Banish the Blues

Boost Your Mood, Pick Yourself Up
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues  

Be grateful for the good in your life.
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day.
Learn something new.
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean.
Go for a walk.
Enjoy sex and discover romance.
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.
Smile and put on a happy face.
Indulge your senses.
Seek and cultivate beauty.
Take time to breathe deeply.
Look at some old photos.
Focus on the positive.
Forgive yourself.
Get some fresh air.
Eat often and eat light.
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor. 
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal.
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit.
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way.
Have confidence.
Talk with your spouse.
Fake it till you make it.
Sign a song out loud.
Tap into your creative side.
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga.
Inhale a calming scent.
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep.
Brainstorm a problem for solutions.
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends.
Watch a good non-violent movie.
Work in the garden.
Cool down strong emotions.
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat.
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps.
Avoid watching the news for a week.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Focus on past successes, not failures.
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem.
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body.
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events.
Spend less, avoid shopping.
Stop all cussing, swearing, or rude language.
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing.
Go easy on yourself and yield.
Count your blessings.
Spend some time with children.
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath.
Get relevant and accurate information.
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals.
Adapt, adapt, adapt.
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument. 
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood.
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems.
Read something inspiring.
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Try praying or chanting.
Evaluate and revise your goals.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Pet your dog or cat and care for them.
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport.
Try fasting or staying up all night.
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time. 
Forgive and forget.
Dance till you are tired.
Punch a bag or bang on a drum.
Stop using any recreational drugs.
Spend some time with children.
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims.
Enjoy a refreshing drink.
Make someone laugh.
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea.
Less talking and more doing.
Get up, dress up, and show up.
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books.
Be less self-centered and selfish.
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness.
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize and inspirational saying, prayer, poem or quote.
Call or visit a sick person.
Play a game. 

By Mike Garofalo
Valley Spirit Center
Red Bluff, California  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Ways to Lift Your Spirits (3 pages, PDF Format)

Virtues and Good Character

Fitness and Well-Being

Tao Te Ching Index and Concordance

Daodejing, Laozi  or Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Indexed by English, Spanish, and Wade-Giles Romanization

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 20 different English translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 3 Spanish translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, and the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter.  Each webpage for one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words and terms 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, and other resources for that Chapter.   


  

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 Taoist's Final Journey 


Here is an example of some of the translations and/or interpolations for:

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Daodejing by Laozi

Chapter 10

Here is my indexing of Chapter 10:

English and Chinese (Wade-Giles) Terms:  Physical and Bodily Soul, Chi or Breath or Vital Force (ch'i), Washing or Cleanse (ti), Youthfulness, Mental Clarity, What is Possible, What Can Be Done, Impartiality, Bird, Spontaneity, Wholesome Personality, Kind or Loving or Caring (ai), Separation or Parting (li), Spirit or Soul or Spiritual (ying), Vision or Perception or Insight (lan), Natural Breathing, Close or Shut (ho), One or Unity or Together (yi), Intelligent Activity, Self-Control, Vital Breath, Understanding or Awareness (ming), Cleanse the Mind, Virtue, Leadership, Chi Kung or Qigong, Progress or Advance or Grow (ch'ang), Meditate, Love, Cleansing the Mind, Impurities, Hold or Keep (tsai), People (min), Govern (chih), Country (kuo), Nurturing, Gentle or Tender or Soft (jou), Female, Can or Able to (nêng), Clean or Polish or Wipe (ch'u), Newborn or Infant (ying), Question or "?" Interrogative (hu), Passive, Cleanliness, Cause or Bring About (chih), Cunning or Cleverness (chih), Concentrate or Gather or Focus (chuan), Governing, Embrace or Carry (pao), Faults or Flaws or Blemish (ts'u), Animal Nature or Body or Vitality or Physical Being (p'o), Feed or Nurture (ch'u), Purify, Pure or Clear or Clear Minded (pai), Gate or Door (mên), Dominate or Control (tsai), Without or Free of (wu), Open (k'ai), Mother Bird or Female (tz'u), Four Directions or Four Quarters (ssu), Child or Baby or Innocent (erh), Heaven or Natural (t'ien), Possibilities Through the Dao, Produces or Gives Life (shêng), Without Acti0n (wu wei), Become or Act or Do (wei), Claim or Possess (yu), Profound or Deep or Hidden (hsüan), Virture or Power (tê),  能為   

Términos en Español: Fuerza Vital, Lavado, Limpieza, Juventud, Claridad Mental, ¿Qué es posible, ¿Qué se Puede Hacer, Imparcialidad, Pájaro, Espontaneidad, Personalidad Sana, Amar, Cuidar, Separación, Espíritu, Alma Espiritual, Vision, Percepción, Perspicacia, Respiración Natural, Cerrar, Apagar, Uno, Unidad, Junto, Actividad Inteligente, Autocontrol, Aliento Vital,  Entendimiento, Conciencia, Limpiar la Mente, Virtud, Liderazgo, Progreso, Crecer, Meditar, Impurezas, Mantener, Guardar, Personas, Gobierno, País, Nutrir, Suave, Dócil, Femenino, Puede, Limpie, Polaco, Recién nacido, Lactante, Pregunta, Interrogativo, Pasivo, Causar, Provocar, Astucia, Concentrado, Reunir, Enfoque, Abrazar, Llevar, Fallos, Defectos, Naturaleza Animal, Cuerpo,  Purificar, Puro, Portón, Puerta, Dominar, Mujer, Cuatro Vientos, Niño, Bebé, Inocente, Cielo, Posibilidades, Produce, Vida, Ley, Reclamación, Posser, Profunda, Oculto.  

