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

Waves of Reflections at the Bandon Jetty

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 46

Waves of Reflections at the Bandon Jetty

Caught on the Edges of the West: Highway 101

The Fireplace Records

Four Days in Grayland

By Michael P. Garofalo

When young I climbed mountains;
Now old I walk beaches.
My heart has new limits;
My mind explores inside limits.

I saunter effortlessly;
I struggle to understand The Root.
Reading the Vegetable Root Verses;   (1)
I fell asleep and dreamt I was awake.

I thought three times;
then moved one way.
I took three steps;
then clearly envisioned the next 333 steps.

From confusion emerged distinctions;
Naming points to a way out of chaos.
By words we find new ways to see;
New ways to discover truths or falsity.
Confucius said, Buddha said, Epictetus said,
the Bible said, the Sufi's said, the Yogi's said:;
Maybe they did or did not - it is said;
Kwan Yin did not say, but helped in some way. (2)
The roaring surf, a splashing chorus;
Reflects my inner concerto of words.

Moving with intention and concentration is fire;
Escaping to an excess of quietude is ashes.
Knowing when enough is enough
and too little is too little;
we light a candle in honor of wisdom. 

I could not walk down and up the steep steps to the shore;
my legs too weak and wobbly anymore.
I watched the winter surf crashing on sea stacks;
So I just sat and stared, with my mind quite slack.

Booms of thunder, pouring rain, windy, and cold;
Breakfast at a Bandon cafe, warm, out of the showers.
Reading Lama Sura Das on awakening a Buddha mind;
Thinking of New Year, Jade Rabbits, Spring Festival rhymes;
Thankful for the eggs and hash browns - enjoying this time.

Bullards Beach is not Grayland Beach;   (3)
They are both the same - out of my reach.
When I move the roaring surf calls;
When still the silent marsh recalls.

At the south jetty's edge, a damp delightful altar on a rocky perch:

little statutes, plastic flowers,
a plastic heart,
rocks, shells, angels, cross, kelp,
official warning poster,
all on a washed up log.
The lingering intentions that count;
the smell of wet sand incense
all around and about.  

A light beacon on the jetty rocks.  Hints at the edgy DOT of sacred space/time.  Proceed: Aware and Becoming.  

The two jetties remind me of the Anjali Mudra, Gassho.

The north jetting is my right hand, the south jetty my left,
The Coquille River is the Qi energy between my Prayer Hands:
flowing Cloud Hands, Namaste Hands, Energized Hands, Promising Hands.

Playing with analogies and Gassho hands; I bow where I stand.
Touching the spiritual memories between my hands; I bow where I stand.
Honored by the good intentions between our hands; I bow where I stand.  

Low tide, high tide - the yin/yang way;
Heart tenses, relaxes - the yang/yin way.
My heart's a flutter, I'm out of breath;
I'm content with life, 
and accept my death.

The sand blows up the dunes and down;
The seasons follow the sun, round and round.
Between Heaven and Earth the seagull stands;
While I play Taijiquan, slogging over dry sand.   (4) 
We both come and go, then are no more; 
Full then Empty are close to Life's Core.

The immense Oceans are undrinkable, and
in some ways unthinkable.  
No fresh water begets death, and 
Water is Life.

Words from the Heart Scripture went unsaid, and
the Bodhi Tree flourished in Life's Garden.   (5)  

Something evolves from Something Else, and
nothing evolves from nothing.

Beings emerge from Beings, and
emptiness disappears into emptiness.

"Nothing" is not a noun-thing, and
"Somethings" are dependent relationships.

Forms are Full, and
Fullness begets Forms.

Somethings created my body-mind, and
my body-mind created somethings.  

The Dao marries Yin-Yang, and
some of their step-children are Black Holes. 

Chaos is not emptiness, and
the Void provides Space for Somethings.

Somethings are transitory, ephemeral, and
They are Not empty illusions or unreal. 

Time is the crux of the matter, and
Somethings come and go, appear and disappear.  

"Nothing" is the absence of Something
we desire, and
not the presence of something.  

Somethings are Appearances, and
Appearances are Somethings.

Is or is not, true or false, real or unreal,
something or nothing, be Careful, and
sometimes choose the Middle Way of Maybe So.

Pointing to Nothing, and 
slogging through a muddy muddle of Mu.

Come Closer, Come Closer, and
Open the Door to Wonderous Beings.

Come Closer, Come Closer, and
Embrace Body-Mind-Spirit.
Cast off emptiness and the void.  

