Awaken to the Deeper Principle

Transliterations by Bob O'Hearn from Paradise, California 

Yoga Vasistha, The Supreme Yoga by Valmiki

 

Verses on The Mind of AbsoluteTrust, Hsin Hsin Ming

By Seng T'san

 

Satisfying the deepest longing

at the heart isn’t difficult – 

just practice letting go

of grasping and avoiding,

and recognize what remains

as your own native happiness.

When we cling to differences,

heart and mind conflict.

If you want to end the inner war,

don’t be for or against.

The argument with oneself

is the primal disease of the mind.

 

Relentless suffering.

Not awake to the deeper principle,

we persist in disturbing our natural harmony. 

Luminous spaciousness, empty and full --

that's the mind of least resistance,

the mind of carefree humility.

Habitually craving and avoiding,

we can’t allow mind’s true nature,

Clear Light, to reveal itself.

Don’t get bewildered by things;

don’t lose yourself in what changes.

Be at peace in the immaculate

transparency of all arising;

stop trying to be

a knower.

When we don’t live as Tao Itself,

boundless and non-dwelling,

we part ways with our natural happiness,

confusing ourselves with borrowed

schemes and dogmas, claims

and superstitions.

Believing the world is real, we're

ignorant of its deeper reality.

Denying the world is real, we're

blind to the selfless innocence

of all forthcoming things.

Open those eyes!

The more we think about it all,

the farther we are from the truth.

Dropping off both body and mind,

there’s nowhere we can’t go.

Returning to the heart, we’re welcomed home;

chasing appearances,we lose their source.

In one moment of unbiased clear seeing,

we can transcend both form and emptiness.

Don’t keep searching for truth;

just let go of all opinions,

and truth will find you.

For the mind surrendered,

all selfishness dissolves.

Free of doubt, fearless in love,

we can trust the universe

completely.

Nothing to gain, nothing

to lose - all is empty,

brilliant, perfect

in itself.

In the world of all-as-is,

there is no self, no non-self.

If we want to speak plainly,

the best we can point to is

"not-two." 

At the heart of surrender

there’s no separation,

nothing to add

nor subtract:

no lost nor found,

no bondage nor liberation,

no here nor there,

no this nor that -- 

the awakened awaken

to this truth, as

this truth.

The tiny is as large as the vast

when conceptual distinctions vanish.

The vast is as small as the tiny,

when mental limitations dissolve.

Being is an expression of non-being,

non-being is no different from being.

Until we understand this truth,

we won’t see anything clearly.

One is all, all is one -- 

when this becomes self-evident,

what interest in stages or categories

can occupy one's attention any longer?

Preachers become obsolete.

The mind of absolute trust is beyond

all thought, all striving, all motive

to know, to cling, or to turn away.

It is non-dwelling mind,

perfectly at home, at peace,

for within it there is no past,

no future, no present --

only what is.

 

 

 

 

 

A Place is Profound Individuality

"I can only meditate when I am walking.  When I stop, I cease to think; my mind works only with my legs." 
-  Jean Jacques Rousseau, Confessions

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” 
-   Henry David Thoreau

"The silence of landscape conceals vast presence. Place is not simply location. A place is a profound individuality. With complete attention, landscape celebrates the liturgy of the seasons, giving itself unreservedly to the passion of the goddess. The shape of a landscape is an ancient and silent form of consciousness. Mountains are huge contemplatives. Rivers and streams offer voice; they are the tears of the earth's joy and despair. The earth is full of soul ….. Civilization has tamed place. Left to itself, the curvature of the landscape invites presence and the loyalty of stillness."  4
-   John O'Donohue, Anam Cara

"To find new things, take the path you took yesterday." 
-   John Burroughs

"Hiroshi Nose, M.D., Ph.D, a professor of sports medical sciences at Sinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, who has enrolled thousands of older Japanese citizens in an innovative, five-month-long program of brisk, interval-style walking (three minutes of fast walking followed by three minutes of slower walking, repeated 10 times).  The results have been striking.  Dr. Nose reported that "Physical fitness ― maximal aerobic power and thigh muscle strength ― increased by about 20 percent, which is sure to make you feel about 10 years younger than before training.  The walker's symptoms of lifestyle related diseases (hypertension, hyperglycemia and obesity) decreased by about 20 percent, while their depression scores dropped by half." 
-  Reported by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Magazine, "What's the Single Best Exercise?", 2011

The Ways of Walking: Quotations, Facts, Methods, Spirituality, Meditative

• Walking Meditation
• Walking Quotations
• Walking Bibliography
• Circle Walking: Bagua
• Walking the Labyrinth
• Garden Walking
• Walking Qigong
• Walking Staff  

Vacation Trip to Newport, Oregon

We went on vacation to the Oregon coast.  We traveled from Gold's Beach to Newport.  We camped at South Beach State Park in Newport, Oregon.  Cool, mostly clear skies, and windy along the coastal region.

