Practicing Chi Gong: Spending Time To Gain Time

During one of Master Chen Xiang’s visits to the Bay Area from Beijing, we met with a friend of mine, a woman with a high-pressure job who has been suffering from a serious stress-related disorder. She several years ago had learned some of the Hunyuan “gong” exercises for building health, and said she benefited from them. But she also said her busy schedule allows her no more than five minutes per day to practice.

Master Chen told her she would get much better results if she practiced for an hour each day. My friend smiled and shrugged; her way of saying she just doesn’t have time.

Later, Master Chen recited a story/poem, which roughly translates as this: A rice farmer spends his entire day bent over, staring down at the ground. But because his field is flooded with water, what he sees is the reflection of the sky. The farmer walks backward as he plants to avoid crushing the new shoots. But even though he’s moving backward, he’s advancing toward his goal because his plantings move forward.

The story, of course, is about perception, and about how things may not be as they appear.

“Your friend says she does not have time to practice the gong,” he said. “But by not finding time to practice, she is actually shortening the time she has for her career and life.”