“This is number one of the Tao Te Ching. I think my numbers correspond–to what everybody’s doing now. I didn’t have any reason to…” Move any of these numbered wisdoms around. “I was trying to be respectful of Lao Tzu. I think he would like what I have done.”
“Like I said, another Taoist mentor, master actually, read this book and said he liked it so much that he was going to take ideas from it for his book.”
“I think I have grasped Lao Tzu. I really do.”
Tao #1
Nature is the undefinable source of all life. We attempt to distinguish it as “Chi” But this represents Nature as much as a leaf represents a tree.
Buddha Z discusses multiverses, and worlds within our world… within a bacteria… within a molecule… “Like Antman… He’s going down into those sub-realities.”
Buddha Zhen offers an informal overview with his speculations about: “Who was Lao Tzu,” the author of Dao Te Ching or Tao Teh King.
Buddha Zhen seeks to make Taoism understandable for Americans. So he calls Lao Tzu’s only written work, the Book of Changes. Buddha Zhen also uses the American word, “Nature,” with a capital “N” to represent “Mother Nature.” This Mother Nature concept we westerners share is close to the meaning of “The Tao” or “Natural Order.”
“As the accidental founder of Taoism, he has been heralded and Sainted…”
Tao of Social Order is Lao Tzu + Confucius
“I read that he was a contemporary and possibly a friend of Confucius. (If they were people ‘say’ they didn’t get along.) What a great combination they make! Confucius explains the“Tao of Family…” and Lao Tzu teaches the“Tao of Nature,” which is the bigger picture… By combining these two philosophers we created the “Tao of Social Order.”
“This book, Tao of Taoism, is a study of the words of Lao Tzu. My interpretations of several translations of the Tao Te Ching… Incorporating these wisdoms into my Shaolin Chi Mantis Kung Fu schools provided a unique opportunity to improve the lives of my students by helping them put there interpretations into practice and viewing their validity. Watching my students improve their way of thinking also inspired me to make this book public, to benefit as many people I possibly can.
Buddha Zhen still claims to be rehearsing for his ‘real’ audiobook production.
Buddha Zhen reads his 5-line poem:
The Dao
The Dao is Nature The Dao is our Path in life. The DAO is our Way of travelling our path. The Dao is our Natural way that reality unfold or reacts. The Dao is different for each of us because each of us have a different AWARENESS of it.
Buddha Z explains the Tao of Naure as, “Like being in a bowl of soup. Nature. Whatever’s happening in that bowl of soup is Nature. That’s the Nature. The Tao is Nature. So whatever is happening around you: That’s Nature.
“Your Tao. Not my Tao. Your Tao becomes that path through that soup. That’s your Tao. So you’ve got whatever’s around you…”
Interesting perspective: “Life is a bowl of soup.”
“When we get smarter people who are not as violent and ‘idiotic’–I’m not sure what the word is: We will hot have any more wars and a lot less suffering.
Buddha Z reads “Explanation” page of his book. It starts with an explanation of, “This ebook version of Tao of Taoism uses both “Tao”, which is Cantonese, and also, “Dao,” which is the current Mandarin Chinese language of China. They are the same word with the same meaning,” (“Tao and Dao”).
“Self-discovery is the last frontier for the smartest of men and women.. This book is a journey down your own very unique “Last Frontier.””
“How much time do you spend exploring your inner you?”
“Why are you you?”
“What makes you you?”
“I wrote this book for her [his daughter]. It’s called Act Zen to Be Zen.“
“It’s about Zen Buddhism teaching you how to find yourself–And then you can reshape yourself into other people.”
“Zen Buddhism is about understanding other people from as many perspectives as possible. And view yourself from as many perspectives as possible.”
Buddha Z talks about his poetry class in San Diego State University.
Buddha Zhen talks about how Lao Tzu may not be translated accurately by anyone because they may not understand the colloquial meanings of his statements 2,200 years ago.
Buddha Zhen also explains how only the disciples of Bodhidharma can perform the One-handed Bow of the Shaolin Temple because it signifies the relationship between the FIRST disciple of Bodhidharma and of those who continue this lineage of disciples of Buddhism to the first disciple, Hui Ke. If you aren’t ready to teach Shaolin Kung Fu or you don’t belong to a Shaolin master… you should not deceive people with this spiritual gesture.
Who is a Real Zen Buddhist?
