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November 1,  Wednesday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 4 pm.

TFFC Gym: Weightlifting then teach Power Yoga class.

First real rain of the season begins today.  We expect rain, heavy at times, until Saturday.

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November 2,  Thursday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 4 pm.

TFFC Gym: Weightlifting then teach Yoga class.

Raining today.  GOOD!!

"The secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all
the details of daily life, and in elevating them to art."
-  William Morris

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November 3,  Friday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 4 pm.  Teach Webpage Creation: Why and How to 7th and 8th grade
science classes at Maywood School. 

"I you want to follow the doctrine of the One,
Do not rage against the World of the Senses.
Only by accepting the World of the Senses
Can you share in the True Perception."
-   Seng-ts'an 

5 Animal Frolics, Healing Qigong Chi Kung.  By Master Jesse Tsao.  Video clip: 7 minutes. 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1643391367898750104

8 Pieces Brocade Qigong.  By Master Jesse Tsao.  Video clip: 5 minutes. 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5941928815527121512

November 4,  Saturday,  2006
 

Walking and Taijiquan in the early morning.

Teach Tai Chi and Yoga at TFFC from 10-12:15.

Overcast and cloudy day. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
 

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
 

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
 

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
 

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
 

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
 

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.


 

"To be able to be unhurried when hurried;
To be able not to slack off when relaxed;
To be able not to be frightened
And at a loss loss for what to do, 
When frightened at at a loss;
This is the learning that returns us 
To our natural state and transforms our lives."
-  Liu Wenmin

December 2006 
November 2006 
October 2006 
September 2006 
August 2006
July 2006  
June 2006   
May 2006    
April 2006    
March 2006    
February 2006    
January 2006   
December 2005     
November 2005  
October 2005  
September 2005   
August 2005  
July 2005   
June 2005   
May 2005   
April 2005  
March 2005  
February 2005   
2005   
2004   
2003 
Index  

November 5,  Sunday,  2006

Walking and Taijiquan at daybreak.

Working around the house and yard.

Watch television in the afternoon. 

  To be empty means to be empty of ego, to be without any thought of self, not in the sense that one functions as a vegetable or a wild animal - living things which merely process water, food and sunlight in order to grow and reproduce - but in the sense that one ceases to gauge the events, the persons, the places, and the things of one's environment in terms of "I" or "me" or "mine". A person who is "empty of self" seldom has occasion even to use these pronouns.
- REMEMBERING MASTER XU YUN
By Jy Din Shakya



In Zen, the whole universe is empty. Not in the sense of nothing, not empty of content...Zen does not assent to a vacuum. It means empty of our judgments about the world, so that the world is simply itself, completely...To view the world from the standpoint of emptiness is to see the world in absolute fullness. At this point we are not separate from the world--we become the universe itself." Empty of judgments--of presuppositions--the idea begins to take form in my mind. This is pure objectivity, seeing the world not through our judgmental eyes, but through eyes that belong to the universe. Eyes that take in everything at once, equally. "The everyday mind, then, is the empty mind...the mind which does not discriminate the self from the world."
-Empty Hand, Empty Mind
By Erica Smith-Llera

November 6,  Monday,  2006

Walking and Tai Chi Chuan at daybreak.

Chores around the house: watering porch, splitting wood, repair bird feeders and doors,
close swamp cooler for the winter, picking pecans, clean garage.  Cool and overcast day.

A frog croaked in Fort Meyers, Florida,
A butterfly flapped its wings in Western West Virginia,
Bombs exploded in Baghdad,
Pecans fell to the wet earth in Red Bluff ...
All connected?  All interrelated? 
The Web shakes from end to end, up and down, side to side;
or Not.

Treasuring the belief that the small transforms the great,
the little influences the grand,
one book is The Word,
the trivial shakes the powerful to their knees,
the pen is mightier than the bomb,
a single word (like Love) becomes the answer,
one man is the Savior of the World,
One Way triumphs in the End;
we dance the Dance of Maya, deluded;
or Not.  

Wild geese fly south overhead,
shadows flow over the fields,
shit falls in the dark pond,
the honking comes and goes,
the clouds thicken as the raindrops fall -
mountains are walking,
enlightenment unfolds;
or Not. 

Wild geese land in the Kunlun Mountain valley Storms brewing, volcanoes steaming, earth shaking ...

 

Decline invitation to teach Tai Chi Chuan in Cottonwood.  I need to focus on using my time off work for CUESD to accomplish other goals: home improvement, reading, exercise, writing, etc..  I already
teach 6 exercise classes every week - this is enough for a 60 year old man.  Also, I often work extra
hours for CUESD on Monday and Friday.  Finally, driving to Cottonwood would take 40 minutes. 

TFFC Gym in afternoon: weightlifting for 45 minutes, teach spin cycling class.   

Christian Mysticism

http://www.innerexplorations.com/chmystext/christia.htm

Web of Creation

http://www.webofcreation.org/

Biographies    

Reginald H. Blyth  
Han Shan
Sun Lu-Tang  
Chang San-Feng  
   

November 7,  Tuesday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 2 pm.

TFFC Gym: Weightlifting then teach Yoga class. 

Cast my vote in the general mid-term election. 

November 8,  Wednesday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 4 pm.

TFFC Gym: Weightlifting then teach Power Yoga class from 5:30-6:15.

Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Work for CUESD from 7:30 - 4 pm.

TFFC Gym: Weightlifting then teach Yoga class.

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.  Work on projects.

KS 11-8 pm.   

I tend to think that most "Moslems" don't read and ignore the Koran - thankfully.  Likewise, most "Christians" don't read and ignore the Bible - thankfully.  If it were not for the irrational fear of not living forever in a fanciful heaven, many of these people would just stop pretending to believe in these foolish old religions of desert tribesmen.  They could still be good, honest, fair, just, hardworking, kind, generous, peaceful, smart, and live a truly happy life without these outmoded beliefs in macho male gods and shameful subservience to wrong headed, power hungry clergymen. 

