Modern distractions keep us from connecting to our true self. The solution is simple: stop stirring the "cup" and let the mud settle.
Modern life keeps us constantly occupied and distracted whether we realize it or not.
Phones, social media, news, entertainment and the endless amount of information we consume every day. There is almost always something pulling our attention away from ourselves.
We rarely sit completely still anymore without doing anything. Even when we have free time, most of us immediately reach for our phones or find something else to occupy the mind.
ADHD, lack of motivation and the ability to concentrate are common now. People think these are genetic, when in reality they are the symptom of the environment.
Moreover, according to Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan, this constant distraction is one of the reasons people have difficulty discovering their true potential and seeing their true face.
We are constantly influenced by the outside world and rarely give ourselves enough time to become calm, focused and aware of what is actually happening inside us.
Don't Keep Stirring The Cup
With Spiritual Energy Shower (Shen Shui Gong) you learn how to bring the mud of life to the ground so you can become clear like in this dirty cup metaphor.
The Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan gives a very good metaphor to explain this.
Imagine you have a cup filled with water and mud. If you keep shaking the cup, the water becomes completely dirty and you cannot see clearly through it.
However, when you place the cup down and allow it to remain completely still, the mud slowly begins to settle at the bottom. Eventually, the clean water separates from the dirt and becomes clear again.
Something very similar happens inside us.
Throughout life we accumulate experiences, stress, negativity, emotions and outside influences. When the body and mind are constantly stimulated, everything remains mixed together just like the muddy water.
You may keep facing similar problems, reacting in the same ways or attracting the same situations without understanding why.
The cup is constantly being stirred.
This is why one of the first things we need to learn is how to become still and bring order back into ourselves.
Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan says that if you really want to understand your true potential, you need to learn how to be still.
You need to calm down, focus and learn how to breathe correctly.
These things may sound extremely basic, but this is precisely why the foundations of Qigong are so important.
Before trying to perform complicated practices or chase unusual experiences with psychedelics, you first need to learn how your own body works and how to bring yourself into a relaxed and balanced state.
As the Grandmaster says, the physical body comes first and the psychological mind will follow.
When the body begins to relax and the breathing becomes calm, the mind also starts to settle. Eventually, you can create greater coherence between the body, mind, intention and heart.
This is also one of the purposes of The Five Pillars of Qigong.
The 5 Pillars are designed to help you create a cleaner, calmer and more conscious vessel where energy can move and accumulate properly.
Re-Remembering What Is Already Within You
The grandmaster's family scroll in Arabic is 8 meters long. He draws a lot of strength and knowledge from his family lineage.
But in this particular teaching, Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan also speaks about something even deeper and something even more special.
According to him, we may carry much more information inside ourselves than we currently understand.
He believes some of this information has been inherited from our ancestors and remains stored within us.
This is why certain things can sometimes feel strangely familiar. You see this in wild animals all the time — they never learn anything yet have countless skills attached to their DNA.
You may learn a movement much faster than other people. You may immediately feel connected to a particular practice or skill. Sometimes something feels natural almost as if you had already known it before.
Maybe your ancestors were warriors of history, which is why you are attracted to the Fighting Forms of Qigong? Or maybe some of your ancestors were healers which is why you also want to heal yourself and others.
Perhaps, we are not always learning something completely new.
Sometimes we are only re-remembering what our ancestors already learned.
As the grandmaster says: “Everything is already in our body, in our DNA. We only need to learn and remember who we actually are.”
From this perspective, the Qigong methods are not necessarily giving you something you did not possess before.
They are tools which can help you unlock what is already there.
Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan describes these methods almost like keys that can help unlock your hidden potential.
Maybe you are in the crossroads at life and need to reinvent yourself. Instead of doing something dramatic, maybe you only need to discover who you already are?
However, this becomes very difficult when your attention is constantly directed toward the outside world.
The Grandmaster specifically mentions modern civilization, education, multimedia, phones and all the different forms of stimulation surrounding us every day.
We become so occupied that we rarely find enough time to simply calm down and be with ourselves.
And this is exactly why stillness is so important.
When you stop shaking the cup, the mud finally has a chance to settle.
The same principle applies when practicing Qigong. You calm the body, regulate the breathing, reduce unnecessary tension and allow the mind to become quieter.
Over time, you begin to remove the accumulated noise and interference that has been following you throughout life.
This is also why cleansing and creating a pure vessel is such an important aspect of Qigong.
The goal isn't simply to accumulate as much energy as possible.
First, you need to create the right environment inside yourself: A clean vessel. A relaxed body. A calm mind.
These foundations are also extremely important for deeper spiritual practice. When the body and mind are cleaner and more conscious, even prayer can become more powerful because you are less distracted and able to concentrate more deeply.
This is why breathing exercises, physical practice and a strong cleansing protocol are not separate from the deeper aspects of Qigong.
They create the foundation for everything that follows.
This is what the grandmaster means when he says The Pillars of Qigong are the foundation for all practice.
The purpose is not simply to teach you five interesting techniques.
Each pillar develops something that is necessary for the deeper work.
Cleansing, relaxation, accumulation and harmonisation all work together to gradually create a stronger and more balanced foundation.
And sometimes the first thing you need is not more energy, more information or another advanced technique.
Sometimes you simply need to stop shaking the cup.
Let the mud settle, calm the body and mind and see what has been there underneath all along. Stop putting limitations on yourself and start living life with no limits.
As Grandmaster Jiang says, the methods are only tools. The potential is already inside you and just needs to be "unlocked".
You only need to remember who you already are.
You can learn more and sign up at WarriorNeigong.com/pillars
Stay strong.
