Can I still cultivate with my condition

[Seeker91]

Hello, first off all I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place I'm not sure where ot belong , so I have 2 big questions that really scare me about my future prospects with cultivation first I have aphantasia for the people that don't know what is it , i cannot see think when i close my eyes i don't have the mind eyes I cannot even represent a simple form when I close my eyes and it's really scare me because in almost every practice they say that you need to visualise is it a problem for me ?

My second question is that I had 8 month ago a big injury on my finger it was crush between 2 oil barrel I didn't lose it but still I had operation and I know that finger have meridians did I lose mine ? Or is someway crippled my finger meridians and my future prospects with qi and cultivation?

Sorry for the spelling I am French and English is not the language I write the best 

[forestofclarity]

Can you still cultivate? Of course. It may be better to not visualize. 

[Seeker91]

Thanks you for your response , what do you mean it may be better to not visualize can you explain me ? I always though that it was an handicap 

[Toni]

there are many styles in which u don't visualize, like in fragrant qi gong

[RobB]

We don't use visualisation, at least at the beginning (*). Don't worry about your fingers either. People have cultivated in all sorts of situations for a very long time.

 

* - maybe not at all - I'm only at the beginning!

Edited March 8, 2021 by RobB
Qualification

[doc benway]

9 hours ago, Seeker91 said:

Hello, first off all I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place I'm not sure where ot belong , so I have 2 big questions that really scare me about my future prospects with cultivation first I have aphantasia for the people that don't know what is it , i cannot see think when i close my eyes i don't have the mind eyes I cannot even represent a simple form when I close my eyes and it's really scare me because in almost every practice they say that you need to visualise is it a problem for me ?

My second question is that I had 8 month ago a big injury on my finger it was crush between 2 oil barrel I didn't lose it but still I had operation and I know that finger have meridians did I lose mine ? Or is someway crippled my finger meridians and my future prospects with qi and cultivation?

Sorry for the spelling I am French and English is not the language I write the best 

 

Visualization is only one method and can be a distraction, even a dead end for some.

Not being able to visualize is not, in and of itself, an immovable obstacle.

Same with finger surgery. Even if you lost the finger, the hand, even the arm, you can be a master. 

We work with what we have, whatever that may be, not with what we think we need to progress.

Being human and having the motivation to practice are all you really need. 

Having a teacher or guide is also a great blessing and advantage, particularly on the path of Qi cultivation.

Welcome to the forum and I wish you well on your path.

[silent thunder]

10 hours ago, Seeker91 said:

Hello, first off all I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place I'm not sure where ot belong , so I have 2 big questions that really scare me about my future prospects with cultivation first I have aphantasia for the people that don't know what is it , i cannot see think when i close my eyes i don't have the mind eyes I cannot even represent a simple form when I close my eyes and it's really scare me because in almost every practice they say that you need to visualise is it a problem for me ?

My second question is that I had 8 month ago a big injury on my finger it was crush between 2 oil barrel I didn't lose it but still I had operation and I know that finger have meridians did I lose mine ? Or is someway crippled my finger meridians and my future prospects with qi and cultivation?

Sorry for the spelling I am French and English is not the language I write the best 

Hey Seeker91.  Welcome to the Bums mate.  Glad you found your way here.

 

 

My wife is Aphantasiatic and does not form mental imagery and it has not impeded her progression in cultivation, sensitivity, nor insight.  In several ways I find, in my life with her that it is a boon and comes with many benefits.  (So don't fret, you're not broken but wired in your own way and it's an advantage in some aspects as far as I've seen in my 32 years following her about )

 

As for the finger damage... I was semi-crippled for years with an ankle issue (almost had my left foot amputated).  While the foot is not the same as it was before my issues with it... in my experience, the energy always finds a way.  Keep at your cultivation and trust you derive from source, just as all the manifest does and that you're never separate from source.  Every path leads to the mountain top, so long as we don't stop ^{for too long} along the way.

[dwai]

I know two people personally who’ve had debilitating health conditions, taken up cultivation after than and restored their health. One had been unable to walk for years, after getting injured by a forklift at work, and within a year of starting taijiquan (modified for wheelchair bound people) started to walk. 
 

Another is a taiji brother of mine, who had a stroke and is paralyzed on his right side. His cultivation is very high level, and has pretty impressive skill and power. 
 

