Emei Qigong with Mater Fu Weizhong

From: http://www.emeiqigong-buddhistmedicine.com/

Emei Qigong is a great treasure-offering to the world from the Emei Linji Chan Lineage of Chinese Buddhism. Held in secret for almost 800 years, reserved only for the monastic Chan community, this wisdom tradition has been passed down through an unbroken lineage.  Only in the past 10 years, in a historical and revolutionary act of expansive compassion and generosity, have the jewels of understanding in this tradition been revealed to the world’s lay population. It embraces a comprehensive system of teachings and practices particularly relevant to the challenges of the modern world by promoting physical health and healing, emotional balance, and the development of higher levels of awareness to help awaken to one’s True Nature.

Emei Qigong is taught only by Emei Masters and teachers recognized by Grand Master Fu Weizhong, 13^th Lineage Head of the Emei Linji Chan School of Chinese Buddhism. It is unique in that it includes all forms of Qigong yet transcends the limits inherent in each of them—Spiritual Qigong, Medical Qigong, Martial Qigong and Performance Qigong. The highest form of Qigong awakens the understanding of how to, first, skillfully and harmoniously journey through the relative, material world and, second, realize our own True Nature and the nature of the universe. The methods of Emei Qigong unleash one’s natural meta-intelligence—that which exists beyond our mundane level of intelligence—to give rise to the expression of our highest human potential.

What specific practices and teachings are offered in Emei Qigong trainings?

- Internal and movement practices to heal and maintain the health of the body, balance the emotions, and expand the mind and our view of self and reality

- Internal and movement practices that delete negative thinking, so that positive thinking can naturally arise

- Internal and movement practices that help us cultivate greater compassion, peace, comfort, and capacity to adapt to changing external conditions

- Methods to skillfully liberate us from the influence of difficult events in the past, and to give rise to good thinking and a more unencumbered, joyful, generous way of interacting with the world

- Practices that balance physiological functions and powerfully transform unhealthy physical patterns

- Teachings and practices to effectively utilize food and food therapy as a basic condition for our health and happiness

- Healing methods that can be easily learned and are highly effective when applied to oneself and or to others

- Practices that balance the influences we are born with that drive physiological patterns and mental habits

- Methods to adjust personal and environmental fengshui to create beneficial internal and external conditions for our life

- Teachings that offer insights into the laws of nature in our universe and demonstrate how to live in harmony with them

A Book of the Void

From A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

The Ni To Ichi Way of strategy is recorded in this the Book of the Void.

What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. Of course the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.

People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment. In the Way of strategy, also, those who study as warriors think that whatever they cannot understand in their craft is the void. This is not the true void.

To attain the Way of strategy as a warrior you must study fully other martial arts and not deviate even a little from the Way of the warrior. With your spirit settled, accumulate practice day by day, and hour by hour. Polish the twofold spirit heart and mind, and sharpen the twofold gaze perception and sight. When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.

Until you realise the true Way, whether in Buddhism or in common sense, you may think that things are correct and in order. However, if we look at things objectively, from the viewpoint of laws of the world, we see various doctrines departing from the true Way. Know well this spirit, and with forthrightness as the foundation and the true spirit as the Way. Enact strategy broadly, correctly and openly.

Then you will come to think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the Way, you will see the Way as void. In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existance, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.

Twelfth day of the fifth month, second year of Shoho (1645) 

Teruro Magonojo 

SHINMEN MUSASHI

Uniting the Three into One

The Chronicles of Tao

By Deng Ming-Dao

The poor temple room was a simple cell. Whitewashed walls had been so worn by time, so abraded by dust, and milky layers that they ceased to be dirty or coarse. They had acquired a patina of antiquity. A distant bell sounded and a faint scent of sandalwood lingered far in the background like ancestral memory. The atmosphere was dense in its stillness. Quietude was a heavy, palpable presence. Serenity had pooled deeply within the confines of the temple and he submerged himself in it. He sank to its very depths and came to rest in a perfect pyramidal posture.

Perhaps this was what it was like to drown; to feel the liquid invade your nose, your mouth, every aperture down to your pores and soak to your bones in a few seconds time. Only here, he breathed in the temple air, heavy enough to feel liquid. He became a rock. A large stone icon at the bottom of a sea of tranquillity.

Outside became inside. Inside became indistinguishable from outside. Nothing existed save the world of his meditation. Was time the cycle of the universe, or merely the measured cadence of his energy moving up his spine? He felt it was true when his masters had told him that the body was a microcosm of the universe. Wasn't he now the universe?

