Modern medicine is obviously correct and always developing. Over the last two-hundred years or so, the human understanding of how the human body and mind functions has increased dramatically away from the thinking that dominated the primitive tribal formations of early human civilisation. Having made this point clear, I would also like to clarify that other great cultures have also developed their own particular types of medicines and models of what it means to ‘fit’. In this respect, modern medicine has probably evolved from the Greco-Roman tradition which culminated in the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries CE) in Florence (Italy), the Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries CE) in France and the Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries CE) in England. However, far more ancient civilisations – such as Egypt, India and China – also developed their own quite often sophisticated systems of medicine premised, it is true, on as much myth and religious notions as it was upon the sound observation of material processes! In many ways, whilst lack the modern dependency upon materialism, the ancient doctors had to take into account many more cultural and superstitious elements when formulating a guiding medical principle that culminated in the treatment of physical symptoms. Although the Western and Eastern models of medicine have both developed the aloof professional dispenser of medical knowledge – the Eastern model of medicine, particularly that of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), allows for an entire genre of what might be called ‘self-healing’ in the sense that this system of health maintenance is considered ‘preventative’ in nature. In other words, the daily or weekly health regimens an individual puts themselves through, are expected to ‘prevent’ the build-up of negative energy in the mind and body, and therefore remove a foundation forming that allows major diseases to form. Of course, a weakness of this method is that a practitioner can never be fully sure just what his health regimen has ‘prevented’ from forming – as there is no available (physical) evidence that records all the illnesses that have been avoided! This does mean that preventative medicine does not work, because even modern medicine allows for the idea that a healthy lifestyle tends to diminish the chances of major illnesses developing in the mind and body. This is a logical approach, as leading a reckless and irresponsible life has definitely been recorded as shortening life-spans! Furthermore, living in poor or difficult circumstances (through no fault of oneself) can also lead to a diminished life expectancy. As somebody of part-Chinese ethnicity – and who has been brought-up with a traditional Hakka Chinese culture – TCM is far more than a doctor’s office and his medical cabinets! It is far more than acupuncture and seated massage, etc. Firstly, the power of TCM (within a traditional Chinese cultural context) stems from the (ancient) family Clan Name. Our name is pronounced ‘Chan’ in the Cantonese dialect, Chin in the Hakka dialect and Chen in the Putonghua language. The old ideogram for ‘Chan’ is ‘陳’ and this is one of the original ‘One Hundred Surnames’ of China. The centre of village life is the ‘Name Temple’ within which the remains of the ancestors reside in specially built ceramic jars. This is usually next to a temple to Buddha, Guan Yin and/or various Daoist or other spiritual beings. The Daoist God of our family is ‘Wong Tai Sin’ - the God of Medicine and Healing. When we bring flowers to the temple and light incense sticks – we are paying our respects to our Clan Ancestors, the Buddha, Confucius, Laozi, Guan Yin, Wong Tai Sin and a number of village gods (that live in the ground, the water, the sky and trees, etc). Practicing our martial forms and strengthening inner and outer exercises in this temple is also considered ‘an act of worship’. The Clan Ancestors pass on to us the (inner) Ancestral Qi when we are conceived in the womb – and the (outer) Ancestral Qi through the traditions associated with our Hakka Chinese village – which includes reading, writing, hunting, fishing, farming, medicine and martial arts practice. According to the old ways – these traditions belong to our lineage (and village) only – and to reveal them to disrespectful outsider has the effect of taking away the inherent and accumulated cultural and spiritual power! As someone who lives in the West and respect science – I can say that TCM exists in parallel to modern medicine - sometimes fulfilling similar tasks – sometimes fulfilling quite different tasks. Inner fitness, for instance, has no equivalent in Western medicine. Inner fitness is the ability to allow the inner qi-energy to flow smoothly and feely through the inner body channels regardless of the health of the body. For instance, if a practitioner has an injured knee and has problems weight-bearing and moving properly during conventional exercise – through the directing of the qi-energy through the area in a non-confrontational manner – the joints works ‘freely’ and without pain despite the injury still being present. Indeed, subjecting an injured part of the body to this ‘medical’ process (usually through an appropriate qigong sequence), the injury itself begins to speed-up its healing capabilities. Although this is sometimes described as being ‘all in the mind’ I can attest that there is a definite physical component to this process. Alternatively, it is ‘not all in the knee’ - but an integration of appropriate psychological processes and physical manipulation. As an injury is an injury – no amount of positive thinking will help a practitioner ‘ignore’ a knee’ injury as the body and mind simply does not work in that way. I suspect that certain aspects of ancient medical systems are very advanced despite the superstitious and cultural nature of its support-structure, and that the Western medical system, as advanced as it is, will one day ‘discover’ these processes for itself!
