3 Circle Walking and Taoist Meditation - Intermediate Meditation 2

BAGUA MASTERY PROGRAM

MODULE 3 Circle Walking and Taoist Meditati on: Intermed iate Meditati on 2 BRUCE FRANTZIS

Copyright© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval syste transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recordi1 otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Published by Energy Arts, Inc., P.O. Box 99, Fairfax, CA 94978-0099 The following trademarks are used under license by Energy Arts, Inc., from Bruce Frantzis: Fri Energy Arts® system, Mastery Without Mystery®, Longevity Breathing® program, Opening the E1 Gates ofYour Body™ Qigong, Marriage of Heaven and Earth™ Qigong, Bend the Bow™ Spinal Qi~ Spiraling Energy Body™ Qigong, Gods Playing in the Clouds™ Qigong, Living Taoism™ Collectio1 Rev Workout™ HeartChi,™ Bagua Mastery Program,™ Bagua Dynamic Stepping System,™ Bagua nal Warm-up Method,™ and Bagua Body Unification Method.™

Editing: Heather Hale, Bill Ryan and Richard Tau binger Interior Design: Heather Hale Cover Design: Thomas Herington Photo and Illustration Editing: Mountain Livingston and Thomas Herington Photographs by: Eric Peters, Bill Walters, Caroline Frantzis, Richard Marks and Catherine Helms Illustrations: Michael McKee and Kurt Schulten Image Alteration: Lisa Petty, GiriVibe, Inc., Patrick Hewlett and Jodie Smith Models: Bill Ryan, Keith Harrington, Don Miller and Paul Cavel Printed in the United States of America PLEASE NOTE: The practice of Taoist energy arts and meditative arts may carry risks. The inform in this text is not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental or emotional counseling a licensed physician or healthcare provider. The reader should consult a professional before unde ing any martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health or exercise program to reduce the chan injury or any other harm that may result from pursuing or trying any technique discussed in this Any physical or other distress experienced during or after any exercise should not be ignorec should be brought to the attention of a healthcare professional. The creators and publishers o text disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices described i1 text, and implementation is at the discretion, decision and risk of the reader.

Table of Contents Section 1: Meditation 2, Part 1 •••••••••••••.• 5 Recognizing the Subtlety of Your Mind ................. 5 Part 1: Adjust Your Alignments ................................ 6

Section 2: Meditation 2, Part 2 ••••••••••••••• 9 Recognize and Upgrade the Quality of Your Intent·········································:····· 9

Section 3: Meditation 2, Part 3 •••••••••••••• 11 The Heart-Mind ......................................................... 11 Overview ..................................................................... 11 Instructions ................................................................. 12 Conclusion ................................................................. 13

Section 1 Meditation 2, Part 1 Recognizing the Subtlety of Your Mind Can you be aware of thought as it is happening now? I don't mean the words in your head, but the actual sensation of thought itself-that which although is difficult to define precedes the thoughts and images forming in your head. What does that feel like? Can you become aware of what inside you originally generates your conscious thoughts, also called the Heart-Mind? Can you be aware of any emotions you're experiencing, the incipient, very subtle inklings of moods which if energized sufficiently by external events can burst out into full blown emotions that can't be denied? If you haven't until now, the time has arrived to begin looking. This may happen by strongly twisting your body, which causes you to release old and often suppressed emotions. Or maybe a practice partner nearby generates 5

© 2010 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

6

Bagua Mastery Program

emotions and you're unwittingly picking them up. Again, ask what is it that allows the awareness within you to recognize all the subtle qualities of your thoughts, physical body, chi and emotions? What is this awareness?

Part 1: Adjust Your Alignments Now that you have Walked the Circle for awhile, you most likely have touched upon this quality of the awareness of awareness itself. Given this, let's explore a bit more. Ask yourself: How did I first recognize this quality? What inside me enables me to yet more refine and stabilize this awareness effortlessly? Next, use this awareness to check all of your body alignments to simultaneously recognize if they are in or out of alignment. If they are, readjust while continuing to walk and follow all the previous meditation instructions. For example, is your back straight, knees and elbows bent and pelvis tucked under? Don't forget the main point though, which is to be aware of the awareness that lets you simultaneously recognize all of these alignment scenarios in the first place. Again, extend your breath. Go from your lower tantien all the way out to your five extremities (tipsofthefingersand toes and crown of the head),and simultaneously feel your body and the correctness of each of its alignments. With very little effort, you can sense if your alignments are or not correct, just by using the breath that penetrates them to give you instantaneous feedback. If correct, nothing is broken, so there's nothing to fix. If misaligned, naturally correct them as best as you can without strain and with the sense of ease. Initially, only check a single alignment at a time before attempting to take on the next misalignment, if any. Two strategies are best used to accomplish this task. • Continue to walk in only one direction until you resolve the misalignment and on the next change take on the next alignment challenge.

