A Religion Welcoming Meditation into Its Practice …

HOW THE POPE’S HERALDING OF THE VALUE
OF THE WORK OF FATHER THOMAS MERTON
OPENS DOORS FOR TAI CHI & QIGONG …

 

   A Religion Welcoming Meditation into Its Practice …

 

In honor of the Pope’s welcoming spirit, we thought that we might mark this occasion with doing something we have usually avoided in the past … which is, discussing the « spiritual dimensions of Tai Chi and Qigong. »  We stick to science, because science is embraced by all, so we find common ground there. But, as the Pope is teaching the world … we may be able to find commonality in our spirituality as well, and for many Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners the line between Tai Chi and Qigong as a health science, and a spiritual journey, has been blurred at times, if not fully embracing one another in profound ways at times. This is a sticky topic, because many Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners are atheists who have their own wonderful Tai Chi journey.  Many Tai Chi and Qigong teachers are working to integrate these arts/sciences into public education, which demands that we only consider the scientifically proven aspects of these art (and that is good, we need this in schools). Again, Tai Chi and Qigong are not dogmatic religious practices … yet, we are multi-dimensional beings and aspects of our lives can overlap, and we chose this week of the Pope’s entreaty in America to explore this aspect of Tai Chi and Qigong. So, as I was saying, for many of us who have spiritual experiences in our lives, it is not unusual for Tai Chi and Qigong and Meditation to provide a clarity of mind that seems to enhance and result in spiritual insights where we see ourselves and our world in whole new ways. Which is another reason the Pope’s advocacy of the work of Father Thomas Merton is such a huge event for those of us who have had a spiritual component in our Tai Chi and Qigong practice and experience.  Now, for one of the world’s largest religious institutions to say it is okay to expand Eastern Spiritual Contemplative practices into their spiritual journey (which is what Father Merton’s work focused on), is a great affirmation what many of us have experienced in our personal lives and practice. So, to reiterate, those who are agnostic or atheist can absolutely enjoy profound benefits from Tai Chi and Qigong, and anyone can profoundly benefit from them as a medical science health practice … but now, according to one of the world’s largest religious institutions … it is now okay for them to also be part of our spiritual world, if we so desire. Our spiritual journey becomes freed to become what it is, we no longer have to try to restrict it to only wisdom from one culture, one teacher, or one belief system.  Like water, our spirituality can flow among all peoples and benefit from the wisdom of all peoples … One Man’s Report …  How Tai Chi and Qigong Grounded My Christian Understanding … and how it can do so for anyone of any religion … The « sinking » we talk about in Tai Chi requires an all encompassing « letting go » so that we can sink onto the Vertical Axis line and root into the earth.  This trains us in what I call « the art of letting go. » Many teachers have some version of the long elongation of the back as we bend, or roll, over and then just hang … allowing all the meat we are to just sag on the bone … and we surrender to the cleansing pull of gravity. When doing this, over the decades of practice, I have realized that it is impossible to let your heart just sag and release ourselves completely to gravity’s pull « if it [our heart] is still holding onto anger or resentment or grudges. » In my Christian education it was pounded into us how important it was to « forgive others » for wrongs they’d done to us.  I’d grown up thinking it was some grandiose act of will as if I were doing some holy favor to others to « forgive them. »  How do you go about the act of « forgiving, » in a real visceral way, not just as some intellectual effort we were told we must do? My mind-body practice showed me that that is not real forgiveness, forgiveness is letting go of my tight heart on a real visceral level.  I can feel it give and sag in my chest when hanging over in that Qigong exercise, as I think of letting my heart exhaling again and again and letting go of all the tight things its held, releasing them into gravity’s pull.  In effect, my heart is « sinking » the way a Tai Chi player’s relaxing body sinks from leg to leg in the forms. MY INSIGHT.  As we let our heart sag or sink in that Qigong exercise, we begin to realize that we feel better when our heart « lets go » of the tight things it holds onto.  We feel lighter and nicer and calmer and more present when we finish the Qigong letting go exercise.  Over time, I began to realize that « forgiveness » is not done as a favor to others, it is done because our holding onto those tight feelings … hurts us.  Now, it does make the other person’s life easier if we forgive them, but when we know in our most internal self on an utterly visceral level that this « letting go, » this « forgiveness » makes us feel better ourselves … well, that is a powerful spiritual insight.     Qi is About « Letting Go » So, again, Tai Chi and Qigong are NOT religions, and are mind-body sciences which can be taught in public schools. However, these internal arts can also reveal great spiritual truths, because profound spiritual truths are universal to ALL of humanity.  They unfold through us when we can relax open to them, at least that has been my experience.  I feel like I more deeply understand on a real tangible level things that I had only been able to entertain intellectually via my religious education, and as all great spiritual leaders have told us … what can be told … is not the real truth, it is larger and ever expanding and can only be experienced … not understood or articulated (see below religious quotes on this). And today, we see the Roman Catholic Church evolving, un-gripping, and opening to newer, higher, lighter ways of seeing the world we live in and to the universal wisdom of humanity … and Eastern spiritual practices, via Father Merton and Pope Francis’s role in that evolution. Science is now proving that meditative arts actually change the brain’s structure to make us function with more empathy and compassion, the empathy and compassion parts of meditator’s brains actually increasing in size as they integrate mediation into their lives.  This is complimentary to ALL religious and humanist philosophies, as compassion is the cornerstone of ALL major religions (see below). Therefore, Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation practices are friends and allies to ALL religious traditions, but again, Atheists can enjoy their benefits as well, because these practices will make Atheists’ empathy and compassion parts of their brains larger as well :-). One book we highly recommend is « The Biology of Belief » by a cell biologist, who points out that Charles’ Darwin’s epic book on evolution actually only mentions « survival of the fittest a few times.  What he most credits human’s evolution to the top of the foodchain with … is « LOVE. »  Darwin mentions the power of love, community, and compassion, as the glue that holds humanity together and enables us to work in concert, and THAT is what is responsible for our evolution to become the masters of the planet. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. — Lao Tzu, father of Taoism Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience … — Colossians 3:12 On the Universality of Spiritual Truths … Love thy neighbor as thyself. – The Bible   Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. — Lao Tzu       Kindness is a mark of faith: and whoever hath not kindness hath not faith. – Muhammad Never to turn aside the stranger, for it is like turning aside the most high God. – The Torah Full of love for all things in the world; practicing virtuein order to benefit others, this man alone is happy. – The Buddha Let us walk softly on the Earth with all living beings great and small, remembering as we go, that one God kind and wise created all. – Native American Psalm The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful. – Tao Te Ching  Allah created nations and tribes that we might know one another, not that we might despise one another. – The Koran Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you. – Socrates A man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbor as himself. – Hindu Psalm Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your mother, And all things as your brothers and sisters. – Shintoism, Oracle of the Kami of Atsuta This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you. – Brahmanism Don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you. – British Humanist Society Seek to be in harmony with all your neighbors; live in amity with your brethren. – Confucius The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves. – Roman Pagan Religion Don’t create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone. – Sikhism We affirm and promote respect for the interdependence of all existence of which we are a part. – Unitarian One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts. – Yoruba (Nigeria) That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself. – Zoroastrianism             On the Universality of Meditation … When you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen … when you pray do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask. – Jesus, Matthew 6: 5-8 The More You Talk of the Tao, the Less You Understand – Taoist verse Silence is the language of God. – Rumi, Islamic Sufi mystic