Author: David A. Palmer
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 9780231511704
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 380
Book Description
Qigong a regimen of body, breath, and mental training exercises was one of the most widespread cultural and religious movements of late-twentieth-century urban China. The practice was promoted by senior Communist Party leaders as a uniquely Chinese healing tradition and as a harbinger of a new scientific revolution, yet the movement's mass popularity and the almost religious devotion of its followers led to its ruthless suppression. In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as "evil cults." According to Palmer, the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.
Qigong Fever
Author: David A. Palmer
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 9780231511704
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 380
Book Description
Qigong a regimen of body, breath, and mental training exercises was one of the most widespread cultural and religious movements of late-twentieth-century urban China. The practice was promoted by senior Communist Party leaders as a uniquely Chinese healing tradition and as a harbinger of a new scientific revolution, yet the movement's mass popularity and the almost religious devotion of its followers led to its ruthless suppression. In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as "evil cults." According to Palmer, the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 9780231511704
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 380
Book Description
Qigong a regimen of body, breath, and mental training exercises was one of the most widespread cultural and religious movements of late-twentieth-century urban China. The practice was promoted by senior Communist Party leaders as a uniquely Chinese healing tradition and as a harbinger of a new scientific revolution, yet the movement's mass popularity and the almost religious devotion of its followers led to its ruthless suppression. In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as "evil cults." According to Palmer, the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.
Breathing Spaces
Author: Nancy N. Chen
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231128053
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
The charismatic form of healing called qigong, which at its core involves meditative breathing exercises, achieved enormous popularity in China during the last two decades. Anthropologist Nancy N. Chen examines the cultural context of medicine and healing practices in the PRC, Taiwan, and the United States, and the pages of her book come alive with the narratives of the numerous practitioners, healers, psychiatric patients, doctors, and bureaucrats she interviewed.
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231128053
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
The charismatic form of healing called qigong, which at its core involves meditative breathing exercises, achieved enormous popularity in China during the last two decades. Anthropologist Nancy N. Chen examines the cultural context of medicine and healing practices in the PRC, Taiwan, and the United States, and the pages of her book come alive with the narratives of the numerous practitioners, healers, psychiatric patients, doctors, and bureaucrats she interviewed.
Falun Gong and the Future of China
Author: David Ownby
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0195329058
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
In 1999, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered outside Zhongnanhai, the guarded compound where China's highest leaders live and work, in a day-long peaceful protest of police brutality against fellow practitioners in the neighboring city of Tianjin. This book explains what Falun Gong is and where it came from.
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0195329058
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
In 1999, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered outside Zhongnanhai, the guarded compound where China's highest leaders live and work, in a day-long peaceful protest of police brutality against fellow practitioners in the neighboring city of Tianjin. This book explains what Falun Gong is and where it came from.
Qigong
Author: Dean Y. Deng
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780965756082
Category : Medicine, Chinese
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Eight Treasures of Qigong are among the world's most precious gifts. An inspiring invitation to learn Qigong, this book provides a meaningful opportunity through lightness and joyfulness to embrace an ancient Chinese healing art which reviews self-healing capacities beyond one's imagination. Only 15 min. a day is needed to perform this beautiful sequence of easy and gentle arm movements & regulated breathing. Contains full illustration and color prints. Readable-Enjoyable-Accessible-Doable. Dr. Deng is one of the world's leading and eminent Qigong masters and medical doctors, who has dramatically improved the health of thousands of people worldwide.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780965756082
Category : Medicine, Chinese
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Eight Treasures of Qigong are among the world's most precious gifts. An inspiring invitation to learn Qigong, this book provides a meaningful opportunity through lightness and joyfulness to embrace an ancient Chinese healing art which reviews self-healing capacities beyond one's imagination. Only 15 min. a day is needed to perform this beautiful sequence of easy and gentle arm movements & regulated breathing. Contains full illustration and color prints. Readable-Enjoyable-Accessible-Doable. Dr. Deng is one of the world's leading and eminent Qigong masters and medical doctors, who has dramatically improved the health of thousands of people worldwide.