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Module 3: Circle Walking and Taoist Meditation-Meditation 2

7

• Do strategy #1 and then reverse direction and do it again. This accomplishes to goals. First, the left and right sides of your body will be evenly and physically balanced, something which may not occur in strategy #1. Also, the awareness of your alignments and the continuous recognition of the awareness of awareness itselfwill not intermittently turn on and off walking clockwise or counter-clockwise. Regardless of which strategy you use, after you've sorted out one alignment, go to the next. If you feel as though you're stuck and at the moment you can't deal with correcting the alignment, change direction and focus on releasing your internal inertia. During this time, slow down the movement of your center-to-periphery breathing, awareness between the five extremities and possibly even your walking speed. This usually helps to resolve the stuck-in-a-rut, inertia issue. After you intuitively sense this is accomplished, you can return and resolve the incorrect alignment. As with all of the meditation practices presented in the Bagua Mastery Program, this practice might legitimately take someone several weeks, months or years to stably embody inside themselves.

Bruce then silently transmitted for five minutes to empower the methods within this second meditation (Part 1). He then gave students time to embody the knowledge within themselves before moving forward.

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Section 2 Meditation 2, Part 2 Recognize and Upgrade the Quality of Your Intent Start by warming up and bringing online all of the internals described in Circle Walking Meditation 1. If you can, you should bring your awareness into your body's central energy channel. Those who cannot should not attempt it here. After the warm up, the practice itself begins with self-observation and consideration of an important point, which underlies all meditation: intention or intent. While Walking the Circle and changing direction, start becoming aware of the presence, absence and quality of your intention. As you continue walking, ask yourself: What is this awareness that generates my intent to move? If you wish to do or obtain something, you must first focus your mind in a certain direction to actualize that intent-even if for only a brief moment.

9

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

10

Bagua Mastery Program

As you walk, consider the origin of awareness that allows this or that to happen, regardless of what it is. • While moving your feet, what is the intent that allows you to also move your hands or torso? • Where or what is it inside you that generates this intention? • How deeply does this intention penetrate inside your mind? Is it surface-level, or does it go beyond the conscious mind?

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Section 3 Meditation 2, Part 3 The Heart-Mind Overview Once again, make sure that all of the previous walking meditation internals are online and functioning well. Then, look deeper. Find the place from which your thoughts originate-that which creates your intent. Your intention comes from a place that never changes, is always present and has an intelligence of its own. This intelligence can somehow merge with yours, if you are receptive to it. The Chinese call this place the "Heart-Mind," which is transliterated as hsin (also, shin or xin, depending on the transliteration system).

Next, look for the Heart-Mind as the root of your intent, and while you do lessen the interval between changing direction. Progressively shorter rotations encourage a leap, which enables the Heart-Mind (often quite unexpectedly) to show itself. 11

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Bagua Mastery Program

12

So as you change direction, try to be aware of what is behind the intention that allows you to physically move. Ask yourself: • Where and how do you feel the intent that allows you to change? • From where does the intent come from that allows you to release your internal resistance? • Where and what is this intent? How do you recognize it? Does it have a feeling? Or is it absent of feeling? Rather than only Walking the Circle while holding bagua energy postures or the Single Palm Change, as you twist your arm and hands in or out (in the same or opposite directions), again ask yourself: From where does this intent originate? Where is the place in my awareness from which the intent to take any action arises? In this meditation teaching, Bruce silently transmitted for several minutes to help the students recognize and access their ordinary intent and the Heart-Mind. Bruce then offered the instructions below, followed by two more minutes or so of a silent transmission.

Instructions 1. Become aware of the feelings in your body, your breath and the awareness that allows you to know that something is occurring in the root of your mind that allows you to generate intent. 2. Use this awareness and slow down your body and most especially your mind. Wind yourself down using any arm circling you know (such as the Single Palm Change warm-up) to help accomplish this task. 3. Bring your chi to your lower tantien and store it there. Keep this awareness alive. After you reach the place where your chi stores in your lower tantien for just a moment, then see if you can be aware of what doesn't change. What is meant by the empty center of the I Ching?

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Module 3: Circle Walking and Taoist Meditation-Meditation 2

13

4. If you can, continue to move. If you need to, stop, stand still and rest. However, when you resume your practice, move forward with this awareness, so that everything inside you, everything that changes alongside that awareness, is also alive.

Bruce then silently transmitted for several minutes to install the previous instructions in his students that beautiful evening with so many stars.

Conclusion After eating a giant meal, most people must take a break before eating again. That is unless your desire is to get indigestion and not absorb the previous meal's nutrients. Metaphorically, it is now time for you to swallow, digest and rest to integrate your experience. Regardless of how long you can physically Walk the Circle, wait before proceeding to the instructions in Walking Meditation 3 (included in Module 4). You may need some days, weeks or even months to digest and integrate all of the instructions. In time and with practice, you will be able to do them effortlessly, and they will seem as only a single instruction. Continue practicing until all the questions cease to exist, such as: What comes next? Do I do this or that and in what sequence? What do I do if I forget and leave some parts of the instructions out? If you can't easily answer these questions for yourself, then you have not clearly absorbed, digested or smoothly integrated the material inside yourself. Take a break before progressing forward. • Rest any way you'd like. • Sit and meditate, attempting to resolve whatever came up in your Circle Walking practice. • Continue to walk and do your best to digest what has transpired. This option should only be pursued by the most experienced practitioners. © 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.