How to have good luck and make sure something will go right? Why did something turn out bad even though it looked good all the way? You got to know what is an “intention” in the Taoist dictionary because this is what sets the focus and direction of all things in life. Whatever the word “intention” means in the western dictionary doesn’t matter because I am trying to find a word closest to this in Chinese – 念. Some say it’s an “idea,” but it is not. I will have to bring you the precise definition here; keep reading!
This word 念 (Nim in Cantonese) means that your heart is present. A Nim begins when you have a reason for doing something. Why do you do this? Ask yourself the question and the Nim is there. Why did you open the door? Because I wanted air to come in. That’s the nim for opening the door. It’s very simple, but it’s often overlooked too.
Nim is not about “thinking about doing something.” It doesn’t have any “thinking” or “processing”; it’s a flash moment of feeling, not a series of thoughts. Unlike thinking or planning, it doesn’t require time to have nim. If you do something, then nim must be there already; it’s automatic. Nim is born from the heart, a feeling that sparks in a split second.
Nim is like the power that “guide” the whole thing to flow toward a certain direction. It’s like the arrow that points to a way, while the other things like thinking, action, and everything else will flow toward this direction. Let’s say a friend bought you a cup as a present, but his heart doesn’t like you. That means the Nim from this person could be harmful to you. Maybe he didn’t think about it, but just because the heart isn’t positive to you, the Nim that came out will become harmful to you naturally. Then, the cup will lead to bad luck and negative influences, like a cursed cup. You might think that it is just a cup, but what influence will this cup bring you when it enters your life? That’s something you would not even imagine.
Someone came over to my altar, and they bowed to the altar. What was their name for bowing? Some people bow because they want to show respect, and some bow because they feel like they were forced to. The Nim is already not the same. One is doing it for respect; one is doing it because they HAVE to. It’s like someone has to say “sorry” to you because they were forced to, and someone who truthfully says that to you out of the heart. It feels different to you and has a huge difference in effect.
Nim is so important; it affects you in your everyday life too. For example, why did you start a relationship with this person? Some might say “because she is pretty” –that sets your relationship in a direction. It means that when she is not pretty, then your relationship will be about the end – unless you have another Nim born to extend the relationship. Many relationships die because the Nim is “completed” or “over,” and nothing new is there to renew or continue the journey. Let’s say your wife is not pretty anymore; you might now be with her because of her kindness and how she understands you – that is a good Nim to extend the relationship.
Nim can change or be added; it all depends on the heart and have you put the time into investing in a new nim that is healthy and positive.
I had a disciple who was ordained because he wanted to get a spiritual case solved. He ordained, and his whole family got helped by me, and the case was resolved, and now the Nim is over, he will eventually have something that happens which makes him want to quit and withdraw from the relationship. However, this will change If the disciple has a new nim born from experience. For example, if he feels that he is very interested in learning Taoist magic here, and he desires to master the subject, and now there goes a new Nim, that will make him NOT quit and withdraw because of a new Nim that extended the relationship. Some disciples, especially kids, ordained because they were forced to or told to, then their Nim might be like, “I ordain because I have to listen to my parent,” one day they decided to not listen to the parents anymore, or the parents have lost their credibility in the children’s heart. These disciples will quit and withdraw from the Tao too. It all starts from a Nim and ends with that Nim.
One nim is born, and millions of things can happen. A million things can also die because the nim is dead. Nim is powerful, like the heart, the source of power for everything that happens later. If you don’t look heavily into this, you will never understand why you keep failing or wasting your time and getting nothing in return. It’s often because you have always had bad Nim or Nim was never healthy. Once you learn to cultivate as a Taoist, you will also learn to cultivate the heart, and because of this, you will learn to master the art of Nim and how to give birth to a healthy Nim to create a better life. Ordain today to get started!