In the first darkness, it was his thought that created a thousand suns, a hundred galaxies. It was his breath that set the cosmos whirling. His universe evolved into five elements, the ten thousand things. He could hear his body's functions. He could listen to his nerves firing and even detect the subtle electrical flows. He could smell different smells, some fragrant, some putrid, as they rose from the complex worlds of his organs. He could taste the flows of liquids and gases. The universe was not a mechanism. It couldn't be compared to the pathetic inventions of puny men. It wasn't an organism. It was eternal. It wasn't a divine being. It embraced both thought and nonthought, being and nonbeing. All those definitions and metaphors had to be inverted. The universe was of an infinite magnitude. He was a microcosm of the universe.

The masters said the world was illusion. By simple logic, if a human being was a microcosm of the external world, he also was illusion, a phantasm imagining himself to exist in a nonexistent reality. He understood that meditation was not merely a state, but a vehicle to understanding. Existing or nonexisting, he commanded the forces inside him, concentrated them, directed them to one point. Illusion nevertheless had substance. He would pierce the veil to find the answer to his question.

The flow of his breath rose in his body, and he felt warm. He concentrated deeply, inhaling deeply. His mind seemed to dive deep into his body, down to its base, stirring the sexual fluids. Conserved by a lifetime of celibacy, trained since childhood in meditation, it was easy to stir his basic chemistry. He unified semen, breath, and spirit - what the Taoists called "Uniting the Three into One," and directed the resulting essence upward like a flow of liquid light. The brilliance ascended to his skull.

His meditation was succeeding. He quickly realized that the ascension of energy meant that he was similarly rising toward the spiritual heights. The movement of energy was perfectly precise. He felt his psychic centers opening, whirling. Saihung felt great power.

All the abilities of his masters, which had seemed so unattainable before, now seemed within his grasp. In fact, they seemed absurdly simple. They were as easy to grasp as toys were for a child. He was ecstatic. But in that moment he understood that, even then, pride and ego had leapt up. By reveling in the power, he knew that temptation loomed all the more strongly. Balanced at the top of that slender shaft of high-voltage human energy, Saihung finally understood how easy it was to topple off.

The brilliance grew like a sun condensed, contained, but now bursting and burning. Flowing. Here was the golden light streaming through the Mysterious Portal. Here was the blinding stream of infinity. He felt a hesitation. A great inner tension. He knew these feelings were the "guardians." It was his self objecting to its imminent negation. He wanted to go, but something held him back. The light flickered.

Saihung saw the light again, flooding through the portal. It built in power. All he had to do was give in. All he had to do was let the light take his being over. He paused only a moment this time, and then plunged into the rising radiance.

He felt a brief but powerful sensation, like being torn by a great explosion. And then he felt nothing. There was no longer a he to feel. There was only golden light and the trace of his surrender.

Blooming of the Thousand-Petaled Lotus

From the Chronicles of Tao

By Deng Ming-Dao

One of the highest meditations that Saihung learned, the ling qiu meditation, opened the psychic centers. The body centers, situated in a straight line from the base of the body to the top of the head, had specific healing and spiritual powers. Meditation aimed at bringing the life force straight up through each of the centers of the crown. Paralleling the Indian Kundalini meditation, the Taoists opened each of the centers until, at the very top, they reached what the Hindus called Samadhi, the Buddhists called Nirvana, and the Taoists called Stillness. Saihung began to practice the attainment of that Immortal Spirit.

Each center, according to its anatomical placement, controlled and healed the adjacent body structures and organs and yielded particular psychic powers. The Grand Master continually warned Saihung that the abilities that would come to him would be gifts from gods and were not to be abused. Many ascetics, having come this far, had fallen because they had grown obsessed with the importance of their centers. Instead of reaching the spiritual, they remained fascinated with the use of their lower centers and became trapped in the abuse of their powers.

Before he meditated to awaken each center, Saihung studied the center's colors and response to invocation, and looked at at diagram of its shape. Each center was imagined as a lotus bed that could be opened by the specific sound of the invocation. Within the flower was a certain pattern of colors. While he concentrated on that pattern in meditation, Saihung produced the invocation. The blooming center lit up, and its powers began to emanate. Saihung felt whirling sensations and heat whenever the center was activated. When the meditation was complete, the center closed and became dormant again.

The first center was actually outside the body and was the source of energy. Saihung brought the life force into his body at the base of his spine. Both this center and the next one at the navel controlled life and reproduction. Meditating on them brought lightness, increased physical energy; and sexual desire. The Grand Master warned him that feelings of physical and sexual power would become so strong that he might be reluctant to go on. He said that many adepts remained at those two centers, cultivating massive strength and sexuality for all sorts of deviant purposes. When Saihung opened the centers, he found it was true. Deep sexual cravings and the realization that he could develop the power of an almost unbeatable martial artist tempted him and strained his discipline. 

As soon as he opened the solar-plexus center, his ordeal ceased. He had passed into the spiritual centers. The solar plexus was a source of vitality for him and gave him increased power to heal. 

