Wei Qi or Superficial Defensive Energy, The Immune System

rom my research and clinical experience on strengthening Wei Qi or immune system through TCM therapies for treating chronic immune (Wei) dysfunction syndromes, I came to the conclusion that because it is based from ancient Oriental medical concepts and new scientific foundation, my thesis has merits. The following excerpts from many TCM and nutrition authors should be enough to support my hypothesis.
From Dr. Luc De Schepper's book Acupuncture for the Practitioner, " The concept of Qi is essential in acupuncture: the whole TCM is based on it; hence TCM is often "Energetic medicine." (Read pp. 57-58) "In the western world, this word Qi is rarely heard without being followed by an adjective: electric energy, atomic energy, thermic energy, all forms of energy that can be transformed into each other. These forms of Qi, of course, known by the Orientals, but they are only manifestations of an essential principle: energy. Naturally, there is only one energy, but it can manifest itself in different forms: the ancestral Qi or Hereditary Qi, the Iong (Yong) or Food Qi, and the Wei or Defense Qi. The Yong - or food Qi is provided by exterior sources: the Alimentation, but also the Respiration. These exterior sources also provide Wei Qi (Defense Qi). What seemed to be a chaos of ideas in the first place changed into a truly fine logical sequence of events when I had a better insight into the relationship of the various differentiation of syndromes. I decided to call it (probably in a moment of arrogance) the "key to the solution." We know that as long as the Yin and Yang are in equilibrium there is no disease. Every disease begins with an imbalance of Yin and Yang caused by the Seven emotions, the Six Excesses, food intake (irregular, too cold, too raw, too much, etc) and long term illness. (Read pp. 59-62) This initial disease attack will decrease the Qi in general, and a certain part of the total body Qi will be consumed. The Qi showing signs of deficiency will manifest a weakening of its holding, transforming and moving functions. Since the Lung is the master of the Qi, many symptoms of Empty Qi in this early stage relate to the Lung. If the attack progresses unchecked, the most mobile, and hence most vulnerable, part will decrease and stagnate: the Yang Qi. The situation then becomes more severe. A decrease of the Yang Qi is generally considered more severe than a decrease of the Qi. apart from the above symptoms, Yang Qi deficiency will cause a weakening of the warming energy and therefore, Cold symptoms (mainly involved are K and Sp Yang) will appear. The Su Wen says: "Decrease in Qi (Yang) will lead to decrease in Xue (Yin), and the stagnation of one will lead to stagnation of the other." Inevitably, the decrease and stagnation of Yang Qi will lead to a decrease and stagnation of Yin Qi. Another way of stating this is that stagnation of Fire (yang) leads to stagnation of Water (YIN). Stagnation of water is nothing more than a formation of Phlegm, a process in which the spleen plays a very important role. The Phlegm itself will obstruct the Primary Channels, injure and obstruct the organs and ultimately the Heart. (Please read pp. 12-14 about CFS showing his protocol) The pathway below described the consequences of the stagnation of the Yin. Alternatively, stagnation of Yang Qi will develop into Endogenous Heat (too much Yang concentrated in one place gives the extreme Yang excess, Fire). Endogenous Heat will always stir up the Wind (formation of Interior wind), which will ascend to the head to give symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, hypertension, etc. The extreme Heat will injure

the Yin and exhaust the fluids, leading to the formation of Phlegm. In this way the vicious circle is closed. 1 6 Excesses | V 7 Emotions | V Long-term Illness | V Food intake (source of Yong & Wei Qi) | V Decrease and Stagnation of Qi | V Decrease and Stagnation of Yang Qi | V Endogenous Heat & Phlegm or Decrease & Stagnation of Yin (water) | V Formation of Phlegm | V Obstruction of the channels | V Injury of the Organs & Ultimately the Heart From Paul Pitchford's book Healing with Whole Foods, in chapter 5: Interior/Exterior: Building Immunity, he talks about Immunity and the Protective qi concept - "The model of the immune system used in the Chinese herbal and acupuncture systems presents a simple view that has proven quite functional. Whether a contagious or climate-induced condition is interior or exterior depends on the strength of one's immune system, which in turn is related to the concept Wei Qi or protective Qi. When the protective Qi is strong, diseases from viruses and weather influences entering the body are completely warded off; if it is less strong, diseases may enter onto an exterior level and bring about a cold, flu, or other exterior condition; if it is very deficient, disease factors may penetrate to interior levels, more profoundly affecting the functioning of internal organs. Protective Qi is considered the most vigorous type of energy in the body. In daytime it is mainly distributed in the skin and muscles, warming and nourishing all the outer (subcutaneous) tissues. There it circulates, opening and closing the pores and sweat glands and defending the body against outside disease factors such as extremes of climate and the assaults of microorganisms. At night, protective Qi circulates deeper, within the organs of the body. According to traditional teachings, it is derived from essential substances in food and in inhaled air. This ancient model of protective Qi works well with our modern concept, since both maintain that the ability to absorb nutrients and oxygen is critical to immune function." From Richard Walters book "Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book," he said: In classic Chinese medicine, there is no specific concept of cancer, though there is of tumors. Many nutritive tonics and herbal medicines were developed to alleviate pain and prolong survival by strengthening the body's life forces and arresting tumor progression. Chinese doctors believe the causes of cancer are multiple, including toxins

