Rodney J Owen - Blog

Essential Form

4/1/2020

Those of us who have trained with Yang, Laoshi in Chen-Hunyuan 48 have probably noticed that he teaches and practices the 48 form differently than most Hunyuan practitioners. Basically, we don't have all the circles. This has been explained away as him simplifying it so as to make it easier to learn. I don't think that quite captures it.

A couple of years ago during Taiji Camp, Laoshi explained that his version of the 48 is more inline with the Chen Village Laojia, or Old Frame, and that this is the way GM Feng first taught the form in the early 80s when he formulated it and when Yang began training with him.

The idea behind the Essential 48, compared to the Refined 48, is an emphasis on Gongfu, or basic skill development, especially the Eight Energies. This makes a lot of sense if you look at the way Taiji has been taught historically. In Chen Taiji, the first form (48 for us) is the Gongfu form. Its purpose is to develop and nurture basic skills. This is fundamental to any art, especially Taijiquan. We get the opportunity to develop the extra circles, and the attending Neigong, as we learn the Er Lu, or Pao Chui form, the Sabre form, and all the various Hunyuan Gong exercises. And we should be better prepared to learn the advanced forms with a solid Gongfu foundation built through extensive development of the Essential 48 Form. To that end, the 48 form should be our primary, most-practiced, form.

A year or so ago I was listening to a podcast with a guy who is a strength coach for professional basketball players. He told a story of how when he was first getting started he had the opportunity to meet Kobe Bryant. Kobe invited him to one of his workouts. This guy arrived early to find Kobe already in the gym with his personal coach doing basic movement drills. Apparently these drills were real basic, the kind of thing one learns in middle school basketball. Afterwards, he asks Kobe why, being the best basketball player in the universe, he was still doing basic skill drills. Kobe's reply was that doing basic skill drills daily was the reason he was the best basketball player in the universe.

To illustrate what I am saying consider the following. Below is a video of Wang Feming doing the Refined 48. This is exceptional. However, notice the difference compared to how we practice.

Now consider the below video of Chen Zhenglei doing the Old Frame, or Laojia Form. Note, that while the arrangement is different (it is a different form), the energy is more inline with the way we (students of Yang, Laoshi) practice the Chen 48.

Please understand my point here is not to criticize or to advocate for practicing Taiji one way or the other. We all hopefully follow the path that is right for us. However, I do hope this clears some misunderstanding about how we practice and why. Essential doesn't mean easy or simple. It means essential. Consider that.

Polarities

3/28/2020

On the subject of good and evil in our world:

There is one power in the Universe manifesting as ten thousand things. We call this power Ultimate Reality. It is neither good nor bad in ultimate terms. Good and evil, as absolute self-existing separate entities, do not exist. Good and evil are values we assign to situations, developments, events in our lives that are still nothing more or less than the expressive aspect of the Universe in manifestation. That doesn't mean that there are not extremely bad, dangerous, and/or nasty situations. We all know good and well that there are. However, they are not evil. That is, not if we define evil as a somehow errant power opposed to and separate from Ultimate Reality.

Ultimate Reality is pure potential without any attributes or aspects. In actualization, it has an expressive aspect that creates and nourishes universes, or the Ten Thousand Things. Like all energy it has two poles, known as Yin and Yang, or Shiva and Kali, the creator and the destroyer. Inherent in the process of creation is destruction. This is always true. In our personal lives destruction may manifest as illness, death, perhaps pandemics and plagues. While these things are not desirable, they are not evil. It may be beyond our grasp in the moment, but they are ultimately necessary. The Taiji symbol indicates one unified reality with two extremely opposite qualities. Taiji is not really expressed as Yin and Yang, but Yin-Yang; one thing, with different qualities, always changing. What is Yin this morning will be Yang tonight. This too shall pass.

Our challenge in challenging times is to be patient and attentive and to try and learn from destruction. This is hard, easier said than done, but necessary all the same. In the end, the expressive aspect of Ultimate Reality, what we may know as Hunyuan or Primordial Energy, is a benevolent power that is nurturing our world. We won't ever be able to fully understand it, and the quicker we realize that and accept it the better off we are. We can, however, learn to recognize and cooperate with this power for our ultimate good. This is a specific goal of spiritual practice and something that is not only within reach, but closer than most of us realize. At the same time, it is something we are always working on, reevaluating, relearning. That's why it's called practice.

Relax. Fear not. All is well.

Varieties of Wuji Standing

3/25/2020

In answer to questions concerning Neigong practice:
"What is the difference between the Wuji and standing we do in Neigong practice and that of Taiji-Qigong? is there a difference? When do we use one or the other?"

