AN INVISIBLE RIVER

In the Oriental Tradition, Meditation Can Detect the Elusive Energy-Flows that Sustain the Body

In order to understand the East Asian idea of the body, particularly that of the Chinese and Japanese, we must imagine that instead of having a body, we are our body –and more importantly, that our body lives us. The East Asian tradition also recognizes a dimension of being that escapes our everyday understanding.

The idea of the body which has been cherished in the East Asian tradition is based on the philosophy of self-cultivation, derived mainly from experience obtained through meditation. A characteristic image of the East Asian meditational perspective is that of the “flowing body.” The body is likened to a river whose water is, ideally, in pristine condition and transparent but cannot be seen by the naked eye. It can, however, be detected through heightened awareness during meditation.

When the threshold of self-consciousness is lowered in conjunction with the reduction of respiration, an advanced meditator can become aware of a subtle flow of energy throughout his or her body. This energy, which is called ki in Japanese (qi, in Chinese) is the source from which both the psychological and the physiological emerge.

Ki-energy flows through a network of circuits, or “Ki-meridians,” beneath the skin. According to psychologist Motoyama Hiroshi, this network is located in the water-rich area of the connective tissues of the dermis, the deep inner layer of the skin. Ki-energy literally flows beneath the psycho-physiological body of which we are ordinarily aware.

The flowing body knows no boundary between the interior and exterior, between mind and matter. For this reason, acupuncture medicine maintains that absorption and release of ki-energy occurs, unconsciously, between the flowing body and its surroundings, as well as between one flowing body and another.

The second idea of the body which is relevant for religious healing within the East Asian tradition is that of the spirit-body. Each human spirit-body has a certain form which is different from that of the individual’s physical body and also from other spirit bodies. It is defined by the pattern of emotions such as love, hate and anger, and their existential repercussions. Whereas the flowing body is confined to the immediate ambiance of its physical body, the spirit-body is believed to possess relative freedom from spatial and temporal confinement.

The most significant point about these different ideas of the body is that the “visible” and “invisible” aspects are, in principle, reversible. Without this reversibility, no religious healing is possible.

The crucial difference between religious healing and other kinds of healing is in their respective goals. In religious healing, a pathological condition is regarded as a necessary step on the way to spiritual growth. The pathological condition that calls for religious healing is functional in nature and not an organic disorder.

Acupuncture medicine is particularly effective in treating both functional and chronic disease. It considers that a pathological condition is engendered by the stagnation of ki-energy flowing in the meridians. The “water” in the flowing body becomes polluted, accumulates debris, and departs from its natural pristine condition.

Three factors may contribute to this stagnation: (1) a psychological condition brought about by emotional instability; (2) environmental conditions, especially climatic conditions, and (3) our attitude towards our health, including such factors as irregular lifestyles, negligence, and exhaustion.

Another category of healing involves the manipulation of the flowing body and the spirit-body by means of visualization or image-experience. Religious healing in Daoism, Buddhism, and to some extent, Shintoism, uses visualization techniques. A general feature of visualization is to learn to experience a “sacred” image, initially by creating it within one’s psyche. This psychological approach, based on the curative effect an image can have on the body, is employed because a religious image carries transformative power.

Another kind of religious healing in the East Asian tradition is the Kharmic reconfiguration of the ripe, kharmic body. This is predicated on an Indian belief that a human being comes into this world in virtue of his / her own kharma, and dies in virtue of the same. This kind of healing, however, is reserved only for the “god-men,” or those who have achieved the highest enlightenment (satori), by transcending the temporal demarcation.

In summary, the philosophical background to the idea of the body and healing in the East Asian tradition is that human beings inhabit the world of nature with other living beings. By transforming their everyday mode of consciousness, they can become one with the creative activity of nature and awaken in themselves a natural healing power.

(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)

Qigong for Optimum Health

The word Qigong is a new term established in the 1950’s by Dr. Guizheng Liu who founded the Beidaihe Quigong Institute in 1956. The actual practice of Qigong dates back to at least 5000 years to its conception under different names.

The work Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is composed of two concepts: Qi means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and gong means the skill of working with, or time for cultivating, self-discipline and achievement or mastery.

The word Qi originated from ancient Chinese philosophy, which holds that the Qi is the foundational substance of the universe, and all the phenomena are produced by the changes and movement of Qi. In ancient China, Qi was thought to be the basic elements of the entire universe.

Although the word Qigong was first used by a Chinese Daoist monk in 300 BC, the word was not mentioned again until the early 19th century in a chapter called Qigong Supplementary of a book titled Yuan He Pin. Special Therapy for Tuberculosis – Qigong Therapy, written by Donghao. It was in the 1950s when Liu Guizeng wrote and published a book called Practice in Qigong Therapy that Qigong was given a full explanation and recognized as a formal name instead of various terms.

