Posts classified under: 2007

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

December 2006 was the third time I visited the American Indian’s sacred healing place, Crestone. This valley, that has an area almost half the size of Taiwan, is also called Peace Valley. There has been no war fought on this peaceful land for thousands of years.

This place provides a 360degree panoramic view of the vast plains and the mountain peaks that surround it. At dusk, you can see herds of deer and antelopes serenely taking their meals from nature. They know that this is a peaceful land.

When I first visited Crestone three years ago, I was captivated by the energy of the mountain ranges. I also had the thought of setting up a school so that the essence of Eastern and Western practices that nurtures and protects life will be preserved for the next generation.

In August 2005, we conducted our first course that lasted 5 days. School has started! Two volunteers also heard the calling of the mountains and moved to Crestone that year. When I see their glowing and joyous faces, I knew that they had found their home.

During the 10 days in Crestone, I lived in their newly moved-in house made of wheat straw bales. The walls are thick wheat straw bales, and both the interior and exterior walls are covered with mud. The floor is made of compressed mud, covered with protective oil and wax. The house’s interior is made of natural materials, and it can breathe and conserve heat. The house takes advantage of Colorado’s sunny weather. The southern side of the house has a row of large windows, which allows the sunlight to warm the ground. At night, the windows are covered by a layer of thick curtains that keep out the cold. In the winter, the outside temperature can be 30^oF but the interior temperature is maintained at about 70^oF without the need for other heating facilities. This family grows different kinds of sprouts in their house. They can enjoy fresh sprouts even in the winter. This is a great environment to make fresh and tasty rejuvelac, grain-based yoghurt, naturally fermented dumplings and buns. Our appetites also improve in this environment. The state of a plant’s growth best reflects the life force of its environment.

I was introduced to two local “green” construction specialists. This place attracts people who loves nature and wants to live in harmony with nature. With diminishing earth resources and increasing population growth, it is important for people to learn how to use fewer resources in construction.

Many of the materials used in modern buildings are not environmentally friendly and toxic. People who live in such houses can easily fall in. For example, mobile houses that use aluminium sidings or houses that use metal for studs will accumulate negative energy. Watching television or using the computer and microwave oven within the house will magnify this negative energy. Similarly, negative energy will be accentuated if the house is near (within 50 miles) of high-tension wires, wireless transmitters, nuclear reactors, or nuclear waste dumps. This aspect is ignored by most civil engineers, even though related research reports are available.

Currently, the incidence of cancer has been rising all over the world. One factor is the pollution of the earth by the use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers in the agricultural industry, and by toxic wastes in the manufacturing industry. In addition, the change in our living environment is another factor. Our ancestors lived in single-storey houses made of natural materials. City-dwellers live-in high-rise apartments, with each household having its own sets of television, microwave oven, and mobile phone. A high-rise apartment lifestyle involves living in a concentration electromagnetic radiation field. This reminds me of the time I stayed in a hotel equipped with hot water jacuzzies. That night, as I was about to fall asleep, the guests in the building started operating their jacuzzis. I was unable to sleep from the noise until after  midnight, when the last guest had finished using their Jacuzzis. This is life in high rise apartment.

To preserve our health, it is important to observe our dietary and lodging conditions. Our dietary habits and changes to agricultural methods are the causes of the rise in the incidence of cancer and the drop in immune systems among people. Whenever a country or district converts from a traditional compost-based to a chemical-based fertilizer agricultural method, the incidence of deaths from cancer is bound to increase within 20 years. The use of chemical fertilizers can temporarily increase a crop’s output, but it will cause the proportion of salt in the soil to increase, the soil to become infertile, and the microorganisms to be depleted. The crops grown from such methods have high water content but do not have fragrance or taste. Their protein content is low, and they attract attacks by bugs. This is why the use of chemical fertilizers is always accompanied by the use of herbicides and pesticides. People taking such food will find their immune system weakened.

From another perspective, plants, animals and humans all emit biophotons. Healthy people and plants emit more light. Wild plants that have not been subject to human interference emit light that is twice as bright as those emitted by organically grown plants, which in turn, is five times that emitted by plants grown using chemical fertilizers. The biophotons mainly come from the nuclei of DNA, RNA, chlorophyll, and red blood cells. The genes use light to communicate with the body’s cells and organs. Only by taking food with biophotons will the genes be nourished. When biophotons are lacking, cancer cells easily appear.