Dream Trippers
Author: David A. Palmer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022648498X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
Over the past few decades, Daoism has become a recognizable part of Western “alternative” spiritual life. Now, that Westernized version of Daoism is going full circle, traveling back from America and Europe to influence Daoism in China. Dream Trippers draws on more than a decade of ethnographic work with Daoist monks and Western seekers to trace the spread of Westernized Daoism in contemporary China. David A. Palmer and Elijah Siegler take us into the daily life of the monastic community atop the mountain of Huashan and explore its relationship to the socialist state. They follow the international circuit of Daoist "energy tourism," which connects a number of sites throughout China, and examine the controversies around Western scholars who become practitioners and promoters of Daoism. Throughout are lively portrayals of encounters among the book’s various characters—Chinese hermits and monks, Western seekers, and scholar-practitioners—as they interact with each other in obtuse, often humorous, and yet sometimes enlightening and transformative ways. Dream Trippers untangles the anxieties, confusions, and ambiguities that arise as Chinese and American practitioners balance cosmological attunement and radical spiritual individualism in their search for authenticity in a globalized world.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022648498X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
Over the past few decades, Daoism has become a recognizable part of Western “alternative” spiritual life. Now, that Westernized version of Daoism is going full circle, traveling back from America and Europe to influence Daoism in China. Dream Trippers draws on more than a decade of ethnographic work with Daoist monks and Western seekers to trace the spread of Westernized Daoism in contemporary China. David A. Palmer and Elijah Siegler take us into the daily life of the monastic community atop the mountain of Huashan and explore its relationship to the socialist state. They follow the international circuit of Daoist "energy tourism," which connects a number of sites throughout China, and examine the controversies around Western scholars who become practitioners and promoters of Daoism. Throughout are lively portrayals of encounters among the book’s various characters—Chinese hermits and monks, Western seekers, and scholar-practitioners—as they interact with each other in obtuse, often humorous, and yet sometimes enlightening and transformative ways. Dream Trippers untangles the anxieties, confusions, and ambiguities that arise as Chinese and American practitioners balance cosmological attunement and radical spiritual individualism in their search for authenticity in a globalized world.
Qigong
Author: Garri Garripoli
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0757312179
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
Qigong (pronounced "chee-gong") is an ancient Chinese health-care modality that has fascinated people throughout the millennia. Based on the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong is a system that teaches us to understand Qi, our bioelectric life force, and use it to heal ourselves and others. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance will give readers some of the basics of the outward "exercises" that are normally associated with the practice of Qigong, as well as detailing movements from such systems as Wuji Qigong, Bagua Xun Dao Gong and Shaolin Qigong. More than merely outlining these practices, this book will take readers on a journey of exploration into the essence of this fascinating, though little understood, healing practice. Masters from around the world—such as the ninety-two-year-old Duan Zhi Liang of Beijing, Canadian healer Effie Poy Yew Chow and American Jerry Johnson—contribute their personal insights into the wonders of Qigong. People from various walks of life, all of whom have achieved healing as a result of practicing Qigong, share their powerful experiences. Author Garri Garripoli, himself a practitioner of Qigong for the past twenty years, renders the book fascinating yet easy-to-read. He expertly guides readers on this once-in-a-lifetime journey, inspiring them to look deeper into healing in order to discover how to move beyond the standards and limitations of Western medicine. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance shows readers that we all carry within ourselves the ability to heal, and encourages them to tap into that innate gift and dance their own dance of life. Readers are sure to find this book fascinating, even life changing. It is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the mystique of ancient Eastern healing arts or seeking a daily practice that promotes and maintains full-body well-being.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0757312179
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
Qigong (pronounced "chee-gong") is an ancient Chinese health-care modality that has fascinated people throughout the millennia. Based on the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong is a system that teaches us to understand Qi, our bioelectric life force, and use it to heal ourselves and others. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance will give readers some of the basics of the outward "exercises" that are normally associated with the practice of Qigong, as well as detailing movements from such systems as Wuji Qigong, Bagua Xun Dao Gong and Shaolin Qigong. More than merely outlining these practices, this book will take readers on a journey of exploration into the essence of this fascinating, though little understood, healing practice. Masters from around the world—such as the ninety-two-year-old Duan Zhi Liang of Beijing, Canadian healer Effie Poy Yew Chow and American Jerry Johnson—contribute their personal insights into the wonders of Qigong. People from various walks of life, all of whom have achieved healing as a result of practicing Qigong, share their powerful experiences. Author Garri Garripoli, himself a practitioner of Qigong for the past twenty years, renders the book fascinating yet easy-to-read. He expertly guides readers on this once-in-a-lifetime journey, inspiring them to look deeper into healing in order to discover how to move beyond the standards and limitations of Western medicine. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance shows readers that we all carry within ourselves the ability to heal, and encourages them to tap into that innate gift and dance their own dance of life. Readers are sure to find this book fascinating, even life changing. It is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the mystique of ancient Eastern healing arts or seeking a daily practice that promotes and maintains full-body well-being.
Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science
Author: Jim R. Lewis
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004216383
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 940
Book Description
There has been a significant but little-noticed aspect of the interface between science and religion, namely the widespread tendency of religions to appeal to science in support of their truth claims. Though the appeal to science is most evident in more recent religions like Christian Science and Scientology, no major faith tradition is exempt from this pattern. Members of almost every religion desire to see their ‘truths’ supported by the authority of science – especially in the midst of the present historical period, when all of the comforting old certainties seem problematic and threatened. The present collection examines this pattern in a wide variety of different religions and spiritual movements, and demonstrates the many different ways in which religions appeal to the authority of science. The result is a wide-ranging and uniquely compelling study of how religions adapt their message to one of the major challenges presented by the contemporary world.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004216383
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 940
Book Description
There has been a significant but little-noticed aspect of the interface between science and religion, namely the widespread tendency of religions to appeal to science in support of their truth claims. Though the appeal to science is most evident in more recent religions like Christian Science and Scientology, no major faith tradition is exempt from this pattern. Members of almost every religion desire to see their ‘truths’ supported by the authority of science – especially in the midst of the present historical period, when all of the comforting old certainties seem problematic and threatened. The present collection examines this pattern in a wide variety of different religions and spiritual movements, and demonstrates the many different ways in which religions appeal to the authority of science. The result is a wide-ranging and uniquely compelling study of how religions adapt their message to one of the major challenges presented by the contemporary world.
Information Fantasies
Author: Xiao Liu
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452959498
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
Winner of the Science Fiction Research Association Book Award A groundbreaking, alternate history of information technology and information discourses Although the scale of the information economy and the impact of digital media on social life in China today could pale that of any other country, the story of their emergence in the post-Mao sociopolitical environment remains untold. Information Fantasies offers a revisionist account of the emergence of the “information society,” arguing that it was not determined by the technology of digitization alone but developed out of a set of techno-cultural imaginations and practices that arrived alongside postsocialism. Anticipating discussions on information surveillance, data collection, and precarious labor conditions today, Xiao Liu goes far beyond the current scholarship on internet and digital culture in China, questioning the limits of current new-media theory and history, while also salvaging postsocialism from the persistent Cold War structure of knowledge production. Ranging over forgotten science fiction, unjustly neglected films, corporeal practices such as qigong, scientific journals, advertising, and cybernetic theories, Information Fantasies constructs an alternate genealogy of digital and information imaginaries—one that will change how we look at the development of the postsocialist world and the emergence of digital technologies.
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452959498
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
Winner of the Science Fiction Research Association Book Award A groundbreaking, alternate history of information technology and information discourses Although the scale of the information economy and the impact of digital media on social life in China today could pale that of any other country, the story of their emergence in the post-Mao sociopolitical environment remains untold. Information Fantasies offers a revisionist account of the emergence of the “information society,” arguing that it was not determined by the technology of digitization alone but developed out of a set of techno-cultural imaginations and practices that arrived alongside postsocialism. Anticipating discussions on information surveillance, data collection, and precarious labor conditions today, Xiao Liu goes far beyond the current scholarship on internet and digital culture in China, questioning the limits of current new-media theory and history, while also salvaging postsocialism from the persistent Cold War structure of knowledge production. Ranging over forgotten science fiction, unjustly neglected films, corporeal practices such as qigong, scientific journals, advertising, and cybernetic theories, Information Fantasies constructs an alternate genealogy of digital and information imaginaries—one that will change how we look at the development of the postsocialist world and the emergence of digital technologies.
