The power of Ch’i. an introduction to Chinses mysticism and philosophy

132 Pages·1988·14.01 MB·English

by  Michael Page

Am Introduction to Chinese Mysticism &?l)ioso)ilni
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An Introduction to Chinese Mysticism
and Philosophy
by
Michael Page
THE AQUARIAN PRESS
First published 1988
Excerpts from Tao and Longevity by Wen Kuan Chu are used by permission
of the publishers, Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach, Maine 03910, USA.
Excerpt from Creative Visualisation by Shakti Gawain © 1978 by Shakti
Gawain is reprinted by permission of Whatever Publishing Inc., San Rafael,
California, USA.
Quotes from Confucius: The Analects translated by D. C. Lau (Penguin
Classics, 1979) and reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd,
Middx, England.
© Michael Page 1988
All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writingfrom the Publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Page, Michael
The power of ch'i.
—
1. Taoist philosopy ch'i Critical
studies.
I. Title
18L09514
ISBN 0-85030-764-3
The Aquarian Press is part ofthe Thorsons Publishing Group,
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 IRQ, England.
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Hartnolls Limited, Bodmin, Cornwall.
3579 864
10
Contents
Preface 7
1. The Nature of Ch'i 11
2. Change 18
3. Setting Ch'i in Context 28
4. The Grassroots: Taoist Magic 36
5. The Arts 46
6. Martial Arts 55
7. Health 64
8. Feng Shui 72
9. Immortality: The Elixir of Life 81
10. Immortality: Dual Cultivation 88
11. The Sage ' 96
12. The Union of Hemispheres 105
Conclusion 113
Notes 120
Bibliography 125
Index 127

Preface
Thisbook is about the control ofthe forces ofnature within and
without man's own frame. It tells the story of a kind of science
Western scientists seek to control natural forces, yet they have
largely ignored this story that comes from the East. They have
thought of it as a story of magic and so not worth considering.
People who live for more than 250 years; martial arts oppo-
nents propelled yards with no obvious effort; a change offurni-
ture bringing good fortune; railway companies forced to change
plans; miracle cures; addictions mastered; river levels lowered.
All these phenomena are believed to have happened. All occur
through the harnessing of cosmic energy by Chinese Taoists.
But is it magic or a kind of science?
Sexual alchemy, martial arts, control ofthe forces ofthe earth,
acupuncture: all these would once have been classed as magic
or charlatanism. Now we in the West are not so sure
One thingall these marvels have in common is that they involve
a knowledge of the mysterious power called, in Chinese ch'i, a
word which denotes a vital breath or energy which animates the
cosmos.
Does it exist?
The Chinese physical universe is said to consist ofan environ-
ment of energy which envelops and permeates us. From the
smallest cell to the mightiest galaxies in space from atomic par-
ticles to human history, all existence is generated and perpetu-
ated by ch'i.
If there is a universal field ofenergy that is itself the universe
and ifthat field maintains the stars in their courses, gives life to
the ant, causes Black Holes and keeps each single atom spinning,
then it is not surprising that men have tried to harness it for their
own ends. That there is such a field is becoming common ground
8 THE POWER OF CH'I
between Taoist mystics and hard headed Western scientists. As
FritjofCapra says in his book, The Tao ofPhysics, 'As in quantum
theory, the field—or the ch'i—is not only the underl)ing essence
ofall material objects, butalso carries theirmutual interactions. . .'
Many westerners say that ch'i has no equivalent in our termi-
nology, that it is unscientific and not provable
But these opinions are becoming less certain.
It is modern theoretical physics that has altered the thinking.
Ifwe lookbeyond the everyday to realms thatare too minute even
for electron microscopes, to the world ofquantum physics, then
we begin to see that we are getting close to the thinking that has
been current in the east for thousands of years.
In his book, Capra goes on to say that ch'i is indeed identical
to the newly discovered quantum field. The Neo-Confucians deve-
loped a notion ofch'i whichbears the moststrikingresemblance
to the concept ofthe quantum field in modern physics'. He points
to the remarkable similarity ofdescription between ch'i and the
quantum field as eachbeing'a tenuous and non-perceptible form
of matter'.
In other words, modern physicists and ancient Chinese unite
in saying that each ofus exists in ch'i, and ch'i is within us. The
quantum field, wavingand vibrating, rhythmically alternatinglike
the yin and yang, forms things and dissolves them.'
The concept hasbeen current in Chinese thinkingsince at least
the time ofLao Tzu, hundreds ofyears BC, and has led to investi-
gation and application in the fields ofhealth, ageing, psychologi-
cal autonomy, magic, geomancy, self-defence, art, and so forth.
But much ofwhat is going wrong in the world nowadays can
be laid at the door of western-style science Such scientists say
that all they are trying to do is to control nature for the good
of us all.
Is not ch'i anothergateway to more effective control? Are there
not dangers here?
The difference between western science and eastern is that the
west is aggressive too often going against the grain of nature
whereas people who study ch'i go with the flow: indeed, to do
anythingelse is ultimately not possible The yin and the yangwill
maintain harmony, even at the cost of Western hubris.
The study of ch'i reveals that it is possible and advantageous
to learn to control the energy: in that way we shall be healthier
both physically and mentally, and will create our own good for-
tune without harm to the environment.