and other environmental factors, called "external causes," as well as "internal causes" such as emotional stress, bad eating habits, accumulated wastes from food, and damaged organs. Two main factors are stagnant blood and a blockage or accumulation of chi, or qi (pronounced chee), the vital energy said to circulate along the meridians, or pathways, linking all parts of the body. Illness is an energy imbalance, an excess or deficiency of the body's elemental energies. According to the ancient Chinese, chi, the life force, controls the body's workings as it travels along the meridians, completing an energy cycle every twenty-four hours. A person is healthy when there is a balanced, sufficient flow of chi, which keeps the blood and body fluids circulating and fights disease. But if the circulation of chi is blocked for any reason or becomes excessive or deficient, pain and disease can result. The flow of chi may be disrupted by an imbalanced diet or lifestyle, overwork, stress, repressed or excessive emotions, or lack of exercise. Imbalances in yin and yang-complementary forces in dynamic flux-also disturb the normal, smooth flow of chi. Cancer, like all other diseases, is regarded as a manifestation of an underlying imbalance. The tumor is the "uppermost branch," not the "root," of the illness. Each patient may have a different imbalance causing what outwardly looks like the same type of cancer. Each person is unique, so the Oriental doctor attempts to identify the exact individual pattern of excess, deficiency, or blockage that led to the disease. The doctor treats the imbalance rather than a condition known as "stomach cancer," or "breast cancer," or so on. The prescribed treatment will vary from one patient to the next, depending on the specific imbalances When seeking a doctor in the United States (or Canada) who practices Oriental medicine, cancer patients need to be aware of what doctors can do and what patients can learn to do for themselves. According to Dr. Roger Jahnke, "There are four basic things that the doctor of Chinese medicine can do for you: herbal prescriptions, acupuncture, massage, and external qi gong. At least as important, however, are the things the doctor can teach you to do for yourself. These include guidance in the use of tonic or wellness herbs, in proper nutrition, and in devising a suitable exercise program that may involve activities like swimming or walking. A competent practitioner can also teach the patient selfapplied massage, meditation and relaxation techniques, and chi gong exercises. Finally, the doctor can offer guidance to help patients fulfill their unique spiritual purpose. Prospective patients should look for a doctor who provides all of these things, or one who can help patients network to all of these things, from body care up to the spiritual components of health." From Udo Erasmus review of the book "The Immune System Cure," he said: The immune system protects us against attack from without and within. It goes after viruses, yeast, fungus and bacterium. It seeks and destroys cancer cells. It involves itself in digestion when necessary. It plays an important role in healing. It is intimately involved in inflammation, asthma, allergies and psoriasis. Evidence is growing that imbalances in the immune system are associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, fibromyalgia, prostate problems and many other conditions. When our immune system becomes overloaded through toxins, unrelenting daily stress, viruses and poor nutrition it may become confused and attack the body itself instead of the invaders. Today autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn's disease and more, are increasing. The immune system is programmed for health, not disease. Only in the face of extreme adversity will it turn upon itself and attack the body's own tissues. Putting the immune system back into balance is the focus of this book. Never before in the history of medicine has the health of our immune system been so important. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and strange and virulent viruses that have defied all of medicine's attempts to eradicate them are now a fact of our life or death. After

decades of ignoring our nutrition and the state of our environment, we are now paying the price with the decline of our immune health. Good nutrition and a respect for nature cannot be overemphasized. Simple diet hints that anyone can adopt are recommended. Super-powered nutrients that optimize immune function are suggested. Plant nutrients, nature's true gifts, are also presented with food sources and recommended supplement dosages. Stress reducing techniques, detoxification treatments and alternatives to standard pain relievers are examined. Our emotions, stress levels and our general outlook on life all play powerful roles in the function of our body's defense system. Psycho-neuroimmunology is now a wellresearched field and every day we find out more and more information about the effects of our thoughts and emotions on our immune health. The Immune System Cure suggests stress-reducing measures that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. I am very familiar with nutrition and human disease but I learned many things I was not aware of in regards to the immune system. The authors have done a superb job of making the complexities of the immune system interesting to read and accessible to learn. Their reports on the research done with sterols and sterolins, the neglected story on fat-soluble phytonutrients, is as fascinating as it is important for health. This important research, published in world-renowned medical journals, will change the way we treat autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases well into the millenium. Current and well-researched clinical trials are quoted throughout the book, providing the evidence to substantiate all of the suggested immune system cures. Chapters on cancer, prostate disease, autoimmune disorders, allergies, infectious diseases and exercise-induced stress provide indepth treatments. Vanderhaeghe and Bouic's immune system cures are thorough, specific and practical. Read this book and then put into practice what the authors recommend. You will feel better, be healthier and live longer! Since most of our chronic patients have Yong and Wei Qi (immune system) deficiencies as the "root" cause of disease as stated above, their indications suggest building gradually their Wei Qi through herbs, dietary therapy and supplements, Qigong, massage, acupuncture, emotional healing, meditation, exercise. This is the clinical protocol I use with great success and that is the main reason why I'm sharing this integral Chinese Medicine thesis with my colleagues and everyone with CIDS for obvious reasons stated above thru this website and the Cancer/CIDS Support Group.

