from Hu Yaozhen and the Origin of Hunyuan (胡耀貞 & 混元渊源)
By Yaron Seidman DAOM
( excerpted from: http://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdf )
Hu Yao Zhen (胡耀貞) （1897—1973） was born in Yuci county, Shan Xi province.
Since early childhood studied medicine and martial arts.
In his earlier years he studied with Daoist master Peng Tingjun 彭庭隽 Dao cultivation, inner cultivation, six harmonies heart mind boxing and Hua Tuo Five Frolics. Later on he studied from Xin Yi master Dai Wenjun 戴文俊, from Yuan Xiuchen 袁秀臣 he studied Zi Lu style of Taijiquan and from a Buddhist monk name Li Hong 立宏 studied Buddhist cultivation skills and Zhuang Zi ‘exhaling the old inhaling the new’ cultivation method 吐呐法.
Master Hu was a life long Chinese medicine doctor, a Qigong healer extraordinaire and a one of a kind martial artist. In 1953 he established with his martial art friend, 17th generation lineage holder of Chen family Taijiquan, Chen Fake the ‘Capitol (Beijing) Martial Arts Society’. Despite being an extraordinary martial artist, often called a 拳神 martial art spirit and 单指震乾坤 ‘with one finger the one who shakes heaven and earth’, Hu’s greatest contribution to the world was his art of Qigong. In 1956 he was the first and only one in Beijing to establish a Qigong hospital. It is little known yet interesting fact that because of him and selected others like Liu Guizhen 刘贵珍 and Liu Duzhou 刘渡舟 that the name Qigong became widely accepted by millions and millions of people practicing it today. Hu is named the father of modern day Qigong. Out of his many disciples the most accomplished being Feng Zhiqiang 冯志强, Jiao Guorui 焦国瑞, Qin Zhongsan 秦重三 and Li Jingwu 李經梧.
see: Wu Qin Xi
Despite Hu's extensive experience studying various powerful methods of qigong (such as Dai family's three treasures, squatting monkey, and two others one of which I believe is called carrying water,) Hu was a proponent of natural breathing. This does not mean he was against reverse breathing or dantian rotation; it means he believed natural breathing was the correct intention.
《胡耀贞动静气功》 This text is a reprint of Hu's main writings, and it was published in 1986.
In this book, Hu is very clear about breathing. Below I give numerous examples.
呼吸：一般的气功，在谈到练功方法时，主要是谈呼吸法。如自然呼吸、潜呼吸、调息、喉头呼吸、内呼吸、生理呼吸、吐纳法等等。这些方法，一般是提倡口鼻呼吸并配合一定的要求，是有意的、人为的呼吸法，我们称之为后天呼吸。如能经常练之，当可收医疗保健之效。本气功的呼吸法与一般的气功的呼吸法不同，是先天呼吸。是不以人为方法调整口鼻呼吸和腹式呼吸，而是在入静时，将口轻闭，舌头自然伸平，鼻子的呼吸以意封闭。呼吸的部位，是在守窍。这种先天呼吸的特点是窍呼吸。所谓以意封闭，不是真的闭住气不呼吸，而是把呼吸忘掉，根本不想它，使之真正成为自然的呼吸，以避免由于呼吸不自然而发生任何毛病。
Translation [by Walker of Dao Bums Forum]:
Breathing: Typical qigong, when speaking of practice methods, primarily speaks of breathing methods. These include natural breathing, hidden breathing [in which the breath is barely detectable], breath adjusting, larynx breathing, internal breathing, physiological breathing, tu-na method, and so on. These methods usually emphasize oral and nasal breathing and carry definite requirements. They are intentional, man-made [ie, caused by human attempt or effort], breathing methods, and we call them later heaven breathing methods. If one is able to practice them frequently, one should be able to obtain healing and preventative results. This qigong's [ie, Stillness-Movement qigong] is not the same as normal qigong breathing methods–it is early heaven breathing. It uses no methods resulting from human effort to nasal-oral breathing nor abdominal breathing. Rather, when one enters stillness, one lightly closes one's mouth, lets the tongue naturally flatten out, while the nasal breathing is sealed off by intent. The location of the breath is at the cavity [ie, dan tian, ming men, true water and ministerial fire cavities, etc] one is holding to–the special trait of this type of early heaven breathing is cavity breathing. What is referred to as “using the intent to seal [the breath]” does not mean literally holding the breath and ceasing to breathe, and rather means forgetting the breath, fundamentally not thinking of it, making it become genuine natural breathing, in order to avoid any problems that can occur due to unnatural breathing.
