Jan-Feb 2013

Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life)

By Kenneth Cohen
China anu Nexico aie the only ancient cultuies in the woilu that have a two-pait calenuiical system
In China each uay like each yeai is associateu with an element anu an animal Eaith ox Fiie monkey
Woou uiagon etc The New Yeai that begins on Febiuaiy is Watei Snake Similaily in the an
cient Nayan anu Aztec calenuais each
uay is iuentiieu by a numbei anu a uay
name geneially taken fiom a natuial
phenomenon Foi example in the Nayan
Tzolkin Calenuai one might be boin on a
Wateilily uay 0i in the Aztec Tonolpo
buolli Calenuai an event occuiiing on
the uay Watei might have special sig
niicance Both cultuies Chinese anu
Nexican also have piophetic tiauitions
In the Nayan anu Aztec calenuais
Becembei maikeu the enu of a
gieat cycle which accoiuing to some ac
counts lasteu yeais anu the begin
ning of a new one 0nlike the New Age
Boomsuay piophets this is not consiu
eieu the enu of the woilu only the enu
of one cycle anu beginning of anothei
The geneially uiffeient attituues of inuigenous people anu EuioAmeiicans about time point to an im
poitant cultuial uiffeience If time is consiueieu a stiaight line fiom point A to point B then a beginning
anu an enu aie necessaiy But if life is a ciicle anu a cycle as all natuial phenomena aiespiing-
summei-autumn-wintei infancy to the seconu chiluhoou of olu age to compost to biith again- then
theie is no beginning anu no enu anu one always has the possibility of living fiom the centei In fact it is
only by living fiom the centei fiom a place of wisuom that we can live in balance The inuigenous peo
ple of the Ameiicas wain that although we aie in a new cycle it may not be the same as the last If we
poison the eaith anu pollute the wateis how can the same loweis bloom
Few iealize that also maikeu a junctuie in an impoitant Baoist calenuai Noie than yeais
ago a Baoist sciiptuie known as The Annals of the Sage Who Is To Come Shang Qing Bou Sheng Bao
}un Lie }i pieuicteu an imminent apocalypse in which the wickeu woulu be exteiminateu by plagues
wai anu loou 0nly those who followeu the Bao the Way of Natuie anu liveu in the mountains woulu
suivive Fuitheimoie Lao Zi the founuei of Baoist philosophy woulu ietuin to eaith in his uivine foim
as Tai Shang Lao }un The Nost Bigh Loiu Lao These events weie piophesieu to occui in the ien chen
watei uiagon yeai AB Baoists piepaieu themselves foi the new woilu by ieciting sacieu texts anu
From the Master

Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 3, Issue No. 1

piacticing qigong When the ienaissance uiu not oc
cui new uates weie calculateu Accoiuing ienowneu
Baoist scholai anu authoi anu my foimei piofes
soi Bi Nichel Stiickmann the piopei uate foi the
Baoist enubeginning is the watei uiagon yeai of

Bow uo I inteipiet this stiange congiuence of
uates cycles anu piophecies Baoists anu Nayan
piiests agiee that the woilu is in a uiie state anu we
neeu to make iauical anu uificult changes to piotect
the enviionment A few months ago the New Yoik
Times iepoiteu that Aictic Sea ice has shiunk
in the past ive yeais anu is pieuicteu to be com
pletely gone within the next two yeais Recently the
Woilu Council of Chuiches iepiesenting
chuiches anu moie than million Chiistians
woiluwiue issueu a statement that is echoes the
view of many ancient cultuies The Woilu Council
of Chuiches believes that the whole Eaith communi
ty ueseives to beneit fiom the bounties of cieation
Climate change is happening It is impeiative to act
now without moie uelays in view of the seiious anu
potentially iiieveisible impacts of climate change
What a shame that touay many of us must piac
tice qigong just to mitigate the effects of pollution
Woulunt it be bettei if the aii we bieatheu weie
illeu with puie natuial qi anu we neeueu no enei
getic ilteis Then eveiy bieath woulu be qigong
anu we coulu piactice Stanuing Neuitation oi the
Five Animal Fiolics to celebiate oui beautiful
woilu
Kenneth Cohen is a ienowneu Qigong anu Taiji Quan Nastei with moie than yeais of
expeiience Be is the authoi of The Way of Qigong Ranuom Bouse anu the winnei of
the leauing inteinational awaiu in eneigy meuicine The Alyce anu Elmei uieen Awaiu
foi Innovation anu Lifetime Achievement Bis woik has been sponsoieu by the Nayo
Clinic the Ameiican Cancei Society Bealth Canaua anu numeious meuical schools anu
confeiences Foi a scheuule of his upcoming lectuies anu woikshops please see his web
calenuai at wwwqigonghealingcom To host an event you may wiite to him at in
foqigonghealingcom
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