Gate Gate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha, and
some Lotus plants died in a drought.  Oh No!

Words from the Heart went unsaid, and
the Bodhi Tree flourished in Life's Garden.  (5) 

 

(1)  Master of the Three Ways.  By Hung Ying-ming.  Translated by William Scott Wilson. 2012.

(2) The Kwan Yin Transmission Book: Healing Guidance from Our Universal Mother. By Alana Fairchild.  Llewellyn, 2019.  

(3) Bullards Beach State Park is close to Bandon, Oregon.  Grayland Beach State Park is near Westport, Washington.  Bandon has many sea stacks, and a small rocky shoreline near the 200 foot high cliffs overlooking the sea.  Westport to Tokeland consists of flat sandy beaches, sand dunes, and shore pines, shrubs, and grasses.  There are no steep rocky cliffs at Grayland Beach.  Totally different coastal terrain types in Grayland and Bandon; except for rolling sand dunes covered in grasses.  

Bullard's Beach State Park is north across the bridge over the Coquille River from Bandon, Oregon.  A large State Park with many sand dunes and ocean beaches with lots of driftwood and items of interest to beachcombers.

Any person can easily drive, bicycle, or walk to the south and north jetties at the conjunction of the Pacific Ocean and the Coquille River. There is an old lighthouse at the north jetty side.  There are many miles, on either side of the river, of rock dykes and dirt packed dykes to control the flooding Coquille River. There are many dramatic sea stacks that are south of the two jetties. 

Further east from the coast at Bandon, on road 42S, east to Coquille city 42 and Myrtle Point city, was extensive flooding in January of 2023.  The entire valley floor farm fields were covered in water for miles on end.  Low lying fog made driving the winding country road a bit dicey.  

(4) Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan by Michael Garofalo, Vancouver, Washington.

(5) The Heart Sutra and The Threefold Lotus Sutra.  Experiences of "emptiness" are often a case of not finding something we desire in the complex world of Somethings.  Something desired seems or is missing.  We want a drink of water and the glass is empty.  Mu,

Poetry by Michael P. Garofalo

Cloud Hands Blog  

Above the Fog 

Four Days in Grayland 

Pulling Onions

Poetry - Bibliography, Links, Resources, Guides  

Cuttings: Haiku and Short Poems 

Text Art, Visual/Pattern Poetry

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series

Concrete Poetry  

Meetings with Taoist Master Chang San-Feng   

Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way  

Full Moon in the Morning Sky   

Northwest Pacific Coast Poems 

Exhibits at the Onion Garden

One Short of a Baker's Dozen

Teaching Haiku Poetry

The Spirit of Gardening

New Poems

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Reviews and Kudos

 

When Was Chaos Born?

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 27

When Was Chaos Born?

Everything gave birth, at some time, to Chaos.
Sometimes, some events give birth to Chaos.
Chaos sometimes gives birth to Order.
Sometimes, just about Anything Happens, including Chaos.
Cancer is a Form of Chaos.
Chaotic Thinking often Occurs.
Chaos sometimes reforms into Order.
Fires can often be Controlled, sometimes are Chaotic.
Chaos can be Destructive or just Ugly.
Chaos can have a bigger statistical Face of Order.
Escaping from Disaster is a Chaotic Affair.
There can be Beauty in Chaotic Patterns.
Chaos is not Empty.
Excessive Busy-ness is rather Chaotic.
Ignorance calls it Chaos, Insight calls it Complexity.

Changsheng asks, "What about the time of primordial chaos,
before any differentiation?"
Lingyun Zhiqin answers, "A pillar conceives."  (ENT 14)

Disorderly. Random. Uncertain. Chaotic.
Can't differentiate, can't answer.
The sub-atomic understory of a "pillar" is rather chaotic.
Nonsense can be rather chaotic jabber.
"Don't Know" is sometimes acceptable,
   but "Why We Don't Know" is a better answer.
Metaphors may make us smile, but they are weak-kneed.
We conceive and chatter about the meanings and uses of a "pillar."
Primordial Causes, First Causes ... are evasive.

Comments, Sources

Refer to Entangling Vines Case 14.

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

The Daodejing by Laozi

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

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

The Fireplace Records of the Wudang Mountain Temple Library By Michael P. Garofalo

Ashes to Ashes

Palm Sunday--
heroes smiling,
people cheering

Mardi Gras and 
Shrove Tuesday's
debaucheries--
reasons for repenting.