Below I include a passage that shows that when Hu Yaozhen used the word “breathing” (呼吸, a compound of two characters which literally breathe out-breathe in), he was not necessarily referring to anything involving the nose, lungs, and air.
当意达丹田时，立即将肚脐极为轻缓地往里吸，直到吸得不能再吸时，在意想上觉得脐与命门相贴，腹部自然向前放松（也叫呼），即所谓“吸之绵绵，呼之微微”。象这种一吸气，是有意的，如同座钟、挂钟上的摆，开始先用手摆动一下，引导它走动起来，以后就不再管它了，动就动，不动就守着它，自己不要加意。这里所说的动，是指丹田自发呼吸活动和身体之各部动，思想则不能离开丹田随之而动，仍应不忘掉丹田。
When the intent has arrived at the dan tian, immediately make the belly button extremely softly suck inwards, all the way until it can suck in no further, so that one feels as though it is stuck to the ming men, and then the belly naturally relaxes outwards (this is also called “exhaling”). The above is what is spoken of as “breathing in softly, breathing out faintly.” This type of breathing in qi carries intent, in the same way as when one gets the pendulum started on a desk clock or a wall clock [remember, Hu was writing in the 50s] by first swinging it a little bit, in order to get it going, and then one no longer worries about the it [“it” here refers to motion in the dan tian region]; if it moves then it moves, if it doesn't move then just keep watch on it, you don't let yourself add intent. The movement spoken of here refers to the dan tian's spontaneous breathing activities and the movements of all over the body; your mind shouldn't leave your dan tian and follow the body's movements–you should continually make sure not to forget your dan tian.
To clarify, the practice described above, although it uses the Chinese characters most often translated as “breathe in” (吸) and “breathe out” (呼), is not describing a “breathing method.” It is describing a way of initiating movement in the dan tian, which then might or might not create spontaneous internal and/or external movements.
If one uses this kind of practice, an almost infinite variety of breathing patterns could arise, spontaneously. These could include breathing patterns that are deep, shallow, fast, slow, etc, including all manner of physical accompaniments. One simply allows what arises to arise, naturally, without interference. If you are not clear about what Hu thinks about practices that require intentional controlling of the breath, refer to the first translated passage.
练功时将呼吸以意封闭，是为了不使思想分散，不去考虑口鼻呼吸之快慢深浅和对不对，以使之成为真正的自然呼吸，不因呼吸不妥而产生副作用。
When practicing, one uses intent to seal the breath so that mental activity doesn't scatter and so that one doesn't go and think about the breath's quickness or slowness, its deepness or shallowness, or whether it is correct or not. This is to create real natural breathing, and to ensure that one won't experience side-effects because of inappropriate breathing.
当然，这里所说的呼吸，并非是用人为的鼓肚子瘪肚子的方法
Of course, the breathing spoken of here definitely isn't the bulging and sinking of the belly caused by human effort.
吸气微微呼气绵绵，中丹田这样一呼一吸，即为丹田呼吸，这时应随着丹田自然呼吸，万不可有意鼓肚子和瘪肚子，不可硬和口鼻呼吸配合。丹田呼吸的频率和幅度可大可小，任其自然，切不可用意指挥。
Breathe qi in softly, breathe qi out faintly; when the middle dan tian's* breathes in and out in this way it is called dan tian breathing. At this time one should go along with the dan tian's natural breathing, under no uncertain terms you cannot use intent to bulge the belly out and suck it back in, and you cannot doggedly connect its breathing with nasal-oral breathing. The frequency and range of the dan tian's breathing are variable; let nature take its course, you absolutely cannot use intent to conduct things.
呼吸以意封闭，真正从属自然，可以避免发生偏差。
When one uses intent to seal the breath, and truly and really subordinates oneself to nature, one can avoid the occurrence of deviations.
