The Tao, the simple Chinese philosophy of nature, is the theme for my July
newsletter is .
The Artist's Way column is especially cool this time.
Chungliang Al Wang, a tai chi master, shares his brush calligraphies and
Stephen Mitchell is lending his words, both spoken and written, by reading
exerts from his translation of the Tao te Ching .
Richard Strozzi Heckler, author of In Search of the Warrior Spirit, offered
an article on The Warrior Tradition. Debbie and Carlos Rosas, the co-founders
of Nia, profile using the martial art form Tae Kwon Do in Nia. I'm including
my story of teaching tai chi in Guilin, China.
There's also an article on Big Mind meditation. Genpo Roshi is leading a
five day Big Mind retreat in Austin, TX in early September. Register now
and I'll see you there.
Healing the Heart of the World, co-authored by yours truly, was named "Most
Inspirational Book by an Independent Press" at this year's National Book
Expo. Yeah! and congrats to our editor/publisher Dawson Church.
The
Artist's Way
The Brush Calligraphies of Chungliang Al Huang and the Tao te
Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell
Inner Stillness
The Chinese symbols represent the inner peace attained by being at ease
with the gentle and feminine Yin, the receptive self, and the calmness
and clarity that is attained without striving. The red chop symbolizes
sudden enlightenment.
Tao
te Ching
--verse
15--
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable
There is no way to describe it; All we can describe is their appearance.
They were careful A someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior
in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapeable
as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait Till your mud settles and the water is
clear? Can you remain unmoving Till the right action arises by itself?
The master doesn’t seek fulfillment. Not seeking, not expecting,
She is present, and can welcome all things.
“Heaven and earth,” I called out. Together the group moved in
silence. When our hands came to our hearts in prayer position and then separated,
tracing the line of the horizon, I felt a growing sense of awe. The ancient
city of Guilin lay beneath us. The massive islands of stone and trees piercing
through the mists from the river below had inspired artists for thousands
of years. Our rooftop perch, five stories above the city, gave us an easy
view. It was truly beautiful. Adding to my awe was the juxtaposition of cultures.
I was teaching a group of Chinese graduate students a simple tai chi form. “Fire,” I
continued. Hands slowly met at our navels, we stepped out lifting our palms
to the sun. “Water.” Our palms slowly pulled the mists down
over our heads.
The tradition of the warrior is inextricably linked to the history of human
beings. From the moment humans formed into bands a warrior class emerged
to protect their homes and loved ones, as well as to express their highest
and most cherished values. We’re heir to that first human who stood
in harm’s way thousands of years ago and expressed the warrior virtues
of courage, honor, commitment, impeccability, integrity, selflessness, and
service in defense of their community. The connection between that warrior
500,000 years ago who threw a spear to protect his family from marauding
bands and the twenty-first century Marine marksman, endures in our genes
and the embodiment of our deepest values. In our oral and written traditions
the Greek’s Mars, Ares from the Romans, Christianity’s St. James
and St. George, the African’s Ogu, Hinduism’s Krishna and Arjuna,
Islam’s Mohammed, Judaism’s Joshua at the Battle of Jerico, and
the sword-bearing Manjusuri of the Buddhists represent the proud warrior
lineage that exists among all people throughout history. Warrior virtues
are fundamental human virtues that transcend race, creed, religion, or color.
The world has long recognized the United States Marine as being part of this
warrior legacy.
By Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas
co-creators
of The Nia Technique
Coming from a traditional exercise and aerobic background, the martial arts
were challenging for us. We were not prepared for the physical and mental
endurance and agility needed. Aggression was completely foreign to us. Imagining
- much less actually - striking someone, was out of the question. Up to this
point we avoided even considering physical defense. Tae Kwon Do brought up
all kinds of personal issues, beliefs, and social attitudes.
The world of aerobics left us with a kind of pseudo- strength. We thought
we were strong, yet our strength was based mostly on superficial appearance.
Tae Kwon Do soon made us aware that we lacked internal core strength. When
asked to duplicate a bow stance, which is not a difficult stance, our legs
began to quiver within seconds. We realized there was a whole lot about movement
we didn’t comprehend.
