Can You Explain Your Reasoning?

 "Rationality is not just a matter of having some reasons for what one does, but of aligning one's beliefs, actions, and evaluations effectively with the best or strongest available reasons.  It pivots on doing that which, everything considered, one is "well advised" to do.  The matter of giving or following the course of intelligent and responsible advice is the crux of rationality.  There is nothing complex or arcane about the sorts of considerations that determine good and cogent reasons in this regard.  It is a matter of the sort of things that conduce to one's real advantage, to one's best interests.  This is a matter of furthering the full and rewarding life, preeminently involving the sort of things that make us happier and/or better persons in what relates to our benefit and the benefit of those who do and should matter for us (our family, community, and fellows at large, and the advancement of our individual and communal values.)  Practical rationality thus calls for appropriate resolutions intelligently arrived at and sensibly implemented.  It is geared to the sensible pursuit of appropriate ends.  The idea of optimization, of seeking for the best among visibly available alternatives, lies at the very core of rationality."
-  Nicholas Rescher, A System of Pragmatic Idealism, Volume I  1992, p.9

The Thinker's Way to Solve Problems

Have I accepted the problem?
What do I know about the problem?
How can I define the problem?
What are the alternatives?
What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of each alternative?
What is the solution?
How well is the solution working?

-  John Chaffee, The Thinker's Way: 8 Steps to a Richer Life,  1998

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Chen Tai Chi Chuan First Form

Chen Style Taijiquan, Old Frame First Form, Lao Jia Yi Lu
A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.  

This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, and articles.  Extensive selection of Internet links. 
List of movement names in English, Chinese characters, Chinese Pinyin, French, German, and Spanish; and citations for sources of the movement names. 
Detailed list of DVDs and videos available online.
Extensive notes on the author's learning the Old Frame, First Routine, Lao Jia Yi Lu; and on learning Chen Style Taijiquan. 
Record of performance times of this form by many masters. 
Breakdown by sections of the form, with separate lists for each section.  General information, history, facts, information, pointers, and quotations.  

Memories of Pacific Coast Places

Memories of Pacific Coast Places
Travels on US Highway 101 & 1
West Coast Snapshots & Snippets

Haiku, Short Poems, Photos
Graphics, Concrete Poems

By Michael P. Garofalo

"Loaded Logging Trucks Rumbling

Up and Down Daily on US 101,

In WA and Oregon.

They bring Timber to the Mills,

Where machines and men,

Shape Douglas Firs into 4x4's

For the Home Depot bins.

Timber and the Northwest,

a USA economic mainstay;

Replanted Managed Forests the Norm

in these 2022 days.

Coos Bay darkened in the fierce wind and rain;

while the Indian Casino was bright and gay,

slot machines running night and day.

Quiet Brooking, a humble seaside place,

with the nearby Pelican Bay Prison locking up

the worst of the human race.

A dead whale in the sand near Orick rots,

the carrion birds eat and happily squawk. 

Eureka Bay, was wasting away

in the plywood papermills' scum,

something needed to be done;

and, the old nuclear plant's

abandoned concrete core,

a statue in the sun,

had to be undone.

Whether in Oakland or Tacoma, ports so busy,

docks unloading, 24 hour bustling cities."

Memories of Pacific Coast Places
Travels on US Highway 101 & 1
West Coast Snapshots & Snippets

Haiku, Short Poems, Photos
Graphics, Concrete Poems

By Michael P. Garofalo

Morning Gardening Projects

Summertime afternoon temperatures are now in the 80F - 93F range.  I work outdoors on garden projects starting at 6:30 am.  I rest indoors in the afternoon and evenings.  

July Gardening: Quotes, Notes, Lore and Chores

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."
-  Ada Louise Huxtable

I worked on the area by our mailbox at the southeast edge of our suburban lot.  I weeded, planted more lavender, and placed wood bark chips on the area under the crepe myrtle tree.  My neighbor, Dick, keeps a very nice front yard and garden.

I worked on the area to the garden bed area immediately to the west of our front door.  I still have work to do to complete this morning garden project. 


