From Gary W. Abersold (Qigong Healing Centre): Below is a post that Master Yang has asked to be circulated to as many people that all connected to his teaching know. Many might not now that I studied with Master Yang when he had his school in Jamaica Plains Ma. for many years. My focus was the White Crane System,Tai Chi Chuan and his Massage Healing Traditions. Please share if you like its a excellent piece, which is so timely.
The Coronavirus Crisis – A Time for Us to Awaken
by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, YMAA CA Retreat Center, 3/18/2020
April 6, 2020
The human body was made to move and to
exercise. It is the reason we have so many different muscles and joints.
At the most basic level, movement and exercise will help your blood
move, facilitating nourishment, repair, and energy circulation (Qì) in
all of your body’s cells. The body functions most efficiently when this
circulation is happening, and it is the foundation for a strong immune
system.This article republished with permission. The views are those of its author.
Editorial note: The main point of this article is
that in the big picture, we (humans) are relying on modern medicine to
keep us from becoming ill. Whether you agree with the author or not, ask
yourself “are we becoming naturally stronger or naturally weaker?”
Introduction
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is a startling wake-up call to the
entire human race. Although advances in science have enabled us to live
more comfortably and conveniently than ever before, they have also
caused us to rely too much on external remedies for our health and
well-being. Nowadays, we often hide behind a wall of technology and
chemicals to get better. Our natural immune systems have become
unnaturally weak and compromised as a result. We have become
“greenhouse” people, seemingly unable to survive without the high-tech
amenities and drugs that have become so commonplace in today’s world. In
the process, we have been changing nature on a global scale. Now, we
must face the consequences and brace ourselves for the challenges that
lay ahead. Our current ways of living do not show any signs of imminent
change. Material and energy pollution will continue to change the
environment in ways we do not expect and are unprepared for, ultimately
presenting the most difficult challenges to us, to nature, and to all
other life on this planet.
Today we are finding that viruses are still periodically winning the
battle over modern medicine, despite all of the great strides we have
made in medical research. Viruses have evolved and become much deadlier
than what they used to be. Meanwhile, our own capability to adapt and
evolve, as these viruses have, has become stagnant because of the very
environment we created in order to live a safer and more comfortable
life. We need to make our immune system stronger, to try to keep up with
pathogenic evolution. In ancient times, maintaining our health was much
more imperative, given the absence of modern science. While overall
life expectancy in the past was not as high as today, the average person
was more adapted to a rougher and less merciful world. Our modern
lifestyles have made us detached and ignorant of nature’s condition, and
as a result, we fell behind in evolving together with it.
Our Disconnect from Nature
The nature of humans contradicts, damages, and even alters the nature
of the world we live in, not to mention the nature of the human body.
Our habits and beliefs seem to encourage and promote a desensitized,
incomplete understanding of nature. Time and time again, we are
surprised and taken off guard by how nature responds. Natural disasters
are a prime example. We are perhaps most familiar with natural disasters
such as earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, etc.
Diseases should also be included in this list, as they are very much a
part of nature as well.
People with a higher level of awareness tend to have a better
survival rate. They are the ones who take decisive actions in trying to
prevent or entirely avoid disasters before they happen. Many of those
who ignore warning signs or are incapable of making the necessary
changes in their lives unfortunately often succumb to nature and perish.
Before the time of such large urbanized environments and societies, I
believe there was a greater pressure and urgency for us to develop and
maintain this awareness. We have been increasingly distancing ourselves
from nature over the past few centuries, ultimately making us ignorant
of nature’s condition.
Humans have also strayed from nature because of war. Many of the wars
and mass killings in our history were a direct result of the societal
matrix that we ourselves have created. This matrix has no place in
nature. It is the matrix that locks us into the bondage and dogmas of
glory, dignity, power, wealth, desire, etc. We have been killing,
conquering, enslaving, abusing, and taking advantage of each other for
thousands of years, and sadly it still continues today, just in a less
conspicuous way. The 21st century is truly the time to break free from
this unnatural, corrupted pattern of behavior. We have focused too much
of our attention and resources on developing the material sciences.
Spirituality has been ignored. The time to change is now very crucial,
because our wars today carry the threat of nuclear devastation.
Modern Medicine as a Supplement, Not a Replacement
Modern medicine has literally replaced some of our inherent abilities
to survive in nature. Our abilities diminished over time because there
was no longer a need to maintain them. Advances in medicine have
resulted in a very successful pharmaceutical industry, one that allows
us to shortcut solutions and continue neglecting our body’s natural
survival mechanisms. The human body was not meant to be this passive. If
we keep hiding ourselves behind this wall of modern medicine, then we
will only continue to weaken.
Of course, we should continue researching and developing medical
science to better face the unknowns of the new oncoming era, but we must
also recognize that we should not and cannot rely on it completely. The
environment is becoming more and more complex, and it will likely
result in a day where modern medicine alone cannot overcome a disease.
