“Some people can bend spoons using their mind but this is not the aim of Qigong.”
Someone asked me what is the higher level of Qigong…is it when a person can fly, heal thousands of people or use the mind to bend metal? I said that high level Qigong is not any of these things. It is to be healthy and live longer. There are some people who, after practising Qigong for a while are able to heal people and see things with their Sky Eye that other people can not see. There are also people who are able to bend spoons using their mind but this is not the aim of practising Qigong. The aim is to be healthy and when you are healthy, of course, you can live longer.
Somebody else asked me why do we need to live longer? Because when we live longer, we then have more time to enjoy our life and do the things we want because we are healthy. If someone plans to obtain their doctorate degree, say in chemistry, do you think they need to be healthy in order to study? If someone plans to be very successful in business, do you think they need to be healthy to achieve their goal? Practising Qigong does not only make us healthy, it also makes our mind more clear and with a healthy body, you can carry on to reach your goals. During the practice of Qigong, there are two parts to train. Daoism says, “Character and life development,” and this is the same as in the West which says, “Body and mind development.” The practice of Qigong should be able to heal all kinds of illness and disease, however, today we have so many diseases that humans never had, like AIDS. Qigong definitely can help people not to rely so much on medication, but this is based on regular and steady practice. Particularly in the nature and fresh air. For general illnesses and injuries, you should be able to help yourself without seeing a doctor if you practise Qigong
Once when I was travelling, I twisted my ankle and it hurt a great deal and was swollen. If I had followed the Western way, I should have rested the ankle, not using it in order to let it recover. However, this is not my way. I gently kept walking for the next half an hour. In the end, everything went back to normal and I was okay. This is because I understand the Qigong principle, moving can heal the problem. I knew that I should be able to heal the problem myself. To me this represents a good level of Qigong.
When I first came to England, I began to suffer from hayfever for the first time in my life. Maybe my body was not used to this kind of pollen but if I had listened to the Western thinking, I would avoid going outside or in the countryside or even take medicine to relieve the symptoms. However, I did not. I still went out to practise everyday in the park with all kings of plants. Although I suffered in the beginning, every year the problem gets less and less. My body’s immune system is getting stronger and now the hayfever lasts only a short while and I believe that eventually the problem will go altogether. The higher level of practising Qigong means that you should be able to help yourself in all kind of illnesses, all kind of injuries. You might not be able to recover 100%, but you should be able to handle it as much as you can. You can then go anywhere and do what you need to achieve your goal and so even when you are 100 years old you can still enjoy your life, eat what you want and travel where you like.
