Qigong therapy has had some amazing results in the treatment of countless "incurable" diseases: tumors have either shrunk or entirely disappeared, paralytics have once again walked, the blind have recovered their sight and the deaf have regained their hearing. Although these accounts may sound too good to be true, participants in Qigong classes can witness to these seemingly miraculous healing. And well-documented records of these cases exist in the files of numerous medical establishments in China. Out of the tens of thousands of students who have attended our Qigong classes for the purpose of healing a specific disease, over 90 percent have experienced moderate to significant improvements in their health. What is even more impressive is that because doctors had already given up on many of these cases, the individuals were receiving no form of treatment or drugs other than Qigong therapy at the time of their healing. Although more and more people have come to accept that Qigong can successfully treat many diseases, it is important for practitioners to provide a logical and scientific explanation of how and why it works. So let's consider how Qigong therapy actually tackles disease. The theory of yin and yang is the core of traditional Chinese culture. There are two different ways to understand yin and yang. The most familiar explanation is that yin and yang are two complementary or opposing forces, such as: black and white, hot and cold, dry and wet, high and low, soft and hard. In the human body, the major organs are paired according to yin and yang. Yang has to do with function and movement. Yin provides structure. Hence, the six fu (hollow) organs, responsible for moving and transforming substances, are considered yang. The five zang (solid) organs, used for collecting and storing, are classified as yin. Qi is yang; blood is yin. The other way to understand the theory of yin and yang is much broader. What we can see is yang and what we cannot see is yin. The material world is yang; the intangible world is yin. The yin world is a relatively new field in modern science that calls for greater exploration. Concerning the human body, the physical body is yang; the soul is yin. The soul is beyond the three-dimensional world. In this context, soul can be regarded as mind, spirit, thought and consciousness. Whether you consider yourself materialistic or idealistic, everybody has a soul. It consists of three aspects. The first aspect is the five senses. The second is thought, which works at a speed faster than light. Thought needs no time to process. As soon as you think something, it is right there. The third aspect, consciousness, is also free from three-dimensional shape. It can overcome or transcend all barriers. Yang (external) causes
Acute physical traumas (cuts, burns and fractures, for instance) involve some form of localized damage. The causes are evident and they are plainly not the result of a yin disturbance, so Western medicine is the most effective treatment for this type of injury. Obviously, if an artery is cut, it is not the time for Qigong, which would only intensify the bleeding. Common sense tells us that we would want to stop the bleeding immediately with emergency medical intervention. A blood transfusion may even be required. Organic factors, such as viruses or bacteria, fall under the category of yang causes of illness, because they are external pathogens which disturb yang functions. Modem medicine would also be the recommended treatment for these types of diseases, and most especially in the situation of an epidemic of some kind. Yin (internal) causes
Emotional factors, such as sadness and depression, can disturb the yin aspects of a person and bring about disease. According to Western medicine, these kinds of illnesses would be considered psychosomatic. There is no doubt that prolonged bouts with depression and other types of intense emotion can make one more susceptible to sickness. Some diseases are caused by stress. Even the fear of illness itself can initiate disease. This kind of phenomenon is referred to as a yin disturbance. Diseases brought on by yin causes can be complicated and modern medicine has not proven to be consistently effective in treating them. Yin causes suddenly transforming into yang diseases
As we know, everything is constantly changing. This includes disease. A disease can change for the better or for the worse. Sometimes, when a disease is at the developmental stage, which I refer to as the yin soil of disease (meaning that it is a fertile breeding ground), it can suddenly cause a yang disturbance. This means that it has broken through into a physical manifestation. If the yin soil has been disturbed so much that a yang disturbance occurs, you might see one or several organs suddenly break down. This can cause an acute reaction so serious that a patient may die. Cerebral hemorrhaging and heart attacks belong to this category of acute diseases, which suddenly transform from the long-term condition of high blood pressure, which was originally caused by yin factors. A patient will suddenly bleed because the yin soil has been disturbed so much. In this case, the patient should be given emergency medical treatment to save his life. Medicine has the advantage at this point, because of the speed with which it can change the effect. But unfortunately, the real cause of the disease (the disturbance of the yin aspect) has not been cured. And the medicine may even make the yin area worse. When the patient doesn't believe in the effectiveness of the medicine, that too can contribute to the disease getting worse and becoming more problematic. It would not be a surprise to later see another case of serious bleeding in a patient who has once before had cerebral hemorrhaging or a heart attack. Yang causes gradually transforming into yin diseases
