Autumn 2016 Newsletter
(October 2016)

All News

Dear Living Tao friends:
The Spring and Summer, since my last newsletter to you, has come to a gratifying conclusion. During our summer seminar at our Living Tao River House, we enjoyed a beautiful new expanded deck overlooking the Rogue River with a most receptive group of old and new friends from all over America, and as far as New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and Hawaii –  all gathering to continue sharing our lifelong learning.

The Summer Training has also been the usual time to jointly celebrate summer birthdays for several “tutus”, one particular faithful friend, Yuki Sasaki, who was born the same week, same month, same year and same place in Shanghai as I was. Two babies during that turbulent, war-torn era.
Also on hand to join the annual celebration was another Tai Ji Family sibling Sandra Church, born in the same year. Sandra, the original “Louise”- Gypsy Rose Lee” on Broadway, sang “Let Me Entertain You” at my 70^thbirthday celebration in Gold Beach, August 2007.

Our Springtime learning continued both in Winterthur, Switzerland and in Urbana, Illinois, during our annual seminars in those places. Each seminar welcomes the return of life-long seminarians along with those who join us for the first time.

In late June, I again spent a week of “father-daughters” retreat with Lark and Tysan at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. We enjoyed a fortuitous meeting with Peter Yarrow of the legendary “Peter, Paul and Mary” folks singing trio, and the virtuoso pianist Aleck Karis.  Peter and his son Christopher sang new and classic songs, and Aleck played Bach with a surprising improvisation of “Puff the Magic Dragon” for us during our Tai Ji session. Kindred friendships were formed with a mutual wish for future collaborations in the coming years, perhaps at Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, or at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Illinois.

During the remaining summer days in Gold Beach, I was blessed again by visits from both daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren at our beach house. Family gatherings are always true blessings. I am very grateful.

En route to Illinois in early September, I was in San Francisco to catch the world premiere opera based on the Chinese classic, “Dream of the Red Mansions”, a mega saga of complex interweaving stories of human dramas of passionate and tragic love and endless intrigues, completed around 1791 during the Manchu Dynasty (Qin) Qian-Long Emperor’s reign.  The joint talents for this project include composer Bright Sheng and Tony Award winning playwright David Henry Hwang, and director Stan Lai.  I read this classic novel as a teenager, only half understood its multi-layered plot, and too innocent and young to have true empathy in understanding. Throughout my adulthood, I have often returned to reading portions of this epical classic, slowly appreciating the philosophy, and cultural and artistic nuances of this literary treasure. The premiere was warmly attended, especially with the Chinese community in the Bay Area.  During the intermission, a strange reversal of scene for me when I could not find my friends of the Chinese Heritage Foundation from Minnesota because there were more Asian faces than Caucasians in the lobby. I got the joke, “You All Look Alike to me!”
The production was well done in all areas, except for some of us Chinese who know the book so well, it felt short-changed in its necessary reduction in story lines. Personally, I was hoping for more Asian flavor in the music with haunting arias, but it did not happen for me.  Still, I must commend the creative team for making the attempt to tackle this daunting task.  Here is a well balance report from my critic friend Janos Gereben to share.
http://culturevulture.net/music/dream-red-chamber-world-premiere/
Looking ahead to the Fall, I will return to China, with the Esalen Institute’s “Potential China” team to re-connect with old friends there, and to make new contacts. In addition to being in Beijing, Shanghai, Wu Yi Mountain and Hong Kong, I will revisit my family’s “pre-Communist” home at the old Nationalist capitol city of Nanjing for the first time since we left there in 1948.
In addition, I will go to Taiwan for a reunion with old friend Ko Si Chi who took the photos in all of my books.

With Ko and his dancer wife Jesse Fan, we have been envisioning a special exhibition in Taiwan and on mainland China with masterpieces exhibited side by side of two World treasures:  Ko Si Chi and Ansel Adams. The exhibition is tentatively called, “Two Masters: East and West”.  I introduced Ko to Jeanne Adams, the daughter-in-law of Ansel Adams several years ago when Ko visited me at Esalen at the Adams’ home in Carmel by the Sea. The seeds were planted and will perhaps, finally, behold the blossoms and fruits in the near future.
In spite of the constant bombardment of news of disasters in the world, both natural and manmade, and our split American government and lack of civility with feuding parties for the coming presidential election, we must continue to sustain our faith in a better world unfolding in the future for our future generations. It is difficult to maintain our inner equilibrium, but we must learn to trust in our heart and mind in the ever-changing constant TAO.
One final note that I wish to share with you.  You already have received the announcement of a celebratory party to honor my 4 decades of teaching in Europe, and my 80^thbirth year in Winterthur on April 15^, 2017, which will launch our international gathering during our annual Easter Week 2017.  All current and former Tai Ji friends, North Americans and friends in the Orient have been invited to consider a trip to join the international Living Tao Family in Europe. This invitation was sent to you to acknowledge your current and past participation and support for the international Living Tao family. By no means, do you need to feel any obligation to be present, if it is not possible. All the Swiss Team and I wish to say to you is simply “Thank You”.
In my 80^thyear, I have been contemplating Confucian writings about harmonious aging.  Many of you have heard my telling of what Confucius said about his journey as lifelong student.
Reaching the age of 15 with a will to learn; at
30, to have established the rightful position; at
40 to avoid temptation to be led into confusion; at
50 to have finally understood his destiny, the mandate from heaven; by
60 to be free from the dualism of contradiction and ambivalence; and
only when Confucius had reached his
70^thyear, was he able to follow his heart’s desire, without going astray.
Since Confucius only lived to be in his mid 70s, he was not able to impart further wisdom on what and how he might have envisioned his life at 80 or on reaching 90. Therefore, we must venture forth with our own interpretation of what might have taken place in his Heart, if he had continued to live into his Sagely age. For myself, after much thoughtful contemplation, I have come up with this:
At 80, I wish to return to the simplicity and innocence of a child, sustaining a perpetual sense of wonder and hope. I wish to realize a joyful practice/discipline of “Body-Mind-Spirit in Harmony”, and to “Follow My Bliss” in my “LIVING TAO” Way of Being Myself, spontaneous and naturally so, as Wind and Water –  free to be as “Fish in Water and Bird in Flight!”
Anticipate to see this wish to become a commemorative T-shirt and a Poster next year.
純樸童真自然 風流道游飛.

And so, to wish you ALL a hopeful Autumn and a promising good year ahead, here are two photos of granddaughter Sylvia Yulan 玉蘭flying a Butterfly Kite on our Oregon Beach, symbolizing both the inevitability of the necessary Metamorphosis of the chrysalis becoming butterfly, and the way we can always sink deep 沉 into our earthly support, to bounce back up 浮, lift our spirit 提, ride the wind 飄, take flight 飛and soar 翔!
Much CHI-eers coming your way for ALL to Follow Our TAO Bliss… Chungliang

In Memoriam
Riri Ruth Lillig
                                                           Where are you, faces?
                                                      You are still suspended in the space,
                                                             scattered the circle,
                                                          as if it were only a dream.
 
                                                         I keep you in my heart,
                                                              in the deepest Yi-Nien;
                                                           light the candles,
                                                               in the flame I am.
                                                                                                   ~  Riri