Empty Vessel
Journal of Taoist Philosophy & Practice
Spring 2021
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DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 2021
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SPRING 2021 Volume 28 Number 1 me and master ni, PAGE 8 50 years of living with Tao, PAGE 12 Taming anger with forgiveness, PAGE 16 spirit of the point, PAGE 18 commentary on ch. 3, PAGE 20 Daoist meditation, PAGE 26
departments
inner peace is in your hands, PAGE 30
poetry corner, PAGE 25 Taoism in the seasons, PAGES 14-15 book reviews, PAGES 33-36
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What is Taoism? What is Taoism? Tao is referred to as The Way, as in direction, in manner, source, destination, purpose and process. In discovering and exploring Tao, the process and destination are one and the same. Lao Tzu describes a Taoist as the one who sees simplicity in the complicated, and achieves greatness in the little things. It is a simple and natural way of being in our bodies and our psyches, and sharing the Way of being with all life we come into contact with.
Taoism Origins Taoism was long established before Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching 2,500 years ago. It originated in the ancient shamanic roots of Chinese
civilization. For many centuries Taoism was an informal way of life, a way followed by peasant, farmer, gentleman philosopher and artist. Followers of the Way studied the stars in the heavens and the energy that lies deep within the Earth. They meditated upon the energy flow within their bodies and mapped out the roads and paths it traveled upon.
The Way The Way is a deep reflection, learning from Nature which is considered the highest teacher. It is a belief in life, a belief in the glorious procession of each unfolding moment. The Way is a deeply spiritual life, involving retrospect, balance, emotional and spiritual independence and responsibility with awareness and
Empty Vessel
a deep connection to the Earth and all other life forms.
Taoism Today Taoism in China and the West today is often divided in two forms, Tao Jiao and Tao Jia, or religious Taoism and philosophical Taoism. Many scholars argue that there are not two distinct forms of Taoism, and in many ways they are right. There is a great intermingling of the religious form of Taoism and it various sects and the philosophical Taoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi). Many people who follow the Tao do not consider themselves religious people, do not go to temples and are not ordained priests. Rather these forms exist side-by-side and within each other.
Editorial, Design Dr. Nicole Noles Collins Heather Hernandez
Empty Vessel: A Journal of Contemporary Taoism is published quarterly by DaoDog Press, 3440 Conway Blvd. Unit 1D, Port Charlotte FL 33952. Subscriptions are $27 per year (U.S. funds). International subscriptions are $33 per year (U.S. funds).
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The Empty Vessel is dedicated to the exploration of Taoist philosophy and practice. It is open to sharing the various traditional and contemporary teachings in a nondiscriminatory manner.
Social Media Team Dr. Nicole Noles Collins Christopher Collins Heather Hernandez Angelique Noles
©2020 DaoDog Press, all rights reserved. Empty Vessel is not responsible for opinions or statements expressed by authors or for advertisers’ claims.
Publishers Dr. Nicole Noles Collins Christopher Collins
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Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice
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Publisher's corner Happy Spring! First of all, we want to thank all our loyal readers and subscribers for your support and feedback. We are honored to continue the 28-year tradition that Solala Towler started so many years ago. Covid has caused hardship around the world, and we were certainly not immune. Last September, we closed our yoga studio where we had also hoped to build a robust tai chi / gigong center, and with Covid continuing to be an issue, we have decided to let that part of our business go to focus more on the print distribution of the Empty Vessel. Speaking of issues, we frequently get letters asking us to continue printing Empty Vessel, and not to succumb to the temptation to just go digital. As you know, Covid halted our newsstand distribution, but we continued to print nonetheless. As of this issue, we should be back on the racks so that our loyal newsstand readers can find us once again. If you’ve missed an issue or two, you can always purchase back issues by mail (see pages 38-39), our website emptyvessel.net, and on eBay. The eBay site does not
have our full inventory online yet, but we will continue to work on that over the next quarter. Another new change we have implemented is signing up for a subscriber management platform. After our customer list went corrupt last summer, we rebuilt it by hand, but we have noticed some mistakes in our database. Also, some of our subscribers did not receive their Fall issues for up to 8 to 10 weeks after we had mailed them, due to postal delays. We’d like to track those numbers so please let us know via email or phone if your Fall issues arrived in November or later. If you have missed any issues, please let us know and we will mail replacement issues. My daughter, Angel, has volunteered to be our Social Media manager to help boost our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and online bookstore presence. She would also like to focus writing on the artistic aspect of
Traditions School of Herbal Studies www.traditionsherbschool.com Renee Crozier, RH(AHG) & Dr. Bob Linde, AP, DOM, RH(AHG) Classes on medicinal and edible plants, history of plant medicine, herbal preparations, barefoot doctoring, metaphysical classes and the study of herbs in relation to spirituality.
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Taoism, so if you have any leads for Taoist art traditions (such as calligraphy, brush painting, or music), antiques or exhibits, please email daodogpress@gmail.com with the words TAOIST ART in the subject. Lastly, I want to welcome back a special contributor to the Empty Vessel, Jane English. We are debuting what I hope will be a regular column about her continual journey and insights on Taoism. We met her last year when she came down to Florida for a weekend shamanic retreat, which we also attended. Over the years, I have connected with many like-minded people over a mutual admiration of her Tao Te Ching work. I never dreamed I would meet her in person in my own backyard, and we are happy to welcome Jane back to the Empty Vessel. Speaking of my backyard, we have a new snowbird subscriber who has a house in our town, Port Charlotte! Synchronicity is a magical thing. Here’s hoping your spring is also magical.
Nicole
Clinical herbal programs in Eastern and Western herbalism (727) 318-2505 2520 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Feature Contributors Dan G. Reid is a licensed massage therapist in Montreal, specializing in tui na (aka Chinese sports medicine), author/translator of The Thread of Dao: Unraveling Early Daoist Oral Traditions in Guan Zi’s Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye), author/translator of The Heshang Gong Commentary on Lao Z’s Dao De Jing.
Dusty Bodeen, LAc is a 5 Element Acupuncturist, Eastern Medicine teacher, Gene Keys guide and musician. He composes music for guided meditations, educational experiences, and hip hop. He has a Master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, is also a student of the world-renowned wilderness guide and 5 Element Acupuncturist, Dr. David Ford, DOM. You can contact him at dustybodeen@gmail.com.
Louis Komjathy, Ph.D., CSO is a Daoist contemplative, scholarpractitioner, and ordained priest. He serves as founding Co-director and senior teacher of the Daoist Foundation. He has published on Daoism, including Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Taming Pictures. He lives in Chicago, Illinios.
Jim Birt has been studying tai chi and qigong since 1985 and teaching since 1991. He is a Quaker, a poet, and a Lifetime Professional Member of the National Qigong Association.
Solala Towler founded the Abode of the Eternal Tao in Eugene, Oregon, in 1993. He also created The Empty Vessel magazine, which he published quarterly for 25 years until 2018. Solala has had 12 books published on the Taoist arts, and offers tours to China, I Ching readings and courses in Taoism. He can be reached at solala@abodetao.com/www. abodetao.com.
Poetry Contributors James Gredell Laurence Kelly Jim Birt
C.L. Babcook is an aspiring Daoist who especially enjoys reading the Dao De Jing. She became interested in Daoism when she and her husband visited China in the late 1980s. Back in U.S., she took some university courses concerning ancient China which led to her writing commentaries and retelling Asian wisdom stories.