"To even consider that Islam is a "religion of peace" is to ignore the texts of the Koran (translations by Yusufali).

Sura 8, verse 12 states: "Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them."

Sura 3, Verse 151 states: "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority: their abode will be the Fire: And evil is the home of the wrong-doers! "

Sura 9, Verse 5 reads: "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. "

Sura 9, Verse 29 states: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. "

Muslim Ideology

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=158&id=6483&t=UK%3A+MI5+warns+of+a+'generation'+of+Muslim+terror

Christianity is no better.  Both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible are filled with hate, violence, spite, bully men, racism, and religious intolerance.  Over the centuries, Christianity has tolerated or encouraged slavery, the oppression of women, theocratic rule of society, anti-democratic ideology, stupidity, religious intolerance, violence against non-believers, racism, and rejected the scientific study of our world. 

Wake up Mainstream Americans!  Our true values are not Christian or Moslem or Jewish.  Our true values are liberty, peace, cooperation, food on our tables, common sense, family life, friendships, good health, decent jobs, scientific progress, decency, beauty, and enjoying the good life.   

For just one year, stop going Church.  Stop praying.  Stop giving lip service to sacred books filled with nonsense.  Stop slavishly obeying misinformed, hypocritical and bully clergymen.  Stop giving money to churches, and give extra money to your family, friends, and the needy.  Take a long walk and think, instead of going to church.  In one year, you will liberate yourselves.  Your false guilt will fall away.  Your mind will clear.  You will not need to pretend that you believe in something, when you do not.  You will break the cycle of conditioning first imposed on you by your misguided parents.  Your good example will liberate others.  We will all start on the road to true peace and happiness. 

Walking and Taijiquan in the early morning.

Work around the house.

KS 1-6 pm. 

The books that I am currently reading and studying include:

Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 Yoga Poses and
Meditation.  By Olivia H. Miller.  San Francisco, Chronicle Books,
Ohm Works, 2003.  Index, 239 pages.  ISBN: 0811841154.   MPGC.

Tibetan Relaxation: Kum Nye Massage and Movement.  A Yoga for
Healing and Energy from the Tibetan Tradition.  By Tarthang Tulku.
London, Duncan Baird Publishers, 2003.  Index, 144 pages.
ISBN: 1904292674.

Zen Body-Being: An Enlightened Approach to Physical Skill, Grace,
and Power.  By Peter Ralston with Laura Ralston.  Berkeley, California,
Frog, Ltd..  183 pages.  ISBN: 1583941592.

The Serpent and the Wave: A Guide to Movement Meditation.
By Jalaja Bonheim.  Berkeley, California, Celestial Arts, 1992.
Index, 258 pages.  ISBN: 0890876576.

The Complete Book of Zen.  By Wong Kiew Kit.  Boston, Tuttle
Publishing, 2002.  Index, 324 pages.  ISBN: 0804834415.

The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung Fu.  By Adam
Hsu.  Boston, Massachusetts, Tutle, 1998.  204 pages.
ISBN: 0804831386.

Amazon Bookseller
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1583941592/gardendigest

There are two ways of looking at rituals. On the one hand, rituals are an external expression of our inner state. And on the other hand, we strengthen and reinforce our inner state by these external actions. Of course, in reality there are not two things, but rather a unified whole. As we practice together sincerely, we become increasingly aware that such notions as internal and external cannot be separated. This awareness is actually the growing realization of the real harmony that underlies everything.

~Taizan Maezumi in On Zen Practice

Used on 11/7, Tuesday in CH.

Fasting blood work a Lassen Medical in the morning.  Working around the house.  Helped Karen get her backup tasks completed; and got her a new USD flash Drive. 

It rained most of the day.  Cool and wet day. 

TFFC Gym from 4:20 pm:  Weightlifting, teach spin class to four persons.  I really was very strong tonight. 

Relax and read this evening.

Watched a thoughtful film called "The Empty Mirror" on IFC.  The film was about Adolf Hitler. 
Also watched the film "Purple Rain" about the musician Prince. 

Work for CUESD from 7:30 to 4 pm. 

TFFC Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach yoga for 75 minutes to 14 students.
Theme of the week:  Recovering the Beginner's Mind. 
I was not very strong or energetic today.  Very sore hamstrings. 

Prepared Yoga 5 set for Power Yoga class. 

The Mother of All Buddhas
A version of the Heart Sutra, created by Morgan Nels,
based on a translation by Red Pine

http://morgannels.org/blog/?p=103

Avalokiteshvara, Awakened One—
reincarnation of Maya, Mother of Shakyamuni—
while practicing the Perfection of Awareness,
looked upon the aspects of reality mistaken for a self
and seeing they were empty of self-existence,
said, “Here, Shariputra,
matter is emptiness, emptiness is matter;
emptiness is not separate from matter, matter is not separate from emptiness
whatever is matter is emptiness, whatever is emptiness is matter.
The same holds true for energy and emotion, thought and spirit.

“Here, Shariputra, all reality is defined by emptiness
not started or finished, natural or artificial, sacred or profane.

“Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no matter,
no energy, no emotion, no thought, and no spirit;
no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no hand, and no mind;
no image, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feeling, and no idea;
no perception, from visual recognition to abstract understanding;
no causation, from ignorance to decay and death,
and no end of causation, from ignorance to decay and death;
no symptom, no cause, no cure, no treatment;
no wisdom, no achievement, and no failure.

“Therefore, Shariputra, without achievement,
awakened ones know Perfect Awareness
and live without cave walls.

