4
Buddha Palm
The Cosmic Healing Training Form
THE BUDDHA PALM
Cosmic Healing Chi Kung is also known as Buddha Palm or the Empty Force sequence. For the sake of this text, we will refer to the training form as Buddha Palm. The term “form” means a series of movements. Buddha Palm as a training form looks a lot like Tai Chi (moving Chi Kung). Each movement in the Buddha Palm form is designed to train the practitioner in the movement and channeling of Chi.
The Buddha Palm is composed of four sections:
Section I: Connect to Heaven and Earth
Section II: Open the Bridge and Regulator Channels
Section III: Open the Functional, Governor, and Thrusting Channels
Section IV: Activate One-Finger Art and the Chi Belt
These sections teach you how to project Chi through the space in the cosmos, through the space between your hands, and through space to others. When a Cosmic Healing Chi Kung practitioner touches another, he or she usually picks up “sick” energy from that person. This practice will teach you how to ground the sick energy to the earth and to disperse it into the universe to be decomposed and recycled by the planets.
The Buddha Palm’s other name, Empty Force, refers to the concept of strength without muscle, of force as a result of kinetic ability and achievement through strength of will and energetic control. It is the ultimate balance. When we say “be tense without tensing,” we refer to squeezing tendon or muscle against bone while still maintaining agility and flexibility, thus being iron on the inside and soft as cotton on the outside. This concept is easier to feel than to intellectualize. Just know that as you master this principle, it will become self-evident.
Practice the Buddha Palm until you can project Chi from your palms and fingers and feel Chi coming into your body through your hands. The most important part of this practice is always to remain connected with the universal force coming from the Six Directions. If you focus on healing from your hands or your Tan Tien, you will use up your own energy. You must be connected to Universal Chi.
Learn to expand your awareness to nature, the oceans, the lakes, the forests, and the mountains. Smile to nature, and feel it smile back to you; inhale and draw the Chi into your palms. Expand your awareness to connect to the light, the Milky Way, and the cosmos.
Be aware of the heart and the red light in the heart; expand your awareness to infinity. The light will come close to you; picture the red planet Mars above you. See it shine down to your crown, feeling the light in your palms. Be aware of the Six Directions, and feel your body growing bigger until you touch the sky, with your feet still planted in the earth.
THE MERIDIANS OF THE BODY
Sections II, III, and IV involve opening the meridians, or channels of Chi flow, in the body. The channels are divided into two major groups: the extraordinary channels and the ordinary channels. After your mother’s egg and your father’s sperm joined together to form a single cell, that cell began to divide. The extraordinary channels were the first energy channels formed as a result of that early cell division.
The Eight Extraordinary Channels
Governor Channel
Functional or Conception Channel
Thrusting Channel
Belt Channel
Yang Regulator Channel
Yin Regulator Channel
Yang Bridge Channel
Yin Bridge Channel
Later, as your fetus developed, your Original Chi flowed through the eight extraordinary channels to help create your internal organs and their twelve energy channels. These twelve “ordinary” channels are divided into yin and yang. The yin channels are connected to the solid organs, and the yang channels are connected to the hollow organs.
The Twelve Ordinary Channels
Lung (Yin) Channel
Large Intestine (Yang) Channel
Stomach (Yang) Channel
Spleen (Yin) Channel
Heart (Yin) Channel
Small Intestine (Yang) Channel
Bladder (Yang) Channel
Kidney (Yin) Channel
Pericardium (Yin) Channel
Triple Warmer (Yang) Channel
Gallbladder (Yang) Channel
Liver (Yin) Channel
These twelve organs serve to extract energy from the food and water we ingest and the air that we breathe to create energy through the metabolic processes of respiration, circulation, digestion, elimination, and reproduction. This energy is called Postnatal Chi, because it comes in after we are born. Thus the extraordinary channels serve as the link between our Original or Prenatal Chi, which came from our mother and father, and our Postnatal Chi, which comes from our food and air as a result of metabolism.
General Functions of the Eight Extraordinary Channels
They serve as reservoirs of Chi.
About two thousand years ago, one of the great texts of Chinese medicine, the Nan Ching, was written. This classic text describes the twelve ordinary channels as rivers and the eight extraordinary channels as reservoirs of Chi. When the ordinary channels become low in energy, they can draw from the reservoirs of energy in the extraordinary channels. On the other hand, if the ordinary channels become too full, the excess can be taken up by the extraordinary channels. In this way, the extraordinary channels help us maintain balance in our energy body.
They store and circulate Ching Chi.
The extraordinary channels all draw their energy from the kidneys, which are the storehouse of Ching Chi (essence or sexual energy) in the body. Thus the extraordinary channels circulate Ching Chi around the body, particularly to the skin and hair, and to the five ancestral organs: the brain and spinal cord, the bone marrow, the blood, the uterus, and the liver and gallbladder.
They circulate Defensive Chi to protect the body.
The Chi that protects the body against invasion by external pathogens is called Defensive Chi or Wei Chi. The extraordinary channels known as the Governor Channel, the Functional Channel, and the Thrusting Channel circulate Defensive Chi over the back, abdomen, and thorax, respectively.
They regulate our life cycles.
In the first chapter of Huang Di Nei Ching Su Wen (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine), another of the classic texts of Chinese medicine, the life changes of women and men are described as occurring in seven-and eight-year cycles, respectively. The Functional Channel and the Thrusting Channel govern these cycles.
The Eight Extraordinary Channels and Chi Kung
Few texts are available today that describe the purpose and function of the eight extraordinary channels and their place in Chi Kung practice. To make matters more confusing, though they may bear the same name, the meridians and points used in Chi Kung are often quite different from those used in acupuncture. This is because their purposes are different.
Chinese medicine aims to restore sick people to health. The points being treated must be superficial so that they can be activated by acupuncture needles. Chi Kung and Taoist meditation, on the other hand, aim to maintain health and to take one beyond mere physical health to spiritual immortality. The channels and points can be deep within the body, since the energy is guided by the mind or by postures and movements rather than by needles.
