note to self and others

my home office on maui

 

This

is an absolute necessity

for anybody today. You must have a room,

or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know

what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know

who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody,

you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where

you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and

what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation.

At first you may find that nothing happens there.

But if you have a sacred place and use it,

something eventually will

happen.

 

Joseph Campbell

 

yield, accept, nourish


 

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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progress as a tree does

cherry blossom tree

wise trees

 

Activity grounded in truth

brings good fortune.

 

It is

a time when

great progress can be made

through effort of will. However, it is essential

that all your activity be characterized by humility,

conscientiousness, and adaptability. Progress

as a tree does, bending around obstacles

rather than confronting them,

pushing upward steadily

but gently.

 

There

is nothing to be feared

from others now. Be neither subservient

nor forceful with those you encounter; simply meet

everyone with tolerance and gentle goodwill.

Those who look for the good

in others find it

there.

 

If fears

or doubts intrude,

remain quietly focused on

the activity at hand. Cultivate inner

independence and trust the leadership of

the Sage. The time is ripe for progress

if you put forth an effort that is

innocent, sincere, and

balanced.

 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 46, Sheng / Pushing Upward

 

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

Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for

iPad, Phone, Kindle, Nook,

or Android

 

You

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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gradual cultivation

lori andrews

 

You must keep this

mind balanced and equanimous,

without deluded ideas of self and others,

without arbitrary loves and hates, without grasping

or rejecting, without notions of gain and loss.

Go on gradually nurturing this for

a long time, perhaps twenty

or thirty years.

 

Whether you encounter

favorable or adverse conditions,

do not retreat or regress — then when you

come to the juncture between life and death,

you will naturally be set free and be not afraid.

As the saying goes, “Truth requires sudden

awakening, but the phenomenal

level calls for gradual

cultivation.”

 

Yuanwu

zen letters