The definition of “sealing the breath” is in the third bolded passage in the first block quote above.
In the interest of full disclosure, I will add that Hu Yaozhen does include very precise instructions for post heaven tu-na breathing in this book, but they are included in the chapter entitled “Supplementary Exercises for Lengthening One's Years;” this method does not represent the main thread of Stillness-Movement practice. True, he does attribute it to Zhuangzi, but I can say with 100% surety that the meat of the Zhuangzi tu-na practice passed on in the oral teachings is not this method. Again, it involves “subtle energies” and its instructions regarding oral-nasal breathing and the movements of the belly are exactly in terms of everything I translated above.
I don't have time to sit and make posts like this on anything resembling a regular basis, so I won't go tit-for-tat nitpicking my translation. I hope that these translations are of benefit to the many teachers and practitioners of Stillness-Movement Qigong as well as people who might be interested in it. I also add that I have been given teachings about breathing by two Dragon Gate Daoists with many decades of practice and study under their belts each; what they says precisely echoes Master Hu's words. All manner of changes to the breath can happen, up to and including no breathing at all.
(A personal account by Zhang Tiange 張天戈)
In October 1959 Hu Yaozhen was invited to the ‘First Entire China Qigong Experience Sharing and Symposium’ 全国气功工作经验座谈会及学术交流会 in Bei Dai He 北戴河, a coastal town in north eastern China, between Tian Jin and Liao Ning. This symposium ordered by the Chinese government had the goal of “revealing all secrets” and making them available to the people. At that time the newly communist China has slightly shifted its attitude from ‘banning the old’ to ‘using the old knowledge to benefit the people’. The symposium had an odd structure, it was 15 days long and covered many different topics from Qigong to Buddhism, Daoism, inner cultivation, medicine etc. The number of participants was especially large as doctors, healers and practitioners from all across China were dispatched to this sponsored event. In the symposium first few days the discussion topics were as follows:
On the seventh day the focus fell on the group of representatives from Shan Xi province, amongst which Hu was. While several masters performed and explained Hu Yaozhen remained silent as if not to belittle any of the presenters. The meeting committee has asked Hu’s disciple Qin Zhongsan to bring out his “general” master Hu. Qing Zhongsan, even though a disciple, was older in age than Hu and was a ranking officer in the communist liberation army, and so he was invited first to demonstrate. After demonstrating in detail how he learned from his master Zhan Zhuang Gong (standing post cultivation) he retired. Hu was still sitting on the sidelines quiet. The committee and the crowd were awaiting him to “reveal his secrets” and to confess his wrongdoing and to allow “better” people to point out corrections.
At th is time Hu refuted his wrong doing (as was expected from all participants) and explained that he wasn’t a Daoist recluse, but rather he was only practicing Qigong and inner cultivation in order to correct his wrong ways. For so many days Hu was not talking at all, but now as he began he was explaining what Qigong and inner cultivation were for an entire day. The supervisors and communist party leaders were so impressed and motivated that they set up especially for him a performance stage where he could demonstrate his Qigong and inner cultivation skills as well as martial arts.
During this day it was already decided by the committee that Hu’s “Qigong” teachings and explanations will be immediately published by the department of health to benefit the people. Within one month the book ‘Qigong’ was published by the Department of Health Publishing House. Such a quick publication by thecommunist government of that time was hardly ever seen. This thin booklet with only 36,000 characters of course did not reveal the depth of Hu’s Qigong, yet it spread the practice of Qigong throughout the country like wild fire. The art of Qigong never died in China much in gratitude to Hu’s contribution. Among his works are Qigong, Qigong and Preserving Health Cultivation, Wu Ji Acupuncture and Five Frolics Qigong. He was often titled 妙手神医 Miraculous Hand Spirit Doctor.
According to oral transmission, prior to the communist revolution of 1949, Hu was the only Chinese medicine doctor and Qigong healer in Beijing allowed into western style hospitals to treat foreigners. His skill was so impressive that he could heal broken bones within one day using Qigong therapy.
