definitely. things are easily confused in this way.
and yes, ki and chi (aslo spelled "qi") are the same, just as Zen and Chen are the same (just different cultures).. But also, in Chinese each word has 4 ways of pronouncing it -only difference being the tone of the voice. Each pronunciation gives the word a totally different meaning.
The power of Qi is nothing mystic... or very mystic, depending how you look at it. I tell a story a lot about how I was humbled by a small Asian guy... Long-story-short, He demonstrated an internal strike (used his qi) on me, and it literally (no exaguration) sent me flying several feet through the air. He simply put his hand on my chest... I didn't see him move or twitch (this was not Bruce Lee's 1 inch punch) but out of nowhere, it was like being hit by a car. This proved to me, that what I thought I knew, I didn't, and many of the years I spent training, were wasted on learning diluted, useless things, seen? Qi comes from, as I have been told, the body's correct allignment. By making your posture perfect, physics just does it's thing. Any power send down into the ground has a reverse effect that can be harnessed. (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) The example of the unbending arm just further demonstrates this. Also, if you tell a child to put their hand on their head, and not to let you pull it away... you can pick the child up by their arm, and you'd lift them off the ground before their hand would leave their head.
---I didn't mean to go on that long about that, but to anyone who is interested, I hope that was usefull.
--By the way, I really do respect it when control is used. You don't have to kill your opponent to win. If you've seen Jet Li's Hero, you'll notice several fights ending this way. Example: When Broken Sword fights the emperor, he wins by giving him a scratch, no deeper than a paper cut.. right on the side of his neck, directly on an artery. Other scenes show Jet Li hitting someone with the side of his sword instead of the blade. A compassionate warrior is the best kind. By far.
Thanks again, to all my Idren who comment on the martial arts. I and I love the feedback.
Maximum respect. Selassie I
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