You Cannot Call It Lofty

"The Way has its reality and its signs
but is without action or form.
You can hand it down but you cannot receive it,
you can ignore it but you cannot see it.
It is its own source, its own root.
Before heaven and earth existed it was there,
from the ancient times.
It gave spirituality to the spirits and to God,
it gave birth to heaven and to earth.
It exists beyond the highest point,
and yet you cannot call it lofty;
it exists beneath the limit of the six directions,
and yet you cannot call it deep.
It was born before heaven and earth,
and yet you cannot say it has been there for long,
it is earlier than the earliest time,
and yet you cannot call it old."
- The Crookbacked Woman and the Sage
Chuang Tzu, Translated by Burton Watson, 1964
Crone Taoism

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu 

  

Eyebrow Raised

"All humans have a species of mite that lives in the follicles of the eyebrows on our faces.  I'll bet you didn't want to hear that bit of news!  But wait, there's more: another species of mite lives off the glands that branch from the follicles of these same eyebrows.  That's right, we have two species of mites living on our faces, and there is nothing you or I can do about it.  So, when I warn that it is better to be a laissez-faire gardener and to turn the other cheek (or eyebrow), you had better listen to me or else I'll have to tell you something that might really get your attention.  I don't want to have to be forced to do that." 
-  Eric Grissel, Ph.D., professional entomologist and amateur gardener.  Insects and Gardens, Timber Press, 2001, p. 32.  I've enjoyed reading this book, obtained from the Tehama County Library in Red Bluff, California.

One book on our home library shelves that Karen and I have enjoyed using for five years is:
Garden Insects of North America, The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs.  By Whitney Cranshaw.  Princeton University Press, 2004.  Index, appendix, 656 pages.  It includes hundreds of color photographs.  This book is "the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the common insects and mites affecting yard and garden plants in the continental United States and Canada." 

We are both always looking around in the garden for life on the move.  A microscope or magnifying glass helps with seeing our wonderful world a bit closer. 

Lately, we have been harvesting plenty of Swiss Chard for our lunches and dinners. Delicious! 

Insects and Other Little Critters

Quotes for Gardeners

Hey, Shifu Miao Zhang, "Do the bees have Buddha nature?"  
  

A Balanced Wholeness

Noble Eightfold Path of the Buddha

"I will attempt to live my life moving toward:
1.  A balanced wholeness of perspective that centers around the idea of achieving a complete experience of life.   [Right Views]
2.  A balanced wholeness of resolve in which I deliberately move away from what is toxic and move toward that which is nourishing.   [Right Intentions]
3.  A balanced wholeness of the manner, content, and intent of my speech.   [Right Speech] 
4.  A balanced wholeness of life-affirming moral conduct.   [Right Action]    
5.  A balanced wholeness of a profession that affirms life and does not obstruct or negate it.   [Right Livelihood]  
6.  A balanced wholeness of life-affirming spiritual activity.   [Right Efforts] 
7.  A balanced wholeness of mindful awareness and alertness as tools for profound living.   [Right Mindfulness] 
8.  A balanced wholeness of concentrated bodymind skills as tools for fully awakening my Buddha Nature.   [Right Concentration]  

-  The "balanced wholeness" version is from the Venerable Reverend John Bright-Fey, The Whole Heart of Zen: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Ta-Mo, p. 254.  The [short version] is a rather standard formulation of Siddhartha Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path

Lifestyle Advice for Wise Persons

Taoist Circle Walking Meditation

"Tung Hai-Chuan (1813-1882) became a member of the Chuan Chen (Complete Truth) sect of Taoism. This sect was part of the Lung Men (Dragon Gate) school of Taoism which was originated by Chou Chang-Ch'uan. Interestingly enough, Chou also invented a method of meditation whereby the practitioner would walk in a circle and, wouldn't you know, this method was practiced by the Chuan Chen sect. Delving further into this Taoist connection, Professor K'ang Kuo Wu was able to find a section in the Taoist Canon which reads:

'A person's heart and mind are in chaos.
Concentration on one thing makes the mind pure.
If one aspires to reach the Tao, one should practice walking in a circle.'

This bit of evidence inspired Professor K'ang Kuo Wu of Beijing to try and find out more about the circle walk meditation method practiced by the Chuan Chen Taoists. What he discovered was that this practice, which the Taoists called Chuan T'ien Tsun (Rotating in Worship of Heaven) is very similar in principle to the circle walk practice of Pa Kua Chang.

