Art from China and Japan

 I have greatly enjoyed looking at East Asian Art, and reading about this subject, since I was in High School in 1961.  I have used scores of books from public and college libraries on this beautiful cultural treasure.  Lately, I have purchased used copies and studied the following books:

Click on any title below to go to the book information in Amazon.  I purchased all these fine books from used booksellers.  

I recently borrowed one art book from the Three Creeks Library of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library System.  

What attracted my attention the most was the juxtaposition of art works on interfacing pages. One page would feature a photograph of an artwork by a 20th Century Chinese artist; and, the interfacing page would feature an artist working prior to 1900.  Violent scenes and serene scenes.  Contemporary and classical.  Painters and calligraphers from precision realists to literati impressionists. The old and the new in contrast.  

This art book is very large and very heavy. A coffee table display volume. Also, the timeline index with all the photos was useful.  I purchased a nice used copy from a bookseller.  

This beautiful art book, with outstanding photographs and concise commentary, was published in 2005, and is titled: 

The Chinese Art Book.  

By Keith Pratt, Katie Hills, and Jeffrey Moser.  Published by Phaidon in 2013. 352 pages.  Contemporary and classical artists.  

"The Chinese Art Book is a beautifully presented, authoritative and unprecedented overview of Chinese art. The book examines the art of the oldest continuous civilization on Earth through 300 works, from the (earliest dynasties) Neolithic period to the new generation of contemporary artists enlivening the global art world today. Every form of Chinese visual art is featured –including painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, figurines, jades, bronzes, gold and silver, photography, video, installation and performance art. Concise descriptive essays place each work in context, and cross-references lead the reader on a fascinating journey through Chinese art history.

The Chinese Art Book features an introductory essay by Colin Mackenzie, Senior Curator of Chinese Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, an accessible summary of Chinese political and cultural history, a comprehensive glossary defining technical terms, and an illustrated timeline.

Full of surprises for the reader new to Chinese art as well as for specialists, the book breaks new ground by pairing works that speak to one another in unexpected ways, enlightening historical, stylistic and cultural connections."

Huineng (638-713 CE)
Huineng Chopping Bamboo
Ink on paper by Liang Kai
Circa 1200 CE

A Teacher Mentoring His Students
Ink and Color on Paper by Yang Zhiguang, 1959
From the Chines Art Book, p.77

Library books on Asian Art that I have benefitted
from browsing in 2023:

Hiroshige.  Janina Nentwig. Konneman 2016. 

The Arts of Japan: Late Medieval to Modern.  By Seiroku Noma, 1966. 326 pages.  

The History of Japanese Art.  By Penelope Mason, 1993, 431 pages.  

 

The Arts 

Tao Te Ching Chapter Index

Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi]
Compiled and Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo, 2011-2020
Chapter Index to the 81 Chapters

Tao Te Ching  Chapter Number Index Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing.  Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE Michael P. Garofalo, Compilation and Indexing Subject Index
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50
51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70
71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80
81

Tradition has it that Lao Tzu disappeared in the mountains in 531 BCE.  There are many legends about this Taoist philosopher, and Lao Tzu is a demi-god in popular Taoism.

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

Chapter 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  

Realizing All Pervasive Zen in the Midst of All Activities

"This is the realm of true reality where you forget what is on your mind and stop looking.  In a wild field, not choosing, picking up whatever comes to hand, the obvious meaning of Zen is clear in the hundred grasses.  Indeed, the green bamboo, the clusters of yellow flowers, fences, walls, tiles, and pebble us the teaching of the inanimate; rivers, birds, trees, and groves expound suffering, emptiness, and selflessness.  This is based on the one true reality, producing unconditional compassion, manifesting uncontrived, supremely wondrous power in the great jewel light of nirvana.

An ancient master said, "Meeting a companion on the Way, spending a life together, the whole task of study is done."  Another master said, "If I pick up a single leaf and go into the city, I move the whole of the mountain."  That is why one ancient adept was enlightened on hearing the sound of pebbles striking bamboo, while another was awakened on seeing peach trees in bloom.  An ancient worthy, working in the fields in his youth , was breaking up clumps of earth when he saw a big clod, which he playfully smashed with a fierce blow; as it shattered, he was suddenly greatly enlightened.  One Zen master attained enlightenment on seeing the flagpole of a teaching center from the other side of a river.  Another spoke of the staff of the spirit.  One adept illustrated Zen realization by planting a hoe in the ground; another master spoke of Zen in term of sowing the fields.  All of these instances were bringing out this indestructible true being, allowing people to visit a greatly liberated true teacher without moving a step.

Carrying out the unspoken teaching, attaining unhindered eloquence, thus they forever studied all over from all things, embracing the all-inclusive universe, detaching from both abstract and concrete definitions of buddhahood, and transcendentally realizing universal, all pervasive Zen in the midst of all activities.  Why necessarily consider holy places, teachers' abodes, or religious organizations and forms prerequisite to personal familiarity and attainment of realization?"

-  Yuan-Wu, The House of Lin-Chi, "The Five Houses of Zen," translated by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Press, 1997, p. 58.  