"Answer July—
Where is the Bee—
Where is the Blush—
Where is the Hay?

Ah, said July—
Where is the Seed—
Where is the Bud—
Where is the May—
Answer Thee—Me—"
-  Emily Dickinson, Answer July 

Daodejing, Chapter 80

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 80


"You want a small state with a minimal population.
Have ready to hand weaponry for a sufficient number of military units
Yet have no recourse to use them.
Make sure that the common people take dying seriously
So that they have no taste for venturing far from home.
Though you have ships and chariots enough
Have no reason to man them;
Though you have armor and weapons enough
Have no reason to parade them.
Bring the common people back to keeping their records with knotted stong,
To relishing their food,
To finding beauty in their garments,
To enjoying their customs,
An to finding security in their homes.
Although your neighboring states are within eyesight
And the sounds of their dogs and cocks are within earshot,
Your people will grow old and die without having anything to do with them."
-  Translated by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall, 2003, Chapter 80

"The wise person reduces the importance of governments
And simplifies the modes of living,
So that people use fewer tools and wares
And treasure simplicity in their lives,
So that, though there are vehicles,
People do not take them.
And, though there are weapons,
People do not carry them.
And, though there are records,
Tying knots will serve the record-keeping purpose.
Thus, the highest political achievement is one
In which people savor their food,
Like the beauty of their clothes,
Appreciate their safe and peaceful homes,
Enjoy their social customs;
And in which roosters and dogs
Can be heard between countries;
But people, all their lives,
Have no need to go across the borders."
-  Translated by Liu Qixuan, Chapter 80   

"A small state with few people.
Let the implements (ch'ih) for ten and hundred men be unused,
Let the people fear death such that they do not move far away.
Although there are boats and carriages,
There are no places to ride them to.
Although there are weapons and armours,
There are no occasions to display them.
Let the people again tie ropes and use them (as memory aids).
Let them enjoy their food,
Consider their clothing beautiful,
Be contented with their dwellings,
And happy with their customs.
The neighbouring states overlooking one another,
The dogs' barkings and cocks' crowings are heard from other states,
Yet till they are old and dying the people do not visit one another."
-  Translated by Ellen M. Chen, Chapter 80 


小國寡民.
使有什伯之器而不用.
使民重死而不遠徙.
雖有舟輿無所乘之.
雖有甲兵無所陳之. 
使民復結繩而用之.
甘其食.
美其服安其居.
樂其俗. 
鄰國相望.
雞犬之聲相聞.
民至老死不相往來. 
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 80, Tao Te Ching


hsiao kuo kua min.
shih yu shih po chih ch'i erh pu yung.
shih min chung ssu erh pu yüan hsi.
sui yu chou yü wu so ch'êng chih.
sui yu chia ping wu so ch'ên chih.
shih jên fu chieh shêng erh yung chih.
kan ch'i shih.
mei ch'i fu an ch'i chü. 
lo ch'i su.
lin kuo hsiang wang.
chi ch'üan chih shêng hsiang wên.
min chih lao ssu pu hsiang wang lai.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Chapter 80, Tao Te Ching


"The ideal state is a small intimate community.
Where all the necessities of life are present in abundance.
There everyone is satisfied to live and die without looking around for greener pastures.
Even if they have cats or boats, they do not use them for traveling abroad.
Even if they have police and fortifications, these are never put to use.
Business transactions are simple enough to be calculated on one's fingers rather than requiring complicated bookkeeping.
The people are satisfied with their food,
Contented with their clothing,
Comfortable in their dwellings,
And happy with their customs.
Even though neighboring communities are within sight,
And the crowing of the neighbor's cocks and barking of the neighbor's dogs are within hearing,
They grow old and die without ever troubling themselves to go outside of their own communities."
-  Translated by Archie J. Bahm, Chapter 80  


