a master can do what non-professionals call a miracle.
The highest achievement of qigong is spiritual perfection. Obviously, some people are ready for this; while others may think that trying to achieve this is crazy! You may not agree with such a possibility, but I did not come up with this theory or invent a way to achieve perfection. This is the result of the reflections and experiments of the greatest minds of history. The highest achievement allows you to activate the innate immortality inherent in every person. You will reach the heights of the spirit regardless of what religion you profess (or do not believe in God at all). If you are a Christian, you will have the Kingdom of God. The Muslim will return to Allah. The Hindu will unite with Brahman. The Buddhist will reach nirvana. The adept of Taoism will be reunited with the cosmos. Even if you claim that you do not believe in God, you will feel the grace of spiritual immersion and the Highest Reality. If you are ready, you will intuitively feel the inspiring impact of this sublime experience. If you are not ready, then words about spiritual perfection will remain an empty phrase.

PREHISTORIC DISCOVERIES

Qigong is indeed older than history itself. It was practiced in antiquity not only by the Chinese, but also by peoples of other great cultures in different countries and in different eras. This art has been known by various names. In India, for example, it was called yoga; the ancient Greeks and Egyptians called it the art of the sacraments; in Tibet - the art of wisdom.
The masters of these mysterious arts have probably not even heard of the term qigong. However, in all these arts, the goals, approaches, methodology and philosophy were similar. Like the Chinese, the masters of other ancient peoples protected their secrets from strangers, teaching the art only to a very few, chosen students. Therefore, esoteric arts in different countries developed independently of each other.
Chinese archaeological evidence suggests that Neolithic cavemen practiced qigong! They probably discovered various qigong techniques through trial and error. For example, they found that if, at the moment of physical exertion, while lifting a heavy object, a person says “khet”, he can direct more energy to complete the task. And if you lightly blow on the wound, pronouncing the sound “shss”, you can relieve the pain.

ANIMAL IMITATION AND INTERNAL VISION

During the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th centuries BC), the development of qigong reached a high level. Bronze vessels from this period depict human figures performing qigong movements. Perhaps they became the prototypes of modern exercises.
Many modern techniques repeat the characteristic features of the movements of different animals: turtles, cranes, monkeys. Masters of the past believed that the characteristics of animals, such as the longevity of a tortoise, the degree of a crane, the agility of a monkey, were transferred to their lifestyle and actions. These and other physical movements designed to direct and conduct the flow of internal energy are known as daoyin. This means that qigong practitioners imitate the movements of animals not because they want to resemble animals, but because they want to acquire those properties of animals that are superior to those of humans.
During the Zhou Dynasty (11th-3rd centuries BC), the art of qigong made significant progress. The concepts of yin-yang and bagua, presented in the famous “Yijing” (“Book of Changes”) * ed.), subsequently became integral elements of the philosophy of qigong.
Those unfamiliar with the Yijing may find her divinations naïve and even ridiculous. However, the Yijing predictions were often used by very powerful people, commanders and emperors, who had the wisest people of their time as advisers.
Modern scholars and thinkers are realizing the depth of the Yijing wisdom. Predictions according to the "Book of Changes" with the help of a copper coin, like divination by the Romans, divination by mirrors or by means of the “magic crystal” of the gypsies, is the penetration of our subconscious into the boundless wisdom of the Mind of the universe.
The basis of fortune-telling according to the Yijing is the Bagua, or eight trigrams. The three lines of gua or trigram are, of course, not just lines. Each gua is a physical symbol corresponding to a metaphysical or subconscious manifestation. Each gua has a name. One of them, gen, corresponds to various parts of the human body and their functions.
It was the meditation of the Chinese sages on gen that developed in them the superpowers of nei guan (inner vision) and nei jue (internal reflection). These superpowers led to the growth of cun xiang - the retention of thought in qigong. All three concepts together are usually translated as "visualization", but in Chinese there is a subtle difference between them. Cun xiang and dao yin gave rise to two fundamental directions in the development of qigong.

