3.2 Illumination and Emptiness of Spirit (神明虛, shén míng xū)

Once the spirit has been settled into clarity and tranquility (shén qīng jìng, 神清靜), the next refinement is its transformation into illumination (míng, 明) and emptiness (xū, 虛). This is the higher unfolding of shén sōng (神鬆), where awareness itself becomes luminous and boundless.

In Daoist and Taiji tradition, míng (明) means more than brightness — it refers to a quality of penetrating clarity, the capacity to perceive without distortion. Xū (虛) is not mere nothingness, but an open, non-obstructive ground, receptive to all forms yet bound by none. Together, míng and xū express a state of spirit that is clear like a mirror and open like the sky.

Classical References

• Tàijí Quán Lùn (太極拳論): “If the spirit is raised, there is no lethargy; if emptiness is preserved, there is no stagnation.”
  
  

• Dàodéjīng (道德經), ch. 16: “Attain utmost emptiness (zhì xū, 致虛), hold to stillness (shǒu jìng, 守靜); the myriad things arise, and I observe their return.”

Functional Meaning in Taiji Practice

• In combat, shén míng xū manifests as perception that is wide and instantaneous. One does not anticipate or calculate, but simply sees. The opponent’s intent is perceived before it takes form, because the spirit is empty and therefore not entangled.

• In solo training, it manifests as movement without self-consciousness. The practitioner does not perform, but allows action to arise from emptiness, with clarity guiding structure and timing.

Modern Technical Interpretation

• Neuroscience: This state resembles non-dual awareness — a mode in which the brain’s default mode network (DMN) quiets, reducing self-referential processing, while sensory integration networks heighten, allowing for global awareness.

• Psychophysiology: The practitioner enters a state of “flow,” marked by effortless action, loss of self-consciousness, and optimal performance. Unlike ordinary flow, however, shén míng xū is deliberately cultivated through training.

• Energetic Correlate: In internal alchemy (nèidān, 內丹), it is said: “When the spirit is bright, emptiness is stable; when emptiness is stable, qi gathers of itself.” This suggests that illumination and emptiness stabilize the shén, which in turn harmonizes qì (氣) and jīng (精).

Practical Training Methods

• Mirror Awareness (guān zhào rú jìng, 觀照如鏡) – cultivating perception that reflects all phenomena without attachment or aversion.

• Emptiness-Alignment (xū líng dǐng jìn, 虛靈頂勁) – allowing the crown (bǎihuì, 百會) to be gently suspended, connecting spirit to spacious emptiness above.

• Fang Song into Space (fàng sōng yú kōng, 放鬆於空) – progressively dissolving the boundaries of body and mind, extending presence into the surrounding environment.

• Still Awareness in Action (míng jìng dòng zhōng, 明靜動中) – retaining luminous clarity within dynamic form practice or push hands, so that emptiness and responsiveness are one.

When shén míng xū is established, the practitioner moves as though transparent. There is no inner obstruction, no hesitation, no grasping. Awareness is clear, expansive, and unbound, and movement emerges as a natural expression of this emptiness.

This stage completes the arc of shén sōng: from clarity and tranquility (qīng jìng, 清靜), to illumination and emptiness (míng xū, 明虛). At this level, Taiji ceases to be merely a martial art or health practice — it becomes a Daoist path of returning to the source (fǎn běn guī yuán, 返本歸元).