Living Zen in the Practice of QigongDharma

Illuminating the Path

We share a deep and timeless connection!

In our shared journey of practice and discovery, we are connected by a bond that spans generations—a lineage of living wisdom that blends ancient teachings with modern insights.  The practice we uphold, QigongDharma, comes from this intersection: a seamless fusion of wisdom traditions and the clarity provided by contemporary understanding.

The Nature of Awakening

The core truth at the heart of all genuine practice is simple yet profound: the wisdom we seek already exists within us.  This “wisdom of awakening” is not hidden in far-off, unreachable places; instead, it is inherent to our nature, always accessible even if sometimes obscured by distractions and illusions of daily life.  Names like Buddha-nature, True Self, or the Dao all point to this essential presence—an ever-radiant source that belongs equally to everyone, regardless of circumstance or background.

The Need for Guidance

Though this innate clarity is our birthright, it is all too easy for the mind to become caught up in habitual patterns and surface distractions. The flow of thoughts, memories, and emotions can obscure our true nature and lead us away from direct, clear perception.  For this reason, guidance—a teacher, supportive community, and skillful means—can be invaluable.  Genuine guidance does not impose or add something new; it helps reveal, awaken, and embody what is already present within each of us.

The Unity of Wisdom, Compassion, and Meditation

In the practice of Qigong Dharma, meditation and insight are inseparable.  Don’t think of meditation as something separate from wisdom.  Don’t think of wisdom as something separate from compassion.  These are profound expressions of one truth: meditation is the calm, stable foundation; wisdom is the natural clarity that results from it.  Wherever there is meditation, wisdom naturally arises.  Wherever wisdom is present, compassion naturally arises.  Wherever there is wisdom, meditation naturally supports it.

Meditation and wisdom are often compared to a lamp and its light—they naturally complement each other.  The lamp (meditation) provides a steady foundation, while the light (wisdom) shines brightly.  They are inseparable expressions of the same essence.

Remember, it is not that meditation comes first and wisdom follows, or vice versa.  This division or sequence doesn’t exist.  Speak kindly so that, in your heart, your meditation and wisdom stay connected.  When our actions and intentions align through kindness, meditation, compassion, and wisdom, everything falls into place, supporting our awakening. 

Embodied Practice—From Insight to Living Reality

The work of QigongDharma is to bring this essential wisdom into everyday, embodied practice. Through movement, meditation, and ethical awareness, we learn to let go of rigidity, question fixed beliefs, and accept paradoxes—like right and wrong, doing and being—into a clear, non-dual presence.  This is not escapism or spiritual bypassing, but the courageous act of fully engaging with the present moment, discovering unity beneath apparent contradictions.

By centering ourselves in openness, curiosity, and direct experience, we rediscover the innate radiance that is both our birthright and the essence of awakening.  This is the living invitation of authentic practice: to realize, embody, and share this clarity in every part of our lives.

Regardless of appearances, your heart-mind-spirit is your sanctuary.

Ancient teachings and modern psychology highlight the importance of maintaining honest internal clarity of mind and consistency between our words and actions for genuine practice.

QigongDharma teachings adapt to the listener’s needs.  Those who are ready and open can directly recognize their true nature.  Those who struggle may need more guidance.  Ultimately, the practice is simple: recognize your mind and see your true self-nature.

Awakening, as taught by the Chan/Zen masters and lived in the QigongDharma tradition, is not about achieving a static state. Instead, it is the continuous discovery of our innate clarity and creative freedom within the dynamic interplay of mind, body, and world

The teachings highlight three fundamental teachings—No Fixation, Formlessness, and Non-Attachment—each reflecting both deep meditative insight and an intuitive understanding of our human experience.

These teachings are deeply relevant to the living traditions of QigongDharma and Zen practice:

Here is a deeper dive into these teachings:

“No fixation”

No fixation is the practice of not clinging to or getting stuck in our thoughts, beliefs, or habitual emotional reactions. It involves developing a direct awareness of how our minds work, which, in modern terms, means understanding our unique neurobiology: the habitual patterns and narratives our minds create.

