Playing like a Deer

"The Deer Play is to imitate the shape and movement of a deer hoping to attain long life and pure soul like a deer. The features of a deer are its gentle disposition, swift movement, love to push with horns, and good at running. When it stands it likes to stretch its neck to glance at things afar. The deer also likes looking at left and right and its rear foot. It is also good at moving its tail bones (sacrum). The tail bone is the place where the Jen and Du meridians meet. Thus, during practice, the practitioner not only needs to imitate the attitude of a deer with swift movement and calm spirit, but also need to focus attention on the tail bone. This will guide Qi to the whole body, open meridians, circulate blood, relax tendons and bones, and benefit kidney and strengthen waist. It can also enhance blood circulation in the abdomen. This play is suitable for curing dysfunctional nerves in the internal organs, chronicle infections of the internal organs in the abdomen, fatigue in the waist muscles, nerve pain in the pelvis, deteriorated thigh bones, and the lack of sex drives."
-   Five Animal Frolics  

"Breathing in and out in various manners, spitting out the old and taking in the new, walking like a bear and stretching their neck like a bird to achieve longevity - this is what such practitioners of Daoyin, cultivators of the body and all those searching for long life like Ancestor Peng, enjoy." -   Chuang-tzu, circa 300 BCE. 

"Firstly, we analyze its function in the aspect of psychological regulation as it is required that the practitioner should do it before and during each routines in the exercise of the Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi. The practitioner should mind on the Dantian and rid of the distracted thoughts with quiet mind and spirit before the exercise, get into the imitation of its physical activities of each animal in the exercise. When practicing the tiger exercise, try to imagine yourself as a fierce tiger in the mountains who is looking down upon other beasts and stretching its own pawns and about to pounce on its prey; in the deer exercise, imagine that you are prudent and mild, jogging on a green field; in the exercise of the bear, you are a clumsy bear, composed and steady, freely roaming the forests; in the monkey exercise, you become a happy and agile monkey; in the bird exercise, you are a free bird with quiet mind and flying in the sky. Therefore you can continuously regulate the mind state in the exercise and it is helpful to the relaxation of the mind. The regular exercise of this skill can transform and regulate the mind of the practitioner to relieve the spiritual nervousness, improve the emotional stability, reduce the mental stress and keep the healthy mind."
-   The Effect of Precaution against Sub-health of the Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi.  Chinese Health Qigong Association.  2008.   

 

Five Animal Frolics

Deer Frolic  (Someday I might finish this webpage.  Oh well!  No hurry!) 

Walking in the Morning

I enjoy walking in the early morning.  I walk on a country lane, Kilkenny Lane, directly in front of my home in Red Bluff, California.  This cul de sac lane is .32 miles from Highway 99W.  Occasionally, a car might use this country lane, and I move to the side of the road.  It is a very safe, peaceful, and quiet place with lovely landscaping and dramatic views.

The photos show here were taken in November after a series of gentle rain storms.  

I try to walk every day from two to four miles in the morning; when I was not working for the Corning Union Elementary School District.  I walked on this road from June of 1998 until we moved to Vancouver, Washington, in April of 2017; nearly 19 years.  


"Putting facts by the thousands,
into the world, the toes take off
with an appealing squeak which the thumping heel
follows confidentially, the way men greet men.
Sometimes walking is just such elated
pumping."
-   Lyn Hejinian, Determination


"Every day, in the morning or evening, or both, take a walk in a safe and peaceful environment for less than an hour.  The can be a great fountain of youth.  Choose a place to walk that has no kind of disturbance.   Walking done in a work environment and when your mind is busy is different; it is not as nutritious as the walking you do for yourself in the morning or evening in a quiet, peaceful, and safe place."
-  Master Hua-Ching Ni, Entering the Tao, 1997, p. 135

 

Looking to the northeast on Kilkenny Lane.  Mt. Lassen (10,000 feet) in the distance is capped with a little snow.  These photos were taken in late Autumn.   


"Walking is the natural recreation for a man who desires not absolutely to suppress his intellect but to turn it out to play for a season."
- Leslie Stephen

"Our philosophies must be rewritten to remove them from the domain of words and "ideas," and to plant their roots firmly in the earth."
- William Vogt

"If you look for the truth outside yourself,
It gets farther and farther away.
Today walking alone, I meet it everywhere I step.
It is the same as me, yet I am not it.
Only if you understand it in this way
Will you merge with the way things are."
- Tung-Shan

`

Looking west on Kilkenny Lane.  The red leafed autumn colors are from Raywood Ash trees. The Yolly Bolly mountain range (7,000 feet) is to the west of the North Sacramento Valley.  


