Ilchi Lee Blog Online

The body of the earth consists of the mountains, seas, rivers, plants, and animals. It is everything that we can see, touch, and feel. Earth is not just a spherical ball of dirt. It includes the atmosphere that surrounds it. the clouds that float above, and the rain that quenches the land.  Ilchi Lee says that human beings are, of course, part of the Earth, born and raised by the generosity and bounty of the Earth.

Human beings possess a rational mind, the highest intellectual ability of all animals and plants on earth, gifted with the capability of creating an environment to suit their needs and wants. However, such capability still does not allow human beings to exist outside of the Earth, not even in the foreseeable future.

The Earth continuously pours a tremendous amount of energy into the atmosphere, forming an energy field matrix from which all life draws life-sustaining energy, most commonly in the form of breath. Here, a breast-feeding analogy is appropriate, for we are indeed sucking life-giving nutrition from our Mother Earth every second of our lives. The energy that fills the universe is called Cosmic Energy, (or Chunjikiun in Dahnhak parlance). It constitutes an invisible sea of energy. This is the energy that is the basis of all existence, for even material forms and shapes are part of an ever-changing current of energy. Earth’s energy is part of a continuum of Cosmic Energy, (Chunjikiun). Cosmic Energy is the Earth’s Energy.

Just as human beings have a heart, so does the Earth. As human beings have a soul, so does the Earth. It is the same heart and soul that gave birth to all life on her land and in her waters. It is the heart and soul of a mother that is a continuation of the Cosmic Mind, (or Chunjimaeum). Chunjimaeum is cosmic consciousness that forms an awareness matrix over all of the cosmos, through all its dimensions, and is not bound by time or space. It is home to any and all souls as they return from untold journeys and a port to any and all souls as they embark on a new journey. Cosmic Mind is the Earth’s Mind.

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Dahnhak Ki-gong facilitates this process in the human body. What the practitioner should keep foremost in mind, therefore, is not to let sudden rage or excessive anxiety or worry squander harmonious energy carefully cultivated through training. Find more articles regarding health and Dahn yoga by Ilchi Lee.

Ascending Water energy, Descending Fire energy and Conception, Governor Vessel Flow The Dahn-jon must be strengthened to ensure that water energy ascends and fire energy descends as they should. If we are subjected to excessive stress or think too hard when the Dahn-jon is weak, fire energy rises, disturbing the natural flow of energy.

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Everything in the universe achieves harmony through the circulation of two kinds of energy, Yin and Yang. Our bodies are the same. In our bodies, the energy of water, which corresponds to Yin, originates in the kidneys, and the energy of fire, which corresponds to Yang, starts in the heart. Water energy from the kidneys rises along the Governor Vessel (Dok-maek) to clear the head, and fire energy from the heart sinks along the Conception Vessel (Im-maek) to the Dahn-jon and warms the lower abdomen. When this happens, our bodies achieve harmony and maintain a state of optimum health.

When we are overly anxious Ilchi Lee said, enraged, or plagued by troublesome thoughts, our mouths become very dry and our saliva takes on a bitter taste as the Conception Vessel is blocked. With the Conception Vessel blocked, fire energy from the heart, unable to circulate downward, rises upward and breaks the Yin-Yang balance within the body as it burns off water energy.

Water energy ascends and fire energy descends naturally in our bodies when our minds are settled and at peace. When this happens, our mouths fill with a sweet saliva, called “Ok-su.” We are filled with even more energy and our minds become even clearer if we swallow this saliva.

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Ilchi Ki-gong in particular can be practiced by beginner and Ki-gong veteran alike, each according to his or her perseverance and endurance. Movements may be performed both quickly and slowly, depending on the breathing of the person doing the training. Movements performed softly become a dance; performed strongly, they can transform into martial-art or self-defense techniques.

Our bodies experience disease due to blocked meridians and poor Ki and blood circulation caused by a state of imbalance generally resulting from spinal or skeletal misalignment. Dahn-gong Gi-bon-hyung is a training method that corrects skeletal misalignment and builds the basic stamina that allows the practitioner to train Ki-gong in earnest once the basics of the postures are in place and the body is strengthened. Dahn-gong Chuk-ki-hvung trains the lower body, making it strong and firm, and fills the Dahn-jon with energy to perfect the so-called “Sang-heo Ha-sil” posture, in which the lower body is solid while the upper body is relaxed.

