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

Look Down

New Ways of Seeing



Reflections in puddles along Kilkenny Way.


Take some time to look at the ground while you walk, stand or sit.

Eighty Eight Ways of Walking



Mushrooms under the pine and cypress trees in my front yard.

Ways of Walking

Walking Meditation

Last night, around 7 pm, the moonrise was spectacular.  The moon was very large and very yellow and brilliant.

Lately, we have had very nice warmer weather with very clear blue skies.  I can see Mt. Shasta clearly to the north, 100 miles away.

Following the Good Man

"A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.
Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light. 
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret."
-   Translated by Stephen Mitchell, 2006  
     Dao De Jing, Chapter 27


Lao Tzu (Laozi), circa 500-300 BCE
Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), Classic of the Way and Virtue

 

Cloud Hands Website Index

Over the past decade, as I have prepared webpages on Taijiquan and Qigong topics of interest to me, I have added a link to the new webpage to my index:  Alphabetical Index to the Cloud Hands Website. 

Likewise, my interests in Gardening are indexed at the Alphabetical Index to the Spirit of Gardening Website.

We spent this past weekend gardening and making home improvements.  Plenty of pruning roses, pruning shrubs, raking, fertilizing, and doing typical winter gardening chores.  Raking up the pecan leaves, as shown in the photo below, was a time consuming chore. The large evergreen trees to my left side are beautiful bay laurel trees - one of my favorite trees. 
    

I also worked this past weekend on the The Magic Pearl: A Medicine Ball Exercise Routine Based on Chinese Sources.

Medicine Ball Exercises

Yang and Chen Tai Chi Ball, Chi Kung Ball Exercises
   

Heedfulness in Beginnings

"Tackle difficulties when they are easy,
Accomplish great things when they are small.
Handle what is going to be rough   
    when it is still smooth.  
Control what has not yet formed its force. 
Deal with a dangerous situation while it is safe. 
Manage what is hard while it is soft. 
Eliminate what is vicious
    before it becomes destructive. 
This is called "attending to great things at small beginnings.
A tree so big it can fill the span of a man's arms
    grows from a tiny sprout. 
A terrace nine stories high 
    rises from a shovel-full of earth.  
A journey of a thousand miles
    begins with a single step. 
Thus, one of integral virtue
    never sets about grandiose things,
    yet is able to achieve great things. 
Lightly made promises inspire little confidence.
Making light of things at the beginning,
    one will meet with failure in the end. 
Being prepared for hardship,
    one will not be overcome by it.
In handing their affairs, people often ruin them
    just as they are on the verge of success. 
With heedfulness in the beginning
    and all the way through to the end,
    nothing is ruined."
-  Translation by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979. 
    The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching.

Lao Tzu (Laozi), circa 500-300 BCE
Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), Classic of the Way and Virtue

Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, and Yoga Classes in 2011 - Mike Garofalo

Current 2011 Taijiquan and Qigong Class and Practice Schedule
Michael P. Garofalo, Instructor
Red Bluff, Northern California

Outdoors, Monday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center
Indoors, Mondays, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center
Outdoors, Friday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center
Indoors, Saturday, 9:30 - 11 am, Tehama Family Fitness Center
Outdoors, Sunday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

We practice the Yang Style of Taijiquan (24 Form and 108 Form), 32 Sword Form and Eight Immortals 36 Cane Form in the Yang Style of Taijiquan, the Chen Taijiquan 18 Form.

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.


Cloud Hands Blog
Cloud Hands Website
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Curriculum, Class Schedules
Tai Chi Class Information

Current 2011 Yoga Class Schedule
Mike Garofalo, Instructor
Red Bluff, Northern California


Yoga Class, Tuesdays, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center
Yoga Class, Thursdays, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center
Yoga Class, Saturdays, 11:15 am - 12:30 am, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Yoga Information
Yoga Class Information

Beginning Tai Chi Class 2011

Beginning Qigong Class