What does Chi Kung actually do?

Basically I dont have a clue what this is, what benifits it has, or why it is supposed to be so good. I just know its all about the cultivation of Chi within the body. Can someone give me a brief insight into what it is all about as I am thinking of giving it a go down at my club.

thanx
CKS

There is a bit of info here already. Try the search function and see what comes up.

Just to start you off.

Chi or the aquisition or practice of it, chi kung / nei kung, is very much like sex. You will never ever know what's all about until you have actually done it, and done it for a while.

Chi is like flour.

Ask a baker what is flour for or what does it do, you can imagine the answers.

Ask a noodle maker what is flour for or what does it do, here too, you can imagine the answers.

The point is, it depends on who you ask, and how well acquainted that person is on the subject.

After reading some of the threads here, you will see how vast and complex and confused the subject is; because the "chi" is only a sort of raw material (like flour) The answers you get from anybody depends on what that person is using it for and the level of attainment reached; hence the arguements and the confusion.

The two principal usages are for health / medical and MA; there are some who claim esoteric usages, like supernormal powers; here it becomes SciFi not Chi Kung.

So just start on it and keep at it for some years and form your own conclusions.

The more knowledgeable members here will be more willing to come on board when you have a specific question RESULTING from your training; otherwise it will be like explaining sex to a virgin and in this area, do not listen to Rideonthelabel, for personal reasons he dislikes virgins.

Ok. I understand what you are saying. Ill give it a go then and see what it does for me, or what I can use it for.

thanx
CKS

I'll also add to what butterflypalm wrote and say that qigong has also historically been used religiously to attain 'Budahood.' This is similar to using it for health execept budists would use qigong as a 'springboard' do delve into deeper meditation, AND to stay healthy until they are ready to reach 'Budahood'. Daoists usually did things sort of backwards compared to Budists, (as I understand it), but the end result of 'Budahood' was still the common goal.

Cropper.

After reading Lucid Worrier's additional comment, you now see the vastness, complexity and confusion?

I would like to return the compliment by adding to his comment.

The attainment of Buddhahood?

After having dappled in this area under different masters (secular and religious) for about 30 odd years and spoken to practicing monks and practicing chalatans, I can certainly see the possibility of the extension of chi kung training to attain this. If you can feel, consciously manipulate and direct your chi within you body and eventually let it swirl around and 'energise' your brain (which anyone with some years of serious, guided training can do) who knows what psychic powers can be unleased? However, any unleasing of the uncharted power landscape of the mind has to be dangerous; not all minds behave the same or have the same psychic make-up and any mistake spells disaster.

There are enough warnings from past masters; its called "'fire' escaping into the evil realm or region" -- meaning, in modern terms, psychological disorders. It's something like atomic nuclear reaction -- once the chain of events starts, it can get out of control. Madness is simply the mind going out of control. BUT, if it can be safely harnessed, then we have the mind "minding" itself; the mind 'thinking' on, 'mastering' and thereby 'found' itself. If you just close your eyes and direct your consciousness into and within your mind, you will find it is "searching" for something, but not knowing what. Buddhahood (Enlightenment) is when the mind "found" it and thus 'enlightened' -- knowing the hitherto unknowable. Its like you have forgotten where you put your car keys and after much thinking, searching and back-tracking your movements for the last hour, 'suddenly' remembered and experience the feeling of elation that comes with it. That, I suppose, is why 'enlightenment' is such a joyful event and all statues of Buddhas have a half-smile (some are outright laughing) as though experiencing some deep unspeakable happiness.

Attainment of "Buddhahood" therefore is not just a result of chi kung practice, though I do not summarily dismiss it as one of its facet; it involves a holistic shift in every facet of your life; that's why there are not many Buddhas walking around, though there are thousands of chi kung practitioners.

Taoists doing it 'backwards'?

From my experience, I take this to mean the Buddhists 'master' the mind first and eventually going down to the body and the Taoists train the body first and then going up to the mind. This accounts for the Taoists in the Wudang Mountains of China incorporating the 'initial' aspects of attainment in chi training in the martial arts and thus giving birth to the so-called internal MAs (another very big subject by itself) and the Buddhists doing very deep meditations in Shaolin Temple and later found a way to complement their MAs training with it (another big subject) So there is no 'backwards' or 'frontwards'; just different approaches to the same gaol; see the "yin/yang" symbol?; there is no "starting" or "ending" point.

Coming now to "doing" chi kung, and as a beginner, a few words on methods may be helpful to you.

You will find in your long and winding journey that there are as many methods of 'doing' chi kung as there are masters. Why is that? or rather why should it be?

I have studied and practiced for some time now quite a few 'methods' from different masters, and if I were to teach (which I have not to-date) my 'method' will be different from all of them, depending on the student I am teaching and how I view him or her.

Let me explain.

Two aspects here.

(1) Not all students are the same; some are more dense than others, and believe me, chi kung practice requires some degree of intellectual ability and a high degree of patience; and so the methods will have to be modified somewhat. Just do everything exactly as was taught to me may not work; it will only frustrate me and the student.

(2) In the old days the master always asked himself -- am I serious in imparting the 'real thing' to this particular student? I may not know at this early part of the game his ultimate / ulterior motives; such knowledge in those days (and now) have high combative and commercial value. So (the master thought) let me string him along for a while and see what happens; and so the sequence gets elongated and round about and the 'core' is always within view but tantalising out of reach. Having gone down the same road a few times, I recognise all the road signs and can easily, if I want, do the same thing myself. And so a "new" method or methods is born and get passed on when this student teach other unfortunates.

I hope the above instead of detering you will inspire you to greater efforts.

First, what this thread is actually about.

I couldn't have put it better myself, I think Butterfly Palm has summed up some very incredible advice in a single post. I can only think to emphasize his focus on patience. There is not a single true training with energy that will develop overnight that I have ever practiced or seen. Its akin to re-learning how to walk, you knew once, but with the realization of this energy, the entire world you thought you knew, becomes something greater.


Oh...

I just have to say...

Butterfly Palm...



I love you.... Can I be your monkey boy?

Quote:

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Can I be your monkey boy?

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If you are not dense and have a high degree of patience