Getting to Know Your Five Spirits
Zhi
志
So far, we’ve discussed three of our five spirits; Shen, Hun, and Po. The first two involved consciousness and a drive toward higher achievement, while Po was about potentiality and represents our most earth-bound self. Today, we’ll discuss the other yin spirit, the Zhi.
In Chinese, the character for Zhi is 志. The top half of the character is Shì 士, meaning soldier/scholar, and the bottom is Xin 心, heart/mind/intention. Thus the combined characters create the meaning of a trained and disciplined person acting with intent. The simplified translation is will/aspiration/ideal, or to keep in mind.
As is evident, Zhi is very complex even before we consider the metaphysical meanings. Its role in life is similarly involved, with impacts on drive, goal-setting, growth and development and – if you go in for that sort of thing – our destiny. In this article we’ll explain the role of Zhi, and how to cultivate this spirit in our day-to-day life.
Zhi: Essence and Actuation
When we talk about willpower, we specifically describe the power of focusing the mind on a purpose. By contrast, focusing on smaller mental tasks and intellectual pursuits falls under the purview of the Yi, which we’ll discuss in the next article.
Our Zhi spirit is activated when we apply our will to something that resonates deeply with us, but it’s important to note that it doesn’t determine what that is. We make the determination about where to apply our will, and the strength of that will is a reflection of the state of our Zhi. However, to complicate things further, same scholars suggest that applying will to our predestined purpose nourishes the will, whereas applying it to something that isn’t in line with our core being is consumptive.
In other words, if we bring the strength of our willpower to bear on something that isn’t a reflection of who we really are, we’re draining ourselves. I think we’ve all experienced something like this: We can work for hours on something we feel deeply passionate about and not get tired, but work just as hard on something we may desire or feel we need to do and find ourselves exhausted.
In this way we can say that the Zhi is the guide for our essence. Where we focus our intention, we expend essence to make it reality. But we have to be careful. If that intention is impure or incompatible, we can exhaust our essence. I believe this is what we use when we employ practices like visualization, or why there are so many books and classes about the power of intention. Or it may be put in other language; it’s the same as the pursuit of destiny, a holy calling, or something we’re ‘meant to do.’ The ancient Chinese recognized this thousands of years ago.
Dysfunctions of the Zhi
As we’ve covered before, the spirits exist in a dynamic balance – sometimes waxing, sometimes waning. It’s normal for there to be periods of relative strength or weakness. However, we can find ourselves locked into certain patterns of either excess or deficiency. Over time, these patterns can become so entrenched that they effect our spirit.
Water is the element associated with the Zhi, and it’s a fitting image. The constant, consistent power of water can erode mountains just as the concerted strength of will can move them. Of course, water can be tremendously dangerous. Reckless flooding can wash away whole towns; stagnant water can poison communities. In the same way, the state of our will can be destructive or poisonous.
Consider those whose willpower is rigid and inflexible. Taken to extremes, they are unwilling to entertain other points of view. They may be single-minded in their pursuits, to the exclusion of everything else. This can often lead to ruin. A zen proverb states that the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Being too rigid makes you more likely to break. Rather, be like the bamboo which bends with wind but returns to its shape when the weather passes. In other words, apply will intelligently with the circumstance, but keep to your focus.
Alternatively, we can have a deficiency in will. Perhaps we’ve lost our purpose, or have exhausted ourselves in the pursuit of something that didn’t align with who we are. Those with a deficiency in will may appear scattered, reckless, or wasteful. Without somewhere to focus their will, they may fall back on the comfort of base desires.
A balanced Zhi manifests as wisdom in how to apply the will and when to be pliable; how to focus concentration and when to let the mind go; and prudence in the use of resources.
Cultivating the Zhi
Strengthening the Zhi spirit is synonymous with training willpower. Here are some common ways you can do that in your daily life:
1. Persist in something beyond where you’d prefer to stop. Even an extra five minutes – done consistently – can improve willpower. This is best paired with the second suggestion.
2. Create and maintain a daily practice. Committing to something for the long-term requires strength of will. Pick a self-improvement technique and promise yourself you’ll stick with it for at least a month.
3. Postpone self-gratification. Joy is integral, and reward oneself for things is encouraged. However, we tend to prefer instant and easy gratification over the joy of cultivation. Miyamoto Musashi, a near-legendary swordsman and scholar, wrote in his culminating text The Dokkōdō “Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.”
4. Do something now you’d prefer to hold off until later. Exerting will to start something is often harder even than persisting in something you’d like to stop. Procrastination is a weakness of the Zhi.
5. Do something you’ve never done before. Facing the fear of the unknown and applying your will to seeing it through strengthens the Zhi.
We have often heard about the joy of discipline. You see it in the way a master musician plays their instrument, or the satisfaction in watching someone who is very good at their job perform their work. We avoid the hardships that lead to that joy, instead focusing our will on those pleasures that are easier to obtain. But it’s clear by how we gain enjoyment from the discipline of others – like enjoying a piece of music – how much more powerful discipline is.
有志者事竟成
Where there’s will, there is a way.
