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The practice of cultivating human energy has been passed down from master to student in a lineage that stretches back some twenty- seven centuries. Like all forms of energy, it can be used in a variety of ways. From those earliest days, there has always been a dis-tinctive stream of this tradition that has used energy to relax and nurture the human being, both mentally and physically. My own master was fond of recounting the thou-sands of years of history through which the art of qigong has developed. It is thanks to those many generations of masters and students that it is possible for me to share with you today the benefits that qigong offers for alleviating anxiety.

Two of the earliest books about qigong are a medical trea-tise and one of China’s most famed books of philosophy. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (Huang Ti Nei Ching), the world’s most influential medical text, appeared some 2,400 years ago. In it, the court physician tells the emperor: “The sages were tranquilly content with nothingness and the true vital force accompanied them always. Their vital spirit was preserved within.”

The Tao Te Ching, by Laozi— one of the most widely read and influential books in the course of human civilization—

says, “By standing alone and unchanging, you will find that everything comes to you and the energy of the cosmos will never be exhausted.” “Standing alone and unchanging” was Laozi’s way of describing the practice through which we have come to understand the full power of the universe.

The cultivation of internal energy was developed as part of Taoism. It included the practice of remaining completely still in fixed positions. The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi tells us that the sages of old were “still and unmoved. …Their

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breathing came deep and silent.” Their “minds were free from all disturbance…forget-ting everything.” They were “open to everything and forgot all fear of death.” In the text, a disciple tells his master, “I am making progress.” “What do you mean?” asks the master.

“I sit and forget everything…becoming one with the great void in which there is no obstruction.”

Buddhist thought and practice also influenced the development of the qigong tradi-tion. The development of “one- pointedness” of mind (that is, the ability of the mind to be clearly focused) in the Buddhist tradition made a major contribution to the cultiva-tion and applicacultiva-tion of qi in the human energy system.

The practices of qigong were passed down through the centuries in a lineage that was largely kept secret. It was not until the twentieth century that this heritage was shared openly in China and brought to the West.

The person who unlocked these secrets for the modern world was Grand Master Wang Xiang Zhai. Born in 1885 in the Shenxian district of Hebei province, he suffered from poor health as a child. His father was determined to improve his son’s physical condition and sent him for training under his uncle, Master Guo Yun Sin, who lived in his village.

From Master Guo he learned the secret discipline of zhan zhuang qigong. After his master’s death, the young Wang spent ten years traveling throughout China, meeting and studying under the great masters of his day.

By the mid- 1940s, he was ready to teach and pass on the fruits of what he had learned and moved to Beijing, where he was soon recognized as a master of extraordinary wisdom and prowess. His accomplishment was vast. From his humble origins as a boy suffering from asthma that left him severely weakened, he became a pivotal figure in the qigong tradition, bringing many of its most profound secrets out from centuries of secrecy into the modern world.

In the course of his studies, Grand Master Wang delved deeply into the spiritual heritage of Chinese culture, immersing himself in the wisdom of the Taoist and Buddhist

The Lineage 173 traditions. Grand Master Wang composed poems to guide his many students on the path of qigong practice— attempting to convey in words the inner experience of this art.

You who wish to master this art, begin by standing still.

Breathe deeply, undisturbed, like air among the clouds.

Your spirit and your bones are being tempered in this forge.

Hold still, unwavering.

This wisdom will suffuse your being, ceaselessly.

Grand Master Wang broke new ground by challenging the traditional secrecy of qigong instruction. He taught openly. “Knowledge should not be hidden away like a secret,” he said. “It belongs to all humanity.”

One of the earliest students of Grand Master Wang was a young man who had studied Western medicine and

was serving as a dentist at the Ten Lu (Railway) Hospital. His name was Yu Yongnian.

After nine years of study and practice under Grand Master Wang, Yu began introducing aspects of zhan zhuang qigong as treatment for chronic diseases at his hospital. His initial successes were such that a major medical conference was held at the Beijing Shoudong San Hospital three years later, in 1956, to introduce

the zhan zhuang system to hospitals throughout China.

After the Cultural Revolution, Professor Yu published groundbreaking books on zhan zhuang. The first edition of Zhan Zhuang for Health came out in February 1982 (Beijing: Educational Publishers). By April a second edition of 120,000 copies was issued, and by 1987 a further 294,500 copies had been printed. A limited edition of his next book, Application of Zhan Zhuang for Health, was published in Beijing in 1989, and in the same year a further work on zhan zhuang qigong was issued by Cosmos Books in Hong Kong.

Professor Yu became the world’s leading authority on zhan zhuang qigong, was on China’s National Qigong Research Council, was a former consultant to the American- Chinese Qigong Research Group, and was honorary chairperson of the Da Cheng Chuan Zhan Zhuang Chi Kung Research Groups (Europe).

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