CULTURAL CONNECTIONS By Todd Cornell
IN SILENCE, OBSERVE THE CHANGE
O
ne recent morning, the ground beneath me shifted. I was reading a book by 曾仕强 Zeng Shi-Qiang, a prominent scholar in Chinese thought and cultural wisdom. While reading, I encountered a four-character phrase, something that is common in the Chinese language. The phrase is 静观其变 (jìng guān qí biàn). During this moment, I was experiencing high levels of stress. I paused. I scanned my body for sensations related to the stress and focused awareness on the breath. Recognizing all that was happening in my life, I grounded myself in the breath’s moment — a practice I rely on to manage blood pressure and sometimes maintain sanity.
14
Winter 2021 | www.CultursMag.com
