Disclaimer

This articles is likely to be of interest to students of philosophy and religion rather than people of science. It deliberately uses the empirical language of Chinese cosmology rather than that of modern science. This language is quite poetic in nature yet offers great powers of description, which we would like to use to cover the principles behind our practice.

Ultimate balance spring Qigong

The name of our Qigong style Ji Quan Qi Gong which may be translated as “The spring of ultimate balance” refers to the universal state of Tai Ji where the primordial opposing passive and active forces Yin and Yang flow in their purest form, undergoing constant transformations yet without annihilating each other. This everlasting “dance” creates all matter in the Universe. As the Laozi scripture says: “Ten thousand things are created from Yin and Yang”. It reflects the treatment principle of Chinese medicine - empty the channels of all acquired (and therefore pathogenic) Qi and return to the purest form of Yin and Yang in a dynamic balance.

A Buddhist can immediately see how this philosophical concept resonates with the “gem of pure Buddha nature covered by many impurities.

It is said that Tai Ji, the Great Ultimate is unreachable for someone tied up in the material world, however this state of perfect balance may be seen as aspirational and made one’s goal of life, thus leading to a more fulfilled life experience in the pursuit of happiness.

The concepts of Yin and Yang in TCM

TCM is all about balance between Yin and Yang in the body. Yin relates to the material aspects, such as body tissues, blood, bones, fluids (Jin-Ye) and the solid structure. Yang is the opposite concept related to the functional, or the active force making all those physical parts moving and alive.

For example, when there is not enough Yang, the body becomes sluggish, accumulates dampness (fat/obesity), develop a heavy feeling. Over time the patients may also develop edema, cysts, tumors, and the functions of the organs are severely impaired if this Dampness boils down further to form a Phlegm. As the TCM saying goes

百病皆由痰作祟 (One hundred diseases are caused by phlegm).

When there is a deficiency of Yin, the body becomes over-active, dries-up, thin and frail; stress and excertion arises, spirit is unsettled, and emotions are out of balance. There is inability to fall asleep, overwhelming agitation. And these are only two examples of what could happen due to imbalance. In fact, the range of Yin or Yang being out of balance covers all states of human suffering.

A treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is based on restoration of this balance, where doctor acts skillfully to tune the body up, in order to replenish or reduce Yin or Yang energies according to the pattern of imbalance. That is accomplished through a set of tools, such as …

Acupuncture and related practices

The very basic and “light” treatment in TCM is Acupuncture, which is normally used on the initial stages of the imbalance. Acupuncture treatment involves only the “tuning up” method, being a purely energy balancing technique, so it does need some energy to balance. This is the reason why Acupuncture does not work as well on weak or depleted patients, and also does not bring a lot of relief in most chronic conditions (unless administered for a pretty long time).

Herbs

Herbal treatment goes one step further, which makes it more applicable for the rest of the imbalances (herbal medicine accounts for about 80% of TCM treatments in China). Herbs do not only balance the system, but provide the substance while also having some active qualities. They give their energy or their nature to the patient. Entering the body, herbs are therefore able to replenish necessary energies over time.

Qigong

Qigong and Jiquan Qigong in particular is similar to herbs in this regard going however one step even further.

The practitioner owing to his or her constant trainig is able to tap directly into the streams of Yin and Yang energies, absorb them and adjust to the patient’s needs. Doing the treatment he or she does not only correct the flow in the patient, but delivers necessary quality Chi to the patient, drawing them directly from the nature, which, unlike herbs, have infinite amount of different kinds of energies. The trick is for the practitioner to become an “empty vessel” and essentially sacrifice his or her free will for the ultimate trust given to the purest natural forces.

A Reiki practitioner will immediately spot a similarity here as Reiki (lit. “the spirit energy” in Japanese) is also known as a channeling practice

One’s own reconnection to the nature

Next question is - why would you need someone else to connect to the natural energies for you if they flow all around and are infinite? The advanced Qigong practitioner’s thinking is the same, and that is how he or she turns into a teacher. However, it is not a teacher in ordinary sense since there is no knowledge to impart. All the practitioner does is transferring his or her acquired state of being in line with the nature to the students through a process of dynamic meditation.

Often (especially during the initial treatments) he performs, a reconnection of the patient’s energy structure to the primal forces. Once this initial reconnection is performed, the process of gradual cleansing of the energy channels will follow. The patient begins to perceive the energy of the nature and consciously see him- or herself as an integral part of the environment. Because just like a tree planted at the source of water, we are constantly supported by the powerful flow of the natural streams of life force, just like fish swimming in the lake does not notice the water yet fully supported by it.