This is my answer based on my perspective at this time (which means it might change as we learn and experience more).

I see two approaches to standing.
(1) as martial and Qigong practice. This is the Wuji, Santi, Mabu standing as taught by most Taiji, Qigong, and Gongfu teachers/lineages. This would be Hugging the Tree, Standing Pole, Kung Fu Temple Stances, Yiquan Zhan Zhuang, etc... The goals of this type of teaching are relaxation, meditation, improved body awareness, improved mental awareness, and improved Qi flow, all of which lead to better health (Qigong) and martial effectiveness (Gongfu).

(2) as Neigong practice. The goal of Neigong is to activate and cultivate Jing and convert it to Qi. In the context of our training, Neigong includes Daoyin, which is interpreted as guiding and pulling. The conversion of Jing to Qi happens naturally anyway and is quickened via Taiji/Qigong practice. Neigong/Daoyin is just an intense amplification of this natural process. So, compared to the goals of Qigong-Wuji standing, the goal of Neigong is to intentionally activate and cultivate the Jing-to-Qi process. Which is why we condition the body, to be able to withstand the intense energy flows and then position the body so that Qi flow is efficient and intentional. In Qigong standing the goal is to relax and maintain frame and develop mindful awareness. In Neigong, the goal is to adjust the body and guide the energy flow such that it activates Jing. When that happens we often get the shakes, a sure sign that Jing is firing.

In a nutshell, Qigong standing is meditation. Neigong standing is Tantra.

In Qigong standing, we stand in Wuji and/or Santi and relax while maintaining frame. The body is soft and relaxed and allowed to move gently as will naturally happen, as if one is standing in water. We are nurturing our inherent energy and mindfulness.

In Neigong standing, while we are relaxed, in fact intentionally practicing Fang-Song to release energy, we are also holding our bodies a bit more rigidly in the attempt to direct energy down to the ground on the outside channels or our legs, and back up via the inside channels. Thus, we are setting up a differential in our bodies between the slightly rigid and fully relaxed. This differential acts much like two poles in a storage battery to allow the Jing to fire. Neigong standing is typically done in Mabu and Wuji. Our intention is to intentionally activate Jing so that it is converted to Qi.

Next Question: "If we are turning our Jing into Qi, doesn't that leave our Jing depleted?"

My answer:
Jing, Qi, and Shen are all the same thing, ultimately. They are all energy vibrating at different frequencies. If you think about it, so is everything. All things are just different vibrations of the same thing: Hunyuan (Primordial Energy). All things are Primordial Energy. Jing is equivalent to the physical body, Qi the energy body, Shen the spiritual body. The conversion of Jing to Qi is a natural process. Neigong quickens that process. I don't think it increases the speed of the process, or necessarily depletes our natural store of Jing. What depletes Jing is worry and stress, dehydration, excessive sexual activity, lack of sleep, alcohol, bad food. I think Neigong increases the intensity of the process and our awareness of the process equally. In fact, at a certain point our awareness of the process is the process. Also, I believe we have far more potential energy available to us than we ever actually access and process through internal practices. That is why the sudden awakening of Kundalini has been a devastating experience for some people. They were not physically nor mentally prepared for it.

We replenish Jing as we replenish Qi: through Qigong, diet, exercise, proper sleep, controlling emotions, conserving sexual activity, engaged living. Since Neigong practitioners are working with all these energies more intensely, we should have a program of strength training, stretching, and mindful movement. In particular to replenishing Jing, I think care of the physical body is crucial. We should be engaged in some form of strength training, something more than that offered by Taiji-Qigong and/or Yoga: lifting weights, running, hard-style martial arts, Crossfit, HIIT, etc... We should be very careful with diet and alcohol consumption. We should get ample sleep every night. Jing is related to the physical body, so physical strength is crucial. I emphasize this because so many Taji/Qigong players and teachers do not emphasize or teach this, some even discourage it.

So, I don't think Neigong depletes our Jing. However, our bodies must be strong enough, supple enough, and our mind/intention should be aware enough to be able to deal effectively with the process. I think the results of Neigong training are basically the same as Kundalini awakening, so the same preparations should apply. Strength training, stretching, and meditation prepare the body for the Niegong process. Qigong, diet, exercise, sleep, etc... replenish Qi, which is replenishing Jing.

Life in a Time of Death

3/22/2020

March 22, 2020. We are living in a time like no other. Covid-19 will change, has changed and will continue to change, our world. Life as we have known it will never be the same. There are few left who survived World War II, the closest approximation that we can arrive at to describe our current situation. Few of those still alive from that period are in positions of power or management. We are on our own with no template for how to act and/or react.

