Personal Improvement Prayer

 

“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me show love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and
Where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.”
- St. Francis of Assisi (1128-1226)

An informative old book by Dean Ornish, M.D., "Reversing Heart Disease," 1995, includes a chapter on the power of praying, meditating, and guided thinking.  A newer version of this book came out in 2022, "Undo It."  I quickly browsed and reread some of this useful old book last month.  I have tried to follow his advice for many years.  

Many people told me they prayed for my recovery from my cryo-genic ablation surgery on February 4, 2023.  The positive thoughts from others helped me stay calm, feel appreciated, and hopeful. 

Good and positive thoughts, sayings, prayers, mantras, scriptures, poems, well wishes, and encouragement can help others and ourselves.  

"Don't misunderstand me.  I don't believe in prayer.  I only do it.  Or perhaps it does me."
- Sam Keen

Believing is an important step in transformation.  If you don't believe in achieving your goals and objectives, it is very hard to keep working steadily on actualizing your specific goals.  Your not going to have the grit to stick with a self-improvement tactic unless you believe the tactic is beneficial, useful, doable, and achievable.  

The Dantian: A Baffling Fancy

 

The Dantian: A Baffling Fancy

By Michael P. Garofalo
October 7, 2022

 

Since I started practicing Taijiquan and Qigong in 1986, most of my teachers have talked about the “Dantian” many times. Books, webpages, magazines, and information sheets are filled with references to the concept, function, and uses of the Dantian. I could site sources for all the claims below, but most serious and informed internal arts students are already familiar with the sources of these views. 

 

Frequently, it is claimed that the Dantien is a few inches below and behind the umbilicus (belly button, navel).  Modern worldwide medical anatomy makes reference to the known organs that occupy this general area of the body: the large and small intestines for digestion, kidneys and urinary system, the female reproductive organs and womb, the musculature of the lower abdominals and obliques, the lymph system, the neural system, the colon, and the lower back.  

There is no mention in current medical science anatomy and physiology textbooks of an organ or function that resembles a Dantian.  I don’t recall that the excellent Harvard Medical School Study of the many benefits of Taijiquan practice makes any mention of the function or identity of an actual Dantian in our bodies.

 

Some advocates of Dantian theory claim there are three Dantians in the body.

Some claim that by using Qigong and herbs and meditation you will form a spiritual baby in the Dantien, that might become your immortal soul.

Some claim the Dantien is a “storehouse” of Qi energy.  Like ordinary “storehouses” it can be filled, emptied, locked, damaged, improved, etc. 

Some claim the Dantian is the "Elixir Field" and use agricultural analogies to refer to its cultivation.  

Some claim you can rotate, circle, spin, or move the Dantien with your mind. 

Some claim some physical movements cause Qi energy to flow from the Dantien out to your fingertips.

Some claim some equivalence of the Dantian theory to the Hatha Yoga Chakras or Kundalini speculations. 

Some make claims about elaborate Dantian associations with the Five Elements Chinese scheme. 

Some claim your spiritual essence or your spiritual center is in the Dantien (Chinese) or Hara (Japanese).

Some provide explanations of the Dantien in terms of fascia, lymph systems, nerve systems, hormonal system, or bioelectric currents, etc.

Some claim gently rubbing your abdomen in circles from the rib cage to the bladder areas enliven and strengthen the Dantien.  Many other movements and breathing techniques in Qigong are claimed to influence or energize the Dantien.  

Some claim to feel or sense the Dantien.

Some claim that because it is an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, therefore it must be real and true. 

Some claim the male and female sexual energies and reproductive potentials are also in some way processed or converted by the supposed Dantian. 

Some claim their large bellies are full of Chi in their Dantian.

Some claim the Dantian is spherical, ball shaped, round and centered above and below the navel.  

 

Belief in these various claims may have a salutary effect on your psychological well-being, or not.  Belief in doing some positive action for your well being, or trust in a health mentor, can be beneficial in 30-45% of instances due entirely to the Placebo Effect.  So, imagining rotating and twirling your inner “Dantian” (invisible to surgeons, ordinary eyes, to microscopes, or MRIs) might make you feel better or feel stronger or feel more spiritual or feel less anxious, or not.  Feelings are important in our lives, but are insufficient for proper and accurate medical diagnosis, knowledge, and explanations.    

