Lin Huusheng, Luo Peiyu Secrets of Chinese Medicine. 300 questions about qigong

HISTORICAL OUTLINE AND BASIC CONCEPTS

one. WHAT IS QIGON

The content of qigong, in short, comes down to the training of qi and the training of the will (yi). The hieroglyph "qi" in combination "qigong" means breath. The hieroglyph "gun" means continuous conscious improvement of breathing exercises and movements. To practice qigong means to practice qi and to practice yi, i.e. with the help of and cause the circulation of qi, which helps to saturate the qi of the corresponding internal organs. Through such processes, the original qi (yuan qi) is strengthened, due to which healing from diseases can be achieved. Depending on age, state of health, living conditions, people use various types of qigong, achieving clearing of channels and collaterals, regulation of qi and blood, balance of yin and yang, and improvement of body functions. Therefore, qigong, being a function of consciousness and including the methods of auto-training of the body and soul, is a special branch of science. With its help, self-observation and self-control are carried out in the process of life, which contributes to health and longevity.

2. HOW QIGONG BORN

On the bronze items of the Shang and early Zhou eras, there are ancient drawings depicting qigong postures with extreme vividness. This proves that qigong originated before the invention of writing.
In order to survive, mankind had to adapt to the adverse effects of nature, learn how to protect itself from disease-causing influences, and develop the adaptive capabilities of the body. As people accumulated experience, they began to understand how to benefit the body and spirit, and moved on to meaningful training, ultimately creating modern qigong.

3. WHERE THE NAME "QIGONG" COME FROM

Since in the past there were representatives of different directions among qigong masters: Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, medical, wushu (martial), etc., the names they used were different: tuna, daoyin, xingqi, liandan, xuangong, jinggong, dingun, xingun, neigong, shuyuo, zochan, neiyangong, yangshengong, etc. All these names, despite their differences, refer to forms that preceded qigong. As scientific studies have shown, the record of "search on qigong" found in the essay "Notes on Pure Faith" ("Jingming zongjiao lu"), written by the Taoist Xu Xuan during the Jin Dynasty.
In one93four, Dong Hao's book "Special Methods for the Treatment and Prevention of Pulmonary Tuberculosis - Qigong Therapy" was published. In one935, the Zhonghua Shuju publishing house published the book Secrets of Shaolin Fisticuffs, which also uses these two hieroglyphs - qigong. However, their content was not exhaustively explained, so they did not establish themselves as an official name. This situation persisted until one95eight, when Liu Guizhen's book "A Practical Course of Qigong Therapy" was published, written by him after consulting with colleagues. In it, these two hieroglyphs received a complete explanation, after which they established themselves as the official term for the entire group of traditional names listed above.

