hexagram 38 ䷥ opposition

michael dumontier / neil farber

 
There are many occasions in life which tempt us into negative thoughts. Anxiety about the future, mistrust of another person, bodily pain, fear of failure or even success—all of these tempt us into mistrusting life and believing that life is against us. When we fall into this trap, we are in opposition to the workings of the Creative and success becomes impossible.

The simple truth is that every moment in every person’s life contains the teaching he or she most needs at the time. It is not always immediately apparent why a thing is happening because the Sage is often inclined to work in a roundabout fashion. Nonetheless, whatever is happening now is what must happen. Our only task is to trust the process and allow the lesson to seep in.

This hexagram comes as a signal that you are resisting life and preventing your own progress. Nonetheless, success is still possible, for every opposition carries within it the seeds of agreement. Cease resisting yourself, others, life, the Sage. Let go of dark thoughts and aggressive actions. By returning to acceptance, neutrality, and devotion to the way of the Sage, you dissolve the opposition within yourself and open the way for understanding and good fortune to arrive.

 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 38 / K’uei (Opposition)

 

sixth changing line:

Neither life, the Sage, nor

your companions seek to harm you.

Lay aside mistrust and release the

tensions of the moment.

 

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

Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and

Art of War for iPad/Phone, Kindle,

Nook, or Android

 

 ☯️

 

Further guidance from the
Wei Wu Wei Ching

 

☀️

 

If you haven’t

attained the Way,

don’t admonish others.

Don’t waste time blaming

yourself, either. Just

attain the Way.

 

🌿

 

You

can now buy

both books as part of a

five-app bundle of Taoist classics 

for iPhone or iPad for less than

the cost of one hardcover

book.

brian browne walker taoist app bundle ios ipad iphone

 

no power so great as modesty

release and flow and let go

 

The Creative acts

to empty what is full and

to offer abundance to

what is modest.

 

This hexagram suggests that a deepening of one’s modesty now is a sure means of improving the situation. There is no power so great as modesty for compelling the assistance of the Sage – nor one so hindering as immodesty. Those in high places who retain their modesty are loved by all and continually prosper; those below who cultivate modesty inevitably rise on the strength of their merits, without making enemies along the way.

But what does modesty mean? Certainly it entails a refusal to boast or act imperiously with others, even in small ways. But beyond this steadfast humility it also means that our effort to discern what is right and then do it is constant; we do not work against ourselves, and we do not indulge in doubts about the wisdom of correct conduct. This unwavering commitment to what is correct might be called “the modesty before the Sage”.

So there is in modesty a component of nonaction – that is, not indulging in arrogant, ego-centered behavior – as well as a component of active effort: looking for opportunities to correct ourselves, to assist justice where there is injustice, to feed where there is hunger, to give solace where there is pain.

Finally and most plainly, modesty means holding to innocence, sincerity, and openness in every situation. To do this is to empty ourself and make room for the blessings of the Creative to take root.
 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 15, Ch’ien / Modesty

 

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.

brian browne walker taoist app bundle ios ipad iphone

 

dissolve all ideas of duality

support sheldrick wildlife trust

 

The teaching

of the Integral Way will go on

as long as there is a tao and someone who

wishes to embody it; what is painted in

these scrolls today will appear in

different forms in many

generations to

come. 

 

These things,

however, will never change:

Those who wish to attain oneness must

practice undiscriminating virtue. They must

dissolve all ideas of duality: good and bad, beautiful

and ugly, high and low. They will be obliged to abandon

any mental bias born of cultural or religious belief.

Indeed, they should hold their minds free

of any thought which interferes with

their understanding of the

universe as a harmonious

oneness. 

 

The

beginning

of these practices is

the  beginning of

liberation. 

 

Hua hu Ching, Chapter 7

 

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

Hua hu Ching as part of a

five-app bundle of Taoist classics 

for iPhone or iPad for less than

the cost of one hardcover

book.

brian browne walker taoist app bundle ios ipad iphone