Process of the Good Life

"1. A growing openness to experience – they move away from defensiveness and have no need for subception (a perceptual defense that involves unconsciously applying strategies to prevent a troubling stimulus from entering consciousness).

2. An increasingly existential lifestyle – living each moment fully – not distorting the moment to fit personality or self-concept but allowing personality and self-concept to emanate from the experience. This results in excitement, daring, adaptability, tolerance, spontaneity, and a lack of rigidity and suggests a foundation of trust. To open one's spirit to what is going on now, and discover in that present process whatever structure it appears to have.

3. Increasing organismic trust – they trust their own judgment and their ability to choose behavior that is appropriate for each moment. They do not rely on existing codes and social norms but trust that as they are open to experiences they will be able to trust their own sense of right and wrong.

4. Freedom of choice – not being shackled by the restrictions that influence an incongruent individual, they are able to make a wider range of choices more fluently. They believe that they play a role in determining their own behavior and so feel responsible for their own behavior.

5. Creativity – it follows that they will feel more free to be creative. They will also be more creative in the way they adapt to their own circumstances without feeling a need to conform.

6. Reliability and constructiveness – they can be trusted to act constructively. An individual who is open to all their needs will be able to maintain a balance between them. Even aggressive needs will be matched and balanced by intrinsic goodness in congruent individuals.

7. A rich full life – the life of the fully functioning individual as rich, full and exciting and suggests that they experience joy and pain, love and heartbreak, fear and courage more intensely. Rogers' description of the good life: "This process of the good life is not, I am convinced, a life for the faint-hearted. It involves the stretching and growing of becoming more and more of one's potentialities. It involves the courage to be. It means launching oneself fully into the stream of life."

- Carl Rogers (1902-1987), On Becoming a Person, Biography


How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Enlightened Self Interest and Mutual Enjoyment

Philosophy as a Way of Life

I continue to enjoy and benefit from reading Pierre Hadot.  He is a noted French scholar and professor, and expert in the ancient Greek classical philosophers and Hellenistic philosophers.  The purpose of Hellenistic philosophy, in his interpretation, was to help the student to learn how to live a good life, be a better person, find fulfillment, and properly evolve and mature as a rational human being.  

What Is Ancient Philosophy? By Pierre Hadot. Translated from the French by Michael Chase. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. Index, chronology, bibliography, notes, 362 pages. First published in French in 1995. 2004 Belknap reprint edition. ISBN: 978-0674013735. VSCL.

Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault By Pierre Hadot. Edited with an introduction by Arnold Davidson. Translated by Michael Chase. Malden, Massachusetts, Wiley-Blackwell, 1995. Index, extensive bibliography, 320 pages. ISBN: 978-0631180333. VSCL.

The ancient Chinese philosophers like Confucius, Chuang Tzu, and Lao Tzu were also thinkers that were making recommendations on how one should live one's life, how to behave, how to relate to other people, how to live in a community, and how to find happiness, peace, and tranquility.  They were less proto-scientists than early positive psychologists, and ethical thinkers.  Confucius is down to earth, direct, rather conventional, and understandable.  Chuang Tzu is more skeptical, and often uses tales and fables.  Lao Tzu is more cryptic, vague, and mystical.  An educated and curious mind seeking guidance on how to live might find these writers worth a look.  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Notebooks of an Old Philosopher

Epicureans

The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life.  By M.S. Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas.  Charlottsville, Virginia, Hampton Roads Pub., 2009.  128 pages.  Both authors are professors at Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus.  ISBN: 9781571746054.  VSCL. 

As my readers know, I favor those authors that advocate Epicurean, Hedonistic, Utilitarian, Pragmatic, and Secular lifestyles.  I do not favor authors that advocate a anti-scientific, dogmatic, and religious viewpoints.  I prefer thinkers to believers, naturalists to supernaturalists, friends of the body to haters of the body, pragmatists to dogmatists, peacemakers to warriors, laughing people to sour ascetics.   

"The results of all the schools and of all their experiments belong legitimately to us.  We will not hesitate to adopt a Stoic formula on the pretext that we have previously profited for Epicurean formulas."
-  Frederich Nietzsche, Posthumous Fragments, 1881

"I did nothing today." - "What?  Did you not live?  That is not only the most fundamental but the most illustrious of your occupations."
-  Montaigne, Essays, III, 13

Tai Chi Sword

32 Sword Form, Simplified, Yang Style, Taijiquan Jian.

A webpage by Michael P. Garofalo. 