On the first day we drove north up Interstate 5 to Grants Pass.  Then we drove west on the Bear Mountain Coastal Route to Gold's Beach.  We stayed at Jot's Resort on the north side of the harbor at Gold's Beach.   

We joined our daughter's family, the Flinn's, for camping at South Beach in Newport.   We played each day at a different beach along the coast.  

Yesterday, we came home.  We went from Newport to Waldport, then east along the Alsea River for 40 miles to the small burg of Alsea.  Then, we drove east to Monroe through some dense rainforest like environments.  Then, we drove south on Interstate 5 for 370 miles to Red Bluff. 

I will post some pictures later.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 52

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 52


"The beginning of the universe, when materialized, is considered to be a mother.
When a man finds the mother, he will know the children, accordingly.
Even though he knows the children, he still clings to the mother:
Therefore, although his body wanes, he never perishes.
The person who shuts his mouth and closes his doors
Will never perish.
If he opens his mouth and increases his affairs,
He will never be saved.
The person who sees the tiniest thing possesses clear vision,
The person who adheres to the weak possesses strength.
Use your light, but dim your brightness,
In this way you will not do yourself any harm.
This is called following the eternal Tao."
-  Translated by Chou-Wing Chohan, Chapter 52  

"While in the world gain possession of the Life-Spring in order that you may become a World-Mother.
When you have attained to Motherhood you will know your children.
When you know your children you will retain your Motherhood.
Then, though the body may disappear, You will not be hurt.
Close the door of the mouth,
Shut the doors of the senses,
Throughout life your body will not be fatigued.
Open your mouth,
Increase your business affairs,
Throughout life your body will not be safe.
To perceive the small is called clear vision.
To guard the weak is called strength.
Follow the Light, you will reflect its radiance.
Neglect the Inner Life, your body will meet with calamity.
This is called the eternal heritage."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 52

"The beginning of the Universe, when manifested, may be regarded as its Mother.
When a man has found the Mother, he will know the children accordingly;
Though he has known the children, he still keeps to the Mother:
Thus, however his body may decay, he will never perish.
If he shuts his mouth and closes his doors,
He can never be exhausted.
If he opens his mouth and increases his affairs,
He can never be saved.
To see the minuteness of things is called clarity of sight.
To keep to what is weak is called power.
Use your light, but dim your brightness;
Thus you will cause no harm to yourself.
This is called following the eternal Tao."
-  Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 52  

天下有始, 以為天下母. 
既得¹其母, 以知其子.
既知其子, 復守其母.
沒身不殆. 
塞其兌, 閉其門, 終身不勤. 
開其兌, 濟其事, 終身不救. 
見小曰明.
守柔曰強. 
用其光.
復歸其明.
無遺身殃.
是為習常. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 52  



tian xia you shi, yi wei tian xia mu.
ji de qi mu, yi zhi qi zi.
ji zhi qi zi, fu shou qi mu. 
mo shen bu dai.
se qi dui, bi qi men, zhong shen bu qin.
kai qi dui, ji qi shi, zhong shen bu jiu.
jian xiao yue ming.
shou rou yue qiang.
yong qi guang.
fu gui qi ming. 
wu yi shen yang. 
shi wei xi chang.
-  Hanyu Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 52  


"This world must have begun in certain way;
We may thenceforth consider it the origin (mother) of our world;
Once we manage to ascertain the origin, we could [apply it] to study its offsprings;
After we learn more about the offsprings, we may reciprocally eke out our knowledge about the mother (the origin);
This is my never-ending life-long quest.
If paths and openings of one's connections [to the outside world] are blocked, he will never be aroused to do anything in life;
If paths and openings of one's connections [to the outside world] are unlocked and he is properly motivated, he will never cease [from the quest described above].
One who perceives subtleties is brilliant;
One who maintains humility is strong.
One who would use [the light of Tao] to illuminate his [potential] brilliance will thus leave behind nothing that could cause misfortune to later generations.
A person, who achieves all of the above described fulfillment, is what I called the person with embodiment of the perpetual [Te]."
-  Translated by Lee Org, Chapter 52  

