Quote Originally Posted by taai gihk yahn View Post
I think that part of the "mistake" is that for example, one can generate through intention certain physiological changes, such as enhancing blood flow to an area of the body, e.g. - the palm / fingers; having a lack of full understanding of what is going on, "ancient" cultures will describe these changes metaphorically - if my hand feels warmer and tingle / throbbing, then it seems like there is more "life", energy, etc. there, so therefore the thinking is that there is more "qi"; similarly, if my autonomic nervous system starts firing off in various ways as a result of certain meditative / breath / movement exercises, then likewise this will be attributed to "qi", f one has no notion of sympathetics, parasympathetics, their anatomical locations and their physiological functions; don't get me wrong, I;m not trying to be reductive and saying, "oh, it's just the nervous system, that's all" - far from it! one can describe things precisely and still be in awe of the "miracle" of their function, and appreciate the profundity of the complex dance that permeates out entire beings and the environment around us - but one doesn't need to coat it w something as vague and indirect as "qi";
Yes, people mistake a symbolic representation for a fixed description and then become trapped in the chains of their own making!