The biophotons in food can be detected using specialised equipment or by dowsing method. I discovered that “warm” food tends to be reddish yellow, while “cold” food tends towards being violet blue. The food’s biophoton emission reflects its mineral content and composition. For the same plant type, one grown organically has more colour emission. Ocean-based minerals are complete in its mineral composition, and also have more colour emission. Seeds that are soaked in ocean-based minerals have more colour emission, and people who eat them also increase the brightness of their biophoton emission.

In Crestone, we were invited to the Indian cultural centre for a raw food meal. The person in charge has been taking raw food for over three years. She highly recommended the green leaves juice, and a new book titled “Green For Life” written by Victoria Boutenko from Russia. Her family had converted to a raw food diet because of healthreasons but felt that there was still something lacking after taking it for seven years. After researching on the natural diet of monkeys, she discovered that her diet was inadequate in terms of the greens that she took. The diet of monkeys comprises 50% fruits, 40% to 45% leaves and flowers, with the balance being seeds and stems. Following this, she began to make green leaves juice (two bunches a day) and added fruits to improve the taste. Consequently, her health improved, and she introduced this to another doctor’s patients. Subsequently, 27 people started to take 4 glasses of green leaves juice a day. All experienced improved health.

We tried the green leaves juice and found it beneficial. I will share a recipe here: Add two glasses of water to a bunch of leafy green vegetables. Blend with a juicer and then add banana, coconut, orange, apple, pineapple, mango, or other local fruits that are in season. Fruits are added for taste similar in making energy soup, except that more fruits and green leaves are added.

During the period that the 27 people took the green leaves juice, improvements in digestion and the amount of B-12 in the blood were experienced. One of the ladies who needed to take B-12 supplements for many years, found that she no longer needed to do so. Another witnessed an improvement in her cataract condition. Overweight ones lost weight, while the underweight one added pounds to their weight. Of course, during the course of taking the daily diet of 4 glasses of leave juice, they also reduced their intake of unhealthy food. Note that the vegetables for juicing must be grown organically or in the wild to be effective.

During the last day in Crestone, we followed the recommendation of the local people to take a dip in the hot spring. It was said that when the Crestone hot spring water was sent to Mr Masaru Emoto in Japan for his analysis of its crystal structure, he found that the water’s structure was like a crystal palace. Some people who soaked in or drank the water from the hot spring found that their ailments healed. When we went to the hot spring, the ground was covered with snow. Because strong winds were forecasted for the next day, there were no duty personnel at work. However, the hot spring was located outdoors, and we were still able to soak our feet in the water and gaze at the distant mountains. It was a rare luxury to soak our feet in the hot spring, and one could see a star-filled sky at night.

I remembered a prophecy that was made about Crestone: This land will be where the harmonization of cultures will start. Forces opposing the nature will be eliminated, and in their place, there will be a culture seeking to co-exist with nature.

To live healthily and happily, humans must learn to respect nature. The Lapis Lazuli Light Crestone School will focus on education related to cultural harmony. The two courses in June and December 2007 will deal with eating and living harmoniously as the opening themes, in addition to sessions involving the development of everyone’s spirituality and hidden potential. The healing forces of the high-energy Crestone mountain ranges will activate every participant’s life force and allow every participant to bring the seed of harmony back to their homeland. (Note: this year’s Crestone courses will be held on June 2^nd to June 12^th, 2007. For details, please contact the local Lapis Lazuli Light office. Priority will be given to former participants. Capacity is restricted to 100 participants.)

 

 