Most acupuncturists, with the exception of some modern Japanese researchers, pay little attention to the eight extraordinary channels in diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, the extraordinary channels have been of special importance to Taoists and Chi Kung practitioners for thousands of years. Taoists see the extraordinary channels as the foundation of our bodily energy, as the bridge between our Original or Prenatal Chi and our Postnatal Chi; these channels affect us on the deepest level of our basic constitutional energy.
Therefore, Taoists focus on opening up the flow of energy through the eight extraordinary channels as a prerequisite for opening the energy flow in the twelve ordinary channels. In the Universal Tao system, you open the Governor Channel and the Functional Channel in the Microcosmic Orbit meditation. The second pair, the Thrusting Channel and the Belt Channel, is opened in the second level of the Fusion of the Five Elements meditation. The remaining four channels, the Yin and Yang Bridge Channels and the Yin and Yang Regulator Channels, are opened in the third level of Fusion of the Five Elements. After the eight extraordinary channels are open, in the next level of Taoist inner alchemical meditation called the Lesser Enlightenment of Kan and Li, the twelve ordinary channels are then opened.
Parts II, III, and IV of the Empty Force sequence will teach you to access and activate the eight extraordinary channels. The movements used in this activation are relatively simple. To completely master the eight extraordinary channels, however, you must learn and practice the meditations described above. Once you have done so, the Empty Force practice of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung will be particularly powerful and balancing for you.
SUMMARY: THE BUDDHA PALM SEQUENCE
Each of the four sections of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung develops a different type of energy mastery. Each is composed of opening movements, core movements, and closing movements. Opening movements are designed to connect and prepare the practitioner for practice. They open the practitioner to the work ahead and focus the mind. Core movements are specific training techniques for the specific Chi Kung being practiced. Closing movements signal the mind and body to finish the practice. They tend to be gathering-type movements that collect Chi in the body for storage.
Practice each part daily for one to two weeks, or until you can do it well. Then you can proceed to learning the next part.
Section I: Connect to Heaven and Earth
The first section of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung emphasizes connecting to the Chi emanating from heaven and earth. This ability is very beneficial for self-healing and is essential for healing others. If we do not connect to some source of external energy when healing others, we must draw upon our own personal reservoirs. Our personal Chi is limited by nature and can easily become depleted if we give it away too freely.
Over the past decade, Chi Kung healing has become very popular in China. There are now hundreds of Chi Kung hospitals and clinics throughout the country. Yet many of the Chi Kung therapists can administer only two or three treatments a day; they spend the rest of their day practicing Chi Kung to replenish their own Chi. Those who practice the more traditional Chi Kung know how to connect to the Chi of heaven and earth.
Cosmic Healing Chi Kung teaches us that nature and its energies are the source of our power. In Taoism, nature and the universe are equivalent to God. You are a part of nature and can easily learn to open to the forces in the macrocosm and let them flow through you. Just tune in to the frequencies around you.
Earth Chi: When you stand or sit, be aware of your soles (the Bubbling Spring points) making a good connection with the earth. Your perineum is relaxed and open. You are connecting to the yin force of the earth and can expand further down to the other side of the universe.
Heaven Chi: When you draw in your chin, slightly relax your chest, and tilt your head slightly forward, you begin to be aware of the yang force of heaven.
Cosmic Chi: The qualities of the Five Elements reveal themselves as woody trees (growing force), fiery deserts (expanding force), earth mountains (stabilizing force), metal air (contracting force), and watery oceans and lakes (gathering force). We call the combination of these elements Cosmic Chi. When you breath in, be aware of the Five Elements in the air. Allow Cosmic Chi to move through your body.
In this first section, you will learn to sense the energies outside your body. You will then learn to draw and absorb these energies into your body and process them in order to use them for healing. This is the essence of Chi Kung. Today, there is a lot of emphasis on learning movements and forms of Chi Kung. However, if the inner feeling is not there, the movements are of little value.
Section II: Open the Bridge and Regulator Channels
In this section, you will learn to open and strengthen four of the Eight Extraordinary Channels: the Yin and Yang Bridge and Regulator Channels. This section also teaches you to extend and take in Universal Chi and emit Chi from the body for healing others. This ability is the heart of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung practice.
The Bridge and Regulator Channels have no points of their own but, instead, “borrow” points from the ordinary channels. They travel along the same paths as the ordinary channels; there is no real difference between them. The Bridge and Regulator channels connect or bridge and regulate the flow of Chi through all the body’s meridians.
YIN BRIDGE AND REGULATOR CHANNELS
YANG BRIDGE AND REGULATOR CHANNELS
The Yin and Yang Bridge Channels, also called the Heel Vessels because they originate at the heels, regulate the amount of energy being used by all the other meridians in the body. They act like a bridge, linking together the stored Chi in the body and the areas in need of Chi. If any meridian uses more energy than it needs to flow properly, usually other meridians become deficient as a result. The Bridge Channels seek to assure that your energy is distributed in a balanced way. The Yin Bridge Channel runs along the front or yin side of the body, while the Yang Bridge Channel runs along the back or yang side of the body.
The Regulator Channels, also called the Linking Vessels, bind together all the meridians in the body. The Regulator Channels are also divided into yin and yang. The yin aspect, which runs along the front of the body, moves yin energy and regulates the blood and inner parts of the body. It connects with all the yin channels: the Liver, Spleen, Kidney, Heart, Pericardium, and Lung Channels. The yang aspect, which runs along the back side of the body, moves yang energy, controls Defensive Chi, regulates resistance to external infections, and regulates the external parts of the body. It connects with all the yang channels: the Stomach, Bladder, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Triple Warmer, and Small Intestine Channels. By joining together the various ordinary channels, the Regulator Channels help maintain a harmonious and cooperative interaction among them.
