Nothing New to Say

“Nullum est iam dictum quod non dictum sit prius.
Nothing is said that hasn’t been said before.”
- Terence, Eunuchus

Actually, plenty remains to the said about what
has not been said before and what has been said before.

“Everything has been thought of before, but the difficulty is to think of it again.”
- Goethe

Added a couple of new poses to the Valley Spirit Hatha Yoga Glossary.

Wild Goose Qigong

At this time of year, we enjoy the many geese and ducks flying south to find food and warmth in the great wet valleys of California. Out of the darkened cloudy skies come the sounds of thunder and the quacking of those from the winged world. Their return marks the heart of winter - a time of great beauty.

I've been enjoying the practice of the Wild Goose Qigong. Numerous books videos/DVDs, and workshops provide opportunities for learning part or all of this beneficial and lovely qigong form.


"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves
of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is a
symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds,
the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of
nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring
after the winter. The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural
world...are available to anyone who will place himself under the
influence of earth, sea and sky and their amazing life."
- Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Green Way Wisdom - Beauty

Chuan Fa

"The Tang Chinese equivalent for the title Vajramukti (Chinese: Chuan Fa; Japanese: Kempo) was a nominal approximation used by monks for that section of the Buddhist Vajramukti art concerned with ritualized movement practices which contained the principles of health preservation, weaponless self-defense and meditative insight.

"Fearful that the Buddha might die without teaching some vital important principle, one of his disciples asked him if there was any other teaching he had not so far shown them. The Buddha replied by taking up a handful of leaves from the ground and asking the disciple whether these leaves in his hand were greater in number than the leaves on the forest they were in. When the disciple replied that there were more leaves upon the trees than those in his hand, the Buddha said so it was with his teaching. What he had shown his disciples was compared to the leaves in his hand. What he could have taught, he compared to the leaves upon the trees in the forest.
The Buddha then said he did not have the clasped hand (Chinese: chuan shou) of the teacher, but rather he had the open hand (Chinese: kai shou) of a Buddha. Though there were many doctrines, he had concerned himself only with what was most important for those around him to attain enlightenment.

Thus, the term "clasped hand" used here (chuan) was thought to be appropriate to describe the Vajramukti method, as its mastery was considered an esoteric and difficult to understand lineage practice, taught by a few masters to even fewer students. By comparison, the ordinary (exoteric) teaching of the Buddha was an "open-handed teaching' (Chinese: kai shou fa).
The word chuan is etymologically related to the ideograph used to describe a manuscript text (also pronounced chuan) but using slightly different characters. We often find accounts of the Chinese Buddhist Sutras existing in two or more chuan for it is a term identifying a document which, have been written on manuscript paper is rolled up or folder, for protection and storage. This "turning inward to protect" action of the paper is what is meant by the title chuan for a written work. The ideography for clasped hand (chuan) also describes this same type of action in the fingers.

The suffix fa was the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit term dharma (teachings of the Buddha). Such a suffix was commonly used throughout Chinese Buddhism to represent not just the teachings themselves but all the arts, crafts, and practices associated with them. Thus it could also mean the techniques, methods, or manners of practice."

- Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio (Terence Dukes), The Bodhisattva Warriors, 1994, pp. 184-185. A scholarly presentation of these topics.

