Can You Grasp Emptiness?

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 1

Can You Grasp Emptiness?

One drizzling cold afternoon, Shih-kung and Hsi-tang stopped along the steep trail up to the Temple on Mount Wudang.  They rested while quietly sitting.  Shih-kung picked up a small rock and tossed in down the hill. A short while later, Shih-kung asked Hsi-tang: "Can you grasp emptiness?" Hsing-tang replied: "Yes, I think I can."  Shih-kung continued: "How would you grasp emptiness?"  Using his hand, Hsi-tang then grasped at empty space.  Shih-kung replied: "You are 70% correct, and 30% uncertain." "Then how do you do it?" asked Hsi-tang.  Shih-kung then grasped Hsi-tang's ear and pulled it. Hsi-tang exclaimed "Ouch, your hurting my ear!"  Shih-tang said "You can grasp and hear emptiness only in this way."  Hsi-tang gently rubbed is ear, laughed, and told Shih-kung, "You are a clever devil, Shih-kung, and your diligent practice on your zither has improved your music." 

Hsi-tang then picked up a small rock and tossed it down the canyon.  

Both listened.  Both smiled.

Capping Verse

Opening bell
echoes from the canyon walls —
raindrops on the river.

The sounds of rocks bouncing off rocks;
the shadows of trees traced on trees.

We sit quietly, still.
The canyon river chants,
moving mountains.

The sermon spun on the still point:
dropping off eternity, picking up time;
letting go of self, awakened to Mind.

Can You Grasp Emptiness?  A Dialogue.
By Michael P. Garofalo

- For a insightful discussion of Eihei Dogen's (1250-1253 CE) views on Buddha-Mind, expressions and actions, existence, emptiness, the total exertion of a single thing, thusness, and time read Chapter 4 of "Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist," by Hee-Jin Kim, 2004.

Another version of the Shih-kung and Hsi-tang dialogue is found on p.134 of Hee-Jin Kim's fine book.

Spiritual Stories and Dialogues

Zen Poetry

Refer to Fireplaces, Stoves, Hearths, Campfires

"There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot." - John Cage

The Fireplace Records Compiled with Commentary by Michael P. Garofalo

A Sidewalk Poem by Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. 

Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and Museum, Pendleton, Oregon

On Thursday, April 20, 2023, Karen and I enjoyed visiting the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and Museum, near Pendleton, Oregon.  The museum was quite large with fascinating exhibits and artwork.  It featured the history, culture, and artifacts of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes of northeast Oregon.  

We stayed at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino, eight miles west of Pendleton.  There are also hundreds of new motel rooms off of Interstate 84 on a high bluff above the city of Pendleton.  

On our first day, we ate breakfast at the old Hood River Hotel Cafe.  It featured Scandinavian style breakfast foods.  For lunch, we ate at Mazatlán Mexican Restaurant immediately adjacent to the main large Pendleton Stadium for all kinds of large events, powwows, Pendleton Round Up, races, concerts, etc.  

The drive from the Wildhorse Resort's golf course out to the Tamastslikt Museum gave us some great views of the Blue Mountains rising up immediately to the west.  Interstate 84 from Pendleton 46 miles southeast to La Grande (2,700 feet), up and through the Blue Mountains  has some steep grade, and gets closed in winter storms.  

We intend to visit La Grande, Baker City, Boise and Walla Walla in a future four day trip.  

The City of Pendleton, Oregon (population 17,900) sits in a narrow valley along the Umatilla River at the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains.  

The Blue Mountains and the wide gentle rolling valleys filled with very Spring Green upcoming grains were a spectacular sight.  Cattle grazing in many places along Interstate 84.  The bright green fields covered with 6" plants were spectacular.  

As is always the case, the MAIN FEATURE of our trips to the East of Portland, is the drive along the Columbia River along US Interstate 84 from Troutdale-Gresham, Oregon, to Boardman, Oregon.  This is the famous Scenic Columbia River Gorge Area, preserved in various ways.  This is a spectacular 147 mile drive!  You drive by three Dams: Bonneville, Dalles, and John Day.  The views were very good as we drove twice through this scenic Interstate highway along the Columbia River with the steep basalt canyon walls to the south of the highway. 