胡耀贞自序 Preface
气功疗法是我们祖国医学宝贵医学遗产之一，已
有悠久的历史。这种疗法具有却病、防病
身、延年的作用。过去佛道两家称它为“静功”，
拳家称为“内功”。据说这种功夫是老子传下来
的。老子先传给广成子，广成子又传给黄帝。
所以在黄帝内经里有按摩、导引及其它养生益
寿的方法。
Qigong healing is one of China’s inherited medical treasures. It has a very long history. This treatment modality can cure disease, prevent disease, keep the body healthy and prolong life. In the past Buddhists and Daoists named it Jing Gong (stillness cultivation) while martial artists named it Nei Gong (inner cultivation). It is said that Lao Zi transmitted this kind of cultivation. Lao Zi transmitted it to Guang Cheng Zi and Guang Cheng Zi transmitted it to the yellow emperor. As a result in the Yellow Emperor Neijing there is An Mo massage, Dao Yin exercises and other nurturing life and benefiting longevity exercises.
我从十六岁开始学医、学拳、学道（道家的练功
方法）。我应用的针灸也是从道家的“无极针灸”。
所谓“无极针灸”就是以术者自身的“精气神”扎针
的功夫。扎针时用补泄手法，病人在体内会产生
麻热、凉胀等不同感觉，而且遍及全身。这种针
法是利用气功的功夫进行的。为了学习气功，
在漫长的旧社会里，我曾拜了许多老师，访过许
多朋友。
From age 16 I began my study of medicine, martial arts and Daoism (Daoist cultivation methods). My style of acupuncture is also derived from the Daoist ‘Wu Ji Acupuncture’. The art of Wu Ji Acupuncture is the art of using one’s own essence, Qi and spirit and apply it while pricking with needles. When pricking and using tonification and sedation methods the patient feels inside his body numbing heat, or cool distension spreading all over the body. This kind of acupuncture is carried out by using Qigong. In order to study Qigong, during the prolonged times of the old society, I have asked to study with many teachers and visited many friends.
我的老师彭庭俊（霍成光老道的门徒）传授给我
道功、内功、心意拳和华佗五禽戏。以后又拜
山西崇善寺“立宏和尚”为师，他传给我佛家的
练功方法。此外，我还学习过庄子的“吐纳法”。
My teacher Peng Tingjun (a disciple of the old Daoist recluse Huo Chengguang) transmitted to me Dao cultivation, inner cultivation, heart mind boxing and Hua Tuo’s five frolics exercises. Later on I became a disciple of the monk Li Hong from Shan Xi’s Chong Shan monastery. He transmitted to me the Buddhist cultivation methods. In addition I also learned 'Zhuang Zi exhaling old and inhaling new’ method.
拳功主要是来自三个方面：
1、心意拳：心意拳始于达磨，传给岳飞，岳飞
死后，姬隆风在终南山墙里发现岳飞遗留下来
的拳谱，后来悟透其中道理，习练成功。以后
姬隆风又传给山西祁县戴龙邦之子戴文俊。我
就是和戴家后代及其门徒车子方学习的，并得
到了心意拳谱。
2、太极拳：太极拳最早始于“子路太极”。子
路是孔门弟子，姓仲名山。经子路传于杨清
天，杨清天又传于高士基，以后陆续下传，
一直传到袁秀臣。我学的子路太极就是袁秀
臣传下来的。后来，我又和张庆霖老师学习
过“杨家太极拳”。张老师在太极拳方面曾受
过黄山老道的传授。我得到黄山老道的太极
内功谱，以后受益很大。
3、八卦拳：我学的八卦拳也是属于心意拳的
一部分。此拳始于达摩，以后陆续相传，一
直迄今。我练八卦拳是从太原穆修易老师那
里学习的，穆老师也是心意拳的先辈。
My martial art skill comes from three directions:
1. Xin Yi Quan: Xin Yi Quan started from Da Mo (Bodhidharma), and transmitted to Yue Fei(Song dynasty general, model of patriotism for his stand against the Jin invaders). After Yue Fei’s passing, Ji Longfeng discovered buried in a wall in Zhongnan mountain the martial art classic Yue Fei left. Thereafter he got enlightened with its principle, he practiced until reaching an accomplishment. Following that, Ji Longfeng transmitted the art to Dai Longbang’s son from Shanxi’s Qi county Dai Wenjun. I studied with the Dai family and the disciples of its school and so attained the Xin Yi Quan classic.