The Regulator Channels in Taoist Yoga and Chi Kung are slightly different from those presented in acupuncture texts. The Chi Kung Regulator Channels include the yin and yang arm routes; some Taoist Yoga texts refer to the arm routes as the Yin Yu and the Yang Yu. Acupuncture texts, in contrast, include only the leg, trunk, and head routes. Many recent Chi Kung texts, unaware of these differences, depict illustrations from acupuncture texts alone, further adding to the confusion.
Disorders of the Bridge Channels
Excess Yang Energy
When yin energy is slowed down in the Bridge Channels, yang energy flows more rapidly. The excess yang can cause insomnia, difficulty in closing the eyes, hypertension, stiff back and waist, inability to bend down, thigh tumors, bad colds, spontaneous sweating, headaches, painful eyes, paralysis of the arms and legs, vomiting of milk in infants, deafness, epilepsy, nose bleeding, swelling of the body, pain in the joints, and head sweating.
Excess Yin Energy
When yang energy is slowed down in the Bridge Channels, yin energy moves more rapidly. The excess yin can cause sleepiness, difficulty in keeping the eyes open, hypotension, choking, painful urination, stomach rumbling, vomiting, diarrhea, difficult bowel movements, difficult labor, and unconsciousness.
Disorders of the Regulator Channels
Excess Yang Energy
When yin energy is slowed down in the Regulator Channels, yang energy moves more rapidly. The excess yang can cause swelling and pain in the joints, cold knees, paralysis of the arms and legs, painful back and sides, aching muscles, fever, rashes, night sweating, tetanus, painful red eyes, colds, superficial fevers, and pain in the head, neck, and edge of the eyebrows.
Excess Yin Energy
When yang energy is slowed down in the Regulator Channels, yin energy moves more rapidly. The excess yin can cause heart pain, diarrhea with stomach rumbling, difficulty swallowing, pain on both sides of the chest, diseases associated with cold, and convulsions.
Section III: Open the Functional, Governor, and Thrusting Channels
The third section teaches you to enhance the energy in the points along the Functional and Governor Channels, the reservoirs of yin and yang energy in the body. The Functional or Conception Channel is yin, and all of the ordinary yin channels connect to it. The Governor Channel is yang, and all of the ordinary yang channels connect to it.
The Functional and Governor Channels are also used in the Microcosmic Orbit. Opening the Microcosmic Orbit strengthens and balances your energy and prepares you to heal others. Practicing this section will be of great help with the Microcosmic Orbit meditation.
The Thrusting Channel may be used to bring energy up from the feet, through the body, and out the head. It has three parts: a red channel on the left side of the body, a silver channel through the middle, and a blue channel on the right. The center channel is also known as the Central Channel. Practitioners of Chi Kung sometimes use it independent of the other channels.
In Section III we also begin to focus more on the sensation of Chi being emitted from our palms during the Chi ball exercise. This energy is emitted primarily from the Laogong points, but you can also feel it throughout the palms and fingers. It will feel like a balloon between your hands that is expanding and contracting or like two magnetic fields repelling and attracting each other.
Once you have practiced Cosmic Chi Kung for a while and have become skillful at it, you may find that grasping the Chi ball is all you need to do to activate your flow of healing energy. As you become sensitive to the sensation of your own Chi, it becomes an easy step to feel the Chi of others.
Section IV: Activate One-Finger Art and the Chi Belt
In this final section of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung, you will focus on opening the yin and yang channels of the arms and on activating the Chi Belt around the waist. Mastery of this aspect of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung will enhance your ability to project Chi through your fingers for healing.
THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT: DEPENDING ON WHETHER IT IS OPEN OR CLOSED, EACH POINT OF THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT HAS AN EFFECT ON THE BODY
Yin and Yang Channels of the Arms
Six important energy channels flow through the arms. Three channels are yin and three are yang. The six channels are paired together, with each pair composed of one yin channel and one yang channel. The yin channel of each pair flows down the inside of the arm from torso to fingertip, while its yang counterpart flows up the outside of the arm from fingertip to head.
The pairs are as follows:
Metal Element | Yin | Lung Channel | Thumb |
Yang | Large Intestine Channel | Index finger | |
Fire Element | Yin | Pericardium Channel | Middle finger |
Yang | Triple Warmer Channel | Ring finger | |
Fire Element | Yin | Heart Channel | Pinkie finger |
Yang | Small Intestine | Pinkie finger |
Emitting Chi from the fingers for healing is known as the One-Finger Art. Because the energy channels of the arms either end or begin at the fingertips, the fingers are very effective instruments for projecting healing energy. Your fingers can focus energy like a laser beam toward a concentrated area such as a specific acupuncture point. You can also emit energy from all the fingers at once, creating a combined effect to target an area. Section IV of Cosmic Healing Chi Kung will stimulate all of the arm channels and give you an opportunity to activate all of the fingers for beaming energy.
ONE-FINGER ART
The Belt Channel (Dai Mo)
The Belt Channel, also known as the Dai Mo, Chi Belt, or Girdle Vessel, is the only channel in the body that runs horizontally. It encircles the body at the waist level, connecting all the vertical channels that run through the torso. Thus, the Belt Channel plays an important role in maintaining good energetic communication between the upper and lower body. In women, it strongly affects the uterus and the menstrual cycle in particular.
In Taoist Chi Kung, the Belt Channel is not thought to be limited to the waist region but, instead, is said to encircle the entire body, almost like an energetic cocoon woven around you from head to foot. Activating the Belt Channel strengthens your aura and helps defend and protect you from outside negative energies.
THE BELT CHANNEL
COSMIC HEALING CHI KUNG PREPARATION
Cosmic Chi Kung can be practiced in either a sitting or a standing position.
Sitting: Sit on the edge of a chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands on your upper legs. Keep your back as straight as possible. Relax.
Standing: Stand with your feet parallel and shoulder width apart. Tilt your sacrum and pelvis slightly forward until you feel your feet press more firmly into the ground. As you tilt the pelvis, feel your lumbar vertebrae pressing outward; this is called “Opening the Door of Life.” Relax your chest and sink your sternum. Draw your chin in slightly, and hold your head, neck, and spine erect as if your head and spine were suspended from above by a string.