“Realizing the interplay of the Tao way of life
and the virtue of nuturing all things under heaven
will introduce you to the primal mother 

The mother of the world
resting peacefully with the mother
will introduce you to her sons and daughters

The sons and daughters of the world
these children can be exhausting
and though they mean no harm
trying to follow or control them
will only bring great danger to you

To be safe
rest peacefully with the mother
gently close your eyes
and look inward
softly direct your eyes
to listen within
lightly close your mouth
raise your tongue to its roof
and quietly savor the interior
gently lift your crown
sit firm with a relaxed hold
on your bodymind
and let her love
fill you up
you will never be empty
again

remember
chasing children

brings calamity
no matter
how hard

you try
to follow
or grasp them

the whole universe is in the palm
of your hand
but without
illumination
you cannot see it

the real world is not open
to the rational mind

the ancient child asks
when you have rested sufficiently
in the arms of the primal mother
and you vision begins to clear
what occurs

it is an unexpected sense of making
that first arises within the bodymind

then you are engulfed in a benevolent flame
that outlines rather than burns
and I do not know if I am
the source or the witness

the senses play
leaping to and fro
mischievously acting against their nature

emotions of comfort and satisfaction swell
so that even the harshest rain
feels like a lover’s kiss

resting deeper
you fell as if an unseen enemy
has been vanquished
and life courses through you limbs
as the warrior’s belt collects you
the connection to the Tao source and way of life
becomes punctuated and definite
possessed of a wholly benevolent clarity

language leaves you
and a light and sensitive energy collects at your
     crown

visions cascade upon you so rapidly
that it becomes impossible
to divide or discern
what we normally regard as real

death becomes impossible

fire and force penetrate deeply
within you bodymind
and a new truth shapes you
into someone altogether different

you begin to breathe
the Tao way of life
as true respiration
within a quickening
that shines out
for all to see

spinning out of the quickening
you understand the mother’s children
you sing and dance
you paint and play
you look at the palm of your hand and

you see

you can still make mistakes
you can still be confused
you can still misstep
but you will always have the eyes of the Tao

however
should you ever see yourself as separate from it

you will cease
to see
altogether”
-  Translation and Interpretation by the Reverend Venerable John Bright-Fey, Chapter 52

"Todo cuanto existe tuvo un Origen Común.
Este Origen es la madre del Universo.
Quien conoce a la madre
conoce a los hijos.
Quien conoce a los hijos
preserva a la madre
y su vida no correrá peligro.
Quien tapa los orificios,
y cierra las puertas,
vivirá sin problemas.
Quien abre los orificios,
y aumenta sus trabajos,
vivirá su vida asediado.
Ser lúcido es ver lo ínfimo.
Guiarse por lo flexible otorga fortaleza.
Usar la luz,
retornar y restituir la Iluminación.
No abandonar la vida de uno a la calamidad.
De esta manera, se practica la eternidad."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 52

"The source of life
Is as a mother.
Be fond of both mother and children but know the mother dearer
And you outlive death.
Curb your tongue and senses
And you are beyond trouble,
Let them loose
And you are beyond help.
Discover that nothing is too small for clear vision,
Too insignificant for tender strength
Use outlook
And insight,
Use them both
And you are immune:
For you have witnessed eternity."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 52  

Chapter 52 of the Tao Te Ching

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List


Tao Te Ching English Language Corncordance by Gerold Claser.  An excellent English language concordance providing terms, chapter and line references, and the proximal English language text.  No Chinese language characters or Wade-Giles or Pinyin Romanizations.  Based on the translation by John H. McDonald, available on the Internet in the public domain.  

