CHINA TRADITIONAL PRACTICE IN MODERN TIMES
Below are a series of photos I took in China. They show methods of traditional practice from movement, morning exercises, calligraphy in the park and classroom and meditation in monastic settings. This is to create an impression of the context and relationship of these practices to each other in modern times.
The cannon of traditional Chinese culture is large, varied and spans millennia of historical development. Chinese people often use the term “traditional Chinese culture” in discussing their own culture. The term while suggesting certain shared cultural facets also encompasses a huge variety of meanings. However, there are certain areas of meditative culture which share connections across different disciplines, crafts and spiritual-religious traditions or philosophies. The presence of these today in the ever changing present is complex, multifaceted and worthy of our care and attention. It has obvious meaning and importance for modern Chinese people, many of whom practice these traditions or who are casually familiar with them. Some of these practices are the primary way of Chinese people connecting with and benefiting from their own historical culture and traditions. It also attracts the curiosity of many people from around the world to whom it can also offer its benefits and provide new perspectives.
Daosim, Martial Arts, Buddhism, Calligraphy and Tea Culture etc. are a rich, well discussed and documented area in China and to some extent abroad. There is one perspective which is not so common but nevertheless very valuable. It is the link between different traditional daily practices which are not concerned with the production of goods but with various forms of meditation.
In the current volatile environment of contemporary China with its fast social, political and economic changes there is a great deal of cultural distortion. Traditional culture's representation is often exaggerated and its superficial commercial mythology emphasised. Many people make shallow judgements about the state of traditional culture in China today after the impact of communism and the cultural revolution. They often assume that it has disappeared or is a pale reflection of what it was or that is has been too heavily distorted by external influences. Any generalisation in China about this is just such - a generalisation, particularly taking into account a country of China’s size, population, regional variation and number of traditions and practices.
These over simplifications can often be inaccurate but also contain some element of the truth. They coexist and have subtle contradictions with each other. A century of historical upheaval has of course impacted enormously on many traditions. But what we have to remember is these “wisdom traditions" have spanned millennia and continents and have tremendous resilience. They continue to pass down their benefits to different generations. Upheaval, change and challenge are familiar territory for these traditions. Some disappear, some change, some change beyond recognition and some survive. Historically, the question of genuine teaching, knowledge and false knowledge has also always been an issue in many of these practices. For example the great Chinese Zen patriarch, Hui Neng railed against false teaching and distorted practice in his day over a millennia ago.
But underneath the noise there is a quiet stream of practice and practitioners diligently pursuing their process of refinement. The millions who rise and practice Taiji every morning, the lay and monastic Buddhists and Daoists who meditate and pursue spiritual goals and all those who tirelessly practice their art-tradition with humility and beauty irrespective of the rewards and consequences. Sometimes these simple processes and quietly persistent people can be missed by the casual observer. They can be drowned out by the noise of modern society, the Red Dust, and China's development has been particularly noisy in recent times. If one looks carefully amongst the sometimes ugly cacophony of rampant development, you can discover practices of immense beauty and dignity. They are not at odds with modernity but just remain like an eternal stream of wisdom that some remember to drink from. To the unfamiliar, it is helpful to think of these as kinds of prayers; ways of forging links to higher values or truths that are unchanging. Sometimes even for some Chinese, an unfamiliarity with their own traditions and culture can cause a distance from it and create a kind of self referential cultural tourism looking in on itself. However, these traditions remain tools or methods designed to help practitioners see beyond cultural limitations and to transcend and connect to wider, more eternal truths.