Spring Advertisers Inner Strength - page 5 Traditions School - page 6 Michael Rinaldini - page 25 Ying Yu Jade - page 22 Solala Towler - pages 22 & 23 Jane English - page 40 Spring 2021 — Page 7
Me and Master Ni By Solala Towler I have been greatly interested in Eastern thought for a long time. Back in high school, when I was 16 (1966), I found a book by a local boy—a fellow working class, Roman Catholic, French Canadian by the name of Jack Kerouac—at my local library. At the time I Iived in Lawrence, Mass., right next door to Jack’s hometown of Lowell. It was his novel Dharma Bums, and concerned his adventures with his Buddhist friend Japhy Ryder, or Gary Snyder. Wow, I thought, what is this Buddhist stuff? I was a lapsed Catholic at the time and was intrigued. So I went back to the library and got some books on Buddhism and began to read. The more I read the more I was intrigued. Of course there were no practicing Buddhists in Lawrence, so I had to wait some time to really learn about Eastern philosophy and mysticism. This came about when I graduated high school and moved to Boston, ostensibly to go to college. I only lasted one semester, as I realized that my goal of becoming a writer like my pal Jack was not something I was The Empty Vessel — Page 8
SOLALA TOWLER AND MASTER NI, 1993
going to learn in college. So I dropped out and began a life of smoking pot, dropping acid and dancing like a maniac to the Grateful Dead. But even then I was still interested in Eastern thought, and came upon a great book by Paul Reps called Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. It was full of funny stories about crazy Zen masters and rekindled my interest in Eastern thought. About this time I felt the psychedelics had taken me as far as they could, so in 1969 I gave up all drugs. I felt that they had opened doors of perception for me and it was up to me to go through them on my own steam.
and meditation. This continued for many years until I moved to Oregon and began practicing with a real Zen master in the late 80s. But as cool as he was, there was something about the rigidity I felt in Japanese Zen that I was not comfortable with.
There were no crazy Zen masters to be had in Boston in 1969 that I could find, so I began practicing hatha yoga
I got some more of his books and began an intensive study of Taoism. At that time I was going to Chinese Medicine
Then, one day, as I was perusing the shelves of used books in a local metaphysical bookstore in Portland, I found a book by a Daoist master named Ni, Hua Ching. I brought it home and devoured it and was able to find answers to many of the questions I had about spiritual practice. It was like coming home.
school but had to drop out as I was very sick with CFIDS, which had been going on for some years. I finally became totally bedridden. It was Chinese herbs that got me out of bed and then it was qiqong that cured me of a supposedly incurable disease. Of course Chinese Medicine, qigong and Taoist meditation are all rooted in Daoist practice, along with many other things that are thought of as traditional Chinese culture such as feng shui, astrology, painting, calligraphy etc. One day in 1993 I was reading a really great Buddhist magazine called Tricycle when I thought to myself, “Why isn’t there something like this for Taoism?” So I decided I would start one! I had published a few local free mags, and so had a working knowledge of Pagemaker and Word. I decided for my first issue I would feature an interview with Hua Ching Ni, since his writings had such a big influence on me. At the
and then down some very rough logging roads until I came to his cabin. Master Ni was very gracious and I spent some time asking him questions and basking in this Tao master’s presence. His accent was pretty thick and so it was a lot of work deciphering it when I went home and listened to the cassette tape I had made of our talk.
THE ORIGINAL EMPTY VESSEL MAGAZINE
time, Master Ni was living in seclusion in the forest in southern Oregon, along with his secretary Janet, who was helping him write some more books. I don’t remember how I was able to arrange it but I did manage to get permission to go down and meet with him. So I drove a few hours away from where I live in Eugene
I had also arranged to trade a big ad for his books in exchange for his mailing list of 2,000 people. A generous friend gave me seed money to print and mail 2,000 flyers about the magazine I was starting. I somehow managed to publish The Empty Vessel for 25 years before I passed it on to the wonderful folks who are doing it now. I later included the interview I did with Master Ni in one of my first books, A Gathering of Cranes, which included interviews with many other Taoist and qigong teachers. You can find this book on my website at www.abodetao.com.
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One of the first things he said to me was, “We first need to develop understanding. We believe that in the universe there is a subtle law, sometimes translated as ‘The Way.’ Look at anyone; if they live with this subtle law, then there is survival. They can prosper and there is abundance because it is allowed to happen (wu wei). On the contrary, if you don’t understand the subtle law, you create lots of human laws, which seem to bring only trouble, not joy of life at all. If you live life too tightly, you are not living in the reality of natural joy of life.” His advice on meditation is unique: “If your attitude towards meditation is too tight and you sit solemnly and stiffly, you will nourish and increase this overly serious and unpleasant aspect of your practice and this will become the sour fruit you bear. If, on the other hand, you sit with genuine joy, the world sings to you; the pores and cells of the breeze dance for you.” Not many teachers talk about the joy of spiritual cultivation. To many people, spiritual work is a very serious and even somber affair. In one of his books he says, “I can describe the ideal Taoist lifestyle in three words. Take it easy.” Needless to say, studying with Master Ni for all of these years has brought me much joy and a feeling of ease in my life journey. I continued to study Master Ni’s books until the present The Empty Vessel — Page 10
MASTER NI, 1993
day when I find myself going over some of his early books a second time, I keep finding new things in them. One of the things that first impressed me was that he spoke about emotional and psychological health as well as spiritual teachings. He always emphasizes the need to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle in addition to any meditation or qigong type of practices. He talks about emotional independence, not just so- called “spiritual” practices. Actually, he teaches that every part of our life—the emotional, sexual, dietary, and psychological aspects—are all equally important for what in Taoism we call self-cultivation. It has always been amazing to me to experience the breadth
of his knowledge. He not only studied for many years with masters in the mountains of China (who, he once told me, turned themselves into trees when unwanted trespassers came by), but also has studied many religions of the world and can talk about them intelligently and with a wide expertise. Another thing I have always appreciated about him is the evolution of how he referred to himself. His early books in English had the byline of Taoist Master, Ni, Hua Ching. Then, after a few years he changed it to Hua-Ching Ni, Teacher of Natural Spiritual Truth. Then, awhile after that, he changed it again to simply Hua-Ching Ni. In other words, he demoted his byline! This is in contrast
“If your attitude towards meditation is too tight and you sit solemnly and stiffly, you will nourish and increase this overly serious and unpleasant aspect of your practice and this will become the sour fruit you bear. If, on the other hand, you sit with genuine joy, the world sings to you; the pores and cells of the breeze dance for you.” — Master Ni to many teachers, even in the West, who, after teaching a few years, give themselves the title of Master. Traditionally in China, one had to earn that title from your own master. A true master is not someone who simply has a lot of experience or education but someone who embodies the teachings in their very being. Another thing I have always really appreciated about Master Ni’s teachings is that they are very simple and accessible. Unlike many traditional Chinese masters, his teachings are not couched in esoteric and hard to understand symbolic language. (Besides having a great poetical bent, many traditional masters in China used this esoteric language to actually hide the true meaning of their words so the uninitiated would not be able to understand them.) I have not seen Master Ni for some years now. He is pretty much retired from the world, at 100 years of age. He did go back to China awhile back and traveled around “cloud wandering” for a few years. Now is back in the States, here in Mei Guo. Many years ago he started
a Chinese Medicine college, named Yo San, after his father, who was also a Taoist master, and who was treated very severely by the Red Guard during the so-called Cultural Revolution in the late 60’s and early 70’s. They beat him for not repudiating his Taoist studies and for having a son (Hua-Ching Ni) who he had sent out of China to Taiwan when he saw what was going to be happening to traditional Chinese culture, (which was almost totally destroyed in those terrible years.) Now his sons, Maoshing and Daoshing, run the school and continue to teach Chinese medicine and the philosophy and practices of Taoism. I used to attend retreats with Master Ni in the mountains outside of Santa Barbara. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw him he both called me one of his “generals,” for my work in spreading the teachings of Taoism in the West, and also “a silly boy.” He also once told me, as we were striding through a meadow on a break at a retreat he was leading that “too much meditation will make your teeth fall out.” He was referring, I
suppose, to those meditators who sit too much and don’t move their energy, which gets stuck in the lower part of their bodies, affecting the circulation in their upper bodies. But of course I did not question him on that as I have found that asking a direct question of Tao masters will give you an answer that usually contains lots more questions. Many times, whatever answer they do give you sets you up for further exploration so that you can answer it for yourself. So here I am, thirty years later, still gathering wisdom and guidance from his books, many of which are transcriptions of his public talks; still learning new things, still being inspired by his words and by his presence in my life as my “root” teacher. Of course, I have studied with many other teachers, both in the West and in China, and have learned great qigong, taiji and meditation practices from them, which I am eternally grateful for. But HuaChing Ni is the one I go back to over and over. If you want to explore the teachings of Hua-Ching Ni go to my website at www. abodetao.com, where we carry some of his best titles. Spring 2021 — Page 11
Thoughts from 50 years of living with Tao Jane English - written February 9, 2021 First, a bit of history —
A next step —
When, in 1971, Gia-fu Feng and I were negotiating our Tao Te Ching contract with Random House, he wanted the book to be his, with me getting just a small onetime fee for the use of my photos to illustrate his translation. Somehow, I had the courage to stand up for myself, cover of the 1972 edition to value my own creativof our Tao Te Ching ity and insist that we be compensated equally, dividing the royalties 50-50. I overcame any tendency to defer to a man, to a person who was 23 years my senior, and to an elder who was learned in an ancient tradition that I did not think I understood.
