Daoist Meditation
The definition of meditation is taking charge of our mind. It involves relaxation, focus, and awareness. Meditation is traditionally associated with spiritual and religious exercises. There are many forms of meditation promoting overall health and well-being. In this article, I will introduce Daoist meditation.
According to Daoism (道教), whatever we do, we are consuming our qi (气). When we see something, we consume our qi (气) of eyes. When we listen to something, we consume our qi (气) of ears. In order to regain vitality by cultivating our qi (气) , we can do meditation.
When we do meditation, we gather qi (气) into our bodies by breathing. As we do this, by seeing nothing, we regain qi (气) of eyes. By listening to nothing, we regain qi (气) of ears.
There is a Daoist story called “Zaiyoubian(在宥編)” in Zhuangzi (庄子)in which person named Guangchengzi (広成子) tells tips for health maintenance.
Guangchengzi (広成子) says, “If you see nothing, hear nothing, and keep your mind still, your body gains back harmonious state. If you are quiet, pure, and do not overtax your body as well as do not get agitated, you can live long. You must not overtax your eyes and ears. And then if you think nothing, you can prolong your life.”
As you can see from this ancient Daoist story, since the antiquity, meditation has been considered as an important health activity in China.

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