Fire Water Air

[GOLDEN ARMOR]

Does anyone else use this method?

We use this a lot in our chi gong, drawing the fire from the earth, the water from the sky, the air then combining them & projecting the shield.

I've only been training a few weeks so I don't know too much about it. I've been doing mostly standing practice & different movements, etc.

Later on we learn the Static Three Elements form: combining the 3 forces of energy, forming the white light. projecting your force to move the straw with your finger.

Is this buddhist or taoist chi gong?

Is this method used by a certain type of chi gong system?

Also is this a good method of chi gong?

Thanx

[Repulsive Monkey]

It certainly doesn't sound like Taoist Qi gong, as they would rely on the 5-cycle method of elements i.e. Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.
In my understanding what you have desribed would not be in line with Taoist intruction as such unless its a deviation from other practices.
I always find that bringing Fire/heat elements into the body is not always a good idea, especially for people who already through unbalanced health already have heat aspects affecting them, this could certainly harm them or make their health even more worse.
However if your Matser you practice under is legit and knows what he/she is doing and knows that it is the right kind of practice for you then maybe its ok.
It sounds like it could be some kind of Buddhist Qi-gong but maybe there is someone else on this forum that can answer that question more fully then me, I don't know!!
If it is neither I would strongly reccomend you to fins out the origin of it as you want qi gong to make you better and not be injurous.

[backbreaker]

Hmmm. I don't know . I think it could be either. There might be some confusion in terms with words like "elements". You should find out and come back and tell us more about it . It's intersting that you consider earth the "fire" and sky "water" , because in many qigong's there is an idea of fire below and water above. Some methods have you visualise yourself sitting on a lotus leaf in a pond at your dantien, with a fire below the water making it boil. I have learned Budda methods which combine energies into a ray of white light and infinite lotus flowers. I've learned and seen several qigong styles which draw energy in through the bai hui point at the top of the head , and the points at the bottoms of the feet , and the energy is attracted to the solar plexus. Also using different palm changing methods with one hand facing up and one facing down

[bodhitree]

Fire is also often above water. Bring heart fire to mix with kidney water.

[Repulsive Monkey]

From a Taoist Qigong point of view Fire is always below water, as in the heat from the furnace that cooks up the cauldron of water and the steam that overflows it the idea of the qi circulating around the body and passing vital warmth to all corners of the body.
If it's fire under water then its a Taoist practise.

[GOLDEN ARMOR]

Sorry for taking so long i've been busy & thanks for your replies.

The fire is under the water, we draw the fire from the ground through the feet & we draw the water from the sky through the head. The fire is mixed & cooled by the water & the air is drawn in through the sides/elbows, the hands are in front of the dantien with the right palm over the left.

We do have a few of those palm changing methods with them facing each other. One method the palm on top goes into a kind of crane beak & draws upwards above ur head then compresses back down. This is done a few times then shortened & then with the other hand. The position then changes & done sideways, the fire water air is drawn to the palms & compressed while doing all this. Then sometimes we roll the ball with the palms always facing each other. This rolling the ball is also done in the form my friend showed me that one time.

We also do the rolling the ball exercise by itself a lot. My sifu showed us some cool applications for this, looked like some taichi, bagua type moves. He also started moving in all directions with this rolling. As i said before i only just started recently so i havn't gone to deep with all this.

Do u guys do this or heard of it?

[backbreaker]

Originally posted by GOLDEN ARMOR
the hands are in front of the dantien with the right palm over the left

[/B]

Good . Don't put your right under the left unless you want to be gay ( or unless you're a girl) Just a joke. One of my qigong teacher's favorite jokes

[manofkent]

I did ti-chi for a few weeks a yr ago and we did chi gong, which was a slow internal healing exersise. and the source od chi was the tantien

Now, in kung fu chi gong is fast and snappy, still with internal power, but not used for internal healing and the chi is drawn from the dantien.

why the diff????

[backbreaker]

This I think has to do with yin and yang, which is in every movement in taiji expanding and contracting, opening and closing. You neend gentle exersises which are yin, to build energy, and you also need fast powerful movements to develop a martial energy quality being yang. Collecting power and releasing power,

[blooming lotus]

Originally posted by Repulsive Monkey
From a Taoist Qigong point of view Fire is always below water, as in the heat from the furnace that cooks up the cauldron of water and the steam that overflows it the idea of the qi circulating around the body and passing vital warmth to all corners of the body.
If it's fire under water then its a Taoist practise.

Are you sure this exclusively daoist? I have same perspective/technique from ninjitsu which has roots in shaolin and I'm nearly sure I've read other buddhist texts with same.


Can we get a learned buddhist here?

[blooming lotus]

Originally posted by GOLDEN ARMOR


We also do the rolling the ball exercise by itself a lot. My sifu showed us some cool applications for this, looked like some taichi, bagua type moves. He also started moving in all directions with this rolling. As i said before i only just started recently so i havn't gone to deep with all this.

Do u guys do this or heard of it?

This is one of the first techiniques I picked up. I've been playing with it for about 15yrs..good for freestyling and the 1st and most effective technique I teach....

[backbreaker]

I know nothing at all about buddhism but I have learned Taoist wild goose qigong from my qigong teacher who learned the first 18 forms in hong kong from a student of Yang Meijun, and Damo gong that he learned in singapore from Chin chee ching . I've been doing these for over 6 years. I'll say that many things are the same in priciple, and some things are excactly identical-

- The second set of 9 movements in Damo gong involve bringing in the energy from the sky and universe into the bai hui point and down into the center energy path ( chong I beleive, in the center between the bai hui and huiyin) as a bright white or rainbow light breathing in with reverse breathing, breathe out black negative energy out the legs and feet into the ground. The differentiation of ground and sky energy is in taoist systems. Falun gong contains the 3rd exercise of 9 sets penetrating the cosmic extreme where the purpose is to open the bai hui and feet points to acheive this differentiation at the highest level.

- Many energy paths are exactly the same. An energy path that goes from the bai hui point at the top of the head down both sides of the head to the ears and down the sides of the neck and down the sides of the arms is in both styles.

- The chakras in both taoist and buddhist styles are generally the same. Surprisingly similar to me anyways. The root, dantien, solar plexus, heart chakra, throat chakra, peneal gland, third eye, bai hui, and also others are the same.

- The emphasis on balance of training the internal and external, as well as balancing the internal organs. At a qigong and taijiquan class being taught at an acupuncture/TCM school ( I wasn't going to the school, only the taijiquan class) I learned a buddhist 6 healing sounds qigong basically based on the 5 elements organs. I have heard there are taoist styles which also use 5 or 6 healing sounds based off the same organs. Balanced training for internal organs and energy paths is in both buddhist and daoist styles.

[blooming lotus]

About 6 mths ago, right about the time the falun gong scandal in China hit News I was was reading falun gong by li hong zhi....at the time I approached with an empty cup and found alot of GOOD cultivation techniques that took my iron skills to a whole crazy other level...however, as a ch'an buddhist, as you get deeper, there are condtradictions to buddhist philosophy and practice....that together with the fact I was in China and as condition of entry promised to obey the laws (which falun gong practice and cultivation is not)...(and yes..I'm a law abiding stiff ) so have since not practiced again...I will say for falun gong though, I have never, 15yrs of cultivation later experienced my qi in this capacity and as a result have a new level of awareness and function...now the challenge is to find and alternate route

Falun gong has many positives but as you get into more complicated cultivation...I really believe it important to have good yixing and of course xinxing as a prelim...good luck with your own