 

"One can keep the camp whole of the animal soul, by embracing the One alone,

Can bring tenderness by guarding the breath, and be as an infant child,

One can wash and be clean, and, knowing the deep, can be spotless and undefiled,

And, loving the people can rule the land with a rule that is scarcely shown.

Can one not open and close his heavenly gates like a bird on her nest?

When his intellect broadens on every side may its light not remain unknown?

Quickening, feeding, producing, must he still claim the fruit as his own?

To uplift all, and yet rule not, is virtue the deepest and best."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 10 

"Carrying vitality and consciousness, embracing them as one, can you keep from parting?
Concentrating energy, making it supple, can you be like an infant?
Purifying hidden perception, can you make it flawless?
Loving the people, governing the nation, can you be uncontrived?
As the gate of heaven opens and closes, can you be impassive?
As understanding reaches everywhere, can you be innocent?
Producing and developing, producing without possessing, growing without domineering: this is called mysterious power."
-  Translated by Thomas Cleary, 1991, Chapter 10  



"By clinging to the One with both your spiritual and physical souls, can you prevent them from becoming divorced?
By concentrating your breath until you become soft, can you be like an infant?
By cleansing your secret mirror, can you make it without blemish?
In loving the people and ruling a state, can you be without action?
In opening and closing the natural gates, can you be like a hen?
In penetrating the four quarters with your intelligence, can you be without knowledge?"
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 10



"Can you keep the spirit and embrace the One without departing from them?
Can you concentrate your vital force and achieve the highest degree of weakness like an infant?
Can you clean and purify your profound insight so it will be spotless?
Can you love the people and govern the state without cunning?
Can you play the role of the female in the opening and closing of the gates of Heaven?
Can you understand all and penetrate all without taking any action?
To produce things and to rear them,
To produce, but not to take possession of them,
To act, but not to rely on one's own ability,
To lead them, but not to master them.
This is called profound and secret virtue."
-  Translated by Chan Wing-Tsit, 1953, Chapter 10  



載營魄, 抱一能無離乎?
專氣致柔, 能嬰兒乎?
滌除玄覽, 能無疵乎?
愛民治國, 能無知乎?
天門開闔, 能為雌乎?
明白四達, 能無知乎?
生之畜之.
生而不有.
為而不恃.
長而不宰.
是謂玄德.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 10


tsai ying p'o, pao yi nêng wu li hu?
chuan ch'i chih jou, nêng ying erh hu?
ti ch'u hsüan lan, nêng wu tz'u hu?
ai min chih kuo, nêng wu chih hu?
t'ien mên k'ai ho, nêng wei tz'u hu? 
ming pai ssu ta, nêng wu wei hu?
shêng chih ch'u chih.
shêng erh pu yu.
wei erh pu shih.
ch'ang erh pu tsai.
shih wei hsüan tê.
-  Wade-Giles (1892) Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 10



 
"creative spirit
vital soul
wondrous bodymind
can you combine these into one phase
and gently hold onto it
one phase one part one moment
can you commune with
and direct the elemental force of life
and enter into the rebirth of gentleness
and be like a newborn 
can you wash and cleanse your mystic inner vision
while clearing it of the refuse left behind you
     ordinary sight
is it possible for you to stay out of your own way
while being your own leader
can you stomp the earth
look to the heavens while being receptive
passive
possessed of quietude
can you be knowledgeable and clever
and regard it as whimsical 
create and nourish
let all creation be the worlds
not your own
have fun when you work
work when you have fun
be a leader without appearing to be
and you will personify fine uncarved wood
in the hands of a master carpenter
can you guess who this master is."
-  Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 10



"Unir cuerpo y mente en un conjunto
del que no puedan disociarse.
Equilibrar el Chi hasta hacerlo
tan armónico como el de un recién nacido.
Purificar la vision interna hasta
dejarla libre de todo vicio.
Querer al pueblo y gobernar la nación
practicando el Wu-Wei.
Abrir y cerrar las puertas del cielo
siendo como la Mujer Misteriosa.
Conocer y comprenderlo todo
usar la inteligencia.
Engendrar y criar,
Alimentar y educar
engendrar sin apropiarse,
obrar sin pedir nada a cambio,
guiar sin dominar,
esta es la Gran Virtud."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013,  Capítulo 10


"Can you hold the door of your tent
Wide to the firmament?
Can you, with the simple stature
Of a child, breathing nature,
Become, notwithstanding,
A man?
Can you continue befriending
With no prejudice, no ban?
Can you, mating with heaven,
Serve as the female part?
Can your learned head take leaven
From the wisdom of your heart?
If you can bear issue and nourish its growing,
If you can guide without claim or strife,
If you can stay in the lead of men without their knowing,
You are at the core of life."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 10 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Day 2024

Best wishes for a peaceful and happy day to all.

