Find your True Nature

In 2009 Master Yuantong replied “Maybe better to change your intention.” Since I began Qigong practice in 2008, I was asked repeatedly what is your intention? Since I was already fully aware of my intention years before I knew about Qigong, I had just one wish which was some kind of conscious practice that would bring back my own kidneys function. So I asked after many years of no result “If you don’t realize your intention after 10 years what do you do?”. Smilingly the teacher replied to set up a new intention.

So, do we practice our intention consciously or not? A question which is closely related to the meaning of life. Consciousness involves conscious activities and intentional behavior. Yet our inner and deepest purpose of life is way beyond our common understanding. It is hiding inside, it is our true nature. Disease has one big trick to overcome. When we see disease happening, either by diagnosis or by our inner awareness it might be too late. Many people live in fear conscious of the disease and its potential consequences for one’s health and life. Too late, because our intention is full of expectation and ambition.

Setting up a new intention for life is something we should regard carefully because it is easy to have fear guide our practicing of it. The eight verses bring clarity. Ding TIan Li Di, we are always between heaven and earth. We are the universe. Careful because we might not get what we want but what we need. Can we be happy with the result always? Here many people with disease stop practicing. Fear won over the insight gained from the result. We got what we deserved. They cannot believe their outcome is different from what they wanted.

Painfully I realized after years of practicing that my result was not what I wanted and I was going to give up Qigong. Gazing and breathing into the pain I was feeling physically since I was on dialysis just with 5 percent kidneys functioning, I realized the ego was governing my practice intention. The will had dominated my practice, abandoning the heart’s acceptance that we are already practicing our life purpose always, even when we are not even aware of Qigong.

What is the difference then between natural intention and purposeful practicing of intention? No expectations! So many problems in life we bring about our selves. When we are very ill, we are challenged to fight our disease. Fight cancer, beat this, etc.. We only need to do the opposite. Give up on your fights against ourselves and accept. Fear will dissolve. At my first diagnosis back in 1997 a wise doctor told me to give up fighting the past, which disease is, and save my energy for enjoying life. A message that has become a personal mantra.

For the coming month, please welcome the new season. The winter solstice is nothing else than evolution. All is evolving. Our conscious grasps all from a holistic level, far too much for humanity to understand from the logical mind. Basically we go into winter, but the light is already returning. Reflect and trust inside, is what Qigong practitioners do always.

Tip: read the book Indomitableness by Maarten van Opstal, order it here!

Happy return of the light!
Maarten