A Christian may refer to this passage in the Old Testament: “He shall be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:2)

Purifying the body and mind through recapitulation

Guided by the Qi beckoned by a Qigong teacher or by yourself during the process of your own dynamic meditation, you go through “recapitulation” of certain events, or stories which make up your personal history and become a “baggage” lodged in your luminous channels. During the treatment or meditation you can see certain events, people or places that influenced you. Certain energies of fear or agression, feelings of insecurity and other negative emotions picked up in some challenging situations became blockages in your channel system and affect your subtle body, which later affects your physical body as well because as the TCM saying goes “The Mind governs the Qi, the Qi governs the blood”.

So, your physical body becomes affected. During those moments of your past you acquired certain patterns of motion, tensions of the deep muscles in the body that are not easy to release. The process goes on until you become blocked up at many levels, which leads to pure health, weakness and senility.

However, once the situation has been lived through again, or recapitulated in the state of relaxation created by Qigong practice, your true energy comes back to you restoring the subtle damage and expelling the stagnant impressions. Thus the very root of disease is eliminated.

Between the Heaven and Earth

In Traditional Chinese Medicine and philosophy, Man is considered to be a link between the Heaven (Yang) and the Earth (Yin), much like a tree gaining fresh air and sunlight from above while being firmly rooted to the ground and the water below. When such link is established, a person becomes a pure channel between the two, and thereby “disappears” in the Nature. The Earth protects her form (Body) from disease and senium. The Heaven gives the knowledge and wisdom for the Mind, and courage to live consciously.

Although we tend to do some guided exercises during the initial part of our practice to align the world of everyday affairs with the world of subtle perception, the core of our style is still a dynamic meditation - letting go of our ego-mind to connect ourselves to Heaven and Earth. During the meditation, the practitioner takes the energy of the Universe to lead him or her, and the energy of the Earth to support at the root. The Qi arisen from the mixture of those two primal forces Yang and Yin develops a medium inside a man, which provides for the connection between Heaven and Earth, a network of energy channels. This is the Ultimate Spring, the ultimate goal of Ji Quan Qigong practice to become united with the nature.

The Development of Jiquan Qigong

The initial development of Jiquan took place in Taiwan, during my very intense day and night meditation which lasted weeks. It began sponatenously near the Niu Shan village on the East Coast of Taiwan and continued further in Christian and Buddhist communities of Taroko mountains. Ji Quan may present as a fusion of seemingly dissimilar techniques, all coming however from the same origin and sharing the same principles - the principles of Chinese Medicine. That fusion happen by itself in a natural way from all the techniques that I learnt before and during this Taiwanese retreat.

1. The guidance in Ji Quan (the knowledge of what and how to do) comes from the pure Yang, the Universe or Tian - “the heaven”. The practitioner in Jiquan does not do anything himself - it is the original spirit (Yuan Shen) that is behind every movement - whether it is a treatment or a self-paced dynamic meditation. The knowledge what to do is totally spontaneous and unpredictable before the treatment (or class) commences. However it may be explained post-factum with some knowledge of Chinese Medicine - e.g. the acupuncture point locations.
2. The power of Ji Quan, including the mechanical power used in massages and treatments, the subtle streams of Qi emitted into the acupoints, comes from the primordial Yin of the Earth. This concept is also found in Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang - i.e. the systems of internal martials arts practiced in China.
3. The act of forgiveness, which is used to detach the patient’s from the ties with other people, ancestors and situations, the inherited guilt and “curses” - is commonly found in some forms of Christianity. This is basically a power of a directed prayer specifically aimed at the ties between karmically related people, ancestors and other important figures. The technique of “inner smile” known is some forms of Qigong, is used to further enforce the prayers.
4. The movements that form the backbone of the treatment in Ji Quan seem to be borrowed from Yi Quan’a Jian Wu - the healing dance of the Form and Intent Boxing. Sometimes it resembles Tui-Na and other bodywork health practices. Again, all of these are totally spontaneous. Often one can see “mudras” or the position of fingers locked in a way that directs the Qi. This is known as “Shou Yin” - hand gestures in Qigong.

Being an unique, yet profound fusion of fundamental principles of the Human nature in relation to the environment, Jiquan Qigong provides means for spiritual and physical healing and self-healing without energy depletion. It is a great tool to maintain calmness and stability through the rough sea of day to day life.

English Poetry

Not only the ancient Chinese wondered about the deep wisdom of the Nature. The intellect is by essence of it is just a summary of our experience - the true knowledge can only come from the Nature itself, although this has to be sometimes interpreted and “humanised” by the intellect for others to understand.

Here is the beautiful poem by W. Wordsworth who reflects on this phenomena..

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?

The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless--
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things --
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

William Wordsworth, 1798