MARCO TEÓRICO CONCEPTUAL
2.5 FORMAS DE TURISMO
T h e p h e n o m e n o n o f s p o n t a n e o u s ly h a ltin g t h e b r e a t h d u rin g m e d ita t io n m u s t be e xplained in o r d e r to clearly c h a r a c t e r iz e t h e p h e n o m e n a o f t r a n s m u t i n g ching in to ch'i.
Chih Hsi is t h e s p o n t a n e o u s ce ss a tio n o f b r e a t h during m e d ita t io n . In th e fo u r d h y a n a and th e e ig h t c o n c e n t r a t io n s o f B u d d h is t m e d ita t io n , t h a t is k n o w n as halting the ch'i. T h i s is t h e real Kung Fu o f bottled ch'i in yoga. T h o s e w h o practice yoga usu ally p ra c tic e d if f e r e n t m e t h o d s o f c o n t r o llin g and h a ltin g th e b r e a t h , b u t this is n o t th e h ig h e s t po ssible a c h ie v e m e n t . G e n u i n e bottle ch'i is th e s p o n t a n e o u s c e s s a tio n o f b r e a t h during m e d ita t io n , w h a t t h e e s o t e r ic B u d d h ists call treasure bottle ch'i.
D u r in g m e d ita tio n , a p e r s o n occasionally feels th e c e ss a tio n o f his b re a t h . W h e n this o c c u r s due to to o m u c h m e n ta l c o n c e n t r a t io n , o n e feels s t i f f and rigid, and bodily te n s io n grad ually in c re a se s . T h i s leads to t h e c e s s a tio n o f b r e a t h but it is n o t t r u e Chih Hsi or a g e n u in e case o f halting ch'i; it is m e re ly n e r v o u s te n s io n . If o n e c a n n o t relax and r e t u r n to a n a tu r a l s ta te in s u c h c irc u m s t a n c e s , his m ind will v irtu a lly w ilt and die. If this c o n t in u e s , h e will e v e n tu a lly e x p e r ie n c e rigid ity in eve ry jo in t t h r o u g h o u t his e n t ir e body. T h is is an illness. T h e only w a y o n e can heal o n e s e lf is to relax t h e mind and body as m u c h as possible. F u r t h e r , o n e can r e le a s e th e t e n s io n by e xh a lin g slo w ly o v e r and o v er again. It is usually a g oo d idea to blow the air o u t v e r y slo w ly w h ile m a k in g t h e sou nd H aaaaa. T h i s shou ld be d o n e re p e a ted ly un til o n e o n c e again b r e a t h e s n o r m a lly , like a p e r s o n w h o is sleepin g. If this is d one f o r a s h o r t tim e, t h e n o n e will be able to ad vance t o a h ig h e r level and g o up o n e m o r e floor. T h e r e are s o m e w h o will r e m a in s t i f f e v e n t h o u g h th e y are se r io u s ly a tte m p t in g to r e lax , and th e y m a y r e q u ir e special in s t r u c t io n s in e s o te r ic B u d d h is m or T a o is m .
A p e r s o n w h o is actu ally full o f t h e ching fo rc e , calm and q u iet in m ind and body, and has b egu n to e n t e r th e s ta g e o f
transmuting ching in to ch'i will f ir s t n o tic e t h a t his e n t i r e body has b e c o m e s o f t and t e n d e r and s e e m s to lack s t r e n g t h . A d v a n c in g
98 C U L T I V A T I O N O F CH IN C , CH'I A ND SHEN
f u r t h e r , o n e will feel as if h e h a s n o b o n e s. T h e ch'i is filling and sp re ad in g t h r o u g h o u t t h e body in th e a b se n c e o f t h e s lig h te s t feeling.
L ao T z e asked, " C a n y o u c o n c e n t r a t e o n ch'i and b e so ft and t e n d e r like a b a b y ? " His q u e s t io n c h a r a c t e r i z e s th is s t a t e w h ic h w as also d e scrib e d by M e n c i u s w h e n h e said, " T h e f a c e is b right, t h e b ack {Tu M a i) is op en and o n e is fluid in t h e lim b s ."
In this s t a t e a p e r s o n f o r g e t s m e n ta l p e r c e p ti o n s and physical s e n s a t io n s and fe e ls as if h e and th e u n iv e r s e b lend in to one. T h e Hung Tung d escrib e d in T a o i s t s u tr a s will be e x p e r i enced , and C h u a n g T z e 's s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e r e is n o fe e lin g in th e body and a b so lu te ly n o illusions in t h e m in d , can be c o n f ir m e d . T h e s e s t a t e m e n t s will m e a n m o r e t h a n ju s t an e m p ty ideal.
A t t a i n i n g Samadhi and r e m a i n in g q u iet in this w a y , o n e will feel th e b r e a t h m o v in g t h r o u g h his n o s tr ils b e c o m in g w e a k e r and w e a k e r u n til th e b r e a t h in t h e lu n gs n e a rly stop s. T h e Tan
Tien, w h ic h is w i t h i n th e lo w e r a b d o m e n b elow t h e navel, will b egin to f u n c t i o n like th e lu ngs. T h i s is in n e r b r e a t h in g , o r th e p h e n o m e n o n o f T ai Hsi. T ai is an e m b r y o and Hsi is b r e a t h , and th u s T ai Hsi r e f e r s to e m b r y o n i c b r e a t h in g o r b r e a t h i n g like an e m b r y o .
