Dayan (Wild Goose) Chi Kung Exercises

Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong Exercises

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, List of Movements
Research by Mike Garofalo
This Qigong form is one long continuous sequence of movements, much like a Taiji form.  There are many aspects of the Wild Goose

Watch UTube Video of Part One of Wild Goose Qigong

Qigong system as presented by Dr. Bingkun Hu of San Francisco.
 

I was practicing this Dayan form one autumn winter morning in my Sacred Circle Garden when a flock of Canadian Geese flew overhead.  The North Sacramento Valley is the winter home of birds from Canada.  Behold ... 'everything is holy now':

"A second Grandfather, he of the North, spoke again: 

"Take courage, younger brother," he said, "on earth a nation you shall make live, for yours shall be the power of the white giant's wing, the cleansing wing." 

Then he got up very tall and started running toward the north; and when he turned toward me, it was a white goose wheeling. I looked about me now, and the horses in the west were thunders and the horses of the north where geese. 

And the second Grandfather sang two songs that were like this:

"They are appearing, may you behold!
They are appearing , may you behold!
The thunder nation is appearing, behold!

They are appearing, may you behold!
They are appearing, may you behold!
The white geese nation is appearing, behold!"

- Black Elk Speaks, 1932, p. 22, as told to John G. Neihardt.

A post from October 2015.  

"In the north-west of China, high above the Himalayas, are the mystical Kunlun Mountains. Nearly 1700 years ago a hermit named Si Dao An (the Peaceful Way) observed the movements of the many wild geese that haunt the area and began to incorporate these bending, stretching, twisting and fluttering techniques into a health-enhancing routine called the Dayan Gong or Wild Goose Qigong.  Since then over 30 generations have taught this skill to the world.  The 27th generation inheritor, Grandmaster Yang Mei-Jun (who died in 2002 aged 107) was the first to open the Dayan Gong outside China ...  through Master Tse Wei Jing Who is the only authorised senior instructor of the Kunlun Mountains Qigong in the East of England." 
-   Julian Wilde, Norwich Tse Tai Chi

 

 

"Wild Goose Qigong belongs to the Kunlun School, so it is also called Kunlun School Qigong.  This school began in the Sichuan Province in China.  The most famous practitioner of Wild Goose Qigong was Dao An, who spread it during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D.).  Because he was the most famous teacher of Wild Goose Qigong, he was crowned as its founder by later generations.   Later on, Wild Goose Qigong spread to northern China, and was kept by Wan Li at Wutai Mountain.  Emperor Qian Long, during the Qing Dynasty (1368-1840 A.D.), promoted religion and established temples all over the country so that Wild Goose Qigong could be passed down to the present."
-   By Hong-Chao Zhang, Wild Goose Qigong, p 12

 

 

"Dayan Qigong is a content-rich set of system consisting of two categories: dynamic and silent. For the former, the routine forms imitate wild goose's shape, movements or even habits, with the aim letting the internal energy flow smoothly within the body along the channels and meridians, thus moving away the thwarting blocks. In a whole, all forms shine out the feeling of wonderful harmony consisting both softness and hardness, of unrestrainedness, simpleness, and lightness. Also, some strange feeling may arise to the heart that seems to fly over the wild stretch of ocean and the vastness overpowers all consciousness." 
-   Dayan Qigong 

Ten Transformative Practices (Paramitas)

 The Essence of the Ten Transformative Practices

"Generosity arises from unselfishness and nonattachment.

Ethics involves virtue, integrity, and self-discipline.

Patience requires resilience, acceptance, and fortitude.

Effort means courage in joyous perseverance.

Meditation implies mindfulness, concentration, reflection, and introspection.

Transcendental wisdom includes discernment and self-knowledge.

Skillful means arise from resourcefulness and imagination.

Spiritual aspirations include noble intention and resolve.

Higher accomplishments require leadership, powers, and positive influence.

Awakened awareness means pristine realization.