“Without cave walls and so without fears,
they go beyond delusions and even Paradise.

“All buddhas past, present, and future
also know Perfect Awareness
and realize unsurpassed, simple enlightenment.

“You should therefore know the great spell of Perfect Awareness,
the spell of great magic,
the unsurpassed spell,
the spell containing what cannot be contained,
which resolves all suffering and is true, not false,
the spell of Perfect Awareness said this way:

“‘Gone gone, beyond gone, entirely beyond gone, awakening is so.‘”

Mountains and Waters Sutra

http://bodhidharmausa.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!F79A4EA894F7B9FE!298.entry

Harriet's Tomato
http://www.harriettstomato.com/

Genjo Koan
Master Dogen

http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/GenjoKoans.htm

Study the Self

To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to be free from attachment to the body and mind of one's self and of others. It means wiping out even attachment to Satori. Wiping out attachment to Satori, we must enter actual society. When man first recognizes the true law, he unequivocally frees himself from the border of truth. He who awakens the true law in himself immediately becomes the original man.
 

Studying the Buddha Way is studying oneself. Studying oneself is forgetting oneself. Forgetting oneself is being enlightened by all things. Being enlightened by all things is causing the body-mind of oneself and the body-mind of others to be shed. There is ceasing the traces of enlightenment, which causes one to forever leave the traces of enlightenment which is cessation. When people first seek the Teaching, they are far from the bounds of the Teaching. Once the Teaching is properly conveyed in oneself, already one is the original human being.
-  Translated by Thomas Cleary

To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly. When you first seek dharma, you imagine you are far away from its environs. At the moment when dharma is correctly transmitted, you are immediately your original self.
-  Translated by Robert Aitken and Kazuaki Tanahashi.

Work for CUESD from 7:30 to 4 pm.  Set up my first PBWiki for Maywood EAST project.
 

TFFC Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach yoga for 45 minutes.  A women's professional
group needed to meet in the yoga room at the same time as our class.  We moved
into the women's weight room and shared the space with a circuit training class and
a spin cycling class going on at the same time.  It was not a good experience for me,
but we coped for 30 minutes. 

Work for CUESD from 7:30 to 4 pm.  Attend managers meeting at 9 am.

TFFC Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach yoga for 75 minutes. 

The statistics for October 2006 usage at www.egreenway.com shows that readers around the world requested 180,243 webpages excluding graphics files (.jpg and .gif).

For the 2006 year, based on statistical analysis, www.egreenway.com sent out the following number of webpages:

Mind-Body Arts
Cloud Hands: Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong Website;
Yoga, Meditation, and Fitness Websites
1,123,900 webpages in 2006

Months Website and Green Way Blog
749,300 webpages in 2006
Of this total, the Green Way Blog is served to an average of
438 persons each day or 160,000 each year.

Total for www.egreenway.com in webpages served:
1,873,200 webpages in 2006


I estimate that the Cloud Hands: Taijiquan and Qigong Website will have served 2,263,900 webpages to people around the world from January 1, 2003 until December 31, 2006.

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning. 

Trip to Chico:  Pick up my new prescription glasses, used bookstore shopping
for Karen and I, and other shopping chores. 

Added all the items below to webpages and blogs. 

Practice 3rd Section of Yang Form and view videotapes on the subject. 

Posture One - Three Body Posture (San Ti Shi):

The Five Element Creation Fist routine begins as with most Xingyiquan routines in the Three Body Posture (San Ti Shi). The San Ti Shi is the most important and most basic training method in Xingyiquan. All movements in the style do not stray away from the principles of the San Ti Shi. There is a saying which states that "ten thousand methods originate from the San Ti Shi". The San Ti Shi is formed by first placing the feet together with body erect. The arms hang down beside the body. The toes of the right foot turn out at a 45 degree angle. The legs bend at the knees as the weight of the body shifts to the right leg. The left arm rises up to the front of the chest with the palm facing down and fingers pointing to the front. The right hand rises up directly above the left hand (the right index finger is in line with the left middle finger). Both elbows are bent. The left foot steps to the front with the two heels in line with each other. The distance between the two feet should conform to the length of the lower leg. To check the width of one's stance, place the knee of the right rear leg down to the ground. The knee should fall directly next to the left front heel. Should the distance be different, simply adjust the feet to fit this width. The knees are bent with the weight distributed 60 percent on the rear leg and 40 percent on the front leg. Consequently, this stance is often referred to as the 60/40 stance. At the same time, the left hand straightens to the front. The fingers point up with the palm facing out at an angle. The wrist is at shoulder level. The elbow is bent at an angle of approximately 135 degrees. The wrist of the left arm should be directly above the ankle of the left leg; the elbow of the left arm should be directly above the knee of the left leg; and the left shoulder should be directly above the left hip.

Ted W. Knecht in San Ti Shi

The nose, the index finger of the left hand, and the toes of the left foot should be aligned in a straight line. The right hand lowers down to the front of the lower abdomen. The base of the right thumb is pressed against the navel. The eyes look in the direction of the left hand. The head should be held upright with the chin slightly tucked in. The tail bone should be slightly curled under to allow the spine to become straight. The chest should be hollowed and the abdomen should be filled. These requirements should be maintained throughout the entire routine. 

