I'd say that two of the fundamental abilities of (Taoist influenced) internal work
are about having all three centers awake at the same time:1. in healthy mundane consciousness,
2. in supra-mundane Consciousness.
Center-Based Shen Theory
from TTB's Pick-up Ethics thread
CONTEXT
Often spiritually focused males, after an initial attempt at a solitary meditative lifestyle, find that they lack - and very realistically need - an active sex life for basic healthy balance. And, sometimes, they go to the online "pick-up artist" (pua) community for tips on approaching women. While the pua community does have some useful information, it also has more than its' share of immature unethical jerks. The post, below, occurred within a discussion thread that was about pick-up and ethics. It turns out that the topic is loaded with center-based shen theory angles.
[Note: This message is a pasted copy of post #87 by Trunk, in the thread entitled Taoist Ethics for Taoist PUA, from TheTaoBums.com discussion site.]
My thoughts on
center theory re: this. Just taking simple 3 center layout: wisdom, love, power.
The different centers have different aesthetics (what they like to do).
For an over simplified, on the surface example, the mind likes to play chess and meditate, the lower center wants to fuck and go for a run.
They like different sorts of things, and have different agendas.
Add to this that the distribution of consciousness amongst the centers varies, as a general configuration for a certain individual, and as that person's moods change.
Meaning, also, that a couple of centers might be relatively asleep, while another is 'awake' and employing volition (running the show) mostly by it's own aesthetics and agenda.
I think that most people can relate to some degree of that vis-a-vis the three centers.
A healthy mature balanced person has more fluency amongst the centers. A healthy well rounded life, likewise.
Part of the path of awakening, and just the challenge of maturing as a human being, is for each of the centers not only to awaken, but awaken in relative balance.
I'm sure that if you think of a few of the distinct characters in your life, in terms of each of their three centers: awakeness, relative awakeness, whether the centers are communicating with eachother, whether there is a balanced lifestyle that supports all the centers of that person.
In patterns of dysfunctional center relationships, one center actively circumvents, blocks other centers, and absconds with the locus of consciousness and volition.
To some degree this is just very common, the shifting of center-emphasis depending on the activity.
Most people's lower center is not fluently awake, much less Awake.
Ok, so, to the pua scene. They've mapped the aesthetics of the instinctual (lower center) female, and play to that.
Meanwhile the woman's upper centers are distracted or placated or roll-played so that the lower center aesthetics can worked without her upper-center interfering.
After a while her lower center takes over.
Pua's would get a lot further if they found an integral way to awaken their own centers, because most of what an afc
("average frustrated chump") is, is heart and head mildly awake, and an asleep, unintegrated lower center.
The "evil pua's" have over-emphasized the lower center as the home of consciousness and have - to an unbalanced degree - abandoned the upper center aesthetics.
Comes down to really basic stuff, that really no one in the pop-Taoist world has worked out (as far as I know).
So the pua at least gives the lower center the lifestyle that it instinctually wants, and that makes it happy and brings it online to some degree.
But real awakeness and integration?, I don't see it in that community.
A common pattern of disorder among spiritual aspirants results from the fact that it's easier to Awaken the upper center/s.
Once the upper center/s Awaken it (often) ignites a very strong latent imperative to fully Awaken the whole body (all centers).
The problem is that the lower centers typically Awaken later, and it's very, very difficult to find effective training in the process.
I think, in traditional coming - of - age rituals, have to do with acknowledging not only the aesthetics of the lower center, but also the consciousness of the lower center: to acknowledge it and wake it up.
I'd say that center awakeness is a spectrum... from asleep, to sort of dimly acting, to healthy mundane awake, to really Awake.
And, it's probably safe to say, that most people have only one center awake at a time - and that communication amongst centers is generally not fluent.
As with most things, when you really get down to taking a close look, it's a mess.
The Fourth Way
by P.D. Ouspensky (one of Gurdjieff's students) has some information somewhat along these lines.
It has a very precision, very harsh perspective on how difficult it is to awaken the centers - and largely on that basis it's a very interesting read.
NOTES
I'd say that two of the fundamental abilities of (Taoist influenced) internal work
are about having all three centers awake at the same time:
1. in healthy mundane consciousness,
2. in supra-mundane Consciousness.
Of course, that happens gradually, as a result of practice. To me, it's a big part of "the path of real human being", and has a lot to do with "sincerity".
