Post by Blake on Dec 28, 2005 18:50:47 GMT -5
Some of you may have already read this. I just wanted to make it a sticky post here because I think it's pretty profound.
This is in a new qi gong book I am reading. I hadn't heard much about "religious qi gong" before reading this, but it seems I've ended up practicing it without knowing it. I copied this straight out of the book so I could share it.
Shen
It is very difficult to find an English word to exactly express Shen. As in so many other cases, the context determines the translation. Shen can be translated as spirit, god, immortal, soul, mind, divine and supernatural.
When you are alive, Shen is the spirit which is directed by your mind. When your mind is not steady it is said “Xin Shen Bu Ning”, which means “the (emotional) mind and spirit are not peaceful”. The average person can use his emotional mind to energize and stimulate his Shen to a higher state, but at the same time he must restrain his emotional mind with his wisdom mind (Yi). If his Yi can control the Xin, the mind as a whole will be concentrated and the Yi will be able to govern the Shen. When someone’s Shen is excited however, it is not being controlled by the Shen so we say “Shen Zhi Bu Qing”, which means “the spirit and the will (generated from Yi) are not clear”. In qi gong it is very important it is very important for you to train your wisdomYi to control your Xin effectively. In order to reach this goal, Buddhists and Taoists train themselves to be free of emotions. Only in this way are they able to build a strong Shen which is completely under their control.
When you are healthy you are able to use your Yi to protect your Shen and keep it at it’s residence: the Upper Dan Tian. Even when your Shen is energized, it is still controlled. However, when you are very sick or near death, your Yi becomes weak and your shen will leave it’s residence and wander around. When you are dead your Shen separates completely from the physical body. It is then called a “Hun” or “soul”. Often the term “Shen Hun” is used, since Hun originated with the Shen. Sometimes “Shen Hun” is also used to refer to the spirit of a dying person since his spirit is between “Shen” and “Hun”.
The Chinese believe that when your Shen reaches a higher and stronger state, you are able to sense and feel more sharply, and your mind is more clever and inspired. The world of living human beings is usually considered a Yang world, and the spiritual world after death is considered a Yin world. It is believed that when your Shen has reached this higher sensitive state, you can transcend your mind’s normal capacity. Ideas beyond you’re your usual grasp can be understood and controlled, and you may develop the ability to top sense or even communicate with the Yin world. This supernatural Shen is called “Ling”. “Ling” is commonly used by the Chinese to describe someone who is sharp, clever, nimble, and able to quickly empathize with people and things. It is believed that when you die this supernatural Shen will not die with your body right away. It is this supernatural Shen (Ling) which still holds your energy together as a “ghost” or “Gui”. Therefore, a ghost is also called “Ling Gui” meaning “spiritual ghost” or “Ling Hun” meaning “spiritual soul”.
You can see by the above discussion that Ling is the supernatural part of the spirit. It is believed that is this supernatural spiritual soul is strong enough, it will live for a long time after the physical body is dead and have plenty of opportunity to reincarnate. Chinese people believe that if a person has reached this stage of enlightenment or Buddhahood when he is alive, after he dies this supernatural spirit will leave the cycle of reincarnation and live forever. These spirits are called “Shen Ming”, which means “spiritually enlightened beings”, or simply “Shen”, which here implies that the spirit has become divine. Normally, if you die and your supernatural spiritual soul is not strong, your spirit only has a short time to search for a new residence in which to be reborn before it’s energy disperses. In this case, the spirit is called “Gui”, which means “ghost”.
***Buddhists and Taoists believe that when you are alive you can use your Jing and Qi to nourish the Shen (Yang Shen) and make your Ling strong. When this “Ling Shen” us built up to a high level, your will is able to lead it to separate from the physical body even while you are alive. When you have reached this stage, your physical body is able to live for many hundreds of years. People who can do this are called “Xian”, which means “immortal” or “fairy”. Since “Xian” originated with the Shen, the Xian is sometimes called “Shen Xian”, which means “immortal spirit”. The “Xian” is a living person whose Shen has reached this stage of enlightenment or Buddhahood. After his death, his spirit will be called “Shen Ming”.
The foundation of Buddhist and Taoist qi gong training is to firm your Shen, nourish it, and grow it until it is mature enough to separate from your physical body. In order to do this, a qi gong practitioner must know where the Shen resides, and how to keep, protect, nourish, and train it. It is also essential for you to know the root or origin of your Shen.***
----Later the section also states that strong shen means stron qi and is the key to longevity.