These are the ten arms and legs of the radiant body of the Bodhisattva,
Whose heart is Bodhicitta, selfless love and compassion.

- Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living By Lama Surya Das, 2007.

Virtue Ethics Studies
Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Philosophers
By Michael P. Garofalo

 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise and Respected Persons

Virtue Ethics

Paramitas

The Ethical Precepts and Philosophical Tenets of Zen Buddhism

The Ten Grave Precepts (Rules, Guidelines, Principles of Behavior)

Pragmatism

Taoism

Buddhism

 

Memorial Day Sadness

 

Burning Oneself to Death

That was the best moment of the monk's life.
Firm on a pile of firewood
With nothing more to say, hear, see,
Smoke wrapped him, his folded hands blazed.

There was nothing more to do, the end
Of everything.  He remembered, as a cool breeze
Streamed through him, that one is always 
In the same place, and that there is no time.

Suddenly, a whirling mushroom cloud rose
Before his singed eyes, and he was a mass
Of flame. Globes, one after another, rolled out,
The delighted sparrows flew round like fire balls.

-  Sinkichi Takahashi (1901-1987)

Crying On Memorial Day   The Horrors of War

Protesting the Vietnam War
Where Over 1,000,000 people were Killed

Relax, Teacher

A Repost from the Cloud Hands Blog on December, 2017

"I have been practicing Tai-Chi Chuan for over fifty years. Only two years ago that I started to understand the word “relax”. I remember my Tai-Chi Chuan teacher Yang Cheng-Fu who did not like to talk much and he used to sit all day without saying a word if no one asked him questions. However, in our T’ai-chi class he would tell us to “relax” repeatedly. Sometimes it seemed like he would say the word hundreds of times during the practice so that the word could fill up my ears. Strangely enough he also said that if he did not tell me of this word that I would not be able to learn T’ai-chi in three life-times (meaning never). I doubted his words then. Now that I think back, I truly believe that if he did not keep reminding me of the word “relax”, I doubt if I could have learned T’ai-chi Chuan in six life-times.

What is the meaning of “relax” in T’ai-chi? Here is an example to help you understand the word. When we go visit a Buddhist temple we usually see a statue of Me-Lo Buddha. The one who has a big rounded stomach with a big smile on his face. He carries a large bag on his shoulder. On top of this statue we see a motto: “Sit with a bag. Walk with a bag. It would be such a relief to drop the bag.” What does all this mean? To me, a person himself or herself is a bag. Everything he or she owns is baggage, including one’s children, family, position and wealth. It is difficult to drop any of one’s baggage, especially the “self” bag.

T’ai-chi Chuan is difficult to learn. To relax in practicing T’ai-chi Chuan is the most difficult phase to go through. To relax a person’s mind is the most significant obstacle to overcome in practicing T’ai-Chi. It takes a great effort to train and exercise one’s mind to relax (or drop one’s “self” bag)."

- Cheng Man-Ch'ing, Taijiquan Master

Strike with shoulder and/or elbow.

Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing, Whisker's Man

Come On, Whisker's Man!  

It took a multi-talented fellow like you 48 years before you started to understand the word "relax"???   A cryptic, intriguing, peculiar, perplexing remark.  A teacher's puzzler.  

Of course, the professor had high standards for productivity, being a master of five excellences and more.  Obviously, little time to relax.  Then, add the psychological quest of the dropping one's 'self" bag [by Daoist, Buddhist, or psychoanalytical methods and standards] ... 

Alternatives??  Yes, yes ....  let me lie down and have my Feldenkrais' teacher, Ms. Toscano, lead me into deeper relaxation and self-observation and self-exploration.  My ego (one's "self" bag) dissolves in the attention given to the minutia of internal bodily feelings while languidly lying on a soft cushion.  The self bag is gone; or, at least, my everyday busy, yang self, action man self is set aside for while.  Pleasures can induce self-forgetfulness.  One delicious,simple, effortless form of loosened and relaxed. 

But, maybe, Whisker's Man, wants us to reflect on more important matters.  Clever fellow.  

