The biggest secret in meditation

In this post I am going to talk about the biggest secret in meditation, with the beginning meditator as my audience in mind. Meditation can go very deep into the human psyche. It has been documented in recent observations (from reputable and trust-worthy sources like that from the honorable master Nan Huaijin) that deep meditation for a couple of days can cause initial time space disorientation for the meditator. Furthermore deep inner experience is hard to describe by our rational mind, if meaning can be put (classic Taoist or Buddhist practices dissolve all meanings into Tao or Buddha in the final analysis), like Carl Jung's Red Book, its impact can be disturbing to the meditator himself. These issues are not what I am going to tackle (Those who think otherwise can safely end their reading here without wasting their valuable time... ).

What then am I going to talk about? I am going to talk about what is the most important thing that a beginning meditator should learn and why most meditation teachers do not teach it (assuming that they know what it is about).

If you read any beginners' meditation book or meditation web site, or even meditation classes, the teacher there will spend most of the time explaining to you the benefits of meditation. Next in line, he or she will talk about techniques. The techniques boil down to slow and/or deep breathing, relax your body and mind, listen to some meditation music, (a few) chanting a mantra, or (a few) focusing on some part of your body.  Some zen meditation teachers may also ask you to focus on the immediate, the understanding of which, most of the time, beats all rational thoughts of a beginning meditator. Yet some of you will feel happy and relax. Time and money well spent. But are these the inner circle meditation techniques?

Let me consider a question: what is the most powerful technique in getting a person into a half-sleeping stage for inner exploration, the quint-essential meditative state?

It is hypnosis. Some New Ages spiritual seekers use self-hypnosis as their key tool to attain their objectives.

The learned scholar and writer Emberto Eco has this interesting remarks about the effectiveness of hypnosis, as a technique, in his latest fiction The Prague Cemetery:

A medallion or a key is waved before the patient, who is told to watch it closely: within the space of one to three minutes the subject's pupils develop an oscillatory movement, the pulse slows down, the eyes close, the face relaxes, and drowsiness may last for up to twenty minutes.

In the famous text Taoist Yoga (translated by Zen master Charles Luk into English), it has this to say about our third eye and its gazing, in its first chapter talking about the first technique of Taoist meditation:

Question: Will you please give me the exact position of the original cavity of spirit?

Answer: It is (in the centre of the brain behind) the spot between the eyes. Lao Tsu called it "the gateway to heaven and earth"; hence he urged people to concentrate on the centre in order to realise the oneness (of all things).

Whether it is a medallion, the third eye (or belly button, tip of nose, a candle, the setting sun etc), they all involve subtle and controlled movement of our eyes. Such subtle movements open the door to our inner world.

Why meditation teachers do not teach?

Subtle eye movements by oneself is difficult to learn and need continual practice with patience. The progress depends on individual, oftentimes a teacher cannot help, for one thing you need to close or at least half-close your eyes during meditation.  In our modern world, tuition will be paid for things that can be taught. Why should I pay someone for something that he can't teach me? An honorable meditation teacher will have no student!

Meditation third eye

Tai chi pushing hands and massage therapy

Tai chi pushing hands can be applied to achieve two objectives: as combat training foundation tool or as a healing tool. In both cases, it is an application of activating one’s internal power. In this post, I shall discuss the tai chi pushing hand as a healing tool, applied as massage therapy.

The better known method of massage therapy in tai chi chi-kung is Dantian massage. A practitioner rubs or massages his lower abdomen with his palms in circulation motion (without rubbing the skin, instead carries the skin along). In most massage therapy, the masseur loosens or relaxes his client’s muscles to achieve his healing objective. Tai chi Dantian massage is different. A practitioner massages his own abdomen. His objective is not to loosen or relax his abdominal muscles. Rather using his chi-connected body (tai chi lingo: muscles-as-one) as the medium, he massages, in the first stage, his pelvic floor muscles; in the second stage, his diaphragm and in the third stage, establish a chi point inside his abdomen so that chi can radiate from this chi point.

The use of pushing hands builds on what has been achieved in Dantian massage. Specifically, the practice of pushing hands aims at activating chi to the muscles of our torso. In body building it is called core strength, in martial art, it is called iron-shirt, and in healing it is called chi-filled. Our aim is to direct chi to flow towards and around our torso, always with prior foundation of whole-body chi-connectedness or muscles-as-one.

