Dialectic Two-Step – Beyond the Delusion of Permanence

Dialectic Two-Step  is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.

Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio Paz  

A Quick Glimpse Beyond the Delusion of Permanence

Someone asked an interested question on Ello a while ago.  It was on the topic of Taoism and a little esoteric. But it’s something that I think can be well understood.  The delusion of permanence and the desire for immortality is the most significant barrier to freedom.  But it doesn’t require a lot of nuanced understanding to discover this.  I thought the image above was a good illustration of the point I want to make.  We think and speak in terms of still images (permanence), but the truth is that life is more like a movie, constantly shifting from one frame to the next (impermanence).

Ello Question: Is it good to “store up one’s chi”? Or is it better to let that stuff FLOW? What are the Taoists suggesting?

A little background on the question.  As with all religious traditions, Taoism has many flavors. There are many texts beyond the classics known to the west like Laozi (Tao Te Ching) and Zhuangzi.   Many of these texts form the basis for teachings taught today.  Taoism is also inseparable from many other well known Chinese beliefs, arts, and sciences, including martial arts (Taiji), energy work (qigong), and a Taoist pantheon of immortals.

And as will be found in any religious tradition, there will be found literalists who take these texts at face value, or search for hidden codes. In fact, the Taoist texts explicitly lend themselves to this type of reading.  For instance The Book of Balance and Harmony: A Taoist Handbook offers teachings on energy work which frequently hint at immortality through the practice of preserving qi. Many texts talk about preserving semen and other bodily fluids as a way to preserve life force in the body.  Other texts use the term alchemy.  Suggesting that some concoction of practice and ingested substances can lead to immortality. This substance is sometimes translated as quicksilver (mercury) and the process of transcending mortality called a quickening.

To me this idea has always flown in the face of wu wei – doing by not doing.  This is a key Taoist principle firmly embedded in the Tao Te Ching. It is analogous to the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and emptiness.   All of which acknowledge that change happens on its own terms and in many ways beyond our control. The most glaring example of this is our own mortality.

Here’s how I responded:

I see the “storing” Taoists as permanence seekers & thus missing the Tao entirely. The alchemists were graspers and ironically died of mercury poisoning seeking immortality. Less radical “storers” preserve everything from semen to qi in some impossible way.

In my opinion, hoarding qi in our rather tiny and flimsy body/containers is absurd, like an ant hoarding a grain of sand on a beach. The real boon is to open yourself to allow the energy of the entire universe flow through you unimpeded. That’ll get you amped up (pun intended)

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