In Practice in Qigong Therapy, Qi was identified as breath, while gong means “continuous regulation of breathing and postures.” In light of medical knowledge, different styles of Qigong exercise have been created and studied, and the efficacy in curing diseases and preservation of health proven. Qigong therapy has become more widely accepted and has enjoyed popularity throughout the country.

The distinctive features of Qigong are the following:

Qigong is an exercise based upon the ancient Chinese philosophy of at least two aspects. One is that the framework of Qigong originated from philosophy, rather than different schools of religion. Secondly, the methodology on Qigong is different from modern science on which the biomedical model is still based.

Qigong is characterized by its unique method mainly based on a triple coordination of body, breath, and mind activity, all of which the orderly training of mental activity is the core part assisted by the body adjustment and breathing exercises.

The aim of Qigong practice is the optimal state and waking up the potential abilities of human beings. The optimal state is defined as the “pre-natal” state.

In ancient China, Qigong masters divided the mind into two different types: the post-natal mind and the pre-natal spirit. The characteristics of the post-birth mind are extroverted, scattered, and disordered. The prenatal spirit, on the other hand, is highly ordered and harmonized to keep our life process in a homeostatic condition.

The mind regulation of the Qigong practitioner involves the procedural training from the post-birth mind to the prenatal spirit by slightly concentrating within, or upon a single object, proceeding from the many to the one. As the prenatal mind is awoken, the prenatal Qi would be cultivated, bringing about an optimal state. Practitioners can use this state for different purposes, including maintaining health, treating illness, and promoting vitality and spiritual awareness and insight.

(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )

CAN ARTISTS REALLY HEAL THEMSELVES THROUGH ART?

Anyone who has been under anesthesia knows the peculiar feeling of emerging from its effects – the heavy lifting from an imposed unconsciousness, the strange struggle to reorient yourself.
But this happens not only in the recovery room. It takes place in the art studio too. Plunging into work, artists are “going under” in a way. They succumb to creative ether. Many say they lose track of time and place amidst their brushes, pencils, and tubes. They enter another state of consciousness. And when they are done for the day, and emerge from their creative cocoons, something has changed. And often that transformation does not just happen on the surface of the canvas, but within the artist themselves.

What happens when artists are faced with illness? Does their artmaking help them heal automatically? Is it just a momentary escape from their physical problems, or does something deeper happen?

Art did not grant immunities for artists like Deryl Mackie suffering from AIDS.
Deryl Mackie woke from a sudden brain seizure, his doctors said. But far more serious, they had discovered that he was HIV positive. That was 10 years ago. The painter and former curator of fine art at the Afro-American Museum in Philadelphia says, “I’m still here, thank God.” But the years since then haven’t been easy. Mackie explained that his diagnosis caused a certain kind of sudden isolation. In this environment of isolation, Mackie’s work, always an important part of his life, has become even more vital. He said “It becomes more important because it’s the one thing that won’t forsake me. Now, at age 50, I’ve suddenly realized that my art is the one thing that has been consistently wonderful.” Mackie said his work has evolved. It has become more personal, more biographical, more about how he feels about life.

Ken Ruffin, another artist, went into the hospital for a simple exploratory procedure, expecting to be home by the next afternoon. But during the procedure, his intestines were punctured. As a result, he spent three months in the hospital and had to undergo five major surgeries. For months after, he could barely walk. When he and his family moved from Atlanta to Las Vegas, he started taking a few pictures of the landscape. He stated, “I was using my eyes and seeing things in a different light than I had before,” he says. “I think that I’m seeing the details of life,” he says. “Just doing these photos gives me a relaxed feeling, an expressive feeling, a healing feeling. I’m expressing the beauty that is in nature, and it makes me feel better inside which is healing me.”

(Summarized from the INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OR AFRICAN ART, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2000, pp 3-15. © published by the Hampton University Museum)

FORMS OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN HOLISTIC HEALING

A Harvard University study found that Americans spent $27 billion on alternative treatments and made more than 600 million visits to complementary health practitioners (compared to 368 million visits to their primary care physicians) - an increase of almost 50 percent since 1990. Many individuals visiting these complementary health practitioners were looking for holistic healing modalities that take comprehensive treat the entire human system, not just the physical body.

Holistic healing also targets subtle bodies and the life force of chi. There are numerous holistic healing modalities. Some use substances in their therapies, and others work on different parts of the body to promote healing and well-being. These modalities include: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Qigong, Chiropractic, Chromotherapy, Crystal/Gemstone therapy, Flower remedies, Herabalism, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Visualization and Yoga.

A few of the most common and accepted holistic practices in the West today are Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Yoga. Chiropractic involves manually adjusting the spine - and in some cases other parts of the skeletal system, to alleviate pain.

Acupuncture uses fine needles to activate and balance Chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body's meridians to remove blockages and restore the flow of energy through the body.

Yoga combines physical movement and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health. The most popular form of Yoga in the United States is “Hatha” which involves holding various postures or asanas to strengthen the body, increase balance and improve flexibility.


(THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63. Reprinted with permission by the author: Skye Alexander.)

