Issue 54 - Tse Qigong Centre
Issue 54 - Tse Qigong Centre Issue 54 - Tse Qigong Centre
Wing Chun KuenChan was sitting talking to his Sifuwhen Ma entered the room andannounced that a gentleman hadcome to visit Sifu.Their Sifu was always veryobliging and never turned away visitorsand often people came to him for helpand advice. Ma showed the man in andinvited him to sit down.He introduced himself and heasked the teacher many questions. Eachtime the teacher smiled, but only said oneor two words in reply. After half an houror so the man bid them farewell and leftlooking very satisfied and content.All the time Chan and Ma quietlyobserved, and when the man left politelyshowed him out. Afterwards theyreturned to their Sifu.“Sifu?” Asked Ma, “Thatgentleman asked many questions of you,and some of things he said were clearlywrong, but you never corrected him?”“You are quite right, Little Ma, he wasmistaken in some of things he said, but Idid not correct him.”“Sifu why is that?You always correct uswhen we are wrong?”“When I wasyoung, there was afamous place close toour village. At the topof a hill was a treewhich was quiteunusual. It was said that if you kowtowedthree times and asked a question thenthe spirit of the tree would answer andsolve any problems you had. Manypeople went there and some travelledfrom great distances to ask theirquestions. Do you believe this ispossible?” Their Sifu asked.“It sounds a little far fetched.”replied Chan.“Let me tell you how this treebecame so famous. Long ago there wasa rich merchant. He was a not the mostintelligent man, but his family was verywealthy and they would often cover uphis mistakes. One day he went out for aride on his horse, he was about to makeQi Magazine 28It is always good to ask questions, but before you askyou need to be ready to hear the answer, otherwise youwill miss everything.Good Questiona big decision about his business andwanted to think it over.After a few miles he came toa conclusion and was so happy andpleased with himself he wanted totell someone his solution. Just thenhe happened to come to thetop of a hill and there hefound a large treestanding on its own. Helooked around andfound that there was agood view of the wholearea. “Hmm,” hethought to himself, “Thistree looks very old andmust have seen somuch from up here. Ibet it is very wise andknows a great manythings.” Heclimbed downfrom his horseand stood infront of the tree.“If you have made upyour mind, then why askthe question?”“Old Wise Tree,” he said, “Its becausehe had a white horse isn’t it?” Just thena leaf fell from the tree and landed athis feet. He took this as a sign that thetree agreed with him. He was so happyhe went back to the town and toldeveryone how this tree had answered hisquestion. Eventually, the news spread outand people mistakenly thought that ifsuch a rich man would risk his wealth onthe answer from this tree then it must betrue. So the tree became very famous andpeople came from far and wide to visitit.”“Sifu, his question does not makesense,” said Ma. “ You are quite right,but it is not his question that is theproblem. The man was not really askinga question, he had already made up hismind about the answer and he only reallywanted someone to agree with him. Thefact the leaf fell was just coincidence, buthe took it as confirmation and wassatisfied. Someone who seeksknowledge considers verycarefully the questions he asksand is not so easily satisfied.Some one who is looking forconfirmation is easilysatisfied and the onlypeople he or shewill really listen toare those who arereally close tothem. If they ask astran-ger and donot receive theanswer that theywant to hearthen theywill only becomeupset.However, ifyou have areal questionthen you arenot worried whetheryou are right orwrong, you are onlyhappy to find the trueanswer.”“So the manwho came to see youwas not really asking what youthought, he had already made up hismind and instead was telling you whathe thought, and did not really want tohear your answer.” Said Chan.“That is right, and because I donot know him and I am not his Sifu, I didnot want to upset him and so I chose notto say anything. However, when you arenot right I will tell you as you will listenand appreciate my answer. Do youunderstand?”“So the saying, He who knows asays little and he who nothing says a lot,is quite true,” said Chan.“Sifu there are a couple of thingsI’m not sure about,” said Ma, “…. but I’llthink about it more and ask you later.”By Darryl MoyEmail Darryl@qimagazine.com