"Let every state be simple like a small village with few people
There may be tools to speed things up ten or a hundred times yet no one will care to use them
There may be boats and carriages yet they will remain without riders
There may be armour and weaponry yet they will sit collecting dust
The people must take death seriously and not waste their lives in distant lands
Let them return to the knotting of cord
Let them enjoy their food and care for their clothing
Let them be content in their homes and joyful in the way they live
Neigbouring villages are within sight of each other
Roosters and dogs can be heard in the distance
Should a man grow old and die without ever leaving his village let him feel as though there was nothing he missed "
-  Translated by Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 80 



"Imaginemos que gobierno un pequeño país de pocos habitantes.
Mis súbditos tendrían embarcaciones que no utilizarían.l
Les enseñaría a temer a la muerte y a no alejarse.
Por muchos carruajes que hubiese, no viajarían en ellos.
Aunque tuviesen armas y corazas, no las mostrarían. 
Les llevaría de nuevo al uso de cuerdas con nudos (en lugar de escritura).
Encontrarían sabroso su alimento;
Ricos sus vestidos;
Cómodas sus casas;
Felicidad en sus costumbres.
Aunque los reinos vecinos se hallasen tan cerca
Que pudiesen oír el ladrido de los perros y el canto de los gallos,
Los hombres de este pequeño reino no desearían nunca abandonarlo."
-  Translated by Caridad Diaz Faes, 1970, Capítulo 80  

"Suppose I had a country small,

With people few, and I had there

Some officers of ten,

Or of a hundred men,

I'd not employ those men at all;

Though death were feared, unfrightened then,

My people would not emigrate elsewhere.

They might have carriages and boats,

But not in them to ride away,

They might have warlike arms,

But never war s alarms

Would call them with their hateful notes;

They d even forget how writing charms,

And knotted cords again they would display.

Then would they relish homely food,

Their plain clothes would seem elegant,

Though dwellings might be poor,

Content would guard the door,

And simple habits, plain and good, Far better than they knew before,

A sense of fresh enjoyment would implant.

A neighboring state might be in sight,

The voice of fowls and dogs be heard,

But life like that would make

My people such joy take

In their own state, that till the night
Of age should their enjoyment slake,

And they should die, they'd not exchange a word."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 80  

"If I had a small kingdom and but ten or a hundred men of ability, I would not administrate with them.
I would teach the people to look upon death as a grievous thing, and then they would not go abroad to meet it.
Though they had boats and carriages, yet they would not go away in them.
Though they had armour, yet they would never have occasion to wear it.
The people would return to the use of the quipu.
They should find their coarse food sweet, think their plain clothes grand, regard their homes as places of rest, and take delight in their own simple pleasures.
Though the neighbouring state could be seen by us, and the crowing of the cocks and the barking of the dogs could be heard,
Yet my people would grow old, and die before ever feeling the need of having intercourse with it."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 80



A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses) 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 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 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, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 80, 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  

 

Sounds of the Surf

 "Long long I lay in the sands

Sounds of trains in the surf
in subways of the sea
And an even greater undersound
of a vast confusion in the universe
a rumbling and a roaring
as of some enormous creature turning
under sea and earth
a billion sotto voices murmuring
a vast muttering
a swelling stuttering
in ocean's speakers
world's voice-box heard with ear to sand
a shocked echoing
a shocking shouting
of all life's voices lost in night
And the tape of it
someow running backwards now
through the Moog Synthesizer of time
Chaos unscrambled
back to the first
harmonies
And the first light"
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Slowing Down for Enjoyment

 "The movements of Qigong exercise should be slow instead of fast because slow movements will nourish qi and combine the posture with qi. The training practice of Qigong should start with Wuji with slow movement until the closing of the training.  Every movement and step must be done slowly, opening and spreading of the body be slow, closing and sinking of the body be slow, and rising and falling of the body be slow.  With slow movements, one can keep thinking whether the upper, lower, left and right of the body are followed, and whether the interior and exterior are coordinated.  With the slow and gentle movements and posture, the internal qi is conducted to flow slowly in the body to integrate mindwill with qi, vitality with posture, and enter the realm of forgetting the substance and me."

-  Master Wang Fengming, Special Taoist Taji Stick and Ruler Qigong, p. 115. 

