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Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Forum

Feb 27, 2005

Qi, Art, Science, and the Brain

Neil Greenberg

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The Asian concept of qi (chi) refers to a graceful, unifying flow in harmony with the contours of nature.  It emerges from the dialectic of yin and yang, and can provide us with a vivid expression of our potential to integrate the often alienated parts of our selves.   In Asian culture (as in Western art and science) many of us are highly motivated to seek, explore, and manifest the inner forces that lead to outward expression.  Chinese culture traditionally views calligraphy and painting as points on a continuum; that is, there is an effort to dissolve the boundary between linear narratives and the holistic expressions of works of art.   In recent Forums we have explored the adaptive functions of art and self-expression as it serves our needs to discover (and invent) an authentic self, arguably an ancient biological necessity. This week we look at qi as a metaphor for integration of the congenitally conflicted parts of our selves and how understanding the brain can serve to restore harmony.

The NATURAL HISTORY of Qi  builds on recent TVUUC Forums that addressed “Truth and the Brain” which explored the idea that our beliefs about the world and our selves is based on fragments of information that have passed specific complementary “tests” before we have confidence in them.   . . . . “It is important to note that these fragments are obtained by one part of the brain and forged into beliefs by another.  These specific cerebral functions must be well connected to each other to provide confidence in the validity of a belief.   These fragments are obtained by REALITY-TESTING (leading to what philosophers term, “correspondence” relying heavily on empiricism and induction) and STORY-TELLING (theory, narratives, what philosophers term, “coherence,” relying heavily on deduction) — truth in the brain”

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QI

Qi (“chi”) is a venerable Asian idea that resonates with the DAO of Lau Tze, the PRANA of ancient Hindu, the PNEUMA of the ancient Greeks, and  the AIN SOF of Kabbalah.  It resembles the creative flow of biblical Genesis, but continues at this time . . .

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|SOME QI POINTS

• QI, DIALECTIC, YIN AND YÁNG — Qi is said to arise from the dialectic that is “easily recognized in terms of Chinese philosophy as yin and yáng.” (BHQ11. A Brief History of Qi by Yu-Huan Zhang and Ken Rose (2001) Redwing Books p60)

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• NATURE IS MOVEMENT, MOVEMENT IS ENERGIZED BY QI  — “Nature in Chinese philosophy is understood to be the constant motion that manifests the changes of life. The root of these changes is  qì. The concept of  qì is used to explain the generation, development, and transformation of all matter. It holds the premiere position in traditional Chinese thought. Not only is  qì the principal source of energy and matter, it also establishes the basis of spirit and the human soul. Importantly, it provides the connective medium through which the ancient philosophers believed human beings could harmonize their growth and development with the forces of nature.” (BHQ pp61-62) “Qì has long been understood as the motive force of life itself. Powerful and unseen, it drives all natural phenomena.” (BHQ p68).

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• MOVEMENT IN HARMONY IS DÀO — “This quest for harmony with nature gained its preeminent expression in the philosophy of the dào. Yet all this philosophizing can scarcely compete with the experience of a work of art. After all, the idea that one picture is worth a thousand words is intimately Chinese. Thus, throughout the ages, Chinese artists have sought to manifest the dào of nature in their lives and in their work. They applied their intellect to comprehend the changes of the natural world and to transform their perception of the dào into the emotional power needed to fuel the expression of their art. This emotional vitality, in fact, is their own, individual qì.” (BHQ p62)

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• ACTION WITHOUT INTENTION IS THE SUPREME EXPRESSION OF QI —  Some of the charm of qi  is transmitted via the ink, some via the brush, but the highest level is that transmitted through actions with no intention.  (as Zhang Geng explained it in a book called A Discussion of Painting from Lu Mountain (Lú Shan Huà Lùn); Qing Dynasty (=Manchu, 1644-1912),  BHQ p71).
• “What is meant by action without intention? It means the artist fixes his attention and concentration, and then the vision flows out through the movements of the wrist. The original intention is one thing, but suddenly it appears completely different! It comes out just like that, sent out with no intention. You can say, “It is enough.” But in fact it is not enough. How can you call it enough, when there is no way to add it up?  It is originality beyond the feelings of the brush and the weight of the ink. It comes from the thriving pivot of heaven. Yet it can only be sensed by one who is tranquil. Even the slightest delay will confuse the mind, and it disappears in the ink.” (BHQ p72)
• [this is true spontaneity, the essence of improvisation . . . like automatic impulse, or instinct, but trained . . . the mind is prepared . . . it learns and then forgets but doesn’t forget]

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• QI INVITES A UNITY OF ARTIST, ARTWORK, AND VIEWER —  “Not only does the qì function to connect the mind and spirit of the artist with the painting, it weaves the painter, the painting, and the viewer into a single unified experience. In fact, it stitches all of Chinese art into an elaborate, ongoing tapestry of continual creation, cultivation, and refinement of aesthetic imagination and imagery.” (BHQ p75)
• Integration of functions involving coherent linear connections (as in language) and those of holistic, integrative perceptions.
• The highest praise for the poetry of the ancients is “there is a painting in the poem.”
• The highest praise given to paintings was “there is poetry in the painting.”
• In spite of the difference in artistic form between poetry and painting, they both seek the same artistic conception: profound quiet; harmony with the orderly changes of nature.

—A Brief History of Qi

QI and SCIENCE

“. . . both science and the occult offered ways to [the pioneer European Abstract Expressionists] connect with what was considered a deeper sense of reality by challenging the primacy of the material world and emphasizing forces and processes over things.”

–Jack Flam 2001

QI and the BRAIN

FLOW . . .

• Between higher and lower centers (consciousness and the non-conscious) enables creativity
• Between the centers that test percepts for validity (correspondence and coherence) – the duel mechanisms of reality testing that enables a sense of self

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related/overlapping ideas:

CONCEPT CLUSTER

CHANGE

“The Essential Tension”

“prematurity and Uniqueness”

“Theme and Variation”

EVOLUTION

Art and Time

Qi

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This forum is based in part on a presentation at the international conference on Qi and Consciousness: “Truth in the Brain: the Neuroethology pf Consciousness,”   Beijing, November, 2004