Here in the US, the government is throwing money at it as fast as they can. And while that money will likely help, I don't understand the economics of it. As of today, official estimates of lock-down are from two-to-eighteen months. Where is that money coming from and what is going to happen when it runs out? Economics is not a science of numbers as much as it's a science of social action and interaction. If we aren't interacting, how will we replenish the flow of money coming from the government? I don't know that we have a formula for how a society under quarantine is to operate.

On the other hand, we can't lay down and die. I am certain some business, perhaps some complete industries, won't survive this. But humanity will. Our focus should be to support each other and determine the form said survival will take and institute it...., sooner rather than later.

Thriving in Isolation

3/18/2020

I am seeing emails, social media posts, and all sorts of articles on how to survive isolation during pandemic. I have been thinking about that in relation to writing this blog post. I feel compelled to write something whether anyone else reads it or not. As far as that goes, I'm not sure if anyone ever reads these posts. I guess I write for myself as much as anything else.

In any case I'm considering life in isolation and after. Of course we want to use this as a time to train, to practice. We want to be positive and find what's good in this, as there is always something good that comes from everything. In the case of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I fully believe that by this time next year we won't be the same people, we won't have the same society we have now and have had for some years now. I believe everything will change, and in a big way. But we must not only survive, we should thrive both during our isolation and as we come out to rebuild our world.

What I think is the perfect advice for navigating this, and indeed all things, is the definition of a complete Kriya Yoga practice, as laid out by my teacher, Roy Eugene Davis:
*Rational constructive thinking.
*Mastery of emotions, desires, and sensory impulses.
*Compliant observation of moral and ethical guidelines.
*Adherence to lifestyle routines that nurture and support health and overall well-being.
*Purposeful, effective living.
*Study, analysis, and contemplation of metaphysical (beyond the physical) realities.
*Mental and spiritual attunement with knowledgeable teachers (of this tradition).
*Skillful meditation practice that clarifies awareness and elicits refined superconscious (samhadi) states that progress to Self-realization, cosmic consciouisness, God-realization, and complete liberation of consciousness.
*Surrender (letting go) of the false, illusional sense of selfhood, to realize (apprehend and experience) the one field of unbounded Consiousness (God) of which souls are individualized units.

Of course this is not a quick pill for an easy fix. It's discipline and a way of life. But that is why and how we will thrive after all.

Returning to Gongfu

2/29/2020

The essence of our practice is the nurturing and accumulation of gong. Gong, as defined by Yang, Laoshi is "constant improvements in balance, coordination, agility, and power through the accretion and replenishment of Qi,..."(1). There are, of course, lots of practices we utilize to accomplish this. For the practitioner of Chen-style Taijiquan, the crucial component in this is Yilu, or the first form. In Chen Taiji, the Yilu is considered the Gongfu form. This should be the form to which we return again and again, the most practiced, as this is where we develop and reinforce basic skill and gong.

It is necessary to understand and apply this, as we have so many basic practices that are also important. It is important, crucial even, to focus on the basic gong-jin: Qigong, Silk Reeling (Chansi-jin), Neigong, agility training, strength training, and meditation. But for the practitioner who has advanced to the stage of first form, training this on a very regular (daily if possible) basis is just as crucial as it builds on the gong-jin, but also adds other criteria that are important for advancement down the path of Gongfu, such as coordination, fan-song, ling-jin, technique, cognitive training, et al.

As we progress, we begin to learn new and more complicated forms, which along with constant focus on basic gong-jin, will takes to depths previously unimagined. But we must return again and again to Yilu to build on and reinforce these skills. Further, we can always go deeper with and build on Yilu, no matter how long we have been training. That is the beauty of this practice, there is no end, only constant adjustment and improvement.

Note: (1) Yang, Yang. Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power; 2005. pp. 14

Reversing The Process of Manifestation

2/19/2020

The process of awakening is a process of reversal. By awakening, I am referring to the discovery of our true selves, physically, energetically, and spiritually. I am not implying enlightenment, at least as that term is typically construed. I'm not comfortable with the concept of some "final awakening", "all my troubles are now over", idea which tends to elevate said enlightened one above the rest of us. It also implies following a "path", typically directed by above-noted enlightened one, sage/guru, that is eventually complete with an ending, a goal--that no one except our overly-referenced and revered sage/guru ever reaches. I don't ever intend to convey such thinking with my choice of words. I do believe we can change--a lot--and can wake up to a previously unknown and immensely rewarding sense of life and being. That is our inherent nature. By awakening I mean the process of self-discovery which inevitably leads to better health, less stress, easier living, and a clearer conception of higher consciousness. As I have said countless times: there is no means to an end--it's all means.

