Originally Posted by
taai gihk yahn
because "qi" is a metaphor; it's not a distinct entity in the way light, heat, electricity, gravity, etc. are; however, these various phenommena are all aspects / manifestations of "qi" - "qi" is a means of getting a handle on the complex interactions of the various body systems; when u don't have the ability technoogically to say what is going on specificaly, when u hav no notion of the cell, blood chemistry, etc., u come up with a methodology that is based on macro-observation: pulse / tongue dx, palpation of other things, pt. history, appearance of the eyes, skin, etc. - then u take all of those and contextualize them metaphorically; acupunture works in context of this metaphorical architecture by stimulating the autonomic nervous system and the connective tissue system to push the body towards homeostasis - if u look at what acupuncture works for, u realize it's a form of constitutional medicine; it doesn't work on the same principles as tuina or herbal medicine - however, these approaches also influence "qi"; so use of the "qi" metaphor is not unique to acupunture; "qi" is, again, an amalgam - it's a metaphorical descriptor designed to be diagnostic, prognostic and predictive; if u disagree, go read Kaptchuk's Web That Has No Weaver, and u will emerge with a much more correct understanding of "qi"
ur argument is intrinsically faulty - u can't see gravity, but u can demonstrate objectively it to anyone at any time; "qi" OTOH cannot be demonstrated at all, it is a purely subjective experience
people can claim to see all sorts of things - this is why we differentiate between subjective experience and objective fact;
yes u can, and yes it is - "qi" is not exclusive to so-called "internal" - the function of the human organism in context of its environment is what "qi" describes - doing so-called "external" and biomechanics r all aspects / expressions of "qi"
this is the typical internalist conceit that internal / qi is somehow higher than / beyond simple "crude" biomechanics - it's part of the superiority mindset that Sun Lu Tang set up and validated when he made the distinction btw internal / external in his book.
ur assessment of "qi" is typical of those who hav not studied classical Taoist practice in any great depth;
those would also be made up - u shud do ur historical research a bit more thoroughly; the so-called taiji classic were serendipitously "discovered" by two of Yang Lu Chan's students (the Mo brothers) hidden in a salt shop; if u knew a little about Yang's level of literary education and his level of understanding regarding the theoretical end of what he taught, as well as that of the Mo brothers, u wouldn't take those writings as classics about anything
"basic' bio mechanics is probably more complex than u r aware of - have u even studied the topic at all?
If you want to put it under a microscope that is external stuff.