"Walking meditation means to enjoy walking without any intention to arrive. We don't need to arrive anywhere.  We just walk. We enjoy walking. That means walking is already stopping, and that needs some training.  Usually in our daily life we walk because we want to go somewhere. Walking is only a means to an end, and that is why we do not enjoy every step we take. Walking meditation is different. Walking is only for walking. You enjoy every step you take. So this is a kind of revolution in walking. You allow yourself to enjoy every step you take.
The Zen master Ling Chi said that the miracle is not to walk on burning charcoal or in the thin air or on the water; the miracle is just to walk on earth. You breathe in. You become aware of the fact that you are alive. You are still alive and you are walking on this beautiful planet. That is already performing a miracle. The greatest of all miracles is to be alive. We have to awaken ourselves to the truth that we are here, alive. We are here making steps on this beautiful planet. This is already performing a miracle.  But we have to be here in order for the miracle to be possible. We have to bring ourselves back to the here and the now."
-  Thich Nhat Hanh, Resting in the River

Walking Meditation:  Quotes, Bibliography, Links, Information, Methods 
Compiled by Mike Garofalo.


"Walking meditation is walking in full awareness of breath, body and everything the senses present.  It is not an aerobic exercise - though it would be a fine lead-in to aerobic walking.  Rather, walking meditation is done slowly and consciously, with each step fully feeling the earth.  During this precious time, body and mind come together, joined in the present moment.  Although the benefits of walking meditation will deepen over time, even from the start, you can experience some measure of the relaxation, balance and quiet energy that builds through this practice."
-  Ginny Whitelaw, Body Learning, p. 55.   

Gardening in Different Places

Since we now live in the Columbia River Valley in Clark County, Vancouver, Washington, North West USA ... our gardening and yard chores will be different.

I believe that our USDA zone in Vancouver is Hardiness Zone 8a (10F-15F)

Our chore list will change significantly in the coming months.  We now live on a parcel that is .3 acres in the unincorporated area of Vancouver, Washington, while, before we lived for 17 years on a five acre parcel of land in Red Bluff, California.  We lived before in a rural area; now we live in a suburban neighborhood, part of the Portland, Oregon, Metropolitan area.  

One constant is the daily watering of potted plants of summer annuals, and some potted perennials and shrubs.  


July - Quotes, Poems, Sayings for Gardners

Months - Quotes

High Summer Feast Day, August 1st

July Gardening Chores
For Red Bluff, California, USDA Zone 9


Water plants: take advantage of cool morning hours, use daytime shade.
Water plants deeply and less frequently.
Water potted plants carefully on very hot days.
Mow lawns, but don't mow low.
Mulch and compost: straw, cuttings, leaves, twigs, chips, shredded paper, garbage.
Water compost pile areas.
Manage cutworms and other garden pests.
Weed around vegetables and shrubs.
Plant for autumn vegetable crops.
Use straw mulch to help control weeds and cool soil.
Maintenance on lawn mowing equipment.
Pick and save or eat fresh vegetables and fruits.
Dry fruit in sun.
Water plants.  Use irrigation ditch water efficiently and effectively.
Get up early to work in the cool morning hours.
Thin out excess fruit on trees.
Mulch with straw, chips, compost.
Train vines on support structures.
Read, listen to music, relax and sleep in the shade.
Tend to and enjoy annuals in bloom. 


 

Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo

Short Poems

By Michael P. Garofalo

      Summer Adventures

     Seaside Snippets

     Autumn Views

     Uncommon Considerations

     Winter Home

     Memories of Uncle Mike

     Springtime Days

     Backyard Gardens

     Favorite Short Poems

   

Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo

Haiku, Brief Free Verse, Photos

Tercets, Concrete Poems, Cinquains

Graphics, Waka, Couplets, Senryu
Sonnets, Limericks, Quatrains

Under 30 Letters Best Per Line of Text

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series I & II

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series I

Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series II
Uncle Mike's Favorites: Collections of Short Poems
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