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Recently, one of my friends told me that her son started behaving strangely after he returned home from his studies in the U.K. He would lock himself in the house, not speak a word, and throw tantrums. Another friend’s daughter had also returned from her studies in the U.K. She seemed to be confused mentally in the way she dealt with things, and suffered from insomnia. At the same time, I also heard of a few cases of people with sudden blindness or defective immune systems. Two or three years ago, I counseled a young person who suddenly couldn’t see or walk. His doctor could not identify the cause of his aliment nor help him. Over the past ten years, for work-related reasons, this person had been using the mobile phone for more than eight hours a day and eating fried meat products. His sister managed to contact me, and I proposed that he stop using his mobile phone and computer. I also suggested that he go on a diet of organic vegetables, fruits, and grains, take Bliss De Light, drink magnetized water, and do some exercises that harmonize his qi (From Dr. Lai’s Health Tips). After five weeks, he recovered 60% of his vision, and was able to walk. He continued to recover, and was able to resume work. His doctors were surprised. This young person was very lucky because the microwave radiation had not permanently damaged his vision’s nerves. These examples have become more common recently. Five years ago, in two consecutive issues of Lapis Lazuli Light magazine (May 2001 and November 2001), I repeatedly warned of the harm caused by exposure to electromagnetic and wireless radiation. I referred to materials from Russia. Europe and the U.S.-these showed that exposures to such radiation damage our body’s nervous system, and also compromises our mental and emotional functions. Some symptoms include: bad temper, sense of unhappiness, fear, worry, being withdrawn and suicidal, and hearing imaginary voices. Research on humans and animals has shown that at the early stages of interference by wireless radiation, the nerves thickens. Later, it loses its capacity to function, and the resulting ailments include impairments to the immune system, immobility of the arms or legs, cancer, etc. I have observed that during the SARS crisis a few years back, SARS was most serious in areas where the use of mobile phones was most popular and had the longest history.

The use of wireless communication has now extended to wireless internet access, and many cities have completely converted to wireless internet access systems. Thus, regardless of whether or not we are using the computer, we are now bombarded by strong wireless radiation. I have heard of instances where a child started itching whenever his father was using the internet. He would itch for an hour if his father was on the internet for an hour. His parents are now trying to move out of this wireless-connected district. Another eight-month-old girl started having red and itchy rashes (that bled when scratched) two months after she was born. She lived in a city with strong electromagnetic and wireless radiation. The two people that I discussed at the start of this article were graduate students in the U.K. where the defined safety threshold level for wireless radiation is 10 times higher than that in the U.S., and 1000 times higher than that in Russia.

Because I am sensitive to electromagnetic and wireless radiation, I do not need research to inform me of the harm inflicted by this radiation. When computers were first marketed, I couldn’t use them as I would get a headache each time I used them. I was able to use computers only with LCD monitors, along with protection from energizers. Even then, I could only use the computer for a short period. Once, I arranged to meet a friend at an eatery that had wireless internet access. As I reached the entrance of the eatery, I felt unwell and was unable to enter. We changed our plans immediately, ordered takeaway food, and ate at a nearby park. I know of a person who is also sensitive to electromagnetic and wireless radiation. Once, she returned to office after a vacation, and got a headache as she entered the office. She asked her office staff if there had been any changes in the office while she was away, and found out that a wireless internet access system had just been installed. Fortunately, she was the manager in charge, and she immediately ordered that the system be returned. She would rather lose some money and re-install the previous system. Many working people do not have this option. Hence, people in charge have the responsibility to safeguard the health of their employees. When we cause others to be harmed, we also fall ill ourselves. There was also another lady who could not get pregnant after many years of marriage. Later, she suspected that this could be due to her work station being surrounded by computers. She successfully requested for a change in work station and less frequent use of the computer. She got pregnant soon after.

Many people convince themselves to accept the present undesirable circumstances for the sake of their business, work, studies, convenience and many other reasons. Why don’t we make a small change of reducing our actions that harm ourselves and others? Do we really want to ignore these risks and potential harm, and make a precarious dash towards the edge of the cliff? It will be too late to regret when one day, our eyes cannot see, we lose our mind and immune system becomes impaired.

Nineteen years ago, when I was doing cancer research in Texas, I felt that I was boarding a train that was heading towards the edge of the cliff. I tried to warn those aboard this train, but to no avail. I could only jump off the train, and head in the opposite direction. At that time, my future was uncertain as there was no well-trodden path to follow. Nevertheless, I have gradually found a path, accompanied by others who have also jumped the train. With each step on this path, I feel happier and more convinced that my initial decision had been correct.

One of my former colleagues in Texas found much success in his research after I left. His research support was increasing, and at one stage, his annual research funds reached US$200 million. In recent years, the economic slowdown in the U.S. led to a drastic slash in government funds allocated to research. Private funds also experienced a reduction in income. Within a short period of time, his research funds plummeted from U$200 million to zero. The train had fallen off the cliff.