Once we accumulate Ki to a certain extent through Dahn-gong Chuk-ki-hyung, we train internal Ki through Chun-bu Shin-gong or Ilchi Ki-gong. Chun-bu Shin-gong and Ilchi Ki-gong cause energy accumulated in the Dahn-jon to circulate through the entire body, to build up in the bones and sinews, and to penetrate deeply into the bones. With deepening practice, we reach a stage where energy circulates freely in the body as its six major joints open up. Furthermore, we experience a state of oneness with the universe as the energy in our bodies and the universe flows and circulates through us unrestrictedly.

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The movements of Dahnhak Ki-gong are a standardization of those following the flow of Ki that bursts forth from a deep state of meditation. Other programs have systematized this flow into a certain form to help many people train their bodies and minds in a way that is easier and more fun. These programs are Dahn-mu, Dahn-gong, Chun-bu Shin-gong, Ilchi Ki-gong, Earth Darin-gong, and Un-ki Shim-gong. Here we introduce Dahn-gong Gi-bon-hyung (Basic Form) and Chuk-ki-hyung (Ki Accumulation Form:, which build the basics of Dahnhak Ki-gong, and Ilchi Ki-gong, which allows modern people to delve into the exquisiteness of Ki-gong easily and in depth.

When Ji-gam (energy sensitivity) practice deepens and a person comes to feel the flow of energy, the dance-like movements ot Dahn-mu manifest themselves. If Ki flows strongly during Dahn-mu, this develops into the forceful, rhythmic movements of Dahn-gong, which are like those seen in the martial arts. Any practitioner can recreate limitless Ki-gong methods once he or she becomes adept at feeling the natural flow of energy during the movements. This natural creativity is one of the most significant characteristics of Dahnhak Ki-gong by Ilchi Lee.

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When we awaken to the living energy within ourselves and achieve harmony of body and mind, our efforts to put these principles into practice and live in harmony with the world are supported. Only then is the true consummation of Dahnhak Ki-gong finally achieved.

There are generally two types of Ki-gong. The practice of controlling breathing and concentrating the mind while performing movements is called Dong-gong, and the method of adopting a specific posture while controlling breathing and concentrating the mind without moving is called Jung-gong. All forms of Dahnhak Ki-gong introduced here are of the Dong-gong type, but they can also be used to practice Jung-gong by stopping and holding a posture for a period of time.

Prof Ilchi Lee founder of Dahn Yoga said practice is divided into Dong-gong and Jung-gong according to whether we move the body during training, but strictly speaking, this is only an external classification. Even in a state of Jung-gong, energy constantly enters and leaves our bodies as we repeatedly inhale and exhale. We quietly entrust our bodies to the flow of energy even as we move them vigorously in Dahn-gong. In either case, the result is a state of calm stillness. What is important when we practice Ki gong is that, even in motion, we must be able to feel stillness, and that, even in stillness, we watch our ceaseless breathing and changing energy to achieve harmony with it.

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Chinese Qigong developed through focusing on techniques: into health Qigong for health, longevity, and immortality, and martial Qigong for self-defense and controlling an opponent. Stressing the technical aspects of these arts has led Chinese Qigong to achieve brilliant growth in the field of medical Qigong, but the philosophy contained in these systems has faded by comparison. The difference between Chinese Qigong and Dahnhak Ki-gong, in short, is the difference between Taoist techniques and the Way.

Chun-bu-kyung

The Chun-bu-kyung is the oldest of Korean scriptures, transmitted by word-of-mouth since the time of Emperor Hanin. Along with Cham-jun-gye-g/ungand Sam-il-shin-go, it is one of the three great scriptures of the Korean oeople. Comprising 81 Chinese characters, Chun-bu-kyung uses numbers to express the birth and death of the universe and the principle of evolutionary creation. It contains the cosmic principle that creation and evo-ution take place in a time with no beginning and no end, from the birth of humanity to its death, and that, in the end, by achieving the Defection o* humanity, we complete o u” ^ < s s c r a s   v’ ^ o ce ncs zz”” c” ~~ s earth.

Dahnhak Ki-gong has developed into a modern, scientific system the philosophy and difficult training methods of Shin-seon-do, the lineage of which had been broken in the past. The fundamental goal of Dahnhak Ki-gong goes beyond training body and mind to awaken us to the true purpose and truths of our lives as human beings and to manifest this purpose in the world.

