Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Monday, June 01, 2026
Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 51
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 51
"The Way produces all things.
Power nourishes them.
Matter gives them physical form.
Environment shapes their abilities.
Therefore all things respect the Way and honor power.
The Way is respected, and power is honored
without anyone's order and always naturally.
Therefore the Way produces all things,
and power nourishes them,
caring for them and developing them,
sheltering them and comforting them,
nurturing them and protecting them,
producing them but not possessing them,
helping them but not obligating them,
guiding them but not controlling them.
This is mystical power."
- Translated by Sanderson Beck, Chapter 51
"A guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Natural kinds model it
and circumstances complete it.
For this reason, among the ten-thousand natural kinds,
None fail to respect a guide and value virtuosity.
This respecting of guides
and valuing of virtuosity
is not, in general, commanded in words instead it treats self-so as constant.
Hence a guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Acts as its elder, educates it,
shades it, poisons it,
nourishes it and returns it.
Gives rise to and not 'exist,'
Deem: act and not rely on anything.
Acts as elder and does not rule.
This would be called 'profound virtuosity.'"
- Translated by Chad Hansen, Chapter 51
"Tao produces them (all things);
Virtue feeds them;
All of them appear in different forms;
Each is perfect by being given power.
Therefore none of the numerous things does not honour Tao and esteem virtue.
The honouring of Tao and the esteem of virtue are done, not by command, but always of their own accord.
Therefore Tao produces them, makes them grow, nourishes them, shelters them, brings them up and protects them.
When all things come into being, Tao does not reject them.
It produces them without holding possession of them.
It acts without depending upon them, and raises them without lording it over them.
When merits are accomplished, it does not lay claim to them.
Because it does not lay claim to them, therefore it does not lose them."
- Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 51
道生之.
德畜之.
物形之.
勢成之.
是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德.
道之尊.
德之貴.
夫莫之命而常自然.
故道生之.
德畜之.
長之育之.
亭之毒之.
養之覆之.
生而不有.
為而不恃.
長而不宰.
是謂玄德.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51
tao shêng chih.
tê hsü chih.
wu hsing chih.
shih ch'êng chih.
shih yi wan wu mo pu tsun tao erh kuei tê.
tao chih tsun.
tê chih kuei.
fu mo chih ming erh ch'ang tzu jan.
ku tao shêng chih.
tê ch'u chih.
ch'ang chih yü chih.
t'ing chih tu chih.
yang chih fu chih.
shêng erh pu yu.
wei erh pu shih.
ch'ang erh pu tsai.
shih wei hsüan tê.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51
"Tao brings forth and Teh nourishes.
All things take up their several forms, and natural forces bring them to perfection.
Therefore all things conspire to exalt Tao and to cherish virtue.
But this regard of Tao and Teh is not in deference to any mandate.
It is unconstrained, and therefore it endures forever.
For Tao produces all things, and Teh nourishes, increases, feeds, matures, protects, and watches over them.
To produce without possessing; to work without expecting; top enlarge without usurping; this is the absolute virtue!"
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 51
"Tao gives all things life
Te gives them fulfillment
Nature is what shapes them
Living is what brings them to completion
Every creature honours Tao and worships Te not by force but through its own living and breathing
Though Tao gives life to all things
Te is what cultivates them
Te is that magic power which raises and rears them completes and prepares them comforts and protects them
To create without owning
To give without expecting
To fill without claiming
This is the profound expression of Tao
The highest perfection of Te"
- Translated by Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 51
"El Tao engendra.
La virtud nutre.
La materia conforma.
La Energía perfecciona.
Por esto, los diez mil seres
respetan al Tao
y honran la virtud.
Este respeto al Tao y honor a la Virtud
no ha de ser impuesto por nadie, sino que es espontáneo,
por ser la propia naturaleza.
Porque el Tao los engendra,
la virtud los nutre,
los hace crecer, los perfecciona,
los conserva, los madura
y los protege.
Engendrar y criar,
Engendrar sin apropiarse,
Obrar sin pedir nada a cambio,
Guiar sin dominar,
Esta es la Gran Virtud."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 51
"The Tao gives birth to all of creation.
The virtue of Tao in nature nurtures them,
and their families give them their form.