You need courage to walk your own path. My own experience is that when you walk a road that you are meant to walk, you will receive help and you will not starve. When you see that the train or bus that you are boarding is heading towards the edge of the cliff, you must have the courage to jump off. It doesn’t matter how comfortable or luxurious the enjoyments are inside- they are short-termed. One day, the train or bus will fall off the cliff.

Nowadays, there are increasingly more people who fall off the cliff. Hence, we need more people for emergency rescue missions. These people need to possess a wide range of knowledge, skills and lots of love. They also need to continually uplift themselves in order to undertake this mission.

During these years, while I am continually researching and learning, I am also training people to do emergency rescue work.  However, I feel that the demand for such help has greatly increased, and only if there is such rescue stations in every place would the demand be met. Hence, there is a need to systematically train more of these people. This has motivated me to aspire to set up a Lapis Lazuli Light Training Centre. Beginning next August, there will be classroom facilities in Taipei that provide these training activities (details in the May 2007 issue of Lapis Lazuli Light magazine). In the future, I hope that there will be a school that enables interested people to have a good environment to further develop themselves. I also hope to have a practical training facility, whether for natural farming or green building methods. In the future, our daily needs must be met in a fashion that is kind to ourselves and to the environment. Only in this way will we be able to live healthily on this planet.

All of us need to adopt a way to keep our bodies and minds healthy. Our diet should comprise of clean naturally grown products, and when needed, high quality supplements such as Bliss De Light and Radiance C. We should reduce our use of electricity, and electrical products such as computers, mobile phones, and internet. Every day, maintain the smooth flow of our energy, harmonize our qi, and follow the exercise routines in the book “Energy Healing”.

For your own sake and the sake of the next generation, it is time to wake up – we are at the edge of the cliff! I also sincerely hope that you will join the emergency rescue mission of this time.

 

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Water is the source of all life on earth. It is also because of water that the earth is different from the other planets in the solar system. Seeds kept for thousands of years in the pyramids of Egypt are able to sprout when they come into contact with water.

Water in nature is purifying, rejuvenating, and nourishing. Nature has its own system for the distribution and storage of water. For example, snow is nature’s water reservoir. In the winter, it is stored in the mountains and on the ground. During spring time when plants start to grow, the snow melts and forms small streams that flow into the rivers and lakes. The water then takes up the earth where it recharges the supply of groundwater. It then reappears on the surface of the earth as underground minerals and trace elements, and absorbed by roots of plants. This water evaporates into the air, and descends as rain or snow. The forest is also a natural water reservoir that stores water from rain and snow. The water evaporated from a large tree is equivalent to water evaporated from a 40 square miles lake. Rain water that falls into the forest is absorbed by roots of trees and plants. It also permeates into the earth and replenishes the groundwater supply. Heavy rainfall gets completely absorbed into the forest’s ground and is not lost.

When humans tamper with nature’s law by deforestation and exposing the earth to the sun, cover the ground with asphalt, cement and buildings, rain water cannot seep to deep layers of the earth. The water on the earth’s surface is rapidly lost or evaporated away. This leads to torrential rain, floods, and draughts. When the groundwater level falls, the earth will become desert-like and barren. Land that has been farmed generally experiences declining groundwater levels year after year. This problem was evident earlier on during early 20th century and now more serious. There are two reasons. First, common farming methods involve weed removal, which leads to hardening of land exposed to the sun. Absorption of water also goes down because of the rise in temperature. Second, farmers use cows, horses or modern machines to till the land, and generally do so when the soil is moist in order to save effort. However, in doing so, the soil’s structure is destroyed—it becomes glossy like glass, and rain water cannot penetrate. The western prairies in the U.S. were subject to long-term farming, and while it once was a major producer of wheat, it has now become desert-like because the groundwater level has declined to a level where farmers can no longer survive on the land. The towns abandoned and young people could only seek livelihoods outside the town. Before the Caucasians arrived in the U.S., this prairie had wild horses, buffalos, small animals, and natives staying there. However, within 150 years of the arrival of the Caucasians, this place has become a desert.