Yes, however, indeed, experiencing Sung while doing Taijiquan is essential to this body-mind performing art.   

Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975): Tai Chi Chuan Master
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Resources, Reflections, Notes.
A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.

Cheng Man-ch'ing on UTube

37 Form of Yang Style Taijiqua by Cheng Man-ch'ing
List of Named Movements

Relax (Sung) in Tai Chi Chuan
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, Instructions. By Mike Garofalo.


A good article in the recent Qi Magazine: Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness (Volume 27, Number 4, 2017, pp. 30-37.) by Master Wasentha Young titled "Professor Cheng Man-Ching's Design of the Yang Style Short Form."

The Tai Chi Book: Refining and Enjoying a Lifetime of Practice. By Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D.. Including the Teachings of Cheng Man-ch'ing, William C. C. Chen, and Harvey I. Sober. Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, YMAA Publication Center, c 1998. Index, 209 pages. ISBN: 1886969647. Dr. Chuckrow was a student of Cheng Man-ch'ing and others. The Cheng 37 Posture form is described and illustrated with photographs on pages 177-204. VSCL.

Cheng Man-ch'ing T'ai-Chi Short Form. Instructional DVD. As taught by Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D.. NTSC DVD, color, 63 minutes. ASIN: B00BMAVIVC. "This DVD has three parts: (1) Demonstration of Cheng Man-ch'in's Short Form by Robert Chuckrow, (2) Form instruction, and (3) Rear view of form (student view). The instruction part is clear and detailed, and all the movements are taught in succession with different camera views and repetitions." VSCL. 

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo
Fourth Version, August 2, 2023. Updated Monthly. 358 Pages, PDF.
Green Way Research, Vancouver, Washington

Blue Cliff Record 100 Koans (BCR)
Book of Serenity/Equanimity 100 Koans (BOS)
Dao De Jing 81 Chapters (DDJ)
Dogen's Shinji Mana Shobogenzo 300 Koans (DSMS)
Dogen's Shobogenzo 95 Essays Buddhist (DSE)
Entangling Vines 272 Koans (ENT)
Fireplace Records 30 Chapters (TFR)
Flock of Fools: Parable Sutra 98 Koans (OHPS)
Gateless Gate 48 Koans (GB)
Iron Flute 100 Koans (IF)
Opening A Mountain 60 Koans (OM)
Philosopher's Garden (PG)
Record of Empty Hall 100 Koans (REH)
Record of Linji 50 Koans (LIN)
Rinzai Zen Buddhism (RINZ,SOG)
Samurai Zen 100 Warrior Koans (SAM)
Suzuki D.T. 10 Books (SUZ)
Transmission of Light: Keizan 53 Biographies (TOL)
The Whole World is a Single Flower 365 Koans (WWSF)
Zen and the Ways (ZWAY)
Zen Echoes 43 Koans (ZE)
Zen Flesh Zen Bones 100 Koans (ZFZB)
Zhuangzi 33 Chapters (ZUAN)

Zen Buddhist Koans and Discourses:
https://www.egreenway.com/buddhism/koansdup1.htm

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

  

