Phones, Sunglasses, and Shen - Training Martial Spirit

Let’s paint a picture. You are at a park and see a group of people practicing Taiji together. They are all doing the same form in unison. They all seem to be similar in skill level. They almost move as one. But for some reason, your eye is drawn to one practitioner. You don’t know why. What is it that draws your attention? There is a quality in their practice that is absent in the others. So you stare and try to figure it out. You focus on that person. You study every detail. It is so hard to find a difference. Then suddenly it occurs to you. Your own intense focus on finding the secret to their movement is the actual answer itself. You see it in their eyes. It is their focus. It is their attentiveness that gives purpose to each movement. It is Shen.

What is Shen?

I discussed Shen in my first post Root, Energy, and Spirit - The Foundation of My Taiji as awareness of your surroundings, your mental clarity, and your ability to create. It is the spark taking what you know (Yi), reacting to something you sense, and creating the action to deal with it. The Chinese word Shen (神) translates to spirit. Outwardly, it is most evident through the eyes. It can be seen as an intense focus that seems to drive the whole being, muster all the knowledge, and create the spark that releases your power. I remember seeing my teacher in class. Her eyes had a penetrating gaze like a tiger on the hunt.

Stay in the Moment

So why does this post make the connection of phones and sunglasses to Shen? The phone represents distractions and glasses filter feedback from the environment. They keep you from focusing. They prevent or reduce the full stimulus of the environment from reaching your spirit. For Taiji, they serve as symbolic references to modern devices that cause distractions, cause us to lose focus, or reduce our ability to fully see what surrounds us as nature intended. Just like physical postures and transitional movement in Taiji, we must train ourselves to set aside the metaphorical “phone” and stay in the moment.

Yan Fa: Shifting from "Looking" to "Gazing”

Let’s talk about training our eyes since this is such an important part of Shen. I have been asked by many students “where should I look”. In Chinese literature there is something called Eye Method (Yan Fa, 眼法), which refers to “gaze” rather than “look”. Looking typically stays on one object. In contrast to looking, gazing is panoramic. When you gaze at your hand, that is not all you see. You also see past it and around it. You see near and far. The hand may be the focus of your intention but not to the exclusion of your full field of vision. How might you practice this? Let’s return to the story of the Legos from the post “Golf Balls, Legos, and Root”. Scatter some Legos on the floor and take off your shoes. Keep your eyes open. With a posture like “Wave Hands Like Clouds”, try stepping through the lego minefield while gazing at your hand. Keep your intention and focus on the hand but also take in the Legos. Don’t look down. Your peripheral vision will give you what you need. Who knew Legos (or Golf Balls) could be so useful!

Practical Tips for Developing a Calm Gaze

There are a few things to keep in mind as you practice your gaze. Avoid letting your eyes dart around back and forth from hand to floor. Maintain the primary focus on the hands. The eyes should be calm but still taking in feedback from every stimulus in the environment. Avoid squinting, furrowing the brow, or exaggerating how wide your eyes are open. Do not express emotion through the eyes such as fear or anxiety from stepping on a Lego. Keep everything relaxed and calm. Stay in the moment then smile as you navigate the minefield.

By now it should be obvious why phones and sunglasses are in this discussion. Look at the picture at the top of this post. That is not the person that caught our attention at the beginning of the story. Our person was focused and attentive. She had no “phone” or “sunglasses”. She looked like a tiger on the prowl. She had Shen.