Eight Treasures and Lohan Hands Qigong

Lately, I have been reading books that discuss Shaolin Qigong methods.  The exercises in the 18 Lohan Shaolin Qigong overlap with many in the Eight Section Brocade.  I have been adding movement sequences from the beautifully color illustrated book by Shifu Shi Yan Ming of New York.
I added a few new Swinging Arms exercises to my routine.  

The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior's Way.  By Sifu Shi Yan Ming. Rodale Press, 2006. Index, 293 pages. ISBN: 1594864004.  VSCL. 

18 Exercises to Help You Live a Longer, Healthier, and Happier Life.  By Marcus Santer.  193 pages, 2020, Kindle EBook.  VSCL.

Shaolin Qi Gong: Energy in Motion.  By Shi Qinggui.  160 pages, 2008.  VSCL.  Includes DVD.

Shaolin Temple Qigong  By Michael P. Garofalo

Qigong Practices  By Michael P. Garofalo

The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health and Enlightenment.   By Wong, Kiew Kit.  Charles E. Tuttle, 2002.  215 pages. ISBN: 0804834393.  VSCL. 

Here is a Blog repost of mine from May 2014 about the Eight Treasures Qigong:

I frequently teach the Chinese Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung exercise and fitness routine in my Taijiquan class and my Yoga class.  Naturally, I include many comments about Shaolin and Daoist fitness and healthy living concepts. 

This Eight Treasures exercise and fitness routine has a varied and long history with ancient roots back to the Animal Frolics Dao-yin exercises of 300 CE.  Some of the Eight Treasures exercises involve toughening, courage, and fighting and were used in military exercise and conditioning drills.  Many versions of the Ba Duan Jin include 12 exercises or more.   

One recent book that provides good documentation on the history of Chinese exercise practices (Chi Kung, Qigong, Neigong), including five illustrated versions of the Eight Section Brocade, is:  

An Illustrated Handbook of Chinese Qigong Forms from the Ancient Texts  Complied by Li Jingwei and Zhu Jianping.  London, Singing Dragon, 2014.  No index or bibliography, 325 pages.  ISBN: 9781848191976.  Many excellent line drawings are included to illustrate the postures.  VSCL. 
 
Back in 2002, I created the webpage titled:  The Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung.
  

The Ba Duan Jin Qigong form includes eight basic exercises to help you keep limber, become stronger, improve your balance, and increase your stamina.  There are opportunities for squatting movements and postures to strengthen the legs.  

  The entire Eight Beautiful Tapestries Chi Kung form is normally done while standing, although there are some versions done in a seated posture for meditative purposes or for frail persons. 

There are numerous versions of this popular Chi Kung form.  There are many good books, instructional DVDs, and UTube videos to choose from on this topic.  My webpage includes a long bibliography on the Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung with citations for resources, links, videos, books, and instructional DVDs on the subject.  

  I make a number of comments about each of the eight movements, including comments about the movement variations, physical training targets, muscles worked, attitude, internal alchemy (Neidan), benefits, options, comparisons with yoga asanas, and breathing patterns.  

 

I offer my own version with fairly detailed comments on each of the eight movements.  Here is my one page class handout for the Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung class.  


"The name “Ba Duan Jin” has been found as early as the Northern Song Dynasty. According to Hong Mai's (洪邁) Yi Jian Zhi (夷堅志, Song Dynasty), Zhenghe Seventh Year, Emperor's Chief Secretary, Li Shi-Ju, lived a simple life.  He spent a large portion of his time in his mediation room practicing Daoist Monk’s exercises expanding like a bear and stretching like a bird. In the early hours, he is often found breathing and massaging, practicing the so-called Eight-Section Brocade (Ba Duan Jin). This passage reveals that Ba Duan Jin has been developed and practiced since the Song Dynasty as a general health-keeping regime. 
    Both sitting and standing forms have been found in the history of Ba Duan Jin (八段錦),. Standing forms were developed into two schools (northern and southern styles) in the Qing Dynasty. The Northern School, said to have been passed down by Yue Fei (岳飛), has tougher forms, and the Southern School, claimed the lineage from Liang Shi-Chang (梁世昌), focuses on softer trainings. Quite a few verses has been passed down during the period from Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, but all verses for the standing forms have evolved from the passages recorded in "The Chapter of Wonders, Pivot of Dao" (道樞·眾妙篇, Dao Shu, Zong Miao Pian, Song Dynasty) and verses of the sitting style from the forms recorded in "TheTen Books of Daoist Practices" (修真十書 Xiu Zhen Shi Shu, Ming Dynasty ).  or "The Methods of Curing"(活人心法, Huo Ren Xin Fa, Ming Dynasty). Sets Ba Duan Jin forms are not always limited to the number of eight. The number of forms in a set range from a single form to tens or as many as a hundred; nevertheless, they are all exercise regimes designed for health-keeping, preventive, and therapeutic purposes, and, liberally saying, all exercise regimes designed for such purposes are part of the Ba Duan Jin system."
-   Lee Chang-Chih,  A Brief Introduction to Ba Daun Jin.  "Reinterpreting Ba Duan Jing From the Theories of the Eight Extra Meridians" 2005 