FOOTNOTES
1. 2. 3. 4. Luc De Schepper, MD, DAc, Acupuncture for the Practitioner, pp. 1-3, pp. 82-83. Paul Pitchford, Healing with Whole Foods, pp. 31-40. Choa Kok Sui, Pranic Healing The Burton Golberg Group, Alternative Medicine, the Definitive Guide, pp. 45, 458. Richard Walters, Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book Lorna VanderHaeghe & Patrick Bouic, PhD, The Immune System Cure The Immune System Chinese Medicine & Cancer

5. 6. 7.

In classic Chinese medicine, there is no specific concept of cancer, though there is of tumors. Many nutritive tonics and herbal medicines were developed to alleviate pain and prolong survival by strengthening the body's life forces and arresting tumor progression. Chinese doctors believe the causes of cancer are multiple, including toxins and other environmental factors, called "external causes," as well as "internal causes" such as emotional stress, bad eating habits, accumulated wastes from food, and damaged organs. Two main factors are stagnant blood and a blockage or accumulation of chi, or qi (pronounced chee), the vital energy said to circulate along the meridians, or pathways, linking all parts of the body.

Illness is an energy imbalance, an excess or deficiency of the body's elemental energies. According to the ancient Chinese, chi, the life force, controls the body's workings as it travels along the meridians, completing an energy cycle every twenty-four hours. A person is healthy when there is a balanced, sufficient flow of chi, which keeps the blood and body fluids circulating and fights disease. But if the circulation of chi is blocked for any reason or becomes excessive or deficient, pain and disease can result. The flow of chi may be disrupted by an imbalanced diet or lifestyle, overwork, stress, repressed or excessive emotions, or lack of exercise. Imbalances in yin and yang-complementary forces in dynamic flux-also disturb the normal, smooth flow of chi. Cancer, like all other diseases, is regarded as a manifestation of an underlying imbalance. The tumor is the "uppermost branch," not the "root," of the illness. Each patient may have a different imbalance causing what outwardly looks like the same type of cancer. Each person is unique, so the Oriental doctor attempts to identify the exact individual pattern of excess, deficiency, or blockage that led to the disease. The doctor treats the imbalance rather than a condition known as "stomach cancer," or "breast cancer," or so on. The prescribed treatment will vary from one patient to the next, depending on the specific imbalances. Herbs and foods in Chinese medical practice are viewed energetically, that is, in terms of their influence on the body's energy field. This is also true of Indian Ayurvedic medicine (Chapter 27). The diet must be aligned with the energetics of the prescribed herbs; otherwise, the foods eaten may inhibit the herbal preparations' beneficial effects. Conversely, a diet in harmony with the herbal therapy will enhance the herbs' healing powers. The Chinese healer recognizes that what we eat can either protect and rebalance our bodies or pollute our systems. Diet is a remedy of prime importance. Chinese food therapy is a sophisticated system that recognizes six different human constitutional types and evaluates foods according to their therapeutic properties. For cancer patients, Chinese doctors frequently recommend a diet based upon whole grains, beans, and fresh vegetables. Another component of Chinese medicine used in cancer treatment is chi gong a 3,000-year-old exercise that combines the slow, symmetrical, graceful movements of tai chi with meditation, relaxation, patterned breathing, guided imagery, and other behavioral techniques. The aim is to enable a person to regulate and direct the flow of chi, or vital force, within his or her own body. The student or patient is taught to focus his or her chi at a point in the center of the body, roughly two inches below the navel, called the dan tian, or vital center. From this center, the chi is said to emanate to distant regions of the body. Students reportedly learn to sense the presence of chi at the vital center in the form of localized warmth and then to direct the life energy to specific parts of the body. Based on the experience of students who take chi gong courses for self-treatment purposes, it usually takes about three months for the exercises to show their effect. In cancer therapy, the Chinese practitioner prescribes exercises geared to the individual patient. How chi gong achieves healing effects is not fully understood, though several mechanisms of action have been proposed. From the standpoint of traditional Chinese medicine, chi gong energizes the body's vital forces, balances yin and yang, strengthens blood circulation, and improves the patient's emotional and mental states. From the viewpoint of Western medicine, qi gong increases the absorption and utilization of oxygen from the blood, as does yoga. Nobel Prize-winner Otto Warburg found that oxygen deficiency is typical of cancer cells and that when the body is rich in oxygen, cancer cells die. Practicing chi gong exercises has a positive effect on certain enzymes that play key roles in the body's maintenance of health and in phospho~rylation, a basic biochemical process that supplies the energy necessary for cell work.12 Phosphorylation is central to oxygen provision for all of the body's cells and is vitally important to immune response. Acupuncture is another Chinese therapeutic method for changing the flow or quality of the life force and rebalancing body energies. The Chinese say that chi circulates within fourteen major meridians, or energy channels, traversing the body from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and toes. Each meridian is connected to an internal organ. Specific points on each invisible channel, when stimulated, affect the flow of chi in that and other channels or in the associated organs. By stimulating these points with extremely fine needles or massage, acupuncture unblocks energy or adjusts its flow. Inserting and manipulating the needles-hairlike slivers of stainless steel-is believed to correct the imbalances that underlie disease. When seeking a doctor in the United States (or Canada) who practices Oriental medicine, cancer patients need to be aware of what doctors can do and what patients can learn to do for themselves. According to Dr. Roger Jahnke, "There are four basic things that the doctor of Chinese medicine can do for you: herbal prescriptions, acupuncture, massage, and external qi gong. At least as important, however, are the things the doctor can teach you to do for yourself. These include guidance in the use of tonic or wellness herbs, in proper nutrition, and in devising a suitable exercise program that may involve activities like swimming or walking. A competent practitioner can also teach the patient self-applied massage, meditation and relaxation techniques, and chi gong exercises. Finally, the doctor can offer guidance to help patients fulfill their unique spiritual purpose. Prospective patients should look for a doctor who provides all of these things, or one who can help patients network to all of these things, from body care up to the spiritual components of health." - Richard Walters, Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book

