MENTAL SUBTLETY WITH STUART BREEN

The following are notes taken from a 2006 Seminar Session on Mental Subtlety with Stuart Breen.

First of all, you remember what you need to remember.

Gateway to Wu Wei

(From wikipedia: Wu wei is an important tenet of Taoism that involves knowing when to act and when not to act. Wu may be translated as not have; Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is "without action" and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei : "action without action" or "effortless doing". The practice of wu wei and the efficacy of wei wu wei are fundamental tenets in Chinese thought and have been mostly emphasized by the Taoist school. The aim of wu wei is to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium, or alignment with the Tao, and, as a result, obtain an irresistible form of "soft and invisible power" over things.)

Long form was created 2500 years ago then short form was created for those of us with western lifestyle.

Subtlety is the ability to use the mind without causing stress or discomfort to your body. We tend to push whether it's good or healthy etc. i.e. put off lunch etc rather than pacing ourselves = lack of subtlety

Mental level has effect on your body, all 5 aspects can affect you.

Bone energy fuels body but no thing is isolated as all things interact.

In Tai Chi when you start 20 or 30 minutes is enough but then you can do more 40 minutes etc as we learn to pace ourselves. Do too much you tense then you don't learn as play is gone
do enough to stimulate. Use soft movements forward plus subtlety or the energy stagnates

Movement is required for a slow and soft progression

DEMO OF JUMPING JACKS

Stuart and participant started doing jumping jacks. Stuart did them at 70%, the other person as fast as she could. In a short while she was exhausted; Stuart was still going strong.
100% gets slower 70% keeps going

Bill he works hard but he alienates other workers with his c'mon c'mon c'mon attitude. He sets a bad example for other workers and productivity goes down. At the end of the day he is still giving his 100% but it is 100% of not much at all.

He gave 100% all day every day.

John uses mental Taoist principles. John's not tired but he's more productive even though he’s not giving 100%. You need to take away illusion that 100% is effective tool. He’s not tired or snappy and has steady output of work all day long achieving way more than Bill.
70% is egoless way of doing stuff without trying to build up and appease ego.

Frank is a lazy so and so. but he gets as much or more done than Bill. Doesn't annoy other workers as much and can even increase morale and is not threatening.

If you are studying do 2 hours on, 1 off; 2 on, half off.

Blood sugar
Foods are refined in liver to fuel body.

Carbs/fats/sugars turn to fuel

If you are physically ahead of production of fuel your body gets tired. In other words: No oxygen; no sugar; no more jumping jacks.
Match fuel production to energy output and you may even lose weight.
The 70% rule gives carbs/fats/sugars time to be processed.

Doing over 70% is anaerobic exercise.
You get tired
Skipping lunch causes mental and physical fatigue.

Productivity increases by doing less at one go, you do more in th elong run.

100% is not subtle but forceful

Subtle movement

A “tell” muscle group (In Stuart's case his forearms)
Maybe lower back or neck pain builds up telling you to stop

Migraines are from doing too much and then doing too much trying to fix it.

Why do you have bursts of energy in evening?

From doing too little in morning you'll get active. Be more physical in morning.

You need a balance between yin and yang (quiet and moving.)

Hysteria is caused by too much energy where your energies are not under control; your intention is not under control. Pushing too hard causes an hysterical state
Extreme yang turns to yin
Extreme yin turns to yang

i.e. Jumping jacks extreme activity leads to cessation of all activities.

State of depression is not just mental. High stimulus prior to depression. Depression is not negative it's a balancing energy.
Don’t use effort to fix it as it was effort that caused it

Depression can just mean recognising a need for balance after too much effort.

Tai chi like duck (or swan) appears calm but paddling like mad under water.

Energies can be hard to stop like snowball rolling down hill.

Signs of depression occur first in energetic, then in mental, spiritual emotional and physical levels.

If you're striving you don't notice what's going on around you.

100% : if you walk fast through park how much do you notice. 3 or 4 things maybe.