Throughout parts I, II, III, and IV, the phrase “Tan Tien and universe spiraling” serves as a reminder to feel your Tan Tien, heart, mideyebrow, and crown spiraling and to feel that you are connected to the universe spiraling in the six directions around you.
INVOKE THE COSMIC INNER SMILE
PLACE THE TIP OF THE TONGUE ON THE UPPER PALATE
In the four sections that follow, hold each of the Cosmic Healing Chi Kung postures for five to thirty seconds. As you become more experienced, gradually lengthen that time to one to two minutes. While holding the postures, count the breath for five to fifteen seconds, being aware of the Tan Tien and feeling the Chi in the Tan Tien move up to the crown and expand up to the universe; fuse your Chi with the Universal Chi and let it multiply down to your palms. Just concentrate on “Tan Tien and the universe spiraling”; do not concentrate on the palms at all.
Forget about Your Palms
An extremely important principle of Cosmic Healing hand techniques is to “forget about your palms.” You should use the palm (which is incredibly sensitive) only for “guiding” the universal energy into the right spot, sending out a minute beam of light, like a laser, that marks the place where the energy should be sent. Your palm is connected to your brain, which has been sunk into your Lower Tan Tien. The light marker will serve as a beacon for the force that is directed down by your mind. Draw down the Universal Chi, guide it to the right spot, and give the command “Stay.” The energy is directed by your mind, not your palm. This is very important, because otherwise the Chi will disappear once you move your hand.
Opening Heaven and Earth Force in the Palms
The purpose of this technique is to draw in the forces of heaven and earth through the palm. This is accomplished by using the palms to draw spirals, the symbol of heaven and earth force. As you draw the spirals, you should actually feel the palm breathing, inhaling these forces. In the beginning, however, you may only be able to use your own mental imagery and imagine that you are absorbing these forces. In time, the feelings will replace your imagination.
You breathe in Heaven Chi when you draw the heaven spirals and Earth Chi when you draw the earth spirals. You may draw both in one session; you may also choose to draw in just one if you feel you need more of one or the other. It is important to balance these energies whenever you do this exercise.
THE SPIRAL MOVEMENT TRACES THE SYMBOL OF HEAVEN AND EARTH CHI IN THE LAOGONG POINT (PERICARDIUM 8)
Connecting the Bridge
Contracting the muscles of the perineum, sexual organs, and anus activates our connection with the earth energy. By pulling up these areas and drawing in energy through the soles of the feet, you immediately become grounded and bring the earth (yin) energy into the Microcosmic Orbit. Pulling up should be done gently and directed by the Yi.
When we speak of “connecting the bridge,” we are referring to the above exercise, except that after the first contraction you relax the perineum. Following on the principles of a siphon, when you then relax the perineum, the earth energy will continue to flow into the body. You thus connect the “bridge” across the perineum from the sexual organs to the anus, using the Yi to direct the energy. This actively combines the earth energy and your sexual energy and directs it into the Microcosmic Orbit. This energy is circulated during Cosmic Healing Chi Kung. Holding a very gentle contraction will keep you grounded during the exercise. It can be done sitting or standing.
CONNECTING THE BRIDGE COMBINES EARTH AND HEAVEN CHI
BUDDHA PALM OPENING MOVEMENTS
The four sections of the Empty Force sequence are each practiced in three parts: opening movements, core movements, and closing movements. The opening and closing movements for each section are the same. To undertake a section, practice the opening movements described here, then the core movements of that particular section, and finally the closing movements described at the end of this chapter.
Three Minds into One Mind
EMPTY YOUR MIND AND HEART DOWN TO YOUR LOWER TAN TIEN
Channeling the Earth Force: Marrow Washing
1. Smile into the perineum, palms, and crown. Then slowly raise the arms, palms facing each other, to chest height, keeping the elbows relaxed and sunk. Rotate the arms slowly until the palms are facing down. Be aware of the mideyebrow. Feel your breath, and lightly contract your eyes and the round muscles around the eyes. Connect the perineum bridge by slightly squeezing the sex organs and the anus; do this a few times.
2. Rest. Smile to soles of the feet. Feel the Chi bubbling in the ground, as if you were standing on a hot spring starting to bubble up.
3. Be aware of your Tan Tien and expand your mind down past the earth to connect with the galaxy below you. Multiply the energy and bring your mind back to the Tan Tien. Gradually feel the Earth Chi being absorbed through the whole body; absorb it into the bones and body as though it were a rising steam or mist. Feel the earth force move through the center of the bones and enter the bone marrow; it rises from the calves and thighs (femur bones) through the hip bones, spine, scapula, arms, neck, and skull. Finally, swirl the energy around your brain. Remember: Tan Tien and universe spiraling.
4. Raise the index finger on each hand slightly upward. Then stretch your thumbs out to the sides and down, so that they end up pointing down toward the earth. This hand movement activates Large Intestine 4 (Hegu). Large Intestine 4 is found in the webbing between the thumb and the index finger. It is called the “eye of the hand” or the “Tiger’s Mouth.”
OPEN THE TIGER’S MOUTH
5. Slowly draw back the elbows and lower the hands until your palms are facing down beside the “eye of the hip” (the hip point or iliac crest), with the eye of the hand (Large Intestine 4) aligned next to it. Be aware of the Tan Tien (Yi), and expand your mind out into the universe. Remember: The hands act only as a guide to the flow of universal energy; if you focus on the fingers or the palms, you are starting to use your own energy. Use the intuition of your second brain (the gut) to be lightly aware of the area between the hips and Lower Intestine 4 on each hand. Feel your Tan Tien and the crown full with Chi. Focus on Tan Tien and the universe. This will activate the lungs and large intestine. Hold for thirty seconds. Gradually you will feel that the ascending colon and the sigmoid colon have been activated; you may feel some movement in this area.