A PATH TO FREEDOM
by Yogi Sharanananda
ith great respect and love, I welcome you with all my heart. Do people have to suffer greatly making major human mistakes in life decisions creating negative karma in the process such as physical, mental or emotional imbalances, hitting rock bottom from addictions or other self inflicted diseases, before waking up to the truth or realization of what is most important in life or what they really are looking for or who they really are or where they are going? The above enlightened philosophical question needs an innovative explanation from an eastern philosophical

perspective that will end or lighten most people's suffering especially from ego's addictions. What is the connection of the subject of Qi meditation with this question? One answer is found through understanding the reason in practicing Qi meditation where we will realize, know or experience the loving sensation of self which liberates us from suffering and frees us from ego. What does true love have to do with our path to freedom from suffering? Because love is our very own spiritual nature, everyone instinctively wants and needs to love and be loved. There are many ways to experience and express romantic and true love. Poets hint of love in their poems. Singers sing of love in their songs. Writers romanticize love in their stories. Artists express love of nature through their artwork such as paintings, sculpture or other creative designs. Computer Programmers/Analysts get their creativity and energy to design computer programs by connecting with The All There Is. Musicians express or evoke love of harmony through their music. Pranic healers heal their clients through the power of love passing through them. Siddha and arhat masters awaken and sponsor inner love through teaching Qi meditation or pranic healing to their students. The Qi meditation masters teach that the true source of true love is within us which is also the unlimited source of healing, wisdom and inspiration for Qi meditation masters, musicians, writers, artists, songwriters, philosophers, psychologists, scientists, physicians, healers and poets. The following statements (in bold letters) are derived from Swami Muktananda's book The Perfect Relationship which on the whole deals with general suffering through Qi meditation principles from great Qi meditation masters such as Lord Buddha, Khrisna, Narada, Jnaneswar Maharaj, Kabir, Sunderdas, Jesus, Baba Muktananda, and my living teachers Siddha Gurumayi, Master Miguel Nator, Arhat Master Choa Kok Sui, Master Ou Wen Wei and Alton Kamadon of the Alpha, Omega Order of Melchizedek: Lord Buddha's story will shed light on his reason for following his meditation path to freedom of enlightenment which have been giving his devotees their own path to salvation from internal suffering which everyone of us shares no matter what station in life anybody is in. When Lord Buddha saw the suffering of the world, he said, "All that I see in this world is birth and death. Death follows birth, disease follows health, old age follows youth. As one watches this pain and constant suffering, one ultimately sees that there are only faults in the world and becomes afraid of it." The Bhagavad Gita describes this understanding as "perception of the evil of birth, death, old age, sickness and pain." To have this perception is the greatest of all worldly attainments. When Lord Buddha began to see the world in this way, he decided to relinquish his kingdom; he was convinced that there could not be any more suffering in the forest than on the throne. With this understanding, he left his palace accompanied by Channa, the keeper of the royal stables, who was an ordinary man of the world. When they reached the forest, Lord Buddha ordered Channa to leave. Channa pleaded, "O prince, do not do this. You are still a young man. You have had no experience of life. Do not run away out of fear of the world. Do not give up your kingdom. There is so much joy in life! You are the prince--you have elephants, horses, wealth! Where will you go after giving these up? Even a poor, small man like me is not ready to leave this life, and you are a sovereign. Turn around and look at your kingdom! What do you lack?" Lord Buddha looked back and then said to Channa, "I see nothing there except pain and intrigue. I have thoroughly experienced the palace life and the activities of the kingdom which appear to be joyful to you. To you they are a show, but to me they are a source of pain. That which seems pleasurable to you has brought only sorrow to me. Suffering is hidden behind the face of pleasure. Channa return!" There is pain in a poor man's life; his poverty is the means by which he hides the true source of his suffering. Similarly, anguish lies beneath the ostentatious wealth of a rich man, who displays riches in order to disguise his pain. In the course of their lives people often greet pain in silence. One person conceals his torment in a hut and another in a palace (princess Di); one hides it in a solitary place and another among people. But suffering is the same everywhere. What is the source of this pain? We experience it because we beg for happiness where it does not exist; instead of wanting that which is right for us, we seek that which we can never attain. We desire to make the impossible possible. This world is like a boarding house or a Hilton Hotel in which we are

