Tao of nature is like a mother who is always spinning forth primordial energy, yuanqi (ch'i) or life breath, nurturing all things in nature.1 She eternally gives this life breath, qi, to all of nature and never plays favorites. Tao always nourishes, eternally spins forth life breath, because it does not use up its qi in judgmental thoughts and selfish desires. This is why it can heal and does not die.
The "three fives" are joined together in the Yellow Court or Gold Pavilion and contemplate Tao. Ch'ing dynasty woodblock print from Xingming Guizhi. Left column text: Jing, qi, shen depend on me to be joined as one. Right column text: body, heart, mind, who ever separated them?
MEDITATING ON QI
Healing life power for the Taoist is called qi, primordial life breath. Each of us has life breath within us, stored in the belly (the lower cinnabar field) and regenerated in the pineal gland (the upper cinnabar field) in the brain. During the day we use up our life energy each time we make a judgment, lust after something with desire, worry, are angry or sad. Life breath is restored each night by sleeping, and during the day by meditating and by qi exercise.2 Qi exercise and meditation are important daily practices in the Taoist healing tradition.
MEDITATING ON WATER
Water is a very important concept in the Taoist healing and meditation system. With qi energy it symbolizes the action of Tao in nature. Water always seeks the lowest place, can fit into any space, and brings life to all living things. Though it is soft and yielding, nothing can withstand its power, not even the strongest metal or hardest stone. Since water always seeks the lowest place, it is closest to Tao. Since it is supple and yielding, water does not "contend," fits any container, and always attains its goal. Thus we are told to meditate on and be like water in our daily lives.
MEDITATING ON HEAVEN'S WAY
Know when enough is too much.
A blade too sharp will soon be dulled,
A room full of gold will soon be emptied.
Let it go! Do your work and move on.
It is the way of heaven and the four seasons to do their cyclical work and move on, never holding on to the good things of nature's abundance. Spring gives rain for plowing and planting. Summer gives heat for ripening. Autumn gives up its abundance in the harvest. Winter is for rest and contemplation. Nature always lets go of the good things it produces. Too much of any one thing brings floods, droughts, rotting crops, and freezing.
Moderation is a strict rule for the Taoist way of health. Never eat or drink too much. Always stop short before satiety in eating, and maintain sobriety in drink. The Taoist master will accept a modest drink of alcohol at a banquet or when toasting a guest, but ordinarily does not drink strong spirits. Monastic Taoists do not eat meat, fish, eggs, or milk products but do use garlic, spices, onions, and pepper. The rule of not eating meat is not absolute. When invited to a banquet or to a family feast, it is better not to offend the host. Taste small bits of meat or fish proffered at a banquet. Know how to stop before becoming full.
The rule of Buddhist ascetics forbids for religious reasons the use of spices and meat or other living creatures. For health's sake, the Taoists do not eat animal substances, but they do occasionally partake of meat when invited to a banquet, or when not to do so would offend the host. The rule of good manners, respecting the other, and positive judgment are always foremost in Taoist manners.
MEDITATING ON A CHILD
"Be like a child," the Taoist master teaches. A newborn child cries all day and is never hoarse. It has no hangups on sex. It eats, sleeps, does not carry weapons or contend. It does not get stung by bees or mauled by tigers. Its bones are soft, but its tiny fingers hold on to its mother with great strength. It is aware of breathing, does not say no, and thus can contemplate or "see" the transcendent Tao.
MEDITATING ON THE HOLLOW CENTER
"Be like a mother's womb," give birth and nurture, and then let go. Be like the empty hub of a wheel. If the center of the wheel is not hollow, an axle cannot be inserted, and the thirty spokes of the wheel are useless; they cannot turn. A bowl must be hollowed out to hold water. A room must be uncluttered and have windows and doors to be lived in. Only when we are empty, unselfish, are we good to ourselves and others.
MEDITATING ON WHAT'S INSIDE
Colors blind the eye, sound deafens the ear,
Flavors dull the taste, lust hurts the heart.
Value what is inside [Tao], not what is outside.
When the mind is filled with colors, sounds, tastes, and sensations, it cannot be aware of the presence of the Tao deep down inside. Tao eternally gestates life breath in all of nature. When the mind is emptied of concepts and images and the heart lets go of desire for things, the work of the Tao gestating in nature can be observed by the instinctive powers of the belly. In Taoist philosophy the mind is for knowing, the heart for desiring, and the belly for intuiting or sensing. By meditating from the center of the belly rather than from the mind or heart, one can intuit Tao's presence.3
MEDITATING ON LIFE'S DIFFICULTIES
One of the most important attitudes taught by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu is that disapproval, scoldings, opposition, and contradiction must be expected and welcomed as long as we are alive and functioning. "Be happy when scolded, fearful when praised," Lao-tzu Jokingly warns us. By the very fact that we are alive and successful at our work, difficulties and contradictions come to us. If we were dead, then difficulties would not occur. So value opposition as you value your life. Run from praise and adulation with distrust. Do not depend for your self-image on what others think of you. Only when we are totally selfless, when we lose the need for praise or approval, can we be entrusted with ruling ourselves, our families, and the state. The Chuang-tzu (see later in this chapter) is filled with stories illustrating this principle.
MEDITATING ON AN UNCARVED BLOCK OF WOOD
The uncarved block of wood is a symbol of simplicity used by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. If the mind and heart are carved into pieces by arguments and worries, the body becomes ill. Chuang-tzu tells of a huge gnarled tree too twisted to be used for lumber. Because of this children come to play in its shadow and birds to nest and sing in its branches. Lao-tzu tells the Taoist healer to go wading in a cold winter creek, to shiver in its purifying coldness. Live in a crowded tenement without bothering the neighbors. Be thoughtful of the host's feelings when invited as a guest; be sensitive as thin ice about to melt in spring, unspoiled as the flowers in a wild meadow, clear like a pool of still water unruffled by wind, fresh like new green grass by the side of a stream. To do these things one must envision oneself as an uncarved block of wood.
MEDITATING ON A GOOD RULER OR EMPLOYER
Lao-tzu warns the Taoist healer that the best ruler, teacher, or healer is scarcely seen or known. The next best is loved, the third best is feared, and the worst is hated. If workers don't trust their employer or political leader, students their teacher, or patients their doctor, nothing lasting will be accomplished. The best ruler or healer says little, and when his or her work is done, the worker or patient says, "I did it." This is because healing must be in the patient, and work must b&done by the worker.
MEDITATING ON STANDING ON TIPTOE
One cannot stand on tiptoe for very long, or walk very far on one's knees. Violent winds last less than a day and a torrential rainfall but a few hours.