I was impressed with the very large Amazon Data Super-Computer Centers in The Dalles and at Boardman.  Hermiston and Prineville are other locations.  They draw electrical power from The Dalles Dam and the John Day Dam.  

I purchased one book at the Tamastslikt Museum gift shop:

"Coyote Was Going There: Indian Literature of the Oregon Country. Compiled and edited by Jarold Ramsey.  Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1977, 295 pages.  Numerous illustrations. VSCL, Paperback.  

"Beyond the literature of other regions in Oregon, these stories [from the northeast Oregon Coastal Tribes like the Tillamook or Nehalem] persistently dwell on the possibility of other worlds, other mediums of life, and strange travels and transformation from one world to another.  The imagination of the coastal Indian, living on the brink of the great unknown element of the Pacific, must have been deeply attuned to such possibilities ... Behind such weird episodes, there is always the compelling presence of the sea, both familiar and alien, indifferent giver of life, another, alternative medium of being, limitless - "the river with one bank," the Indians called it - the source of all change."
-  Jarold Ramsey, Coyote Was Going There, p. 127.

I sat for a long time in the Museum under a reconstructed Tule Mat longhouse.  I listened to recordings of Indian storytellers.  I thought of practicing my string figures at home in Vancouver.  I thought about the difference between communicating verbally and through printed text.  

"This modern long tent community structure is a cotton canvas-covered version of the original Tule Mat Lodge or Longhouse, which is a shelter or house that was constructed using mats made of tule (a type of bullrush or reed) that was abundant along rivers and marshes in the Plateau region of North America and Canada. The reeds were first dried and then woven into mats and used as coverings for pyramid shaped lodges like tepees. Tules were perfect for building temporary, portable structures as the mats could be rolled up and carried away. Tepees were covered with animal skins but the tule-mat lodge was covered with mats of strong, durable, tule reeds. While the Long Tent you see on Whitman College campus has a canvas covering, it still carries the original practices of the Tule Mat Lodge engineering."

A reconstructed Tule Mat Longhouse
Tamastslikt Museum, Pendleton, OR

Cowboys and Ranchers and Farmers and Workers
Rodeos, Round Ups, Powwows
Anglos, Indians, Mexicans, Tourists

Roundup Rodeo is BIG

Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Golf Course

Cabbage Hill
Deadman's Pass
Interstate 84 from Pendleton to La Grand

Taijiquan and Seeing

 "Looking and seeing are two different things. In tai chi we see without looking. When we look, we focus our gaze on some point. As we do that, there are subtle changes in our facial muscles which affect all our muscles. We see what we're looking at but miss the rest. Imagine having to deal with multiple opponents. The ideal is to see as if you're looking from behind your head so that your vision broadens. An easy way to understand it is by holding your arms at your side as if making a cross with your body. Can you see your hands with your peripheral vision? If you can, that's what your seeing should feel like. As you do that, you will notice that things get quieter and softer, more relaxed, and seem to slow down."
- Joe Eber, Facebook Post 

"Eyelids relaxed:  The eyelids should be relaxed like a curtain. As the eyelids relax, the mind is able to calm down and release the tension of the body’s muscles. The facial muscles also need to be soft and relaxed. As always, your outlook should be aware but not focused. Another reason to curtain the eyes is to hide your intention from others. In a martial arts’ sense, this is used for effective defense and offense.

