Listen and wait
Sometimes the most profound messages from the universe come when we are least expecting them — like, say, watching some old Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes with your nine-year-old child.
Neutral Jing is term used by the quirky yet wise Bumi, a master of “earthbending” and a mentor to the young hero. The 90 seconds in this video give you an idea, but I’ll paraphrase this explanation:
Sometimes the best action is to listen and wait for the moment to appear.
Like a River
The term Jing has its roots in the Chinese martial arts, and often refers to the ability to generate and focus force. And maybe what came to your mind was a boxer poised to punch. But to understand what neutral jing (and Jin in general), I found this explanation powerful:
Jīng: 巠
The character Jīng is made up of three drawings itself:
一 Yī — One, or ‘whole’.
巛Chuān — A river.
工 Gōng — Work, or something being in the works.
So Jing is “something working-flowing beneath the whole” — like a river. And begins to hint at the transference of energy. The notion of power is held within, and waits. Like an underground river.
Waiting ≠ Nothing
We have heard “sitting idly by” a little too often, and feel like being patient is being idle. We need to remember that we are powerful like the river. That our moment is in the works, and that our action is to listen so we. know when the time is right.
I don’t find anything easy about knowing when the time is right, but this reframe gives me the calm I need:
- When we wait as an act of power, we notice our own inner resolve.
- When we listen, we get the information we need to see our options, and feel capable of making a choice.
The result is the ability to be both grounded and focused in our response to what challenges us. Our vision will be more clear.
Waiting and listening takes practice — maybe even a mantra, but also the reminder to notice in your stillness the power that comes from within.
