Don’t Judge.
As rain falls equally
on the just and the unjust,
do not burden your heart with
judgements but rain
your kindness
equally on all.
Anger.
You will not be punished for your anger,
you will be punished by your anger.
Thoughts.
Remember, With our thoughts we make the world.
Purpose.
Your purpose in life
is to find your purpose
and give your whole heart
and soul to it.
Namaste
Mark
“NEVER GIVE UP
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
Is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace In your heart
and in the world
Work for peace
And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up”
Namaste
Mark
My dear friends,
Following on from my post on the 17th July ‘Is it a difficult choice?’ I was answering a comment from a blogging friend re compassion and I thought, ‘Can we make ‘ Compassion and Love a Habit?’ …..And here we are, with that thought clearly in my mind I thought I would ask you the same question.
Question: ‘Can we make ‘ Compassion and Love a Habit?’
I would really appreciate your thoughts on this really important question, because if we can come up with answers to this we could be on to something and then find a way to get the message out via our social media groups and contacts to the world.
Please feel free to add your thoughts, ideas and suggestions, because together we are strong, and together we can make a difference and together we could bring compassion and love to others and we can make compassion and love a habit 🙂
Namaste my friends
Mark
Have you ever seen extreme poverty and hunger with your own eyes? I don’t mean on TV or on a Youtube video? Right there, in front of your eyes, to see that child or the adult sift through garbage with their bare hands and scrape a few mouthfuls of contaminated food scrapings!…I can tell you, it breaks your heart!
Namaste
Mark
Chronic back pain and me.
Do you, like me suffer from chronic back pain? Maybe its from a old sporting injury, work related injury from lifting incorrectly or from just sitting too long at your desk and using a computer?
Back pain is annoying, its painful, it comes at the perfect time to stop us enjoying our life’s and it can be very time consuming and expensive to manage and to treat. So, it’s about time we did something about it!
I’m probably one of the worst offenders, I spend far too much time each day; sitting at my desk and using my computer, which for the majority of the time is sitting at the wrong level (ergonomically) for me to sit in a healthy posture. I tend to look down at my screen instead of up, my fingers rarely leave the keyboard and as my typing skills are not as per the perfect typist (I.e using three or four fingers at most, instead of all 10) which leads to strains in my fingers and of course can lead to the potential of Carpal Tunnel in my wrists.
What is low back pain?
“Low back pain” which can be acute or chronic, is literally pain or discomfort of the lower lumbar region of the back. Acute back pain usually follows some kind of injury, often related to everyday activities such as housework, gardening, a sports-related injury or an automobile accident. Back pain that lasts for more than three months is classified as chronic.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are often described as muscle aches but can include shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight.
What are the causes?
Most cases of low back pain are due to strain on the bones, muscles, and ligaments of the spine. In some cases, however, low back pain can be due to such serious conditions as cancer or structural problems of the spine, which can cause nerve damage. Occasionally, lower back pain is due to a “slipped disk” (also called a herniated disk), in which one of the disks of cartilage that separates the vertebrae in the spine bulges out of place and presses on nerves. Often, a disk “slips” as a result of twisting while lifting, but the cause may not be identifiable.
Simple preventive steps can help eliminate recurring back pain resulting from improper body mechanics or from other causes of back problems that don’t stem from injuries.
Exercises that tone the back and maintaining proper posture are especially helpful. In addition, anyone with a tendency to develop back pain should learn to lift objects properly:
• Bend your knees and squat to pick up an object
• Keep your back straight
• Hold the object close to your body
• Avoid twisting
Choosing ergonomic furniture and tools at home and at work can also help avoid strains on the back.
What is the conventional treatment?
Most acute back pain will resolve on its own within two weeks without medical intervention. Whether lower back pain is acute or chronic, most cases are initially treated with over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce discomfort and with anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce inflammation. Sometimes, prescription drugs may be recommended for pain relief and to allow quality sleep. Cold and hot compresses may help reduce pain and inflammation and allow greater mobility, although they have not been scientifically proven to quickly resolve low back injury. Bed rest is recommended for only 1-2 days at most, and patients are advised to resume their normal activities as soon as possible. Massage therapy can be very useful in cases of acute muscle spasm causing back pain and problems with flexibility. Exercise may be the best way to speed recovery and strengthen back and abdominal muscles. Physical therapy may be recommended for more severe strains. In the most serious cases that don’t respond to other forms of treatment, and that involve compromised structures in the spine, surgery may be recommended to relieve pain caused by back problems or serious musculoskeletal injuries.
• Practice a relaxation technique daily: Options include mindfulness meditation (proven to ease chronic back pain), breath work, progressive muscle relaxation and hypnotherapy.
• Try Yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong, the stretches and slow movements can reduce muscle tension, strengthen the back and promote flexibility.
• Electrical stimulation: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) delivers low level electrical pulses to the lower back (you can get a portable device for home use). Percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) works the same way but delivers the pulses via needles inserted into the back rather than electrodes used with TENS.
• Exercise: Both aerobic and strength training exercises can help. Aerobic exercise includes walking, swimming or cycling, all of which can help strengthen the back. Aerobic exercise also burns calories and helps you lose any excess weight that may contribute to your back problem. In addition, perform strength training exercises at least twice a week to tone and firm the abdominal, leg and buttock muscles that help to support the back. Seek out proper instruction before embarking on a strength training program; using either free weights or weight machines improperly can defeat the purpose. Make sure you do some stretching or yoga for flexibility.
• Chiropractic care may be of benefit in the treatment of back and neck pain. Many chiropractors use a kind of manipulation called “dynamic thrust”: a low speed, high force movement often accompanied by a popping or cracking sound. Others use a low-force, high-speed method, known as the Activator method (incorporating a tension spring and plunger tool) that may be a better choice for older patients who could be injured by dynamic thrust.
