Qigong as a Portal to Presence

[adept]

This is one of the most straight forward articles I've read in a long time.

Enjoy

[Birch]

Excellent article!

 

Thanks.

[Encephalon]

This is a keeper. I'll be sharing it with several people. Sure to ruffle some feathers of the goal-intentioned.

 

My favorite passage is here - "Whatever the level of aspiration, the intent (of qigong)is to add something that is missing. Yet, the central tenet of Taoism warns us that this is an illusion. How can we become that which in our essential nature we already are?"

 

My personal Nei Kung experience and my earlier orientation toward the practice probably embodied some of this sentiment, but I now perceive it (accurately, I think) as a process of refining my own natural talents and abilities, while witnessing my self-defeating habits and thoughtforms slowly sloughing off. (This could be due in part to the general lowering of stress that a steady practice supports). I perceive continued progress as a means to more refined heights of empowerment, not as a means of acquiring a skill that is apart from my own nature.

 

I also think that articles like these are vital for westerners. I am reminded of a point made by Michael Fordham -

"Psychology on the one hand and religion on the other use two means of approach to a common subject-matter...

We need to realize that psychology leads us sooner or later to religious experience, while religion can only brought home tot he individual through essential psychological facts."

I think this might be a tad more applicable to westerners, and I would substitute Fordham's use of the word 'religion' for 'spirituality' and still find it pertinent.

[C T]

 

## "Whatever the level of aspiration, the intent (of qigong)is to add something that is missing. Yet, the central tenet of Taoism warns us that this is an illusion. How can we become that which in our essential nature we already are?"

 

My personal Nei Kung experience and my earlier orientation toward the practice probably embodied some of this sentiment, but I now perceive it (accurately, I think) as a process of refining my own natural talents and abilities, while witnessing my self-defeating habits and thoughtforms slowly sloughing off. (This could be due in part to the general lowering of stress that a steady practice supports). I perceive continued progress as a means to more refined heights of empowerment, not as a means of acquiring a skill that is apart from my own nature.

 

## This is exactly what i proposed to 3Bob when i posted in the topic "What the heck am I" (see posts nos. 67 and 75).

 

The underlined remark you made seems to suggest (i could well be mistaken) that you have not fully grasp the essence of that which you said was your favorite passage. I believe the author was attempting to allude to the fact that there is no need whatsoever to even bother with the charting of one's perceived 'progress', nor is there any integral need for any sort of self-pampering kind of attitude that may deceive/lull oneself into thinking that what one is doing is any sort of empowering thing. Loosen this dogma most Westerners hang tightly to, that of trying to better oneself, no matter what the cost. This sort of mentality is only a 'trip', and is no different from any other self-deluding 'trips'. The truth is that empowerment, and any other thought patterns that makes one want to achieve something (spiritually) worthwhile is subtle self-deception, one in which many either miss seeing, or refuse to acknowledge.

 

(One reason Westerners have some degree of aversion to this way of being is because it often asks the practitioner to let go of being overly logical and acutely reasonable, which undoubtedly is almost like asking for the forsaking of one's liberty. Unless one can see beyond this mistaken perception, and realize that true liberty (as in 'transcended' liberty - giving up even the very notion of liberty) is actually accentuated and not lost by 'letting go' the ingrained patterns that persuades the thinker to demand that every spiritual 'revelation' needs to be able to withstand logical reasoning and scrutiny, otherwise it gets labelled 'bizarre' or, in less extreme cases, simply ignored, then this sort of hardened assumption will only serve to detract one from the actualization of the very Way itself. )

 

The workable psychological lessons/aspects of some spiritual traditions can only do so much to bring one back to some sort of sanity. While this may bring immense satisfaction to alot of Western seekers, often its the more esoteric practices that will push one over the threshold of self-limiting definitions and self-defeating boundaries, on deeper and much more profound levels than mere psychological work can, and only then can true, deep 'freedom' (of letting go the craving for freedom) truly begin to bloom.