Cleaning out
the fireplace--
Ash Wednesday

Ashes to ashes--
yet departed Guides
live on

Forty days
of austerities--
questioning demons

Buds emerging 
on leafless branches--
metaphors of
Rising from the Dead.

Devastating EARTHQUAKES--
Nature
does not care.  

Ash Wednesday

Origins of Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

By T. S. Eliot, 1930

"The silent sister veiled in white and blue
Between the yews, behind the garden god,
Whose flute is breathless, bent her head and signed but spoke
no word

But the fountain sprang up and the bird sang down
Redeem the time, redeem the dream
The token of the word unheard, unspoken

Till the wind shake a thousand whispers from the yew

And after this our exile


V
If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent
If the unheard, unspoken
Word is unspoken, unheard;
Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,
The Word without a word, the Word within
The world and for the world;
And the light shone in darkness and
Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
About the centre of the silent Word.

O my people, what have I done unto thee.

Where shall the word be found, where will the word
Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence
Not on the sea or on the islands, not
On the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,
For those who walk in darkness
Both in the day time and in the night time
The right time and the right place are not here
No place of grace for those who avoid the face
No time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny
the voice"  

Daodejing, Laozi, Chapter 22

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 22


"In cultivating the Tao there are first the sprouts; then perfection.
First, there is perversion; then rectification.
First there is hollowness and receptivity; then plenitude.
First there is destruction of the old; then renovation.
First there is humility; then acquisition.
Self-sufficiency is followed by suspicion on the part of others.
Therefore, the Sage preserves unity in his heart and becomes a pattern to the whole world.
He does not say of himself that he can see, and therefore he is perspicacious.
He does not say of himself that he is right, and therefore he is manifested to all.
He does pot praise himself, and therefore his merit is recognized.
He is not self-conceited, and therefore he increases in knowledge.
And as he never strives with anybody, so the world does not strive with him.
Can that saying of the olden times—"First the sprouts, then perfection"—be called meaningless?
The attainment of genuine perfection implies a reversion to the original nature of man."
-  Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 22     


"The imperfect is completed.
The crooked is straightened.
The empty is filled.
The old is renewed.
With few there is attainment.
With much there is confusion.
Therefore the sage grasps the one and becomes the model for all.
She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast and therefore has merit.
She does not strive and is therefore successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.
How could the ancient saying, "The imperfect is completed" be regarded as empty talk?
Believe in the complete and return to it."
-  Translated by Charles Muller, 1891, Chapter 22

"Yield, and maintain integrity.
To bend is to be upright;
to be empty is to be full. 

Those who have little have much to gain, 
but those who have much 
may be confused by possessions.

The wise man embraces the all encompassing;
he is unaware of himself, and so has brilliance;
not defending himself, he gains distinction; 
not seeking fame, he receives recognition; 
not making false claims, he does not falter;
and not being quarrelsome, 
is in conflict with no one.

This is why it was said by the sages of old,
"Yield, and maintain integrity;
be whole, and all things come to you"."
-  Translated by Stan Rosenthal, 1984, Chapter 22 

"That which is incomplete becomes complete.
The crooked becomes straight,
The empty becomes full,
The worn-out becomes new.
He who obtains has little,
He who scatters has much.
That is why the self-controlled man holds to Unity and brings it into manifestation for men.
He looks not at self, therefore he sees clearly;
He asserts not himself, therefore he shines;
He boasts not of self, therefore he has merit;
He glorifies not himself, therefore he endures.
The Master indeed does not strive, yet no one in the world can strive against him.
The words of the Ancients were not empty words:
"That which is incomplete becomes complete."
Acquire completeness by returning it."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 22 

曲則全.
枉則直.
窪則盈.
弊則新.
少則得.
多則惑.
是以聖人抱一為天下式.
不自見故明.
不自是故彰.
不自伐.
故有功不自矜故長.
夫唯不爭, 故天下莫能與之爭.
古之所謂曲則全者, 豈虛言哉.
誠全而歸之.-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22

qu ze quan.
 wang ze zhi.
 wa ze ying.
 bi ze xin,
 shao ze de,
 duo ze huo.
 shi yi sheng ren bao yi wei tian xia shi.
 bu zi jian gu ming.
 bu zi shi gu zhang.
 bu zi fa.
 gu you gong bu zi jin gu zhang.
 fu wei bu zheng, gu tian xia mo neng yu zhi zheng.
 gu zhi suo wei qu ze quan zhe, qi xu yan zai.
 cheng quan er gui zhi.
 -  Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 22
  