When Dennis Merzel began his formal Zen studies three decades ago, his Japanese
Zen master's methods left him perplexed.
"DIE ON YOUR CUSHION!"
Koryu Roshi exhorted his novices who sat cross-legged on cushions facing
a wall at the Los Angeles Zen Center.
"BECOME THE WALL!"
"I don't know what the hell he's talking about," Merzel remembers thinking. "And
even if I knew, I'm not doing it."
From that unlikely beginning, Brooklyn-born Merzel has gone on to become
spiritual leader to thousands of Zen Buddhists around the world.
But Merzel -- now called Genpo Roshi -- always knew the traditional Eastern
approach to Zen didn't work for many Westerners. They don't like being told
to die. Although he eventually realized the Zen master was commanding him
to "die" in order to be reborn as a more compassionate being, he thought
there had to be a better way to unlock the Zen door to Westerners.
If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle on
Thursday, Dec 14, 2005, you would have read about a female humpback whale
who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was
weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle
to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around
her body-her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman
spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate)
and radioed an environmental group for help.
Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was
so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her-a
very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
Most Inspirational Book by an Independent Press at National Book Expo 2006
co-authored by Alan Davidson, Prince Charles, Caroline Myss, John Gray,
Dean Ornish, Thich Nhat Hanh, and many others
At the core of your being, what are the joys and the wounds that live most
vividly in you? What touches the most vulnerable parts of you? Now imagine
our beautiful sentient planet Earth. What are the joys and wounds that touch
her most deeply? What is the healing touch she longs for? In what ways can
you bind the wounds that afflict her heart?
These are some of the powerful questions asked by the forty writers whose
profound wisdom is collected in this book. From the core of their hearts
to the core of the world’s heart, they explore the issues and inspirations
that lie at the center of the dilemmas facing humankind on the cusp of becoming
a planetary species. Scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, educators, executives,
healers, and spiritual leaders offer the personal and global solutions they
have discovered in their remarkable journeys.
Ecology and wellness are two sides of the same coin. What are the most powerful
new trends shaping individual wellness and planetary health? What are the
most profound breakthroughs in consciousness that will shape our future happiness
as individuals and a species? How can we find optimal health, even as we
choose actions that restore the Earth? These and other provocative questions
are asked by the visionaries whose profound wisdom is collected in this book.
Drawing on a rich variety of backgrounds, they offer a powerful collection
of understandings, a storehouse of wisdom and inspiration that points the
way to a sane, hopeful and sustainable future.
If you are feeling adrift in a life that isn’t working for you—take
heart! Whether you are experiencing stress and burnout, or feeling lost in
the confusion of midlife turmoil, Give Wings To Your Dreams offers you the
inspiration and the tools to take charge and transform your life. Author
Lauren Sullivan shares her own compelling story of traveling from lost to
found after a personal crisis derailed her own life. She also shares many
stories from the lives of her clients who have found their joy and passion
again. In vivid and engaging language, she offers the wisdom of Seven Stepping
Stones to guide you on an uplifting, soul- satisfying journey to new beginnings
and a rich and robust quality of life.
Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi’s teachings facilitate a mind of clarity,
wisdom, and compassion. His beautifully simple approach helps us circumvent
mental busyness to rest in states that are innate, yet outside ordinary experience
until they are recognized and encouraged. With Roshi’s guidance and
lively participatory exercises, we learn to shift to these mind/body states,
shed our fears, and live more purposeful, joyful lives.
What makes the process work is his skillful facilitation, the mutual trust
he establishes with participants, and his unshakeable, contagious confidence
that every one of us can instantly awaken to our true nature, like the great
masters of old. Roshi combines Zen tradition with the insights of such visionary
western figures as Carl Jung, Fritz Perls, and Hal Stone, enabling virtually
anyone to realize their true nature, a realization they can further deepen
through meditation.
By Alan Davidson
Janet Rae Brooks 
Five Day Big Mind retreat in Austin
Michael
Lutin is the weirdly wonderful, wise and mad astrologer for VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE.
He doses your planetary advice with humor and whimsy.