(Chinese Shamanic Qigong)
Master Zhongxian Wu
1. IntroductionWhen I was a child in China, I was curious about the way that local Wu (Chinese shaman) treated patients. How could an acupuncture needle release the pain when the Wu put it in a suffering patient's body? How could the Wu's chanting help patients recover from sickness? I came to understand more about Chinese medicine when I grew up, of course, but I did get some answers to my questions in childhood. Still, I had more questions such as: What are meridians? What is an acupuncture point? Where did this knowledge come from? How did it come to us?
Through years and years of Wu (Shamanic) Qigong practice, I got the answers to all of these questions. I understood that ancient Wu (Chinese Shamanism) is the root of Chinese culture, which includes Qigong and classical Chinese medicine. I felt that learning Wu could help me better understand the Qigong healing system and deepen my spiritual cultivation. Therefore, in this paper I want to share some Wu information with you first and then I will introduce Wu (Shamanic) Qigong to you.
2. What is Wu?
The Chinese character Wu can be used as a noun or an adjective and can also be translated as shaman, shamanism, or shamanic. The word shaman comes from the Tungusu-Manchurian language.
The practice of an ancient Wu only distantly resembles that of current day shamans, who travel in "alternative realities" as part of their religious practices. They are mostly located in Siberia and are very aggressive. In trance, but still in full possession of their faculties, these shamans may climb the World Tree to reach the "Heaven of the Ancestors" or descend to an underworld in search of lost or trapped souls. They undergo difficult and painful initiations, including ritual death and rebirth. In contrast, the Wu referred to by the Chinese character is much more of a spirit-medium. Through natural ability, training, and ritual preparation, the Wu can summon the bright spirits. These spirits inhabit and speak through the Wu's body.
The oldest writing style of the Chinese character Wu depicts the four cardinal directions-North, South, East, and West. This is the pattern that the ancient Wu applied to the center of their bodies as "high-tech" equipment to communicate with the other four directions, and it was through this practice that they understood the Universal Way.
Shamans specialize in ritual and possess unique powers that enable them to act as intermediaries between humans and the shadowy world of spirits and the supernatural. However, the ancient Wu were not similar to modern-day shamans and they were different from the modern concept of Wu. In ancient China, the Wu were omniscient and they governed the country in addition to aiding others in transcending the physical plane. They were also able to function as doctors and taught disease prevention.
Indeed, the Wu possessed Shenming (literally, spiritual clarity or spiritual brightness): Spiritual Enlightenment and a deep understanding of the Universal Way. The Wu were enlightened beings who embodied Tian Ren He. The original function of Wu was to connect with universal energy (or living in the Dao) and pass this universal knowledge on to others. Through this ritual connection with Heaven, they sustained both Yin and Yang-stillness and movement. Stillness and movement became the fundamental Qigong model.
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