A Daoist Practice Journal Come Laugh With Me

Qigong Teacher and Daoist Priest Michael Rinaldini has written a book on the modern day practices of a Daoist. His book, A Daoist Practice Journal: Come Laugh With Me offers the cultivation methods for walking the Daoist path. The entries cover topics like zuowang meditation, scriptures, qigong, the value of silence and solitude, and Daoist, Buddhist and Catholic mysticism, tea drinking and more. Here are some samples of his entries, which provide a glimpse into the heart of his writings.2012 January 14Sky Farm HermitageSolitary RetreatIn silence and solitude I begin another retreat on Saturday afternoon, January 14, 2012. The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent un-packing and settling into a 6-day retreat. 6:15pm What does a Daoist eat while on retreat? Tonight, I made a soup with soba noodles and assorted vegetables. I forgot to bring ginger root.9:40pmI vow to practice ... in silence and solitude, until I realize Complete Perfection.January 158:30pmOne of my goals for this retreat is to write about the common practices between the Daoist and the Christian paths. I am specifically interested in the Daoist zuowang meditation method of sitting in forgetfulness or oblivion, and the Christian fourteenth-century mystical text, The Cloud of Unknowing. Both of these ways of meditation or contemplation feature an emphasis on placing the mind's activities into a state of forgetting or the cloud of forgetting. The Cloud, was written by an anonymous author, and it is speculated that the author was a Carthusian monk, and if not, possibly a Catholic priest living a hermetic lifestyle. And so what are the similarities, the common practices between zuowang meditation, and the contemplative practices as presented in The Cloud of Unknowing?January 162pmSitting in silence outside on the porch,The only sounds-birds singing,An occasional movement of the wind,And very faint voices from neighbors down the valley.Odd at how sound travels.And right now, there was the sound of a car, actually,What I heard was the sound of the road,A gritty gravel sound.My mind filled in the blanks,And I instantly labeled it, "a car driving nearby,"Though it could have been a truck.And now my sneezes and coughing,And blowing my nose, all disrupt the silenceA large crow just landed in my valley,Returning me to silence.January 17Sitting on the porch, all bundled up.Drinking Scottish Christmas tea and a banana, and one cookie.A large part of being in silence and solitude is simply listening.Even the wind down the valley.You can hear it as it makes it way up the hills,And now, I feel it against my body,It flaps the page of this journal book.And before you know it-It's gone, and the silence returns.Except for the birds, sound of distant dogs, chickens,And that same sound that cars/trucks make on the gravel road.12:30pmThe Cloud's author says:Forget what you know. Forget everything God made and everybody who exists and everything that's going on in the world, until your thoughts and emotions aren't focused on or reaching toward anything, not in a general way and not in any particular way. Let them be. For the moment, don't care about anything (11).And finally, why even bother to think? From the zuowang tradition:I forget the vastness even of Heaven and Earth,Never mind the minuteness of the hair in autumn.Resting in serenity and silence,I listen to Pure Harmony.Still, I am free, away from it all!Movement stilled, language silenced-Why ever think? (212).January 184:30 pmInspired from yesterday's research, and last full day of retreat.Forget everything,Put nothing, between myself,And the Great Emptiness of Ultimate Stillness.That's the nameless Dao!End of Retreat

A Daoist Practice Journal, Book 2: Circle Walking, Qigong & Daoist Cultivation is the second book in a series on the practices for walking the Daoist path by a modern day, western Daoist priest. This second book consists of journal entries by the author from June 2013 to October 2016. It picks up with his journey where he left off in his first book, A Daoist Practice Journal: Come Laugh With Me in February 2013. The main topics covered include Qigong circle walking, both technique and health benefits. It includes a broad range of entries on Qigong exercises, including a simple way of performing energy health assessments on self and others. The key practice which is discussed throughout the book is the core Daoist meditation practice of Zuowang, or sitting and forgetting. In addition to the explanations on the technique of Zuowang is an in-depth discussion on the Daoist alchemy of cultivation. And still more.