Researching Wang Chun-Pao's book, 'Taoist Method of Walking the Circle,' Professor K'ang found that while walking, the Taoists repeated one of two mantras. The first of these mantras was used in the morning practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the sound of thunder is everywhere and transforms everything.' The second mantra was used in the evening practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the great void saves us from the hardship of existence.' It was said that the practitioner should repeat the mantra with each movement in the circle walk practice so that 'one replaces one's myriad thoughts with a single thought in order to calm and ease one's mind.' The Taoists said that in walking the circle the body's movements should be unified and the practitioner strives for stillness in motion. This practice was described as a method of training the body while harnessing the spirit."
- Jiang Hao-Quan Chinese Martial Arts Institute

Walking Meditation

Ways of Walking

Bagua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang)
  

The Practice of Walking

"Gongfu is an ancient Chinese term describing work, devotion, and effort that has been successfully applied over a substantial period of time, resulting in a degree of mastery in a specific field. Although the term is synonymous in the West with martial arts (though it is most often rendered as Kung Fu), it is equally applicable to calligraphy, painting, music, or other areas of endeavor."
- Andy James

There is a difference between "a practice" and "to practice." Those of us who played competitive sports sometimes were not enthused about a going "to a practice." Practice meant repeating fitness and skills drills, listening to yelling coaches, pushing ourselves to new physical limits, competing with others, doing extra pushups for inattention, etc. Having a practice, a long-term fitness avocation, a mind-body engagement, a spiritual gong-fu, a ritual for well-being, an engaging and enriching pastime, a self-determined commitment to good healthy activites, a non-competitive and non-judgmental path to inner and outward growth ... now this kind of practice enriches both body, mind and spirit for a lifetime.

"Allow walking to occupy a place of stature equal with all the other important activities in your life. As difficult as that might seem, here's how to do it. Make it a practice. That's right. Turn your walking into a vehicle for personal growth as well as for fitness. This will add a higher level of integrity and intention to your approach because you will find that it is a way to deepen and upgrade your relationship to your body. Instead of merely giving your legs a good workout, you'll be practicing to relax more, to breathe better, to expand your vision, to open up your range of motion, to increase your energy, to feel and sense your body. The list is exciting - and endless. With all of this to look forward to, your walking program will take its place alongside everything in your life you value most, and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to schedule time for something you really love to do."
- Katherine Dreyer, Chi Walking, p. 56

Chi Walking: The Find Mindful Steps for Lifelong Health and Energy. By Danny Dreyer and Katherine Dreyer. New York, Simon and Shuster, Fireside Books, 2006. Index, 258 pages. ISBN: 0743267206.

Ways of Walking

Walking Meditation

Taijiquan Dao: Broadsword, Saber

The Complete Taiji Dao. The Art of the Chinese Saber. By Zhang, Yun.  Blue Snake Books, 2009.  464 pages.  ISBN:1583942270.  

"This is a very complete book about the Chinese saber, or Dao. It presents the history, mechanics, skills and philosophy of Taiji Dao. There is a detailed description of the traditional Taiji Dao form, including applications for combat with many photos. There are descriptions and photos of two-handed Dao skills and fighting skills training. There are over 1,000 photos. Paperback. 427 pp. 8 X 10."    

"The Complete Taiji Dao introduces the principles and practice of Taiji Dao and provides illustrated discussions of the history of Chinese swords. The book covers the history and features of the dao; the Taiji principles from which Taiji Dao practice derives; the basic skills and techniques of the art; detailed descriptions and photographs of the traditional Taiji Dao form; and Taiji Dao fighting principles and training methods. Broad in scope and detailed in its presentation of the principles and practice of Taiji Dao, The Complete Taiji Dao represents a significant contribution to the field of traditional Chinese weapons practice."  VSCL.



Tai Chi Chuan Broadsword, Saber, Dan Dao

Chen Taijiquan Broadsword: Bibliography, Links, Resources, List of Movements

 

 

Twelve Principles of Natural Liberation

The Twelve Principles of Natural Liberation

1.  All forms are interconnected, constantly change, and continuously arise from and return to primordial Source.
2.  Commit yourself completely to liberation in this lifetime. 
3.  Relax and surrender to life. 
4.  Remain in now. 
5.  Cultivate union with universal energy.  
6.  Go with the universal flow.  
7.  Rest in the radiance of your open heart. 
8.  Active compassion arises naturally out of unconditioned love.  
9.  Cutting through to clarity, luminosity, and spaciousness.  
10.  Return to Source.  
11.  Pure Source awareness is - remain in recognition.  
12.  Serve as a warrior of the open heart and liberated spirit. 
-   John P. Milton, Sky Above, Earth Below

Sky Above, Earth Below: Spiritual Practice in Nature.  By John P. Milton.  Boulder, Colorado, Sentient Publications, 2006.  234 pages.  ISBN: 1591810280.  VSCL. 

