Daoist Cultivation of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom, and Learning

By Tom Culham and Jing Lin

This book explores Daoist philosophies of qi and virtue through inquiry into their potential as technologies for cultivating good among individuals and society within educational settings, as well as in the modern world. The first part of the book, authored by Jing Lin, examines Daoist cosmology, axiology, and epistemology. She illuminates qi cultivation’s reliance on the accumulation of virtues, leading to transformation of the body and even—extraordinarily—the abilities of Daoist masters to transcend physical limitations to achieve health, longevity, and immortality. The second part of the book, authored by Tom Culham, establishes an understanding of qi and virtue as a technology within the Daoist paradigm, outlining the benefits of its cultivation while illuminating how contemporary Western philosophy and science support this paradigm. Both authors explore new forms of education to incorporate Daoist wisdom in schooling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Release date: Jul 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9783030449476

Book preview

© The Author(s) 2020

T. Culham, J. LinDaoist Cultivation of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom, and LearningSpirituality, Religion, and Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44947-6_1

1. Introduction: Why This Book Is Relevant and Critical Today

Tom Culham¹   and Jing Lin²  

(1)

Beedle School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

(2)

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

Tom Culham (Corresponding author)

Email: [e-mail]

Jing Lin

Email: [e-mail]

Many problems we have in our world today are based on a narrow vision about life that attends to the short term, the self only, or for our family or community only. People are driven by selfish desires and take power and wealth as indicators of our life’s worth. The intellect and mind are given priority above all other ways of knowing cutting us off from our origins and the richness of our humanity. We see people, nature, and the cosmos as separate. Nature is seen as a resource, where possession of a large quantity of material things is perceived to give us power and value. Virtues are taken as moral options, wherein as long as we do not violate laws we can do what we want to benefit ourselves. The consequences of this perspective are all around us. Degradation of the environment, interpersonal and global conflicts, excessive levels of stress and over medication, and unhappiness despite wealth accumulation are strikingly prevalent around the world.

The world we live in calls for a new ontology, axiology, and epistemology that works to maintain the order and functioning of the universe and human society. Virtues in Daoism are not simply moral rhetoric, but are vital for understanding the mechanism sustaining the cosmos; they are vital for the individuals’ cultivation of good health, longevity, personal success, and achievement of immortality. At the collective level, virtues enable the structuring of a society working for the common good through which everyone gives up something and also gains something.

Individually, Daoist cultivation of qi and virtues is deemed as technology for knowing the self and the universe. Qi is the energy and spirit that permeates all existence and interconnect all existence; virtue is the mechanism for qi in everything and in every being to resonate and collaborate with each other. There are subtle energy networks on earth and in the cosmos that sustain each other, including the constellations, the stars, and the life system on earth. Because qi is subtle and invisible to the naked eyes, it takes opening our inner vision and elevating the capacities of our body’s sensory system; and this requires reducing the distractions in our life and turning inward to experience this subtle and yet powerful information/energy in all existence. Therefore, while everything is moving and vibrating, achieving a deep level of tranquillity is essential. Daoism holds that through cultivating tranquillity we become returned to our root, Dao, which is the primordial energy among all existence. Tranquillity is obtained not just in tuning or shutting down the sensors and sitting quietly; most importantly it is to contain our desires and to expand our resonance with other existence by doing good and virtuous deeds. In Daoism, virtues are methods which harmonize, regulate, attract, or dispense qi. Qi flows to those who nurture life and serve others, who are humble and soft, as Laozi posits in Dao De Jing. Virtuous deeds accumulate qi and those who want to have good health and attain immortality must have accumulated a lot of virtues hence a vast amount of qi. Qi can be built up in the body for good health, career success, and longevity, and be refined to give birth to the inner child, or spiritual child, who is one’s Immortal Self.

The pathway to Dao is an intensive process of meditation and aligning one’s body, heart, mind, and spirit with virtues. The Daoist cultivation gives practitioners direct experience knowing qi and how it works in the cosmos as well as in one’s daily life. This has a great implication for our world today. We want the best for ourselves and our families; we want good health and career success; if possible, we would give everything to achieve immortality. We also want the ecological system to be healthy and sustainable, and the world to have peace, but we are reluctant to let go of old habits and change ourselves. A deep understanding of the relationship between qi and virtues in Daoist cultivation urges us to take doing virtuous deeds as following the natural laws of the universe, and the mutual cultivation of qi and virtues as technologies which we can practice and master to achieve our goals.

The Daoist philosophy and practice may provide solutions to our world’s dire problems. Instead of engaging in fierce competition for the limited resources on earth, we can enhance our heart’s capacity for loving and caring for others as our qi can connect with and impact other beings in multiple levels, physically, emotionally, morally, and spiritually. Daoists have committed themselves to the exploration of the deep secrets of life and the cosmos for thousands of years. They take the human body as an experimental site, and refine and optimize its function through infusing it with vital life energy qi, and they have found virtues to be technologies for harnessing qi and transforming qi; in the simultaneous cultivation of qi and virtues, sages were born (Lin, 2018).

