Ki / Chi / Qi / Prana
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Universal Life Force Energy - Chi / Prana / Ki etc.
The living body, human or animal, radiates warmth and energy. This energy is the lifeforce itself, and has as many names as there are civilisations.
The Taoists call life-force energy Chi (Qi) and charted its movement through the body. Indian yoga adepts call it Prana and used it for healing. In the West, Dr. Wilhelm Riech discovered the same energy and called it Orgone energy. Riech felt this creative energy was the basis of life and could sometimes be seen in the sky as blue or white balls of energy. The Chinese, Hindus, and Dr. Riech all taught their students the benefits of arousing this energy and moving it throughout the spine and brain.
This energy life force is known as Mana (polynesia), Prana (India), Ruach in hebrew, Barraka in islamic countries, and Ch'i in China. Some individual healers have called it Animal Magnetism, Archaeus. In Japan the energy is called Ki and it from this word that Reiki is named.
What is Qi?
The ancients considered Qi to represent the mutual relationship, mutual effect, mutual support, mutual exchange, mutual replenishment, mutual correction, mutual transformation and mutual renewal of all things in the universe.
According to ancient qigong materials, qi originates from all things, and all things has qi. In the course of every object, it inevitably involves matter, therefore, all things can result in the creation of qi and in the exchange of qi. Humans can cultivate and practice qigong amongst all things, be able to gather qi from all things, and integrate the qi of our body with the qi of all things in the world, in order to enhance health and adjust many things. Translated from "Dr. Yan Xin in North America", p. 207.
We are like fish in water. Fish don't know they are in water until you take them out of it!
Likewise many of us don't know we have Chi until we impede it's flow and become ill.
To become healthy we not only have to consider our flow of Chi but also we must be careful of the food* that we eat, the air that we breathe and the thoughts that we have.
Feng shui is concerned with the flow of chi in your enviromnent
Basically there are three main
sources of prana / chi:
Solar - from sunlight, - invigorating and
promotes good health - through sunbathing
Air - absorbed into lungs through breathing and is absorbed by the energy
centers of the bioplasmic body. The energy centers are called chakras. More Air
prana can be absorbed by deep, slow, rythmic breathing than by short, shallow
breathing. It can also be absorbed through thr pores of the skin by persons who
have undergone certain training.
Ground Prana - this is absorbed through the soles of the feet. This is done automatically, unconsciously. Walking barefoot increases the amount of ground prana absorbed by the body. One can learn to consciously draw in more ground prana and increase one's vitality, capacity to do more work, and ability to think more clearly.
Certain trees such as pine trees or old and gigantic healthy tress exude a lot of excess prana. Tired or sick people can benefit by lying down or resting underneath these trees. Better results can be obtained by verbally requesting the being of the tree to help the sick person get well. Anyone can also learn to consciously learn to absorb chi from these trees through the palms, such as the body would tingle and become numb because of the tremendous amount of prana absorbed. This skill can be acquired after only a few sessions of practise.
During bad weather conditions many people get sick; not only because of the changes in temperature, but also because of the decrease in solar and air prana (life energy). Thus a lot of people feel mentally and physically sluggish, or become susceptible to infectious diseases. This can be counter acted by consciously absoirbing prana or ki, from the air and the ground. It has been clairvoyantly observed that there is more prana during the day than night. Prana reaches a low level at about three or four in the morning
Excerpt from Miracles of Healing Master Choa Kok Sui
Health News: Brain Imaging shows acupuncture pain relief
Scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey compared brain images of 12 people experiencing pain with images after they received acupuncture. Under brain imaging, the brain shows activity in specific areas when a person experiences pain. Following acupuncture, activity subsided in 60 percent to 70 percent of the entire brain. The study also found the amount of pain depletion can vary from person to person, and some of the people in the study experienced a higher tolerance of pain. This study focused only on the Hegu acupoint on the hand between the thumb and forefinger. Most acupuncture treatments involve stimulating more than one point, but the Hegu point is one that is frequently used.
On May 4, 1998, Mr. Ou and Ms. Ming Li, the current deputy director of Guangzhou University QiGong Science Research Institute, performed a QiGong experience at the Chinese High-energy Physics Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing China.
The experiment demonstrated that the emitted Qi using Pan Gu Mystical Qigong have the following functions:
1. The emitted Qi can cause the x-ray film to develop. The developed film showed a very clear exposed image, which indicated high energy.
2. The emitted Qi can change the structures of Vitamin C (Vc), red plastic strip, and blue plastic strip. It caused the peak values of the ultraviolet spectrum of the above materials in their spectrogram to change or shift significantly.