 

Tradition Chinese medicine and Taoist/Zen views have many good ideas about exercise, lifestyle, herbal remedies, ethical behavior, and a peaceful mind.  However, the many strange and sometimes conflicting claims about the existence and use of the Dantien might not be essential to good Taijiquan or Qigong practices.  Plenty of benefits come from daily physical exercises without any belief in these Dantien claims or theories. I guess it is relatively harmless to imagine having a Dantian, but such fancies are superfluous to the effective somatic and experiential practices of Tai Chi Chuan or other martial arts.   

Undoubtedly, improving the strength and flexibility of the lower abdominals, glutes, inguinal area (kua), illiopsoas, lower back, and the many muscles of the upper thighs are crucial for success and reducing injury in martial arts practices.  Practical physical conditioning exercises help achieve these goals.  I'm unsure about how Dantian imagery or soft Dantian practices achieve these real conditioning objectives.  How is storing more Chi in the Dantian going to help you kick better and safely? 

 

The female sexual organs and womb are in this area of the body.  We all appreciate the fact that our mothers carried us in their wombs, and fed and nurtured us as a fetus embryo, neonate and infant.  Human reproduction is an amazing process.  Our gratefulness is essential.  However, inventing supernatural, non-objective, unverifiable entities regarding the womb area are often lacking in any explanatory power, are uniformed, and in a few cases are just silly.  

 

I would advise skepticism regarding what many Taijiquan or Qigong teachers “preach” about Dantian theory.  They often just repeat something their “Master” told them, without further reflection or empirical evidence.  Their intentions are positive, but their explanations, examples, and theories are weak and muddled.  The Dantien associations with magic, miracles, feelings, ancient religious beliefs, supernatural entities, and outdated anatomy and physiology theories are obvious to critical thinkers.  Maybe believing in cultivating a “spiritual immortal baby” in your Dantien is not in your worldview; even if it is a charming, figurative, uplifting, and mystical fancy.

Taijiquan is difficult to learn and hard to practice alone daily.  Maybe Dantian myths also turn many people off intellectually, and they quit learning because they don't believe in the confusing jargon.

 

Keep in mind that such Taijiquan and Qigong Dantian believers are often unwilling to countenance other views.  These teachers will get mad, correct you, and even reject you for not believing in their Dantian theories.  Beware of asking for rational explanations, scientific evidence, anatomical facts, or common sense implications regarding these outmoded Dantian theories.  Keep your opinions to yourself, or you will be kicked out of this ancient Brotherhood of Taijiquan Dantian Believers.  Just be silent, nod approval, pretend, and act as-if to humor the instructor in class.  

Good Advice from the Doctor

I have benefited from reading and adopting the ideas and suggestions of Andrew Weil, M.D..  His books are informative and provide persuasive facts and arguments for using “integrative medicine” to achieve improved health and well-being.  Persons of all ages can benefit from his advice, and his book “Healthy Aging” is especially relevant to seniors like myself.  Those who practice Taijiquan, Qigong, and Yoga will find support for their practices in Dr. Weil’s writing. 

Eight Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body’s Natural Healing Power.  By Andrew Weil, M.D..  Ballantine Books, 2007.  320 pages.  ISBN: 978-0345498021.  VSCL. 

Spontaneous Happiness: A New Path the Emotional Well-Being.  By Andrew Weil, M.D..  Little Brown and Co., 2013.  288 pages.  ISBN: 978-0316129428.  VSCL. 

Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being.  By Andrew Weil, M.D..  Anchor Books, 2007.  368 pages.  ISBN: 978-0307277541.  VSCL. 

“Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine, Dr. Weil is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, where he is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health and the Lovell-Jones Professor of Integrative Rheumatology. Dr. Weil received both his medical degree and his undergraduate AB degree in biology (botany) from Harvard University. Dr. Weil is an internationally-recognized expert for his views on leading a healthy lifestyle, his philosophy of healthy aging, and his critique of the future of medicine and health care. Online, he is the editorial director of www.drweil.com, the leading web resource for healthy living based on the philosophy of integrative medicine; and, can be found on Facebook (facebook.com/drweil), Approximately 10 million copies of Dr. Weil's books have been sold, including "Spontaneous Healing," "8 Weeks to Optimum Health," "Eating Well for Optimum Health," "The Healthy Kitchen," "Healthy Aging," and "Why Our Health Matters."”
- Quotation from Amazon Books

Here are some of my webpages related to these subjects:

Happiness, Well-Being, Flourishing

How to Live a Good Life

Aging Well

Paths to Fitness and Well Being

Health of the Body and Tranquility of Mind

"If we look beyond Platonic sources, we will be reminded that Socrates "took care to exercise his body and kept it in good condition" by regular dance training.  "The body," he declared, "is valuable for all human activities, and in all   its uses it is very important that it should be as fit as possible.  Even in the act of thinking, which is supposed to require least assistance from the body, everyone knows that serious mistakes often happen through physical ill-health."  Socrates was not the only ancient philosopher to celebrate physical health and advocate somatic training and refinement.  Before him, Cleobulus, a sage "distinguished for strength and beauty, and acquainted with Egyptian philosophy, " "advised men to practice bodily exercise."  Aristippus (hedonistic pupil of Socrates and founder of the Cyrenaic school) claimed "that bodily training contributes to the acquisition of virtue," while Zeno, founder of the Stoics, likewise urged regular bodily exercise, claiming that "proper care of health and one's organs of sense" are "unconditional duties."  Though rating mental pleasures above bodily ones, Epicurus still affirmed "health of body and tranquility of mind" as the twin goals of philosophy's quest for "a blessed life.""
-  Richard Schusterman, Body Consciousness, 2008, p 17


“Recognition of somatic training as an essential means towards philosophical enlightenment and virtue lies at the heart of the Asian practices of hatha yoga, Zen meditation, and T’ai Chi Ch’uan.  As Japanese philosopher Yuasa Yasuo insists, the concept of “personal cultivation,” or shugyō (an obvious analogue of “care of the self’), is presupposed in Eastern thought as “the philosophical foundation” because “true knowledge” cannot be obtained simply by means of theoretical thinking, but only through ‘bodily recognition or realization’ (tainin or taitoku).  From its very beginnings, East-Asian philosophy has insisted on the bodily dimension of self-knowledge and self-cultivation.  When the Confucian Analects advocate daily examining one’s person in the quest for self-improvement, the word translated as “person” is actually the Chinese word for body (shen 身). Arguing that care of the body is the basic task and responsibility without which we cannot successfully perform all our other tasks and duties, Mencius claims, “The functions of the body are the endowment of Heaven.  But it is only a Sage who can properly manipulate them.”  The classic Daoist thinkers Laozi and Zhuangzi similarly urge the special importance of somatic care: “He who loves his body more than dominion over the empire can be given the custody of the empire [Laozi, C17].”  “You have only to take care and guard your own body .. and other things will of themselves grow sturdy;” the Sage is concerned with the means by which to keep the body whole and to care for life”; “being complete in body, he is complete in spirit; and to be complete in spirit is the Way of the Sage (Zhuangzi).”
-  Richard Schusterman, Body Consciousness, 2008, p.18 

Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics.  By Richard Shusterman.  New York, Cambridge University Press, 2008.  Index, bibliography, 239 pages.  ISBN: 9780521858908.  Theory.  VSCL.   

Teaching Us About Healing

This past weekend, I read the most interesting book by Tim Parks:

"Teach Us to Sit Still: A Skeptic's Search for Health and Healing."  By Tim Parks.  New York, Rodale Press, 2011.  322 pages.  ISBN: 9781609611583. 

The author lives in Italy and has written over 20 books.  He was having many urological, genital, and pelvic pain problems.  He used conventional medical tests and some recommendations to help him with his problems; but was not satisfied.  He discovers the book titled "A Headache in the Pelvis" by David Wise, PhD., and Rodney Anderson, M.D..  The book advocates daily exercises and relaxation/meditation methods, and psychological methods to help with healing. 
Tim follows the regiment with some improvement in his condition.  

Mr. Parks experiments with regular Shiatsu massage therapy.  Finally, he participates in some Buddhist Vipassana retreats.  He shares, honestly and insightfully, his experiences with many alternative therapies he used to ameliorate his health problems.  

Men with prostate problems (prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), excessive urination, and pelvic pain) might gain some treatment and adaptation ideas from Mr. Park's journey.  

Mr. Parks thinks a great deal and complains of the "constant chatter in my head."  This active mind-set, he believes, hinders his progress in the body-consciousness practices he wants to integrate into his daily life.  His practice of Vipassana provides some clearer understanding of his psychological and bodily states and conditions.  

Tim usefully explores the relationship between writing, writers, and health issues throughout the book.  After a ten day Vipassana silent retreat, he decides to stop writing for awhile to reduce his stress and deactivate his analytical and judgmental over-thinking.  

Overall, a fine book by a skillful writer, full of cogent observations, a skeptic's questioning, humor, and personal revelations.