Customer Reviews

Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit (Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong as taught by Master Qing Chuan Wang)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've stumbled across this book while doing a search, consider it no accident. As there is apparently no big marketing push to thrust this book upon you, it seems to simply be awaiting one's readiness to receive it before making itself known. In "Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit" Katherine Orr has distilled the basic principles of a modern master's teachings of Wudang Qigong and conveyed them with lucid simplicity. I found something very fresh and sincere being communicated here - there was no sprinkling of over-used quotes and aphorisms of past sages; Orr's communication of Master Qing Chuan Wang's teachings stands on its own and flowed seamlessly. She covered a lot of ground, weaving a story of Wudang Qigong - a bit of its historical roots in China as it relates to this master's lifework, its philosophical principles, its scientific and medical aspects, its powerful potential to heal and transform, as well as the practical aspects of how to get started incorporating it into one's life.

Finally someone has communicated, in terms we can understand, - and literally FEEL - how to connect with this seemingly mysterious force called "qi" (pronounced "chee" - life force energy) and how to establish a life-long relationship with it through a gentle daily practice. While there is much to read about and reflect on in content, what this book does so well, with each chapter, is paint a picture of what "qi" is and what it feels like through the sensitivity of this master. Beyond any visual image or mental concept that might be conjured up, this picture is a feeling - the very essence of something subtle yet powerful, something ever-changing, vibrant and alive - as life itself. This is not a picture easily painted but Katherine Orr does it with grace - her writing the very embodiment of this art form itself.

Yes, the easy-to-follow movements in the book are pleasurable and centering (and even easier to follow with the companion DVD), however, what I found most profound about the practices - which are like fluid moving meditations - is their ability to take me beyond mind, to both calm and lift the spirit, to transport and transform. There are so many wonderful and powerful truths presented in this book - read it, experience it for yourself and you will feel yourself tapping in to qi - and to a whole "new," yet ever-present, reality.

There are a lot of books that have been written by folk with little practical experience of qigong or knowledge of the fact that it is a comprehensive way of leading your life, rather than just a set of breathing exercises and meditations.

It is clear from the very beginning that this is someone who "walks the talk." Not only does it ring true, but there is also something else that speaks to the authenticity of the book: I was taught many of the exercises by a qigong Master in Nanjing, China, in 1991. And to my knowledge, they have never been published anywhere else.

The book is a fascinating narrative, as well as a set of practices. It does not attempt to provide details of some of the very interesting research that is being done into qigong, so it will not convince a sceptic. Unless he or she will give it a try!

Enjoyable and empowering!

The book is well organized and offers practical information for someone trying to begin or enhance practice. I did not experience any of this text as esoteric. The exercise instruction is very clear. In the exercise section, the pictures are simple and amazingly instructive. After reading this book, I felt confident I had learned a valuable practice. Put another way, I was not confused, overwhelmed, or left wondering. This book is well worth its cost, indeed worth more.

Engagingly written. A good read of a personal story. The book
is packed with information for beginners and long time students. I highly recommend this book

Meredith Greenleaf, President of Sedona Women. Sedona, Arizona

I did not like this book. I find that the style is too "new-agey" and not very informative. It has a tendency to avoid explanations, and instead, it gives naive claims about the miraculous effects of qi. This claims are suspicious to say the least. I don't doubt the proficiency as a qi gong expert of Mr. Wang, but after this reading, which was written by his wife under his consent, I doubt his credibility beyond his knowledge of meridians and bioenergy.

I have not tried the exercises yet, which, by the way, occupy only a little part of the text, so I don't know how effective they are. Time will tell.

Now I kind of regret having bought this book, I was, AGAIN, blinded by reviews (Amazon is a very tricky tool indeed) and by the fact that the master belongs to the Wu Dang Daoist tradition, but I am afraid I cannot trust anyone anymore only because he or she is the XXX generation grandmaster of whatever millenary school. I have had the oportunity to be in contact with masters who belong to respectable and century old traditions, such as Shaolin and Wu Dang, masters who represent these entities and are suposedly tested by an ancient system and have experienced the perennial truths that they teach. However, what I have seen is that these men are far from being examples of how Zen or Daoism should be lived. Instead, at the very heart of these venerable institutions, I have seen martial artists obsessed with pride and power, and following a very unhealthy lifestyle, or with a business oriented mind and ethic that has little to do with Buddha or Lao Zhu. Nonetheless the author's grandfather, who transmitted his knowledge to him, was a famous fighter, one who competed with other schools in order to prove who was more powerful. And I ain't no expert, but I very much suspect this school war thing is wrong under any oriental spiritual perspective.

In the case of this book, my faith in the Wu Dang tradition has been tested, I will not trust the intuition, wisdom and equanimity of Wu Dang representatives anymore. Why? Because this book is not serious, it is an apologetic attempt to sell the author's master and husband as a miracle man with a miracle business for mankind.

To end with, I will point out a comment that contributed, but is not the only reason for my judgement, to the discredit of Mr. Qing Chuan Wang. It says that Qi Gong has always been a secret and esoteric path in order to hide it from the people, and it is thanks to THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, that this situation has changed. Well, as far as I and millions know, it was precisely thanks to the Chinese Government that Qi Gong started to become secretly practiced. It is true that nowadays they have acknowledged the richness of Qi Gong and the interest it suscites, and of course, they want their part of the cake. But i wonder, why such an unfair, unncecesary and partial claim to support the Chinese regime? Considering the fact that the guy has been very involved with the regime, and considering how things work in China (where I have lived and made business), I have a clear perspective about it.

Finally, why two stars instead of one? Because I am curious about the exercises, and also because I believe the spiritual path gives unsuspected insights in unsuspected places. Or so to say, there is a lesson in every book we stumble upon.