Harmonious Emptiness

suggest doing sitting meditation following a qigong session. When you get the energies moving with qi gong, you will be in a good state to do sitting meditation in a way that won't stifle anything. At least in the beginning, remember to allow and follow the energy, rather than forcing and leading it. Let the mind clear as you settle. Focus on one point on the floor until attention and awareness fill the mind rather than thoughts and ideas. This takes concentration, but not force. You shouldn't run into any troubles starting on your own this way.

It's best to sage yourself first as well: head to toe, feet, arms, hands, back, etc. Also, be sure the place is ventilated while you are doing all of this.

Another example, from Chuang Tzu, Chapter Four: "That's all there is to it," said Confucius. "Now I will tell you. You may go and play in his bird cage, but never be moved by fame. If he listens, then sing; if not, keep still. Have no gate, no opening, but make oneness your house and live with what cannot be avoided. Then you will be close to success. "It is easy to keep from walking; the hard thing is to walk without touching the ground. It is easy to cheat when you work for men, but hard to cheat when you work for Heaven. You have heard of flying with wings, but you have never heard of flying without wings. You have heard of the knowledge that knows, but you have never heard of the knowledge that does not know. Look into that closed room, the empty chamber where brightness is born! Fortune and blessing gather where there is stillness. But if you do not keep still - this is what is called sitting but racing around. 6 Let your ears and eyes communicate with what is inside, and put mind and knowledge on the outside. Then even gods and spirits will come to dwell, not to speak of men! This is the changing of the ten thousand things, the bond of Yu and Shun, the constant practice of Fu Hsi and Chi Ch'u.7 How much more should it be a rule for lesser men!"

One of many examples from the Chuang Tzu, illustrating the relevance of this practice to early Taoist teachings, can be found in Chapter 11: Master Kuang Ch'eng sat up with a start. "Excellent, this question of yours! Come, I will tell you about the Perfect Way. The essence of the Perfect Way is deep and darkly shrouded; the extreme of the Perfect Way - is mysterious and hushed in silence. Let there be no seeing, no hearing; enfold the spirit in quietude and the body will right itself. Be still, be pure, do not labor your body, do not churn up your essence, and then you can live a long life. When the eye does not see, the ear does not hear, and the mind does not know, then your spirit will protect the body, and the body will enjoy long life. Be cautious of what is within you; block off what is outside you, for much knowledge will do you harm. Then I will lead you up above the Great Brilliance, to the source of the Perfect Yang; I will guide you through the Dark and Mysterious Gate, to the source of the Perfect Yin. Heaven and earth have their controllers, the yin and yang their storehouses. You have only to take care and guard your own body; these other things will of themselves grow sturdy. As for myself, I guard this unity, abide in this harmony, and therefore I have kept myself alive for twelve hundred years, and never has my body suffered any decay."

A reminder to "enjoy this trip while it lasts?"

A lot of people who follow spiritual paths are very suppressive of their "negative" emotions, hoping to "extinguish" them. I'd like to talk a bit about this, especially regarding the total suppression of anger. Much of post-Qin era Taoism showed influence from The Doctrine of the Mean, which speaks of having balanced levels of both positive and "negative" emotions. Chuang Tzu also reflected someone who did not suppress their emotions, but lived in balance and harmony with them. His influence appeared to show in some Zen "attitudes" as well. Please see the following quote from The Doctrine of the Mean, by Zisi (Confucius' grandson): "While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the mind may be said to be in the state of Equilibrium. When those feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there ensues what may be called the state of Harmony. This Equilibrium is the great root from which grow all the human actings in the world, and this Harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue. Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish." So, even though Confucian influence is often considered to be the source of cold, passionlessness in demeanor, Confucius' grandson, Zisi, knew that the emotions of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy, were to be allowed to sprout "in their due degree." Someone recently posted about being diagnosed with weak liver qi, being in a job they feel stuck in and afraid to leave, and feeling depression about the whole thing. I noticed that the poster also said they felt better after some kung fu classes, but wasn't comfortable with the aggressiveness of it. He also dealt a lot with his frustration. Now in a case like this, some would ask: "should anger be suppressed in order to avoid further liver qi issues?" Anger is an emotion of the liver. Look at it this way: Liver is wood energy. Wood rises. When you're trying to rise and something gets in your way, what emotion tries to fight it? Anger. Extreme anger just burns out the liver, like putting fire to the wood. But anger, in balance, is useful. It's a function, if you will. If you overly suppress "negative" emotions, they will also become problems which manifest physically. Sometimes a chi kung healer will even need to release the suppressed emotions using various possible techniques. This may include the healer manifesting the emotion themselves in order to help the client's release of it (see Sat Chuen Hon's "Taoist QiGong for Health and Vitality"). So, if you face a situation which requires a bit of constructive anger, but suppress the anger, what happens? how do you deal with it? Most often, people deal with it by wateriness, fear, avoiding, trying to find a way around it no matter how much they have to adjust themselves. Adaptability can be a positive attribute of courage, but when it's based in fear, it taxes the kidneys which leads to more fear. When the liver energy is strong, it draws water energy from the kidneys in balanced amounts which keeps the water energy from being stagnant (the worst way for water to be is stagnant). This way, the kidneys' energy provides courage, and nourishes the liver which can provide the upward force needed to push through the weeds and branches and get to the sunlight! (ie., finally changing a situation) So, just remember if you ever feel that being a "shrinking violet" is part of the spiritual path, that you may be doing you, and your path, a lot more harm than good. (note: this may contradict your structured program of spiritual development. If this is the case, I do not mean to suggest that you should abandon the techniques prescribed by it). Any comments or criticisms on the above article are welcome.

