Fyrirlestur - Energy Healing: Daoist Cultivation in the Light of Modern Science

Open lecture by Livia Kohn

April 22nd - University Center 105 - 12:00-13:30

 

Daoist cultivation is predicated on three key features:

 

1. The universe (Dao), holographic in nature, consists of cosmic, pure energy in a state of continuous creation. This energy (qi) is always present and always good. It flows in predictable, measurable patterns (yin-yang).The goal of manifest existence is for the universe to become conscious of itself as pure continuous creation.

 

2. Human beings, as much as all that is, are nothing but cosmic energy. The body consists of energetic centers (organs, elixir fields) and channels (meridians) which can be activated and synergized for optimal functioning using tapping and qigong methods.

 

3. The human mind, consciousness, and emotions are decisive factors and can either open or block the energy flow in the body. They can be modified with energy-guiding, visualizations, and positive enhancement.

 

All these three main aspects of Daoist cultivation have recently been documented in scientific research. The universe is now understood as a quantum phenomenon, where particles are waves and waves are particles, and all flows in continuous alternating cycles of energetic oscillation. The body in terms of behavioral kinesiology and energy medicine is now seen as a living matrix that is simultaneously a mechanical, vibrational, energetic, electronic, photonic, and informational network. It consists of a complex, linked pattern of pathways and molecules that form a tensegrity system which always works to the best of its ability and can be greatly enhanced.

 

The mind, finally, divides into the conscious and the subconscious, the former picking up only one in 200 million impulses perceived and processed by the latter. As modern cell biology has demonstrated, mental reaction patterns are responsible for cells responding either by protection or by growth, i.e, tightening up and going tense or opening up and enhancing life. Daoist cultivation provides a treasure trove of methods to modify and enhance the body-mind-universe axis to optimal functioning and lasting happiness.

 

 

Livia Kohn, Ph. D., graduated from Bonn University, Germany, in 1980. After six years at Kyoto University in Japan, she joined Boston University as Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies. She has also worked variously as visiting professor and adjunct faculty at Eötvös Lorand University in Budapest, the Stanford Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, and San Francisco State University. Her specialty is the study of the Daoist religion and Chinese long life practices. She has written and edited thirty books, as well as numerous articles and reviews. She has served on numerous committees and editorial boards, and organized a series of major international conferences on Daoism. She retired from active teaching in 2006 and now lives in Florida, from where she runs various workshops and conferences, and serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies. 

Her books include Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques (1989), Daoism Handbook (2000), Cosmos and Community (2004), Meditation Works (2008), Sitting in Oblivion (2010) and—most recently—A Source Book in Chinese Longevity (2012). Besides English, she is fluent in German, Chinese, and Japanese. For more, see www.liviakohn.com;www.threepinespress.com.