Winter 2021 Living Tao Tai Ji Study Series — Session Three
(March 2021)
Download Printed PDF All Study Materials
Warm-up with Essential Tai Ji and Qi Gong Exercises. Pre-Spring studies of 禪 Zen (Chan) Poetry, starting with the couplet of “Sitting Quietly Doing Nothing, Spring Comes, Grass Grow By Itself“ ( 兀然無事坐 春來草自生). And “Mountain Is Mountain, Water Is Water” (山是山 水是水). Humor of High Ku Ku. Music and Dance.
HONORING FREINDS
Alan Watts Newsletter with his calligraphy and sketch
CHAN (ZEN)
Chan Dharma Transmission: The basic 8 Chinese words of “Essential Zen”
Directly pointing to the Heart/Mind.
Seeing into one’s true nature, Buddhahood is attained (awakened).
直指人心 見性成佛.
Calligraphy by Alan Watts
“I should be content to look at a mountain for what it is and
not as a comment on my life.”― David Ignatow
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, grass grows, by itself.”― Basho
Zen Kōan
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
山是山 水是水
Haiku by Mizuta Masahide, poet and samurai (1657-1723)
My house burned down
Better for me to see the rising moon
Monkey Reaching for the Moon 猴子捞月
The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He’ll never give up.
If he’d let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness.
– Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku
頓 悟
REFERENCES
Chén Fú Tí Piāo Fēi Xiáng
(Sink, Rebound, lift, float, fly, soar)
Chén 沉 (ts-cun) to submerge; to immerse; to sink; to keep down; to lower; to drop; deep; profound; heavy
Fú 浮 (foh) to float; superficial; floating; unstable; movable; provisional; temporary; transient; impetuous; hollow; inflated; to exceed; superfluous; excessive; surplus
Tí 提 (tee) to carry (hanging down from the hand); to lift; to put forward; to mention; to raise (an issue); upwards character stroke; lifting brush stroke (in painting); scoop for measuring liquid
Piāo 漂 (pyow) to “ride the wind”; “Drift on air”
Fēi 飛 (faye) to fly
Xiáng 翔 (sh’ang) to soar; to glide; variant of詳
The beginning of each Living Tao circle form
(See Study Materials from October 2020):
Infinity/Mobius strip action based on the traditional Lan Que Wei = Grasping Swallows Tail
The next movement series following the beginning: Peng, Lu, Ji, An
Alan Watts,
Nonsense,
1967 (Zen Poems)
The Zen of Poetry (CD), David Darling & Chungliang Al Huang, 2009