Center the vision:  Set the eyes straight ahead but do not focus outward onto anything in particular. I tell my students to see, without looking; likewise to hear, without listening. By not focusing on any one thing, we cultivate awareness of all things. A centered vision helps to engage our peripheral vision so that we get a better sense of what is going on all around us. This also encourages awareness of our internal environment; our sense of feeling, balance, movement, and posture. A centered vision pertains to seeing both within and without."
-  William Ting, Essential Concepts of Tai Chi  

"What is the color of your head from the standpoint of your eyes?  You feel that you head is black, or that it has not any color at all.  Outside you see your field of vision as an oval because your two eyes act as two centers of an ellipse.  But what is beyond the field of vision?  What color is it where you can't see?  It is not black, and this is an important point; there is no color at all beyond your field of vision.  This little mental exercise gives us an idea of what is mean by the character hsüan.  Although its dictionary definition is "dark, deep, obscure," it actually refers to this kind of no color that is the color of your head - as far as your eyes are concerned.  Perhaps we could say that the invisibility of one's head, in a certain sense the lack of a head, is the secret of being alive.  To be headless, or have no head in just the same sense I am talking about, is our way of talking about the Chinese expression wu hsin, or "no mind."  As a matter of fact, if you want to see the inside of your head all you have to do is keep your eyes open, because all that you are experiencing in the external, visual field is a state of your brain."
-  Alan Watts, Swimming Headless, 1966 

Vision, Seeking, Sensations, Perceptions, Looking  By Michael P. Garofalo

Seeing, in solo Taijiquan practice, refers mostly to being visually aware of one's immediate physical environment your moving within.  With home indoor practice, that involves awareness of tripping hazards, walls, chairs, etc.  Adjustments are made accordingly.  Take in the big picture of where you are practicing - outdoors or indoors.  A wider angle of vision is preferred.

Some aspects of seeing in Taijiquan practices involve carefully looking at an imaginary opponent, your hands, or in a specific direction.  Looking is a focused kind of seeing, and the field of vision is more circumscribed.  

Three Requirements for the Study of Zen

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 10

One afternoon, Master Hakuin said "I once read that Master Gaofeng Yuanmiao preached that there are three requirements for the study of Zen. The first is a great root of faith. The second is a great ball of doubt. The third is a great tenacity of purpose.  A man who lacks any of these is like a three-legged kettle with one broken leg."  

Layman Mujiang, replied to Hakuin saying, "There are always more than three."

Hakuin asked "More?"

Mujiang said, "How about being able to sit still quietly for many hours?" 

Hakuin said, "I doubt it."

Mujiang said, "How about reciting the sacred scripture or Names more?"

Hakuin said, "I doubt it."

Mujian said, "You will never give up the quest for Buddhahood, will you Master Hakuin."

Hakuin said, "I doubt it."

Layman Mujiang's Verse:

Grab hold of the Koan by one of its Three Limbs:
Have faith in the Buddha's Hands;
Heal the bruises of Doubts;
Hold on tightly, keep your grip, Persist.

The Three gives birth to the Ten Thousand Things.
Somehow/someway changing by profound and decent ways.
Doubts hinder many and spur a few to act.
Plant the great Root of Faith deep in good soil.  Water it daily.
Big Doubts, little doubts, Great Doubts, minor doubts.
I don't know, doubting it, maybe so, hypothetical, provisional. 

I can't see the Big Harbor because of the dense fogs.  
I doubt the fog will lift this morning.  

Japanese Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku (1868-1769) was extremely influential in reviving the practice of using koans/mondos/verbal encounters/stories in his Rinzai Zen Buddhist training program and with his priestly work with rural workers.  He stresses the direct interaction between a master koan teacher and a koan student, face to face dialogues, regular one on one testing, interaction, and evaluation. 

Hakuin Ekaku was an accomplished artist and calligrapher.  He also emphasized good fitness and health practices to prepare the body for the rigors of Zen training.  

Hakuin believed that quiet sitting or simple daily activities combined with the contemplation of koans was a very effective practice for imparting Buddhist wisdom teachings (Dharma) and inducing enlightenment. 

Hakuin thought about and he experienced personal realization, or kensho, or satori, or enlightenment, or interpenetration of suchness at the intersection of the Fundamental Point, or fully understood his authentic changing selfhood by using koan practice while sitting or gently moving.  

