Gathering Qi
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        Stealing qi and gathering qi are not the problems that we should solve in teaching the Gong of the high order. Because I still have such a goal: to rehabilitate the reputation of cultivation, and to do something good by speaking out on these unhealthy phenomena which nobody has talked about before. I want everyone of us to know it so that some people will not always do bad things, and those who know nothing about the truth of qigong will not turn pale at the mere mention of it.

        There is plenty of cosmic qi in the universe. Some people talk about the qi of Celestial Yang and the qi of Earthly Yin. You are also an element of the universe, and you may go ahead to gather as much qi as you like. However, some people do not collect the qi of the universe, but specialize in teaching people to collect qi from plants. They have even summed up their experience: the qi of a poplar tree is white and the qi of a pine tree is yellow, as well as how and when to collect it. Someone also said: "There is a tree in front of our house, and it has died because I have collected qi from it". What kind of capability is that? Isn't that a wrong deed? It is known that when we genuinely do the cultivation, we value positive messages and assimilation to the cosmic qualities. Don't you want to look at the issue of compassion? Assimilation to the cosmic qualities, Zhen Shan Ren (Truth Compassion Forbearance), requires compassion. How can you increase your cultivation energy if you always commit bad deeds? How can you remove your diseases? Isn't it just opposite to what our practitioners should do? That is also taking lives and committing sins! Perhaps, someone may say: "You are getting more and more incredible by saying that killing animals is killing lives, and killing plants also is killing lives". In fact, it is this way. Buddhism teaches the Sixfold Paths of Transmigration, and you may be turned into a plant during the Sixfold Paths of Transmigration. This is what Buddhism says. We do not talk about it this way here. However, we shall tell you that a tree also is a life. Not only is it a life, but it has very advanced mental activities as well.

        For instance: there is an American who specializes in electronic studies, and teaches others to use lie-detectors. One day he decided on the spur of the moment to connect the two poles of the lie-detector to an Adhatoda Vasica, and watered the roots of the flower. Then, he found that the electronic pen of the lie-detector rapidly drew a certain curve. Such a curve was the same as that which the human brain produces in an extremely short period of time when it is happy and excited. He was surprised at that time to find that a plant could have feelings! He almost wanted to shout on the street: Plants have feelings. Being enlightened from this incident, he carried out research in this area, and has conducted a lot of experiments.

        Once he took two plants together, and asked his student to crush a plant to death with his feet in front of another plant. Then, he took the other plant inside a room, and connected it to the lie-detector. He asked five of his students to come in turns from the outside. There were no reactions when the first four students walked into the room. As soon as the fifth student who had trampled the plant had come in, the electronic pen rapidly drew a curve. Such a curve can only occur when a person becomes frightened. He was really surprised! This event has thrown light on a very big issue: through the ages we have always considered human beings to be high level living beings with the sense organs that can make identifications, and with the brain that can make analysis. How could plants distinguish things? Don't they have sense organs as well? In the past, whoever said that plants had sense organs, thinking, feelings, and the ability to recognize people would be labelled as superstitions. In addition to these, it seems that plants have surpassed our contemporary humans in certain aspects.

        One day the researcher connected the lie-detector to a plant, and then wondered: "What kind of experiment shall I do? I shall burn its leaves with fire and see how it reacts." As soon as this came into his mind, and before he did so, the electronic pen rapidly drew a curve which could occur only when a person is crying for help. This power of Telepathy which was called Mental Telepathy in the past is a human potential ability and instinct. However, today's mankind is degenerating. You will have to cultivate all over again, and return to the origin and go back to the truth and your primordial instinct before you can regain it. Yet, the plant has it, and it knows what you are thinking about. It sounds quite incredible, but it was indeed a scientific experiment. He has conducted a variety of experiments, including the supernormal capability of long-distance remote controls. After his paper was published, it caused a great sensation throughout the world.

        Botanists from different countries have already started studies in this area, including those in our country. It is no longer something superstitious. The other day I said that what our mankind has experienced, invented, and discovered today would be quite enough to change our current textbooks. However, owing to the influence of the traditional mentality, people are reluctant to acknowledge them, and there is also no one to sort them out systematically.

        In a park in the Northeast China, I noticed that a group of pine trees had died. I did not know what sort of qigong some people were practising there. They rolled all over the ground, and then they gathered qi with their feet in one way and their hands in another. Soon afterwards the pine trees over there turned yellow, and then all died. Is what you have done a good deed or a wrong one? Judging from the angle of our practitioners, that is killing lives. As a practitioner, you must be a good person, and gradually assimilate yourself with the cosmic qualities, as well as give up your bad habits. Even from the angle of an ordinary person, it was also not a good deed but it was damaging the public property, the afforestation and the ecological balance. It was not a good deed looking at it from any angle. There is plenty of qi in the universe, and you may collect it as much as you can. Some people are carrying great energy. After reaching a certain level, they can indeed collect the qi of the plants in a large area by just a waving their arms once. That is nothing but qi. What will be the use of qi even if you have collected more? Some people do not do anything else when they go to a park, saying: "I do not have to practise qigong. It will be good enough for me to collect qi while walking around, and my practice will be over. It will be good enough to just get qi". In their opinion, Qi is cultivation energy. When people walk up close to such a person, they will feel his body is quite chilly. Isn't the qi of plants of the Yin quality? A practitioner should try to maintain the balance of Yin and Yang. Though his body smells like a pine tree, he still feels good about his practice.