Their environment then shapes them into completion.
That is why every creature honors the Tao and its virtue.
No one tells them to honor the Tao and its virtue,
it happens all by itself.
So the Tao gives them birth,
and its virtue cultivates them,
cares for them,
nurtures them,
gives them a place of refuge and peace,
helps them to grow and shelters them.
It gives them life without wanting to posses them,
and cares for them expecting nothing in return.
It is their master, but it does not seek to dominate them.
This is called the dark and mysterious virtue."
- Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 51
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
Tao Te Ching English Language Corncordance by Gerold Claser. An excellent English language concordance providing terms, chapter and line references, and the proximal English language text. No Chinese language characters or Wade-Giles or Pinyin Romanizations. Based on the translation by John H. McDonald, available on the Internet in the public domain.
Chapter 51
"The Way produces all things.
Power nourishes them.
Matter gives them physical form.
Environment shapes their abilities.
Therefore all things respect the Way and honor power.
The Way is respected, and power is honored
without anyone's order and always naturally.
Therefore the Way produces all things,
and power nourishes them,
caring for them and developing them,
sheltering them and comforting them,
nurturing them and protecting them,
producing them but not possessing them,
helping them but not obligating them,
guiding them but not controlling them.
This is mystical power."
- Translated by Sanderson Beck, Chapter 51
"A guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Natural kinds model it
and circumstances complete it.
For this reason, among the ten-thousand natural kinds,
None fail to respect a guide and value virtuosity.
This respecting of guides
and valuing of virtuosity
is not, in general, commanded in words instead it treats self-so as constant.
Hence a guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Acts as its elder, educates it,
shades it, poisons it,
nourishes it and returns it.
Gives rise to and not 'exist,'
Deem: act and not rely on anything.
Acts as elder and does not rule.
This would be called 'profound virtuosity.'"
- Translated by Chad Hansen, Chapter 51
"Tao produces them (all things);
Virtue feeds them;
All of them appear in different forms;
Each is perfect by being given power.
Therefore none of the numerous things does not honour Tao and esteem virtue.
The honouring of Tao and the esteem of virtue are done, not by command, but always of their own accord.
Therefore Tao produces them, makes them grow, nourishes them, shelters them, brings them up and protects them.
When all things come into being, Tao does not reject them.
It produces them without holding possession of them.
It acts without depending upon them, and raises them without lording it over them.
When merits are accomplished, it does not lay claim to them.
Because it does not lay claim to them, therefore it does not lose them."
- Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 51
道生之.
德畜之.
物形之.
勢成之.
是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德.
道之尊.
德之貴.
夫莫之命而常自然.
故道生之.
德畜之.
長之育之.
亭之毒之.
養之覆之.
生而不有.
為而不恃.
長而不宰.
是謂玄德.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51
tao shêng chih.
tê hsü chih.
wu hsing chih.
shih ch'êng chih.
shih yi wan wu mo pu tsun tao erh kuei tê.
tao chih tsun.
tê chih kuei.
fu mo chih ming erh ch'ang tzu jan.
ku tao shêng chih.
tê ch'u chih.
ch'ang chih yü chih.
t'ing chih tu chih.
yang chih fu chih.
shêng erh pu yu.
wei erh pu shih.
ch'ang erh pu tsai.
shih wei hsüan tê.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51
"Tao brings forth and Teh nourishes.
All things take up their several forms, and natural forces bring them to perfection.
Therefore all things conspire to exalt Tao and to cherish virtue.
But this regard of Tao and Teh is not in deference to any mandate.
It is unconstrained, and therefore it endures forever.
For Tao produces all things, and Teh nourishes, increases, feeds, matures, protects, and watches over them.
To produce without possessing; to work without expecting; top enlarge without usurping; this is the absolute virtue!"
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 51
"Tao gives all things life
Te gives them fulfillment
Nature is what shapes them
Living is what brings them to completion
Every creature honours Tao and worships Te not by force but through its own living and breathing
Though Tao gives life to all things
Te is what cultivates them
Te is that magic power which raises and rears them completes and prepares them comforts and protects them
To create without owning
To give without expecting
To fill without claiming
This is the profound expression of Tao
The highest perfection of Te"
- Translated by Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 51
"El Tao engendra.