Spirtiuality and Gardening

Three Treasures of Life

"The three educational schools are: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. These three schools are the most influential groups that have long dominated Chinese thinking and philosophy. Each of these three schools focuses on the philosophical development of human nature (i.e. internal mental cultivation) through comprehension and physical health through physical activities (i.e., martial activities). Moreover, each of these schools believes that the mind is the master of the entire being, and controls our thinking and physical activities. In order to reach the goal mental or spiritual cultivation and physical health, you must know how to protect and firm you essence (Gu Jing), nourish your Qi (Yang Qi), and raise up your spirit (Ti Shen). These three things are considered the three treasures of life (San Bao). Only if you know how to do these things are you then able to have a peaceful, calm, and profound mind to think, ponder and understand. Moreover, you will be able to perform you physical activities healthily."
- Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, Tai Chi Secrets of the Yang Style, 2001, p. 138

Virtues and a Good Life

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form and Qigong. By Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Boston, MA, 2010. 396 pages. ISBN: 978-1594392009. "Awards: Gold Winner, 2011 IP's Living Now Awards; Gold Winner, 2011 eLit Award, Finalist - 2011 Eric Hoffer Award, Finalist - 2011 USA Best Book Award. Taijiquan is a slow and relaxed moving meditation. It is also a sophisticated martial arts system. Through practicing Taijiquan, you are able to calm down the mind, locate your spiritual center, and consequently find your entire being. From the relaxed moving exercise, you can bring your physical body into an ultimate level of relaxation and natural ease, resulting in smooth Qi (inner energy) and blood circulation. This is a key to maintaining health and recovering from sickness. This book is an in-depth guide for beginners to learn Taijiquan properly. It offers a general plan for practicing Taijiquan, and then goes into great depth to present enough content for proper learning." If you have practiced a version of the Yang style based on the Yang Cheng Fu (1920's) version, as documented by Fu Zhongwen, then you will find differences from the Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming version of the "classical" Yang Style Taijiquan movement sequence.  The postures are the same, the sequence is somewhat different.  VSCL.

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Short 24 Form

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Long 108 Form 

Alan Watts

Cheng Man-ch'ing

Yang Cheng Fu

Philosophy as a Way of Life

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

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

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

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

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Notebooks of an Old Philosopher

Epicureans

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

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

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

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

Chungliang Al Huang

Living Tao Foundation

Reconsidering Tai Chi Chuan Classics

    "For those who want to go to the source, there are a few good books that attempt to translate the Tai Chi Classics into modern English.  There are, however, a few problems.  One is that the language used in these texts is Old Chinese, very much like Old English to us.  Old Chinese is often full of references to classical texts that at one time were required reading for any educated person.  As this is no longer the case, the references loose their meaning.  Sometimes it is difficult to translate or even understand the old words and phrases, as many are no longer in general use.

    Another problem is that Taiji practitioners often use common words in uncommon ways.  For instance, for most people, the phrase "to lock" would have an implication of tension when applied to the body.  Used in the correct Taiji manner, "to lock" the body simply mean to take the slack out of the joints and move in a more dynamic manner.

    A third problem is that the translators of these texts were often scholars with little or no ability in Taiji.  Chinese being a very interpretative language, translators are often at a loss for an exact translation when they do not fully understand the concept described.

    For all these reasons, the classics should be treated with some caution.  As Master Liang was fond of saying, "If you only believe in books, better not read books."  Do not treat anyone's writings as gospel.  The role of a teacher or writer is to point in the correct direction; the student's role is to follow the path indicated, testing as they go.  The other half of Master Liang's saying was, "If you only trust in teachers, better not have teachers."  What he meant is that we must make up our own minds in the end.  The teacher may have limited understanding or skills.  This is one of the reasons that learning Taiji can only really be done in person with a qualified teacher of proper lineage.  When you touch your teacher and feel what they are doing, it is worth a thousand words."
-  Gordon Muir, Yang Style Traditional Long Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan, p. 35   

Yang Style Traditional Long Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan; As Taught by Master T. T. Liang.  By Gordon Muir.  Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2008.  225 pages.  ISBN: 9781583942215.  Detailed black and white photographs of Mr. Muir performing the Yang long form, which precise descriptions of the movements for each named posture.  Mr. Muir was a student of Master T. T. Liang and Stuart Alve Olson.  VSCL. 

The Teachings of Master T. T. Liang: Imagination Becomes Reality.  A Complete Guide to the 150 Posture Solo Form.  Compiled by Stuart Alve Olson.  287 pages.  Minnesota, Dragon Door Publications, 1986, 1992.  Second Edition.  ISBN: 0938045091.  Hundreds of detailed and creative pictures of the form, including some interesting multi-exposure photographs of Mr. Olson doing the long form.  VSCL. 

Yang Style Taijiquan Classics

Yang Taijiquan Traditional Long Form 108 Movements   Detailed information and instructions for this form by Mike Garofalo. 

Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) Index 

Taoism (Daoism)   The underlying philosophy of Taijiquan is grounded in Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. 