You can Contemplate your Assigned Koan: absorb it, mull over it, get frustrated by it, doubt it, think about it, meditate on it, discard it, cuss it, sink into it, respect it, analyze it, confound it, introspect it, leap over it, word tail it, kick it around, not-think it, hear its messages, swallow it and spit it out, submerge with it, cherish it and hate it, study it diligently, become one with it, keep it first in mind, squeeze all the insight from it, be surprised and amazed by it, catch it with a capping phrase, reflect on it, huatou keypoint at it, laugh at it, reflect on it, cry over it, stop analyzing it, grab it by the throat, don't let it go.  

Persist in Contemplating your Assigned Koan until your deeper intuitive understanding occurs, or you are somehow/someway changed in profound and decent ways, or you have chosen to work/study another koan, or you just try and try again like a dog begging for extra treats, or you somehow/someway graduate to a new awareness of our precious lives, or you quit doing koan practice, or ...   

You might find that "something should take place not unlike the cat springing upon the mouse or the mother hen hatching her eggs, then in a flash great livingness surges up. This is the moment when the phoenix escapes from the golden net, when the crane breaks the bars of its cage."
- Ruth Fuller Sasaki, The Zen Koan, 1965, p. 42

Cloud Dragon: The Joan Sutherland Dharma Works

Joan Sutherland Koan Collections  

Gates: Miscellaneous Koans  Joan Sutherland

Gateless Gateway  Joan Sutherland

The Blue Cliff Record  Joan Sutherland and John Tarrant  

Rinzai Zen Buddhist School  

Pacific Zen Institute  

  

"Sometimes our practice is something like this. We don’t know how much our understanding is limited. That is why you have to study koans. Koans will open up your mind. If you understand your way of life more objectively, you will understand what you are doing."
- Suzuki Roshi

  

Hakuin, Self-Portrait, 1767 

He gently touches his ceremonial whisk;
he frowns, he seems displeased
about something or someone.  
Maybe his stomach is upset.
Maybe that great ball of doubt
is stuck in his soul.

Related Links, Resources, References

The Zen Koan by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, 1965, p. 42.

Blue Cliff Record, Case 52, The Bridge at Zhaozhou, Joshu's Stone Bridge

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

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

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

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Song Dynasty, China, 960-1279  

Zen Koans, Testing Verses, Mondos, Dialogues, Stories
Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records By Michael P. Garofalo

Bodhidharma by Hakuin

Doubting Might Be a Good Tactic

 

"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts and the stupid ones are full of confidence."
- Charles Bukowski

"The fundamental cause of the trouble in the modern world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt."
- Bertrand Russell

“I like the scientific spirit—the holding off, the being sure but not too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against them: this is ultimately fine—it always keeps the way beyond open—always gives life, thought, affection, the whole man, a chance to try over again after a mistake—after a wrong guess.” 
- Walt Whitman

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
-  George Carlin

“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”
-  Voltaire

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks   
By Michael Garofalo

Pragmatism and American Philosophy

Reasonable vs Unreasonable Doubt

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33

Daodejin, Laozi
Chapter 33


"It is wisdom to know others;
It is enlightenment to know one's self.
The conqueror of men is powerful;
The master of himself is strong.
It is wealth to be content;
It is willful to force one's way on others.
Endurance is to keep one's place;
Long life it is to die and not perish."
-  Translated by R. B. Blakney, 1955, Chapter 33  



"Those who know others are intelligent;
Those who know themselves have insight.
Those who master others have force;
Those who master themselves have strength.
Those who know what is enough are wealthy.
Those who persevere have direction.
Those who maintain their position endure.
And those who die and yet do not perish, live on."
-  Translated by R. L. Wing, 1986, Chapter 33 


"He who knows men is wise,
He who knows himself can see clearly.
He who conquers men has strength,
He who conquers himself has power
He who knows that he has enough is rich,
He who acts with energy has a strong will.
He who fails not to find the Self shall endure,
He who dies, but does not perish, shall endure for ever."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 33
 
 

"Understanding other people is wisdom,
understanding other religions is knowledge,
understanding oneself is enlightenment.
Strength is necessary to overcome others
power is necessary to overcome oneself.

Being content with what one already has is wealth.
Violence may achieve a quick result
but nothing permanent.
Stay in place, content with what you have,
to live a long life.
Death is a return to the native elements."
-  Translated by Tom Kunesh, Chapter 33  

知人者智.
自知者明. 
勝人者有力.
自勝者強. 
知足者富. 
強行者有志. 
不失其所者久. 
死而不亡者壽. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33

chih jên chê chih.
tzu chih chê ming.
shêng jên chê yu li.
tzu shêng chê ch'iang.
chih tsu chê fu.
ch'iang hsing chê yu chih.
pu shih ch'i so chê chiu.
ssu erh pu wang chê shou.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33 

"He who knows others is clever;
He who knows himself has discernment.
He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong.
He who knows contentment is rich;
He who perseveres is a man of purpose;
He who does not lose his station will endure;
He who lives out his days has had a long life."

-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 33 


"Those who know others are wise; those who know themselves are enlightened.
Those who overcome others are powerful; those who overcome themselves are strong.
Those who are contented are rich; those who act strongly have will.
Those who do not lose their place endure; those who die without perishing live long."
-   Translated by Thomas Cleary, 1991, Chapter 33


"He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.
He who overcomes others is powerful; he who overcomes himself is strong.
He who feels self-contentment is rich; he who practises self-cultivation is resolute.
He who abides by his original nature endures; he who follows Truth throughout life enjoys immortality."
-  Translated by Cheng Lin, Chapter 33


"Quien conoce a los demás es inteligente.
Quien se conoce a sí mismo tiene visión interna.
Quien conquista a los demás tiene fuerza; quien se conquista a sí mismo es realmente poderoso.
Quien sabe cuándo ha obtenido bastante es rico, y quien sigue asiduamente
     el sendero del Tao es alguien de propósito constante.
Quien permanece en el lugar en el que ha encontrado su verdadera casa vive mucho tiempo,
     y quien muere, pero no perece, goza de la auténtica longevidad."
-  Translation from Chinese to English by John C. H. Wu, translated into Spanish by Alfonso Colodrón, Capítulo 33


"One who knows others is clever.
One who knows himself has insight.
One who overcomes others is forceful.
One who overcomes himself is truly strong.
One who knows he has enough is rich.
One who does not divert his mind from the realization of integral virtue is wisely willful.
One who preserves his natural integrity will endure.
One who embraces the subtle essence dies yet does not perish and thus enjoys true immortality."
-  Translated by Hua-Ching Ni, 1995, Chapter 33 



"Whoever knows others has wisdom;
Whoever knows himself has insight.
Whoever conquers others has force;
Whoever conquers himself has strength.
Whoever knows he has enough has wealth.
Whoever perseveres has purpose. Whoever keeps to one place endures.
Whoever dies without perishing lives long."
-  Translated by Herrymoon Maurer, 1985, Chapter 33

Chapter 33, 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


A Philosopher's Notebooks 

Concentration and Gazing in Yoga Practice

"Drishti (IPA: [ dɽʂʈi ]; Sanskrit: दृष्टि; IAST:dṛṣṭi), or focused gaze, is a means for developing concentrated intention. It relates to the fifth limb of yoga (pratyahara) concerning sense withdrawal as well as the sixth limb dharana relating to concentration."
Drishti - Wikipedia


While doing various yoga postures the eyes gaze at and concentrate on eight specific parts of the body: 
middle of the thumb
eyes lowered, imagine gazing at third eye in the middle of the forehead
tip of the nose
palm of the hand and fingers
look to left side or right side
look upwards at sky or ceiling
navel
toes


"Simply speaking, drushti is sensitive awareness to that which you are doing. This has two aspects that are vital to every aspect of our practice. First it means bringing your mind to bear exactly on what you are doing. Not doing one thing while thinking another. This actually means learning not even to be thinking about what you are doing. Rather, just be doing it, feeling it. In the beginning we must think before we act. Then we act. Then think again. But we must learn to separate these two processes so that we can act with precision and clarity, without the distraction of thought. Eventually we will learn to trust the intelligence of the body and will be able to dispense with the thinking process more and more. Then our practice becomes meditation in action."

