CHAPTER 1

General Qigong Theory

(般氣功之理論)

1.1 Introduction (介紹)

To understand taiji ball qigong, first you must know what qi and qigong are. You should also understand different categories of qigong and its basic theory of yin-yang and kan-li. Only then will you be able to comprehend how and why qigong is able to bring you health, longevity, and even spiritual enlightenment. This chapter will help you build this theoretical foundation. Only if you understand this chapter, can your practice of taiji ball qigong reach its deep meaning and purpose.

1.2 What is Qi and What is Qigong? (何謂氣？何謂氣功？)

In this section, we discuss the general concept of qi, both the traditional understanding and modern scientific explanations, and the concept of qigong.

1.2.1 A General Definition of Qi

Qi is the energy or natural force that fills the universe. The Chinese believe in three powers (san cai, 三才) of the universe: heaven (tian, 天), earth (di, 地), and man (ren, 人). Heaven (the sky or universe) has heaven qi (tian qi, 天氣), the most important of the three, consisting of forces exerted by heavenly bodies, such as sunshine, moonlight, gravity, and energy from the stars. Weather, climate, and natural disasters are governed by heaven qi (tian qi, 天氣). Every energy field strives to stay in balance. When the heaven qi loses its balance, it tries to rebalance itself through wind, rain, tornadoes, and hurricanes, enabling a new energy balance to be achieved.
Earth qi (di qi, 地氣) is controlled by heaven qi. Too much rain forces a river to flood or change its path. Without rain, vegetation will die. The Chinese believe earth qi is made up of lines and patterns of energy, as well as the earth’s magnetic field and the heat concealed underground. These energies must also be in balance; otherwise disasters such as earthquakes occur. When earth qi is balanced and harmonized, plants grow and animals thrive.
Finally, each individual person, animal, and plant has its own qi field, which continually seeks balance. Losing qi balance, an individual sickens, dies, and decomposes. All natural things, including humankind and our human qi (ren qi, 人氣), are determined by the natural cycles of heaven qi and earth qi. Throughout the history of qigong, people have been most interested in human qi and its relationship with heaven qi and earth qi.
In China, qi is also defined as any energy that demonstrates power and strength, be it electricity, magnetism, heat, or light. Electric power is called electric qi (dian qi, 電氣), and heat is called heat qi (re qi, 熱氣). When a person is alive, his body’s energy is called human qi (ren qi, 人氣).
Qi also expresses the energy state of something, especially of living things. The weather is called heaven qi (tian qi, 天氣) because it indicates the energy state of the heavens. When something is alive it has vital qi (huo qi, 活氣), and when dead it has dead qi (si qi, 死氣) or ghost qi (gui qi, 鬼氣). When a person is righteous and has the spiritual strength to do well, he is said to have normal qi or righteous qi (zheng qi, 正氣). The spiritual state or morale of an army is called its energy state (qi shi, 氣勢).
Qi can represent energy itself, or else the state of the energy. It is important to understand this when you practice qigong, so your mind is not channeled into a narrow understanding of qi, limiting your future understanding and development.

1.2.2 A Narrow Definition of Qi

Now let us look at how qi is defined in qigong society today. Among the three powers, the Chinese have been most concerned with qi affecting health and longevity. After four thousand years of emphasizing human qi, when people mention qi they usually mean qi circulating in our bodies.
In ancient Chinese medical and qigong documents, the word qi was written “n”. This character consists of two words. The “b” on top means “nothing,” and “v” at the bottom means “fire.” So qi was originally written as “no fire.” In ancient times, physicians and qigong practitioners attempted to balance the yin and yang qi circulating in the body so there was “no fire” in the internal organs. Each internal organ needs a specific amount of qi to function properly. If it receives an improper amount, usually an excess which makes it too yang or “on fire,” it starts to malfunction. In time, this causes physical damage. The goal of qigong at that time was to attain a state of “no fire,” which eventually became the word qi.
In more recent publications, the qi of “no fire” has been replaced by the word “氣,” which is also constructed of two words, “气” which means “air” and “米” which means “rice.” Later practitioners realized that post-birth qi is produced by breathing in air and consuming food. Air is called “kong qi” (空氣), literally “space energy.”
For a long time, people debated what type of energy circulates in our bodies. Many believed it to be heat; others believed it to be electricity, while others assumed it was a mixture of heat, electricity, and light. This debate continued into the 1980s when the concept of qi gradually became clear. Today, science postulates that, with the possible exception of gravity, there is actually only one type of energy in the universe, namely electromagnetic energy. Light and heat are also manifestations of electromagnetic energy. The qi in our bodies is actually bioelectricity, and our bodies are a living electromagnetic field.1 Thus, the qi is affected by our thoughts, feelings, activities, the food we eat, the quality of the air we breathe, our lifestyles, the natural energy that surrounds us, and also the unnatural energy which modern science inflicts upon us.
The following scientific formula represents the major biochemical reaction in our body:
As you can see, rice is glucose, air is oxygen, and qi is bioelectricity.

1.2.3 A General Definition of Qigong

In China, the word “gong” (功) is often used as a shorter form of “gongfu” (kung fu, 功夫), meaning energy and time. Any study or training which requires energy, time, and patience to achieve is called gongfu. Qigong is a science which studies the energy in nature. The main difference between this energy science and Western energy science is that qigong focuses on the inner energy of human beings, while Western energy science pays more attention to the energy outside the human body. When you study qigong, it is worthwhile to consider the modern scientific point of view, and not restrict yourself to traditional beliefs.
The Chinese have studied qi for thousands of years, recording information on the patterns and cycles of nature in books such as The Book of Changes, 1112 B.C. (Yi Jing,易經), which describes the natural forces of heaven (tian, 天), earth (di, 地), and man (ren, 人). These three powers (san cai, 三才) manifest as heaven qi, earth qi, and human qi, with their definite rules and cycles. The rules are unchanging, while the cycles return to repeat themselves. The Yi Jing applies these principles to calculate changes in natural qi, through a process called the eight trigra ms (bagua, 八卦). From the eight trigrams are derived the 64 hexagrams. The Yi Jing was probably the first book describing qi and its variations in nature and man. The relationship of the three natural powers and their qi variations were later discussed extensively in the book, Theory of Qi’s Variation (Qi Hua Lun, 氣化論).
Understanding heaven qi is very difficult, and was especially so in ancient times. But since natural cycles recur, accumulated experience makes it possible to trace the natural patterns. Understanding the rules and cycles of heavenly timing (tian shi, 天時) helps describe changes in the seasons, climate, weather, and other natural occurrences. Many of these routine patterns and cycles are caused by the rebalancing of qi. Various natural cycles recur every day, month...