temporary guests. Trying to find eternity here is like trying to stop a river whose very nature is to flow. We seek outer love, which is transitory. We want that love to be undying, but how can we attain undying love from something ephemeral? In fact, if we consider this matter with understanding, we will realize that we experience our greatest suffering in the name of love. "God dwells in the heart." But although God, the embodiment of love, resides within us, most people are so unfortunate that they do not see love even in their dreams. Even a person who has labored all his life to attain love is unhappy; in the name of love, he experiences only pain. Without true love, everyone suffers-renunciants, sensualists, those who have great wealth, and those who have nothing. A poor person suffers because he has no wealth. A rich person suffers because he has too much wealth. You may look for a truly happy person, but you will never find one. You will attain happiness only if you stand firmly in the face of the anguish that you encounter. Do not run from it. Look pain squarely in the face; then you will understand it. Know that without knowledge or meditation, without discovering the inspiration of the Self, you will experience only heartache and the misery of living without love for God. Without meditation, life is filled with sorrow. Without the bliss of the Self, there is unquestionably nothing but suffering. Lord Buddha said, "A life without knowledge is painful." Old age and death are miserable when one lacks knowledge of the Self. In fact, without this knowledge, all of life--from one corner to the other, from east to west, from north to south, above and below--is filled with anguish. The following teachings from Kashmir Shaivism also sheds light on the necessity of the practice of Qi meditation to help people find peace, love, happiness from within themselves rather than focus their dependency from outside. The sages and saints have said that to end suffering and attain happiness, one must have knowledge of the Self, which is the true source of joy. "Knowledge is the supreme state." The bliss of the Self is attained only through knowledge. In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord says, "In the world, there is nothing as pure as knowledge." "God exists in one's feeling." There is great power in a person's feeling. Through it he can make God manifest. Because his feeling is the result of his understanding, right understanding is the source of all attainments, mundane as well as spiritual. "The supreme state comes only from knowledge." Through knowlege a wise person turns poison into nectar: Mirabai drank poison, considering it God's nectar, and was unaffected by it. But through his nonawareness, an ignorant person turns nectar into poison. The truth is that there is neither nectar nor poison in poison. Everything depends on one's attitude and understanding. For a person who has the supreme knowledge of God's allpervasiveness, even a dark forest is a celestial garden and even a prison is a wide-open space. But for one who does not know his own Self, who does not regard others as himself, even a celestial garden is like a prison. That is why it does not matter where you are or where you live, but rather who you are and what your inner state happens to be. The problem lies in your ignorance of your own essential nature. You will gain nothing by changing your country, town, or home; since you take your own destiny with you, you will only be welcoming pain again. It is very good to want freedom, but instead of looking for it in the wrong place, you must discover where it really dwells. The difference between a spiritual being and a politician is this: The politician says, "Bondage is external--break it and then you will obtain the joy of freedom." But the knower of the Truth says, "O my friend, bondage is not outside, but within you." No matter how much you try to break your outer fetters, your bondage will only increase. Therefore, you must go where there is supreme freedom--to the inner Self in the heart. You are entirely responsible for your own state of dependency; in fact, you have become addicted to it. Because you think that the elixir of love is found in dependency, you have made it the abode of your love, and if you were ever to tear down the wall of dependency, you would only build another one somewhere else. However, you must free yourself in every way. Lord Buddha said again and again, "You can certainly come to me, but do not become bound by me." In the same way, when people ask me, "Is it alright to meditate on you?" I tell them, "Meditate on your own Self." Although it is difficult, you must escape from the prison of the non-Self. Who is a Hindu? Who is a Jain, a