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According to the Han-dahn Ko-gi and Ilchi Lee, records indicate that ancient ascetics developed their bodies and minds through the practice of three methods: Ji-gam, Jo-sik, and Geum-chok. Ji-gam trains the mind to calm the thoughts and emotions and Jo-sik trains the breath to regulate energy through breathing. Geum-chok is a practice for entering a deep spiritual world beyond the five senses.

The practice of Ji-gam, Jo-sik, and Geum-chok, related in the Sam-il-shin-go, one of the three great scriptures of the Korean people, in particular form the basis of Shin-seon-do practice. This Shin-seon-do practice spread to the various peoples of Asia, including China, and developed into a variety of Ki-gong methods. Its lineage was broken with the collapse of Dangun Chosun, however, and the spirit and philosophy it contained were also diluted and faded gradually with time; until today only its technical aspects were handed down in various forms.

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Regardless of variations in time, geography, and culture, all civilizations have referred to the Earth as the ‘Mother Earth.’ Korean tradition refers to the Earth as ‘Mago’ by combining the roots of two terms. ‘Ma, Mater, Umma, Mom,’ the almost universal sound for Mother, is combined with ‘Go’, which signifies ancient or old in traditional Asian writing, to form the word ‘Mago’. Directly translated, ‘Mago’ thus means ‘Ancient Mother.’ This is not to be confused with an image of an old hag, or witch, a distinctly European invention dating back to Middle Ages. Mago is closer to the Hellenic-Roman concept of earth goddess, Gaiea.

Since the human soul is intimately connected to the Earth’s soul, we can truly feel the Earth in our hearts when we are able to commune with her on a spiritual plane. Only then will we be able to see the Earth with the Earth’s awareness, leading to a human culture of harmony and forgiveness. Indigenous Native Americans of Sedona also believed that the Earth had a soul, prophesying that the Earth will only be healed and humans only become complete when we can commune with her soul and seek to protect her body.

Mago is a concept far different, and far older, than the concept of god. Gods are invisible, but Mago is both visible and tangible. We can see, hear, and touch the Mother Earth, the ever-present root of all life on our planet. Until now, humanity has had an on-going and one-sided love affair with various gods, trusting in them to secure and bless our individual nations, peoples, religions, and families, praying endlessly to the divine deaf ear and taking advantage of non-existent pronouncements to justify whatever they wanted. Who could accuse them of being wrong? The gods were never held responsible, nor their messengers accountable. However, since she has both a body and a soul, the Earth can tell us immediately, in a palpable and tangible way, what is and what is not pleas ing to her. We cannot conveniently wish her existence away, as we have done with countless gods. Yet, it almost seems as if we are trying in earnest to destroy her and to destroy ourselves in the process. We seem to be attempting to uproot our own existence.

If any love has the forgiveness and patience to guide a wayward child, no, a juvenile delinquent, like humanity, it has to be the love of a Mother. If her love is acknowledged and accepted in its benevolent omnipresence and omniscience, then what other possible decision could we make except to respond in kind? In order for us to effect a shift in human consciousness to a level on which we can have a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation with the Earth, and feel her love, we must reopen a channel of communication that we have always had, but have not always been aware of.  Ilchi Lee tells here that Let us reawaken our senses. Let us listen to our Mother. Let us feel her embrace.

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Ilchi Lee says that when I think of the Earth, the picture that first comes to my mind is one taken by a satellite from outer space, a blue-green ball tantalizingly covered with wisps of white clouds. To communicate with the Earth’s heart, but not only know the Earth on a physical level, but also know her on a spiritual one. It is far more important to be able to feel the wholeness of the Earth than to know her geological history or the correct correlation of her limestone layers.

Have you ever said “Good Morning!” to a stand of particularly tall grass or a wild flower that opened its petals especially early one morning? Anyone who is a gardener has had experiences of talking with the plants under his or her care. When you have an experience of feeling the ‘heart’ of a plant, you no longer regard the plant as mere decoration, but as an entity of life. In point of fact, you have not actually spoken to the plant in the usual sense, but you have indeed felt and sensed the energy and soul of the life expressed through the shape and form of the plant. Likewise, in order to communicate with the earth, we must come to know Earth as a living entity, with a material body, life energy, and an eternal soul, as all forms of life.

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