The heart was compassion, skill, appreciation of beauty, and artistry. Opening it developed artistic ability and supported the arts. The Grand Master emphasized that creativity arose from this center and that people like Mist Through a Grove, an unusually talented muscian, natrually had theirs open.

The throat center, not surpinsingly, aided singing, but was also responsible for clairvoyance. Used in combination with the third eye, it interpreted the perceptions of other realties seen by that center. Often Saihung did not understand his spiritual experiences until the throat center poured forth verbal understanding.

The upper dan tian, or third eye, perceived other dimensions. The Grand Master stressed again that most people, and Saihung, had agreed to see the world only in a certain way and had called that "existence." In actuality, it was not real. Reality was the shifting of different illusions, because many dimensions coexisted. Using the third eye, Saihung could pierce through the illusory world for the meaning behind it.

Ascending the body centers symbolized the whole of Saihung's training. He had developed his body powers; learned martial arts; secured his health, longevity, and vitality; become versed in art, literature, science, and divination; and had perceived extrasensory realities and spiritual wisdom.

Now, he entered his final center. He was on the threshold of a level that was at once a culmination of many arduous years and the foundation for higher stages: the Crown Center. The Thousand-Petaled Lotus bloomed. His senses dropped away. There was no external reality, no internal reality. He felt nothing, thought nothing. He merged completely with Voidness.

Classics

The body is the temple of life. Energy is the force of life. Spirit is the governor of life. If one of them goes off balance, all three are damaged. When the spirit takes command, the body naturally follows it, and this arrangement benefits all Three Treasures.  Wen Tzu Classic (First Century BC)

Heaven is clear and calm, earth is stable and tranquil. Humans who reject these virtues perish, while those who adopt them thrive.   Huai Nan Tzu (First Century AD)

The Tao gave birth to the one source, The one gave birth to two things, Then to three things, Then to ten thousand...   Tao Teh Ching (Third Century BC)

The yang transforms and the yin conserves. The yang and the yin manifest as movement and rest; yang moves to its utmost, then rests; yin rests to its utmost, then moves. Therefore, yin rests within yang, and yang moves within yin; the two are inseparably interwoven. It is thus as a single unit that they are one with the Tao.   Chu Hsi (Eleventh Century AD)

Qigong Meditation: An Ancient Art Comes Alive

From Qi Magazine (Issue 43 - 1999)

Qigong is the study of energy in the universe and our relationship with it. It is a form of meditation which seeks to make us aware of our bodies and how they are affected by internal and external forces. Qigong also teaches us to listen to our body and its messages and then provides techniques to help insure that we remain in a balanced condition.

Qigong meditation as a study is on an evolutionary journey. In ancient times, Qigong was a closely guarded “secret”. Teachings were confined to inner sanctums of monasteries, passed from father to child or teacher to disciple and so forth. Today there is an ever-increasing supply of books and information on the subject and people are studying Qigong for health, self-fulfilment, spiritual goals, to become healers, and the list goes on. Qigong is emerging as a well-respected tool in the increasing array of techniques available to assist wellness; it is also becoming an important part of integrative medicine (the integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and western medicine). I welcome this newfound acceptance of a very old friend. The current interest in Qigong has provided wide spread interest and an expanded student base. The increased focus and attention must, over time, result in advancement in Qigong techniques through increased interest in Qigong as a field of study, a science and an art. In ancient times the search for a wellness elixir began through the search for a magic elixir, herb or pill which, when consumed,would insure health and longevity. However as time passed, it was discovered that an elixir could not be found in an external process or product, rather it was concluded that the elixir could only be found within. It was realised that each person contains a personal internal elixir that can be identified, strengthened, balanced and used to create wellness and increase longevity. Qigong meditation is one of the best methods of accessing our internal elixir and helping us to identif your personal internal strengths. Through Qigong’s ability to link the Qi and the mind, a person can learn to guide the body to turn to wellness and longevity. The Qigong meditative practice, like all studies, has progressive levels of execution and understanding. When a person begins Qigong practice they first learn what the energy is, how it flows in the body, how to access the energy and connect the mind and Qi and so forth, in order to produce balance. At the intermediate level the student expands this knowledge and continues to learn to lead and focus the energy throughout the body. At advanced levels students’ attention often turns to higher level physical and spiritual goals. I believe that all students should begin at the beginning, progress slowly and proceed step by step through advancement in Qigong study at a pace appropriate for them. A teacher is needed and should be the critical guide on this journey. Generally Qigong exercises move from the general to the specific, that is in the initial practice larger areas and more general approaches to the energy are learned. As experience is gained through practice the student then is able to focus on more specific energy(ies), areas, circulations and goals. The broad phases of Qigong study are often defined in terms of the three treasures. The three treasures simply defined are Jing/essence, also related to sexual energy; Qi/vitality; and Shen/ spirit. Each of these exists in the prenatal (that with which a person was born) state and the acquired (that which is obtained after birth) state. The process of nurturing and moving between the three treasures on their two states leads to the ultimate goal of meditation – the obtainment of the void, their return to nothingness: Jing (essence) becomes Qi; Qi (vitality) becomes Shen Shen (spirit) becomes nothingness (the void). A person affects their prenatal and acquired Jing, Qi and Shen positively based in the choices they make in living their life. It is important therefore that we choose how we live wisely so as not to damage any of the three treasures.

