tao1776

That's the title of my book. I have been working on it for about a year. During the summer of 2005, auto shows/cruise nights, unemployment and doubles of good (and not so good) scotch, slowed my pace. The book has its central character (Nigel) who finds himself befriended by a master (Frank Hsu) of Pa Kua Zhang , also know as Eight Trigram Boxing. It is Mr. Hsu's contention that he and Nigel were connected together in another life and that Hsu owes a karmic obligation to Nigel. It is his intention to teach Nigel all of his knowledge of Pa Kua Zhang and the Tao and in doing so, any karmic obligations to Nigel will then be fulfilled. Our journey through the past and present, brings us through the Christian vision of Hong Xiuquan (Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864). and into the Boxer revolution of 1900 and into the present day. Here are a few select chapters; Chapter one Two quarters, a few pennies and a dime sat beneath three inches of urine in the bus station urinal. Afraid to flu...

This has been a very interesting journey. I've known Christians from many denominations and varying levels of faith, from fundamentalists to mystics. I have tasted of many spiriual traditions. Poor health introduced me to Taoism. Taoism introduced me to Buddhism. I have met and continue friendships with witches from varied pagan traditions. I have seen prayer, meditation, talismans, herbs and tonics alter the human form and mind. I have worked with Tai Chi and Chi Gung. I have worked with internal alchemy, microcosmic orbit and inner smile. I have meditated vippassana and loving kindness meditation. But.....being human, I look like an angry monk to some, and very laid back to others. I look five to eight years younger to some and like an old man others. I suffer from musculoskeletal difficulties. I have asthma and diabetes. I know pain and shortness of breath. I've known excessive exercise. I have fast for three days many times. I have fast for seven to ten days several times. ...

Alive, a man is supple, soft;In death, unbending, rigorous.All creatures, grass and trees, aliveAre plastic but are pliat too,And dead, are friable and dry. Unbending rigor is the mate of death,And wielding softness, company of life:Unbending soldiers get no victories;The stiffest tree is readiest for the axe.The strong and mighty topple from their place;The soft and yielding rise above them all.

Smiles and well wishes accompanied his decision to defend the land he loved but the blood of friends and of enemies all looks the same. The shedding of one's armor does not lessen the weight. The mediocre pissing and moaning of things so unimportant makes you want to squish their necks like an over-ripe zit. A dull knife cuts at your soul and they continue to talk...and talk...and try to "understand". You cannot understand because I have no way to tell you what I feel. I want to smash your face and I myself, cannot understand. Parades, cheers! O how we love our soldiers. Parades, cheers! O how we love our parades. Parades, cheers! O how we love to cheer! Just shut the fuck up! O how I love it when you just shut the fuck up! http://www.scrimshaw.blogspot.com is one of many posts that I read by and about the military and their soldiers. This particular post, "Smile and Well Wishes" is perhaps better understood if I include a recent e-mail to William, the author ...

Creation, according to Traditional Taoism can be explained as follows: - Wu ChiAccording to Taoist cosmology, before the beginning of the manifested universe, there was a state of total emptiness. In this primordial state, nothing stirred. The relative concept of time did not apply to the primordial state, because there was nothing to measure time against. All was a void. The ancient Taoists gave it a name. It was called Wu Chi. Wu means absence, negation, nothingness. The Chi in Wu Chi (though it is spelled the same way in English), as the word that means life force is a totally different word in Chinese. The Chi in Wu Chi means "highest" or "ultimate". Wu Chi thus means "ultimate state of nothingness".(In the modern Chinese spelling you write for this Chi (energy): Ji, for the other Chi (ultimate), Qi.) Tai Chi: The Primordial Yin and Yang.The Wu Chi stirred through some unknown impulse, perhaps a sudden curiosity, and this stirring created movement. The...

The Dingo and the Meatstick.

Incense filled the air. A swinging censor swirled with heavy scent about his head. "Dominus illuminated mea. Dominus tecum." Yes, death was near. His bowels had emptied and his stench proved itself worthy competition in the battle of smells that enveloped the room. Feeling more content than tired, he watched out the window for the birds of the morning. The cacophony of birds came without fail each day before sunrise. He waited for the symphony to begin. A lone robin whistled its trademark sound while Jays argued announcing themselves. Crows began their trek flying from north to south shouting caws along their way. Soon, one could no longer distinguish one bird from the other as their sounds blended in unison. "Gloria in excelsis deo - Gloria Patri." The presence of the priest meant little. He noticed his sight begin to fade. With unknown clarity, he recognized that his hearing out paced his sight until sound and sight was no more. He watched, from a place unknown,...

By my watch, it is almost Guinness time on this St. Pat's day 2006. It will not be in the form of a can...albeit the widget was a "Brilliant" invention...a perfectly poured pint is always best... A deep dark ray of sunshine. Slainte!!!!!!

Union and Divisivness...two sides of the same coin. This great experiment, government of the people and by the people is diseased by ignorance and greed, the quest for power and dominence, and underscored by sickness of religion.  