"'Yield and you need not break:
 Bent you can straighten,
 Emptied you can hold,
 Torn you can mend;
 And as want can reward you
 So wealth can bewilder.
 Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
 Which other men seek:
 Without inflaming himself
 He is kindled,
 Without explaining himself
 Is explained,
 Without taking credit
 Is accredited,
 Laying no claim
 Is acclaimed
 And, because he does not compete,
 Finds peaceful competence.
 How true is the old saying,
 'Yield and you need not break'!
 How completely it comes home!"
 -  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 22

"Acepta y serás completo,
Inclinate y serás recto,
Vacíate y quedarás lleno,
Decae, y te renovarás,
Desea, y conseguirás,
Buscando la satisfacción quedas confuso.

El Sabio acepta el Mundo
Como el Mundo acepta el Tao;
No se muestra a si mismo, y así es visto claramente,
No se justifica a si mismo, y por eso destaca,
No se empeña, y así realiza su obra,
No se glorifica, y por eso es excelso,
No busca la lucha, y por eso nadie lucha contra él.

Los Santos decían, "acepta y serás completo",
Una vez completo, el Mundo es tu hogar."
-  Translated by Antonio Rivas, 1998, Chapter 22 

"To yield is to be preserved whole.
To be bent is to become straight.
To be hollow is to be filled.
To be tattered is to be renewed.
To be in want is to possess.
To have plenty is to be confused.

Therefore the Sage embraces the One,
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not reveal himself,
   And is therefore luminous.
He does not justify himself,
   And is therefore far-famed.
He does not boast of himself,
   And therefore people give him credit.
He does not pride himself,
   And is therefore the chief among men.

Is it not indeed true, as the ancients say,
   "To yield is to be preserved whole?"
Thus he is preserved and the world does him homage."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948, Chapter 22 

"If you want to become whole,
first let yourself become broken.
If you want to become straight,
first let yourself become twisted.
If you want to become full,
first let yourself become empty.
If you want to become new,
first let yourself become old.
Those whose desires are few get them,
those whose desires are great go astray.

For this reason the Master embraces the Tao,
as an example for the world to follow.
Because she isn't self centered,
people can see the light in her.
Because she does not boast of herself,
she becomes a shining example.
Because she does not glorify herself,
she becomes a person of merit.
Because she wants nothing from the world,
the world can not overcome her.

When the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to become whole,
then first let yourself be broken,"
they weren't using empty words.
All who do this will be made complete."
-  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 22 



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 up to 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 22, 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  

Growing Up Oneself

"The secret of the Tao Te Ching is its idea of Tao, modeled on the life of a plant.  Just as a living plant is tender and yielding (Chapter 76), so is Tao weak and yielding (Chapter 40).  With plants the hidden roots support the visible leaves and flowers, which return to the roots upon perishing (Chapter 16).  Likewise, Tao is the hidden root (Chapter 6), the non-being from which all beings spring (Chapter 40 and Chapter 21) and to which all beings return (Chapter 34).  The life of a plant is conditioned by seasonal rotation.  So is the movement of Tao in four stages: great (summer), disappearing (fall), far away (winter), and return (spring) (Chapter 25).  In the same way does the Taoist model spiritual life after a plant.  A living plant is tender and pliant, whole a dead plant is stiff and hard (Chapter 76); one who is with the Tao is also tender and pliant, while one who departs from the Tao is stiff and hard.  The plant kingdom is a quiet kingdom (Chapter 16) that sleeps in beauty; Taoist quietude is the spiritual condition for regeneration.  A plant grows at its own pace.  One must not, like the farmer in the Mencius (2A.2), help the growth of the corn stalks by pulling them up.  In the same way the Taoist allows events to unfold according to their inner rhythms; he acts by non-action (wu-wei), which is acting with, not against, the inner rhythms of things.  A plant is always renewing itself; the Taoist celebrates perpetual childhood (Chapter 55)."

- Ellen M. Chen, Tao Te Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. Paragon House, 1998. Detailed glossary, index, bibliography, notes, 274 pages. The above quote is from page 41. (I have found this book very useful.)
 