“So what happened was–his Disciple Hui Ke–he tricked him. He tricked Bodhidharma to become the first Shaolin Disciple… He cut his arm. He went to his [Bodhidharma’s] cave and outside the cave he cut his arm and it bled into the snow. And he said, “Look, it’s raining red–in the snow. So Bodhidharm said, “Alright–you win.””
Buddha Z gets a little teary eyed. “So that’s what we’re doing. We’re honoring his sacrifice.” Buddha Z pauses. “I got a little choked up there.”
He continues, “I originally wrote this book for myself, then realized it was useful for other people. Then I rewrote it again when I created my Shaolin Chi Mantis schools in 1993 into a student manual for psychoanalyzing yourself, to help students develop a dialogue with their own inner minds.”
5 Soul Theory of Richard Del Connor
“It’s interesting I put that in the plural. It’s only in the last two years I discovered that we actually are four… souls is what I’m calling theem. Four different identities that all stack and work together.”
Buddha Z elaborates on his 5 SOUL THEORY. “You can only have four of them. Most people only have two.”
Buddha Zhen holds the book up to camera to show his Chinese ‘chop’ which is the red ‘dragon blood’ stamp on the page with his Chinese name. He explains which characters represent:
Zhen: family name = “Truth”
Shen: means “Spirit” or “Spiritual” but not ‘ghost’
Lang: “Wolf” (Master Chen explained to Richard Del Connor, “We don’t have Coyotes in China–only wolves.”)
Spirit Wolf of Truth = Buddha Z’s Buddhist name: Shen-Lang Zhen.
Intro Song: “In the Pool of Enlightenment” by Buddha Zhen, on TAI CHI MAGIC 1 album, on Shaolin Records
Buddha Z explains how his bedroom recording studio is set up for a professional audiobook recording of TAO OF TAOISM. Buddha Z is Buddha Zhen is Zhen Shen-Lang is Richard Del Connor.
Buddha Z specifies what “Original Buddhism” is — and how other types of Buddhism developed in other countries like Tibet and Japan.
“Bigger Wheel Buddhism…” “The book has the information… but if you keep trying to hammer people into the shape of that book–then you’re using religion to conain people instead of free them.”
“Everybody is a buddha who gets it.”
“What is the formula to create a Buddha? That’s all if is. The secret to bea Buddha is to know what the 4 Noble Truths are, and then live a life accordingly, and you’re a Buddha. That’s it,” he shrugs.
“Bodhidharma seems like me… I don’t know if he was musician… he created Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism came from the Shalin Temple… He was also a martial artist so he created Shaolin Kung Fu… Fom 600 AD to 1600 AD everyone who did Shaolin Kung Fu was a Shaolin Buddhist. That’s it. They were Zen Zen Buddhists. They were all these Zen Buddhist doing Shaolin Kung Fu for a thousand years.”
Kung Fu without Zen Buddhism is Bodies without Minds
“Then the public said, “We like those dances but we don’t want the Buddhism. So they stripped off the Buddhism…”
“They stripped off the Qigong. They stripped off the advanced spiritual training. And they said, “Just show me how to hurt someone.” Buddha Z sad sighs and concludes, “That’s what Shaolin Kung Fu became.”
“So that’s why I’m glad to revive it,” Buddha Zhen bounces back with a smile. “It’s a way of life. Not a way to hurt people.”
“That’s not what people want to hear,” laments BZ. He goes on to compare modern civilization to the bloodthirsty Roman age of Nero.
Buddha Zhen says he wants to, “get all of this out of this out of my system so when I record the audiobook–I won’t jabber so much.”
INTRO SONG: “In the Pool of Enlightenment” by Buddha Zhen from Tai Chi Magic 1 album.
OUTRO SONG: “Inner Will” by Buddha Zhen from Tai Chi Magic 1 album.
“My Instagram warmup,” is what Buddha Zhen is still calling these episodes of the Daily Taoist. (He is unaware of his upcoming decision to read the entire book in this Instagram promotional offer for his book, TAO OF TAOISM — Using the Dao Te Ching to Improve Your Life.
Buddha Z explains his traditional Shaolin Chi Mantis curriculum he is recording in videos for his online school at www.ShaolinInteractive.com
Buddha Zhen reads the“COPYRIGHT PAGE” of Tao of Taoism. He explains how he was a concert photographer in the 1980s known as THE COYOTE. Richard Del Connor used the byLine “Rocktography by The Coyote” on his published photos in Los Angeles newspapers and music magazines.
