Prajna (Or Innate Wisdom)

“There is within you That Which Knows, and that is your teacher. That is the true teacher.” This quote is taken from a talk Justin Stone gave in 1992 at the annual T’ai Chi Chih Teacher Conference. He goes on to say that we are all born with this inner, innate wisdom, called Prajna. But, because of our habit energies, vashanas, it is impossible for that wisdom to shine through to the conscious mind. TCC is one tool to help disturb and break into the cycle of these habit energies through the circulation of the Chi. Another is through practices that quiet our mind chatter, our habitual thought patterns, and our automatic response patterns.

Consider those times when things fall right into place with little effort or we have a chance meeting with a friend, and we call it kismet or serendipity. What about coincidences that happen because of an unexpected turn we take or choice we make. How many times are we in the right place at the right time, quite unexpectedly, and something wonderful happens? Often heard advice is “go with your gut reaction.” Could these all be examples of inner wisdom at work? We cannot hear that inner voice if we are always in the director’s chair of our life. I have witnessed over and over at teacher training courses a candidate become so challenged or overloaded that they give up in frustration. They give up trying, thinking, and wanting, and basically are not in the “director’s chair” anymore. That is often when they have a breakthrough. In the conference talk Justin says, “My advice is to trust your inherent, intuitive wisdom… rather than the accumulated knowledge that we all pile up.” “Whether you call it God, Prajna, your own true nature, whatever, my advice is to know it and listen to it. This means to come to know who and what you are.”

In Heightened Awareness Justin leads the reader through practices designed to bring about a heightened awareness: “When Consciousness is dull and obscured, our awareness is extremely limited. As the clouds are brushed away, that is, the habit energies and other obscuring factors are weakened, awareness grows from the inside and it always goes from the limited individual outlook to the far-reaching Universal.”

Whether through TCC or other awareness practices, getting in touch with that inner voice, and having the clarity to listen and hear, takes conscious effort and practice in the beginning. How much farther along our spiritual path would we be if we could easily hear that inner guidance and wisdom? All beings benefit when we make choices coming from a universal perspective rather than an individual outlook.

Editor’s Note: Justin’s complete 1992 talk referenced above is available through the New Mexico T’ai Chi Chih Association for a small fee (www.taichichihassociation.org and 505-299-2095) or as free PDF download on http://www.gkpub.com/talks.php.