Looose basis for religion. Over 4000 years chinese have researched and built there life around qigong. From message to acupuncture, the food they eat to war qigong is something that is well intergrated into there society. Sounds to me like you have answered your own question. And while western culture considers things like buddism a religion it is considered a way of life at its orgin. Guess it just depends on your way of thinking.

You are right. In order for something to be considered right or wrong, good or bad there has to be a norm established something that all others can be judged in relation to . Kind of like a control group in an experiment. What matters most I ask myself the result or the way I achieved it. There is a test that is pretty common among people for testing jin. Its with a candle. Generally you punch at a candle from a distance 1 foot two feet maybe and if your jin is powerful, concentrated and accurate the candle should go out. In my case the desired result was achieved. There is another test as well. You place your hand directly above a flame normally about an inch is between your hand and the flame (palm down). And if your qi is strong you should not feel the effects of the heat at all. No burn, No heat, No black marks. In my case this was also a sucess. maybe I shouldnt concern myself with sensations. Which vary so much from person to person. But even then I have read that energy is sensed in many different ways by different people temp changes, tingling, trembling, enflated feelings. So even though the results vary the result I experienced was still satisfactory in relation to the norm that was presented. It seems that I too have answered my own question

Ten people in an experiment. . . I would say that the test was a failure. There were too many different outcomes probably a failure in design. I would search for a way to limit the extraneous variables and seek results that are more consistent.

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A subtle blend of Li, Qi and Intention. . . Find it, refine it, and your speed will truely be uncanny