Reflection

Through the writing of this essay process, I gained some much wanted knowledge on the process and history of meditation. I have enjoyed throughout this class learning about both meditation in different Chinese philosophies as well as learning about the Taoist tradition. So I thought I would couple the two together and from this process I came away with more knowledge on a subject that I have recently tried to invest more of my time and effort in within my own life. Lastly, from reading various different sources on the matter, I learned that essentially every religious tradition from Buddhism and Taoism to Christianity and Judaism have all played with the method of meditation to achieve spiritual ends.

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In Taoism, along with many of the Chinese traditions, the practice of meditation offers the individual a method that enables the mind to enhance a one’s overall health, spiritually, emotionally and physically. I appreciate meditation due to its potential to help individuals maximize their spiritual, emotional, and physical potential. As a prior college wrestler and a future United States Marine, all of those aspects are important for me to improve on in order to give the people I lead down the road both the best leader I can be as well as the leader they desire. Regardless, for any human who walks this earth, we are filled with imperfection, however, every human being has the inclination to improve themselves. I propose meditation not only as an aspect of Taoism that I appreciate due to its purpose and history within the tradition, but also as a method to improve on inherent human imperfection. Moreover, even though all religions might not identify with, or specifically adheres to, the practice of meditation, adding it to your daily routine and toolbox for dealing with the challenges of life will certainly prove to be advantageous.

Meditation, or “Inner Cultivation,” has been a part of the classical Daoist tradition ever since the mid-third century BCE when Laozi and his texts were endorsed as the founder and canons of the tradition.[1] The Chinses scholar Harold D. Roth suggests that the initial concept of inner cultivation appeared in Guanzi’s “Inward Training.” Through that work, and the other foundational philosophical literature among the tradition, the theory and method of meditation are outlined out.[2] Specifically, in the Zhuangzi it outlines rough procedures,

To huff and puff, exhale and inhale, blow out the old [breath] and take in the new, do the [gymnastic positions of the] “Bear Stride” and the “Bird Stretch,” and to be interested in nothing more than longevity, these are the methods of those who practice the “guiding and pulling” exercises…

The end goal of inner cultivation overall is to clear the mind of all “thoughts, perceptions, and emotions” in order to gain awareness of the Way among the human consciousness.[3] Though there are many methods and techniques of breath, this passage offers a basic method. Breath cultivation serves as the foundation of all inner cultivation and aims to promote the movement of Ch’i, or the vital energy, throughout the body. In addition to breath cultivation, there are other aspects that make up inner cultivation, or meditation, namely proper posture, apophatic psychological techniques, resultant states, and resultant traits.[4]

Each of these aspects of Daoist meditation promote the individual’s journey towards closeness and awareness of the Way. To start, proper posture refers at its most basic level as “sitting and forgetting.” Yanhui, a teacher in the Zhuangzi, describes this method as “let[ing] organs and members drop away, dismiss[ing] eyesight and hearing, part from the body and expel knowledge, and merge with the Great Pervader. This is what I mean by ‘just sit and forget.’”[5] Clearly, the Great Pervader Daoist see as the Way and this method offers a mode to becoming aware of its presence among the individual. Next, apophatic psychological techniques consist of trying to focus “on the breathing and stripping away the common cognitive activities of daily life,” essentially restricting or eliminating one’s emotions, desires, senses, thoughts and knowledge in pursuit of the Way.[6] Consequently, from executing inner cultivation effectively, these action led to both resultant states in the inner self and helps promote resultant traits when one goes back to interacting with the external world.[7] The two most common states are tranquility and emptiness while the most common traits would be things such as mental stability and charisma. However, one of the most important traits that can come from inner cultivation is the ability to “take no deliberate or willful action from the standpoint of one’s separate and individual self, and yet nothing is left undone.”[8] That becomes possible because that person would be guided by the Way and all their actions would be a perfect expression of the Way. In looking at the full process and outcomes of a method that has been present in human culture for a long period of time, it seems to be something worth trying no matter what religion you are a part of.

In my case, I believe that meditation, or inner cultivation, however you want to define it, offers another method for individuals to promote a healthy lifestyle in addition to offering individuals the ability to find spirituality if they have lost faith in organized religions. In terms of a healthy lifestyle, mindfulness and limiting stress are key components to living a healthy life, and meditation offers a method to control both of those factors. Both the “Mayo Clinic” and “The Art of Living” suggest that meditation helps to reduce stress through various specific meditation practices.[9] In my own experience, since this quarantine began, I have invested in meditation at least once a day and establishing a habit of mindfulness has helped me cope with various issues in my life. Switching gears in terms of meditation being used as a spiritual tool, I have found it to help promote a spiritual side in my own life. Once I realized the effects of meditation, I have attempted to read as much as I can about its history and philosophy, which is why I ended up picking Daoist meditation for this essay. On the other hand, potential down sides to meditation, which have been noted, is that people who have experienced major trauma in their lives should avoid meditation. The reason being that it may bring those memories or experiences back to the front of the mind and actually negatively affect stress levels. I agree that individuals with considerable trauma should steer clear from meditation until they feel comfortable. However, other than those with major mental issues, most people could benefit greatly from investing ten minutes, twice a day, in conducting a method of meditation.

In conclusion, the method of inner cultivation, or meditation, possess a long history among the Taoist tradition and provides their followers a method to guide them toward becoming closer to the Way. Additionally, the method of meditation, in a broad sense, serves as a beneficial way for individuals to reach mental tranquility and reduce stress while also providing individuals an alternate avenue to spirituality.

[1] Harold D. Roth, Asian Traditions of Meditation: “Meditation in the Classical Daoist Tradition,” Ed. Halvor Eifring (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2016), 185.

[2] Roth, 186.

[3] Roth, 187.

[4] Roth, 187.

[5] Roth, 187.

[6] Roth, 191.

[7] Roth, 191.

[8] Roth, 194.

[9] https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/meditation/meditation-for-you/live-a-healthy-lifestyle.; https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858.