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Master Zhao Ming Wang of Beijing has made a rule that that the exact technique involved in the practice of ‘Sweating Ox’ (as preserved within the Qianfeng School) will not be openly discussed in public, or explained in written articles. I follow this rule out of respect. However, as there is a general lack of understanding about this concept in the West, I thought I would build a Chinese cultural framework (in English) to help others build a cognitive foundation and appreciation of what ‘Sweating Ox’ might be. As someone who practices Hakka Chinese martial arts – and is the only lineage inheritor of Master Chan Tin Sang [陳天生] (1924-1993) - I can explain our family gongfu version of ‘Sweating Ox’ - which is also known as ‘Iron Ox’. This is different to what Master Zhao Ming Wang teaches (which I shall explore further on), but it is related over-all as far as Daoist self-cultivation is concerned. As an ‘external’ form of qigong, we learn to run a set distance carrying a weighted rucksack whilst wearing layers of clothing. This is a combination of weightlifting and cardiovascular fitness, that strengthens the bones to a very high degree. It makes little difference to us whether anyone else knows this method – as it is so difficult even fit people find it difficult to carry it out successfully. Although ‘external’ to start with, as the years roll by, the training transitions into an ‘internal’ practice involving very deep and profound psychological (and physiological) development. Another version of this is holding strength-building static stances at various times of the day, which can be performed in a ‘sweat lodge’ - rather like a Western sauna. As the advanced training involves hours of seated meditation practice, this is where we enter the realms of the ‘Sweating Ox’ as practiced in the Qianfeng School.
n my experience, most people are unable to achieve proficiency in either ’Iron Ox’ or ‘Sweating Ox’ methodology – lacking the will-power or insight to penetrate the more advanced levels of awareness and being. This is why Master Zhao Ming Wang guards this teaching very carefully and does not expose the wrong type of student to its machinations. This is an important facet of Daoist training, as a student must be matched with the appropriate techniques suitable to their character and level of awareness. Within Hakka Chinese gongfu, ‘Iron Ox’ and Sweating Ox’ generate an almost unstoppable strength whilst engaged in combat – but this is not the purpose of the Qianfeng School (despite many of its masters being quite excellent and outstanding martial artists). Within Chinese history the notion of a ‘sweating ox’ dates from the latter 8th century of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was used to allude to the effort required to truly study the sacred books and become a sage - particularly in relation to the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’ (春秋 - Chun Qiu) of Confucius. The term ‘Sweating Ox’ (汗牛 - Han Niu) is first mentioned in the ‘Complete Collection of Tang Texts’ (全唐文 - Quan Tang Wen) - specifically Volume 588 - which relates the story of the scholar-official named ‘Liu Zongyuan’ [柳宗元] (773-819), who attended the grave of a ‘Mr Lu Wentong’ (陆文通) with the Crown Prince (around 793). In a statement read-out (I think) by the Crown Prince it was observed that the learned often possessed so many books that were often stacked up to the ceiling of their houses. If these books were moved from one place to another - and transported on a cart pulled by an ox – the weight would be so great that even the oxen would pour with sweat due to the effort needed to move them! This is how the principle of ‘sweating ox’ came to be associated with transformative spiritual training. I am not sure if this idea existed within Daoism prior to this time, but much of these schools tended to overlap in the times before the development of factions and official preference and persecution, etc. Generally speaking, Daoism and Confucianism had a much more entangled early history than later scholars would like to admit. Master Zhao Ming Wang has stated that within his Qianfeng School, the ‘Sweating Ox’ technique possesses ‘seven steps’. One of the transmission poems associated with this practice is: 汗牛耕地要真气, 三入丹田足下行 用巽督脉腰用力, 三上三牵到泥丸。 下行任脉振慢行, 松散逍遥在其中。 Which translates as: The ox sweats as it ploughs the land to develop ‘true vital force’ (真气 - Zhen Qi) - which is stored ib the lower energy centre (丹田 - Dan Tian) and then cultivated through a strict discipline that progresses step by step. Use the 5th trigram ‘巽’ (Xun) [‘wind’] - force is transmitted up the Governing Vessal (督脉 - Du Mai) - upward times three and the ‘ni wan’ (泥丸) - Mud Pill – is developed (at the centre of the brain). Circulation down the ‘Conception Vessel’ (任脉 - Ren Mai) is slow, vibrant and controlled – energy is centred, all is calm and happiness pervades the mind and body. This is slightly different to another Qianfeng lineage poem I was told, but the meaning is the same. The ox must work very hard to develop its inner strength, and whilst breathing very deeply and fully (like a strong wind) the cultivated forces (once the lower Dan Tian is full) are circulated up the Governing Vessel (along the spine) and down the Conception Vessel (along the centre-line of the front of the body). The breath is like a ‘wind’ or a ‘hurricane’ (hence the ‘5th trigram Xun’). This how qi energy (vital force) and ‘Jing’ (essential nature) travels through the three (Dan Tian) energy centres as they circulate the torso. Obviously, there is an element of hard-work associated with ‘Sweating Ox’ self-cultivation, at least in the early stages. The more advanced stages are rarefied and distinct as the practitioner enters an entirely new and profound way of perceiving the inner and outer world. There is no mystery, but some knowledge is closely guarded and has to be ‘earned’ before it is imparted. Chinese Language References: https://baike.baidu.com/item/汗牛 https://xw.qq.com/cmsid/20180612A14L7Q/20180612A14L7Q00 http://www.wuwo.org/qfgf/2768.html http://www.360doc.com/content/16/0402/19/32013898_547369221.shtml http://www.baike.com/wiki/汗牛冲动 |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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