New Government Study Reveals Prayer as a Major Part of Complementary and Alternative Therapies

According to a nationwide government survey, 36% of U.S. adults aged 18 years of age and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. With the inclusion of prayer for health reasons, 62% of Americans utilize CAM.

The survey, administered to 31,000 representative U.S. adults, was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (HNIS). The survey included questions on 27 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the United States.

The study showed that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their own hands. The survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of population groups, including women; the highly educated; those recently hospitalized; and former smokers. The study was also the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM use by minorities.

Among the 10 most commonly used CAM therapies, prayer was used more often than all other CAM therapies combined. There were three therapies relating to prayer: Prayer for one’s own health; prayer by others for the respondent; and participation in a prayer group for one’s own health.

43% of respondents used prayer for their own health, 24% had prayer by others, and 10% participated in a prayer group for their own health. Right behind the use of prayer was the use of natural products, such as herbs and enzymes, which accounted for 19% of use. Other therapies included deep breathing exercises (12%); meditation (8%); chiropractic care (8%); yoga (5%); massage (5%) and diet-based therapies (such as Atkins, Pritikin and others) (4%).

Regarding specific populations using CAM, it was found that African American adults were more likely than white or Asian adults to use CAM when megavitamin therapy and prayer were included in the definition of CAM.

The survey results revealed new patterns of CAM use among various population groups, and provide a rich source of data for future research.
(Summary of NIH News Release, May 27, 2004; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Are Some Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies Just Based on “Magic”?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (November 11, 1998), American’s use of homeopathic preparations more than doubled between 1990 and 1997 (Eisenberg et al. 1998). Most homeopathic texts are careful to emphasize homeopathy’s limitations and to advise consultation with a physician if symptoms persist. However, most texts insist that homeopathy accords with proven principles of science, citing its basis on experimentation, principles of vaccination, and discoveries in symptomatology and immunology, and the body’s reactions to physical and emotional stressors.

For those that study alternative and complementary medicine, homeopathy is one of several alternative therapies that use “magical” principles. The terms “magic” and “magical” have a wide range of meanings, but there are five basic principles that drive ritual practices, and these are similar among all peoples in the world, in all stages of recorded history.

These five principles include: (1) forces in nature separate from those measured in science, (2) power – the belief that the forces, and everything else is energized by a mystical power, (3) a coherent interconnected cosmos – where everything is actually or potentially interconnected, (4) symbols – the words, thoughts, things or actions that represent other things and can take on the qualities of things they represent; and (5) Frazer’s principles, in which he identifies two types of sympathetic magic.

Sir James George Frazer, in his book The Golden Bough, from early part of the 20th century, describes the two types of sympathetic magic: “Homeopathic magic” that works according to the “law of similarity” – things that resemble other things or actions have a causal connection, and “contagious magic” which obeys the “law of contact” - things that have been either in physical or spatial or temporal contact with other things retain that connection after they are separated.

The fundamental principle of Homeopathy’s founder, Samuel Hahnemann is “let likes cure likes.” This is an explicit expression of a magical principle. The allegedly active ingredients in homeopathic treatments were “proved” effective against a particular disease when they produced in healthy people symptoms similar to those caused by the disease. Hahnemann was aware that his theories might be relegated to the realm of “mere magic,” and he sought to explain homeopathy’s effects by reference to established science of the time. Hahnemann’s appeal then, and today, was enhanced because he was a well-educated physician and made legitimate criticisms of certain practices of his day. However, three fundamental principles of magic are involved in homeopathy: similarity, power and contact.

For now, the best explanation for claimed successes with homeopathic cures – assuming the original ailment was clinically genuine are: (1) as they are completely inert, homeopathic remedies allow nature to run its course, and / or (2) the placebo effect, which currently is the subject of renewed interest to medical research.

Other “alternative” and “New Age” beliefs also fall in the realm of “magic.” One of these is the belief in Crystals. Crystals have long been believed to contain concentrated power. Also, the magical healing of colors seems universal. Studies of how people take pills point to a preponderance of individuals over the ages willing to take red pills over white pills because of the expected benefits of the color.

Some of the most highly educated scholars believe that there are real connections in the universe – between the symbol and the referent, and that potentially measurable power flows between them.

Dr. Elisabeth Targ stunned the scholarly community when she received two million dollars in funds to study “distance healing.” Methods in her 1998 study, as reported in the Western Journal of Medicine (Sicher et al., 1998) involved forty American “experienced distance healers” from several different religious traditions. They were each given “five subject information packets” containing personal data of those they were to “heal.” Healers were instructed to open their packets on certain dates and “to work on the assigned subject for approximately one hour per day, for six consecutive days with an instruction to ‘direct an intention for health and well-being.’ to the subject. We recognize that this modern test of healing involved at least four of the classic principles of magical thinking: power, interconnections in nature, symbols, and similarity.

(Summarized from the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Nov/Dec 2001 pp32-37; Article by Phillips Stevens, Jr. – used by permission of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Amherst, NY.)