La virtud nutre.
La materia conforma.
La Energía perfecciona.
Por esto, los diez mil seres
respetan al Tao
y honran la virtud.
Este respeto al Tao y honor a la Virtud
no ha de ser impuesto por nadie, sino que es espontáneo,
por ser la propia naturaleza.
Porque el Tao los engendra,
la virtud los nutre,
los hace crecer, los perfecciona,
los conserva, los madura
y los protege.
Engendrar y criar,
Engendrar sin apropiarse,
Obrar sin pedir nada a cambio,
Guiar sin dominar,
Esta es la Gran Virtud."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 51
"The Tao gives birth to all of creation.
The virtue of Tao in nature nurtures them,
and their families give them their form.
Their environment then shapes them into completion.
That is why every creature honors the Tao and its virtue.
No one tells them to honor the Tao and its virtue,
it happens all by itself.
So the Tao gives them birth,
and its virtue cultivates them,
cares for them,
nurtures them,
gives them a place of refuge and peace,
helps them to grow and shelters them.
It gives them life without wanting to posses them,
and cares for them expecting nothing in return.
It is their master, but it does not seek to dominate them.
This is called the dark and mysterious virtue."
- Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 51
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
Tao Te Ching English Language Corncordance by Gerold Claser. An excellent English language concordance providing terms, chapter and line references, and the proximal English language text. No Chinese language characters or Wade-Giles or Pinyin Romanizations. Based on the translation by John H. McDonald, available on the Internet in the public domain.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye by Zen Master Dogen
Zen Master Eihei Dogen Zenji (1200-1253)
Japanese founder of Soto Zen School Tradition.
Teacher, abbot, essayist, poet, Zen philosopher
His collected works are called The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Shobogenzo.
I first read Dogen's works in the book Moon in a Dewdrop translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi (1995, 368 pages); and in the book Rational Zen: the Mind of Dogen Zenji translated by Thomas Clearly (2001, 232 pages.)
I have read, studied, and adopted much from my study of Zen Buddhist literature since I was 14 years old. I am a philosopher, but I have a interest in Taoism, and associated practices like some in Zen Buddhism.
Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross's four volume translation of the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Shobogenzo in 2021.
Unfortunately, the Kindle Version of Nishijima is very poor, and cheap ($7.00), so I purchased the paperback copies at $18.00 - $27.00 each.
The new Kazuaki Tanahashi Kindle version of the Treasury of the True Dharm Eve, Shobogenco (2013, 1280 pages) is excellent, at a cost of $60.00. The hardbound version is $75.00, very heavy, big, like a large family Bible on a coffee table. So, I'll purchase one volume of Nishijima's translation per month at $25.00 each. And, then get Tanahashi in the Kindle version as money permits.
Here is an 2008 Amazon review by by Ted Beriginer of Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross's four volume translation of the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Shobogenzo in 2021.
"If you have not read Books 1 through 4 of this translation of the 95 chapter edition of Shobogenzo, do it now! If you have read them, do it again!
Gudo Nishijima and Mike (Chodo) Cross's four volume translation of the 13th century Zen master Eihei Dogen's masterpiece marked the first English language translation of the entire 95 chapter version of Shobogenzo - The True Dharma-Eye Treasury (excepting the nearly useless translation by Kosen Nishiyama and John Stevens).
By opting for a more "literal" rather than "interpretive" rendition, the translators have realized a monumental achievement by furnishing English readers with a reliable text that is certain to be invaluable for generations.
This set is also packed with a wide selection of reference material, or "Aids to the Reader", including a translation of The Heart Sutra, Dogen's Fukanzazengi, and a generous selection of passages from the Lotus Sutra, Glossaries, a variety of tables offering data on everything from The Works of Dogen, to equivalents of Chinese/Japanese/Sanskrit/English.
The extensive footnotes, while occasionally offering some overly "interpretive" (read: sectarian), provide readers with a vast amount of supplemental information with lucid explanations concerning cultural context, alternate readings, sources for material quoted in the body of the text, biographical (historical and traditional) information on personages appearing in the text, and much more.
