Difference between revisions of "Eastern"
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Revision as of 19:02, 15 April 2018
These are just the basic philosophies of the east, or at least ones that I took from Martial Arts and influenced me, and the ways I look at things. There are many perspectives into the same concepts. Two different people doing an artistic representation of an object; using different mediums, skills, and from different points of view, may believe the same core concepts, but the expression may be quite different.
Math is a man-made construct to help us to understand interactions in nature. Philosophy and Religions are also man-made constructs to help us understand nature and ourselves. This does not mean that any of them are wrong, but they are just tools of knowledge, not knowledge themselves. They aren't answers, but questions. They teach people how to be introspective and reflect on the how/what/why. Either we are growing and changing, or we're are decaying towards our demise. So these are here to remind people to think, feel, and live.
I studied it enough to know there no such thing as a "reheater organ". I also studied it enough to know that there's general benefits that extend well beyond the placebo effect. So it is both wrong and right at the same time. Whether the explanation for why is right or not, doesn't change the efficacy. And denying the efficacy because you don't like the explanation is probably more dumb than the other way around.
by Sun Tzu, Translation by Lionel Giles,Interpretation by Ari Sabouni
Confucianism was best summed up by Rodney King, "can't we all just get along?" With way too many people in close quarters, a religion about how to get along was bound to spring up. Confucius was a man, alive from 551-479 BC. One of the major concepts of Confucianism is li, which translates roughly as propriety, order, and courtesy, and is often expressed through ritual and ceremony. Li is basically the laws by which we are governed.
What amazes me is that one of the most important things in a beings life, their own ego and sense of self, is one of the most ignored areas of their lives. People often run on autopilot of their emotions. To me, to be consciousness means to be aware of your surroundings. You, your body, and your personality is your closest surrounding. Thus people that aren't aware of their own motivations and actions, are ignoring who and what they are, and are by definition subconscious (below consciousness). This is probably far greater than half the people most of the time, and too many people all of the time. This is a rambling life lesson, that I once learned, and often ignore.
My Karate Instructor used to say, "keep the tiger behind the bamboo". The lesson being that if no one knows you or how you think/feel, it's far easier to keep the business professional and not lose customers (since they can't disagree with you, and can only imagine what you do/are). Their imagination of you, is likely more grandiose than any mundane realities, so their ignorance (and fear of the unknown) plays to your benefit. What is Ch'i or Ki?
Ch'i (Chinese) or Ki (Japanese) is the internal force in our bodies, the manifestation of our spirit. It comes from the Taoism, and the universe, or our center (which is our center of balance). And the idea in Martial Arts and Eastern Medicine is that if it is out of balance, you must balance it. And if you're balanced, you can harness it to do things things you might think are impossible. It varies from a very useful visualization tool (mind over matter), to mechanical techniques (physics), to supernatural force, that George Lucas borrowed for Star Wars. It is real, and can be demonstrated: it just doesn't always mean what people think it means. What I use to demonstrate Chi (internal energy) is called "the unbendable arm".
First without Chi: Stand upright. Extend your dominant arm out, palm up (but in a fist). Have your partner put the back of your fist on top of their shoulder, and they can rest both hands at the crook of your elbow. With every muscle in your arm tense, when they slowly pull down, they will be able to bend your arm. Next with Chi: Stand upright. Extend your dominant arm out (on their shoulder), fingers extended, hand vertical (palm to the side), close your eyes and relax. Say, "go". Stay relaxed (only resist whatever force they're pressing on you). And as they push down, imagine your arm is steel rod extending in the distance, or a hose with energy flowing from the earth out through it. Imagine they can not bend or budge it. If you're both doing it right, they'll be unable to bend your arm. (Or at least it'll be MUCH harder). What happened Easterers call Chi, Westerners would call body mechanics, technique and visualization. But it doesn't matter if you believe in their explanation or not, we just proved it though demonstration.The 'Tao' is an indescribable abstract. Since I enjoy a challenge, I'll try to describe it. Taoism is a philosophy of harmony and balance with nature and self. The word 'Tao' means path, road or way. It can be interpreted as method, principle or doctrine. The 'path' is the harmony and orderliness of the universe, it is this manifestation of 'Tao' that is the "natural order" or "heaven on earth". A person need not strive to achieve the Tao, one just yields to the natural forces and follows the path of nature and Taoism.
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