Qi Gong - Nei Gong - Shen Gong

[Guest C Yu C He Taiji]

Hi,

 

I encountered these words so often ovr the last few months that I would like to know a little bit more about them. Anyone who knows something and can give some information would be cool.

 

Chrisn

[Encephalon]

Hi,

 

I encountered these words so often ovr the last few months that I would like to know a little bit more about them. Anyone who knows something and can give some information would be cool.

 

Chrisn

 

 

You might want to consider doing a little research on your own before soliciting the help of others. The available info on line is too vast to measure.

[Aetherous]

Energy practice....inner practice....spiritual practice.

 

I'm no scholar, but I think these descriptions can work in every case of the terms being used.

[rocknrollkat]

Energy practice....inner practice....spiritual practice.

 

I'm no scholar, but I think these descriptions can work in every case of the terms being used.

This is probably the most concise definition I have ever seen.

 

Qigong develops the chi, Neigong puts that chi to use internally, and Shen Gong is the end result, spiritual enlightenment.

 

Taiji Quan puts chi energy to work in self defense applications.

[Spotless]

As the quality of the teaching and the practice of it increases their is very little to no difference between these practices.

 

Qi Gong will encompass all of them and this could probably be said of Neigong.

Starting with Shen Gong might not encompass Qi Gong and Neigong.

 

My experience is with Qi Gong and it has encompassed much of what I know of Neigong and definitely Shen Gong.

I practice Fohan Quan.

 

The simplified labeling found in the previous posts is diminishing of the terms - none of them is easy to pin down and at least two of them are far broader terms with far greater reach than might be supposed from the labeling. Also much of Shen Gong would appear enticing but oddly premature without a base in the other two which in turn would lead one to (encompass) Shen Gong naturally.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Spotless

[Rocky Lionmouth]

My experience and research supports Spotless statement, definitions often change as practice progresses and it's easy to mistake moons and fingers if one places too much faith in generalizations, as they describe non of the specifics (obviously) which are crucial to the practices. Easier still to feel delusion or disillusion when a practice reveals itself as it truly is.

 

The same concept or terminology might signify very differing practices and applications between two lineages or even teachers within the same lineage, depending on how it originated and in what way the transmission takes place, even if the long term destination is the same one.

A lot depends on the relationship between teacher and student.

"When you have grasped the meaning of the symbol, forget the words" and all that jazz

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

The problem with these terms is that they are basically modern terms *ducks*.

Qi Gong is a term created to describe a standardized approach to esoteric energy practices of various Chinese schools from Daoist, Confucian, and medical etc...  Qi Gong didn't really become a fashionable term until the mid twentieth century and basically means any type of post heaven exercise which directly works with intention directing Qi in various parts of the body.

 

Nei Gong can mean many things,  but usually it is just directed stretching, similar to Dao yin practices.   Some people make a big deal out of neigong systems, but really for the most part they are just stretching and many of the systems found in martial arts were developed in the early twentieth century and based on western callesthenics combined with chinese ideas (similar to yoga in india).

 

Shen Gong is usually just a packaging for Qi Gong, same with Yang Sheng Gong.  

 

Because Chinese history is so full of different health cultivation methods that involve bending and twisting, and directing the mind to various places, it is really hard to enumerate all of them.  That is why bigger blanket definitions like Qi Gong and Nei gong became popular.

 

Generally speaking, Qi gong deals with Qi, Nei gong deals with muscles, and Shen gong, if it is taken in the traditional sense of being the art of cultivating the spirit, relates to meditation.  

Don't get caught up too much in terminology, it will always take you in the wrong direction.  The important thing is being able to discern what practices do and do not work.

[Aeran]

Not to necessarily disagree with any of the above, but I'd say the most important thing to keep in mind is that different teachers and schools have different definitions for these terms. I'd argue it's more important to understand what an individual teacher means when he uses these terms than to try to adhere to a strict definition based on etymology, especially if you're getting knowledge from multiple sources.

[dwai]

As the quality of the teaching and the practice of it increases their is very little to no difference between these practices.

 

Qi Gong will encompass all of them and this could probably be said of Neigong.

Starting with Shen Gong might not encompass Qi Gong and Neigong.

 

My experience is with Qi Gong and it has encompassed much of what I know of Neigong and definitely Shen Gong.

I practice Fohan Quan.

 

The simplified labeling found in the previous posts is diminishing of the terms - none of them is easy to pin down and at least two of them are far broader terms with far greater reach than might be supposed from the labeling. Also much of Shen Gong would appear enticing but oddly premature without a base in the other two which in turn would lead one to (encompass) Shen Gong naturally.

Initially qigong is qigong. Then it becomes neigong, then shen gong and then just dao gong Edited August 30, 2016 by dwai

[Aetherous]

In some traditions, shengong relates to the cultivation of the kidneys and it's a foundational practice.

 

They are two different words...

 

神 shén = spirit/mind

腎 shèn = kidney organ