6. Use your Yi to rotate your hands, moving the fingers from a palm-down, finger-forward position to a palm-up, finger-back position, and then finally rotate the fingers in to point the middle finger toward the eye of the hip. Keep most of your attention (95 percent) on Tan Tien and the universe spiraling, but remain just barely aware of the energy flowing back and forth between the tips of the middle fingers, passing through the hip points. This will activate the pericardium.
ACTIVATE THE HIP AT THE HIP POINT
ACTIVATE THE ORGAN ENERGY
7. Rotate the hands again until the fingers are pointing forward with the palms facing up. Align the knife edges of each hand (Small Intestine 3) with the eyes of the hips. Remember: Tan Tien and the universe spiraling. Be lightly aware of the energy passing back and forth between the two hands. This will activate the heart and small intestine.
ACTIVATE THE HEART AND SMALL INTESTINE
Absorb the Heavenly Force: Marrow Washing from Crown to Soles
DRAW HEAVEN CHI INTO THE PALMS
HOLD THE BIG DIPPER
Absorb the Earth Force and the Other Side of the Galaxy
OPEN THE INDEX FINGERS
SECTION I CORE MOVEMENTS: CONNECTING TO HEAVEN AND EARTH
Grasping the Moon: Connecting the Heaven and Earth Forces (Right Side over Left Side)
1. Open Position: Heaven Chi. Holding the hands with the palms facing down, slightly raise the index fingers to open the palms. Bend the elbows and bring up the arms so that the right forearm is over the left forearm. This practice uses the Empty Force; no physical contact is required, and the fingers must be tense without tensing. When you tense and raise the index finger, you will feel the Laogong point opening.
The left hand is under the right elbow, with the left index finger pointing up to Heart 3. The right index finger, held just above the Large Intestine 11 point on the left arm, points up toward heaven and connects to the galaxy.
The right index finger draws in the heavenly force like an antenna. The force flows up the bones of the right arm, across the shoulders to the left arm, and through the bones of the left arm to the tip of the left index finger. It then flows through the index finger of the left hand into the Heart 3 point of the right arm, completing the heavenly circuit. Continue cycling in this way. Hold the position and count to five.
COMPLETE THE HEAVENLY CIRCUIT (RIGHT SIDE OVER LEFT)
2. Close Position: Tan Tien, Earth Chi, and Universal Chi. Keeping the arms in the same position, move both index fingers to point down. The right index finger now points toward the Large Intestine 11 point of the left arm, and the left index finger points down toward the earth and even further down to connect to the universe. Draw in the earth force through the left index finger, bringing it through the bones of the left arm, across the shoulders, through the right arm to the right index finger, and out into the Large Intestine 11 point of the left arm. Continue cycling in this way, completing the earth circuit.
3. Open and close three times altogether, ending in the open position. Hold each count for five seconds.
Grasping the Chi Ball: Tan Tien and the Original Force (Right Side over Left Side)
Yin and Yang Palms
1. Separate your hands and extend them out in front of your body at navel level. The left palm is still pointing up and is drawing in the yang heavenly force through the Laogong point. The right palm is still facing down and is drawing in the yin earth and galactic force from below. Remember: Tan Tien and the universe spiraling.
HOLDING THE CHI BALL (RIGHT SIDE OVER LEFT)
YIN AND YANG PALMS, WITH THE RIGHT HAND CONNECTING TO THE EARTH AND THE LEFT TO HEAVEN
2. Conclude by turning over the left palm so that it faces down. Draw in the earth force through both palms.
Left Side
Repeat “Grasping the Moon” and “Grasping the Chi Ball” on the left side, with the left arm over the right. Hold each pose for a count of five seconds.
COMPLETE THE HEAVENLY CIRCUIT (LEFT SIDE OVER RIGHT)
HOLDING THE CHI BALL (LEFT SIDE OVER RIGHT)
SECTION II CORE MOVEMENTS: OPENING THE BRIDGE AND REGULATOR CHANNELS
Activating the Throat Center (Right Side)
1. Keeping the elbows sunk, raise the left palm so that it is about one inch in front of the throat center (Conception Vessel 22), palm facing in. Then bring the right hand up so that it is about one inch behind the left hand, palm facing in. Align the Lung 10 point in the middle of the eminence of the left hand with the throat center. Feel the Chi go through the neck to the seventh cervical vertebra (C7). Continue smiling to the universe and connect to the universe behind your head. Hold for five to thirty seconds and feel the throat center activated.
CONNECT TO THE THROAT CENTER
2. Slowly move both hands away from you, as if you were pulling silk. When the feeling of connection to Chi is diminished or the silk starts to break, stop. Be still and feel the beam connect the throat center to C7 and the universe.
FEEL THE CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSE AT THE BACK
3. Maintain the energy beam as you bring your hands in and out three times altogether, ending with the hands brought in.
CONNECT TO THE MIDEYEBROW, JADE PILLOW, AND THE UNIVERSE BEHIND
Activating the Mideyebrow Point (Right Side)
Activating the Organs
1. Keeping the palms and thenars (Lung 10 points) aligned, move the hands back down to the position in front of the throat center. Keeping the forearms horizontal at shoulder height, separate the hands so that the Laogong point on each is aligned in front of Stomach 13 (ST13), just below the clavicle on a vertical line above the nipple or mammillary line. The middle fingertips should almost touch. You will now follow a vertical line down the torso to the level of the navel, stopping to focus and beam energy into key points along the way. At each of point, focus your Yi on beaming energy into the organs inside each position.
2. Beam energy from the Laogong points into ST13 and through the back to connect with the universe on the other side. ST13 activates the heart and lungs. Feel the change in your breathing as you activate the lungs.
BEAM ENERGY INTO ST13
3. Move the hands down the mammillary line to Stomach 16 (ST16), about one inch above the nipple in the space between the third and fourth ribs. Beam energy into these points and through the back to connect with the universe on the other side, energizing and balancing the heart and the middle of the lungs.
