Even so, I no longer think of Lent merely as a time to give up something. Lent has become for me a time to reflect on my gongfu (kung fu). Those of us brought up on David Carradine's 1970s "Kung Fu" TV series, or Bruce Lee's kung fu movies, tend to think of gongfu as the martial arts. But, that's only part of the story. In Chinese culture gongfu is quite literally, "hard work," but in the fullest sense is any art form that takes practice, practice, and more practice. Google gongfu and you'll be led to the intricacies of the Chinese tea ceremony and to the complexities and beauty of Chinese calligraphy. But, gongfu is not limited to traditional practices, and can be anything that requires dedication and commitment. Playing a musical instrument requires gongfu. Becoming proficient at any sport is gongfu. Learning a craft that requires concentration, time and practice, and working with your hands is gongfu. The daily habit of journalling or writing is gongfu. Meditation, or daily prayer, is gongfu.
When I teach workshops and seminars on managing stress, I introduce participants to what I have come to call their "Life Practice." One of the reasons that many of us face so much stress that negatively impacts us, is that our Life Practice is either out of balance, or else, has become very weak. So, to combat the negative effects of stress, I suggest that folk sharpen their Life Practice, or bring their practice back into balance.
A Life Practice is a whole life thing. It's about what we put into our bodies, what we do with our time, how we exercise our bodies, how our thoughts and feelings effect the way we live, how we rest and learn to live according to nature's rhythms. A Life Practice that is in balance is a healthy and fulfilled life.
Part of any Life Practice includes at least one area of gongfu. Your gongfu will not be something easy. It won't be something quick. Yet, the rewards for perseverance are many. Because it is gongfu it will be a mind-body thing, as all gongfu connects minds to bodies in an integrative way. It will be tactile, sensory, earthy, and at the same time deeply spiritual. Your gongfu will be a deep connection with the way of nature, and through nature with the whole universe, with the ultimately real. That connectedness with reality is what we mean by spirituality.
If you have no gongfu at present, Lent is as good a time as any to begin. Instead of merely "giving something up for Lent"—abstaining from something for a time is also a key element of a Life Practice—why not start to walk your path of gongfu.
Here's another reason to reflect on your gongfu. Many of my friends have been rather disoriented over the last year or so. It has been a very difficult time, and the difficulties and uncertainty are likely to continue. It doesn't take a guru to sense a lot of imbalance. During the election cycle last tear, many of us paid more attention to news that before. However, a daily diet merely of news (real and "fake") is likely to cause a psychological "tummy upset," which, in turn, will likely lead to physiological maladies too. Minds and bodies are connected in ways we are just beginning to fathom, and gongfu really helps. Read the news by all means, but with care. A balanced Life Practice, with a daily gongfu will keep you healthy (for sure), wealthy (maybe) and wise (I hope so).
+Ab. Andy