Our vulnerability as a race will become ever much more apparent then. It
is hard to predict exactly how the environment will change due to the
constant flow of pollution and new contaminants that humans keep
introducing into nature. This includes artificial energy created from
cell phone radiation, satellite technology, and light pollution, as well
as material waste generated from manufacturing, power plants, and
nonbiodegradable products. Viruses have evolved to a point where they
occasionally still conquer both the environment and modern medicine. We
must give ourselves the chance to evolve as well, to give ourselves
another line of defense behind modern medicine.
At the most basic level, movement and exercise will help your
blood move, facilitating nourishment, repair, and energy circulation
(Qì) in all of your body’s cells. The body functions most efficiently
when this circulation is happening, and it is the foundation for a
strong immune system.
The human body was made to move and to exercise. It is the reason we
have so many different muscles and joints. At the most basic level,
movement and exercise will help your blood move, facilitating
nourishment, repair, and energy circulation (Qì) in all of your body’s
cells. The body functions most efficiently when this circulation is
happening, and it is the foundation for a strong immune system. We move
less now, due to the development of machines and modern transportation.
Exercise has become more of a hobby, pastime, or luxury when in fact, it
should be a daily necessity. Good health is often paired with an active
lifestyle. The Chinese have long talked about Qì and the importance of
Qìgōng for countless generations. Qìgōng is the traditional and most
natural way to condition and strengthen our physical and mental bodies,
and consequently, also our immune system. There is no mystery behind
Qìgōng. At its core, Qìgōng is about the movement and circulation of
energy. In fact, any form of exercise can be considered Qìgōng. Qìgōng
was developed through thousands of years of experience, in accordance
with nature and the human design. Eventually, the purpose for practicing
Qìgōng became not just about health, but also spiritual cultivation. I
believe reemphasizing the importance of Qìgōng practice will be central
to regaining and utilizing the full potential and resiliency of our
body’s original inner defense system. We must do more in educating each other on how to maintain and
condition the immune system, and to establish a regular routine for
self-maintenance and practice.
Qìgōng is the traditional and most natural way to condition and
strengthen our physical and mental bodies, and consequently, also our
immune system.
A Stronger Push for Data
Qìgōng, Tai Chi, Yoga, and other related disciplines are now
recognized by more and more people as viable methods for improving
health and the overall quality of life. These activities often involve
exercise or movement, and a deliberate, focused use of the mind. The key
is in the mind. We can make our immune systems stronger from the
inside-out and depart from using drugs and technology to cure us from
the outside-in. I hope to see more support for scientific research
geared towards gathering the data we need to explain why these methods
work. Although many white papers have already been published on various
studies in these areas, I believe they are still too often overshadowed
by Western medicine—what most people tend to find more convenient and
believable. But many studies produced inconclusive results and require
further experimentation and analysis. We are still missing the data to
decisively prove or disprove certain theories.
My wish is to see governments, local leaders, universities, and those
with the financial means to step up and encourage, promote, publicize,
and demystify those Qìgōng secrets and ancient practice methods that can
have the biggest health impacts on the world today. Recruiting the
right instructors and professionals to teach, monitor, and run these
studies is an important key to making this happen properly.
Unfortunately, maintaining a consistent standard, especially in
controlled studies, can be difficult because of the widespread confusion
and misinformation about what Qìgōng is about and how to practice.
There must be a more unified effort in pushing for better and more
consistent data. I want to see Qìgōng proven as scientifically sound. As
we gather more data, I believe we will likely be able to develop
technology to manipulate Qì and even correct energy imbalances in the
body.
I believe reemphasizing the importance of Qìgōng practice will be
central to regaining and utilizing the full potential and resiliency of
our body’s original inner defense system. We must do more in educating
each other on how to maintain and condition the immune system, and to
establish a regular routine for self-maintenance and practice.
Summary
Due to the rapid development of drugs and technology, we have been
ignoring and downplaying the importance of maintaining a strong immune
system for far too long. While we are developing modern medicine, we
should not forget to also develop our own immune system. Modern medicine
can serve as an effective barrier against many diseases and ailments,
but history has shown us that it can and will still have limitations in
the future. As viruses have continued to evolve into stronger variants
of themselves, our own immune system defenses have conversely become
depleted over time and overly dependent.
We should thoroughly examine the ancient knowledge of traditional
methods and practices that are now available to us—experience, study,
research, and experiment with them—to see what possibilities there are
to revive our inner capabilities of natural defenses. I believe they are
as important, if not more, than our current system of medical science.
In cases where modern medicine falls short or is delayed, as is the
present case with COVID-19, at least we will not be as susceptible to
worst-case scenarios. The coronavirus crisis has made it very clear to
us that human health will always be a global concern. We all live in the
same environment. We are all a part of the same race. We all need to
work together to effect a change.
Author Notes
I will be following this article with another titled
The Scientific Foundation of the Ancient Chinese Secret of Youth,
which will focus on the details of how you can rebuild your inner
energy core and boost your immune system. My goal is to help you
comprehend the scientific theory behind how the immune system works and
highlight how ancient methods of practice can maximize its potential.
If you would like to share these articles with others, please feel
free to link, repost, or translate them. It is my hope that the entire
human race will unite and rise up to nature’s challenge.
*** If we wake up now, together, we can still make ourselves stronger and create a more sustainable future. ***