Qigong at all levels directs attention to the nurturing of the three treasures. In addition through the progressive study of Qigong, a student works to move through the three transitions noted above. One stage should be successively achieved prior to moving to the next. Therefore students at the beginning levels first work on issues related to nurturing and balancing of Jing and Qi in terms of their prenatal and acquired states. Then as experience is gained as students move on to themore advanced levels of dealing with Qi and Shen and finally moving from Shen to nothingness. Further in moving through the process outlined above a person needs to take each step at a time (e.g. Jing becomes Qi) and insure that they are well and balanced at each stage prior to moving to the next. Students generally begin Qigong study working with a meditative practice that allows them to work on issues related to Jing and Qi. It is primarily the beginning practice that will be discussed for the remainder of this article. Qigong practice can be considered to be a meditation on several levels. First as practices in Xuan Ming Dao Qigong. Qigong as a whole is a meditation. In addition within the Qigong practice there are active (Yang) and passive (Yin) aspects. The Yin aspect can be thought of as a specific meditation segment within the total practice. On a larger scale, as Qigong becomes part of a person’s life and accessible and usable in daily situations, the Qigong meditation becomes an ongoing method of establishing and maintaining balance throughout the day – or more appropriately Qigong becomes an approach to living. At this level life itself can be thought of as a meditation because the individual has come into harmony and balance with the universe and is therefore one with everything around them, adjusting and adapting naturally as needed. In Xuan Ming Dao Qigong study, prior to beginning the Qigong practice, students strive to attain a level of relaxation, quiet and naturalness. This approach assists students in preparing for the practice by beginning to physically andmentally prepare themselves for themeditative practice session. Relaxation means not being in a stressed or nervous condition. Many factors can prevent relaxation; for example,weakness or fatigue can prevent one from relaxing (since the mind has more difficulty controlling the body when one is fatigued). Three things are necessary to relax completely: 1) the mind and emotions must relax; 2) the joints of the whole body, especially the waist, the neck, and the shoulders, must relax; 3) the internal organs must relax. Quiet can be thought of as a state which is peaceful, free from disturbance of noise, emotions, the mind’s chatter and so forth. Three types of quiet can be considered: a quiet environment; and physical quiet of the body; and a quiet of the mind. Many practitioners pay attention to the environmental and mental quiet, ignoring the lack of physical quiet in the body. A serious practitioner must pay attention to all three kinds of quiet. Naturalness is to be in our essential form, unaltered, not artificial, in harmonywith nature and the environment. Four aspects of naturalness can be considered: 1) the surroundings must be natural; 2) the posture must be natural; 3) the breathing must be natural; 4) the thoughts (one’s mind and mood) must be natural. During the practice of Qigong, everything has to be natural. Human beings are an inseparable part of the universe, not distinct entities existing apart from nature. In practising Qigong, a person strives to become aware of and sensitive to this connection to the universe, to understand the relationship. The ultimate goal of Qigong practice is for the body, mind, spirit and universe to become one.

By HuangYu-Cheng, LAc 

Adapted to English by Laurie Manning and Robert Poile

About theAuthor: HuangYu-Cheng, L.Ac. has a background that combines aspects of both traditional Chinese healing and Chinese Martial Arts. He is a 31st generation disciple from the Shaolin Temple in China, Qigong Advisor at the South China University, NCCA certified in the US, as an author and lecturer in his field and Master of the Jing Ying Tai Qi Kung Fu Association in Stickie, IL. 

Email address: chinaqi888@aol.com

Relax your Mind, Establish Root, Cultivate Qi.

Qigong General Training by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

Every qigong form or practice has its special training purpose and theory. If you do not know the purpose and theory, you have lost the root (meaning) of the practice. Therefore, as a qigong practitioner, you must continue to ponder and practice until you understand the root of every set or form. Remember that getting the gold is not enough. Like the boy in the old Chinese story, you should concern yourself with learning the trick of turning the rock into gold. You can see that getting the gold is simply gaining the flowers and branches, and there can be no growth. However, if you have the trick, which is the theory, then you will have the root and you may continue to grow by yourself.

In Chinese qigong society, it is commonly known that in order to reach the goal of qigong practice, you must learn how to regulate the body (tiao shen, 調身), regulate the breathing (tiao xi, 調息), regulate the emotional mind (tiao xin, 調心), regulate the qi (tiao qi, 調氣), and regulate the spirit (tiao shen, 調神). Tiao in Chinese is constructed from two words, "言" (yan, means speaking or talking) and "周" (zhou, means round or complete). That means the roundness (i.e., harmony) or the completeness is accomplished by negotiation. Like an out of tune in piano, you must adjust it and make it harmonize with others. This implies that when you are regulating one of the above five processes, you must also coordinate and harmonize the other four regulating elements.

