Translator’s Introduction: Venerable Shi Guolin is renowned amongst the Shaolin order for his Iron Body skills. That’s an extraordinary achievement when you think about it. It’s one thing to be honored among your peers. It’s another thing when your peers are the Shaolin monks. We asked Shi Guolin to contribute something to our last issue which focused on martial (or hard) qigong, the "iron" skills like iron body, iron fist, even iron crotch. He had so much to give that his contribution spilled over into this issue. In part I, Shi Guolin discussed several general concepts within the internal skills, its theory and wisdom, as well as his personal journey into Iron Body. He also revealed some exercises extrapolated from Xi Sui Jing (Tendon Transformation and Marrow Purification,) a method attributed to the founder of Chan Buddhism (Zen) and Kungfu, Bodhidharma. In this article, Shi Guolin defines the basic concepts of Dantien, Qi, and Qigong for Iron Body and gives some more exercises extrapolated from Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Change,) the other method attributed to Bodhidharma. According to popular belief, these two qigong methods are the symbolic foundation of all Kungfu.

The Venerable Shi Guolin on Alchemy:

Dantien, the field of alchemy:
The dantien is in between the chongmai (vital channel) and daimai (belt channel.) The chongmai begins at the baihui point (on the perineum) and ends at the weiyin point (under the nose.) The daimai forms a circle around your waist. It’s behind your navel. The ancients believed that this was the origin of reproduction, the source of male sperm and the womb of the female. In the middle of the abdomen is the qihai (sea of qi) also known as the xia dantian (lower dantien.) In between your nipples is the tanzhong point in a region known as the zhong dantien (center dantien.) In the middle of your forehead is the tianxin point (heaven heart) and that region is known as the shang dantien (upper dantien.) If you have a lot of qi in your upper dantien, your eyes will shine brightly. The center and lower dantien is where you adjust your breathing and exercise your qi to develop stronger energy.

Qi, the basic element of creation:
Qi is the smallest atomic particle, the basic element of creation. In ancient days, people believed that the universe was created by the constant changing of qi. This phenomenon was understood within traditional Chinese medicine, philosophy and religion. It’s part of the way of longevity, and the martial arts as well. All these fields share this same basic underlying concepts. The constant changing of qi creates human life and energy. The qi of the human body has different forms. The most basic are yuan qi (original) and zhen qi (real.) Yuan qi originates from prenatal qi, the essential qi that you inherit from your parents. Everyone is born with qi. But after you are born, you must cultivate and nourish your qi. It originates from your kidneys and is sent from there to every part of your body. Though qi is very fine, it is all-encompassing and powerful. Its movement is called qiji in traditional Chinese medicine. It is usually demonstrated along four different paths, ascending and descending, exiting and entering. Your yuan qi travels throughout all of your organs and meridians as its field of movement. So we can say that human life is the equivalent of the movement of yuan qi. If your yuan qi stops moving, you die.

Qigong, the method of practice:
The ancient Chinese developed qigong after a long period of fighting with nature, animals and the elements to survive. It evolved into exercise practice methods to prevent or kill disease, prolong life and strengthen your body. These methods were called by several different names: tuna, daoyin, xingqi, lianqi and neigong. In the old days before the emergence of the scientific method, people used the natural positive methods to protect themselves and survive. They also had to rely on the human body to overcome nature’s tests. People realized how important it was to seal the body from disease and make oneself stronger. They tried to increase their immunities and their strength by understanding their experiences and absorbing natural abilities.

For instance, when you are tired, you will stretch naturally. It is an unconscious action that will make you feel better. Likewise when you are in a bad mood or feel your temper about to burst, you will breathe faster. You may automatically do some deep breathing to calm yourself down. When you move something heavy, if you tighten your belt around your waist, you will feel like you have more energy there. When you do some heavy labor, shouts like "hey" come from your mouth naturally to help move your energy. So people started to realize that these habits are helpful. Gradually they were combined until the ancients arrived at methods like tuna and daoyin. Eventually these split into the different systems of qigong. Qigong can be separated into its five biggest systems: yi (medical,) ru (scholar,) shi (Buddhist,) dao (Taoist) and wu (martial.) From these five, there are many smaller branches. Among them, medical qigong has the longest history. It is mainly for preventing and curing disease and strengthening your body. Scholar qigong cultivates your body and spirit. Buddhist qigong nurtures your heart and transmits how to understand your mind. Taoist qigong develops mental and physical longevity, and also includes sexual practices. Martial qigong increases your energy, conditions your body and hones your combat skill. No matter if the purpose and practice are different, they are all based upon controlling your breathing.