 

If one day you really sense that you can not become more than what you fundamentally already are, you would simply burst out into blissful laughter!

Edited August 9, 2010 by CowTao

[Gerard]

Nice article. This is the most important point of any spiritual practice: Bring up the Original Spirit which will manifest in your eyes, get rid of the post-birth junk (personality, ego, karma) and return to the Source.

 

How simple it is, hey?

Edited August 10, 2010 by durkhrod chogori

[Birch]

"How simple it is, hey?"

 

Simple to say. Hey.

 

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-ing hard to do. My apologies for the F-word. I couldn't find another one to explain it. --mutters about Tao that can be spoken, blah-de-blah.

[Encephalon]

## This is exactly what i proposed to 3Bob when i posted in the topic "What the heck am I" (see posts nos. 67 and 75).

 

The underlined remark you made seems to suggest (i could well be mistaken) that you have not fully grasp the essence of that which you said was your favorite passage. I believe the author was attempting to allude to the fact that there is no need whatsoever to even bother with the charting of one's perceived 'progress', nor is there any integral need for any sort of self-pampering kind of attitude that may deceive/lull oneself into thinking that what one is doing is any sort of empowering thing. Loosen this dogma most Westerners hang tightly to, that of trying to better oneself, no matter what the cost. This sort of mentality is only a 'trip', and is no different from any other self-deluding 'trips'. The truth is that empowerment, and any other thought patterns that makes one want to achieve something (spiritually) worthwhile is subtle self-deception, one in which many either miss seeing, or refuse to acknowledge.

 

(One reason Westerners have some degree of aversion to this way of being is because it often asks the practitioner to let go of being overly logical and acutely reasonable, which undoubtedly is almost like asking for the forsaking of one's liberty. Unless one can see beyond this mistaken perception, and realize that true liberty (as in 'transcended' liberty - giving up even the very notion of liberty) is actually accentuated and not lost by 'letting go' the ingrained patterns that persuades the thinker to demand that every spiritual 'revelation' needs to be able to withstand logical reasoning and scrutiny, otherwise it gets labelled 'bizarre' or, in less extreme cases, simply ignored, then this sort of hardened assumption will only serve to detract one from the actualization of the very Way itself. )

 

The workable psychological lessons/aspects of some spiritual traditions can only do so much to bring one back to some sort of sanity. While this may bring immense satisfaction to alot of Western seekers, often its the more esoteric practices that will push one over the threshold of self-limiting definitions and self-defeating boundaries, on deeper and much more profound levels than mere psychological work can, and only then can true, deep 'freedom' (of letting go the craving for freedom) truly begin to bloom.

 

If one day you really sense that you can not become more than what you fundamentally already are, you would simply burst out into blissful laughter!

 

I would think a trained psychologist still has a formal means of evaluating the progress of his clients. Even the metaphor of a portal connotes a purposeful trajectory. I wouldn't disagree with the value of immersion in esoterica, but for people just starting out, or, in the case of many Americans, those who have serious emotional issues, speaking to their own paradigm and native tongue plays a critical role in the beginning.

[Ya Mu]

..., but I now perceive it (accurately, I think) as a process of refining my own natural talents and abilities, while witnessing my self-defeating habits and thoughtforms slowly sloughing off...

YES!

Self-practice awakens one to who they really are, refines those abilities, and burns through the illusions.

[Brian]

...

[Encephalon]

Very true, Blasto!

 

Curiously enough, Western culture is FULL of reminders, lessons and admonitions about being satisfied with "who you are" while striving to be the "best you" that you can be -- lessons that stretch back to the beginnings of Western culture and extend to the modern day. There are a number of reasons why the message keeps getting repeated over and over through the centuries, and specifically why the rejection of that message has accelerated over the last 150 years or so, but the concept has not been unknown (as often seems to be the suggestion).

 

Maybe we could blame Calvin?