"The interior solitude, along with the steady rhythm of walking mile after mile, served as a catalyst for deeper awareness.  The solitude I found and savored on the Camino had an amazing effect on me.  The busyness of my life slowly settled down as the miles went on.  For a good portion of my life I had longed for a fuller experience of contemplation, that peaceful prayer of the heart in which one is able to look intently and see each piece of life as sacred.  Ten days into the journey, totally unforeseen, the grace of seeing the world with startling lucidity came to me.  My eyes took in everything with wonder.  The experience was like looking through the lens of an inner camera – my heart was the photographer.  Colors and shapes took on nuances and depths never before noticed.  Each piece of beauty appeared to be framed: weeds along roadsides, hillsides of harvested fields with yellow and green stripes, layers of mountains with lines of thick mist stretching along their middle section, clumps of ripe grapes on healthy green vines, red berries on bushes, roses and vegetable gardens.  Everything revealed itself as something marvelous to behold.  Each was a work of art.  I noticed more and more details of light and shadow, lines and edges, shapes, softness, and texture.  I easily observed missed details on the path before me – skinny worms, worn pebbles, tiny flowers of various colors and shapes, black beetles, snails, and fat, grey slugs.  I became aware of the texture of everything under my feet – stones, slate, gravel, cement, dirt, sand, grass.  I responded with wonder and amazement.  Like the poet Tagore, I felt that everything “harsh and dissonant in my life” was melting into “one sweet harmony”."
-  Joyce Rupp  


"As I went walking
That ribbon of highway
I saw above me
The endless skyway
I saw below me
The lonesome valley
This land was made for you and me."
- Woody Guthrie, This Land is Your Land

The Ways of Walking: Quotations, Facts, Methods, Spirituality, Meditative

Compiled by Mike Garofalo

• Ways of Walking
• Walking Meditation
• Walking Quotations
• Walking Bibliography
• Circle Walking: Bagua
• Walking the Labyrinth
• Garden Walking
• Walking Qigong
• Walking Staff  

Tai Chi Chuan Standard Short 24 Form

"At this period of wushu, the Nanking Central Kuoshu Institute in 1956 tasked the choreography of a Taijiquan routine what would be more suitable for popular dissemination among the masses, in keeping with the government's egalitarian agenda.  The traditional forms were just too long and time consuming to practice, and the traditional methods too arcane and demanding for mass propagation.  The challenge was to reduce the one hundred-odd movements of the traditional Yang Style Taijiquan, prevalent then, to its core, by removing the many repetitive movements as well as the less essential ones.  Thus, the 24-Form Taijiquan set was created.  Instrumental in this simplification effort was Li Tianji (1913-1996) who had been appointed a wushu research fellow at the Institute.  Under official auspices, the 24-Form Taijiquan quickly became the standard form, taught throughout China as part of physical education curriculum in schools and colleges.  It is perhaps the best know Taijiquan form in the world today.  As widespread as it is, the 24-Form is at best an abridged version of the traditional Yang form, a synopsis of the art."
-  C. P. Ong, Taijiquan: Cultivating Inner Strength, 2013, p. 7.  





I practice this Taijiquan form twice every day.  It takes from 5 to 7 minutes to perform.
You can do this indoors by adjusting to the space available, or outdoors.  When done slowly and gently you don't need to do any warmup exercises unless your knees are problematic.  A lovely Taijiquan form!  Good for persons of all ages.  This form is a cornerstone of my personal T'ai Chi Ch'uan practices. 

The first Taijiquan form I learned in 1986 was the Standard 24 Movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan Form in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.  At that time there were no books or instructional videotapes on this popular form.  Since that time, nearly 25 years have past.  Now there are dozens of books and instructional DVDs and webpages on the subject of the 24 Form. 

My webpage on the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form has been the most popular webpage on the Cloud Hands Website for many years. In the sidebar of this blog, you will find a quick index to this webpage.

Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form.  Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources.  It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names.  It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and  photographs.  It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form.  The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world.  This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.  Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California:  Webpage URL:  http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm.  

This webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this form on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area. 

