Author: Tsumura Takashi
Affiliation: Kansai Qigong Society, Japan [1]
Conference/Journal: 1st World Conf Acad Exch Med Qigong
Date published: 1988
Other:
Pages: 219 , Word Count: 710
1. Ancient medicine began from magical healingcConcerning with shamanism. Generally the history of medicine is written orientating 'from magic to science', but this model shows only one side of truth. ' Zhuyou' (healing by declaration), 'Yijingbianqi' (a kind of drama therapy) in ancient medicine is really rational and scientific from the Viewpoint of modern psychophysical medicine. Rather, trends of the thought that separate mind and body, or illness and life in medicine of after ages, have doubtful problem. It is the reason why the ancient medicine is regarded note worthy again recently.
2. the oriental medicines have developed in relation to interdependence and interpenetrating with religions. For example, ancient Indian medicine and Hinduism or Indian Buddhism, traditional Chinese medicine and Taoism or Buddhism, and, Japanese oriental medicine ('KANPO') and Shinto or Japanese Buddhism.
3. Simply speaking, the purpose of medical qigong is mainly 'balance of yin-yang ' .
But religious qigong wants high spiritual awakening. The theme of finding inner divinity and purifying body spoiled by real desires in Buddhism, is equal to 'seeking after pure yang ' in Taoist qigong . The purpose of medical qigong is support and recovery of health, but it cannot interfere With the patient's inner spiritual life or a view of value. The religious qigong studies how to live. But, from the View of psychophysical medicine, in case the patient has a feeling of sin or unusual tension, healing of his illness is very difficult. That is, scientific medicine steps into the field of religious qigong in the new stage of development. We need a study of the religious qigong from the new standpoint.
4. Chinese religious qigong Contains Tao-Sheentao lineage and Buddhist lineage. Taoist qigong seeks after 'eternal life'. But this 'long life' is not equal to long life in medical meaning. It means seeking after pure yang, over limitation of physical body.
Zhuagzi, rather, criticized the attitude that grasped his given life by cosmos as his own
and the desire earnestly to enclose or increase it.
Shentao, way of hermits, created Neidan school in the time from the Tang to Song Dynasties. It means 'the development of inner medicine' and seeking after the unity of mind
and psychological control by consistent image movement.
In modern times, Hu Yaozhen arranged and opened this system, and applied it to medicine and martial arts. On the other hand, quiescent qigong of Zhuangzi was revived by Chen Yingning. It is effective to healing neurosis.
5. The Buddhist qigong contains MIJIAO (esoteric Buddhism), especially Tibetan esoteric system and stream of Chan (Zen, Japanese). Tibetan qigong seeks after unity with cosmic lifetide directly. It has something common in this point with Neidan in spite of so many differences in concrete method.
Chan has also common field, it created various high techniques for mind-bodv control as Zhiguang (concentration and contemplation).
6. The religious qigong has more refinded and experienced mind control method than medical qigong. Also in medical qigong, ' Rujing ' (enter a very quiet state) is very important for having effect, but in this field, they seek for control of image, check of over work of mind and deepening quality of ' Rujing '.
In this process, the most important things are the development of intuition and imagination through the liberation of the right side of the brain, and reviving balance of the brain through control of overwork of intellectual centre and activation of feeling centre and life centre.
7. In Japan, also, we can find quiescent qigong, dynamic qigong, spontaneous qigong, healing by qigong and high technique unification of mind and body. And after introduction to Japan, Chan has much developed as an effective psychological healing.
Toward the traditions like these, we want to study the assuming attitude of 'abandoning refuse, taking essence'. But, for the human study in the new age or holistic medicine, we can not judge it in the field of accomplished science, but connect it with recovering 'black science', namely the tradition of Tao science from the ancient times. We want the reconstruction of modern science. For example, yi (divination) contains richly the theory concerning with the relationship between mankind and its environment, and Chan or Neidan is, as they are, high psychophysical science.
The religious qigong will open the path to future medicine by its totality of grasping human themselves.