-  Ted W. Knecht, Yongnian Taiji Martial Arts,  Xingyi

From wuji we move into another standing posture that is called san-ti. The san-ti is the primary posture of Hsing-i. In fact, about 60 % of the Hsing-i student's time is spent holding this posture. The transition from wuji to san-ti is made by bringing the feet together and then raising the arms with the palms facing up along your sides. As your hands reach above your head, they begin to close into fists with the thumb side closest to your body. Sink your chi as the fists are lowered to the pelvis level. The right fist screws inward and up along the center line of the body. This screwing is started in the ground and involves the entire right side of the body. However, do not sacrifice your vertical posture. As the right fist screws upward along your center, the hands rise at a 45 degree angle away from the body. When the right fist reaches the level of the chin, the left side begins its movement. Just as on the right side, the left's movement starts from the ground and is done in unison. The left fist screws and follows a path along the center of your body. The fist moves away at a 45 degree angle and passes over the right fist. As the left fist passes the right, the hands rotate and the right hand is pulled back to a position to the right of the tan tien. The left hand goes forward and is held as shown. Examine the photographs closely. But I must point out that which can not be captured on film. The intent of the lead hand is to project forward while the intent of the rear hand is going back to counterbalance the action of the lead hand. This is an important point that will become more clear as we examine the requirements of the san-ti posture. As the left foot extends forward, the left foot will also step out with the toe pointing straight. About 70% of your weight will be held in the rear leg.
The Hsing-i classics address this transition. Essentially the classics state: the movement is started with the intent of the mind. With this intent the bear and eagle combine to move the body without further thought or consideration. In regard to this, here is a translation of the Song of Tai chi. The mind has already moved, and the boxing has started. (The boxing) is hard and soft, empty and full, opening and closing, rising and falling.

What I have just described is what the average person would see if he saw the transition from wuji to san-ti. Now, let me tell you what really happened. Hsing-i postures, to include the fists and animals, have four requirements that must be met at all times if a sound structure is to be maintained. When fighting, or training with a partner, there are two more requirement which I will detail when appropriate. For now, we shall look at the four we need for standing practice. They are: chicken leg, dragon body, bear shoulder, and tiger embrace. The details of these requirements are spelled out in the Hsing-i classics. I will attempt to summarize them for you here.

Chicken leg refers to the manner inwhich the feet and legs are held. First, the toes must grasp the ground to secure the feet in their place. The legs are held as if screwing into the ground. The effect of which is felt in the knees which are inclined slightly inward. The heels will feel as though they want to push out, but the toes hold the feet in place. As a result of the inward inclination of the knee, the inner thigh is opened. The pelvis is relaxed and allowed to sit back and rest on the rear leg. The hui yin is raised. The focus of the balance should be on the bubbling well of the foot. The toe of the lead foot points straight while the toe of the rear foot points about 45 degrees outward. The knee of the lead foot should be above its heel. The distance between the two feet should be comfortable.

Dragon body refers to the turning of the torso in the direction of the rear foot. The head will remain looking straight ahead, however. A key point here is to relax the inner groin and sit back on the rear leg. The muscles along the ribs should also relax as much as possible to allow for good rotation. Do not rotate the pelvis. It remains oriented toward the front. Also, keep your posture straight and erect. The dragon body accentuates the intent of the lead hand to go forward and the rear hand to counter balance it to the rear.

Bear shoulder helps keep the structure sound by relaxing the shoulders and allowing them to roll forward from the side as opposed to hunching them over the top. Think of hollowing the chest through relaxation to help you fulfill this requirement.

Tiger embrace ensures the arms will keep a sound structure while sending and receiving energy. The palms will be hollow and the tiger mouth open (area between the thumb and index finger). You must always drop the elbow and sink the shoulder. This ensures sound structure and also acts to protect your ribs. Remember to relax and hollow the chest or there will be too much tension and your chi will rise. The index finger will be on the same plane as the big toe of the lead foot and the tip of the nose.

The importance of the four requirements above can not be stressed enough. If one of them breaks down then your structure will not reach it's potential and you may become vulnerable. One of the characteristics of the Shang Yun Xiang method of Hsing-i is that it does not matter what your opponent offers for a defense. Your structure will uproot his upon contact and you will be able to strike his center. If, however, your structure is lacking in the requirements you will not necessarily be able to accomplish this feat. The other two requirements come into play only when fighting or training with a partner. I will detail those in the next article when we look at the first of the five fists.

-  Jim Dees, Hsing-I: An Examination of Principles

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.

TFFC Gym:  Teach Taijiquan and Yoga from 10-12:15 pm. 

Chore 1:  Cleanout wasps in wood burning stove.  Split kindling.  Quarter wood logs.
Get nice decorative wood containers filled.  Clean around stove.  Light first fire today.

Chore 2:  Start creating THE LIST OF MIKE GAROFALO: 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days. 

Karen and I went shopping in Red Bluff: Home Deport, Food Max, Staples, 

Watch USC (9-1) vs California (8-2) on television today.  This is touted as being "THE"
matchup game in the PAC10 this year.  Gametime at 5 pm.  It was a close game in the first half 9-7 in favor of Cal, but USC dominated the second half and won 26-9.  Their defense was excellent today.  Cal had averaged 35 points a game this season, the best in the the PAC 10. 

Next Saturday, USC (9-1) plays against the team I dislike the most - Notre Dame (10-1)in Los Angeles.  Last year USC had a last second lucky win against Notre Dame.  I hope they beat the Fighting Irish this year by 20 points.   

For a few hours last weekend, the garden behind the little blue house in the village was a quiet province in the commonwealth of of winter. The snowfall was lovely, but the earth was warmer than the air, and I watched the fluffy carpet melt away as it reached the ground. The winter white stuff lingered in the ash trees for a brief interval and then faded away, leaving just a fleeting impression of the season's first snowfall - one of those vivid tableaux which lingers behind one's eyelids when the day has been spent and night comes tumbling down with its bright waning moon and its retinue of stars.

Strangely enough, there is still a fair bit of greenery on the buckthorn shrubs under the ash trees (perhaps because the shrubs are sheltered), and the scene at the moment is beguiling. My weathered old red bird feeder (one of many) oscillates back and forth in the wind, and there are flocks of happy chickadees making quick visits and practising their winter landings.
Beyond the Fields We Know

http://kerrdelune.blogspot.com/2006/11/by-window.html

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning. 

