This essence of meditation is expressed beautifully in many Chinese and Japanese Ink Paintings where a water bird such as a heron is depicted standing on one leg and in fact it is generally accepted that the former part of the Chinese pictogram “觀” (Guan or Kuan) [2] describes such a bird and the latter part shows the activity of the eye. So, the word could mean “Observation as that of a Tranquil Heron” or simply “Tranquil Observation” which is a well-accepted form of meditation in Daoism.

A heron while looking for a fish doesn’t struggle moving its head left and right; it stands absolutely tranquil, relaxing the eyes, relying solely on peripheral vision and as soon as some movement is noticed in the water, it darts toward the fish like an arrow shot by a skilled archer and before you know it! Task accomplished! This should be the attitude of a meditator because all our senses including the Mind work best when they are relaxed and allowed to work with spontaneity.        

Consider this for a moment; do our eyes need to make an effort to capture the light reflected by the objects? Do the ears need to make an effort to clutch the sound waves? Can we taste better by stiffening the tongue? Does the nose make an effort to accumulate the fragrance? Can the texture of a surface be felt better by applying undue pressure with the fingers? No, it happens spontaneously; the light falls spontaneous on the retina, the smell pervades the air and enters through the nostrils spontaneously, the sound waves beat the eardrums in their passivity and tongue doesn’t stiffen to taste better, and the texture of a surface is felt best by the modest touch of fingertips and not by exerting undue pressure. Similarly, the Mind is a much greater instrument in its passivity than in its activity and this is an age-old truth that has stood the test of time.