One finger shooting zen is an old Qigong (chi kung) excercise that invigorates the body through the stimulation and flow of chi. Taken further, it can be used an an actual attack to an opponent. By means of a physical strike, the chi is focused through the index finger and into a pressure point, or chi gateway of an enemy. The result is never pretty.

But there will be none of that here.

What I offer instead, is my own spin on this practice. There are three different activities to which I apply this terminology, and in my opinion, three is good enough for a site title. Only the first two pertain to the site. The third is personal, but should be shared nonetheless.

Photography - When all the elements of a photograph are in harmony, it is the index finger which snaps the shutter. Pictures can be forced, but this has little to do with zen. It is the truly beautiful shots which are simply felt, and the hands, eye, and finger utilize zen and chi to do the rest. This is an area in which I need much work.

Lines - While the hand controls the direction of the line, the finger is a vessel for the chi, allowing us to channel a flow into our work. The finger controls the click of the mouse button, and the pressure and fine detail of the stylus. When the zen is too weak to allow the chi to flow the full distance, control is forced. When control is forced, the flow of chi is restricted, weakening the zen. The control must be relaxed to feel the zen. This is an area in which I need much work.

Trigger - This is the most literal interpretation of one finger shooting zen. When discharging a firearm, it is the zen which allows the bullet to strike the desired target. Stress, tension, and excessive control of the weapon will disrupt your chi, and weaken your state of zen. When this occurs, one's aim will not be accurate. But this zen extends far beyond the act of pulling the trigger. It is the position of the finger off the trigger as well as on, this way a shot will never be fired mistakenly. It is also the awareness of all that is around the shooter. Being unaware can cause surprise, which will disrupt the zen. But if awareness is already present, the zen is that much closer to being attained.