Starting with 1991 I have created Tao Calendars that feature excerpts from Tao Te Ching with my photos and Gia-fu’s calligraphy.
Jane and Gia-fu in Vermont in 1971 during the summer when they created their Tao Te Ching
Many of the notes I made in this notebook over the next few months are now part of the text in my 2018 book, A Rainbow of Tao (initially the title was Rainbow Tao).
Some of the deference did creep back in over the years as this younger, white woman was often subtly questioned about my qualifications to speak with any authority about Tao Te Ching.
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One evening in 2003 in Portland, Oregon, when I was riding in their car with the Tao Calendar publishers at Amber Lotus, we had a conversation about what I might do next with Tao. They suggested I might have something to say about Tao, having at that point been working with Tao Te Ching and our second book, Chuang Tsu, for over 30 years. So I got a small notebook, one made in Gia-fu’s birthplace, Shanghai, China, and kept it in my purse so I could make notes whenever I thought of something interesting about Tao. Looking again at those notes tonight for the first time in many years, I notice there was over and over a questioning of the use of words. This is built-in when dealing with Tao Te Ching that begins with what can be paraphrased as, “The Tao that can be told is not the real Tao; the name that can be named is not the true name.” That questioning also emerged from remnants of my old self-doubt—did I really have anything to say?
After working for a couple of years on the words and photos in A Rainbow of Tao I set it aside about 2007, picking it up again about 2017, and finishing it in 2018.
And now, in 2021 — With sales of the annual Tao Calendar decreasing after a run of 31 years, a couple of days ago my publisher let me know they planned to discontinue the Tao Calendar after the 2022 edition that is currently in the works. My initial reaction was deep disappointment, then just letting it go, letting my work/play with Tao be a part of the past. I recalled a 2019 dream during which I was handed this fortune cookie slip of paper:
that and
was s at ight meorkTsu,
rthould ting the over hen n be real me.” old
The next day, yesterday, I was again wanting the calendar to continue. I sent the publisher an email about marketing efforts I recently began to do, and suggested various ways we could keep the calendar alive. about 2006 – layout work for the book, A Rainbow of Tao
Near the end of the book I wrote, “I recently became aware that through all these years of work on the Tao books and calendars I have carried a nagging uncertainty as to the appropriateness of my doing this work, being a woman, having European ancestors, and knowing no Chinese at all—yet I did do the work.”
This afternoon I got an email saying they will publish the 2023 edition. Decisions about later calendars will depend on the success of the 2022 edition. This “old” woman who is about to enter her 80th year will take their marketing suggestion and learn how to share images on Instagram— using a desktop computer since I still resist getting a so-called “smart” phone. Doing this might even be fun!
covers of 2022 and 2023 Tao Calendars
I end this writing with gratitude to my friends at Amber Lotus for their support, past and present, as I learn yet again to let go of that which is to be let go and to treasure what is to remain. Thank you!
next ook, ).
and 007, 18.
This morning they called and we had a really good conversation—they are long-time friends. As we talked, my telling the dream about being a spiritual bum evoked great laughter.
Tao books, calendars and other items are at Jane English’s Earth Heart website at eheart.com
Visit amberlotus.com for more of their work of “Illuminating Spirit in the World”
Spring 2021 — Page 13
The color of the season is green with a return of life after the dead of winter
Taoism in the After storing energy in the winter,
Spring brings a return to activity and growth. Be sure to warm up slowly at the pace of the
greenery around you emerging.
The scent of Spring
is rancid,
with a sour taste.
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n the Seasons Spring is a Yang season associated with
the wood element
Add more
green foods to your diet such as broccoli, zucchini spinach and salads this time of year.
As the days warm up your foods should be cooler.
Anger is the
emotion that rules Spring, with the sound of the season being
shouting.
A renewal of life in the Spring leads us to the East direction,
the time of day is associated with Sunrise at Dawn. SOURCES: EARTHSKY.ORG • TAOUNIVERSE.COM • WUWEIWISDOM.COM • ENERGYARTS.COM • WIKIPEDIA.ORG •
Spring 2021 — Page 15
Taming anger with forgiveness By Dan Reid
Anger is a difficult emotion to navigate. It can be useful, and in some cases even necessary and healing, but anger is generally toxic to the people both holding and receiving it. Anger can be cathartic, and an absence of anger can come across as an absence of compassion when justice has been denied and wrongdoing is continuously accepted. The absence of resolute opposition to an injustice can often be exploited by abusers to commit further abuses, so shaming people for frequently and vehemently expressing opposition can be shameful and abusive in itself. At least from a quasi-medical perspective, anger has its place and can be necessary for personal and societal health, while suppressed anger can lead to health issues like depression when its toxic energy seeps inward. When anger becomes especially toxic, however, is when it lingers like a hunger and begins to cloud our judgement. Just as hunger can drive our thought processes toward food and fulfilling that survival need, anger can hijack our mind and will to express itself and protect us from unjust treatment, lest we allow people to take us for their doormat. Anger may become reflexive, especially in an environment where injustice is commonplace and so anger is commonplace. In relatively safe households, anger tends to beget anger in drawn-out marathon debates on ‘who’s the victim here?’ and such discussions often partially resolve and quickly rekindle with the next slight. So even in the absence of grave injustice, anger can be perpetual. When we are witness to repeated injustice in society, in the news, in entertainment, at work, and The Empty Vessel — Page 16
even at home, anger becomes exhausting whether expressed or not, and it can have serious consequences for our personality and character. Of course, nobody should feel the need to accept the many abuses and crimes committed by those with an overabundance of means against those with little means to defend themselves. But how do we endure the onslaught of enraging incidences if we thoughtlessly add to our outrage unnecessarily? Those with the heart and stomach for justice and equity work are inundated with good reasons to be outraged, and simply can’t afford the further emotional toll of carrying that anger into their personal lives. So how do we buffer that anger? By embracing forgiveness. When we see so many unforgivable offenses, it can be easy to think that forgiveness is morally ambiguous or a sign of weak character. Indeed, in some cases it might be, like when a government ‘forgives’ a corporation for hurting people only so
government officials can benefit from the money and power of that corporation. But in our interpersonal lives, we don’t require the same fighting spirit that’s needed to prevail in these larger more consequential fights. Perhaps the bewildering onslaught of shocking political news in recent years has brought up a ruthless streak in you, or maybe anger is like caffeine for your inner task master and you can’t kick the habit when you get home. If you find you’ve become more given to anger and you don’t like it, consider if forgiveness is an option. Anger only stands without forgiveness. We might feel that others need to respect and recognize that impenetrable wall that protects us from those who wish to do us harm—and in some cases maybe they do—but some walls are just an irreversible waste of resources. So as we embark on a new year and new seasons, we might find room to breathe and forgive more easily. Forgiveness, as you likely know, is really more beneficial for the forgiver than the forgiven. As the Buddhist book of internet memes reads: “Anger is a punishment we give to ourselves for someone else’s mistake.” In Buddhism, anger is considered a type of aversion. If we can’t bear to be around someone, we will experience a variety of emotions such as anger and disgust. Practicing forgiveness allows us to practice openness, and openness resonates through our being in many ways, relaxing our muscles and blood vessels and opening the flow of energy through our body. Forgiveness and openness can heal us, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. We have the choice to forgive and if we’re mindful of ourselves in situations that cause us to become angry, we can apply our wisdom and consider if forgiveness would better provide the transformation we need in that moment. The Internal Medicine Classic (Nei Jing) explains that the spring season engages the wood phase and