This popular webpage includes a comprehensive bibliography, scores of links to webpages; an extensive listing of the names and name variations for each movement in English, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish; a detailed analysis of each posture and movement sequence with explanations and numbered illustrations and detailed instructions; selected quotations; comments on 20 Taijiquan sword techniques; a comprehensive media bibliography; a chart of performance times; recommendations for starting to learn this form at home one your own with instructional DVDs, books and practice methods; and, a comparison of the 32 and 55 sword forms in the Yang style. 

This is the standard, simplified, orthodox, 1957, 32 Taiji Sword Form, in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. 

32 Sword Form Pamphlet by Geoffrey Hugh Miller.  Adapted from information and graphics found on the 32 Sword Form webpage by Michael P. Garofalo.  22 pages, 9/7/2015, PDF Format.  Excellent job by Mr. Miller.  This is a handy practice tool.  

Read about the Taoist magical sword finger hand sign:
"The sword finger hand sign is to draw your own magic power to the fingers and output a beam of energy for doing Taoist magic.  This beam of magical power isn’t just an imaginary thing, it’s a real visible beam if you can see it. Some of my students can see the beam of energy beams out like a long laser from the tip of the finger and extend all the way to the wall or somewhere far away. The beam is a beam a the magic power from one doing the handsign. This beam of power can be used for drawing FUs in the air, killing evils, doing magic in magic battles, healing or even saving lives!  This is like a multi-usage tool, which can be a pen, a chisel, a phone, or even a drill, it all depends on how you use it and what adaptor you put on it to make it function differently. The most commonly seen usage of this handsign in Tin Yat Lineage is by drawing Taoism FU in the air or on the incense. This allow you to “carve” the Taoism FU into the object or in the air to perform magic." 

32 Taijiquan Simplified Sword Form

20 T'ai Chi Ch'uan Sword Techniques

55 Classical Yang Taiji Sword

Cloud Hands Taijiquan



 

The Wild Horse Jumps Over the Mountain Stream 

 

Tai Chi Fan

There are many T'ai Chi Ch'uan exercise forms which make use of a fan.   Most are shorter forms, under 25 movements, but some, like the famous Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form have over 50 movements.  Most are done slowly and softly, but some include vigorous and fast movements.  The majority favor the Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan.  

Tai Chi Fan: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes, Lore, Quotations. Research by Mike Garofalo.  I welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, or ideas regarding this webpage. One of the most popular Tai Chi Fan forms was created by Professor Li Deyin (1938-).  It has 52 movements.  I includes slow and gentle movements in the first half of the form, then the second half is much more vigorous.  This Tai Chi Fan form is for athletic and intermediate Tai Chi students. 

Here are some instructional resources for learning the Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form.  

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan. Routine 1, created by Grandmaster Li Deyin (1938-). Instructional DVD, 65 minutes, by Master Jesse Tsao. Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, California. "The most popular Tai Chi Fan form ever practiced in China. The routine was created by Grandmaster Li Deyin, Jesse Tsao's teacher since 1978. There are 52 movements in the whole routine based on the characteristic Tai Chi posture with the fan's artistic and martial functions. Master Tsao presents demonstrations at the beginning and end. He teaches step-by-step in slow motion, in English. There are plenty of repetitions of movements in both front and back view. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation." Cost: 35.00 US. Demonstration.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Instructional DVD by Professor Li Deyin. Narration in English. "A fan routine, created by Professor Li, which combines the gracefulness, centrality and continuity of Taiji with the power, speed and fierceness of Wushu. It is designed as an addition to the exercises for health, and has received massive interest and support throughout the world. In this DVD, Professor Li provides in-depth teaching with Mrs. Fang Mishou performing detail demonstration." Vendor 1. Cost: $35.00 US.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. List of 52 movement names, directions, instructions, and notes by Mike Garofalo.

Tai Chi Chuan Short 24 Yang Form

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.

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

There is also a famous short Tai Chi form, created by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing in the 1940's.  It has 37 movements.  