If acute diseases are not treated in time, they can change into chronic diseases. An example of this type of transformation would be what happens if hepatitis A or B goes untreated. The yin area becomes disturbed, which up to a certain point had been relatively unaffected. Medicines that are effective for acute diseases can actually make the yin aspect worse. Let's think about those diseases that are considered incurable by modem medicine. First of all, disease can be thought of as a foreign substance living within an organ. And, as I explained, disease has a yin and yang aspect to it. The yang aspect of a disease is more easily diagnosed by a doctor because it can be perceived. The yin aspect of a disease is the fertile ground in which disease grows. The yin side of a disease cannot usually be discovered or diagnosed by a doctor. This helps explain why patients often have relapses: the yang aspect was dealt with, but the yin aspect was ignored. Western medicine's primary focus is on the yang rather than the yin aspect of disease. Many therapies bring about temporary cures but not necessarily permanent effects. It must be recognized that yin and yang are interactive and if the yin soil is still infected, the yang aspect of the disease will recur. More research is needed in this unfamiliar area of how the breaking down of spirit or consciousness results in disease. This yin connection is a key element in understanding diseases that, up till now, have been considered incurable. The yin, yang and neutral aspects of the human body Let's analyze the human body using a Taiji chart. First of all, the Taiji symbol, as I previously explained, is a circle divided into two parts by an S line. One half is white and the other is black. This is the so-called yin and yang fish. The white fish has one black eye and the black fish has one white eye. This shows that yang exists in yin and yin exists in yang. Everything has yin and yang, including the human body. The white side of the Taiji chart represents the physical body, while the black side represents the spirit, mind and consciousness. The S line (also called the neutral line) is the dividing line between yin and yang. Any exchange between yin and yang must go through the S line. This process is very quick, as fast as light. The S line represents the energy channels of the body. Energy channels are intangible, formless and colorless. They are the most fundamental unit of the human body. Existing between the various kinds of body cells, they are like invisible ~seams of all types they can be short or long. narrow or wide. These energy pathways cannot exist independently. Living in that S area between yin and yang, they are very much affected by any changes that take place in the yin and yang aspects of the body. The energy channels are the main passages of chi. When a skilled practitioner reaches a high state of quietness or relaxation, the intangible channels can become tangible. It is vital Qi that gives the channels shape and color. Since the channels are between yin and yang, or between the material and yin world, yin information is influenced by the S line when it arrives at the energy channels. And so yin speed, which is faster than light, becomes slower than light. The yin information takes on yang characteristics. The result is that yin information, which emanates from the unknown world, now lives in the yang world that is familiar to us. Feeling the pulse in Chinese medicine is a proof of this interchange. An experienced Chinese doctor can diagnose a patient s condition simply by using three fingers to feel the pulse in his wrist, because there is a seam between the blood vessels and the blood in the vessels. Blood is pumped from the heart and conveyed by arteries to different places in the body. It then returns to the heart through veins. During this process, the circulatory system memorizes all the circulation information (including diseases) in the blood and the channels. No matter where the blood stagnation occurs, it is recorded on the arteries. That explains why a doctor of Chinese medicine can diagnose diseases through feeling the pulse with three fingers. Once we have a better understanding of the cause of disease, the next step is to study how Qigong therapy works. There are many books about it. But in order to understand the real essence of clii kung therapy, one must practice Qigong and experience its effects. Let s discuss how we know that Qi exists, what effects Qigong movements have on Qi and how internal Qi can be used to treat disease. The practices of Qigong and tai Qi strongly stress Qi cultivation. These exercises help every practitioner feel the strong power of Qi inside the body. Outsiders who are simply watching usually cannot sense it. Nowadays in China, there are many magazine reports about fasting. I learned much about this topic from observing my students. During fasts, they continued to do their routine activities. Some of their fasts lasted seventeen days, twenty days, even up to forty-nine days! Qi is the reason that these students were able to live normally during their long fasts. C/ti does not merely mean air. Living on air will not enable a practitioner to survive during a long fast. C/ti, in this context, means the essence, or life energy. of the universe. As Qi accumulates and operates in the body, a practitioner not only feels its existence but, at the highly tranquil phase, he can actually see the Qi with his inner sight. I explained