The best book that I have seen on the subject is:

The Yang Taiji 24 Step Short Form: A Step by Step Guide for All Levels
By James Drewe
London, Singing Dragon Press, 2011.
382 pages, black and white photographs, charts, detailed descriptions, training tips.
I give information on many other fine books by other good authors on the 24 Form in my webpage: Cheng Zhao, Foen Tjoeng Lie, Eric Chaline, Le Deyin, etc.. 

My students tell me that their favorite instructional DVD on the 24 Form is:

Tai Chi - The 24 Forms
By Dr. Paul Lam


I have taught this lovely Tai Chi form to hundreds of people since 2000.  Everyone tells me how much they enjoy learning and practicing this gentle form.

I also teach and enjoy playing the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Movement Form created by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. Actually, in the last year, I prefer practicing the Chen 18 Form more. 

 

Strength Training for Old Men

We are currently very busy with preparing to move from Red Bluff, California, to Vancouver, Washington.  We expect escrow to close on April 14, 2017.  

I will be exploring options for training in Vancouver in taijiquan, weightlifting, yoga, and walking.  All new physicians will be chosen.  

With all the changes, and moving workload, I expect I will be reducing some of my fitness activities until April 20, 2017.  

My fitness goals and objectives for 2017 are outlined on a webpage.  I need to review my goals and objectives on a weekly basis to stay on course.  

Last night, I watched an inspirational documentary about senior athletes.  It was called "Impossible Dreamers" and released in 2016.  I highly recommend this documentary.  

The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle  By Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove.  New York, Avery Penguin Group, 2006.  Index, 301 pages.  ISBN: 978158333389.  VSCL.  

"1.  The best muscle-building exercises are the ones that use your muscles the way they were designed to be used.  The Basic Exercises:  Squat, Deadlift, Lunge, Push (Bench Press), Pull, Twisting, Combo Moves. 
2.  Exercises that use lots of muscles in a coordinated action are better than those that force muscles to work in isolation.
3.  To build size, you must build strength.
4.  To build size and strength, you must train hard but less frequently, with plenty of recovery time between workouts.
5.  The goal of each workout is to set a record.
6.  The weight you lift is a tool to reach your goals.  It is not a goal in itself.
7.  Don't "do the machines."
8.  A workout is only as good as the adaptation it produces.
9.  There is no magic system of exercises, sets, and reps.
10.  Don't judge a system by the physique of the person promoting it. 
11.  You'll get better results working your ass off on a bad program than you will loafing through a good program.
12.  Fast lifting is not more dangerous than slow lifting. 
13.  A good warm up doesn't have to make your body warm. 
14.  Stretching is not warm up. 
15.  You don't need to warm up to stretch.
16.  Lifting by itself may increase your flexibility. 
17.  Aerobic fitness is not a matter of life and death. 
18.  You don't need to do endurance exercise to burn fat. 
19.  When you combine serious strength training with serious endurance exercise, you body will probably choose endurance over muscle and strength."

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 11

"Thirty spokes unite in a nave, but the nothingness in the hub

Gives to the wheel its usefulness, for thereupon it goes round;
The potter kneads the clay as he works, with many a twist and rub,
But in the nothingness within, the vessel's use is found;
Doors and windows cut in the walls thereby a room will make,
But in its nothingness is found the room' s utility;
So the profit of existences is only for the sake
Of non-existences, where all the use is found to be."

-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the cart.
Knead clay in order to make a vessel.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the vessel.
Cut out doors and windows in order to make a room.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the room.
Thus what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
It is just the space (the Nothingness) between them
That makes a cart function as a cart.
Knead clay to make a vessel
And you find within it the space
That makes a vessel as a vessel.
To build a house with doors and windows
And you find within them the space
That makes a house function as a house.
Hence the Being (substance) can provide a condition
Under which usefulness is found,
But the Nothingness (space) is the usefulness itself."

