16 Silence, Stillness and the Sage

Transcription

1 14 14 Silence, Stillness and the Sage: On the Daoist Practices of Qigong and Taiji and The Buddhist Principals of Right Mindfulness and Right Action by Steve Guthrie From a Daoist perspective, the human being is a microcosm of the whole universe at its fullest expression, living in harmony with nature and the cosmos. From a Buddhist perspective, all things are interconnected. In this paper, the Daoist practices of qigong and taiji and the process of becoming a sage will be explored in regards to the Buddhist principals of Right Mindfulness and Right Action of the Noble Eightfold Path towards enlightenment. When these Daoist practices are approached in a state of meditative silence, they lead the meditator towards a special kind of sagely silence. This sagely silence becomes the grounds for Right Acting in accordance with the dao, the inexhaustible Way of Nature. This paper argues that meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture and sagely silence in stillness within physical movement enables certitude of being and certainty of acting in the present moment. The first half of this paper involves an ontological claim of one s certitude, subjectively verifying one s being in the present moment. Meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture leads to Right Mindfulness. Right Mindfulness leads to certitude of one s being in the present moment. Meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture enables certitude of being in the present moment. This is achieved through observing movement within stillness in the practice of qigong. After skill is acquired in mindfulness training, the meditator carries the seed of mindfulness to the activities of everyday life, observing stillness within movement found in the practice of taiji, discussed in the

2 15 Janua Sophia 15 second half of the paper. Sagely silence in stillness of movement leads to Right Acting. The term Right Acting is used in this paper rather than Right Action to eliminate the dichotomy between actor and action. Right Acting leads to certainty of acting in the present moment. Sagely silence in stillness within movement enables certainty of one s acting in the present moment. Therefore, meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture and sagely silence in stillness within movement enables certitude of one s being and certainty of one s acting in the present moment. The yin yang symbol is helpful for explaining these seemingly contradictory opposites, which are actually complimentary halves of a whole dependent upon one another to operate in harmony with the dao. The yin is traditionally associated with receptivity and the soft, and the yang is associated with expressivity and the hard. Movement within stillness compromises the yin root of certitude. While outwardly still in qigong postures, the meditator observes the internal movement of vital energy while practicing Right Mindfulness, which is represented by the white dot in the black half. Complimentarily, stillness within movement compromises the yang branches of certainty. While outwardly moving in taiji, one practices Right Acting through wu wei while remaining inwardly still and calm, represented by the black dot in the white half. These halves constantly interchange and reinforce one another. Through practice, the mindful learn that the yin roots of movement within stillness nourish the yang branches of stillness within movement and the yang branches feed the yin roots.

3 16 16 Silence, Stillness and the Sage The wisdom expressed at this stage is beyond spoken words, transmuting into a special kind of silence. This sagely silence operates in harmony with the dao, opening up the possibility of healing on physical, emotional, and psychological levels for the meditator and those who they wish to help. This epistemological certainty of acting harmoniously with the dao manifests itself through seemingly unimaginable healing events. The sage knows how to heal themself, and others on physical, emotional and mental levels in accordance with the dao. Before that level is reached, awareness of the force used to heal must be attained. Qi is most commonly translated as energy but this definition limits the vastness of this concept. Qi or ch i as a technical term used in medicine emerged from ordinary language use in China roughly between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. By 350 A.D., when philosophy began to be systematic, ch i meant air, breath, vapor, and other pneumatic stuff. Ch i also referred to the balanced and ordered vitalities or energies, partly derived from the air we breathe, that cause physical change and maintain life. Ch i can be summed up as what makes things happen in stuff and depending on context stuff that makes things happen (Sivin 47). Here, Nathan Sivin does not translate ch i or qi, rather he describes certain aspects of it as energies or vitalities. This description of the aspects of qi does not quite conform to our modern conception of energy in the scientific sense. Although experiments thoroughly researched by Ted Nawalinski to verify the presence of externally emitted qi, our common association of qi with energy is an oversimplification (Nawalinski 5). On a deeper level, it is ultimate energy from which the entire universe