thus also the liver and gallbladder, the tendons, and the emotion of anger. As the rising wood energy spring stimulates the liver and gallbladder, people with ‘liver qi stagnation’ may find they are prone to irritability and tension in the upper body if that rising energy gets stuck. More than ever, spring is a good time to stretch the tendons and help the body transition into this new phase. Help to flush the liver by drinking a tall glass of water first thing in the morning before using the bathroom. Also tonify the liver with sour and leafy green foods like citrus fruits and fresh green herbs. Take in the new spring air with deep breaths early in the morning, and then at night bounce on your heels and shake out your body to release stagnant qi before lying down to sleep. To the many reasons for replacing anger with forgiveness, we can also add: to nourish our life energy with the qi of spring and summer. The great sage-physician of Chinese medicine, Qibo (circa 2600BC), offers the following prescriptions for spring and summer, which advise us to be open with others, put away our will to punish, and enjoy the beauty of these seasons with a light and beauty within that speaks the language of our natural surroundings: “The three months of spring express coming forth and revealing. Heaven and earth together generate life and the myriad beings flourish… Take broad steps through the courtyard. Unbind the hair and be leisurely in body. Put the will toward generating life. Generate life and do not kill. Give and do not seize. Reward and do not punish. This is the dao of nourishing life by being in accord with the qi of spring… The three months of summer express luxury and elegance. The qi of heaven and earth intermix and the myriad beings blossom and come to fruition… Have no dislike for the sun. Let your will be without anger. Give to flowering beauty and fully realizing elegance. Cause the qi to flow out as though what you love is outside. This is the dao of nourishing longevity by being in accord with the qi of summer.” Spring 2021 — Page 17
Home Practice: a Spirit of the Point Meditation By Dusty Bodeen LAc MAcOM Every acupuncture point is a teacher. Below is a guided meditation suggested to be read either out loud or recorded and then listened to in a quiet space as you touch Heart 8 “Lesser Palace” (see picture) with consistent pressure. Throughout the meditation, breathe softly but deeply down into your belly and pay attention
to how the point is moving Qi throughout your body, especially in your heart space. And remember to smile!
Shao Fu Chinese Characters: 少府 Shao is drawn has something that is being split into smaller and smaller sections. It means lesser or inner. Fu is drawn as a building and inside there is hand offering a gift. It can mean palace or storehouse.
A Guided Meditation to Lesser Palace Here at Lesser Palace, I connect with the energy of my inner Emperor – My Heart Here at Shao Fu, I prepare to open the gateways to harmony by breathing deeply down into my belly. It is my Heart, my Emperor that guides me with love and compassion Directing all my meridians to inner peace and health This is my palace that rests in my hands. My retreat from the outside world, filling my inner chambers with solace and warmth My Fire point on my Fire Element Heart meridian Revitalizing my spirit so I may let go of old anxiety and doubts All my hardships and all my difficulties are exchanged for an abundance of love Going forward with self-confidence and softness, Everything in my own palace is noble I feel comfort and trust in my hands. I feel comfort and trust in my Heart I feel comfort and trust in my inner-leadership At Lesser Palace I receive the inspirations of the Heart And yet, I am grounded in my own sanctuary – Listening deeply to the Emperor who resides within I am utterly supported by the wisdom of my unique Heart As I continue to activate this point, I am encouraged to shine The more I breathe into my belly the more relaxed I become I can feel great treasures in my palace The inner chambers are open and ready for insight Connecting me more soundly to the natural world so my words are filled with understanding and kindness This is a place where I can gather Fire for my own healing This is a place that helps me in embracing the Tao.
The Empty Vessel — Page 18
Heart 8: Shao Fu “Lesser Palace”
The location for Heart 8: On the palm of the right and left hand, between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones, 2/3rds of the way up between the wrist crease and where the fingers begin. It is suggested to use whatever point is most sore or active for the guided meditation.
Spring 2021 — Page 19
Commentary on Chapter 3 of the Dao De Jing By Candice L. Babook
“By not preferring to be special one helps stop people from competing with one another. By not preferring precious objects one helps to stop people from stealing. By not displaying objects of desire one helps stop disturbances in the minds of people. Therefore the sages act thusly: they remove the desires in the hearts of people, they fill the people’s abdomens with healthy energy, they weaken the willfulness of people, and strengthen the bones of people. They always bring about that the people have no judgmental inclinations and no excessive desires. And they take care that those who know the mystery dare not dominate people. By means of the subtle laws of Nature all things can come into order.”
The Empty Vessel — Page 20
In this chapter, Lao Zi is suggesting that people should act in a way that is contrary to the social order that has been typical of human civilization. He urges people not to prefer specialness. Throughout history people have been involved with admiring and desiring to be special, to be head of a group, to have power over others. We have killed one another so that we could be the most prestigious person, tribe or nation. By continually seeking to be number one, we have created an atmosphere of competition instead of cooperation. Lao Zi in Chapter 3 is suggesting that we move away from acting in a manner that pits one person against another, one kingdom against another.
We are urged to act in a cooperative and peaceful fashion. Lao Zi informs us that the cause for human rivalry is “preferring to be special,” “preferring precious objects,” and once we have gotten beautiful and rare material objects, “displaying objects of desire.” In other words, our inclination toward being special and having rare and beautiful objects (which shows our specialness) has created great suffering both for the individual and the community at large. By collectively holding such desires in our minds we have inadvertently created systems and people that compete with one another. When we cannot achieve what we desire, we are tempted to steal in order to get the desired object. If that object is a position of power, for example the head of a company or perhaps even the presidency of a country, we will be tempted and often succumb to lying and acts of deception in order to achieve our goals. The more we are involved in the
consciousness of competition, the consciousness of me against you, the more we distance ourselves from the eternal Dao, the sacredness of life. Lao Zi urges us to give up wanting to be special and wanting to show off rare items we have received from being “special.” Instead, Lao Zi wants us to become simple. In simplicity, there is a lack of anxiety. Lao Zi realizes that by not preferring to be special or have special objects, “one helps stop disturbances in the minds of people.” The treasures of specialness always carry with them the fear of loss. The pride inherent in being special always contains the fear of being overthrown or demoted from positions of power; the anxiety inherent in owning special or rare or beautiful material objects is the fear of those objects being damaged or stolen. To the sage of the Dao De Jing such desires and fears are foolish and destructive to the true treasure of life that each person already has within
Spring 2021 — Page 21
himself. By our being distracted from the treasure of our humanness, of our being a microcosm in the larger universe, we have created systems of power that weaken humanity. By striving and competition we have created a world that has only, at best, a fragile peace. The sage of the Dao De Jing urges us to move from competition to cooperation. The powerful and wise sages help to “remove the desires in the hearts of people.” Too much desire may lead to unhealthy and unbalanced situations as in co-depenedent relationships or in ruthless treatment of other people. The sage wishes such desires to be abandoned and instead of promoting desires in the minds of people, the sage fills the people with the positive energy of life. Often the sages in traditional China looked like vagabonds and like those in material poverty. This image of the sage may have been consciously promoted to help destroy the notion that only those with wealth and positions of power had what was to be sought after. The sage did not have opulent material possessions but he/she possessed a psychic power of peace. This peace was the jewel in the heart of the sage and it was what the sage helped others to obtain. To become peaceful one needed to have healthy energy in one’s body, one needed to relax and not
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The Empty Vessel — Page 22
be distracted by a world of fame and beautiful objects. Thus, the sage “weakened the willfulness of people” and by generating healthy energy the sage “strengthened the bones of people.” The sages of the Dao De Jing “They always bring about that the people have no judgmental inclinations and no excessive desires.” This is the consciousness that facilitates peace in the world. By not judging other people, by not putting what one likes against what one dislikes, a person can overcome the lower psychological urge of wanting to be special. One who does not yield to the temptation of “power over” may enter into communion with the sages. By not enforcing one’s selfish ideas onto others, one promotes the Do of peace to circulate throughout humanity. “By means of the subtle laws of Nature all things can come into order.”