Chore 1: Fix up the dog sleeping area:  roofing, tacking up plastic inside, removing old straw, and putting in fresh dry straw. 

Chore 2: Water back porch and put up cold sensitive plants.  Expand wood and kindling storage areas. 

Chore 2:  Start creating THE LIST OF MIKE GAROFALO: 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days. 

Catch up on Internet work - Blue Host was down yesterday. 

Tortoise (Black Warrior) = North, Winter, Black, Water
White Tiger (Kirin) = West, Fall, White, Metal
Red Bird (Phoenix) = South, Summer, Red, Fire
Dragon = East, Spring, Blue/Green, Wood

SHISHIN 四神
Below Text courtesy of JAANUS
www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/shishin.htm
Ancient Chinese mythical animals associated with the four cardinal directions: green/blue dragon (Ch: Qinglong 青龍, Jp: Seiryuu) of the east; white tiger (Ch: Baihu 白虎, Jp: Byakko) of the west; red phoenix (Ch: Zhuque 朱雀, Jp: Suzaku) of the south; and black warrior (Ch: Xuan Wu 玄武, Jp: Genbu) of the north, a tortoise-like chimera with the head and tail of a serpent. The pictorial theme developed around the Warring States to Early Han period in China. Frequently painted on the walls of early Chinese and Korean tombs, the animals served primarily an apotropaic function warding off evil spirits. In Japan notable examples of the shishin are found on the walls of the tomb chamber in the tumulus Takamatsuzuka 高松塚 of the Asuka period, and on the base of the Yakushi Triad, Yakushi Sansonzou 薬師三尊像 at Yakushiji 薬師寺, both in Nara.

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ssu-ling.shtml

"Chinese Mythology:
An Encyclopedia of Myth and Legend"
by Derek Walters. ISBN: 1855380803
"The Four Directions, East, South, West an

More on Tortoise and Snake Symbolism
Below text courtesy Gabi Greve
www.amie.or.jp/daruma/Tsurukame.html

Tortoise and Snake 亀と蛇
In Chinese culture, especially under the influence of Taoism (道教) the tortoise is the symbol of heaven and earth, its shell compared to the vaulted heaven and the underside to the flat disc of the earth. The tortoise was the hero of many ancient legends. It helped the First Chinese Emperor to tame the Yellow River, so Shang-di rewarded the animal with a life span of Ten Thousand Years. Thus the tortoise became a symbol for Long Life. It also stands for immutability and steadfastness.

We often see stone grave steles on a stone tortoise or reliquaries standing on it. The tortoise is also regarded as an immortal creature. As there are no male tortoise -- as the ancient believed -- the female had to mate with a snake. Thus the tortoise embracing a snake became the protector symbol of the north, but since the word "tortoise" was taboo in Chinese, it was referred to as the "dark warrior" (genbu 玄武 ) and finally became Zhenwu (in Chinese Taoism), one of the four protector gods of the four directions. The symbol of Zhenwu, the Protector God of the North, as tortoise and snake (or tortoise entwined by a snake) dates back to the third century BC. For more on Taoism, see this online catalog about "Taoism and the Arts of China".

Zhenwu   (Perfected Warrior) the Taoist god who, over many centuries, evolved from an ancient symbol of the north (the entwined tortoise and snake) into a superhuman warrior god, adopted in the Ming dynasty as the protector of the imperial household

Zhenwu, the "Perfected Warrior," began as an entwined tortoise and snake, the animal symbol of the north in the Five Phase system. This emblem was called the "Dark Warrior" (xuanwu) until the 11th century, when the name was changed to "Perfected Warrior" (zhenwu). From this time onward, Zhenwu assumed human form and rapidly became one of the most important deities in the Taoist pantheon. This was in no small part due to both his identity as a warrior god and his association with the north, the direction from which China was constantly threatened by neighboring people from central Asia. As a result, the Perfected Warrior eventually became known as a protector of the state and imperial family. Sponsorship of Zhenwu by the emperor reached its peak during the Ming dynasty�especially during the reign of the third Ming emperor, who credited the god with helping him seize the throne. A temple to Zhenwu still stands in the northern quadrant of the Ming imperial palace, later used by the rulers of the Qing dynasty.

Due to the popularity of the Perfected Warrior, his worship spread beyond the confines of Taoism. He became an important member of the Buddhist pantheon as well. Zhenwu is still actively worshiped, and his central temple on Mount Wudang in Hubei province remains one of Taoism's most important sacred sites.

http://www.artic.edu/taoism/renaissance/introi.php

"The flow of the river is ceaseless and its water is never the same...

Men all felt uncertain as drifting clouds...

He who complies with the ways of the world may be impoverished thereby;

he who does not, appears deranged."

--Kamo no Chomei in "An Account of My Hut"

"Even as a bee, having taken up nectar

From a flower, flies away,

Not harming its colour and fragrance,

So may a sage wander through a village."

--"Flowers" (49) in The Dhammapada

Work for CUESD 7:30 - 4 pm.  Start writing counseling grant, submit EdTech K-12 grant.

Gym:  Left weights (usually lat pulldowns, reverse leg curls, chair hyperextension, triceps push curls, rotator cuff curls to body, seated rows).  Teach spin class from 5:30 - 6 pm. 

Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order. - Samuel Beckett


"Remember that dance has a dimension beyond the physical. The body-as imperfect as it always is-is only part of the picture. Your energy, the quality of your movement, your feeling about the world, your dance spirit-that is what we see under the lights" - Dance Magazine 3/05


"Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances." - Maya Angelou



To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak. ~Hopi Indian Saying



Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance. ~Mr. Miyagi, The Next Karate Kid, 1994

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning. 