• Acupuncture. Studies indicate that acupuncture can help to relieve several kinds of pain, including low back pain.
I have personally been going through many weeks of intensive treatments for my chronic back pain, I have had scans and MRI’s, X-Rays and all the normal forms of medical diagnostics, and the consensus is I have a disk that likes to pop out from time to time, I guess to keep me mindful that it is still there and still important as a member of by spine ☺ When this disk pops out it usually manages to trap a nerve while its out of alignment from my other disk’s, this then causes shooting pains down my back and leg, often stopping my completely, immobilizing me and causing me severe pain.
I try not to agitate it, I take things as easy as possible, I don’t lift heavy objects, I always bend my knees and squat properly to lift anything even the lightest and easiest of objects, I exercise as often as my back allows, Qigong and Yoga are my personal favorite forms of exercise and I meditate and use my own forms of personal healing including self-hypnosis and visualization techniques.
I also have deep nerve massages twice per week followed by acupuncture with TENS then Cupping.
Cupping therapy is an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin; practitioners believe this mobilizes blood flow in order to promote healing. Suction is created using heat (fire) or mechanical devices (hand or electrical pumps). There is reason to believe the practice dates from as early as 3000 B.C.; the earliest record of cupping is in the Ebers Papyru, one of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, describes in 1550 B.C. Egyptians used cupping. Archaeologists have found evidence in China of cupping dating back to 1000 B.C. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates (c. 400 B.C.) used cupping for internal disease and structural problems. This method in multiple forms spread into medicine throughout Asian and European civilizations.
Yesterday afternoon, I met with a Qigong Master, we met in a local park and I meditated while he manipulated my Qi (energy) to my lower back, I focused my internal Qi with his and the combination of the two energy forces worked in harmony together to reduce my pain to the point where it disappeared completely, I was totally relaxed, there was no tension in my body, I was stress free and my own body took control over the healing process, after my session in the park, I was able to walk freely and in fact walked home which is about four miles from the park ☺
I guess, alternative therapies and treatments are certainly a part of my life and they could also offer you some relief from your pain too.
Take care.
Namaste
Mark
Whilst looking for some information on Autism for a dear friend of mine, I came across this video about a little girl with Autism called Carly, I watched in amazement as Carly’s courage, determination, love and passion was revealed to the world through the dedication and love of her parents, family, friends and a team of dedicated care workers. I must admit, I shed a tear or two along the way but for those of you have come to know me you would say ‘Tears, Mark, oh yeah’ 🙂
Inside every human is love, we just need to help it come out 🙂
Namaste my friends
Mark
Fame or Life,
Which do you hold more dear?
Or Life or Wealth,
To which would you adhere?
Keep Life and Loose
those other things; keep them
and loose your Life?
Which brings sorrow
and pain
more near?
Thus we may see,
who cleaves to fame
Rejects what is
more great; who
loves large
stores gives up
the richer state.
Who is content
needs fear no
shame. Who
knows to stop
Incurs no blame.
From danger
free long live
shall he.
Lao Tzu
Namaste
Mark
Ummm, Interesting question, here is my list.
1. The Buddha
2. Mother Theresa
3. Albert Einstein
4. Plato
5. Nelson Mandela
6. His Holiness The Dali Lama
7. Lao Tzu
If I could have a second sitting I would choose the following:-
1. Winston Churchill
2. Deepak Chopra
3. Carl Jung
4. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
5. Henri Cartier Bresson
6. Oprah
7. Confucius
This is so difficult as there are so many influential people in my life or have touched my life in some way, actually, I would also love the chance to have my Mum and Dad back with me and sit either side of me, also my wife and four children, so thats another table of 8 including me, my closest of friends and other family members, all of which inspire me …the list goes on and on 🙂
Let me know your list and why?
Namaste
Mark
Thank You Osho for these very wise words.
I always feel sad when I see people picking flowers, I know we all appreciate the beauty of the flower and want to take it home, place it in a jug of fresh water and have the beauty in our home for a few short days, however; when we pick the flower we take away it’s life force and it dies. This is also the same for love, as Osho quite rightly says, Love is to be appreciated and it should not be possessed !
How often do we strangle our love by wanting to own the other person, tie them down to our love and only our love, we can be so possessive that we hurt the other person by smothering them with our love and confining them to our love! We don’t mean any harm but ‘Love hurts’ and we want the other persons love all for ourself.
Love is a beautiful thing, but it is not always the easiest thing to deal with, Love can drive us crazy, love can make us jealous, love can make us possessive, love can be blind, love can break our heart….but love is JOY, love is happiness, love is compassion.
Keep Love in your Heart
Give out some Love Everyday
Receive Love Freely
Be Love.
Namaste
Mark
Dream More. It’s great to dream, to visualize what we would like in our lives, its also nice to visit beautiful safe places in our dreams, our ideal world. etc.
Complain Less. Oh Yes, I fully agree with this one, but our Ego’s will argue against this point well! Be happy, Be Positive, Be Grateful and Give Thanks.
Listen More. Empathy is all about listening, my father told me when I was a young boy. ‘You have two ears and one mouth, use them in those proportions’!..Listen with the intent to understand, and your empathy will grow to your benefit.
Talk Less. Ah, this is an interesting one, ‘Talk is Cheep’ as the old saying goes!. Only talk when you have something useful to offer..Listen, think, then talk.
Love More. When Love is in your heart, you will be happy, give Love and you will receive Love….Simple as that .
Argue Less. Something that we often learn later in life! We go through our lives arguing about things of little importance and loose so much time in the process.
Hope More. Hope for the future, Hope for a better world, hope for peace…But action speaks too, so put some action behind your hope and it / they may come true.
Fear Less. This is an interesting one, Fear is often controlling our future, holding us back from a better, happier way of life, Fear can be overcome, one step at a time, put fear behind you for what it is…NOTHING! And it has no place in our lives.