Balance for Seniors

 Balance

Maintaining and Improving Your Balance
Methods, Exercises, Concepts, Causes
Better Balance for Seniors and Avoiding Falls

By Michael P. Garofalo

Bibliography Links Resources Information

Quotations References Commentary

Instructor Qualifications of Michael P. Garofalo

 

 

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls 
Safety Tips for Around Your House
For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:

Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself.
Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day.
Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking.
Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered.
Use hand bars beside toilet and shower.
Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves.
Wear good shoes indoors.
Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor.
Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms.
Be careful, slow down, be alert!
Use your cane or walker as needed.
Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy.
If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully.
Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs.
Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely.
Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order.
Use it, or slowly but surely loose it.
Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly.
Let others help you or pay for services.
Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses.
If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight!
Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips.
See a physician for serious dizziness.
Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Balance

Aging Well  Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links

9 Practical Walking Principles
By Arieh Lev Breslow
"Tai Chi Falls Prevention Manual"

"1. Wear shoes that fit comfortably and promote balance. Look for shoes that are stable from side to side and are well-cushioned. They should enable you to walk smoothly and comfortably and provide you enough room to wiggle your toes while being snug in the heels. 

2. When you step forward, always step with the heel first. Then roll your weight onto the bottom of your foot. This is the natural way to walk. If you can’t do this, then you need to ask for a diagnosis from your physician or physical therapist. If you are stepping with the flat part of the foot or the ball of the foot first, you will be unbalanced with each step. 

3. Allow your weight to sink into your ankles and knees as if they were springs. This will impart a sense of buoyancy to your body as you walk. If your knee and ankle joints are held in a rigid or locked position, your gait will lose its fluidity and thus increase the probability of falling. 

4. As you walk, be aware of the shifting of weight - Tai Chi Walking 

5. Walk from your belly button. The Chinese call this area, Tan-Tien (pronounced “Dahn T-yen"). It is approximately the center of the body and the storage place of Chi energy. Imagine that you have a belt around your body with a piece of it extended out from your belly button. When you walk, allow yourself to be gently led as if someone was pulling the extended piece of belt. Remember that this is only an image. You should not walk with your belly sticking out. No one from the outside should know that you are using this image. 

6. Walk with an Upright Body. The idea of your headtop being lifted toward heaven by a string is an important image in Tai Chi Walking. It works against the tendency to lean. When you lean, you are likely to fall in that direction. 

7. Before you change direction, first turn your head and look in the direction you want to go. Then turn your body in that direction. Many falls occur when turning too fast. 

8. The arms should swing naturally at the sides of the body. This is important because the arms provide balance and momentum. If they are held in the pockets, they cannot be used to prevent or to cushion a fall. 

9. Breathe deeply in a natural way to relax the body. A stiff body is like a pole ready to topple over. Breathing deeply will also mitigate the mental fear factor." 

Ten Steps to Failure

 Ten Steps You Can Take to Guarantee Failure

"1. Make your goals vague.
2. Make your goals difficult to visualize.
3. Think and speak negatively about your goals.
4. Avoid planning incremental steps.
5. Don't Do - Talk.
6. Wait until you are motivated.
7. Don't set a date.
8. List why it's impossible.
9. Don't research your goal.
10. Think of anything except your goal."

Achieve It: Ten Steps You Can Take to Guarantee Failure

Give Up Learning

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 11

The student asked, "How can I best pursue the Buddhist Way?"

The Master said, "Don't give up learning."  

The student said, "But don't all the masters in the sets of Chan koan collections tells us not to think, not to read, not to have intellectual or literary quibbles, to let go of body and mind, to free yourself from the tainted worship of scriptures, to stop reasoning using only dualistic logical viewpoints, to introspect and intuit, to give up the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship, to stop judging between right and wrong, to focus on emptiness?"

The Master said, "It is true that for the illiterate person listening and seeing are more fundamental in their lives than other learning methods.  Cutting Nansen's cat in half, hitting a student hard with a cane, or yelling at someone are dramatic teaching encounters. However, I only know now how that person thought or acted or chose not to think or felt by reading what some scholar historian wrote down about them.  In some ways, "The Buddha" is just a bunch of footnotes on awakened and compassionate living."