Tao Teh Ching Chapter Index    Hypertext Chart by Michael P. Garofalo
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

Son (Michael) and Father (Mike)
Two Gardeners in Vancouver, Washington, June 12, 2017
Backdrop of Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Firs, Maple, Green Lawn

In a sunny spot for a vegetable garden.
On the east corner of Michael and April's lot.
April, Michael and Karen all worked on this garden.
June 12, 2017

Spirituality and Gardening

Nature Mysticism
 

"The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience."
-  Henryk Skolimowski   



"A little too abstract, a little too wise,
It is time for us to kiss the earth again,
It is time to let the leaves rain from the skies,
Let the rich life run to the roots again."
-  Robinson Jeffers



"In the assemblies of the enlightened ones there have been many cases of mastering the Way bringing forth the heart of plants and trees; this is what awakening the mind for enlightenment is like.  The fifth patriarch of Zen was once a pine-planting wayfarer; Rinzai worked on planting cedars and pines on Mount Obaku.   ...  Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment." 
-  Dogen Zenji, Japanese Zen Buddhist Grand Master , Awakening the Unsurpassed Mind, #31 



"Gardening helps us realize somatically, viscerally, the laws of growth and gradual unfolding.  We can't pull the plants up to make them grow, but we can help facilitate and midwife their blooming, each in his own way, time, and proper season.  I have learned a little about patience and humility from my gardens.  It's so obviously not something I'm doing that creates this miracle!  I also like to reflect upon and appreciate the exquisitely, evanescent, transitory, and poignant nature of things in the garden.  If you love the Dharma, you have to farm it. Go to a garden.  Just stand in it.  Breathe in the air, the fragrances, the light, the temperature, the music of the different plants, insects, birds, worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and butterflies.  Inhale the prana (cosmic energy) of all the abundantly growing things.  Recharge your inner batteries.  This is the joy of natural meditation."
-  Lama Surya Das, Awakening to the Sacred, 1999

Sowing and Reaping the Ordinary

"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.  


"I did however used to think, you know, in the woods walking, and as a kid playing the the woods, that there was a kind of immanence there - that woods, a places of that order, had a sense, a kind of presence, that you could feel; that there was something peculiarly, physically present, a feeling of place almost conscious ... like God.  It evoked that."
-  Robert Creely, Robert Creely and the Genius of the American Common Place, p. 40   


"The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars,
the trail of the sun,
the strength of fire,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars."
-  Chief Dan George  


Zen Poetry

Buddhism

Haiku Poetry

Gardening and Spirituality

Flourishing in the Dao

"The secret of the Tao Te Ching is its idea of Tao, modeled on the life of a plant.  Just as a living plant is tender and yielding (Chapter 76), so is Tao weak and yielding (Chapter 40).  With plants the hidden roots support the visible leaves and flowers, which return to the roots upon perishing (Chapter 16).  Likewise, Tao is the hidden root (Chapter 6), the non-being from which all beings spring (Chapter 40 and Chapter 21) and to which all beings return (Chapter 34).  The life of a plant is conditioned by seasonal rotation.  So is the movement of Tao in four stages: great (summer), disappearing (fall), far away (winter), and return (spring) (Chapter 25).  In the same way does the Taoist model spiritual life after a plant.  A living plant is tender and pliant, whole a dead plant is stiff and hard (Chapter 76); one who is with the Tao is also tender and pliant, while one who departs from the Tao is stiff and hard.  The plant kingdom is a quiet kingdom (Chapter 16) that sleeps in beauty; Taoist quietude is the spiritual condition for regeneration.  A plant grows at its own pace.  One must not, like the farmer in the Mencius (2A.2), help the growth of the corn stalks by pulling them up.  In the same way the Taoist allows events to unfold according to their inner rhythms; he acts by non-action (wu-wei), which is acting with, not against, the inner rhythms of things.  A plant is always renewing itself; the Taoist celebrates perpetual childhood (Chapter 55)."
-  Ellen M. Chen, The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary, 1989, p. 41

Spirituality and Gardening

Nature Mysticism
 

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 translations or interpolations of each Chapter in English, 3 Spanish translations for each Chapter, the Chinese characters for each Chapter, and a Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for each Chapter; extensive indexing by key words and terms for each Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization is provided; recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, and other resources for each Chapter are included. 


