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Since most of us are here in the west (western culture) I have no idea what to expect.
I get responses of the above ranging from porn to magic.

knowledge once practiced by an elite ruling class, now more readily available - but who has the discipline to pursue this level of study?

I do not know if this is from you or wikipedia. Anyone who has been a disciple knows exactly how much practice they need to put into it. And "elite ruling class"???!!! Where does that come from. Only in Tibet were the Rinpoches and Rulers the same people. Most rulers had very little wisdom in the spiritual. It is not something that you just have to have the right teacher and bang, there you go.

So, taking all your replies here, I have no idea what you meant.

That is from Mantak Chia, an accomplished master who introduced me to these practices. The techniques were most certainly used by various Chinese emperors in T'ang and and other dynasties. And the practices were kept confidential in the past. They are now out in the open, similar to the way Tibetan practices have now been widely written about, hence your knowledge of their existence - unlike many years ago when I lived in the Himalayas and they had not yet been made public.