Chang San-Feng, Taoist Grand Master

Chang San-Feng, Taoist Grand Master: Bibliography, Quotes, Writings, Lore, Encounters
Research by Mike Garofalo


    "Zhang Sanfeng ("Zhang Triple Abundance" or "Zhang Three Peaks") is a famous Taoist said to have live between the end of the Yuan and beginning of the Ming periods.  His historical existence, however, is unproved.  In early biographies―including the one in the Mingshi (History of Ming)―he is usually said to be a native of Yizhou (Liaoning), but other sources give different birthplaces.  According to these works he was seven feet tall and had enormously big ears and eyes, his appearance suggested the longevity of a turtle and the immortality of a crane, and his beard and whiskers bristled like the blades of a halberd.  He tied his hair in a knot and, regardless of the season, wore only a garment made of leaves.  In his youth, Zhang is supposed to have studied Buddhism under the Chan master Haiyun (1021-56), but then mastered neidan and reached immortality.  He was known for his extraordinary magical powers as well as his ability to prophesy.
    In the first years of the Ming period, Zhang reportedly established himself on Mount Wudang (Wudang Shan, Hubei), where he lived in a thatched hut.  With his pupils he rebuilt the mountain monasteries destroyed during the wars at the end of the Mongol dynasty.  From Mount Wudang, Zhang went to the Jintai guan (Abbey of the Golden Terrace) in Baoji (Shananxi), where he announced his departure, composed a hymn, and passed away.  Later he came back to life, travelled to Sichuan, and visited Mount Wudang.
    The belief in the real existence of Zhang Sanfeng during the Ming Dynasty is reflected in the emperor's continued efforts to locate him.  The search for Zhang started in 1391 by order of the Hongwu Emperor (1368-1398) and was extended from 1407 to 1419 by the Yongle Emperor (1403-1424).  Both sent out delegates several times, but they all returned without success.  Promoted by the Ming emperor's interest, a cult developed around Zhang that spread widely and lasted until the later years of the Qing dynasty.
    As time went on, the legends about Zhang Sanfeng multiplied and became increasingly exaggerated.  Zhang is known as the founder of taiji quan (a claim without historical evidence) and the patron saint of practitioners of this technique.  During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a connection to the sexual techniques (fangzhong shu) was also established and texts dealing with these practices were ascribed to him.  The belief that Zhang was the master of Shen Wansan, a popular deity of wealth, led to his own identity as a god of wealth in the seventeenth century.  The Western Branch (Xipai) of neidan and various Qing sects also regarded Zhang Sanfeng as their first patriarch."
-  Martina Darga.  The Routledge Encyclopedia of Taoism (EoT), 2008, 2011, Volume II, p. 1233-35, article about Zhang Sanfeng in the EoT by Martina Darga. 

Eight Animals Frolic Chi Kung Exercises

Eight Animals' Frolics Chi Kung Exercises
A webpage by Michael P. Garofalo

Five Animal Frolics Qigong (Wu Qin Xi)

Valley Spirit Qigong in Red Bluff, California

""Breathing in and out in various manners, spitting out the old and taking in the new, walking like a bear and stretching their neck like a bird to achieve longevity - this is what such practitioners of Daoyin, cultivators of the body and all those searching for long life like Ancestor Peng, enjoy."
-   Chuang-tzu, circa 300 BCE. (1)

 

There was a feudal lord, the Marquis of Dai (King Ma), who lived around 160 BCE during the Western Han Dynasty.  When the Marquis of Dai, his wife, and his son died, there were many objects placed in their family tomb as part of funeral rites and customs.  In 1973, archeologists in China excavated the family tomb of the Dai family on the outskirts of the city of Changsha in Hunan Province.  In the son's tomb they discovered a lacquered box containing medical manuals, documents, and a silk scroll on which were drawn 44 humans in various poses or postures.  Under each pose was a caption with the name of an animal or the name of a disease that the posture might help prevent or cure.  The chart or diagram (Tu) on this scroll shows Daoyin (Guiding/Leading Energy and Stretching/Pulling Out) exercises or poses.  A number of the postures shown on this Daoyin Tu closely resemble some in the Eight Section Brocade and in the Five Animal Frolics (i.e., the bear, monkey, and bird).  (2)

Improved artistic rendition of the Daoyin Tu, circa 160 BCE.

Another medical manuscript with Daoyin methods, the Yinshu (Stretch Book), dated at 186 BCE, related to the Daoyin Tu, describes 100 exercises, and gives advice on seasonal health regimens, hygiene, diet, disease prevention, sleep, and sexual behavior. (2)   We have ample evidence that Chinese physicians, and the aristocratic and wealthy classes of ancient Chinese society, had access to therapeutic and holistic exercise and massage methods (Daoyin) well before the advent of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE)."

Eight Animals' Frolics Chi Kung Exercises
Introduction to Animal Frolics by Michael P. Garofalo

A Fresh New Skin

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous Year of the Snake!

In the West, snakes have long been a symbol of earthly realms, underground darkness, mystery, unconscious desires, sensuality, and danger.  The process of a snake regularly shedding its skin is also fascinating to us.