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

How to Sleep Better Each Day

 How to Sleep Better Each Day

Follow a schedule and routine for sleep
Prepare for sleeping at 9:00 pm
Sleeping around 7-9 hours is best for most
Don’t use stimulants: drugs, ideas, worry
Get enough sunlight during the day
Get enough exercise during the day
Avoid foods that prevent sleep
Alcohol or drugs might reduce your sleep
Don’t drink liquids a few hours before sleeping
Reduce or eliminate naps during the day
Turn off the television or radio or pod-cast
Bathe if dirty, and change into clean pajamas
Listen only to soft, gentle, relaxing instrumental music
Do any gentle stretching or gentle yoga well before sleeping
Sleep in a cooler room
Reduce, avoid, dim, or turn off any lights in bedroom
Don’t look at clocks if you awaken
Use pillows or bolsters to relieve bodily discomfort
Use clean sheets, covers, pillows and mattress
Don’t work in bed
Reduce reading books or eReader in bed
Sexual activity may or may not help you sleep
Excessive sex will keep you awake
Use techniques to turn off your thinking
Don’t talk a lot or write in bed
Try changing the smell of your bedroom
Go to sleep and get up at the same time each day
Don’t over-sleep beyond your normal wake up time
Keep bugs out of your sleeping area
Other people need to be quiet from 9 pm to 5 am
Some people favor a cup of warm soporific tea
There are many soporific supplemental medicines
  available, but use care with combining medicines
Some people elevate the upper torso and sleep better
If you suffer from insomnia, restless legs syndrome,
  sleep apnea, or narcolepsy consult a physician
Sleep apnea sometimes can be helped with equipment
Keep the CPAP equipment clean
Use meditation techniques to turn off thinking too much

By Michael P. Garofalo  August 23, 2022

I have been dealing with some sleep problems: insomnia, mild sleep apnea,
nighttime urination, tossing and turning when sleeping, no dreams.  

Today, I have an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Steven Hill at the Vancouver Clinic in east Vancouver.  He is a M.D. Sleep Medicine specialist.  Medicare requires an overnight sleep test before any follow up equipment (CPAP, dental devices) or medicine can be prescribed. 

I am reading the following book on the subject:

Say Good Night to Insomnia: The Six Week, Drug Free Program Developed at the Harvard Medical School.  By Gregg D. Jacob.  2009, 256 pages. VSCL.

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi: 12 Weeks to a Healthy Body, Strong Heart, and Sound Mind.  By Peter Wayne, Ph.D.. Harvard Health Publications.
Shambhala Press, 2013, 240 pages.  

Dragon Ch Kung Exercises

Exercises that involve twisting, turning, spiraling, screwing, sliding, swinging, swimming, sinking down and rising up, wiggling, undulating, circling, or twining are often associated with snakes and dragons.  There are many Qigong sets and specific Qigong movements given a name that includes a 'Dragon.'  Baguazhang and Shaolin Kung Fu also include many "Dragon" forms, sets and movements.  Silk Reeling Qigong is also related to Dragon like movements. 
Dragon Qigong is often associated with Wudang Taoist mind/body arts.  Maybe the cliffs and valleys of the Wudang Mountain area are home to many dragons? Dragons have a well established place in Taoist symbolism and lore, as well as in Chinese culture in general.    

My updated webpage on Dragon Qigong includes an extensive bibliography, links, resources, an introduction, quotations, and a detailed description of my own Dragon Qigong set.  

I welcome suggestions for additions and changes to the Dragon Qigong webpage. I have also successfully used these Dragon Qigong movements in my Hatha Yoga classes, and call them "Chinese Yoga."

Are you preparing for the upcoming start of the Year of the Water Dragon in 2012 starting on January 23rd?  Check out the sidebar on this blog for links to resources on Dragons. 

  
The East Asian Dragons are often associated with water, rain, vapors, fog, springs, streams, waterfalls, rivers, swamps, lakes, and the ocean.  Water can take many shapes and states, and Dragons are shape shifters and linked with transformation, appearing and disappearing, changing into something new.  Water is found in three states, depending upon the surrounding temperature: a solid (ice, snow), a fluid (flowing liquid), and a gas (fog, vapor, steam).  Since rainfall is often accompanied by thunder and lightening (thunderstorms and typhoons), the Dragon is sometimes associated with fire; and, since hot water and steam are major sources of energy in human culture, this further links the Dragon with the essential energy of Fire.  The Dragon is thus linked with the chemical and alchemical transformative properties of two of the essential Elements, both Water and Fire.  Dragons are generally benign or helpful to humans in East Asia, but their powers can also be destructive (e.g., flooding, tsunami, typhoon, lightening, steam, drowning, etc.).  There are both male and female Dragons, kinds or species of Dragons, Dragons of different colors and sizes, and mostly good but some evil Dragons.  Some Dragons can fly, some cannot fly; most live in or near water, a few on land.  The body of a Dragon combines features from many animals, representing the many possibilities for existential presence.  The Dragon in the East has serpentine, snake, or eel like movement qualities: twisting, spiraling, sliding, circling, swimming, undulating, flowing freely like water.  [See: The Dragon in China and Japan by Marinus De Visser, 1913]

