Qigong meditation: Embryonic breathing

389 Pages·2003·29.06 MB·english

by  Yang Jwing-Ming

Qigong - In Depth
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
Don’t be afraid!
Dare to challenge.....
Dare to accept.....
Dare to dream.....
- Dare to emerge from the traditional matrix -
- be free from spiritual bondage -
“The philosopher should be a man willing to listen to every suggestion, but
determined to judge for himself. He should not be biased by appearances, have
no favorite hypothesis, be of no school, and in doctrine have no master. He
should not be a respecter of persons, but of things. Truth should be his primary
object. If to these qualities be added industry, he may indeed hope to walk with-
in the veil of the temple of Nature.”
- Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Qigong
Meditation
Embryonic Breathing
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
YMAA Publication Center
Boston, Mass. USA
Qigong Meditation
YMAA Publication Center, Inc.
Main Office
4354 Washington Street
Boston, Massachusetts, 02131
1-800-669-8892 • www.ymaa.com • [email protected]
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright ©2003 by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
All rights reserved including the right of
reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Editor: Keith Brown and James O’Leary
Cover Design: Tony Chee
Publisher’s Cataloging in Publication
Yang, Jwing-Ming, 1946-
Qigong meditation : embryonic breathing/ Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.—
1st ed.—Boston, Mass. : YMAA Publication Center
p. ;cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN: 2003111893
ISBN: 1-886969-73-6
1. Qi gong. 2. Tai chi. 3. Meditation. 4. Exercise. 5. Medicine,
Chinese I. Title.
RA781.8.Y36 2003 2003111893
613.7/148—dc22 0310
Anatomy drawings copyright ©1994 by TechPool Studios Corp. USA, 1463 Warrensville
Center Road, Cleveland, OH 44121
Printed in Canada
Disclaimer:
The author and publisher of this material are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any manner whatsoever
for any injury which may occur through reading or following the instructions in this manual. The
activities, physical or otherwise, described in this material may be too strenuous or dangerous for some
people, and the reader(s) should consult a physician before engaging in them.
Printed in Canada.
iv
Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Romanization of Chinese Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Foreword by Dr. Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Part I Foundations
Chapter 1 General Concepts
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 General Qigong Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 The Network of Qi Vessels and Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1.4 Buddhist and Daoist Qigong Concepts . . . . . . . . . 38
1.5 Four Refinements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1.6 Five Regulatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
1.7 Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Qigong
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
1.8 Small Circulation, Grand Circulation, and Enlightenment Meditation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
1.9 Definition of Embryonic Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
1.10 Embryonic Breathing and Cultivation of the Dao . . . . . . . . . . 97
1.11 About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Chapter 2 Theoretical Foundation of Embryonic Breathing
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
2.2 Human Qigong Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
2.3 Theoretical Foundations of Embryonic Breathing . . . . . . 134
2.4 Meanings and Purposes of Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Part II Translations and Commentaries of Ancient Documents
Related to Embryonic Breathing
Chapter 3 Translations and Commentaries of Ancient Documents
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
3.2 General Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
v
Qigong Meditation
3.3 About the Dan Tian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
3.4 Regulating the Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
3.5 Regulating the Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
3.6 Regulating the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
3.7 Methods of Embryonic Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
3.8 Other Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Chapter 4 Summaries from Ancient Documents
4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
4.2 Summaries of Important Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Part III Practice of Embryonic Breathing
Chapter 5 Practice of Embryonic Breathing
5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
5.2 Preparation for Embryonic Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
5.3 Practice of Embryonic Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
5.4 Recovery from the Meditative State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Chapter 6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Appendix A Translation and Glossary of Chinese Terms
