520 - Buddhist General Interest

LIT504A - Zhàn Zhuāng Qigōng Meditation (3 Units)
Prerequisite: None
Textbook: On Line Resources
10 week course

Éméi Zhàn Zhuāng Qigōng 

(峨眉站桩氣內功)

During the early Qing era, many monks had traveled to Éméi (峨眉山) mountain and learned the Martial Arts and Nèigōngs (內功) taught there. Neigong practice is normally associated with the so-called “soft style”, “internal” or Nèijiā (內家) Chinese martial arts They eventually reached the Fujian temples and brought this internal martial arts influence there. The tiger based Nèigōngs from Éméi were said to have been brought to Fújiàn Shěng (福建省) by Báiméi (白眉). Today the Báiméi style is a dragon and tiger based martial art.

In 1050 ACE, a monk traveled to the top of Mt Éméi, one of China’s Four Holy Mountains. This monk trained and meditated on Éméi and, when he realized liberation, took the name Báiyún (White Cloud). Chàn Master Báiyún Shŏuduān (白雲守) wrote all his sacred knowledge, including his system designed to cultivate health and treat illness while striving to attain enlightenment, in a book called “The Éméi Treasured Lotus Cannon” which is currently being held in a Beijing Museum. Báiyún’s art consists of The Twelve Ways, The Six Tiger Steps (or Tiger Walking), Meditations, Healing Sounds, Medicine, Weapons, etc. Éméi neigong emphasizes healing, internal self-cultivation of Qi ((氣) energy), and the cleansing of one's heart so that one's true nature and latent abilities can emerge. In the Éméi system, the 12 Zhuang - Ways (or Paths), commonly known as 12 posts, are the Body Cultivation. These are specific short sets designed to un-lock and holistically link the body while keeping it healthy and strong. They are like India’s Yogic practices but of Chinese origin. In the Éméi system it is the Snake that binds the 12 Zhuāng and Éméi Art together. Per the 12th generation Grandmaster Fu Wei Zhong, the Mother of the 12 Ways is the Zhàn zhuāng (Heaven Post). According to Fu Wei Zhong: “Zhàn Za Zhuāng is to Éméi just as San Ti Shi is to Xing Yi”. The last Zhuāng in the Éméi art, Mei Za Zhuāng, is based on Meditation practice, one of four different types of meditations that the Éméi practitioner studies at that level. The Éméi 6 sets of Tiger Walking exercises are the 12 Ways for the Lower Half and uniting the Upper and Lower Half. Éméi Weaponry comes in three forms: Sword, Short Blade (Dagger) and Hand Spike, with the long weapons not being practical in the Éméi dense and mountainous terrain.