The wise heathen
have no knowledge; they just
keep their mind continually set on the Way.
There are no big-shot Buddhas in nature,
and ten thousand sutras are distilled
in a single song.
Posts Tagged → hua hu ching
heaven exists on earth
Heaven exists on earth
for those who maintain correct
thoughts and actions.
This hexagram signifies a time similar to spring: there is a strong flow of energy, and harmony and prosperity that is the reward of those who correctly balance their higher and lower natures. It is by remaining aware of our inferior self while insuring that the superior self governs our conduct that we arrive in a state of peace.
See yourself as a young tree now. The ground around you is fertile; sun and water and wind are plentiful. By maintaining your focus on moving upward toward light, clarity, and purity you can reach great heights. If you become entangled in inferior things, you will not enjoy the full benefit of this gracious hour. Stay balanced, innocent, and correct, and good fortune is assured.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and
Art of War for iPad/Phone, Kindle,
You
can now buy
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.
let us know our aims
Our task
as humans is to find
the few principles that will calm the
infinite anguish of free souls. We must mend
what has been torn apart, make justice imaginable
again in a world so obviously unjust, give happiness
a meaning once more to peoples poisoned by
the misery of the century. Naturally, it is
a superhuman task. But superhuman
is the term for tasks we take
a long time to accomplish,
that’s all.
Let us
know our aims then,
holding fast to the mind, even if
force puts on a thoughtful or a comfortable
face in order to seduce us. The first thing is not to
despair. Let us not listen too much to those who proclaim
that the world is at an end. Civilizations do not die so easily,
and even if our world were to collapse, it would not have
been the first. It is indeed true that we live in tragic
times. But too many people confuse tragedy with
despair. “Tragedy,” D.H. Lawrence said,
“ought to be a great kick at misery.”
This is a healthy and immediately
applicable thought. There are
many things today
deserving such
a kick.
If we are
to save the mind we must
ignore its gloomy virtues and celebrate
its strength and wonder. Our world is poisoned
by its misery, and seems to wallow in it. It has utterly
surrendered to that evil which Nietzsche called
the spirit of heaviness. Let us not add to this.
It is futile to weep over the mind,
it is enough to labor
for it.
But where
are the conquering virtues
of the mind? The same Nietzsche listed
them as mortal enemies to heaviness of the spirit.
For him, they are strength of character, taste, the “world,”
classical happiness, severe pride, the cold frugality of
the wise. More than ever, these virtues are
necessary today, and each of us can
choose the one that suits
him best.
Before the
vastness of the undertaking,
let no one forget strength of character.
I don’t mean the theatrical kind on political
platforms, complete with frowns and threatening
gestures. But the kind that through the virtue of its purity
and its sap, stands up to all the winds that blow in
from the sea. Such is the strength of character
that in the winter of the world
will prepare the
fruit.
be done with knowing
Be done
with knowing and
your worries will disappear.
How much difference is there between
yes and no? How much distinction between
good and evil? Fearing what others fear,
admiring what they admire —
nonsense.
Conventional
people are jolly and reckless,
feasting on worldly things and carrying on
as though every day were the beginning of spring.
I alone remain uncommitted, like an infant
who hasn’t yet smiled: lost, quietly
drifting, unattached to ideas
and places and
things.
Conventional
people hoard more than
they need, but I possess nothing
at all, know nothing at all,
understand nothing
at all.
They
are sharp; I am dull.
Like the sea, I am calm and
indifferent. Like the wind I
have no particular
direction.
Everyone
else takes his place and
does his job; I alone remain wild
and natural and free. I am different
from the others; I drink
directly from the
Mother.
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.
meet the source on all sides
Those who are determined to practice the Way practice self-awareness and self-understanding twenty-four hours a day. They think of this and focus on this. They know that the one Great Cause is there right where they stand, that it is in sages without being augmented and in ordinary people without being diminished. They know that it stands alone free of senses and sense objects, and that it far transcends material things.
Wayfarers don’t set up fixed locations in anything they do. They are clear and tranquil, with solid concentration, and the myriad transformations never disturb them. They appear in response to conditions and go into action as they encounter events, leaving nothing incomplete.
You should just be empty and quiet, transcending everything. Once the main basis is clear, all obscurities are illuminated. “Ten thousand years — a single thought. A single thought — ten thousand years.” Passing through from the heights to the depths, the great function of the whole potential is in operation. It is like when a strong man flexes his arm: he doesn’t depend on anyone else’s strength. Then the illusory blinders of birth and death vanish forever, and the true essence indestructible as a diamond is all that shows. Once realized, it is realized forever — there is no interruption.
All that the enlightened teachers, ancient and modern, have said and done — the scriptural teachings, the enlightenment stories, the meditation stories, the question-and-answer sessions, all their teaching functions — all of this illuminates this true essence alone.
If you can be free and clear in actual practice for a long time, naturally you will come to meet the Source on all sides and become unified and whole.
Haven’t you seen Fadeng’s verse?
Going into a wild field, not choosing,
Picking up whatever plant comes to hand,
Rootless but finding life,
Apart from the ground but not falling.
Right before your eyes, it has always been there. Facing the situation, why don’t you speak? If you don’t know it in your daily life, where then will you look for it? Better find out.