Origins of Chi

First off, I have read some of the replies sent by other members and they can be queit rude so I am going to ask politely for anyone replying to be open minded and to not act like a know it all. We are all here to learn from each other and if we just put each other down not much will be accomplished. OK now that thats all done with I was wondering, if humans have had chi or some form of energy in thier bodies to use and manipulate since the beggining of their existnace why doesn't the whole world study and use this energy? Wouldn't that be natural? I mean we seem to be pretty quick to use our resources to are advantage. Thats what makes sense to me.

If 'a' then it is likely that 'b'.

If humans have chi then it is likely that many people would study it.

Many people don't study it (as your said), perhaps that points out that it is likely that a is false. (according to your intuitions that if something is useful we will use it to our advantage). This seems to be the logical explanation. (although I am not equating likely to be false with false)

Maybe the reason we don't study it is because there is nothing to study....

I hope I managed to put that accross without being too rude or closed minded.

First, come up with a definition or explanation of what ki/chi/prana(?)/mana is that a majority will accept.

Is it some mystical energy field allowing super power type things?
Is it nothing more than proper breathing and body mechanics?

Gosh,

A serious question and what response does he get...?


OK...we all have a natural ability to use our qi for defense, or for superhuman feats under stress, or for healing those who we care deeply for.

For instance, the 35 pound child who does not want to be picked up feels like 100 pounds of sand.

BUT...as we grow older, we allow our intellect and ego to take over...lessons taught by most parents...

Once we allow our logical mind to rule our reality, qi is just so much hocus pocus.

That seems to be the case on this board...there are those who will debunk any discussion of qi...and on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who think qi can be blasted at other folks...both ends are wrong...the answer lies in the middle of those extremes...

...and before any of you "experts" start taking pot shots...I am fully grounded in science (Masters of Health Science degree)... I am a CRNA...and I am trained in other therapeutic modalities, such as acupuncture, therapeutic touch, herbal therapy, and massage.

I am a skeptic...
I would like to see proof of any claims people make...
But I am open-minded enough to at least listen to someone's story before calling it crap...

That being said, is anyone on this board willing to help out our friend's inquiry?

chufeng

Woha chufeng, he asked for an opinion. I said it was unlikely. You blatently said that what I said about qi not existing is wrong. Thats pretty strong. All I said is that it didn't seem likely. At least I assume your are talking about me calling his story crap. I said no such thing. It would be like if I started a thread saying that Karate is the best martial art and I don't want anyone to post any responces which contradict that, only ones that agree..

If you didn't like my reply at least call me on it directly.

[IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

Ammendment :

I don't want this to get off topic or personal so I think I might make this my last reply to this thread on fear of not allowing the origional question to be answered.




[This message has been edited by Bullfrog (edited 04-24-2005).]

Nekogami I think chi is more than just proper breathing and body mechanics, but I also think it isn`t some mystical energy. Chi is chi.

I do think that chi can be used in a way that might seem supernatural to us at the moment, not in the sense of shooting chi balls like in dragonball though.
I think that like Chufeng said, the truth lies between the extremes.

I think that the reason the whole world isn`t studying it, is that not so many know about chi. I think that in my country if I were to ask people on the street if they ever heard about chi, only 1 out of 30 (or even less) would say yes.

But I think that almost everywhere on the world there are traditions that believe and use chi (just that it has a different name). Yoga and qigong are practiced all over the world also.

The west also had and has its own esoteric traditions, but it isn`t well known. The reason, I think, that they`re not know lies in the past (witch hunts).
I guess that studying this energy is natural, but the west (church) has suppresed the knowledge.

Bullfrog,

My comments were not directed at you...

Just an observation after reading several threads on this board...

Certainly, there are some folks here who are educated skeptics and who can advance a reasonable argument for the existence of qi.

They are not the ones who post on a routine basis, however. What I see generally are those on each end of the spectrum.

chufeng

Crud, my bad [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]Sorry, I guess I misread your post.

No hard feelings [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

Well I'm glad you guys got that settled. You seem like a nice enought bunch. I especially liked what kosh was saying about other traditioins using chi differently. I never really thought of it that way. So maybe other traditions for example christianity use chi in the form of prayer and such because its a little bit less extreme and sugar coats it unlike the martial arts which makes it easier for people to accept.

its like my grandfather said why did the wheel take so long to be invented. they just needed to look up into the sky and see the sun or the moon. that there was allways a wheel. someone just had to discover it for them selves.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by kiabo:
if humans have had chi or some form of energy in thier bodies to use and manipulate since the beggining of their existnace why doesn't the whole world study and use this energy?[/QUOTE]

The world is manipulated by kings and dictators. They have always "suppressed" and "oppressed" the people below them. They have cultivated this ability in the people they liked and killed and suppressed it in their enemies and those they fear or distrust.

How did they do this?

Force a man to do hard labor all day with little education, he won't have time to notice or think about the little clues that allow one to recognize and cultivate chi.

Educate him so that he loses touch with his own body and feelings and train his mind to dismiss many natural phenomena and you're a long way toward a man who will never recognize his natural resources.

The world is manipulated by kings and dictators. They have always suppressed and oppressed the people below them. They have cultivated this ability in the people they liked and killed and suppressed it in their enemies and those they fear or distrust.

I highly agree. I do not care what kind of government it is, I think they are all have some kind of evil in them.

Force a man to do hard labor all day with little education, he won't have time to notice or think about the little clues that allow one to recognize and cultivate chi.

I agree with this as well. Sounds like the lower classes in societies. Work alot for so little. Do not have time for anything else. Including realizing ones chi, which obviously has many benefits.

Educate him so that he loses touch with his own body and feelings and train his mind to dismiss many natural phenomena and you're a long way toward a man who will never recognize his natural resources.

Well, that is what institutions like school do to you. Make you conform with the rest of society or you are apparently doomed for failure. Instead of having some of the subjects we have now in elementary schools, we should have Martial Arts as one of those main subjects. Especially chi studies and meditation practices.

Back to the original question, I believe chi has always been there. If some people do not know what chi is, that is probably because they do not know the meaning for it in their own language. So they probably know we all have energy, they just do not know about the human potentials with it such as healing, etc.

Well, that is all I have to say. Thanks for listening.

-Joe-

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Unlimited Possibilities:
I do not care what kind of government it is, I think they are all have some kind of evil in them. [/QUOTE]

And that's the other side of the equation. We, as human beings, have two "natures" within us: the nature to do and learn, and the nature to be lazy and neglectful. And for most people, the lazy nature wins.

So if you have government (or kingly) interference in your way of living, it aids the lazy side. We tend to do no more than exactly what is directly required of us and to learn nothing that takes extra effort.

In this kind of life, our perceptions become gross and we are unable to detect anything small or pay attention to anything that seems insignificant. We waste hours and yet always feel rushed.

This not only prevents us from noticing and cultivating ki. It chokes the flow of ki within us, making it that much harder to notice and work with.