A Cold Day in May

 

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 26

A Cold Day in May

Related Links, Resources, References

Koans: TFR 24

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi  

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

My Intellectual and Spiritual Heritage

Buddhists, Taoists, Philosophers

Noted Authors, Scholars, Translators, Editors, Teachers

** These are my teachers.
This is my intellectual heritage, my "lineage".
These are the authors I have read and studied since 1962.

* ** *** I have benefitted and applied what I have learned! *** ** *

Confucius (551-479 BCE) Philosopher *

Lao Tzu (Circa 450 CE) Taoist *

Buddha (Circa 450 CE) Buddhist **

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Philosopher ***

Epicurus (341-270 BCE) Philosopher *

Epictetus (50 BCE-135 CE) Philosopher *

Heshang Gong (250 CE) Taoist *

Bodhidharma (450 CE) Buddhist *

Huineng (638-713 CE) Buddhist *

Mazu Daoyi (709-788 CE) Buddhist

Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) Buddhist **

Chang San-Feng (1247-1317) Taoist *

Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481) Buddhist *

Takuan Soho (1573-1645) Buddhist

Bankei Yotaku (1622-1693) Buddhist

Menzan Zuiho (1683-1769) Buddhist

Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) Buddhist **

Ryokan Taigu (1758-1831) Buddhist

Daisetsu T. Suzuki (1870-1966) Buddhist **

Reginald H. Blyth (1898-1964) Scholar ***

Philip Kapleau (1912-2004) Buddhist *

John Blofield (1913-1937) Buddhist

Trevor Leggett (1914-2000) Buddhist *

Alan Watts (1915-1973) Scholar **

Robert Aitken (1917-2010) Buddhist ***

Burton Watson (1925-2017) Scholar *

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) Buddhist **

Dalai Lama (1938-) Buddhist **

Red Pine (1943-) Scholar *

Sam Hamill (1943-2018) Scholar *

Yang Jwing-Ming (1946-) Taoist **

Norman Fischer (1946-) Buddhist

Thomas Cleary (1949-2021) Scholar ***

David Hinton (1954-) Scholar *

Deng Ming-Dao (1954-) Taoist **

Eva Wong (1955-) Taoist **

Livia Kohn (1956-) Scholar *

 

Tao Te Ching Chapter 30 Dao De Jing

Dao De Jing  Chapter 30  Tao Te Ching

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, 6 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. One Chapter webpage, at the Daodejing 81 Website, is updated, re-indexed, and improved each Friday morning. 

Here, for free, is a one-html-page hypertext document   Concordance   searchable (Ctrl+K) electronically with English, Spanish, or Wade-Giles Chinese words for the entire Tao Te Ching.   

Chapter 30, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

General Information about the Daodejing 81 Website

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

Daodejing 81 Website

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

Mike Garofalo reading
Springtime, 2018, Vancouver, WA
Wisteria in bloom
Don't force things and grow old.

Mothers' Day Memories

1948

1967

1976

2000

2014

2017

Karen Eubanks-Garofalo and her daughter,
Alicia Garofalo-Flinn
Vancouver, Washington, 2023

Shifu Miao Zhang asked, "When you Meet the Black Dragon, What Will You Say?"

Fireplace Records, Chapter 24

Shifu Miao Zhang asked Chang San-Feng,
"When you Meet the Black Dragon, What Will You Say?"

Chang San-Feng knew of one grey Carp
Who struggled upstream
Until he broke through
The daunting Dragon's Gate;
And became himself a Wise Blue Dragon.

