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| Overcoming Illness |
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Overcoming Illness
"Then how could chi kung overcome diseases where the cause is unknown or when there is no cure? The question is actually incorrect. The expressions "the cause is unknown" and "there is no cure" are applicable only in the Western medical paradigm. The expressions no longer hold true in the chi kung paradigm. In the chi kung paradigm the cause is known, and there is a cure."
----------Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
"According to Chinese medical philosophy, there is no such thing as an incurable disease"
"A good master must be a living example of what he teaches."
According to Chinese medical philosophy, there is no such thing as an incurable disease, although a patient may be incurable if his illness, even a simple one, has done damage beyond a certain threshold. Every disease can be cured because we are by nature healthy.
Even a few minutes of reflection will reveal that this premise is true. Think of the millions of deadly germs that are around and inside you; think of the wear and tear that is constantly going on in your body; and think of the continual stress that affects your psyche. Yet you are not normally sick -- if your natural systems are working the way they should.
The Chinese figuratively describe this natural working of your bodily and mental systems as harmonious chi flow. In western terms it means that the chi or energy
- that provides the necessary information to all parts of your body (and mind)
- that produces just the right types of chemicals of the right amounts and at the right places
- that provides the right defence and immunity when needed
- that repairs all your worn out or damaged parts
- that disposes off toxic waste, negative emotions and whatever is harmful to you
- and that carries out countless other activities that keep you healthy and alive
is functioning the way it is supposed to.
The Chinese also symbolize this healthy interaction between the body's natural systems and all disease-causing factors as yin-yang harmony, yin representing the body's functions and yang the pathogenetic agents.Sickness is unnatural; it occurs, as it sometimes does, when certain parts of the body fail in their natural functions. For example
- if your energy flow fails to meet and overcome invading germs
- if it fails to repair cell or issue damage satisfactorily
- if it fails to flush out negative emotions adequately
you would be respectively infectiously, degeneratively or psychologically sick. The Chinese describe this sick condition, which is unnatural and temporary, as yin-yang disharmony.
There are countless immediate causes for this yin-yang disharmony, but the root cause may be generalized into two main categories, namely
- insufficient energy to work the systems
- energy blockage hindering energy to flow to where it is needed.
If you do not have sufficient antibodies to fight invading germs, for example, or if your mental impulses commanding repair work are disrupted, or if your negative emotions are trapped inside your body -- all of which manifest disharmonious energy flow -- you would be sick.
Health can be regained if you restore your yin-yang harmony. There are many different approaches, such as employing herbs, acupuncture, massage therapy, external medicine and chi kung, but the two fundamental tasks are
- to remove energy blockage
- to increase energy level.
The forte of chi kung is to clear energy blockage and to increase energy level. Chi kung, spelt as "qigong" in Romanized Chinese, is the art of developing energy, particularly for attaining health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness and inner peace.
Having a good master is definitely a tremendous blessing in kungfu, taijiquan and qigong training. As mediocre instructors are so common nowadays -- some even start to teach after having attended only a few week-end seminars -- finding a great master is like finding a gem in a hay stack. Here are some guidelines to help you find one.
An Example of What He Teaches
A good master must be a living example of what he teaches. A kungfu master must be able to defend himself, a taijiquan master must have some internal force, and a qigong master must exhibit radiant health, as these are the basic qualities these arts are meant to develop.
A master of kungfu, taijiquan or qigong does not enjoy the luxury of many coaches in modern sports like football and athletics who often cannot dribble a ball or run a race half as well as the students they teach. They are also some kungfu, taijiquan or qigong instructors today who cannot perform half as well as their average students, but they are certainly not masters, although as a form of courtesy they may be addressed as such by their students or the general public.
Understanding Dimension and Depth
Besides being skillful, a good master should preferably be knowledgeable. He should have a sound understanding of the dimension and depth of the art he is teaching, and be able to answer basic questions his students may have concerning the what, why and how of their practice. Without this knowledge, a master will be limited in helping his students to derive the greatest potential benefits in their training.
However, especially in the East, some masters may be very skillful but may not be knowledgeable. This is acceptable if we take the term 'master' to mean someone who has attained a very high level in his art, but who may not be a teacher.
The reverse is unacceptable, i.e. someone who is very knowledgeable but not skillful, a situation quite common in the West. A person may have read a lot about kungfu, taijiquan or qigong, and have written a few books on it, but has little kungfu, taijiquan or qigong skills. We may call him a scholar but certainly not a master.
Systematic and Generous
The third quality of a master as a good teacher is that he must be both systematic and generous in his teaching. Someone who is very skillful and knowledgeable, but teaches haphazardly or withholds much of his advance art, is an expert or scholar but not a good master.
On the other hand, it is significant to note that a good master teaches according to the needs and attainment of his students. If his students have not attained the required standard, he would not teach them beyond their ability (although secretly he might long to), for doing so is usually not to the students' best interest. In such a situation he may often be mistaken as withholding secrets.
Radiates Inspiration
The fourth quality, a quality that transforms a good master into a great master, is that he radiates inspiration. It is a joy to learn from a great master even though his training is tough.
He makes complicated concepts easy to understand, implicitly provides assurance that should anything goes wrong he is able and ready to rectify it, and spurs his students to do their best, even beyond the level that he himself has attained.
High Moral Values
The most important quality of a great master is that he teaches and exhibits in his daily living high moral values. Hence, the best world fighter who brutally wounds his opponents, or the best teacher of any art who does not practise what he preaches, cannot qualify to be called a great master.
A great master is tolerant, compassionate, courageous, righteous and shows a great love and respect for life. Great masters are understandably rare; they are more than worth their weight in gold.