Buddhist, a Sufi, or a Christian? If you are imprisoned in one of these false identities, how can you find freedom of the self? That is why Lord Khrisna said, "Give up all religions and take refuge in me (our inner consciousness) alone." Discard all false identification with religion. Go to the inner Self for shelter and revel there. Our undisciplined mind is where it all starts. All the negative conditioning or programming from childhood and past lives have to be cleansed through the practice of meditation before the full brilliance of the light of consciousness within can shine forth. Pride, arrogance, hate, fear, anger, lust, greed, addictions, compulsions, inhibitions, and other negative thieves of the heart have to be purged out of the energy body through the universal energy (Qi) of love of meditation before self-realization can take place. Remember that as long as your clogged mind has not been cleaned out, as long as your vessel has not been emptied and washed, you will not be able to fill it with God's nectar, nor will you be able to digest that nectar. It is important that your vessel be empty and completely purified in the fire of meditation and knowledge. The following benefits of Qi meditation are expounded by the great meditation masters which will give students of meditation a reason, a goal and a vision to strive for. As the divine sage Narada (Bhakti Yogi) said: "After attaining love, a person has no desire for anything else." A being who has found the inner love neither suffers nor becomes excited over trivial matters. He neither hates nor becomes attached to anything. Why should he become trapped in delusive dramas when he holds the source of the world, the center of bliss, in his hand? Why should he take interest in the wrong path? Why should he criticize any religion, sect, or person? Jnaneshwar Maharaj wrote, "One tastes and attains this elixir by stealing it from the senses." When the senses become free from all outer contacts, for the first time in one's life one experiences the inner sensation of joy that lies at the core of one's being. When one sees and hears one's Self, one touches that inner love. When one tastes one's own Self, one experiences satchidananda (being, consciousness and bliss). Whoever has tasted this sublime elixir has tasted the mystery of life and the essence of the entire world. The divine sage Narada, author of Bhakti sutras (Yoga of Love), said, "Knowing this, the devotee becomes intoxicated and still, reveling in the Self." By attaining and experiencing the nectar of the Self, which is supreme love, one becomes ecstatic. One who is completely established in the Self becomes utterly quiet and serene; he becomes the Self. When the love of God, the ambrosia of the Self, is revealed, one finally attains the Truth and begins to dance like a madman. The intoxication that arises from the love of the divine Self is overwhelming. I often say, "Why do you use marijuana, opium, and cocaine? If you want real intoxication, drink the elixir of the Self. That will take you higher and higher; you will never come down from it." When a flowing river merges into the ocean, it becomes the ocean and so takes on the ocean's delight. The ocean of the Self is complete in itself. Intoxicated with love, it billows ceaselessly with its own joy. A person who is immersed in the Self becomes drunk with love. Sometimes he is lost in a state of overwhelming bliss. At other times , he is engrossed in discussing the self. Narada said, "The love of the inner Self is nectarian by nature." That inner love is not far from us; since its source lies within us it is not, and cannot be concealed. We ourselves have obscured it. Our blindness makes us think that it is hidden, but it is manifest within us. Ultimately, a true living spiritual teacher is very much a must to seek and have because without one meditation would be unfruitful, unsafe, unprogressive, and a waste of time. The following statements will help you realize the importance of having a true Siddha or Arhat Guru [whose teachings are energy (Qi, prana, shakti) based with a true lineage of Siddha or Arhat (enlightened) masters] in your path to freedom. Therefore, before you set out on a pilgrimage to the infinite, reflect upon your undertaking with great care. If you go alone, your journey will be confined to the realm of the mind. If you want to go beyond the mind, you will need a companion who has himself transcended the mind and can therefore take

you by the hand and lead you on a journey. A small child needs a wise person to give him selfconfidence and a helping hand, someone to kindle faith in his heart so that he can eventually stand up and walk straight on the path. Similarly, a seeker of Truth needs a strong hand and a firm support. Kabir wrote: Think this over and understand it. The path is very narrow and precarious; it is so subtle that you need the Guru's help to discern it. Jesus also said, "Straight is the way and narrow is the path." Its subtlety is such that it is beyond your experience and understanding. When this is the case, how can you walk on it? You cannot find the path by clever thinking; thoughts are not sufficiently subtle. As long as you do not give up your mental cleverness, as long as your thought-waves do not subside, you will neither experience nor recognize the bliss of That. This is why Kabir said that one needs the Guru's help in order to find the way. When the kingdom of fantasies collapses, only the Guru remains as the support of all. In one of his poems, Sunderdas wrote, "the Guru has revealed the perfect Brahman, who alone is all-pervasive. To whom can you be attached? Whatever exists is That. The root of everything pervades everything. All the thoughts and doubts of the mind have been obliterated. Through the contemplation of That, the Guru has firmly established me in the Truth. He has washed away all my filth and made me pure. When I meditate on my Guru, my heart is filled with ecstasy." Let me quote from Gurumayi Chidvilasananda's book Kindle My Heart, "Once a commuter who wanted to catch the ferry arrived too late at the dock. Dashing to the end of the pier and leaping across the water, he just made it onto the boat. "Why didn't you wait?" asked the deckhand. "We were just pulling into the slip!" This is a good metaphor for our human life. We work so hard: we always want to feel we have done something. Particularly if you live in Manhattan -- although the red lights always turn green, and the green lights always turn red -- somehow, just before the lights turn, we always make a mad dash. "Ah! I just made it!" We try to use the same strategy, to take the same shortcuts, on the spiritual path. And through the merits of many, many lifetimes, we might succeed, but this happens very rarely. There is no reason for all that urgency. The scriptures say there must be longing for the experience, then you need a Master, or a guide to show you the path." "A Guru is like a cable car that will speed us to our destination," Master Choa Kok Sui said in one of his Arhatic yoga workshops. Let me enlighten this article with the legend and symbol of the Unicorn as taught by my beloved Unicorn Meditation Master Miguel Nator, "there lived a fierce, horse-like beast that roamed the earth. Its savage spirit could only be tamed by the touch of a virgin. Once touched, the beast is transformed into a noble white steed marked by a long, singular horn at the center of its forehead. In its spiritual ascent, a pair of wings appear to free the Unicorn from its earthly bondage forever. The Unicorn is likened to Man - part animal, part divine. Its fierceness and savagery represent and signify the animal nature. Its whiteness represents purity and signifies the divine nature. The taming of the Unicorn by the touch of the virgin signifies the taming of the animal nature in man by the awakening influence of his higher self, or soul, symbolized by the virgin. The long horn symbolizes the achievement of right fusion or the integration of man's lower and higher self. Until man awakens to the touch of his own soul who virtually tames and controls him to return to the center of his being, he remains veiled. Because of this, the acronym UNICORN is a fit symbol of the program of regeneration and of the self transforming man. The colors that surround him represent the key activities involved towards achieving transformation. Violet for Meditation, Green for Service, and Blue for study." Lastly, as Drunvalo Melchizedek who teaches Merkaba Meditation and founder of the Flower of Life Organization said, "All the world's religions are speaking of the same Reality. They have different

