wirelessguru1 Wrote:
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> Well, most "masters" can walk on hot coals and do
> many other things that would be very painful for
> the common folk! Plus, it has been already proven
> over and over again, that people under hypnosis
> can also be made to not feel pain and do many
> other unusual things...

Ordinary people can be shown how to walk over hot coals-- they are poor conductors of heat. No great psychic powers are necessary. Fron the Skeptics dictionary:

[skepdic.com]

Walking across hot coals without getting burned does seem impossible to many people, but in fact it is no more impossible than putting your hand in a hot oven without getting burned. As long as you keep your hand in the air and don't touch the oven, its metal racks or any ceramic or metal pots, you won't get burned even if the oven is extremely hot. Or, if you do touch the oven, metal racks or pots, and are wearing insulating gloves or using "hot pads," you won't get burned. Why? Because "the air has a low heat capacity and a poor thermal conductivity...." while "our bodies have a relatively high heat capacity...."(Leikind and McCarthy, 188). And an insulator will insulate! Thus, even if the coals are very hot (1,000 to 1,200 degrees), a person with "normal" soles won't get burned as long as he or she doesn't take too long to walk across the coals and as long as the coals used do not have a very high heat capacity. Volcanic rock and certain wood embers will work just fine.

Also, "both hardwood and charcoal are good thermal insulators.... Wood is just as good an insulator even when on fire, and charcoal is almost four times better as an insulator than is dry hardwood. Further, the ash that is left after the charcoal has burnt is just as poor a conductor as was the hardwood or charcoal" (Willey).

Nevertheless, some people do get burned walking across hot coals, not because they lack faith or willpower, but because the coals are too hot or are have a relatively high heat capacity, or because the firewalker's soles are thin or he doesn't move quickly enough. But even very hot coals with a high heat capacity can be walked over without getting burned if one's feet are insulated, e.g., with a liquid such as sweat or water. (Think of how you can wet your finger and touch a hot iron without getting burned.) Again, one must move with sufficient speed or one will get burned.

Bernard