Zen Body Being by Peter Ralston, (02) Origins and Influences, Notes

Post date: May 28, 2016 2:23:35 PM

Zen Body Being by Peter Ralston

Chapter 2. Origins and Influences

• • 1. “Genius, in truth means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.”-- William James

       1. Visualize as realistically as possible. Imagination must be the same as the body’s actual movements and effects.

          1. Once fully able to mentally create the mental experience you gain the ability to analyze and correct.

             1. Working back and forth between physical and mental practice accelerates learning.

             2. This strategy combines mental training with a physical ‘reality check’.

          2. How we take in and process sensory information affects skill acquisition.

• • • • • 1. How quickly we go from awkward to skillful depends, in large part, on how accurately we can ‘feel’ what we do with our bodies.

• • 1. 1. 3. Adding ‘mind’ training forces one to narrow the gap between imagination and reality.

• • • • • 1. Mind training with reality checks forces us to give up what we thought was true and give precedence to reality and the full range of physical experience.

• • 1. 2. Creating Insight

• • • • 1. The domain of conscious insight is a central aspect of learning.

           1. “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” -- Carl Jung

              1. Zen Training - Train the mind to get free of the ego or ‘self.’ To see beyond the mental filters that shape our perception of reality.

                 1. Strive to become directly conscious of the nature of ‘Being.’

                    1. Become more sensitive and receptive.

                    2. Emotions and ideas serve to distract us from experiencing the moment

                    3. How skillfully we can perform in any situation depends on how clearly we can perceive what’s going on.

                    4. Seek Chen Hsin - Genuine Heart or True Being.

• • 1. 3. The Basics of Perception

• • • • 1. A sensory encounter with some object or occurrence.

           1. Strive to be simply conscious.

           2. Observe with openness and awareness.

           3. Seek to discover what is truly happening and how best to relate to it.

           4. As understanding increases, comfort grows.

           5. Soon the body is in harmony with the moment.

        2. Three aspects of body awareness

• • • • • 1. Feeling

             1. Incoming sensations provide our bodies with information about the environment.

             2. Feelings we get provide the basis of movement and action.

             3. The key to balance and power is feeling the body as a whole.

                1. If we do not feel the body, we are not fully engaging with our environment.

             4. When we are fully engaged, our movements are more subtle and appropriate to the environment.

• • • • • • • 1. We also see subtleties in the movement of others and respond quickly and accurately.

• • • • • 2. Alignment

• • • • • • 1. Refers to both structural alignment and display of effortless effectiveness -- alignment in both awareness and structure. Alignment is the arrangement and integration of the body to best perform easily and effectively.

               1. Alignment depends on feeling awareness. With feeling awareness we can adapt the appropriate postures to the task at hand.

            2. By investigating and discovering the principles of the body’s design, we can align our bodies more effectively.

• • • • • • • 1. An aligned body is capable of indefinite injury free movement and production of maximum power.

• • • • • 3. Relationship

• • • • • • 1. Skillful interaction is always a matter of relationship

               1. With people, objects or circumstances

            2. Goal: Respond clearly and creatively to a given situation.

• • • • • • • 1. Mastery is being present with what is occurring, staying with it from beginning to end--

                 1. A completely alive and creative experience:

                 2. Sensation

                 3. Alignment

                 4. Other people

                 5. Objects

                 6. Gravity

                 7. Spatial awareness

                 8. Mental activity

                 9. Whatever else may arise

                 10. By understanding the principles of engagement we can change when circumstances change.

                 11. We develop a lively relationship that shows in qualities such as ease, grace and fluidity.

                 12. Relationship is the domain of all skill

                 13. Strive to enhance feeling awareness.

                 14. Align to both the principles and structure to allow effortless effective use of the body.

• • • • • • 3. We must experience what is presented, not merely know it.