The Taiji Wisdom of the Morning Prayer

The following is one of the morning prayers in the Jewish prayer book. In Jewish tradition this prayer is generally said after using the toilet. It is a prayer of thankfulness that a person’s morning needs have been successfully met.

'Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who fashioned mankind with wisdom and created within him (us) many openings (orifices) and many cavities (hollows). It is obvious and known before Your Throne of Glory that if but one of them were to be ruptured or one of them were to be blocked it would be impossible to exist and stand before You. Blessed are You, Lord, Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.'

This prayer also imparts a profound wisdom about who we are as human beings both physically and spiritually. The words, ‘fashioned man with wisdom,’ indicate that human beings were not merely created but were ‘formed’ with thought and logic. In fact the human body represents a finely-tuned design, requiring harmony and balance for it to function efficiently and painlessly. If one part is open that should be closed or one part closed that should be open, that person will soon be in serious need of immediate medical attention.
Recently I was informed that I had a leaking heart valve. Over time this malfunction could become life-threatening and I was advised to have it repaired (not replaced) sooner rather than later. I followed the advice of my physicians and the operation was successful. A few years ago a friend of mine experienced chest pains. He was rushed to the hospital where the doctors discovered a blockage. The blockage was broken up and a stint put in to keep the artery open. Both examples show how modern medicine can help to restore the body to its natural working order.
Chinese tradition understood the meaning of this prayer somewhat differently. It supplemented the physical with the idea of Qi. Qi (Ch’i), pronounced ‘chee,’ literally means ‘breath’ or ‘air.’ According to Chinese medical theory, Qi is the life force that pervades and enlivens all things. In human beings Qi is accumulated in the Dan Tien, which is located two or three fingers below the navel. The quality of Qi and its flow in the body determines the level of one’s health and strength.
Qi flows through a series of meridians or pathways that run throughout the body and link the various organs and body parts together. The meridians, which can be understood as ‘cavities,’ unify the body like rivers link cities and people together. For optimum health it is crucial that these meridians remain open and unclogged. If there is a blockage, illness will appear in some form. The goal of acupuncture, massage and Taiji is to keep the meridians open and to regulate the Qi so that the energy flow remains balanced. The Chinese say that the body is like the water of a stream. If, for some reason, the stream becomes blocked, the water will stagnate and become a breeding ground for disease. It will soon be undrinkable for people.
One way to understand the words, ‘Who fashioned mankind with wisdom,’ is that God was wise in the way He created human beings. Another way, which does not contradict the first, is that God imbued us with the wisdom to care of both our bodies and our spiritual direction. In other words, we have the wisdom to keep open what should be opened and closed what should be closed. This wisdom does not apply only to our internal hollows such as arteries or Qi meridians. ‘Openings’ (nikavim) can be defined as our orifices; our mouths, eyes and ears. We must nurture the discerning wisdom of knowing when to open our mouths and when to keep them closed; when to speak and when to be silent; how much to eat and when to stop; what to look at and what not to see; when to listen and when not to hear.
The morning prayer is both a prayer of thankfulness and a reminder that our bodies and our souls require balance and harmony in order to be healthy. If you understand and practice this, you are doing Taiji par excellence.