The Flow of the Tao: Empty and FullThirty spokes join at one hub,
Yet it is the emptiness inside the hub that makes the vehicle useful;
Clay is molded into a vessel,
Yet it is the hollowness that makes the vessel useful;
Windows and doors are cut out,
Yet it is their emtpy space that makes the room usable.
So, any having makes for excess,
Any not-having makes for usefulness.
Since the Tao is all-pervading, it fills every corner at all times. Yet it occupies no space, holds no form. It is like the hollowness that makes the vessel useful even though the vessel is molded and colored. It is like the empty space that makes the room useful even though it is framed with windows, doors, and walls. This Tao is also like the water flowing in the river, creating both the river flow and carving the river banks. It embraces both the mountain peaks and the ocean floor. The flow of the river energizes and facilitates all things existing on either side by providing the power of not-having, not occupying, and not-attaching. -Secret Teachings of the Tao Te Ching, Mantak Chia & Tao Huang
quote:From: http://www.users.bigpond.com/rsstack/art/tao.htm
Wu-Wei—effortless action
Taoists believe that if we are aware of the subtle energies and flow of our world then we can use these currents to get where we want to go. Going against the flow is hard work, but using the flow is ‘effortless action’.
Tao (as it is spelled in Wade-Giles transliteration) or Dao (as spelled in pinyin transliteration) has several meanings in Chinese, though as it is used in Taoism (Daoism) it is usually translated as "the Way." It may best be thought of, however, as "the way things are." Confucians are more likely to think of Tao as "the way things should be," and therein lies the most prominent difference in approach of the two systems of thought. The concept of Tao may also be found in Zen Buddhism, and there its meaning is quite similar to Taoism's interpretation, though the ways in which Zen Buddhists and Taoists approach the mystic, unknowable process/principle/energy we call Tao differs. In the central text of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), Lao Tzu (Laozi) uses the following description:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gr8dao/tao.htm
"Compassionate Spirit penetrating through touch" describes Jin Shin Acutouch, the touch which stimulates the energy to flow in the channels of the body. Jin Shin Acutouch is a beautiful combination of the ancient arts of Jin Shin Jyutsu, the Five Element Theory, Taoist Yoga, Chi Kung and other meditations, breath therapy, nutrition, herbs, and the principles of Tai Chi Chuan, which offers a complete system of healing.
"Within Oriental tradition, pain and disease in the body or mind stem from, and are manifested by a stagnation or blockage in the vital life force energy called Chi,"...
...With regular Jin Shin Acutouch treatments, Clark's breathing capacity expanded to 75 percent and she has been off steroids since 1978. Comfortable in her middle years, she has not returned to a hospital for an asthma-related illness in 15 years. "Jin Shin is the most powerful natural healing art that I've ever had the blessing to know," she said.
Jin Shin Acutouch works on the energy level which affects the physical level of the body. Energy points are used on the body to release tension, stagnation, and blockages. This allows the energy to flow in its proper patterns and to strengthen the body and the internal organs...
The Jin Shin Acutouch system has its own unique theory and associations. The energy generated through the body by Jin Shin Acutouch is directed up the back of the body and down the front of the body based on the Developmental Theory. The body's energy is said to come from heaven down to the front of the body, which is considered yang, masculine, and influenced by personalities, worry, fear, and activities in this life and then up the back, the earth, which is considered yin, feminine, influenced by past generations, and heredity. The back, as feminine, is quiet and receptive while the front, as masculine, is active and seen by all the world.
"The flow patterns accessed through Jin Shin Acutouch begin to change much as a river bed changes when a tree falls across," Clark describes. "Energy begins to dry up completely in some areas, or trickle, dam up, and stagnate in others, like the river. As this begins to occur in the body, symptoms of disharmony begin to emerge. At the start, the symptoms may go unnoticed until the discomfort cannot be ignored. As long as there is life force, changes can be made and when the body is given sufficient rest, vital energy can be moved and healing will take place."
http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/tao_heal/jinshin.html
top image: http://members.tripod.com/~hanoja/taopages.html