Water quality can also be changed by human interference. Traditional, people drink and irrigate with spring water and fresh water. Running water continuously purifies, rejuvenates, and provides nourishment of trace elements and minerals. If the water flow is changed to flow in a straight line, trapped within a dam, or transported by a pipe, water loses its ability to rejuvenate. This type of water has low energy, easily deteriorates in quality, is conducive to bacterial growth, and has impaired ability to transport nutrients within the human body. Sand and soil sediments naturally settle to the river bed. However, when the river bed is filled and raised, floods occur. Poor quality water is less able to transport nutrients within humans and plants. As a result, these plants have no energy and humans easily develop stones, spurs, tooth decay from lack of minerals, and osteoporosis. Tap water is further subjected to a disinfection process that actually makes the water toxic to friendly bacteria within the body and in the soil.

Water is an extremely good solvent. Hence, substances released into nature by humans are dissolved in water. For instance, groundwater is polluted in districts that involve farming using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. For instance, groundwater in many farming districts in California can no longer be consumed.

In recent years, the popularity of wireless telecommunication has also damaged the molecular structure of water. Water specialists in Russian’s Academy of Science have specifically highlighted this serious problem that few people have noticed. The molecular structure in water serves to communicate information. Once this structure is damaged, water loses its rejuvenating property, and adversely influences the growth and health of animals and plants.

Seven years ago, when wireless telecommunication started being popular, I found that fruits and vegetables that I bought easily spoiled. In the past, these fruits and gourds that were grown using natural farming methods could last the entire winter. Yet, suddenly, they started to rot within a month. I also gave up sprouting and making rejuvelac because the seeds easily rotted. An oak tree that was more than 400 years old fell during a thunderstorm. Later, I realized that a water pipe happened to pass by the side of the tree. Wireless radiation caused water to transmit electricity and generate negative energy. It also caused changes to the energy on the earth’s surface, and influenced the growth of the tree.

In my travels, I found that tap water in various countries now have negative energy. This includes bottled water. In particular, in offices where there is wireless internet access, water energy is especially negative. Various low-energy living beings such as harmful bacteria and viruses thrive in such low-energy water. This is why various kinds of infections have increased so rapidly.

The heightened incidence of cancer is also related to water. In the first half of the 20th century, Austria started using pipes to transport water. Water specialist, Victor Schauberger, observed that the incidence of cancer also started to rise. Residents who lived furthest from the water pipes had the highest incidence of cancer (because more negative energy of water is transmitted). He concluded that when water develops cancer, people will also develop cancer.

How do we rejuvenate water, and enable water to recover its natural rhythm? This is very closely related to prevention of droughts, floods, and recovery of the earth’s energy, as well as the health of animals, plants, and humans. Recently, I specially paid another visit to Bob Cannard, a farmer based in North California, to seek advice on how to restore natural spring, and raise groundwater level. Bob has been farming on his farmland for over twenty years. Yet, the groundwater level did not decline but actually increased. Springs that had dried up started to well up again. There was no longer water ditches after a heavy rainfall. The reason is that all the rainwater had seeped into the ground. He used rocks and tree branches to slow down the flow of water and allow it to seep into the ground. At the same time, his soil is not exposed directly to the sun. Every inch of the soil is covered by plants. On his farm, there are plants that are grown for humans and wild plants that are retained for nature. He rarely ploughs the land, and when he occasionally loosens the soil, he avoids doing so when the soil is moist. The stream water and well water that he uses to irrigate the land is filled with liquid compost that are rich in friendly bacteria and trace elements. The irrigation water in the water tower is clean and high in energy. Plants grown on the farm reflect the high energy of this water.

Over the years, Bob has been asked to restore depleted farmlands. One of them is a farm with an area of 179 acres. It lies below several high voltage lines. This piece of land has been used for farming and grazing for over a hundred years. Through excessive grazing and treading on the land over time, the soil has hardened and become desert-like. In the first year, Bob mixed the soil with cow manure that had been delivered almost free of charge (in general, Bob does not recommend using the dung of factory-raised animals because it contains traces of chemical toxins). He then covered the land with the least expensive types of seeds such as oats, barley, wheat, and grass (used as green manure), and allowed them to complete the full cycle of blossoming and producing grains. When these had withered, he mixed them with the soil. For three years, he did this without harvesting. In between, he applied compost tea supplemented with friendly bacteria, rock powder, and crushed oyster shells. It was only three years later that he started to plant tomatoes. He had a good harvest. It is in the sixth year now, and he plans to plant some fruit trees.

