Christians and Ki/Chi

[Treebranch]

This is an interesting topic. Should Christians fight? If yes, then Ki or Chi is fine. It's not a form of worship. It's using your own bodies energy and focus, you actually use it all the time but don't realize it.

[JusticeZero]

Chi doesn't exist, it's alternatively a mnemonic for how to perform feats of skill and 'fool' your body into performing properly and a catchall term for any 'unbelievable' trick made possible by basic physics (breaking blocks with a hammer, etc). Thus, there is nothing TO measure.

[Treebranch]

Not totally true JusticZero. Alot of this Chi and Ki stuff is based on Buddhist meditational states. Meditation and prayer are very much the same thing in many ways, only the reason for doing each are different. If you hit someone with fear in your heart as opposed to courage and verocity the effect will by different. Your intent or energy is just as important as the technique itself.

[dtstiachi]

Hey greenbelt_girl15,

Refer to my message I sent you on Chi. Was it helpful to you? Let me know if you have any more questions.

[mrbigmuscles]

I wish I had a link, but a study was recently released from some US university in which some 80% of the 'meridians' described by acupuncurists actually correspond to sheaths and 'tunnels' in the musculature of the body.

A similar percentage of 'energy points' or whatever they are hitting with the needles correspond to nerve bundles or endings that stimulate the organ that acupuncurists claim they do.

My point? I think that 'chi' or the idea of a bodily energy and western ideas of physics and physiology as it pertains to martial arts, are describing the same thing. If striking someone in a certain way 'disables their chi' or reverses its flow or whatever, this is simply an Eastern spiritual description of a real physiological effect. As a metaphor, it works perfectly well and I see no reason to regard it derisively. Those who make the claim that 'it isn't real' are missing the point, I believe. It is real once you understand its context. Or, I could be completely wrong!

[dtstiachi]

Welcome mrbigmuscles,

You bring out some interesting points. There is a lot to think about.

[fallen_milkman]

Another thing, a lot of people are saying that Chi isn't mystical, it's pure fact or science. But I've never heard of any studies using scientific method that have measured Chi or observed its existence. If Chi is energy, wouldn't we be able to measure it?

There definitely have been studies measuring the way electromagnetic fields are altered in people performing internal arts. Since I can't seem to find any links to these at the moment, you'll probably disregard that comment. I don't much blame you, as I like a bit of harder evidence than some missing study some random person on the web tells me about. So I ask you this:

How do you explain chi gung arts such as Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Cover, which ARE documented?

[Fish]

Personally, I'm a Christian. As far as "Chi" is concerned, I believe it is the result of natural biochemical/ physiological/ mechanical forces. Nowadays we can understand and measure these forces scientifically, but in days when scientific discovery was more limited, they probably thought of it as a spiritual force, linked in with Oriental philosophy.

The problem that many Christians have with Chi is that many of us believe in the reality of the spirit world, including evil spirits, and therefore there is a concern that certain forms of meditation and spiritual activity could open people up to such evil influences. There is also a worry about it leading away from the true, one God, and towards the worship of idols.

Some practices, such as controlled breathing, and focussing the mind are healthy, but personally I don't meditate in the hope of achieving spiritual enlightenment, and I don't believe that is where the truth is to be found. I'm expressing my own beliefs here, so please don't be offended if you disagree.

[starrina]

I too am a christian and have been doing research into chi for a while now.

There has been a lot thrown into the discussion to think about. Whether or not chi is a spiritual force or can be explained in terms of physics, I still haven't made my mind up - at the moment I think it may be a bit of both.

As for whether Christians should be involved in using chi/ki, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced it depends on your starting point and also the attitude with which we individually approach it.

For intance, I have no problem with the chi existing and doing what it does, but the function and place it has is assigned by God.

[JusticeZero]

If you hit someone with fear in your heart as opposed to courage and verocity the effect will by different. Your intent or energy is just as important as the technique itself.

...yes, but this isn't a "woowoo" magic effect, it's completely within your mind and doesn't need to be explained with mystical forces. I drive faster when i'm going to see friends and family who I haven't seen in a long time than I drive when i'm on my way to do something dull and distasteful, too. That doesn't mean that my car's engine has been magically sped up.