¿Es la edad un estado mental?

Is Age a Mental State? 
Yes and No! 

Keep striving for exuberance, action, and joy at any age. 

Bravo, Bravo, Senora.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 29

Daodejing, Laozi
Chapter 29


"If anyone wants to take the world and directs it at his will, I do not see how he can succeed.
The world is a sacred vessel, which cannot be directed at one's will.
To direct it is to fail.
To grasp it is to lose it.
Some things go ahead, some follow, some breathe slowly, some breathe fast,
some are strong, some are weak, some grow in strength, some decay.
Therefore, the sage avoids "very", "too" and "extreme". :
-  Translated by Tien Cong Tran, Chapter 29 



"If you try to grab hold of the world and do what you want with it, you won't succeed.
The world is a vessel for spirit, and it wasn't made to be manipulated.
Tamper with it and you'll spoil it.
Hold it, and you'll lose it.
With Tao, sometimes you move ahead and sometimes you stay back;
Sometimes you work hard and sometimes you rest;
Sometimes you're strong and sometimes you're weak;
Sometimes you're up; sometimes you're down.
The sage remains sensitive, avoiding extremes, avoiding extravagance, avoiding excess."
-  Translated by Brian Browne Walker, 1996, Chapter 29 


"Those who seek to conquer the world and shape it as they see fit never succeed.
The world is a sacred vessel and cannot be improved.
Whoever tries to alter it, spoils it; whoever tries to direct it, misleads it.
So, some things advance, others lag; some proceed in silence, others make sound;
some are strong, others weak; some are forward, others retiring.
Therefore the truly wise avoid extremes, extravagance, and foolish pride."
-  Translated by Frank J. MacHovec, 1962, Chapter 29 
 
 

  "Do you want to rule the world and control it?
I don't think it can ever be done.

The world is a sacred vessel
and it can not be controlled.
You will only make it worse if you try.
It may slip through your fingers and disappear.

Some are meant to lead,
and others are meant to follow;
Some must always strain,
and others have an easy time;
Some are naturally big and strong,
and others will always be small;
Some will be protected and nurtured,
and others will meet with destruction.

The Master accepts things as they are,
and out of compassion avoids extravagance,
excess and the extremes."
-  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 29  


將欲取天下而為之.
吾見其不得已.
天下神器, 不可為也.
為者敗之.
執者失之故物或行或隨.
或歔或吹.
或強或羸.
或挫或隳. 
是以聖人去甚去奢去泰. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 29



chiang yü ch'ü t'ien hsia erh wei chih. 
wu chien ch'i pu tê yi.
t'ien hsia shên ch'i, pu k'o wei yeh.
wei chê pai chih. 
chih chê shih chih ku wu huo hsing huo sui.
huo hsü huo ch'ui.
huo ch'iang huo lei.
huo ts'o huo hui.
shih yi shêng jên ch'ü shên ch'ü shê ch'ü t'ai.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 29


"Those who would take over the earth
And shape it to their will
Never, I notice, succeed.
The earth is like a vessel so sacred
That at the mere approach of the profane
It is marred
And when they reach out their fingers it is gone.
For a time in the world some force themselves ahead
And some are left behind,
For a time in the world some make a great noise
And some are held silent,
For a time in the world some are puffed fat
And some are kept hungry,
For a time in the world some push aboard
And some are tipped out:
At no time in the world will a man who is sane
Over-reach himself,
Over-spend himself,
Over-rate himself."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 29 



"He who wants to gain the kingship by force
Can never be successful, I think.
The kingship is so sacred
That cannot be obtained through force.
Those who try to obtain it by force will ruin it;
Those who keep it by force will lose it.
Because things are different:
Some go ahead or follow;
Some breathe gently or hard;
Some are strong or weak;
Some are in safety or in danger.
Hence the sage does away with extremity, extravagance and excess."
-  Translated by Gu Zhengkun, Chapter 29 