Relax More. Give yourself some quiet time, meditate, have happy thoughts, be a child again and enjoy that moment in your life..and please do it as often as possible.
Worry Less. Worry get’s you nowhere, Worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing, worrying is destructive and can make us physically sick, the time we waste on worry, can never be reclaimed.
Believe More. Have trust and believe in yourself, push away your fears and doubts, celebrate yourself.. You can do it; you can achieve it, You Can, You Can, You Can.
Doubt Less. Doubt like Worry gets us nowhere, you need to make a decision when doubt comes knocking, don’t just sit there and worry.. Make a decision, trust your intuition and seek advice from your heart.
Play More. Get out and enjoy your life, celebrate your life with your family and friends, it’s never too late to play, play is not just for children, have some fun, bring some joy and happiness into your day and smile J
Work Less. We all have to work, well, the majority of us anyway! What I mean by ‘Work Less’; is, don’t become a slave to your work, take as much time out as you can to live your life, try to find sometime to stop working and see your life and give thanks for what you have in your life right now and don’t waste your time working for what you don’t have in your life; because when you achieve that thing in your life you will just want more…and on and on it goes!
Namaste
Mark
The love and deep compassion residing in our heart is a sign of us being at one with our God, it matters not which God we believe in because we all have our own faith and beliefs. When we are tuned into this love, we are at one with the universe and at one with all that is. We feel compassion, we feel love and we are guided by the grace of God.
To be in the heart is to be free of the everyday traumas that our lives bring to us. Love gives us freedom, it brings us joy and happiness, it is our destiny and our home.
The freedom that love brings to us reigns in the heart of many, as the community of life comes together in the oneness of all. To feel the breath of life in every moment and to live the essence of ‘now’ is to live within the heart and shine from the soul.
We are all blessed in the same way despite our differences in colour, creed or religious belief, we awake each day to the rising of the sun, the sound of the dawn chorus, the freshness of a beautiful new day, the gift of the sun rising in the sky and the gentle warmth that it brings to the dawn of our day.
Quiet your mind and allow it to be guided by your heart, be aware of who you are, your surroundings, your breath, feel the Qi energy flowing throughout your body, the pulse from our heart the gentle sounds in your ears, be at one with your mind, body and soul, give yourself praise, give yourself unconditional love and truly care about your own wellbeing and happiness. Follow your intuition, bring your mind to the ‘Now’ take a brief moment to be thankful for your new day, for the gift of love, for your happiness and give thanks to everyone that is special to you, your friends, family and loved ones, give your thanks with passion and seek guidance from the source of your inner love. Listen for its advice as it speaks to you through the darkness of night and the cold rain swept days. Seek out your inner child and listen to your emotions as they speak to you and teach you what is real and what is illusion. The heart will feel for you, the soul will know and the body will do.
Learn to live your life in a balanced way where your mind, body and soul are as one and in perfect harmony and flow as is ‘Ying and Yang’. Balance; like ‘Ying and Yang’ is critical for your wellbeing and your bodily and spiritual health, take your time to be at one with your health, allow it to talk to you to tell you where problems lie and how to address the weaknesses.
Give your love freely each day, Love thy neighbor, love thy spouse, love thy friend and love thyself. By living life in a loving way each day, it brings us joy, happiness and more love in return. ‘Karma at its very best’.
The recipe for happiness and a joyful, compassionate life are based upon living our lives in unison with others, keep truth, honesty, compassion for others and love in everything your do and you will always be blessed in return. Leave your doubts and fear behind you and reach for the stars.
Enjoy the journey of life, it is special, it is yours and yours alone, only you can make it a success. Live it well my friends.
Namaste
Mark
A very interesting article published in OM Times written by Deborah King http://omtimes.com/2012/07/healing-versus-curing/
As an energy healer, I am often approached by people looking for a cure to their illnesses and physical ailments. Most have already been to see countless medical doctors to no avail. Naturally, the doctors think in terms of curing the symptoms of a disease through medical procedures and drugs. But it’s equally important to look deeper into the patient to search for the underlying emotional cause, the root of the problem. And even with the best that both traditional and alternative medical systems have to offer, many times no cure is forthcoming.
What is crucial to understand is that “curing” and “healing” are not the same thing. Western medicine focuses on curing – that is, ridding the body of the disease or ailment and returning it to the state it was in before it became ill. Healing involves putting the body in a state better than it was before it was ill, because the origins of the problem that caused the illness have been addressed. Healing deals with so much more than just physical ailments; it encompasses your soul, your spirit, your mind and your body.
Everyone has something in need of healing, whether it is your physical health, your weight, your finances, your relationships, or your overall life balance. No one has everything perfect at the same time all the time, so we are all in need of healing. It is easy when a person is sick to focus solely on fixing their physical body and to ignore their mental, emotional and spiritual health when perhaps that is exactly where the key to healing lies.
You can treat a frequent headache with Advil or Tylenol and the headache will go away. For the moment, the headache is considered “cured.” However, if the stress causing the headache continues and no efforts are made to heal, chances are the headache will reoccur, perhaps even get worse, or the problem could show up in another physical ailment, like high blood pressure. This might be a good time to look into healing and examine closer what is causing the stress in the first place. What steps can be taken to remove this stress or alleviate it from your life so that your body does not respond to it with headaches? The path to healing may involve adding meditation to your life, taking more breaks at work, changing your schedule, eliminating some people from your life, finding more time to be outside in fresh air with nature, taking a warm bath – there are endless opportunities to explore healing methods and there may be more than one method that works well to reduce your stress. The good news is that once the stress is eliminated, then the headaches would be truly cured and healed.
