Dear J Thank you for your email. I wonder what the Yijing says about our interaction? This would be a good experience in aligning the text with material conditions - a process mediated by our own 'intentions'. Of course, material conditions and intentions continuously change - but the Yijng text remains constant. The efficacy of translation merely allows us to peer into the historicity of the text - to a lesser or greater accuracy. Indeed. 'words' are the business we are engaged in - and a question lingers as to whether it matters how these words are generated and received. An open-ended enquiry might allow for possibilities of 'being' that are firmly closed-off by precise answers. This is 'why' the individual lines of the Yijing 'move' and 'transform'. All Best Wishes Adrian
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How long we live is partly genetic and partly environmental. An important question is whether this balance can be altered through will-power? It may be that longevity - as in continuing to live - may have to be integrated with the development of 'enhanced' awareness regarding how life is to be perceived. This suggests that 'Immortality' is not just about living physically longer (as individuals can live longer simply through genetic 'luck') - but also cultivating a deeper and more profound understanding of what it is to be 'alive'. Conversely, an 'enlightened' being might not always possess a perfect body and could well have to inhabit a living vehicle not always optimised. Immortality must then be a relative concept and cannot be used to suggest, denote or support any form of intolerance or artificial (and superficial) standards of purity. Seeing through the fabric of physical existence at the very least allows an individual to suitably 'adjust' to physical circumstances as they inevitably 'change'. Indeed, 'change' is the essence of physical existence and the agency through which we - as individuals - acquire life in the first place! It is also the agency through which life will come to an end. The point is that physical life - regardless of how long it may last - still comes to an end. Therefore, immortality cannot be merely about a continued (cellular) existence and must include a transformation of consciousness. Even so, we all know people who have passed away young - or who have lived (and are still living) a relatively long time! On this note I am pleased to report that my father has turned 80-years old today!
Greetings to Everyone!
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I was contacted by many Qianfeng Disciples, practitioners and supporters from home (in China) and abroad! This was a very difficult and stressful time for the entirety of humanity! Many of you contacted me and described your personal experiences during these highly challenging times – for which I am very grateful! Obviously, these reports included detailed reports regarding your Qianfeng Daoist meditational and qigong practice – and the state of mind you were in at the time! Actually, my personal view on this is that as human-beings, we must experience many different situations and circumstance if we are to grow in understanding and wisdom! Things never remain the same – and nether can we. This is true even if we discover the empty mind ground through the stillness of the surface mind. This is important because although the outer world continuously changes – the Qianfeng Daoust method requires that we change ourselves inwardly, and we achieve this through an act of will! Indeed, wisdom is the by-product of attaining a ‘oneness’ of mind. This is the difficult first stage of Qianfeng practice that even many older practitioners struggle to attain! Stilling the activity of the surface mind allows the empty mind ground to be fully perceived and the inverted awareness of the ordinary (deluded) mind to be transformed and abandoned! This is how the inner journey of the Qianfeng School is accessed! There is no other way! Peace of mind comes from the stilling of the surface mind and the perception of the empty mind ground. The Covid-19 Pandemic prevented our physical movement (a very unusual situation) so that we could sit in our rooms and attempt to ‘still’ our inner minds! The Covid-19 Pandemic generated a state of fear and uncertainty – and many people used this highly unstable situation to motivate the strengthening of their inner searching! This is the correct way of using the uncertainty of the outer circumstances as a means to motivate the ‘stilling’ of mind and implementation of the Qianfeng Daoist methods! Through self-effort, we ‘still’ our minds and change the manner in which our physical bodies inwardly function and outwardly behave! There is an important lesson to be learned here. We all live in different countries and varying cultures. Stability in our outer lives is generally associated with the continuation of law and order within society – which is a good thing (providing it is just). This means that quite often we are not in a position to make any major changes in our external lives (other than in relatively limited personal choices) - so we have to make the best of the situation we are in. Of course, lives can be changed for the better, but the opposite is also true. The ancient ‘Classic’ Chinese texts speak of ‘stabilising’ our inner selves and ‘changing’ our inner selves to meet the challenges of the outer world. If we cannot change the outer world (such as in the Covid-19 Pandemic) - we must all go the other way! Take life seriously and study with vigour and determination! Through the contemplation of outward nature – we can realise our inner nature! WeChat Message: 大家好,在疫情期间来自海内外的不少千峰门内弟子来电,汇报炼功心得以及当前环境的心态。 