Daoism aims to achieve what is considered impossible, that is, immortality. Before achieving immortality, Daoists go through intensive efforts to: strengthen their body; adjust their heart and mind; calm their emotions; elevate their vision, and engage in the life-long process of doing good. These are all techniques to cultivate longevity and immortality. This process enables Daoists to build strong connections with all beings and existence so that in giving and serving, without thinking about the return for their actions, they receive the support of the powerful primordial energy qi. In other words, they become connected to Dao, which is the inexhaustible energy, the unfathomable spirit, and the all-pervasive consciousness behind everything and binding everything in the whole universe.

Qi is invisible to the flesh eyes, but can be experienced, through reactions in one’s body, and through deep knowing emerging from within when one is in touch with Dao. Qi moreover can be refined to be extremely powerful and used to affect changes in the world and nature positively (Lin, Culham, & Oxford, 2016; Lin, 2018, 2019). In our education and daily life, cultivation of qi can enhance the learners’ physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual development. It can develop an ecological consciousness that links all existence to enter a state of interbeing.

In this book, we explore the relationship between qi and virtues and examine Daoist ways to arrive at deep knowing about life and the universe. We hope this book leads to:

An ecological and cosmic consciousness that sees connection and interdependence as vital for our survival and for the harmony of an intelligent and moraluniverse;

A new understanding of virtues as a natural mechanism and hence we frame new organizational ethos of our world;

A world view connecting doing good with our wellness in body, mind, heart, and spirit; and

A new form of education that takes cultivating qi and virtues as technology.

Arrangement of the Book into Three Parts

Since the authors Jing Lin and Tom Culham write in a rather different style and have overlapping yet somewhat different understanding of Daoism and ways of expression, we consider it makes sense to organize the book into two parts. This arrangement provides the authors to address the topic of qi and virtues in their unique ways. This arrangement allows us to explore the topic from distinct perspectives.

Jing is the author of Part I, and Jing’s writing style is narrative in general, and her part primarily refers back to the ancient Daoist texts in Chinese. The ancient Daoist cultivation texts written in Chinese often use metaphors and vague expressions. Understanding these Daoist texts, especially deciphering and delineating the process and stages of Daoist cultivation, which is mainly alchemy for immortality, requires direct, personal, practical embodiment of the phenomenon described in the texts. Hence Jing’s part draws greatly from her own Daoist practical experience to interpret the wisdom in the Daoist classical texts. If we consider the pinnacle of Daoist cultivation as the peak of a very high mountain, this part takes the perspective of a student and a practitioner standing at the top of the mountain gazing at the cosmos and Dao to consider Daoist cultivation.

In Part II, Tom takes a comparative approach considering Daoist views and practices in light of western philosophic and scientific scholarship. He cites current literature from various disciplines to argue his points while he also draws from his personal experiences to paint a picture of the process and details of cultivating virtue. This perspective is represented by an ordinary person standing at the base of the mountain considering a climb to the peak shrouded in mists.

Finally, in Part III of the book, we work together to integrate the key themes of the book and contemplate on the implications of Daoist cultivation of qi and virtues for contemporary education. Below we provide more details.

Part I by Jing Lin

Part I by Jing turns to the traditional Daoist texts to tease out an understanding of the highest pursuit of Daoism, that is, immortality. Integrated with her personal experience and understanding, she brings forth a systematic understanding of Daoist ontology, axiology, and epistemology. Central in Part I is how qi and virtues are vital for the Daoist practitioners who understand the cosmos as being sustained by qi, and qi is guided by a mechanism of virtues, such as love, compassion, interdependence, humility, service, softness, simplicity, etc.

The ultimate goal of Daoist cultivation is to return to the source and merge with the Dao thereby endowing the sage with immortality, perfection, and great wisdom among other attributes. Immortality is one of the ultimate outcomes anticipated through Daoist cultivation. We understand that this claim and perspective is a challenge for secular society, yet we believe it can offer helpful practical insights in a secular setting.

More concretely, Jing discusses how Daoism takes the whole universe as its subject for understanding. Daoists do not believe that we can live only a very short life; instead, through cultivating life energy as an ultimate science, they come to knowing the deep working of the universe based on the principles of virtues, that is, interdependence, mutual support, harmony, love, compassion, selfless giving, yielding and softness, among others, which are mechanisms knitting together not only the human society but more importantly sustaining the whole universe. These virtues are mechanisms that regulate qi, preserve qi, augment qi, and distribute qi. It is understood in this way of thinking that qi can be gathered through virtues which can be stored in one’s body’s energy centres thereby transforming the body to a much higher energy level causing a total transformation of a person. Immortality is the result of achieving oneness with Dao, birthing the Immortal Self that transcend death and limitation of the three-dimensional world.

