Meaning and power of Hun Yuan Ling Tong

Meaning and power of Hun Yuan Ling Tong

Time to write a blog! When I was approached whether I wanted to contribute to write blogs for Zhigong, I said yes, knowing how much I enjoy sharing information on Zhineng Qigong. And then it was time and the question came up: what will it be about? A tricky phase for a writer, as this does not exactly lead to the most creative state…. And then I remembered what I said to Charlotte when we discussed how I like to share information and theory on Zhineng Qigong: “I just start sharing from my own experience”. Well, in the past few weeks and months the expression of Hun Yuan Ling Tong has really helped me to put things in motion when they got stuck, to strengthen myself and others in their healing process and to keep balance in these challenging times. So this is the subject for this blog!

Looking at the Qigong Theory, I found Hun Yuan Ling Tong (“HYLT”) one of the strongest, most practical and yet confusing intentions. In this blog I will share my own journey with these four words, starting with feeling quite hesitant and a little puzzled into what it has now become: a source of relief and trust with moments of great gratitude for the “impossible” to happen seemingly by itself.

What we learn in zhineng qigong is the meaning and application of this affirmation. For beginners it may be a bit of a challenge to accept the use and meaning of these four words: “the result is effectively manifested” or simply: “it is already there”. It is something we can say or think when we set an intention, thereby manifesting (immediately) the result of the intention. It is also a way of cutting of a negative thought or energy, neutralising its potential and transforming into the desired outcome.

During my journey through the practise and theory of zhineng qigong, the expression has gained over time in strength and meaning. Starting with a bit hesitant use of this “lingo”, not really knowing the mindset or realising the power of it. Hearing other practitioners saying things like: how can I still have this problem if this really works? And I thought: it cannot be meant as a magic wand to change the world into what we want. We have to be humble and accept the laws of nature, life and the universe. So you can see there was a lot of confusion around it!

Over time I found the strength and meaning of this expression increasing through 4 fundamental changes:

• Deeper understanding of the theory
• Letting go of the concept that I need to make an effort, work hard
• Quieting the sceptical mind
• Increased ability to integrate into one

1. Deeper understanding of the theory
The theory of zhineng qigong forms a strong foundation for qigong practise and for daily life. Being curious about “how it works” and reading, discussing and translating the theory has brought me many great insights. Where most people start on the basis that the theory is difficult, I found the essence becoming more and more simple the more I dug into it. To a point it became so pure and simple that it is almost impossible to believe people do not get it…
That doesn’t mean that it is easy to describe it. Because the essence is grasped with our Yi Yuan Ti, is perceived from a state of wholeness, it cannot really be put into words. For this blog I will keep it short and try to give the essence of what this brought me on understanding the power of HYLT:

When we set an intention in the qigong state, a state of oneness (to the extent we are capable of at that point in time), we can to a certain extent picture the result of our intention. If we then express Hun Yuan Ling Tong, we affirm this state and accept the fact it is in the hands of the natural process to let the qi do the work. Any thought of illness, not being able to achieve it, or needing hard and long work to get there is gone. If we then do our practise increasing our qi-level, it is simple to understand what the qi is going to be used for: initiating a process that will transform the intention into reality.

2. Letting go of the concept that I need to make an effort
As said before, the expression of HYLT has the power of instantly manifesting the result. Looking back at my life, I remember that I used to be almost paralysed by targets feeling the heavy burden of all the work I needed to plan and do to achieve them. I used to feel overwhelmed by not knowing how to get there or whether I would have sufficient time, energy and resources to do so.
When I realised how different an intention is from a target it was a relief. If I try to explain it I would say setting the intention creates a reality, a tangible existence. In normal life we would say this is our future result and then call it a goal, but in qigong terms this reality already exists. By pronouncing “HYLT” we enforce this existence, fully embracing the possibility that it will be manifested now.
So when I say I don’t have to work hard, I mean I do not have to push towards the goal, I do not have to take a lot of effort to get there. I can relax my mind and my system. I do not mean that I can just sit and wait for everything to happen.
From this state there are things I should be doing: 1) practise qigong to cultivate this mindset and increase the potential of the qi and 2) take actions that present themselves as a result of the manifestation process. Once this started happening I recognised it and was happy and energised to take these steps. Because I knew it is the universe working.
To illustrate that these actions can be something you had never thought of or expected to be beyond the scope of being possible, I will give an example:

In the beginning of this year I felt I needed some space to restore my balance after a period of severe illness and loss in the family. Something in addition to my qigong practise. I planned for a vacation in a nice and sunny place and I approached a natural therapist for an Inipi ceremony. In February I received a completely unexpected call from Anne with the question whether I could join the masterclass in Malaga to assist her for two weeks, starting the next week. I instantly realised this was an answer to what I needed, totally out of the blue. I said yes, spent two weeks in a great qifield, with a wonderful group in paradise doing what I like most while practising, refining and deepening level 3. The other plans I had made never happened because of the virus that spread around the world, but the truth is I didn’t need these any longer. I laughed a bit at myself and told myself to trust my intentions and the process and next time to let go of the impulse to jump into action.

3. Quieting the sceptical mind
If this would be easy, the rest would be easy. The patterns of our thinking can block the whole process of setting intention – attracting qi – creating the result.
Truth is our brain is designed to be critical, to analyse, to accept only if we understand. This is a safety precaution, which is important to protect our life. The problem is that we also automatically use this capacity when it doesn’t help us, because we believe this is the only way it works. We believe our thoughts. And in the West we have been taught that this is our highest function. We grew up in a society that is build on this principle.
So being sceptical about something so new, so different is normal. What helped for me is becoming aware of these thoughts. By the time you become aware of it, it is possible to look at it before automatically following it. You can ask yourself: Is it true? Is it relevant? And – surprisingly – it will quiet down. Not for long before the next one comes, which you can treat in exactly the same way.
The practising of qigong is a great help in this process, because in the practise we spend considerable time to relax the body and mind. To then practise with our mind on movements, on observing. The longer and regular the mind stays in this relaxed state, the more quiet the usual thoughts may become in daily life. The sceptical thoughts have not disappeared completely. But they are much less frequent, not so loud and I catch them before they start the usual habit. If I miss it, I laugh at myself and rebalance my qifield.

4. Increased ability to integrate into one
Again, once this has been achieved, the rest is simple. How to get there? It may seem far away when you do not (yet) experience it. But we shouldn’t forget that one of the great things in Zhineng Qigong is that it is accessible from the start and that beginners immediately will experience benefits. What we do as beginners, is that we simply assume this state, even if we do not experience it or know it. By doing this, we will get benefits and fast progress while we are developing our ability.

So we assume this state of oneness, of being integrated, of being whole where inside and outside are the same and there are no boundaries.

The more this started to work for me, the more I could actually be in this state and in this state be one with my intention, with health, with a body part or with a person or situation. Saying Hun Yuan Ling Tong then no longer is something that feels like a wish, but as a strong affirmation and acknowledgement of what is actually there, of what already exists.

Summarising Hun Yuan Ling Tong has become a very important expression for me and the journey to get to the heart of the meaning and power of it has been amazing and full of surprise. Like everything in life and in qigong this doesn’t exactly follow a straight and predictable line. But being committed to the practise and your own development will lead you through the ups and downs to wonderful results and a happy and meaningful life.

∞ Hun Yuan Ling Tong ∞

Nynke Roukema