A Daoist Practice Journal, Book 3: Qigong, Seasonal Food Cures & Daoist Cultivation is the third and last book in a series on the practices of modern-day, western Daoist priest, Shifu Michael Rinaldini (Lichangdao). This book consists of journal entries from December 21, 2016 to December 21, 2018. This book continues where Book 2 left off on October 6, 2016.Topics included in Book 3 include seasonal food cures, qigong, the value of retreats, and more insights on Zuowang meditation, covering key points like emptiness, duality, non-duality, silence and solitude, plus the essential ways that a Daoist grows in their heart. And so much more.

This journal series started in 2013 when I put together my first journal project, A Daoist Practice Journal: Come Laugh With Me. My original intentions were to offer some practical advice on what it means to be a modern-day western Daoist (priest). One book led to another book, and now this 600-page book which is a composite of my first three books (topics included: qigong, circle walking, Daoist Zuowang meditation, retreat training, Chinese food cures, silence and solitude, scriptures, tea drinking, Buddhist and Catholic mysticism, and more) plus a fourth book that has a heavy focus on Daoist Bigu fasting and science-based evidence for fasting. Other topics discussed in the fourth book are the extremes of Daoist longevity practices, Chinese tonic herbs, Catholic mystical (apophatic) prayer, the crane symbol of immortality, the meaning of how a Daoist grows in the heart, and more.Shifu Michael Rinaldini (Lichangdao) is the director of the Qigong & Daoist Training Center in Sebastopol, CA, where he teaches and leads annual retreats in Qigong, Circle Walking, Daoist meditation, and Chinese Food Therapy. For advanced students, he offers a Qigong Certification program of 200 hours in Qigong and Daoist practices. Shifu Michael is founder of the American Dragon Gate Lineage. His trainings are for serious students of the Dao who wish to become ordained Daoist priests of the Lineage (ADGL). Students perform their studies at their residences but attend multiple group retreats throughout the 3-year training phase. For more information on Shifu Michael, and his trainings, please visit his web site: www.qigongdragon.com

New Visions of the Zhuangzi is a collection of thirteen essays on the ancient Daoist philosophical work, presenting new angles and approaches. It overcomes the traditional division of schools in favor of topics, sheds new light on key philosophical notions, examines Zhuangzi's use of language, and explores issues of his use of language. In addition, it also applies modern neuroscience to its instructions, explores its vision of the ideal mind, and connects Zhuangzi's teachings to issues of education and community relevant in contemporary society.

Previously published by Line of Intent, Inc. Publishing, 2011.

Qigong (pronounced "chee-gong") is an ancient Chinese health-care modality that has fascinated people throughout the millennia. Based on the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong is a system that teaches us to understand Qi, our bioelectric life force, and use it to heal ourselves and others. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance will give readers some of the basics of the outward "exercises" that are normally associated with the practice of Qigong, as well as detailing movements from such systems as Wuji Qigong, Bagua Xun Dao Gong and Shaolin Qigong. More than merely outlining these practices, this book will take readers on a journey of exploration into the essence of this fascinating, though little understood, healing practice. Masters from around the world—such as the ninety-two-year-old Duan Zhi Liang of Beijing, Canadian healer Effie Poy Yew Chow and American Jerry Johnson—contribute their personal insights into the wonders of Qigong. People from various walks of life, all of whom have achieved healing as a result of practicing Qigong, share their powerful experiences. Author Garri Garripoli, himself a practitioner of Qigong for the past twenty years, renders the book fascinating yet easy-to-read. He expertly guides readers on this once-in-a-lifetime journey, inspiring them to look deeper into healing in order to discover how to move beyond the standards and limitations of Western medicine. Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance shows readers that we all carry within ourselves the ability to heal, and encourages them to tap into that innate gift and dance their own dance of life. Readers are sure to find this book fascinating, even life changing. It is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the mystique of ancient Eastern healing arts or seeking a daily practice that promotes and maintains full-body well-being.