Tendon and Peanut SoupThe Chinese believe that when you have a deficiency or problem with a particular organ or part of the body, then if youeat the corresponding animal organs or parts, then this will strengthen your own. As we age, it is easy for us to move less and soour joints can become stiffer and the bones drier and more brittle from lack of blood circulation. This soup is very good forstrengthening the tendons, bones and for relieving rheumatism. It is made with dried tendons which are available at mostChinese supermarkets and also dried mussels which are good for arthritis, muscle aches and rheumatism as well. Peanuts aregood for the lungs and for revitalising energy by working on the kidneys. You can make this soup once or twice a month if youfind your bones are weakening or you have aching joints and muscles. It is also a very good soup for martial artists, helping tonourish the body.Ingredients:5 oz (150g) dried tendons10 oz (300g) peanuts (still in red skin, unsalted, raw)1 cup dried mussels16 cups water3 dried dates1 tsp salt1. Soak the tendons overnight in water and then cut them into 3 inch (8 cm) sections. Soak and peel the peanuts. Washand soak the dried mussels.2. Fill a pan with water and add mussels, dates, salt and tendons. Bring water to a boil and then reduce heat and simmerfor one and a half hours. Add peanuts and continue to simmer for another hour. Taste and add more salt if necessary.3. When serving, you can remove tendons and peanuts and use for another dish or you can eat with the soup as you wish.Book ReviewQigong Exercise Therapy£13/95/$17.95I often wonder when I introduce new Qigong books to our readers, whether they questionwhether or not this conflicts with being told not to mix different Qigong styles and methods by theirteacher. Actually, I think most people understand and know why you should not mix differentQigong styles and would be careful to separate their practice if doing more than one method. Ipersonally look at different Qigong books as a method of reference for Qigong theory and philosophyrather than as a practice tool. Having said that, sometimes there are some techniques for simpleQigong massage or relaxation methods that are very useful and can be practised without harm.Qigong Exercise Therapy is more of a how-to book than a book on history or philosophy, although it does give aninteresting, though brief introduction, on Qigong with an emphasis on Chinese TCM theory of the body. I did find it interestinghow the author explained why Qigong can be said to make us smarter, saying that “the brain is the reservoir of the marrow”.Given the increasing instances of Alzheimers Disease, it is very interesting to see the importance of good kidney function, askidneys also relate to bone and marrow. If I can learn even one or two new ideas or points to help my students and also myselfunderstand Qigong better, I feel that I am continuing to develop my skill and feel that book is worth it.Qigong Exercise Therapy offers Qigong exercises to cover a wide range of illnesses and conditions, even a version of theCancer Walking exercises recently featured in Qi Magazine. They include internal diseases and illnesses such as impotence,vertigo, hernia, menopause, joint pain, headache, depression, asthma, etc. Most of the exercises have line illustrations, othersonly descriptions. This book covers many exercises in its nearly 300 pages, however, even in its last pages, it counsels finding aqualified teacher for guidance of practice. It says failure to do this, along with impatience for results, improper posture andbreathing and aimless change in the practice of various Qigong exercises can cause side effects. Many of the exercises are verysimple and involve sitting, standing or lying postures which can help a practitioner understand more about Qigong basics. Otherexercises are more complicated and should be considered carefully before practice.By Jessica BlackwellQi Magazine 30
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- Page 6 and 7: WORLD TAI CHI &QIGONG DAY7 April 20
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- Page 12 and 13: Chinese people are very superstitio
- Page 14 and 15: In those times men could have as ma
- Page 16 and 17: Manchester for a demonstration.Ever
- Page 18 and 19: 5. Moving by the Wind.Step forward
- Page 20 and 21: The most deep seated wish that all
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- Page 27: Important Points for Good Chi Sau1.
