Qigong Meditation Three Looks to Calm the Mind

There are also three ways of looking at or investigating your thoughts. They are called the Three Looks. When your mind is calm and peaceful, pay attention to your thoughts and learn how to analyze them.

1. The Empty Look (Kong Guan). When you use the Empty Look you look at and investigate everything in this universe: how it is generated, and how it grows, changes, and finally dies. As you look at things, you discover why they happen and what their causes are, and you learn the effects they cause. Everything that happens is ultimately empty. Your experiences are vain, illusory; they gain you nothing but a feeling, which is false and temporary in comparison with the existence of the universe. When your Xin understands this principle, it will not continue to think. Buddhists believe that all motivations and desires generated from the emotional mind do not last long, and ultimately accomplish nothing. If you can see this, you will be able to stop the generation of new Xin and Nian.

2. The False Look (Jia Guan). "Jia" in Chinese means "false, imaginary, not real." In this method, when you find yourself in a bad situation, perhaps stuck in traffic, you look into the past to see how the traffic jam may have come about, and you look into the future to see how it will surely clear up. You look into the past and future to help you control your Xin in the present. However, since the past and future are not the now, they are false. In this method, you are looking at false things and using them to help yourself let go of unsettling feelings and control your Xin. Click to learn how Chinese medicine treats Peptic Ulcer.

3. The Centered Look (Zhong Guan). After you have used the other two Looks and your Xin comprehends the nature of emotional disturbances, you will have seen through every emotional feeling and desire, and you will understand that they are all only temporary. Since your physical life is so short, you should not be bothered by empty emotional feelings. Once you have realized this, you will keep your attention on (look at) only the here and now. Your mind will now be centered and neutral. All of these Looks use your Yi to lead the Xin to understand the truth about emotional feelings. Then Xin will not bother the Yi again.

For example, if you are driving somewhere and suddenly get caught in a traffic jam, do you get upset? Most people would, but if you stop to think about it, what do you gain from getting upset? Will the jam disappear or will the cars start moving faster? What do you gain from getting upset, and what do you lose? If you understand all of this, you will see that there is no benefit derived from getting upset, and you will use the time more gainfully, perhaps by just enjoying the music on the radio. If you can do this, then your mind is centered and regulated.