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Subtle Energies and Uncharted Realms of the Mind The Embodied Science of the Ancients
An Embodied Science Dr. Jahnke emphasized that the ancient Daoist (Dao – Tao) scientists of China were authentic investigators utilizing a highly relevant and systematic set of protocols. Jahnke pointed to a barely known but relevant fact: what were eventually known as Daoist temples, in a religious sense, were originally known as Daoist observatories. Highly revered in their day, these institutions were concerned with evolving a scientific method to explore mathematics, medicine, physiology, botany, agriculture, astronomy, physics, cosmology and more. It could be said that their goal was to systematically understand the nature of everything. Daoist monks were actually scientists. From their observatory they investigated both the inner and outer nature of the cosmos. One of their most profound discoveries was that the universe may be explored by the inward turning of one’s attention. It is obvious that these scientists excelled; they discovered the zero, the decimal system, the plow, the circulatory system, and acupuncture 1,500 to 2,000 years before these ideas appeared in Europe. How did the Chinese do this? To start with, they investigated and observed the inner workings of their bodies with great care and detail. For them, the best laboratory was the human body and our direct subjective experience of it. The ancient masters did not distinguish between mind and body as sharply as we do in the West. Their science was not "objective" in the Western sense, because they did not see such a sharp division between the internal world of experience and the external world of "objective reality." Ancient Chinese Physics – What is Qi? Dr. Jahnke then offered the question, "what is Chinese physics?" To answer this, one must have an idea of what "Qi" is. The invisible basis of all phenomena and life (usually referred to as a subtle energy field or a field of intelligence and consciousness), Qi was a commonplace concept in Chinese culture long before written language. In the Chinese history of science, it is claimed that Qi, as the foundation of science, has a 7,000-year history. Qi is a mysterious force that is inexhaustible and ubiquitous. It is the driving force behind metabolism, healing, weather, explosions, and caterpillars that transform into butterflies. Rather than seek to arrive at a precise definition of Qi, Jahnke has noted that the Chinese prefer to focus on the process of inquiry and dialogue. Qi is best left as an ambiguous, dynamic, multi-faceted quality that is behind everything, from the smile of a child to the effects of acupuncture and non-local healing. As undefined, pervasive, universal and fundamental, Qi is roughly equivalent to the unitary fundamental force that our own physicists seek to understand but also hesitate to define. Qigong Today millions of Chinese enjoy the mystery of Qi for the sake of health and vitality by practicing Qi Cultivation – known as Qigong – daily in the public parks. Qigong includes meditation combined with body movement, breath practice and self-massage. Interestingly, Jahnke noted that it has not always been the case that all Chinese citizens have had access to Qigong. Qigong and Tai Chi (a kind of Qigong) and other Qi cultivation practices were first offered to the Chinese public around 1970. Previously, all such practices were the exclusive domain of the high Chinese court culture. Recently, the government has modified the widespread public practice of Tai Chi and Qigong in China in an effort to respond to the activity of the Falun Gong cult. Comparing East and West Dr. Jahnke discussed some of the interesting parallels between Eastern and Western approaches to understanding health and the human body. For example, he has observed that in ancient Chinese science:
The ancient Chinese formula and the modern scientific formula both have energy as a component. Notice, however, that the Chinese version is easy for a grandmother to encourage in young children, while the modern Western formula is hard for even scientists to remember. The point here is that while the science of the Chinese often seems simplistic and unsophisticated, it is simultaneously practical and useful. It raises the question: when it comes to practical application, is an unsophisticated science with deep implications more useful in all important ways than a highly sophisticated science that is so complex that its breakthroughs are difficult to understand or apply practically? The embodied science of the ancients is also quite sophisticated, particularly in the areas of energy and consciousness. There are many forms of energy associated with human health and mind. Kinds of Qi (Chi) or Universal Energy Gu Qi = of Food Kong Qi = of Air Shen Qi = of Spirit Jing Qi = of Subtlest Biological Factors (DNA, enzymes, neurotransmitters) Ying Qi = of the Internal Channels Xing Qi = of Stars and Planets Taken together, particularly in a very healthy person or in a person who practices Qigong, all of these forms of Qi comprise Zhen Qi, meaning True Qi. Qi = invisible, omnipresent factor which is everywhere and in all things Gong = Cultivate, refine, practice. Qigong = methods or practices that refine and cultivate Qi. Correlation Charts
European – Western 
Chinese – Eastern 