Zhang Sanfeng

"Hi Mike, that post about Chan San-Feng: Sure he has become a mythical figure, but so has Jesus, and look what is said about everything he did! I think that Chan San-Feng did exist, as Taijiquan was passed from Master to Student heart to heart, so it must have started in a human heart. It is just that the early forms of religion were magical and mythical in nature - in the verbal story telling tradition. I am sure they were both real characters. I have also studied San-Feng Taijiquan from the Wudang tradition with Máster Tian Liyang from Wudang since 2000. So, I have a bit of direct background knowledge, mostly it is in German. If you want to know more about the subject I can recommend Wudang – Mountain of the Immortals from Abbot Wang Guangde, which also has an English version. Also, it seems strange to talk about complete attentiveness and have the post full of typing mistakes. Also, why don't you switch the comments on? I think it a bit unfair to make comments without giving the chance for an open discussion. You can always delete spam, or offensive posts. You can take that as a criticism! Other than that, keep up the good work... Qigongweg: Notes about Qigong and Taiqiquan in German. Regards, Philip Stanley" Thanks for the feedback, Philip. Blogger has no built in spell-checker. I've tried the java script spell checker "i-spell" with unsatisfactory results. I'm looking for something that can work with both Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Suggestions? I agree that I should strive for correct spelling. Also, when I copy and paste text, I sometimes forget to check the grammar and/or spelling of the original author. I turned on the comments to the Cloud Hands Blog today. Generally, when I've used it before, I got mostly spam in the blog and more spam in my inbox. I'll try it for awhile again, but probably will turn it off. People can always send me email, and I answer nearly all email. Master Chang San-Feng may indeed have lived, contributed to the development of Taijiquan, and contributed in other ways. Like Jesus, however, people in later times make some claims about the deeds and thoughts of these people that are judged by me as false on the basis of common sense and the analysis of the arguments of expert historians. Neither Jesus Christ or Master Chang San-Feng are my role models for living, but I respect their influence which seems very positive in many ways. Thank you for the reference source to Máster Tian Liyang from Wudang - I will add it to the Zhang San-feng webpage. The great Taoist tradition from Wudang Mountain is without question one of the five most important sources for Taijiquan philosophy, practices, and lore. I enjoy the stories told about these wise men. The marvelous stories are full of mystery, awe, delight, and magic. Taoist Master Zhang Sanfeng is also credited with revealing the mysteries of the Taiji spear. Here is that story: "Zhang Sanfeng saw a burst of golden light where the clouds meet the mist-shrouded peaks. A thousand rays of marvelous qi spun and danced in the Great Void. The Immortal [Zhang Sanfeng] hurried to the spot but saw nothing. He searched where the golden light had touched down and found a mountain stream and cave. Approaching the mouth of the cave, two golden snakes with flashing eyes emerged. The Immortal swished his duster and the golden light came down. He gazed on it and realized that it was two long spears about seven feet five inches. They seemed to be made of rattan, but were not rattan; seemed of wood, but were not of wood. Their quality was such that swords could not harm them and they could be soft or hard at will. A rare glow emanated from within [the cave], and looking deeper, he found a book. Its title was Taiji Stick-Adhere Spear and its destiny was to be transmitted to the world. He grasped the principles of the book and analyzed all of its marvels. All of the words in the book were written in the form of poems and songs. Today we cannot understand all the principles and marvels of the spear, but Master Zhang extracted the essence of every word and transformed them into a series of postures. All men can now study and learn this art." - Quoted by Barbara Davis, The Taijiquan Classics, 2004, p. 29 Translated by Douglas Wile, T'ai-chi Touchstones, 1993, p. 138. Thanks for your constructive feedback, Mike Garofalo

Year of the Dog

The Chinese New Year began on Sunday, January 29, 2006.
We are now in the Year of the Dog.
It is year 4703 in the Chinese Calendar.

The previous year, The Year of the Rooster, ran from
February 9, 2005 until Saturday, January 28, 2006.
It was year 4702 in the Chine Calendar.

The previous year, The Year of the Monkey, ran from
January 22, 2004 until February 8, 2005.
It was year 4701 in the Chinese Calendar.

I was born, in 1946, between the Year of the Rooster
and the Year of the Dog.

“People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people’s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.”

Here are a couple of interesting websites to visit:


Martial Views
http://martialviews.blogspot.com
Essays by John Vesia on the philosophy, psychology, history,
and transformitive powers of the martial arts.

Native Wisdom - Warrior Quotes
http://nativeintelligence.com/k/wisdom/wisdom7.asp

Wind Fire Yoga
Dynamic Yoga of Godfrey Devereux
http://www.windfireyoga.com/

Being Completely Attentive

"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

Man's Immortal Dream

“We men of Earth have here the stuff
Of Paradise - we have enough!
We need no other stones to build
The Temple of the Unfulfilled -
No other ivory for the doors -
No other marble for the floors -
No other cedar for the beam
And dome of man’s immortal dream.