So getting to the root of what is causing the symptoms and pain is what healing is all about. It is a process that is often lengthy and difficult. No one said healing your life would be simple, but it is possible. Traditional western doctors can be our partners in healing. There is much to be applauded by today’s medical advances and modern medicine can do much good for your body. When we are empowered at the soul level as well, however, we can learn to join forces with western medicine in helping to heal ourselves. And that is where the ultimate cure to your mind, body, and soul lies.
About Deborah King:
Deborah King is a Master healer and teacher whose New York Times best-seller, Be Your Own Shaman: Heal Yourself and Others with 21st Century Energy Medicine (Hay House 2011) takes you on a one-of-a-kind journey into the powerful esoteric world of healing.
Deborah travels worldwide, helping thousands of people transform their lives through her experiential workshops. Her online training program, 21st Century Energy Medicine, attracts those who want to become healers for themselves or others. She also hosts a popular weekly Hay House radio show.
Connect with Deborah at http://www.deborahkingcenter.com
Nothing else to say !
Namaste
Mark
Can you hold out your hand in friendship to someone or something today? Can you extend your arms openly to someone or something today?
We are all connected, we owe our fellow beings on this earth respect for whom and what they are and for what they bring to our world.
We are all connected, so share some happiness and love today, hold out your hands and extend your arms in peace, love and compassion.
Be one with everyone and everything today.
Namaste
Mark
Friendship
Of all the relationships we have, it is our friends who most directly reveal the kind of person we are.
If you want to really understand someone, have a look at their circle of friends, this will tell you what their values and priorities are- after all, as is often shown, birds of a feather flock together.
However, friends are divided into good and bad. The right sort of friend can help you a lot, but the bad sort can bring you a great deal of trouble, and many even lead you down the wrong pathway in your life. Having the ability to choose your friends wisely is a great skill and will stand you in good stead.
So what kind of friend is a good friend? And what kind of friend is a bad friend? And how can we make sure we make good friends?
If we take a look at Confucianism we can see that Confucius attached a great deal of importance to friendship and what effects friends had on a persons development. Confucius also taught his students how to make good friends, and avoid the bad ones.
Confucius said there are three types of friends in this world who can help us.
The first are straight friends (and, he did not mean heterosexual) J Straight here means upright, honest and fair-minded.
A straight friend is sincere, has a good heart, they have a bright, cheery and openness about them, without a trace of flattery. Their character will have a good influence on your own. They give you courage when you are timid and decisiveness and resolution when you are wavering.
The second are friends who remain loyal and trustworthy. These friends are honest and sincere in their dealings with others and they are never fake. Association with this kind of friend makes us feel calm, at ease and safe, they purify and raise our spirits.
The third type of friend is the well-informed friend, they possess a great deal of knowledge about a great many things, they love to read and have usually seen a lot of the world. When you find yourself dithering over a problem, unable to come to a decision, you would be well advised to see your well-informed friend. That friends wide ranging knowledge and experience will help you with your choice.
Having a well-informed friend is like owning a huge volume of encyclopedia; we can learn many valuable lessons from their knowledge and experience.
Confucius also said there are three types of bad friends, the ingratiating in action, the pleasant in appearance and the plausible in speech, and that to have these three types of friends is ‘to lose’. So how can we tell what kind of people they are?
By the ingratiating in action, Confucius meant flatterers, fawners, and shameless sycophants.
We often find these sort of people in our lives, they will always say things like ‘ That’s so brilliant’, whatever you do they will always say ‘ That’s amazing’, they will never say ‘No’ to you. On the contrary they will follow you and take their tone from yours, praising you and paying you compliments.
This type of friend has the great talent of weighing your words and watching your expressions. They change their direction depending on the way the wind is blowing. Making sure they never do anything to displease you.
They are the direct opposite to the straight friend. The hearts of these people are neither straightforward nor honest, and they have no sense of right or wrong. Their aim is to make you happy, but only so that they get something out of it.
As Confucius says, making friends with this type of person is dangerous!
Why?
After being told all the things you want to hear, and flattered into a state of contentment, it will start to go to your head, your ego will grow uncontrollably and you will become blindly self-centered and self-important, caring for nobody but yourself. You will loose the capacity for self-awareness and it will not take long for you to bring disaster down upon your own head.
This kind of friend is slow poison for your soul.
The second kind of bad friend is the one Confucius called ‘the pleasant in appearance’, or two-faced. They will be all smiles and sweetness to your face, positively beaming as they dish out the compliments and flattery. But behind your back they will spread rumors and malicious slander.
We often hear of people complaining ‘That friend of mine seemed so kind and loving, their speech was so gentle, their behavior so thoughtful, I believed they were my dearest, closest and most intimate friend’. I was so committed to them, I poured out my heart to them, told them my deepest secrets. But they betrayed me, abused my trust for their own benefit, started rumors about me, spread my secrets and destroyed my character. And when I confronted them, they had the shame to deny it to my face and put on a show of injured innocence for all to see.’
This kind of person is false and hypocritical, the exact opposite of the frankness and honesty of the loyal and trustworthy friend.
People like this are the true ‘pretty people’ p petty and with darkness in their hearts. However, these types of people often wear a mask of goodness. Because they have an ulterior motive, they will be very friendly towards you, they might even be ten tomes nicer to you than somebody with no hidden agenda. So if you are not careful and let yourself get used by this person, you will find you have fitted restraints to your own wrists, this friend will not let you go unless you pay a heavy price. This is a test of our judgment, and of our understanding of people and the ways of this world.
The third kind of bad friend is the one Confucius called ‘the plausible in speech’, referring to the people who brag all the time and exaggerate. Most people would now call them ‘Fast Talkers’.
There is nothing this type of person doesn’t know, and no argument they don’t understand. These people talk continuously, dragging you along with their momentum until you can’t help believing them. But apart for this gift of the gab, they have nothing else to offer.