As I'm thinking about this some more, and relating to the emotions associated with the 5 elements and (yang) organs Kidneys/Water/Courage/Fear. It makes sense that fear would be the emotion associated with the kidneys, since, what happens when you feel fear? Adrenaline! Lungs/Metal/Sense of Environment/Sorrow. I'm seeing now that it also makes sense that the lungs would be associated with both sorrow and the connection with one's environment (see po spirit, also Hon "the consciouness of the lung has the spirit of protection and the emotion of greif"). I thought this relation to the connection to one's environment was just due to the lungs and skin being the closest to contact with the environment. But when looking for the positive function of sorrow, I ask myself, what does it bring? It brings sympathy, empathy, and Cí 慈. (see Lao Tzu Chapter 67: "I have Three Treasures; Guard them and keep them safe: the first is Love (Ci 慈)." With sympathy and empathy comes listening and connecting with the environment. So it makes sense that the lungs would be related to both sorrow and awareness of the environment. Hearth/Fire/Joy. Joy, pleasure, thrills. A lot of people overly suppress this as well. Spleen/Earth/Calm and Grounded/Worry. Worry, over thinking, digestion. Might be lacking/out of balance for some people. The spleen likes sweet taste. What does too much sugar do to kids, and lack of sugar do to some diabetics? Makes them erratic, causes ADHD behaviour in kids, un-groundedness. So the pensiveness, in the right amount, could help one to reconnect with the virtue of the spleen. As you may have noticed, this is my own theorizing on 5 elements/wu xing theory, presented for consideration, rather than paraphrasing of authoritative sources. Essentially the idea being that the "negative emotions" have useful functions "when those feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree." "Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish." -Zisi

I would argue somewhat to the inverse if taking this line of translation. In other words: "Neither Heaven, Earth, nor the Sage have partiality in their humaneness. All people are treated (with) straw dogs." The straw dog ceremony was akin to the Christian "last rights" in a way, to absolve the person of their sins (earthly human weaknesses, evil qi). This ceremony is common to all people around the world in one way or another. So Heaven, Earth, and the Sage absolve all people of their wrong doings (and accumulations of evil qi) after the time of their death, regardless of any status and affiliations.

I find there is something almost Buddhist in nature to it. Straw dogs were treated ceremoniously and honoured before they were destroyed. They were treated as sacred. People, too, should be treated as sacred, with honour and respect, as they will not be around forever, and also serve sacred purposes here on earth.