70% walk through park and you have a long list of things noticed

“A wise man need never leave the house but he can learn the world”

You don't need to look outside yourself

The Tao does nothing but nothing is left undone.

Subtlety appears to do nothing but it goes on. (God moves in mysterious ways.)

Sometimes Stuart makes statements to engage you to start discussion e.g. everyone is perfect even killers; wild statement to open you up and engage thought and discussion.

WU WEI IS EFFORTLESS EFFORT.

WU WEI IS NOT EFFORTLESS.

A VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOING NOTHING AND BEING SUBTLE.

“As I sit still on the grass spring comes, the grass grows by itself.”

Energy has to move to let things grow. Motivation is controlled effort.

If you have to do 100% activity then do 50 for a while, like if a truck comes round corner you have to move fast. Or if you take 40 kids to zoo etc. there is always room to manoeuvre.

There are no absolutes. you still have free will. you have to experience things

“If you do 70%, 70% of the time you'll be 100% happy.”

“Common sense is not terribly common.”

Your body only accepts at level it's ready for.

The Tao of Pooh (The Wisdom of Pooh)
by Benjamin Hoff, E.H. Shepard, and E.H. Shepherd ISBN: 1405204265

The Tao Is Silent
by Raymond M. Smullyan ISBN: 0060674695

Very good books but academic by Alan Watts.

“Effortless Effort not Effortless.”

People end up misunderstanding only so much in a book as it doesn't equate to learning – if there are any questions there is no one to ask, if you find another book, another question crops up. Group and teacher works best. We don't have cultural knowledge- Taoists exaggerate. E.g. Christians have halos; Taoists have rogues as easily discuss philosophy as go off and get seriously drunk.

Anecdote:
Taoist monk got drunk, too drunk to find brushes and used his hair instead inventing Chinese style of painting.

The Tao that can be understood is not the real Tao.
Interaction changes things like when you look in a mirror.
It’s not cognitive it's internal. Can’t be written in words, you have to feel it.

Effortless effort never ever means doing nothing.

Subtlety means moving with soft intention. not moving your energies or someone else's.

Imagine room filled with water force causes ripples. use focus and attention there is no disturbance.
Imagine feather on nose
Breathe in and out do not disturb feather. Only use in meditations that require subtlety.

Subtlety requires effort and patience

Don’t make a goal difficult as success empowers and failure doesn't. large goals disempower. like shooting an arrow to the moon; you don't say look how far it's gone, you say it didn’t get there. Don’t aim for moon find a nearer target = success.
Don’t aim to moon as it takes away propensity for half full positive attitude.

Problems with subtlety work. set bar too high is bad. if you need a change trying to force it doesn't work.\\70% rule biggest tool in developing subtlety

Practise mental 5 minutes concentration; think of breath in; where is it going. Then try three tai chi postures then add another and another. Subtle.

(Question from participant): Is awareness a key word?
Awareness coupled with intention but not on its own.

(Question from participant): Does that cover more than energetically.

Letting things pass (arguments etc) more acceptance than subtle.

Anecdote of Subtle closure window by pushing and letting momentum work.

Subtle comes from and understanding that 70% effort is used and does not disturb others.

 

Meditation

Sit upright eyes closed hands on solar plexus.

Breathe in and out.
Become aware of breath
BREATHE in and let breathe go all the way down into your tummy.
Breathe out slowly.
PICTURE feather in your nose.
Don’t let breath in or out disturb feather.

Connect: (by thinking of)
Spiritually - crown chakra
Mentally - think of brain
Physically - wiggle fingers and toes
Emotional - feel happiness
Energetically - tantien or feel energy round body.

Be aware of all 5 levels

See a candle foot and half away
Breathe out at candle do not let it flicker
Then 3 feet away do not flicker
Try hard to blow it out. Think how this feels? is your body stiff etc
Now subtle again - how does this feel
Become aware of your surroundings
Wiggle fingers and toes
Run tongue between teeth and gums
Take a deep breath in, and out and open eyes.