3. The emitted Qi can change the concentration of Vc and red wine. The influence of the emitted Qi on pure water was significant. (See the experience report for details)
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the authority of modern science research. The results of the experience gave eloquent proof that Qi is energy, and it can change the structure of substance. This experience also proved the theory of Mr. Ou about QiGong that QiGong is a special knowledge possessing both material and spiritual characteristics. That is the reasons why QiGong can cure sickness, prolong life, and benefit mankind.
http://www.geocities.com/hotsprings/villa/6698/exper.html
FULL CONCENTRATION (2) Dharma Talk by Living Buddha Lian Sheng (Page 152-156)
We shall talk about full concentration again. Tantrayana Teachings focus on Qi (Inner Wind), while Sutrayana Teachings stress on mind. As we cannot figure out where our formless mind is, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for us to find a way to cultivate it.
As Tantrayana teachings are very practical, we are taught to focus on Qi. Tantric theory had it that: "To cultivate your mind is to cultivate Qi; and to cultivate your Qi is cultivate mind"- They are one and the same.
Let me use the Chinese term Xin Ping Qi He (When the mind is calm, the Qi is even.) to show you how closely they are related if you do not believe they are one and the same. Tantric cultivators strongly believe that if we are able to moderate our Qi, we are able to moderate our mind. Hence cultivate our Qi is the same as cultivate our mind. Let us use sunlight as an example. The sun and its lights may be of different entity. But without the sun, there will be no lights. And without any lights, the sun will not exist. Therefore the sun and its lights are one and the same, and there are collectively known as sunlight. Mind and Qi can be considered one and the same, as they cannot be separated. This is evident when Qi moves, our mind changes. And the reverse is true, when we change our mind, the Qi moves.
What move our hands? It’s the inner wind. What moves our Qi? It is the formless mind.
Therefore when Tantric cultivators moderate their breathing and pay full attention to the movement of their Qi, they are cultivating their minds. In other words, they are cultivating their mind by means of moving the Qi in their bodies. In deep meditation, our breath will be very fine, slow and long. This Qi will unlock our inborn wisdom. In turn, when our mind is full of wisdom, we are able to stabilize our Qi and our mind. When our mind is focused, drops and Buddha nature will emerge. This is an important point to note. If our mind is unrefined, our Qi will also be coarse.
If our Qi is full of rage, our mind will not be better off. If our mind is vibrating, our Qi will be unstable also, and we can never calm down. When a man is angry, his heartbeat will be very fast and violent. Our Buddha nature will only emerge when our Qi quiets down and our minds are calm and cool. I have to calm myself down before I can start my visualization. After visualizing emptiness, central column and Inner fire at my Dan Tian, I use the slender, fine, slow and long breath to sustain the fire. While in the meditative stabilization, I slowly move the Inner fire to the top of my crown, and let it be united with the brightness of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This is known as Tu Na in Chinese. (Tu is exhaling and Na is inhaling). We use the Qi in our body to cultivate the psychic heat and use it to guide and cultivate our mind. By paying full concentration to our breathing, central column and psychic heat, we are actually cultivating our mind. Don’t think that we are cultivating Qi only – remember our Qi is the same as our mind. When our mind is in a state of stabilization, our Buddha nature will emerge.
Therefore when Sutrayana teachings stress on mind cultivation, it is implied that we must also moderate our Qi. On the other hand, when Tantrayana teachings emphasis on Qi cultivation, it is implied that we must moderate our minds. Like the Sun cannot be separated from its lights, Qi and mind are closely related. Therefore when Tantrayana mentions about Qi, Mai and Ming Dian, it is actually talking about mind cultivation. That is all for today.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Quotes
"In my opinion, there exists a prima facie [self-apparent] case that many of the phenomena associated with that special energy the Chinese call Qi are real. They are deeply interesting and, therefore, they invite, indeed require, investigation by Western science. Science has been the eyes, the beacon of Western culture for several hundred years. These scientific eyes cannot close. It is time for science to test the waters of the East, to open itself, if ever so slightly, to the phenomena of the manifestations of Qi. Nothing is lost if no such phenomena can be reproduced in a scientific context. Much is gained, a whole new world, if one can." Prof. Carl Woese
Qi Healing Arts
Qi transference, An-mo, Tui-na
Reiki
Pranic Healing
Qi Gong Healing
http://www.lamas-qigong.com/Home.htm
http://www.qi.org/contacts.html
Qi Gong can help in a number of ways:
Prevention Treatment in the early stages
Helping recovery following other treatment such as surgery
Relieving the stress of the immediate and extended family, the environmental
carers.
Qi Gong ensures that the individual takes some responsibility for their own health and this has been demonstrated to be a key factor in recovery. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relieving the stress of carers Those who have to care are often under tremendous pressure. The practice of Qi Gong allows them to build up their own reserves.