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Poetry Corner Send in your poetry submissions and art to daodogpress@gmail.com. Endlessly. Summoning Karma By Jim Birt By James Gredell This Moment Karma is an act an action a seed a deed a merit planted so very deep that even a good or a bad thought travels lifetimes with you so daily putting very beautiful good daily thoughts actions seeds deeds merits Yes one can change their Karma Ways Daily Hence Then Karma Hugs You Daily.
Embracing the Dao
By Laurence Kelly
Watching the screen of the I Pad, Droid, Smart Phone. Piped into music, ear buds in both ears shutting out Life. The smile of your child of your friend of your spouse. The burble of living the bird, cricket, frog… living things. Typing cryptic code instead of language. Is it too late to live THIS life, in this MOMENT?
By James Gredell
Pls answ am wntg to knw.
Hidden from the naked eye a essence a wordless word no visions blinded by the daily Ego the vessel is Lost no hand prints no finger prints no foot prints no DNA to be found no forms no pathways just winds light and darkness silent sounds echoes vibes all around spinning floating spiraling
Spring
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By Michael Sheffield Millions of miles the glint of light on new leaves
Far-away thunder, we summon you to be a part of this passing-through, be it grief or joy. Come nearer, thunderer and shake the whole down to the core. Your voice is clear: beware the power to come. The wise run for shelter knowing the looming charge with its power to rend molecules and trees, will snake its way to earth. Clearing too will flourish in its time when power is spent and the shaken core celebrates its own strength to renew through stillness
m.
Be the Medicine!
me.
arge
h.
th s
Nurturing Students to be Exceptional Practitioners of Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine Yo San University is a fully-accredited professional graduate school offering both Master’s & Doctoral Degree programs in Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine. We place particular emphasis on our Taoist heritage and the added value brought to the medicine by the 38th generation legacy of our founders. The Taoist principles of harmony and balance are held to be the foundation of our physical, mental, emotional, and psychological well-being. Our students do not just learn and practice the medicine. They are living examples of the medicine. They ‘Become the Medicine’.
For more information, contact us at: 310.577.3000 x124 or admissions@yosan.edu Spring 2021 — Page 25
Daoist Meditation:
Theory, Method, Application By Louis Komjathy 康思奇, Ph.D. Transcript prepared and edited by Aranyelixír Kiadó The current study is the transcription of a lecture given to the Contemplative Studies Initiative at Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) in 2011. The transcript was prepared and edited by Aranyelixír Kiadó (Budapest, Hungary), revised, supplemented and approved by Louis Komjathy in September 2014. “A young Daoist aspirant heard that there was a Daoist meditation master living in a secluded mountain hermitage. One day he resolved to visit the master and request to become his disciple. After the young Daoist arrived at the rough-hewn door of the master’s hut, he knocked, but there was no answer. Thinking that the master was out, perhaps collecting firewood or pine nuts, the aspirant waited outside the door, sitting on the porch. An hour passed, then two. Dusk arrived, and the young Daoist began to worry about the incoming darkness. He decided to go into the hermitage. When he entered, he saw the old master and one of his Companions of the Dao sitting in deep meditation. They were unmoving, resembling withered wood and dead ashes. The adept waited for them to finish, believing that they would quickly suspend their meditation practice when they became aware of his presence. However, another hour passed without the masters completing their meditation session. The aspirant then took his seat next to them and continued his apprenticeship in meditation.” This well-known story from the Daoist oral tradition draws our attention to the importance of intensive and prolonged meditative practice, of guidance under a teacher and community in the Daoist tradition. Meditation is an essential Daoist religious practice, but Daoist meditation refers to many different techniques with distinct and forming worldviews and projected goals. In addition, it most often occurs within a larger training regimen. During our time together, I will first provide some The Empty Vessel — Page 26
theoretical reflections on the academic study of contemplative practice. This will be followed by the topic proper, namely the types and styles of Daoist meditation, with particular attention to the historical and practical dimensions. I will conclude my talk with some thoughts on a larger application of the study of Daoist meditation for the emerging field of Contemplative Studies.
Approaches to the Study of Contemplative Practice Contemplative practice is a more encompassing comparative category, with some rough equivalence to “meditation”. However, unlike meditation, which sometimes implies seated postures, and which is often reduced to Buddhist meditation, “contemplative practice” functions as a larger umbrella category. In terms of religious traditions, it encompasses meditation and contemplative prayer. As such, it challenges us to investigate religious practice from a nuanced and comprehensive perspective. It also requires reflection on a heuristic (interpretive) value and the relationship among “meditation,” “prayer,” and “ritual,” among other comparative categories. One possible connective strand among various types and styles of contemplative practice involves the development of attentiveness, awareness, internal silence, and a sense of deepened meaning and purpose. As is the case in the academic study of mysticism, there are a variety of viable interpretive approaches to the study of contemplative practice and contemplative experience. These include, but are not limited to (1) theoretical, (2) contextualist, (3) textual, (4) experiential, (5) psychological and neuroscientific, (6) comparative, as well as (7) interdisciplinary and multiperspectival approaches. A theoretical approach emphasizes philosophical questions, such as the conception and relative importance of the body in contemplative practice. Such an
approach requires familiarity with specific examples, so that theory both informs the interpretation of the practice and is informed by careful studying of particular phenomena, whether texts or living communities. A contextualist approach emphasizes locating specific practices and experiences in an associated cultural and social context. It is often historical, but the contextualist approach may also focus on living communities and traditions. As I will discuss momentarily, from my perspective a thorough contextualist approach would locate religiously-committed contemplative practice in its larger communal, soteriological and theological context. A textual approach focuses on texts, but here one needs to consider the spectrum of textual expression, from autobiography and hagiography to meditation manuals, poetry and so forth. That is, attention to genre, writing style and audience is important. In the case of Religious Studies, the inherent limitations of textual study has been noted, so many scholars have turned their attention to ethnography, including participant-observation and personal autobiography, that is, first-person discourse. Such an approach might be labeled participatory and experiential. Here one might approach the study of contemplative practice from a more “objective” or “neutral” perspective, such as through the use of participant observation ethnography. This might involve interviewing adherents, site visits and/or community-based experiences. On the other end of the spectrum, one might actually participate in and document living contemplative communities through direct personal experience among them. Although a source of anxiety for many scholars of religion, an inclusive participatory approach would include scholar-practitioners and adherents, that is, this approach makes space for “critical first-person discourse” and subjective experience. There are a variety of psychological approaches to the study of contemplative practice, but for present purposes four stand out: (1) developmental, (2) humanistic, (3) transpersonal, and (4) contemplative. The connective strand here involves a view of meditation as contributing to human fulfillment and actualization, whether conceived existentially or theologically. I have connected this approach to a neuroscientific one because some psychological accounts tend to emphasize physiology. More properly speaking, a neuroscien-
tific approach to contemplative practice tends to focus on brain anatomy and function as well as associated mental capacities and conscious states. In the case of Contemplative Studies one interesting development is neuro-phenomenology, a methodology associated with Francisco Varela and his collegues, in which one compares neuroimages with subjective accounts of contemplative experience. Interestingly preliminary research indicates that advanced meditators provide accounts of transformations of consciousness that are confirmed by neuroimaging technology in terms of specific brain states and associated functions. On the most basic level, a comparative approach compares forms of contemplative practice, noting similarities and differences within and across forms and traditions. It might be moderately comparative (drawing insights from a study of a different tradition) or strongly comparative (actually giving attention to two or more examples). A comparative approach also tends to engage in categorization and typologization (cartographies). Finally, an interdisciplinary approach would be multi perspectival, combining these and other approaches in order to provide a comprehensive and integrated account of contemplative practice and experience. In addition, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Contemplative Studies, it would make space for the investigation and practice of dance, painting, photography, sculpture, music, and so forth as contemplative practice.