The Master continued, "Increasing your learning is like adding gathered firewood to cut up and dry for later use.  Then, when you need wood for cooking or heating you will have some resources at hand.  To learn more by studying scriptures or introspecting koans is like adding a new log to a new fire in the Fireplace of Your Spirit.  I still believe that guided book learning is very beneficial when pursuing the Buddhist Way.  Indeed, other methods for "learning" are possible, but book learning appeals strongly to some people and is an effective method for helping them become more like the Buddha."

The Student's Considerations

Logic requires both true and false. 
Seek the true, valid, accurate, sensible, reasonable, practical,
   most probable, beautiful, fair, and useful.
Face the false and deal with it. Know what is false. 
There are limits to reasoning and limits to introspection. 
Figure it out in terms of your life choices today. 
Stupidity and ignorance won't necessarily lighten
   your worries or troubles. 
Learning takes a lifetime of effort.
There are a number of ways to learn.
Book learning, scholarship, spiritual literature,
   writing, reading, research, comparisons, and
   intellectual endeavors are good ways to learn
   for some people on a spiritual quest.  

    

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter 20

"Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!
Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Others are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Others are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother."
-  Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989, Chapter 20  

"Get rid of "learning" and there will be no anxiety.
How much difference is there between "yes" and "no"?
How far removed from each other are "good" and "evil"?
Yet what the people are in awe of cannot be disregarded.
I am scattered, never having been in a comfortable center.
All the people enjoy themselves, as if they are at the festival of the great sacrifice,
Or climbing the Spring Platform.
I alone remain, not yet having shown myself.
Like an infant who has not yet laughed.
Weary, like one despairing of no home to return to.
All the people enjoy extra
While I have left everything behind.
I am ignorant of the minds of others.
So dull!
While average people are clear and bright, I alone am obscure.
Average people know everything.
To me alone all seems covered.
So flat!
Like the ocean.
Blowing around!
It seems there is no place to rest.
Everybody has a goal in mind.
I alone am as ignorant as a bumpkin.
I alone differ from people.
I enjoy being nourished by the mother."
-  Translated by Charles Muller, 1891, Chapter 20  

"Cease learning, no more worries
Respectful response and scornful response
How much is the difference?
Goodness and evil
How much do they differ?
What the people fear, I cannot be unafraid

So desolate! How limitless it is!
The people are excited
As if enjoying a great feast
As if climbing up to the terrace in spring
I alone am quiet and uninvolved
Like an infant not yet smiling
So weary, like having no place to return
The people all have surplus
While I alone seem lacking
I have the heart of a fool indeed so ignorant!
Ordinary people are bright
I alone am muddled
Ordinary people are scrutinizing
I alone am obtuse
Such tranquility, like the ocean
Such high wind, as if without limits

The people all have goals
And I alone am stubborn and lowly
I alone am different from them
And value the nourishing mother"
-  Translated by Derek Linn, 2006, Chapter 20 

唯之與阿, 相去幾何.
善之與惡, 相去若何.
人之所畏, 不可不畏.
荒兮其未央哉.
衆人熙熙.
如享太牢.
如春登臺.
我獨怕兮其未兆, 如嬰兒之未孩.
儽儽兮若無所歸.
衆人皆有餘, 而我獨若遺.
我愚人之心也哉, 沌沌兮.
俗人昭昭.
我獨昏.
昏俗人察察.
我獨悶悶.
澹兮其若海.
飂兮若無止.
衆人皆有以.
而我獨頑似鄙.
我獨異於人,而貴食母.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20

wei chih yü a, hsiang ch'ü chi ho.
 shan chih yü wu, hsiang ch'ü jo ho.
 jên chih so wei, pu k'o pu wei.
 huang hsi ch'i wei yang tsai.
 chung jên hsi hsi.
 ju hsiang ta lao.
 ju ch'un têng t'ai.
 wo tu p'o hsi ch'i wei chao, ju ying erh chih wei hai.
 lei lei hsi jo wu so kuei.
 chung jên chieh yu yü, erh wo tu jo yi.
 wo yü jên chih hsin yeh tsai, t'un t'un hsi.
 su jên chao chao.
 wo tu hun.
 hun su jên ch'a ch'a.
 wo tu mên mên.
 tan hsi ch'i jo hai.
 liu hsi jo wu chih.
 chung jên chieh yu yi.
 erh wo tu wan ssu pi.
 wo tu yi yü jên, erh kuei shih mu.
 -  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20  

 

"Leave off fine learning! End the nuisance
Of saying yes to this and perhaps to that,
Distinctions with how little difference!
Categorical this, categorical that,
What slightest use are they!
If one man leads, another must follow,
How silly that is and how false!
Yet conventional men lead an easy life
With all their days feast days,
A constant spring visit to the Tall Tower,
While I am a simpleton, a do-nothing,
Not big enough yet to raise a hand,
Not grown enough to smile,
A homeless, worthless waif.
Men of the world have a surplus of goods,
While I am left out, owning nothing.
What a booby I must be
Not to know my way round,
What a fool!
The average man is so crisp and so confident
That I ought to be miserable
Going on and on like the sea,
Drifting nowhere.
All these people are making their mark in the world,
While I, pig-headed, awkward,
Different from the rest,
Am only a glorious infant still nursing at the breast."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 20 


"Renounce knowledge and your problems will end.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the difference between good and evil?
Must you fear what others fear?
Nonsense, look how far you have missed the mark!

