Experience and Movement

"In general, there is no isolated sensory experience.  From the beginning, there is a tendency towards testing each new sensory experience by the other senses.  ... We have shown that it is not legitimate to speak of a sensory impression separately from motor-vegetative changes."
-  Moshe Feldenkrais, Body and Mature Behavior, 1949, p.112



The Potent Self: A Study of Spontaneity and Compulsion.  By Moshe Feldenkrais.  Foreword by Mark Reese.  This book was originally written in the late 1940's.  Frog Books, 2002.  288 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583940686.  VSCL.  

"Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., a visionary scientist who pioneered the field of mind-body education and therapy, has inspired countless people worldwide.  His ability to translate his theories on human function into action resulted in the creation of his technique, now known as the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education.  In The Potent Self, Feldenkrais delves deeply into the relationship between faulty posture, pain, and the underlying emotional mechanisms that lead to compulsive and dependent human behavior. He shares remarkable insights into resistance, motivation, habit formation, and the place of sex in full human potential.  The Potent Self offers Feldenkrais' vision of how to achieve physical and mental wellness through the development of authentic maturity.  This edition includes and extensive Forward by Mark Reese, a longtime student of Feldenkrais, in which Reese discusses many of the important ideas in the book and places them in the context of Feldenkrais' life and the intellectual and historical milieu of his time."  - Quote from AmazonBooks



Body and Mature Behavior: A Study of Anxiety, Sex, Gravitation, and Learning.  By Moshe Feldenkrais.  Foreword by Carl Ginsburg.  Berkeley, California, Frog Books, Somatic Resources, 2005.  Index, 233 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583941157.  VSCL.

These essays were first presented as lectures to members of the Association of Scientific Workers at Fairlie, Scotland, given in 1943-1944.  They were first printed in book form in 1949.  Moshe Feldenkrais worked for the British Admiralty during World War II on submarine research in Scotland, and taught self-defense since he was a Judo Master.  Dr. Feldenkrais discusses learning, movement and consciousness, the psychological and physiological development of humans, recent research in psychology, training and reeducation, mind-body unity, instincts, anxiety, habits, and the impact of gravity on our soma/psyche.  It was written before Dr. Feldenkrais developed his somatic Awareness Through Movement methods and educational theories.  His topics and conclusions are wide-ranging. 


Moshe Feldenkrais  (1904-1984)
Awareness Through Movement, Functional Integration
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes

    

The Three Treasures

Repost from December 17, 2023

The Three Treasures

My Body
Feelings, Emotions, Body-Self, Past-Present, Id-Ego,
Physical Health, Unconscious Dimensions, Breathing, 
Eating, Moving, Sleeping, Digesting, DNA, Sexuality,
Drinking, Vitality, Brain, Immediate Environment.

My Mind
Thoughts, Emotions, Experiences-Reflections, Ego, Goals
Past-Present-Future, Language Culture, Heart-Mind, Attitudes,
Beliefs, Opinions, Histories, Will, Hope, Memories, Spirit,
Brain-Body interactions with mundane environment.

My Actions
What I Do Today. My Behaviors and Character. 
Family Life.  Social and Community Interactions.  
Purposeful activity towards the Future.  Moral-Ethical Acts.
Practices, Exercises, Play.  My employment or work.  

The Three Treasures are intertwined, integrated, interconnected, involved, and interwoven in some way all the time; all to the benefit of well-being and good health.  They can become disconnected and conflicting which produces poor bodily health, mental confusion, and useless, evil, or self-destructive acts.  Balance, clear purpose, and reflection are some essentials.  

We can separate these aspects of Being-In-The-World intellectually when reflecting; when Acting and Doing they are integrated.  

The Living Body is the foundation of Mind and the means of flourishing Actions.  Consciousness requires a Living Body.  

I don't find it scientifically plausible to accept notions of our having consciousness after death, having an invisible immortal soul, being ghostly beings, having immortal supernatural lives in fanciful heavens or hells, or other imaginary religious memes about our "after-lives."  