"The second aspect is to feel the effect of what we are doing. Not only at the point of the action itself, but throughout the whole structure of the body and the quality of the mind. We must feel its impact on the functioning of the body, breath and mind. We use this feedback to go deeper into the poses by making adjustments according to the four secondary techniques of asana, vinyasa, bandha and pranayama. Then through the dynamic created between our intention and our actions, a meditative awareness emerges."

- Godfrey Devereux, Dynamic Yoga, 1998, p. 24 

Seeing, Looking, Watching

Yoga:  Posture Lists, Research, Reading Lists, Notes   By Mike Garofalo

Meditation

Mike Garofalo's Yoga Classes in Red Bluff, California 

Qigong (Chi Kung)

Body-Mind: Theory and Practices


"Seeing is a gift that comes with practice."
-   Stephanie Mills   

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."
-  John Lubbock    

 

Taoist Immortals

Chronicles of Tao: The Secret Life of a Taoist Master. By Deng Ming-Dao. Harper One, 1993, 476 pages. VSCL. Biography of Kwan Sai Hung.  (1920-...)  A fictional Taoist Master/Immortal.  

"Some of the Masters of Mount Huashan were already addressed as "Immortal."  These were highly regarded individuals, agless in appearance.  Their titles meant "realized persons," signifying that the Masters has fulfilled, as a minimum requirement, the completion of internal alchemy for the sake of longevity, liberation from the cycle of transmigration, enlightened perception of the nature of life, astral travel, and the total memorization of the hundreds of volumes comprising the Taoist Canon." - Chronicles of Tao, p. 69  

Bat Immortal, Yin-Yan Immortals, Frog Immortal ...

Eight Immortals - Wikipedia

Xian - Wikipedia

Xian (Chinese: 仙/仚/僊; pinyin: xiān; Wade–Giles: hsien) refers to a person or similar entity having a long life or being immortal. The concept of xian has different implications dependent upon the specific context: philosophical, religious, mythological, or other symbolic or cultural occurrence. The Chinese word xian is translatable into English as:

• (in Daoist philosophy and cosmology) spiritually immortal; transcendent human; celestial being
• (in Daoist religion and pantheon) physically immortal; immortal person; an immortal; saint
• (in Chinese alchemy) alchemist; one who seeks the elixir of life; one who practices longevity techniques
  • (or by extension) alchemical, dietary, or qigong methods for attaining immortality
• (in Chinese mythology) wizard; magician; shaman; sorcerer
• (in popular Chinese literature) genie; elf, fairy; nymph; 仙境 (xian jing is fairyland, faery)
• (based on the folk etymology for the character 仙, a compound of the characters for person and mountain) sage living high in the mountains; mountain-man; hermit; recluse
• (as a metaphorical modifier) immortal [talent]; accomplished person; celestial [beauty]; marvelous; extraordinary
• (In new-age conception) seeker who takes refuge in immortality (longevity for the realization of divinity); transcended person [self] recoded by the "higher self"; divine soul; fully established being

Xian semantically developed from meaning spiritual "immortality; enlightenment", to physical "immortality; longevity" involving methods such as alchemy, breath meditation, and tai chi chuan, and eventually to legendary and figurative "immortality".

Victor H. Mair describes the xian archetype as:

They are immune to heat and cold, untouched by the elements, and can fly, mounting upward with a fluttering motion. They dwell apart from the chaotic world of man, subsist on air and dew, are not anxious like ordinary people, and have the smooth skin and innocent faces of children. The transcendents live an effortless existence that is best described as spontaneous. They recall the ancient Indian ascetics and holy men known as ṛṣi who possessed similar traits.^[1]

A Guide to Well-Being and Personality Growth

"The important elements of personality growth are probably the achievement of enlightened self-interest, self-direction, tolerance, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, flexibility, acceptance of reality, commitment, risk-taking, and self-acceptance.

People who are well-adjusted to themselves and to the social group with which they live are primarily devoted to being happy, gaining satisfaction, and avoiding truly noxious, painful, or depriving circumstances.  At the same time, they are also devoted to seeing that their fellow humans also survive and are reasonably happy.  While they are most interested in their own life and pleasure, they realize the importance of not needlessly stepping on others toes and unduly restricting their living space.  Consequently, they try to be non-harming to practically everyone, and select a relatively few individuals (because their time is limited) to actively befriend and care for.  They do not dishonestly pretend to be purely altruistic; but are authentically and realistically self-interested and socially interested, and therefore impose certain social restrictions on themselves.

People who have a mature and growing personality assume responsibility for their own thinking and living.  They are able to work independently at most of their problems, and while at times wanting or preferring the cooperation and help of others, do not need their support to create an inner sense of worthiness. 

Emotionally stable and growing people are highly tolerant of the desires and behaviors of other human beings, even though these may differ significantly from their own.  Even when others behave in a manner they consider to be mistaken or unethical, they acknowledge that because of people's essential fallibility, others have a right to be wrong.  While disliking or abhorring some of their partners' acts , tolerant people do not condemn them, as persons, for performing these unlikable acts.  The tend to accept the fact that all humans are remarkably error-prone, do not unrealistically expect others to be perfect, and refrain from despising or punishing others even when they make mistakes.

People who allow themselves room for growth tend to accept the fact that we live in a world of probability and chance, with no absolute certainties.  They demand no surefire predictions about the future and realize that it is not all horrible─indeed, it is in many ways fascinating and exciting─to live in a distinctly probabilistic, variable environment. 

The opposite of intolerance and the need for certainty is flexibility.  The emotionally growing individual consequently tends to be intellectually and emotionally labile, to be open to change, and to view without bigotry the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things that exist in the world.  The disturbed person, on the other hand, tends to be exceptionally narrow, rigid, and overly constrained.  Personality growth, in particular, would seem to be almost impossible to achieve if the individual is not open and flexible, for how can growing and remaining closed to change be compatible. 

What is usually called emotional disturbance and interference with personality growth stems largely from an unscientific, magical way of thinking─thinking that is particularly involved with irrational, dogmatic, and absolutist hypotheses.  If people would largely follow the scientific canons of reasoning in their personal lives, and would stop dogmatically musturbating, awfulizing, and whining about the many kinds of hassles and frustrations to which, as fallible humans, their are inevitably heir, they would not only rid themselves of much of their deep-seated feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, and hostility, but give themselves leeway to discover, with lack of prejudice, what they really enjoy in life and how they can truly grow as human beings.  Reason is indeed a limited faculty and may never quite solve all the mysteries of life.  But for maximum emotional functioning, people had better be fairly flexible, open, and scientific, and be able to apply scientific thinking not only to external people and events but also to themselves and their interpersonal relationships.

Emotionally healthy individuals are usually committed to some large life plan or goal─such as work, building a family, art, science, or sports.  When they have steady personality growth they tend to be vitally absorbed in some large goal outside of themselves, whether it be in the realm of people, things, or ideas.  And they frequently have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which is highly important to them and around which they structure a good portion of their lives. 

Emotionally sound people are able to take risks: to ask themselves what they would really like to do in life, and then endeavor to do it, even though they risk defeat or failure.  They try to be adventurous (though not necessarily foolhardy), are willing to chance almost anything once to see how they like it, and look forward to some breaks in their usual routines.  It this connection, it is interesting to note, that even some of the most self-actualizing and creative individuals spend so much of their time in routine, unadventurous pursuits that it takes something drastic, such as near death from a heart attack, to jolt them into a new sense of vital living and a greater degree of risk-taking to savor their existence.

Above all else, emotionally healthy and sane people are glad to be alive, and to full accept themselves just because they are alive, because they exist, and because (as living humans) they almost invariably have some power to enjoy themselves.  If they assess or rate themselves at all, they do so not on the basis of their extrinsic achievements or their popularity with others, but on the basis of their own existence─on their propensity to make an interesting, absorbing life for themselves."

