Integrating
According to TheFreeDictionary.com, the word integrate means:
1. To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify…
2.a. To join with something else; unite...
b. To make part of a larger unit
When I think about integrating, bringing all parts together and making something whole, I think about Chinese philosophy. I remember that as traditional Chinese thought would have it, all descends from the Wuji, the one, the direction, ultimate emptiness, the state of undetermined nature, or pure potential. Tai Chi, which translates as “infinite, ultimate” is two: the duality of yin and yang. When we consider the yin/yang pictogram, we notice that they white and black are equal, complementary opposites. There is also a little bit of black in the white and a little bit of white in the black, reminding us that one cannot exist without the other. We could not totally understand what white is if we did not know the existence of black, the opposite. Three is San Bao or the Three Treasures: solid (posture), self (breath) and space (mind focus). The four directions, the five elements, all descend to the 10,000 things, otherwise known as “the complexity of daily life”. If Wuji is peace, then Tai Chi is the closest we can get to peace in our earthly lifetime. Sure, every once in a while we get a glimpse of that peace, but in our earthly life, that little bit of chaos or discomfort intrudes. Balance and harmony are not created by pure bliss: they are created by half struggle, half bliss.
So, as we grow in our practice of qi cultivation, we remove tension and with intention move our attention from the 10,000 things of daily life to the Three Treasures, to Tai Chi, all the while making us whole by bringing all parts of our understanding together. Integrating my Tai Chi and Qigong practice into my daily life, integrating various aspects of qi cultivation, integrating all that I learn about qi and traditional Chinese thought and medicine into my way of being for personal growth is important...essential even, as we know that the only way to change the world is to first change ourselves. One of my favorite Lao Tse quotes speaks to the importance of making ourself whole, healing through cultivation.
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.” (Goodreads)
Substitute loving kindness, compassionate understanding, forgiveness, gratitude, acceptance, or generosity for the word peace. Healing the world has to do with another aspect of integrating: the idea of unifying, joining with something else, recognizing ourself as a part of a larger unit.
For me a major transformation began to happen as I recognized the inter- connectedness of all things and beings.
There is a Zulu proverb called Ubuntu that says: “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu explained it this way: “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu — the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness … We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.” (Clinton Foundation)
I can cultivate all I want on a personal level, but unless I share it, my self-transformation is useless. Jiaye, the hermit monk, cultivated his qi in silence and solitude for years. When he was discovered, more and more people came to see him, disrupting his solitude and cultivation. He said that he has accepted this as the way of the Dao, the way things are supposed to be. He humbly understands that he is meant to share his journey, his cultivation and his insights with others, that his humanity is tied to ours, and that sharing his cultivation practice and insights can spread out to the whole of humanity. We are the cure for all that ails our planet and all that inhabit it, one smile, one breath, one thank you, one apology, one gift, one hug, one beautiful thought, word or deed at a time.
I find that in my qi cultivation, I am constantly learning, constantly integrating all I learned in China along with all I continue to discover as I practice Tai Chi and Qigong.
I am a reader, (and an audiobook listener). Here are some seminal texts of Qi cultivation as well as modern texts related to connecting with the higher self that I have enjoyed. Beautiful sounds and reading lead to beautiful thoughts, which lead to beautiful action, loving kindness, compassionate understanding, generosity...in short a greater awareness of Ubuntu, making the world a better place for all.
Here is a short list of some of my favorites:
Tao Te Ching - Stephen Mitchell, translator
Secret of the Golden Flower, Thomas Cleary
The Book of Harmony
The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff
The Healer Within, Roger Jahnke
The Healing Promise of Qi, Roger Jahnke
(To be continued. In the meantime, enjoy these photos and this practice which will help you discover qi.)
