Flowing From Emptiness (November 2018)

Flowing from Emptiness, what an intriguing phrase. What does flowing mean? What does emptiness mean? And what does flowing from emptiness mean?

Let’s talk about flowing. Justin always flowed. This was especially evident when he did T’ai Chi Chih. He flowed doing the movements, and joy poured forth. Flowing means moving in sync with the natural flow of the energy – not trying to make the movements happen, just going with them. Going with the flow. You might ask, ”How do you do that?” By grounding. Grounding is absolutely essential. We’re going to spend some time on grounding because it is so important in TCC practice, and in life in general. I always tell my beginner students, “If you take my TCC class and decide that TCC is not for you, you will still have learned a very valuable life skill of resting your attention in the bottoms of your feet.”

In my teacher prep class, I give my students an assignment to list what they feel or experience when they’re ungrounded and to list what they feel or experience when they’re grounded. This includes during TCC practice and in life in general. I give them this assignment so that they can identify markers for themselves for when they are ungrounded, or grounded. I want them to become familiar with their own signposts so that they can more easily realize, “Hey I’m feeling such and such; I’m not grounded,” and get back to being grounded.

The students’ answers for ungrounded were thoughtful and insightful: “I wobble when I do a movement”… “I get a headache” … “I can’t concentrate on what others are saying” … “I’m speeding through my day” … “I’m reliving the past and projecting into the future” … “I feel overwhelmed, scattered, confused, anxious, spaced.”

Fortunately, the students’ answers for grounded were just as insightful: “I can feel my feet” … “I’m aware of where I put things” … “No judging” … “I’m aware of my surroundings and of others” … “I feel peace and quiet inside” … “I feel centered, strong, alert, grateful, connected, joyous.” I might add that I feel freedom, too, when I’m grounded. What a big difference, from ungrounded to grounded.

Generally, it’s difficult for us to know when we’re not grounded. Things just don’t go smoothly and the harder life gets, the easier it is for us to check out, or become ungrounded. If we’re lucky, somebody may tell us we’re not grounded. And that’s about the last thing we want to hear at that point in time. Grounding is always a work-in-progress, and I encourage everyone to come up with a list of their own markers for when they are ungrounded and when they are grounded.

Grounding is the key to flowing. That is when T’ai Chi Chih is doing T’ai Chi Chih.

Now that we have an idea about how to flow, what is emptiness? In short, one might say that emptiness is void of our self-made limitations. Emptiness is full of love. It is wholeness, limitless possibilities, all the goodness there is. With this awareness, flowing from emptiness (or you might say flowing through emptiness) is exciting. There is no lack. There is wholeness and connection, abundance and gratitude. What a great way to practice TCC, flowing from emptiness.

So now I’d like to switch gears a bit and pose a question. The question comes from a talk that Justin gave at Folsom Prison when he was describing a plant sprouting from a rock where it was snowy and cold and barren. He talked about life having a great urge to manifest and that the plant was manifesting that urge. He said that was love, that manifestation of life. So, there’s this plant sprouting out of a rock, manifesting life. My question to you is this: Does that plant, growing out of a rock, flow from emptiness?

We can break that down a little bit. That plant has to be really well rooted. It’s got to be grounded or it’s going to blow away. And it’s got to be grounded so it gets nutrients, so it gets food and water. When I think of a plant, I don’t think of it thinking. A plant is just being, being a plant. Justin’s good friend and Zen writer, Paul Reps, probably would have said that the plant was planting (like cucumber unaccountably cucumbering in Zen Telegrams). So, that plant is just planting, it’s just being a plant, rooted to the ground. I leave you to decide whether or not that plant is flowing from emptiness.