Chiropractic and massage in Red Bluff.

Gym in afternoon:  Weightlifting (usaully bench presses, incline squats, bicep curls, reverse flys).  Teach yoga from 5:30 - 6:45 pm. 

n ancient China, the tortoise and the snake were thought to be spiritual creatures symbolising longevity. During the Han Dynasty, people often wore jade pendants that were in the shape of tortoises. Because of ancient Chinese influence on Japan, honorific titles and badges in Japan often referred to the tortoise or images of tortoises.

Then a legend arose that told of female tortoises being unable to mate with male tortoises, but only with male snakes. This made the male tortoise angry, but the female tortoise kept the male tortoise at a distance by urinating around herself. From then on, men whose wives were having extramarital affairs were often referred to as "tortoises," and so people stopped using the tortoise as a fortuitous symbolism.

The depiction of the Xuánwǔ as a tortoise-snake creature may have came into existence because of this legend of female tortoises and male snakes mating. However, this explanation is uncertain, because the depiction could have came into existence as early as the Zhou Dynasty.

"In the classic novel, Journey to the West, Xuánwǔ was a king of the north who had two generals serving under him, a "Tortoise General" and a "Snake General." This king had a temple at Wudang Mountains in Hubei, thus there is a "Tortoise Mountain" and a "Snake Mountain" on the opposite sides of a river in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei.

In Taoist legend it was said that Xuánwǔ was a prince of a Chinese Emperor, however, he was not interested in taking the thron but decided to study in Tao's way. At age 15, he left his parents to search for enlightment in Tao's way. It was said that he eventually achieve god status and was worshiped as a god of northern sky.

Chinese: 玄武; pinyin: Xuán Wǔ, literally "Black Warrior") is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the Black Warrior of the North (北方玄武), and it represents the north and the winter season. Although its name in Chinese, Xuánwǔ, is often translated as Black Tortoise in English, it is usually depicted as both a tortoise and a snake, specifically with the snake coiling around the tortoise.

The Chinese constellations were not only used by Chinese cartographers, they were also used by Korean and Japanese cartographers as well. In Japanese, the Black Tortoise is called Genbu, and it has been depicted in numerous Japanese comic books and animations. In Korean it is called Hyeon-mu."
 

Wikipedia - Black Tortoise

The secret of beginning a life of deep awareness and sensitivity lies in our willingness to pay attention. Our growth as conscious, awake human beings is marked not so much by grand gestures and visible renunciations as by extending loving attention to the minutest particulars of our lives. Every relationship, every thought, every gesture is blessed with meaning through the wholehearted attention we bring to it. In the complexities of our minds and lives we easily forget the power of attention, yet without attention we live only on the surface of existence. It is just simple attention that allows us truly to listen to the song of a bird, to see deeply the glory of an autumn leaf, to touch the heart of another and be touched. We need to be fully present in order to love a single thing wholeheartedly. We need to be fully awake in this moment if we are to receive and respond to the learning inherent in it.

~ Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield, in Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart

Karen and I drove from Red Bluff, California, to Portland, Oregon.  The trip is 460 miles up Interstate Highway 5.  I was overcast and foggy from Shasta Lake until Eugene, Oregon, and then it rained until we arrived in Portland at our daughter's home.  Her husband, Sean Flinn, made dinner for us. 

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

Mary Oliver, Messenger
 

We spent the day at our son's home in Portland.  He and his wife, April, made an elaborate Thanksgiving meal for everyone. 

Of the 64 hexagrams, the most commonly quoted by the Chinese are Qian and Kun, since these two hexagrams pervade many important things in Chinese culture such as the meaning of heaven and earth, light and dark, creative and receptive, yang and yin, firm and yielding, dragon and mare, father and mother. These two hexagrams also feature in Chinese martial arts and neidan practice for the advanced practitioners. Because of their importance, much has been written by the ancients and the wise on these two hexagrams. This may explain why the ancients placed Qian, as the first hexagram of the Zhouyi with Kun, second, since they represent Heaven and Earth respectively.

Qian represents the fourth month (May-June) of the Chinese calendar, the beginning of summer. Qian comprise of six light (or unbroken) lines and each line can be taken to represent a dragon that mounts up to heaven.

If we follow the Xiantian (Earlier Heaven) diagram devised by Chen Tuan, Qian would be on the top of the head (Ru Ding) with Kun at the bottom of the body. Qian / Heaven would be the location where the embryo emerges into emptiness. It is also the place where the hair stands on end during meditation. Initially neidan practitioners will sense the Qi moving across this part of the head. At a later stage, they may see a brighter light when the Qi and the light pass through this point, although 'there is no longer, a head or tail’.

The Judgment in Hexagram 1 Qian says: The Creative works sublime success, furthering through perseverance. And the Image says: The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring.

At this peak, the Junzi, Neidan adept, or Kung Fu master would have made himself or herself strong and untiring, furthering through perseverance. No one can see this since success is sublime.

No different from what Lu Dongbin has said – ‘This marvelous magic cannot be fathomed. But when the practice has started, one must press on from the obvious to the profound, from the coarse to the fine. The beginning and the end of the practice must be one.’ And similar to what Ziyang Jen Ren said – ‘If one cultivates one’s action while mingling with the world and is still in harmony with the light, then the round is round and the angular has angles; then he lives among men, mysterious yet visible, different and yet the same, none can compass it; then no one notices our secret actions.’ [Secret of the Golden Flower – W/B]

A Touch of Ancients

http://atouchofancientszhouyi.blogspot.com/2006/10/qian-creative.html

Karen and I shopped in the small stores on Broadway.  We watched our granddaughter as Sean and Alicia went to the movies.  I watched the Oregon and Oregon State "Civil War" game - a thriller. 