SEARCHING THE WAY TO THE RESORT OF THE GODS

The Chinese language, beautiful and figurative, for those who understand it, can create problems when translating qigong terms. Let's see what happens when translated into Russian, no less beautiful and poetic. The literal translation of the Nei Ching statement (internal classical medicine) is something like this:
Saints carefully eat the heavenly air and pave the way to the abode of the gods.
Based on this translation, some readers will consider Nei Ching a joke. However, even now in Chinese medical circles, this book is considered the most authoritative work on Chinese medicine. Such an assessment becomes clearer when we reveal the hidden meaning of the above statement:
A sage who is familiar with the secret art of immersing himself in meditation inhales cosmic energy. In the process of constant practice, he acquires superpowers.
The meaning of this truth may at first seem obscure. Awareness will come in the process of studying this work.
The Nei Ching collects the outstanding achievements of the ancient Chinese in the field of medicine in the period preceding the reign of the Zhou Dynasty. The book laid a solid foundation for the philosophy and further development of qigong and all of Chinese medicine. Many of the principles mentioned in the Nei Ching can be very useful to modern physicians if they take the trouble to pay closer attention to them. Consider one of the examples that make up the meaning of qigong and Chinese medicine:
A person is born with the help of heaven and earth qi and experiences the four seasons.
Although the translation is clear, it is still better to give a detailed interpretation. The fact is that classical Chinese texts are very short. The words have a deeper meaning than it might seem at first glance. Here is what is meant by this sentence:
The very substance from which man is born is the same matter that forms the universe, and this is energy. Energy manifests itself in different forms, which can be divided into two main groups. The first group is formed by subtle types of energy of the sky. The second group includes gross types of earth energy.
The energy contained in man, as well as in the entire universe, is dynamic. She is forever changing. Change creates different time periods and different habitats. Consequently, human growth and development are influenced by the seasons. The seasons include not only climatic, but also subtle psychological, physiological and other changes.
Do not think that the above interpretation is a personal interpretation. All students of Chinese medicine and qigong who are familiar with Nei Ching will understand this statement in this way. Of course, it is not at all necessary to use such words for interpretation.
The advantage of this concept, which is the foundation of both Chinese medicine and qigong, is obvious in comparison with modern methods of medical practice. For example, all patients suffering from a particular disease undergo the same course of treatment in modern clinics. Neither the physical nor the emotional conditions surrounding the patient are taken into account. Neither psychological nor physiological changes in the patient's state of health are taken into account. This is the philosophy of Western medicine. Only the disease is diagnosed and appropriate treatment is prescribed. Western medicine contrasts sharply with Chinese medicine. In China, the patient is considered as a whole and does not focus on the external symptoms of the disease.
However, it gives hope that modern scientists are beginning to realize the influence of cosmic energies on the human body. After studying the statements of many Western scholars, Lyal Watson concludes:
We wake up and fall asleep, sweat and shiver we urinate and breathe in accordance with the signals coming from space.
Cosmic signals are so faint that it took a long time for medical science. Before she took them seriously. But in the past ten years, we have been literally bombarded with a flood of clinical cases related to insomnia, violations of the female monthly cycle, stress caused by a change in the rhythm of life, such as flying across several time zones in a jet plane. Attitudes towards signals from space are changing. At present, scientists are more and more inclined to believe that the functional unity of the body, the strengthening and effective operation of the Central nervous system largely depend on the influence of electromagnetic fields.
The fundamental Chinese concept of cosmic energy goes beyond the boundaries of orthodox medicine. That is why the Chinese and many other peoples of the East strive to follow the laws of nature, and not to subordinate them to their own will. In full accordance with this principle, great qigong masters can control the elements in special situations. It is by following the basic principle that great masters do things that are inexplicable from the point of