QI GONG AND CHRISTIANITY

[Johnboy]

Hello everyone,
I have my own thoughts and experiences with regards to Qi gong and Christianity but I would like to ask anyone on this forum who is a Christian of any type to give examples of how Shaolin Qi Gong or any other Qi Gong has helped or hindered their faith. I would appreciate honest anwers please i.e if you had bad experiences please say so or if it helped please say so.
My intention is to listen to real experiences from others without any influence from myself, I would sincerely like to here from Shaolin instructors and students who are Christians. This thread is intended to be informative not a dig at anyone so please just honest and respectful anwers only.

[AriJ]

Important question

Hi,

I have my own thoughts and experiences with regards to Qi gong and Christianity but I would like to ask anyone on this forum who is a Christian of any type to give examples of how Shaolin Qi Gong or any other Qi Gong has helped or hindered their faith.

I'm not exaclty Shaolin Wahnam student, since I have not learned from any Shaoling Wahnam insturctior, but I have been practicing Chi Kung for over two years from Sifu Wong's books. I'm looking forward to attend the Intensive Chi Kung Course in future date....

I belong into Evangelic Lutherian Church. The experience has been very good this far. My Chirstianity used to be more or less a learned habit, but trough my practice I feel I have grown spiritually and I now feel the calling of Jesus Christ much more clearly than before. The practice and meditation have kind of "shown me the way", which has always been there. It is just that previously I did not have time to think and feel things from the heart.

Forgiveness,love and compassion have not been very easy for me, but I feel Chi Kung practice have made them easier (but unfortunately not very easy yet...).

Regards,
AriJ

[precious_Duck]

Well, there are the 10 Commandments in Christianity, and there are the 10 "Commandments" of the Shaolin, and I think there are some similaritys. So I think it helps.

I don't think I have become more a believer than I was before though. It gets kinda harder for me, because the Shaolin / Buddists say, before your life there was nothing and afterwards there will be nothing as well, and the Christians say there is an eternal life (after death).

For me, the practise of chigung and kungfu help me because they incourage the good aspects of a human being which are also recommended for a religios life.

pD

[Andrew]

Well, there are the 10 Commandments in Christianity, and there are the 10 "Commandments" of the Shaolin, and I think there are some similaritys. So I think it helps.

In Shaolin Wahnam there are the 10 Shaolin Laws. They may have similarities to the 10 Commandments however their emphasis is different in may ways. Also, they are not absolutes and not "punishable".

It gets kinda harder for me, because the Shaolin / Buddists say, before your life there was nothing and afterwards there will be nothing as well, and the Christians say there is an eternal life (after death).

I think you may have a misunderstanding of Buddhism?

Andrew

[precious_Duck]

In Shaolin Wahnam there are the 10 Shaolin Laws. They may have similarities to the 10 Commandments however their emphasis is different in may ways. Also, they are not absolutes and not "punishable".


I think you may have a misunderstanding of Buddhism?

Andrew

No, I was just trying to show the connection of shaolin kung fu with buddhism. Maybe I didn't do that in a good way.

I was thinking of the wuji, which we practice. Maybe that was wrong as well.

Sorry

pD

[Johnboy]

MANY THANKS

I'm not closing this thread yet cos I would like to here more from any perpective really, thanks AriJ I think that sounds a pretty healthy effect on your faith and I actually know excatly where your coming from. Dominic thanks also for your response, I think I know what you meant to say, may I ask do you think that it's brought about a closer relationship/connection to Jesus or do you feel more spiritual cos your more relaxed and opened up.

[Anthony S]

Chi Kung has helped me become a more effective Christian. It has given me more to thank God for and helped me improve my general effectiveness. Chi Kung touches on things beyond the material world which can lead us closer to God. I thank God for Chi Kung the encouragement we get to lead a higher moral life.

[Zhang Wuji]

HI to all especially Johnboy

I am a Roman Catholic and proud of it. The fact that I am an ethnic Chinese helps me to reconcile the qigong with my faith, but you will be surprised at how many Asians have renounced their culture on the shaky basis that our cultural tradition is anti-Christ, pagan etc.

I suppose one major change that has occured is the realisation that God is far bigger than any organised religion. I actually knew this a long time ago but it has become more real to me today. And yet, this is not antithetical to teachings of the Church which believes revelation is continuing.

I will say this for sure - I have drawn closer to God because I have experienced His peace before, during and after my practice of qigong. The moral teachings of the Church and the Bible on love, joy, self-control and peace are ideals to aim for, but the big difficulty is HOW to achieve them. Qigong has helped me draw nearer to all of these qualities almost effortlessly (effortless because it is not my own effort, but His). From a short-tempered, stressed and burnt-out wretch, qigong has allowed me to live life with a tranquility I could not have imagine just 2 years ago. It gives a whole new meaning to Jesus' proclaimation that "I came that you may have life and have it in all its abundance" (Jn 10:10).