Regulating the body includes understanding how to find and build the root of the body, as well as the root of the individual forms you are practicing. To build a firm root, you must know how to keep your center, how to balance your body, and most important of all, how to relax so that the qi can flow.

To regulate your breathing, you must learn how to breathe so that your respiration and your mind mutually correspond and cooperate. When you breathe this way, your mind can attain peace more quickly, and therefore concentrate more easily on leading the qi.

Regulating the mind involves learning how to keep your mind calm, peaceful, and centered so that you can judge situations objectively and lead qi to the desired places. The mind is the main key to success in qigong practice.

Regulating the qi is one of the ultimate goals of qigong practice. In order to regulate your qi effectively you must first have regulated your body, breathing, and mind. Only then will your mind be clear enough to sense how the qi is distributed in your body and understand how to adjust it.

For Buddhist and Daoist priests who seek enlightenment or Buddhahood, regulating the spirit (shen) is the final goal of qigong. This enables them to maintain a neutral, objective perspective of life, and this perspective is the eternal life of the Buddha. The average qigong practitioner has lower goals. He raises his spirit in order to increase his concentration and enhance his vitality. This makes it possible for him to lead qi effectively throughout his entire body so that it carries out the managing and guarding duties. This maintains health and slows the aging process.

If you understand these few things you can quickly enter into the field of qigong. Without all of these important elements, your training will be ineffective and your time will be wasted.

Before you start training, you must first understand that all of the training originates in your mind. You must have a clear idea of what you are doing, and your mind must be calm, centered, and balanced. This also implies that your feeling, sensing, and judgment must be objective and accurate. This requires emotional balance and a clear mind. This takes a lot of hard work, but once you have reached this level you will have built the root of your physical training, and your yi (mind) can lead your qi throughout your physical body.

Regulating the Body (Tiao Shen, 調身)

When you learn any qigong, either moving or still, the first step is to learn the correct postures or movements. After you have learned the postures and movements, learn how to improve them until you can perform the forms accurately. Then you start to regulate your body until it has reached the stage that could provide the best condition for the qi to build up or to circulate.

In still qigong practice or soft qigong movement, this means to adjust your body until it is in the most comfortable and relaxed state. This implies that your body must be centered and balanced. If it is not, you will be tense and uneasy, and this will affect the judgment of your yi and the circulation of your qi. In Chinese medical society it is said: “[When] shape [body’s posture] is not correct, then the qi will not be smooth. [When] the qi is not smooth, the yi [wisdom mind] will not be peaceful. [When] the yi is not peaceful, then the qi is disordered." You should understand that the relaxation of your body originates with your yi. Therefore, before you can relax your body, you must first relax or regulate your mind (yi). This is called "shen xin ping heng," (身心平衡) which means "body and heart [i.e., mind] balanced." The body and the mind are mutually related. A relaxed and balanced body helps your yi to relax and concentrate. When your yi is at peace and can judge things accurately, your body will be relaxed, balanced, centered, and rooted. Only when you are rooted can you raise up your spirit of vitality.


Three Levels of Qigong Relaxation

Relaxation is one of the major keys to success in qigong. You should remember that only when you are relaxed will all your qi channels be open. In order to be relaxed, your yi must first be relaxed and calm. When the yi coordinates with your breathing, your body can relax.

In qigong practice there are three levels of relaxation. The first level is the external physical relaxation, or postural relaxation. This is a very superficial level, and almost anyone can reach it. It consists of adopting a comfortable stance and avoiding unnecessary strain in how you stand and move. The second level is the relaxation of the muscles and tendons. To do this your yi must be directed deep into the muscles and tendons. This relaxation will help open your qi channels, and will allow the qi to sink and accumulate in the dan tian.

The final stage is the relaxation that reaches the internal organs and the bone marrow. Remember, only if you can relax deep into your body will your mind be able to lead the qi there. Only at this stage will the qi be able to reach everywhere. Then you will feel –transparent—as if your whole body had disappeared. If you can reach this level of relaxation, you can communicate with your organs and use qigong to adjust or regulate the qi disorders that are giving you problems. You will also be able to protect your organs more effectively, and therefore slow down their degeneration.

Rooting

In all qigong practice it is very important to be rooted. Being rooted means to be stable and in firm contact with the ground. If you want to push a car you have to be rooted; the force you exert into the car needs to be balanced by the force into the ground. If you are not rooted, when you push the car you will only push yourself away and not move the car. Your root is made up of your body's sinking, centering, and balance.