In pushing hands, a healer and a client (student) are involved. The touching point is at the upper forearm next to the wrist. The healer does the pushing and the client does the receiving and channeling the pushing energy to his torso and to generate chi in the process. In the beginning level, in order that chi can be generated, the client shall allow the healer to push his (client's) elbow and arm touching his body, while maintaining the triangular force between his upper arm and forearm (at about 90 degree, otherwise withstanding power will be lost and the healer's pushing palm will collapse the client's arm structure and will directly push against the torso via client's forearm which now touches his own body. In that case, the healer's palm power will push the client's whole body away instead of be transformed into internal massage force. This is a very important point on concept). The pushing force from the contact point, via the arm-triangle will be transmitted to the body of the client. To facilitate such transmission of power or energy, the torso of the client shall be relaxed like into a dead weight, so that the healer will be required to move slightly the dead-weight of his client’s body. The 90 degree triangular shall maintain tight at all time. The power base of the triangle is the shoulder (supported by the pelvic joints and soles). In tai chi lingo, it is called dropping our elbows and loosening our shoulders (沈肩墜肘) It is also another manifestation of tai chi chi-kung concept: points-stretched-body-relaxed. When the healer push continues, at the limiting point of being moved (or maximum stored energy), the client simply turns and spirals on incoming force to the side. The client gently pushes back (in due training the client now turns into healer). The whole process can start again. The above is sequence of single hand pushing hands used as massage healing. In advanced pushing hands, an important requirement is needed: not losing the touch （不掉不顶).

Needless to say, a student needs an instructor, healer or teacher in learning pushing hands.

Tai chi single hand pushing hands

Inspired by Tao Te Ching - chapter 33

道德經 33章

知人者智，自知者明。勝人者有力，自勝者強。知足者富。強行者有志。不失其所者久。死而不亡者壽。

My translation of chapter 33 of Tao Te Ching:

Knowing others is intelligent
Knowing yourself is wise
Controlling others is strong
Controlling yourself is powerful

Contentedness is rich
Perseverance is determination
Integrity lasts long
Spiritual legacy begets immortality

Paul's comment: Improve yourself rather than try to change others. Set good examples rather than use carrot and stick. Accept rather than reject. Respect rather than suppress. Show compassion rather than voice complaint. Cooperate instead of compete. Spiritually rich is better than wealthy.

Why PNF stretching does not seem to work?

According to wiki, an active PNF stretch involves a shortening contraction of the opposing muscle to place the target muscle on stretch. This is followed by an isometric contraction of the target muscle. PNF can be used to supplement daily stretching and is employed to make quick gains in range of motion to help athletes improve performance. Aside from being safe and time efficient, the dramatic gains in range of motion seen in a short period of time may also promote compliance with the exercise and rehabilitation program.

Does it look complicated? It does. But if we use tai chi chi-kung lingo to explain it, it is simple.

Chi-kung PNF stretch means chi-connect the opposite muscles around a joint, then do isometric contraction of the targeted muscles.

PNF stretching has been praised for its high effectiveness based on medical and anatomical studies, yet its successful applications scored low. The comparatively more successful environment is clinical setting with experienced physiotherapists working with certain patients. It is unfortunate that this good practice has failed to deliver good results as promised.

Why is it so?

The reason behind can be understood through a study of chi kung. Chi-kung PNF stretching requires a certain degree of chi generation power, chi connecting power and the skill of selective isometric contraction on the part of the student. To do good clinical PNF stretching, the same chi generation and chi connectedness are required. With a doctor, the patient can do isometric contraction easier than in the case for chi kung. Yet, the patient has not been chi or chi-kung trained. Therefore it is all left to the doctor to feel the muscle tension (a proxy for chi connectedness) of his patient. And the reason why PNF stretching works better in clinical cases is that people with weaker physique, as most experienced chi kung instructors can tell you, can generate chi faster.

In conclusion, if you want to reap the benefit of PNF stretching, and that you are not a clinical case, I suggest you learn some tai chi chi-kung and practise as per method above.

PS: Please also refer to my previous post on PNF stretching concerning a more detailed discussion on techniques.

Nelson mandela

May the great man rest in Peace.

Universal values are great things to fight for.
Some of us are happy to live with them, and some still fighting for them.
When the time these values led to greater prosperity, the option was simple.
When the time these fights were still in our memory, the road was clearer.

When our spiritualists say they have nothing to do with dirty politics, it benefits whom?
When high moral grounds have already been in everybody's mouth, which road can lead to freedom?
When high ethics leads to poor economy, who cry?
When prosperity has nothing to do with spiritual values, who still want to pick up the fight?


May our great man rest in Peace.

The mathematics and Tao of I Ching

I Ching oracles consists of 64 sets of double trigram. So, if you ask I Ching for an answer to a certain question, it will give you one of 64 unique answers. Each trigram consists of three full or broken line. The trigrams are placed one on top of the other, ordering is of the essence, i.e. changing the up down positions will change the meaning.