"Quien pretenda conseguir el mundo y trabajarlo,
veo yo que no lo logrará.
El mundo,
es un recipiente espiritual,
que no se puede trabajar.
Quien lo trabaja lo destroza,
quien lo sujeta lo pierde.
Las cosas unas veces marchan delante y otras, detrás;
a veces soplan suavemente, otras veces con violencia;
a veces son fuertes, a veces débiles;
a veces se reproducen vigorosas, otras veces decaen.
Por eso el sabio renuncia a lo mucho,
rechaza lo grande,
rechaza el exceso."
-  Translated by Juan Ignacio Preciado, 1978, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 29   


"One who desires to take and remake the Empire will fail.
The Empire is a divine thing that cannot be remade.
He who attempts it will only mar it.
He who seeks to grasp it, will lose it.
People differ, some lead, others follow; some are ardent, others are formal;
some are strong, others weak; some succeed, others fail.
Therefore the wise man practices moderation; he abandons pleasure, extravagance and indulgence."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard, Chapter 29  



"If one wants to possess the world and act upon it,
I know that he cannot get it.
The world is a sacred vessel;
It cannot be acted upon.
To act upon it is to destroy it.
To grasp it is to lose it.
Therefore, in all things,
Some lead, some follow,
Some blow warm, some blow cool,
Some are strong, some are weak,
Some destroy, some are destroyed.
Therefore, the sage avoids the extreme,
The extravagant, and the excessive."
-  Translated by Yi Wu, Chapter 29


A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 29, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

Enlightenment Is ...

"Enlightenment is like coming home
Everything is clear.......
Familiar!
If there is hesitation
Even a speck of doubt
It ain’t your home."
- Author Unknown


"The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom claims that the Six Perfections are "bases for training." This means that they constitute a series of practices or "trainings" that guide practitioners toward the goal of enlightenment or awakening. These six "trainings" are the means or methods to that all-important end. But the perfections are much more than techniques. The are also the most fundamental dimensions of the goal of enlightenment. Enlightenment is defined in terms of these six qualities of human character; together they constitute the essential qualities of that ideal human state. The perfections, therefore, are the ideal, not just the means to it. Being generous, morally aware, tolerant, energetic, meditative, and wise is what it means for a Buddhist to be enlightened. If perfection in these six dimensions of human character is the goal, the enlightenment, understood in this Buddhist sense, would also be closely correlate to these particular practices. Recognizing this, one sutra says, "Enlightenment jus is the path and the path is enlightenment.: To be moving along the path of self-cultivation by developing the Six Perfections is the very meaning of "enlightenment.""
- Dale S. Wright, The Six Perfections, p. 4

The Ten Paramitas: Transformational Practices for Realizing an Enlightened Heart-Mind

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons


“What drains your spirit drains your body. What fuels your spirit fuels your body.” 
-  Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit


“Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude!  'Have courage to use your own reason!'─  that is the motto of enlightenment.” 
-  Immanuel Kant, An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?



“I shall no longer be instructed by the Yoga Veda or the Aharva Veda, or the ascetics, or any other doctrine whatsoever. I shall learn from myself, be a pupil of myself; I shall get to know myself, the mystery of Siddhartha." He looked around as if he were seeing the world for the first time.” 
-  Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha



“There is strong shadow where there is much light.”
-  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness."
-  Nikos Kazantzakis   

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” 

-  Carl G. Jung

"Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment."
-  Morihei Ueshiba

"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind.  If a man can control his mind he can find the way to enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him."
-  Buddha

"If we demand enlightenment, it hides. All that we can do is make ourselves enlightenment-prone.  We learn to treasure the possibility of awakening in all moments and circumstances.  We learn to simplify and cultivate the receptivity of heart that can be touched by profound understanding.  We learn to listen deeply and discover stillness amid the movement in our world."
-  Christina Feldman

"If I could define enlightenment briefly, I would say it is "the quiet acceptance of what is."
-  Wayne Dyer


"Enlightened space, the place of unconditional love, cannot be achieved until and unless one is willing to be comfortable with paradox and confusion."
-  Ralph Walker

"It is not easy to convey, unless one has experienced it, the dramatic feeling of sudden enlightenment that floods the mind when the right idea finally clicks into place.  One immediately sees how many previously puzzling facts are neatly explained by the new hypothesis.  One could kick oneself for not having the idea earlier, it now seems so obvious.  Yet before, everything was in a fog.'
-  Francis Crick

Our understanding of "enlightenment" varies like living in Paris, Tehran, Tokyo, Nashville, or Red Bluff varies.  