Lifestyle Advice for Wise Persons

Cosmic Egg of Pangu

"One egg's lower half transformed
And became the earth below,
And its upper half transmuted
And became the sky above;
From the yolk the sun was made,
Light of day to shine upon us;
From the white the moon was formed,
Light of night to gleam above us;
All the colored brighter bits
Rose to be the stars of heaven
And the darker crumbs changed into
Clouds and cloudlets in the sky."
-   Kalevala, the Finnish national epic  

Pangu Awakens in the World Egg 

Magic Pearl Qigong: A Tai Chi Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique 

"P’an-Ku: The basic idea of the yih philosophy was so convincing that it almost obliterated the Taoist cosmology of P’an-Ku who is said to have chiseled the world out of the rocks of eternity. Though the legend is not held in high honor by the literati, it contains some features of interest which have not as yet been pointed out and deserve at least an incidental comment.  P’an-Ku is written in two ways: one means in literal translations, “basin ancient”, the other “basin solid”. Both are homophones, i.e., they are pronounced the same way; and the former may be preferred as the original and correct spelling. Obviously the name means “aboriginal abyss,” or in the terser German, Urgrund, and we have reason to believe it to be a translation of the Babylonian Tiamat, “the Deep.”  The Chinese legend tells us that P’an-Ku’s bones changed to rocks; his flesh to earth; his marrow, teeth and nails to metals; his hair to herbs and trees; his veins to rivers; his breath to wind; and his four limbs became pillars marking the four corners of the world, -- which is a Chinese version not only of the Norse myth of the Giant Ymir, but also of the Babylonian story of Tiamat.  Illustrations of P’an-Ku represent him in the company of supernatural animals that symbolize old age or immortality, viz., the tortoise and the crane; sometimes also the dragon, the emblem of power, and the phoenix, the emblem of bliss."
-  Paul Carus, Chinese Thought (1907), chapter on “Chinese Occultism.”

Pangu (P'an Ku, Pan Kun, 盤古, Plate Ancient) was a mythological giant, the creator of all things on the earth, and the first living being.  Part of the myth includes the story that at the beginning of time the universe was contained in a black sphere or egg.  Inside the egg was the first living being, Pangu, who remains in a sleeping or unconscious state for 18,000 years.  Inside the cosmic egg was an inchoate mass, a comingling of disorganized possibilities, an Urgrund, a Chaos.  Outside the egg was the Void, Emptiness, Wuji.  Stories of the Primordial Sphere, Cosmogonic Egg, Cosmic Egg, or Orphic Egg are found in numerous cultures.  

Our great Planet Earth itself, now, is Our Cosmic Egg; and, outside the ozone sphere of Mother Earth, no living being can exist in the airless void of black space ever expanding. 

Be a Model for the World

"Know the masculine,
but keep to the feminine:
and become a watershed to the world.
If you embrace the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and you become as a little child.

Know the white,
yet keep to the black:
be a model for the world.
If you are a model for the world,
the Tao inside you will strengthen
and you will return whole to your eternal beginning.

Know the honorable,
but do not shun the disgraced:
embracing the world as it is.
If you embrace the world with compassion,
then your virtue will return you to the uncarved block.

The block of wood is carved into utensils
by carving void into the wood.
The Master uses the utensils, yet prefers to keep to the block
because of its limitless possibilities.
Great works do not involve discarding substance."
-   Translated by J. H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 28

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Copying, reciting, chanting, reading, and studying the Tao Te Ching is a common practice of Taoist devotees. 

Each day, I use about an hour of time for reading Taoist or Druid literature.  Reading and writing are my way of praying or meditating.  I also make some notes each day and post them online. 

Ways of Walking

One of my favorite fitness activities is walking outdoors. 

For many years I have read books about walking and collected quotes and sayings about walking.  Check out my webpage:   Ways of Walking.

On the Home Front

My big focus today was helping my wife, Karen.  She had successful hernia surgery this morning at the St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff, California.  She is now resting comfortably at home, and feeling little pain from the surgery.


