Chi
Kung Culture Society of TAIPEI
¡@The New Age movement is like a new Chan (Zen) or Tibetan Buddhist movement which specializes in the purification of our mind and opening up of our heart. Because it focuses more on the training of the mind and thinking about the way of enlightenment, beginners will be able to practice New Age-type ceremonies more easily. However, the use of our mind as an instrument or base to train our self in some metaphysical issue or spiritual aspects is like using water to clean water: we will find it very difficult to perfect or promote our level this way.
¡@Many people think that New Age theory is quite attractive and easily applicable to daily life because it focuses on the idea that if we control our thoughts, we then will be able to control everything. However, there is a basic flaw with this thinking: the way which leads to the true control of our thoughts is not entirely based on just using our mind to figure out the pattern which really controls our behavior. This situation is exactly like the mind game which religious disciples play going to a church or temple expecting to purify their conscience and thus let go of their mind in exchange for large donations of money (purchasing indulgences). When we enter a church or a temple and pray to God or Buddha, we use our mind to search for an external power rather than establish our inner forces. The development of our inner forces is a process of first thinking of our self, then searching for our real self (inner god or enlightenment), followed by letting go of our mind and finally trying to reach to the level of being a saint.
¡@We can compare the flawed approach to enlightenment of using pure thinking and conversation to develop our inner forces to a garden which floats above the clouds but which is not tied to its foundation or is not rooted on earth. This sort of insecure construction will manifest itself in many ways in your life. You will not be able to control yourself or your emotions, and you will have an extreme attitude toward people. You will have a rigid double standard with a high standard for people and things that you cannot meet in your own behavior and self.
¡@Although you may find the ideas in New Age theory focusing on using the mind appealing, you will find your cannot apply the theory which you have mentally absorbed. Despite your best intentions, your behavior and thoughts will continue to be prejudiced and rude - behaviors which are not so enlightened. This is only a natural outcome of using this flawed approach. When you use your mind to communicate with others, you are only using one of many channels or frequencies available to you to communicate. Since other people are also using this single channel or frequency, they will not be able to accept your thinking. If you had learned these ideas though a well-grounded foundation practice which includes the philosophy of enlightenment, you wouldn't have to use your thoughts and thinking to persuade others: others will intuit it through the power you emit.
¡@The ancient Chan and Tibetan types of practice specialized more on the foundation (body first and mind, spiritual connected) training for beginners instead of the mind training alone. Regrettably, however, the original type of training has been changed to a more intellectual or metaphysical training which appears to develop in beginners the dramatic changes traditionally experienced by extremely advanced students. Zen Buddhism originally led beginners through two forms of learning at the same time: through the gradual way of a group effort and the enlightened form of individual effort. The gradual method was popular in the northern part of China while the enlightened way dominated in the southern part of China for a long period. A change occurred in this when the enlightened way was interpreted incompletely by some very eloquent disciples. Their teaching attracted a large following that resulted in the enlightened way dominating everywhere and the eventual extinction of the gradual way in northern China. This illustrates the collective laziness and the desire for shortcuts which many people have because they prefer to get results through talking and thinking instead of extensive physical discipline and acting.
¡@We can see a similar trend in the New Age movement - articles and discussions on how to open up your mind, how to enlighten your self, how to let go of your self, how to light up other people, how to heal, and how to pass wisdom to others. Although these principles are similar to the teachings in Buddhism and Taoism (and thus are basically okay), the manner in which they are passed on is through talking. To really use this knowledge and profoundly understand the wisdom hidden behind the words you need experience and a well-grounded practice. Purely theoretical discussions will not give a holistic presentation of the knowledge. These are not linked to the earth but rather use frequencies in the sky which collide and crash like lightning and are thus lost because they are not rooted to the earth. If they were linked to the earth, the energy would not disappear. These unrooted theoretical discussions may produce comfortable sensations like ecstasy but these are illusions to distract those who engage in purely theoretical discussions. Because they are so hyper, these people don't have the ability to recognize these sensations as illusions. Rather, they will feel like they are floating and have achieved "emptiness", but this is not the same emptiness expressed in Taoism or Buddhism.
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