4 17 Janua Sophia 17 and the essence of all existence is derived. Qi is immune to the limitations of time and space and is beyond conventional interpretations of existence. Qi forms our life energy, it is not necessarily life energy itself. This subtle distinction inhibits the concept of qi, ch i or ki from being reduced to energy in the common use of the word. From here on, qi will be used with reference to this distinction. Semantics aside, qi can be felt as a psychological or physiological phenomenon whether or not you believe in it. Waysun Liao argues that even if you imagine hard enough that you have horns on the top of your head, they will not grow; qi cannot be reduced to the imagination because its expression can be felt regardless of one s belief in it (Liao 29). According to Shigenori Nagatomo, the imagination is used initially to make one aware of the expression of qi; however, over time the distinction between imagination and reality fades where one gains certitude in truly experiencing the flow of the expression of qi through their bodies (Nagatomo 174). Meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture leads to Right Mindfulness. Meditative silence is a special type of silence as explained by Hoffman in Dao as Process. This type of silence begins with no spoken words as opposed to no sound. Hoffman describes the wordless illumination of the sage as a process where he/she is not attached to the striving towards enlightenment. This implosive process involves looking deeply into the roots of one s own cravings, allowing thoughts and feelings to surface, then choosing to return to the breath, or focal point of attention (Hoffman ). The sage becomes aware of his or her

5 18 18 Silence, Stillness and the Sage own flow of qi by slowing down and listening his/her rhythm. The type of meditative silence focused on here does not use seated posture to quiet the active mind, instead employs standing postures to help the meditator gain awareness of his/her own life activity. Growing like a Tree Qigong utilizes postures that emulate the life cycle of a tree to allow the meditator to turn senses inwards using his/her imagination to develop awareness of internal organs and the flow of qi in one s own body (Lam Kam Chuen 97). Nagatomo treats one s own body as a technical term including the living body, which is the life activity of the physical body, as well as the lived body, which is the conscious awareness of this life activity (Nagatomo 180). Normally the meditator is not fully consciously aware of one s own body because they have not cultivated awareness of their own life activity. Through the implosive process of meditating in stillness of standing posture practicing qigong, the student learns how to ride the waves of thoughts, emotions, and sensations allowing he/she to return to the shore of awareness. By gently closing the gap between tsunami and subtle tide, a state of meditative silence can be entered where words and the concepts formed around them fall away like the petals of a flower opening to reveal its nectar. That nectar is Right Mindfulness. Right Mindfulness leads to certitude of one s being in the present moment. Standing meditation generates Right Mindfulness. By stilling the living body, the meditator becomes aware of his/her lived body, consciously perceiving, sensing, and feeling the activities of the body

6 19 Janua Sophia 19 and how they are intimately linked to the environment. When confidence in decisions and the practice of mindfulness is reached, the meditator gains certitude of the present moment, and can tap into Right Mindfulness when life seems chaotic or uncontrollable. The feeling of confidence achieved through observing Right Mindfulness gives rise to certitude of an individual s path towards enlightenment. This confidence is perfectly situated between the poles of arrogance and self-consciousness. The meditator s faith in his/her skill of Right Mindfulness is Middle Way between these ego driven extremes. Buddhism does not rely on report, tradition, or hearsay, but rather it relies on each individual s personal account of experience. In Introduction to Early Buddhism, Hoffman explains that faith, or saddha, is more like confidence. It starts with the initial faith to listen, check it out, and test it emperically. Doubt is dispelled on the path not by blind faith, but by a process of realization that rests on the authority of one s own experience. Eventually, the meditator will have the realized faith of a liberated saint known as a tathagata, or a sage (Hoffman 13). The term certitude is used here as a way to highlight the individual s verification through the experience of Right Mindfulness. The meditator becomes confident in his/her ability to relax tension from the body, thus remaining calm in the face of crisis. The ultimate goal of practice remains: to build one s concentration and awareness to a level of strength that will remain unwavering even in the midst of the pressures of life in contemporary society (Gunaratana 159). Thus, meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture

7 20 20 Silence, Stillness and the Sage enables certitude of one s being in the present moment by beginning with meditative silence in stillness of standing posture, the meditator cultivates Right Mindfulness, which, in turn, reinforces meditative silence. Qigong facilitates Right Mindfulness. The meditator s awareness of his/her vital qi or ching-ch i prompts deeper meditative silence, as he/she turns his/her senses inward engaging in this implosive method (Sivin 49). This loop reinforces itself and generates certitude in the process. In order to remain alive, the body must constantly heal itself. When an individual becomes aware of this constant process through both mindfulness and observing stillness within movement through the practice of qigong, he/she encounters checkpoints along the way, verifying his/her own experience subjectively. These sensations can range from people experiencing tingling in their fingers and toes to seeing images as vivid as flashes of their own skeletons while they look inside, finding internal connections that facilitate healing in alignment with the dao, and the interconnectivity of the universe. In a standing qigong posture, the feet sink into the earth and the back of the knees are relaxed and unlocked, which allows the structure of the bones to support the weight of the body. The tailbone tucks forward slightly, releasing tension in the lower back sinking the meditator s root into the earth with the weight over the center of the feet. In the top half of the body, the chest is hollow relaxing the upper back. The shoulders are relaxed without tension, and the neck elongates by tucking the chin to the chest and imagining a string pulling the top of

8 21 Janua Sophia 21 the head towards the sky. Through instruction the student learns of the four posts as guides to align the pineal gland above the tip of the tailbone. On the lower half, they are the two femoral arteries and two sciatic nerves in the legs forming a rectangle of stability. When an X is drawn from corner to corner, the tailbone rests comfortably at the center establishing a strong root. The four posts on the top half are the area below the clavicles and the area medial to the scapulae on the back. The pineal gland comfortably rests over the center of this rectangle. When stillness is found in posture aligning the pineal gland over the tailbone, the body naturally relaxes and opens up to the totality of the universe through total relaxation and surrender. Proper posture in standing qigong practice allows for expansive sensations in muscles, joints, and even in areas as deep as bone marrow. The individual is his/her own judge, gradually becoming more confident in his/her ability to open his/her body, heart and mind to the healing expression of qi. Certitude is an individual verification of qi and confidence in his/her ability to allow its expression to flow smoothly through his/her own body. The individual has certitude of being in the present moment. The more the individual seeks the sensations described, the less likely he/she will to feel them. Thus, the individual must drop expectations of sensations in order to gain certitude of being in the present moment allowing for the flowering of Right Mindfulness in the process. Sagely silence in stillness within movement leads to Right Acting. The most important aspect of meditation is

9 22 22 Silence, Stillness and the Sage when the individual begins to move. When one carries meditation with him/her throughout the day, he/she acts as a budding sage. The sage does not drop all the wisdom acquired from meditating in stillness of posture through qigong, but rather he/she carries the seed of mindfulness, remaining rooted in each present moment, and radiating wisdom through silent acting. Gunaratana explains how the most important component of meditating is the moment one starts moving throughout their everyday activities: The most important moment in meditation is the instant you leave the cushion. When your practice session is over, you can jump up and drop the whole thing, or you can bring those skills with you into the rest of your activities. Meditation is the cultivation of mindfulness and the application of that mindfulness once cultivated. Meditation is awareness, and it must be applied to each and every activity of one s life. (169). When the meditator begins to move with the same grace found in standing postures, he/she brings awareness to every movement giving rise to Right Acting, a component of the Buddhist Eightfold Path. He/she can remain calm and centered even in the most challenging external environments, and can respond spontaneously to the needs of others through graceful Right Acting, harmonizing his/her internal awareness with any external situation. When he/she begins to move with the mindfulness cultivated in stillness, the meditator begins to tap into his/her inner sage. Right Acting leads to certainty of one s acting in the present moment. The phrase Right Action can be misleading. The intention behind Right Action is pure but