Returning to the Source is Serenity

"Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of things, but contemplate their return.
Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don't realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you come from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested, amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother,
dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
you can deal with whatever life brings you,
and when death comes, you are ready."
-  Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 16, Translated by Stephen Mitchell



"Even before I could speak, I remember crawling through blueberry patches in the wild meadows on our hillsides.  I quickly discovered Nature was filled with Spirit; I never saw any separation between Spirit and Nature.  Much later I discovered our culture taught there was supposed to be some kind of separation - that God, Spirit and Nature were supposed to be divided and different.  However, at my early age it seemed absolutely obvious that the church of the Earth was the greatest church of all; that the temple of the forest was the supreme temple.  When I went to the sanctuary of the mountain, I found Earth's natural altar - Great Spirit's real shrine.  Years later I discovered that this path of going into Nature, bonding deeply with it, and seeing Spirit within Nature - God, Goddess, and Great Spirit - was humanity's most ancient, most primordial path of spiritual cultivation and realization."
-  John P. Milton, Sky Above, Earth Below


"In the assemblies of the enlightened ones there have been many cases of mastering the Way bringing forth the heart of plants and trees; this is what awakening the mind for enlightenment is like.  The fifth patriarch of Zen was once a pine-planting wayfarer; Rinzai worked on planting cedars and pines on Mount Obaku.   ...  Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment." 
-  Dogen Zenji, Japanese Zen Buddhist Grand Master , Awakening the Unsurpassed Mind, #31 

The Three Step Practice

"First, come into the present. Flash on what’s happening with you right now. Be fully aware of your body, its energetic quality. Be aware of your thoughts and emotions.

Next, feel your heart, literally placing your hand on your chest if you find that helpful. This is a way of accepting yourself just as you are in that moment, a way of saying, “This is my experience right now, and it’s okay.”

Then go into the next moment without any agenda."
-  Pema Chodron, 2012

Lifestyle Adivce From Wise Persons

The Good Life 

Those That Touch the Sky

"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,
How beautiful it is?
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness
There is a poem, there is a song.
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with
The music of many leaves,
Which in due season fall and are blown away.
And this is the way of life."
-   Krishnamurti

Trees: Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Lore


"Larger and finer meanings are read into the older legends of the plants, and the universality of certain myths is expressed in the concurrence of ideas in the  beginnings of the great religions.   One of the first figures in the leading cosmologies is a tree of life guarded by a serpent.  In the Judaic faith this was the tree in the garden of Eden; the Scandinavians made it an ash, Ygdrasil;  Christians usually specify the tree as an apple, Hindus as a soma, Persians as a homa, Cambodians as a talok; this early tree is the vine of Bacchus, the snake-entwined caduceus of Mercury, the twining creeper of the Eddas, the bohidruma of Buddha, the fig of Isaiah, the tree of Aesculapius with the serpent around his trunk." 
-   Charles M. Skinner, Myths and Legends of Flowers, Trees, Fruits and Plants, 1911    


"Because they are primeval, because they outlive us, because they are fixed, trees seem to emanate a sense of permanence.  And though rooted in earth, they seem to touch the sky.  For these reasons it is natural to feel we might learn wisdom from them, to haunt about them with the idea that if we could only read their silent riddle rightly we should learn some secret vital to our own lives; or even, more specifically, some secret vital to our real, our lasting and spiritual existence."
-  Kim Taplin,  Tongues in Trees, 1989, p. 14.     

Chapters of Time

Months and Seasons Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations Information, Weather, Gardening Chores Compiled by Mike Garofalo
Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
January	April	July	October
February	May	August	November
March	June	September	December

"To these delights of a garden, age may add a further interest which can hardly be distinguished from beauty, for the mind, at least with those who have the historic instinct, is always longing to be connected with the past, and dreading for itself confinement upon the plane of time, delights in evidences of the long continuance of nations, families and institutions, in hale and vigorous old age, in long-settled peace beyond the turn of Fortune's wheel, the 'scornful dominion of accident.'  Restfulness is the prevailing note of an old garden; in this fairy world of echo and suggestion where the Present Age never comes but to commune with the Past, we feel the glamour of a Golden Age, of a state of society just and secure which has grown and blossomed as the rose."
-  Sir George Sitwell, On the Making of Gardens, 1909  

Time and Gardening

"Only the ephemeral is of lasting value."
-   Ionesco

Dancing Puts a Smile on Your Face

Here are some young, trim, and athletic ladies doing a nice dance routine - Gangnam Style.  Great exercise.  Lots of hip movement.  Lovely long hair.  "Hey, sexy lady!"  Ah, to be young and full of provocative liveliness ...

Improve Your Health by Walking More and Walking Faster

"There are countless physical activities out there, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all! It's the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health.
Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Improve blood lipid profile
• Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• Enhance mental well being
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
• Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes."

