Qi.....Jing......Shen.....What are they????

Qi in its most basic is energy. Without Qi, we would not, could not, exist. We are born with Qi (prenatal Qi), and we also get it from the food we eat and the air we breathe. If we stop getting enough air Qi or food Qi, then we can become very ill. The Qi we are born with is constantly being used and "topped up" by the other forms of Qi. Qi is used for healing, movement, life.....

There are many different expressions of Qi. An inanimate object can have Qi, but has no life. This means that it has no "Jing". Jing is the expression of Qi that allows life to be present in anything. A good example would be that a building can have its own Qi but no Jing. Only living things can have Jing.

If a living thing has another quality of Qi, called "Shen", then it will have the capability of self-reflection. So, really, the only living things to have Shen are people. People with a great amount of Shen are capable of great self-reflection. Buddha can therefore be said to have possessed large amounts of Shen.

Everyone has Qi power, though it is not the same in everyone. We should cultivate our Qi, nourish it carefully, and then exercise it, for any practice that regulates the flow of this energy is beneficial to health and well-being.

Written by Sue Airs, humble student

 

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