I like how it not onlu explains the relationship between astral projection and energy training, but also explains why sickly people like Muldoon and Turvey were so good at projection.
This is in a new qi gong book I am reading. I hadn't heard much about "religious qi gong" before reading this, but it seems I've ended up practicing it without knowing it. I copied this straight out of the book so I could share it.
Shen
It is very difficult to find an English word to exactly express Shen. As in so many other cases, the context determines the translation. Shen can be translated as spirit, god, immortal, soul, mind, divine and supernatural.
When you are alive, Shen is the spirit which is directed by your mind. When your mind is not steady it is said “Xin Shen Bu Ning”, which means “the (emotional) mind and spirit are not peaceful”. The average person can use his emotional mind to energize and stimulate his Shen to a higher state, but at the same time he must restrain his emotional mind with his wisdom mind (Yi). If his Yi can control the Xin, the mind as a whole will be concentrated and the Yi will be able to govern the Shen. When someone’s Shen is excited however, it is not being controlled by the Shen so we say “Shen Zhi Bu Qing”, which means “the spirit and the will (generated from Yi) are not clear”. In qi gong it is very important it is very important for you to train your wisdomYi to control your Xin effectively. In order to reach this goal, Buddhists and Taoists train themselves to be free of emotions. Only in this way are they able to build a strong Shen which is completely under their control.
When you are healthy you are able to use your Yi to protect your Shen and keep it at it’s residence: the Upper Dan Tian. Even when your Shen is energized, it is still controlled. However, when you are very sick or near death, your Yi becomes weak and your shen will leave it’s residence and wander around. When you are dead your Shen separates completely from the physical body. It is then called a “Hun” or “soul”. Often the term “Shen Hun” is used, since Hun originated with the Shen. Sometimes “Shen Hun” is also used to refer to the spirit of a dying person since his spirit is between “Shen” and “Hun”.
The Chinese believe that when your Shen reaches a higher and stronger state, you are able to sense and feel more sharply, and your mind is more clever and inspired. The world of living human beings is usually considered a Yang world, and the spiritual world after death is considered a Yin world. It is believed that when your Shen has reached this higher sensitive state, you can transcend your mind’s normal capacity. Ideas beyond you’re your usual grasp can be understood and controlled, and you may develop the ability to top sense or even communicate with the Yin world. This supernatural Shen is called “Ling”. “Ling” is commonly used by the Chinese to describe someone who is sharp, clever, nimble, and able to quickly empathize with people and things. It is believed that when you die this supernatural Shen will not die with your body right away. It is this supernatural Shen (Ling) which still holds your energy together as a “ghost” or “Gui”. Therefore, a ghost is also called “Ling Gui” meaning “spiritual ghost” or “Ling Hun” meaning “spiritual soul”.
You can see by the above discussion that Ling is the supernatural part of the spirit. It is believed that is this supernatural spiritual soul is strong enough, it will live for a long time after the physical body is dead and have plenty of opportunity to reincarnate. Chinese people believe that if a person has reached this stage of enlightenment or Buddhahood when he is alive, after he dies this supernatural spirit will leave the cycle of reincarnation and live forever. These spirits are called “Shen Ming”, which means “spiritually enlightened beings”, or simply “Shen”, which here implies that the spirit has become divine. Normally, if you die and your supernatural spiritual soul is not strong, your spirit only has a short time to search for a new residence in which to be reborn before it’s energy disperses. In this case, the spirit is called “Gui”, which means “ghost”.
***Buddhists and Taoists believe that when you are alive you can use your Jing and Qi to nourish the Shen (Yang Shen) and make your Ling strong. When this “Ling Shen” us built up to a high level, your will is able to lead it to separate from the physical body even while you are alive. When you have reached this stage, your physical body is able to live for many hundreds of years. People who can do this are called “Xian”, which means “immortal” or “fairy”. Since “Xian” originated with the Shen, the Xian is sometimes called “Shen Xian”, which means “immortal spirit”. The “Xian” is a living person whose Shen has reached this stage of enlightenment or Buddhahood. After his death, his spirit will be called “Shen Ming”.
The foundation of Buddhist and Taoist qi gong training is to firm your Shen, nourish it, and grow it until it is mature enough to separate from your physical body. In order to do this, a qi gong practitioner must know where the Shen resides, and how to keep, protect, nourish, and train it. It is also essential for you to know the root or origin of your Shen.***
----Later the section also states that strong shen means stron qi and is the key to longevity.
I like how it not onlu explains the relationship between astral projection and energy training, but also explains why sickly people like Muldoon and Turvey were so good at projection.
