Total Exertion of a Single Thing

[Anonymous]

Bob, I wanted to break this out into its own thread. One day I’ll figure out what you’ve been trying to tell me.

So, I can easily see my practice as an interplay of yin and yang. And it is always in flux. But, I never go to the extremes. The space between isn’t the vacuum between. It is more about the middle of two extremes. It is both yin and yang as well as neither yin nor yang. I guess I’ve found the tai chi space which might be exactly what the Zen monk Dogen is trying to describe.

I don’t think this is emptiness.

That said, my practice doesn’t worry about the inside and the outside, what is internal to the body or external . As Bruce asks in his video lesson, Is there really a difference? I’ve been practicing this way: without any concern about inside or outside. I pay attention to the flux and just focus on working with it. Since everything is experienced inside our central nervous system, it is all inside. Perhaps this is one meaning of “the kingdom of heaven is inside you.”

I’m not sure. I’m just continue to practice and to use the trick of the CNS to produce extraordinary relaxation throughout the entire body. I’ll see where it takes me.

[Anonymous]

emptiness
is an existential paradox

It must be discovered and experienced personally

Lineages are important:
Tung Hai Chuan>Liu Hung Chieh>Bruce>James

Chang San Feng>Yang Lu Chan>Cheng Man-Ching>Sam Masich>sana shanti

Buddha>Bodhidharma>Dogen>Homeless Kodo> Uchiyama>Okumura

Mary>John the Baptist>Jesus>Paul

blood>blood vessels>muscle>tendons

they lead to realizing “emptiness”

once you realize “emptiness” personally it becomes your Rosetta Stone for understanding your path

Gautama Buddha raises a flower; Manjushri smiles = Rosetta Stone>emptiness

“emptiness” is impermanent,
nothing has an independent existence,
each thing or non-thing rises and perishes instantly

While meditating this summer I found my Rosetta Stone:
I realized “my existence before I was born.”

Some use a Koan (Has a Dog Buddha-nature or not?)

Some might find their Rosetta Stone in the crossing doing the Lake Palm Change.

Some might find it in “peng”

The Apostle Paul (who probably never had a personal meeting with Jesus before the Crucifixion) found it on the road to Damascus in Light.

Shazam!
seeing, but blind

From the existential paradox rises understanding that
Non-existence and existence co-exist
yin and yang co-exist
tendon and muscle co-exist
(before I was born=my non-existence,
my presence now=existence)

Even if this appears to be a mistake, we are still living in this existential paradox–
moment by moment living time
(Dogen, “Shobogenzo” 1235-1245, “Uji” Chapter in 1240)

So,
Tendon stores energy,
the spring-nature of the tendon is “totally exerted.”

Daoyin:

“yin”
inhalation
internal
leading (one translation of the Chinese term “yin”)
blood vessels constrict
totally exerting and focusing on mental/internal Yang, engaging the mind;
the more you work the yang,
the more your yin grows by non-effort
tendons store energy
“Lion Holding the Ball” (Bruce’s Posture 9: most appropriately learned by intermediate practitioners)
shen/spirit, pure total exertion of yang,
yin is hidden, individualness is erased
you and your surroundings are one,
experienceing the Dao

“Dao”
exhalation
external
guiding (one translation of the Chinese term “Dao”)
totally exerting and focusing on the tangible, external Yin
the more you work the yin,
the more your yang grows by non-effort
tendons release energy
jing/blood,
“Lion Opens the Mouth” (Yin Bagua, see Andrew Nugent-Head–Yin is a family name, not yin)
yang is hidden, maximimizing your potential as a human at one with your surroundings
you are in harmony with the Dao

“the total exertion of a single thing”
yin or yang
existence or non-existence

thus, the impermance of the moment is realized

this is No-Buddha-nature-Buddha-nature

IMO

[Anonymous]

So, I think I finally intellectually get where this goes. Although, intellectual understanding is not what we are seeking.

jing phase – master the blood.
Chi phase – master the CSF
shen phase – master the central channel and central chi
wu
Tao

I’m practicing and working with the central chi. All of my training to date was to integrate the whole body. All I experience is the movement of that central chi. I stop worrying about whether it is inside or outside. I’m concerned with the total exertion of it – the total exertion of a single thing. The truth is a may have been able to do this with any one thing for example breath. The key is that whatever that one thing is – it has to become my world, my existence.

