The little things?
The little moments?
They aren’t little.
Everything passes,
nothing remains. Understand
this, loosen your grip,
and find serenity.
For the
awakening of the heart,
conditions are always
good enough.
reside in the original unity
The
origin and mother
of everything in the world is Tao.
Know the mother and you can know
the children. Having known the children,
return to their source and hold on to her.
Abiding by the mother, you are free
from danger, even when
your body
dies.
Don’t live
for your senses.
Close your mouth, close
all the body’s openings, reside
in the original unity. In this
way you can pass your
life in peace and
contentment.
Open
your mouth,
increase your activities,
start making distinctions between
things, and you’ll toil
forever without
hope.
See the subtle and be illuminated.
Abide in gentleness and be strong.
Use your light and return to insight.
Don’t
expose yourself
to trouble. This is
following
Tao.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
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Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
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the spirit is attracted to humility
Rumi
advised me to keep my spirit
up in the branches of a tree and not
peek out too far, so I keep mine in the very tall
willows along the irrigation ditch out back,
a safe place to remain unspoiled by
the filthy culture of greed
and murder of the
spirit.
People
forget their spirits
easily suffocate so they must
keep them far up in tree branches where
they can be summoned any moment. It’s better
if you’re outside as it’s hard for spirits to get into houses
or buildings or airplanes. In New York City I used to reach
my spirit in front of the gorilla cage in the children’s zoo
in Central Park. It wouldn’t come in the Carlyle Hotel,
which was too expensive for its taste. In Chicago
it won’t come in the Drake, though I can see it
out the window, hovering over the surface
of Lake Michigan. The spirit above
anything else is attracted
to humility. If I slept in
the streets it would
be under the
cardboard
with
me.
things are originally peaceful
Haven’t you
read the ancient worthy’s saying?
“The white clouds are clear and still, and the rivers
flow into the blue sea. The myriad things are
originally peaceful, but people
make trouble for
themselves.”
After all,
this statement is completely
accurate and true. If you know what it means
as soon as you hear it mentioned, you can use it to pass
through birth and death to freedom and no longer be obstructed
by the psycho-physical nexus. You will be like a bird getting
out of a cage — independent and free. With a single
stroke you put a stop to all other actions and
talk, and you no longer fall into
secondary views.
a time of darkness comes to a close
Receiving
this hexagram is a sign
that you have reached a turning point.
This moment is akin to the winter solstice: the
greatest adversity is past, and the light is beginning
to return. Nonetheless, one cannot force the
completion of the change, and it is wise
to rest. Act only when you can move
gently and innocently, and all
will be well.
Fu also comes
as a reminder to return
to the light in yourself. Growth is only
possible when we relinquish the expressions of
the ego: pride, impatience, anger, and desire.
To act forcefully or ambitiously
now will only generate
misfortune.
Let things
develop naturally, in their
own way. Simply observe and accept
changes as you observe and accept the rising
of the sun. Allow yourself to rest and gather strength
for a time of growth ahead. By holding to modesty,
gentleness, and correct conduct, you prepare
the ground for a fruitful blossoming
when the light fully
returns.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
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five-app bundle of Taoist classics
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book.