Other people are joyous,
as though they were at a spring festival.
I alone am unconcerned and expressionless,
like an infant before it has learned to smile.

Other people have more than they need;
I alone seem to possess nothing.
I am lost and drift about with no place to go.
I am like a fool, my mind is in chaos.

Ordinary people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Ordinary people are clever;
I alone am dull.
Ordinary people seem discriminating;
I alone am muddled and confused.
I drift on the waves on the ocean,
blown at the mercy of the wind.
Other people have their goals,
I alone am dull and uncouth.

I am different from ordinary people.
I nurse from the Great Mother's breasts."
-  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 20 



"Suprime el adoctrinamiento y no habrá preocupaciones.
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el sí y el no?
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el bien y el mal?
¡El dicho “lo que otros evitan, yo también deberé evitar”
cuán falso y superficial es!
No es posible abarcar todo el saber.
Todo el mundo se distrae y disfruta,
como cuando se presencia un gran sacrificio,
o como cuando se sube a los jardines de una torre en primavera.
Sólo yo doy cabida a la duda,
no copiando lo que otros hacen,
como un recién nacido que aún no sabe sonreír.
Como quien no sabe a dónde dirigirse,
como quien no tiene hogar.
Todo el mundo vive en la abundancia,
sólo yo parezco desprovisto.
Consideran mi mente como la de un loco
por sentir umbrías confusiones y críticas.
Todo el mundo brilla porque solo las luces buscan,
sólo yo me atrevo a transitar por las tinieblas.
Todo el mundo se conforma con su felicidad,
sólo yo me adentro en mi depresión.
Soy como quien deriva en alta mar,
voy contra la corriente sin un rumbo predestinado.
Todo el mundo es puesto en algún uso;
sólo yo soy un ermitaño intratable y aburrido.
Sólo yo soy diferente a todos los demás
porque aprecio a la Madre Naturaleza que me nutre."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 20  


"Give up learning, and you will be free from all your worries.
What is the difference between yes and no about which the rhetoricians have so much to say?
What is the difference between good and evil on which the critics never agree?
These are futilities that prevent the mind from being free.
Now freedom of mind is necessary to enter into relation with the Principle.
Without doubt, among the things which common people fear, there are things that should be feared; but not as they do, with a mind so troubled that they lose their mental equilibrium.
Neither should one permit oneself to lose equilibrium through pleasure, as happens to those who have a good meal or view the surrounding countryside in spring from the top of a tower with the accompaniment of wine, etc.).
I, the Sage, seem to be colourless and undefined; neutral as a new-born child that has not yet experienced any emotion; without design or aim.
The common people abound in varied knowledge, but I am poor having rid myself of all uselessness and seem ignorant, so much have I purified myself.
They seem full of light, I seem dull.
They seek and scrutinize, I remain concentrated in myself.
Indeterminate, like the immensity of the oceans, I float without stopping.
They are full of talent, whereas I seem limited and uncultured.
I differ thus from the common people, because I venerate and imitate the universal nourishing mother, the Principle."
-  Translated by Derek Bryce, 1999, Chapter 20 

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 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 20, 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  

Related Links, Resources, References

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

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

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

Zen Koan Books I Use

Song Dynasty, China, 960-1279  

Subject Index to the Cases of the Gateless Gate Koan Collection

Brief Spiritual Stories, Dialogues, and Encounters
Zen Buddhist Koan Collections
Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records By Michael P. Garofalo

Heart-Mind Connections

 "Research in the relatively new discipline of neuro-cardiology has confirmed that the heart is a sensory organ and acts as a sophisticated information encoding and processing center that enables it to learn, remember, and make independent functional decisions that do not involve the cerebral cortex. Additionally, numerous studies have demonstrated that patterns of cardiac signals to the brain affect autonomic regulatory centers and higher brain centers involved in perception and emotional processing.\."
-  Thomas R. Verny, M.D., The Embodied Mind, Pegasus Books, 2021, p. 125.

"Common Heart Expressions

Follow your heart.
He had a big heart.
If you find it in your heart.
My heartfelt sympathies on you loss.
Wear one's heart on one's sleeve.
He died of a broken heart.
His heart is in the right place.
Eat your heart out.
She was a lighthearted person.
She had a change of heart.
Her heart was not in it.
He has a heart of gold.
He was a heartless villain.
A bleeding heart.
A faint heart.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
With an aching heart.
She is all heart.
Open one's heart to.
Pour open's heart out to.
With a heavy heart."

