THE THREE INTERNAL HARMONIES OF JIN, QI AND SHEN IN COTTON PALM
Flowing energy from "Wave Sleeves Light Breeze" generates internal force
Question
It has been mentioned previously that Cotton Palm is excellent in cultivating the Spirit.
Does Cotton Palm specifically enhance the 3 internal harmonies of Jing, Qi and Shen and if so how does Cotton Palm enhance these 3 aspects and when practicing the art of Cotton Palm what would be the most beneficial and practical exercises to enhance both the 3 harmonies and the Set?
James
Answer
Cotton Palm is excellent for cultivating “zhen”, or “spirit”. It is also excellent for cultivating “jin” and “qi”., or “essence” and “energy”.
The three internal harmonies are “jing”, “qi” and “shen”, or essence, energy and spirit. (Please note that “qi” is spelt as “chi “ in Emglish.) The three external harmonies are feet, body and hands.
The three external harmonies and the three internal harmonies form a very important concept in kungfu known as the six harmonies, or “liu he”.
(Please note that “he” in “liu he” is pronounced like the English “her” as in “him” and “her”, and not like the English “he” as in “he” and “she”. If you think that Romanized Chinese is funny, think again. We say /bas/ and /mather/, but write the words as “bus” and “mother”.)
All beings, irrespective of whether they are humans or gods, bacteria or whales, dragons or garuda (or gigantic birds) in a different realm, are composed of jin, qi and shen, though our human sight is too limited to see many of these beings. Jin is the form, or physical body; qi is the energy or life force; and shen is the spirit or consciousness.
This was a discovery by Chinese masters still unknown to the West. Some Westerners still believe that we are only the physical body, without qi or energy, and without shen or spirit. Chinese masters believe that the real being is the shen, or spirit. Jin and qi are changing all the time.
Cotton Palm, if we perform it correctly, specifically enhances the 3 internal harmonies of jing, qi and shen, This is because jin, qi and shen are integrated. When one aspect is weak, the others are weak too. When one aspect is strong, it nourishes the other two aspects.
For example, when jin is weak, the person has little qi and little shen. When a person is sick, for example, he is easily fatiqued, and his thinking is poor. When qi is plentiful, like when we practice our qigong, spelt as “chi kung” in English, our physical body and mind are strong.
Those who do not know this concept of jin, qi and shen, will not benefit from it. They may, influenced by Western exercise for example, perform Cotton Palm or any kungfu set physically, without cultivating qi and shen. Worse, they may tense their muscles, hindering energy flow and weaking their spirit.
The correct practice of Cotton Palm enhances these 3 internal aspects. We need to practice Cotton Palm in a relaxed, flowing manner which brings nutrients to nourish our jin, The flowing energy as a result of our performance generates internal force, which makes us fast and powerful. We also focus our mind in our performance, thus strengthening our shen. All kungfu sets in our school are perfomed in this way, but Cotton Palm is specially powerful.
While we focus on the 3 internal harmonies, we must not neglect the 3 external harmonies. Indeed, the 3 external harmonies should be perfect before we pay much attention to the 3 internal harmonies. If the form, which includes the feet, body and hands, is not picture-perfect, the cultivation of jin, qi and shen will be affected.
As mentioned earlier, the 6 harmonies, -- which are feet, body, hands, essence, energy and spirit – are integrated. When any one of the 6 aspects is out of harmony, the other 5 will be affected. For example, if the feet are not in the correct position, the body, hands, essence, energy and spirit will be unfavorably affected. If the spirit is not focused, the feet, body, hands, essence and energy will not be at their best.
Hence, in the practice of Cotton Palm, all the 6 aspects must be in harmony in order to get the most benefit. This is guided by the concept of “liu he” or “six harmonies”.
Which is the most beneficial and practical exercise to enhance the 3 internal harmonies of jin, qi and shen, and the whole set, depends on various factors, like needs, aspirations, developmental stage, and whims and fancies. The exercise most suitable for a beginner, for example, may not be most suitable for a master. The most suitable exercise for combat, may not be the most suitable for developing internal force.
Nevertheless, all the patterns in the Cotton Palm set are suitable, as all the patterns are specially chosen. Some of my favorite patterns, which may not be the same for other people, are “Wave Sleeves Light Breeze”, “Whirlwind Cotton Palm” and “Garments Receive Flowing Breeze".
"Cloud Hands" opens the heart and sets the spirit free
This question and answer are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions Cotton Palm in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
LINKS