Qigong routines are intended to nourish, refresh, rejuvenate, and reenergize our Living Bodies.  Seeking immortality, spiritual rebirth, or special magical super-powers via Qigong, ascetism, or prayers do not seem reasonable to me.  Seeking and cultivating good health and longevity - Yes!  

- By Michael P. Garofalo,  9/2022

Cultivating Longevity (Yang Sheng Gong)

The Longevity Plan. By John D. Jay and Jane Ann Day, wth Matthew LaPlante. 2018, 304 pages. 1. Eat good food. 2. Master your mind-set. 3. Build your place in a positive community. 4. Be in motion. 5. Find your rhythm. 6. Make the most of your environment. 7. Proceed with purpose. John D. Jay, M.D., Cardiologist, Electro-physiologist.

Books by Tom Bisio      Books by Eva Wong       Books by Livia Kohn

Books by Ken Cohen     Books by Yang Jwing-Ming

Three Treasures - Wikipedia

"In long-established Chinese traditions, the "Three Treasures" are the essential energies sustaining human life:

• Jing 精 "nutritive essence, essence; spirit, sperm, seed; extract; refined, perfected"
• Qi 氣 "breath, spirit; air, vapor; vitality, energy, force; vigor; attitude"
• Shen 神 "spirit; soul, mind; god, deity; supernatural being"

This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing.

The Three Treasures or Three Jewels (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo; Wade–Giles: san-pao) are theoretical cornerstones in traditional Chinese medicine and practices such as neidan, qigong, and tai chi. They are also known as jing, qi, and shen (Chinese: 精氣神; pinyin: jīng-qì-shén; Wade–Giles: ching ch'i shen; "essence, breath, and spirit")."

"The Three Treasures or Three Jewels (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo; Wade–Giles: san-pao) are basic virtues in Taoism. Although the Tao Te Ching originally used sanbao to mean "compassion", "frugality", and "humility", the term was later used to translate the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) in Chinese Buddhism, and to mean the Three Treasures (jing, qi, and shen) in Traditional Chinese Medicine."
-  Three Treasures in Taoism

Guarding the Three Treasures.  By Daniel P. Reid.  Simon, 1993, 484 pages.

The Three Treasures.  By Jong Kook Baik.  2019, 397 pages.  

Somatic Intelligence

I have learned and benefited greatly from reading and studying the following three books:

Awakening Somatic Intelligence: The Art and Practice of Embodied Mindfulness    By Risa F. Kaparo, Ph.D.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2012.  Index, 368 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583944172.  Subtitle: Transform Pain, Stress, Trauma, and Aging.  VSCL.  

Philosophy in the Flesh : The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought.  By George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.  Basic Books, Perseu Books, 1999.  Index, bibliography, 624 pages.  ISBN: 0465056741.   "The mind is inherently embodied.  Thought is mostly unconscious.  Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical."  VSCL.

Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind.   By Frank Jude Boccio.   Boston, MA, Wisdom Publications.  Index, bibliography, notes, 340 pages.  ISBN: 0861713354.  VSCL.   

Somaesthetics, Body-Mind Practices, Embodiment Arts:  Quotations, Facts, Information, Bibliography, Resources

Valley Spirit Yoga

Qigong (Chi-King) Mind-Body Practices

Rivers of Change

 "We need to learn to see our physical form as a river. Our body is not a static thing; it changes all the time. It is very important to see our physical form as something impermanent, as a river that is constantly changing. Every cell in our body is a drop of water in that river. Birth and death are happening continuously, in every moment of our daily lives. We must live every moment with death and life present at the same time. Both death and life are happening at every instant in the river of our physical body. We should train ourselves in this vision of impermanence." 

-  Thich Nhat Hanh, You Are Here, 2001, p. 27

In many ways, Changes, cycles of birth and death, being a living-moving-acting being ... is what creates endurance, persistence, homeostasis, staying alive. When Change stops, then we die. Impermanence is indicative of being alive, existing, being real.