Jahnke explained that both the West and the East have systems of knowledge that try to explain the gradation of existence ranging from the particularity of matter up through the indeterminateness of the wave-state. Although both traditions have these interesting parallels, Jahnke pointed out that their approaches are quite different. For example, the Chinese always start with assumption of the Qi as the basis, and then reason forth that within the field of Qi, resides matter and the human body. The soul and intangible self come first, and the body incarnates within this field. The West, in contrast, starts with the assumption that matter is the basis and reasons forth how an energetic field might develop from the matter of the human body. The substance of the self gives rise to the field. Jahnke reasoned that it has already become obvious, through Western quantum science, that the Chinese were correct. Aspects of Dao (Tao) Science of Energy and Consciousness From their ancient observatories for exploring the inner and outer universe, the Daoist scientists (monks) developed a protocol for research that yielded an eloquent understanding of subtle energy and mind. The scientific method of the ancients 1. Use Qigong (or Yoga) to tune the human instrument Relaxation and mind clearing Breath practice Body postures and movements Massage of Qi centers 2. Control for sensory and attitudinal noise Meditation methods of resolving mind chatter 3. Address the problem or question for investigation Profound internal observation Of particular note for the goals of this conference, Jahnke mentioned that the focus of Dao science is mind. Given the observer effect, so important to Western science today, it is clear that the Chinese method of investigation may have significant merit. The Chinese word Yi means mind intention or intent-ful mind. Interestingly, in the West, intention is the primary focus of research in both the areas of subtle energy as well as of mind and consciousness. Jahnke noted that the overall approach of the ancient masters could be summarized as: Practice + Effortless Intention = Coherence of Function and Entrainment of Interactions Thus, even the ancients realized, as we are realizing today, that there is a role for the power of intention to shape outcomes. The Chinese ancients declare that Qi can be cultivated directly by our own personal intention, awareness, and will. We are discovering this in the Western disciplines of both subtle energy and biofield research and in the investigation of mind and consciousness. Jahnke closed by restating his suggestion that our contemporary scientific community would benefit from perceiving the findings of the ancients to be far more than anecdotal and subjective opinion. Instead, the embodied sciences of the ancients actually offer us relevant insights and even specific protocols for our exploration in the current era. Response George Leonard agreed with Jahnke’s assertion that there is value in of incorporating the human body and consciousness as a relevant tool in the practice of science. He noted that getting trained in the Asian martial arts is more arduous and time consuming than a Western Ph.D. Elizabeth Targ added that because of the Western mind/body split, we have a tendency to think of intention as exclusively mental intention, when, in fact, an intention is something we hold in our entire being: body, mind, and spirit. Russell Targ noted that his own fascination with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali had been stimulated by the idea that Yoga (the parallel of Qigong in India) was a method of investigation that produced insights that are consistent with the findings of modern physics. Dr. Jahnke asked Targ, "Do you think that the findings of the ancients are eligible to be considered as ‘data’?" Targ stated that he agreed that some of the findings of the ancients, due to concurrence with modern findings, must be investigated as relevant data, suggesting possible directions for modern research. Beverly Rubik pointed out that the West is still using a reductionistic methodology to explain Oriental Medicine (acupuncture, Qigong) via neurobiology and neurochemistry and that it still shuns vitalistic explanations that are more akin the Eastern approach. She added that as modern science is forced to give up these biases, a major shift in the scientific view of energy and mind will take place. Concluding his remarks, Jahnke discussed how Qi builds when someone harmonizes with the earth and the larger universe. The Chinese feel that we can purposefully absorb and circulate the Qi of the earth and the Qi of the heaven and transform them into a profound inner elixir. The Chinese call this Alchemy, while in the West we might say, "go to the park and try to harmonize with the Schumann resonance of 7.8 hertz." When we are practicing the cultivation of Qi we are entering more deeply into an embodied connection with the universe and the multiplicity of forms of Qi that are around and within us. "The embodied sciences," Jahnke concluded, "are a way that we can explore energy and mind for very little cost. This is not to say that the embodied sciences should become the foundation of science, but certainly the Chinese have shown through using such an approach that much can be learned that has not yet been revealed by our own science."
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