I want to
make myself an empty
room: quiet whitewashed walls
with slant sunshine and a fresh
breeze through open
windows.
you are the buddha now
If
the Way
were about being
a student of something,
it wouldn’t be alive in the world.
It lives because certain people say to
themselves, “All this teaching is
just for me. I am the living
expression of
this.”
This
isn’t arrogant.
This is humbly keeping the
buddhas, Lao Tzu, Lalla, Rumi, Suzuki,
Bahauddin, Yuanwu, all of them, alive in the
world. Only you can accomplish this.
You are the only
one.
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hexagram 6 ☯️ sung / conflict
The proper response
to conflict, whether it lies within or
without us, is disengagement.
Whenever we allow ourselves to be drawn off balance, away from the strength of quiet integrity, we are in conflict. It matters not whether the confrontation is between competing values in one’s own mind or with another person: it is the inner departure from clarity and equanimity that leaves us with feelings of despair and vulnerability. The only remedy is to disengage from the problem and return to quiet contemplation of what is correct.
Conflict provokes strong feelings of doubt, fear, anxiety, and impatience to resolve the situation. If you act under the influence of these inferior emotions, you will severely complicate the misfortune. By following the prescription of the Sage and returning to a position of neutrality, acceptance, and detachment, you are able to meet opposing forces halfway: not recoiling in anger and condemnation, not pressing forward for some unnatural change in things, but waiting calmly in the center until the Higher Power provides the correct solution.
The I Ching teaches us that all conflict is, in the end, inner conflict. When you see it beginning, you are obliged not to pursue it, for this only compounds your own misfortune. If you cannot regain your equanimity on your own, then seek the assistance of a just and impartial person in resolving the difficulty. The only way to live free of conflict is to hold steadfastly to proper principles in all things. Through balance, patience, and devotion to inner truth we rise above every challenge.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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quiet emptiness, drifting without direction
Learning the way means not wasting time;
diligent practice, over and over, is required.
We never know what we’re after at first —
just an abstract idea.
Step by step, we get a handle on things,
we learn to bear all kinds of burdens,
even worry.
When our heart is empty the light of Tao shines within us,
yet this radiance should not be displayed.
The sublime has all manner of power;
acknowledging this allows us to enlighten the lost.
A slim and willowy lady is what the gentleman sought,
but not all women are submissive.
In the end they walk their own different ways.
Clouds and mud divide our lonely boats.
Quiet emptiness,
drifting like clouds without direction:
coming and going without hindrance.
This is the true Way.
Real power is empty, without image.
Like buddha-nature, its blessings are sublime:
no sound, no form, no color.
empty mind, open heart, relaxed ambitions
When praise is
lavished upon the famous,
the people contend and compete with
one another. When exotic goods are traded
and treasured, the compulsion to steal is
felt. When desires are constantly
stimulated, people become
disturbed and
confused.
Therefore,
the wise person sets an example
by emptying her mind, opening her heart,
relaxing her ambitions, relinquishing her desires,
cultivating her character. Having conquered her
own cunning and cravings, she can’t
be manipulated by
anyone.
Do
by not-doing.
Act with non-action.
Allow order to arise
of itself.
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