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Old 08-29-2006, 10:33 AM   #19
Avery Jenkins
 
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Dojo: Litchfield Hills Aikikai
Location: Litchfield, CT
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 161
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Re: Deep Breathing and its meaning

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote:
Ted, that monograph by William Reed has got nothing to do with Ki. Notice in the sentences I selected above how he talks about what the "ancient Chinese" assumed about Ki and then notice how, without any explanation or rationale, he jumpshifts into assuming that Ki is one of the chemical components contained within blood. That is simply wrong.
Actually, Reed is closer to correct than you think. In Chinese medicine, "Blood is tself a form of Qi, a very dense and material one, but Qi nevertheless." (Maciocia G. The foundations of Chinese Medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1989.)

Qi itself can be immaterial or material. The chinese character for qi is comprised of the characters for vapor or steam, as well as the character for uncooked rice; this suggests that qi can be either as evanescent as gas or vapor, or dense and material as rice.

regards,

Avery
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