Looking for
nothing in particular,
wholly without ambition,
good-naturedly doing not doing,
you arrive at the center of yourself
and find the whole universe
waiting there.
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Master Ciming said to an assembly, “The body of reality is formless; it manifests forms in response to beings.”
(Dahui holds up his staff.) This is a staff — what is the reality body? Leaving this complication aside, the communal hall and Buddha shrine have gotten into your nostrils, the waters of the four great oceans are on your heads, the dragon kings are under your fingernails — do you feel them?
If you feel them, you go three thousand by day, eight hundred by night, smoke rising under your feet, fire rising on your heads. If you don’t know, eat when hungry, sleep when tired.
(Dahui planted his staff once.)
You are
already realized.
It is critical to understand this.
Enlightenment is less a matter of charging
forward to achieve something, and more
one of doing non-doing — of leaning
slightly back and silently
accepting its constant
presence.
Once you have
done this, go on practicing.
Without straining, continually pour the
emptiness of your being into the
emptiness of existence, and
drink what comes back:
emptiness.
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The highest
good is like water,
which benefits all things and
contends with none. It flows in low
places that others disdain, and
thus it is close to
the tao.
In living,
choose your ground well.
In thought, stay deep in the heart.
In relationships, be generous.
In speaking, hold to the truth.
In leadership, be organized.
In work, do your best.
In action, be
timely.
If you compete with no one,
no one can compete with you.
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Seek union with others
and with the Sage.
“Holding together”
denotes a time for creating union
with others in order to complement and assist
one another, just as the rain complements and assists
the earth, which is an image often associated with
this hexagram. In order for your unions to bear
the greatest possible fruit, certain
requirements must
be met.
The first
requirement for holding
together with others is that we hold
together with our own inner truth. This means
that we adhere to proper principles as a matter of habit,
striving always to remain innocent, balanced, and
correct. In short, marry the Sage first and
faithfully, and good fortune will
come to all subsequent
marriages.
The second
requirement for holding
together with others is that we
steadfastly resist the clamoring of
the emotional inferiors within. Every union
meets with challenges, and if we are not resolute
against the effects of fear, doubt, despair, and anger,
no lasting success will be possible in any relationship.
This is a good time to ask yourself if you are
displaying the steadfast correctness and
strength of character that are
at the heart of all great
unions.
Finally,
it is the responsibility
of one who would unite to see
that it is possible for others to enjoy union
as well. The desire for community is deeply felt by
all humans, and it is the shared responsibility of all those
on the higher path to make some sort of “family”
available to those in need. In doing this,
we pay homage to
the Sage.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 8, Pi / Holding Together
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