-  Translated by Gu Zengkun, Chapter 11 



"Thirty spokes surround one nave, the usefulness of the wheel is always in that empty innermost.
You fashion clay to make a bowl, the usefulness of the bowl is always in that empty innermost.
You cut out doors and windows to make a house, their usefulness to a house is always in their empty space.
Therefore profit comes from external form, but usefulness comes from the empty innermost."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 11 

"Although the wheel has thirty spokes its utility lies in the emptiness of the hub.
The jar is made by kneading clay, but its usefulness consists in its capacity.
A room is made by cutting out windows and doors through the walls, but the space the walls contain measures the room's value.
In the same way matter is necessary to form, but the value of reality lies in its immateriality.
Or thus: a material body is necessary to existence, but the value of a life is measured by its immaterial soul."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 11


"Thirty spokes will converge
In the hub of a wheel;
But the use of the cart
Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void.
With a wall all around
A clay bowl is molded;
But the use of the bowl
Will depend on the part
Of the bowl that is void.
Cut out windows and doors
In the house as you build;
But the use of the house
Will depend on the space
In the walls that is void.
So advantage is had
From whatever is there;
But usefulness rises
From whatever is not."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 11   

"Treinta rayos convergen en el medio,
pero el vacío mediano
hace andar al carro.
 

 Se modela la arcilla para hacer jarrones
     con ella,
pero de su vacío interno
depende su utilización.

Una casa está abierta con puertas y ventanas,
otra vez el vacío
permite que se habite en ella.

El Ser da posibilidades,
sólo se utilizan a través del no-ser."
-  Translated by Alba, 1998, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 11 

"Though thirty spokes may be joined in one hub, the utility of the carriage lies in what is not there.
Though clay may be moulded into a vase, the utility of the vase lies in what is not there
Though doors and windows may be cut to make a house, the utility of the house lies in what is not there.
Therefore, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not."
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 11 


"Thirty spokes share the hub of a wheel;
 yet it is its center that makes it useful.
 You can mould clay into a vessel;
 yet, it is its emptiness that makes it useful.
 Cut doors and windows from the walls of a house;
 but the ultimate use of the house
 will depend on that part where nothing exists.
 Therefore, something is shaped into what is;
 but its usefulness comes from what is not."
 -  Translated by Kari Hohne, 2009, Chapter 11 



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 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter. 

  
Chapter 11, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

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 Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Home Being Sold

We are very busy with preparing to sell our home in Red Bluff.  It looks very promising that a contract for sale will be finished within a week.  It looks like we will be moving out on April 14, 2017.  So we are busy packing and moving items to a storage container in Red Bluff.  

Dao De Jing Index

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu circa 200 BCE

Indexes, Selected Translations, Bibliography, Comments, Resources. 

Compiled by Mike Garofalo. 
Version 5.3, January 1, 2017


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 for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.  


Chapter 1, 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   

Best Tao Te Ching Selected Translations

Sermon by the Dead Tree

"The smell of the sea hugged the fog in the redwood trees,
All cool and dank, dimly lit and rank with green,
And in shadowed limbs the Stellar jays jabbered free,
And me, standing silently, an alien in this enchanted scene.

From behind the mossy grey stumps
the sounds of footsteps crunching fronds of ferns
caught my suddenly wary mind ...
What?

"Hello, old friend," said Chang San Feng.
"Master Chang, what a surprise," said I.
Master Chang sat on a stump, smiled, and said,

"Can you hear the Blue Dragon singing in the decaying tree;
Or is it the White Tiger roaring in the wilderness of your bright white skull?
No matter!  The answer is in the questioning; don't you Chan men see?

In the red ball flesh of this decaying tree
Sapless woody shards of centuries of seasons
Nourish the new roots of mindfulness sprouting.
Yes, Yes, but how can it be?
The up-surging waves of life sprout forth from the decaying tree,
As sure as sunrise rolling over the deep black sea.
Coming, coming, endlessly coming; waves of Chi.

Tan Qian's raven roosts for 10,000 moons
     in the withered branches of the rotting tree;
     then, one day, the weathered tree falls,
     nobody hearing, soundlessly crashing
     on the forest floor, on some unknown noon.

Over and over, over and over, life bringing death, death bringing life,
Beyond even the miraculous memories of an old Xian like me;
Watching, watching, sequestered from the strife,
Turning my soul away sometimes because I cannot bear to see.

Even minds may die, but Mind is always free
Bounding beyond, beyond, far beyond you and me;
Somehow finding the Possibility Keys
And unlocking the Door out of the Voids of Eternities."

Master Chang somehow, someway,
slowly disappeared into the red brown heart of the decaying tree.

Then the squawk of the jay
opened my mind's eye to the new day -
Namaste."

-  Michael P. Garofalo
   Meetings with Master Chang San Feng 
   Remembering Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

Step Out in the Rain

Day after day, wind and rain, rain and wind. Everything is soaked in our yard and gardens.