Although I was at Bob’s farm for only a few hours, my fatigue from driving there seemed to vanish immediately. During my drive home, I felt very alert and fresh, and this is despite the fact that I had driven almost seven hours by myself. This is the benefit of the natural rejuvenating effect of high-energy water.

We can rejuvenate tap water or bottled water in our own home. In his book, “Messages From Water” Mr. Masaru Emoto used photos of water crystals to demonstrate how our thoughts and written words can change the structure of water. The two words “grateful” and “thanks” can cause filthy water or tap water that has no structure to become water with structure. Also, the six-syllable mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” can elevate the energy of water to high levels. In his newest book, he took pictures of water exposed to prayers and religious texts from the five major religions. For example, Buddhist sutras like the Heart Sutra and Lotus Sutra can cause water crystals to form extremely beautiful structures.

When drinking filtered water or tap water, it is necessary to clear the water’s memory of pollution. Although filtered water can remove over 90% of the pollutants in the water, vibrations of pollution still remain in the water. For instance, in the production of homeopathic medicine, the medicine is diluted in water (generally in the ratio 1:10), and then shaken before further dilution, then shake again. Through this process, medicine that have undergone more dilution have greater potency. This is hard to understand, particularly when the dilution is undertaken to the extent that it is no longer possible to detect the substance. However, its vibrations still exist. Similarly, the vibrations of pollutants still exist in the water. The north polarity of magnets can be used to clear these negative vibrations. When using filtered water or water that does not contain enough minerals, it is necessary to supplement these minerals with concentrated sea minerals and rock powder. One way of recovering the energy of water is to cause the water to move and spin from left to right, then reverse direction. If the water is then left overnight in an oval air-permeable container, the water will absorb energy from the universe. It is best to leave the water outdoors under the moon.

Ever since I started using this method of raising the energy of water, I am able to do sprouting again. I put water magnetic energizer on the water pipe, and electricity magnetic energizer on the electrical mains. I put sea minerals in the water. All the rice, wheat, beans, and seeds are first soaked in this water before they are sprouted. The energy of these seeds greatly increases. Water is added to these sprouted seeds, mixed in a blender, and left for 24 hours at room temperature. From this, various kinds of grain yoghurt can be made. The rejuvelac has a sweet taste. This yoghurt and rejuvelac is rich in vitamin B complex and ferment. From this experience, I truly understood the rejuvenating power of water.

Water is the source of life. We need to have a deep understanding of water so that water does not become a source of illnesses.

Recipes for grain yoghurts
1. Wheat sprout and buckwheat sprout yoghurt
1 cup wheat sprouts
1 cup buckwheat sprouts
1 cup rejuvelac
1 cup water
1 tablespoon flaxseed (first soak in three tablespoonful of water for at least an hour)

Use a blender to grind and mix all the ingredients, and then place in a large covered bowl. Leave it in a warm room for 12 hours. If you want it to last longer, keep in the refrigerator; however, do so only after keeping the yoghurt in a warm room for 8 hours and more. The yoghurt should be eaten within three days. You can add coconut, papaya or other fruits when eating the yoghurt.

2. Brown rice yoghurt (for cleansing the intestine); 2-person portion
1 cup brown rice sprouts
1 cup water

Use a blender to grind and mix the brown rice sprout with water. Place in a warm room for 8 hours. When eating, chew carefully till it becomes fluid before swallowing. To cleanse intestine, do not take food three hours after eating the yoghurt.

3. Millet yoghurt; 4-person portion
2 cups millet sprouts
2 cups water
Use a blender to grind and mix the millet sprouts with water, and place in a warm room for 18 hours or more. You can keep the yoghurt in the refrigerator (consume within three days). When preparing the yoghurt, you can add wild rice (one quarter to half portion). Millet can be mixed with other grains to make yoghurt.

Note:
Compost tea is made by mixing a small amount of compost, seaweed powder, molasses, and rock powder together in a large bucket of water, and pumping in air. Brew the compost tea in a highly aerated environment for 24 hours to nourish many oxygenated friendly bacteria. Spray the compost tea onto the soil or leaves directly through the irrigation system or using a bucket.