- Page 31 and 32: Today it seems as if everyone has h
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- Page 35 and 36: The Dragon is a symbol of China, as
- Page 37 and 38: defgThis is one of the most powerfu
- Page 39 and 40: Qi MattersThe answer to this questi
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Wing Chun KuenChan was sitting talking to his Sifuwhen Ma entered the room andannounced that a gentleman hadcome to visit Sifu.Their Sifu was always veryobliging and never turned away visitorsand often people came to him for helpand advice. Ma showed the man in andinvited him to sit down.He introduced himself and heasked the teacher many questions. Eachtime the teacher smiled, but only said oneor two words in reply. After half an houror so the man bid them farewell and leftlooking very satisfied and content.All the time Chan and Ma quietlyobserved, and when the man left politelyshowed him out. Afterwards theyreturned to their Sifu.“Sifu?” Asked Ma, “Thatgentleman asked many questions of you,and some of things he said were clearlywrong, but you never corrected him?”“You are quite right, Little Ma, he wasmistaken in some of things he said, but Idid not correct him.”“Sifu why is that?You always correct uswhen we are wrong?”“When I wasyoung, there was afamous place close toour village. At the topof a hill was a treewhich was quiteunusual. It was said that if you kowtowedthree times and asked a question thenthe spirit of the tree would answer andsolve any problems you had. Manypeople went there and some travelledfrom great distances to ask theirquestions. Do you believe this ispossible?” Their Sifu asked.“It sounds a little far fetched.”replied Chan.“Let me tell you how this treebecame so famous. Long ago there wasa rich merchant. He was a not the mostintelligent man, but his family was verywealthy and they would often cover uphis mistakes. One day he went out for aride on his horse, he was about to makeQi Magazine 28It is always good to ask questions, but before you askyou need to be ready to hear the answer, otherwise youwill miss everything.Good Questiona big decision about his business andwanted to think it over.After a few miles he came toa conclusion and was so happy andpleased with himself he wanted totell someone his solution. Just thenhe happened to come to thetop of a hill and there hefound a large treestanding on its own. Helooked around andfound that there was agood view of the wholearea. “Hmm,” hethought to himself, “Thistree looks very old andmust have seen somuch from up here. Ibet it is very wise andknows a great manythings.” Heclimbed downfrom his horseand stood infront of the tree.“If you have made upyour mind, then why askthe question?”“Old Wise Tree,” he said, “Its becausehe had a white horse isn’t it?” Just thena leaf fell from the tree and landed athis feet. He took this as a sign that thetree agreed with him. He was so happyhe went back to the town and toldeveryone how this tree had answered hisquestion. Eventually, the news spread outand people mistakenly thought that ifsuch a rich man would risk his wealth onthe answer from this tree then it must betrue. So the tree became very famous andpeople came from far and wide to visitit.”“Sifu, his question does not makesense,” said Ma. “ You are quite right,but it is not his question that is theproblem. The man was not really askinga question, he had already made up hismind about the answer and he only reallywanted someone to agree with him. Thefact the leaf fell was just coincidence, buthe took it as confirmation and wassatisfied. Someone who seeksknowledge considers verycarefully the questions he asksand is not so easily satisfied.Some one who is looking forconfirmation is easilysatisfied and the onlypeople he or shewill really listen toare those who arereally close tothem. If they ask astran-ger and donot receive theanswer that theywant to hearthen theywill only becomeupset.However, ifyou have areal questionthen you arenot worried whetheryou are right orwrong, you are onlyhappy to find the trueanswer.”“So the manwho came to see youwas not really asking what youthought, he had already made up hismind and instead was telling you whathe thought, and did not really want tohear your answer.” Said Chan.“That is right, and because I donot know him and I am not his Sifu, I didnot want to upset him and so I chose notto say anything. However, when you arenot right I will tell you as you will listenand appreciate my answer. Do youunderstand?”“So the saying, He who knows asays little and he who nothing says a lot,is quite true,” said Chan.“Sifu there are a couple of thingsI’m not sure about,” said Ma, “…. but I’llthink about it more and ask you later.”By Darryl MoyEmail Darryl@qimagazine.com
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