“Buddhst Scientist” and “American Philosopher,” are the job titles of Buddha Zhen who tests the results of “…inserting Buddhism and Taoism into people’s lives.”
Buddha Z homeschooled his daughter several years and after his marriage failed became a Confucianist to learn the solutions to all his marital mistakes.
He also mentions his book based on the teachings of Sun Tzu, _ _ _ Strategy Notebook, for big businesses. He said he won’t sell a copy for less for than $50,000 so his consulting fees are included in the price to guarantee the successful use of the this notebook designed for the Chief Strategist of any organization or business, or government body.
Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang “Spirit Wolf of Truth” continues with episode #2 of THE DAILY TAOIST series he is recording for his BUDDHA Z Instagram/IGTV channel.
Although Buddha Z thinks he is just rehearsing this book reading for his upcoming professional audiobook recording of his book, TAO OF TAOISM, he will continue rehearsing for a total of 69 videos that include every page of the book over the next week.
These videos are all shot at 4K 24fps on his new iPhone 11 Pro Max with Filmic Pro as the camera app. The purple Chinese silk tapestry on his wall was a gift from his Shaolin Chi Mantis students in Salt Laket City, Utah when he taught there in the 1990s. It was used for graduation ceremonies.
BZ Reads Page 2 of Tao Of Taoism
This is the “Raves for Tao of Taoism” written by Buddha Zhen. Although this is a blank page, Richard mentions that Dr. Carl Totten gave Richard some raves and comments about this book inspiring him with ideas. Dr. Carl Totten is also a Taoism teacher in North Hollywood, California.
BZ Reads Page 3 of Tao of Taoism
The “ALSO BY BUDDHA ZHEN” page lists books he publishes under his “Buddha Zhen” author name. Many of his books are novels and poetry that he writes under his legal name of Richard Del Connor or other pseudonyms. The books listed here under “ALSO BY BUDDHA ZHEN” include the topics:
Confucianism
Freemasonry
Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin Weapons
Zen Buddhism
He breaks down the books individually with information of how and why they were written.
Free Kung Fu at ShaolinKungFuBeginner.com
Buddha Z announces his new website “launching this Wednesday” (March 2020) www.ShaolinKungFuBeginner.com This website was created to provide FREE KUNG FU for people who would never get a chance to participate in a traditional Shaolin Kung Fu class. Buddha Z explains how these five free Kung Fu classes will also interest people into joining “the real school” at www.ShaolinInteractive.com. Buddha Z explains his Shaolin Kung Fu school requires a Buddhist head-shaving-naming ceremony to continue in his Shaolin Chi Mantis INTERMEDIATE program.
Scaring People Away with Rules
Buddha Z laughs and says he wants to scare people away with the head shaving ceremony. He explains he has two other schools students can join without becoming Zen Buddhists.
The Daily Taoist series begins with this EPISODE #1. Buddha Zhen is also Richard Del Connor, a record producer and founder of Shaolin Records and Shaolin Pictures. Richard has spent the last six years of homeless life as a Shaolin monk teaching traditional Northern Shaolin Kung Fu from the original Buddhist temple on Mr. Songshan in China. From 2013 to 2019 Buddha Zhen taught Yang Tai Chi Chuan and his Shaolin Chi Mantis Traditional Buddhist Kung Fu, Taoist Tai Chi Chuan & Confucian Strategy at North hollywood Park. The public library there is where he published several books including the TAO OF TAOISM.
This EBOOK of Tai Chi Beginner may be removed from Amazon.com also. It does not appear to ranking well because it was created as a STUDENT MANUAL while learning Tai Chi Chuan. Perhaps I will sell the PAPERBACK when I complete the original edition with 444 photos.
This book, Tao of Taoism, was written while Richard Del Connor was at UCLA film school in 1985. Richard wrote this book for himself so he could utlize the wisdom of Lao Tzu’s book Tao Te Ching, or Book of Changes. That book is the foundation of the Taoist religion. It’s actually a philosophy book but the Chinese added some Ghosts and Gods to make it more exciting.
In 1993 Richard was teaching Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan classes in a prison, several rehabs, and a couple churches. He created two books for his students:
Tai Chi Beginner – The Yang Tai Chi Chuan of Shaolin Chi Mantis
Taoism – Coming to Terms (With added question and fill-in blanks for his students.)
