The White Tiger is very cute,
napping in its white tiger suit.
But while awake, is hard to take:
Is it nonconformist, or fake?
White Tiger [Lyric Poem]
1
Tag Archives: tiger
BOOK: “Seven Animal Postures” by Jeogun [Trans. by Dowon]
Seven Animal Postures by JeogunMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Information – Sunmudo Daegeumgangmun Foundation
I bought this book in the gift shop of Golgulsa Temple [i.e. Stone Buddha Temple,] in the countryside outside of Gyeongju, South Korea. Golgulsa is a fascinating place. It’s sort of the Shaolin Temple of Korea, teaching martial arts and qigong (energy work) alongside meditation and Buddhist philosophy. The Korean Buddhist martial art is called Sunmudo, and I’d never heard of it before traveling to Korea.
At any rate, this book is a 35-page guide to a set of qigong practices known as the “Seven Animal Postures” (or Yeongdongipgwan.) It’s a set of exercises that are similar to qigong practices like the Eight Pieces Brocade, and not greatly dissimilar to yogasana (i.e. yoga’s postural practices.) [FYI: The animals of these exercises are Tiger, Dragon, Deer, Monkey, Bear, Turtle, and Crane.]
The book offers a little bit of background on Sunmudo and the benefits of it, but is mostly a guide to the movement, breath, and postural details of these seven exercises. It has line drawings to help elaborate upon the text. My only gripe would be that the paper the book is printed on to make it more visually interesting has blocks of darker color that make it a little harder to read than is necessary.
If you are interested in qigong or yogic practices that are a bit more off the beaten path, you may find this one interesting.
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Fēnggān [Senryū]
the monk rode in
on a bright-eyed tiger, and
started hulling rice.
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DAILY PHOTO: Taiwanese Tiger Riders
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Stalking Tiger [Free Verse]
A giant tiger stalks,
baring teeth, tensing claws,
closing the distance
in deep shadows that exist
entirely within the man's mind.
While others, from safe distances,
can see the fearsome beast clearly.
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Tiger Stripe [Free Verse]
When setting sunlight warms
silvery tree trunks &
mangrove reeds,
and they alternate with
deep shadows,
I finally understand
the tiger’s camouflage.
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The Tiger by William Blake [w/ Audio]
Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire? And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And, when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? and what dread feet? What the hammer? What the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spears, And watered heaven with their tears, Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
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DAILY PHOTO: Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright
POEM: Tigericity
a tiger on the prowl doesn’t reflect upon its tigerness
that’s what makes it feared and fearless
it doesn’t think it’s a tiger
it doesn’t know it’s a tiger
it certainly never wishes it was more tiger-like
it is tiger
a tiger
the tiger
questions of tigericity never arise
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POEM: What’s the Secret to Tiger Fitness?
Taken at Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bangalore
What’s a tiger but a bright, orange cat
who naps all day but doesn’t get fat?
How does he stay muscled and lean
when he eats and eats and sleeps between?
Sure, now and again, he’ll chase a gazelle.
Unlike my cat, who’s trained me with a bell
to deliver food to a bowl right under her nose
lest I hear the pitiful yowl of hunger throes.
But when chasing prey, tigers never run long.
He picks slow and weak over fast and strong.
And you’ll never see him run in the mid-day sun,
and he’ll always be napping when his meal is done.
[National Poetry Month: Poem #14]
Tiger Riding for Beginners 