Before you can develop your root, you must first relax and let your body "settle." As you relax, the tension in the various parts of your body will dissolve, and you will find a comfortable way to stand. You will stop fighting the ground to keep your body up and will learn to rely on your body's structure to support itself. This lets the muscles relax even more. Since your body isn't struggling to stand up, your yi won't be pushing upward, and your body, mind, and qi will all be able to sink. If you let dirty water sit quietly, the impurities will gradually settle to the bottom, leaving the water above it clear. In the same way, if you relax your body enough to let it settle, your qi will sink to your dan tian and the bubbling wells (yongquan, K-1, 湧泉) in your feet and your mind will become clear. Then you can begin to develop your root.

To root your body you must imitate a tree and grow an invisible root under your feet. This will give you a firm root to keep you stable in your training. Your root must be wide as well as deep. Naturally, your yi must grow first because it is the yi that leads the qi. Your yi must be able to lead the qi to your feet and be able to communicate with the ground. Only when your yi can communicate with the ground will your qi be able to grow beyond your feet and enter the ground to build the root. The bubbling well cavity is the gate that enables your qi to communicate with the ground.

After you have gained your root, you must learn how to keep your center. A stable center will make your qi develop evenly and uniformly. If you lose this center, your qi will not be led evenly. In order to keep your body centered, you must first center your yi and then match your body to it. Only under these conditions will the qigong forms you practice have their root. Your mental and physical centers are the keys that enable you to lead your qi beyond your body.

Balance is the product of rooting and centering. Balance includes balancing the qi and the physical body. It does not matter which aspect of balance you are dealing with; first, you must balance your yi, and only then can you balance your qi and your physical body.

Qigong has always been an important part of Chinese martial arts training. Without qigong training, a martial artist will have lost the origin of martial power, and what he or she uses will be only muscular power. This will make Chinese martial arts no different from the Western fighting arts. The most unique elements of Chinese martial arts are in qigong training and the buildup of internal energy (i.e., qi). From this, you will begin to understand the way of your life more deeply.

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, is a renowned author and teacher of Chinese martial arts and Qigong. Born in Taiwan, he has trained and taught Taijiquan, Qigong and Chinese martial arts for over forty-five years. He is the author of over thirty books, and was elected by Inside Kung Fu magazine as one of the 10 people who has "made the greatest impact on martial arts in the past 100 years." Dr. Yang lives in Northern California.

Pranayama and Qigong

Notes from Wikipedia:

Pranayama (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskirt word meaning "extension of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to extend, draw out, restrain, or control. 

Qigong or chi kung (气功) is the Chinese philosophy and practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental, spiritual and corporeal health, as well as the development of human potential. The word is composed of two Chinese characters: qì (氣) and gōng (功). Qì is translated as "breathe", "air", "gas", but can also be used to describe the relationship between matter, energy and spirit. Gong (or kung) usually involves "force" or "power", with success implications like "achievement" and "results".

Prana is a subtle invisible force. It is the life-force that pervades the body. It is the factor that connects the body and the mind. The body and the mind have no direct connection. They are connected through Prana only.

Qi is the invisible force that gives life to all living matter. Only through developing the mind-body connection, can we gain awareness of qi and awaken the spirit.

Notes on Wuji Qigong

Qigong - Essence of the Healing Dance

By Francesco Garri Garripoli

Wuji Hundun Qigong, is a 1,200-year-old health maintenance system from China handed down by 95 year-old Master Duan Zhi Liang of Beijing, China. Drawing on Taoism, Buddhism, the Wuji form conforms to the basic principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which in fact sprung from Qigong concepts that go back 5,000 years. Like all Qigong in this way, the enhanced movement of Qi (life-force, bioelectric vitality) is promoted throughout the body as well as the storing and strengthening of Qi for good health. TCM believes stagnant Qi leads to all pain and disease. Proven useful for healing many diseases, this simple style actually has it's roots in ancient wushu swordplay and gong fu (Kung Fu) inner cultivation of Qi--as useful for the healer as it is for the warrior...and soon we understand how they are one in the same…

Wuji Hundun Qigong is a unique blend of inner (Nei Qi) and outer (Wei Qi) cultivating techniques. Master Duan comes from the practical "old school" of healing arts. He believes a practitioner must also be a teacher. A healer must be a warrior. An intellect must pursue the arts. Our prayer is to seek balance…and we seek balance by letting go of "form"…and seek the essence of all things.

