No want
is the greatest bliss.
It can be realized only by experience.
Even an emperor is no match
for a man with no
wants.
accept everything which happens
Accept
everything which happens,
even if it seem disagreeable, because
it leads to this, the health of
the universe.
we are all chained to fortune
We are all
chained to fortune:
the chain of one is made of gold,
and wide, while that of another is short
and rusty. But what difference does it make?
The same prison surrounds all of us, and even those
who have bound others are bound themselves; unless perchance
you think that a chain on the left side is lighter. Honors bind one man,
wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are
held in subjection by an external power, while others obey
the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place,
the priesthood others. All life is slavery. Therefore
each one must accustom himself to his own
condition and complain about it as
little as possible, and lay hold
of whatever good is to be
found near him.
proper conduct in the face of adversity
In times of war it is desirable
to be led by a cautious
and humane
general.
The hexagram Shih is a guide to proper conduct in the face of adversity. It is inevitable that we sometimes face trials and challenges in life. How we prepare ourselves, by whom we are led, and how we conduct ourselves during these “wars” determines whether we are victorious or not. The I Ching counsels us to follow the example of a first-rate army.
A truly powerful army always consists of a number of devoted soldiers who discipline themselves under the leadership of a superior general. If he has achieved his position through force, the general will not last for long and he will lose the support of his army when he needs it most. If on the other hand he has become a leader through superior conduct and even-handed treatment of this fellow soldiers, then his power is well consolidated and it endures.
So it is with us. Only by conducting ourselves humanely and with persevering balance can we have a genuine influence in trying times. There is always the temptation to be led into battle by our egos, but we are guaranteed a humiliating defeat if we turn our inferiors loose in this way. A superior person achieves victory in the same fashion as a superior army: by putting his inferior emotions under the guidance of his superior emotions, and by proceeding cautiously, modestly, and with the continual goal of achieving peace and detachment.
You are advised to prepare for a trial now. Your chances of success will be determined by how you conduct yourself within and without. If you remain alert, modest, just, and independent, all will go well. If you are gentle and humane, you will have the allegiance of those around you. Advance cautiously when the time is right, and when it is not, do not allow your ego to stand in the way of retreat and disengagement.
Remember that the ultimate victory in any battle comes when we regain our inner independence, our neutrality, and our equanimity. These can only be won by placing our inferiors under the leadership of our superiors. Do this now, and success will be yours.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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angelic sexuality is a sign of evolution
A person’s
approach to sexuality
is a sign of his level of evolution.
Unevolved persons practice ordinary
sexual intercourse. Placing all emphasis upon
the sexual organs, they neglect the body’s other
organs and systems. Whatever physical
energy is accumulated is summarily
discharged, and the subtle energies
are similarly dissipated and
disordered. It is a great
backward
leap.
For those
who aspire to the higher
realms of living, there is angelic
dual cultivation. Because every portion
of the body, mind, and spirit yearns
for the integration of yin and yang,
angelic intercourse is led
by the spirit rather
than the sexual
organs.
Where
ordinary intercourse
is effortful, angelic cultivation is calm,
relaxed, quiet, and natural. Where ordinary
intercourse unites sex organs with sex organs, angelic
cultivation unites spirit with spirit, mind with mind, and
every cell of one body with every cell of the other body.
Culminating not in dissolution but in integration,
it is an opportunity to mutually transform
and uplift each other into the
realm of bliss and
wholeness.
…It can be
possible to open a pathway
to the subtle realm and receive
these celestial teachings
directly from the
immortals.
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