Book 1 - Table of Contents
[1] BENDOWA - A Talk about Pursuing the Truth
[2] MAKA-HANNYA-HARAMITSU - Maha-prajna-paramita
[3] GENJO-KOAN - The Realized Universe
[4] IKKA-NO-MYOJU - One Bright Pearl
[5] JU-UNDO-SHIKI - Rules for the Hall of Heavy Cloud
[6] SOKU-SHIN-ZE-BUTSU - Mind Here and Now Is Buddha
[7] SENJO - Washing
[8] RAIHAI-TOKUZUI - Prostrating to Attainment of the Marrow
[9] KEISEI-SANSHIKI - The Voices of the River-Valley and the Form of the Mountains
[10] SHOAKU-MAKUSA - Not Doing Wrongs
[11] UJI - Existence-Time
[12] KESA-KUDOKU - The Merit of the Kasaya
[13] DEN-E - The Transmission of the Robe
[14] SANSUIGYO - The Sutra of Mountains and Water
[15] BUSSO - The Buddhist Patriarchs
[16] SHISHO - The Certificate of Succession
[17] HOKKE-TEN-HOKKE - The Flower of Dharma Turns the Flower of Dharma
[18] SHIN-FUKATOKU - Mind Cannot Be Grasped [The former]
[19] SHIN-FUKATOKU - Mind Cannot Be Grasped [The latter]
[20] KOKYO - The Eternal Mirror
[21] KANKIN - Reading Sutras
Book 2 - Table of Contents
[22] BUSSHO - The Buddha-nature
[23] GYOBUTSU-YUIGI - The Dignified Behavior of Acting Buddha
[24] BUKKYO - The Buddha's Teaching
[25] JINZU - Mystical Power
[26] DAIGO - Great Realization
[27] ZAZENSHIN - A Needle for Zazen
[28] BUTSU-KOJO-NO-JI - The Matter of the Ascendant State of Buddha
[29] INMO - It
[30] GYOJI - [Pure] Conduct and Observance [of Precepts] - Parts 1 & 2
[31] KAI-IN-ZANMAI - Samadhi, State Like the Sea
[32] JUKI - Affirmation
[33] KANNON - Avalokitesvara
[34] ARAKAN - The Arhat
[35] HAKUJUSHI - Cedar Trees
[36] KOMYO - Brightness
[37] SHINJIN-GAKUDO - Learning the Truth with Body and Mind
[38] MUCHU-SETSUMU - Preaching a Dream in a Dream
[39] DOTOKU - Expressing the Truth
[40] GABYO - A Picture of Rice Cake
[41] ZENKI - All Functions
Book 3 - Table of Contents
[42] TSUKI - The Moon
[43] KUGE - Flowers in Space
[44] KOBUSSHIN - The Mind of Eternal Buddhas
[45] BODAISATTA-SHISHOBO - Four Elements of a Bodhisattva's Social Relations
[46] KATTO - The Complicated
[47] SANGAI-YUISHIN - The Triple World is Only the Mind
[48] SESSHIN-SESSHO - Expounding the Mind & Expounding the Nature
[49] BUTSUDO - The Buddhist Truth
[50] SHOHO-JISSO - All Dharmas are Real Form
[51] MITSUGO - Secret Talk
[52] BUKKYO - The Buddhist Sutras
[53] MUJO-SEPPO - The Non-Emotional Preaches the Dharma
[54] HOSSHO - The Dharma-nature
[55] DARANI - Dharani
[56] SENMEN - Washing the Face
[57] MENJU - The Face-to-Face Transmission
[58] ZAZENGI - The Standard Method of Zazen
[59] BAIKE - Plum Blossoms
[60] JUPPO - The Ten Directions
[61] KENBUTSU - Meeting Buddha
[62] HENSAN - Thorough Exploration
[63] GANZEI - Eyes
[64] KAJO - Everyday Life
[65] RYUGIN - The Moaning of Dragons
[66] SHUNJU - Spring and Autumn
[67] SOSHI-SAIRAI-NO-I - The Ancestral Master's Intention in Coming from the West
[68] UDONGE - The Udumbara Flower
[69] HOTSU-MUJOSHIN - Establishment of the Will to the Supreme
[70] HOTSU-BODAISHIN - Establishment of the Bodhi-mind
[71] NYORAI-ZENSHIN - The Whole Body of the Tathagata
[72] ZANMAI-O-ZANMAI - The Samadhi That Is King of Samadhis
[73] SANJUSHICHI-BON-BODAI-BUNBO - The Thirty-seven Auxiliary Bodhi Methods
[74] TEMBORIN - Turning the Dharma Wheel
[75] JISHO ZANMAI - Samadhi as Self Experience
[76] DAI SHUGYO - Great Practice
[77] KOKU - Space
[78] HATSU-U - The Patra
[79] ANGO - The Retreat
[80] TASHINTSU - The Power to Know Others' Minds
[81] O SAKU SENDABA - A King's Seeking of Saindhava
[82] JI-KUIN-MON - Sentences To Be Shown in the Kitchen Hall
[83] SHUKKE - Leaving Family Life
[84] SANJI-NO-GO - Karma in Three Times
[85] SHIME - The Four Horses
[86] SHUKKE-KUDOKU - The Merit of Leaving Family Life
[87] KUYO-SHOBUTSU - Serving Offerings to Buddhas
[88] KIE-SANBO - Taking Refuge in the Three Treasures
[89] SHINJIN-INGA - Deep Belief in Cause and Effect
[90] SHIZEN-BIKU - The Bhiksu in the Fourth Dhyana
[91] YUI-BUTSU-YO-BUTSU - Buddhas Alone, Together With Buddhas
[92] SHOJI - Life-and-Death
[93] DOSHIN - The Will to the Truth
[94] JUKAI - Receiving the Precepts
[95] HACHI-DAININGAKU - The Eight Truths of a Great Human Being
[Appendix 1] BUTSU-KOJO-NO-JI - The Matter of the Ascendant State of Buddha."
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Luohan Chi Kung
Luohan Qigong, Lohan Qigong, Luohan Gong, Lohan Gong, 18 Buddha Hands
Shaolin Buddhist Qigong
Resources, Lessons, History, Links, Bibliography, Notes, Research http://www.egreenway.com/qigong/lohan.htm
"One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), a famous Grand Master of Chan (Zen),introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple. These are known as the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan. This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (i.e., the art of the breath of the enlightened ones), "is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit)," according to Howard Choy. The Kung Fu master, Sifu Wong Kiew-Kit, referring to the Shaolin Wahnam style, says "the first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade." There are numerous versions,seated and standing, of Bodhiidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set. Some versions of the 18 Lohan (Luohan) Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Eight Section Brocade (330Kb)
For a comparison of some of the exercises in the Lohan Qigong with the Eight Section Brocade see my chart on the topic.
The Luohan Qigong includes a massage or patting training methods, and this is especially popular among Yin Fu Bagua enthusiasts. Master Xie Pei Qi has a DVD out on the topic.
Resources, Lessons, History, Links, Bibliography, Notes, Research http://www.egreenway.com/qigong/lohan.htm
"One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), a famous Grand Master of Chan (Zen),introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple. These are known as the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan. This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (i.e., the art of the breath of the enlightened ones), "is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit)," according to Howard Choy. The Kung Fu master, Sifu Wong Kiew-Kit, referring to the Shaolin Wahnam style, says "the first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade." There are numerous versions,seated and standing, of Bodhiidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set. Some versions of the 18 Lohan (Luohan) Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Eight Section Brocade (330Kb)
For a comparison of some of the exercises in the Lohan Qigong with the Eight Section Brocade see my chart on the topic.
The Luohan Qigong includes a massage or patting training methods, and this is especially popular among Yin Fu Bagua enthusiasts. Master Xie Pei Qi has a DVD out on the topic.
Friday, May 29, 2026
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Doors
The Door
By Charles Tomlinson (1927-2015)
Too little
has been said
Of the door, it’s one
face turned to the night’s
downpour and its other
to the shift and glistens of firelight.
Air, clasped
by this cover
into the room’s book,
is filled by the turning
pages of dark and fire
as the wind shoulders the panels,
or unsteadies that burning.
Not only
the storm’s
breakwater, but the sudden
frontier to our concurrences, appearances,
and as full of the offer of space
as the view through a cromlech is.