Wuji Qigong is an exercise and stretching system, focusing on synchronizing the breath with slow movements and guided visualizations. Upon deeper study, the transformative nature of this health maintenance modality becomes apparent. Balancing the Taoist and Buddhist traditions of China, Wuji Hundun Qigong seeks to strengthen the body (the mandate of the Taoists) while enhancing spiritual life (the essence of the Buddhist doctrines.) Ultimately, a merging of the two takes place, not intellectually, but through "wu xing" or deep, emotional understanding. Written and oral teaching can only seek to trigger and stimulate you, the true wu xing must come from within--as the truth derives from nature and is constantly accessible. Through cultivating your inner Qi and spirit, you become strong, not as an "individual" against the world but as an integral part of the world; a mirror reflecting light…Sincere practice with an intention to remain receptive is the key…as we come to realize the holistic nature of Wuji Qigong will effect the body, mind, and spirit. 

When all aspects of our life are embraced and brought into balance--from our diet to our daily activities--Qigong's true benefits will emerge. The accompanied reduction in stress will allow our natural healing abilities to work efficiently and we will begin traveling the path of true healing and well being.

May the stretching and opening forms of this style of Qigong, which is equally influenced by the Wushu Martial Arts and Wei Qi healing techniques, help you to remember the natural gifts and tools you possess. The process helps to rebalance stagnation and blocks (the source of all pain and disease.) This process also helps us to cultivate our sensitivity to the subtle forces of Qi…and to bring our conscious intent to where it is required. As the old Chinese maxim states, "Where the mind goes, Qi follows." May we always remember the resonant relationship we have with the world around us.

Seek Fullness of Spirit and Intention

Notes from Master Wang XiangZhai

Although the principles are simple and easy, for a beginner it is not easy to understand them. What is important is spirit, and not seeking superficial form. Mind should embrace the whole and the internal. A part should not disturb the unity of the whole. External movement should not spoil internal harmony. Whole body should be naturally relaxed and light, you should keep pleasant mood, as if taking a pleasant bath in the great bathroom of nature. To achieve this, before starting exercise you should calm mind, get rid of disturbing thoughts. You should also put attention to four external attributes and five demands. 

Four external attributes: straight head, straight sight, posture of dignity, calm voice. 

Five demands: respect, carefulness, intention, truth, harmony. 

You should be respectful towards people and all matters. You should express your intentions truly. You shouldn't be rude toward anyone or anything, you shouldnít harm anyone. These are demands for character and external behavior of practitioner. He/she should keep the attitude and feelings like those of children toward parents, of parents toward children. When talking about exercises, you should seek fullness of spirit and intention, not resemblance of form. This is the basic demand of training.

Jim Roselando: Nourishing Qi

Date: 4-4-11

From: Jim "info@apricotforesthall.com"

Subject: Nourishing Qi

Hello,

     I am looking forward to a great Qigong session tonight with everyone.  As always, our Qigong training is absolutely FREE, so come exercise and unite your mind, body and breath @ MIT every Monday with us.  Our Qigong will provide the deepest therapy for your entire being!  

Some notes on Qi from Master WXZ:

Although nourishing and training the Qi originate from the same fountainhead of Qi, yet the study of the stillness and movement of one's nature and life, and the skills of formness and formlessness each have their differences. The art of nourishing the Qi does not diverge from one's nature, the art of training the Qi does not diverge from one's life, the spirit is namely one's nature, the Qi is namely one's life, so nourishing the Qi must start from considering one's primordial nature. The Tao of one's nature and life cannot be expressed in words.  Moreover, the Tao is beyond words, what can be expressed in words is not the Tao. Thus Mencius said: Difficult to say! Nowadays what is difficult to say is said by force, but one's nature and the Tao are void.  Voidness is the fountainhead of heaven and earth, and origin of the myriad things.  So when you want to nourish Qi and cultivate life you must calm your mind and spirit, for mind is the monarch fire and movement is the ministerial fire.  When the monarch fire does not produce, then Qi and thoughts will be quiet naturally, when there are no thoughts, then the spirit will be quiet, when the spirit is quiet, the mind will be calm. Thus it is said; "All the germinating thoughts are like fire. When the myriad reasons are quiet, only then is Truth produced. Letting the Qi be unobstructed leads to nimbleness, the anima will be full, and the spirit will live naturally".  Movement comes from immobility and an act comes from inaction.  

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Time: 7:00-8:00

Location: Student Center/Room 306

Cost: Free Free Free

We are only a few short weeks away from the MIT Charity "Stand-A-Thon"!  All donations go directly to the Boston Children Hospital! This event is a win win situation for all who attend.  The kids at the BCH win thanks to our donations and our bodies win from the work out!  Reserve your spot today!
http://web.mit.edu/qigong/Children.html