Meridians are in the subtle body, though there are physical correlates to them. Having physical damage is not necessarily detrimental to real energetic cultivation. 
 

wrt aphantasia, I believe that the “visualization” actually comes after one develops some internal skill — it is basically the ability to sense and map where the energy is flowing internally. It’s better to call it “imaging” aspect rather than visual. We use it to project the energy in a certain way, but imaging is not necessary — if you can fathom concepts of time and space, you can apply your mind/will to shape and guide the energy in your own way. 
 

The main thing about cultivation, in my experience and humble opinion is to maintain hope and an open mind. Energy finds a way even when it seems all is lost! 

Edited March 8, 2021 by dwai

[Master Logray]

11 hours ago, Seeker91 said:

Hello, first off all I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place I'm not sure where ot belong , so I have 2 big questions that really scare me about my future prospects with cultivation first I have aphantasia for the people that don't know what is it , i cannot see think when i close my eyes i don't have the mind eyes I cannot even represent a simple form when I close my eyes and it's really scare me because in almost every practice they say that you need to visualise is it a problem for me ?

My second question is that I had 8 month ago a big injury on my finger it was crush between 2 oil barrel I didn't lose it but still I had operation and I know that finger have meridians did I lose mine ? Or is someway crippled my finger meridians and my future prospects with qi and cultivation?

 

 

Taoist cultivation is generally not very keen on visualization, for most factions, and comparing with Buddhist.  Unable visualize may even have some advantages in concentration, because many people are watching videos inside their heads all day long.  It would stop any progress.  So choosing a path/lineage is necessary according to one's own situation.  The more common situation is avoid standing stances (ZZ) when you cannot stand.

 

Blocked meridians may affect health more than affect cultivation.  Many Qigong exercises do have simple finger exercises, like opening and closing fingers one by one, but nothing compared with Tibetan Buddhist, or other Buddhists in complicated Mudras.  Anyway, not working on fingers is no big deal.  

[forestofclarity]

10 hours ago, Seeker91 said:

Thanks you for your response , what do you mean it may be better to not visualize can you explain me ? I always though that it was an handicap 

 

I suppose it depends on your specific practice and tradition, but many people get distracted by their imagination. It is easy to imagine things happening that are not actually happening. 

 

Do you have dreams? Inner mental dialogue? 

[Seeker91]

Thanks to all of you , you all really cheered me up for a long time these 2 issue were scaring me , I still don't know what path I'm going to chose so I will be looking where I can to decide, don't hesitate if you have any advice for me I'll happily listen to them thanks you all again 🙂

[Shadao]

On 08/03/2021 at 9:53 AM, steve said:

 

Visualization is only one method and can be a distraction, even a dead end for some.

(...)

You tell me, as a constant daydreamer and an artistic person I literally can't not visualize, regardless if I have my eyes open or closed.It's as if I'm always one step away only from the world of dreams/concepts/ideas and the real world.

 

Reason why when a practice has dire need for the person to "empty their mind" or "stay still"...welp, no dice here -.-

[thelerner]

I'm another w/ poor visualization.  Yet as an avid reader I get swept up in books.  I get swept up in guided meditations and yoga nidras.. its generally not imagery I see, rather its feelings brought on by the words.  

 

With practices like microcosmic orbit it may be just as well one can't imagine, it makes you rely on the sensations going on.  

Edited March 10, 2021 by thelerner

[Seeker91]

20 hours ago, thelerner said:

I'm another w/ poor visualization.  Yet as an avid reader I get swept up in books.  I get swept up in guided meditations and yoga nidras.. its generally not imagery I see, rather its feelings brought on by the words.  

 

With practices like microcosmic orbit it may be just as well one can't imagine, it makes you rely on the sensations going on.  

Me too I am a very avid reader I can spend an  awfully amount of time reading , I don't get imagery but I'll have as you say the feeling , it's not easy to explain because I really cannot compare it with any sensation that you have awake

Edited March 10, 2021 by Seeker91

[manitou]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:24 AM, Seeker91 said:

Thanks to all of you , you all really cheered me up for a long time these 2 issue were scaring me , I still don't know what path I'm going to chose so I will be looking where I can to decide, don't hesitate if you have any advice for me I'll happily listen to them thanks you all again 🙂

 

 

I can't visualize anything either.  In fact, I've stopped dreaming too, lol.  I don't think it will hurt your practice one bit.  And as I see it, the goal of meditation is to eliminate the chatter of the monkey mind.  You're good.