In practice, we recognize that when we’re caught in repetitive inner stories or attachments, we learn to let go, shifting to a state of open receptivity. This means not identifying with our passing thoughts and emotions, but observing them as temporary mental phenomena, like clouds drifting across a clear sky.

The insight available by practicing ‘no fixation’ leads to flexibility—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  It allows greater ease, enhances our ability to respond wisely to challenges, and supports the cultivation of genuine presence and clarity

“Formlessness”

Formlessness points toward the essential fluidity and adaptability of mind and experience.  In the context of practice, it reflects our inherent neuroplasticity—the brain and mind’s natural capacity to change, adapt, and learn.

Practicing ‘Formlessness’ is recognizing that our perceptions, identities, and the “forms” of our experience are not fixed.  It frees us to witness the true nature of appearances without becoming ensnared by them.  Meditation and qigong both embody this: being present with the flux and flow of life, without insisting on rigid categories or boundaries.

The insight available in living with formlessness awakens a creative, spontaneous presence.  We meet each moment anew, unburdened by preconceived notions or expectations, which is at the heart of Zen’s direct and fluid way of being.

“Non-attachment”

Non-attachment is the embodied realization that thoughts, feelings, and experiences are constantly arising and passing away.  It’s the wisdom of recognizing the impermanence and interdependence of all phenomena.

Instead of suppressing thoughts or emotions, non-attachment means allowing them to arise and pass away naturally, without clinging to or resisting them. We experience the co-arising of body and mind, sensation and thought, self and world, as a seamless unity in the flow of practice.

This cultivation brings a sense of spaciousness and resilience.  By not attaching to fixed ideas, identities, or outcomes, we remain responsive and aligned with the fundamental harmony of things as they are.

Foundations of Genuine Freedom

These core teachings—no fixation, formlessness, and non-attachment—serve as the living roots of authentic freedom.  When freed from the illusion of appearances, the mind is no longer confined or bewildered by surface phenomena; we directly perceive the nature of reality and the workings of the mind-brain continuum.

This natural clarity is not something acquired from outside—it is our innate self, already present and unobscured when confusion falls away.  In the tradition of QigongDharma, there is no rigid belief system or constriction: rather than being bound to dogma, the practice is centered in openness, curiosity, and direct engagement.  There is no clinging to mental constructs or contrived notions of purity, and therefore no entangling oneself in cycles of illusion or self-delusion.

The Essence of Zen Practice in QigongDharma

So, what does it mean to practice Zen within the QigongDharma approach?  It is to harmonize with the Dao—by whatever name one uses—without resistance or struggle, and to see your true nature clearly, without the veil of confusion.

 Here, “Zen” is not a mere label—it means:

• Remaining open, adaptable, and resilient outwardly in relationship with the world.
• Sustaining clarity, flexibility, and undistracted awareness inwardly, where the neuroplastic mind naturally self-adjusts and renews.

When you are outwardly flexible and inwardly clear, this creates a natural balance and focused presence.  There is a dynamic equilibrium: the mind is neither rigid nor scattered, the body neither tense nor stagnant.

Practicing Awakened Nature

The more profound truth is that your fundamental purity—the awakened nature—is already present, waiting only to be recognized and expressed.  The invitation isn’t to escape, but to “embody” this nature through ongoing practice, acts of kindness, and wise, skillful actions.  Transformation isn’t achieved by words alone but by the living expression of insight in every part of life.

The Path Forward

This path of awakening is deeply personal yet accessible to everyone. Every practitioner is encouraged: the journey is yours to take, from beginning to end.  Freedom, clarity, and compassionate action are not distant ideals, but living realities available to you now, no matter where you are on the path.

The authentic integration of Zen and Qigong Dharma is realized through continuous return to clarity and openness, embodying wisdom and kindness, and living in harmony with our true nature.

This is the invitation and promise of authentic spiritual practice: to welcome yourself home repeatedly to the radiance that has always been your birthright.