T h e e s o p h a g u s and th e a re a f r o m th e b r o n c h ia to t h e tip o f t h e to n g u e , will be loose, fluid and c o m f o r t a b l e w h e n th e in te r n a l o r g a n s are full o f ch'i. A t t h e s a m e tim e , t h e in n e r b r e a t h o f Tan Tien will b e c o m e w e a k and c o m e to a stop. T h e y o u t h gland, w h ic h has b e e n d o r m a n t, will r e c o v e r its activity and o n e will be as h e w as as a child, w i t h o u t lust o r p ass io n . T h i s will g e n e r a t e an in c o m p a r a b ly s t r o n g o r g a sm . T h e te s tic le s will c o n t r a c t and t h e ch'i will m o v e up t h r o u g h Jen M a i and ca u se th e tip o f t h e t o n g u e to roll up to clo se t h e uvula. W h e n t h e b r e a t h ce ase s s p o n t a n e o u s l y in th is w ay , t h e initial p h e n o m e n o n o f t r a n s m u t i n g ching in to ch'i has b e g u n .
100 C U L T I V A T I O N O F CHING, CH'I AND SHEN
p re cio u s ti m e and spirit by e n g a g in g in a b st r a c t, r a t h e r th a n p ractical, Kung Fu.
T h e p rim itiv e scie n ce s o f t h e past o f t e n e m p lo y e d th e a b s t r a c t n u m b e r t h e o r ie s o f a n c i e n t a s tro lo g y and I Ching. M a n y
Tan Sutras and T a o i s t b ooks e x p la in ed t h e fu n c t i o n s o f t h e ch'i ch a n n e ls in t e r m s o f th e five co n d itio n s, six ch'i, t h e t h r e e h u n d r e d and six ty d eg ree s o f h e a v e n and t h e s i x t y - f o u r h e x a g r a m s o f I Ching. As a c o n s e q u e n c e , people c e n t u r i e s later a tte m p t e d to live in a c c o r d a n c e w i th t h e s e a n c i e n t th e o r ie s. T h e s e a n c ie n t n u m b e r th e o r ie s are n o t on ly v a g u e , b u t m ay m islead m o d e r n sch o lars .
F o r e x a m p le , in a n c ie n t a s t r o lo g y it w as claim e d t h a t th e ro u n d h e a v e n is t h r e e h u n d r e d and s ix t y - f iv e and o n e q u a r t e r d egree s. T h e s u n r o t a t e s a ro u n d t h e e a r t h o n c e a day and m o v e s o n e d eg ree . O n e y e a r c o n s is ts o f t h r e e h u n d r e d and s ix ty -f iv e days and t w e n t y - f i v e Ke. O n t h e a n c ie n t C h i n e s e ti m e scale, o n e day is o n e h u n d r e d Ke. It tak e s o n e y e a r fo r t h e su n to c ircu late a ro u n d t h e h e a v e n . In e v e ry f o u r y e a rs an e x t r a day a c c u m u lates. S i n c e t h e h u m a n body is a m i n i a t u r e o f h e a v e n and e a rth , t h e n u m b e r o f t h e m o v e m e n t s o f ch'i c h a n n e l s sh o u ld also follow t h e s e ru les.
A c c o rd in g to t h e s e a n c ie n t t h e o r ie s , " t h e p u lse m o v e s t h r e e
ts’un ( a b o u t 1/10 fo ot) in o n e i n h a la t io n and t h r e e ts’un in o n e e x h a la tio n . In o n e b r e a t h t h e p u ls e m o v e s six ts'un. In o n e day and n i g h t a m a n b r e a t h e s t h i r t e e n th o u s a n d five h u n d r e d tim e s. T h e pulse t h u s m a k e s fifty cycles o f t h e b o d y ." T h i s is e q u iv a le n t to s a y in g t h a t " d u r in g t w o h u n d r e d s e v e n t y b r e a t h s t h e p u lse m o v e s th i r ty - s i x chang (slightly m o r e th a n te n feet) and t w o ch'ih (slightly m o r e t h a n o n e fo o t) in a s in gle cycle. Fifty cycles a ro u n d t h e body will be co m p o s e d o f t h i r t e e n th o u s a n d five h u n d r e d b r e a t h s , w h ile t h e p u lse will m o v e a b o u t e ig h t h u n d r e d and e le v e n chang."
T h o s e w h o cu ltiv ate th e T a o o r m e d ita tio n o fte n p ractice th eir b re a th in g e x e rc is e s a cco rd in g to th e principles o f th ese th eo ries. A ctually, th e clepsydra m e th o d of m e a s u r i n g tim e u sed by th e a n cie n ts is n o t quite a c c u ra te . T h e n u m b e rs e m ployed in th e s e th e o rie s should be q u e stio n e d an d n o t taken for g ra n te d . A c c o r d in g to m o d e r n m edicine, th e m e a n n o rm a l re sp ira tio n r a t e is 1 8 times a m in u te ; th e m e a n n o r m a l pulse
Cultivating Ch'i and Calming the Mind 101
r a t e is 7 2 tim e s a m i n u t e , f o u r ti m e s th e r e s p i r a t i o n r a te . A n a v e r a g e m a n 's re s p ir a tio n r a t e adds up to 2 5 , 9 2 0 ti m e s a d a y — e x a c tly t h e s a m e n u m b e r as t h e n u m b e r o f y e a r s in a G r e a t S id e re a l Y e a r . A G r e a t S i d e r e a l Y e a r is t h e l e n g t h o f tim e re q u ire d f o r all th e p la n e ts o f t h e so lar s y s t e m t o r e t u r n to t h e i r orig in al p o sitio n s .