The process of reversal is based on ancient paradigms of cosmic manifestation, for the creation of universes, our world, mankind. If we look at these paradigms metaphysically, we can reverse the path through intentional physical and internal practices to return to the Source. This is the process of yoga, tantra, Daoism, and many related shamanic and martial practices.

What I don't advocate is getting bogged down in the original paradigms themselves. For lack of a better way to say it, these are metaphorical explications of a process that is inexplicable. In the end, there are no words to adequately describe this process, but ancient sages of various cultures have found tools of language to help make it clearer, as long as you understand they are in the end poetic in nature. For our purposes, that matters as we reverse the process, much more than understanding the original process. We don't need to understand the process of manifestation as much as we need to understand the process of awakening. In short, you don't need to understand nuclear engineering to benefit from the electricity generated from a nuclear power plant. If you do want to understand the engineering, that's OK too. It's just not the focus of this teaching.

Does any of this really matter? Well no, not really. We can and should just live our lives as they unfold. Again, I refer to the nuclear engineering comparison above. However, it is possible to live life on a different level with better health, clearer thinking, higher, clarified energy levels, with spiritual understanding. To that end, if one is interested in the benefits of esoteric Daoist or yogic practice, then this approach can be helpful. Below are two links describing different approaches to this process. Consider these:

http://www.scholarsage.com/restoring-illumination/

https://in2qi.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/a-microcosmic-view-of-the-sequential-processes-of-cosmic-manifestation/

Hunyuan Qigong

1/21/2020

Ken Cohen on Hunyuan Qigong:
www.qigonghealing.com/post/hunyuan-primordial-qigong-tracing-life-to-its-roots

Words of Inspiration, 1-7-20

1/7/2020

I saw this on the Wa-Qi website today. Don't know to whom the credit belongs, but I like it:

"Cultivate spirit through ordinary affairs in daily life.
No need to do spectacular, grand events."

Mutants of The Monster

1/3/2020

"Because mankind has lost its mind, which we freaks have been desperately trying to find. And while he strove be stronger, he simply ended up being the monster. Well, I guess we're just mutants of this here monster." Jim Dandy Mangrum

What a world we inhabit. As I write this, I am truly concerned about the mental health of our planet.

I was listening today to a report on NPR about a community of Hasidic Jews living in fear, in Williamsburg, NY. Hasidic Jews originally moved to this area because it was welcoming and safe. Now, in this age of Nationalism and White Power, they are being harassed, threatened, and killed.

Just last week, a man walked into a Texas church, began shooting and was taken down with a single head-shot by one of the parishioners.

Right here in the relatively small Southern town in which I live, young men are shooting and killing each other in a manner reminiscent of Chicago or LA.

And just last night, the CIA and Pentagon carried out an intentional drone strike against the number two figure in Iran, a move certainly to make the world less, rather than more, safe.

These are all events of the last few days.

The thing is, I don't consider myself paranoid or fearful. I don't think I'm alarmist. I'm not advocating for government-administered change or evangelical revival. I fully support the right to bear arms, but I wonder if our national gun culture has gotten out of control. It's not law-abiding citizens I worry about, it's nut jobs, punks, gangsters, and Nazis that concern me. More gun laws won't fix crazy, because the folks doing all this shooting could care less about the law. And I don't really believe we can live in a world without some military, but it seems the Department of Defense has for some time been more concerned with offense. What really concerns me is not politics and laws, but the collective insanity that has seemingly taken over our world.

This is the beginning of a new decade. For the most part, I truly believe the last decade was in many ways fabulous. And I believe the future has unlimited potential. But I am concerned about the world-wide fascination with violence. I find it unsettling that one can't walk through a department store without the feeling of being on patrol. Now that applies to school, concerts, and church for God's sake. I am not a Social justice Warrior--far from it. But I am concerned about the world we live in and I admit it is sometimes hard to find the optimism needed to see through the haze. But that is what I intend to do: be faithful and promote peace in my own way.

I have more to ponder on the current situation of the world. I wonder why bigots don't have anything better to do. I can't help but wonder what first century followers of Jesus would have done had they been in the recent Texas Church situation. I don't understand the world these young men live in who are always armed, and take such a nonchalant view of life. And I no longer wonder if, but when, our idiotic foreign policy will backfire in such a manner as to equal all the hell we have unleashed across the globe in the last 100 years. God save us when it does.

In the meantime, I believe we can empower ourselves and be conduits of change by example. We can live in alternative community, right here among the insanity. Not brick and mortar communities of separation, but communities of ideas, ideals, and living examples of peace and harmony even if said community only exists in the recesses of our minds, exemplified through our actions. In short, we don't have to join the insanity.