4. Move the hands down to Liver 14 (LV14), two to three inches below the nipple in the space between the sixth and seventh ribs. Beam healing energy into the liver and gallbladder. Feel the Chi or the vibration of the palms activate the liver, and feel the energy moving inside there.
5. Move the hands down to Spleen 16 (SP16), just below the rib cage on the mammillary line. Beam healing energy into the stomach, pancreas, spleen, and liver. Picture the organs receiving Chi from the universe.
6. Move the hands down to Spleen 15 (SP15), on the mammillary line at the level of the navel. Beam healing energy from your palms into the small intestine and the Lower Tan Tien.
A. ENERGIZE AND BALANCE THE LUNGS AT ST16.
B. ENERGIZE AND BALANCE THE LIVER AND GALLBLADDER AT LV14.
A. ENERGIZE THE STOMACH, PANCREAS, SPLEEN, AND LIVER AT SP16.
B. ENERGIZE THE LOWER TAN TIEN AND SMALL INTESTINE AT SP15.
Grasping the Chi Ball (Right Side over Left Side)
HOLD THE CHI BALLS, ONE IN THE TAN TIEN AND THE OTHER IN THE HANDS
Yin and Yang Palms
YIN AND YANG PALMS, WITH THE RIGHT HAND CONNECTING TO THE EARTH AND THE LEFT TO HEAVEN
DRAW THE EARTH FORCE THROUGH THE PALMS
Left Side
Repeat each of the Section II core movements, reversing the arrangement of the right and left hands.
ACTIVATING THE THROAT CENTER (LEFT HAND OVER RIGHT), PUSHING AND PULLING THE SILK AT THE THROAT
ACTIVATING THE MIDEYEBROW POINT (LEFT HAND OVER RIGHT)
SECTION III CORE MOVEMENTS: OPENING THE FUNCTIONAL, GOVERNOR, AND THRUSTING CHANNELS
Grasping the Chi Ball (Right Hand over Left)
1. Turn the left palm so that it faces up, and lower your hand to the level of the Lower Tan Tien, with the pinkie pointing inward.
2. Turn the right palm so that it faces down and align the eye of the right hand (Lower Intestine 4) with the navel.
3. Feel yourself holding a Chi ball between your hands.
4. Slowly rotate the hands so that your palms face each other in front of your navel.
HOLD THE CHI BALL
5. Feel the invisible ball of energy between your hands. Allow the energy to push your hands apart, keeping the feeling of connection between your palms. When the feeling of connection begins to diminish, stop. Hold this position and reestablish the feeling of the Chi ball.
6. Let the energy, like a magnet, draw your hands back toward each other, until you feel as though you are squeezing and compressing the ball.
7. Stretch and squeeze the Chi ball a total of three times by opening and closing your palms in this way.
Activating the Outer and Inner Arm Gates
1. Activate Wai Guan (Triple Warmer 5 or TW5) and Nei Guan (Pericardium 6 or PC6) by pressing two fingers against each point on both arms.
STRETCH AND SQUEEZE THE CHI BALL
2. With your right arm on top, slowly rotate the arms so that both palms face down. Cross the right wrist over the left wrist, with one inch of space between the hands. Align PC6 of the right wrist with TW5 of the left wrist. Feel the two gates activate each other like metal and magnet drawn to each other. Hold for five to thirty seconds.
3. Keeping the wrists crossed, slowly rotate the hands, turning the palms so that they face up. Now TW5 of the right wrist will be aligned with PC6 of the left wrist. Hold this position for five to thirty seconds, and feel the points activated. Remember: Tan Tien and universe spiraling.
ALIGN AND ACTIVATE PC6 OF THE RIGHT WRIST WITH TW5 OF THE LEFT WRIST
Opening the Functional Channel (Right Hand)
1. Bring the left hand down to the level of the Lower Tan Tien, with the Palm palm facing up and the Chi Knife (index and middle fingers together) facing in. Lower the right hand, with its palm facing down, and align the eye of the right hand (Lower Intestine 4 or LI4) with your navel.
ALIGN AND ACTIVATE TW5 OF THE RIGHT WRIST WITH PC6 OF THE LEFT WRIST
2. Feel the Chi ball between your two hands, and at the same time beam energy from LI4 into the navel point.
FEEL THE CHI BALL AND BEAM ENERGY FROM LI4 INTO THE NAVEL POINT
3. Raise the right hand up the Functional Channel, stopping and aligning LI4 with the solar plexus. Hold for five to thirty seconds and feel the points opening and starting to activate each other.
MAGNIFY THE POWER OF THE BEAM TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS
ACTIVATE ALL THE POINTS
4. Continue to move up the Functional Channel to the heart, throat (Conception Vessel 22), and mideyebrow points. Beam energy from the eye of the hand into each of these points and, at the same time, continue to feel the Chi ball connection between the two hands.
5. Return down the Functional Channel in the same manner, starting from the mideyebrow and stopping to beam energy into each point: the throat center, the heart center, the solar plexus, and finally the navel.
6. Hold the Chi ball at the navel with the right hand over the left.
BEAM TO THE HEART CENTER
BEAM TO THE THROAT
BEAM TO THE MIDEYEBROW
Yin and Yang Palms
1. Separate your hands and extend them out in front of your body at the level of the solar plexus. The left palm is still pointing up and is drawing in the yang heavenly force through the Laogong point. The right palm is still facing down and is drawing in the yin earth force from below.
YIN AND YANG PALMS, WITH THE RIGHT HAND CONNECTING TO THE EARTH AND THE LEFT TO HEAVEN
2. Conclude by turning over the left palm so that it faces down. Draw in the earth force through both palms.
Grasping the Chi Ball (Left Hand over Right)
Repeat “Grasping the Chi Ball”, this time with your left hand over your right. Lower the left thumb to point toward the right Laogong point.
DRAW THE EARTH FORCE THROUGH THE PALMS
ACTIVATE THE CHI BALL (LEFT HAND OVER RIGHT), WITH LARGE INTESTINE 4 POINTING AT THE NAVEL
This opens the eye of the left hand (LI4), pointing it toward the navel.