There is a clear difference between this type of person and the ‘well informed’, which is that this kind of person has no real talent or knowledge. A person who is plausible in speech has a glib tongue, but nothing inside to back it up.
Confucius was always suspicious of glib people and their sweet words. They should speak less and do more. Confucius believed that it is not what a person says but what they do that matters.
Of course, in our modern society there has been a change in attitudes and values: if people with real talent and true scholarship cannot communicate effectively and do not get their meaning across, it will obstruct their careers and their lives.
However, if someone can only talk, and has no real skill, it is far more harmful.
If you want to make good friends, and avoid making bad, you need two things: the first is the desire to make good friends, the second is the ability to do so.
We know how important ‘benevolence’ and ‘wisdom’ are and they are key if we wish to make good friends. The desire to make good friends comes from benevolence and the ability to make them from wisdom.
Fan Chi one of Confucius’s students asked, “What did he mean by benevolence, Confucius answered with only two words: ’Loving People’.
Fan Chi then asked then what is this thing called Wisdom?
Confucius replied, again with just two words: ‘Knowing People’. To understand people is to be wise.
If we want to make good friends, we must first have a kind, benevolent heart, be willing to get close to people, and have the desire to make friends; second, we must have the ability to discriminate. Only in this way can one make friends of real value. Once you have this basic standard, you will be well on your way to making friends of the very best kind.
In a sense, making a good friend is the beginning of a beautiful new chapter in our lives. Our friends are like a mirror: by watching them, we can see where we ourselves fall short.
Make friends who are happy, and can take pleasure in their lives the way they are right now!
Almost everyone in China knows Tao Yuanming, one of the first recluses who would never compromise on his ideals, and who became the founder of the pastoral school of poetry. Tao Yuanming lived in rather straitened circumstances, but he had a very happy life. The Southern Histories tell us that Tao Yuanming had no knowledge of music, but he owned a zither. This zither was just a big length of wood; it did not even have any strings. Every time he invited his friends to his house, he would stroke this piece of wood, saying he was playing the zither, and he would pour his heart into his playing, sometimes playing for hours until he was weeping audibly. And every time he did this, those friends who really understood music were also visibly moved. Tao Yuanming would play out the music of his soul on his string less zither, while his friends drank wine and talked happily amongst themselves. Afterwards, he would say: ‘I am drunk and I want to sleep, you may go.’ The friends left without making a fuss, and continued to meet on similar occasions in the future.
Friends like this are true friends, because your souls share an unspoken understanding. And this kind of life is truly happy.
Namaste
Mark
Time Reversal
One of the most fascinating things to me in Qigong has been the Chinese fascination with longevity and immortality. Immortality is not living forever in the body you have today, it is to be aware of your eternal nature – before you die.
Interestingly, Laozi addresses this in the context of light in his poem #52, “using your own radiance return to the source of all light, this is the practice of entering eternity.”
In Qi cultivation this process is initiated at the practical level of health and healing. However, in the more advanced methods that are explored in the Heaven Phases, healing, longevity and immortality are gained by returning to one’s primordial or pre-birth nature and by merging with the timeless field of universal Qi. Many Qigong practices are focused on reversing time and returning to your pre-birth when there was no stress, no complexity, nothing to know, nothing to plan, nothing to remember.
Very recently, scientists have determined that our usual perception of time is not entirely correct. The arrow of time does not just travel forward in accordance with the clock and the sun, it also travels the opposite direction. I found this out while presenting at the Esalen-Noetic Science conference noted earlier. My roomate was the distinguished physicist Helmut Schmidt, who developed the digital random numbers generator (DRNG) at Boeing in 1969. This device, produces sets of random numbers that allow scientists to investigate non-local and quantum effects. In our conversations I was amazed to find that his work reflected the concepts that were so prevalent in the world view of the ancient Chinese Qi Masters. Talking Dr. Schmidt is a little like talking to Laozi, “When exploring the science of Qi, emphasize the mystery – anything else that you name it is probably wrong.” In his research Dr Schmidt has demonstrated that mind or consciousness influence the chance process in nature so that an outcome can reflect your intention. (50, 51)
This was further confirmed by Russell Targ (52, 53) a physicist who conducted the CIA research on remote viewing and Dean Radin of the Boundry Institute. (54, 55)In the discussions with these three luminaries of science it became obvious that there is a significant amount of research data that suggests that an influence can travel from the present to influence the past or from the future to influence the present. It has been found that this influence is potentiated by coherent function, aligning inner resources through mind focus and intention.
The possibilities that arise from this research are amazing. Healing may not actually be simply physiologic. In the light of time reversal, healing could as easily be caused by an influence going into the past and altering the development of health status even before a disease had occurred. This is connected to our discussion on possibility, probability and actuality. The set of “probabilities” that were on track to cause the “actual” disease would be altered by a signal or message that travels into the past to trigger an alternative set of probabilities. This would prevent the disease before it began and established a new history, a new set of “actualities”, for the person which begins to manifest in the past but is reflected in the present.
In an applied sense this means that in our practice of Qigong we may be influencing the past to affect the future or that our practice in the future has an effect on our present. Let this sink in. Your practice today may influence the past to alter your future. As your practice advances in the future the more powerful influence may be having an effect on you now. This Qigong effect could translate into new choices or behaviors. Or it could simply inspire us to increase the quantity or quality of our Qigong practice. Essentially, as this picture formed up in the discussions with Schmidt, Targ and Radin it became apparent that as probabilities become actualities it creates what is called our “world line” – a sequential set of probabilities that actualized. The time reverse effect suggests that, through intention an alternative set of probabilities actualize creating a new world line – a new you. This is exactly what the Chinese promise in Inner Alchemy and the cultivation of the Golden Elixir which is a spiritual medicine that creates peace of mind and a direct association with timeless nature of life.