其实我个人认为,一个人在有生之年要经历许多,当自己无法改变自我,就要有一种心态,一种境界的智慧,无法经营就安心练功,这次疫情就是给修炼者提供非常好的环境,修心炼命。 仔细想想当你无法改变现状的时候,就要去走另一条路,认真领悟人生,感受自然体验自我。@所有人 Humanity exists in a psychological-physical space defined as being situated under the divine sky (乾 - qian2) and above the broad earth (坤 - kun1). Humanity stands on the broad earth and is covered by the canopy of the divine sky! This is recorded in the Zhouyi (周易) - or ‘Changes of the Zhou Dynasty’. This Classical text is better known in China as the ‘Yijing’ (易經) - or ‘Change Classic’, etc. Indeed, existence in this text is presented as an interaction of the forces of ‘light’ and ‘dark’ which manifest in the first two hexagrams as 1) ‘䷀’ (乾 - qian2) - ‘Yang’ (light) and 2) ‘䷁’ (坤 - kun1) - ‘Yin’ (dark). These two hexagrams interact in such a manner so as to produce the further 62 hexagrams which comprise the ‘Book of Change’ – each individual hexagram of which contains the root of the other 63 hexagrams within its constantly ‘moving’ six-lined structure of ‘broken’ and ‘straight’ lines (with each transitioning into its opposite when the conditions dictate). For Daoist self-cultivation, this is a blue-print for the mind and body – and all the changes needed to purify these structures and transform its functionality from the mundane to the supramundane. Nothing in reality (and physical existence) goes beyond the divine sky or the broad earth and these concepts must be thoroughly studied and understood. The hexagram ‘乾’ (qian2) - ‘divine sky’ - is comprised of two particles. The left-hand particle is ‘龺’ (Zhuo) - but this is constructed from ‘十日十’ - with ‘十’ (shi2) referring to the number ‘ten’ or the concept of ‘completeness’, and ‘日’ (ri4) meaning ‘day’, ‘sun’, ‘light’ and ‘every day of the month’, etc. When all three are combined there is ‘completion - sunlight – completion' (龺) or that which ‘gives rise to all things through the power of light, heat and positivity’! The right-hand particle is ‘乞’ (qi3). This is comprised of two particles. The top particle is ‘人’ (ren2) meaning ‘person’ or ‘people’, etc. The lower particle is ‘弓’ (gong1) referring to the use of the ‘bow and arrow’. When all this data is assembled together - 乾’ (qian2) or the ‘divine sky’ suggests an individual (or group) that have mastered the bow and arrow. This in-turn suggests that a complete inner and outer mastery has been attained. This concept is represented by the ability to shoot the arrow ‘correctly’ from the ‘bow’, so that mind, body and environment are unified in a perfect moment of eternal awareness that cannot be shaken. Out and out light re-produces itself without end – like a bow that never ends its draw – or which never needs to be drawn – such is the perfect positioning and readiness of its archer! Although physical ‘light’ originates from the external sun – the spiritual ‘illumination’ sought after by the ancient Daoists emerges entirely from the inner being – and yet as both are pure ‘yang’, it seems that both possess exactly the same source of purity and continuous re-becoming (hence ‘longevity’). The ideogram 坤’ (kun1) - 'broad earth' - is comprised of the left-hand particle ‘土’ (tu3) which is traditionally thought to represent a potter’s wheel upon which is a lump of clay. Whereas ‘乾’ (qian2) or the ‘divine sky’ can be associated with the male reproduction fluid (and the explosive nature of the conceiving moment), the ‘clay’ or ‘soil’ as envisioned within this concept is that of absorbing (feminine) fertility! This ‘soil’ or ‘earth’ is highly fertile and able to reproduce the plant life required for humanity to exist. Just as agriculture and farming are genuine scientific art-forms – so is the act of conceiving, growing, birthing, protecting and educating a child. The idea of ‘clay’ is clever as it suggests that out of one substance (I.e., ‘earth’) - another structure can emerge! A clay-filled soil not only gives rise to the food that feeds humanity and its domesticated animals – but the dirt can be transformed into something completely different (such as a cup or a plate, etc) providing it first passes through the hands of a skilled artisan! Although highly practical in concept, this also refers to the highly skilled guidance of a Daoist Master who ‘moulds’ the inner and outer structures of his or her disciples! The right-hand particle is ‘申’ (shen1) and stands for ‘lightning’. This is comprised of a) 工 (gong1) the sound of thunder (shocking and sudden – like an unexpected attack) b) 弓 (gong1) the shape of lightning (like that of the ‘bow’) and c) 口 (kou3) the sound of thunder (like an open mouth ‘shouting’ or ‘scream’) which all suggests that lightning ‘申‘ (shen1) implies the presence and arrival of the great and guiding divine spirit (神 - shen2)! When combined together - 坤’ (kun1) - strongly suggests discipline and self-mastery through the attention of detail. Attention to detail is the doorway through which the divine spirit enters the earth (and travels through its populations). Without self-discipline the earth cannot be mastered and nothing can be ‘transformed’.
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AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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