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Wherever Buddhism was taken it adapted into the cultural and historical framework where it was deposited. The flexibility of Buddhism is it's genius and it's power. One example of this comes via the 6th century Chinese Buddhist master Zhiyi who practiced a very Indian form of Buddhism while adapting it to Chinese needs of the time.
One area he presented was the use of meditation combined with yogic pranayama (breathing exercises) to cure illness. Here are the four steps he taught for using meditation to deal with illness:
1. The Six Breaths, a Chinese exercise in which the practitioner makes the sounds “chui,” “hu,” “xi,” “he,” “xu,” or “si,” while exhaling in order to regulate internal processes.
2. The Twelve Respirations, which are different types of Indian breathing exercises (pranayamas) intended to regulate various symptoms of illness.
3. Visualization techniques in which one concentrates on one type of qi in order to counteract ailments caused by others. (He gives the example of concentrating on fire-like qi to cure cold in the body.)
4. Finally, Zhiyi recommends an analysis "the non-existent nature” of physical and mental illnesses, resulting in their spontaneous healing.
His method is one deserving of more research and study. One who is looking more closely at Zhiyi and his meditation healing method is C. Pierce Salguero who has a Ph.D. in the History of Medicine as well as a graduate degree in East Asian studies. To read more of Dr. Salquero's research go to this link:
www.buddhistdoor.net/features/curing-illness-with-meditation-in-sixth-century-china
One area he presented was the use of meditation combined with yogic pranayama (breathing exercises) to cure illness. Here are the four steps he taught for using meditation to deal with illness:
1. The Six Breaths, a Chinese exercise in which the practitioner makes the sounds “chui,” “hu,” “xi,” “he,” “xu,” or “si,” while exhaling in order to regulate internal processes.
2. The Twelve Respirations, which are different types of Indian breathing exercises (pranayamas) intended to regulate various symptoms of illness.
3. Visualization techniques in which one concentrates on one type of qi in order to counteract ailments caused by others. (He gives the example of concentrating on fire-like qi to cure cold in the body.)
4. Finally, Zhiyi recommends an analysis "the non-existent nature” of physical and mental illnesses, resulting in their spontaneous healing.
His method is one deserving of more research and study. One who is looking more closely at Zhiyi and his meditation healing method is C. Pierce Salguero who has a Ph.D. in the History of Medicine as well as a graduate degree in East Asian studies. To read more of Dr. Salquero's research go to this link:
www.buddhistdoor.net/features/curing-illness-with-meditation-in-sixth-century-china
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