This is episode one, before Buddha Z realized he was creating a series or show…
Tao of Taoism BOOK Blurb from Amazon
The Dao Te Ching (Tao Teh King, Dao De Qing…) by Lao Tzu, has inspired oriental readers for over 2,000 years to become better people, get along with other people, and coexist with Nature in harmony.
Since 1993, Buddha Zhen has seen his students improve their lives and ways of living through the questions he formulated based upon this ancient book by the sage, Lao Tzu (Lao Tzi…).
Now Buddha Zhen has reduced the size of the book, Tao of Daoism, (formerly titled: The Dao – Coming To Terms), so that students and a worldwide audience can access these teachings on smaller Ebook reading devices.
Learn to be in harmony with your past. Learn to be in harmony with your present. Learn to be in harmony with your future. Learn to be in harmony with other people. Learn to be in harmony with your self. Learn to be in harmony with your family. Learn to be in harmony with society. And of course, learn to be in harmony with Nature.
Tao of Taoism transforms the thoughts and wisdoms of Lao Tzu into questions of self-discovery that each reader can pursue and ponder for their own self-development, enlightenment, and lifestyle improvement. Write down the answers to these questions to further illuminate yourself and focus your personal thoughts and self-awareness.
Shaolin Zen Buddhism includes Shaolin Kung Fu. This is a lifestyle of health and happiness. Shaolin Kung Fu includes Zen Buddhism or it’s just a hollow shell of gymnastic exercises.
The Shaolin Buddhist Temple on Mt. Songshan is where Bodhidharma retired to create the original Zen Buddhism (“Chan” Buddhism in Chinese) and the original Shaolin Kung Fu based on his Indian martial arts training (Kalaripayattu).
The Shaolin Temple was burned down a couple times and the original books by Bodhidharma were destroyed. For better and worse this led to Shaolin Kung Fu evolving over the past 1,000 years. This Shaolin Zen Temple founded by me, Buddha Zhen Shen-Lang “Spirit Wolf of Truth,” is based upon the Shaolin Kung Fu of 1,000 years ago after a couple major evolutions of style and influences. The weapons I teach are the weapons of 1,000 years ago in China. These Kung Fu “dances” that I call “forms” require great effort and a lot of time to master. Hence my translation of “Kung Fu” to mean “Time & Energy.” This dedication of the student to learn these complicated and difficult routines result in the mastery of the body and control of the mind.
In order to create more than an athlete, all my schools and programs also include the Zen Buddhism of the Shaolin Temple and other philosophies of ancient China including Taoism, Confucianism and Strategy based upon the book Art Of War by Sun Tzu.
This combination of Shaolin Buddhism and Shaolin Kung Fu has produced more famous and incredible heroes than any other martial arts system. Without the Zen Buddhism an athlete is a superior thug. Without the Taoism the athlete will not harmonize with reality in health and contentment. Without the Confucianism the athlete will be a security guard or leg-breaker. Without Strategy the athlete will not achieve noble goals or be selective in his ambitions. By combining all these abilities and awareness I have proven that these ancient wisdoms make life better for the student and all the persons in that student’s environment.
Shaolin Chi Mantis SLOGAN: “The ultimate self-defense is self-awareness.”
Most importantly, there is NO SPARRING in any of my schools. My students have proven that these Shaolin Kung Fu moves work in real life self-defense situations. One of my students called to tell me he was attacked in a parking garage by three criminals. The first one attacked him with a knife. The other two had to carry him out of the parking garage with a broken leg. A couple of female students have also contacted me to tell me they had defended themselves against rape attacks. In fact, my highest ranking students are women because of our NO SPARRING rule. There has also never been a broken bone or even a dislocation in any of my classes since 1984 when I began teaching.
Want to be a hero? Learn my traditional Shaolin Kung Fu, Taoist Tai Chi Chuan and Confucian Strategy. I have taught in prisons and drug rehabilitation centers with better results than any other program I know of. After teaching at the maximum security prison I checked back several years later and the prison informed me that instead of 80% of the inmates returning as normal, the recidivism rate was only 20% and one student had become a fugitive only because he would not inform on someone. Several of those prison graduates visited me over the years to give me, “Thank you’s.”
Let’s make the world a better place by making you a better person.
The Zen Buddhist Podcast of Shaolin Zen will illuminate all the above topics. Glad to have you here.