"The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience."
-  Henryk Skolimowski   

"A little too abstract, a little too wise,
It is time for us to kiss the earth again,
It is time to let the leaves rain from the skies,
Let the rich life run to the roots again."
-  Robinson Jeffers

"In the assemblies of the enlightened ones there have been many cases of mastering the Way bringing forth the heart of plants and trees; this is what awakening the mind for enlightenment is like.  The fifth patriarch of Zen was once a pine-planting wayfarer; Rinzai worked on planting cedars and pines on Mount Obaku.   ...  Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment." 
-  Dogen Zenji, Japanese Zen Buddhist Grand Master , Awakening the Unsurpassed Mind, #31 

"Gardening helps us realize somatically, viscerally, the laws of growth and gradual unfolding.  We can't pull the plants up to make them grow, but we can help facilitate and midwife their blooming, each in his own way, time, and proper season.  I have learned a little about patience and humility from my gardens.  It's so obviously not something I'm doing that creates this miracle!  I also like to reflect upon and appreciate the exquisitely, evanescent, transitory, and poignant nature of things in the garden.  If you love the Dharma, you have to farm it. Go to a garden.  Just stand in it.  Breathe in the air, the fragrances, the light, the temperature, the music of the different plants, insects, birds, worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and butterflies.  Inhale the prana (cosmic energy) of all the abundantly growing things.  Recharge your inner batteries.  This is the joy of natural meditation."
-  Lama Surya Das, Awakening to the Sacred, 1999

Tao Te Ching: Selected English Translations

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  

Chapter Chart Index for the Daodejing



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

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Daodejing by Laozi

Chapter 9



"It is advisable to refrain from continual reaching after wealth.
Continual handling and sharpening wears away the most durable thing.
If the house be full of jewels, who shall protect it?
Wealth and glory bring care along with pride.
To stop when good work is done and honour advancing is the way of Heaven."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 9 


"Let Heavenly Love fill you and overflow in you,
Not according to your measure of fullness.
Prove it, probe deeply into it,
It shall not long withstand you.
You may fill a place with gold and precious stones,
You will not be able to guard them.
You may be weighted with honors and become proud.
Misfortune then will come to your Self.
You may accomplish great deeds and acquire fame,
Retire yourself;
This is Heavenly Tao."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 9  


"Stretch a bow to the very full,
And you will wish you had stopped in time.
Temper a sword-edge to its very sharpest,
And the edge will not last long.
When gold and jade fill your hall,
You will not be able to keep them safe.
To be proud with wealth and honor
Is to sow seeds of one's own downfall.
Retire when your work is done,
Such is Heaven's way."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 9 


"Holding and keeping a thing to the very full - it is better to leave it alone;
Handling and sharpening a blade - it cannot be long sustained;
When gold and jade fill the hall, no one can protect them;
Wealth and honour with pride bring with them destruction;
To have accomplished merit and acquired fame, then to retire -
This is the Tao of heaven."
-  Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 9  


持而盈之, 不如其已.
揣而銳之, 不可長保.
金玉滿堂莫之能守富貴而驕, 自遺其咎.
功遂身退天之道.
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 9, Tao Te Ching


ch'ih erh ying chih, pu ju ch'i yi.
ch'uai erh cho chih, pu k'o ch'ang pao.
chin yü man t'ang mo chih nêng shou fu kuei erh chiao, tsu yi ch'i chiu.
kung sui shên t'ui t'ien chih tao. 
-  Wade-Giles (1892) Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 9  

"Is it better to hold fast to filling, and fill when fullness is gained?

You may handle the point that is sharpened till all the sharpness is gone,

You may fill your halls with gold and gems, but thieving is not restrained,

And wealth and place, when linked with pride, will only bring ruin on;

When the work is done, and reputation advancing, then, I say,

Is the time to withdraw and disappear, and that is Heaven' s Way."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 9 

"Keep stretching a bow
You repent of the pull,
A 'whetted saw
Goes thin and dull,
Surrounded with treasure
You lie ill at ease,
Proud beyond measure
You come to your knees:
Do enough, without vying,
Be living, not dying."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 9  


"Tensa un arco hasta su límite y pronto se romperá;
Afila una espada al máximo y pronto estará mellada;
Amasa el mayor tesoro y pronto lo robarán;
Exige créditos y honores y pronto caerás;
Retirarse una vez la meta ha sido alcanzada es el camino de la Naturaleza."
-  Translated by Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 1998, Capitulo 9


"Going to extremes is never best.
For if you make a blade too sharp, it will become dull too quickly
And if you hoard all the wealth, you are bound to be attacked.
If you become proud and arrogant regarding your good fortune, you will naturally beget enemies who jealously despise you.
The way to success is this: having achieved your goal, be satisfied not to go further. For this is the way Nature operates."
-  Translated by Archie J. Balm, 1958, Chapter 9