Here on the paths of every-day -
Here on the common human way
Is all the stuff the gods would take
To build a Heaven, to mold and make
New Edens. Ours is the stuff sublime
To build Eternity in time!”
- Edwin Markham, Earth is Enough

Green Way Wisdom - Religion

Walking, dancing, taijiquan, qigong, gardening or yoga
at daybreak are all a taste of paradise for me.
"We men of Earth have here the stuff of paradise..."
Peace to everyone.
Blessed Be!

Pulling Onions

Pulling Onions: Quips and Quotes from a Taoist-Chan Gardener.
590 aphorisms by Michael P. Garofalo.

Pulled in January 2006:

Beauty serves many masters.
Truth deals with the past; Hope deals with the future.
Persons who cannot love trees lack something in their soul.
We live in a multiverse rather than a universe.
In the canvas of Winter we can still find a spot of Summer.

Staff Weapons

"In the ancient records of Chinese martial arts, the bo is discussed as the first weapon taught to the Zen Buddhist disciples who studied at the Shaolin Temple. There are literary and pictorial references to Bodhidharma carrying a bo on his journeys as he taught Zen Buddhism in the regions near the Shaolin Temple. One account from a
biography on Bodhidharma tells of his death in 528 AD from the poison of a jealous monk. It is told that three years later his body was exhumed due to rumors he had been seen traveling in the mountains of Central Asia. Bodhidharma was said to carry a staff from which hung a single sandal. He had stated he was on his way back to India. When the curious monks opened his tomb, all they found inside was a single sandal. Ever since then Bodhidharma has been pictured carrying a staff from which hangs the missing sandal."
- Sa Kwon

Chang San-Feng

A person calling himself "Sifu" and writing from "not@happy.com" sent me the following email message regarding my webpage on the famous Taoist Master named "Chang San-Feng": "Chang San-Feng was real It's very disrespectful to "portray" Chang San-Feng as a "imagery” figure. Please don't have false infomation on your Web Page... He did exist, the so called common years that he lived (1247-1447AD) is just a “estimated range”.Chang San-Feng (also known by different spellings ex. Zhang Sanfeng) was the “original creator” of the 13 original movements of Tai Chi Chuan. One just has to look, at the old book of “The Tai Chi Classics”, to see his teachings. It not only, insults the original master, of all forms Tai Chi Chuan, but it also shows lack of knowledge, history, and understanding of the art. I hope you remove all false references about him, from your website. I am from direct Yang family lineage Thank You for reading the above. Sifu" I wrote back to "Sifu," whomever he or she is, but the email bounced back. Some scholars do not believe that Master Chang San-Feng invented the 13 core moves of Taijiquan, and that these claims were invented in the late 19th century by people trying to ground their taijiquan in ancient heroes. I believe that I do a pretty fair, reasonable and respectful job of explaining the lore and scholarshop about Master Chang San-Feng on my webpage. Personally, I find it rather hard to believe in Taoist Masters that supposedly live to be over 300 years of age, can walk 70 miles in a day at age 150, are masters of ten fine and applied arts, and can work other miracles in their spare time. But I love legends and lore about these great Masters anyway. Truth is sometimes less important than the hope for greater human achievement.

Five Animal Frolics Qigong

"The Bear is a great winter exercise. Slow, ponderous, but very strong, it warms the body, strengthens the spleen, and builds vitality. The Bear's twisting waist movements massage and invigorate the kidneys. The Bear is an excellent preventive against osteoporosis, as it is known to fortify the bones."
- John Du Cane, Power Qigong

SURPRISE - Happy 60th Birthday

Saturday afternoon, I came home to a BIG SURPRISE Birthday Party for me.