earlier that the invisible energy channels become full of shape and color. This is because of the passage of genuine essence through them. The highest phase of clii kung practice is the unity of heaven and human. This may sound like an unreachable goal, but it is definitely attainable. If a practitioner is sincere and diligently practices under the instruction of a qualified teacher, remembering the rules of nonattachment and emptiness, he will eventually enter the stage of genuine breath, or total body breathing. At this phase, the practitioner experiences only mild breath through the nose, a relaxed body and the genuine Qi of the universe coming and going through his pores. External clii is being absorbed into the body. As previously explained, clii kung practice cannot exist without clii. The practitioner learns how to absorb external clii, which is considered as important as blood. Every part of the body needs chi, especially the zang-fu organs. It has not been recognized by modern medicine, but Qi has a direct effect on people s life and death. Just as a person dies if too much blood is lost, likewise a person dies if too much Qi is lost. The body cannot function without clii. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, blood and ciii are different in nature, yet interact with each other. Clii is blood s commander and blood is chi s mother. If ciii moves, then blood moves. If Qi stagnates, then blood stagnates. Blood and Qi are from the same root, the yin and yang of each other. All types of diseases have a direct connection with blood or chi, no matter what the nature of the disease is. Since clii commands blood and blood produces chi. a clii deficiency causes blood to wane. The waning of blood leads to a weakening of the zang-fu organs. On the other hand, if Qi flourishes, then the blood will flourish and the spirit will rise. The personal health benefits of clii kung practice are now quite widely acknowledged. But fewer people have been able to accept the validity of external clii therapy, which involves a Qigong master emitting clii to heal other people s diseases. It is not difficult to imagine how this works, however. As we mentioned, a beginner starts with various cu-building techniques, learning how to absorb external clii. This absorption does not occur exclusively through regular breathing but also through acupoints or even through the skin. Maintaining a calm state of mind, the practitioner uses his consciousness to gather clii from various sources in the universe and then uses that accumulated Qi to attack disease within his body. If we can understand this process, then it is not hard to understand how a highly skilled practitioner can follow the same process but then emit that ciii to heal the diseases of other people. This is called external Qi therapy. I) Therapy using physical contact A clii kung master directs internal ciii into the diseased area of another person by touching acupoints on that person or by putting his hands directly on the diseased area to bring about healing. 2) Therapy using no physical contact A clii kung master uses his mind to send his internal clii into the diseased area of the patient. 3) Long-distance therapy This therapy is used when the Qigong master and the patient are in different places. There is no limit to the distance. The master heals the patient by using his mind, computers and other media to convey his internal clii. 4) Medium-transfer therapy Clii kung masters direct internal clii into food, water or other objects. Patients can be healed when they use the clii left in those objects. 5) Mass therapy Clii kung masters use mass therapy to heal many people at once in the same place or environment. Clii kung masters use many different methods to heal the diseases of other people. No matter which method they use, the success of the therapy depends much on the patients themselves. If a patient does not also practice clii kung, the master s internal Qi alone will not be as effective. Even if the master is extremely skilled, he can remove only the yang aspects of disease but not the yin causes. For example, by strong skill a clii kung master can attack a tumor or break down internal stones and cause them to be excreted. But the effect of the therapy is limited, because the cause of the disease has not been eliminated. Therefore, it is very possible that unless the patient also makes a determined effort to practice clii kung, the tumor or stones will return. This does not mean that external ciii therapy has no value. It is very useful in triggering the clii engine of the patient, which is like giving him a jump-start. It can also forcefully break up stagnation. It has a great effect on some common diseases and has also been helpful with tumors. Whereas western medicine often requires the sacrifice of some part of a patient s organs during surgery, clii kung therapy attacks on]y the tumor. The internal clii of a master can nourish a patient after entering his body. This chi combined with the effects of the patient s continued exercise can work with the blood to improve his overall constitution. Once the patient s constitution is strengthened, his body s ability to attack the tumor will be restored, enabling it to beat down the disease completely. It is certain that external cl-ti therapy has positive effects against disease. The challenge is that a clii kung master must use his own essence, energy and spirit during the therapy. Too much external clii therapy will disrupt the balance in the master s body. This could eventually break down his own health. Some clii kung masters have sacrificed their lives to help many patients be healed. |
