The most
effective act is, once
the mind is made up, to go
on without looking
backward.
return the mind to quietude
Return the mind
to quietude whatever you are doing,
not imagining what is yet to come and not thinking
about what has already passed. After a long time at this, spirit and
energy merge, feelings and objects are forgotten; spirit solidifies,
energy congeals, and there is just one breath in the belly,
revolving without going out or in.
This is called womb
breathing.
follow tao and only tao
The
greatest virtue is
to follow tao, and only tao.
You might say, “But tao is elusive!
Evasive! Mysterious! Dark!
How can one follow
that?”
By
following this:
Out of silent subtle mystery
emerge images. These images coalesce
into forms. Within each form is contained
the seed and essence of life. Thus do
all things emerge and expand
out of darkness and
emptiness.
Because
its essence is real
and evident in the origins
of all things, the name of the
tao has survived since
the beginning of
time.
How can you be at one with it?
Simply by looking inside.
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a time for disengagement and retreat
This is a time for
disengagement and retreat.
In stillness you are out
of the reach of
danger.
It is inherent in the design of life that forces of darkness and disruption come into prominence from time to time. This hexagram indicates that this is such a time and advises you to respond by quietly retreating. To struggle or resist in anger now is to add fuel to the fire of negativity which threatens to consume you.
The superior person accepts that there is a natural ebb and flow between the forces of light and dark in the world. Wisdom lies not in resisting these movements but in responding to them appropriately. Just as a plant which sprouts in the dead of winter is doomed, and one which sprouts in spring flourishes, so it is with us. Success and prosperity accrue to those who advance in times of light and retreat in times of darkness. To retreat now is to benefit, in the end, from the changing tides.
Retreat is not the same thing as surrender, capitulation, or abandonment, which are desperate and unsatisfying measures. Neither is it characterized by a hardening into angry or punitive emotions. It is instead an acceptance and a choice: we calmly accept that the energies of the moment are against us, and we wisely choose to withdraw into the safety of stillness. In this dignified and balanced manner we protect ourselves from negative influences and arrive rested in a more beneficial hour.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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then you are like a bird freed
Let go of all your previous
imaginings, opinions, interpretations,
worldly knowledge, intellectualism, egotism, and
competitiveness; become like a dead tree, like cold ashes.
When you reach the point where feelings are ended, views
are gone, and your mind is clean and naked, you open up
to zen realization. After that it is also necessary to
develop consistency, keeping the mind pure
and free from adulteration
at all times.
Cut through resolutely,
and then your state will be peaceful.
When you cannot be included in any stage,
whether of sages or of ordinary people,
then you are like a bird freed
from its cage.