Mastery in Empty Space

The empty space. That which becomes the active in the next moment, immediately replaced by the neutral once moved. Active and passive are not stillness and movement but reaching, contracting, fixing, shrinking, compacting, rigidifying, adding density, swelling, exploding and collapsing. The law of opposites mediated by the third, the middle way. The empty space, the neutral space, an extra degree of freedom, something to spare, the only true “movement.” It is extending, limitless, existent beyond the horizon of knowledge, awareness without reason.

In application it is the source, an open circle, movement agency. Development follows principles of self-organizing beyond ego reach. Ego is always following behind, constricting, limiting, cutting, power hungry, finite.

The application is that the idea of therapeutic neutrality is ego fiction, applicable to misshaped agents that are uncoordinated and getting in the way of natural development of self-organization. The therapist ego flavors the exchange, vivifies experience, models and entrains experience but also allows the freedom of movement in both from impulse to perception to memory. Active to passive to neutral.

Interaction is the guided conversation. Congruence the active, empathy the passive and unconditional positive regard the neutral stance. Simple rules. In martial art there is a neutral space, not just separation but a field of neutrality maintained throughout the execution of the arts, the reminder or enactment or acquiescence of no separation. Separation is pulling or intruding or passively detaching or collapsing. At higher levels of energy and movement, passive is just going through the motions, movement for movement’s sake. Once you learn how it all works then you are really actively “doing something” but that is too much about you. Active yang, passive yin, neutral tao. Going to the neutral space.

It is not enough just to go meditate in a cave, be removed from the world, choose exile, experience neither the pain of movement nor despair of paralysis. Be the void. The neutral, mundane sameness of it all is essential and obvious. Not profound as such. And yet so well eluded, avoided, misinterpreted, embellished, co-opted, defiled. All ego or folly, not it.

It is not in the fixing but in the transformation and movement, the change. How to bring essence to everyday, to the therapeutic but not reek of Zen or God or Buddha or the rarified realm of dogma, insight so profound that it surpasses definition. It comes down to simple virtues and earnest efforts and sincere words. Humility.

The challenge across situations is the intensity, the juxtaposition of shallow or ignorant with the wise or fast moving. The principles of movement and the universe apply equally no matter the relative status of the individual being. The only difference is the individual understanding of rhythm, alterations in movement, the letting go of façade, edifice and scaffolding, levels of development, stages of expertise, from novice to master. The master is novice, able learner, advanced practitioner, superior practitioner and visionary, in simultaneity and flow. The master can constellate the profundity from anywhere in the field or matrix. Humility.

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. Humility arising is transcendent. Rising from density into lightness rather than swelling, collecting out of swelling without density, rousing out of collapse without rigidity, letting go of rigidity without collapse. Therapeutics would teach the virtues and not indulge the vices, make earnest to be a model, be optimistic, be courageous, stay honest and sincere. Be present.