Of tai chi and Nirvana


The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. (Proverbs 65:8)

Kinda cringey affair cos when I reminded my 50-something classmates about dying and someone suggested tai-chi. Well, for one, I cannot indulge in tai-chi cos I was told that as Catholics, we are not supposed to mess with their inner spirit wateva. Heck, it is not actually said to me la, just that tai-chi is that exercise that I see in the early morning where one cannot do a more vigorous one so one tai-chi.

Anyway, I recently took up some breathing exercise call Nirvana. I doubled checked that there is nothing religious attached to it. BTW, I tried reading the Curia (some official letter la) on Christian meditation. It is too confusing for me, so I lost my focus midway. However, Nirvana is explained as this – 14. In Buddhist religious texts, the concept of “Nirvana” is understood as a state of quiet consisting in the extinction of every tangible reality insofar as it is transient, and as such delusive and sorrowful.

Again, that is one long sentence which left me confused too. Whatever, I enjoy the technique of counting my breaths and I do want to improve the way I breathe as it helps not only in endurance exercise but also in singing. Anyway, if you are interested to read, the letter to the Bishops on Christian meditation is found here.

I am not interested in meditation. I can talk to Jesus anytime, anywhere and I do that a lot. So I do not need some magic candle and special time to do so. Plus I do not have the concentration nor time. Give me some vigorous praise and worship and I will get my spiritual high from there. After all, that zeal and vigour are much needed as I am a faith sharer with youths.

church pew

If you want quietness, the church is always open. It is where you can feel close to God when you sit at an empty chapel or in front of the blessed sacrament.

The other current trend is practising Mindfulness. I read an article on Altheia on Mindfulness

Catholic mindfulness is a way to practically trust God more in our lives. Instead of separating faith from the day-to-day of life, mindfulness helps bridge the gap so that we can feel the peace in our lives that should come from having a Father we can trust.

I guess I am pretty much in touch with my inner self and do not need tai-chi la, Mindfulness la, meditation la…whatever la. I just need to write more and process those swirling thoughts in my mind.