The vital force and telekinesis
by Steve Randolf, PhD
The concept of vital energy is ubiquitous and its origins can be traced back to more than 4000 years ago. It has persisted through the centuries in Eastern cultures such as the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Indian and Indonesian ones in the form of a mixture of philosophies such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and teachings such as alchemy, traditional medicine, and martial arts. Yoga and martial arts such as Chinese Chi Kung and Japanese Aikido are practiced throughout the globe, although often with their vital-force development component stripped off.
The Chinese word for vital energy is usually transliterated as chi or qi, the Japanese one as ki, the Indian one as prana, and the Indonesian one as Tenaga Dalam.
The meaning of the concept according to these philosophies and arts is quite broad, but it can be translated in English simply as energy. Indeed, it is used to designate modern science terms, such as thermal and electrical energy but it is also used for other sorts of energy, which despite being generally acknowledged in said cultures are not in the rest of the world.
According to the Chinese, there is heaven, earth, and human qi. Human qi is believed to be possible to be cultivated through special physical exercises and meditation, allowing the practitioner to use it to cure illnesses, prolong his life, and perpetuate his/her spirit (i.e. to achieve immortality). As a consequence of the development of this energy one also acquires special abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, mindsight, and others.
Especially interesting are the manifestations of telekinesis as they show in a rather straightforward way the existence of this vital force. Unfortunately, traditionally they have formed part of hidden knowledge, very hard to witness, unless one is specifically looking for it.
The masters kept zealously their secrets and had no interest in showing off their abilities. Probably this was mostly a matter of survival for a long time as this knowledge was used for fighting. Some masters also believed performing telekinesis to be an unnecessary waste of their qi, while others were afraid of the spirits of the deceased masters. For example, Nei Gong master John Chang was allegedly punished by his master's spirit by being singled out from the leadership of the Mo Pai lineage for openly demonstrating his abilities in a documentary and for accepting to train two Western students (Kosta Danaos and Jim McMillan) who then related their experiences in their books.
Furthermore, upon its arrival, the Chinese communist regime exterminated most real masters. Later on, the communist party realized its mistake, and now qigong, taichi, and kungfu are treated as national heritage. Now, masters like Zhou Ting and Jiang Feng, are not afraid to display publicly their skills.
Moreover, there are a number of documentaries about schools such as the famous Shaolin monastery. Research on qi is openly sponsored and the hospitals allow one to choose between modern and traditional qi-based medicine. Many studies have been carried out to reveal the nature of the qi phenomenon and its healing effects. Although these studies do not seem to have reached a definitive verdict on its physical mechanism, they do provide abundant and useful information.
Another example is the Indonesian martial art called Merpati Putih, which was once a royal secret until in the late sixties-early seventies it was officially given the status of national heritage. Today, the school teaches special techniques such as eyeless sight, dowsing, and breaking hard materials to the Special Forces, the Police, and the Presidential Security. The school is also expanding worldwide and already has large subsidiaries in Australia and the United States (Vibravision).
Greece, a European country without any strong tradition in martial arts and vital energy applications, now has also its specialized school created by Mr. Senteris. Most of its students learn to move sealed psi wheels, drink cans, and RC cars (without using the RC).
Telekinesis' popularity is continuously growing. Not only do martial arts practitioners use it to gauge their progress in cultivating life energy, but many people (see e.g. this friend) practice it independently for fun and develop spectacular skills without resorting to meditation or any special moves and poses.
Published: 2022-06-05