American Heart Association, The Benefits of Walking

Ways of Walking  Hundreds of quotations, sayings, poems, quips, and insights about walking.  


"Walking is one of the simplest and easiest ways to get the exercise you need in order to be healthy—and almost anyone can do it. Walking can strengthen bones, tune up the cardiovascular system, and clear a cluttered mind. This uncomplicated but important activity continues to attract researchers, reports the March 2011 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Recent research indicates that:  Later in life, walking becomes as much an indicator of health as a promoter of it. After age 65, how fast you walk may predict how long you have to live. Walking, or gait, has long been recognized as a proxy for overall health and has been measured in many studies. Researchers have found a remarkably consistent association between faster walking speed and longer life."
-  Harvard Medical School, Research Points to Even More Health Benefits of Walking




 

Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 53

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 53


"Ah, that I were wise enough to follow the great Tao!
Administration is a great undertaking.
The great Tao is extremely simple, but the people prefer the complex ways.
While the palace is extremely well appointed, the fields may be full of tares, and the granaries may be empty.
To dress grandly, to carry sharp swords, to eat and drink excessively, and to amass great wealth,
this I call stylish theft.
That it is not Tao is certain."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 53 


"If I were possessed of the slightest knowledge, traveling on the great Way,
My only fear would be to go astray.
The great Way is quite level,
but the people are much enamored of mountain trails.
The court is thoroughly deserted,
The fields are choked with weeds,
The granaries are altogether empty.
Still there are some who wear clothes with fancy designs and brilliant colors,
sharp swords hanging at their sides,
are sated with food,
overflowing with possessions and wealth.
This is called "the brazenness of a bandit."
The brazenness of a bandit is surely not the Way!"
-  Translated by Victor H. Mair, 1990, Chapter 53   

"If, in some unexpected manner, I

As one endowed with knowledge should appear,

To walk according to the mighty Tao,

T'is only bold display that I should fear;

For plain and simple ways Great Tao suggest,

But people love cross-paths and by-ways best.

The halls and courts are splendid, but the fields

Uncultivated are, the granaries

Empty; to put on ornamented robes,

And keen-edged swords, to gorge with gluttonies,

To pile up wealth; this, robbers' pride I call,

But, of a surety, not Great Tao at all."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 53  

"If I had but little knowledge I should, in walking on a broad way,
Fear getting off the road.
Broad ways are extremely even,
But people are fond of bypaths.
The courts are exceedingly splendid,
While the fields are exceedingly weedy,
And the granaries are exceedingly empty.
Elegant clothes are worn,
Sharp weapons are carried,
Food and drinks are enjoyed beyond limit,
And wealth and treasures are accumulated in excess.
This is robbery and extravagance.
This is indeed not Tao."
-  Translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, 1963, Chapter 53   



使我介然有知.
行於大道. 
唯施是畏. 
大道甚夷而民好徑. 
朝甚除.
田甚蕪.
倉甚虛.
服文綵. 
帶利劍.
厭飲食.
財貨有餘.
是謂盜夸. 
非道也哉. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 53


shih wo chieh jan yu chih.
hsing yü ta tao.
wei shih shih wei.
ta tao shên yi erh min hao ching.
chao shê ch'u. 
t'ien shên wu.
ts'ang shên hsü.
fu wên ts'ai. 
tai li chien.
yen yin shih.
ts'ai huo yu yü. 
shih wei tao k'ua.
fei tao yeh tsai.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 53

"If I had the smallest seed of wisdom,
I would walk the Great Way,
And my only fear
would be to lose my way from it.
The Great Way is very smooth and straight;
And yet the people like better the complicated paths.
The courtyard is very clean and well decorated,
(Their cities appear powerful.)
But the fields are very weedy and wild,
And the grain silo's are very empty!
(But they have lost the skill to feed themselves.)
They wear beautiful clothes,
(They value appearances over substance.)
They carry destructive weapons,
They use the tools of destruction to get their needs.)
They over fill themselves with food and drink,
(They indulge themselves in the fruits of the conquered.)
They own more riches than they can use!
(They are greedy.)
They are the messengers of lawlessness!
As for Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
what do they know about it?"
-  Translated by John Trottier, Chapter 53