For doors
are both frame and monument
to our spent time,
and too little
has been said
of our coming through and leaving by them.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
R. H. Blyth (1898-1964)
I first read R. H. Blyth from books borrowed from the Montebello Regional Library of the Los Angeles County Public Library System in 1961. There is an excellent Asian-Pacific Resource Center at the Montebello Library. I was much influenced by writers like Blyth, Suzuki, Watts, Reps, and Chinese/Japanese literature and classics I borrowed from the Montebello Library.
I was attending Cantwell Catholic High School in Montebello from 1959-1963. I walked and used local buses for transportation. I lived in the Bandini barrio of East Los Angeles near the intersection of the Atlantic and Washington Boulevards.
Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964)
Bibliography, Biography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Comments, Influence, Zen, Haiku
Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo
"These are some of the characteristics of the state of mind which the creation and appreciation of haiku demand: Selflessness, Loneliness, Grateful Acceptance, Wordlessness, Non-intellectuality, Contradictoriness, Humor, Freedom, Non-morality, Simplicity, Materiality, Love, and Courage."
- Haiku, Volume One, p. 154
"The love of nature is religion, and that religion is poetry; these three things are one thing. This is the unspoken creed of haiku poets."
- History of Haiku, Vol. One, Introduction, 8.5
"The object of our lives is to look at, listen to, touch, taste things. Without them, - these sticks, stones, feathers, shells, - there is no Deity."
- R. H. Blyth, Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics, p. 144.
"The sun shines, snow falls, mountains rise and valleys sink, night deepens and pales into day, but it is only very seldom that we attend to such things ... When we are grasping the inexpressible meaning of these things, this is life, this is living. To do this twenty-four hours a day is the Way of Haiku. It is having life more abundantly."
- R. H. Blyth, Haiku, Volume One, p. 11
I later worked as a librarian, branch manager, regional and system audio-visual coordinator, and finally as the Regional Administrator of 22 libraries in the East Region, East San Gabriel Valley area. I worked for the County Public Library from 1974-1998.
I enjoyed Blyth's writings for their playful humor, sensitivity to nature, humanity, and insightful and quirky comparisons of literary and classical works.
Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964)
Bibliography, Biography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Comments, Influence, Zen, Haiku
Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo
"These are some of the characteristics of the state of mind which the creation and appreciation of haiku demand: Selflessness, Loneliness, Grateful Acceptance, Wordlessness, Non-intellectuality, Contradictoriness, Humor, Freedom, Non-morality, Simplicity, Materiality, Love, and Courage."
- Haiku, Volume One, p. 154
"The love of nature is religion, and that religion is poetry; these three things are one thing. This is the unspoken creed of haiku poets."
- History of Haiku, Vol. One, Introduction, 8.5
"The object of our lives is to look at, listen to, touch, taste things. Without them, - these sticks, stones, feathers, shells, - there is no Deity."
- R. H. Blyth, Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics, p. 144.
"The sun shines, snow falls, mountains rise and valleys sink, night deepens and pales into day, but it is only very seldom that we attend to such things ... When we are grasping the inexpressible meaning of these things, this is life, this is living. To do this twenty-four hours a day is the Way of Haiku. It is having life more abundantly."
- R. H. Blyth, Haiku, Volume One, p. 11
A repost from 2006.
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Tao Te Ching Chapter 40 Dao De Jing
Daodejing, Laozi
Chapter 40
"The movement of the Tao
By contraries proceeds;
And weakness marks the course
Of Tao's mighty deeds.
All things under heaven sprang from It as existing and named.
That existence sprang from It as non-existent and not named."
- Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 40
"Reversion is the action of Tao.
Gentleness is the function of Tao.
The things of this world come from Being,
And Being (comes) from Non-being."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 40
Gentleness is the function of Tao.
The things of this world come from Being,
And Being (comes) from Non-being."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 40
The only useful quality, weakness.
For though all creatures under heaven are the products of Being,
Being itself is the product of Not-being."
- Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 40
"Reversion is the action of the Dao.
Softness is the function of the Dao.
The myriad things under Heaven achieve life in existence.
Existence arises from nothingness."
- Translation Richard Lynn, Chapter 40
反者道之動.
弱者道之用.
天下萬物生於有.
有生於無.
- Chinese Characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 40
fan zhe dao zhi dong,
ruo zhe dao zhi yong.
tian xia wan wu sheng yu you.
you sheng yu wu.
- Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 40
"The movement of Tao in the course of time is to return to Simplicity;
The working of Tao is so subtle that is ostensible effect may not be immediately noticeable.
Myriad things and creatures on Earth were originated from something;
This something describable by us was launched ultimately from nothing which is beyond our description."
- Translated by Lee Sun Chen Org, Chapter 40
"Interaction of the opposites is the sphere of Tao activity.
The Highest Subtlety is one of the most important qualities of Tao.
It is opposed by coarse qualities of evil people.
All the development of incarnate beings goes on in interaction of these opposites.
Yet, the very world of matter originated from the Subtlest Source."
- Translated by Mikhail Nilolenko, Chapter 40
"El movimiento del Tao es retornar;
El uso del Tao es aceptar;
Todas las cosas derivan del Tao,
El Tao no deriva de ninguna."
- Translated by Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 1998, Capitulo 40
"The movement of the Tao is a returning,
And weakness marks its course, to our discerning,
But heaven and earth and everything from its existence came,
And existence, from the non-existent spurning."
- Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 40
- Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 40
"Tao moves in cycles;
Tao functions through softness.
All is born of nothing.
Something is born of nothing."
- Translated by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981, Chapter 40
Tao functions through softness.
All is born of nothing.
Something is born of nothing."
- Translated by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981, Chapter 40
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 includes a Google Translate option menu for reading the entire webpage in many other languages. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching [246 CE Wang Bi version] includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms (concordance) 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, links, research leads, translator sources, and other resources for that Chapter.
A Top Tier online free resource for English and Spanish readers, researchers, Daoist devotees, scholars, students, fans and fellow travelers on the Way.
Chapter 40, 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
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
Monday, May 25, 2026
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Enlightened in Many Ways
Repost ffrom 8/27/2016:
"Supreme Awareness (Chiti, Brahmin, Self, Supreme Auspiciousness) is most often explained using the metaphor of 'light.' Light, and by comparison 'consciousness,' is illuminating, brilliant, bright, shining, luminous, allows us to see, provides visions, can be enlightened, shows the Way. Understanding is a function of seeing, looking, and insight. Light is associated with life, growth, energy, and warmth. Consciousness can be clear, focused, split up, diffused, shadowy, opaque, and magnified. Numerous religions have considered the sun to be a divine being, or their gods and goddesses to give off light, energy, warmth, and to light the way for us. Evil beings keep us in darkness, steal the light away, burn us up or freeze us, or are the Prince of Darkness."
- Mike Garofalo
Sunshine Power. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
"Sunlight bestows a whopping 12.2 trillion watt-hours per square mile per year. The solar energy hitting the earth per year exceeds the total energy in all forms consumed by humanity per year by a factor of over 20,000 times."
- How Much Solar Energy Hits the Earth? From EcoWorld: Nature and Technology in Harmony.
"At first a small line of inconceivable splendor emerged on the horizon, which, quickly expanding, the sun appeared in all of his glory, unveiling the whole face of nature, vivifying every color of the landscape, and sprinkling the dewy earth with glittering light."
- Ann Reacliffe
The Ancient Four Elements Fire (Sun), Earth (Soil), Air, Water
"Supreme Awareness (Chiti, Brahmin, Self, Supreme Auspiciousness) is most often explained using the metaphor of 'light.' Light, and by comparison 'consciousness,' is illuminating, brilliant, bright, shining, luminous, allows us to see, provides visions, can be enlightened, shows the Way. Understanding is a function of seeing, looking, and insight. Light is associated with life, growth, energy, and warmth. Consciousness can be clear, focused, split up, diffused, shadowy, opaque, and magnified. Numerous religions have considered the sun to be a divine being, or their gods and goddesses to give off light, energy, warmth, and to light the way for us. Evil beings keep us in darkness, steal the light away, burn us up or freeze us, or are the Prince of Darkness."
- Mike Garofalo
Sunshine Power. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
"Sunlight bestows a whopping 12.2 trillion watt-hours per square mile per year. The solar energy hitting the earth per year exceeds the total energy in all forms consumed by humanity per year by a factor of over 20,000 times."
