In your light
I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest, where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do, and that sight
becomes this art.
Posts Tagged → buddha
the central benefit of zen
The central benefit of zen,
in the context of ordinary ups and downs
of life, is not in the context of preventing the minus
and promoting the plus, but in directing people
to the fundamental reality that is not
under the sway of ups
and downs.
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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this is the pure buddhaland
There is no dharma
that can be explained, no mind that
can be spoken of: inherent reality-nature is empty.
Going back to the fundamental basis is the Path. The real
identity of the Path is empty and boundless, vast and pure.
With its stillness and solitude, it obliterates the cosmos.
It pervades ancient and modern, but its nature
is pure. It is perfect from top to bottom
and everywhere pure. This is the
pure buddha-land.
…The Path
of enlightenment
cannot be charted or measured:
highest of the high, vast beyond limit,
deepest of the deep, profound beyond
fathoming, big enough to contain
heaven and earth, small enough
to enter an infinitesimal
point—thus it is called
the Path.
Records of the Teachers and Students of the Lanka
The Sixth Patriarch
heard someone recite the Diamond
Sutra phrase “arouse the mind without
placing it anywhere,” and
he awakened.
chosen limits empower growth
go on alone meeting it everywhere
Voluntarily chosen limits
empower your growth.
The practice of economies is a valuable notion everywhere in life. In your financial dealings, a reasonable thrift practiced today assures you of opportunity tomorrow. In your emotional life, the practice of balance and equanimity allows steady spiritual progress. The hexagram Chieh comes as an encouragement to set practical limits throughout your life.
Life lived without guidelines is confusing and troubling. In order to make genuine progress in any direction, we must first give some definition to our path. However, limits that are overstrenuous are not helpful; having too many rules causes rebellion in the one on whom they are imposed, whether one’s self or another. Therefore there must be limits even on one’s limits.
To yourself, the setting of limits means defining your purpose and responsibilities so that you have a clear idea of where your energies are to be aimed. Your limits should be determined by yourself, not another or the culture in which you live. Avoid harshness and impatience with yourself; true progress is made in gradual steps. Allow yourself pleasure, but avoid careless self-indulgence.
With others, place limits both on your own actions and the indulgences you offer them. To encourage another’s inferior qualities is to invite misfortune. Allow your interactions with others to take place within the limits of gentleness, tolerance, and innocence. If you will define and observe reasonable limits in all things, you will be assured of steady progress.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 60, Chieh / Limitation
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Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and
Art of War for iPad/Phone, Kindle,
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for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.