Customer Reviews

Vital Breath of the Dao: Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The word Master means many things to many people. The traditional meaning of Shifu, the Chinese word, meshes rather poorly with our modern definition of Master (which in my opinion still carries the sour taste of America's not so distant past). I don't know what the title means to other self-proclaimed Masters in the US but I have had the good fortune to meet with Master Wu and learn what the word means to him. A "Master" has the ability and responsibility to give his students the best possible teaching. The word is a reminder of that intention. His sincerity and ability was evident when I studied with him and I believe it is evident in the pages of his book.

There's no way I can remove all bias from my review. However, I have read a great number of qigong books in my study of Classical Chinese Medicine and I believe Wu's work merits special attention. Though scholarly, the tone of his work is personal rather than academic. His is a conversation over tea. Your chance to casually sit with a man of genuine ability and share his experience.

I recieved this book days before leaving for China to continue my studies and it has since given me many invaluable insights into traditional Chinese culture. The book answers many questions I wanted to ask but never found the words to do so. Wu writes in a fluid fashion that nurtures an understanding of shamanic tradition and leaves room for intuition. I believe this book is useful for people who want to know more about Chinese Shamanic Tradition and invaluable for students who seek to cultivate greater personal understanding.

The book arrived very quickly and was in excellent condition. Master Wu is a very genuine Qi Gong master who spent his life until 7 years ago in China. He grew up in a small village on the Eastern Coast of China in a very traditional surroundings and had direct contact to shamans/wise men. He also is a very modern and cool young master. You will not be disappointed!

Thank you!

This delightful book is a gift to the senses as well as the soul. Far from being a dry, abstruse treatise on esoteric matters, Master Wu's personable writing style conveys his deep love for Qigong in an accessible way. His invitation to sit with him and drink tea as we contemplate the (deceptively) simple wisdom of this shamanic Qigong tradition is no mere clever conceit; it's the best way I can think of to capture the apprentice-teacher relationship in a book.

Some readers might prefer a more linear, academic style of presentation. However, I found the format refreshing, as it is like a series of conversations (which is the oldest style of teaching, as evinced in texts as diverse as the Huangdi Neijing and Plato's Dialogues). The writing is fresh and heartfelt, and there's much wisdom here for both the newcomer to Qigong and the long-time practitioner. Thank you, Master Wu, for sharing your tea and your heart with readers.

I have to say that I've really ENJOYED this book, which is meant to be savored (as the author explains) like a cup of fine tea. Gems of real wisdom are delivered almost casually in a conversational style that requires us to slow down and sit with them for a while. As with anything REAL, it's not about the abstract information per se, but how you relate to it and make it your own. I especially appreciate how the author is able to relate Daoist and traditional medical ideas to the even more primordial worldview of Chinese shamanism.

As far as the qigong sequence is concerned, you'd have to have had a good deal of previous experience to be able to learn it from these pages, even though the instructions are reasonably thorough and clear. Dragon Door Publications has produced a video of the form as performed by Master Wu, but even that is likely to serve best as a reminder of instruction received from him directly. Still, I've found Master Wu's discussion of the individual movements to be both interesting and personally useful. If I give the book only four stars instead of a full five, it's in recognition of the print medium's limitations as far as detailed qigong instruction is concerned.

I gratefully recommend this book to anyone who is intentionally on the journey to awareness.
In "Vital Breath of the Dao", Master Zhongxian Wu invites the reader to explore the original nature of Chinese Shamanism as it is related to Emei Tiger qi gong, embracing such concepts as health, community and enlightenment. His descriptions of some of the nuances of Chinese writing with the emphasis on revealing the presence of shamanism is especially interesting to me.
The feeling of this book is one of refreshing pleasure, elucidation, contentment and reassurance. It is kind to the eyes, heart, and spirit.
As evidence of the shamanic Chinese lineage, this book is not only a resource, but a modern artifact to be treasured; it is akin to the art and ancient inscriptions, many of which are reproduced and discussed clearly and in a fashion worthy of deep reflection.

This is a book which provides a good mix of information on Tai Chi and the culture which practices it. It is not a "quick read" and won't make you a Tai Chi master overnight. As a student of Tai Chi and a person aware of the importance of mind/body congruence I have found it a valuable addition to my library and one which causes me to consider ause and effect of my actions on my health and well being. Not for all but definitely worth having for those who are interested in the subject.

This set is a great example of the future of Internal Martial Arts. It is spiritual and advanced. I suggest buying the DVD and using both resources for personal home training. Please have a qualified instructor guide your progress and direct your movement.

Master Zhongxian Wu has a beautiful way of inviting you into his world of Qi. It felt at times I was in a teahouse with him sipping tea and listening to the history of Shamans, Qigong, and Taiji. If you are interested in making Qigong a commitment, then I highly recommend reading this book. Though I have been practicing Qigong for some time now, I am at best, a novice. This book has helped me move past blockages I encounter on a daily basis that keep me from advancing my practice. You don't have to have previous experience to gain benefits from the book, however. I personally know many people who were inspired to practice Qigong after reading this book when it first came out and have maintained a steady practice to this day.

Vital Breath of the Dao provides an alternative look at Qigong practice and is thus interesting from that standpoint but if the theme of the book was to elucidate Shamanic Qigong then this book is lacking. I found the organization to be poor, with unrelated folk stories, poorly documented attempts at historical scholarship, and comments about modern life often thrown out to the reader without making any connection to a theme. The explanations of information contained within the Chinese character descriptions of Qigong concepts and Tiger Qigong movements are the bright spots of book. It would have been interesting to find out more of what distinguishes this form of Qigong from the thousands of others currently being practiced or more of the lineage and the author's own teachers whom he gives only passing acknowledgement. The descriptions of the Tiger Qigong movements were spotty, with some being clear and others confusing even after several reads. Don't expect to be able to learn this particular Qigong style from this book.

My BS guard was up from the first glance at the cover, for what true master calls himself "Master", and his remarks on enlightenment were fairly cliched. The author does assert that Ramana Maharishi could not have been enlightened because he died of cancer which we assume means that the Buddha could not have been enlightened because he died of food poisoning. Go elsewhere for any pointers on enlightenment.

I was going to buy this book and the CD that goes with it. However, while viewing some of the pages online, I realized that every page Amazon let me view had some sort of criticism about the United States. There is no way I'm buying this author's products and rewarding his verbal attacks on my country. It so happens there are over a thousand forms of Qigong. I'm sure all of us who love the U.S. can manage without this one.