Opening the Functional Channel (Left Hand)
Repeat “Opening the Functional Channel”, this time using your left hand to beam energy through the points as you move up and then down the channel.
A. BEAM TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS AND HEART CENTER.
B. BEAM TO THE THROAT CENTER.
C. BEAM TO THE MIDEYEBROW, DESCENDING DOWN THE CHANNEL IN REVERSE, FINISHING AT THE NAVEL.
Grasping the Chi Ball (Palms Facing)
1. Open the hands with the palms facing each other at navel level. Feel yourself holding a Chi ball between them.
2. Stretch and squeeze the Chi ball a few times in order to feel the Chi as a substance; open and then relax the palms as you squeeze.
HOLD AND SQUEEZE THE CHI BALL
FEEL THE CHI BALL EXPANDING
Double Palm and Double Beam (Right Palm over Left)
1. Bring the left palm in to face the navel, about one inch away, aligning the Laogong point with the navel. Bring the right hand behind the left hand, aligning the Laogong of the right palm with the Laogong of the left hand and the navel. Both palms are now facing in.
BRING THE LEFT PALM TO THE NAVEL
PLACE THE RIGHT PALM BEHIND IT
BEAM FROM THE NAVEL TO THE DOOR OF LIFE
2. Beam energy through both Laogong points to the navel and through the body to the Door of Life, between the second and third lumbar vertebrae (L2 and L3). Hold for five to thirty seconds. Feel the vibration of the palms and the Chi beam penetrate through the navel and the Door of Life; feel them link together.
3. Raise the left palm to the solar plexus, aligning the Laogong point with the solar plexus. Follow with the right palm, aligning its Laogong with that of the left palm. Beam energy through both Laogong points into the solar plexus and through the body to the eleventh thoracic vertebra (T11).
4. Continue in the same way, with the left hand leading the right hand, to the heart point and the wing point (the point opposite the heart point), the throat point and the seventh cervical vertebra (C7), and the mideyebrow point and Jade Pillow (at the base of the skull about one inch above the posterior hairline). Always remember: Tan Tien and the universe spiraling.
RAISE THE LEFT PALM TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS
FOLLOW WITH THE RIGHT HAND TO FORM THE DOUBLE BEAM
BEAM INTO THE HEART CENTER AND THROUGH THE WING POINT
BEAM INTO THE THROAT CENTER AND THROUGH C7
BEAM INTO THE MIDEYEBROW AND THROUGH THE BASE OF THE SKULL
BEAM INTO THE CROWN AND THROUGH THE PERINEUM
5. The final point for the double Chi beam is the crown point. When you reach the crown, lightly spiral the palms and feel the Chi slowly penetrate deep into the body, reaching the perineum. This will also open the Thrusting Channel. This might take a longer time; try a thirty- to sixty-second count.
6. Return down the front, point by point in the same way, leading with the left hand.
7. Go up and down this way three times. The double palm and beam activate both the Functional and Governor Channels. The energy beam passes all the way through the body at each point.
Grasping the Chi Ball (Palms Facing)
SQUEEZE THE CHI BALL
MAGNIFY ITS ENERGY
Double Palm and Double Beam (Left Palm over Right)
1. Repeat “Double Palm and Double Beam”, this time with the left hand on the outside and the right hand leading.
A. LEFT PALM OVER RIGHT, BEAMING FROM THE NAVEL TO THE DOOR OF LIFE.
B. LEFT PALM OVER RIGHT, BEAMING FROM THE SOLAR PLEXUS TO T11, FOLLOWED BY HEART CENTER TO WING POINT.
C. LEFT PALM OVER RIGHT, BEAMING FROM THE THROAT CENTER TO C7.
Activating the Earth Force
Rotate the hands so that the palms face down. Smile, and draw in the earth force through the palms, soles, and perineum.
LEFT PALM OVER RIGHT, BEAMING FROM THE MIDEYEBROW TO THE BASE OF THE SKULL
LEFT PALM OVER RIGHT, BEAMING FROM THE CROWN TO THE PERINEUM
CHANNEL THE EARTH FORCE
SECTION IV CORE MOVEMENTS: ACTIVATING THE YIN AND YANG CHANNELS OF THE ARMS AND THE CHI BELT
Activating the Yin Channels (Left Side)
1. Turn the palms so they face down, and slightly open the index fingers. Smile to your palms and soles and channel the earth force.
2. Turn up your right palm and pass it just one inch below the yin channels on the inside of the left arm, from the palm to the armpit, without physically touching the arm. Feel the Chi moving.
3. Turn your right palm to face your left rib cage. Pass your right hand down the left side of your abdomen along the descending colon and then across the pelvis to the right side. This activates yin energy.
4. Pass your right hand up the right side of the abdomen to the level of your forehead. Turn the palm to face diagonally toward the left palm, and simultaneously rotate the left hand so that its palm faces up at the level of the navel. Project the Chi from the right palm to the left for thirty to sixty seconds, vibrating the right palm and feeling the left palm picking up the Chi. Keep the palms open and relaxed.
5. Point the ring finger on the right hand toward the left palm. Making very small circles with the right ring finger (Triple Warmer Channel), project Chi to the left palm for thirty to sixty seconds. Then return the right index finger to neutral position.
CHANNEL THE EARTH FORCE
ACTIVATE THE YIN ENERGY FROM THE PALM TO THE PELVIS
6. Point the left ring finger up toward the right palm and use it to project Chi into the right palm for thirty to sixty seconds. Then return to neutral.
7. Point both ring fingers at the opposite palm. Project Chi from both fingers toward the opposite palm for thirty to sixty seconds. Notice that the energy may meet in the middle. Then return to neutral.