Process Philosophy

Taijiquan Treatise

The Taijiquan Lun (Treatise, Theory, Discussion, Thesis)

"English Translation of "The Taijiquan Lun," with extensive and good commentary, by Yonatan Vexler, Qufu Teacher's University, Shandong, China

Published in "Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness," Volume 27, No. 1, Spring 2017, pp. 38-51.

This Treatise is sometimes attributed to Wang Zongyue.

"Taiji (complementary duality) originates from wuji (non-polarity).  It is the process of motion and stillness, also known as the creator of contrast (the yin and yang).  Motion causes separation, while stillness leads to unity.  I allow opponents to advance, and I advance when they recoil.  When my opponents are hard and I am soft it is to flow, successfully following their motions is to stick.  When they move fast, I quickly react, and when they move slowly, I slowly follow.  There can be a thousand scenarios, but the one principle applies to all.  Engrain this principle in practice to understand force, understanding force will lead to higher levels of advancement.  Without a long time of serious practice, one cannot advance.

Emptiness leads power up, while breath sinks down the dantian.  Don't lean, and don't bend.  Able to become shadow and suddenly materialize, if opponents go left, nothing will be there, of opponents go right, let them be led to the right.  If opponents look up, let them go up, and if opponents lean down, let them go lower.  If they go forward, let them have to go more forward, and if they go back, let them have to go even further back.  A feather's weight can't be added, sensitive even to a fly landing on one's skin.  They cannot follow me, only I can follow them.  To be a hero that encounters now opposition, this is what one must do.

Many schools try to mimic this.  There are many different methods, but most emphasize the strong defeating the weak and the slow yielding to the quick.  When the strong beat the weak and the slow yield to the quick, it is only natural ability, and has no relation to the power that comes from learning and wisdom.  Consider the phrase, "four ounces overcoming a thousand pounds", and it obviously cannot be done with brute strength.  Consider the old man who can fend off a gang of attackers; is this outcome determined by sheer speed?

Stand like a balanced level, and be as dynamic as a cartwheel can spin.  Shift weight as needed to be lively, for being uncoordinated stagnates the flow.  If you see one practicing for years without advancing, being controlled by the opponent, it's because one has not heard of the fault of being uncoordinated.  To avoid this fault, one must know about yin and yang.  To stick is to flow, to flow is to stick, yang is within the yin, and yin is within the yang.  They (the passive and the active) compliment each other, so one can understand force.  Identify different forces to advance your training.  Carefully study this knowledge, put it to practice, and you will be able to do anything.

The most basic idea is to follow your opponent.  Many make the mistake of planning ahead.  As the saying goes, "off by an inch, off by a mile", so a student must be able to clearly distinguish!  Hence, there is this treatise."

-  English Translation of The Tijiquan Lun by Yonatan Vexler, 2017

Tai Chi Chuan Classics 

Cloud Hands Taijiquan   

Chang San Feng

Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi Chuan

The above four webpages were prepared by Mike Garofalo

He Who Feels It, Knows It More

"The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one's being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated."
-  Thomas Hanna

"There is deep wisdom within our very flesh,  if we can only come to our senses and feel it."
 -  Elizabeth A. Behnke

"He who feels it, knows it more."
-  Bob Marley  

"No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function."
-  Moshe Feldenkrais  

"I would have touched it like a child
But knew my finger could but have touched
Cold stone and water.   I grew wild,
Even accusing heaven because
It had set down among its laws:
Nothing that we love over-much
Is ponderable to our touch."
-  W. B. Yeats  

Touching, Feeling, Sensation: Quotations

The Five Senses

Bodymind Theory and Practices, Somaesthetics

Self-Massage 

Rooting, Sinking, Connecting and Centering in Taijiquan

The characteristic manifestations, aspects, and qualities of "Rooting" in Taijiquan and Qigong to be cultivated through body-mind-spirit practices are as follows:

Maintain an upright posture, head lifted, chin tucked, back straight;
Keep the head, torso, and hips in a relatively straight "plumb" line;
Draw energy (Qi) up from the earth (Di 地) and allow energy to flow down into the earth through the "bubbling well" point on the bottom of the front pad of your foot (the Yong Quan acupoint KI-1);
Sink the body weight through the legs and feet into the Earth; 
Stay balanced and relaxed (sung) while moving gracefully;
Keep the kneecaps over the center of the foot in settled positions;
Imagine roots branching out and down 3 feet or more into the earth from the "bubbling well" point on your foot with roots that are deep, strong, and flexible;
Develop an improved proprioceptive awareness of the skills needed for the specific activity;
Maintain a steady feeling state of being centered, stable, fixed, and strong in your position;
Resist pushes from others by sinking into the Earth and holding a fixed, strong, stable, and settled stance and footwork;
When pushing others use the earth, your feet, and your legs to generate leverage and power;
Connect with the Earth, relate to Earth energies, integrate with the Powers of the Earth, feel the Earth's Forces;
Keep a calm, grounded, relaxed, and centered mind;
Don't be so stiff and locked you cannot move with some fluidity and grace in response to situations and others;
Align the postures with the path of least resistance (wu wei) in the body;
Rooting is a feeling state and sensation-motor skill and less an intellectual concept;
Maintain postures and footwork while moving that prevent you from loosing balance, slipping, or falling;
Breathe easily, deeply, and effortlessly through the nose;
Be aware of one's footing, i.e., uneven surfaces, slippery or wet surfaces, poorly fitting or inappropriate shoes, hazards, etc.;
Avoid practicing when ill, uneasy, rushed or upset; 
Maintain one's central equilibrium (Zhongding) in the postures and movements.  

The characteristic manifestations, aspects, and qualities of "Central Equilibrium" (Zhongding 中定) in Taijiquan and Qigong to be cultivated through body-mind-spirit practices are as follows: 

Maintain an upright posture, head lifted, chin tucked, back straight;
Keep the head, torso, and hips in a relatively straight "plumb" line;
Maintain dynamic stability, be stabilized within, be centered, be settled;
Develop an improved proprioceptive awareness of the skills needed for the specific activity;
Be calm, still and settled in one's mind and emotions;
Allow one's body to sink and settle into the ground;
Keep the kneecaps over the center of the foot in settled positions;
Direct bodily energy (Qi, Chi) downward into the earth;
Relax (Sung), loosen, untense, and unlock the joints of the body;
Avoid wobbling, getting out of balance, or straining.  

Rooting and Centering.  By Mike Garofalo.  

T'ai Chi Chuan

Qigong



"In all qigong practice it is very important to be rooted. Being rooted means to be stable and in firm contact with the ground. If you want to push a car you have to be rooted; the force you exert into the car needs to be balanced by the force into the ground. If you are not rooted, when you push the car you will only push yourself away and not move the car. Your root is made up of your body's sinking, centering, and balance.
    Before you can develop your root, you must first relax and let your body "settle." As you relax, the tension in the various parts of your body will dissolve, and you will find a comfortable way to stand. You will stop fighting the ground to keep your body up and will learn to rely on your body's structure to support itself. This lets the muscles relax even more. Since your body isn't struggling to stand up, your yi won't be pushing upward, and your body, mind, and qi will all be able to sink. If you let dirty water sit quietly, the impurities will gradually settle to the bottom, leaving the water above it clear. In the same way, if you relax your body enough to let it settle, your qi will sink to your dan tian and the bubbling wells (yongquan, K-1, 湧泉) in your feet and your mind will become clear. Then you can begin to develop your root.
    To root your body you must imitate a tree and grow an invisible root under your feet. This will give you a firm root to keep you stable in your training. Your root must be wide as well as deep. Naturally, your yi must grow first because it is the yi that leads the qi. Your yi must be able to lead the qi to your feet and be able to communicate with the ground. Only when your yi can communicate with the ground will your qi be able to grow beyond your feet and enter the ground to build the root. The bubbling well cavity is the gate that enables your qi to communicate with the ground.  
    After you have gained your root, you must learn how to keep your center. A stable center will make your qi develop evenly and uniformly. If you lose this center, your qi will not be led evenly. In order to keep your body centered, you must first center your yi and then match your body to it. Only under these conditions will the qigong forms you practice have their root. Your mental and physical centers are the keys that enable you to lead your qi beyond your body.
    Balance is the product of rooting and centering. Balance includes balancing the qi and the physical body. It does not matter which aspect of balance you are dealing with; first, you must balance your yi, and only then can you balance your qi and your physical body."
-  Grandmaster Yang, Jwing-Ming  

