The Ultimate Path is not
one-sided, the Final Truth is not biased.
We must not seize upon the views of just one
of these approaches. We must understand
them as one and make them all
perfect and wondrous.
In essence,
if you are confined to one
of them, they are all wrong; if you
reconcile them, they are all correct.
Forget sentiments and return
to the ocean of
wisdom.
Records of the Teachers and Students of the Lanka
This is a time for
disengagement and retreat.
In stillness you are out
of the reach of
danger.
It is inherent in the design of life that forces of darkness and disruption come into prominence from time to time. This hexagram indicates that this is such a time and advises you to respond by quietly retreating. To struggle or resist in anger now is to add fuel to the fire of negativity which threatens to consume you.
The superior person accepts that there is a natural ebb and flow between the forces of light and dark in the world. Wisdom lies not in resisting these movements but in responding to them appropriately. Just as a plant which sprouts in the dead of winter is doomed, and one which sprouts in spring flourishes, so it is with us. Success and prosperity accrue to those who advance in times of light and retreat in times of darkness. To retreat now is to benefit, in the end, from the changing tides.
Retreat is not the same thing as surrender, capitulation, or abandonment, which are desperate and unsatisfying measures. Neither is it characterized by a hardening into angry or punitive emotions. It is instead an acceptance and a choice: we calmly accept that the energies of the moment are against us, and we wisely choose to withdraw into the safety of stillness. In this dignified and balanced manner we protect ourselves from negative influences and arrive rested in a more beneficial hour.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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Each of you has a
priceless jewel in your own body.
It radiates light through your eyes, shining
through the mountains, river, and earth. It radiates light
through your ears, taking in all sounds, good and bad.
It radiates light through your six senses day
and night. This is also called
absorption in light.
You yourself do not
recognize it, but it is in your
physical body, supporting it inside
and out, not letting it tip over. Even if you
are carrying a double load of rocks
over a single-log bridge,
it still doesn’t let
you fall over.
What is it?
If you seek in the slightest,
it cannot be seen.
The wondrous path
of the enlightened ones is straight
and direct. They just pointed directly to
the human mind so we would work to
see its true nature and achieve
enlightenment.
This mind-source
is originally empty and peaceful,
clear and wondrous, and free from the slightest
obstruction. But we screen it off with false thoughts
and give rise to defilements and blockages in this
unobstructed one. We turn our backs on the
fundamental and pursue the trivial
and foolishly revolve on the
cycle of routine.
If you
have great capacity,
you won’t seek outside anymore.
Right where you stand you will come forth in
independent realization. When the transitory blinders
of false perception have been dissolved away, the
original correct perception is complete and
wondrous. This is called the identity
of mind and buddha.
From this,
once realized, it is realized
forever. It is like the bottom falling out of a
bucket: you open through and merge with the Way,
and there is nothing occupying your mind.
Beholding the essence, pure and still,
you receive the use of it and
have no more
doubts.
The worthies of old
all had means of emancipating people.
What I teach people just requires you not to take on
the confusion of others. If you need to act,
then act, without any further
hesitation or doubt.