10 23 Janua Sophia 23 the way we interpret it becomes foggy in everyday use. When we label an action right, we presuppose a dichotomy between actor and action. This division has produced endless justifications and ethical theories. The phrase Right Acting could be used to eliminate such an artificial linguistic division. The sage is aware that they are not separate from their actions; rather, they are one with acting in the present moment. The sage s acting is in accord with wu wei, effortless acting in harmony with the universe. The Daoist term wu wei and the Buddhist term Right Acting are two distinct labels, but from a higher view, they blend into one expression of acting harmoniously with the dao, or the interconnected nature of reality. At this stage, the sage is not driven to act out of a sense of duty or as a response to an emotional feeling, but from the naturalness of responding to a situation with no thought or feeling. Van Norden explains, As soon as one labels their actions as righteous or benevolent, their motivation becomes artificial, unnatural, and in violation of the Way (128). Consciously striving for virtue leads to the loss of virtue (K.T. Yan ). After the sage attains certitude in his/her own healing and path towards enlightenment by finding movement within stillness of posture, intention to become enlightened must be dropped if he/she wishes to bring healing to others, understanding his/her interconnectivity with all living beings. In order for certitude to grow into certainty, the sage must pass through silent illumination of acting by observing stillness within moving. The sage moves with poise, always aware of his/her center and root

11 24 24 Silence, Stillness and the Sage maintaining an inner stillness through all movements. The sage exudes calm focus and awareness without vanity from the ego. An example of one who moves with stillness is Master Wei Lun Huang. The fluidity and connectivity of his movements exemplify his inner awareness and focus. He overcame a severe spinal cord injury resulting in near total paralysis from the neck down. He healed through observing movement within stillness, drawing in healing energy from the universe. Now, over 20 years later, he uses his healing experience to aid others on their own healing journeys through finding stillness within movement in tune with the harmony of the natural way (Huang). In seminars, he uses very few words to explain the external shape and inner connections of the movements of qigong and taiji. The beauty of his teaching comes from the deep understanding that he conveys without using words, leading students through movements that establish deep internal connections along the way. He can target a point of tension in the body and release it through a subtle touch on the palm of the hand or through his mere presence while practicing together. As it is written in chapter two of the Daodejing, Therefore, the sage avoids excess, extravagance, and arrogance (Lau). The sage Master Huang does not use excessive effort to teach others. He does not brag about his ability, nor does he become complacent in his level of skill. He communicates his awareness without words so the student can learn to become their own sage. In his own words, The mind uses words to explain, but the body speaks (Huang).

12 25 Janua Sophia 25 The sage acts with certainty, receiving verification of his/her acting in the present moment from outside of themselves. Certainty is used here as an external form of verification, a response from the dao or universe offering support for the sage to heal others in seemingly miraculous feats. The sage channels the vital qi of the universe. Through intimate awareness of this qi, he/she can teach others to become aware of it as well, releasing tension and facilitating healing. When the sage listens deeply to the harmony of the external universe, it reveals its majesty. When awareness of the internal universe is attained, the sage can harmonize internal and external universes eliminating the dualism between certitude and certainty opening the door for healing. Thus, sagely silence in stillness within movement enables certainty of one s acting in the present moment. A byproduct of certainty as an external form of verification from the dao is the allowance of extraordinary healing. Sagely silence in stillness of movement leads to Right Acting, the effortless and spontaneous acting in accordance with the dao, known as wu wei. Wu wei, or Right Acting, reinforces sagely silence in stillness within movement and the circle continues giving rise to certainty. When the sage moves with stillness, he/she harmonizes with the external environment under any circumstance, accepting the present moment maintaining equanimity in body, emotions and mind, and responds to the situation through wu wei, effortlessly channeling the dao. When the sage channels the dao, he/she becomes a vessel of healing energy transmuting the suffering of others into relaxation