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 *

 

Zen and Altered States of Consciousnes

 "It is often emphasized that the goal of Zen Buddhism is not some kind of altered states of consciousness.  On the contrary, the aim of Zen Buddhism is to become immune to being conditioned into altered states.  In this context, furthermore, "altered states" are defined more rigorously than in conventional psychological theory, from the perspective of the pure original mind rather from that of the local parameters of conventional consciousness.  Guishan (Isan), another great Chinese Zen master of the Tang dynasty, said, "The mind of people of the Way is straightforward and unartificial, neither ignoring or inclining, with no deceptive errant mind; at all time their perception is normal.  There are no further details.  Also, don't shut the eyes and ears; as long as the feelings don't stick to things, that is enough."

As suggested by this statement, Zen Buddhism does not teach escapism, chronic withdrawal, or denial of ordinary reality. The late Tang dynasty master Caoshan (Sozan) said, "There is no need to escape anything; just know about it. that's enough.  If you try to avoid it, it's still affecting you.  Just don't be changed or affected by things, and you will be free."

-  Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Zengi.  1993, p. 5-

Limping Towards Recovery

I was making steady progress on recovery from my cryo-balloon heart ablation on 2/2/2023.  I was walking for over 6,000 Steps per day, practicing my Taijiquan, and doing some light stretching.  

Last Sunday, while getting up carelessly and quickly from a 14 inch high low bench, I twisted my right leg.  Immediate Pain!  My right knee buckled and hurt, my hamstring hurt, my quadriceps hurt.  I could not walk without serious pain.  I was slowly limping around the house.  I began treatment: rest, ice, compression, gentle massage, elevation of my right leg.  Then, I sprained my right foot on Tuesday.  More pain, more limping, more discouragement.  

This is a rare series of leg injuries for me.  Very discouraging and disappointing setback to my normal exercise routines, and my heart recovery.  I've not injured my hamstrings or quadriceps since my baseball playing days when I was 40.  

I am now studying and implementing the recommendations for slow recovery found in the excellent book:

Built from Broken. A Science-Based Guide to Healing Painful Joints, Preventing Injuries, and Rebuilding Your Body. By Scott Hogan. Salt Wrap, 2021, index, reference, appendices, 341 pages. VSCL. 

Strength Training for Seniors

For Spiritual Encouragement, I am rereading and studying the valuable book:

Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate FreedomBy B.K.S. Iyengar.  With John J. Evans and Douglas Abrams.  Rodale Books, 2005.  Index, 282 pages.  ISBN: 1594862486.  VSCL.  Contrary to some critics of popularized "gym" yoga, blaming Iyengar; his books reveal his spirituality through the practice of yoga postures, breath work, self-discipline, positive psychology, and meditation.  In short, Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga combined.  

Spiritual Practices for Self-Transformation

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

I checked out three books from the Fort Vancouver Regional Library System:  

Tibetan Yoga: Magic Movements of Body, Breath and Mind.  By Alejandro Chaoul.  This yoga practice requires instruction from a qualified teacher.  The book provides theory, ancient texts, and very brief descriptions of the movements.  There are no pictures or illustrations of the specific movements.  The use of shaking the body between movements, asanas, and postures are similar to Qigong systems.  For experienced Yogis.

Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body.  By Jivana Heyman.  Beginner's Yoga and for people with health problems.  Good photos to illustrated modified poses.  

Both books tended to stress the incompleteness and inadequacy of popular Western hatha yoga practice in gyms and yoga studios.  They take issue with the goals of flexibility and athleticism in common yoga; and, its not making yoga accessible to different body types or sub-cultures, or for those people seeking spiritual development via Yoga practices.  

In my view, different strokes for different folks.  I'm OK with slim, young, beautiful, athletic, Christian females doing rigorous 'gym' yoga; or, male lamas doing Tibetan yoga on three month retreats; or, old Bigger men, like me, seeking a modicum of fitness without injury via yoga and strength training.  Some folks are into the 'spiritual' dimensions of Raja Yoga, others not so much so.  Everyone benefits from these Yoga practices if they Practice Daily.  

I've been doing some light stretching using a chair or table for support.  

Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch, and Strengthen Your Way toa Happier, Healthier You.  By Kristin McGee.  William Morrow, 2017. Index, 271 pages. Basic instruction in many exercises you can do while supporting yourself with a chair.  There are numerous books on the market for Chair Yoga.  For beginners and seniors needing alternatives.  VSCL. 

Yesterday, I felt comfortable and safe enough to resume walking, Taijiquan, and gentle stretching, and even some strength training.  I walked 3,400 Steps.  My goal is to walk over 3.500 to 5,000 Steps per day for the next five days.  

Body-Mind Centering

Exploring Body-Mind Centering: An Anthology of Experience and Method.  Edited by Gill Wright Miller, Pat Ethridge, and Kate Tarlow Morgan.  North Atlantic Books, 2011, 470 pages, index. bibliography. VSCL.

Principles of Body-Mind Centering Approach

"All cells have consciousness (mind).

All levels of physiological organization (e.g., tissues, systems) have consciousness that can be experienced directly.

As we begin to make all systems more conscious,
they become more accessible. 

We can transmit to each other the embodiment.
of the group's shared learning.

The mind of the body system (e.g., bones, muscles, organs,
nervous system) is reflected in the room when that system.
is touched.  

It is possible to create, evoke, and titrate resonance.

Support precedes movement.

Embodiment can initiate movement; movement can
initiate embodiment.

The is a difference between the map of the body
and the territory of the living person's somatic experience."

Tao Te Ching Chapter 13

 Dao De Jing, Laozi 

Chapter 13

"Let favor and disgrace be warnings
let honor and disaster be your body
and why should favor and disgrace be warnings
favor means descending
to gain it should be a warning
to lose it should be a warning
thus should favor and disgrace be warnings
and why should honor and disaster be in your body
the reason we have disaster
is because we have a body
if we didn't have a body
we wouldn't have disaster
thus who honors their body as the world
can be entrusted with the world
can be encharged with the world."
-  Translated by Red Pine, 1996, Chapter 13, Taoteching

Ho-Shang Kung says, "Those who gain favor or honor should worry about being too high, as if they were at the edge of a precipice.  They should not flaunt their status or wealth.  And those who lose favor and live in disgrace should worry about another disaster."

Ssu-Ma Kuang says, "Normally a body means disaster.  But if we honor and cherish it and follow the natural order in our dealing with others and don't indulge our desires, we can avoid disaster." 

Huang Yuan-Chi says, "We all possess something good and noble that we don't have to seek outside ourselves, something that the glory of power or position cannot compare with.  People need only to start with this and cultivate without letting up.  The ancients said, 'Two or three years of hardship, ten thousand years of bliss.' "

Lao-tzu's Taoteching  Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter).  Provides a solid verbatim translation and shows the text in Chinese characters.  Includes around 10 brief selected commentaries for each Chapter of the Taoteching, drawn from commentaries in the past 2,000 years.  San Francisco, Mercury House, 1996, Second Edition, 184 pages.  An invaluable resource for brief commentaries.  Chapter 13, pp. 26-27. 