A Religious Studies Approach Moving into Religious Studies proper, which is my field and primary interest, I would advocate an integrated approach to the study of “religiously-committed contemplative practice.” This approach is comparative, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary. It is also inclusive and pluralistic, by this I mean that it does not privilege one tradition or one type of meditation as normative. An inclusive and pluralistic approach helps to overcome a frequently unrecognized bias in the academic study of meditation, for example, an undue attention to Buddhist meditation, the use of Buddhist distinctions such as samatha (calming) and vipassanā (insight or mindfulness), and/or equating the comparative category of “meditation” with non-theistic, emptiness-based forms of meditation. Spring 2021 — Page 27
In place of this, I would suggest that we utilize “contemplative practice,” in a fashion parallel to “mystical experience,” in an inclusive way. Specifically, we would include various forms of prayer, including theistic and devotional practices such as Catholic Dominican prayer and visualization practices like Pure Land visualization. That is, we would begin with hermeneutical openness. Such an interpretive endeavor emphasizes a dialogical inquiry, with theory informing interpretation, and careful and detailed study informing theory. My proposed religious studies approach also emphasizes the importance of contextualization, both historical and practical. Practical contextualization gives attention to the communitybased and traditionspecific elements of religiously-committed contemplative practice. This involves not extracting meditation form its larger religious tradition, and not reducing meditation to technique. An integrated and comprehensive understanding of contemplative practice would have to consider other dimensions such as dietetics, ethics, ritual, scriptures study and so forth. Where does “contemplative practice” end and begin? Thus, in order to fully understand contemplative practice, one must consider the larger soteriological system and informing theology. I use soteriology and theology as comparative categories. Here “soteriology” refers to actualization, liberation, perfection, salvation, or however an individual or community defines the ultimate goal of religious practice. “Theology” refers to discourse on or theories about the sacred, with the “sacred” differing depending on the tradition under consideration. In theorizing religious praxis, and contemplative practice in particular, I would thus suggest that we give the attention to the complex interplay and interrelationship among informing worldviews, specific practices, related experiences, and projected goals.
Theorizing Religious Praxis We may think of these in terms of individual adherence and/or religious communities. When I say that these are interrelated, I mean that each one informs and expresses the other. Worldviews inform practices, experiences and goals but these are embodiments, literally and symbolically, of those worldviews. Specific practices and experiences only make sense within The Empty Vessel — Page 28
a larger framework of doctrine and imagined accomplishment and outcome.
Dimensions of Contemplative Practice As a final theoretical and interpretive point, one which comes from careful study of contemplative practice in general and Daoist meditation in particular, I would emphasize the multidimensional nature of contemplative practice. We should not reduce contemplative practice to method or technique. Instead, we should be attentive to at least the following dimensions: (1) posture, (2) breathing (for example, regulated or unregulated), (3) technique, (4) style (for example, individual or communal, lay or monastic), (5) location (for example, the relative importance of place and contemplative spaces), (6) aesthetics and material culture, including art, clothing and paraphernalia, and (7) the larger religious system within which religiously-committed contemplative practice occurs. As mentioned, the latter would include dietetics, ethics, ritual, scripture study and so forth. I will give particular attention to the technical specifics of Daoist meditation methods.
Understanding Daoism (Taoism) First, it is important to have at least a rudimentary and foundational understand in Daoism, especially since misconceptions concerning Daoism are so widespread. Daoism, the tradition of the Dao, is an indigenous Chinese religion deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. At the same time, it has now become a global religious and cultural phenomenon characterized by ethnic and cultural diversity. Here we should note the widespread misinterpretation of Daoism as divided into so-called philosophical Daoism and so-called religious Daoism. These modern concepts are rooted in colonial, missionary and Orientalist legacies. As careful historical and textual study of classical Daoism, such as that conducted by Professor Roth, indicates, classical Daoism was a religious community composed of master-disciple lineages. In addition, there are actually major similarities and continuities, including shared values, commitments, and practices, among the early inner cultivation lineages and the organized tradition.
The primary emphasis throughout Daoist history has been on the Dao 道, which is a Daoist cosmological and theological concept. It is an attempt to represent the unrepresentable. How do we do that? Do we do it through blackness; do we do it through silence? How do we represent the unrepresentable? From a Daoist perspective, the Dao is a Chinese character designating the sacred or ultimate concern of Daoists. As a Daoist theological and cosmological concept the Dao has four primary characteristics: (1) Source of everything, (2) unnameable mystery, (3) All-pervading sacred presence, connected to a worldview based on qi 氣, which is translated anachronistically as “energy,” and (4) Universe as cosmological process, or Nature considered as a whole. That is, the primary Daoist theology is apophatic, monistic, panentheistic, and panenhenic. The secondary Daoist theology is animistic and polytheistic. Generally speaking, Daoists believe that the world itself, including sentient beings, is a manifestation of the Dao. The universe is the Dao on some level. This world-affirming and body-affirming view extends to human beings, whose innate nature (xing 性) is the Dao. Daoism is a religious tradition characterized by diversity and inclusivity. There is no founder or central scripture, though the pseudo-historical Laozi or Zhang Daoling have been nominated as the former, while the Daode jing 道德經 (Scripture on the Dao and Inner Power) has been nominated for the latter. In fact, different Daoist texts received a place of veneration in different Daoist movements. Generally speaking, Daoists place a strong emphasis on community, cultivation, embodiment, lineage, ordination, and place. There are various Daoist communities, including eremitic, householder and monastic. Daoism is generally divided into movements, schools and lineages. So, considered from an integrated and comprehensive perspective, Daoist training includes aesthetics, dietetics, ethics, health and longevity practice, meditation, ritual, scripture study and so forth. Thus, there are many viable paths to the Dao, including diverse forms of contemplative practice.
