Peter Hershock in his book Chan Buddhism address the relationship between karma and qi--action and energy.
Think of ripples in a pond and amplitude of the waves. Living is always in cross-sections of events using our energy to tact.
Qi's origin, comes from experiencing swirl (p158-162). I think of being affected by swirls of sound, light, smell, taste touch and feelings, hence the unfolding impressions (patterns) as the various swirls ebb and flow.
In Chinese medicine, philosophy, and Chan, energy connotes balance of wisdom. What seems like coming and going is neither coming or going but rather being.
When Chan is Chan practice, awake to the arising moment, it is fully relational to the swirl as neither this nor that but inmo-thus. Here lies our true dynamic nature free from duality, and where we are applying Bodhisattva vows. My sense is we are in the eye of the situation seeing it as a 360 degree mirror, all-in-all.
Chan is relational awareness of the whole. Just as yin-yang depicts the same through the Taoist pictagram of unfolding flows, within the cosmic whole, where this and that are lost if spun fast enough. In everyday life we are engaged in each moment saving, ending, and entering through a way of life that is unsurpassable. This is dunwu or readiness to awakening, and as bodhisattvas it is our virtuosity.
Our true nature is---simply and gracefully, without hesitation---doing what cannot be done through benefiting what cannot be benefited (p.162).
Gassho
Sangaku
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