RE: Zen meditation to increase focus and concentration
At core i would say i'm more socratic or platonist, in the sense i value reasoning, critical thinking, logic, mathematics etc.
But i also think occidental philosophy tend to miss also some critical part of mind functioning, like socrates put it the famous 'know yourself', and how his speaks about his daemon that guide his actions and reasoning.
I think still occidental culture value more action over reflection, and it create an unbalance as seeing only exterior expression or realisation as proof of activity, and diss a bit all the inner activity out of the picture as being useless day dreamining, or a waste of time.
Most psychologist would tend to only see the subconscious when it start to manifest too much, classifying this manifestation as some kind of pathology, rather than seing it as natural expression of self too, and paying more attention to it.
In this taoism or daoism has interesting point around the concept of 'wu wei', action through non action, or automatic activity and value more the perception of inner universe as also an object of study, rather than focusing only on visible/material manifestation, and only paying attention to it when it manifest boldly as pathology after it get repressed for too long.
It's why i'm digging also taoism, and i'm also interested into kundalini, and development of QI and vital energy, and i don't think there are many occidental thinkers or philosophers who really study this.
Jung got a bit into this, or some psychologists study this, but they are always considered a bit fringe, in the sense they don't give pill to numb all this down in order to keep the people able to 'function' as in working, and only seeing mental activity as in how it can fit for a given task.
I've talked to a couple of people about Qi... A martial arts instructor, Li Suiyin, in China told me that, yes, he could feel and work with his Qi. However, a Chinese professor told me that it is only "breath."
I agree about desiring the knowledge of self. I think there's a lot to learn from these different ideas of meditation. Have you heard of Jung's work called, "The Red Book"? He delved verrrrrry deep into his own unconscious mind.
My sister practice tai chi with a good teacher :)
There can be various definition of qi, but when it get strong, it can be felt physically into the body, runing through meridians, but its also a metaphysical concept related to life energy, and related to breathing.
I think some teacher dont speak about it too much either not to look too crazy or make student too much seeking for supernatural things, and just do the practice with breathing, chi qong, tai chi to emulate this life energy until it can get to levels where it can be felt, i think rushing those things is not very good idea for responsible teachers anyway.
I didnt read that much jung, i know some of the broad concept, i know he travelled to india and wrote about kundalini, and made parallels between chakras and psychology, but lot of his works is not published too much, because he wanted to stay in freud line of scientific basis.
There is psychologist named james hillman who is interesting too in the study of depth psychology, he is the one who made the comments in gopi krishna book.
But still i think psychologist are too focused on therapy, and rarely see subconscious activity as a positive thing to study, or they become discredited in the academic world.
Taoist or budhist study this with a better angle, and go for shamless radical subjectivity , without having to tie themselves into axioms and thesis for the sake of clinical therapy, which is the only broad interest for the mass, and source of income for psychologists in occident.
Freud set the line very firmly about role of psychology as therapy, and curing disease with methology in sort that psychologists dont become spiritual gurus.
But its still bit a shame science doesnt study this stuff of subconscious more like the budhists or taoists.