Major Types of Daoist Meditation Although research on the entire spectrum of Daoist contemplative practice is just beginning, we may identify five major types:
• Apophatic meditation, for which there are various technical terms, such as “quiet sitting” (jingzuo 靜坐), “fasting the heart-mind” (xinzhai 心齋), “sitting-inforgetfulness” (zuowang 坐忘), or “guarding the One” (shouyi 守一) • Visualization (cunxiang 存想) • Ingestion (fuqi 服氣) • Inner observation (neiguan 內觀) • Internal alchemy (neidan 内丹), which includes “female alchemy” (nüdan 女丹), or specific methods for women’s practice in particular. Briefly stated, apophatic meditation emphasizes emptying and stilling the heart-mind, the seat of emotional and intellectual activity from a traditional Chinese prospective, until it becomes empty and still. Visualization, which literally means something like “maintaining thought,” involves visualizing and possibly imagining and/or actualizing (this is one of the interpretive questions, is it imagination or actualization?) of specific deities, constellations, colors and so forth. Ingestion, which literally means “eating qi,” involves taking the energies of the cosmos into one’s body and incorporating them into one’s being. Typical examples include ingesting solar, lunar and astral effulgences and cosmic ethers or vapors. There is some overlap between visualization and ingestion. If one were more radical, one might categorize ingestion as a form of Daoist dietetics as well as meditation. Adapted from Buddhist vipassanā (Sanskrit: vipaśyanā), inner observation involves exploring the body as an internal landscape. Finally, internal alchemy involves complex stage-based practices aimed at psychosomatic, including physiological and energetic, transformation. Later, methods specifically practiced by women, called female alchemy, developed. I will provide specific examples of these associated methods in Part 2. To be continued in Summer 2021 edition Spring 2021 — Page 29
Inner peace is in your hands By Jim Birt The most common frustration for beginning meditators is confronting the mind’s capacity for “chatter.” The harder you try to be still, the more incessant the chatter becomes. Some have called this the “commentator,” similar to a play-by-play announcer at a baseball game. Dan Millman, in his book “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” quotes his teacher “Socrates” who calls it “cerebral fidgeting.” Lately I’ve been exploring a form that blends tai chi, qigong, and kung fu. “Lockdown Lighten Up 33” is the work of California-based kung fu teacher Rob Moses (GoldenSpriralWellness.com) I’ve found it a wonderfully engaging practice that is both playful and contemplative. It begins with a simple practice. Stand comfortably with your feet parallel and separated by the width of your shoulders. Keep your knees slightly bent and gently straighten your spine. Raise your hands with your palms turned toward your face at a distance that allows them to block the center of your visual field. Then simply focus on your hands. That’s it. To practice while seated, turn your palms up on your lap. You don’t have to look at The Empty Vessel — Page 30
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JIM BIRT
them; just hold your attention there. But the more you access it deliberately, the easier it You can also use this practice while moving — a way becomes to “flip the switch” and bring that clarity, that to take your meditation into the world. On a chilly inner peace, to your life situations. January afternoon here in central Pennsylvania I went out for a walk with my wife, Carol. As in many internal arts practices, there With my hands in my coat pockets comes a time when you rely less and I focused my attention on my less on the method and shift dipalms. I keenly experienced the rectly to the desired result. cold air, the sunlight and the play of lights and shadows The “training wheels” come everywhere with a nonoff. discriminating clarity. And as another CaliforniaThis silence is innate, based teacher, Adyashanti, not something to attain. says, you touch “the awake Like the blue sky, it is ever silence that you are.” present. Clouds (thoughts, emotions, evaluations) may It’s all as close as the palms of obscure it but these manifesyour hands. tations cannot obliterate it. Jim Birt has been studying tai chi You may wonder if this clarity can abide and qigong since 1985 and teaching since permanently in the foreground of your everyday 1991. He is a Quaker, a poet, and a Lifetime Prolife. Probably not. fessional Member of the National Qigong Association.
Spring 2021 — Page 31
Directory & Classifieds Taoist Podcast: What’s This Tao All About?
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Continued on page 37
Directory listings: $25 for first 30 words, $1 per word thereafter, 15 word minimum. The Empty Vessel — Page 32
Book Review Qigong: A Beginners to Advanced Guidebook Author: Michael Rinaldini
Unlike his other books, which focused more on the philosophy of Taoist practice, this one is a hands on guidebook on beginning or continuing a qigong practice of your own. I appreciated all the photos, which make the practices so much easier to learn. I have read lots of qigong books that merely describe the practices but without photos it is very difficult to really understand what you are supposed to be doing. Qigong, of course consists of outer movements that are mirrored with internal movements. But if you don’t do the outer movements correctly it is difficult to practice the internal movements. I also enjoyed the second part of the book, which gives information on the theory behind the qigong movements, including sections on Chinese medicine, the three treasures (jing, qi, shen) and various other aspects of qigong. I think it is really quite essential to have a good grasp on the fundamentals of thought and tradition that make up what we today call qigong, which in ancient times was called dao-in. Of course, Michael is a teacher of deep mediation in addition to qigong movement, so the section on Taoist meditation (zuowang) can also be helpful for the aspiring student.
Reviewed by Solala Towler PRICE: $10.95 PUBLISH DATE: MAY 30, 2020 PAGES: 134 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH EAN/UPC: 9798649625678 ORDER: HTTPS://BOOKSHOP.ORG/BOOKS/ QIGONG-A-BEGINNERS-TO-ADVANCEDGUIDEBOOK/9798649625678
In Taoism we are taught that movement and stillness are different sides of the same thing (yin-yang) and there needs to be a balance of both. I was glad to see that Michael spent time elucidating the teachings of stillness practice in addition to the movement practice that he teaches in the first part of the book. This book would be a good gift to someone you know who is interested in qigong and does not live where they can personally access a teacher. It is presented in a very simple yet wise way. Spring 2021 — Page 33
Book Review ‘Four Ounces Can Move a Thousand Pounds’ Ancient Tai Chi Aphorism Author: Dr. Robert Chuckrow
Tai Chi is full of mystery and magic. For many, that is the appeal, however for others, it arouses skepticism. In Dr. Chuckrow’s newest book, Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments: Hidden Strength, Natural Movement, and Timing, he explores the ancient art from a western scientific lens. His interdisciplinary examination of the venerated art taps Dr. Chuckrow’s knowledge of elementary physics (which he taught at NYU), physiology, anatomy, psychology, and spirituality. Can you really move a thousand pounds with four ounces? Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments provides the answers, complete with exercises that allow you to prove for yourself that the power of Tai Chi is real.
The experiments included in this book bring clarity and understanding of high-level Tai Chi principles through direct experience. They make the ‘secrets’ accessible to any reader to increase their skill level and further them along the path of self-actualization. Tai Chi concepts of Chi and Internal Power are concise revealed through insightful analysis, unmasking the abstract translations that have muddled Tai Chi as it has migrated westward. Dr. Chuckrow breaks down natural movement from physical, philosophical, health and martial perspectives. About the Author: Dr. Robert Chuckrow has a Ph.D. in experimental physics from NYU and taught physics at NYU, The Cooper Union, Fieldston, and other schools for forty-three years. He has studied Tai Chi, Chi Kung, and other movement and healing arts since 1970 under The Empty Vessel — Page 34
masters such as Cheng Man-ch’ing, William C.C. Chen, Elaine Summers, Alice Holtman, Harvey I. Sober, Kevin Harrington, and Sam Chin. He has taught T’ai Chi extensively, is certified as a master teacher of Kinetic Awareness®, and has authored five books – three on Tai Chi with YMAA including The Tai Chi Book, Tai Chi Walking, and Tai Chi Dynamics, another on weight-loss and diet, and one more on historical tuning of keyboard instruments. The Tai Chi Book was a finalist among the three best books in the health/medicine category in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Tai Chi Dynamics, was honored in the martial arts/alternative health category by the Independent Publisher Online Magazine Highlighted Title Program, was a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s 2008 Book of the Year Awards, won the Eric Hoffer book award, and won the USA Book News best-book-award in health: exercise and fitness. YMAA Publication Center is an award-winning 38-year plus pioneer as an independent publisher of martial arts. YMAA specializes in books and DVDs, focusing on martial arts, tai chi, qigong, health, wellness, healing, self-defense and Chinese Traditional Medicine. The company has a global reach with its authors, schools, and readers, via international book and DVD distribution. TITLE: TAI CHI CONCEPTS AND EXPERIMENTS: HIDDEN STRENGTH, NATURAL MOVEMENT, AND TIMING PUBLISHER: YMAA PUBLICATION CENTER PUB DATE: APRIL 1, 2021 BOOK: PAPERBACK, SOFTBACK, 240 PAGES ISBN: 9781594397417 PRICE: $24.95
Book Review The Way of the Living Ghost Author: John Anderson
Many of us exist as a ghost. A living ghost, that is. A ghost who floats, untethered to the world around it but attached, instead, by its own drives, wants, and needs, yet which is no less physical. The Way of the Living Ghost acts as a mirror reflecting the reader’s consciousness engagement with their own ghostly material, with the guidance of an erstwhile, though (usually) well-meaning ghost. This book provides a broad survey, showing the many attributes of living and embodied ghosts, as well as the many ways which we might have come to be in the state of a living ghosthood.