I've been reading and studying translations of the Tao Te Ching lately.  Here is one I recommend: 

The Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Lao-Tzu.  By John Bright-Fey.  Birmingham, Alabama, Crane Hill Publishers, 2006.  376 pages.  ISBN: 1575872471.  The Reverend Venerable John Bright-Fey, Sifu Fey, is the 12th generation lineage holder of the Blue Dragon Order of Esoteric Zen Buddhism, a distinct line of knowledge descended directly from Shaolin Temple. Sifu Bright-Fey teaches at the New Forest Center for Contemplative Living, Birmingham, Alabama.  This version of the Tao Te Ching is both a translation by a Chinese scholar and a fascinating interpolation based on his religious training.  He uses a schema of interpretation for lines in each of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching based on the concepts of the Taoist Mind (mindset and world view), Taoist Body (day to day concerns of living), Taoist Hand (training techniques by a Cultivator of the Tao, spiritual disciplines) and Taoist Heart (core and cherished beliefs) [p.21-].  His rigorous experiential approach resonates with my training in Taijiquan, Qigong, gardening, spiritual practices, and ritual.   

The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Take Away the Leaves

I take a long 3.5 mile walk four days each week.  Walking is one of my essential "contemplative" practices.

In the winter months, I enjoy looking at the branches of the many leafless trees.  Spotting a bird's next in the bare branches is a delightful discovery. 

"The trees down the boulevard stand naked in thought,
Their abundant summery wordage silenced, caught
In the grim undertow; naked the trees confront
Implacable winter's long, cross-questioning brunt."
-  D. H. Lawrence, Winter in the Boulevard, 1916

"Of winter's lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer's secret
Deep down within its heart."
-   Charles G. Stater

January: Poems, Quotes, Lore

"It is more about You and Now, rather than Them and Back Then."
-  Pulling Onions

Magic Pearl Qigong

If you enjoy doing exercises with a medicine ball, you might enjoy practicing my Magic Pearl Qigong.

This body/mind movement art practice was developed using Chen style Taijiquan medicine ball (Tai Chi Ball) exercises, Yang Style Taijiquan medicine ball exercises, qigong forms, and general gym styles of medicine ball exercise routines.  The psychological, symbolic, and meditative aspects of the Magic Pearl Qigong involve Chinese Taoist, Buddhist, and mythological lore.  Followers of Dragon motifs and lore will enjoy the associations found in this form.  

This qigong routine was designed for use with a medicine ball while holding the ball in two hands, so as to allow for the use of heavier medicine balls.  This exercise routine can be done indoors and does not require much space for the practice.  

Magic Pearl Qigong by Michael P. Garofalo

A brief summary of the first 7 exercises in the Magic Pearl Qigong has been provided to facilitate learning and encourage daily practice.  Eventually, I will get around to describing all 18 movements of the Magic Pearl Qigong form.  For another 18 movement Qigong form, refer to the Shaolin Zen Buddhist Eighteen Hands of the Luohan. 

Valley Spirit Qigong Website

Seeing with New Eyes

Get those binoculars off the shelf in your home, clean them up, and take them outside to see your local neighborhood with new eyes.  Get a closer look at that owl roosting in the pine tree.  Look at the full moon in the night sky.  Take a look at the nearby hills. 

Get that magnifying glass you own into your pocket and take a closer look at some common objects in the house and garden.  

For my 65th birthday, my wife purchased me a Celestron 44302 handheld digital microscope.  This $50 microscope will, I'm sure, become a delightful tool to explore new realms of seeing.  In particular, I'd like to look more closely at the insects living on our land.  

For a really interesting “look” at the world of plant seeds and fruits, see if your local library has “The Bizarre and Incredible World of Plants,” by Wolfgang Stuppy, Rob Kesseler, and Madeling Harley.  Firefly Books, 2009.  Visual artist Rob Kesseler uses special light and scanning electron microscopy to create astonishing images of a wide variety of pollen, seeds and fruits.  Razor-sharp cross sections that reveal intricate interiors of flowers expose the astonishing strategies that plants have evolved to ensure their survival.

“Equipped with our five senses - along with telescopes and microscopes and mass spectrometers and seismographs and magnetometers and particle accelerators and detectors sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum - we explore the universe around us and call the adventure science.”
-   Edwin Hubble  

 “The microscope is man's noblest, supreme, and most far-reaching tool.”
-  Adrianus Pijper 

Seeing: Quotes for Gardeners

Free Inquiry

Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

“Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing;
nor upon tradition;
nor upon rumor;
nor upon what is in a scripture:
nor upon surmise;
nor upon an axiom;
nor upon specious reasoning;
nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over:
nor upon another’s seeming ability;
nor upon the consideration, “The monk is our teacher.”
When you yourselves know:
“These things are good; these things are not blamable;
these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed,
these things lead to benefit and happiness,” enter on and abide in them.”
-   Gautama Buddha
     Kalama Sutta, The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry
     Translated by Soma Thera (The Wheel Publication, No. 8),
     Buddhist Publication Society, 1987   

Lifestyle Advice for Wise Persons

"Dogmatists are less useful than dogs."
-  Pulling Onions, # 711