I learned my first lessons on Yoga when I was less than ten years old. Among few basic lessons, father taught me how to sit and breath quietly. I must have been an overactive kid :) .
Last month I participated in a couple of training sessions on Qigong. The sessions were focused on understanding the basic concepts and how to start benefiting from what I feel is an interesting approach to fitness.
However, there are some religious views with reservations regarding Qigong and Yoga exercises (having been developed within a context based on different philosophical views).
Personally, I think that practicing such exercises for the health benefits
that have been widely studied and generally recognized (for instance by
international bodies like the World Health Organization, but as I understand
only as complementary practices and not as alternatives to traditional medicine), is just part of a wide
range of practical benefits that most people pretty much already approve of that were
the result of efforts based on different philosophical views.
In this article I shall try to explain my view on this point.
This article is divided into two sections:
- The Practical Side
- The Philosophical Side
The Practical Side
I have been reading about Qigong and Yoga for some time. The philosophical side caught my attention before the practical side. The link of such exercises to philosophy in the far east and south Asia was pretty obvious.
It is notable that there are views on the subject that try to distance Yoga and Qigong from any discussion on spiritual issues, and such views appear to be saying that Qigong and Yoga emerged as a result of developing practices through observation and trial and error during a long period of time.
Other views, even though acknowledging the contribution of Hindu, Taoist and Buddhist Monks, seem to be downplaying any spiritual aspects that might be related to Qigong and Yoga.
Then, there are writers who either hinted or clearly mentioned the link to
spiritual aspects.
I have also been reading about the subject for its health benefits. And the more
I read the more convinced I became about the importance of this field of
knowledge.
As I understand, traces of the methods used in Qigong or Yoga or similar
approaches, have been found around the world, but what I feel is that it was in
south and east Asian medicine that the most comprehensive developments occurred.
As I understand, both Qigong and Yoga have the mystical side as well as the
medicinal side that most people seem to be interested in. The two systems
appear to have been developed independently. And I think it is interesting to
note how, what seems to be natural and universal common attributes, are considered by each system with
different names, manners of categorization, and procedures to deal with.
In my opinion it is very unlikely to come up with a system like Qigong or Yoga
without mystical insight.
I think that recognizing the non-physical/spiritual aspect of existence is
just so natural for a human being. Recognizing the importance of that aspect,
enhancing awareness about it, and trying to understand it, can have tangible
benefits as it appears to be the case with regards to Qigong and Yoga.
The Philosophical Side
(i)
I think any given philosophy can be seen as having two sides:
(a) A philosophical view starts with a perception about Existence and its
nature. This is the metaphysical basis of a philosophy. At this stage, many
views include spiritual aspects, but some views choose not to do that. Some such
views went further, trying to deny the need for metaphysics (maybe because the
term was historically seen as having to do with spiritual aspects). But in
response there were views that said that "denying the need for metaphysics" is
itself a metaphysical statement. I concur. I can't see how metaphysics can be
avoided.
(b) Based on the first side, comes the stage of practical setting up of
analytical tools, devising procedures and obtaining and interpreting results.
This is probably the most obvious side of a philosophy.
Of course, what was established in the metaphysical stage has its consequences on the next stage. These two aspects of any given philosophy can probably be described as the underlying platform or the pillars of the philosophy. Because once those two aspects are identified and understood, I think a wide range of ideas of the philosophy can easily be understood.
I think it should always be kept in mind that both stages are nothing but
about views from selected angles, about existence as it is, which is the same
for all beings, regardless of the depth of awareness about existence and how any
certain view chooses to express itself about its nature and selects the approach to deal
with it.
(ii)
Now, let's talk about modern science as a philosophical view. Looking at the
metaphysical side, it is obvious that, generally, the modern scientific view is
not interested in any spiritual ideas. And that position is directly reflected
in notions on knowledge (what can be known, procedures to observe phenomena and
how to interpret results of observations, etc.)
However, that did not stop people from various religious backgrounds from accepting the practical side of modern science and adopting its methods. Indeed, not having any spiritual aspects in the metaphysical side means that there are no reasons for any sensitivities a person from a certain faith might have had if modern science was based on the metaphysics of a certain religion. And that might have been the prime reason behind the popularity of modern science.
It is also notable that people from various religions who were interested in
the metaphysical side tried to integrate the scientific view with their
religious views.
As I understand, what they tried to do is (a) to disregard the metaphysical side
of modern science, (b) concentrate on the practical side and try to link that
side to the metaphysics of their philosophical views.
As a matter of fact, many modern scientists appear to be doing the same thing
when it comes to fields like Qigong and Yoga. They seem to be disregarding the
metaphysics and concentrate on the practical side.
The implicit premise behind such attempts can probably be summarized as follows:
The Practical side is about the nature of things as they are, which is the same
for all beings within the existence that we all share (regardless of how each
group of people may choose to express itself about the metaphysical side).
Hence, it is probably a wise decision not to disregard tangible benefits in the
practical side of other philosophical views.
(iii)
This behavior of taking the practical side and leaving the metaphysical side of
a philosophy happened throughout history and continues to happen.
Early Muslims who were close to Greece did not mind adopting knowledge on the
practical side in fields like Mathematics, Logic, and Medicine, but they
generally did not consider Greek Metaphysics. Later on, a similar thing happened
when Europeans translated Arabic writings. Also, it is notable that there were
Muslim Qigong experts of Chinese origin. Their ancestors converted to Islam a
long time ago, and did not mind taking the practical side of Taoist and Buddhist
philosophies with them realizing that those parts do not contradict the Islamic
faith.
(iv)
There are concepts like Yin and Yang, the five elements, etc. (again,
representing a perception about the nature of things in existence), have their
roots in the Metaphysical side of Far eastern philosophical views. Of course
such concepts are used in religious discussions. However, the same concepts are
used to establish the practical basis in several areas like various forms of
Martial Arts, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Herbal Medicine, Feng Shui, and Medical
Qigong.
Taking Martial arts as an example, it is probably clear that anyone who learns
the techniques does not need to sit down and learn the Metaphysics first. I
think that's a clear example of the ease of transfer of a practical application
of a philosophical view between human groups.
As for Medical Qigong, it is one of several branches of Chinese Medicine, all
based on the same principles, yet each has its own procedures to address health
issues.
Many dedicated personalities in the south and far east have patiently refined
methods for a healthy living. As I understand, the depth and breadth of such
methods are without equivalent anywhere else in the world. Those methods are
being generously shared with anyone willing to consider them.
(v)
The Quran says (49:13): "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a
male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each
other."
The Prophet peace be upon him said: "Wisdom is what the Believer seeks, wherever
he finds it, he picks it".
It is God's wisdom that there are different human groups. History tells us that
each group had its own metaphysics that others did not share with it. However,
it is obvious that each group did benefit from the practical side of other
philosophical views.
Each philosophical view is unique in some way, and every community has something
useful to offer. Differences between communities and what each can offer, can be
a reason to improve mutual understanding, and a source of new ideas for a better
future for all.