For those wishing a Zen Buddhist/Taoist interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, I recommend the following two books:

Grigg, Ray, Zen Tzu. Transcription of the Tao Te Ching from a Zen Buddhist perspective. 181 pages, 2021. VSCL

Bright-Fey, John. The Whole Heart of Zen: The Complete Teachings From the Oral Tradition of Ta-Mo. Crane Hill Publishers, 2006. 298 pages. 

"Life and death
favor and disgrace
praise and blame
success and failure

all of these conditions confuse and dismay because
they are the same ailment
they cause ill at ease states and related worries.
how does this happen

when favor is acquired so is the fear of losing favor acquired

if someone thinks that the corporeal body is the limit of the self
then the fear that is inherent in the body makes itself known
and is difficult to subside

how can you trust and accept your corporeal limits
in the face of fear
we have fear when a limited self is absorbed in importance

if you view the unlimited word as the self
then you can be trusted with it
because only the person who sees the world as themselves
and their self as the world

will take care of it."
-  Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 13 

"Because everything changes, a constructed self is always bewildered

by its own contrivances. And because this self cannot control everything's unfolding, the unavoidable consequences are discord, struggle and misfortune. Such is the folly of attaching to an illusion.

A guarded self attracts adversities, so dignity, vanity and pride make it the victim of its own imagination. As challenges are interpreted as threats, its judgment is impaired. 

Since all endings eventually return to beginnings, every contrived self must finally be abandoned.

While the wisdom in everythings unfolding tests those who are hard and forceful, it accommodates those who are soft and yielding. When the formless takes the form of circumstances but keeps its essence, the inner and outer become each other.

Those who are no longer controlled by a contrived self will remember the burden of dignity, vanity and pride.  Therefore, they will welcome the easy grace of humility and the forgiving calm of freedom. So those who 

are no longer the victims of an illusion will remember the burden of needless, getting, possessing and keeping, and will know when enough is enough."

- Translated by Ray Grigg, 2021, Chapter 13 

 

"Favor and disgrace would seem equally to be feared;

Honor and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions of the same kind.

What is meant by speaking thus of favor and disgrace?

Disgrace is being in a low position after the enjoyment of favor.

The getting that favor leads to the apprehension of losing it, and the losing it leads to the fear of still greater calamity.

This is what is meant by saying that favor and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.

And what is meant by saying that honor and great calamity are to be similarly regarded as personal conditions?

What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body which I call myself;

If I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?

Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honoring it as he honors his own person, may be employed to govern it,

And he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it."

-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 13 

"Favor bodes disgrace; it is like trembling.

Rank bodes great heartache.

It is like the body.

What does 'Favor bodes disgrace; it is like trembling' mean?

Favor humiliates.

Its acquisition causes trembling, its loss causes trembling.

This is what is meant by 'Favor bodes disgrace; it is like trembling.'

What does 'Rank bodes great heartache, it is like the body' mean?

I suffer great heartache because I have a body.

When I have no body, what heartache remains?

Therefore who administers the empire as he takes care of his body can be entrusted with the empire."

-  Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 13 

"Dread glory as you dread shame.

Prize great calamity as you prize your body.

What does this mean:

"Dread glory as you dread shame"?

Glory comes from below.

Obtain it, you are afraid of shame;

Lose it, you are still afraid of shame.

That is why it is said;

"Dread glory as you dread shame."

What does this mean:

"Prize great calamity as you prize your own body"?

We who meet with great calamities, meet them because we have a body.

If we had not a body what calamity could reach us?

Therefore he who honours the kingdom as his body can govern the kingdom.

He who loves the kingdom as his own body can be trusted with the kingdom."

