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Posted
on June 5, 2008 at 8:14 PM
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I can remember when I first began studying Eastern Energetic Traditions as a teenager the deep tradition that was emphasized in the teachings with my teachers. Practices such as Chi Kung (now spelled Qigong) Meditation and Gong Fu were a opportunity to follow in a direct lineage succession of students of thousands of years. it was considered a honor to be a student of a specific tradition; and which I believe to be true still.
Back in those days there was no Internet, DVD, or good quality books for that matter; you had to physically learn from a Traditional Teacher from Central China, Taiwan or one of the Far Eastern Country's. Learning with a accomplished teacher was and is a rewarding experience, you learn how to "Master Your Life" in all ways that relate in being human on Earth.
From Traditional Master to Mainstream America
A great "chain of events" took place from the late 1970's to our current situation in the Eastern Traditions- the Marketing of Chinese Medicine and Traditional Therapy's of China. This was going to happen if we like it or not; in America we try to re-design anything that seems of value or that we can develop to be more "American".
In the beginning it began with the Immigration of the Traditional Masters coming to America; many of the early teachers came from Taiwan, Okinawa, Singapore, which were the teachers who really had the Traditions down and taught really great methods. They taught in Chinese Community's within their own circle, to get in you had to someone who they trusted.
As time went on the masters found that the Traditions of China really appealed to us Americans and thus the packaging of Eastern Traditions began. We know have private colleges, clinics, hospitals that offer these practices in some form. This leaves the would be seeker the "freedoom of Choice"; you can choose any system based on their training credentials and appeal.
Reflecting Back
For most of my Career in these traditions it has been on a direct student to teacher relationship; I never had the luxury of going to a Community Center and seeking out what Qigong is. The learning process was one on one and taken very serious. Many of the famous Masters are now gone that I studied with and the quality of these traditions is in question from my traditionalist point of view. Many people see a Qigong DVD and learn from it and feel thats all too it; which is a huge mis-understanding. I have always viewed Qigong as a Grand System that needs to presented as that. Qigong is truly a apprenticeship, a art, a way of life & Healing System.
Qigong Benefits Are for Anyone
One of the benefits of Qigong is how easy it is to acquire, practice, and teach. Thousands of teachers offer a variety of styles, which for the most part are reasonably priced. People are free to treat themselves or others or to start a Qigong business offering sessions to clients. When giving sessions, practitioners can follow the training they received, innovate according to their inner guidance, or add techniques from other healing methods. Teachers are free to teach the same way they were taught, add techniques and ideas they feel are useful, or create new systems of Qigong with new insights, inclinations, and healing energies. All this takes place in most places in the US without any government restrictions, regulation, or licensing requirements.
This freedom to teach and use Qigong has allowed it to develop and expand quickly. While no official records are available, a good guesstimate is that there are at least a two million people with Qigong training at some level in the US now. There are many more throughout the world, and the numbers continue to grow. This growth, in turn, has undoubtedly helped improve the health and well-being of a major segment of the population while at the same time lowering health-care costs and creating a source of income for many people.
A Treasure in Many Ways
Qigong is truly a miracle in many ways, and it is important that we acknowledge how fortunate we are to be able to freely practice such an important skill. It is also important for us to be aware that there are forces currently present, or that could develop, that could take this freedom away.
One way our freedom to practice Qigong could be unnecessarily limited is through Government licensing or other forms of government regulation. This possibility is real.
Qigong in China became Communist controlled in the late 1950's and in 1999 became a banned practice's due to Government fear with massive group's such as Falun Gong, Zhong Gong which had massive gathering practices in China. Attempts to restrict Qigong have occurred in other locations as well. All the Qigong Hospitals are now gone and strict restrictions are inforced where Qigong was developed; this is a real sad but true story.
Government Licensing Right for Qigong?
These Issues are serious challenges to the practice of Qigong. They could limit who could practice Qigong, dictate how Qigong is to be taught and practiced, adversely affect our public image, and take away the freedom we enjoy in its practice. Some have thought that government licensing or other forms of government regulation would solve these problems by creating standards for the practice of Qigong and increasing the status of Qigong practitioners to the level of other licensed health-care providers. Qigong Associations, Certification Boards are fine but who regulates them? Who are they to say they are the final say on how to practice? This is almost like trying to regulate creative expression in Art. This is a bad road to take in my experience, it limits "Freedom of Choice".
Government licensing would most likely require anyone wanting to practice Qigong to take training from a government-approved school, practice according to government guidelines, pay a licensing fee, and be subject to government oversight, fines, and the possibility of losing one?s right to practice if one didn?t meet government requirements.
The fees necessary to become a Qigong practitioner would almost certainly go up. There would be the licensing fee, which could increase whenever the government felt it necessary. The training would likely be more expensive and would not necessarily be an improvement over the training currently offered by many teachers and schools. In addition, the training would most likely require a greater time commitment and there would likely be a limited number of teachers or schools offering government-approved training, thus reducing the range of training available. The training requirements could also change at any time according to the decision of government officials who may not be knowledgeable in the practice of Qigong. As you can see, government licensing is a serious issue that could reduce the number of practitioners available, take away many of the freedoms we enjoy, and change the way Qigong is practiced.
There are other forms of government regulation we need to be aware of, including registration. This seems innocent enough?at least at first. Registration in some states simply requires one to register with the appropriate government office in order to practice. In that case it could also be called a permit. In other states registration is more like licensing and requires a certain type of government-approved education and title protection. However, once a registration bill is passed, government officials can create additional registration requirements that could include more educational requirements, practice guidelines, and registration fees. Over time a registration bill could easily end up working very similarly to government licensing, depending on the state policies and laws.
In addition, when considering the purpose of government regulation, we need to be aware that the only legitimate purpose this has is to protect the public from harm. This is why medical doctors are required to get a license. The surgery they perform and the drugs they prescribe can cause harm. Requiring special training is beneficial in that it is likely to reduce the harm medical doctors could cause. However, Qigong is not like the practice of medicine. Qigong is a advanced technique, but subtle and which experience has shown does not cause harm and doesn?t present a risk to the public. Therefore there is no legitimate need for government regulation of Qigong or any Energy Practitioners for that matter .
While it is true that there is a wide range of quality available in the practice of Qigong and especially in its teaching, there are better solutions than government licensing. And in fact, it is felt by most Qigong practitioners have communicated with that the positive value of the freedom we currently enjoy far outweighs the problems of poor training that a few create. It is also important to understand that individuals are intelligent enough to decide for themselves which teacher or Qigong programs or class is right for them?rather than having the government do it for them. In order to make this easier, we suggest that each school, teacher, or practitioner be encouraged to set their own standards and openly advertise them along with their training background. This would make it easy for potential students and clients to decide where to go for classes or sessions and reduce the effect of poor training offered by a few.
Will a Spiritual Defense such as Christian, Daoist, or Buddhist Defense Help?
In order to protect themselves from the above-mentioned problems, some practitioners have sought legal protection by obtaining credentials from such as organizations or other religious groups who include Energy practices as one of their religious practices. However, the protection this could provide is not well understood by most that are using it. Most feel all they have to do is become a Priest, Minister or Spiritual Guide and have a copy of their credentials in their wallet or purse, but much more must be done.
In order for a Qigong practitioner to receive even minimal protection from the above issues, you must actually accept the religious philosophy and be a practicing member of the organization of which you have become a adept of. In addition, you need to openly advertise this, and your Qigong clients need to understand that the Qigong classes, sessions you give are part of your Religious or Spiritual practice. And even if this is done, it still will not provide complete protection against the Medical Practice Act, or the actions of a government agency.
Others have taken a more extreme position and said that one way to prevent Qigong from being controlled by the government or other groups is to legally incorporate it as a religion, which would give it protection under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. This would require that anyone wanting to have this protection become a member of the Qigong religion and use Qigong as a religious practice. While this might be possible, at best it would only give minimal legal protection, and is not really a good solution.
One of Qigong's positive features is that one doesn?t need to change one?s religious beliefs in order to practice Qigong. People of all religious & Spiritual backgrounds practice Qigong and continue to maintain their original religious beliefs. The fact that Qigong is practiced by people of all religious backgrounds makes Qigong a uniting force in the world, bringing together people of all religions in a spirit of harmony and trust. This is especially important now when distrust and war have so often been created by opposing religious groups and the need for world peace and harmony is so important. To require that one must accept Qigong as a religion and convert in order to be protected from unnecessary government regulation would greatly restrict the number of people willing to practice Qigong. The existence of a "Qigong Religion" would cause many religious people who would normally be interested in Qigong to feel uncomfortable with Qigong and not want to be involved with it.
In closing I would like to say that I began these practices in 1983 i was suffering from serious ailments. I was desperate and if their was stiff control on these traditions I doubt highly I would be here today to share my experiences.
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