"When you look at that nature world it becomes an icon, it becomes a holy picture that speaks of the origins of the world. Almost every mythology sees the origins of life coming out of water.  And, curiously, that's true.  It's amusing that the origin of life out of water is in myths and then again, finally, in science, we find the same thing.  It's exactly so."
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey, p. 10

"Water is a good servant, but it is a cruel master."
- John Bullein, 1562

Haiku - February

Water and Rain: Quotes, Sayings, Lore

"I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. 
One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness."
- Adeline Knapp

One apple left on a branch of the tree.  It shares the space with a Praying Mantis egg case and a few emerging apple buds.  

A lovely apricot blossom that survived the rain and wind.  A the local almond orchards are in full bloom - white blooms.  

"Coming home
long necked geese–
Canadian-Americans.

A warm rest for
coots, geese, and ducks–
wet rice fields.

The white geese
ascend from the far fields
fleeing popping shotguns.

The honking geese
a quacking cacophony
flapping overhead.

Flocks of white
geese in the light gray fog–
this way and that way."

- Mike Garofalo

Dao De Jing, Chapter 12

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 12


"The five colors combined the human eye will blind;
The five notes in one sound the human ear confound;
The five tastes when they blend the human mouth offend.
Racing and hunting will human hearts turn mad,
Treasures high-prized make human conduct bad.
The holy man attends to the inner and not to the outer.
He abandons the latter and chooses the former."
-  Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 12  


"Color's five hues from the eyes their sight will take;
Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make;
The flavors five deprive the mouth of taste;
The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste
Make mad the mind;
And objects rare and strange,
Sought for,
Men's conduct will to evil change.
Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy the craving of the belly,
and not the insatiable longing of the eyes.
He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 12  


"The five colors
blind our eyes.
The five notes
deafen our ears.
The five flavors
dull our taste.
Racing, chasing, hunting,
drives people crazy.
Trying to get rich
ties people in knots.
So the wise soul
watches with the inner
not with the outward eye,
letting that go,
keeping this."
-  Translation by Ursula K. Le Guin, 2009, Chapter 12  


"An excess of light blinds the human eye; an excess of noise ruins the ear; an excess of condiments deadens the taste.
The effect of too much horse racing and hunting is bad, and the lure of hidden treasure tempts one to do evil.
Therefore the wise man attends to the inner significance of things and does not concern himself with outward appearances.
Therefore he ignores matter and seeks the spirit."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 12 


"The fives colours confuse the eye,
The fives sounds dull the ear,
The five tastes spoil the palate.
Excess of hunting and chasing
Makes minds go mad.
Products that are hard to get
Impede their owner's movements.
Therefore the Sage
Considers the belly not the eye.
Truly, “he rejects that but takes this”."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 12 


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 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter. 

  
Chapter 12, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

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 Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Brighter by the Years

"The physician/essayist Lewis Thomas went further: "The greatest of all accomplishments of twentieth-century science has been the discovery of human ignorance."

Raymo, Chet. When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist By Chet Raymo. Nortre Dame, Indiana, Sorin Books, c 2008. 13 chapters, notes, 148 pages. ISBN: 9781933495132. Clean used copy from Oregon. VSCL. This open-minded Professor Emeritus of Science at Stone Hill College, Massachusetts, advocates a "religious naturalism." He is a lifelong agnostic, atheist, and secular minded person; who, does favor retaining some aspects of religious practices. He strongly supports consensus science as the best path to universal provisional truths, and a rejection of the pre-scientific fables, myths, and lore of the ancients. He was educated in Catholic institutions (e.g., Notre Dame) and taught at a "Catholic" founded College. Very interesting philosophical consideration given to Ocham's Razor, consensus knowledge, "I don't know," genetics, skepticism, and inter-connectivity. Short thoughtful essays.

Hands Off

 "And now what is the result of all these considerations and quotations?  It is negative in one sense, but positive in another.  It absolutely forbids us to be forward in pronouncing on the meaninglessness of forms of existence other than our own; and it commands us to tolerate, respect and indulge those whom we see harmlessly interested and happy in their own ways, however unintelligible these may be to us.  Hands off: neither the whole of truth, nor the whole of good, is revealed to any single observer, although each observer gains a partial superior insight for the peculiar position in which he stands.  Even prisons and sick rooms have their special revelations.  It is enough to ask of each of us that he should be faithful to his own opportunities and make the most of his own blessings, without presuming to regulate the rest of the vast field."
-  William James, On a Certain Blindness, 1891

Oroville Dam Crisis

Around 60 miles south of our home in Red Bluff is the giant Oroville Dam.  This rock and concrete dam is the tallest in the United States.   This dam is the cornerstore of the California Feather River Project beginning in the 1960's.

