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Foreword New Edition

Qigong is an ancient art and science of health care and energy management that has been practiced continuously in China for at least 5,000 years. Formerly reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family and aristocracy as a secret practice for preserving health and prolonging life, and for the most advanced adepts of Daoist and Buddhist sects as a means of attaining spiritual immortality, Qigong has in recent years become available to the general public as a simple but profoundly effective method of self health care. While Western medical science continues to question the very existence of Qi (energy) as a factor in human health, millions of people throughout the world have already begun to experience the power of Qigong both for curing disease and for preventing it, as well as for enhancing overall vitality, achieving emotional and mental equilibrium, and cultivating spiritual awareness.

Modern physics has already established the fact that all matter in the universe, from atoms and molecules to planets and stars, ultimately consists of nothing more or less than energy vibrating at various frequencies and in particular patterns of relationship. That energy, which is the fundamental "stuff" of the universe is what the Chinese refer to as "Qi." Qigong therefore is a system whereby each and every individual may learn to work with the energies of the body, the planet, and the cosmos itself, in order to achieve the optimum state of balance and harmony upon which health and longevity depend.

The Root of Chinese Qigong is one of the first books to explore the nature of Qi and explain the ancient practice of Qigong in the light of modern science while still remaining faithful to the original Daoist principles that gave birth to this profound system of health care and spiritual cultivation. Indeed, the author has clearly demonstrated that Qigong is based entirely on scientific principles of energy that were known to the ancient Daoist masters who developed it long before Einstein first informed Western science that energy and matter are relative and transmutable elements.

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is uniquely qualified to explore the topic of Qigong in terms of Western thought. Backed by over thirty years of personal experience as both a practitioner and teacher of Qigong, trained in classical forms by traditional masters in Taiwan, and the founder of a school in America that transmits this ancient practice to contemporary Western students, Dr. Yang has gained full command of both the classical Daoist principles and the modern science concepts required to elucidate this traditional Chinese practice in a way that is meaningful to contemporary readers without a prior background in Chinese studies. What distinguishes The Root of Chinese Qigong from so many other books that have appeared in recent years on the same subject is the scientific validity he bestows on the principles of Qigong practice, the simplicity and clarity of language used to present the traditional ideas involved, and the concurrent adherence to the original spirit, or "root" of Qigong in ancient China.

The West has long given lip service to the idea of imposing "mind over matter" but has never developed an effective method whereby this goal may be accomplished. That's because Western thought divided body and mind into two mutually exclusive realms. Matters of the body were approached either chemically or mechanically, while the mind became the domain of religion and later psychology. Traditional Eastern thought has always cited a third, pivotal element in the human system, and that element is energy, known as prana in ancient India, and Qi in China. Qi is the bridge that links body and mind into an integrated and functional system, and it is the medium through which the mind may gain command over the body. The method whereby the medium of energy may be utilized to gain control over the body is Qigong, or "energy-work."

According to the Daoist tradition of China, the Three Treasures of life are essence (the essential secretions of the body), energy (the vital energies that animate the body and may be controlled by proper breathing), and spirit (awareness, intent, and the various facilities of the mind). When these three aspects of existence are brought into balance and harmony, the health of the entire organism is protected and life prolonged. Qigong is the fulcrum of balance between the body and mind, with energy serving as the common force upon which both depend. Energy is also the medium through which the powers of nature and the cosmos enter and influence the human system, and Qigong provides a way whereby the practitioner may synchronize his or her system in order to harness those powers to promote human health and support human life.

For those who are interested in learning the basic concepts and practical applications of Qigong as a means of cultivating health and longevity, The Root of Chinese Qigong provides an excellent and comprehensive overview on the subject, a view that will no doubt awaken the reader's mind to the importance of energy as the most fundamental fact of life.

Daniel Reid Author of The Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing, The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity, and Chinese Herbal Medicine