Dr. Zhenbao Jin re-affirms what Western Process Studies sometimes neglects: its experiential, non-speculative foundation.
Alfred North Whitehead, the founder of process thought, affirmed this foundation in his magnum opus Process and Reality, when noting: “Your acquaintance with reality grows literally by buds or drops of perception. Intellectually and on reflection you can divide these into components, but as immediately given, they come totally or not at all.”
The revered scholar, beloved teacher and process philosopher Dr. John B. Cobb Jr. affirmed this foundational claim of Whiteheadian studies when noting process studies can be thought of as a “philosophy of emotions.”
Dr. Jin explores these percepts of process thoughts—the emotions—as Qi: “The ability to directly experience the flow of energy in us,” which can strengthen and mobilize the flow of energy in us and restore “the balance of energy flow in our body, which is the basis of physical and mental health.”
His practice of creating these actual occasions of experience cured him of cancer.
As a consequence, Dr. Jin not only analyzes Process Studies, but also leads workshops to help participants achieve healing experiences.
Dr. Jin’s thus uses insights from ancient Chinese wisdom to rescue process studies from the realm of speculative Western metaphysics. He also readily acknowledges his indebtedness to it, when noting he would not be able to fully understand the this-worldly experience of life itself that permeates in his culture profound meaning without his research in the Western way of thinking of process studies: how these philosophers structure their reasoning when trying to understand true reality.
Dr. Jin’s work thus enriches process thought as it enriches his ability to reaffirm Qi as a life-transforming practice.
This meeting of East and West in his work makes him a master teacher and practitioner.
In April, Dr. Jin and I will offer a biweekly, five-week workshop and course called Qi and Universal Connections. It’s goal: the creation of new small groups as a USA/Chinese cultural exchange program for spiritual health and wellbeing.
The Rev. Dr. Thandeka, Ph.D.
Newton, Massachusetts, USA
Founder and co-Director of Universal Connections small group workshops
https://revthandeka.org/small-groups
Co-director and co-writer of The Untrolling Project
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