words, different concepts and ideas, but there's really only one Reality, and there's only one Spirit moving through all life. There might be different techniques to get there, but there's only what is real, and when you're there you know it. Whatever you want to call it - you can give it different names - it's all the same thing. Humans have a very short memory. Though we have recorded and documented significant events throughout history, we have forgotten some of the most fundamental truths about ourselves. We have forgotten, for example, how to breathe properly, in a way that activates our higher powers of transcendence and manifestation. And we have forgotten the deeper significance of the myriad life forms around us, not to mention the very roots of our own existence. But this is a time of remembrance and higher awareness. There are magnetic field changes going on in our earth and solar system that are stupendous beyond belief. On the individual level, you can activate your Merkaba field which is the rotating fields of light (Mer), spirit (ka) and soul (ba) that exists around someone in a state of unconditional love and tell it to maintain your energy fields to protect you, and it will. That's how the priesthood in Atlantis was able to survive all this. The only way you can protect yourself is to create a synthetic eco-magnetic field around your body or by using your light body. The information on the Merkaba is so much part of the consciousness of the world right now that I'm finding that people who have never been to the workshop and know nothing about this are beginning to activate their light body. This has been my prayer all along - that people would start remembering. So if you can just go into deep prayer and ask for your light body to be turned on and protected from this, that's probably the greatest thing you can do." As my Melchizedek Method teacher, Alton Kamadon of the Alpha, Omega Order of Melchizedek as received from Ascended Master Thoth said, "As we change our personal energy field to the Hologram of Unconditional Love Merkaba (Flower of Life Holographic Sphere) we break down linear time and disintegrate the veil. If we understand the concept of this pattern it will take us into the time continuum of the eternal life form of Adam Kadman in the higher dimensions. As the universe is sustained by unconditional love, true divine manifestation can only occur within love. It is natural to conceive that the Hologram of Love is the pattern of unconditional love. The Universe was born from it and the finest particle of our atomic cell structure is that pattern. This means we have always had the seed of unconditional love within us and and all we need to do is recognize it and activate this wonderful original essence. This would seem to mean that if you activate a Light field of this hologrammed pattern around your physical body, that also extends through your body cells and anchors in your heart, you are indeed activating your true being of unconditional love." May this article help you to some degree realize the importance and relevance of Qi meditation or related practices to our health, happiness and well being as conveyed by the saints and meditation masters. Traditionally, the great Masters imparted their teachings in secret to only a few, hand-picked disciples, however, because of their great love and empathy for humanity's disposition, they are now starting a new meditation revolution for students who are ready, therefore, let us be grateful for their teachings and contributions to alleviate humanity's suffering. You can email me for comments, more information or to set up an appointment for Qi meditation instructions and initiation (or other TCM modalities) for health and enlightenment in my clinic. Like my American acupuncturist colleague Al Stone would say, "Pain is inevitabe, suffering (physical, mental, or emotional) is optional." I would add, "Without unconditional love (Merkaba), all else will fail."Please read Activating the Hologram of Love, Bond of Power, Philippines, the Mystical Land of Healers and Healing and Meditation Tour in the Philippines to know where to get more information about meditation. May you have a happy new year full of hope, love and cheer. May the force (Qi) be with you. Let the Divine Light, Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