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
vi
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Tim Comrie for his photography and typesetting. Thanks to Erik
Elsemans, Ciaran Harris, and Susan Bullowa for proofing the manuscript and con-
tributing many valuable suggestions and discussions. Special thanks to Tony Richard
Chee for the cover design, to Keith Brown for the first editing, and James O’Leary
for final editing. Also, special thanks to Dr. Thomas G. Gutheil for his foreword.
vii
Qigong Meditation
Romanization of Chinese Words
This book uses the Pinyin romanization system of Chinese to English. Pinyin is
standard in the People’s Republic of China, and in several world organizations,
including the United Nations. Pinyin, which was introduced in China in the 1950’s,
replaces the Wade-Giles and Yale systems. In some cases, the more popular spelling
of a word may be used for clarity.
Some common conversions:
Pinyin Also Spelled As Pronunciation
Qi Chi
Qigong Chi Kung
Qin Na Chin Na
Jin Jing
Gongfu Kung Fu
Taijiquan Tai Chi Chuan
For more information, please refer to The People’s Republic of China: Administra-
tive Atlas, The Reform of the Chinese Written Language, or a contemporary manual of
style.
The author and publisher have taken the liberty of not italicizing words of for-
eign origin in this text. This decision was made to make the text easier to read. Please
see the comprehensive glossary for definitions of Chinese words.
viii
Dedication
Dedication
Tomyfi讯endwhom 1 can'tf orget, Mr. Wolfgang Pastore
Dear Wolfgang:
Less than three months ago we practiced Chen Style Tai
jiquan together in Boston. We went to Cape Cod with oth
ers and had a great time. 1 remember when the other four
were swimming; only you, Siu Hung, and 1 sat on the beach
and talked. We had such a good time, and it reminded me
that you took me everywhere in Italy for sightseeing. You
told me that someday, you would take me to see the Tower
of Pisa. Now, 1 don't think my dream will come true. Even
if 1 have a chance to see it someday, the feeling will not be
the same; simply because you will not be there.
1 was so shocked and lost when Franco called me on the
18th of July and told me the bad news. Even now, 1 still believe that 1 am dreaming
and still wait to wake up. You were not just a student, but a good 丘iend. lt has not
been easy to fìnd people like you in my lifetime. However, you have passed and gone
on. 1 promised you that 1 would complete the book: Small Circulation in a couple of
years. Now, 1 am so disappointed that you will not be able to see it. In fact, my moti
vation was to write a good book about Small Circulation and Grand Circulation to
surprise and please you. Since 1 promised you, 1 have started to compile, research the
documents, study them, ponder them, and blend them with my thirty years of expe
rience. 1 was just ready to put down what 1 had planned for this book, and was wait
ing to tell you when 1 came to Venice this September. Now, 1 am so sad. 1 wish time
could return to before the 18th of this month. However, days have passed and my
sorrow has grown deeper.
1 looked at some of the pictures we took. 1 remember you took Master Liang and
me to Florence. 1 remember you walked with me in Venice and explained its histo
r严 1 remember your expression when you saw me rowing the gondola and could not
wait to take a picture of me. 1 also remember your depression when you could not
learn the Chen Style T￥ijiquan as fast as the others. 1 promised you that we would
go over it together when 1 came to Venice this September. Now when 1 practice
Chen Style Taijiquan, 1 am unable to continue and fìnish. It reminds me of you.
Only now, 1 start to realize how much your friendship has influenced me.
Though we were born in the same year, you always treated me as a teacher and
more than a friend. \1Ç电 were so dose that we could share philosophies and feelings
without hesitation. 1 don't know how 1 could not miss you whenever 1 visit Venice
again. It seems that you will still be there waiting for me, waiting to tell me things at
which we can laugh together.
IX
Dedication
One thing that both of us agreed upon, was that there was another dimension
coexisting with ours, and that we will enter that dimension when we die. 1 hope you
will be waiting for me there to tell me we were right. The end of life is not an end
but the beginning of another life. That is the nature of this universe, isn't it?
1 will complete the book which 1 promised. Your death has made me understand
that 1 should value the rest of my life more, and try my best to share what 1 know
with others. Knowledge is an accumulation of many life times from coundess ages.
W电 should not let this knowledge die with us. If we let this happen, then we really
die; otherwise, we can continue to live forever.
Whenever 1 am discouraged, 1 will remember you. Whenever 1 am sad, 1 will
recall your smile and laughter. Whenever 1 am calm and spiritual, 1 will try to com
municate with you. 1 hope you will try the same on the other side until we meet
again. Good bye dear 丘iend.
Most sincerely yours,
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
July 24, 1995
x