Okay, here’s the part of today’s (Feb. 8th) Paul Chek interview that was edited out because it deals largely with religion and that would have caused the article discussion thread to turn into a theological debate:
TM: So, what’s the next big thing?
PC: I believe that will be training the mind and body in an integrated fashion; making training a spiritual practice as opposed to an ego-driven one.
TM: Can you elaborate on that a bit?
PC: Sure. With people now becoming aware of research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, there is a growing awareness in professional medical and public circles as to the relationship between our mental health and our physical health. Research also shows Christianity is dwindling and Buddhism and other non-dualistic religions are growing. Both of these, in my view, are indicators that people are becoming aware of the fact that one’s mental state is reflected in their physical state and vice versa.
The sick people have come to their wits’ end with drugs and standard medical approaches, and are now getting significantly improved results by seeing integrated medical and allied health care practitioners. Such practitioners typically see the body and mind as interwoven and don 't make the mistake of stepping on a cat’s tail and wondering why it’s the other end that yells!
TM: Okay, seeing the mind and body as interwoven makes sense. But I’m not following how religion and dwindling Christianity fits into this?
PC: Christianity and the other Abrahamic religions (Judaism and Islam) are showing diminishing numbers, particularly among the middle classes in industrialized nations while growing in third-world countries. I believe this is because people are finding that a philosophy based on harsh polarities such as good and evil creates a world-view that is divisional in a time when world harmony is paramount if we are to survive together.
The result of joining such a religion is that you gain a few friends in Church, and lose the rest of the world because they practice a different religion, or believe in a different savior or God. This sort of view naturally leads to tremendous confusion and unrest because in each of these so-called monotheistic religions, they teach that a), There is only One God, and b), that God Is Love. Yet, at the same time, there is tremendous back-stabbing, resent, proselytizing, and of course, terrorism and war, all in the name of God!
When people are told there is only One God and that God is love and all around them people are being segregated and abused because they have different beliefs, and this God of Love (of theirs) seems to be the source of tremendous pain, conflict naturally arise within the intelligent among them.
TM: But you don’t see that as necessarily the case with all religions or the people who practice them?
PC: No, it isn’t. Buddhism, Taoism, and a host of New Age religions have produced a significant number of people that now share a broader world-view. Instead of a duality philosophy, this view sees life as a dialectic, which is a field of tensions, like a rainbow. They realize that just as you canâ??t possibly separate red from orange, orange from yellow, yellow from green in a rainbow, all people and their mind-sets encompass a spectrum.
Many of these religions don’t use the word “God” or teach that way because it leads to the conversion of “GOD” (absolute wholeness) – something that can’t possibly be known by a mind, which is a relativity generator-- into an idea. Ideas always create limitation – or division, because for every “is,” there must be an “isn’t.” For example, if you believe Jesus is the only begotten savior, which opens the door wide for implying that everyone else’s begotten savior is some how second-rate or false. This naturally leads to problems. So, how do you expect to get wholeness out of a blender?
TM: Okay, I think I’m following you. But I have to ask-- what does this have to do with training?
PC: Stick with me and I’ll connect the dots. The religions that don’t teach with a “God is this or that” model are often referred to as adult religions. This is because their primary teaching is to take responsibility for your own actions. They essentially teach that the only purgatory is the one we create in our relationships to self and other. This philosophy is aligned to my view that the spiritual person is one who takes responsibility for their actions moment to moment.
As these adult religions prosper, producing more self-responsible people that do indeed cultivate inner-peace and share it with those around them, awareness rises. Interestingly, philosophies and religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, Yoga, Kung fu, etc., often have an integrated approach including mental training, dietary recommendations, and an exercise component.
On those grounds alone, they are more likely to cultivate inner peace and healthy autonomy than religions that are based primarily on a collection of other peopleâ??s ideas that lack a diet and exercise component. In fact, some, like Zen, or Sufism (the mystical branch of Islam) do not have a “book”; their teachings are based on a practice above and beyond any doctrine.
I feel that the shifting mind-set of the public toward one inclusive of a dialectical approach to life will naturally bring with it a greater awareness of the importance of taking responsibility for your “self.” That includes"caring for yourself" Naturally, as we love ourselves more wholesomely, we share that with others. My mother was a yogi and raised me with an awareness of my mental, physical, and diet as inclusive of living a wholesome life. I wish more kids today were blessed to have a mother that wise.
TM: So this new self-awareness, as a spiritual and physical being is what you consider to be the next big thing in our field?
PC: I see it happening now. There are now comprehensive conferences available for exercise professionals that center entirely on body-mind relationships. For example, I was recently a presenter at Inner Idea, a body-mind conference for exercise professionals and my approach was well received. Additionally, many of the people leading the way in the body-mind movement, and the adult religions or philosophies are avid exercisers. These people are generally healthier, and therefore, can "feel themselves better.’
This gives them the ability to feel the changes in their inner-state as they manage themselves in relationships more effectively. All these changes come to the gym with them. Now they exercise like they always did, but instead of trying to be bigger, more powerful or cooler than the next guy, they do it because they want to share a way of living with people that’s more conducive to cultivating well-being.