As a child he knew a few words
Of the Language of Dragons;
Spoken by Puff, the Magic Dragon,
who lived by the Sea
In the Lands of Honah Lee.

He knew of the Vast Ocean Dragon
Who's tides ruled fishermen's lives.

Chang did not know the Cold River Dragon
Whose floods drowned millions.

He read about the Deviant Western Red Dragon
From the Lands of Smaug,
Guarding Treasures beyond Measures,
Greedy and Angry in a burning fog.    

He once learned that
Yunmen's Cane transformed into a Brown Dragon,
Who swallowed the East Sea,
And rained on the Entire Universe.

He once heard the Lonely Dragon
Howling in a Withered Tree;
Who Saw all the World's Sorrows,
From his Eyes in a White Skull.

At the Edge of the Dragon Pool,
At the Midnight Hour,
The Dragon Master blew out
The Candle of Delusion.

At dawn, after dreaming of Dragons,
He awoke!
There was a Green Dragon
Curled up on his bed.
In fear, he brandished his cane;
Rebuffed, the Green Dragon Departed.

Shifu Miao Zhang asked Chang San-Feng,
"When you meet the Black Dragon tomorrow;
What will you Say?
What will You Do?

A Student's Considerations:

Literal and Figurative - A Balancing Act.
When Playing with Words we sometimes stumble and fall.
When we remember clearly, that's one way of knowing.
True or False, Correct or Incorrect ... useful duality in many ways.
Be alert and cautious around Dragon Masters.
Ideas about Things are Not Things Themselves.
Ignorance can cause Fear!
The word "Fire" cannot burn your fingers.
Dragons moving in the sea give birth to earthquake tsunamis. No!
Dragons symbolized Emperors in China.  

The Door to Past is Closed and Locked,
But we can still See the Past
Through the Windows of Memories.

Related Links, Comments, Essays, Resources, References

Shifu Miao Zhang's Koans

Chang San-Feng

Koans: BCR 60, DSMS 28, DSMS N 104

Dragon Qigong  By Mike Garofalo.

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi  

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality

I highly recommend the fine book by the French philosopher, André Comte-Spoonville titled "The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality."
These engaging, wise, articulate, and diplomatic short essays were translated from the French by Nancy Huston (Penguin, 2007).  This 212 page gem consists of four chapters:  1. Can We Do Without Religion?; 2. Does God Exist?; 3. Can There Be an Atheist Spirituality; and 4.  Love and Truth. 

Professor Comte-Spoonville is a non-dogmatic atheist, respectful of the positive aspects of religions traditions (Western and Eastern), and tolerant of non-fanatic believers.  However, his carefully reasoned arguments for atheism are clear, strong, and convincing.  He tells us why he does not believe in God, an afterlife, divine intervention, creationism, or the heavenly triumph of good; but he does not take a more aggressive anti-religious tact like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennent, Sam Harris, or Ayn Rand.  

The "atheist spirituality" he advocates is an appreciation for the wonder and beauty of the natural world and human consciousness at its best; and the cultivated or spontaneous mystical experiences characterized by silence, mystery, plenitude, oceanic feeling, immanensity, simplicity, unity, timelessness, serenity, self-evident truth, acceptance, independence, and love.  He advocates a fidelity to the best philosophy and traditions of Western civilization, starting with the Greeks. 
 
He tackles and clearly shows the weaknesses of the traditional arguments for the existence of God/Allah/Shiva.  He provides a well reasoned explanation of why there is weak or non-existent evidence for believing in the existence of God when he discusses the hidden nature of God, incomprehensibility, the excess of evil, human mediocrity, and resisting the lure of illusion (i.e., strongly believing in something simply because you really desire or want to believe).  

He provides convincing reasons for why we can live productive, dignified, respectful, cheerful, virtuous, intelligent, and courageous lives without religion.  

He draws on wide range of Western and Eastern philosopher, theologians, social, and psychological thinkers to bolster his arguments.  

If your public library has a book by the Reverend Billy Graham then it should have a copy of this book by Professor Comte-Spoonville.  