"Quisiera poseer la sabiduría
para poder marchar por el Gran Camino
sin temor a desviarme.
El Gran Camino es llano y recto,
pero la gente elige los senderos tortuosos.
Cuando la corte imperial se adorna de esplendor,
los campos se llenan de malas hierbas
y los graneros quedan vacíos.
Los barones y reyes visten ropas lujosas,
Tienen mas posesiones de las que llegan a usar,
se hartan de bebida y de manjares,
Acumulan tesoros y riquezas en exceso.
Son gobernantes-ladrones.
Robar y ostentar no es seguir al Tao."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 53

 
 
"If I have a grain of wisdom,
I walk along the great Tao
And fear only to stray.
The great Tao is easy indeed,
But the people choose by-paths.
The court is very resplendent;
Very weedy are the fields,
And the granaries very empty.
They wear gaudy clothes,
Carry sharp swords,
Exceed in eating and drinking,
Have riches more than they can use.
Call them robber-braggarts:
They are anti-Tao indeed!"
-  Translated by Herrymoon Maurer, Chapter 53  

Chapter 53 of the Tao Te Ching

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List


Tao Te Ching English Language Corncordance by Gerold Claser.  An excellent English language concordance providing terms, chapter and line references, and the proximal English language text.  No Chinese language characters or Wade-Giles or Pinyin Romanizations.  Based on the translation by John H. McDonald.  

Chen Taijiquan Saber Form of 23 Movements

Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan Saber (Dao, Broadsword) Form.  23 Movement Form.

Chen Style Taijiquan Broadsword Form, List of 23 Movements (PDF)

This 23 Movement Single Broadsword (Dao) Form was Created by Chen Zhaopei (1893-1972), 18th Generation Chen Style Taijiquan Grandmaster, in the 1930's.   

   "The Chen-style Single Broadsword Routine is a kind of the Chen-style Taiji short weapons.  There are thirteen movement in the routine, so it is called the 'thirteen broadswords.'  From 1930 to 1938, the famous Taijiquan master, the Chen-Family descendent of the eighteenth generation, Chen Zhaopei had added nine movements at the basic of original routine during teaching Taijiquan in Nanjing city.  So it became the popular Taiji Single Broadsword routine in Chenjiagou village. 
    The Chen-style Taiji Single Broadsword routine is short and refined, the usages of the forms are clear.  There are thirteen kinds of rolling, closing, pricking, blocking, cutting, hacking, scooping, cross-cutting, twisting, shaking, supporting, slicing and tilting.  They really reflect the characteristics of the Chen-style Taiji Single Broadsword, combining hardness and softness in harmony, equaling stress the quickness and slowness, dodging and transfers, relaxing and nimble, springing and shaking, sticking to each other without being separated, twine to neutralize the force.  It remains the momentum of liking a fierce tiger and cutting forcefully to the Hua Mountain.  It's short weapon, but it can be used as a long weapon."
-   Chen Zenglei, Chen Style Taijiquan, Sword and Broadsword, 2003, p. 322   

Hsing I Chuan Five Animals

"Dragon Body - This imaginary beast is common in Chinese fables and folklore. The dragon could fly high, riding the mists, contracting and twisting it's body like a snake through the clouds. Xingyi places high importance on this for every transitional movement in the art should embody the spirit of the dragon, expanding and contracting, striking out with mystical prowess.

Chicken Leg - This is one of the most basic fundamentals of the art of Xingyiquan. A chicken can run very quickly and stop suddenly, keeping it's weight on one leg, ready to peck. Xingyi's five elements all encompass this theory by stepping forward onto one leg before it issues it's strike much like a chicken does. By mastering this, you can advance, retreat, turn and change forms very quickly because the weight is always ready to transfer.

Eagle Claw - While the hands are relaxed and held in gentle curves when in transitional movements, when striking, they must become like the fearless bird of prey's attacking talons, digging and grasping with an iron grip. This is especially seen in the beginning movement of Pi Quan when the hands draw down towards the Dan Tian. This is also very important in Xingyi, for many of the art's applications consist of grabbing with one hand while simultaneously striking with the other.

Bear Shoulders - Bears are large animals that can can generate a great deal of power from their great rounded shoulders. The Xingyi practitioner must mimic this to obtain maximum power in his art. By rounding the shoulders and hollowing the chest, the body actually "gets behind" the arms and hands, so when you strike, the power doesn't come from the arms, but from the whole body.

