tag > Qi
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Maybe
There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer.
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Sun Bu'er (c. 1119–1182 C.E.)
One of the Taoist Seven Masters of Quanzhen in the Shandong province of China. She was a beautiful, intelligent, wealthy woman, married with three children. At the age of 51 she took up the study of the Dao and herself became a disciple of Wang Chongyang, serving as a Taoist priestess. She eventually left her home and traveled to the city of Luoyang where after twelve years of practice, at Fengxiangu cave, she attained the Dao and, it is said, became an immortal. Sun was a teacher with several disciples, founding the Purity and Tranquility School, and wrote many poems.
Poems by Sun Bu'er
"Tie up the tiger and return it to the true lair; Bridle the dragon and gradually increase the elixir. Nature should be as clear as water, Mind should be as still as a mountain. Turning the breath, gather it into the gold crucible; Stabilizing the spirit, guard the jade pass. If you can increase the grain of rice day by day, You will be rejuvenated."
- Sun Bu'er
"Cut brambles long enough, Sprout after sprout, And the lotus will bloom Of its own accord: Already waiting in the clearing, The single image of light. The day you see this, That day you will become it." - Sun Bu'er
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Thoughts on the fundamentals of inquiry and shortcomings of western science
When i have the opportunity of deep-diving into a research rabbit hole in the context of western science (e.g for work), i frequently return to the realization that while such ideas are very complex and fascinating, they ignore and utterly confuse the all important fundamentals of inquiry - where things like Qigong, Yoga, Meditation, etc. effortlessly excel. It's peculiar.
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taiji heartwork said...
Don't resist; don't assist. Resisting is saying I don't want to play the game. Assisting is saying I'll play the game but only if I can be in control. (link)
Intuition operates in real time whereas intelligence takes a moment. Intuition is of the spirit; intelligence of the mind. Intuition puts us in things instead of leaving us outside. (link)
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Practicing Taiji Qigong Shibashi (十八式) in a Forrest is quite magical - highly recommend!
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"True relaxation is always a dropping into ourselves, a movement toward our core and very center of self. In addition to distorting what we can see, hear, and feel, the inability to relax and release tension will inevitably fuel the involuntary internal monologue of the mind. As we become more enmeshed in the drama that our mind is scripting about ourselves, our ability to relate in a wholesome and relaxed manner with the current condition and circumstances of our lives becomes further distorted. ... The relaxation of tension in our bodies melts the armoring that keeps our bodies hard and inflexible. This hardening of the tissue creates a layer of numbness that keeps our awareness of the rich web of shimmering sensations concealed and contained. Relaxation allows the armoring to begin to soften and melt away. The inevitable result is a much greater awareness of sensational presence and a diminution of the ongoing involuntary monologue of the mind. Learning how to relax by surrendering the weight of the body to the pull of gravity and remaining standing at the same time significantly catalyzes the practice of mindfulness."
- Will Johnson, Aligned, Relaxed and Resilient, 2000, p. 55
"To be relaxed means to release tension, but not to let go of substance. There is a quality in-between stiff and loose which is stable, yet flexible, that has fullness without being rigid, that is calm in motion yet conveys a vigorous presence. For lack of an equivalent English word, I refer to this concept as flowing within firmness, firmness within flowing. Flowing and firmness do not gain support from a rigid skeletal posture or strength from muscular tension. Rather, their integrity comes from expansion. Expansion is the ability to spread out in all directions. This is the key to relaxing without collapsing." - Ting Kuo-Piao, Understanding Flowing and Firmness, 2000
"Relaxation of the whole body means the conscious relaxation of all the joints, and this organically links up all parts of the body in a better way. This does not mean softness. It requires a lot of practice in order to understand this point thoroughly. Relaxation also means the "stretching" of the limbs, which gives you a feeling of heaviness. (This feeling of heaviness or stiffness is a concrete reflection of strength.) This feeling is neither a feeling of softness nor stiffness, but somewhere in between. It should not be confined to a specific part, but involves the whole body. It is like molten iron under high temperature. So relaxation "dissolves" stiff strength in very much the same way. Stiff strength, also called "clumsy strength," undergoes a qualitative change after thousands of times of "dissolution" exercises. Just like iron which can be turned into steel, so "clumsy strength" can be turned into force, and relaxation is a means of gradually converting it into force. Our ancestors put it well: "Conscious relaxation will unconsciously produce force." There is truth in this statement." - Yang Zhenduo, "Yang Style Taijiquan", p 16