Looking back, I can see that God's hand was there all along, leading to discover qigong and Sifu who has generously taught me the fantastic art.
The modern Christian way to drawing nearer to God is praise and worship and bible study. As you may have observed, these can be noisy and intellectual activities and even emotional. The classical Catholic way is through rituals or what we call sacraments. In both the Protestant and Catholic traditions, prayer is very important. However, in my experience, prayer, especially contemplative prayer takes a back seat to more visible forms of worship like those i mentioned above.

Qigong and the spiritual roots from which it came emphasises introspective but yet expansive meditation (even in movement). I find this ability to enjoy tranquility and silence one of the best ways to feel God's love. God is closest when you are not speaking so loudly that you cannot hear Him. I have often felt that we often celebrate more often than we worship, and a lot of this has to do with the modern penchant for noise and visual stimulation (think TV, discos, radio, movies), rather than an experiential relationship with God. Because qigong has expanded my spiritual dimensions, I have learnt to "be still and know that [He] is God" (Ps 46:10) and to "worship Him in spirit and in truth (for God is spirit)" (Jn 4:24)

[Daniel]

Hello all,

How Qigong could hinder Christian beliefs? It´s the other way round, practising qigong enhances spirituality so it dosen´t matter if you are buddhist, christian , muslim or even, non-religious, thru qigong you can go deeper that many followers that only follow scriptures blindly. You´ll experience what the scriptures say by direct experience while others can read but wuthout really understanding them.

Here in Barcelona, one of the most importants Catholic Priests is a chinese born man in his 80´s, Peter Yang. He´s also one the first in introducing qigong and taiji to the public (And I´m not talkiing about qigong gimnastics, but real qigong) in the decade of the 50´s, I think.

Last year he wrote one book on this matter called: Chikung Cristiano (Chi Tu Chikung)---Christian Chikung (Chi Tu Chikung), unfortunately is not yet translated to english. The book is edited and printed thru the most important Christian press section of the Montserrat Monastery.

Daniel

[parrapiti]

Catholic Spiritual Joy and Chi Kung

Hi Johnboy and all!

I´ve been teaching Shaolin Wahnam Chi Kung in Latin America for a couple of years and have lots of fundamental catholics as my students. Catholicism in most Latin American countries is a way of life for a lot of people and not only a religious belief to be shared on Sunday services. Several of my students have commented how Wahnam Shaolin Chi Kung has given them more vitality, better health,..., but mainly more Spiritual Joy.

But the example I want to share with you is very close to me: My mother´s doctor recommended her to learn Shaolin Wahnam Chi Kung from me, originally for health reasons. She did so, and started practicing with dicipline, twice a day. Recently, I invited her to one of my courses and other students started to share their experiences with Shaolin Wahnam Chi Kung. Finally, she decided to share her experience with her daily practice too. She said that she had never been as happy as in the last two years, after practicing this art. She then explained that it was her special daily opportunity to "enter in Communion with God", and that her afternoon practice had turned into a way to prepare for her daily Service attendance (after her Shaolin Chi Kung practice in the afternoon she then goes to the evening Service at the local church).
Her experience of combination of this wonderful art with her profound faith in Roman Catholicism is an inspiring example of what Sifu Wong often calls "teh Developement of Spiritual Joy"...

Piti Parra Duque

[beggarsu]

I was raised Christian and went to a Christian elementary school, but from middle school to high school I became very atheist. My belief in God was completely restored only about 3 years ago when I began learning Qigong. I simply could not not have belief in God then because I could see him.

[Johnboy]

Many Thanks

I can't say thankyou enough for all the replies they really mean't alot to me.
I felt that this could be a touchy subject, but it's close to my heart at the moment and I feel your replies have made it worth while. I have tried to be balanced in my judgement of both religion and Qi gong, but I must say it's not been easy at all. I left the Catholic faith when I was 12 and never looked back for another 20 years. Having suffered poor health from a young age I considered myself cursed by God in a way yet I couldn't understand why. My health deteriorated causing me to stop moving forward in many ways which made me dig deeper and deeper every day just to stay a float. In the end things got very bleak as they do and I guess I decided to live for now and worry about tomorrow when it comes. I travelled the world for a couple of years and pushed the limits, but the limits pushed back and I ended up in pretty bad shape, still wanting to move forward like normal people but again just going backwards. I decided that I had nothing to lose but to try alternative medicine and I tried it all, homeopathy, nutrition, chinese medicine you name it I think I tried and sometimes studied it while trying to keep a job going. I made slow progress and spent a lot of money. I then moved on to Buddhism and Taoism which led to Qi gong. My first experience with Qigong was slow but once I had a break I experienced an amazing sense of peace and love which I had never experienced before. My first Master had shown me a type stationary qi gong and from there I tried Falun gong for a while before ending up trying Shaolin Cosmos. I have had some good and bad experiences whilst practicing Qi gong but that is all part of my personal journey and I guess it depends on how you perceive things. I have returned to veiw my Christianity like traveller returning home perhaps looking at it from a different angle and with a different mindset and this has led me to this thread. This discussion like others I've had isn't about wrong or right it's about listening and learning and I've learn't alot so thanks for that.