We have experienced very heavy rainfall in our Red Bluff area since November.  In the mountains to the east of our home (Lassen and Shasta to the north east; and the Northern Sierra and Feather River to the southeast), they are all covered with more than average snow down to 3,500'.  The wooded western foothills of these mountains have all experienced tremendous rainfall since November.  We have friends in these foothill areas (e.g., Grass Valley) talking to us about the violent winds and rainstorms this winter.  Friends living right on the Sacramento River in Red Bluff are very anxious about the rising river waters.

The Yolly Bolly mountains to the west drain mostly west to the Pacific, and are of little concern. However a few rivers draining east to the Sacramento River, like Cottonwood Creek, 20 miles north of Red Bluff, are over normal capacity.

Red Bluff, and all the towns 130 miles to the south to the city of Sacramento, are located in a valley. We are all downhill from water.

Shasta Dam, 50 miles to the north of us, also creates a massive reservoir of fresh water.

As I write, over 200,000 people have been evacuated south of the Oroville Dam.  Everyone fears that a breach in the Oroville Dam's spillway could send a wall of water 30 feet high bursting out of the dam.

Most of the devastation from a potential Oroville Dam spillway failure would be south of the dam - downhill.  However, such a disaster would also back up the Sacramento River (4 miles east of our home), and would increase flooding in our area.

Wait and worry!

Qigong Ball Exercises

Magic Pearl Qigong  



A Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique

By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.
   
Part I, Movements 1-8

Part II, Movements 9-16


The Magic Pearl Qigong is a body/mind movement art practice that was developed in 2009 by Mike Garofalo.  He studied the Chen style Taijiquan medicine ball (Tai Chi Ball) exercises, the Yang Style Taijiquan medicine ball exercises, qigong forms, and general gym styles of medicine ball exercise routines.  He has practiced Qigong and Taijiquan since 1985. 

The psychological, symbolic, magical, esoteric, and meditative aspects of the Magic Pearl Qigong involve Taoist, Buddhist, and mythological lore from China and worldwide.  Followers of Dragon motifs and lore will enjoy the associations found in this form.  Suggestions for related meditations on the concept of the Cosmic Sphere, World Egg, Magic Pearl, Casting a Magick Circle, and Sacred Circles are also provided. 

For more information on general training with a medicine ball take a look at my Medicine Ball Exercises webpage. 

The Magic Pearl Qigong exercise 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. Use a medicine ball weighing from 2 to 6 pounds to begin practice of this qigong form. 


A brief list of names of the first 8 exercises in the Magic Pearl Qigong has been provided (1 page, .pdf format).  A brief set of instructions for doing the first 8 exercises of the Magic Pearl Qigong has been provided to facilitate learning and encourage daily practice (2 pages, .pdf format).


Valley Spirit Qigong Website

Cloud Hands Tai Chi Chuan Website

Health and Well Being

Foot, Ankle and Shin Exercises

Because of one consequence of my diabetes, my feet and ankles have problems caused by peripheral neuropathy.  My feet are often very stiff, numb, tingling, and uncomfortable.  The situation is incurable.  

I always wear properly fitting shoes and clean socks.  Wear footwear suitable for the activity you want to engage in.  Keep your feet clean and dry.  

I have found that regular walking, taijiquan, qigong, and yoga all ameliorate my foot problems.  

Here are some exercises I do to help my feet, ankles, and shin.  

1.  Stand, hold on to a chair or cane, and left my heels off the ground - toe raises.  It tenses the calf and muscles of the feet.

2.  Lift the foot off the ground and make circles with the foot.

3.  While seated, lift and extend your leg.  With your foot, trace out each letter of the alphabet.  Do the same activity with each foot.  Trace the letters of the alphabet in both print and cursive styles.  This is one of my favorite exercises.  

4.  While seated, lift and extend your leg.  Extend your toes out as far as you can and lower the toes.  Then, flex the foot, drawing the toes back towards the ankle.  

5.  Gently massage the foot.   

6.  Stand on One Foot

7.  Flex and extend only the toes.  If the toes are stiff and inflexible, then use your hands to push the toes forward and pull the toes back; slowly and gently.