🙂

Crazy thoughts on the death of immortals
From: mbanu
Subject: General
Date/Time 2002-12-23 15:03:11
Remote IP: 68.58.199.81

I was bicycling a little while ago, and had a minor insight. (i.e. stupid idea) Mostly it was about the types of immortals, and the ways in which they are not.

For instance, with yang (heavenly) immortals, I came to the realization that they could perhaps exist without physical bodies by becoming a direct result of their environment. Much like the way that a river is immortal through continuously losing and gaining water, without storage, I thought that a heavenly immortal could be immortal by directly expressing energy drawn from their environment. Thus, although perpetually dying, they remain alive.

On the other hand, being so intimately connected to their environments, I reasoned that a heavenly immortal is only as strong as the energy available around it, and that one could be weakened or even killed if placed in an area with little or no energy to tap, such as a Faraday’s cage (as some office buildings are nowadays constructed).

Earth immortals, I suspected, have become so by having mastered the art of gathering prenatal jing, whoose slow loss is the root cause of death in many instances of regular folk.

Being so similar to regular folk, I reasoned that the easiest way to kill an Earth immortal is probably the same as the way in which one would most easily kill a regular mortal; through violent death. The art of restoring prenatal jing seems as though it would be of no use if the body were damaged quickly with no time to recouperate.

As far as yin (ghost) immortals, I have not had too many insights about them. Ghost immortals seem closest to the Western conception of ghosts. They have no visible form, and their influence is felt indirectly, much in the way that a vacuum influences air to blow as wind, or a rock changes the flow of a river merely through its presence.

A ghost immortal could be killed I suppose, if one somehow managed to disperse the intention which has kept it alive since death. Yet I have had few revelations regarding ghost immortals, and understand less well what has been written about ghost immortals and their origins, so I am even less sure than of my other revelations. Anyone have any experience with ghosts?

By the way, all of this may or may not be complete and total fantasy. I really don’t know how I would go about testing my theories, as I have never met an immortal that I know of. I would appreciate constructive criticism and other insights on this subject.

Thanks in advance,

Mbanu

Since then I haven’t thought of it much, but have come to a few minor additions. An Earth immortal (or a naturally powerful Man immortal) who is too difficult to kill in direct confrontation can also be starved to death like a Heavenly immortal. Immortals, because of their nature, require large amounts of fuel in proportion to their power. (as in Peng-tsu’s story) This takes much much longer for Earth immortals though, because of their jing reserves. Depending on just how “immortal” they are, they could very well outlive you in a state of starvation. After all, a man can go for 13 days without food, and a butterfly can live out its entire life in 10.