      Uncle Mike's Favorite Short Poems Collections

  Poetry by Michael P. Garofalo

Concrete Poetry

Cloud Hands Blog

Memories of Uncle Mike

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series I & II

Dao De Jing, Chapter 79

Daodejing, Laozi
Chapter 79

"Compromise with great resentment will surely yield lingering resentment;
How can this be seen as good?
For this reason,
The sage holds the debtor's side of a contract and does not make claims upon others.
Therefore,
The man of integrity attends to his debts;
The man without integrity attends to his exactions.
The Way of heaven is impartial, yet is always with the good person."
-  Translated by Victor H. Mair, 1990, Chapter 79 

"harmonizing great resentments and injuries
requires a soft but steady equilibrium
but even in a gentle balancing of the scales
some friction and pain will always remain
harmony can still be reached
if the sage wise man doesn't push
for complete unity
the sage wise man come to understand that flawless justice
is impossible
so he holds an even temperament instead
great knowledge comes from the left hand
holding something broken an flawed
accept the small inequities
a bodymind embracing the tao way of life
doesn't need perfection
a bodymind rejects the tao way of life
striving for perfection
remember
heaven lends its strength to those who
follow the natural laws of the universe."
-  Translated by John Bright-Fey, Chapter 79  


"Reconciliation of a great grudge
Surely will leave some ill-will.
How can this be considered as good?
Therefore, the sage holds the left-hand part of the contract and does not blame the other person.
The man with virtue is likely to keep the contract;
The man without virtue is likely to collect the tax.
The way of Heaven has no favor;
It is constantly with the good man."
-  Translated by Yi Wu, Chapter 79 


"Return love for great hatred.
Otherwise, when a great hatred is reconciled, some of it will surely remain.
How can this end in goodness?
Therefore the Sage holds to the left half of an agreement, but does not exact what the other holder ought to do.
The virtuous resort to agreement.
The virtueless resort to exaction.
The Tao of heaven shows no partiality;
It abides always with good men."
-  Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 79  


和大怨, 必有餘怨,
安可以為善?
是以聖人執左契而
不責於人.
有德司契,
無德司徹.
天道無親,
常與善人.
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 79, Tao Te Ching


he da yuan, bi you yu yuan,
an ke yi wei shan?
shi yi sheng ren zhi zuo qi
er bu ze yu ren.
you de si qi,
wu de si che.
tian dao wu qin,
chang yu shan ren.
-  Pinyin Romanization, Chapter 79, Daodejing

"There's little good in making peace
If resentment lingers
You'll never see an end to blame
If everyone is pointing fingers

It's better to be pointing
At the peaceful and creative place
Where you see naught but emptiness
And others say they see your face."
-  Translated by Jim Clalfelter, 2000, Chapter 79 


"You can resolve great rancor, but rancor always lingers on.
Understanding the more noble way,
a sage holds the creditor's half of contracts
and yet asks nothing of others.
Those with Integrity tend to such contracts;
those without Integrity tend to the collection of taxes.
The Way of heaven is indifferent, always abiding with people of nobility."
-  Translated by David Hinton, Chapter 79  


"When the principle of a dispute has been settled some accessory grievances always remain,
and things do not return to the state they were in before. 
Therefore, the Sage never questions it, despite his right.
Keeping his half of the agreement, he does not exact the execution of what is written.
He who knows how to conduct himself after the Virtue of the Principle, lets his written agreements sleep.
He who does not know how to conduct himself thus, exacts his due.
Heaven is impartial.
If it were capable of some partiality, it would give advantage to good people.
It would overwhelm them, because they ask for nothing."
-  Translated by Derek Bryce, 1999, Chapter 79 


"El que consigue apaciguar un gran resentimiento, siempre deja subsistir algún resentimiento.
¿Esto puede considerarse un bien?
Por esto, el santo guarda la mitad izquierda de la talla, pero no reclama nada a los demás. 
El que tiene la virtud no tiene interés más que por la talla,
El que no tiene la virtud not tiene interés más que por percibir lo que se le debe.
El camino del cielo ignora el favoritismo, recompensa siempre al hombre de bien."
-  Translated by Alba, 1998, Capítulo 79  