If I can take it to the extreme, it will naturally and inevitably flip to its opposite: non-existence or emptiness.

So, I’d define the shen phase’s goal as the total exertion of the central chi. If I’m successful, I’ll should start to experience or get glimpses of emptiness. The key is you can’t seek emptiness. That’s impossible. Instead you have to commit to the total exertion of a single thing.

The approach that Bagua uses is particularly suited because the shen phase dumps relaxation into the muscles which reduces and helps eliminate the anxiety of the mind. Basically, your mind shuts the f’ up and enables you to be aware of the central chi without thinking and creating more and more yin and yang.

[Anonymous]

I like how you have weaved “total exertion” into your view.

Caution: I don’t fully “understand” or feel this principle.
Neither am I good at articulating it.

For example:
I keep changing how I apply inhalation and exhalation.
I just switched inhalation to apply to the “Dao” in Daoyin.
Intellectually it is a simple switch.
But it sure rattles my CNS.

The power of “the total exertion of a single thing” is that this present, and ever-changing moment-by-moment is not influenced by anything outside.

Anything and everything springs out of it.

Yes,
you can’t seek emptiness,
but what springs forth is sure pretty.

[Anonymous]

Hi Bob,

I’m back on the total exertion of a single thing. Now that I’ve figured out how Hsing-I is organized and how Tai Chi uses the physical manifestation of the tai chi space, I’m back working on understanding Bagua and the wu ji.

My current take is a little odd. I keep thinking about Bruce’s description. He said something like “the one thing that can be said about emptiness is that it has no discernible quality.” His words are exacting.

My point is that that’s it: what can’t we sense? We can feel and taste and touch and smell and see. When you add the psychic crap, the stuff that is normally only part of our unconscious or more simply put involuntary, you have the sum total of everything we can experience. Then add consciousness. We are aware. That’s about it.

Emptiness is everything else.

Bagua seeks to contain and use that which we have no ability to sense, wu ji. It is senseless.

[Anonymous]

Hi Jim,

“total exertion of a single thing” is the fundamental principle of a Japanese Buddhist monk, circa 1200-1253.
Nobody really understands it.
I certainly don’t.
But I like it.

In a single word: nondualism
Dualist traps are everywhere.

“emptiness” means that nothing is independent.
No absolutes behind anything.
Everything is dependent on something else.
Even “emptiness” is dependent on everything else.

Teacher 1: Can you grasp emptiness?
Teacher 2: Yes, I think I can.

Teacher 1: How would you grasp emptiness?
Teacher 2: (using his hand he grasps at empty space)

Teacher 1: You don’t know how to hold emptiness
Teacher 2: How do you grasp it, then?

Teacher 1: Teacher 1 seizes Teacher 2’s nose and pulls it
Teacher 2: Ouch! Ouch! You are going to pull off my nose!

Teacher 1: You can grasp emptiness only in this way.

emptiness grasps emptiness

Bruce’s emptiness “has no discernible quality” is DUALISTIC
One the one hand, everything else has discernible quality.
One the other hand, emptiness has no discernible quality.
This is Bruce’s illusion.

That there is “Emptiness” and there “is everything else” is DUALISTIC
This is an illusion.

I am deluded, too.
(Stephen Hawkins was often wrong, too.)
Ouch!

When “emptiness” is totally exerted,
there is emptiness only;

when form is totally exerted,
there is form only.

Fortunately, even illusion, psychic crap, Qi, black holes and mistakes are part of the total exertion of a single thing,
if we live duality in the manner of “the total exertion of a single thing” rather than trying to take flight from duality.

The Wind Palm Change moves the hands and arms seeking to contain and embrace wuji at the lower dantien, using it to pull the opponent’s nose off–
it is senseless.

but it might save your bacon

cheers,

bob

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