four. WHAT RECORDS ABOUT QIGONG ARE IN THE MONUMENTS OF THE CHUNQIU AND ZHANGUO PERIODS

At the beginning of the Chunqiu period, the people of China were already using qigong to treat illness and maintain health. There are many records of this in written monuments. In China's earliest classical work, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon (Huangdi nei jing)[K], the following concept was proposed: "the highest art of healing is to prevent illness." Prevention came first. In the section of this treatise "Simple questions" ("Su wen") in the chapter "On the simplicity inherited from antiquity" ("Shang gu tian zhen lun") it is said: "In ancient times, people knew that laws are determined by yin and yang, harmony is determined skill that in drinking and eating moderation is needed, in everyday life constancy is needed, and in work there is no need for fuss.
As a result, [physical] capabilities formed a single whole with the spirit, people lived their lives to the end and, only having exceeded a hundred-year milestone, passed away. calmness and "absence" (option: [immersion] in non-existence). True qi follows them, jing and shen are preserved inside, as a result, the disease calms down. Thus, feelings are restrained, and desires are small, the heart [xin] is calm and not tense, the body works hard, but does not get tired." In the same place: "Exhale and inhale jing qi, especially preserve shen, muscles to unite as if into one whole. In the same section, in the chapter “About Following Unusual Ways” (“Yi Fa Fang Yilun”), it is said: “These people eat a variety of foods, but do not work, so the diseases are mainly related to atrophy and congestion, with alternating cold and heat: treat them follows the methods of daoyin and anqiao. In the chapter “About the methods of acupuncture” (“Ci fa lun”) contains the following instruction: “If someone has a kidney [shen] pain for a long time, then he should turn his face to the south in the fifth watch (from 3 to 5 in the morning), to purify the spirit and prevent confusion of thoughts, then one should lock the qi and not breathe, while stretching the neck and drawing in the qi at the same time, as if one had to swallow a very hard substance. Do this seven times, then swallow the saliva from under the tongue. Prescribed without limitation of quantity.
Terms found in classical writings: “mastery”, “daoyin”, “anqiao”, “exhale and inhale”, “ching qi”, “swallow saliva from under the tongue”, “preserve the shen separately”, “purify the spirit and avoid confusion of thoughts” - they all refer to qigong training methods.
The well-known physician Bian Que [K] suggested counting inhalations and exhalations during qigong exercises: this was the “breath counting method”, which regulated breathing and immersed in contemplation.
The work of Lao Tzu "Tao Te Ching" [K] contains statements like: "... Hearts are empty, but stomachs are full"; "... Infinite, like existence, and acting without zeal"; “...Wishing to preserve the unity of the soul, is it possible to separate it? By achieving the softness of special qi, one can become like a baby”; “... To bring the void to the end means to always keep calm” [K]. They indicate that when performing the exercises, it was necessary to calm feelings, concentrate thoughts; breathing became soft, "thin"; qi passed through the dan tian; consciousness also covered the dan tian, so one had to pay attention to the practice of both will (yi) and qi.
In the composition “Zhuang Tzu” in the chapter “Deep thoughts” (“Ke and pian”) [K] it is said: “Inhale-exhale this way and that way; bring out the old and draw in the new; sway like bears, stretch like birds, just to achieve longevity. Such are the men [practicing] daoyin, and the people cultivating the body ... all this is wonderful ”[K]. This phrase explains that performing qigong strengthened the body and increased longevity.

5. WHAT RECORDS ABOUT QIGONG ARE AVAILABLE IN MONUMENTS OF THE HAN ERA

Ancient Qigong was further developed during the Han Dynasty. At the end of one97eight, during the excavation of grave No. 3 in the Mawangdui [K] area near the city of Changsha, daoyin exercise patterns were found dating back to the early Western Han period. This scroll is extremely important for the study of the origin and development of qigong.
In the composition “Huainanzi” [K] in the section “Instruction on the Spirit” (“Jinshen Xun”) there is such an entry: “Inhaling and exhaling this way and that; bringing out the old and drawing in the new; swaying like a bear and stretching like a bird; splashing in the water like a wild duck and listening like an earwig; looking around like an owl, and gazing into the distance like a tiger - this is how a person nurtures the body.
Zhang Zhongjing [K] in his essay “Summary of the Golden Chest” (“Jin Kui Yaolue”) stated: “Some people can cultivate caution in themselves, do not allow harmful influences to affect channels and collaterals, spread through channels and collaterals, do not allow them circulate through the internal organs and thus are cured. When severe congestion is felt in the four limbs, daoyin and tuna, zhenjiu [acupuncture and moxibustion] and rubbing are used to prevent the nine passages from being tightly closed. The record clearly indicates that the training of external and internal efforts is one of the ways to prevent and cure diseases.
"History of the Later Han" (chapter "Biography of Hua Tuo") contains the following entry: "Hua Tuo [K] ... had knowledge of many diseases, well understood the art of maintaining health. At the age of one hundred years, he was completely healthy. His contemporaries called him a celestial". He, based on the statement of Chuang Tzu "swing like bears, stretch like birds", developed the "Five Beast Games", named respectively the forms of a tiger, a deer, a bear, a monkey and a bird (crane). Hua Tuo believed that "the human body loves to work, but one should not bring [load] to the limit." He also explained that by performing the exercises included in the "Games of the Five Beasts", one can achieve better patency of blood vessels, acuity of hearing and vision, strength and integrity of teeth, one can prevent and cure diseases. His student Wu Pu, who continued the work of the teacher, constantly trained in accordance with this complex and lived for more than 90 years, retaining clear vision, sharp hearing and strong teeth. Another student, Fan E, who also practiced this complex, lived for more than a hundred years, while his hair on his head remained black.
In the "History of the Later Han", in the biography of Wang Zhen, it is also written: "Wang Zhen was almost a hundred years old, but his face was shiny; he looked like a fifty-year-old. He could perform the