For thousands of years, Daoists relied on the cosmology, axiology, and epistemology underpinned by virtue and qi to guide their pursuit of immortality. In this process, there is no separation of oneself from the cosmos or nature, no separation of oneself from the society, as qi links up all beings and all existence. The body can be transformed through engagement in meditation and the simultaneous accumulation of qi through virtuous mind and deeds. Qi is stored in one’s elixir centres and refined to reach incredible power, activating dormant functions in one’s body and allowing extrasensory abilities and many supernatural abilities to appear. Only then immortality becomes possible.

Daoist texts number in the thousands or tens of thousands; all aim at alchemy or a transformation of the body for immortality. Qi and virtues are deeply woven threads throughout these texts. Meditation is central to engaging the link between qi and virtues. Meditation is paramount in Daoism as it is called xiudao, or the cultivation of Dao. Jing provides a detailed description of the Daoist ways of gaining knowledge and learning by being good and tapping into the deeper working of the universe. Please note she will directly quote from the Chinese original texts, as she feels that she understands the contents of the texts through her embodied experience of cultivation , which more correctly reflect her understanding the essence of the texts. She will provide websites from where Chinese original texts have been downloaded. There are many versions of translation of Daoist classics online, so if readers want to see other translations, they are readily accessible.

Part II by Tom Culham

In Part II, Tom provides an overview of the Daoist approach to cultivating virtue as a technology defined as a capability given by the practical application of knowledge in a particular area. This Daoist technology involves actions and practices that are engaged at four human levels: the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. He takes each of these levels in turn and expands on the methods proposed by Daoists and where possible how they relate to current science-based knowledge.

Daoists envision a parallel development of awareness of one’s innate self and virtue involving a process of peeling away successive layers of cultural, familial, and educational conditioning to reveal one’s authentic Dao-given self. Part II attempts to take the reader from a western perspective through progressively deeper steps to the core of Daoist practice and thinking as we understand it. Using comparative analysis, Tom provides a discussion of the similarities and differences between the view of Daoist enlightenment and western enlightenment. While both emphasizes individual effort in coming to an understanding of the truth and relying on the principle of objective impartial observation of phenomenon, western discourse emphasizes intellect, reasoning and conscious thought which can be traced back to Socrates, while Daoists were and are concerned first and foremost with experience rather than ideas (Kirkland, 2004). Daoist philosophy holds that conscious thought is an impediment to achieving enlightenment. The Daoist approach was not as concerned about whether their basic ideas were 100% accurate, rather they are more interested in refining and transforming themselves to attain full integration with life’s deepest realities (Kirkland, 2004, p.75). They hold that this is achieved through direct perception of the truth enabled by personal contemplative practices accompanied by living a virtuous life (Culham, 2013).

Tom begins Part II with the examples of virtues such as prudence, temperance, gratitude, and honesty because it’s possible to suggest a relationship between a virtue and an outcome. That is, if one is virtuous there is a good outcome. The ancient Greeks and Chinese proposed a much broader definition of virtue than our current understanding, and the ancient Daoist Chinese held that there was a direct cause and effect engaged through life energy known as qi when one practised any kind of virtue, whether it be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. In Part II, Tom examines Daoism and its associated contemplative practices which perceive the Good as a phenomenon just like sunlight or gravity and the implications this has for thinking, behaviour and how we might see the world and our place in it.

Tom incorporates contemporary scholarship to understand cultivation of qi and virtues. He brings in philosophy, and contemporary science in a number of fields to build a bridge to Daoist notions and practices. Positing cultivation of virtue and qi as a technology, Tom facilitates an understanding of qi and virtues in the context of people having a given innate nature. Tom brings in western perspectives and current scholarship to build a bridge for people who have little knowledge about the notion of qi. He lays out detailed arguments in Daoism that cultivating virtue impacts the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of life.

Tom begins by briefly comparing Daoist philosophy and western enlightenment philosophies and takes a shallow dive into key Daoist concepts of virtue, and qi, followed by a sketch of the Daoist technology for cultivating virtue and an outline of the claimed benefits of cultivating virtue. Next, current western understanding of the brain and the limits of and societal consequences of western emphasis on left brain consciousness, which is thought according to neuroscientists to be judgemental, time bound, linear, and constrained by accepted knowledge. An argument is made that Asian practices such as Daoist contemplative practices may balance the leftbrain orientation with the emergence into awareness of the open, inclusive, holistic, and empathetic right brain consciousness.