Love in Service, Sharanananda December 20, 1997, Last Updated October 23, 1998 Bond of Power - Advanced Qi Gong (Quantum Multi-dimensional Healing) by Ricardo B. Serrano, R.Ac, MH, ADS

o you want to further and develop your Qi gong soulution focused skills at the same time accelerate your clients' healing and enhance your acupuncture, herbal medicine, meditation, nutrition and counselling practice? After my Qi gong instructions and training with Master Xu Ming Sheng at the Hangzhou Hospital of TCM, China, five years ago, I felt I needed more training. I bought and read three Pranic Healing books by Master Choa Kok Sui of the Institute of Inner Studies, Manila, Philippines and attended and participated in all of his weekend seminars last June and July of 1994-1995 in Vancouver and Victoria from Basic Pranic Healing, Advanced Pranic Healing, Pranic Psychotherapy, Clairvoyance, Crystal Healing, Psychic Self-defense, Kriyashakti and Arhatic Yoga. What I learned and experienced from completing all of the above courses can be summed up in one word. Phenomenal!!! Let me cite some benefits to myself and to my clients from practicing this Pranic Healing (which I consider advanced Qi gong) technology as taught by my Pranic Healing teacher and Arhatic Yoga Master Choa Kok Sui, the Triangles Work as taught by my Unicorn Meditation Master Miguel Nator and the Melchizedek Method incorporating Merkaba Meditation as taught and presented by Alton of the Alpha, Omega Order of Melchizedek at a four day workshop last August, 1998 in Vancouver, BC and Holographic Sound healing as taught by Paul Hubbert. I am not drained of energy anymore after giving Qi gong treatments to my patients. The opposite happens, I feel more energized because I'm not using my own energy but instead drawing air, earth and divine energy to my chakras or energy centers and projecting it thru my hand to the patient. I'm also protected from contamination of the patient's diseased energy by using a bioplasmic disposal unit and practicing psychic selfdefense techniques. By practicing Master Nator's Winged Unicorn Meditation, Meditation on Twin Hearts, Triangles Work and Great Invocation as promoted by Master Miguel Nator and Arhatic Meditations with Merkaba Meditation as taught by Alton and Holographic Sound Healing, my spiritual development and bond of power accelerated a 1000th fold, my clairvoyant vision opened, my energy centers, aura and Merkaba field expands at a phenomenal infinite distance that my projecting energy becomes more refined and healing of myself and my client becomes accelerated a thousandfold and permanently. The clients' healing capacity or energy is tonified, cleansed and balanced especially for clients with Qi and Yang deficiency and hyperactive syndromes, i.e., arthritis, cancer, drug addictions, mental or emotional disorders, eating disorders, other Bi and Wei syndromes (depressed immune system disorders) commonly treated in our practice. Treating the above-mentioned disorders at an accelerated rate is made possible by using advanced pranic healing (color healing), pranic crystal healing, and pranic psychotherapy combined with other TCM and other methods such as Holographic Sound and Kamadon Metatronic Zenith Orionis Multi-dimensional Healing. I wrote this information so it can benefit TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) keeping us up to date in what's happening in the world of Qi healing which is relevant to our practice as TCM practitioners. I met chiropractors, MDs, NDs, massage therapists, pharmacists, psychologists, reiki masters, reflexologists, and other health profesionals in the seminars I attended. I hope that more of us from TCM profession will attend the seminars on Pranic Healing and travel to the Philippines to study at I.S.I.S. (Integral Studies of Inner Sciences) school and reap the benefits of Master Choa Kok Sui's and Master Miguel Nator's teachings. For more information or inquiries about my teachers and about pranic healing or bio-energy healing and

meditation or for general inquiries about my holistic practice, please click here for S.U.F.I. Center of B.C. courses inquiries or to request (for a fee) a simple meditation technique called Eye of RA. Please state your name, address, health status, history of spiritual and meditation studies, and reason for requesting this simple powerful meditation technique in your email message. I have to prequalify your application for health safety and other said reasons before sending it to you. This meditation technique will regenerate your body and mind, develop your intuition, heal yourself and prepare a student for higher advanced meditation technique such as the Winged Unicorn Meditation Technique, the Melchizedek Method Technique, and Holographic Sound Healing.Thank you for your interest. May the (Qi) force be with you. May the Holy Masters, Holy Angels, Lord Sananda and our Soul bless, heal, help, guide, protect, illuminate and bond us to the Divine Light, Divine Love and Divine Power through our spiritual journey for the rest of our lives. Let the Divine Light, Divine Love and Divine Power restore the Plan on Earth. Love in Service, Sharanananda Please click here to download and hear Star Wars' Yoda's teaching about the Force (3.5MB). Click the right mouse button and click Save It to Target to download. Thank you for your interest! The Force "An ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it. . makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us luminous beings, though, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes, even between the land and the ship." -Yoda, Jedi Master of Star WarsNote: As a yogi and energy healer, the above speech about the Force is the Truth which makes SelfRealization, spiritual healing and clairvoyance possible