-  Thomas R. Verny, M.D., The Embodied Mind, Pegasus Books, 2021, p. 116, and Mike Garofalo.

"Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts.  This is the secret of success."
- Swami Sivananda

"Your heart is full of fertile seeds, waiting to sprout."
- Morihei Ueshiba

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge."
Thomas Carlyle

Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung, Nei Gung, and Yoga Masters all mention the role of our hearts and lungs in our brief lives.  

Chinese medical theorists and martial artists (Heart-Mind Boxing) point to the Heart or Middle Dantian or Hsing-Ming (Heart-Mind) as a locus for energy and consciousness. Breathing techniques involving the lungs is also a constant point of emphasis.

"The nearest equivalent to the English term for mind in the classical period is xin 心, which originated as a picture of the heart in human beings and animals and directs body’s behavior. Since ethical guidance in Chinese thought arises from both the cognitive function of the mind and the affective states attributed to the heart, xin is frequently translated as “heart-mind”. This translation will be used here. The xin is credited with thinking si 思, understanding míng 明, knowing zhi 知, intention zhi 志, felt moods and/or emotions qing 情, and desire yu 欲. Xin plays a central role in Chinese ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics; and philosophical disputes often turn on how different schools or Masters portray the role of xin. How it arrives at ethical guidance is a central point of contention between those who treat the guidance as internal (Mengzi) to those who treat xin as navigating an external normative structure and those who advocate emptying or ignoring the xin and taking guidance from some other organ or authority."
Mind (Heart-Mind) in Chinese Philosophy

I have more doubts about the efficacy of the Lower Dan Tien, and its role as an energy source, reservoir, and generator.  See my post titled:
Dantian: A Baffling Legacy.  The area below and behind our belly button is primarily used for digestion, elimination, the female reproductive organs (womb), and some big muscles involved with leg movement and balancing. Digestion is critical for life and has its own biochemistry and automatic functioning.  However, A TCM "Dantian" is invisible and undetectable to modern medical anatomy.

I've never heard any Chi Kung or Tai Chi Chuan teacher talk about sending Chi energy from the heart and lungs out to the arms, hand, legs, feet, or brain; or Chi energy circulation to and from the Middle Dantian or Heart area. This seems remiss to me.  

I have heard both taijiquan and qigong teachers talk about their large bellies as the Dantian source of their power and a chi resovoir.  Men don't have a womb for reproduction, but I guess they envy a woman's power.  People who eat too much and don't exercise, as they age, accumulate fat: men morso in the abdomen and women in the hips. Since the lower Dantian is invisible and non-existent, people can still imagine what they want to imagine about "It" as with other supernatural entities.  

Heart and vascular diseases are the highest cause of death in the world. Far fewer die of kidney or bowel or excretory diseases.  If your heart or lungs fail you die quickly.  If your lower intestine is diseased you die far less quickly.  The heart and lungs never rest; but, you can live a week without water and a month without food. Which is more important to immediate good health and life?  

Yoga masters and Indian doctors speak about the Heart Charkra (Anhata) in a similar way. Yoga practitioners practice a variety of breathing exercises (Pranayama). 

"The middle dantian is located at the center of the chest and is most closely related to the heart chakra, or Anahata. It’s associated with the thymus gland and is considered to be the seat of qi.  “Qi is more subtle and less dense of an energy than jing, and as you elevate through the dantians, you also evolve through the purity of consciousness and subtlety of energy, just like you would in looking at the chakras,” says Soffer. “Qi, like prana, is as ubiquitous in the body as it is in nature. It’s the basis of form and function for universal energy.” According to practitioners, the middle dantian is the spark of all living things. The energy in this dantian is considered unique when compared with the other two. “The energy here is created from the food and fluids we consume and the air we breathe, and is appropriately located around the upper abdomen, where we consume, digest, and distribute energy throughout the body,” explains Ali Vander Baan, a licensed acupuncturist and founder of Yintuition Wellness in Boston. According to Soffer, when a person’s essence (jing) is properly cultivated, their life force rises to support the middle dantian and the opening of the heart. “This is a common occurrence on the path of enlightenment, to become open-hearted, loving, compassionate, and a source of good for the world around you,” explains Soffer."
- What are Dantian

When I teach Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, Nei Gong, and Yoga I place much more emphasis on strengthening the heart, improving the functioning of the heart, using the emotional-mental aspects of the heart, having the heart and desire for training, having a big and kind heart, and heartfelt understanding; and proper breathing methods and exercises. Sending energy from the heart and lungs to all parts of our body via blood and the circulatory system is my focus.  Blood and nerves transmissions seem a more understandable anatomical and physiological concept to me.  I place little or no emphasis upon the Lower Dantian except for centering and balance in the lower back and hip areas. 