Between Heaven and Earth
Author: Harriet Beinfield
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0804151733
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
“Comprehensive, encyclopedic, and lucid, this book is a must for all practitioners of the healing arts who want to broaden their understanding. Readers interested in the role of herbs and foods in healing will also find much to learn here, as I have. . . . A fine work.”—Annemarie Colbin, author of Food and Healing The promise and mystery of Chinese medicine has intrigued and fascinated Westerners ever since the “Bamboo Curtain” was lifted in the early 1970s. Now, in Between Heaven and Earth, two of the foremost American educators and healers in the Chinese medical profession demystify this centuries-old approach to health. Harriet Beinfeld and Efrem Korngold, pioneers in the practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine in the United States for over eighteen years, explain the philosophy behind Chinese medicine, how it works and what it can do. Combining Eastern traditions with Western sensibilities in a unique blend that is relevant today, Between Heaven and Earth addresses three vital areas of Chinese medicine—theory, therapy, and types—to present a comprehensive, yet understandable guide to this ancient system. Whether you are a patient with an aggravating complaint or a curious intellectual seeker, Between Heaven and Earth opens the door to a vast storehouse of knowledge that bridges the gap between mind and body, theory and practice, professional and self-care, East and West. “Groundbreaking . . . Here at last is a complete and readable guide to Chinese medicine.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0804151733
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
“Comprehensive, encyclopedic, and lucid, this book is a must for all practitioners of the healing arts who want to broaden their understanding. Readers interested in the role of herbs and foods in healing will also find much to learn here, as I have. . . . A fine work.”—Annemarie Colbin, author of Food and Healing The promise and mystery of Chinese medicine has intrigued and fascinated Westerners ever since the “Bamboo Curtain” was lifted in the early 1970s. Now, in Between Heaven and Earth, two of the foremost American educators and healers in the Chinese medical profession demystify this centuries-old approach to health. Harriet Beinfeld and Efrem Korngold, pioneers in the practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine in the United States for over eighteen years, explain the philosophy behind Chinese medicine, how it works and what it can do. Combining Eastern traditions with Western sensibilities in a unique blend that is relevant today, Between Heaven and Earth addresses three vital areas of Chinese medicine—theory, therapy, and types—to present a comprehensive, yet understandable guide to this ancient system. Whether you are a patient with an aggravating complaint or a curious intellectual seeker, Between Heaven and Earth opens the door to a vast storehouse of knowledge that bridges the gap between mind and body, theory and practice, professional and self-care, East and West. “Groundbreaking . . . Here at last is a complete and readable guide to Chinese medicine.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Integrative Medicine for Children
Author: May Loo
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 1416022996
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 533
Book Description
"Many parents today are turning to or seeking information about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for their children. Whether you initiate alternative therapies or simply need to respond when asked for information or advice, it's crucial to have the most recent, evidence-based information about alternative therapies and know how to safely and effectively integrate them with conventional treatment. This innovative and reliable reference is the ideal resource to have at hand." "This book includes a wide range of complementary and alternative therapies, focusing on those most often used with children: mind/body approaches, manual therapies, lifestyle approaches, alternative systems, energy medicine, and biological agents. Within these main categories, therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, homeopathy, herbs, and magnets are covered." "Fifty-five common pediatric conditions are comprehensively discussed, with diagnostic and evidence-based treatment information, followed by authoritative information on the major CAM therapies available for treatment of the condition. Whenever possible, an integrative approach that combines conventional and alternative approaches is presented."--BOOK JACKET.
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 1416022996
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 533
Book Description
"Many parents today are turning to or seeking information about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for their children. Whether you initiate alternative therapies or simply need to respond when asked for information or advice, it's crucial to have the most recent, evidence-based information about alternative therapies and know how to safely and effectively integrate them with conventional treatment. This innovative and reliable reference is the ideal resource to have at hand." "This book includes a wide range of complementary and alternative therapies, focusing on those most often used with children: mind/body approaches, manual therapies, lifestyle approaches, alternative systems, energy medicine, and biological agents. Within these main categories, therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, homeopathy, herbs, and magnets are covered." "Fifty-five common pediatric conditions are comprehensively discussed, with diagnostic and evidence-based treatment information, followed by authoritative information on the major CAM therapies available for treatment of the condition. Whenever possible, an integrative approach that combines conventional and alternative approaches is presented."--BOOK JACKET.