This story was told by Master Sam Chin at the 2006 I Liq Chuan Intensive retreat in NY (I recall it fairly well, let me know if I've missed something):
There are 8 brothers working together to run a store.
- The first five brothers are in charge of the inventory and customers, stocking the shelves etc. and represent the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing.
- The sixth brother is the mind and his role is to tallys up the totals, execute the plans. The mind is the 'sixth sense' and manages the other five).
- The seventh brother is responsible for judgment and feeling, helping to determine what's important, consider strategy and plans for the future.
- The eighth brother is the storage center (input/output). Whatever the seventh brother checks in the eighth brother stores perfectly and returns upon request.
The aim of our training is to kill the seventh brother.
Why kill the seventh brother? The seventh brother is only about the past and future, never the present moment. Awareness of and engagement with the present moment helps us capture the 'suchness feel'. 'Suchness Feel' or perceiving 'Things As They Are' is the explicit result of our practice.
In order to progress you must clearly understand the relationship between your 'intention' and your 'attention'. Think of I Liq Chuan as a wonderful and sophisticated toolset for the development of the 'Suchness Feel'..