-  Albert Ellis, The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.  1998, pages: 69-82. 
From the essay titled "Sex-Love Adventuring and Personality Growth,' 1972.  For more on his liberal views on sexual psychology and behaviors, refer to "Sex Without Guilt" (1956) or his many other forward thinking and very popular books on the subject of sexuality. 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Virtue Ethics

 

Cannon Cane: Eight Immortals Chen Taijiquan Cane Routine II

 

Eight Immortals Taijiquan Cane
Cannon Cane, Routine Two
Based on the Chen Style of Taijiquan
Created and Taught by Master Jesse Tsao, PhD.

List of Postures, Movements, Forms 

Section I

1.  Opening Form

2.  Lazily Tying Coat

3.  Six-Seal and Four Close
4.  Single Whip
5.  Striking Left and Right
6.  Wrapping Head with the Cane
7.  Uppercuts Left and Right
8.  Grand Eagle Spreads Wings
9.  Embracing the Moon
10.  Cat Catches Rat
11.  Golden Rooster Standing on One Foot
12.  Whipping Sleeves and Slamming Cane
13.  Overturn the Ocean 

Section II

14.  Dragon’s Tail Stirring Water
15.  Pinwheel Cane
16.  Fair Lady Works at Shuttles
17.  Batting a Home Run
18.  Ruthless Lord Holds Up Flag 

Section III

19.  Strike Low and Strike High
20.  Dragon Descends into Ocean
21.  Dragon Emerges from Water
22.  Parry Left and Right
23.  Turn-Around Strike
24.  Dragon Swings Tail
25.  Head Smashing Cane
26.  Lock Front Door 

Section IV 

27.  Black Bear Turns Around
28.  Lock Back Door
29.  Heart Thrusting Cane
30.  Waist Blocking Cane
31.  Crotch Striking Cane
32.  Head Striking Cane
33.  Dragon’s Head Up
34.  Dragon Coiling Around Pillar
35.  Wind Devil Cane
36.  Closing Form

 

Mastering Tai Chi Cane for Health and Self-Defense. By Jesse Tsao, PhD. Tai Chi Healthways, 2022, 225 pages.

Traditional Tai Chi Eight Immortals Cane, Routine 2 (Cannon Cane, Chen Style).  By Jesse Tsao, PhD.  Tai Chi Healthways, Instructional DVD 62 Minutes. 

Way of the Short Staff  By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.  A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons.  A detailed and annotated guide, bibliography, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons.  Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking.  Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and Magick of the short staff.  Includes "Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way."

 Cloud Hands Taijiquan, Valley Spirit Center, Fir Grove, Vancouver, Washington.  List by Michael P. Garofalo, September 24, 2022. 

Eight Immortals Taijiquan Cannon Cane Routine

1.  Opening Form  Section 1

2.  Lazily Tying Coat

3.  Six-Seal and Four Close
4.  Single Whip
5.  Striking Left and Right
6.  Wrapping Head with the Cane
7.  Uppercuts Left and Right
8.  Grand Eagle Spreads Wings
9.  Embracing the Moon
10.  Cat Catches Rat
11.  Golden Rooster Standing on One Foot
12.  Whipping Sleeves and Slamming Cane
13.  Overturn the Ocean

14.  Dragon’s Tail Stirring Water  Section 2
15.  Pinwheel Cane
16.  Fair Lady Works at Shuttles
17.  Batting a Home Run
18.  Ruthless Lord Holds Up Flag

19.  Strike Low and Strike High  Section 3
20.  Dragon Descends into Ocean
21.  Dragon Emerges from Water
22.  Parry Left and Right
23.  Turn-Around Strike
24.  Dragon Swings Tail
25.  Head Smashing Cane
26.  Lock Front Door

27.  Black Bear Turns Around  Section 4
28.  Lock Back Door
29.  Heart Thrusting Cane
30.  Waist Blocking Cane
31.  Crotch Striking Cane
32.  Head Striking Cane
33.  Dragon’s Head Up
34.  Dragon Coiling Around Pillar
35.  Wind Devil Cane
36.  Closing Form