- How Much Solar Energy Hits the Earth? From EcoWorld: Nature and Technology in Harmony.
"At first a small line of inconceivable splendor emerged on the horizon, which, quickly expanding, the sun appeared in all of his glory, unveiling the whole face of nature, vivifying every color of the landscape, and sprinkling the dewy earth with glittering light."
- Ann Reacliffe
The Ancient Four Elements Fire (Sun), Earth (Soil), Air, Water
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Friday, May 22, 2026
Pulling Onions Again
Freedom opens a few doors and closes many
more.
My mind is a sea I cannot see into; I merely skim along its surface.
I think, therefore I am a living person; dead bodies don't display thinking, just stinking.
Sometimes the present alters our interpretation of the past; most often the past surrounds and infects the present.
Wherever I go, something new becomes me.
Be careful not to stand up for that which will cause your downfall.
God may be very smart, but he is a poor communicator.
What ought to be cannot be derived from what is the case, but a reasonable person ought not to ignore what is the case.
I can admire a few great persons or heroes, but seldom have much desire to try and imitate them.
Disrespect and contempt for the body is a common trump card for spiritualists; but, our game of life does not use trump cards.
Nonsense can sometimes improve our sense and senses.
Prohibitions focus our aim on better choices and actions.
Don't sell the present short on the promises of "when."
Most tire from hatefulness; cheerfulness is abiding.
Stubborn facts are loosened up with novelty.
A sure path to the perversion of truth is to make it a belief.
The act, the deed, the doing are the primary considerations.
My body gave birth to my mind, is in my mind, and my body-mind thrives in our world of lived experiences.
Objectivity is a product of our agreements, and an important feature of my imagination.
R. Buckminster-Fuller once suggested that "God is a verb, not a noun." Which verb? Pretending? Storytelling? Fantasizing? Believing?
My consciousness is a vegetable soup, and the water in the soup is what I do.
Yes, I am just this and that; but, I am also not just that and this.
Hearing the cat purr when we pet them gently matters far more to us than whether the cat's fur is black, white, or orange.
If you think you are damned if you do or damned if you don't, your not thinking creatively enough.
The ten thousand things are more enchanting than the Silent One.
To lift the mind, move the body.
Pulling Onions: The Quips and Sayings of an Old Gardener. Over 840 quotes. By Mike Garofalo
My mind is a sea I cannot see into; I merely skim along its surface.
I think, therefore I am a living person; dead bodies don't display thinking, just stinking.
Sometimes the present alters our interpretation of the past; most often the past surrounds and infects the present.
Wherever I go, something new becomes me.
Be careful not to stand up for that which will cause your downfall.
God may be very smart, but he is a poor communicator.
What ought to be cannot be derived from what is the case, but a reasonable person ought not to ignore what is the case.
I can admire a few great persons or heroes, but seldom have much desire to try and imitate them.
Disrespect and contempt for the body is a common trump card for spiritualists; but, our game of life does not use trump cards.
Nonsense can sometimes improve our sense and senses.
Prohibitions focus our aim on better choices and actions.
Don't sell the present short on the promises of "when."
Most tire from hatefulness; cheerfulness is abiding.
Stubborn facts are loosened up with novelty.
A sure path to the perversion of truth is to make it a belief.
The act, the deed, the doing are the primary considerations.
My body gave birth to my mind, is in my mind, and my body-mind thrives in our world of lived experiences.
Objectivity is a product of our agreements, and an important feature of my imagination.
R. Buckminster-Fuller once suggested that "God is a verb, not a noun." Which verb? Pretending? Storytelling? Fantasizing? Believing?
My consciousness is a vegetable soup, and the water in the soup is what I do.
Yes, I am just this and that; but, I am also not just that and this.
Hearing the cat purr when we pet them gently matters far more to us than whether the cat's fur is black, white, or orange.
If you think you are damned if you do or damned if you don't, your not thinking creatively enough.
The ten thousand things are more enchanting than the Silent One.
To lift the mind, move the body.
Pulling Onions: The Quips and Sayings of an Old Gardener. Over 840 quotes. By Mike Garofalo
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