Meditation is an exercise of controlling our attention, which can take various forms and use different methods. Almost all mystical currents have their forms of meditation, but meditation itself is not only limited to them, and goes beyond, permeating every activity of our daily life to help us be more aware of ourselves, of our emotions, thoughts and acts, and is also a very important component in Eastern Martial Arts.
By the time Buddhism began to spread in China, some indigenous currents had already developed their meditation practices. These currents are sometimes referred to as proto-Taoists because, on the one hand, they precede the formation of Taoism as a religion and, on the other hand, influenced their subsequent development.
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The Cáodòng 曹洞 school is one of the Five Schools of Chán 禪 Buddhism, which during the Sòng 宋 dynasty was characterized by teaching a form of meditation known as “Silent Illumination” (默照 mòzhào).
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Many martial styles incorporate meditation practices in different ways or have an important meditative component in their practice. But, what is meditation, and why is it related to martial arts?
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A gōng’àn 公案 (“public case”; better known by its Japanese name, kōan) is a phrase, dialogue, or short story used in Chán 禪Buddhism to arouse doubts in the practitioner and test his understanding. In China, a Chán system of meditation was developed that based obtaining spiritual enlightenment on concentration on these phrases.
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Emotions play an important role in our lives, to the point that they determine our character and what kind of person we become. However, we know little about them and we are not always aware of what we are feeling. Knowing our emotions means knowing ourselves better.
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Zhàn Zhuāng 站桩 is a static exercise of Chinese origin aimed at strengthening health, which can be used as well for martial training. But, how remaining in absolute stillness can be considered a pshysical exercise?
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