Love
In the highest levels of Qigong it is an intention of the practice to become one with all life. Or as we havediscussed it may be more accurate to say — to realize that that you are of the One. Dissolving in Qi is essentially this, to melt into the universal field of Qi. To become one is to deeply associate with and accept oneness with everything. This is love. One of the most advanced states in Qigong is compassion and spontaneous service – love.
Interestingly, the writers in the domain of physics that I have drawn upon the most in my exploration of the Heaven Level of equivalents of Qi all talk about love. One of the first and most interesting things that I heard William Tiller say about the practical application of his findings in physics was, “We have an inherent capacity to resonate to the frequency of love, except for one thing – fear creates resistance in our circuitry.”
Love in all its forms – compassion, devotion, appreciation, gratitude, caring – create inner coherence. Love describes interacting with openness. Physicist Goswami suggests that the reality of quantum mechanics at the human level is love – where the “boundaries of the self are transcended through the experience of unity in spite of apparent separateness.” Shen, the Chinese word for Spirit is often translated as unconditional love – because in the ultimate sense personal spirit is associated with the One. In the most advanced forms of Heaven Qigong, sometimes called Shen Qigong, one enters into a form of practice where the self merges with the One.
Coherence
These universal interactions — whether through fields, consciousness or otherwise — suggest that the Chinese idea of the One and the relation that you can elect to have with the One is feasible. We can not decide to make the universe more coherent. The universal field is already coherent. However we can, through our practice, align with or enter into coherence with the inherent power of the universe.
Heart/Mind Equivalent
Consciousness, it appears, may be the primary or fundamental factor in our experience of what we know as as the cosmos or the world. It also appears that your own consciousness may actually be an aspect or a portion of a universal field of consciousness. In the Chinese tradition this is all consistent with the idea of the pervasive Qi of Heaven entering the individual and residing in the heart (Heart/Mind). This means that our heart reflects the One.
When the great masters who teach with life and compassion do their good work it is essentially, according to the Chinese, opening to the natural Yin force of Earth, opening to the natural Yang force of Heaven and allowing them to merge in the Heart/Mind center. By over coming the illusion of separateness that causes fear and worry the heart opens and the influence of Heaven and Earth pour through you and into your life, your work, your family, your community. When you purposefully cultivate Qi to eliminate resistance and the forces of the universe flow through you, it is an expression of the One. Complete surrender to all that is — that is openness to the One. Openness to all that is that is love and love resides in and expresses through the Heart.
Nesting — Embedding
The Multidimensional Human
Physiology – Earth internal, material, local
Bioenergy – HeartMind internal, non material, local
Biofield – Heart Mind internal/external, non-material, local
Quantum – Heaven Qi internal/external, nonmaterial, nonlocal
Of the four Western equivalents of Qi, only one is material. Yet, for most practical applications particularly in health and medicine, Western science has been completely focused on the material. Our science has definitely demonstrated the power to study, and apparently even control, the physical domain. The future of Western science is guaranteed to be awesome given only the smallest material portion of the multi-dimensional world and only a minor aspect of the multi-dimensional human has been explored.
The Chinese are contributing to our capacity to understand what looks like the limitless nature of our being. It appears that each of the levels of our self may be nested or embedded in the other levels. This can be viewed from bottom up as is typical here in the contemporary science of the West, or top down as in the more intuitive sciences of the ancients.
Bottom up – Western Science —
The body — physiology and biochemistry — is the conductive ground for the bioenergetic frame work which generates the biofield. These together provide the local framework for the interface of quantum/consciousness which is boundless and timeless.
Top down – Ancient Science —
The boundless and timeless ocean of Qi (quantum) creates the personal Qi Matrix (biofield), which infuses channels and centers (Dan Tian). This constructs and maintains the physical body ( structural and biochemical interactions).
This nesting integrates the parts into a whole. In our practice of cultivation we can either work from the Heaven Level down – which is not generally that easy to accomplish for people from our background in the material world — using Natural Flow Qigong, Circulating the Light or Guarding the One are examples of this. Or, fortunately, we can cultivate from the bottom up as well. This approach is the approach to Qigong that is open to everyone. Creating inner physiological coherence among the heart, brain, nervous system and other organ systems enhances the flow of the ions which maximize the capacity of the biofield. Western science has recently progressed rapidly toward understanding this. In addition, our coherent biofield very likely creates a positive relationship with or impact upon our interaction with the universal field of conscious or the quantum domain. While this aspect of the multi-dimensional human is going to be a big challenge for science, there are excellent Qigong tools for practice in this area that have been refined and improved for centuries.
Earlier we explored briefly the ancient formula for health and longevity. The emerging new formula that expresses the equivalents from the contemporary sciences of biology and physics for the knowledge of the ancients:
Inner Coherence = Information Exchange = Optimal Function
Western culture is experiencing a breakthrough to new knowledge about the fact that it is possible to purposefully enhance inner coherence through the methods developed by the ancients as well as some more recently developed self-improvement methods. The new formula for the use of personal practice to potentiate optimal function:
Practice + Intention =
Coherence = Information Exchange = Optimal Function
The ancient Chinese would declare that we can manage our relationship to the universal Qi to improve our lives through the practice of Qigong and Tai Chi. Western science is progressing rapidly to confirm this. The Chinese would declare that by doing the cultivation practices we engage our Heaven self (spirit, Shen) which enters into us to create the illuminated life. With current trends in energy medicine and quantum science we are, it seems, close to this same discovery in the West. Will we solve the Mystery in the West through our sophisticated scientific methods? The ancients would predict that there is quite a bit that you can uncover about the nature and benefits of the Qi, but that it is unlikely that we will solve the ultimate mystery known as Tai Xuan – Supreme Mystery.