13 26 26 Silence, Stillness and the Sage from a distance. At this stage of taiji, the sage receives the suffering of others nonjudgmentally while simultaneously emitting healing qi when channeling the energy of the dao. This is known as distance healing (Nawalinski 10). The sage can positively influence the physical, emotional, and mental energy of another from across the room or across the globe. He/she channels the energy and sends it out to the other in need. For there to be certainty of the his/her acting in the present moment from the dao, the sage s intention must be pure and free from the limitations of the self and ego. This corresponds to the Buddhist lesson of anatta, or no self, which teaches that there is no aspect of our selfnature that is permanent, thus allowing the unfolding of limitless potential. Certainty from the dao is different from scientific certainty, although there have been many scientific studies verifying the curative effects of externally emitted qi. (Nagatomo ). The term certainty used here from the dao is a special type of verification in between the sage and the subject of healing. To highlight the in between, it is helpful to use the analogy of a radio broadcast signal. The antenna represents the sage and the person on the receiving end of the signal represents the subject of healing. The radio wave represents the healing qi externally emitted from the sage. Certainty is the qi wave moving through space and time in between the sage and subject of healing. The sage tunes into the sage s own antenna by observing Right Mindfulness, becoming aware of the vital qi of the universe coursing through the his/her

14 27 Janua Sophia 27 system, and finding certitude of the his/her own being in the present moment as each arises and falls away. For the certitude of the sage to transfer to the receiver, the silent healing transmission must move through the dao. This transmission is beyond words and is verified through the space in between the sage and the receiver. The dao receives the healing qi, supports it through space and time, and allows for it to reach the receiver. The verification is outside of the sage or the receiver. The space that causes the healing transmission to reverberate is the certainty of the dao. Daoism offers a view of the universe and man as a harmony Life is lived well only when people are completely in tune with the whole universe and their actions are in accord with the dao flowing through them (Koller 245). Movement within stillness and stillness within movement are expressions of the dao, the harmony of the universe. In standing qigong practice, the meditator observes Right Mindfulness, gaining certitude from his/her ability to fully be in the present moment. Once the meditator begins moving the he/she is in a state of taiji, observing stillness within movement. When the seed of Right Mindfulness grows to flourish in the activities of everyday life, Right Acting spontaneously occurs through effortless non-acting or wu wei. Healing occurs on all levels of being through acting harmoniously with the dao. Certainty is the response from the dao in the present moment that allows for healing to occur when the sage is fully engaged in the moment. The sage acts as a beacon, channeling the dao in every moment of his/her being and

15 28 28 Silence, Stillness and the Sage acting. Therefore, meditative silence in stillness of bodily posture and sagely silence in stillness within movement enables certitude of one s being and certainty of one s acting in the present moment. Being and acting constantly interchange. The distinction between certitude and certainty ultimately fade into a higher unity. Harmony occurs first internally through certitude, then externally through certainty, and ultimately all at once. Suffering of oneself and others transforms into a window of opportunity to gaze into the non-dual nature of reality. The sage recognizes this through movement in stillness and the stillness in movement allowing for healing to occur on physical, emotional and mental levels. Works Cited Chuen, Master Lam Kam. Growing Like a Tree Qigong, The Way of Energy, Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Gung Exercise. New York: Gaia Books Limited, Print. Gunaratana, Bhante Henepola. Mindfulness in Plain English. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, Print. Hoffman, Frank J. (2002). Dao and Process. Asian Philosophy 12 (3): Introduction to Early Buddhism. Research Centre for Buddhist Studies, Print.

16 29 Janua Sophia 29 Huang, Wei Lun. "Wakulla Springs Qigong Seminar." Personal interview. 28 Oct Liao, Waysun. T ai Chi Classics. Boston: Shambhala, Print. Norden, Bryan Van. Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co Print. Koller, John M. Asian Philosophies, Fifth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, Print. Daodejing, chapter 2, transl. D.C. Lau Web. 31 May Nagatomo, Shigenori. Ki-Energy: Invisible Psychophysical Energy. Asian Philosophy. Vol. 12, No.3. Print. Nawalinski, Ted. The Science of Qigong Healing: Compilation. Self-published, Print. Sivin, Nathan. Traditional Medicine in Contemporary China: Science, Medicine, and Technology in East Asia Volume 2. Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan, Print. Yan, Hektor K.T. A Paradox of Virtue: The Daodejing on Virtue and Moral Philosophy Philosophy East And West 59.2, 2009: Philosopher's Index. 12 May Web.