The number of trigrams = 2 x 2 x 2 = 8
The number of hexagrams (oracles) = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64

To this mathematics, people gave it various meanings, with different texts written on each by many scholars and sages (by the way, good sources to study Chinese culture). The meanings are derived from a reading or interpretation based on, but not limited to, the followings:

1. Full line means Yang, broken line means Yin - each enriched with cultural meaning.

2. Each of the eight trigrams connotes different quality as signifies by different aspects of nature or natural phenomenon (namely heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain, earth) - each enriched with cultural meaning.

3. A hexagram (the Divine reveal) is viewed as a result the combined effect of its two trigrams - the meaning of which is subjected to the interactive effects of the two trigrams, such interactive effects are also enriched with cultural meaning.

4. The six lines in each hexagram can also be viewed as individual Yangs and Yins and having singular or combined impact on the whole hexagram. In particular, there is a temporal element in the order of the line, specifically, the lower the line, the earlier the reflection on the stage of development of a situation.

Hence a I ching oracle does not give you a limited number of 64 unique answers (as the I-Ching oracle internet sites might have told you so). The interpretative possibility is vast, but grounded in metaphysical entities with cultural subtexts (like Yin, Yang, water, fire etc with their rich culturally interpretative possibilities, which also means that it is not anything goes).

If you think that the above is not enough to boggle your mind, I shall introduce you to the element of change. This is actually the core of I Ching (The way of Change) which many people overlook because they have already been dazzled by the complexity of the hexagram interpretations!

How about change? Chinese are pragmatic, they believe in fate, but they also believe in looking closer to see what true fate is hidden behind an apparent fate (like losing one leg can save one's life because one is therefore not being recruited as a soldier to be killed in the coming peasant uprising; and perhaps fate destines one to be a high level official in Court, losing one's leg gives one less than average opportunity to find a better wife, therefore spend less time trying to do so, and therefore more time being reserved for studying the classics, which eventually leads him to pass the Imperial Exam with flying grades. Interpretive opportunities are limitless!)

What is the true fate hidden behind its original shallow manifestation? And what shall I change (my behavior for example) so that fate will lead us to a brighter future?

To this end, there are a number of mathematical juggling and accompanying opportunity for interpretations:

1. How about changing all lines in the hexagram to its opposite and to see what the end hexagram is like? (And how about changing only the top trigram or only the bottom? And how about...) Action-wise is like, but not limited to, doing the opposite of what we are doing now.

2. How about changing the positions of the trigram, top to bottom and bottom to top? (And how about doing 1 after 2?) Action-wise is like, but not limited to, changing the sequence of action (like invest now and spend later, rather than vice versa.

3. How about changing the top line with the bottom line in the hexagram? (And how about the next top one with the next bottom one). Action-wise is like, but not limited to, listen to what the old man (or young kid) has to say.

The most honorable Confucius, after studying I Ching in great details，praised it highly, and wrote a book on it, concluded that those who understand I Ching do not need to ask I Ching. 善易者不卜

Confucius understood Tao.

What does that mean? Perhaps you should ask I Ching....

...

I Ching Hexagrams

What is spirituality?

In the briefest sense, spirituality is the pursue of spiritual attributes like long-suffering, tolerant, sober, courageous, humble, sincere, faithful, loyal, pleasant, joyful, prudent, active, steady, compassionate, affectionate, steady, unselfish etc. Like many things of value in life, good but very difficult to attain. You feel you are lacking, and you want to have some. You look for help and your search the internet. There you find loads of wise prose or verse, using everyday examples or mythical terms, about spirituality and spiritual attributes.The value of spirituality is praised. And you agree with such wise talks that remind you that you should be humble, sincere etc. And the most beautiful thing is these great qualities are all there within you, you got it already, you just forget about the fact that they are there. These wisdom writers just remind you of this beautiful self of yours.

So you are happy! Afterall happiness is all we are seeking, isn't it? And you got it, fair deal for the time you spent reading the stuffs. After a week, for some it might be a few hours, you again feel that you are lacking in spirituality. You open your browser and another spoonful of spirituality.

In the contemporary world, a belief in the metaphysical is lacking or insufficient (with good reasons), many people are seeking more effective tools to help their spirituality. Not only by reading spiritual writings, but also by physical practices that can shape our body and mind, and in psychological terms, develop our personality, for the better. Figuratively speaking, to tame the barbarian inside. And it is here that mind body practices like tai chi comes into the picture.