-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 13  

"Favor and disgrace are things that startle;
High rank is, like one's body, a source of great trouble.
What is meant by saying favor and disgrace are things that startle?
Favor when it is bestowed on a subject serves to startle as much as when it is withdrawn.
This is what is meant by saying that favor and disgrace are things that startle.
What is meant by saying that high rank is, like one's body, a source of great trouble?
The reason I have great trouble is that I have a body.
When I no longer have a body, what trouble have I?
Hence he who values his body more than dominion over the empire can be entrusted with the empire.
He who loves his body more than dominion over the empire can be given the custody of the empire."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 13   


寵辱若驚.
貴大患若身.
何謂寵辱若驚.
寵為下.
得之若驚.
失之若驚是謂寵辱若驚.
何謂貴大患若.
身吾所以有大患者為吾有身.
及吾無身.
吾有何患.
故貴以身為天下若可寄天下.
愛以身為天下, 若可託天下.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 13


ch'ung ju jo ching.
kuei ta huan jo shên.
ho wei ch'ung ju jo ching.
ch'ung wei hsia.
tê chih jo ching.
shih chih jo ching shih wei ch'ung ju jo ching.
ho wei kuei ta huan jo.
shên wu so yi yu ta huan chê wei wu yu shên.
chi wu wu shên.
wu yu ho huan.
ku kuei yi shên wei t'ien hsia chê k'o chi t'ien hsia.
ai yi shên wei t'ien hsia, chê k'o t'o t'ien hsia.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 13


"Los santos decían: "Alabanzas y culpas causan ansiedad;
El objeto de la esperanza y el miedo está en tu interior".
"Alabanzas y culpas causan ansiedad"
Puesto que esperas o temes recibirlas o perderlas.
"El objeto de la esperanza y el miedo está en tu interior"
Pues, sin un Ego, no pueden afectarte la fortuna o el desastre.
Por tanto:
El que observa al Mundo como se observa a sí mismo es capaz de controlar el Mundo;
Pero el que ama al Mundo como se ama a sí mismo es capaz de dirigir el Mundo."
-  Translated by Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 1998, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 13

"Accept honors and disgraces as surprises,

Treasure great misfortunes as the body.

Why say: "Accept honors and disgraces as surprises"?

Honors elevate (shang),

Disgraces depress (hsia).

One receives them surprised,

Loses them surprised.

Thus: "Accept honors and disgraces as surprises."

Why say: "Treasure great misfortunes as the body"?

I have great misfortunes,

Because I have a body.

If I don't have a body,

What misfortunes do I have?

Therefore treasure the body as the world,

As if the body can be entrusted to the world.

Love the body as the world,

As if the body can be entrusted to the world."

-  Translated by Ellen Marie Chen, 2000, Chapter 13

"You are in everything,

 Everything is in you. 

 Create hope and fear and you throw away the Dao. 

 Create happiness and sorrow and you will collapse. 

 Keep your feet on the ground. 

 Love everything as you love yourself. 

 Then everything is within your reach."

 -  Translated by Ray Larose, 2000, Chapter 13

"Honor and dishonor both move us
Because we are troubled by having a self.
Why do we say that honor and dishonor move us?
Because honor lifts us upward
And dishonor lowers us downward,
Thus, when we are honored we are moved.
When we are dishonored we are also moved.
That is why honor and dishonor are both said to move us.
Why do we say that the great trouble is having a self?
Because we have great trouble simply because we have a self.
If we are selfless, then where is the trouble?
If we identify our self with the world,
Then within our self there is the world.
If we love the world as we love our self,
Then within our self there is only the world."
-  Translated by Chang Chung-Yuan, Chapter 13

 
"The honor and the disgrace are like emotional impacts.
The disaster is regarded as the threat to life.
What does it mean by "The honor and the disgrace are like emotional impacts?"
The honor is awarded to subordinates.
When the honor is obtained, people are thrilled;
when the honor is lost, people are depressed.
So they are emotionally impacted.
What does it mean by "The disaster is regarded as the threat to life?"
The reason we feel threatened because we care too much about ourselves.
If we are selfless, who can threaten us?
To those who can sacrifice themselves for the world, we can trust them with the world.
To those who love the people more than themselves, we can handle the ruling power."
-  Translated by Thomas Zhang, Chapter 13    

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 13, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

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

A Daoist Druid's Final Journey 

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks