I found myself explaining Qigong the other day through my what I’ve been taught and have experienced through Kung Fu. The first thing I was told was the definition of Kung Fu, “Hard Work,” then that it teaches discipline and respect. There was no involvement in self-defense in this explanation. I didn’t think much about that, and what that meant about the kind of instruction I was receiving and what kind of instructor would teach that way. I am eternally grateful for having learned this way. It built my character to struggle through difficult situations and do what I felt was right, even after I screwed up.

I learned a longer definition for Kung Fu: skill developed over time through hard work. It was in China I learned this, along with the idea that everything one works hard at is kung fu. The prevalence of the concept, “Nothing is Impossible,” really changed me while I was studying in Wudangshan. Nothing is impossible because everything is kung fu, it’s just that some things require more work than others. This tied into what I learned from my first teacher, that kung fu is a process, something that cannot be perfected, there is always a higher level to achieve.

Greatness in kung fu is achieved by being humble and working hard. The working hard part as my one uncle puts it, “Head down, ass up,” is the wrong kind of mentality. The skill that develops is not only doing things through repetition, but by understanding the body from the inside out through those repetitions; as well, simply executing a technique doesn’t amount to anything, it is the intention or purpose behind the technique that is the first step in generating the momentum for power. Through purposeful actions with the correct physical alignments, extraordinary force can be applied gently.

Qigong is a form of Kung Fu as it requires discipline and patience. Qi flows in the body smoother when the correct physical alignments are present, and can be refined to exude certain qualities. Typically the qualities of Qi acquired through Qigong is harmony, stillness, vastness, and the ability to transmute from one state to another state quickly. Qi translates as vital-energy, because without it, we couldn’t even live 1 second. It is what nourishes us, defines our physical body, and is everywhere in everything. The modern Japanese term Rei Ki was more of a description of Qi/Ki as its definition is universal energy. Qi by definition is universal; remarketing and play on people’s emotions has allowed more people access to thinking about Qi as a tactile play thing.

There’s obviously an infinite number of ways to understand and utilize Qi for our infinite number of purposes, desires, and intentions, so it stands to reason there have been clever people to pass on the ancient wisdom in different ways, calling it their own, some skillful, others idealistic. It’s strange to talk about Qi without context as it doesn’t really have a definition that way and remains elusive, much like an empty intention. When talking about cooking food, we can have good wok Qi because of our intentions and skill behind preparing food, and of course the food itself.

Qi is a vital-energy that is shaped by the mind and the physical form it inhabits. The physical form though is in actuality an idea! Alarm bells, disbelief and rejection were set off when I pondered this idea at first, but we only have that idea because we have delusions about our existence and reality. Everybody’s conscious version of reality is correct only to the capacity they can understand the information they are receiving via their nervous system. If we are more open and respectful of other ideas of reality then our mind is more open to new information so it can grow. However, it is important it takes disciplined practice, and not just wishful thinking for real progress to be made. About 40% of real effects happen from just thinking about them without practice–the placebo effect; just imagine what would happen if you practiced what you want to accomplish with Qi for an hour a day…it goes beyond 100%.

We are a society looking for greatness. It’s sensational, it’s a spectacle that redirects attention from working on our own self. We expect the great people to take care of us, although it’s apparent that trust in those people is falling. People without trust in oneself, nor another become fearful, and regress to a primal state. In this way we are slaves, without reason, and reactionary.

Being able to consciously put effort into doing something everyday, whether it’s physical, psychological, or spiritual, eventually becomes a habit. The discipline to change our habits/tendencies (nothing is permanent) develops self-respect. If we have self-respect we can carry ourselves with purpose. If we have purpose we enact whole-heartedly our intentions.