As sort of a continuation of the previous entry....only those that have trained in mindfulness may find the humor in this. Others may think, huh...weird! I recall a story of this dude that wanted to meditate. He learned about the basics and determined, set off for a cabin in the woods. He arrived feeling quite at peace and confident that he would soon be meditating like a monk. The cabin, on a small mountain hillside, was surrounded by many trees and beheld a beautiful view from off the front porch. A mountain stream babbled beside the cabin and the weather was beautiful. He lit some incense and placed his body into position. He began to concentrate on his breath as it slid into his nose on the inbreath and slid out on the outbreath. When his mind would wander, he would calmly bring his attention back to his breath. He continued on and on with his practice. In time, his attention was diverted by the sound of the brook just outside the window. The harder he tried to concentrate, the lou...

I find that meditation often offers me a calm mind that helps me throughout the work day. As I work, I whistle, sing and hum the day away. Never the "hits" of my youth, or a modern ditty from the radio. I laugh at the strange tunes that come to my mind. This is todays.... Tex Ritter(I Got Spurs That) Jingle Jangle Jingle Yippee yeah, there'll be no wedding bells for today! I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle As I go ridin' merrily along And they sing, 'Away, too glad, you're single' And that song ain't so very far from wrong Oh, Lily Bell, oh, Lily Bell, Though I may have done some foolin, this is why I never will I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle As I go ridin' merrily along And they sing, 'Away, too glad, you're single' And that song ain't so very far from wrong Oh, Mary Ann, oh, Mary Ann Though I've done some moonlight walking this is why I up and went I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle As I go ridin' merr...

The Fish Stinks From the Head As every good fisherman or educated shopper knows, in buying fresh fish one looks to the eye for clarity and checks it for smell as well. For when the fish starts to go bad, it stinks from the head.In the I Ching, Hexagram 37 "Clan" (or Family) it teaches that all Clans must have a superior person at their center if they are to prosper and succeed. This holds true for any community, business or nation.It is easy to apply this to my country or the company I worked for. The question was, how did this apply to me? Hexagram 37 would teach that in order to improve the family, company, nation or world community, we must begin by improving ourselves.The last couple of years have severely affected my daily spiritual discipline. It has been a struggle to practice my meditation or follow through on other Taoist exercises. I have "blamed" this on the difficulty brought about by family events.Addictions, unexpected pregnancy, deaths, health issues,...

The Tao would teach that our responsibility is not to mother or father people, or to supervise their behavior or learning process, but simply follow what is high and good in ourself. The pathway became difficult to follow. He occasionally stumbled over tree roots left exposed by the erosion of many travelers. Walking deliberately he would notice the subtle zig and zag of his journey and he learned never to question the sudden veer in direction when contrary to where he believed the direction should lay. On a most peculiar day, he lost sight of the trail. He ignored what he knew to be true. The wisdom of stillness was replaced with a quickened pace. The terrain grew steep and his fast pace was replaced by a run. The ascent felt good as his lungs were filled and his heart beat loudly. Speed was soon replaced with imbalance and his bottom began to feel the thud of his own heel. Knowing that balance was no longer his he waited for the inevitable which came with a tumble, a disorienting ro...

Son, Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven't found out> what it is yet so I don't know if you are an aunt or uncle.> The baby looks just like your brother. Dad

Growing up was difficult psychologically, due to my disassociative parents. My father, a WWII POW and my mother, well, that's a story in and of itself. At about the age of twenty, I had a minor epiphany when I realized that my parents, like many others, including myself, did the very best that they could, with what they had. My mind was showered with compassion by this simple realization. My view towards people as a whole softened greatly. My home has been an open door to all. I have been aware of the depth of my sensitivity towards those around me. I often grieve because I lack anything of value or virtue that might help or heal the suffering that I see around me. Slowly, that open door has closed. My compassion, although still present, has turned to sorrow as I feel that those most close to me have been a major disappointment. I have tried to rationalize this feeling. Perhaps I am projecting my view of self upon others. Perhaps I need to let this thought, this feeling arise, pass...

http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html

There are people whom we may occasionally meet in life that exude a radiance that attracts as a moth to a flame. I'm not talking about charisma or the cult of personality. It's the person with whom you feel most comfortable, at ease, unjudged. Your smile comes with ease. Their presence does not warrant thinking. You just are. And their presence leaves no trace. You don't linger in thought as though you have just left your lover. It is like the warmth of a fire. So noticed, as it warms you to the bone, but left at the hearth as you continue in your activity. It was mostly his laugh, they would say. It was either a full belly laugh that seemed to be contagious or the breathless whistle of humor out of control. They say that with some breeds of dog, they appear to age almost overnight. One day you awake and the dog is old and grey. Then you begin to notice the feebleness, the slowness of movement. Such it was. Being human. Subject to frailties, disease. The stress of capitalis...

I spent in excess of 6 hours sitting on a hard bench outside the main court room. Having worked within the mental health field and spending hours within the local police lock-up, you wittness a particular flavor to the whole scene. My eldest son is a heroin addict. He has Bi-polar disorder. He is an insulin dependent ( As am I) diabetic. He was arrested (in his pajamas) after he was stopped by the police. His copilot is a known dealer. He was seen throwing bags of heroin on the ground in an attempt to seperate the class A substance from himself. My son's wallet was found wedged between the seats containing two bags. He was arrested and held over for arraignment. He looked like hell. He looked like Casper with parkinsons. He is being held over for his court hearing to be held on March 23rd. It will not be fun. But it is just a part of his process. His addiction has been a full on chess match. The lies, the desperation, the hospitalizations. The threefold enemies, addiction, diabetes...