Paradoxically, it has become apparent that way before Einstein, the ancient Chinese were doing medical research that was completely consistent with modern physics. This fact is having a major impact on contemporary science and causing a radical new trend to use the framework of quantum era physics to investigate medicine, healing and human potential. From its earliest history, Qigong has been associated with a mysterious and wonderful inner medicine, the Golden Elixir, which is based in Qi and the universal field of potential. The ancient theory that Qi is everywhere has both frustrated and stimulated Western science. Western science has a strong aversion to unsolved mysteries. To solve the mystery of Qi, Western science will have to experience a radical transformation. Research in Asia and Western countries has led to speculation that Qi could be a multi-dimensional factor that may link specific components of the local world with unspecific and immeasurable fields of cosmic proportion into a dynamic, unbounded and unified web of life.
I hope you enjoyed this article on Qigong?
Namaste
Mark
Excerpt from:
The Healing Promise of Qi, Chapter 16, The Light of Science on Qi
McGraw-Hill; 2002 by Dr. Roger Jahnke ,OMD
Sources
48. Schmidt, Helmut. “The Mysterious Side of Psychokinesis (PK).” Esalen-Noetic Sciences Conference on Subtle Energy and Uncharted Mind. Esalen Center for Theory and Research (http://www.esalenctr.org/display/psi.cfm), 2000.
49. Schmidt, Helmut. “PK Tests in a Pre-Sleep State.” Journal of Parapsychology 64:317-31 (Sept. 2000).
50. Targ, Russell. “The Scientific and Spiritual Implications of Psychic Abilities.” Esalen-Noetic Sciences Conference on Subtle Energy and Uncharted Mind. Esalen Center for Theory and Research (http://www.esalenctr.org/display/psi.cfm), 2000.
51. Targ, Russell. Miracles of Mind: Exploring Nonlocal Consciousness and Spiritual Healing. Novato, CA: New World Library, 1999.
52 . Radin, Dean. “Time Reversed Human Experience.” Esalen-Noetic Sciences Conference on Subtle Energy and Uncharted Mind. Esalen Center for Theory and Research (http://www.esalenctr.org/display/psi.cfm), 2000.
53. Radin, Dean. The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997.
[Dr. Roger Jahnke, OMD – has practiced clinical Chinese medicine for over 30 years. He has traveled to China 8 times to research Qigong and Tai Chi in universities, hospitals, temples and sacred mountain sites. He is a co-founder of the National Qigong Association and is director of training and research at the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi IIQTC, http://IIQTC.org and http://FeelTheQi.com. Dr. Jahnke is the author of The Healer Within, which is widely used in wellness and health promotion programs, and The Healing Promise of Qi, which became an instant classic of mind-body practice and energy medicine. He, along with his colleagues have recently published the most comprehensive review of the Qigong and Tai Chi research literature in the American Journal of Health Promotion (AJHP). The Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher Training program at the IIQTC is considered by many to be among the most credible Teacher Training programs outside of China.]
My dear friends, I would like to add the following post from Master Zhongxian Wu, whom I had the pleasure to meet here in Shanghai a few months ago. Master Wu left an everlasting impression on me and I will remember his words and his teachings forever.
1. Introduction
The first time I picked up LaoZi’s DaoDeJing 道德經, I could not truly understand one single sentence. I found this interesting, as I already had a solid foundation in classical Chinese literature. The very first sentence, 道可道非常道DaoKeDaoFeiChangDao, which literally translates as “The Dao that can be the Dao is not the constant Dao” initially felt like a maze to me. I used my knowledge of classical Chinese to interpret the meaning as “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.” Still, I felt slightly puzzled.
After some years of a dedicated inner cultivation practice, I picked up the book again and I found that could understand it a little bit more than before. When reading the first sentence again, I decoded a different interpretation: “The Dao, discussed in any language, loses its original meaning.” In other words, we cannot truly understand the Dao simply through words alone. The way to access the Dao is through direct bodily experience. In order to gain experiential knowledge, you must be seriously committed to your inner cultivation practice.
I have had a concentrated focus on Qigong, Neigong, marital arts and other internal cultivation practices since the 1970s. I continue to come back to the DaoDeJing again and again. Each time, I gain insights based on the layers of meaning that reveal themselves to me. Now, the very same opening sentence tells me that the entire book is not a text that passes philosophical truths to us. Behind the words is a powerful teaching encouraging us to use our cultivation practice to connect with the Dao and Xian 仙 – immortality.
Over the last twenty years, I have been preparing to write a commentary on DaoDeJing from a Qigong/internal cultivation perspective. In this article, I will share a small piece of my project with you.
2. ZhiQiDongLai 紫氣東來
ZhiQiDongLai is a popular Chinese phrase often used as a prayer or charm. It is very common for Chinese families to post this above the entryway of their home as a blessing. ZhiQiDongLai literally translates as “purple colored Qi comes from the East”. The phrase originates from the birth story of the DaoDeJing:
In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (circa 770-256 BCE), there was a famous astronomer named YinXi 尹喜. One evening while he was reading the sky, he noted a mass of purple colored Qi accumulating in the East. He was astonished by this natural phenomenon, and recognized it as an omen indicating that a great sage or truly enlightened master was traveling from the eastern direction. He made a predication about the master’s travel route – passing through HanGuGuan 函谷關and arriving in LouGuan 樓關. YinXi subsequently traveled to LouGuan and built himself a hut to wait for the master’s arrival. After several days, an old man with long gray eyebrows and beard rode towards his hut. He was riding on a green colored ox. YinXi immediately understood that this was the person he had been waiting for. He invited the old man to be his guest in his hut, hoping that he could study with the old master. The old master, LaoZi, saw that YinXi was seriously committed to his own inner cultivation and agreed to spend some time teaching him.