The basic unit of Tai Chi is the circle. Circle, circles, everywhere. The first stage in Tai Chi is relaxing to the point where the upper body is so floppy that strong turns of the waist from a sunk, rooted, bent-legged stance, will fling the arms into either complete or partial circles. Strong, powerful, loaded legs and a fluid waist directing a loose and relaxed upper body. The difficulty with the postures of Tai Chi, stylized as they are – to the point of being highly compromised in many cases, is to connect our main circle to the incoming energy and to get both arms involved in that circle. The circle can be on the horizontal or vertical plane so can connect with the incoming energy from the left, from the right, from underneath or from above. Returning the energy is simply completing the circle. Relaxation is the key and we initially encourage a flat detachment to cultivate this relaxation. Philosophically this fits with Buddhist/Taoist concepts of non-action and emotional detachment – we may be doing something but it is minimal and devoid of the tensions associated with striving or desire. This is only the first stage, but it is absolutely vital. Without it the student may succeed quite well in the later stages but they wont fully understand or feel or connect to the energy as energy. It should be realised that a student doesn't need to master the first stage before she can proceed onto the next. She just needs to have become so thoroughly infected with interest, and with the need to practice, that success is a foregone conclusion – is just a matter of time.

http://taichiheartwork.blogspot.com/2006/10/circles.html

Tai Chi Heartwork

All of us met at 11 am for a family portrait at a studio.  We we out for Italian food and shopped.  We all watched USC defeat Notre Dame 44 to 24. 

http://ettsem.blogspot.com/2006/10/walking-for-health-weight-loss-and.html

Walking for Health, Weight Loss and Insight

Karen and I drove home from Portland to Red Bluff.  It took us 12 hours because of rain the whole distance and snow from Ashland to Redding. 

The Word “Relax” in Tai Chi Ch’uan

Cheng Man Ch’ing

I have been practicing Tai-Chi Chuan for over fifty years. Only two years ago that I started to understand the word “relax”. I remember my Tai-Chi Chuan teacher Yang Cheng-Fu who did not like to talk much and he used to sit all day without saying a word if no one asked him questions. However, in our T’ai-chi class he would tell us to “relax” repeatedly. Sometimes it seemed like he would say the word hundreds of times during the practice so that the word could fill up my ears. Strangely enough he also said that if he did not tell me of this word that I would not be able to learn T’ai-chi in three life-times (meaning never). I doubted his words then. Now that I think back, I truly believe that if he did not keep reminding me of the word “relax”, I doubt if I could have learned T’ai-chi Chuan in six life-times.

What is the meaning of “relax” in T’ai-chi? Here is an example to help you understand the word. When we go visit a Buddhist temple we usually see a statue of Me-Lo Buddha. The one who has a big rounded stomach with a big smile on his face. He carries a large bag on his shoulder. On top of this statue we see a motto: “Sit with a bag. Walk with a bag. It would be such a relief to drop the bag.” What does all this mean? To me, a person himself or herself is a bag. Everything he or she owns is baggage, including one’s children, family, position and wealth. It is difficult to drop any of one’s baggage, especially the “self” bag.

T’ai-chi Chuan is difficult to learn. To relax in practicing T’ai-chi Chuan is the most difficult phase to go through. To relax a person’s mind is the most significant obstacle to overcome in practicing T’ai-Chi. It takes a great effort to train and exercise one’s mind to relax (or drop one’s “self” bag).

Cheng Man Ching Video 7 minutes.   Some Yang form, push hands, and sword form.  

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8162222609571015204

37 Step Short Form

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6564045325807568972&q

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning. 

Raining most of the day.  My medical appointment with Dr. Plett. 

KS 3-10 pm. 

Susan Warner Fall Mandala

http://www.susanwarner.com/photo_album_galleries/view_fall_leaves_mandala_jpg.htm

But, meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It's about feeling the way you feel. It's not about making the mind empty or still, although stillness does deepen in meditation and can be cultivated systematically. Above all, meditation is about letting the mind be as it is and knowing something about how it is in this moment. It's not about getting somewhere else, but about allowing yourself to be where you already are. If you don't understand this, you will think you are constitutionally unable to meditate. But that's just more thinking, and in this case, incorrect thinking at that.

True, meditation does require energy and a commitment to stick with it. But then, wouldn't it be more accurate to say, "I wont stick with it," rather than, "I can't do it?" Anybody can sit down and watch their breath or watch their mind. And you don't have to be sitting. You could do it walking, standing, lying down, standing on one leg, running, or taking a bath. But to stay at it for even five minutes requires intentionality. To make it part of your life requires some discipline. So when people say they can't meditate, what they really mean is they won't make time for it, or that when they try, they don't like what happens. It isn't what they are looking for or hoping for. It doesn't fulfill their expectations. So maybe they should try again, this time letting go of their expectations and just watching.

f a chapter from Jon Kabat-Zinn's deservedly bestselling book "Wherever You, There You Are." It's a good question to ask, as many people think they don't have the

Dr Ken Andes, L.Ac, D.Ac. (RI) a licensed acupuncturist, board certified herbalist, and medical qigong instructor, says this about baduanjin in the January 2006 issue of “Qi Dao” newsletter:

• It is non-strenuous and can be done by anyone of any age.
• It will regulate your digestion and metabolism, thus helping with weight loss.
• It takes less than 10 minutes a day to perform.
• It is VERY easy to learn...no matter how uncoordinated you are.
• It will stretch and tone all of your muscles, thus increasing your flexibility.
• It will help relieve neck, back, and shoulder pain.
• It will make your muscles (especially your legs) stronger.
• It will stimulate your lymphatic system and help detoxify the body of environmental poisons.
• It will develop a calm, focused mind.
• It helps relieve depression and anxiety.
• It requires no special equipment and can be done anywhere, anytime.
• It will make you look and feel many years younger.
• It will harmonize and stimulate all of your acupuncture meridians, giving you a similar effect of an acupuncture treatment....without the needles!!