Tiger's Head Embrace - The tiger is a very regal beast. They are powerful and strong animals that exude the finest and most fearsome aspects of nature. In Xingyi, the head must be held erect and slightly back, but spiritually, it must also capture the imposing manner of the tiger, letting it's blank cunning show in your eyes and it's ability to pounce.

- Xonghua Xinyiquan

Xing Yi Quan (Hsing I Chuan): Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotes, Notes. By Mike Garofalo.

Xing Yi Quan Xue: The Study of Form-Mind Boxing.   By Sun Lu Tang.  Translated by Albert Liu.  Compiled and edited by Dan Miller.  Burbank, CA, Unique Publications, 2000.  ISBN: 0865681856.  312 pages.  Includes a biography of Sun Lu Tang (pp.1-41) by Dan Miller.  The work was encouraged and supported by Sun Jian Yun, and an interview with her is included.  Translations by Tim Cartmell, Gu Feng Mei, and Huang Guo Qi.  This original book was first published in 1915.  It was the first book ever published that integrated Chinese martial arts with Chinese philosophy and Daoist Qi cultivation theories.  The book includes many photographs of Sun Lu Tang.  



"Of the three internal arts, Xing Yi is probably the most straightforward to understand in terms of practical fighting applications. Grandmaster Sun, however, believed that the most important reason to practice martial arts was the improvement of one's health; developing fighting ability was merely of secondary importance. Sun himself certainly benefited in both respects. In 1933, at the age of 73 and shortly before his death, Sun was examined by a physician and found to have the body of a 40-year old. Furthermore, throughout his life he was an awesome fighter: He worked as a professional bodyguard, taught martial arts at the Presidential Palace, and never lost a challenge match.

Certain health benefits of Xing Yi training are obvious. It is a low-impact exercise requiring little jumping, few low stances, and smooth rather than ballistic movements. As Sun notes in his book, it can be practiced by anyone, both the young and old, and the sick and infirm. Healthy people will grow stronger, while those with a disease will recover their health. However, in addition to the external physical benefits, Xing Yi practice offers a sophisticated system of internal energy training that stimulates the major energetic pathways within the body.

At the core of Sun Lu Tang's Xing Yi Quan system is the 12 animals set. This set consists of 12 lines of movements, each emulating the fighting techniques of the 12 animals that come from heaven and earth. These are the Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Water Lizard, Chicken, Sparrow Hawk, Swallow, Snake, Tai Bird, Eagle, and Bear. Regular practice of the 12 animals set benefits the practitioner both externally and internally. Externally, one learns the physical characteristics of each animal-the explosive power of the tiger, or the strength of the bear, for example. Internally, each animal form stimulates the internal energy, or Qi, in a particular and beneficial manner. The remainder of this article describes both the energetic work and the fighting applications of four of the animal forms: the Dragon, Tiger, Eagle, and Bear."
-  Justin Liu,  Cultivation and Combat: The Fighting Animals of Xing Yi Quan.

 
  
 

Yang Style Tai Chi Standard 24 Movements Form

The first Taijiquan form I learned in 1986 was the Standard 24 Movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan Form in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.  At that time there were no books or instructional videotapes on this popular form.  Since that time, nearly 25 years have passed.  Now there are dozens of books and instructional DVDs and webpages on the subject of the 24 Form. 

Mike Garofalo 'Playing the Pipa'

My webpage on the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form has been the most popular webpage on the Cloud Hands Website for many years. In the sidebar of this blog, you will find a quick index to this webpage.

Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form.  Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources.  It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names.  It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and  photographs.  It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form.  The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world.  This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.  Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California:  Webpage URL:  http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm.  File size: 269 Kb. 

This webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this form on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area. 

The best book that I have seen on the subject is:

The Yang Taiji 24 Step Short Form: A Step by Step Guide for All Levels
By James Drewe  London, Singing Dragon Press, 2011.  382 pages, black and white photographs, charts, detailed descriptions, training tips.
 

I give information on many other fine books by other good authors on the 24 Form in my webpage: Cheng Zhao, Foen Tjoeng Lie, Eric Chaline, Le Deyin, etc.. 

My students tell me that their favorite instructional DVD on the 24 Form is:

Tai Chi - The 24 Forms
By Dr. Paul Lam


I have taught this lovely Tai Chi form to hundreds of people since 2000.  Everyone tells me how much they enjoy learning and practicing this gentle form.

I also teach and enjoy playing the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Movement Form created by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. Actually, in the last year, I prefer practicing the Chen 18 Form more.