Living Ghost, or to assist others though a frank exploration of the areas of one’s life wherein the mind and the vision have become clouded. It calls for awareness and examination so that one might reclaim, at least to some extent, the mind, vision, and humanity which may have been taken by or given over to something, someone, or sometime in the past. The first dose of remedy is the act of recognition.
In addition to his formal education in Chinese Medicine, John Anderson has had training in Lakota practices and in Eastern esoteric herbal medicine and Chinese folk medicines. As part of his broader learning process, he has worked with plants, stones, and other natural ingredients for the better part of twenty years, beginning with The text is rendered as a countermany aspects of contemporary point to the theme and content of European paganism. This interthe Tao Te Ching insofar as the est evolved and grew to encomliving ghost exists in contrast to pass Eastern philosophies and practices. His ongoing the cultivated sage, though not necessarily as a strict negation. The attainment of sagacity asks us to address research interests include: Gu syndromes, virtue that which would hold us to ghostliness, and The Way medicine in tradition of Wang Fengyi, Daoist and Buddhist exorcistic practices, and Disability Studies of the Living Ghost is first and foremost a cautionary at large. His work on Gu has appeared in Verdant treatise. It is a work about being hollow and overfull, Gnosis, volume 4. and about seeing ‘now’ and ‘then’ through darkened eyes. It is about hunger, need, loss, violence, and injustice. It is a meditation on paradox and inertia. All of these are hallmarks of ghosts, but the living ghost can change its fate.
PRICE: $36.00 PUBLISHER: REVELORE PRESS PAPERBACK PUBLISH DATE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2019; ISBN-13 : 978-1947544192
In these passages, the reader may well encounter a starting point from which to step off of the Path of the
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Spring 2021 — Page 35
Book Review The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao Author: Xing De (Li Shi Fu)
The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao is an essential manual for cultivating and refining one’s Inner Nature and Inner Character. As such, it is a revelatory guide to the fundamental basis of Internal Alchemy. In the first stage, a person’s Inner Nature, their conduct and character, should undergo a tempering process. This lays the foundation for refining one’s Life-Destiny, a transformation of one’s physical form and ultimately the sublimation of one’s body into a Golden Immortal. The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao walk the reader through the obstacles that emerge in this process and give detailed and invaluable advice on how to overcome them. Originating from the Script for Penetrating Through the Barriers, written by Liu Yi Ming in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), this treatise has been edited and revised by the Daoist Master Xing De in order to extract and distill its most profound essence.
Accompanying each barrier is an extensive commentary by Xing De. These are frank, humorous, and replete with downto-earth and lively examples to clarify the meaning and contemporary relevance of this ancient text. The commentaries are also deeply knowledgeable in Chinese tradition, bridging Daoism with Buddhism, Confucianism and even Christianity, and possess a rare mystical depth stemming from Xing De’s long-term practice. Johan Hausen started his martial arts endeavours at the age of thirteen by taking up the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do. After immersing himself into the world of competitive Tae Kwon Do for eight years with over one hundred fights The Empty Vessel — Page 36
he reached a plateau and decided to return to the often declared “cradle of all martial arts”, Shaolin Kungfu, to reignite his love for martial arts. This ambition lead him to the Shaolin Temple and eventually to the Wudang Mountains, desiring to not only be able to defend himself and maintain a healthy body, but to also learn techniques to speed up recovery and convalescence from injury. At this time he was exposed to the wide scope of Chinese medicine in treating all kinds of illnesses and diseases, which strongly attracted him. Johan ended up staying for more than five years at the Five Immortals Temple under the tutelage of Li Shifu, studying a variety of subjects such as Tai Ji, longevity exercises, Dao Yin (guiding and leading of Qi), alchemy, swordsmanship, martial arts, Feng Shui, Yi Jing (The Book of Changes) divination and Daoist healing, resulting in receiving a 24th Dragon Gate Lineage name. Johan currently places his focus on practical application of Chinese medicine, and in order to work within a legal framework in the West he graduated from Chinese medicine school in New Zealand in 2012 and has been a practicing acupuncturist and herbalist ever since. Johan sees it as his calling and purpose to preserve the vast lore of Asia and China in particular. To date he has translated three ancient texts from China, and plans to publish many more under the umbrella of Purple Cloud Press. He hopes to widen his scope of treatment modalities with the ultimate goal of opening a Longevity Centre under the banner of the Purple Cloud Institute.
PAPERBACK: 33.33$ PLUS SHIPPING HTTPS://PURPLECLOUDINSTITUTE.COM TRANSLATORS: JOHAN HAUSEN AND ALLEN TSAUR ILLUSTRATOR: JEN KING
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READING Self-published Books by author and practitioner Jia Senghe. Restoring Original Body
Templates with Medicine Buddha Primal Light Shamanic Qigong Twenty Asian Tonic Herbs That Promote Health and Longevity Internal Alchemy: Taoist Practices of Immortality Available at Etsy.com Shop: ZenShamanicArts Member International Shakuhachi Society: www. komuso.com/people/people.pl?person=18 www.utaguchi.com Restoring Original Body Templates with Medicine Buddha Available at Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/ ZenShamanicArts
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Missing a past edition of your favorite Taoist magazine? $5.95 each (unless noted) or 4 copies for $22 For a complete list of back issues email DaoDogPress@gmail.com. Fall 2020: Primordial Chaos Standing Meditation, On Waking Up, Training the Horse Mind, Commentary on Chapter One of the Do De Ching, Feng Shui to Reduce Anxiety Summer 2020: Feng Shui For Harmonious Living, The Tao of Music: Shakuhachi, The Eight Extraordinary Vessels Part 2, Past the Temple Walls Spring 2020 Special Issue: The Tao of Health: Clear Marrow, Daoist Bigu and the Science of Fasting, The Eight Extraordinary Vessels Part 1, Daoist Magical Healing Tradition Winter 2019: Chinese New Year of the Rat, Cha Dao: The Way of Tea, Grasping the Dao of Chinese Bodywork (Tuina), Reflections on Emptiness and Form Fall 2019: Manuals for Lively Inspiration, Qigong: A journey Summer 2019: American Dragon Gate Lineage, The Qi of Paper and Ink, The Dao of Congee, Tao Of Walloo, Poetry Corner debut Winter 2018 / Spring 2019: I Ching and the 8 Immortals, A Curious Opportunity, An Introduction to NSEV lineage, Balance With a Brush, Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig, Microcosmic Core Circulation,Empty Vessel China Tour 2018 recap Fall 2018: History and Origins of American Dragon Gate Lineage, On the Shoulders of Giants, Harmony of Herbs: Bidens Alba, Working Consciously and Living Spiritually Summer 2018: Lessons of the Dao, The
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The Ten-Thousand Things 50 years of creativity from Jane English and Gia-fu Feng
Chuang Tsu - book Tao Calendar
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