(reprinted from my Personal Practice Discussion) The following is presented as scholarly evidence in support of my thesis, as outlined above, that DDJ Chapter Five is grossly and entirely mistranslated to say that "nature, and the Sage, are not humane." The following is from Creativity and Taoism by Chang Chung-yuan, 1963 (fair use as part of my scholarly my thesis). "The Confucian term Jen [Chinese: 仁; pinyin: rén; Wade–Giles: jen] is often translated as "love," "fellow-feeling," "man-to-man-ness," and many others. The word Jen embodies the central theme of Confucianist thought. This sympathy is based on rational discrimination and differentiation. Mencius, the Plato of China, claims that "Jen is the mind of man." What is this mind of man? It is the rational nature of man, the conscious ability of discrimination and determination of things. The entire system of Confucianism is based upon the premise of man's rational nature. The first step toward the achievement of this rational nature is the performance of one's moral duty. Such imperative, unconditioned action, which is beyond self-interest and ulterior motive, is called yi, or righteousness. If one does what he ought to do and does not do what he should not do, he is abiding by the virtue of righteousness. However, one's concept of duty is not without personal bias. One may act in one way, and another may act in another way. What would be the correct response to the same situation? To clarify this point the Confucianist set a standard of conduct to determine what righteousness is, which is called li, or propriety. This standard of conduct covers all types of interpersonal relations and all ceremonies of worship. .... one cannot follow blindly the rules or li. What one must have is the ability of discrimination or chih [Wade-Giles.. pinyin?]. Confucius says: "The man of chih is free from confusion." Thus rational discrimination is the fundamental process leading to the achievement of Jen [Ren]. In it is implied the measuring out of one's love. How much love, the Confucianist asks, does one owe to relatives, other men, and all things? ...Mencius: "As to animals the gentleman is kind but not loving. As to persons generally he is loving but not affectionate. He is affectionate to his parents and lovingly disposed to people generally. He is lovingly disposed to people generally, and kind to animals." .... Lao Tzu disregarded Jen and proclaimed that he had, instead, Tz'u [pinyin: cí], the first of his "three treasures." The word Tz'u is ordinarily translated as love, but it is not actually love itself but, rather, the primordial, immediate source of love, the secret root of all love and compassion. It is not based on rational principles or arrived at through discrimination and differentiation...." My translation of chapter 5 (again): 01 天地不仁, tiān dì bù rén, ["Heaven and Earth do not have humanity"] Heaven and Earth do not distinguish between one man and another 02 以萬物為芻狗。 yǐ wàn wù wéi chú gǒu Therefore, the myriad creatures are treated like straw dogs 03 聖人不仁, shèng rén bù rén, ["The wise do not have humanity"] The wise do not show their favour 04 以百姓為芻狗。 yǐ bái xìng wéi chú gǒu. ["Therefore hundred families (all people) treated as straw dogs"] the sage is not concerned with a person's titles, much as Heaven is not concerned itself with a status of humans being "above" the rest of living things. 05 天地之間, tiān dì zhī jiān, The space between heaven and earth 06 其猶橐籥乎 qí yóu tuó yuè hū Is like (the lungs, or) a bag-pipe 07 虛而不屈, xū ér bù qū, Empty without being finished 08 動而愈出。 dòng ér yù chū ["movement yet more produced"] Rather than being exhausted by movement, the movement only generates more and more of what it produces 09 多言數窮, duō yán shù qióng, So many countless words… 10 不如守中。 bù rú shǒu zhōng。 Nothing like nurturing the center I propose as well, when reading this chapter in light of the historical-philosophical context, that lines 05-10 refer to being "empty" of "logical humanity," which the sage does not need as he can be "empty without being finished." and does not need to rely on "so many countless words" but rather finds his humanity at the "center." L&L, Dan (Harmonious Emptiness)

The following chart might be of interest: http://www.gregsamples.com/macroknox/Yin-Yang-FoodChart.html It shows the foods to eat to balance yin and yang in the diet. For example, if you are not eating "very yang" foods, you might want to avoid over eating "very yin" foods, or eat the "moderately yin" and "slightly yin" foods in place of them. "Whole Grain Flour baked in Bread or Chips" is moderate yang, along with fish. Eggs are extremely yang along with pork, so they can help to balance yin foods as well. Maybe not the answer, but something to consider anyways.

Doing one single thing or focusing on one single thing would be a bit ironic for the task, in the way that each moment is manifestation of Deity. So to interact with the moment is also being connected to Deity. I might be able to say what I do for me, but it changes depending on what the moment presents me with. Sometimes techniques are useful, other times they just block the adaptation.. like "phrases" and "riffs" in a musical solo.. to play them no matter what presents itself would be worse than playing nothing at all. There are other elements, like key signatures, that underlie the changes. This is the trick too -- holding the One, the Root. From there you can harmonize without losing falling too far off key. Jazz players will even play out of key on purpose. This can work if they know what they're doing and go back into key afterwards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4Iwh6Kl1c

what would you consider a meditative state? Calm? Compassionate? Attentive? Focus? Non-emotional? Chi focused? Any one of these? No less than all of them? What sort of non-meditative state experiences are you referring to?