"When a bad grudge is settled,
Some enmity is bound to remain.
How can this be considered acceptable?
Therefore the Sage keeps to his side of the contract
But does not hold the other party to their promise.
He who has Virtue will honour the contract,
Whilst he who is without Virtue expects others to meet their obligations.
It is the Way of Heaven to be impartial;
It stays always with the good man."
-  Translated by Keith Seddon, Chapter 79

"When a great wound is healed,
There will still remain a scar.
Can this be a desirable state of affairs?
Therefore, the Sage, holding the left-hand tally,
Performs his part of the covenant,
But lays no claims upon others.
The virtuous attends to his duties;
The virtueless knows only to levy duties upon the people.
The Way of Heaven has no private affections,
But always accords with the good."
-  Translated by John C. H. Wu, 1961, Chapter 79 

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses) 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 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 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, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 79, 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  

 

Rati Maa: Goddess of Love and Passion

Interesting article by Sandra Trishula Das on Rati Maa - Goddess of Love and Passion

Goddess Vidya, a blog by Sandra Trishula Das

Sex Magick

Tantra

Devi Kamakhya

Morton, Washington

Karen and I spent the night at the Seasons Motel in Morton.  It was a clean, quiet, and nice room for $190.00.  We were tired after a busy day on Mayfield Lake on Tuesday.  

We awoke early on Wednesday.  We drove home from Morton.  Beautiful farmland views.  

Karen and I enjoyed a trip from Vancouver, WA, to Lake Mayfield, WA.  It is about a 100 mile drive one way: north on Interstate 5 and east on Highway 12.  The drive from Mary's Corner to Morton, Randall, or Packwood is easy on Highway 12 which goes over White Mountain Pass and then to Yakima.  

Mick and April were camping (Sunday-Wednesday) at Ike Kinswa State Park near Mossyrock.  We joined them in the morning on Tuesday.  We both went on boat rides with Mick as the boatman driver.  We crossed Mayfield Lake from the dock near the bridge at the State Park.  Then we went up the Cowlitz River to below Mossyrock Dam.  A wonderful sightseeing excursion.  The weather was very overcast and threatening rain.  We had a great dinner of dipped pork and spinach sandwiches.  

Mayfield Lake, Washington

 Karen and I enjoyed a trip from Vancouver, WA, to Lake Mayfield, WA.  It is about a 100 mile drive one way: north on Interstate 5 and east on Highway 12.  The drive from Mary's Corner to Morton, Randall, or Packwood is easy on Highway 12 which goes over White Mountain Pass and then to Yakima.  

Mick and April were camping at Ike Kinswa State Park near Mossyrock.  We joined them in the morning.  We both went on boat rides with Mick as the boatman driver.  We crossed Mayfield Lake from the dock near the bridge at the State Park.  Then we went up the Cowlitz River to below Mossyrock Dam.  A wonderful sightseeing excursion.  The weather was very overcast and threatening rain.  

Memories of Uncle Mike

Memories of Uncle Mike       Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo

Uncle Mike's Cellphone Poetry Series

Fade into Emptiness: Shikantaza

"Even though your practice is not good enough, you can do it. Your breathing will gradually vanish. You will gradually vanish, fading into emptiness. Inhaling without effort you naturally come back to yourself with some color or form. Exhaling, you gradually fade into emptiness -- empty, white paper. That is shikantaza. 

The important point is your exhalation. Instead of trying to feel yourself as you inhale, fade into emptiness as you exhale. When you practice this in your last moment, you will have nothing to be afraid of. You are actually aiming at emptiness. You become one with everything after you completely exhale with this feeling. If you are still alive, naturally you will inhale again. 'Oh, I'm still alive! Fortunately or unfortunately!' Then you start to exhale and fade into emptiness. 

Maybe you don't know what kind of feeling it is. But some of you know it. By some chance you must have felt this kind of feeling." 

- Suzuki Roshi, Not Always So

A Cloud Hands Blog repost from February 2007

Zen 

Breathing Practices