Peace,

Jim Roselando

Wang XiangZhai on Strength and Combat

First one must make the strength equal all over the body, the muscles agile, and the bones supporting the frame of the body, so that the muscles can contract, stretch, relax, and tense in harmony. Strength should come from inside and be issued outside. In movement, slow excels over quick, be relaxed rather than impatient, the movement should be slight and the spirit full. In trial of strength, one should not have unilateral strength, furthermore, one should not have sheer strength. First of all, one should perceive by intuition whether the strength of the whole body is all-pervading or not, whether the strength can be issued out at any moment or not, and whether one can react to the atmosphere or not, furthermore, one must not let the mind break and the spirit disperse. Have light and heavy forces ready to be issued out, when one part of the body moves, the whole body moves. The strength is consistent, resulting in nimble and heavy insubstantiality, and round and whole substantiality. Up and down, left and right, front and back, do not forget them. To sum up, what cannot lead to comfort, happiness, and gaining strength does not deserve to be called boxing. If one does not have the basic mechanical ability, then no matter what the movement is like, it is all wrong. The same applies to using strength and not using strength. The movements of an ordinary person cannot have strength without constant unilateral tension that disturbs the blood circulation. Every kind of strength based on constant unilateral tension is stiff and inharmonious, and besides that, harmful to health. Having strength without constant unilateral tension is namely having strength without using strength, and when using it, one gains strength. That is what the natural instinctive strength is like. It is like seeking all kinds of real things from the unreal, which is hardly possible to express in words. Anyway, ‘Dachengquan’ is beyond the external form of being good or bad, it actually depends on dealing with the mind. In a nutshell, having a fixed form and fixed techniques are all false. Skills reaching the level of no-mind are getting very rare, this is what the above means.

Strength Originates in the Void

All sorts of strength originate in the void and nothingness, which can only be felt gradually by the tiny edges and corners of the body. Seek fullness of spirit and mind, not resemblance of form, posture is changing with mind movement, form is simple and intention rich!

Wang XiangZhai

Formless Relaxation, Agility of Spirit

By Master Wang XiangZhai

Zhan zhuang is a form of exercise where you are seeking strength in lack of strength, seeking slight movement in non-movement, seeking fast movement in slight movement. The more relaxed the body, the faster blood circulation and the faster increase of strength. If using force, body becomes tense, loosing ability of agile changes, it can even cause disturbance of blood flow. Proper kind of force is mainly related to spirit and is formless. If there is a form of force, the essence of movement is lost. This is why masters of old were saying: if there is form, body is broken, when there is no form, spirit gathers. In other words, when body is relaxed as much as possible, spirit focused as much as possible, although external form doesn’t look impressive, there is agility of spirit. Those who practice for longer time can experience this.

Three Treasures (San Bao): Essence, Energy, Spirit.

By Jim Roselando, Jr. 

The body is the temple of life. Energy is the force of life.  Spirit is the governor of life.  If one of them goes off balance, all three are damaged. When the spirit takes command, the body naturally follows it, and this arrangement benefits all Three Treasures. Tzu Classic (First Century BC)

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In the Taoist view, the Three Treasures upon which life depends are essence (jing), energy (qi) and spirit (shen). Essence refers to the physical body of blood and flesh, including all its basic material constituents, particularly the essential fluids such as hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters.  Energy is the primal life force which suffuses every cell and tissue of the living body and activates its vital functions. Spirit encompasses all aspects of the mind, both human and primordial, including AWARENESS and cognition, thought and feeling, will and intent. Together the Three Treasures (san bao), also known as the Three Marvels (san chee), function as a single unit!  

The alchemy process of Qigong reverses the constant, debilitating depletion of essence, energy, and spirit caused by ordinary life in the material world and transforms it into a process of accretion that preserves the Three Treasures and PROLONGS LIFE!

Some notes from Master Wang XiangZhai:

Although there are many methods of cultivating health, they can be divided into two groups – moving and static exercises. Generally moving exercises are strengthening body and bones and static exercises mostly serve training the zhen qi (true qi) inside body, creating abundance of three treasures (shen, qi, jing). Zhan zhuang is a method of training spirit and body at the same time!

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Some details from Coach Jim Roselando:

Open/Close: Your body must be in motion at all times. The movement is not noticeable to the outside eye as this is happening ever so slowly with the breathing. As you breathe in the body will delicately OPEN. As you breathe out the body will delicately CLOSE. 

Rise/Sink: In the Yoga arts there is a concept of Mulbund.  The forced pinch of the lower area to close off the bodies pathway. In natural Qigong arts we call this area Hoi Yin with the difference being that the Hoi Yin is not forced closed. As you breathe in the Hoi Yin will SINK and when you breath out the Hoi Yin will RISE.  

Wang XiangZhai: "Be One with the Universe"

"The keys to health preservation are simple. Our deep human nature pushes us to simpleness, free of any restriction. Every day, in the fresh air of the morning, without any fixed method, simply bend all your body joints, consider the emptiness around you, move simply and freely. Feel the energy of the blood circulation in your body and in a meanwhile, be aware of the natural forces that are exerted on the outer part of your body. The spirit (shen) is as if swimming. The body and the spirit are natural and comfortable. Not only free and without any limit, they will progressively extend to finally be one with the universe."

Translated from an interview with the Late Founder of our Art