PRACTICE: Brush Knee, Send Qi
According to TheFreeDictionary.com, the word integrate means:
1. To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify…
2.a. To join with something else; unite...
b. To make part of a larger unit
When I think about integrating, bringing all parts together and making something whole, I think about Chinese philosophy. I remember that as traditional Chinese thought would have it, all descends from the Wuji, the one, the direction, ultimate emptiness, the state of undetermined nature, or pure potential. Tai Chi, which translates as “infinite, ultimate” is two: the duality of yin and yang. When we consider the yin/yang pictogram, we notice that they white and black are equal, complementary opposites. There is also a little bit of black in the white and a little bit of white in the black, reminding us that one cannot exist without the other. We could not totally understand what white is if we did not know the existence of black, the opposite. Three is San Bao or the Three Treasures: solid (posture), self (breath) and space (mind focus). The four directions, the five elements, all descend to the 10,000 things, otherwise known as “the complexity of daily life”. If Wuji is peace, then Tai Chi is the closest we can get to peace in our earthly lifetime. Sure, every once in a while we get a glimpse of that peace, but in our earthly life, that little bit of chaos or discomfort intrudes. Balance and harmony are not created by pure bliss: they are created by half struggle, half bliss.
So, as we grow in our practice of qi cultivation, we remove tension and with intention move our attention from the 10,000 things of daily life to the Three Treasures, to Tai Chi, all the while making us whole by bringing all parts of our understanding together. Integrating my Tai Chi and Qigong practice into my daily life, integrating various aspects of qi cultivation, integrating all that I learn about qi and traditional Chinese thought and medicine into my way of being for personal growth is important...essential even, as we know that the only way to change the world is to first change ourselves. One of my favorite Lao Tse quotes speaks to the importance of making ourself whole, healing through cultivation.
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.” (Goodreads)
Substitute loving kindness, compassionate understanding, forgiveness, gratitude, acceptance, or generosity for the word peace. Healing the world has to do with another aspect of integrating: the idea of unifying, joining with something else, recognizing ourself as a part of a larger unit.
For me a major transformation began to happen as I recognized the inter- connectedness of all things and beings.
There is a Zulu proverb called Ubuntu that says: “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu explained it this way: “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu — the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness … We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.” (Clinton Foundation)
I can cultivate all I want on a personal level, but unless I share it, my self-transformation is useless. Jiaye, the hermit monk, cultivated his qi in silence and solitude for years. When he was discovered, more and more people came to see him, disrupting his solitude and cultivation. He said that he has accepted this as the way of the Dao, the way things are supposed to be. He humbly understands that he is meant to share his journey, his cultivation and his insights with others, that his humanity is tied to ours, and that sharing his cultivation practice and insights can spread out to the whole of humanity. We are the cure for all that ails our planet and all that inhabit it, one smile, one breath, one thank you, one apology, one gift, one hug, one beautiful thought, word or deed at a time.
I find that in my qi cultivation, I am constantly learning, constantly integrating all I learned in China along with all I continue to discover as I practice Tai Chi and Qigong.
I am a reader, (and an audiobook listener). Here are some seminal texts of Qi cultivation as well as modern texts related to connecting with the higher self that I have enjoyed. Beautiful sounds and reading lead to beautiful thoughts, which lead to beautiful action, loving kindness, compassionate understanding, generosity...in short a greater awareness of Ubuntu, making the world a better place for all.
Here is a short list of some of my favorites:
Tao Te Ching - Stephen Mitchell, translator
Secret of the Golden Flower, Thomas Cleary
The Book of Harmony
The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff
The Healer Within, Roger Jahnke
The Healing Promise of Qi, Roger Jahnke
(To be continued. In the meantime, enjoy these photos and this practice which will help you discover qi.)
PRACTICE: Brush Knee, Send Qi
- Begin in Horse Stance
- On the right side, to begin Brush Knee, Send Qi, turn your energy ball over by moving your hands clockwise to form an energy ball so your left hand is on top with palm down and right is on the bottom, palm upward.
- Slowly, both hands drop downward.
- The left hand floats across the front of the body and brushes past the knees. The right hand that drops down by the side of the body continues backward, then rises forward as if you are swimming.
- The waist turns to carry the “swimming” right hand past the ear to “send Qi.” The weight shifts slowly toward the side to which you are turning to and sending Qi. The left “brush knee” hand finishes facing palm downward at the side of the leg.
- Bring the right hand (the send Qi hand) on top of the energy ball, palm down and the left “brush knee hand” upward to “hold the ball”, palm upward.
- Reverse the direction, repeat as desired.