Yes, I am
truly a dunce. Living
among the trees and plants,
don’t question me about illusion and
enlightenment. This old fellow just likes to smile to
himself. I wade across streams with bony legs,
and I carry a bag about in fine spring
weather. That’s my life, and
the world owes me
nothing.
Do the careful,
donkey-tending work.
Don’t trust that to anyone else.
There are hypocrites who will praise you,
but who do not care about the health
of your heart-donkey.
Be concentrated
and leonine in the hunt for what is
your true nourishment. Don’t be distracted
by blandishment-noises,
of any sort.
Powerful improvements
are underway.
The coming of the hexagram I signifies a period of increase when the power of heaven descends to surround and invigorate our lives. Like all phases, this too will come to an end, but if “we make hay while the sun shines,” tremendous progress can be made at this time.
It is in the nature of human beings to relax and become careless when things begin to go well. The I Ching teaches us that we should not do this if we desire the fullest blessings of the beneficial hour. Indeed, our rewards are multiplied if we increase our conscientiousness in auspicious times, rather than decrease it. There are two ways in which the I Ching especially encourages us to do this.
Our first task is to make sacrifices for others. In all of your interactions now, embody generosity in thought and action. Forgive what is inferior in others and seek out the good. By giving, encouraging, and assisting, you will draw the superior person in everyone into devoted action.
Your second task in this time of increase is to go on strengthening yourself “as thunder and wind strengthen each other.” This means that if you see something good in another, you imitate it, and when you discover something inferior in yourself, you eliminate it.
These simple practices, if continued conscientiously over time, will improve your character and fortunes immeasurably. Through service and self-improvement you assure yourself of great progress in the days ahead.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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The world is
violent and mercurial —
it will have its way with you.
We are saved only by love — love for
each other and the love that we pour into the art
we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer;
being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually
burning building, and what we must
save from it, all the time,
is love.
Because
I have a little wisdom,
I choose to walk the great path of
Tao, fearing nothing but to stray from
it. The great way is very smooth
and easy, but some people
are fond of getting
sidetracked.
When a ruler’s
palace is full of treasure,
the people’s fields are weedy
and their granaries are empty.
If the ruler wears fancy clothes and
his house is full of weapons, if his table
is laden with extravagant food and drink
and everywhere one looks he has more
wealth than he can use, the ruler
is a robber and thief. This
is not in keeping
with Tao.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and
Art of War for iPad/Phone, Kindle,
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.