nurturing simplicity in oneself

michael maloney

 

Simplicity is something

that our fundamental nature inherently

possesses. If we prepare in advance and nurture it

within ourselves, then wherever we happen to be, whether in

wealth and high rank, or poverty and low status, in foreign lands,

or in difficult circumstances, we deal with whatever situation we

are in by retaining our simplicity there. It is not increased

when we do great deeds or reduced when we are

dwelling in obscurity. Wherever we go,

we are at peace, because we have

found simplicity.

 

Nie Bao 

 

the wise person teaches by example

ieshia evans

 

When people

find one thing beautiful,

another consequently becomes ugly.

When one man is held up as good,

another is judged

deficient.

 

Similarly, being and

non-being balance each other;

difficult and easy define each other;

long and short illustrate each other;

high and low rest upon each other;

voice and song meld into harmony;

what is to come follows upon

what has been.

 

The wise person

acts without effort and teaches

by quiet example. She accepts things as they

come, creates without possessing, nourishes without

demanding, accomplishes without taking credit.

Because she constantly forgets herself,

she is never forgotten.

 

The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,

Chapter 2

 

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a change in attitude delivers you

concentrate on the way

 

A change in attitude

delivers you from

difficulties.

 
The hexagram Hsieh signals the beginning of a deliverance from danger, tensions, and difficulty. The I Ching instructs you here on both the cause of deliverance and how you must act in order to fully benefit from it.

Deliverance is always caused by a change in our attitude. The Higher Power uses conflicts and obstacles to teach us lessons that we refuse to learn in an easier way, but they only darken our doorstep until we have acknowledged the lesson. So long as we ignore or resist difficulty it remains our constant companion; as soon as we accept its presence as a sign that some self-correction is needed, our deliverance begins. Truly, the only way to dispel trouble and regain peace of mind is to change our attitude.

The I Ching also teaches us that we have several responsibilities once our deliverance begins. The first is to forgive the misdeeds of others. The image of the hexagram is that of a powerful rainstorm washing away what is unclean. This, then, is a time to clean every slate and begin anew, meeting others halfway with gentleness and patience.

Next, we are advised to restore our inner balance and see that it is maintained. Deliverance offers us a return to equanimity, and we must avail ourselves of the opportunity conscientiously. Finally, we are counseled not to try to force progress, even though the time is beneficial. If we have truly changed our attitude, we have become detached, innocent, modest, and accepting. In this state we allow progress to unfold naturally according to the will of the Sage.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 40, Hsieh / Deliverance

 

ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,

Hua hu Ching, Wei wu Wei Ching,

Art of War for iPad, Phone,

Kindle, Nook, or

Android

 

can now buy

the I Ching as part of a

five-app bundle of Taoist classics 

for iPhone or iPad for less than

the cost of one hardcover

book.

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we might as well stop struggling

the subtle universe appears

 

Milarepa,

the twelfth-century Tibetan

yogi who sang wonderful songs about

the proper way to meditate, said that the mind

has more projections than there are dust motes in a

sunbeam and that even hundreds of spears couldn’t put

an end to that. As meditators we might as well stop struggling

against our thoughts and realize that honesty and humor

are far more inspiring and helpful than any

kind of solemn religious striving

for or against

anything.

 

Pema Chodron