Sixteen - Stillness
“Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.”
In zazen, one of the crutches that the beginner (read Clay here) uses is to focus on the breath. The practice of meditation is the practice of stillness. When the mind is stilled the eternal present is absolute. The crutch of focusing on breath is significant. Ch’i or Ki (in Japanese) is both breath and more than breath. It is the essential life energy of the universe. In a metaphorical sense it is the lifeblood of the Tao. When we breath, the flow of Ch’i is apparent. Stilling the mind, as I have said, seems almost impossible to me. Thoughts come bubbling up, exploding on the stage of the mind’s eye dragging our attention away from emptiness.
Lao Tsu implores us: “Empty yourself of everything.” How is this done? By the spiritual practice of meditation. Ben Wren knew this when he taught his Zen classes at Loyola. When you were interested in taking the course, you had to go to Father Wren and talk with him in an attempt to get his approval to take the course. Nobody was allowed into the course unless they had Wren’s permission. The reason was that the class required a level of commitment far above any other course offered at the university. It is not enough to study Zen intellectually. One could never understand, in any meaningful sense, Zen without participating in the spiritual practice of meditation. So, as I undertook this attempt to reacquire the thread of my life as I wrote about it in the initial post of this project, I knew that it was not enough to read the Tao Te Ching and write about it in this blog. It was essential that I reinvest myself in the dharma practice of meditation.
I hope that anyone who is following this blog will do the same. In Wren’s Zen class zazen, or sitting meditation, was not the only form we undertook. We also learned and practiced the long form of Tai Chi Chuan nearly every day. We also practiced kinhin, or walking meditation. And finally, we participated in European folk dancing as a form of meditative practice. All of these forms of meditation are deeply tied to the balance of Ch’i in the human person. Focusing on Chi helped us to understand in a visceral sense that, in the end, the line between the self and the rest of existence is merely artificial. Thus: “Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.” No stupid theory of Medichlorians necessary….. (That’s a Star Wars joke, for those of you who aren’t total geeks like me).
My health has left a lot to be desired over the last couple of years. I have been investing myself in this project of reacquiring the thread of my life for about three weeks. Starting sometime last week I began to feel better than I have in years. I have been exercising everyday and meditating everyday. I am convinced that the realignment of my Ch’i, whether metaphorically or literally, is responsible for my feeling of wellness and wellbeing