In attendance were 15 people:

Karen Garofalo, my wife of 39 years
Alicia Flinn, my daughter, and her husband Sean Flinn from Portland
Michael Garofalo, my son, and his wife April Garofalo from Portland
Paul Garofalo, my brother, and his wife Janet Garofalo from Los Angeles
Philip Garofalo, my brother, and his daughter Marcella from San Diego.
Debbie Anderson, our next door neighbor and good friend
Jordan Knickerbocker, our next door neighbor and friend
Jim Scott, April's Dad, and his girlfriend Torrie and her son Jesse
Christie Scott, April's sister

Mick and April prepared and served a fantastic Japanese meal with many delicious foods and special drinks. The house was decorated with Japanese lanterns and artwork. It was beautiful. Alicia said the theme was
"Zen and the Art of Turning 60."

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I CERTAINLY DID!!

How kind and generous of these fine people to come to my home, some from great distances, to celebrate my 60th birthday.

Some photographs of the party are online.

"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband,
smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter
who it is -- and that will help you to grow up
in greater love for each other."
- Mother Teresa

Valley Spirit Yoga Website

I began my 2006 update of my Valley Spirit Hatha Yoga website.

I teach three hatha yoga classes each week at the Tehama Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff, California.

I have only one more YogaFit class, Level III reintegration, to complete in March, 2006. After completing this class, I will be eligible to apply for the Registered Yoga Teacher, 200 hour certification, from the National Yoga Alliance.

The World is Not Only Mind Stuff

Oftentimes one hears or reads assertions that the mind or consciousness or spirit is the true reality and the physical or material world is an illusion, transitory, a fiction, a projection, an abstraction. This kind of thinking is common among many yogis, Buddhists, and New Agers in the mind-body arts. For example,

"The entire outside world is based on your thoughts and mental attitude. The entire world is your own projection." - Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.

I fail to see the truth in these assertions. The world is much more complex, deeper, richer, fuller, and more enduring than me or my thoughts. Some parts of my "world" are indeed largely part of my own thoughts and attitudes. But, thinking that the "entire world" is my own "projection" is a pure fantasy. The world will go along just fine without me, my projections, my illusions, my dreams. The big, wide world is something that proceeds the birth and survives beyond the death of a single individual. Without the world (e.g., atoms, molecules, cells, organs, things ...) and my body, I fail to see how my thoughts, dreams, fantasies, or beliefs are even possible.

In my taiji, qigong, and yoga practice, I have found that my body and the greater world provide opportunities for many new and unexpected experiences that go beyond what I ever thought or imagined might happen. The world is real enough to stumble over, dance upon, fall down on, walk around, and breath in. These facts are proof enough for me that reality is bigger than my belly or my brain's games.

Tai Chi Chuan Direction of Movement

"As a long time student of T'ai Chi, it came to my attention that the direction you do T'ai Chi is important, but I can't find anyone with the same answers or reasons. In the morning, you should start in the eastern direction; during the day, south; and, in the evening west because of the energy. As it was described to me, if you put a tomato plant in each window (north-east-south-west) of your home, the tomato grow less in the north window and best in the south window. Does any of it matter what direction? My next question is, what if you live on the other side of the equator ? Is this just the opposite ? I hope you can help."
- John, email, December 18, 2005

John,

The direction is important if you are trying to teach, learn or describe the movements for another person. It simplifies the description if the teacher or writer can use compass or clock directions. I talk about this on one of my webpages.

When learning, I recommend you always start facing in the same direction. The location of your regualar practice will likely dictate the direction from which you start and move in a particualar location. After you have learned a form, you can can start in any direction and do the form correctly.

Feng Shui, qigong and taoist alchemy make a great deal about directions both literally and metaphorically. These arts might give you some ideas about the correct direction. North is yin, cool, dark, shady, and feminine; South is yang, warm, sunny, bright, and masculine.

Indeed, plants thrive on sunlight, water, and warmth, part of the day, and so do we. But, I'm not sure how this helps answer your question.

I live where the skies can be very clear and the sun quite bright and hot. This fact dictates my direction of outdoor practice depending upon the time of day - more than anything else. (I go where the glare is less and the shade more.) So, in the southern hemisphere my starting direction would be different on a bright sunny day.

What is the right direction to face when we begin the form? Answers vary widely. In my opinion, it is not really all than important ... just practice daily.

Best wishes,
Mike Garofalo