Tom considers Daoism through successive steps starting with the body as the foundation through all aspects of being to spirit. With training, qi can not only be sensed physically but can be very helpful to one’s health, wisdom, spiritual growth, and service for the community. He discusses qi as subtle yet also powerful energy in us and in nature, using our emotions and examples such as humans harnessing the energy in matter (waterfall, electricity) to better our life. Rather than building a structure like a dam to generate electricity from falling water, in Daoist technology one must put oneself personally in alignment with the underlying patterns and life energy (qi) inherent in nature through a process of inner work and self-cultivation.

Part III Contemplating a New Paradigm of Education

In Part III we bring together our two parts and consider Daoism from within the tradition to inform contemporary educational practices. Jing’s examination of the Daoist thinking from within the tradition provides a view unbounded by western and left brain thinking. She proposes qi-based learning and considers learning as a cultivating, becoming experience, reaching beyond the individual to the world and even the cosmos.

Tom gives priority to Daoist thinking yet develops parallels in western thinking that provide some support for what might be traditionally considered on the margins. Tom references Ian McGilchrist (2009) who proposes that the left and right hemispheres of the brain each have very different perspectives and sets of values. The right perceives itself to be in unity with the world and expresses altruistic values, whereas the left sees itself as separate and expresses self-centred values. We need both hemispheres, but the left brain dominates current culture and education causing much of the self-centred destructive behaviour witnessed in the world (2009). McGilchrist proposes that a balance of left and right hemispheric orientation is needed to improve the deteriorating social conditions. Further, he proposes that Asian contemplative practices may augment the characteristics of the right hemisphere.

Our approach is to articulate the ideal secular education from a Daoist perspective without consideration of the practicalities or limitations imposed by the current paradigm dominated by left brain thinking. This is done to answer the question: what would a right hemisphere education look and feel like? What would the world look like if we fully integrate qi and virtue cultivation into education? It therefore is, we hope, unbounded by the current paradigm and is aspirational for transformation in education in a comprehensive and fundamental way for the future to come.

References

Culham, T. (2013). Ethics education of business leaders: Emotional intelligence, virtues and contemplative learning (J. Lin& R. Oxford, Eds.). Book Series: Transforming Education for the Future. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.

Kirkland, R. (2004). Taoism: The enduring tradition. New York: Routledge.Crossref

Lin, J. (2018). From self cultivation to social transformation: The Confucian embodied pathways and educational implications. In Y. Liu & W. Ma (Eds.), Confucianism and education (pp. 169–182). Albany, NY: SUNY press.

Lin, J. (2019). Enlightenment from body-spirit integration: Dunhuang’s Buddhist cultivation pathways and educational implications. In D. Xu (Ed.), The Dunhuang Grottos and global education: Philosophical, spiritual, scientific, and aesthetic insights (pp. 113–131). New York, NY: Palgrave-Springer.

Lin, J., Culham, T., & Oxford, R. (2016). Developing a spiritual research paradigm: A Confucian perspective. In J. Lin, R. Oxford, & T. Culham (Eds.), Toward a spiritual research paradigm: Exploring new ways of knowing, researching and being (pp. 141–169). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

McGilchrist, I. (2009). The master and his emissary. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Part IDaoist Aspiration for Immortality through Cultivating Qi and Virtues

© The Author(s) 2020

T. Culham, J. LinDaoist Cultivation of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom, and LearningSpirituality, Religion, and Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44947-6_2

2. A Personal Journey and Introduction

Tom Culham¹   and Jing Lin²  

(1)

Beedle School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

(2)

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

Tom Culham (Corresponding author)

Email: [e-mail]

Jing Lin

Email: [e-mail]

More than twenty years ago, I embarked on the journey of practising mainly Daoist meditation methods. What I expected was to get better health and lose some weight. However, I experienced so much more than I expected that literally I felt born again. Shaken to the core, new horizons, new knowing engulfed me and I transformed from focusing mostly on myself, family, and my career to experiencing a strong and compassionate connection with the world, nature, and the cosmos! I became open to the human potentials for knowledge, health, longevity, immortality, and total freedom. The philosophy and religions of the world came to life. I realized that great wisdom and love shared by the great teachers of humanity are achieved through intensive meditation, which resulted in their expanding inner awareness and obtaining expansive abilities to resonate with the consciousness of all life forces. Nature and the universe become animated and alive, as all throb with the vital life energyqi and resonate Love. I realized there is an intensive existential/spiritual energy that unites All That Exist, and that All That Exist come from the same source, co-evolve, and share a common destiny. There is a force which Einstein called Love that is behind everything, and that this Love is the Primordial Qi some call Dao, others call God, or Allah, or Brahman… From my new understanding, I transformed to be a scholar that focuses on Love, Peace, and Wisdom in Education, which provided the title of a book I published in 2006 (Lin, 2006). I became committed to peace and sustainability education; I embarked on the pathway to explore ways to heal ourselves and the world, and to develop human potential that