After three months had passed, LaoZi decided he was ready to keep traveling onwards. YinXi humbly requested that LaoZi write down some teachings for him before he left, so that YinXi would be able to continue his studies even if they would not have a chance to see each other again. LaoZi consented, extending his stay to write what we now know as the DaoDeJing for his student, YinXin. YinXi continued to live a hermit’s life in LouGuan, continuing his cultivation practice with the guidance of LaoZi’s DaoDeJing. Years later, after YinXi achieved true enlightenment, he wrote the renowned Daoist classic WenShiJing 文始經.
From this creation story, we see that the original purpose of the DaoDeJing is to provide guidance for our spiritual cultivation. It is a great blessing to create opportunities that allow you to focus on our spiritual selves. Through our Qigong practice we can continuously refine our study and understanding of the DaoDeJing.
3. The Wordless Teaching
In general, the first chapter of each of the Chinese classics reveals the purpose of the rest of the book. Consequently, it is always worth spending extra time on the first chapter so that you can get a real sense of the spirit of the book.
Please allow me to make a set of GongFu 功夫 tea so that we can savor the first chapter of the DaDeJing together slowly (please read my book, Vital Breath of the Dao, if you are interested in learning more about the GongFu tea ceremony).
Let us sip our tea and discuss the first line of DaoDeJing together.
Dao 道
Ke 可
Dao 道
Fei 非
Chang 常
Dao 道
The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.
Tea Commentary: The original meaning of Chinese character 道 (Dao) is simply a trail, road, or path on which to walk. Later on, the meaning expanded to include rule, law, way, method, and the spoken word. In traditional Chinese philosophy, the Dao also refers to the way of nature or the universal law. In the first sentence of the DaoDeJing there are three Dao characters. The first and the third instances use Dao to mean the way or the method, while the second occurrence is used to mean speak or express.
The hidden meaning of this line is as follows:
The ways that are expressed in our daily lives, such as those pertaining to politics, business, and knowledge do not provide the pathway to the Eternal Dao – immortality or true enlightenment.
The way to attain the Eternal Dao is wordless. The path to the Eternal Dao involves gaining a deep understanding of your physical body, your Qi body, and your spiritual body. That is because the path to the Eternal Dao is not mental or verbal. Rather, it is experiential.
We reach the Eternal Dao through the same method as we enjoy our tea. We savor the tea, experiencing it directly through our senses – by tasting, smelling and seeing it, and by being in touch its affects on our bodies – that we accurately understand the rich and subtle complexities of the tea. If I tried to describe the flavor, fragrance, and color of the tea to you and never offered you the opportunity to savor the tea yourself, you would gain some superficial knowledge about the tea but you would never grow to truly understand it.
We learn about the Eternal Dao not only through the Dao of tea, but also through the Dao of Qi. Traditional Qigong forms serve as another pathway to the Eternal Dao. By cultivating our Qi, we learn to experience the Eternal Dao through our bodies, our breath, and our spirits.
4. Conclusion
Guan觀, which means observe or observation, is one of the traditional names for Qigong. Guan is also the name used to refer to all traditional Daoist temples in China. For thousands of years, Daoist temples have been much more than regional sites for ceremony or religion. Traditional Daoist temples have been and continue to be havens where Daoist masters, following LaoZi’s teaching, diligently practice various methods of Guan, or inner observation. Guan is both the secret and not-so-secret method of LaoZi’s own Qigong and inner cultivation practice.
The lineage of LaoZi’s teachings is known as the Hidden Immortal Lineage or Dragon Like Lineage. This name came about through Confucius. One day, Confucius returned from studying with LaoZi. His students, curious about the mysterious master, asked Confucius what he thought about LaoZi. Confucius replied: “LaoZi is just like a dragon.”
In China, the dragon is the most common icon, replicated on businesses and temples, in homes, on paintings, ceramics, clothes, etc. However ubiquitous in Chinese culture, the dragon itself is still a mystery – both seen and unseen, ever present but little understood.
Similarly, although the DaoDeJing is arguably China’s famous book, most people don’t realize that the DaoDeJing is actually LaoZi’s cultivation handbook. The secret to understanding the DaoDeJing is not a secret at all. Through a committed inner cultivation practice and guidance of an illumined master, you can decode the enigmas within these five thousand words and find the path to the Eternal Dao.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to express my gratitude and appreciation for my wife, Dr. Karin Taylor Wu, for her helpful suggestions and her editorial assistance.
Master Zhongxian Wu is the lineage holder of four different schools of Qigong, Taiji and martial arts. Since 1988, he has instructed thousands of students, both Eastern and Western in ancient Chinese wisdom traditions. Master Wu is the author of Vital Breath of the Dao, Seeking the Spirit of the Book of Change, The 12 Chinese Animals, Chinese Shamanic Cosmic Orbit Qigong and of Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong. He synthesizes wisdom and experience for beginning and advanced practitioners, as well as for patients seeking healing, in his unique and professionally designed courses and workshops. For detailed information, please visit http://www.masterwu.net.
Namaste
Mark
It was Midsummers day yesterday so my wife and I visited the Jade Buddha Temple here in Shanghai, China. We gave our blessings to The Buddha, presented our prayers in silence, took in the atmosphere and the heady smell of incense and sat a while beside the small fish pond and observed the fish, its a beautiful place, very tranquil, very quiet and the fish help me meditate. A beautiful few hours spent it peaceful silence and reflection 🙂
Namaste
Mark
Once, a group of students met an old lady sitting at the pavement under a lamp post searching for something.
They soon discovered that she had lost a needle. So they offered to help.
They searched high and low for it but to no avail.
Then, one of the students asked. “Auntie, where did you drop the needle?” The old lady replied, “ I dropped it in my room but it is too dark to search there, the pavement is much brighter…”
In life, we pursue and search everywhere endlessly for peace and happiness. But we forget that all these come from within us, our own heart,not elsewhere outside of us.
Just because somewhere else looks brighter doesn’t mean we can find what we want by searching for it there.
Peace and happiness is all within.
Namaste
Mark
Endless Light and Love 