2. Tai Ji Quan: Tai Ji Quan earliest origins are with Zi Lu Tai Ji. Zi Lu is one of Confucius disciples, his last name Zhong while his first Shan. From Zi Lu it was transmitted to Yang Qingtian, Yang Qingtian transmitted to Gao Shiji and so transmitted on and on until Yuan Xiuchen. I studied Zi Lu Tai Ji with Yuan Xiuchen. Thereafter I also studied Yang style Tai Ji Quan with Zhang Qinglin. Master Zhang for his Tai Ji Quan received transmission as well from a Daoist priest in Huang Shan mountain. I attained the Tai Ji inner cultivation classic of the Huang Shan Daoist priest and with that the benefits I received were great.
3. Ba Gua Quan: The kind of Ba Gua Quan I studied also belongs to Xin Yi Quan. This martial art started with Da Mo and thereafter transmitted on and on until today. The Ba Gua I practice is from master Mu Xiuyi of Tai Yuan. Master Mu is also an older generation of Xin Yi Quan.
四十多年来，我一直从事中医工作，业余的时
候练拳，练功也从未间断过。实践证明，拳功
和内功对我的医术很有帮助，特别是华佗的五
禽戏，无论是对我的静功、拳功和医术方面，
更有较好的帮助。我的老师把五禽戏谱传给我
之后，从未发表过，一俟抽出时间经过整理再
另册发表（其它如心意谱、太极谱、买庄图心
意拳谱、保健延年法等，也陆续整理发表）。
For 40 years now I have carried the practice of medicine without interruption. In my spare time I practiced martial arts. The practice of inner cultivation was as well never interrupted. The testimony of time shows that my practice of martial arts and inner cultivation helped my practice of medicine greatly, especially so was my practice of Hua Tuo’s five frolics exercises. Regardless if it is my stillness cultivation, martial cultivation or medicine skills it helped in all directions. My teacher gave me the classic of the five frolics exercises and it was never published.
As time becomes available I’ll arrange it and publish in a separate booklet (others like Xin Yi classic, Tai Ji classic, Mai Zhuang Tu Xin Yi Quan classic, preserving health and prolonging life methods etc, one after the other I will arrange and publish).
我们祖国有悠久的历史，历代人民在与疾病作
争方面积累了相当丰富的经验。中国医家、拳家
和儒释道三家，都各有一套养生方法。
China has a very long history. Throughout the ages people struggled with disease and the experience accumulated is great. Chinese medicine doctors, martial artists as well as Confucians, Buddhists and Daoists all have their methods of nurturing life.
四十多年来，在练功学拳方面，我曾经走过许
多弯路，也吃过不少苦头。如上各家的练法，
我是先后都练过（虽然还没有练好）。通过
曲折的实践和漫长的认识过程，我开始找到一
些练功的规律，特别是“静”和“动”的规律。根
据这种规律，又结合拳的内功，综合了一种
“静动气功”的练法。这种练法就是目前我们在
临床上用以治病的主要方法。
In 40 years of practicing martial arts and inner cultivation I certainly walked a round-about way and also experienced great hardship. The above mentioned arts I have practiced throughout (even though never practiced well). Through the grinding work and the long process of cognition I began seeking out the rules of practicing cultivation, especially the rules for “stillness” and “movement”. Based on these rules plus integrating it with martial art inner cultivation that I synthesized a kind of “Stillness and Movement Qigong” practicing method. This kind of practicing method is what we currently use in clinic to treat patients.
解放后，在共产党和毛主席的正确领导下，
气功在临床治病方面得到了推广，并获得了很
大的成效。我们门诊部，从1956年应用气功治
病以来，已对一些比较难治的慢性病，如胃及
十二指肠溃疡、胃下垂、慢性肝炎、肝硬变、
神经衰弱及心脏病等，获得了较好的效果。在
提高医疗效果上起到了一定作用。
After liberation, through the correct instruction of the communist party and chairman Mao, the application of Qigong healing in clinic got popularized and reached great results. Our clinic since 1956 utilizing Qigong therapy attained good success with treating difficult to treat chronic diseases such as duodenal ulcers, stomach prolapse, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, neurasthenia and heart disease. It has a definite action in improving the curative effect.