Ling Gu "Miraculous Bone" Acupressure Technique

    "Perhaps the most famous, and one of the most commonly used points of Tung Ching Ch'ang's (1916-1975) system is Ling Gu.  The name 'Ling Gu' literally means 'miraculous bone,' and without a doubt the effectiveness of Ling Gu is extraordinary.  Ling Gu is located on the back of the hand in the space between the thumb and first finger, as far back as possible at the junction of the metacarpal bones.  It is in a similar location to the conventional point He Gu LI-4, but is located closer to the wrist than He Gu. 
     In Chinese medical terms, Ling Gu frees the channels and quickens the network vessels (luo mai), clears and regulates Lung qi, frees and descends the Stomach and intestines, frees the qi and disperses stasis.  Since it has a very strong moving function it is a main point to treat many types of pain.  However, because of its strong moving function it should not be used on pregnant women.
     The list of conditions the Ling Gu point treats includes migraine, low back pain, sciatica, facial paralysis, hemiplegia (e.g., paralysis after stroke), tinnitus, deafness, menstrual disorders (irregular, scanty, profuse, absent), frequent urination, incontinence, foot pain, intestinal pain, and breathing difficulties.  I usually recommend this point for home acupressure treatment in patients with any type of headache, low back pain, sciatica or leg pain. 
     To stimulate the point, press deep into the hand using the thumb of the opposite hand.  Pressure should be strong enough to feel a numbing or aching sensation deep in the point.  Hold the pressure for several seconds and then release.  Repeat several times for the next minute or two.  Remember to stimulate the point on the opposite side of where the pain is felt.  The, be sure move the area of the pain (the Moving Qi technique).  For example, to treat right-sided back or leg pain, press into the left Ling Gu.  At the same time bend and stretch the low back, or move the leg that is painful.  Repeat this stimulation several times per day or as needed."
 -  Henry McCann, DAOM, LAc, "Tung Lineage Classical Acupuncture," Qi: the Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness, Volume 25, No. 1, Spring, 2015, pp. 26-33.


Self Massage and Acupressure

Qigong and Healing

Hand, Touching, Haptics

  

Outstanding Defense, Girl's Soccer, Skyview High School, 2024

Skyview High School, Vancouver, WA, Girl's Varsity Soccer Team, 2024

Skyview Final Record: 13-2-3;  62 Goals Scored; 11Goals Lost;  9 Shutouts!

Conference: 5-0-1   4A Greater St. Helens League Undefeated Champions

Key Skyview Defenders

Defenders Playing All the Game and Every Game
Brynnlee Williams, Junior, Goalie #00
Makenna Flinn, Junior, Center Defender #16
Quinn Lundy, Junior, Wing Defender #19

All the coaches in the Greater St. Helens League voted for the best players in the League:

Brynnlee Williams., Goalie, Junior, voted to be the Best Defensive Player of the Year
Makenna Flinn, Center Defender, Junior, was voted to be on the League's First Team
Quinn Lundy, Wing Defender, Junior, voted to be on the Leagues First Team

The Skyview Coach, Matt Houghton, was voted the Coach of the Year!

Dea Covarrubias, Forward/Striker, Senior, was voted Offensive Player of the Year.

Some other hardworking Skview players were also given recognition in the voting. See Below!

Information: Columbia Newspaper, Vancouver, WA

#19 Quinn Lundy, Junior
#16 Makenna Flinn, Junior
Skyview Defenders

Makenna Flinn
Center Defender
#16

Brynnlee Williams, #00, Goalie
Best Defender in the League

Dea Corrubias, #5 and Brinnlee Williams #00

Skyview Girls Varsity Soccer Team in 2024

4A Greater St. Helens League Outstanding Players in 2024

All-league team as selected by league coaches:

Offensive player of the year: Dea Covarrubias, Senior,  Skyview, #5

Defensive player of the year: Brynlee Williams, Junior, Skyview, #00

FIRST TEAM

Quinn Lundy, Junior, Defender, Skyview

Ella Tyger, sr., def, Union

Abigail Doyle, sr., def, Camas

Isabella Brenes, sr., def, Battle Ground

MaKenna Flinn, Junior, Defender, Skyview

Paige Curl, jr., mid, Camas

Scotland Crooks, Senior, Midfielder, Skyview

Saige McCusker, sr., mid, Camas

Rachael “Roo” Houston, sr., fwd, Camas

Ava Krieger, sr., fwd, Union

Mya Ellertson, Junior, Forward, Skyview

SECOND TEAM

GK: Rhiannon Teasley, sr., Camas; Natalie Grajeda, jr., Camas; DEF: Marisa Peterson, jr., Union; Lauryn Cornelius, fr., Skyview; McKenzie Enright, sr., Battle Ground; Diya Friedeman, so., Camas; MID: Marissa Loveall, sr., Battle Ground; Reese Harrison, so., Skyview; Guadalupe Gutierrez, so., Union; FWD: Avery Peterson, so., Skyview; Kaliyah Salley, fr., Camas; Haleigh Miller, jr., Union.

Coach of the year: Matt Houghton, Skyview