The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality  

Gateless Gate Koans Subject Index

In 1961, at age 15, I read three books that greatly influenced my thinking: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant, Why I am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell, and Zen Flesh and Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.  I read books from the Bandini Branch (two blocks from my home) of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, and from the old ELA Library Branch of CoLAPL near my Catholic elementary school, and later from the City of Commerce Public Library.

I still own copies of Zen Flesh and Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. It is the first Koan Collection I ever read.  I have studied many other "brief" spiritual stories/tests/sermons/koans collections for many decades since 1961.    

Zen Flesh and Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings. Translated and compiled by By Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. Tuttle Publishing, Flaps edition, 1998. First published in 1957.  211 pages. The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) was transcribed by Nyogen Senzaki (1876–1958) and Paul Reps (1895–1990) in 1934, and appeared in in "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, 1958" pp. 109-161. VSCL, hardbound and paperback. 101 Stories/Koans.

There are numerous published collections of brief Buddhist and Taoist stories, conversations, meetings, student and teacher exchanges, sermons, lessons, instructions, questions, tests and problems, confrontations, spiritual insights, biographies of Buddhist Saints and Heroes, enlightenment experiences, etc.  I call some of these "Koan Collections."

I decided I would first use a simple Excel spreadsheet to create a Subject Index to Koan Collections.  Then, I converted to using Microsoft Access Database for the Koan Database Project.  

The first book (Koan Collection) I indexed was:

GB The Gateless Gate: The Classic Book of Zen Koans.  Translated with commentary by Koun Yamada Roshi.  2004. 48 Koan Cases compiled around 1250 CE.  

Subject Index to Cases in the Gateless Barrier (GB). [48 Koans, Compiled around 1250 CE]

Alphabetical List of English Titles of the Gateless Gate (GB) Koans

List of Case in Numerical Order of the Gateless Gate (GB) Koans

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo. First Draft on March 25, 2023.

Subject Index to Cases in Koan Collections. Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo.

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

  

The Sea Calls Me

 Karen and I have been dealing with surgeries and rehabilitation for a few months during the late winter of 2023. I have not been Yurt camping at the Oregon Coast, at Bandon, since January, 2023.  

In a few weeks I will be solo Yurt camping at Grayland Beach State Park, near Westport, in Washington.  YES!!!.  

Part I: Southwestern Washington

Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Long Beach Peninsula, Lower Columbia River
A Traveler's Hypertext Notebooks, Guides, and Resources

Part II: Grayland Beach
A Beach Camper's Hypertext Notebook,
Studies, Readings, Activities, Seasons, and Tips 

Part III: Doing and Seeing   
Photographs, Blog Posts, and Reports from 2021-2024  

Part IV: Reflections of Beachcombers   
Poetry, Short Essays, Commentary, Quotations   

Southwestern Washington

 

Grays Harbor
 

Willapa Bay
 

Long Beach Peninsula
 

Lower Columbia River, North Side, from Ilwaco East to Washougal

Olympia south to Vancouver, Interstate 5 Corridor
 

Native Americans in the Area

Northwest Coastal Oregon: Astoria to Cape Lookout

 

Four Days in Grayland Homepage

 

“The waves broke and spread their waters swiftly over the shore. One after another they massed themselves and fell; the spray tossed itself back with the energy of their fall. The waves were steeped deep-blue save for a pattern of diamond-pointed light on their backs which rippled as the backs of great horses ripple with muscles as they move. The waves fell; withdrew and fell again, like the thud of a great beast stamping.”
-  Virginia Woolf, The Waves

Not many birds seen by
the cold low tide shore;
I thought I see many more.
Saw seagulls at the Westport docks,
Waiting for free fish guts,
Tossed potato chips or popcorn bits,
Tossed aside by fishermen
Laughing over old jokes and riddles,
Hoping for better weather
When the lingcod might bite better.

"The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; – on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch’d land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in."
-  Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach, 1860

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo