The process by which traditional chigongs develop into chigong science
It took 20 years (from the early 1970fs to the late 1980's) for traditional chigongs to develop into chigong science. A number of chigong masters with lofty ideals, one stepping into the breach as another fell, laid the foundation for chigong science.
There were two distinct periods during this span of time. The first was a ten-year period of reformation of traditional chigongs (1971-1980).
In China, for over the course of more than 5,000 years, traditional chigongs were secretly taught amongst small segments of the population. Though many chigong books were published after 1949, they were neither recognized nor accepted by the majority of the people.
In 1972, Ms. Guo Lin, a famous Chinese chigongist and one of the pioneers of chigong science, thoroughly reformed the traditional chigongs she had learned from her ancestors and teachers and created a new chigong -Guo Lin New Chigong (Walking Practice Form).
This new chigong was both easy to teach and to learn, as well as easy to practice. She put forward her new ideas with the purpose of helping practitioners to individually pass through the three barriers of practice - relaxation and tranquillity, maintaining an unwavering concentration of mind, and exercising effective breath control. All these factors caused traditional chigongs to take on a new appearance.
She not only solved the dangerous problem of avoiding abnormal symptoms, but also established a foundation for group practice. Moreover, she created pyramidal frameworks of instructor groups. This established diverse hierarchical levels of instructors, a policy which broke away from the esoteric teaching methods of traditional chigongs and which also provided an institutional guarantee - rather than a personal sanction - for the implementation of mass practice.
Her efforts were rewarded with success, for no sooner had her new chigong been born than were several difficult and complicated cases of diverse diseases - including cancer - successfully treated. The great attraction of her new chigong fascinated those who had been seeking ways to keep healthy and fit. From that point forward, chigong entered upon a new vista which spelled the beginning of the evolution of traditional chigong into chigong science.
In Beijing, large chigong groups were to be found all over the big public parks. By 1978 more than 10,000 people had joined the legions of chigong practitioners in Beijing. Concurrently, traditional hard-style chigongs were joining the world of sports. The demonstrations of hard chigong in the National 1978 Nanning Games shocked the country and the whole world, adding further momentum to the course of chigong's development.
The First National Chigong Conference Meeting was held in 1979, during which several high-ranking officials heard the reports presented and witnessed demonstrations of hard chigong. This meeting provided subsequent encouragement within chigong circles, and the term 'chigong' spread quickly amongst the people. Amid this new state of affairs, the practice of Guo Lin New Chigong became widespread throughout China.
At the end of 1979, the Beijing Qigong Association was formally founded. This was the first mass chigong organization, and under the leadership of both the government and the Science Association of China. This constituted an unprecedented event in the history of chigong. The knowledge of chigong, which previously was taught only privately, and which had remained the possession of a minority of itinerant showmen, was now brought out into the open and incorporated into the framework of science, with the purpose of serving the population as a whole.
As the advancement of chigong developed to a greater extent, the need for chigong theory became increasingly urgent. This was a key problem pivotal to the further evolution of chigong. Between 1979 and 1980, Professor Ming Pang and Mr. Jiao Guorui, as well as several others, began to reform the theories of traditional chigongs and gave lectures presenting their newly evolved theories in Beijing. Mr. Jiao explained the healing and health-enhancement mechanism of chigong practice from the medical point of view, especially that of Western medicine, and this constituted the first step toward the reform of chigong theories.
Professor Pang studied traditional chigongs from all available sources emerging from the background of ancient Chinese cultures and introduced the common principles of all chigongs - spiritual (mental) cultivation, moral cultivation, breath control, physical movement, and postural requirements. He summarized the essence of traditional chigongs, expressing this knowledge in a contemporary idiom. In 1980, Professor Pang also taught courses in Chigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Chigong and Special Abilities for chigong students. In this way chigong science inherited the past while yet ushering in the future.
In the last half of 1980, the All-China Federation of The Trade Union held a national training class for staff-and-worker chigong coaches. The Beijing Qigong Association took over all of the teaching responsibilities.
Guo Lin New Chigong and Mind-Boxing Standing Practice Form (Yi Quan Zhan Zhuang) were taught in these classes. Professor Pang and Mr.
Jiao gave instruction in chigong theory. These classes were of great significance, confirming that a new stage had begun in the history of the chigong's development.
From 1978 on, numerous masters of chigong appeared, teaching their respective practice forms, but most of these were the original ancient-style forms. While the new practice forms may have been disdained by the traditional teachers, or viewed as departures from the classical forms and possibly even as rebellion against orthodoxy, they nevertheless spread rapidly all over China and came to assume a prominent position.
Although important reforms were carried out in Guo Lin New Chigong on both the practice methods and the theories, these still belonged to the category of the Inner Nourishing Practice Form (Nei Yang Gong) - in which one practices by oneself and derives benefits for oneself. For these reasons, this stage has come to be called the stage of reform of traditional chigongs.
The second period was the formative stage of popular chigongs as well as the Blueprint of Zhineng Qigong science.
The first stage was the formation of popular chigong. Popular chigong is not a synonym for low level chigong. It is referred to as that chigong in which both internal chi and external chi are mutually cultivated.
External chi is fully exploited for the purposes of improving one's practice, enhancing one's healing results, and shortening the time frame in which these benefits manifest themselves. Popular chigong does not possess as many strict rules as one encounters in traditional chigongs and thus is a suitable practice for the masses to undertake; it constitutes, as well, the basis of chigong science.
The period of the emergence of popular chigongs was from 1981 to 1985. The Soaring Crane Form - the first-level practice form of Zhineng Qigong, was created by Professor Pang and made public in 1980.
Earlier, One-Finger Zen (Yi Zhi Chan) was created by Mr. Que Ashui, followed by The Zen-Secret Practice Form (Chan Mi Gong) by Mr. Liu Hanwen, The Spontaneous Five-Bird Game (Zifa Wuqin Xi) by Mr. Liang Shifeng, The Empty-Power Practice Form (Kong Jin Gong) by Mr. Huang Renzhong, and there have been many others.
In the spring of 1981, a National External Chi Technique Training Class was given, in which the second level practice form of Zhineng Qigong was offered by the Beijing Qigong Association, and in which Professor Pang taught the External Chi Techniques. From that point on, external chi therapy has continued to become widespread.
From the latter part of 1984 to the early part of 1985, the Chi Field Technique (Zuchang - a monumental discovery by Professor Pang - X.J.) was implemented at a Zhineng Qigong Clinic in Shijiazhuang, where it achieved great success.
During this time, many chigong masters came out of seclusion and competitively contributed their own chigong treasures. A number of scientific experiments performed upon the phenomenon of external chi also succeeded in proving the existence of external chi and of its effects.
In 1985, Professor Pang systematized the Entirety Outlook Theories of traditional chigongs and openly taught the unique Hunyuan Chi Theory of Zhineng Qigong. The Crane Practice Form was reformulated into the Lift Chi Up and Pour Chi Down Method (Peng Qi Guan Ding Fa), and the second level practice form - The Body and Mind Form (Xing Shen Zhuang) was also widely taught.
The second stage was the prosperous period of popular chigongs.
In 1986, the China Qigong Association (an officially registered first-class institute) was founded. The Hunyuan Chi Theory provided the methods and theories of using external chi (rather than true chi from the Vital Center), for the practice of healing. In these ways the external chi technique began to be popularized.
The methods and theories of the Chi Field Technique were also unveiled to the public for the purposes of group healing and teaching. The Chi Field Technique is the best method for the dissemination and application for the mass practice of chigong. It is one of the Nine Characteristic Features of Zhineng Qigong. This method can be used by groups numbering in the hundreds or even thousands, for both healing and teaching. It has catapulted the technique of external chi to a new level.
The last stage was the formation of the Blueprint of Zhineng Qigong science.
In 1990, Professor Pang published Brief Zhineng Qigongology. In this book, he expounds in a preliminary fashion upon the principle of the Unity of Consciousness (the chi of unified human consciousness), as well as the Hunyuan Entirety Theory; this organized and completed the basic theories of Zhineng Qigong. More concrete work (especially theories of application in all fields) is still needed in order to perfect the whole chigong science.
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