Work for CUESD from 7:30 am to 4 pm.

Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach Yoga class to 16 persons.   

Paltrul Rinpoche (1808-1887), a Tibetan meditation teacher, describes this poetically:

All you practitioners, male and female, who wish to realize the faultless and correct point of view, should let your mind rest fully awake in a state of unfabricated emptiness. When your mind is quiet, then rest in that quietness without trying to fabricate anything. When it doesn't think, then rest in that non-thinking. In short, no matter what takes place, let your mind rest without fabricating anything.

Don't try to correct, suppress or cultivate anything.

Don't try to place your mind inwardly. Don't search for an object to meditate upon outwardly. Rest in the meditator, mind itself, without fabricating anything.

One doesn't find one's mind by searching for it. The mind itself is empty from the beginning. You don't need to search for it. It is the searcher himself.  Rest undistractedly in the
searcher himself.

Work for CUESD from 7:30 am to 4 pm.

Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach the Power Yoga class to 8 persons.  I used new music in the class and got a number of positive comments - the selections included popular rock music. 

A comprehensive study summarizing the scientific research on meditation is available free online from the Institute of Noetic Sciences. The publication (also for sale in book format) is titled "The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation" (1996) by Michael Murphy and Steven Donovan. In the helpful introduction Eugene Taylor discusses the historical roots of meditation, outlines meditation's introduction to the modern West, and provides an overview of meditation as a subject of scientific study in the West, India, and China.

Sara Mank, The Fabric of Meditation

http://thefabricofmeditation.blogspot.com/

Daily Notes

Source: http://yoga.am/2006/10/23/the-new-age-spirituality/

Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft

http://www.blogickal.com/2006/11/the_temple_of_shamanic_witchcr.html
 

North American Indoor Garden Supply
http://www.naigs.com/

"My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers."
- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

"The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture."
- Thomas Jefferson

"A garden, the, is a finite place, in which a gardener (or several
gardeners) has created, working with or against nature, a plot
whose intention it is to provide pleasure; possibly in the form
of beauty, possibly in the form of cabbages - and possibly,
beautiful cabbages."
- Abby Adams, <em>The Gardener's Gripe Book</em>

"All the cabbages in our garden are robust and green to the core;
All the peppers are dead and black, not red anymore.
The onions are thriving, the tomatoes all gone,
The lettuce is rising, the pecans all stored;
It's wet now in Red Bluff, Winter's knocking at the door."
- Mike Garofalo

<a href="http://www.gardendigest.com/veget.htm">Green Way Wisdom - Vegetables</a>

<img src="http://www.gardendigest.com/images/vegcol1.gif" alt="Vegetables Galore" />


 

Pulling Onions:

-  Pulling Onions, by Mike Garofalo

Garage door repair man in the morning.

Work for CUESD from 11 am to 4 pm.

Gym:  Weightlifting and then teach Yoga class.   

Call on Tehama County Jury Duty Summons.  I had served on a jury about four years ago in Red Bluff - a case in which the wife shot the husband.  

Cuttings: Short Poems by Mike Garofalo

Still snake
on the street -
crushed flat.

Feedback from Readers in November, 2006:


"Hi Mike!  My husband, Michel and I were approached by a lovely publisher,
Schiffer, to write a "coffee table" book about  "spiritual gardening". 
They left it up to us how to interpret the subject and in doing so we
have collected the stories of "ordinary" gardeners and their
relationships to their gardens.  Some of the quotes that appear in the
pages of your beautiful site also appear in our book, in fact.  We'd
like to cite your website www.gardendigest.com as a definitive source
for gardeners with your permission.  If you'd like help in making a
decision why don't you check out our website www.sevenarrowsfarm.com. 
We would include any information you would like to share about your
website. We will be turning in our manuscript the week after next to our
publisher. Thanks for your kind consideration!  Peace.  Salaam. 
Shalom."   Judy Marcellot
 

"I just want to say that I really enjoy your webpage of garden and
seasonal quotes and Haiku. I can always find the perfect quotes for my
moods there.I have noticed that you have quite a few nature celebrating
and pagan seasonal quotes and I am so grateful for that, you really have
some great ones. Also, I am a bug fan of Haiku and fiddle with it on a
somewhat frequent basis. Your Haikus inspire me to do more! Thanks for
having putting together such a great page."
-  Carrie Wheelock

"Hello Michael, you have a great web site!  I can hardly wait to search
through all the links.  Your love and appreciation for life and its
variety is very evident. Thank you for the time spent researching and
documenting.  You have accumulated an ocean full of pearls.  I have just
received my certification to teach Tai Chi Chuan this past summer, and my
first beginner class is under way.  I am grateful to have discovered such a
treasure trove of information."
-  Kevin Butler 

Shifu Michael,
  I hope my letter finds you well, I have written you in the past for
permission to use information found on your website and would like to do
so again. I am Shifu Neil Ripski and am currently writing my second book
on the Drunken Style of Gong Fu I practice. In our style we use Silk
reeling exercises to build spiral energy (a tribute to the effectiveness
of my Chen Taiji Training) I would like to have your permission to
include some of the information no the cloud hands website on silk
reeling to describe it in my book. I would of course give credit to all
those masters including yourself for your help. I have used your site as
a great resource over the past few years and find the information very
well explained and easy to access, thank you for putting in the time to
open up the details of the arts we love to everyone. I hope to hear from
you soon Shifu.
Sincerely,
  Neil Ripski