我的思想认识，是在党的领导和教育下，经过
各个阶段的运动，逐步有所提高。在党的鼓足
干劲，力争上游，多快好省地建设社会主义总
路线的光辉照耀下，我和全国人民一样，也在
欢欣鼓舞的工作着，逐渐将各种练功方法传授
给患者，以提高疗效。尤其在今年10月份出
席了北戴河气功交流经验大会，由于直接受到
大会党组织无微不至的照顾和关怀，及与会同
志们的爱戴，使我万分感激，也给我极大鼓舞。
因此，回京后下决心，
无保留地将我所知道的气功疗法中从前没有教授过
练功方法，记述出来，以便大家参考和运用。
I recognize that under the leadership and education of the party, through the different arrangement steps, progressively there is an improvement. Under the party’s utmost effort and striving for progress, to achieve greater, faster, better and more economical results for constructing socialism, the glory of this general line shines down, for me and for the entire people likewise all elated by this work, gradually to take these practicing cultivation methods and transmit to patients in order to increase the curative effect. Especially after attending Bei Dai He’s Qigong Experience and Exchange Conference in October this year, in which I received direct and meticulous loving care from the organizing committee, and much respect from the other comrades that I feel extremely grateful and inspired. Therefore after coming back to Beijing that I decided not to keep any secrets of whatever I know about Qigong healing, and whatever previously cultivation methods I did not teach. I record and narrate them here in order to allow everyone to consider and use them.
相信在党的领导下，气功疗法，经过大家的研
究和整理，一定会更好地为社会主义建设服务。
限于时间，我们还没有把更多的练法和内容介
绍出来，也没有在理论问题上作更多的研究。
俟再版时另行补充。
Believing in the leadership of the party, Qigong healing undergoing research and arrangement by everyone, certainly can be more beneficial for constructing a service for socialism. As there is a time constraint, we still didn’t bring out other exercise methods and content, and from the theory aspect also didn’t explore farther. I’ll await the second printing of the book to supplement it.
为向国庆十周年献礼，写这本小册子，动手仓
促，特别是限于个人水平，其中缺点和错误一
定不少，敬请中西医专家及广大读者惠予指正。
1959年11月于北京胡耀贞
For the tenth year anniversary of our country I wrote this small booklet, the hand moved hastily and especially because my level is limited, that in it the deficiencies and errors are certainly many, I respectfully invite doctors of east and western medicine and the general public to kindly correct me.
November 1959 in Beijing.
Hu Yaozhen
Hunyuan 混元
《繫辭上- Xi Ci Zhuan》易有太極，是生兩儀
，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦，八卦定吉凶，吉
凶生大業。
Change has Taiji, this creates the two forces, two forces create the fouraspects, four aspects create the eight trigrams, eight trigrams determine good or evil, good or evil create the grand business (of life).
Kong Yida 孔穎達 (574AD-648AD) writes in ‘Book of Changes True Meaning’:
太极谓天地未分之前，元气混而为一，即太初、太一也。
Taiji is the time where heaven and earth did not separate yet. The Yuan 元 (original) Qi was Hun 混 (mixed) into one. It is the ultimate beginning, it is the ultimate oneness.
混元既分，即有天地,故曰太極生兩儀
When Hunyuan separates, immediately there is heaven and earth, therefore it is said Taiji gives birth to two forces.
《呂氏春秋- Lü Shi Chun Qiu 大樂》
太一出兩 儀，兩儀出陰陽。陰陽變化，一上一下，合而
成章。渾渾沌沌，離則復合，合則復離，是謂天常。
From ultimate oneness come out two forces. From two forces come out Yin Yang. Yin Yang change and transform, one above one below, they join into one whole and become one entity. In a pre-separation state, when separating it comes back together again, and when coming back together it separates again. This is called heaven constant 天常. This is Hun Yuan 混元.