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on this. I think there is a quick descension towards anger in chat rooms because anger transfers easily and allows for some tangible sense of an exchange of energies with another person.. it bridges the virtual divide easier, maybe... There's also obviously the info exchange which can be very satisfying sometimes too. At the same time, the limits of this exchange mode might lead to other positive or negative elements. For example, it's difficult to say things in a succinct way without seeming forcefully direct.. This, I find, can loop around and make one then become forcefully direct and continue on in this way without even realizing why they are being that way. It can be difficult to transfer your actual inner sentiment along side the written words. Any ideas? Observations? Comments?

True. And people tend to be very personally invested in being right or to get some energy reaction that they can use.. Feeds the ego, sort of like Drew Hempel talks about "pervs trying to steal" energy from him.. Sometimes.. it seems like that a bit. It is an art (at least)... creating expression to alter the experiences of an audience There's treasure on the other side of the bridge. lol Treasure trolls!!! mmm hmm..

I think we should look at the entirety of Chapter 40 for this: 40 反者道之動 Reversing is the Dao’s action 弱者道之用。 Delicate is the Dao’s application 天下萬物生於有， All earthly creatures are born from that which exists 有生於無。 That which exists is born from that which does not exist. (my translation) "Reversing is the Dao's action" seems to be the key. Dao changes from yin to yang, yang to yin, rising and falling, expanding and contracting. So, from non-existence comes existence. From extreme emptiness/contraction comes fullness/expansion. Just like MPGs explanation of "space," Dao holds both emptiness and fullness. "The action of Dao is reversing."

Beautifully illustrated btw. Merci. If Single Whip never rises from Snake Creeping Down stance, does anybody hear it?....

All the best Heath! Thanks for sharing some of your experience here Dan

Oh well. What can we expect. I've always found Western philosophers insufferably pretentious. It's no wonder they don't like each other....

down at the ballpark where guitar playaz gon' ride waves of soul music

Well, the first step is quieting the mind. I love my books, for sure, and there are numerous books I could suggest, but all texts I have read by the masters of antiquity have said that quieting the mind is station A, and this is something that requires "time on the mat." I realize you're asking for book advice, not "my" advice, but I would be wasting your precious time by not starting with this. So the first thing you want to do is get comfortable with doing nothing. Just lie down or whatever, with no books, no music, no games, just silence. Feel free to think about whatever you want, but you need to get comfortable with doing nothing. Start with 10 or 15 minutes, add 5 minutes the next time until you can do this for at least half an hour. Once you've got that down nicely, do it with correct posture: cross legged, on the edge of a chair, or standing with knees slightly bent; keep your back straight while also relaxed; shoulders relaxed; ears over shoulders, looking at the floor basically where the angle of your nose is pointing to. This relaxed yet aligned posture allows fluids and nerves to function freely, communicating up your spine to your brain, etc. Yin and Yang/aligned yet relaxed/relaxed yet aware. To quiet the mind, I suggest being aware of what you feel inside your body. This will put the "light of the mind"/awareness in place of the thoughts "thinking" about what's happening inside the body. Thoughts will come.. let them come and let them pass.. sometimes they will help you focus. Figure out what you're figuring out and move on past them. Another "trick" to help quiet the mind is to count breaths, so the only thought is "1" (out, in) "2" (out, in) "3" (out, in), and then start again when thoughts interrupt or you reach "10." If you plan to study with a teacher and what to get a bit of a head-start, this is where to start. This is the means to the ends. As Nan Huai-Chin says "Start with the means, not the ends."

http://www.amazon.ca/Vitality-Energy-Spirit-Taoist-Sourcebook/dp/1590306880

Isn't an anti-philosophical stance no less a philosophical stance? It is a philosophy which purports that philosophy is of a particular value. This is a philosophical assertion itself, no?

Hey Steve, do you know which translation this is from? I've been trying to find another translator (other than myself) who read it this way.

Haiku to live for Clean dirt from a needless phrase In the space: open doors