Everything is energy. Even though we can see the materialized form—a chair, a book, an apple—when we penetrate deeper, they are all energy. If we penetrate deep enough, they are not just energy; they are consciousness. Consciousness has to be related or involved with energy. It just comes in different forms.

Science tells us this, but it stops here – it cannot go any further. If we look deep enough, we can see that there is consciousness behind energy. Religion can take you to this next step of consciousness, because it is a spiritual journey. All energy has a consciousness, which is invisible. And all consciousness has a purpose.

Everything we do – eat, sleep, and talk – has a purpose. And since everything has a purpose, there can be no accidents.

Everything in this world is either visible or invisible. Consciousness is invisible. Purpose can be invisible – if it doesn’t show, we might not be able to see it. But we might see the energy. Energy can be easier to see when it materializes. If anything materializes into the visible, physical, world, then we can say: that is energy! It has a physical form. That’s the foundation we have to understand before we can understand Qigong. Qigong is not just energy; it is also consciousness.

But, Qi isn’t just consciousness; Qi also contains information. Seasons are an example of this: Spring has a spring energy, Summer has a summer energy. But Spring has a different kind of consciousness than the Summer. Then, the Spring has a different kind of message. When the Spring comes, the messages come: it’s time to grow! When we see the Fall, what’s the message? The Winter is going to come. It’s getting cold. Prepare the fire. That’s a message. Once we see the last maple leaves gone, we know. Fall has a message. So the question is – can we see the message? Can we understand it?

Now we know: Qi is Energy. Qi is consciousness. Qi is information. This is true, but it’s not the whole truth. The last piece is the most important. Qi is the life source. It is the source of all of the life, of all of the Universe. Because everything has Qi, everything has life. Qi is the source of the Universal Life.

Grand Master Nan Lu.