1. To Calm the Mind and Steady the Energy, First Take a Single Breath:

    In modern times, Qigong always seems to be cloaked in a veil of mystery. Whenever the topic of Qigong
    comes up, people tend to associate it with "energy healing," and even supernatural abilities, such that the
    average person has no way of grasping what it really is. People tend to either view qigong as a set of
    unfathomably deep and complex esoteric techniques, or else as some kind of misguided cult activity that
    must be renounced. As a result, many scientists and educated individuals try to use words or experiments
    to prove that qigong does not really exist at all. If this were true, however, then why would Chinese culture
    viewed qigong as a treasure for millennia and why have Chinese martial arts styles consistently viewed it as
    the highest level of training? Those who say that "science is always right," have actually betrayed the original
    spirit of science, since science itself is a system of trial and error which has made many mistakes in the past.
    However, the greatest part about science is its ability to recognize errors and use them as a means to continue
    the search for truth. Therefore, science has always respected the principle that one cannot simply deny
    something's existence because it resists identification or categorization by current scientific knowledge.
    After all, the realm of science is limitless. It builds on mistakes to make new progress. When looking at the
    current state of the Chinese cultural treasure of qigong, we must admit that it is also making mistakes.
    Not only that, the mistakes it makes are going down increasingly outrageous paths. When dealing with this
    cultural treasure, why can't we adopt this same scientific attitude? Rather than viciously debating how
    everyone else's qigong is wrong, it would be better for us all to take a deep breath, regain our centers
    and reexamine the true meaning of qigong.

    Perhaps we are in doubt as to exactly what type of person should practice qigong. Many practitioners of
    Chinese martial arts quote the saying "practicing boxing without practicing gong will leave you with nothing
    in old age," as a reason they should practice qigong. It makes sense and is a good reason to practice.
    Some others say, "my child's constitution is weak, therefore he should learn qigong to strengthen it."
    This is logical and the child should practice.  Still others say, "I'm starting to get old, so I should practice
    qigong to liven up my years and live a bit longer." This is also a good reason to practice. Though it is less
    than ideal to wait until you're getting old to practice, some practice is still better than none. Since we have all
    these reasons to practice, let's get to it! Thus, some many martial practitioners sit in their horse stances,
    flare their nostrils and suck their breath in and out forcefully, painfully pushing through what they call "qigong."
    Others join a group of early-risers, learning to dance or perform some Taiji movements, all of them saying
    that they're "working with their qi." It seems to encompass everything. They're all moving and they're
    all breathing, can you really say for certain that they aren't qigong? After all, no one's ever died from
    breathing too much, right? Their methods of transmission are often full of fanciful vocabulary, giving one
    the feeling of having entered into a real martial arts novel, dazzling the practitioner to the point they lose
    their perspective.

    Does sitting in the horse stance involve qi?  Does practicing aerobic dance involve qi?  What about
    mountain-climbing and jogging?  What about the Taiji we see people slowly performing in the park?
    Of course these exercises do involve qi. After all, since the time you were born you’ve been breathing and
    must continue to breath—is it possible for them not to use qi?  However, to say that all these exercises are
    qigong or that they are even related to qigong is taking it too far. Can we really call getting up early,
    using the restroom, stretching our muscles and taking a few deep breaths "qigong"? If we are going to call
    sitting in a horse stance, aerobic dancing, mountain, climbing, jogging and the aerobic Taiji people do in large
    groups in the park "qigong," then I'm afraid we'll have to call using the restroom "qigong" too!

    In order to get at the question of whether real qigong still exists in this world, we first need to understand
    what real qigong is. Then, you can determine on that basis whether what you consider to be qigong really
    exists or not. Otherwise, qigong will be nothing more than empty noun to you, like some "special tonic"
    a snake-oil peddler uses to fool himself and others.

    Nowadays, it is very difficult for a real "qigong master" to emerge. This is because the basic internal
    and external environment necessary for deep qigong practice has been greatly undermined by many
    of the circumstances, attitudes and even education of modern times. Because of the loss of the proper
    circumstances, modern qigong has run into many layers of difficulty and confusion. What many people
    lack are the right circumstances. Since beginning qigong practice in a rote memory fashion as a child,
    I've been working on it for over forty years and yet still consider myself to be in the learning process.
    I still don't dare say I truly "understand" it. It's not that I'm trying to sound humble, but rather that the field
    of qigong is truly profound such that the more I practice, the deeper it seems to become and the more
    I realize the depth of my own ignorance. How dare I say "I understand," when I'm still in transit on the
    road myself?

    What is qigong?  What does the training process really look like?  Is your current understanding of the
    term really what qigong is all about?  Or does it draw heavily on the world of martial arts novels for its
    inspiration?  The object of real qigong is real results; while that in martial arts novels seems to be to make
    you different from normal people. In martial arts fictions, the white-haired master with a youthful face
    is certainly a beautiful representation of qigong mastery;  but in reality, white hair is an indication that the
    scalp isn't receiving enough blood flow and nutrition, representing the gradual decline of the body's vigor.
    In stories, masters inject patients with their powerful qi to cure disease and move the plot, but in real life
    you have to depend on your own diligent practice before you can heal yourself.  Novels and real life are
    two totally different worlds. By trying to connect the two, you may be able to provide yourself with a few
    pleasant illusions, but you won't achieve any substantive results.

    To understand the reality of qigong is not something that can be covered in one chapter. In installations
    to come I will explore the reality of qigong in detail and from various angles.  I want to emphasize again,
    however, that I'm no "qigong master," and that it is very unlikely for a true "qigong master" to appear
    in our modern environment.  The best I can do is share my experiences studying qigong these forty-some
    years in hopes of getting closer to the truth of qigong.