RAISE CHI IN THE RIGHT PALM
PASS CHI TO THE LEFT PALM
PROJECT ENERGY AND BALANCE THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT
A. FACE THE LEFT PALM DOWN, THEN LOWER THE RIGHT PALM TO COVER THE BACK OF THE LEFT HAND.
B. PASS THE RIGHT PALM OVER THE LEFT ARM’S YANG CHANNELS.
C. PASS THE RIGHT PALM ACROSS THE CHEST AND SCOOP IT UNDER THE RIGHT ARMPIT, FINGERS FIRST.
D. PRESS BOTH PALMS FORWARD, RELAX, AND CHANNEL THE EARTH FORCE. BALANCE YIN AND YANG ON THE LEFT SIDE AND CHANNEL EARTH ENERGY.
Activating the Yang Channels (Left Side)
Activating the Yin and Yang Channels (Right Side)
Repeat “Activating the Yin Channels” and “Activating the Yang Channels” (above), this time on the right side of the body.
Activating the Yin and Yang Channels (Other Fingers)
Repeat “Activating the Yin Channels” and “Activating the Yang Channels” (above) with the other fingers and channels in the following order:
BALANCE YIN AND YANG ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND CHANNEL EARTH ENERGY
Index finger (Large Intestine Channel)
Thumb (Lung Channel)
Pinkie finger (Heart Channel)
Middle finger (Pericardium Channel)
AS YOU GROW PRACTICED WITH ONE-FINGER ART, ACTIVATE THE LAOGONG POINT AS YOU ACTIVATE THE YIN AND YANG CHANNELS
Activating the Chi Belt (Right Foot Forward)
ACTIVATE THE CHI BELT (RIGHT SIDE)
Activating the Chi Belt (Left Foot Forward)
Repeat the exercise as described for the right foot, but now with the left foot forward and reversing the right and left hands.
ACTIVATE THE CHI BELT (LEFT SIDE)
Channel the Earth Force
Rotate the hands so that the palms face down. Smile, and draw in the earth force through the palms, soles, and perineum.
BUDDHA PALM CLOSING MOVEMENTS
The closing movements balance organ energy while activating the Chi channels. Hold the arms extended forward, with the palms facing down, at solar plexus level. Hold each stage for a count of five seconds.
THE POINTS OF THE HAND
Index Fingers
ACTIVATE THE INDEX FINGERS FOR HEAVEN CHI BY BRINGING THEM UP
ACTIVATE THE INDEX FINGERS FOR EARTH CHI BY POINTING THEM DOWN
5. Bring the index fingers back to neutral and relax your hands.
6. Once again open the index fingers by raising them, keeping the rest of the fingers level. Draw in Heaven Chi through the index fingers.
7. Bring the index fingers back to neutral and relax your hands.
Ring Fingers
DRAW EARTH CHI THROUGH THE RING FINGERS
Thumbs
1. Stretch your thumbs out and down toward the earth, keeping the rest of the fingers level. Draw in Earth Chi through the thumbs and circulate it through the body.
2. Bring the thumbs back to neutral and relax your hands.
DRAW EARTH CHI THROUGH THE THUMBS
3. Once again open the index fingers by raising them, keeping the rest of the fingers level. Draw in Heaven Chi through the index fingers.
4. Bring the index fingers back to neutral and relax your hands.
Pinkie Fingers
1. Stretch your pinkie fingers out and down toward the earth, keeping the rest of the fingers level. Draw in Earth Chi through the pinkie fingers and circulate it through the body.
2. Bring the pinkie fingers back to neutral and relax your hands.
DRAW EARTH CHI THROUGH THE PINKIE FINGERS
3. Once again open the index fingers by raising them, keeping the rest of the fingers level. Draw in Heaven Chi through the index fingers.
4. Bring the index fingers back to neutral and relax your hands.
Middle Fingers
DRAW EARTH CHI THROUGH THE MIDDLE FINGERS
Crane’s Beak and Swallow the Saliva
1. Form the “crane’s beak” with each hand by bringing together all the fingertips, with the thumbs inside. Inhale and contract the sexual organs.
2. Move your tongue and suck the mouth to activate the saliva. Divide the saliva into three parts. Tighten the neck and gulp down the first part to the center of the navel; force the second mouthful of nectar down to the left side of the navel and the third to the right side of the navel.
3. Raise the forearms to shoulder height, keeping your fingers pointing down. Slowly open the palms and begin to lower the arms to the sides, until the palms are facing each other before the starting position.
FORM THE CRANE’S BEAK
RAISE FOREARMS TO SHOULDER HEIGHT
LOWER ARMS TO THE SIDES
AT THE FINISH, THE PALMS FACE EACH OTHER TO COVER THE NAVEL
Conclusion
1. Bring your awareness to the navel. Notice the quality and intensity of the energy generated and collect your energy at the navel.
Men: Place your hands over the navel with the right hand on top.
Women: Place your hands over the navel with the left hand on top.
2. Rest.
SIMPLE COMBINED PRACTICE
After learning the four sets of Cosmic Chi Kung, you may want to combine them all in a short and simple daily practice. This combined set, called Buddha Palm I, synthesizes the movements from the first three sets into one basic sequence. The movements are done on the right side only, so the entire set can be completed in ten to twenty minutes.
Combined Practice Opening Movements
Practice the opening movements of the Buddha Palm:
Three Minds into One Mind
Channeling the Earth Force: Marrow Washing
Absorb the Heavenly Force: Marrow Washing from Crown to Soles
Absorb the Earth Force and the Other Side of the Galaxy
Combined Practice Core Movements
Practice a specific selection of core movements from the four sections:
Grasping the Moon
Activating the Throat Center pages
Activating the Mideyebrow Point
Activating the Organs
Grasping the Chi Ball—Right Side over Left Side
Activating the Outer and Inner Arm Gates
Opening the Functional Channel
Yin and Yang Palms
Double Palm and Double Beam
Grasping the Chi Ball—Palms Facing
Activating the Earth Force
Combined Practice Closing Movements
Practice the closing movements of the Buddha Palm:
Index Fingers
Ring Fingers
Thumbs
Pinkie Fingers
Middle Fingers
Crane’s Beak and Swallow the Saliva
Conclusion