How to Live a Good Life

Buddhism  

Enlightenment

A Philosopher's Notebooks

Equanimity, Tranquility, Inner Peace

Little Answers About Your Body

As I walk 3.6 miles in the morning, four days each week, I enjoy the interplay of all the senses and the kinesthetic exuberance of the flowing movement.  The scenery along my safe rural walking path is beautiful and changing with the seasons.  While walking, I mostly am just walking, and sometimes thinking, reflecting, contemplating, or meditating.  These experiences are something I treasure.  Walking is beneficial for my heart, and helps me keep my diabetes under control.  Walking is an integral component of my regular Sadhana ... my "spiritual" practices.  

"If you want to know if your brain is flabby, feel your legs."  -  Bruce Barton   

"Think with your whole body."
-  Taisen Deshimaru

”If you want to find the answers to the Big Questions about your soul, you’d best begin with the Little Answers about your body.”
-  George Sheehan

"Isn't it really quite extraordinary to see that, since man took his first step, no one has asked himself why he walks, how he walks, if he has ever walked, if he could walk better, what he achieves in walking .. questions that are tied to all the philosophical, psychological, and political systems which preoccupy the world."
-  Honoré de Balzac, Theorie de la Demarché   

Walking: Quotations, Sayings, Facts, Lore, Poetry.  Compiled by Mike Garofalo.   

Somatic Practices for Health, Well-Being and Mindfulness 

"Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
An horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known."
-  J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form

Yang Family Style Tai Chi Chuan Traditional Long Form
By Michael P. Garofalo.

This webpage provides a list and brief description of the 108 movements of the Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form divided into five sections for teaching (.html and .pdf versions available). The webpage includes an extensive bibliography on the subject, scores of Internet links, historical notes, and quotations. 120Kb.

The Yang Long Form discussed on this webpage conforms to the form developed by Yang Cheng-Fu (1883-1936) and documented in books by Bu Fu Zongwen (1903-1994) and Yang Zhenduo. The numbering of the movements varies from author to author, but the essential sequence and moves remains the same.

Doing some research on the Yang style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan (85 and 24). Two books have caught me eye:

Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan.  Bu Fu Zongwen (1903-1994).  Translated by Louis Swaim.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1999.  Glossary, bibliography, 226 pages.  Translations of many Tai Chi classics are included.  A list of the 85 movement long form and detailed notes and descriptions of each movement are provided.  251 movement analysis illustrations.  Over 76 of the illustrations are traced and drawn from photographs of Yang Cheng-Fu.  Detailed descriptions of the long form, pp. 26-162.  Push hands information.  Yang Tai Chi essentials.  ISBN: 1556433182.  I have found this to be an excellent book!  This book was first published in 1963 in China as "Yang Shi Taijiquan".  An informative introduction and good translation by Louis Swaim.  VSCL.    

Taijiquan.  By Li Deyin.  London, Singing Dragon, 2004, 2008.  In English.  402 pages.  ISBN: 9781848190047, 1848190042.  Includes a complimentary DVD.  Includes descriptions, with photographs, of the 81 Yang Taijiquan form, Simplified 24 Taijiquan, Competition 42 Taijiquan, Competition 42 Taiji Sword, and the 32 Taiji Sword.  The Yang long form (81 Steps) includes photographs of Li Yulin performing the Yang long form in 1931.  Li Yulin and Li Jinglin, under the supervision of Yang Chengfu, were preparing a book on the subject later published under the title "Textbook of Taijiquan."  The 81 form is described in detail in this new book by Li Deyin.  

Sitting in a Sacred Circle

I've put together a webpage on the subject of Sacred Circles.

This webpage provides links, bibliographic citations, resources, quotations, notes, and comments on medicine wheels, henges, labyrinths, neopagan sacred circles, holy circles, the symbolism and myths about circles and spheres, sacred circle gardens, the four elements, and related topics.

This webpage includes information and photographs of our sacred circle garden at our home in Red Bluff, California.

Those folks who walk the circle in labyrinths, walking meditation or baguazhang might find some of the information in sacred circles to be of interest to them.

Here are a few pictures from our sacred circle garden.  They were all taken a few years ago.  Everything is the same today, except all the trees and shrubs are larger.  

My Words Are Very Easy to Understand

 Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975).   Lao-Tzu: My Words Are Very Easy to Understand.  Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing.  Translated from the Chinese by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1981, 1971.  240 pages, Chinese characters for each of the 81 Chapters.  Brief biography of Professor Cheng.  VSCL. 

La Fargue, Michael.  The Tao of the Tao Te Ching.  A Translation and Commentary by Michael LaFargue.  State University of New York Press, 1992.  Bibliography, 270 pages. ISBN: 0791409864.  This translation is based on the oldest version ( 168 BCE) of the Tao Te Ching found in King Ma's tomb - the famous Magwandali manscript.  VSCL. 

Mitchell, Stephen.  Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey.  Translated by Stephen Mitchell.  London, Frances Lincoln, 1999.  Text translation by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.  No pages numbers.  Illustrated with color paintings.  ISBN: 978071122948.   VSCL. 

Rosenbaum, Robert Meikyo.  Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching.  By Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum.  Foreword by Sojun Mel Weitsman.  Boston, Wisdom Publications, 2013.  Index, term/subject index, bibliography, 364 pages.  ISBN 9781614290254.  VSCL. 

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 81, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

Dao De Jing, Chapter 30

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 30

"He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms.
Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return.
Wherever a host is stationed, briars and thorns spring up.
In the sequence of great armies there are sure to be bad years.
A skilful commander strikes a decisive blow, and stops.
He does not dare by continuing his operations to assert and complete his mastery.
He will strike the blow, but will be on his guard against being vain or boastful or arrogant in consequence of it.
He strikes it as a matter of necessity; he strikes it, but not from a wish for mastery.
When things have attained their strong maturity they become old.
This may be said to be not in accordance with the Tao.
What is not in accordance with the Tao soon comes to an end."
-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 30  


"He who relied on the Tao to aid a ruler of men
 Would not seek to conquer with weapons.
 The man of Tao holds back from such instruments of recoiling violence.
 For where armies have camped there spring up thistles and thorns;
 And in the wake of marching armies follow years of drought.
 Having achieved his aim, the good commander stops;
 He does not venture to follow up his advantages with greater force.
 He achieves his aim, but does not plume himself.
 He achieves his aim, but is not boastful.
 He achieves his aim but is not proud of what he has done.
 He achieves his aim by means which could not be avoided.
 He achieves his aim without violence.
 For it is when creatures reach the climax of their strength that they start to grow old;
 Thus violence runs counter to the Tao,
 And what runs counter to the Tao is soon spent."
 -  Translated by Herman Old, 1946, Chapter 30   


"Who knows how to guide a leader in the path of Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
Does not try to conquer the world with military force.
It is in the nature of a military force to turn against its user.
(Economic Force strengthens the Society) 

Wherever armies are stationed, thorny bushes grow.
After a great war, bad years always follow.
(Over spending for military might only overtaxes the people)

Protect efficiently your own state,
But not to aim at selfishness.
After you have attained your purpose,
You must not show off your success,
You must not brag of your ability,
You must not feel proud,
You must rather regret that you had not been able to prevent the war.

You must never think of taking control of others by force.
To be over-developed is to quicken decay,
And this is against Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
And what is against Tao (the Laws of the Universe) will soon end."
- Translated by J. L. Trottier, 1994, Chapter 30



"Those rulers who use the Tao to assist mankind
Do not use soldiers to force the world.
Those doings can be paid back to them.

The place of the army’s encampment—
Thorns and brambles grow there.
In the wake of the military
There indeed exists a famine-year.

The good have success and stop
Not daring thereby to grab for power.
They succeed but never boast.
Succeed but never strike down.
Succeed but never arrogantly.
Succeed but do not gain thereafter.
Succeed but never force.

A strong thing ruling over what is Old—
This is called “non-Tao.”
The non-Tao soon ends."
- Translated by Aalar Fex, 2006, Chapter 30


"When one uses the Tao in assisting his sovereign, he will not employ arms to coerce the state.
Such methods easily react.
When military camps are established.
Briers and thorns flourish.
When great armies have moved through the land calamities are sure to follow.
The capable are determined, but no more.
They will not venture to compel; determined, but not conceited;
determined, but not boastful; determined, but not arrogant;
determined because it cannot be helped; determined, but not forceful.
When things reach their prime, they begin to age.
This cannot be said to be the Tao.
What is Not the Tao soon ends."
-  Translated by Spurgeon C. Medhurst, 1905, Chapter 30 



"He who would help a Ruler of men by Tao
Does not take soldiers to give strength to the kingdom.
His service is well rewarded.
Where troops dwell, there grow thorns and briers.
After great wars, there follow bad years.
He who loves, bears fruit unceasingly,
He does not dare to conquer by strength.
He bears fruit, but not with assertiveness,
He bears fruit, but not with boastfulness,
He bears fruit, but not with meanness,
He bears fruit, but not to obtain it for himself,
He bears fruit, but not to shew his strength.
Man is great and strong, then he is old,
In this he is not of Tao.
If he is not of Tao
He will quickly perish."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 30 



以道佐人主者, 不以兵強天下.
其事好還.
師之所處, 荊棘生焉.
大軍之後, 必有凶年.
善有果而已.
不敢以取強.
果而勿矜.
果而勿伐.
果而勿驕.
果而不得已.
果而勿強.
物壯則老.
是謂不道.
不道早已.-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 30 



yi tao tso jên chu chê, pu yi ping ch'iang t'ien hsia.
ch'i shih hao huan.
shih chih so ch'u, ching chi shêng yen.
ta chün chih hou, pi yu hsiung nien
shan chê kuo erh yi.
pu kan yi ch'ü ch'iang.
kuo erh wu ching.
kuo erh wu fa.
kuo erh wu chiao.
kuo erh pu tê yi.
kuo erh wu ch'iang.
wu chuang tsê lao.
shih wei pu tao.
pu tao tsao yi.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 30 

"Those who use Tao in assisting their Sovereign do not employ soldiers to force the Empire.
The methods of government they adopt are such as have a tendency to react upon themselves.
Where garrisons are quartered, briars and thorns spring up, and the the land is deserted by the people.
Disastrous years inevitably follow in the wake of great armies.
Wise rulers act with decision, and nothing more.
They do not venture to use overbearing measures.
They are decided without self-conceit, or boasting, or pride.
They are decided in spite of themselves, and without presuming on brute force.
After a man has arrived at the prime of his strength, he begins to age.
This is attributable to his not possessing the Tao.
Those who do not possess Tao die before their time."
-  Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 30

"Quien sabe guiar al gobernante en el sendero del Tao no intenta dominar el mundo mediante la fuerza de las armas.
Está en la naturaleza de las armas militares volverse contra quienes las manejan.
Donde acampan ejércitos, crecen zarzas y espinos.
A una gran guerra, invariablemente suceden malos años.
Lo que quieres es proteger eficazmente tu propio estado, pero no pretender tu propia expansión.
Cuando has alcanzado tu propósito, no debes exhibir tu trifuno, ni jactarte de tu capacidad, ni sentirte orgulloso;
     más bien debes lamentar no haber sido capaz de impedir la guerra.
No debes pensar nunca en conquistar a los demás por la fuerza.
Pues expandirse excessivamente es precipitar el decaimiento, y esto es contrario al Tao, y lo que es contrario al Tao
    pronto dejará de existir."
-  Translation from Chinese to English by John C. H. Wu, translated into Spanish by Alfonso Colodrón, Capitulo 30 



"A ruler faithful to Tao will not send the army to a foreign country.
This would incur calamity onto him, first of all.
The land where an army passed becomes desolated.
After war, lean years come.
A wise commander is never bellicose.
A wise warrior never gets angry.
He who can defeat the enemy does not attack.
He who achieved victory stops and does not do violence to the defeated enemies.
The victorious does not praise himself.
He wins, but does not feel proud.
He does not like to wage wars.
He wins because he is forced to fight.
Though he wins, he is not bellicose.
If man in the prime of life begins to weaken and gets ill?
This happens only because he has lived not in the harmony with Tao.
The life of such a person ends before a due time."
-  Translated by Mikhail Nikolenko, Chapter 30  

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 30, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

Katastematic ... What?

"It would be a condition of no pleasure and no pain classifiable as kinetic, but it would by no means be a condition of no pleasure and no pain at all. It would in fact be a condition of pleasure arising from the simple, undisturbed, undistracted, awareness of oneself, and of one's openness to the world through specific sensory inputs, but without being currently engaged with any. It would be an active awareness of one's constitution as a particular sort of animal—a constitution for such sensory engagement. And, one would not be experiencing this pleasant awareness unless one's condition were one of normal healthiness and ongoing natural functioning: if one's condition were not such, one would be experiencing some disturbing movements in one's consciousness—unhealthy or disturbed and distorted functioning is just what does cause kinetic pain. Accordingly, to pleasure arising in this second set of circumstances for the arousal of pleasure, Epicurus gave the name "katastematic," drawing upon a Greek term for a condition or state, or for the constitution, of a thing. It is called "katastematic" not so to indicate a special kind of pleasure, any more than kinetic pleasures are a kind of pleasure, but rather so as to draw attention to the special circumstances of pleasure's arousal, on which it is conditioned, in the case of this pleasure. We would describe this pleasure as pleasure in the awareness of the healthy functioning of one's own natural constitution, physical and psychic."
- John M. Cooper, Pursuits of Wisdom, 2012, p. 234

"For Epicurus, the only criterion for deciding on one's way of life is what will work out best form the point of view on one's own pursuit of a continuous experience of katastematic pleasure, varied suitably so as to conform to one's own, perhaps somewhat idiosyncratic, preferences among sources of kinetic pleasure."
- John M. Cooper, Pursuits of Wisdom, 2012, p. 263


Epicureanism
Notes, bibliography, resources. Research notes by Mike Garofalo.

Gardening in the Month of May

May Gardening Chores in Red Bluff

Divide and replant clumps of perennials that have finished flowering.
Take cuttings from some plants.
Watering as needed, especially potted plants.
Plant vegetables in a sunny garden area. 
Read garden books from the library. 
Mowing lawns and weeding.
Planting seeds in containers in the greenhouse. 
Fertilize some actively growing plants. 
Mulch trees, shrubs and garden. 
Weed garden.  Weed garden.  Weed garden. 
Take a nap in the shade.
Pick up tree branches blown down by high winds. 
Remove dead branches or trees. 
Thin out plants growing in the vegetable garden.
Mow lawns and field.  
Write a poem.   Keep a garden journal. 
Clean and scrub down garden chairs. 
Watering as needed.   Deeply soak trees. 
Celebrate May Day. 
Use straw mulch to conserve water and shade roots.
Don't get sun burnt.  Wear wide brimmed hats and long sleeve shirts.
Dig in composted manure.
Fertilize grass in lawns.   
Shape shrubs.
Weed garden.  Weed the garden.  Weed the garden. 
Rake and sweep up sitting areas in the shade. 
Prune vines. 
Search for poems and songs and quotes about the month of May. 
Clean up garden workbench area. 
Read some Springtime poetry out loud. 
Place extended release fertilizer in potted plants. 
Move tender plants into semi-shade. 
Thin excess fruit on trees. 
Sit and observe.
Thin our excess vegetables.   
Make sure lath/shade house is ready.  

We have five cherry trees that consistently produce delicious fruit.  

The Warm Sun Thaws the Benumbed Earth

"The leaves are budding across the land
on the ash and oak and hawthorn trees.
Magic rises around us in the forest
and the hedges are filled with laughter and love.
Dear lady, we offer you a gift,
a gathering of flowers picked by our hands,
woven into the circle of endless life.
The bright colors of nature herself
blend together to honor you,
Queen of spring,
as we give you honor this day.
Spring is here and the land is fertile,
ready to offer up gifts in your name.
we pay you tribute, our lady,
daughter of the Fae,
and ask your blessing this Beltane."
-  Beltane Prayers  

Beltane, May Day, Walpurgis Nacht Celebrations

May: Quotes, Sayings, Lore


"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill."
-   Robert Frost, A Prayer for Spring

"Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost
Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost
Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;
But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
The drowsy cuckoo and the humble-bee.
Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring
In triumph to the world the youthful spring."
-  Thomas Carew, The Spring, 1630      


Beltane, May Day, Walpurgis Nacht Celebrations

April: Quotes, Sayings, Lore