Govern

a nation by

following nature.

Fight a war with unexpected

moves. Win the world

by letting

go.

 

How

do I know this?

From seeing these things:

The more prohibitions there are, the

poorer people become. The more weapons there

are, the darker things become. The more cunning

and cleverness there is, the crazier things

become. The more laws there are, the

greater the number of

scoundrels.

 

Therefore

the sage says:

I take no action, and

people transform themselves.

I love tranquility, and people naturally do 

what is right. I don’t interfere, and

people prosper on their own.

I have no desires, and

people return to

simplicity.

 

from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,

Chapter 57

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We say

to practice zazen

without any gaining idea,

without any purpose. Let things work

as they do, supporting everything as your own.

Real practice has orientation or direction, but it has

no purpose or gaining idea, so  it can include everything

that comes. Whether it is good or bad doesn’t matter.

If something bad comes: “Okay, you are a part

of me;” and if something good comes,

“Oh, okay.” Because we don’t have

any special goal or purpose

of practice, it doesn’t

matter what

comes.

 

Shunryu Suzuki

 

 

It is foolish 

to think about attaining 

realization by any technique. 

Make habits of courage, virtue, 

and absolute emptiness, and 

simply realize what is 

already always 

present.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 35

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Dogen Zen-ji says,

“Even though it is midnight, dawn is here.

Even though dawn comes, it is nighttime.” This kind

of statement conveys the understanding transmitted from

Buddha to the Patriarchs, and from the Patriarchs to Dogen,

and to us. Nighttime and daytime are not different.

The same thing is sometimes called nighttime,

sometimes called daytime. Nighttime

and daytime are one thing.

 

Zazen practice and

everyday activity are one thing.

We call zazen everyday life, and everyday life zazen.

But usually we think, “Now zazen is over, and now we

will go about our everyday activity.” But this is not the

right understanding.  They are the same thing. We

have nowhere to escape. So in activity there

should be calmness, and in calmness

there should be activity. So

calmness and activity

are not different.

 

Shunryu Suzuki

 

 

Bear

with things as

the earth bears with us: by

yielding, by accepting,

by nourishing.

 
K’un the Receptive is the complement to Qián the Creative: the dark which is illuminated by light, the earth which receives the blessings of heaven, the vessel into which nourishment flows. This is a time to follow rather than lead, to assist rather than initiate, to listen rather than talk. Redevote yourself to the cultivation of modesty, receptivity, and gentleness now, and let go of concerns about the conduct of others or the progress of your worldly ambitions.

The wisdom of cultivating receptivity cannot be overstated; receptivity is the rich earth without which the Creative cannot take root in our lives. This fundamental hexagram serves as a strong encouragement to you to concentrate on your capacities to nourish, to support, to accept, to work without desiring recognition, to follow the guidance of the Sage.

You can benefit greatly in a period like this from time spent in solitude; in quietness we have an opportunity to focus on purification of our hearts and minds. It is a good time to ask oneself, “Am I sincerely pursuing the good for its own sake, or do I have a hidden agenda?” If so, detach from it and return to the path of independence and balance. Through humility and openness we become receptive to the assistance of the Higher Power.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 2, K’un / The Receptive

 

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Further guidance from the
Wei Wu Wei Ching

 

Enlightenment
comes only when you
accept everything that is—
without resistance, without quarrel,
in complete stillness. This is the
only, the simplest, the necessary
ground of being for complete
realization.

The opportunity
to dwell in quiet acceptance
exists in every moment—sitting, bathing,
cleaning, cooking, working, wherever.
When that moment passes,
it is present in the next.
Just embrace it.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 2

 

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