Qigong, The Secret of Youth

Da Mo's Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Classics

Yang Jwing-Ming

• Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
• ISBN:
  9781594391484
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

For over one thousand years, Bodhidharma's (Da Mo) timeless classics have been considered the key to enlightenment and long-lasting youth. Now, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, one of the world's leading authorities on Qigong, has translated and written commentaries to make these ancient and profound teachings accessible to everyone. Using ancient Buddhist and Taoist documents as its foundation, this book analyzes and discusses theory and training methods in a modern, scientific manner, and presents safe ways for you to begin your own practice.Improve your health and strength through the Yi Jin Jing ( Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic ). Work towards longevity & enlightenment with the Xi Sui Jing ( Marrow/Brain Washing Classic ). Qigong, the Secret of Youth is an invaluable guide for Qigong practitioners and Martial Artists who want to explore deeper levels of internal energy training. • Learn the keys to rejuvenating & reconditioning your body.
• Discover methods for nourishing the brain and bone marrow.
• Includes Qigong exercises & massage techniques.

PART ONE

General Concepts

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Before you start reading this book, you are advised to read the book: The Root of Chinese Qigong—The Secret of Qigong Training. It reviews the history of Chinese Qigong, explains important concepts and terminologies, and most importantly, gives you a foundation of knowledge of general Qigong principles and training theory. Without these roots, you might become confused and misunderstand this and subsequent YMAA Qigong books.

1.1 THE VALUE OF TRADITION

Prior to this century, the understanding of nature was limited and technology was not yet well developed. Communication was not as convenient as today, and the human mind was not as open. People’s thinking was restrained by the bondage of traditional, conservative beliefs. At that time, the ancient ways and writings which had been passed down were considered the absolute authorities in most areas. Anyone who strayed from the traditional ways was felt to be betraying society.

In this old, conservative community, accumulated “experience” was the source of knowledge, and was considered the most valuable treasure. Older people were generally respected by youngsters because of their experience. At that time, when something happened to a person, the first and most important thing was his emotional response to it. When these experiences were then explained by “wisdom” (wise thinking and judgement), knowledge increased. A person who had a great amount of experience and knowledge was then better able to sense and understand the “great nature,” which includes, among other things, heavenly timing (seasonal changes), geomancy, and human relations. Such a person was respected as a wise man, a holy man, or a saint. “Human nature,” which mainly originated from feelings and judgements through contact with nature and other human natures, was widely studied and researched. Philosophies were created. The accumulated experience led to traditions and societal rules, which formed the foundation of the culture.

You can see that tradition is the result of accumulated experiences filtered through human feelings. Different races have had different historical backgrounds and, therefore, have different traditions and rules. These traditions represent the characteristics of each race, which were developed through thousands of years.

In this century, modern science has developed and communication around the world has become very easy. Open minded youngsters have started to challenge the “traditional,” and have re-entered the “experience” path of their ancestors. However, as they let go of the traditions they lose their bearings. Without experience to guide them they feel lost, and their lives seem to have no meaning. Because of this they suffer pain and confusion. In order to escape from this, they look to drugs and alcohol for temporary relief. These have become an ever-increasing problem, and I really believe that it is because we have ignored our culture and traditions in the last two decades.

As the material sciences have developed, material enjoyments have become people’s main concern. They base their feelings and self-satisfaction on the enjoyment of material things. Tradition and accumulated human emotional experience have become the major source of a generation gap. Older people have lost the respect of the younger generation and become the lost group in this modern society. Human spiritual feelings and the appreciation of culture and fine, classic, creative arts have been downgraded.

Not until recently did our society start to realize the value of tradition and experience. This is especially true for the knowledge and experience which are based on spiritual feelings. This new society is beginning to understand that in order to have a happy life, you need not just material comfort, but also, and more importantly, spiritual cultivation in peace and calmness. Many people are starting to believe that the traditional practices of the ancient spiritual societies hold the key to solving many mental problems and improving our lives. Tradition and spiritual science are being re-evaluated. This tendency has become especially apparent in the last ten years with the increased cultural exchange between East and West. Finally, people are getting the chance to see how people in other parts of the globe deal with life’s problems.

Chinese Qigong has started to bloom in the West. More and more, people are coming to believe that, in addition to maintaining health and increasing longevity, Qigong can be one of the most effective ways to attain a peaceful, spiritual life.

Qigong is one of the greatest achievements of China. It was created from the accumulated experiences of countless generations by thousands of “wise men.” These wise men, after learning the traditional knowledge, modified and added their own experiences to the practice. Finally, this treasure has reached our hands. Now, it is our responsibility to keep it and continue to develop it.

Many of the theories and training methods of Qigong were kept secret, and only recently made available to the general public. There are many reasons for this secrecy:

• Every Qigong style considered its theory and methods to be precious treasures which offered something which could not be purchased with money—health and long life. Because this was so valuable, many masters did not want to share it.
• Many Qigong training theories are hard to understand, and the practices dangerous if done incorrectly. Only advanced disciples have the necessary level of understanding, and few ever get to this level.
• Many Qigong practitioners believed that the more you kept a mystery, the more valuable and precious it would be.
• Some of the Qigong training, such as Marrow/Brain Washing, involves stimulation of the sexual organs. In the ancient, conservative society, this was considered immoral.

Many Qigong secrets were passed down only to a few students or to direct blood relatives. In religious Qigong, the limitations were even stricter. The religious exercises were passed down only to the priests. This was especially true for the Marrow/Brain Washing Qigong. In fact, these techniques were traditionally passed down to only a very few disciples who understood Qigong theory and had reached a high level of cultivation. This situation lasted until the beginning of this century, when it was gradually revealed to laymen. It was only during the last twenty years that many of the secret documents were made available to the public.

Nobody can deny that Western science which has been developed today is mainly focused on material development. Spiritual science has been downplayed. The major reason for this is simply that the spiritual energy world is harder to see and understand. This spiritual science is still in its formative stage. Recently, it was reported that even today’s science understands probably only 10% of the functions of the human brain. You can see from this that, compared to the “great nature” which is still waiting for us to discover and understand it, science today is still in its infancy.

For these reasons, it is unwise to use today’s infant science to judge the accumulated experience and phenomena of the past. I believe that as long as we respect the traditions and experience of the past, and continue our study and research, we will eventually be able to understand all of these natural phenomena scientifically.

Following this r...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontispiece
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface—First Edition
• Preface—New Edition
• Part One: General Concepts
• Part Two: Muscle/Tendon Changing Qigong (Yi Jin Jing)
• Part Three: Marrow/Brain Washing Qigong (Xi Sui Jing)
• Part Four: Questions and Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Appendix A. Herbal Prescriptions for Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing Training
• Appendix B. Glossary of Chinese Terms
• Romanization of Chinese Words
• Index
• About the Author
• About Li, Qing-Yun