The Dao De Jing teaches that nothing is more soft and yielding than water, and yet nothing is more powerful. Water yields without resistence when pushed, yet simply by following its intrinsic nature, water carves out great canyons, wears down intransigent rocks, cascades through quicksilver rapids, and plunges over thundering waterfalls. People think that softness […]
The Power of Softness Read More »
Practicing the external martial arts taekwondo and kung fu gave me lots of experience with humility. Resuming this training in my 50s after being away from it for several decades meant that I was a beginner once again and most often the oldest person in the room. It was obvious from the start that I
The Power of Humility Read More »
I was practicing with some taiji buddies yesterday, and we got to talking about the custom of bowing in martial arts. Students and teachers bow, sparring partners bow, everyone bows when entering or leaving the practice area. Our discussion expanded to other bowing customs. Some people bow in greeting or farewell, children bow to elders,
The martial arts school I used to go to sits on the corner of a busy intersection. I just read that someone smashed one of the huge windows that face the street. With so much of this sort of thing in the news these days, I’m not sure why this particular act of vandalism hit
It’s Okay to Feel Sad Read More »
Good structural alignment helps keep our bodies healthy and pain free. If you are young, good structural alignment will prevent damage to knees and hips as you age. If you are older, correcting your alignment will alleviate lower back pain, take pressure off your knees and hips, and help you avoid tripping and falling. It’s
It Starts with the Feet Read More »
The universe has been giving me plenty of writing material in the joke’s-on-me category. This time it’s about developing a website and working on a new book project. For years I have quietly cruised along on my little blog, happy to use Blogger, grateful for all those who have subscribed by email. Then recently Blogger
Oh Right, I Knew That Read More »
This is a “joke’s on me” story. I love martial arts. I have practiced various martial arts over the years. These days, it’s taiji, sword, and staff. I recently took a video of myself practicing a sword form. In my head I looked like this: When I watched the video, my first thought was “Who’s
Who’s That Old Lady? Read More »
A sweet little chapter with a turn the other cheek message. It begins by observing that even after a conflict is settled, some resentment often remains. So how can we bring true peace to a situation? Using contracts as an example, the chapter says that the sage holds up her end of the bargain,
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 79 Read More »
Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water Yet nothing is better for overcoming what is hard and stiff As we approach the end of the Tao Te Ching’s 81 chapters, the text returns to the theme of water. Water is the most common metaphor for the energy of Tao. It flows
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 78 Read More »
A person at birth is soft and gentle At death is hard and unyielding Sprouting plants are tender and supple At death are brittle and dry Stiff and unyielding are associated with death Soft and gentle with life The wisdom in this chapter is easy to understand from our own observations. Babies learning to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 76 Read More »
Lately I’ve been feeling drained, like my life force is seeping out of me. Absent any other symptoms indicating illness, I’ve been puzzled by this general malaise. Last night I gave it some focused thought. What is different in my life? What has changed in recent weeks? Two things came to mind. First, I’ve been
During a recent conversation with a martial arts friend and mentor, we were discussing our practice. Although we are at very different levels (he is light years ahead of me), we both find ourselves in a time of transition, partly affected by the shutdown and interruption of our usual routines, but that is not the
This Is What I’m Doing Read More »
This is a beautiful chapter that acknowledges how elusive something so simple can be.My words are very easy to knowVery easy to put into practiceYet under heaven no one is able to know themNo one can put them into practiceWhen people ask me to explain Tao to them, or ask me what they need to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 70 Read More »
This chapter carries forward the teaching in the last chapter about power and conflict. Warriors have a saying:I do not presume to be the host (aggressor) but would rather be the guest (defender)Rather than advance an inch, I would retreat a footThis is called going forward without advancing This passage reminds me of the martial
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 69 Read More »
This chapter is about power and the use of power. It starts out with four lines, each beginning with the character for “good.” A good warrior is not violentA good fighter is not enragedA good conqueror does not engage the enemyA good leader humbles himself The ancient treatise The Art of War counsels that the
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 68 Read More »
This beautiful chapter is about leadership, comparing a good leader to the sea, resting patiently in the lowest position, allowing all water to return according to its own path. The sea is king of the hundred valleysBecause it lies well below them This passage blends two thematic images in the Tao Te Ching – water
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 66 Read More »
I was chatting with my martial arts teacher after class last week about how we learn in martial arts to deflect force rather than trying to overpower force with force. As with many lessons in martial arts, this one teaches us how to handle conflict in the rest of our lives as well. I related
Deflecting Conflict Read More »
Last week, I got a brutal stomach bug. The symptoms were intense but lasted only an afternoon and evening. However, it wiped me out so thoroughly that for the next three days all I could do was lie in bed eating ice chips. Even after I was sort of upright again, doing the simplest things
Doing Nothing in the Right Way Read More »
In my No Way Café contemplation group, we were joking about my “addiction” to acquiring even more translations and interpretations of the Tao Te Ching. This could prove to be a costly and cumbersome habit since the Tao Te Ching has been translated more than any other book in history except the Bible. How many
The Non-Action Hotline Read More »
This chapter address the theme of power in the context of the relationship between large and small countries. Like other chapters addressing nations and government, this chapter can also apply to individuals – how we govern ourselves and how we relate to others. A large country is like a river deltaThe lowest point where all
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 61 Read More »